#so preslash if you want it to be

[jack-ofspades]

YOU'RE THE ONE THAT CAN SAVE ME FROM MYSELF:

barbatos wakes, hundreds of years after the cataclysm, and walks tevyet to witness the aftermath. in snezhnaya, miles away from mondstadt, he meets a man with familiar red curls on the verge of death.

(really, this is a venti character study wrapped in a shiny diluven bow, but shhhhh)

(also! heavily inspired by this fanart by my absolute favorite diluven artist @burquillos !!)

[saintsenara]

Do you think there’s any situation in which Sirius/Snape could work as a ship if James Potter was alive/around?

I love both Sirius/Snape and Sirius/James (platonic, romantic and everything in between) as ships so I’d love to see a universe in which the 3 of them have a lovely time together but I dunno if I can picture it. I can mainly see Sirius/Snape working with James and Lily dead and Sirius post Azkaban because it really brings him off his pedestal and leaves that shared grief and longing for that intensity of companionship.

I guess part of the problem is trying to imagine Sirius being able to even remotely care about or prioritise someone else with James in the picture, even if James is only giving platonic on his end. But then doubly so if that person was someone James had a massive rivalry with and doesn’t want near his wife. (Although if he knew Snape wasn’t interested in Lily like that maybe he’d chill out about it? Or would only child syndrome kick in and he’d hate him even more for trying to “steal” Sirius from him because it would be really shocking and maybe low key traumatic for James to have any less than 110% of Sirius’ attention…again even if they were only platonic… 🤔)

If it was going to work I could see it maybe more after Hogwarts when they’ve all grown up a bit and James and Lily are wrapped up in their family and Sirius is a bit adrift at adjusting to not being able to have all of James all of the time.

The closest I’ve seen to making something like it work was a fic where Snape was horribly tortured for killing Peter in front of Voldemort to stop him telling the secret and it left him vegetative for years and the Potters cared for him and eventually Sirius took over so they could go live their married lives. I was really interested in where they were going with it and pretty sold on that being a situation in which it could end up all happy families but unfortunately the fic was kinda preslash and stopped before it explored how things would go romantically for Sirius/Snape after Snape regained his consciousness.

Would love to hear your thoughts on any scenarios in which you think the 3 of them could get along swimmingly!

My other thought was maybe if Sirius had been put in Slytherin and James decided to talk his way into Slytherin to be together, they might eventually adopt Snape into their wider friendship group for his dry wit the way they did Remus. I feel like James was waiting his whole life to have both a best friend and his own gang and would make one wherever he was with the best of what he had available (lbr Peter is hardly a stellar pick), and without the “he’s evil because he’s Slytherin” divide they could potentially find the Dark curses Sev knows fun/useful against whoever else they decide to bully instead, might notice in the shared dorm how poor he is and get a pity thing going like they did for Remus’ werewolf issue (which Snape’s pride would hate but he’d probably milk knowing how he was with Lucius?), and if Snape was gay and as devoted to a crush on Sirius as he was to the canon one on Lily and therefore willing to do some wing maning for James with Lily to keep in James and Sirius good graces, it could really cement his value as a pal….and if Snape had other options for well connected friends who could get him out of Cokeworth (picturing Fleamont setting up summer internships for James’ unfortunate looking poor but impeccably mannered pal at Sleekeasys R and D department 🥹) I’m sure Snape would be happy to not bother with the blood supremacist half of his year who want his childhood best friend dead (unless we think he joined to be in with them as a way to keep Lily safe, but I think that would be more a rationale he’d give himself or her later to justify his behaviour) ……..but anyway even if all of this elaborate scenario could happen so that the 3 of them would be pally, I still can’t picture Sirius being able to love/fancy someone more than James if James is right there, even if it’s only platonic on James’ end.

Unless I guess we take a reading of canon that Sirius was so mean to Snape because he fancied him madly and was furious about it, or because he could sense the queerness in him he hated/was being told by family to squash out in himself. Then maybe they’d have a special type of connection that could be powerful in a way Sirius wouldn’t be able to share with a straight James? Would that be enough though for Sirius never see one without the other Black? 🤔

I do think if that was the friendship group and they made Snape the secret secret keeper instead of Peter James and Lily might have lived! (And Snape might have let himself get killed keeping the secret 🥲) …although that said if Peter had an inkling James Potter might go to Slytherin he probably wouldn’t have fought the hat so hard and would have still been in the gang too!

I’ve really gone on a tangent here but yeah so interested in any scenarios you could see it working, I think about this a lot and I love the way you think about HP things! 👏

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

this is a question which i've wondered about for a while, which i'm going to answer with a tentative... yes.

because i do agree with you that one of the things which makes snack-in-the-90s really work is their shared grief over the loss of james and lily [and their shared guilt and desire to punish themselves for the role they each played in their deaths] and how it contributes to them being one of the series' most interesting narrative mirror pairings.

but it's equally true that they're narrative mirrors even without the grief aspect simply because of their mirrored love - whether you wish to interpret this as platonic or not - for one half of james and lily, and the quiet devastation [even though sirius expresses this very differently to snape] they feel when the two pair off.

and so i do think - in a world in which both james and lily survive [i don't think it can be either/or] - there is the potential for snape and sirius to find themselves drawn together by a grief which is less profound than that caused by james and lily's deaths, but is still transformational in a way that i think is often overlooked in fandom: the grief of realising that the person you love doesn't feel the same way.

because i love platonic prongsfoot and platonic snily as much as the next girl, and i think that the grief i'm describing can apply just as much to platonic love as to romantic love.

but i prefer - and, indeed, i'm on the record as being convinced this is the text's actual intention - to read both snape's love for lily and sirius' love for james as romantic.

and - obviously - the intensity of this feeling prevents either snape or sirius getting a grip while they're in their teens [especially if they're both also grappling with the idea that they're not straight - i'm afraid i've never bought the fanon that the wizarding world is more enlightened when it comes to sexuality]. it makes perfect sense that - as you say - it's impossible for the nineteen-year-old sirius to imagine caring about someone the way he care about james, and to convince himself that the only way he can live his life is to spend decades pining nobly from afar, never letting on how much his heart aches.

but one of the great tragedies of the canonical snape and sirius is that they get stuck in a state of arrested development from their lives - essentially - stopping when they're both twenty-one. there's an inherent pettiness to their interactions in canon - the obsessing over schoolboy experiences, the fact that snape finds himself stuck at school and sirius finds himself stuck in his childhood home - which other characters clearly don't quite understand [dumbledore saying to harry at the end of order of the phoenix that sirius was too sensible to be goaded by snape seems dismissive in the context of what we - the readers - have seen, but it makes perfect sense that - from dumbledore's perspective - a thirty-six-year-old man wouldn't still care about playground beef from twenty years ago.]

in a world where james and lily live, snape and sirius get a chance to act their actual ages - and with that, sirius gets to learn how to accept that his role in james' life will change as his best friend settles into being a husband and father and snape either gets to learn how to stop pining for lily from afar or how to start trying to make amends for his treatment of her.

and james and lily also get to grow up too - to recognise how their priorities towards their friends will change as they form a family of their own and to see their school days [and their behaviour during them] more objectively the further removed from them they become. james at eighteen would rather die than have anything less than 110% of sirius' attention. james at thirty has other things to worry about.

i think that it would only work in a scenario where snape and sirius encountered each other again after having left hogwarts [i like the slytherin!james suggestion - and i'd be interested to see how you'd write it - but i personally think that there's no way on earth james is having snape anywhere near him until he's - for want of a better term "won" their rivalry over lily]. but i also think it would only work if that scenario was decades after they graduated, rather than years, and that the two don't meet again until they're - at least - in their early forties.

i think you could do something really quite interesting with james in that setting - as he realises, as his children reach adulthood and start to fly the nest, that sirius is chronically single and decides the project he wants for his middle age is to find his friend true love.

never expecting that his friend will bail from a date he arranges with a lovely woman and end up hiding in the leaky cauldron talking to snape - but then being mature enough [after some running around screaming "snape? snape?" at lily] to think that if sirius is happy, then he is.

and on this point, both sirius and snape canonically struggle to be realistic about how they see themselves and their worth - for example, in how they both refuse to believe that they could successfully atone for their roles in causing james and lily's deaths. when this is combined with the fact that sirius grew up in a community which is obsessed with blood and lineage - and how that blood and lineage is continued - and snape grew up with his primary masculine role-model being a violent man who was presumably also a homophobe, i do think that both of them would find it difficult to be open about their sexuality, especially since - in a world where they get to live normally after 1981 - they would be starting to understand themselves as queer during the aids crisis [which i refuse to believe doesn't impact the wizarding world, because i loathe the implication of canon that wizards are resistant to muggle diseases].

i think you can plausibly write them as both still in the closet in the 90s/00s - and for sirius especially to be worried about james' reaction if he found out he was interested in men. [which is a dimension often left out of things which examine sirius as queer and james as straight. lots of queer men worry - sometimes unnecessarily, sometimes, sadly, justifiably - that being open about their sexuality with straight male friends will cause those friends to back off from their platonic relationships due to a homophobic fear that queer men will automatically interpret platonic physical and emotional intimacy as romantic.]

but - whatever else he is - james clearly isn't a bigot. and i think he could once again get over the fact that sirius has shacked up with snape [snape?] in order to be proud that sirius was finally comfortable with who he is.

[and yes, i do genuinely think that sirius and snape's canonical vibe can be read as having some level of sexual attraction in it - they are both just so obsessed with each other that it's giving "why do i have this hyper-intense need to get in this other boy's face oh wait that's why"...]

[aceing-is-writing]

rating: T

cw: non detailed panic attack

tags: preslash, cuddling

prompt: Love is feeling safe (@novacorpsrecruit)

God no. No no no no no, Eddie needed it to stop. He wasn't there anymore and he knew that. He knew that, he knew that, so this was so stupid of him, but he couldn't stop himself.

He couldn't stop himself from skidding back and bashing his skull against the wall either when he saw something appear in front of him.

"Hey, hey, it's alright," he heard through the panic.

Eddie didn't know who the voice belonged to yet but one thing he did know is that it was safe.

Suddenly Steve had an armful of nervous shaking metalhead. He tried not to, but when Eddie collided with his still healing wounds on his chest he hissed. Eddie started to skid backward again and so Steve did the only thing he could think of.

He held on.

"Hey, hey, no Eddie, it's ok," he repeated, "I'm ok Eds."

Slowly Eddie untensed as the nonsensical sounds continued to wash over him. Before he knew it he had fallen forward with his head resting in the crook of Steve's neck.

Steve continued to murmur out his reassurances as he felt Eddie loosen up fully, until eventually he felt Eddie's breath tickling his neck at an even rate. Controlling the shiver trying to make it's way down his spine Steve slowly reached a hand upwards, hoping to keep the frightened metalhead calm. Taking a risk he put his hand on top of surprisingly soft curls.

Eddie sighed and burrowed farther into Steve's neck. Smiling in response Steve started slowly scratching Eddie's head through his curls while telling him about the latest shenanigans the kids they somehow had shared custody over had gotten into.

Eventually Eddie became aware of a hand playing with his hair the way he hadn't had since his mom had up and left. Unsure whether he wanted to give into the soothing motion it provided or pay attention to the soothing voice that was still speaking he hummed in contentment.

Steve paused waiting to see if he would continue but Eddie was content as he was and so he merely continued farther into his story of trying to shove three bikes in his car with three overgrown at this point teenagers.

An unknowable amount of time later Eddie started to pick up key words from the voice. Henderson was mentioned several times and Eddie smiled rubbing his nose into the neck he was ducked into. As he did so he picked up the leathery scent of the hair products Steve always used.

Feeling Eddie tense Steve stopped his tale and glanced down as far as he could to try and read his friend.

"Eds?" he tried, "You back with me?"

"….Steve?"

"The one and only big boy," Steve replied hoping to get a laugh out of throwing Eddie's commonly used phrase for Steve back at himself.

Not receiving one in reply Steve waited for Eddie to untense or pull away but when neither happened he chose to take a risk and started up with scratching at Eddie's hair again.

Eddie's eyes widened for a second before he huffed in amusement.

"You know you could've left me man," he mumbled into Steve's neck. Steve merely laughed in reply.

"I know."

For a minute Eddie thought that was all he was going to get before Steve opened his mouth once more.

"But I mean," he continued, "I don't mind. You know, sometimes…"

Steve peetered out and clenched his hand in Eddie's hair for a second.

Humming inquisitively Eddie tapped his hand twice against Steve's side where he'd had his hand clenched in the shirt.

"Come on big boy," he said, "don't hold out on me now."

Unclenching his hair Steve huffed in amusement but continued.

"Sometimes it makes me feel safer to be able to do something. You were," he paused before choosing to continue, "there was so much blood by the time we got to you Eddie. At least if I'm doing something you're not…"

He removed his hand from Eddie's hair to gesture nonsensically hoping Eddie would get the point.

"Ok Steve," Eddie said in reply.

Surrendering the rest of his weight he flopped fully down on Steve making him stumble backwards and ended with them both laying on the ground.

"But I hope you know if you get me used to this treatment I feel like we have to swap nicknames at this point. It's required, sorry, the reign of King Steve is over."

Laughing fully Steve moved his hand from Eddie's arms to wrap both his arms fully around his back.

"It was an overrated title anyways," he chuckled.

Eddie finally removed his face from where he had it hidden in Steve's neck and pushed up to stare down at Steve, causing Steve to move his arms from around his back lower down to his waist. This of course meant that Eddie blushed and started the process of trying to untangle his limbs from Steve's.

"Your safety is my highest concern," Steve continued smirking when he finally caught Eddie's eyes, "my liege."

Eddie's eyes widened and he blushed harder as he continued trying to remove his arms from where they held himself up. Fumbling he only ended up falling once again, this time smack on Steve's chest.

Steve laughed once again and rolled them over so he was leaning over top of Eddie instead.

"My king," he said poking Eddie's side. Covering his face fully now Eddie tried to slap Steve's hand away ineffectually.

"My most honorable."

"Steve-"

"My most kingly of kings."

"Steve man, you gotta-"

"My most courageous of-"

"Steve!" Eddie said as he slapped both hands on Steve's face. "You've gotta stop saying my man."

"But you are mine," Steve replied. Eddie opened his mouth several times before finally managing to make it work.

"Uh, what?"

"You're my friend. At least," he said looking concerned at what he was saying finally, "I mean, that whole talk in the woods, I thought we'd become, you know-"

Eddie scruffed up Steve's hair cutting him off.

"Yeah, yeah, you're mine too Harrington."

Steve smiled back down at Eddie and Eddie knew he was fucked. Groaning he let his hand flop back down onto his face.

"Can you let me up now that we've declared our everlasting bond of friendship like weirdos?"

"Whatever you'd like my king," Steve fired off one last time before getting off of Eddie to let him up.

God, so fucked.

-----------------

I will probably continue and flesh this one out more as well eventually in a larger fic with several other scenes but for now I'm just posting this scene.

@steddielovemonth I'm sorry this is coming so late in the day

[materassassino]

Ooh, prompts. ^⁠_⁠^ C, SangCheng or NieLan, please!

Ok so, it's more preslash than an actual shippy thing, and it's more the lead-in to respite than actual respite, but... I think it works. Post-canon, anyway.

Minific prompts!

---

C - A moment’s respite

“Working yourself to the bone, as usual.”

Jiang Cheng’s head snaps up from his work, his eye twitching. He glares at the doorway. Nie Huaisang merely waves his fan, slow, almost mocking. The silence lengthens, and Jiang Cheng then realises how much the shadows have also lengthened: the sun is low, the lamps should be lit soon. How long has he been bent over his desk, squinting at accounts and inventories and other banalities of daily sect rule?

Loath as he is to admit weakness in front of Nie Huaisang, he has to rub his eyes. They ache now, freed from their work, and he scowls at the chuckle that elicits from across the room.

“What are you even doing here?” he asks, waspish as always. Nie Huaisang snaps his fan shut and bizarrely takes that as some sort of invitation. He flounces across the room and arrays himself decadently on the cushion opposite as if he belongs there, smiling some enigmatic smile that grates on Jiang Cheng’s nerves.

“Can a sect leader not visit a friend?” he asks innocently.

There’s nothing innocent about this man, Jiang Cheng knows now, and that knowledge is cacophonous at the front of his mind. He watches Nie Huaisang like a bird in the nest watches a snake, waiting.

Nie Huaisang stares right back, frowns at what he apparently sees, and sighs. “Jin Ling sent me. He knew you wouldn’t listen to him and he couldn’t think of anyone else who could convince you to cease working yourself to death. He asked me with a politeness I’d never have expected from his before, it was a delight to see. Having friends has done him good.”

Jiang Cheng’s jaw tightens, the fist that bears Zidian clenching on the desk. He doesn’t know where to start with that. He couldn’t think of anyone else? Jiang Cheng can think of someone else, but that is precisely a someone he does not want to see, or even acknowledge. He will have to, at some point. But not now, because the thought makes him sick.

Nie Huaisang continues to study him, and his face softens from something distant to concern. Jiang Cheng abhors it, because he doesn’t know whether it is genuine or some bitter act Nie Huaisang plasters on, like everything else was.

“You will drive yourself to qi deviation if you continue like this,” he says, and he sounds imminently practical. Jiang Cheng scoffs.

“What would you care?” he asks, sneering.

He is shocked when, instead of some snivelling platitudes, Nie Huaisang’s face hardens into a disapproving scowl.

“Because you are my friend,” he says. He pauses, tapping his fan on the table. “You are free to distrust me. I fooled you all for a very long time. But if my actions were not sincere would I have travelled all the way from Qinghe to Yunmeng, at the request of a child? What possible ulterior motive would I have?” He leans forward, staring right into Jiang Cheng’s eyes with a gaze that is piercing to the core, sharp and observant. “You are a smart man, Jiang Cheng, but sometimes you can be blisteringly stupid.”

Jiang Cheng’s first instinct is the righteous flare of anger. It makes him pound his fist on the table and half-rise from his seat, expletives crowding in his throat, the crackle of Zidian along his fingers. Nie Huaisang has not even flinched. On the contrary, he looks thoroughly unimpressed. This, Jiang Cheng suddenly realises, is the actual Nie Huaisang. He is being offered the unvarnished truth, no grovelling playact, no feigned ignorance. This is the cunning, no-nonsense Nie Huaisang, the thing he was formed into by loss and betrayal. This is… an offering. It is the same vulnerability Nie Huaisang is asking him to show himself

The air is very still.

Then Nie Huaisang smacks his fan into the palm of his other hand and gets to his feet.

“Come, we shall eat, and drink, and perhaps even enjoy some music if you feel space in your heart for it. Otherwise, we shall simply talk.”

“Music?” Jiang Cheng asks, unconvinced. Still, he’s gotten to his feet, adjusting his robes and brushing off invisible dust. He feels almost… compelled to follow, when he knows perfectly well he should throw Nie Huaisang out and get back to work. But if he looks down at the ledger, he can feel all inclination to continue seep from him, leaving him hollow.

“There is a very accomplished travelling guqin player currently here in Yunmeng. I have heard her skill rivals that of the Lans – no cultivation involved, obviously, just pure musical skill, but I want to hear her for myself.”

Jiang Cheng snorts, something inelegant but somehow sincere. He almost surprises himself.

“There’s your ulterior motive,” he says, trying for accusatory. It comes out, to his own bewilderment, as a joke. Nie Huaisang’s fan snaps open, and he hides a smile behind it. The smile, Jiang Cheng thinks, might actually meet his eyes, and not be a trick of the dying light.

“One can accomplish more than one task at once, Jiang-zongzhu,” he says airily, and leads the way out of Jiang Cheng’s study.

[sitp-recs]

Hii Liv, do you have any drarry recs where one of them are mentally or physically ill? I’m craving some sadness right now and would love to wallow in some hurt/comfort <3

Thank you so much!!

Hi anon! I have a list for chronic illnesses and injuries/disability, so this one will be focused on mental health issues. I’m sure you’ll find some excellent h/c here!

Let's Pretend the War Is Over by pir8fancier (M, 8k)

The war is over and Draco is alone, fighting demons of a different nature.

Between Myth and Man by slytherco (E, 16k)

Draco, lost and a little broken, navigates post-war reality convinced that people like him should not be allowed to make their own choices. To solve the problem of his self-sabotaging tendencies, he starts taking a few drops of Veritaserum every morning.

World's Edge by RurouniHime (E, 15k)

In the harshest environment on earth, Harry finds that escaping is harder than simply running.

Holly and Hawthorn, Thistle and Thyme by bryoneybrynn (T, 31k)

After the war, Harry can’t shake the feeling that something is very wrong with him and he has a terrible feeling he knows what that “something” might be. He has a terrible feeling Malfoy might know, too.

Breathe In (and Feel No Hurt) by Constance1 (T, 38k)

A tale of love, loss, and of finding hope again. Or the story of how Draco turned into a house-cat in order to secretly bother a depressed Harry Potter until he was no longer feeling sorry for himself.

He Who Must Not Be Normal by lettered (E, 41k)

Potter has fame and fortune and posh clothes and all he wants is a simple life. Draco has a flat and a cat and a steady job and all he wants is a complicated life. Which makes you think this story has something exciting like body-swapping, but it doesn’t.

A Piercing Comfort by talithan (T, 44k)

When Harry Potter hits the lowest point of his life so far, it is not his friends who keep him honest. With Draco Malfoy's patience and guidance, Harry learns to stand on his own. The thing is, after the fact—he's no longer sure he wants to.

What Shall Not Be Unearthed by @iero0 (E, 49k)

At the northernmost point of Shetland, surrounded by pointed cliffs, towers the Ootsta Lighthouse on a small isle in the middle of the open sea. Little does Harry know that he's not the only new lighthouse keeper.

Chocolate and Pastry by agentmoppet, anemonen (E, 50k)

When Pansy bets Draco that there is no chance he and Harry could carry out a genuine romantic relationship, he and Harry form a plan. But as their fake relationship progresses, Draco sees a side of Harry he never expected.

A Reckless Frame of Mind by Lomonaaeren (T, 52k)

HPDM preslash, AU after HBP. Draco is a Psyche-Diver, and his newest patient is Auror Potter, who’s been a pathological liar for over a year—and has just tried to violently end his own life.

I Am Not Who I Became by mab_di (E, 93k)

Draco left England after the trials and has travelled the world meeting wizards and Muggles from different cultures and with vastly different relationships to magic, each other, and the natural world. Now he's a fisherman in Finland on commercial vessels. Harry has been struggling since the war and has become a recluse while trying to write his autobiography.

Kiss Me (Under the Light of a Thousand Stars) by Iwao, Sophie_French (E, 114k)

Harry rescues Draco Malfoy from Azkaban, where he has been imprisoned for three years after the war. Draco is not as Harry remembers, as Azkaban leaves its mark on even the strongest of wizards. With no memory of who he was or how he came to be in Harry's care, Draco needs Harry's help if he is to have any hope of making a full recovery.

Yours is the Earth (Hold On, Hold On) by chickenlivesinpumpkin (E, 127k)

After a serious accident in the Forbidden Forest, Draco's personality begins to undergo subtle changes. At first, Harry credits this to a new enthusiasm for life. But as the days pass and Draco's behavior becomes more and more mysterious, Harry begins to suspect that something bigger--and darker--is at work.

[ephemeralbutterfly]

Fluffy Steve Fest Rec List: July 4: Birthday

Hello everyone! I am doing daily themed rec lists for @fluffystevefest. The fics are related (some more loosely than others) to the daily prompts. The number of fics for any given day and prompt varies, but I have at least one fic for each day. There's also a wide variety of fic types and ratings, so I hope there will be something for everyone.

The lists are vertically long, so I've put them behind a cut.

Today's fics are a grab bag.

Happy birthday, Steve!

Dancing

Captain America Finds His Fella by PR Zed (@trappingsofzed)

Rating: Teen Pairing: Stucky Summary: When she reached her eighties, Audrey though she was done with change. She thought things would continue as they always had. Instead, Steve and his friends have brought her more change than she'd gone through in the twenty years before. She gets used to one routine, and then a new one crops up. Or what happens when an elderly USO showgirl helps her super hero friend and his boyfriend. Comments: This is the third part of the Captain America Has a Fella series; I recommend reading the prior parts first. Steve isn't the one dancing here, but dancing does feature prominently.

Wishes

Against All Odds by spinawren (@wrenaspun)

Rating: Teen Pairing: Can be read as gen or as Stucky preslash Summary: Steve wakes up feeling so terrible that his first thought is that the serum somehow has worn off. His second thought, when he opens his eyes to see hard grey pavement, is that maybe he’s been sent back in time. He’d definitely spent a few nights next to trash cans in seedy alleys in the 30s, and stranger things than time travel had happened in his life so far. What was one more thing to add to the list? When he manages to wrench his head downwards enough to look at himself, though, he realises pretty quickly that he’s an idiot. And that he’s a cat. Summary: Steve wants to help Bucky. Thanks to magic, he gets that wish granted, just not in the way anyone would expect.

Little Red Button by scribblywobblytimeylimey

Rating: Explicit Pairing: Stony Summary: Sequel to 'All There in the Manual' for firelordstark: “[I]t would be interesting if roleplaying an android were an actual kink of his and not just his subconscious trying to construct a situation where Tony would be interested in him.” (What do you know? Freud was right.) Tony takes so well to Steve's suggestion he starts to wish he'd mentioned it sooner. It's easy to believe the rest of it – that he's the sex-toy android Tony built for when Steve's not around, built to please him, modded within an inch of his life to react to pressure sensors in all the right places – when Tony's even gone as far as to integrate a voice modification filter that fits like a gag but lets out every last sound, not quite in Steve's voice, but flattened a little with a tinny edge, just like he *would* sound if he *were* a robot sex toy. And that's not even all of it. One of these days, he's going to learn to never underestimate Tony Stark. Comments: Steve gets his sexy desires met in this fic. It is not necessary to read the prequel to understand what's going on. Do mind the tags.

Party

Make It Till You Fake It by AggressiveWhenStartled

Rating: Explicit Pairing: Stucky Summary: “Ned,” Peter said, like a drowning man sighting land. “Ned. Captain America and the Winter Soldier are fake dating right now and it is the most painfully awkward and obvious thing I have ever seen, all of us want to die, Ned.” Comments: Funny and lighthearted. Somehow both borderline crack and also entirely in character and believable. It's not a birthday party, but there is a party featured.

[wiredaughter]

day 5: anxiety

Fight or Flight

john doe×bruce wayne ♡ hurt/comfort ♡ pov second person ♡ anxiety attack ♡ preslash ♡ ao3

Saturdays. He always comes earlier on Saturdays, so you make sure to clear your scrapbooking away on time. You mean to surprise him with it, but it’s not yet ready, so by the time four in the afternoon rolls around your desk is empty in the least suspicious possible way. So four o’clock comes, and goes. It’s only natural, he’s a busy man. You pace your room, not unhappy but ticked off some; lately you find yourself missing him and then recriminating yourself for missing him. It’s a cycle that only works you up.

By four twenty three your desk has a couple of notebooks lying on it, and a textbook. Idle on your wait, you’ve created a likely decoy for a man that’s not here. You exhale, falling back into bed, He’ll be here. He said so last time. He’ll be here. You pace, repeat those words to yourself like a mantra, one you can’t stop poking holes into. For all his words, his intentions, he’s got no good reason to be here. After all you’ve done to each other, even if he’s put it behind him it doesn’t tell you he hasn’t put you behind, too. People move on.

You’ve thought yourself into a cloud of despair and chased it away a couple times before he finally makes it, at fifteen to five. He calls your name before opening the door, and you’re on your feet in an instant, smiling. He's here, and it's like nothing can get you down now. He’s apologetic, just got back to Gotham and came as soon as he could, and you appreciate that. You appreciate that, you do. You really must be the bane of his life, getting him back to the city in the middle of a potential merger. He doesn’t accuse it, instead getting you to explain what you’ve got up to in occupational therapy, and you manage to shove those thoughts to the back of your head where they belong.

It’s not until his phone rings and he excuses himself because he absolutely has to take this, giving your arm a quick touch before he exits for the hallway, that you find yourself unable to keep them away. He’s got a perfectly okay life without you, you’re nothing but a remnant of a past he’s let go of with no problem. You’re holding him back. The realisation is like a blade to your chest, and you feel your heartbeat picking up. You’re keeping him from the life his friends, his real friends, want him to live. You fold on yourself as you feel nausea raise up your throat. You need to tell him it’s alright, you need to tell him you’ll be fine. Will you be fine? You need him, more than that, you want him with you, in ways you've got no right to want of him. No right, and still the want eats at you in hysteric bursts. Three things you can see, you remember from therapy, things you can see. You see your unfinished game of cards on the table, you see… your own shaking hands and you see him.

‘John? Are you alright?’

He’s here, he’s done with his phone call and he’s here, seeing you freak out over nothing, and this is not what you planned, and… he’s asked you a question, he did. You shake your head before you realise what you’re doing, then nod hesitantly. There’s movement on your peripheral vision, and he’s crouching in front of you. Close. Too close. You wish he’d get even closer. Closer.

‘Just breathe with me, will you?’ His arm moves up and down like marking a tempo and weird as it is it does help to follow its rhythm. You grab his hand midair and pull it to your chest in a movement that feels as instinctual as a reflex, whine low on your throat. ‘I’m sorry.’

He squeezes your fingers, bringing his other hand to cup your face. ‘You don’t need to apologise-’

‘I do.’ Your voice is quiet but firm, and you’re standing up to get away because you’re not going to be able to say your piece this way. ‘I need to, because I’m making your life more difficult, and I made you cut your trip short, and even though you keep trying to be my friend I cannot be the kindof person you should be friends with, and I never will! Because you keep trying and I cannot be-’ You cut yourself short when he catches your hands where you’re throwing them in the air in wild gestures, bring them down to a relaxed hold between your bodies. You sigh, concluding; ‘I should be better.’

‘I don’t need you to be. I don’t need you to be anything but what you are.’ You give him a sullen look and he, unbelievably, smiles. ‘Do you feel like I should be something else?’

You shake your head no. ’That’s different, though, you’ve got no reason to. I ruined everything. I ruin everything.’

‘Don’t I?’ His thumb slides over the raised scar on the back of your hand where his batarang went through. ‘I hurt you, I lied to you.’

The memory of the violence settles something inside of you, and you finally meet his gaze. The sadness in it takes you aback. ‘I tried to kill you.’

‘I know. We’re both changing, but that’s only natural. I don’t need you to be anything but what you are.’

His level voice leeches your anxiety away, and you’re stumbling forward to hide your face in his chest. His arms come to wrap around you and you’ve missed him so much. You allow yourself to acknowledge that, even if you can’t get the words through your mouth. You hope you’re being evident enough without having to voice it.

[swissmissficrecs]

Underrated Fics, Part 18

It’s been almost a year since my last batch of underrated fics, so I’ve got a good crop to share this time. Criteria:

- Fic is complete - Minimum 10K word count (with wiggle room) - Last chapter posted prior to November 1, 2022 - Fewer than 150 kudos as of this post - “Favorited” by me on AO3

(Previous underrated lists here)

In order of length:

1. I can’t imagine why this hasn’t been picked up by the masses yet. Just look at that summary and tell me it isn’t what you want to read right now!

A Scandal at Paladia by disfictional (34K, E, Johnlock) An ill-fated visit to Uncle Rudy's drag bar unlocks a memory of John's past- a memory that wreaks havoc on their sex life. John has a secret, and Sherlock is determined to solve the case.

2. Yes, there is major character death but also time travel, soulmates, and devastatingly hot sex:

Come Back to Me by BenAddictViolaBatch (21K, E, Johnlock) A fusion of Sherlock and the classic 1980 film, "Somewhere in Time." In 1945, young army doctor John Watson receives a brief and mysterious visit from an elderly scientist, Sherlock Holmes. Intrigued, John researches Holmes and learns that he died on the same night of the visit. He becomes fascinated by Holmes's renowned work in criminology and his secret obsession with time travel. When he encounters a photograph of a young Holmes, he is instantly and deeply enamored, realizing that they are destined for each other.

3. An intriguing series 4 fixit casefic that delivers on the emotions:

The Slow Dance and Death of a Carbon Copy by batslikepastel (15K, T, Johnlock, Warstan) He hasn’t talked to Sherlock outside the bedroom since that first night.  Today, though, when Sherlock painstakingly makes John’s favourite breakfast- eggs benedict- he smiles delightedly and kisses his cheek.  “Thanks, Mary.” The first sign of delusion.

4. For those who want to see what Sherlock got up to during his time away, you can’t get more intense than this:

Serbia by BeautifulFiction (13K, T, Gen with Johnlock undertones) He could not return to John knowing this mess remained unfinished. He could not return to London and expect forgiveness if the ruse had no reason.

5. Deeply thought-provoking philosophy couples with exquisite narrative tension in this soulmate-esque apocalypse AU:

Learning the Heart by Calais_Reno (11K, T, Johnlock) An android tries to understand love and grief.

6. An exciting, snarky zombiefic with simmering Johnlock feels:

Haemophilia by kaasknot (10K, T, Johnlock) It started at Baskerville. A leaky pipe, a faulty experiment left to seed by an absent scientist; in the end, it didn't matter. What mattered was that an epidemic spilled through the medical halls of Baskerville, and no one knew the cause—or how to treat it.

7. This fic might look hardcore, but it’s really fascinating with a gentle, calming vibe. Not exactly Johnlock (yet), but the spark is definitely there:

Fit to Be Tied by Kameo (10K, M, Johnlock) Sherlock Holmes is ever on the lookout for new experiences, and for the first time he is exploring BDSM play at a tasting being held at a local dungeon. He has no idea what to expect but it certainly wasn't a rope-tying army doctor.

8. A tidy casefic/series 4 fixit with preslash setup for more:

The Adventure of the Solicitor’s Mansion by aTangledSkein (9.8K, Johnlock, M) Set post Season 4, this is an update to ACD's "The Adventure of the Abbey Grange."  John is questioning his relationship with Sherlock and wrestling with his own demons. 

[artenon]

oh gosh your new reblog reminded me I never went back to the WIP-titles meme because Life™️ but I would love to hear about your MCU ones, homecoming starker and kittydevil?

i understand about Life, i hope you have some chill weeks ahead of you 🙏

thank you for asking about my wips!! these are both old wips that have been on the backburner because i've been seized by uhhh bandom brainrot, BUT i really want to go back and finish them sometime. i've actually written a good chunk of both of them, i just need to kick myself in the butt to finish them!

full answer beneath the cut because i included some excerpts!

homecoming starker - a post-homecoming missing scene fic where tony finds peter when he's sitting on top of the Cyclone roller coaster after the Vulture fight. peter is super beat up and doesn't want to go home right away so tony buys him mcdonald's and takes him to a condo he owns in the area. peter thinks he's in for another lecture (since the last time they talked was after the ferry incident); meanwhile, tony is freaking out because he took away peter's spidey suit and peter almost DIED (peter is also freaking out because he almost died, and he has never gotten hurt this bad before as spider-man). the fic is meant to instigate the transition from tony being the Distant Figure that he is in homecoming to a more active mentor/presence in peter's life (like he is in all the fanfics), so of course they end up talking stuff out. because i love fix-its and making characters talk things out, lol

also though i call it starker, the fic is really preslash/could definitely be tagged & not / but of course in my heart they WILL fall in love one day hahaha

wtf i looked at my draft to get an excerpt and THIS FIC IS ALMOST DONE, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME (it's only like 3k but i am chronically bad at finishing fics no matter the length)

Tears well up. He fights them back, not wanting to cry in front of Mr. Stark. But he still can’t get his voice to sound quite normal as he whispers, “I’m sorry.” “You’re sorry,” Mr. Stark echoes. And then, incredulously, “You’re sorry? What the hell do you have to be sorry for?” Peter swallows. “I caused trouble for you.” “Kid.” Mr. Stark pinches the bridge of his nose. “That is the last thing I’m worried about right now.” “Then… what are you worried about?” Mr. Stark stares at him, eyes wide. “I’m worried about you,” he snaps, and suddenly the anger that’s been radiating from him the whole night takes on a whole different shade. “Oh,” Peter says, for lack of anything better. “God, kid.” Mr. Stark shakes his head. “I’m the one who has to apologize here.” Peter waits, but Mr. Stark doesn’t say anything else. Mr. Stark must see something expectant in his look, because he says, “What?” “Well…” Peter hesitates. “You haven’t said ‘sorry’ yet. Not that I think you need to! But if you want to apologize, um. ‘Sorry’ is a pretty good place to start.”

kittydevil - a silly little fic where matt murdock gets transformed into a kitty cat and peter finds him and takes him back to his apartment. this is in a vague future AU where peter is in college at Columbia so spidey swings by hell's kitchen every once in a while after becoming friends with daredevil. matt's only a kitty for a couple days, but that is still enough time for peter to become worried sick about him when foggy calls and says he's missing. and then of course matt turns back into himself... naked... in peter's bed. WE KNOW HOW THIS TROPE GOES!

Slowly, Matt untenses. He even takes a few steps closer to Peter and clambers into his lap, to which Peter makes a pleased noise. “Yeah,” he says. “We’re okay.” He rubs Matt’s head, then runs his hands along his sides. “No way you’re a stray, are you? Sweet thing like you. You seem clean, and well-fed, but these scars… Rough kittenhood, maybe?” Matt pretends his heart doesn’t do a funny little twinge when Peter calls him sweet thing. As Peter keeps petting him, Matt feels himself truly calm down for the first time since he was turned into a cat. Something rumbles in his chest—a purr. “Aww,” Peter says, like his heart is melting. Matt feels like he’s melting too, until he’s a boneless puddle in Peter’s lap. Cozy. “Good boy,” Peter says softly. Matt closes his eyes. His purr doesn’t falter.

[thegeminisage]

Identity Porn for the Never Have I Ever ask game, please?

HIII thank you so much <333

IN FACT I HAVE WRITTEN IDENTITY PORN! i think How Arthur Got His Groove Back 100% qualifies for this trope. merlin himself essentially has all the same beats that a classic comic book superhero does - secret powers that would endanger him and those around him if discovered, secret identity (emrys) that he wants to tell people about and can't which ruins his love life (in the fic, arthur is his semi-love interest; it's preslash, but it centers around their relationship), the object of his affections talking about his secret identity right in front of him (they have MULTIPLE conversations about emyrs even though merlin IS EMRYS), tragic backstory/dead parents that has something to do with his powers (rip balinor), exhausted from leading a double life, a big secret identity reveal, even an old guy mentor! actually if you count the dragon merlin has two old guy mentors, it's just that they both suck so fucking bad. and lots of that isn't even really specific to my fic. favorite identity porn excerpt:

euhehehe i love to have fun and be evil. i think this is probably objectively the best-written thing on my ao3, aside from of course @cambionverse

i'm not sure how i'd go about writing another - don't really like AUs, so unless that sort of thing is baked into canon the way it is in merlin i don't think i no wait stop the presses i just had an idea. well it's not my idea specifically i've seen it tossed around a lot on tumblr but whatever. essentially common trope/fanon that eliot leverage is still killing people in season 1 of leverage before he decides being good guys is serious business. this is the oldest trope in the world but eliot getting assigned to keep an eye on nate's team bc moreau feels threatened by them (i actually have a hard time buying he would do this, even though it's a very popular fanon, but just roll with it) and he's like getting closer to them but he always has to sabotage them on jobs where their success would hurt moreau in some way (I KNOW literally nothing they do would effect moreau but we're gonna pretend) but they KEEP SUCCEEDING ANYWAY. and eliot is like what the hell. is being good bad guys legit? hey (he's asking moreau this while they're fucking or something) is it legit to be good bad guys? have i made real friends while pretending to make fake friends? and moreau is like if you be real friends with them i will have chapman cut their fucking brake lines. and eliot is like got it and he continues to go to these meetings and wonder aloud who keep sabotaging these random ass cases and then nate figures out the cases are all connected with moreau and eliot is like Oops and then he and hardison do the pool thing and it all comes out and he decides to switch sides because he's in love w hardison and parker and he's tired of doing evil shit for moreau. so like canon essentially except eliot's conscience doesn't start working until season 3 and they spend the first two and a half seasons not knowing the Ultimate bad guy they are tracking has been making them fancy ass dinners and being their bodyguard and being their little pet hitman. and hes just kinda batting his eyelashes like who me? and then going home to stare at his blank apartment walls in all-consuming existential dread. yeah.

[ASK MEME]

[blazingstar29]

Beers For Breakfast - Icemav

Requested by: @blackcat2907 - 'May I ask for an IceMav one-shot based on the song Poison by RITA ORA?'

warnings: allusion to internalised homophobia

pairing: preslash iceman x maverick

a/n: i meant for this to be more centralised to the song but i've never written a song fic before so i hope this is okay :D

Control is a thing Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky has strived to hold for most of his life. Up in the sky, at the stick of a jet, mission leader, that’s where control thrives and blooms in the palm of his hand like a plant in the sun. It was addictive and that’s why he’s never let it go since. Nor does he want to. 

That’s what makes Maverick Mitchell so infuriating. He’s a wild card for one, completely unpredictable and flying by the seat of his pants. But the worst thing about it? Tom likes that. He likes it! There is not a day where Tom can predict what Maverick is going to do or say. It’s like he shows up to class already having had  a beer for breakfast and it feels like he’s eyeing up Tom’s sanity for lunch. The man is incorrigible and dangerous and Tom can’t get enough and the whole thing fucking sucks. 

Because out of all the impossible things that might be possible, controlling Maverick not one. Yet Tom has never relinquished control and he’ll be damned if he’s going to start now. 

A big misconception about The Iceman is that his clear glass at the O Club is just straight vodka. Well, sometimes it is. Most of the time it’s just water. No, he doesn’t need anything else in his system. Not when the presence of his fellow classmate goes straight to his head. 

He, Goose, Wolfe and Wood are holding court at the bar. Maverick flashes his white teeth and Tom wants nothing more than to take that jaw in his hand just to shut him up. And it’s just his luck when the quartet wander towards him. 

Maverick eyes up his glass. “What’s your poison, Iceman?” 

Tom doesn’t dignify that with a response. He’s never told anyone about the water and he enjoys the illusion because he can control it. Hot breath tickles his ear and he realises too late that Maverick has leaned in close, beer on his breath. 

“Competition is paused, don’t be such a tight ass,” Maverick slurs just slightly but his voice is the wrong side of too loud. Tom blames it on instinct, a visceral reaction. Slamming his own drink down on the tall counter he pushes Maverick away from him with more force than necessary. 

“You really are fucking foolish aren’t you?” He spits. Maverick landed against Hollywood’s chest, the taller, older man instinctively catching him. The look on Maverick’s face is nothing but one of shock and hurt and…fear. Without a word he leaves the stunned group

Jesus, he’s heading straight for the edge. That’s why he doesn’t like losing control. For all the shit he gives Maverick about being dangerous, he’s the dangerous one. The one who can hurt people and not realise until it’s too late. 

Outside the warm summer air is fresh on his skin and clear in his lungs but he’s still not alone. 

“You alright Kazansky?” Hollywood shouts. Tom turns around to see Wood striding up to him. “You alright man?” 

He nods once, confused. But Hollywood doesn’t stop until he’s in Tom’s face and with the last step he takes he shoves Tom back. Okay, yeah should have seen that one coming. Still, it feels a little uncalled for. 

“What the hell, Rick?” Tom protests as he catches himself before stumbling. “What is this, Maverick revenge squad?” 

It’s petty but it’s all he’s got at the moment.

“Maverick’s a lightweight and you know it. He’s actually trying to not be a dick which I know is crazy but you don’t need to shove it in his face unless you want class to be even more of a shit show.” Rick narrows his eyes at him. “He wasn’t coming on to you, you know that right?” 

He wants to say something like thank God but he can’t, he just keeps coming back for more of Maverick and now it’s over. 

“I know that,” he spits instead. “But I’m not going to be stationed in the middle of nowhere just because he’s a friendly drunk.” 

“He’s not fucking stupid!” Hollywood shouts out of nowhere and it takes Tom by surprise. “Stop acting like he is. He’s got just as much on the line as you, so please for the love of God pull your head out of your ass.”

Heat radiates off the ground as silence echoes between them. 

“It just took me off guard,” Tom mutters.

Hollywood sighs like he knows all the inner workings of Tom’s mind. “Yeah well, maybe you need to drop it every now and then.” 

And he will. Of course he will. He picked his poison. He picked his poison and it’s Maverick. 

[dracomort]

Thanks for the tag @duplicitywrites and @cindle-writes!

Tagging @laeveteinn and @kazuza-art

Rules:

1. Post the top 5 works you’re most proud of that you released in 2022 (not necessarily your most popular),

2. your top 4 current WIPs that you’re excited to release in the new year,

3. your top 3 biggest improvements in your writing over the past year,

4. your top 2 resolutions (ways you wish to improve your writing/blog) for the new year,

5. and your number 1 favorite line you’ve written this year!

5 works

So, um, I don't actually have five fics written in 2022 up on my AO3 at the moment. I did finish a fic in the last 2 weeks of 2021 though so I'll just chuck it in.

Bluebeard (34,850 words) | Complete

Secrets, old and new, threaten to shake the very foundations of Draco's fragile new life in the 1940s.

This was the sequel to the Travelling Cabinet which I told every commenter I wasn't going to write and then went ahead and wrote anyway. Very much in reference to the Bluebeard fairytale, only instead of dead wives it's dead... everyone else 🤣

Definitely was a bit of a challenge—in relationship conflict, morality and emotional complexity. I rewrote the last 10k... many times. It also kinda has a plot 😲

Blood (8,216 words) | Complete

Outside, the world burns. But Draco isn’t watching.

Dipped my toes into heavier angst with this fic as all my previous works are predominately light-hearted, even if they have serious elements. I intended it to be Dracomort but it ended up gen to preslash at most because anything else didn't feel right.

Alley Cat (31,707 words) | WIP

In which Draco attends Hogwarts with Tom Riddle and inadvertently saves the world.

This is my current WIP, a Draco & Tom same age AU. Fun fact: this actually started as a fem!Tom fic lol, but it felt like too many twists away from canon to serve any particular point, so I figured it had to either be Abraxas/Fem!Tom or Draco/Tom generation mash.

A Generous Minute (6,975 words) | Complete

Abraxas Malfoy is in love with himself. Tom Riddle is planning a murder. Possibly ten.

Or: when one walking red flag meets another

My one fic without Draco (so far). Named for Abraxas's impressive bedroom performance, of course. Had a lot of fun writing Brax here in all of his oblivious, unredeemed narcissism. Probably would've killed him off if that wouldn't have consequently led to erasing Draco's future existence.

Edible Horcruxes (2,913 words) | Complete

Poor decisions from meddlesome grandfathers leave Lord Voldemort acting as nanny for Draco Malfoy, a cherubic baby with a taste for dark artefacts.

Technically published in 2021 but who's counting? Another gen baby-focused fic entirely written because I wanted to write baby Draco chewing on the Locket Horcrux.

4 WIPS

Hmmm honestly, I can't promise to actually release any of my WIPs. However, these are the most recent projects I've been working on:

Secret Garden AU | Tom Riddle & Draco Malfoy

Tom as Mary and Draco as Colin (except they aren't cousins).

Vampire AU | Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter

Harry is a seventeen-year-old vampire pretending to be seven-hundred. Draco is a would-be victim who thinks his blood is too expensive to be spilt.

The Travelling Cabinet III | Tom Riddle/Draco Malfoy

Tom and Draco go on a camping trip in Albania. Septimus and Cedrella tag along. Not especially plot heavy. Inspired by a commenter on Bluebeard.

Pinocchio | Voldemort/Draco Malfoy, Tom Riddle/Draco Malfoy

Set in the early 2000s in a Britain that has been conquered by Voldemort. Features Horcrux!Tom, Death Eater!Draco and a Voldemort who has gone missing without a trace.

I WISH I could write this fic but it just does not want to be written lol. POV issues, for the most part, as well as it being heavier on plot than I typically write. I might get stuck into it in the new year before my grad job starts but I'll probably be writing Alley Cat or the TTC sequel then.

3 Improvements

Writing emotions - when I wrote the last chapter of Bluebeard I realised that I was tackling several emotions that I'd never written before. When left to my own devices I tend to write detached or callous POVs, which is helpful in certain cases (Tom's POV in The Travelling Cabinet or Draco's in Blood) but not in this one.

Completing work - I've been putting a concentrated effort into finishing my work, something I've struggled with in the past. Am easily distracted by shiny new plot bunnies 🐰

Writing consistently - needs no elaboration.

2 Resolutions

Cure my white room syndrome - I tend to be a very economical writer and while I don't see myself ever changing that much, I should like to put more effort into scenery description going forward

Write Drarry - given the amount of this ship that I've read over the past few years, you'd think I'd manage to write for it but that has not been the case lol

1 Favourite Line

"Even if he understood on an intellectual level that the war was over, it continued in a dark, secret place buried deep within him." (Bluebeard, Chapter 3)

[cr-noble-writes]

Title: By The Stars

Series: I’ve Got You

Fandom: Mass Effect

Characters: Alex Shepard, Reyes Vidal, Chief Green (OC)

Relationships: Shepard & Reyes, Shepard/Reyes (pre-slash)

Tags: preslash, basic training, land nav test, impromptu rock climbing, celestial navigation, near death experiences, overuse of biotics, food shortage, best friends, spanish, arabic, egyptian, stolen supplies, hypoglycemia, i know i am pushing the bounds of reality with a couple of things here, military exercises, physical danger, rock climbing, biotics to the rescue, worried Reyes, stubborn Alex, biotic drain induced shock, huddling for warmth, there was only one blanket, sabotage, caretaker Reyes, short rations, navigating by stars, fuck the man (the bad man, not the sexy Chilean one), running on spite, unspoken feelings

Summary: Alex Shepard and Reyes Vidal are nearing the end of basic training, and it's time for their land navigation test. Unfortunately, Alex’s biotic field interferes with the compass, someone’s stolen most of his rations, there’s a cliff between them and the extraction point, and no one packed climbing equipment.

Notes: This was supposed to be a 1k-ish snapshot of part of Alex’s experiences in basic training to be included in another fic. But apparently that wasn’t enough for these two jackasses. Anyway, as a result of having to write this fic, Reyes and Alex’s relationship has developed into something significantly more serious than it was originally intended to be. It was always intended to be more than friends, but it was supposed to be something resembling casual and then Alex had to go and have feelings.” Hope you enjoy :D

I do have several 1k-ish snapshots of other things in basic training, like Alex and Reyes meeting for the first time, etc, but this really felt like the most important bit, so I wanted to get it out there! Plus, it's gonna be a hot minute until I have any more of Alex's canon story ready to post, so I figure those little snapshots can fill the void in my soul while I am working on the next big part.

Thank you to all the people in the various ME servers I’m part of on Discord for all of the encouragement and help! Special thanks, as always, to @imbiowaresbitch​ for always being willing to let me talk at her, and also for making me like Reyes in the first place, and additional thank yous to @nickelkeep​ and @bleuzombie​ for putting up with me just constantly ranting about Mass Effect and Alex, in particular!

Like Growing Pains, there is some Arabic used by Alex, and translations will be provided in the end notes. Likewise for the one actual Spanish phrase Reyes says.

Make sure you check the A/N on AO3 for links to the AO3 pages of everyone who helped me with this fic!

[maureensmistress]

Makeover: Maureen x Reader Oneshot Fluff

female!reader, sister-in-law!reader (Ringo's little sister), catching feelings, preslash, makeup, fluff

“Okay, you can open your eyes,” Mo said excitedly.

You blinked at the woman in the mirror. For a moment you truly couldn’t believe it was you—this was a grown woman, mature and confident and beautiful. Not shy, awkward little Ginny Starkey.

But there was your wavy brown hair, gathered in a sophisticated updo, a few tendrils framing your face. And those were your lips drawing your eye, painted candy pink so they seemed even fuller. Even your slightly-too-big nose suited you now -- it was strong and defined, but that matched your vivid blue eyes, elongated with eyeliner, and the rosy glow in your round cheeks. 

Maureen hadn’t really made you look like someone else, you realized. It was just that she’d seen all these beautiful things in you that you'd never been able to see yourself.

“I look like a girl,” you said stupidly.

Mauren bit back a giggle. “You *are* a girl.”

“No, I mean…” You shook your head, the tendrils of hair around your face swishing side to side. “I look like a *pretty* girl.”

Mo tsked. “Whoever said you weren’t pretty?” she said softly, meeting your eyes in the mirror.

For just a moment something wild and uncontrollable came to life in your chest, something terrifying that you didn’t want to touch. You tore your eyes away, your face growing warm.

There was silence for what felt like a very long time. And then Maureen hummed, like a little “oh well”, and busied herself gathering her makeup brushes. You watched her slim fingers work, feeling that wild thing in your chest reluctantly settle down. You had a horrible feeling like you’d just made a mistake, but you couldn’t begin to imagine why.

“Thank you, Mo,” you said after a moment, your voice coming out almost in a whisper.

She paused, glancing up so your eyes met again in the mirror. She seemed a bit confused, maybe wondering why you were so shy all of a sudden. “Of course.”

“No, I mean…” You bit your lip. What did you mean? “Thank you for making me feel beautiful,” you said in a small voice.

“Oh.” Maureen's voice came out small as well. This time she was the one to break eye contact, her gaze falling to her hands. But, even with her downcast eyes, you saw her lips curl into a tiny smile.

[ao3feed-tedlasso]

it will fill your lungs, if you'll have it

by handsofink

Another noise, this time more of a hostile rumble. “Because I said I would pick up Phoebe after work.”

“...Oh.”

“And I keep having shit come up where I can’t pick her up, but I don’t want her to get sick,” he continues, aggressively putting his boots on, one half of his leather jacket hanging off. “‘Cause my sister will kill me if I do and then that’ll be a whole other fucking headache. So now I have to find someone to watch her while I’m with Keeley, fuckin fuck’—”

“Well, why don’t I jus’ pick ‘er up?”

He doesn’t know why he offers. His mouth works faster than his brain and is apparently insane.

 or,

jamie is having a rough time and what better way to help that than to babysit his previous rival's niece!

Words: 12660, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Ted Lasso (TV)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: Gen

Characters: Jamie Tartt, Roy Kent, Phoebe (Ted Lasso), Background & Cameo Characters

Relationships: Roy Kent & Jamie Tartt, Phoebe & Jamie Tartt, Keeley Jones & Jamie Tartt

Additional Tags: Angst, Fluff and Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Mentioned Verbal Abuse, Mentioned Physical Abuse, mentions of James Tartt but not the actual shitstain, I didn't like his inclusion in the s3 finale sorry, anyway Jamie has ptsd from his dad like cmon, Touch-Starved, this boy is SOOO touch starved, Jason and Phil told me themselves, jamie is not having a good time, Jamie Tartt Needs a Hug, and he gets more than one!!, I love him so much its unreal, jamie and Phoebe having shit dads twinsiesss, they're also besties you can't change my mind, she invited him to uncle's day!! like!!!, Jamie Tartt Has ADHD, it doesn't really affect the plot but it is There, hes also pan cuz I said so and will project onto my blorbos, Post-Season/Series 02, somewhere after zava has left but before mom city, like an in between, can be read as preslash roy/jamie, or royjamiekeeley if u want

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/47843650

[it-spirk-to-me]

hi! just wondering, i wrote something for spirktober but it ended up being gen rather than shippy. it could easily be read as preslash, but i dont want to step on any toes. so i thought id ask whether i could still tag as spirktober? or whether it would be best to leave it out of the tag. thank you so much!

Oh gosh I'm not like- managing the event or anything! I imagine if it can be tagged pre-slash it still counts to me! This is a self managed event/prompt list, so whatever feels right for you friendo!