#dirtybinary

[hazel-wand]

This is the kind of fic that I should have already read. In fact, finding it and realising that I hadn’t already read it and that I got to read something this brilliant for the first time made me very happy. It’s a post WS let’s smash Hydra rampage story with identity reclamation and hurt/comforty goodness.

[lorefulevil]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 3rd Life | Last Life SMP Series Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Martyn Littlewood | InTheLittleWood/Rendog Characters: Martyn Littlewood | InTheLittleWood, Rendog (Video Blogging RPF) Additional Tags: The Watchers are Bad (Evolution SMP), Impersonation, Canon-Typical Otherworldly Horrors, post-limited life, Fade to Black, martyn likes being tied up but only sometimes in a sexy way, ask to tag Summary:

“It was just—shadows and whispers, at first," Martyn said. "I could walk right through them. But the more I listened, the stronger they grew.” He scrubbed a hand across his face. “It’s my fault, I reckon, a lot of it.”

Ren pulled him closer, needing to feel something warm and real. “It’s not.”

“I always knew it wasn’t really you. They’d get your voice wrong, or the way you walked or held your sword. But sometimes—”

“Yeah?”

“Sometimes I’d play along,” said Martyn, toneless and faraway. “Indulge them. It was better than not having you at all.”

The winner of the last death game has gone missing. Ren goes looking for him. But there are other things looking for Martyn, too—things that look like Ren, that wear his face and speak with his voice, and it isn't always easy to tell them apart.

[enemyofrome]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 3rd Life | Last Life SMP Series, Limited Life SMP Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Martyn Littlewood/Rendog, Martyn Littlewood/Scott Major Characters: Martyn Littlewood | InTheLittleWood, Rendog (Video Blogging RPF), Scott Major | Smajor1995, Watchers - Character Additional Tags: Hematophagia, Messed Up Codependent Mean Gills, Past Jimmy | Solidarity/Scott Major | Smajor1995, Self-Harm, Malevolent Gaslighting Watchers Summary:

Sometimes they remember things that happened in other worlds, but without the emotions that went along with them. Sometimes it’s the emotions but not the things. Those days are the worst. A bird walks through the door and you want to wring its neck. A man walks through the door and you want to fall at his feet. Martyn wishes, often, that he were just a bit more forgetful.

After the events of Limited Life, Martyn flees the void and goes looking for a king he used to know.

[themculibrary]

40k Masterlist

academy babylon (ao3) - wiigs gilgamesh/thena N/R, 42k

Summary: welcome to academy babylon where everything is very alternate universe, but essentially ajak is headmaster, all the eternals are professors/teachers, and thena has ptsd but gilgamesh is there for her.

All Those Little Pieces (ao3) - Ellessey steve/bucky M, 40k

Summary: Bucky blinks at him. "You’re sure your brain wasn’t damaged?"

"Yes," Steve sputters. "Why do you keep asking that?"

"I almost killed you," Bucky says, still with almost no emotion in his voice. It’s unclear if he’s questioning Steve because he can’t seem to string a sentence together, or because it’s crazy to tell Bucky he’s still a hero after almost being murdered by him, but it doesn’t matter.

"You didn’t, though," Steve says firmly. "And you’re… here."

--

Steve has never forgotten Bucky Barnes. Not their childhood together, not the horror of the moment Bucky fell too far for him to reach, and not the way he's loved him all the while.

Bucky has forgotten everything about Steve, at least at first. But there's still a feeling there, warm in his chest—and maybe now that he's found his way back to Steve Rogers and his sunny apartment, there's a chance it might turn into something more.

Demobilization (ao3) - 743ish steve/bucky E, 41k

Summary: When the Statue of Liberty slides into view, the whole ship roars. It’s deafening. Bucky throws his fist in the air and yells along with everyone else. His heart is in his throat. The Statue of goddamn Liberty. Bucky wants to climb up her robe and kiss her sour green face.

------

In 1945, Bucky comes home from the war.

Fourth Floor (ao3) - dirtybinary, mithborien, picoalloe steve/bucky T, 41k

Summary: Steve has his life in order, okay. He goes to wizard college, even if he can't technically do magic. He has his own apartment, even though it's small and dinky and kind of gross, and forgets to exist sometimes, and might also be alive? Plus, he has a crush on the hot cyborg in unit 404 who cooks fiendishly good breakfast foods, and may or may not have some kind of weird connection to the sentient building they live in. He's not sure.

He's dealing, all right, his life is in tip-top condition, or it was until an eldritch monstrosity called the Hydra started posing as a real estate company to try and buy over his new home.

He's really pissed about that.

(The one where Steve is an angry millennial wizard, Sam is a Disney prince, Natasha is a shapeshifter, and Bucky is a spoiler.)

fuck you (please?) (ao3) - definitelynotahunter sam/bucky M, 48k

Summary: SPOILERS FOR TFATWS

Bucky hates Sam. He hates his shitty jokes, his stupid smug smile, and the fact that he can't even look Sam in the eye without revealing how desperately in love he is.

ghosts that we knew (ao3) - wilsonsnest sam/bucky T, 46k

Summary: Sam (reluctantly) agrees to do a commission for Steve's rich but extremely reclusive friend, James Barnes.

Sam just stared at the other man, the feeling of being watched suddenly overcoming him. God, what kind of weirdo didn’t even come to greet their guests? It was one thing to be a rich recluse, but another thing to just completely ignore people wandering around your house.

“Steve, this is really weird.” Sam stressed. “This isn’t weird to you?”

I just met you (and this is crazy) (ao3) - littlesystems steve/bucky E, 41k

Summary: After Steve gets outed by a grainy cell phone picture, it takes the media less than 24 hours to discover Captain America’s secret relationship with James Barnes: classical musician, teen heartthrob, and son of a former president.

The only problem? Steve has never met James Barnes in his life.

Iron Man: Unavailable, Tony Stark: In Trouble (ao3) - navaan steve/tony T, 40k

Summary: After what happened in New York the Avengers with the help of Tony Stark are trying to become more independent. The team has grown together and for Steve Iron Man is a big part of that, although he has some trouble getting along with his employer. Then Steve faces a bit of a mystery when Tony Stark gets kidnapped – and Iron Man, who is supposed to be the man's bodyguard when he's not an Avenger, is nowhere to be found.

Love Is An Anomaly (Not Science Nor Art) (ao3) - morphia steve/tony E, 44k

Summary: "I see you've met our History of Art teacher Steve Rogers," Bruce said, pointedly eyeing Tony, who was still holding onto Steve's hand. "And Steve…" He turned to him with a smile that was a touch too pleasant. "…this is my seventeen year old assistant, Tony Stark."

One Hell of a Show (ao3) - MillyVeil pepper/tony E, 44k

Summary: Tony gets kidnapped for ransom and Clint gets nabbed with him. It’s rough for them both.

Semaphore (ao3) - DevilDoll steve/tony, pepper/tony, steve/bucky, peggy/steve E, 40k

Summary: "I’m trying to like you, Tony. You’re just making it very hard." Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Take It From Me (ao3) - castiowl steve/bucky E, 41k

Summary: After a disastrous break up with Brock, Steve is looking to drown his feelings at a bar. Instead, he finds a rakish stranger and decides to take him home. It’s a no-strings-attached, one-night stand, a way to forget all the shitty things Brock made him feel. The stranger is leaving the country anyway, so Steve may as well take advantage of the opportunity for anonymous rebound sex. Steve’ll never see him again, right?

A lot can change in three years.

Teach Me To Love (ao3) - iamjustabird gilgamesh/thena, phastos/ben G, 49k

Summary: Thena has just moved next door to her old friend Phastos with her young son Druig in tow. She's worried about how he's going to adjust to the move and to his new school, but Phastos assures her that his friend and neighbour Gilgamesh is the best teacher a kid could ask for. She'll see about that.

The Last Love Song of Anthony E. Stark (ao3) - jibrailis steve/tony M, 42k

Summary: After contracting an Asgardian virus, Tony starts forgetting things. And people. And Steve.

Things Unseen (That Are Captured on Film) (ao3) - scifigrl47 steve/tony, clint/phil M, 41k

Summary: In which the Avengers discover the video footage of Tony testing the Iron Man armor, and that goes about as well as it could be expected. Steve Rogers attempts to make peace with his lover's rather cavalier attitude to his health and safety, and starts learning more about Tony's family along the way, both the one he was born into, and the one he's chosen. And, of course, the one that's chosen him.

Subtitled: It's all Clint's fault. No one is surprised.

Thirty-Eight Days and Counting (ao3) - thecommodore_squid (orphan_account) steve/bucky M, 40k

Summary: It didn’t escape him that Steve shared his assumed last name. “Are you gonna be my cousin?” Bucky asked dully.

Steve frowned. “Husband, actually,” he said easily, holding up his left hand to show a typical golden band.

Bucky scowled and closed the door.

AKA An AU in which Bucky is put in the witness protection program and Steve is the agent hired to protect him/pretend to be his husband.

To Liars and Saving the World (ao3) - magicasen steve/tony E, 45k

Summary: When Tony's life is in danger, Steve does the only thing he can do to save his teammate: he makes an honest man out of him. Steve and Tony's sham marriage is only supposed to be a blip in their history that no one has to know about. But when they're outed to the press, and with ghosts from his past coming to haunt him, Steve must come to terms with the idea that his own feelings for Tony might not be a lie.

Toy Soldiers (ao3) - copperbadge steve/tony, background sam/bucky E, 44k

Summary: When Steve Rogers, five foot four and a hundred and ten pounds, met Tony Stark in a bar, he didn't expect it to lead to a relationship. Or that Tony would find out he's not an art student during a SHIELD rescue mission in Afghanistan.

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (9-15 Apr 2023)

ᵍᵘᵉˢˢ ʷʰᵃᵗ ᶦ ᵇᶦⁿᵍᵉᵈ ʸᵉˢᵗᵉʳᵈᵃʸ

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰Love Exactly (darter_blue) - 64K, zimbits AU - fluffy AU with a chance meeting in a bar and instalove - fun read, like wrapping a warm blanket around yourself

😊👂‍Death Beside the Seaside (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #6) (T.E. Kinsey, author; Elizabeth Knowelden, narrator) - Emily & Flo try to take a holiday at the seaside but there's no sea and a surprising number of internal spies. -

😍Wish Granted (ambut) - 40K, stucky no powers AU - reread of this fave D/s getting together fic

😊👂‍A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons (Saffron Everleigh Mystery #1) (Kate Khavari, author; Jodie Harris, narrator) - entertaining enough cozy mystery set in 1920s British academia with the standard 'plucky & smart-but-also-foolish' amateur detective (newly minted botanist) trying to exonerate her mentor from murder charges. I enjoyed it enough that I might read another but I'm not feral for it

🥰Winter's Children (Neery) - 66K, stucky - "When their attempts to recreate the super soldier serum failed, Hydra started trying to breed Captain America clones from his genetic samples. Unfortunately, the serum's effects aren't passed down genetically, so instead of an army of tiny Captain Americas, they get a bunch of tow-headed, asthmatic, allergic, immuno-compromised little Steves. And then the Winter Soldier stumbles across Hydra's failed experiment…" - just a great fucking fic. I stayed up until 1AM to read and I am too fucking old to be doing nonsense like that, but it was totally worth it.

😍Fourth Floor (dirtybinary) - 41K, stucky modern magic AU - "The one where Steve is an angry millennial wizard, Sam is a Disney prince, Natasha is a shapeshifter, and Bucky is a spoiler."

🥰👂‍Rattling Bone (OutFoxing the Paranormal #2) (Jordan L Hawk, author; Tristan James, narrator) - another enjoyable & spooky ghost hunting adventure with the OutFoxing The Paranormal found family, this time dealing with Oscar's actual family history/trauma.

🥰You're the One That I Want (PR Zed (przed)) - 53K, stucky modern no powers AU - reread, angsty arranged-marriage-for-insurance that is so satisfying

💖💖 +203K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

toasty warm heart (wearing_tearing) - Stranger Things: steddie, 9K - TOO FUCKING CUTE AND WARM AND FLUFFY

as sunshine falls on the wretched (KivrinEngle) - The Hobbit: gen, 18K - a very sweet canon-divergent AU where bilbo adopts a lost little dwarf baby

Handy (softestpunk) - The Sandman: dreamling, 3K - ceramicist Dream lusts after handyman Hob, doesn't make his move, is sad but is saved when he meets the hot professor he's giving a guest lecture for - short and sweet!

the game is on again (ReinventAndBelieve) - The Witcher: Geralt/Jaskier/Eskel, 7K - hot and tender af!

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Dirty Laundry - s2, e5-7

Ted Lasso - s3, e5 [x2]

The Brokenwood Mysteries - s9, e1

Uncommon Comfort Reads with Malka Older, Martha Wells, KJ Charles, and T Kingfisher - super fun panel

Schmigadoon! - s1, e1-6

Schmigadoon! (Schmicago!) - s2, e1

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

99% Invisible #316 - The Shipping Forecast

The Sporkful - Bill Nye, The FOOD Science Guy!

Big Gay Fiction Podcast - A Trip to the Ballpark with KD Casey

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Places Our Families Took Us

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Ashley House

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Fairy Circles

Vibe Check - A Satisfied Geriatric Millennial

99% Invisible #532 - For a Dollar and a Dream

⭐The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Fun and Funny Science with Mary Roach

Off Menu - Ep 187: Lily Allen

Into It - Are We Into Taylor Swift's Breakup, Lofi Girl, and a Baby Shark Podcast? {worth a listen to hear whatshisname Alwyn described as 'sentient mayo'}

You're Dead To Me - Al Andalus

ICYMI Plus - Meet the Internet’s Princess

Welcome to Night Vale #226 - Creditors

⭐Hit Parade Plus - The British Are Charting Edition

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

CREDITS: Burt Bacharach

AM In The A.M.: '70s Pop Morning

Classic Sunny Afternoon

Best Of '81 To '85 [Ratt]

Essential Glam Rock

Ratt radio

"Summertime Girls" [Y&T] radio

The Fixx radio

[ao3-stucky]

by SilverRaindemon

Стив не идёт ко дну вместе с самолётом. Как следствие этого, Зимний Солдат проводит семьдесят лет пытаясь расстроить планы — и получая то же в ответ от — светловолосого незнакомца, который появляется на всех его заданиях и постоянно покупает ему поесть. Или: история, в которой есть заклятые враги и их убойные бургеры.

Words: 4977, Chapters: 1/1, Language: Русский

Series: Part 1 of Убойные бургеры

Fandoms: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel)

Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers

Additional Tags: Контроль сознания, потеря памяти, суицидальные мысли, background Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers - Freeform, POV Bucky Barnes

[msilverstar]

Authors/Artists:  @enemyofrome , @mithborien , picoalloe (no longer on tumblr?) Date: 22 Aug 2017 Chapters: 1/1, 41,816 words Fandom: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers Characters: Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes, Sam Wilson, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Other Avengers, Alexander Pierce, Original Cat Character(s), Hydra Agents Additional Tags: Magical Realism, Tentacle Monsters, shrinkyclinks, Minor Sharon Carter/Natasha Romanov, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting Summary:

Steve has his life in order, okay. He goes to wizard college, even if he can't technically do magic. He has his own apartment, even though it's small and dinky and kind of gross, and forgets to exist sometimes, and might also be alive? Plus, he has a crush on the hot cyborg in unit 404 who cooks fiendishly good breakfast foods, and may or may not have some kind of weird connection to the sentient building they live in. He's not sure.

He's dealing, all right, his life is in tip-top condition, or it was until an eldritch monstrosity called the Hydra started posing as a real estate company to try and buy over his new home.

He's really pissed about that.

(The one where Steve is an angry millennial wizard, Sam is a Disney prince, Natasha is a shapeshifter, and Bucky is a spoiler.)

Bookmarker's Notes:

Utterly fabulous urban fantasy AU where everything is different except that the characters and plot are somehow perfectly in tune with canon.

Shrinkyclinks-ish, with sass: Steve couldn’t argue with that. He tried, because he was nothing if not argumentative and he had a reputation to maintain

[wangxianficrecs]

To Wing Your Soul With Jasmines

by dirtybinary

T, 6k, wangxian

Summary:  Lan Wangji is Chief Cultivator, Wei Wuxian is travelling the world somewhere, and the Jingshi fills up with mysterious flowers.

(Set between the last two scenes of TV canon.)

My comments:  The following excerpt really doesn't encapsulate the story at all (story is about paperman wwx keeping lwj company and teasing juniors while wwx is gone) but it tickled me to death:

Excerpt:  The clan leaders arrive for some kind of summit with the Chief Cultivator, and Sizhui and Jingyi are called upon to help welcome the guests at the foot of the front stairs.

Sizhui has been looking forward to this for weeks: in part to see Jin Ling and Zizhen, in part because—and he would never say this aloud—watching outsiders talk at Hanguang-jun is the closest thing one gets to comic theatre in the Cloud Recesses.

post canon, grief/mourning, brotherly feels, family feels, paper man, paperman, adorable juniors, fluff, pining, reunions, paperman wei wuxian, post cql, excellency lan wangji, @enemyofrome

[mitsususu]

Ever wondered what it’d be like if Steve had gotten captured? Wonder no more; below are my Top 5 Favorite Stories: 

“the long game” (M, 6k) by dirtybinary

In 1945, Steve Rogers trades himself to the Red Room in exchange for the Winter Soldier. They accept his offer, but don't let Bucky go. After all, their supersoldiers come as a matched set.

(Featuring crafty Steve, pining Bucky, and a very noisy metal arm.)

+ Fall to WS. Steve and Bucky take turns remembering and play the long con. The one with the Fact Game

-☆-

“Falling Back on Forever” (E, 24k) by ftmsteverogers

Bucky falls from the train in 1945. Steve jumps right after him.

The Winter Soldier and the Midnight Patriot are the world's most feared duo, serving HYDRA and leaving a trail of bodies a mile wide behind them. But then they remember.

+ Fall to Avengers. They remember each other, break out, and go on the run

-☆-

“Steve Rogers’s epic failures meeting the expectations” (T, 5k) by StuckySituation

Steve Rogers’s patriotic eyebrows jump up. “Holy cow.”

That was not what Tony would have expected from Captain America. “‘Holy cow’? Did the history books mess up? Was your family actually from India and not Ireland?”

“Fuck off, Stark. I ain’t shitting on what comes out of your mouth, so you better leave my goddamn cows alone as well.”

Tony doesn’t know whether to feel awestruck or betrayed. “You,” he says and points at Rogers, “are nothing like I expected.”

“Sorry to be a fucking disappointment,” Rogers says with a scowl and pulls his ridiculous helmet on, covering the sleekly styled brown hair. It was astonishing how even Rogers’s golden hair had been false propaganda -- but of coursethe great America had wanted to present its figurehead as Aryan perfection in the time of eugenics. “Suit up, everyone. Let’s get this shit done.”

+ Defrosting to WS. A series where defrosted Bucky tries his best without Steve, and then doesn’t have to anymore

-☆-

“Winter’s Heart” (NR, 5k) by Speranza

"Good morning, Soldier," and Steve opened his eyes and said, automatically, "Ready to comply."

+ Endgame. Steve uses the time stone to jump after Bucky in the Alps

-☆-

“Sleeping With Ghosts” (M, 33k) by rohkeutta

The first two years after Bucky gets out of the ice are-- surprisingly easy. Serve his country, learn to use his charmed robot hand, make friends, don’t think about the spark of magic in him that’s gone out, see the world, try to live with the grief (try to live with the grief, try to--)

Maybe they’re not that easy, in the end, but he’s settling - until he gets reluctantly pulled out of the Army and has Steve’s shield (Steve’s shield, its magic wary and curious and half-dormant) thrust onto him again, even though he’s already turned it down once before. The world has changed and so has he, but as he tries to immerse himself into a new life, he meets a ghost he could never leave behind.

+ Fall to WS. Magic, bonding, blood binding, and finally coming home to each other. 

-☆-

*More Winter Soldier Steve fics in the Handler Steve list

[mdzs-fic]

Additional Tags: 

Post-Canon, Grief/Mourning, Brother Feels, Family Feels, Paper Man, travel sized wwx, dumb juniors being dumb, Fluff, Pining, Reunions

Word count: 6k

Summary:

Lan Wangji is Chief Cultivator, Wei Wuxian is travelling the world somewhere, and the Jingshi fills up with mysterious flowers.

(Set between the last two scenes of TV canon.)

[stucky-ficrecs]

Author: dirtybinary Rating: teen Status: Complete Length: 3K

The Asset has to admit, ending a mission with Captain America crying into his lap is pretty unexpected. Even for him, and he is trained to anticipate all contingencies.

The Asset runs into his ex-mission halfway across the world. Surprisingly, very little fighting ensues.

Submit your own fic!recs :)

[drowninginfanfics]

In 1945, Steve Rogers trades himself to the Red Room in exchange for the Winter Soldier. They accept his offer, but don't let Bucky go. After all, their supersoldiers come as a matched set.

(Featuring crafty Steve, pining Bucky, and a very noisy metal arm.)

[lorefulevil]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 3rd Life | Last Life SMP Series, Secret Life SMP - Fandom Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Martyn Littlewood | InTheLittleWood/Rendog Characters: Rendog (Video Blogging RPF), Martyn Littlewood | InTheLittleWood Additional Tags: Secret Life SMP: Session 1, Secret Life Spoilers, ren is totally in secret life guys don't worry about it /j, Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Injury, wet cat martyn, implied sinister otherworldly forces Summary:

Ren thought at first that the shape at the bottom of the mineshaft was a heap of clothes, or maybe their first corpse, but it was just Martyn—filthy, bleeding, delirious, somehow still struggling for breath. “Jeez, dude,” Ren said, bending over the forlorn figure. “I thought you were good at this.”

Martyn's having a terrible time. Ren gets to take care of him for a change. (A fix-it AU in which Ren is back for Secret Life. #copium)

[reredundant]

For some time now, Howl had been edging towards the line between theatrical petulance and true fury. Now he shot across it with all the force of a cannonball.

dirtybinary, All the King's Men

[mithborien]

My artwork for:

Fourth Floor by mithborien, dirtybinary, picoalloe Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers Characters: Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes, Sam Wilson, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Other Avengers, Alexander Pierce, Original Cat Character(s), Hydra Agents Additional Tags: Magical Realism, Tentacle Monsters, shrinkyclinks, Minor Sharon Carter/Natasha Romanov, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting Summary:

Steve has his life in order, okay. He goes to wizard college, even if he can't technically do magic. He has his own apartment, even though it's small and dinky and kind of gross, and forgets to exist sometimes, and might also be alive? Plus, he has a crush on the hot cyborg in unit 404 who cooks fiendishly good breakfast foods, and may or may not have some kind of weird connection to the sentient building they live in. He's not sure.

He's dealing, all right, his life is in tip-top condition, or it was until an eldritch monstrosity called the Hydra started posing as a real estate company to try and buy over his new home.

He's really pissed about that.

(The one where Steve is an angry millennial wizard, Sam is a Disney prince, Natasha is a shapeshifter, and Bucky is a spoiler.)

[marvelfanrecs]

Fourth Floor, a Fic Review

Author: @dirtybinary  Link: A03 Rating: Teen and up Relationship: Steve Rogers/James “Bucky” Barnes Characters: Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes, Sam Wilson, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Other Avengers, Alexander Pierce, Original Cat Character(s), Hydra Agents Tags: Magical Realism, Tentacle Monsters, shrinkyclinks, Minor Sharon Carter/Natasha Romanov, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting Summary: Steve has his life in order, okay. He goes to wizard college, even if he can't technically do magic. He has his own apartment, even though it's small and dinky and kind of gross, and forgets to exist sometimes, and might also be alive? Plus, he has a crush on the hot cyborg in unit 404 who cooks fiendishly good breakfast foods, and may or may not have some kind of weird connection to the sentient building they live in. He's not sure.He's dealing, all right, his life is in tip-top condition, or it was until an eldritch monstrosity called the Hydra started posing as a real estate company to try and buy over his new home. He's really pissed about that. (The one where Steve is an angry millennial wizard, Sam is a Disney prince, Natasha is a shapeshifter, and Bucky is a spoiler.)

Review by Mod Tisfan

Wow. I was hooked like by the end of the fifth paragraph… Steve and Sam vs. the IKEA bookshelf.

Sam wasn’t listening. He turned the leaflet upside down. “So these diagrams make no sense whichever way you look at them,” he said, “and paramedic school didn’t cover furniture appeasement, but I’m pretty sure step 6 is a blood sacrifice.”

“I’m anemic,” said Steve.

“It’s a bookshelf,” said Sam. “I don’t think it understands human suffering.”

And it just kept going… this fic was touching, adventurous, great world building, funny as hell. You know that picture of wet-cat as smol!steve? That’s what you get here. Not nice, cozy puppy dog Steve, but bony elbows and shark smiles and ridiculously overblown “I’m angry at the universe” Steve.

There’s a clock-radio shape shifter cat (Radio is awesome, personally one of my favorite OCs ever) and some really interesting Modern Magic theory. There are cameos from a dozen different Marvel characters and it’s fascinating the way they all sort of blend in together.

And oh, my god, the spoiler/twist is just amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything that original as a concept before, and I loved it.

On a more technical note, the editing was top notch, the writing was fantastic (and written in past-tense, and I know present tense is the fashionable thing for fic, but I personally hate it and it kept me from reading fic for a LONG long time. I’ve mostly gotten over myself for it, but it really gives every single fic a bonus point to be written in past tense, so thanks for that!) and the art was so cute.

So, you should totally check it out.