#mcu rec list

[mania-sama]

march fic recs!

this list is otherwise known as: mania_sama's fic recs: marvel/sambucky addition! because somehow, of the 76 fics i read this month, 74 of them were MCU. of those 74 MCU fics, 61 of them were tagged with sambucky (including platonic). i don't know what happened. hyperfixation really cannot be forced because i was absolutely blindsided by this. never cared for TFATWS. still don't, honestly, but somehow i'm here. please enjoy. i assume next month will be a little more... diverse... in the fandom and ship selection.

organization:

➼ fandom

✎ [Fic Name] by [Author] ❧ rating, word count (in progress tagged if work is not completed) ❧ relationship tags ❧ my description/notes ❧ Quotation

featured fandoms: marvel cinematic universe

more of my fic recommendations: january | february | april

➼ marvel cinematic universe

✎ When You Awake by Lunar_Pull ❧ explicit, 19.3k ❧ james "bucky" barnes/sam wilson ❧ sam has complete amnesia after falling from the sky in a terrible accident during a mission, written entirely in second person. i have said it once and I'll say it again: i find second person really interesting when it's not written from the "y/n" perspective. i like being placed directly in the shoes of a given character. the choice to use second person in this fic is an incredibly powerful one; you really do only know as much as sam knows, aside from what we've gleaned through the tags. we can only put things together as sam puts them together, which leads to some pretty crazy conversations, but also a pretty crazy amount of emotions that swell and tide all at once. i particularly enjoyed the beginning of the fic (though i love all of it); there is a segment where sam starts to truly remember some things for the first time, and he does it through natasha. he remembers loving her. i think it's important for love of all kinds to be showcased, and that intense feeling of love and loss for a friend cuts so, so deep in my heart. it's so well written. and then there is the development of bucky and sam's relationship, of bucky knowing more than what sam knows, but of sam also only knowing what sam knows. bucky's intense desire to do what is best for sam but also to return to what they had before the accident is a very hard emotion to parse through. the whole fic has its ups and down in terms of it being an emotional rollercoaster, but it is SO good and so worth the pain and the suffering that may happen along the way. ❧ You bite your lip nervously, hard enough to cut through the skin. You don’t want to say ‘who’s Sam?’ Because that’s crazy, that’s just insane. You’re Sam. Obviously , you’re Sam. 

✎ TFATWS/CA Fics by midnightdragons ❧ general audience/teen and up, 36.0k (in progress) ❧ james "bucky" barnes/sam wilson ❧ this is an ongoing series of disconnected one-shots by midnightdragons. you may thinking, why not just recommend one or two fics by them, instead of all of their sambucky fics? truth is, i CAN'T. i can't just stick to one. all of their sambucky fics are phenomenal and i've loved every single one of them. they are all relatively short, so you can certainly go through them all. they are just MMMMMMMM. most of them tackle sam and bucky's respective traumas in one form or another. typically it's bucky's, but that is to be expected: the draw of the winter soldier's endless pit of nauseating, suffocating trauma is literally impossible to resist. but they do an incredibly good job of it; each one is a breath of fresh air from the next; each one addressing another segment that was usually overlooked by the movies and/or TFATWS. if i had to pick a favorite one, i'd probably say Daybreak, because it takes something so simple yet so vital to the relation of trauma: the prosthetic. it has always, always meant fighting. he has only fought with it - only went from one fight to the next for years on end. he only received an arm from the wakandans to fight against thanos. and now? now what is he supposed to do? these kids aren't scared of the arm, they think it's cool. which is so unfathomable to bucky, who simply cannot associate it as such. i think that's a good approach to bucky's character. and then there's the rest of the dynamic, the relationship between the two. it always alternates between sincere and cheeky, like always. and like always, they find room to love each other in between (romantic or platonic, it's up to interpretation. i kind of like the nebulous dynamic). ❧ “If you really wanna act like I’m on my deathbed, you can just sit there and be quiet,” he said at last, voice dry and light. Bucky’s mouth twitched a little, which was a positive. “Your pacing is loud as hell. It’s almost like you’re worried about me, or something,” Sam teased him.

✎ down bad (bone deep) by glittercake ❧ explicit, 16.8k ❧ james "bucky" barnes/sam wilson ❧ during a new-avengers fight with the red hulk, sam completely shatters more than a few bones in his body and has to spend a long time in complete rehabilitation, starting from bed-bound, to wheelchair, to eventual full recovery. if it wasn't obvious by the first fic i recommended in this month's list, i love caretaker! bucky. i think it's neat. and this fic does it WELL. because while the other fic was in sam's point of view, this one is in bucky's. it's a whole different slew of emotions that come along (as well as the fact the original nature of their relationship is different, but i digress). aside from all of the delicious physical caretaking (of which i take GREAT pleasure in. i love it when character A has to fully, manually take care of character B, including washing B, moving B, feeding B, etc), the gradual process of bucky and sam falling in love over the rehabilitation period is something that i'm not sure i can put into words. it happens all so naturally, like how i would imagine two real life people would fall in love with each other. these two do it like they are real. and that is a master of an art, to bring out the reality in the fiction. the banter is, also, once again, absolutely amazing. it really isn't sambucky if there isn't a healthy amount of banter that makes you laugh. ❧ The rustling paper bag has Sam opening his eyes again. A quick, surprised expression passes over his face like he didn’t expect Bucky to be there. He blinks. “Buck,” he says with the faintest smile before he closes his eyes. “I missed beers.” 

✎ this whole song and dance by Lunar_Pull ❧ general audiences, 3.7k ❧ michelle jones/peter parker, james "bucky" barnes/sam wilson ❧ peter comes by the diner mj works at every day, because he still loves her, and it's so hard to be away from her, even though it hurts him to see her serve him every day without a hint of recognition of their past relationship. one day, when he's there as per usual, sam and bucky walk in, talking loudly and acting as if most of the population doesn't know who they are. they then both talk to peter; in rounds, of course, and unintentionally doing so when their other half has walked away. peter has a lot of conflicting emotions in this fic. mostly, it's about peter having lost his entire life and being unable to give up the girl of his dreams. but it's also about how bucky and sam both individually relate to peter's situation and give him advice on what to do going forward. even though neither of them show a hint of remembering him, their words strike a deep cord within peter. because it's not just about the question of whether or not the love is real or if the other person will reciprocate; it's about being the best person you can be for your partner, and about waiting until you are both ready to indulge in something good. this entire fic is a wonderfully beautiful way to relate the complex emotions around love and loss. ❧ Barnes takes a deep, long breath. He shifts in his chair to lean over into Peter’s space. He’s frowning, his entire face is deadly serious, and Peter only briefly wonders if he’s accidentally triggered the Soldier somehow before Barnes responds. His voice is full of conviction when he says, “Then you work your ass off to become the best man you can be. The kind of man she’s not better off without. And when you’ve done that, if you’re lucky enough that she’s not seeing anyone else, you ask her out.”

✎ No Ordinary Love by TheFlashFic ❧ teen and up, 11.6k ❧ james "bucky" barnes/sam wilson ❧ bucky develops hanahaki disease for sam - a classic. if anyone is going to develop hanahaki, across the span of time, space, fandoms, the multiverse, every show and every book and every film every created, bucky would be the one to do it. the intense yearning and longing he has for anyone he sets his eyes on is UNMATCHED. it would also be just his like, in my opinion, that he would finally have something good in his life, only for it to then be untimely ripped away from him. there is a lot that goes on in this fic, and it sort of tackles all of that. he loves sam, that much is undoubted. it's him learning how to cope that his love will be what strangles him. the worst part about it is that sam struggles to leave him along, so when bucky runs off to die alone like an animal would, sam tags along. and it's all just. it's all just exactly what a hanahaki fic should look like, with the addition of everything that comes with the trauma of having once been the winter soldier. ❧ “Someone in the far east however many decades ago saw the Winter Soldier, this mindless Hydra assassin, and said ‘yeah, someday he’s gonna fall in love, and we can’t have that.’” 

✎ Constellation of Touch by st4rlabsforever ❧ explicit, 13.4k ❧ james "bucky" barnes/sam wilson ❧ platonic touching is very special to me. despite, the romance tag and the explicit warning, that's honestly what most of this is: learning how to lean into a touch instead of away from it. learning how to love the feeling of skin-on-skin contact, of a body encasing another, without the price or expectation looming over your head. there is a certain catharsis to seeking out touch when you feel it should be banished from you, which is why i particularly enjoyed it in the context of these two. one person, who feels that he will get hurt again if he chooses to express his desire for contact and true friendship. a second person, who fears his own reaction to touch, as though it may turn him into something uncontrollable, and who is actively learning how to go through the steps of expressing any emotion normally. outside of the angst and the parts where they learn that "falling" does not mean "dying", it's also really funny. this author writes dialogue and internal monologues so effortlessly. it's all very natural and all of the voices are extremely in character. a great fic for my platonic touch lovers (TRUST ME ON THIS. THEY DO GET NASTY AT THE END BUT IT IS A SMALL PRICE TO PAY). ❧ He smirks, directing his eyes skyward. In a roundabout way, being forced to acknowledge just how touch-starved they are isn’t so bad either. Neither is learning to lean on your partner from time-to-time.

✎ The Tucson Job by to_be_a_dreamer ❧ general audiences, 11.5k (in progress) ❧ joaquín torres & sam wilson, isaiah bradley & sam wilson ❧ joaquín goes mysteriously missing during an undercover mission that he didn't tell anyone about, and sam and isaiah team up to find him. there isn't much along in this fic yet in terms of the plot, it really has only just begun. but it is already SO promising and so good. the idea the author has is to mix joaquin's comic backstory with his MCU persona, which makes for the whole "missing" plotline. if you don't know what his comic backstory is and want to read this fic, i would say go in blind. it will be ten times more mysterious and intriguing, since you definitively do not know what will happen to joaquin. the story is also a little bit more than just a search-and-rescue. there is a lot of torres family drama, and a whole lot to do with the world of illegal immigration and helping those who cannot be helped by the law or by people who work under the law. it's an emotional piece for sure; the whole fic is about what happens when the government continuously does the wrong thing. i highly recommend this because it fleshes out joaquin's character in a very important and very interesting way. i also live for sam going against the government, because when is captain america not going against the government? ❧ Sam still looked worried, but Joaquín didn’t need him to think everything was okay, he just needed Sam to let him go without asking too many questions, “Okay. Okay, but if you need anything you call me, alright? I mean it, Joaquín, anything at all and I’ll be there, no questions asked.”

✎ diving blind by yukla ❧ teen and up, 10.7k ❧ james "bucky" barnes/sam wilson ❧ i am a firm believer in bucky acting like a traditional gentleman to sam in a relationship. not that they are in an official relationship until the end, but bucky's trying really hard and that's what counts. he was built to open doors and bring roses and pay for dinner, what more is there to say? buried in the fluff of sam and bucky's adventures as a half-couple is the angst. something that yukla is good at is balancing the tones of the story and making the fic deeper than it originally seems. treading just underneath sam willfully pretending that bucky isn't into him, is sam's trauma. he doesn't want to hurt again. he doesn't want to hurt anyone else again. he doesn't want to have something good, and then watch it plummet to the earth like a bird shot out of the sky. he's done that once already. i can also appreciate how bucky is written, with his capacity to wait, even if it comes at some level of pain. and then, the moment when it shatters like ice between them. that is something i love about yukla's works: that breaking point in the tension, where sam and bucky actually communicate. good soup. ❧ “There are more ways to be hurt,” says Sarah, “than just losing someone.”

✎ the crossed threshold by yukla ❧ teen and up, 3.4k ❧ james "bucky" barnes/sam wilson ❧ THE AUTHOR THAT YUKLA IS. i wish i could read 500 sambucky fics by them because they just get sambucky like no other has, in my opinion. but alas, they only have three fics, of which i am grateful that they have written any for sambucky at all. the thing i love the most. THE MOST. about their fics is their understanding of sam's character. nobody gets sam like yukla does, okay? it really comes out in this fic. the highlight of the story is this: nobody cared about whether or not sam wanted the shield in TFATWS. nobody cared what it would be like for him to carry the stars and stripes. they do address it, yes, in a manner of 6 episodes and a whole lot of flag-smashing in between. it's about a whole lot of things, carrying that shield. it's about a whole lot of things for sam in particular to carry it. in this fic, he reaches out to bucky in person before the events of TFATWS. he tries to talk to bucky; it doesn't go well. bucky terrorizes sam some. sam breaks. and then they do talk, eventually. because they hit that shatter point when all that's left to do it fit back together the pieces of the porcelain plate. in my mind, yukla and i are writing buddies /j ❧ “Listen to yourself. Listen to yourself talking about this damn metal disc. First it’s about Steve, then it’s about you, and then it’s about John fucking Walker, it’s all about power and legacies and the damn United States of America. There's no room in this conversation for me at all, not for people like me. Nobody asked me what I wanted, even once. Steve didn’t. The government didn’t. John Walker didn’t.”

✎ No more waiting by Barely_Vibing ❧ teen and up, 4.2k ❧ james "bucky" barnes/sam wilson ❧ in other words: bucky, who hails from the 1930s, is not exactly built for modern-day situationships. because what do you mean you're calling me friend when we both obviously want to suck each other's faces off? yeah, he's not dealing with that. so he sets off to stop these almost-dates by making them official. it's very cute and very in line with bucky, i think, because i don't think he could honestly handle a situationship on top of everything else has constantly has going on. bucky is the president of the "death to situationships" club. he's also cute and gentlemanly in this fic, which i believe in wholeheartedly (as we know). great little fic, very fluffy. ❧ Bucky stepped forward, handing Sam the flowers. He took them if not just put of pure confusion. "They're flowers. For you." Straight forward and to the point. No sense being subtle. "Back in my day, y'know, it was the gentlemanly thing to do for your date."

✎ Fluent in Mistakes, Relentless in Pursuit by Bolets_de_Montjuïc (elsur1953) ❧ teen and up, 2.2k ❧ james "bucky" barnes/sam wilson ❧ sam is learning spanish, and while he's good, he's certainly not perfect. learning another language is hard. his mistakes are hilarious. overall a very cute fic where sam has some misadventures when speaking the language, but all of his friends and joaquin's family help him along the way. mostly, though (aside from the funny bits), i appreciate the reasonings behind sam learning the language. his goal is to help people, and he can't expect all of these people to be able to speak English, especially since he's located in the united states. it's important for him, as an icon and as a savior, to speak the language of victims. i think that's pretty neat and very in-character for him. ❧ “You let me say ‘I’m pregnant’ in front of the Torreses, and multiple times?”

✎ The Waiting Game by BlueSpark96 ❧ teen and up, 6.0k ❧ joaquín torres & sam wilson ❧ this fic is really interesting. essentially, joaquin and sam take up a mission in antarctica to investigate a glowing cave they suspect is filled with a precious metal. the mission is odd, though. joaquin receives an odd text message on the plane ride over about starting "the waiting game". he ignores it, but then he sees the message again on a computer. he chooses not to think about it. other odd things happen, too. he keeps hearing people in his ear, saying words that they apparently aren't saying at all. then, the mission goes sideways. i can't say anything more because it will spoil the whole thing, so Iill be careful about what i say in terms of praise. it's a VERY entertaining and very interesting fic. i like the breaks in reality, joaquin's confusion, and the overall visuals of the fic. i like stories where reality is not what it seems, that the characters are in far more danger than is being portrayed, and this is exactly that. ❧ “I know,” Joaquín murmured. “Did you know you go to Antarctica when you die?”

✎ Five Times Joaquín Torres Isn't an Undercover Flag Smasher and One Time [REDACTED] by silver_penny ❧ teen and up, 5.1k ❧ joaquín torres & sam wilson, james "bucky" barnes & joaquín torres, joaquín torres & karli morgenthau ❧ this was a hard read for me. it still kind of makes my stomach gurgle when i think about it, which is kind of crazy considering that nothing much actually happens in the fic. it essentially tackles what i really didn't like about TFATWS, which was the fact that it kept trying to get me to sympathize with a t^rrorist group. or, at the very least, it kept trying to get me to sympathize with karli. and i'm sorry, but i couldn't. i couldn't get behind the flag smashers in any capacity, and because karli was part of it (without ever reforming), i couldn't get behind her, either. so, where does this leave this fic? well, it's set over the course of TFAWTS, except joaquín is an actual member of the flag smashers, and not just an undercover spy. it's a lot. it's a lot for me emotionally because i really, really like joaquín. the fic is written masterfully, to the point where it's genuinely believable and applicable to canon - almost like that is what happened, if it wasn't certain that joaquín's characterization didn't allow room for radical idealogy. and for the first time, i sympathized with a flag smasher - until i didn't. because i still can't sympathize, still can't get behind it in any capacity after all this time. it really sucks. this fic is so masterfully written and gut-wrenching in all of the right ways, and any fic that can twist and scramble my mind and stomach in such a way is well worth the recommendation and read. ❧ He leans back against the wall and flips the little scrap of paper over and over in his fingers. He has a choice, here; the last five years have taught him that you always, always have a choice, even if it is hard and vanishingly small.

✎ love, zombies, and barry white by zevlore ❧ mature, 8.3k ❧ james "bucky" barnes/sam wilson ❧ a series of two fics set in the zombie apocalypse (no powers au), technically set in their own canon but following the same universe/storyline. it's also written entirely in dialogue, with the idea that we are reading transcripts of the conversations that have recorded over the several months that they are traveling around the united states during this apocalypse. it is SO good and so entertaining. the best part of any story, in my opinion, is the dialogue (should it have any - some are formatted differently). in this case, it is ONLY dialogue. it's impressive to be able to capture a character only by the way they speak, and this author does it perfectly. even in an apocalyptic universe, they find a way to be domestic and love each other and be happy, no matter what's burning around them. they've been through so much and yet the reach for each other's hands in every clip. and then when they fight - they make up, because there is no time to be angry in the end of the world. the first fic has a happy ending; the second... not so much. both of them are spectacular though in their own ways, and if you want amputee bucky, you'll have to read the sad one. but it's worth it, in my opinion. both are amazing. ❧ We found a radio to fill the silence a little. Whoever’s out there just playing Barry White, Marvin Gaye, and Tavares on channel seven, know that my husband loves you.

✎ so stay away (or maybe, baby, maybe you should stay) by zevlore ❧ teen and up, 7.0k ❧ james "bucky" barnes/sam wilson ❧ i'm always an absolute sucker for a mermaid au. set in the 1880s, sam is a fisherman in delacroix, and bucky is a bayou half-man half-fish creature of some sort. when sam is finally able to coax him out, they become something like friends. it's all very sweet, as sam and bucky slowly fall in love with each other. even with a massive communication barrier (which is revealed to be a curse that a warlock had put onto him to not be able to speak more than a couple syllables at a time, all broken and choppy), they find a way to talk and share their lives. it's just. it's so beautiful. they love each other so much. the author's writing is also very pleasant and enjoyable; i recommend reading more of their works if you like one. there's a lot to find in their library, and all of it is delicious. ❧ Bucky shakes his head, looking grim. “Break. No. Love me. Can’t. Love me. Ree-pull-seeve.”

✎ Part of it, Parted by it by outsidertalk ❧ general audiences, 6.8k ❧ james "bucky" barnes/sam wilson ❧ sam has died, shot fatally during a public speech by a man seeking revenge, and bucky grieves. that's it. that's the whole fic. it transitions between certain points where he's reminiscing on the things that he has lost. that the only way he can now measure love is by what he does not have. it's a lot. there is a lot of introspection on his inter-relationships, on his and sam's lives, on their love, and of the future that they'll never get to have. mostly, though, he thinks of all that sam has given, and all that has been taken from him by the people he swore to protect. i think it accurately tackles what it's like to lose a loved in a way you could have never predicted, never prevented, and having nowhere to go with that idle rage and desperation to turn back the clock. you can only sit there and think. it's miserable. this fic is absolutely heartwrenching. and the ending line? the ending line destroyed me. despite the relatively short length of the fic, it feels like it stretches on, and on, and on, that months have passed in this hazy state. but then you find out how long has actually passed. great work. ❧ Tragedy was useless. Self-defense only invited more accusations. The greatest pleasure in the world was listening to tragedies that did not befall oneself—especially if those tragedies were soaked in suffering and spectacle.

✎ Got You Now, Kid by Forge_Makes_Stuff ❧ general audiences, 6.3k ❧ james "bucky" barnes & peter parker, peter parker & sam wilson, james "bucky" barnes & sam wilson ❧ my guilty pleasure are fics where sambucky are the only ones to remember peter parker in some capacity. and i'm not talking that they retain all of their memories of him or that they had some specific epiphany where things are rushing back, but they have some small thing. a deep, unsettling feeling that something is wrong. there's a scratch in the record when they look at spider-man and hear his voice, that there is, quite simply, something missing in their brain. it's a guilty pleasure for the reason of it being that there is no reason they would remember him. bucky has a slightly stronger case than sam (being that he's familiar with the tampering memories in his brain, and the separation of bucky vs the winter soldier), but sam... not so much. but i don't care. them recognizing peter and filtering through these blips of wrong in their brain is EVERYTHING to me. and them putting past their humiliation in Germany to help out someone in need? i love it. i also love the idea that, since they don't fully recognize peter, bucky has to wonder if this missing memory is one of the winter soldier's, which then leads to the problem if this is a victim. it would dramatically change how they approaches the whole idea in a way that greatly pleases me. it indulges me greatly in my guilty pleasures for sambucky + peter and for that i am grateful. ❧ Sam’s used to looking for Bucky’s little tells, the things he does when he’s hurting and won’t tell anyone. Right now, there’s a slight tremor in his right hand, and something in his face that says he wants to bolt. “Kid, I need you to be honest,” Bucky says, just as quietly. “Did I—did the Winter Soldier—”

➼ honorable mention

✎ Gojo Shows You His Gojo: Gojo x Reader by 1s4angelonia ❧ teen and up, 2.8 ❧ gojo satoru/reader, loki/reader ❧ the reason that this is an honorable mention is because, while it is technically a marvel fic, i would say this is moreso for jujutsu kaisen than it is for mcu. also this is a crack fic. but it is a MASTERFUL one. of all of the crack fics i've read, this is one of the best. there is a true art (and i believe this with full sincerity) to the crack genre and this author has it down pat. everything from the tags to the actual contents of the story. the verbiage, the prose, the characters, the backstories. it's amazing. i could only wish to produce a crackfic as masterful as this one. i don't want to get into the plot because i believe any crack fic is best experienced completely blind. i laughed at almost every single line. absolutely amazing work is done here, really the vessel of god's intent. i love crack fics. everyone should be a crack fic enthusiast. ❧ It’s Loki, from the famous Disney plus series Loki! (or from Marvel Comics, before y'all get your panties in a twist).

[dc-marvel-crossovers]

introducing: bring your fandom to work week!

• take that blorbo (DC, Marvel, or both!)

• put him in a (workplace) situation — AU? undercover mission? up to you!

• give us a look into the nitty-gritty everyday reality of that workplace, and feel free to show off your expertise/teach readers a thing or two

• post to the collection between February 17th and 21st

some examples of the genre are under the cut!

Like A Good Neighbor by @kindaquirky - in which Tim Drake works in insurance. love the peek into what actual Gotham insurance policies might take into account.

Possible Cardiac Arrest by @kangofu-cb - Nurse!Clint and Firefighter!Bucky. you can absolutely tell this was written by someone who knows what they’re talking about.

Feed The Birds by Moxibustion - vigilante food trucks. never thought I’d be so interested in food distribution systems or the red tape involved in social programs.

On My Mind by @claraxbarton - a (very sexy) glimpse into the glamorous world of college faculty.

Ain’t No Compass, Ain’t No Map by @ebjameston - aka Gotham CPS, featuring one of the best OCs around.

it’s a golden thing he’s got by @scootcommander - sheep herder Bucky Barnes in a cozy, well-developed AU.

The One Where Clint Goes To Preschool by @noxnthea and @there-must-be-a-lock - preschool written by teachers, complete with direct-from-real-life kid quotes.

[tianasficrecs168]

WinterIron Fic Recs

NarutoRox: “It’s the Little Things in Life” (Bucky/Tony) • Though Barnes had been living in the tower for almost six months now, things between him and Tony were still a bit awkward. Which is why Tony is a tad confused when Barnes starts leaving him strange little gifts.

Tahlruil: “What Has Been Done” (Bucky/Tony) Bucky has lived with the Avengers for a while now, and he's mostly settled in. During the process, he fell for Tony Stark - hard - but he can't quite bring himself to admit it to the brilliant engineer. So he just does what he can to take care of and protect him, hoping that maybe the other man will fall just as hard for him... and be the one to take their relationship to the next level. In the meantime, he's noticed that there's one member of the team that Tony seems afraid of, and he is definitely not pleased by the notion. Once he finds out what Wanda did to cause that fear, she might wish she'd never left Hydra.

Withered: “Fresh out the freezer” (Bucky/Tony) • Listen; he’s not a total asshole. Tony figures that the guy whose brain has been scrambled since the forties might have some tender sensibilities and he tones down a lot out of respect for that. It’s sweet. But ultimately unnecessary when all Bucky’s been thinking about is bending Tony over the nearest table.

Finely Honed (jaqen_hgar): “Grown Ass Man” (Bucky/Tony) • Tony Stark looks self-conscious, and it takes Bucky a stupid amount of time to figure out that’s even what he’s seeing on the guy’s face, because he’s never seen it there before. “Sorry, shoulda knocked.” Which, yeah, he should have, but he was used to rolling into the workshop whenever he felt like it. He certainly hadn’t expected to find a shirtless Tony Stark in the process of doing something with the arc reactor. And sure, he’s staring, has been staring this whole time, right from the moment he’d walked in, because this is the first he’s actually seeing the arc reactor.

Potrix: “Paths Are Made by Walking” (Bucky/Tony) • The road to recovery is long, winding and a different one for every person walking it. Bucky chooses to help himself the only way he knows how; by doing what he does best. Or, alternatively; the one in which Tony is a mess and accidentally kick-starts Bucky’s protective mother hen instincts.

Potrix: “Flirting (with danger)” (Bucky/Tony) • Tony stares at the man shackled to the wall for a long, unblinking moment. “You’re supposed to be dead.” The man raises an unimpressed eyebrow back at him. “Right back at ya, pal.”

RayShippouUchiha: “The Great Awakening (To Hold Infinity)” (Bucky/Tony) • Constellations wheel around in Tony’s mind at night, illuminating his sleep with the beauty of a supernova, the terrible gaping hunger of black holes, the whimpering cry of a nebula as it births new stars into creation. All of Space laid out for him to marvel at. Tony learns and learns and learns and then he creeps downstairs and babbles relentlessly to his first and only friend. All the while the Cube hums, just a bit smug, just a bit loving, and shows him more.

Monyas: “Bad Scoping Mechanisms Series” (Bucky/Tony) (part of a series - there's 2 more fics here) Like, the general public hates Tony Stark for having been a weapons manufacturer but actually he was pretty popular while he was still in the weapons industry so one wonders, who would have been a fan of Stark Industries before Afghanistan? Military, alphabet agencies, private security, hitmen and assassins? …Hydra assassins? -In which the Winter Soldier, aka Bucky Barnes, is an avid fan of Tony Stark for reasons.-

Finely Honed (jaqen_hgar): “Sometimes Life Happens” (Bucky/Tony) • Tony hadn’t necessarily been looking for further proof of his maladjusted—one might even argue self-destructive—approach to problems, but sometimes life happened, and you didn’t have any choice but to take a long, hard look at yourself. Sometimes, you’re sitting in your car, staring into your recently emptied coffee cup, contemplating whether or not you really want to do this whole “leading a responsible life” thing anymore, and a guy with a gun slides into your passenger seat. Sometimes, that’s just the way your Monday goes.

Ceealaina: “He's Got a Secret” (Bucky/Tony) • Tony snorted. “Are you planning to rent out the Met? I mean, I’m not saying no, the look on his face would be hilarious. But otherwise, I think we can probably make whatever you want to do work with less lead time. We’ve got almost eight months, and I am very, very rich.” Bucky stopped rubbing Tony’s shoulder, ignoring his faint noise of protest. “Eight months?” he repeated. “What are you talking about?” Tony frowned at him. “It’s November.” “Yeah.” “Steve’s birthday is in July.” “Steve’s birthday is when now?” Based on that tumblr post about Steve's birthday not ACTUALLY being July 4, and Steve being in too deep to tell the truth.

RiotFalling: “When is a bed not a bed? (When you’re not in it)” (Bucky/Tony) There’s a tiny safe house, with one tiny window and one tiny couch. And one tiny little bed.

RiotFalling: “Melt into Me (Your Words Are My Own)” (Bucky/Tony) • Bucky has a new strategy for getting Tony to take proper human care of himself. Tony has never been so well fed, hydrated, thoroughly rested, and confused in all his life.  That doesn’t mean he wants it to stop, and it’s amazing how many boring adult things Bucky can get him to do just by patting his head and calling him ‘good boy’. Right up until Tony possibly ruins everything.

RiotFalling: “Hey Tony” (Bucky/Tony) • Steve points out that Bucky never calls Tony by his actual name. Bucky doesn’t believe him, until he does.

RiotFalling: “Show Tunes and Extra Sauce” (Bucky/Tony) • So maybe three years in Bucky is completely in love, and this might be his first bodyguard gig but he's pretty sure that's breaking Rule One. It's definitely one of the top five rules, at the very least. He can't even be surprised with himself either, not when it's Tony. Bucky’s job is basically to hang out with his crush all the time, and sure sometimes he gets shot or stabbed or has to physically drag Tony out of his lab when he starts sleep-deprived-rambling about building some piece of tech from a scifi movie, but most days Bucky doesn't have a single thing to complain about. And then there's Valentine's Day.

InTheShadows: “Nothing More Deceptive” (Bucky/Tony) • When Tony enters the kitchen he is focused on one thing and one thing only - coffee. What he isn't expecting is Barnes to already be in there. What he really isn't expecting is a sassy, verbal Barnes. The man hasn't said a word since he entered the Tower as far as Tony knows. And what he most certainly isn't expecting if for it to become a tradition of late night meetings, flirting and fun that seems to be headed for something more. Right? (What if it's all in Tony's head after all?)

[azriona]

Friday Five: Winterhawk Edition #1

Hey, look, it's Friday, awesome. Today's Five focus on Winterhawk (Clint/Bucky). A good mix of canon divergence and straight-up AUs here that run the gamut from schmoopily romantic to downright terrifying. Yay variety!

Want a different pairing? Check out the Friday Five Masterlist!

Silhouette by @mariana-oconnor

(E, Canon Divergence, no superpowers but there is a SHIELD and a metal arm)

Steve and Bucky are SHIELD agents. Natasha and Clint are vigilante assassins. Steve and Bucky are assigned to track and apprehend Natasha and Clint. Things do not go as planned. The epitome of a thriller spy love story, and long-distance secret romance at its best.

💘

Complications/Publications/Sensations by @flawedamythyst

(Teen through Explicit, Soulmate, Avenger!Bucky)

A set of three WinterHawk stories. The first is how they become soulmates and how they deal with the complications. The second is how they manage their relationship with the never-endingly annoying press. The third is my favorite. When Clint is hit with a magical curse that removes all of his senses, he and Bucky have to figure out how to continue Avenging – not to mention whether or not they even can. There’s plot going on too – the first two mostly with Bucky’s Hydra programming, and then the third with Clint’s determination to do everything himself despite having Bucky as backup.

💘

Falling off the Face of the Earth by @teeelsie-posts (Teeelsie)

(Explicit, post CA:CW, Bucky & Clint on the run, Winter Soldier warning)

Bucky’s going through his recovery in Wakanda when there’s an attack, and Steve sends Bucky with Clint to safety. It goes pretty well, until it doesn’t. This fic had me on the edge of my seat in the second half.

💘

This is not a Date, it’s a Kidnapping by sara_holmes

(Teen, Bucky on the run, humor, Lucky the dog)

Bucky Barnes wants Steve to stop looking for him. So obviously the best way to send a message is to kidnap Clint and threaten him until he delivers it. Except Clint’s really bad at convincing Steve to do anything, plus he’s really easy to kidnap, and now there’s a dog, and is it really Bucky’s fault that he keeps kidnapping Clint? ‘Course not. Guy’s too kidnappable, that’s the real problem here.

💘

Ain’t That a Kick in the Head by Finely Honed

(Explicit, new relationship, no powers, disabilities, PTSD)

So technically this is the third in a series that focuses on Stony, but as this is a prequel to the main storyline, it works as a standalone really well. Clint and Bucky are newly invalided out of the Army, and have to navigate not only their new relationship but also their new personal situations (Clint’s hearing loss, Bucky’s amputation) and the reverse culture shock of being civilians again. It’s the trifecta of trauma! But no, seriously, this isn’t half as angsty as it sounds, and their joy in each other is the best part of the fic.

Don't see your favorite fic? Send me a rec!

[yes-i-am-happyaspie]

do you take requests? If you do, could you write a semi-long Peter Parker appendicitis fic? I think you already have a few, but I really love Peter Parker appendicitis fics.

I too, love a good Irondad appendicitis fic! I've written two of them! I think I would happily write another if a good idea, that was different enough from my other two, popped into my head. But for now, I'm not sure what that would look like...

In the meantime, here are links to my two as, well as a few of my favorite appendicitis trope fics!

Operation No Operations 

The medical floor within the Avengers Tower is set to undergo significant upgrades. As such, everyone is advised to refrain from participating in activities that could result in serious injury. Including Peter. Especially Peter. It goes about as well as you would expect…

Appendicitis It Is 

Peter isn't feeling well at school and wants nothing more than to go home and sleep it off. A Text message at the end of the day quickly changed his plans. Apparently, he would be spending the weekend with Tony. He just hopes that whatever is going on with his stomach passes quickly...

Bedtime Stories by Call_Me_Coley

Finding Peter curled in a ball, silently sobbing, would definitely make the top ten on Tony’s nightmare list. Hearing the screams he made as soon as Tony tried to pick him up made the top five. OR Peter is in distress and it’s Tony to the rescue.

Appendicitis by tommyparkerr

In which Peter doesn't realize until too late that the flu shouldn't be this painful, and Tony Stark is right there to both lecture and comfort him (and accidentally call him his kid in the process).

Febrile by Hale13

“Don’t,” Peter grouses, spitting out the last bit of bile in his mouth in the sink in the men’s restroom at Midtown and pointedly ignoring the look of disapproval both Ned and MJ are giving him in the mirror as he rinses his mouth out and washes his hands.

The Exception by blondsak

Stranded in a remote area with no path to safety and little in the way of resources, Tony and Peter do their best to get by in increasingly dangerous conditions. But what’s at first a manageable—if still totally craptastic—situation, soon becomes a race against the inevitable when a certain pesky organ of Peter’s decides to go rogue at what has to be the most inopportune time possible. Enter Tony ‘MacGyver’ Stark: a guy who doesn’t believe in silly things like inevitabilities, and who isn’t letting Peter go without a fight

Peter's Stupid Appendix by sahiya

It started with a stomach ache.

[kitsune024]

Winter Soldier|Bucky ||Fics I Love|| pt2

Avalanche by MuzzledRavings I Chapters 19/19 I

Falling and The Fallen by @iamshadow21 I Chapters 1/1 I

Kill Strike Trigger by llethe I Chapters 17/17 I

I've Heard That Song Before by @pokimoko I Chapters: 10/10 I

@dcangstfiction

Operation Hindsight I Chapters 24/24 I Bucky and Sam in 1946 I Part 1-2 I

WinterIron

We'll Meet Again (Some Sunny Day) by @tangodancer91 I Part 1 - 4 I

WinterFrost

Midgard Blues by @need-more-meta I Chapters 1/1 I

Bound in Oblivion by @anamelessdragon I Part 1 - 2 I

Stucky

Bucky and Steve's Excellent Adventure by blue_beans I Chapters: 48/48 I

Til the Sun Goes Down by @scyllaya I Part 1 - 2 I

How to Woo the Winter Soldier by @writeonclara I Chapters 6 /6 I

to memory now I can't recall by @etharei | Chapters: 16/16 I

The Good Monster by Taste_is_Sweet | Chapters: 2/2 |

despite the threatening sky and shuddering earth (they remained) by @praximeter I Chapters 20/20 I

Ipseity by @skyisgray I Part 1-3 I

[neptunesenceladus]

Wanted to do a list of some of my favourite fics across fandoms so here it is! En Enceladus’s favs (as of April 2024). This was actually going to just be my most recent ones but i ended up going through all the recs in my bookmarks, so, these are sorted into fandom to make it easier for you.

DC Fics:

Tractors by @lieu42

DC firstly lieu42 is cool af, so note that down. If you in a mood for time travel and Tim Drake having a crisis then this is definitely for you. I love it so much I bound a physical copy. actually just read everything by him, you will not regret it.

New Wave by @yellowocaballero

DC What if Steph was the first Robin? You should know I love Steph and this is probably the fic that cemented that, I really love how she is portrayed and the 90s skater aesthetic. this fic and tractors are probably my top two recs so go read them now please and thank you

Frequency by @cryptocism

DC, Teen I truly don't know how to sum this up. Basically Thaddeus Thawn "disappears" so CRAYDL activates clones of him. It's so so good and only got one more chapter until it is complete! Also the song November by Sparkbird fits one of the characters (Six) so so well.

Zugzwang by Hinn_Raven

DC, Teen Steph is dead so why is the new talon that Cass is seeing around strangely familiar?

The Juniper Suite by @shhhenanigans

DC, Teen, M, and E (currently 4 parts, first is T and last is E) Genuanly can't describe this one. It's jayroy, with this twisted fairytale body horror theme. so big warnings for body horror, I really love how the author writes all of it and plays with tense and imagery.

Time (to protect you) by Blueseabird2

DC, Teen Dick Grayson and Constantine go back in time to try and save everyone. It's mostly cute batfamily fanon with angst, it was my first DC fic I read (with the exception of Dark Matter) so has a special place in my heart (also the reason I have read so much Hellblazer)

Marvel/MCU Fics:

Pigeon and Crow by @deniigi

Marvel, Teen Peter Parker and Johnny Storm become friends. Deniigi always has beautiful writing and this is no exception. Personally love the wordplay.

Peter Parker's Tapeworm by Ginevra_Benci

MCU, Teen Firstly, the tapeworm is a metaphor. This one is what if the spell at the end of nwh failed and even Peter forgot he was Spider-man. Its really good, especially how the memory loss and displacement is written.

The Lost and Forgotten by @litcraz

MCU, Teen believe it or not, this one was written before nwh, litcraz just fully predicted it. Peter has to make a very bad deal and everyone forgets he exists, but he keeps ending up back in the Avengers path.

Star Wars Fics:

hope has bloody knuckles by @independent-variables

SW, Teen Legally required to star the SW section of this with two independent-variables fic, their writing is so much to me (I literally binged all 4 pages of their star wars fics on ao3). This one is about after the Clone Wars, Davijaan moves to Pantora with Cody to heal after the war. He reunites with a civilian he met once and slowly falls in love. Examines person hood, healing, love, and siblings. (oh and the authors settings in Pantora are inspired by Alaska and are so freaking beautiful)

sing back to the red bird, soldier by @independent-variables

SW, Teen I was hard-pressed to make a choice of just one more from this author, but since I can't list all of them here is another favourite. It's about Rex discovering what it means to be free, and have a choice beyond brainwashing, and then offering freedom to all his brothers. It uses elements of Tatooine slave culture by @fialleril, which is all just so beautiful, so definitely check out them as well!

Dielectric Breakdown by @jessepinwheel

SW, Teen Quite likely the first clone wars fic I read? I love a good mystery and this fic has that with a very fulfilling ending. Obi-Wan kills the Chancellor and goes into hiding toward the end of the war. Five years later he's presumed dead but Cody doesn't believe that and wants to know why he betrayed everyone.

Message Traffic by @skitzofreak

SW, G and Teen This is a must read for anyone. It's all written as correspondence, transcripts, and droid logs, as a post rogue one fix-it. It's actually amazing how much the story makes you invested while you are very clearly behind a fourth wall. I adore it so much.

floating, sinking by shuofthewind

SW, not-rated another everyone survives rogue one fix-it. I just really love rogue one and seeing all the characters get more. Also the perspective switches are really really good.

False Dichotomy by nsmorig (@far-sector)

SW, M One that was recommended to me (by independent-variables). Its dark and has body horror so I loved it. The way Cody is written from both his own perspective and others is in such a way that you can really understand who he is. Truly one of the Cody fics. There is also a sequel that's a wip and is also amazing (I'm still thinking about it).

Bucket of Bolts by @independent-variables

SW, G haha, I lied. have another inderpendent-variables fic. This one looks at Ahsoka and Rex in-between the end of tcw and start of rebels. I love them and whatever it is they have going on.

All Their Tomorrows by @breakfastteatime

SW: Jedi Fallen Order, Teen Horror!!! The Mantis crew find an abandoned ship floating in space and its super creepy and leads them to investigating a dark faction of force sensitives.

Six extras from assorted fandoms:

Talk Me Home by @comebacknow

The Maze Runner, Mature I love tmr so much, never not thinking about it. This beautiful work covers the six months in-between the end of the scorch trials (movie) and the death cure (movie). I've read it multiple times, it expands on both the characters and world building so much.

the scar i can't reverse (the more it heals, the worse it hurts) by EverythingButTheKitchenSink (ElvisHasLeftTheBuilding)

The Maze Runner, Mature I've been following this fic since it was only a couple chapters, its really brilliant. Lots of time travel shit and trauma and seeing Thomas through everyone else's eyes. I would also recommend going through a few of this authors other works as well if you enjoy!

Once & Future by spqr

The Witcher, Mature If you haven't read anything by spqr, congrats, you're missing out. This one is a kind of sleeping beauty au, where Geralt is a statue and Jaskier accidentally wakes him up. They then have to go on a quest to save everyone Geralt holds dear.

Silver and Copper by Heronfem

The Witcher, Mature I love this cause, horror. It gets pretty dark, please mind the tags if horror is not your forte. Jaskier is cursed so a witcher is hired to save him.

Vanishing Act by nockout

Harry Potter, Mature This is probably the only time I'll recommend a harry potter fic, but it's truly worth it. This is a noir detectivy thing that starts by being spread over two different points in time that slowly meet. I have no clue how the author keeps all the plotlines together cause, wow. It also follows an original character which I really love. I'm a few chapters behind that latest update so am feeling like a reread is in order.

can we be seventeen? by acennabeth

PJO, Teen ending with some fluff. This is just percabeth getting a break from everything and being teenagers for an evening. it's so special to me

[milliedjeorge2]

Over the years, Clint Barton has grown on me. I love his sarcastic humor, his rough edges, and how he feels more human than the flashier Avengers. Below is a list of my favorite fanfics featuring him->

try to love the things you took by Lise: G, no pairings

Clint's been a bodyguard before. This is a little different, not just because his boss seems intent on driving himself into the ground and Clint's pretty sure he needs to do something about it.

Deaf-initely Congested by astrokingly: G, no pairings

When Clint catches a cold, his hearing is worse than usual.

Make it Be by sunryder: T, no pairings

The girl busing up a tray of dirty dishes at the next table was young. Too young to have one boy stick out his tongue in concentration as he scribbled with his blunt crayons and his brother turned a wary eye on every stranger who roamed past their booth. He couldn’t blame the kid for being paranoid, since his baby brother’s cheek was covered in their mama’s too-dark foundation, trying to hide the mottled purple of a bruise.

the ripple effect by kangeiko: T, Clint/Laura

Middle of the night phonecalls rarely bring good news. This one is no different.

Cut From The Same Cloth by fandomstakeoveryourlife: T, Clint/Phil

For a guy who had literally been nicknamed "The Devil of Hell's Kitchen" the guy seemed surprisingly accommodating. Well, if you forgave the usual vigilante I-work-alone attitude.

Right Into the Great Unknown by enigma731: T, Clint/Natasha, Clint/Laura/Natasha

"We went to prison for you. We’re fugitives because of you. And yeah, you broke us out, but for what? So we can spend the rest of our lives on the run, waiting to go back there?” asks Clint, sliding off the cot and getting to his feet, anger a hot snarl of brambles between his ribs again. “Like I said,” Steve begins, “I don’t have--” “I know,” Clint interrupts. “I know, all you’ve got is more of your same old idealistic bullshit. Well that’s not gonna help us now.” Post-Civil War, Clint is angry at everyone and everything, but especially himself and his uncertain future.

klondike by deniigiq: M, Clint/Matt

Nelson tolerated Clint as folks tolerate road cones. They were there. They were inconvenient. They were annoying. But ultimately, they weren’t doing any overt harm. Page, on the other hand, Clint thought, was in the process of hiring someone to kill him. (Clint falls hard for his lawyer's partner, but nothing can be easy for him (until it can be).)

Five Times Clint Saw His Teammates, and One Time They Saw Him by rohanrider3: T, Clint/Natasha

Everyone runs on something. Clint is better than most at seeing at what that is. And people--especially the Avengers--are full of surprises. Or, don't underestimate the "least powerful" team member just because he fights evil with snark and a weapon from the paleolithic era.

Backcountry Soundtrack by harcourt: Unrated, no pairings

In which Deadpool kidnaps Clint off a battlefield and takes him on a roadtrip. A shooting roadtrip. OK, fine. A shooting people roadtrip. Don't be so cranky about it.

Amateur Theatrics by galaxysoup: T, no pairings

In which Thor’s primary problem-solving method (a mighty blow from Mjolnir) fails to have the desired effect on a magical artifact, and his secondary method (a mightier blow from Mjolnir) proves to be actively disastrous.

[juuls]

Multi-Fandom Fic Recs

The @fanfic-reading-challenge gives me the opportunity to explore tons of fandoms I normally wouldn't, and I wanted to share some of my favourite so far this year!

Game of Thrones

and in the night, you'll hear me calling by shawsdavid | T | 10k | Jon/Sansa/Margaery: When you met your soulmate, touched them for the first time, you would see everything in all its colorful glory.

A Knight's Watch by DolorousEdditor | M | 670k | Jonsa: Jon Snow is forbidden to take the black by his father. Instead he sent to squire for a famous knight, beginning a long arduous journey that causes him to cross paths with characters he never would have. Along the way he learns truths long hidden and discovers love in the most unlikely of places. All of this in the shadow of the War of Five Kings and the coming of the Others.

Potterverse

Dancing with Draco by diamonddaydream | T | 19k | Dramione: Retelling of the Yule Ball segment of Goblet of Fire as a Dramione story. Hermione Granger needs a dance tutor before she embarrasses her partner, Viktor Krum, and herself at the Yule Ball. Draco Malfoy needs a good deed to make amends for hexing her teeth. Both of them need to keep everyone else for finding out what's going on between them. Fluffy romance with just a touch of angst. NOTE: story continues in "Draco Takes a Mark."

All I Have Never Known by LittleSixx | M | 32k | Dramione: The Ministry of Magic requires all magical people to marry someone of opposite blood status by 25. The Malfoys host a ball to help Draco meet a non-pureblood witch, and the one he falls for isn't who she claims to be.

Divination for Skeptics by olivieblake | M | 98k | Dramione: The latest in magical advancements is an enchantment that reveals the bearer’s romantic compatibility with another person. Effectively eliminating uncertainty from dating, the charm can tell you whether or not you’ve found The One with a precise, Hermione Granger-approved calculation of traits and preferences. It’s a foolproof method of predicting relationship happiness. It’s also, for Hermione, positively dreadful news. Dramione, post-war, soulmate AU.

The Black Rose by DarkCloud190, Rijaya83 | E | 166k | Dreomione: After years of a rocky relationship, Hermione Granger is single again, and for the life of her she cannot stop staring at her two friends. Draco Malfoy and Theo Nott both work with her at the DMLE and she is analyzing everything they say, do, or breathe. Surely, she is just imagining it. They have been dating each other for a year now and couldn't possibly be interested in her. Hermione's troubled love life aside, there is a killer targeting a specific group of people, putting both Hermione and Theo at risk.

Hermione Granger, Demonologist by BrilliantLady | T | 47k | Hermione & Theo: Hermione was eight when she summoned her first demon. She was lonely. He asked what she wanted, and she said a friend to have tea parties with. It confused him a lot. But that wasn’t going to stop him from striking a promising deal with the young witch.

The Accidental Courtship by Lomonaaeren | T | 14k | NottPott: Harry gets a soul-mark during his eighth year at Hogwarts, and is hopeful that he can finally be sure he’ll have someone who loves him for himself. When Theodore Nott rejects him, Harry steps back and goes to live his own life. Theo, who doesn’t want to be trapped in the limelight at Potter’s side, finds himself falling in love anyway.

A Star and Her Dragon by Lizzie_carlile | E | 256k | Theomione, Drarry, Hermione & the Malfoys: “The order took everything from me,” Lucius spoke again. “Now I’ll become the monster they always feared I would be.” The Death of the Malfoy Daughter was the catalyst for Lucius Malfoy becoming the man that everyone feared he would. With a second war brewing and secrets finally coming to light, one girl holds the key to turning the tides of the war.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Odd Little Family by chimneystacks | T | 1.7k | Xedgin: "Kira found it practical to believe that her father would someday remarry, and even more so to believe that it would be to the woman who was already a trusted, guiding figure to his child. Therefore, it was much to her surprise when a tall, handsome man interrupted her lute practice to ask her blessing in his proposal to her father."

House of the Dragon

The Falcon Becomes a Dragon by MichelleGz | T | 28k | Daemyra & Aemma: What if Rhaenyra and Daemon “woke up” during the tourney that was hosted for Baelon’s impending birth, both remembering their future life. What if Aemma’s labors were not so far along. What if there was time to save her? Will Aemma believe that her beloved husband was going to kill her for the child in her womb?

you and i are made of fire by aur_el_ias | M | 8.6k | Daemyra: Soulmarks are no trivial thing. Indeed, the words inscribed on the wrist are far from frivolous—they are the most important words heard in one's life, spoken by another. Unfortunately, save for a few exceptions, most highborn marriages are not soul-bound marriages. This is the story of one of those exceptions. OR In 105 AC, Daemon Targaryen finds his soulmate.

Viable Alternatives series by madina | T | 375k | Laenor/Rhaenyra, Daemyra, her children, and Viserys' children: So much could have been solved and so many could have been spared if a universe with dragons, magic, wargs and White Walkers had artificial insemination—and if the characters tried to be anything else but a dysfunctional family.

lodestar by aramblingjay | M | 43k | Daemyra: A Targaryen destined for a soulmate is a strange, broken creature, alone in a way that lives in their very bones, waiting for the half that will make them whole. Daemon waits sixteen years for her, and then a whole lot longer. A soulmates share scars au.

From Ashes to Embers by ladyalianora (AmbitiousWitch) | M | 185k | Cregan Stark/Rhaenyra, Daemyra: After burning by Sunfyre's flames, Rhaenyra Targaryen wakes up in her maiden bed, five and ten once more. With her mind broken and a determination to not relive the life she left behind, in a court that still presents a danger and with a father that keeps tripping her path. Can she change the future? Can she give up enough to take her crown? Or will she once again lose to her father's mistakes, her enemies' schemes and her own errors? (Juulna: One of my all-time favourites.)

A Woman Scorned by Shadow_Monarch_14 | E | 96k | WIP | Daemyra, Aemma/OC: After Prince Baelon Targaryen was a miscarriage, Queen Aemma Arryn tells King Viserys I Targaryen that she will have no more children. She has given him a daughter (a heiress) and that should be good enough. Viserys, pressured by his Small Council and his dream of a male heir as well as manipulated by Otto, makes the decision to set Aemma aside and marry Alicent. Aemma, betrayed by the love of her life, agrees… after taking her daughter, Dragonstone and the Islands of the Narrow Sea and the dragons from Viserys and his Small Council. If Otto Hightower wants a dragon King with his blood on the Iron Throne, he'll have to another thing coming.

Ancient Fire by AnaWayne | NR | 198k | WIP | Rhea/Daemon, Jonsa: Bran Stark knew that it wasn’t enough. So he decided to use his sister’s dormant yet growing magic to change the history of the House of Dragons before its fall.

put down that gravestone by darkgods | E | 249k | WIP | Daemyra: they have his mother's eyes, these would-be velaryon boys. not those of their own mother, but his. the king stretches limbs and smiles wide, heedless of his brother's fury mingled with agony, his daughter's frozen gaze. fire and blood has reunited. all must be well. the king thinks nothing of the prince's lack of mourning blacks, for the whole kingdom knew the wife daemon targaryen sought was never found in the vale. ten years after the godsforsaken night in the brothel, daemon targaryen makes his return to court to find it infested with vipers that threaten to coil lethal bodies around his niece. his niece and the nephews that bear his features yet claim the name velaryon. the rogue prince has returned, and a reckoning is set to begin.

Marvel

Some Things Shouldn't Be a Chore by scifigrl47 | T | 22k | Stony, Phlint: Steve takes things like personal responsibility and respect seriously. Tony's got people he pays to take care of that kind of thing, and anyway, he's pretty sure that he's going to die of some exotic disease in his workshop, because Dummy's still a little spotty about what is 'clean' enough to put on an open wound. The rest of the Avengers are in this for personal gain, except for Clint, he just enjoys being a dick. And some things shouldn't be a chore.

Basic Rules by StrivingArtist | T | 7.9k | Tony & Avengers: It said something about Toni’s life that she had an established system in case of kidnapping and torture, and while there had been tweaks, it was still basically the same as from when she was a kid.

Let them underestimate you.

Don’t fight back until you have an exit.

Lie from the start.

Protect what matters.

Assume no one is coming to help.

Tony and the Falcon by ArcticVulpix | T | 10k | IronFalcon: Steve introduced Sam Wilson to Tony Stark after the Fall of SHIELD. He grows to regret that. He grows to regret that very much.

Ramblings by TheSovereigntyofReality | G | 34k | Pepperony, Tony & Peggy: The problem with Alzheimer's is that sufferers sometimes ramble…often with no idea who is sitting with them. Peggy says something that sends Tony Stark on a legal manhunt.

Five Things Darcy Loves About Working for SHIELD by teand | M | 49k | ShieldShock, Phlint: The Bronx was up, the Battery was down and thank freaking Thor that SHIELD provided housing or Darcy suspected she wouldn't have been able to afford to live closer than Vermont.

I (created from fantasies) exist solely for you by Mizzy | T | 62k | Stony: Six years ago, without the Avengers Initiative there to save the day, scientist Dr. Eric Selvig sacrificed himself to save the world, the almighty demi-god Thor was lost to a terrible storm, and vigilante Iron Man – spotted with a nuclear weapon trying to take advantage of the situation – was forever labelled an enemy of SHIELD. This is a comic book office AU, where Steve is defrosted a year too late, Thor has forgotten who he is, and no one knows Tony is Iron Man. Also includes: office pranks, inappropriate post-it notes, and superheroes who like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.

The Mechanic, The Soldier, and The Captain by AvocadoLove | M | 6.4k | Stuckony: HYDRA need a replacement for Zola’s genius, and they have years worth of experience breaking and brainwashing a good man into something they can control.

The Evidence by StrivingArtist | T | 16k | WinterIron: Didn’t notice. Right. Sure. Two brilliant minds, two super spies, and a god didn’t notice when the chattiest man they knew stopped making sound. They just seemed happier than before. Brighter and more cheerful than before. They just seemed like they were more comfortable with him around when he was stone silent. Fuck it. He knew they noticed. And he knew they liked him better this way.

In Which The Winter Soldier Might Just Be Wooing Darcy by Out_Of_Custody | T | 28k | WinterShock: Exactly what it says on the tin. (Prompt-Fic) (Juulna: I adore this fic!)

Blood Stained by QueenVee1 | NR | 313k | WinterShieldShock: With a war on the horizon, the Avengers mend bridges that had been burned, relationships are rebuilt, and new friends forged. After a chance encounter with Steve Rogers, Darcy Lewis figures she's had her fill of Avenger-related activities. Turns out she's more entrenched than she ever thought possible. When she forms an unlikely friendship with James "Bucky" Barnes, she thinks her life can't get any weirder. Spoiler alert: IT CAN! A (double!?!?) meet!cute and secret!sibling story! They said it couldn't be done. B**** YOU THOUGHT!

Shadow & Bone/Six of Crows

Quiet Miracles by goatsandgangsters | G | 10k | Darklina, Zoya & Nikolai & Alina & Aleksander: Alina knew miracles. She was no Saint and no savior, she knew this. But she knew the light in someone’s eyes when they smiled. She knew the warmth of an arm slung around her shoulder, the squeeze of a hand, the elbow in her side, the tight squeeze of an embrace. She knew the moment the room held its breath and then broke into the brilliant cascade of laughter. She knew the glimmer of tears wiped from her cheeks by careful fingers. Alina knew miracles. Ravka had never been so full of them. Or: sometimes a government is the beloved sun saint of the people, a young king determined to fix what has long been broken, the eminently practical head of the newly formed Grisha council, and the heretic who’s no longer going it alone.

Without a Mouth I Can Swear Your Name by tothewillofthepeople | T | 32k | Wesper, Kinej | Helnik: Kaz looked at Matthias coldly. “What do you want?” “I want to know where Wylan Van Eck is,” Matthias said. (A Six of Crows Hogwarts AU)

Star Trek Discovery

Respite series by Alethia | E | 22k | Michael/Pike: The Terran Pike comes to visit the newly-resurrected Captain Burnham on the Shenzhou and things get…heated.

Stargate Atlantis

Desert Rose by mific | E | 18k | McShep | John, a downed Hurricane pilot in WWII, is rescued by Rodney who's tracking strange energy readings in the Sahara. And in another life, their story makes another John and Rodney unwilling Atlantis celebrities.

Ted Lasso

At the Right Time by Annaelle | E | 25k | RoyJamie: Roy doesn't like to think he's taking advantage of Jamie. He's making him better, stronger, faster, a better player, and now that he's got the fucking muppet actually behaving for him, he'll be damned if he lets him go. For the PepPerVerse Bottom!Roy Challenge.

The Hunger Games

The Victors of District Twelve by DustyAttic | G | 49k | Everlark & Lucy Gray Baird & Haymitch: night What if Lucy Gray survived that night in the woods with Snow? What if she made it up north, found those people rumored to be surviving without the Capitol, and realized District Thirteen wasn't quite as obliterated as she'd been taught? And what if, sixty-five years later and after watching a certain Mockingjay end Snow's reign, she came back to District Twelve? This is the story of Katniss and Peeta meeting Lucy Gray Baird, and learning her story-- the story that Snow so desperately tried to erase.

The Locked Tomb

Your Necro Questions Answered by Magichorse | T | 8.8k | Griddlehark: Syndicated columnist "Nav the Cav" offers a sympathetic ear to cavaliers across the galaxy and dispenses practical, no-nonsense, real talk advice on how to properly manage and care for your necromancer.

Cake by the Ocean by zoicite | T | 15k | Griddlehark: Okay, so the thing was, Gideon had always been shit at plans. She knew that. Everyone knew that, but this--she really didn’t think it would be this hard! Gideon’s voice was like the least memorable thing about her. Bargaining her voice for a well-shaped set of human legs--that really should have worked in her favor.

who ya gonna call? by igneousbitch | E | 24k | Griddlehark: (Casual sex and paranormal investigation. Not necessarily in that order.) (Or: the Buzzfeed Unsolved AU in which Gideon is ready to fight a ghost, and Harrow just wants to be haunted.)

Behind the Locked Door by UnseelieWench | T | 98k | Griddlehark: It figures that the only college with the badass Cavalier program is also the college that Harrow Nonagesimus wants to attend. Oh well. Campus is big, right? She'll probably never see that pointed little face again.

The Mummy

Best Laid Plans by kyaticlikestea | T | 6.6k | Ardeth Bay/Jonathan Carnahan: After 20 years of being subjected to more yearning than any sister should ever have to witness, Evy decides that enough's enough.

Wednesday

A Torment of the Mind by cherrybirch | M | 58k | Wenvier: In which Wednesday and Xavier sign up for Hermione’s course in Legilimency. Two overdramatic darkness-loving teens with crushes on each other, trying to master their psychic powers by learning to read each other's minds… what could go wrong? NOTE: Canon non-compliance has been tagged for three things: Hermione’s presence at Nevermore, Larissa acting as principal (as if nothing happened), and the complete removal of the stalker subplot. (I find stalkers terrifying and don’t want to write about one.)

[lilyevanstan1325]

This is really old...this is the sneak peak for the first story I ever wrote 🥹🥹🥹

This video got almost 45k views at the time on TikTok and on Wattpad this story gained me a lot of readers.

It's a story full of mistakes I admit, my English was at its beginning, but it's one of my favourite stories, I feel deeply fond for it.

I would be happy if someone here on Tumblr can appreciate it too.

Give it a chance, give me another chance ❤️

✨ Astral Lovers ✨

Here the cast and the plot!!!

Love you 😘

Stay safe out here 🙏🏻

[mania-sama]

january fic recs!

organization:

➼ fandom

✎ [Fic Name] by [Author] ❧ rating, word count (in progress tagged if work is not completed) ❧ relationship tags ❧ my description/notes ❧ Quotation

featured fandoms: voltron: legendary defender | jujutsu kaisen | haikyuu | harry potter | avatar: the last airbender | undertale | marvel cinematic universe

more of my fic recommendations: february | march | april

➼ voltron: legendary defender

✎ A Raven on the Path Home by artimess_chimes ❧ not rated, 31k ❧ keith/lance ❧ lance following the aftermath of the intergalactic war. the author does an amazing job of portraying depression from the depressed person's perspective. while lance does have a level of self-awareness that many people with mental illness do, the depression and ptsd override most of his common sense and relationality anyway. misery breeds misery; he does a very good job of behaving poorly and increasing his loneliness. and then he slowly owns up to his mistakes and rebuilds his support system that he had destroyed, but not without help. it's a really good personal growth journey with klance as a lovely addition to lance's behemoth of emotions ❧ Lynn looked at him unimpressed. “An insistence on independence is just using your own pride to deny yourself love.” 

✎ Asterism by idas_library ❧ mature, 92.0k (in progress) ❧ team voltron, keith/lance, allura/lotor, adam/shiro ❧ i REFUSE to believe that this is the author's first fanfiction, because this is ASTOUNDINGLY well done and indicative of years of writing. they must be an author outside of fanfiction. they must. anyway, the story follows the end of s1 when the wormhole gets screwed up, and instead of being in his lion and getting thrown into an ocean planet with hunk, lance is outside of his lion and gets tossed somewhere random. after almost dying in his suit in the middle of nowhere-space, he gets picked up by a galra outer ring outpost. cue a long, spiraling adventure to escape, and then the adventure beyond. not a single scene or OC is wasted (i would commit genocide for you, 697). of course, my whump-loving heart was cheering at the torture and whatnot, but none of it for nothing. everything has a purpose. the truly amazing part of this fic though is the very natural progression and growth of lance's character (much better than whatever the show had going on). he consistently uses his unique strengths to separate himself from the rest, and even though he is growing into a leadership role, he is just that: growing. there are chinks in his armor and a lot of path yet to travel, but the author is handling it phenomenally. it's impossible to tell where the story will go as of yet, but i have my theories. i am thoroughly impressed by the author's skill and the quality of this fic. ❧ That was the last good day, in Lance’s opinion. It was the last time his lungs ached from laughter, and the last time the tears in his eyes didn’t sting and the chill in the air didn’t quite reach his bones. It was the last good day for a long time.

➼ jujutsu kaisen

✎ adolescent dreams & adult screams by twinprimes ❧ teen and up, 15.2k ❧ fushiguro megumi & gojo satoru, getou suguru/gojo satoru ❧ grief and trauma take many forms, and when you're trying to raise a kid you have no blood relation to that is ALSO the child of the man you killed (and give you a boat-load of trauma), it's kind of hard to deal with them. it also shows how it was never really about protecting megumi from harmful information; it's how gojo struggles to reconcile with what happened to him, what he did, and how to talk about it. it's hard to answer questions when you don't know how to give an answer without hurting yourself in the process. absolutely amazing. ❧ “I know he was a bad person,” Megumi continues. He doesn’t sound particularly upset. “And I know he did bad things that I don’t know about, too. So you don’t have to lie about it to me because you don’t want to ruin my opinion of him, or something stupid like that.”

✎ chronicles of a man trying his best by angryjane ❧ general audiences, 35.2k (in progress) ❧ fushiguro megumi & fushiguro tsumiki & gojo satoru & nanami kento, gojo satoru/nanami kento ❧ on the opposite of end of the spectrum, we have a menace-to-society!megumi being raised by reformed-menace-to-society!gojo. this is a series of 5 fics that i don't think is ever going to get updated again, but doesn't feel incomplete in any capacity. each is relatively a stand alone and is more a basic slice of life than it is anything else. it's very funny, especially if you don't take it seriously (which you shouldn't; allow the series to guide you in your emotions). hints of past satosugu, but mostly nanago. tsumiki is a menace in her own right, and nanami is only slightly better at hiding his down badness than gojo is. again, very much a crack series but is also powerful in the little moments where the cracks seal and a bit of angst and genuineness appears. my favorite fic of the series is definitely the room is filled with people who love you. ❧ Grumbling, Megumi relents, sacrificing his dessert to Nanami’s waiting hand before scrambling off the floor and scurrying towards the kitchen table. Hesitantly, Nanami trails after him, setting the tub, followed by the bouquet of roses, down on the table and picking up a paperback he finds there, wincing at the title. Taking up residence beneath the screaming smoke detector, he begins to fan Training Pets to Kill- A Beginner’s Ultimate Guide: Tips, Tricks, Legalities and more! above his head like an offering. 

➼ haikyuu

✎ and back to you again, step by step by step by eurydicees ❧ teen and up, 8.1k ❧ daishou suguru/kuroo tetsurou ❧ this is honestly a really interesting fic due to its perspective. no relationship is perfect, nor always 100% healthy. however, for the way the fic is written, we truly only get one side/interpretation of how the relationship works until little bits and pieces are revealed through dialogue provided to kuroo from daishou. more than it is a fic on relationships, it is a wonderful piece on manipulating perspective; the author has kuroo written sort of as a victim until daishou explains that he also felt hurt and victimized in the relationship. it shows just how important communication is, and how no one but the two people involved can provide the most reliable communication. it's really interesting and very well done, especially from a technique view. ❧ “He apologized,” Kuroo says. “You know how rare that is? I think he’s apologized for something, like, twice ever in his life, and one of those times was this. The other was because he broke my nose with a volleyball when we were seven.”

✎ Yaobikuni by PlumTea ❧ mature, 7.1k ❧ iwaizumi hajime/oikawa tooru ❧ on the topic of unhealthy relationships... very hesitantly am i recommending this not because i do not believe that the fic is good, but because i think this exposes more about me than i care to admit. yet here i am. anyway, if you want some insane power dynamics, toxic relationships, and a splash of horror, then this is the fic for you. oikawa is a merman and iwaizumi catches him because he wants to live forever. is it really cannibalism if one isn't even technically the same species? a question for the ages. it also ponders the unanswerable, undefinable paradox of immortality without actually making the main character live for a thousand years to find a suitable, relative answer. i adore this author's horror haikyuu works, i highly recommend everyone to read more from them. ❧ “So you want to live forever? You could end up feeling terrible forever, too.”

✎ The SakuAtsu Documentary by the MSBY Black Jackals by lettersinpetals ❧ teen and up, 6.7k ❧ miya atsumu/sakusa kiyoomi ❧ very hilarious and very, very cute. i am always 100% down for some team shenanigans, and this one takes the cake. it's one large prank, and while the intended result was to simply amend the tense relationship between atsumu and sakusa while documenting their progress via vlogs, they got much more than they bargained for. the prank sakuatsu plays back is very funny as well and i did laugh out loud. ❧ “Something’s gotta give and we’re afraid we’ll find Atsumu’s corpse lying in a ditch,” Adriah said. “He’s a cocky prick, but he is also one of the country’s best setters, as much as I hate to admit it. We’d prefer not to lose him.”

➼ harry potter

✎ disguised as something else by aloneintherain ❧ teen and up, 3.1k ❧ harry potter & remus lupin & sirius black, harry potter & friends ❧ THE CUPBOARD UNDER THE STAIRS. the one glaring vice that the harry potter series has, storywise, is that harry's prospective childhood trauma from the dursleys is almost never discussed. look me in the eyes and tell me he does not have an everlasting scar from their blatant neglect and abuse. that's right. you CAN"T. anyway, this story explores just a bit of that abuse, while also tackling the fact that he hasn't ever talked about it. he hasn't healed from that experience, and just because he's in a safe environment now with a loving family doesn't mean that scar has faded. in fact, it's a scab that's now picked open. wonderfully explores the process of talking about your feelings instead of bottling it up and pretending it doesn't exist. ❧ A part of him aches to crawl into that dark, cramped space and curl up next to Sirius. It’s safe in there, his hind-brain reminds him. Adult hands only ever reached in to drag him out.

➼ avatar: the last airbender

✎ the hands that feed by aloneintherain ❧ teen and up, 1.9k ❧ the gaang & zuko ❧ classic zuko scar reveal. no, these never get old. every author tackles it in a different way. i especially like the way this author approaches it in this fic (as evident as it is that i appreciate the way they write trauma and trauma recovery. see harry potter for reference). one of the important things about traumatic events is that it is incredibly important for a person to reveal their trauma by their own violation. ripping it out of someone or learning about their past via other conventions is a surefire way to dismantle trust and a certain amount of the healing process. in this, zuko involuntarily reveals how he got his scar, but he also, vitally, doesn't remember doing so. the gaang know that they aren't supposed to know. so, they are willing to give him time. time for him to come to them, step by miserable step, with his past burning the soles of his feet. they are all very kind to him even in this moment of stress and desperation. love love love it. ❧ Sokka felt like screaming. He couldn’t, not with Zuko so close and so confused. He wouldn’t stir up old memories. Wouldn’t hurt Zuko more than he’d already been hurt.

➼ undertale

✎ lest ye be judged by nilchance ❧ teen and up, 35.4k (in progress) ❧ papyrus & sans, asgor dreemurr & papyrus & sans ❧ man where do i even start with this. essentially, an au where everything is the same except that sans and papyrus were once homeless kids on the street who were eventually taken in by a merciful, guilt-ridden asgor, post the first six human deaths but pre gaster death. they don't stay for long, and everyone is memory wiped of their time with asgor anyway, but sans remembers. their time together is impactful in a way that can only be felt in the white spaces between every word and sentence. i am always for adding extra trauma to... any given character, so that was simply a bonus for me. the author also has a very well-defined interpretation of every major character, which really makes the series feel as near to canon as a fic could ever be in some aspects. every bond, word, and relationship shared and formed is important in some aspect, and it has consequences. the only sad thing about this series is that it very clearly had a build-up to sans revealing the complete truth and his personal feelings to his "family" in the post-true pacifist route, but. well. the series hasn't been updated since 2018. but it's okay because i still think it's all very much worth the read. every single one of the fics. my favorite is definitely the first fic (traumatized kids. yep that's the life), but runs in the family is a very close second. ❧ It had taken months before Chara stopped probing at the limits of his patience like a sore tooth. Seeing what it would take for Asgore to hit them. It's a hard lesson for a child to learn, harder to unlearn. Asgore keeps his hands open and voice easy. "Thank you."

✎ disenchanted lullaby by nilchance ❧ general audiences, 1.6k ❧ papyrus & sans ❧ ah yes, the inevitable nihilism and mental collapse after a time loop. what i find the most interesting about post-true pacifism is that for a character like sans, it is much harder to reconcile a happy ending with what he'd experienced because he has absolutely no control over it. for other time loops, they have to deal with the conflict of wondering if they will accidentally reset it themselves. they are the main character. but for sans, who is not a main character, who is merely a bystander and victim to the never-ending resets, he has no control. no bearing over whether or not his journey restarts. and to start all over again - that is a terrifying prospect. of course he's got depression. who wouldn't? the way that it's approached in careful prose and the bonding of the two brothers is very precious to me. delicious fic. ❧ "Don't," he says, unexpectedly fierce. "I heard you crying like you were falling down, brother. I heard you say that you've given up. It's a little late to tell me you're happy."

✎ Revenant by Solena2 ❧ general audiences, 2.1k ❧ no defined relationships ❧ this fic au is horrifying if you think about it for more than 2 seconds. all of the characters who appear as "undead" (the ghosts and the skeletons) were, at one point, living humans that had all fallen down to the ruins and thus been slain by asgore. the items that they wore had been lost and scattered until, eventually, the seventh human child falls down and collects their other fallen humans' things as you do in the game. when you put it into the perspectives of the characters' jobs, especially for sans and papyrus who work for the very man that mercilessly killed them, it really drives in the entire hopelessness of the underground, that they really have no place else to go. it's also simply beautifully written. i love a one shot that makes you feel a host of complex, unforgiving emotions. ❧ Like those before them - they come, they leave, they die.

✎ Hairline Fractures by kaliawai512 ❧ teen and up, 31.3k ❧ papyrus & sans ❧ yes more discussion on the devastating, horrifying, everlasting effects of inescapable time loops, as i've mentioned under the description of the disenchanted lullaby. however, this fic takes at multiple steps further. they are 6 months into living in the human world, and it is pretty terrible for monsters. in the perspective of sans, he battles with daily racism(?), balancing multiple jobs, the guilt of watching his brother suffer, and wondering, wondering when the world will reset and it will all end. because, well, they had made it that far before, hadn't they? there is a scene though where sans gets drunk for the first time and it makes me ill because i was crudely reminded of my first time, which was a far more unpleasant experience than sans'. but its okay i powered through and it, in fact, one of the best scenes in the fic. the BEST part of this fic though is that the author somehow coded the actual papyrus and comic sans into the fic for the dialogue and i am now determined (hahahhaha) to figure out how to do that for myself. ❧ He should get up. He should really get up. Papyrus was worried, and every minute Sans lay there, he got more worried. Even if he couldn’t get up, he could at least respond. But every time Papyrus came to the door, he couldn’t make a sound come out. He tried, he tried over and over again, but his voice refused to respond.

➼ marvel cinematic universe

✎ out there, living in the sun by Hailfire_73 ❧ teen and up, 30.1k ❧ peter parker & richard parker, peter parker & tony stark, peter parker & avengers, pepper potts/tony stark ❧ peter parker's dad, richard, is an evil hydra agent that essentially has kept peter from the civilization. he runs experiments on kidnapped people, kills them, and discards of them. and peter, well, peter doesn't really know a life outside of this. and then he gets kidnapped by iron man and captain america. suddenly, the world is a lot larger than the haunted mansion he grew up in. it's a very interesting fic that not only handles the affects of abuse, but takes a very different route on peter's relationship with the avengers. because he never becomes "spider-man" in our sense and understanding of spider-man, he ends up developing his relationships differently. it's also interesting to see how the author approaches his character. they rip peter parker from the environment that made who he was, prevent him from ever getting in the suit and from saving a single person, yet they still manage to keep the core of his character alive. pretty awesome. also, there is a plant named spike. that's pretty cool. ❧ “Captain America? Get me out of here?” asked Peter, squinting his eyes and tilting his head. Iron Man hoisted him out of bed, and the covers went with him, hitting the floor by Peter’s feet. “Oh cool, I’m being kidnapped.”

✎ for peter by Hailfire_73 ❧ general audiences, 19.0k ❧ peter parker & tony stark + family, pepper potts/tony stark ❧ peter parker gets turned into a dog instead of dusting away when thanos snapped. I KNOW BUT HEAR ME OUT. the fic is (mostly) set in tony's perspective, and he doesn't really know that peter is a dog now. he just knows that its now his responsibility to take care of this stray dog that peter had picked up before the snap. it follows the 5 years of tony and his blooming family, his grieving, his attempts to keep peter's memory alive, while peter does everything he can to somehow communicate to tony that he's still here. it's a really good fic; tony very clearly projects his mourning onto "buddy the dog", and it, in turn, makes him a better father to his daughter. fair warning though: do NOT feed your dog cheeseburgers instead of dog food on a regular basis! that will kill your dog!!! do not do as tony does!!!!! ❧ “Wanna come home with me?” asked Tony. “Look, I’m not Peter, I’m nowhere near as good and kind, hell I don’t even really like dogs, but… I have a house with a big yard and plenty of squirrels and rats to chase and… if you’re lucky, I might even feed you.”

[dc-marvel-crossovers]

More information here.

For our purposes, a “pool noodle” is a relationship tag that comes up with less than 30 hits on Ao3. Platonic (&) relationships count! Any and all crossover pairings with under 30 existing fics are welcome.

Our next theme, starting Saturday, is "who run the world? girls!" aka anything female-centric!

Prompts for new fic:

Natasha Romanoff/Talia Al Ghul

Birds of Prey crossover 

Genderswap 

Amanda Waller puts together an all-female team 

Captain Britain Peggy Carter

Powerpuff Girls AU 

Diana Prince in SHIELD 

Selina Kyle as a Widow  

Coulson recruits Cassandra Cain

If you'd like to participate, but not as a writer, you can make fanwork for an existing fic! We have an Ao3 collection here. The bookmarks are pool noodle fics whose authors have given permission for art, podfic, playlists, and moodboards inspired by their work.

Below are a few that specifically fit this theme, for fanwork and/or just for your reading enjoyment! Please feel free to share your own recs and tag us, or submit rec posts here for us to publish during feedback week.

I'll Take The Dangerous One by @wyxan - Yelena Belova/Stephanie Brown, teen

it was cool (but it was all pretend) by @capriciouswrites - Natasha Romanov & Bruce Wayne, teen

A Spider And An Archer Go Batty by @river9noble - Natasha Romanov/Bruce Wayne, mature

not alone (like you think you are) by @mightymightygnomepriest - Natasha Romanov/Diana Prince, explicit

birds fly (why can't I?) by @capriciouswrites - Natasha Romanov/Jason Todd, mature

Seal of Approval by @there-must-be-a-lock - Natasha Romanov/Jason Todd, general

early next mornin' ('bout a half past nine) by @capriciouswrites - Karen Page & Jason Todd, mature

Take a bite of my heart tonight by @wyxan - Michelle Jones/Peter Parker/Tim Drake, explicit

kiss me like your boyfriend by @mightymightygnomepriest - Michelle Jones/Peter Parker/Tim Drake, explicit

[simpee9000]

Simpee - 19 - she/her

!mature content!

Ho(rny)peless romantic who's hardly felt the touch of a man, so I resort to reading it. And writing it. Sometimes. Taking requests, but I can't promise anything :) Feel free to message me <3

m.list ~ recs ~ A03 ~

Who I will write for is in the tags <3

[kitkatt0430-recommends]

Another round of older fic recommendations - somehow I'm still not done going through all my old FFnet favs. I'm including Ao3 links where I can and describing the fics in my own words.

The Master Manipulator by Guildsister - Robert Hogan has been fighting the Nazis in whatever capacity he can since before his country even joined the war and he's not about to stop now just because he's become a PoW.

This one isn't just a favorite Hogan's Heroes fic, it is The Favorite. The best I've read and what comes to mind first when I feel like reading Hogan's Heroes fanfics. Guildsister did a lot of research for this fic, the characterization of Klink here is my absolute favorite, and Hogan's back story just makes so much sense that I forget sometimes it's not canon. It captures the spirit of the show while grounding it more firmly in reality. It's rated T and found on FFnet.

An Unacceptable Sitch by Allaine - Kim's in college and out of the world saving business, or at least she was until Shego shows up one evening asking for Kim's help. The family that's taken over what was Team Possible's niche isn't the clan of goody two-shoes that everyone thinks they are and both Kim and Shego are going to need to put aside their differences if they're going to get themselves back in fighting shape to stop them.

This is the first in a series - six completed fics and one unfinished - that eventually winds up Kim/Shego for the ship. It ignores the events of S4 - I think it may have been started before Kim and Ron hooked up on the show? - so Kim and Ron never dated here. It's one of my favorite Kim Possible fic series, as it captures a lot of what I really enjoyed about the show. Kim's struggles with accepting herself and her feelings for Shego over the course of the series is also interesting - and considering her difficulties with her social life on the show, feels very true to the character. It's rated T and found on FFnet.

Home for the Holidays by Acid Rain - In which the orphanage gang gets together for the holidays and naturally winds up fighting a natural disaster. But the natural disaster is probably still a lot less stressful than the holiday shopping that preceeded it.

It's part of a series, but stands alone quite well. A Seifer/Squall post canon fic with lots of humor. It's actually a multi-author collaboration and I know at least one of them can be found on Ao3 these days. This fic, however, is rated M and found on FFnet.

Insomnia by tikitikirevenge - Link may have time travel on his side, but that doesn't mean he's got all the time in the world. He can only reset reality so many times before the consequences start to set in…

This one is an unfinished retelling of Majora's Mask. And while it doesn't seem likely this one will be finished, it's well worth the read. It really captured the unsettling feeling of Majora's Mask and the urgency of the time limit comes through with how here everything is happening concurrently - so while Link is helping in the swamp in the fic, future versions of him are already completing tasks in other areas. And he only has so many loops before things go wrong anyway. It's rated T and found on FFnet.

A Brief Account of Life With Zombies by Silverpard - The zombie apocalypse happens. Of course the Holmes brothers find it a nuisance more than anything.

A short but humorous zombie fic set in the Sherlock tv series. Not usually a zombie fan, but silly parodies like this are definitely my cup of tea. I was pleased to find this over on Ao3 (and there's a pod fic of it too) where it's rated G. It's epistolary style, with emails and texts mainly, so there's a bit of distance to the apocalypse too.

To the Sticking Place by zephyras13 - Ianto Jones is sent to Torchwood 3 before the destruction of Torchwood 1 as a field agent meant to keep an eye on the place for Yvonne Hartmon. And Jack hates him for it. But it is hard to hate a person forever. And there's more to Ianto Jones than he lets on.

It's a canon re-write with a dash of fix-fic, though poor Owen and Tosh still don't make it. It's really good with Jack/Ianto as the main ship - the disasters. It's rated M and I was glad to find it over on Ao3.

Truthfully by Salazarfalcon - Loki is absolutely all about causing chaos and starting trouble… but Earth also has this little thing called therapy and it's might actually be helping.

In which Loki starts working out his issues in therapy, discovers he enjoys self care, and becomes more than a bit attached to the Earth. There's no ship here, just family feels and Loki coming to terms with being lied to all his life. Rated T and found on FFnet.

To Turn to the Dark Side, Press Three by frodogenic - The true path to the dark side… being put repeatedly on hold with the insurance company. The hold music keeps playing operas about the Sith - it's really only a matter of time…

A ridiculously silly story about Anakin having to deal with the insurance company after having his arm chopped off by Dooku. He gets put on hold. A lot. The fic is rated G and is indeed on Ao3.

To Save the Queen by AwayOHumanChild - Sabe is living out her dreams of being handmaiden to the Queen when war comes to Naboo. First in a series spanning the Prequel series.

While it's partly a fix-fic, it's mainly just a 'what was going on with the handmaidens' fic. It's a lot of fun - I absolutely adore all the different handmaidens - and there's some Sabe/Obi-Wan going on (very, very, very slowburn) alongside the canon Anakin/Padme. Rated K+ on FFnet. At one point it did start getting cross posted to Ao3, but alas it appears that effort was abandoned part-way through the first fic some years ago. But the series is complete on FFnet and it's one of my favorite Prequel Series fanfics.

Letter to the Manufacturer by Alexis Seven - Kirk writes a complaint about the parachutes used during the mission to Vulcan and ends up in an email chain regarding product warnings and complementary parachutes.

A somewhat dark comedic take on customer service regarding the parachutes used in the 2009 Star Trek movie. Written in epistolary form, it's basically a series of emails back and forth between Kirk and the company that made the parachutes. Rated K+ and found on FFnet.

[yes-i-am-happyaspie]

hi there! im wondering if you have any fics recs for an au where peter doesnt get blipped? or also any OP/insanely strong peter fics you enjoy? i’m fairly new to reading spiderman fics and would love any recs! thanks!! 💖

Hi!! Sorry it took so long to respond. It's been a busy couple of weeks!! But I totally have a few BAMF Peter Parker fics in my bookmarks! And one very good fic where neither Tony nor Peter blipped.

🕸 to fear and to fly by idyllic_dae Rated T

“You’ll come to learn that there’s only one thing worse than having nothing.” Trying to hold onto his fight, Peter shoots back, “Yeah? And what’s that?” “To have nothing, after being able to believe you could have everything.”

The streets are dirty, crowded, and the jagged bumps in the asphalt are hardly comfortable to sleep on. They’re home, though.

Peter is just about finished with New York City. It’s gotten impossibly harder to find even a scrap of food, and what little belongings he does have are unlikely to keep him alive through the winter. And the memories. God, the painful memories here.

So he saves up. Makes a plan to get out of there.

Then, somehow, he accidentally saves Tony fucking Stark from a gang of eight mercenaries, and the majestic plan disintegrates into ash.

The worst part about it, he knows, isn’t even that he met Tony. It’s that Tony met him.

^^ This one is incomplete still but it is SO VERY GOOD.

🕸 Trojan Teenager by Sara (ctrsara) @ctrsara Rated T

Tony, Peter, Happy, and Daren make a trip to California during Peter's Spring Break, both to get some business done at SI-Malibu, and to look into another hotspot for the human trafficking ring they've been trying to break down. As it often does when self-sacrificial Spider-kids are involved, things go a little off the rails.

^^ This one is part of a series but can be read alone. However, I highly recommend the whole series! It's crazy creative and super well-written.

🕸 turn back the clock (and I'll try again in the morning) by madasthesea @madasthesea Rated T

Peter gets stuck in a time loop. In it, he lives through some of his worst nightmares, only to wake up that morning and have no one remember. He needs Tony to help him get through.

And if that isn't bad enough, his identity is revealed over and over, every day.

^^ This fic has me on the edge of my seat every time I read it, I swear

🕸 The Worst Field Trip by mak5258 Rated G

Peter's kidnapping (Before You Go, chapter 40) from other POVs.

^^ This is part of a much larger series but can be read alone. It's sooo good! If you're looking for a longer read, it's parent fic, Before You Go , is also great.

🕸Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spider by Bergen Rated T

“Tony fucking Stark,” Clint says, and he points at the black smoke. “Did you blow up that base, you piece of shit?” “Absolutely not. I almost got blown up with it.” Clint is not alone. A few yards behind him, a scrawny figure halts and squints at Tony from underneath a frayed baseball cap. Sunken eyes. Dressed in a black undershirt and cargo pants. Can’t be older than eighteen. “What are you doing here?” Clint jerks his head at the boy behind him. “SHIELD mission. Extracting a hostage.” Tony glances back at the teenager, whose face has now morphed into something entirely impassive. “He seems thrilled about his rescue.” — Tony is roped into a mission to transport a teenager to safety. But when things go south, it soon becomes more and more puzzling who the teenager is and what ‘safety’ means for him.

^^ Oh my goodness. This one has a super strong stoic Peter, who also manages to (eventually) be so super soft. I love everything by the writer, honestly.

🕸 Peter Protection Protocol by JAWorley Rated T

"The hell?" Knife guy breathes. He looks at Tony, and then back at the suit. Ned can hear the wheels spinning in his mind. If I have Iron Man, then who is in the suit?

There’s silence for a second, then another. Everyone waits with baited breath until Peter’s tinny voice comes out of the suit. “Give me back my Tony.”

OR

Peter’s class barely makes it in the door to Stark Industries for their field trip when they find themselves in a hostage situation. Peter and Ned know exactly what they have to do to save Mr. Stark from the bad guys. A short fic that’s supposed to be fun and easy to read. Not crack, just fun. Minor angst near the end.

^^ This author has SO MANY super fun and amazing fics, but this one definitely fits the BAMF Peter Parker bill.

Insane Mistakes Everybody Makes by Fluencca Rated T

The Avengers' kids are kidnapped for leverage and ransom. Tony tries to find them, while Peter--who somehow is part of this mess--tries to keep the kids safe.

^^ Love this one so much. It has all the amazing BAMF Peter.

🕸 Survivor's Guide to The Galaxy by fanfic1892 Rated T

Space rock crunched under Peter’s armor-clad feet and he dropped his hand from his eyes, turning to Tony. "Mister Stark," he said softly. "What do we do now?”

The question was entirely reasonable, Tony supposed, but being the one expected to answer it was like an infinity gauntlet punch to the gut. (Now there was a unit of measurement he could submit to the CGPM.)

Or: In a billion-to-one cosmic fluke, Tony and Peter both survive the snap and are left alone on Titan with an alien spaceship and no plan in sight. Peter’s presence brings Tony to make a tough call: diverting their course away from Earth in search of food and fuel. With the galaxy in shambles and no clear route home, the two survivors must carve out a path of their own somewhere in the great infinity.

^^ This is one of my favorite fics of all time.

As usual, I could go on for days with fics I love and would love to share with others. But we'll stop here for now. lol. And look! I didn't even self-promote this time! Thank you so much for asking. Don't forget to leave kudos and comments!!

[newnewyorker93]

Fic Stats Tag Game

I was tagged by my favorite @rebelmeg ❤️

Rules: Give us the links to your fics with the most hits, most kudos, most comments, most bookmarks, most words, and least words.

Most Hits: Help Isn't A Four-Letter Word (which I literally just threw together in response to a tumblr prompt, I have no idea how it got so much traction!)

MCU, Tony & Rhodey

Summary:

Howard Stark's questionable parenting tactics and Tony's refusal to let anyone know he's struggling have dangerous consequences; luckily Rhodey is looking out for his best friend.

Most Kudos: The Unexpected Consequences of Being Run Through (my only fic so far to pass 300 kudos!)

Our Flag Means Death, Stede/Ed

Summary:

Ed had been stabbed dozens of times before, but he wasn't prepared for Stede's particular approach to dealing with the aftermath.

Most Comments: A Werewolf and a Vampire Walk Into a Grocery Store... (my first fic to reach a second page of comments!)

What We Do In The Shadows, Anton/Viago

Summary:

Anton's post-full moon shopping trip gone wrong, and then right again.

Most Bookmarks: Dancing With Fire Extinguishers (it always surprises me how much love this one has, but it is sweet)

MCU, Tony/Pepper

Summary:

Tony, Pepper, and the bots watch WALL-E. It makes for an eventful movie night.

Most Words: What We Do In The Tower (co-written with @rebelmeg)

MCU, Peter Parker & Gen Avengers

Summary:

Peter Parker has been having an awkward time as a brand new vampire. But now he's got Tony Stark whisking him off to meet a whole group of weird and hilarious vampires that live in Stark Tower and maybe this won't be so bad after all?

Least Words: It's a 17-way tie for 100 words because I cannot stop myself from writing drabbles 😅 I'll go with Sharing Strawberries at the End of The World, to keep with how my answers have turned out surprisingly multi-fandom!

The Last of Us, Bill/Frank

Summary:

Bill and Frank share a sweet moment, and some strawberries, together.

Tagging anyone who sees this and wants to do it, I'd love to see what you get ❤️