WIP Wednesday 7 Feb 2024

tagged by @getmehighonmagic

Life has been life-ing but I finally wrote a little bit. Sorry to everyone tagged me on Sundays and Wednesdays recently, I see you and I’m honored. I just have not had any words to share.

But! Have some Drag Queen AU under the cut.

No pressure tagging: @sheisraging @bartbarthelme @eusuntgratie @lostcol @thissugarcane @kiranerysed @madsworld15 and anyone else with words to share

Brian is ordering a drink at the bar as Son Shine is announced and the first chords of the song start to play.

Two queens are leaned against the bar beside him, their ass pads blocking the way of anyone who wants to pass. One of them snorts, “She’s been dancing to this for a week now.”

”I know, such a bore,” the other drolls.

”Just gotta pity the guy who pissed her off,” the first queen smirks.

”Hell hath no fury like a drag queen scorned,” the other responds. They clink their shot glasses together and throw them back.

Brian turns with renewed interest to the stage as he makes his way to a table up front. The lyrics start

You are somebody that I don't know

But you're taking shots at me like it's Patrón

Share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway.

i got tagged by, in order, @free-piza, @weidli, @breaddo, and @egirlgarak. thanks pals

i'm not gonna do 10, because that feels like a lot, and i'm gonna do half wips, because that sounds fun, and i'm picking favourites instead of recent ones. having thoroughly broken the entire rules of the original game, let's commence:

before he feels alone one final time (p110, adam/vincent)

Vor Adams Tür stand Vincent, was überraschend war, da Vincent seit zwei Jahren nicht mehr vor seiner Tür gestanden hatte. Adam war sich bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt sogar recht sicher gewesen, dass Vincent nicht einmal wüsste, wo seine Tür war.

Vincent blinzelte, zweimal, dreimal, dann hob er einen kleinen Notizblock in Adams Sichtfeld und schrieb 'Adam' hinter das bereits eingetragene 'Raczek,'.

Mit einem Ruck nahm Adams Leben wieder lauf, gelöst aus der plötzlichen Lähmung. any noble fire that was burning in my chest (4gz, 2.13 episode tag)

Matreus weiß es eigentlich ab dem Moment, in dem Zanrelot ihm den Plan mitgeteilt hat.

Er möchte glauben, dass sein Meister die richtige, die gute Entscheidung treffen wird, aber tief in ihm ist ein kleiner Teil, der es besser weiß.

Er formuliert seinen eigenen Plan. do androids dream of electric fish? (dbh, platonic hankcon)

At 2:43am, Hank exits his bedroom to cross the hall into the bathroom. 

Connor is sitting on a couch cushion he dragged over to the record player, big headphones secured over his ears. He can interface with the player directly and have the music play in his head, but he prefers this, however inefficient it might be. With the comforting weight of the headphones, outside audio is mostly cut off and the music becomes all-consuming, the only thing Connor can hear clearly with its tiny imperfections where the needle has worn the records down over time. untitled tatort münchen fic

"Herr Leitmayr? Kalli hier, den Batic hab ich leider auch nicht erreicht. Hören Sie, ich bin da auf was ganz anderes gestoßen, wegen dem Bau, da prüf ich jetzt noch mal kurz was. Rufen Sie doch mal zurück, sobald Sie das kriegen." untitled epistolary(ish) stranger things fic

[Image description: Eddie Munson and fan at a Corroded Coffin concert in April 2019. Both are smiling at the camera and holding up a print-out of a newspaper article with the title "Local Teen Cleared Of Murder Charges", which bears Eddie Munson's signature in bold silver writing.] Picture used with permission.

Edward 'Eddie' Munson invites me into his cozy Chicago home wearing a Depeche Mode shirt, ripped black jeans, and mismatched socks. untitled drei fragezeichen fic

Bob wischte zum dritten Mal über die Windschutzscheibe seines geliebten VW Käfers. Draußen tobte ein Sommersturm und drinnen war es komplett beschlagen. Im Auto seines Vaters würde der jetzt gekonnt die Kühlung so anschalten, dass sich das Problem von alleine löste, aber so einen Luxus hatte Bob eben nicht, er hatte ja einen Wagen mit Charakter.

Vorsichtig fuhr er durch das Wohngebiet, legte dann aber etwas zu, um gerade noch eine Ampel zu bekommen. So spät waren die Straßen ja eh fast leer.

Theoretisch zumindest.

not very active in terms of talking about fanfic on tumblr, but i'll tag @tinybreadcreation, @carlomenzinger, @anaid-queen, and @takealookintheback because i suspect they all got something cooking 👀. no pressure though!

Blague.... la Drag Queen au fond à droite..............Oh le con............PTDR.....

Continue reading Untitled

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hi! i’m not sure if there’s a list already on your blog, but can you do a historical AUs rec? i’ve read all i could find, but i’m sure there must be some older stories out there

Here are some very good X-Files historical AUs. I hope some are new to you. Enjoy! Au Café Pequod series by @sunflowerseedsandscience Obersoldat Fox Mulder’s childhood has not instilled him with a sense of faith in humanity, and what little he has left has been destroyed by his years in Occupied France. An unwilling conscript in the German army, he is finally jerked out of months of helpless apathy when he comes to the aid of Dana Scully, the half-French, half-American proprietress of a tiny village cafe. The two strike up an unlikely friendship, growing closer as the war drags on. Against the odds, a fledgling romance begins… but Scully, Mulder soon learns, is much more than a simple cafe owner, and the dangerous secret she hides could spell certain death for them both- and, quite possibly, for Scully’s entire village. Being Crazy by Branwell The X-Files are gone and Mulder is lost without them. Scully is trying to keep things together for both of them. In the middle of this crisis Scully receives a plea for help from her brother Bill. She and Mulder must carry out an unauthorized investigation of a crime to save Bill's family. At the same time a memoir falls into Mulder's hands that Scully's sister Melissa believed to be an account of a Scully family member's past life. Mulder's curiosity overcomes his sensible resolve to avoid reading the story of a dark, difficult life that he and Scully supposedly once shared. He doesn't want to believe in the authenticity of the document. Then events in the present go out of control and drive out every other consideration. Black and White and Red by @scapegrace74-blog He just wanted to take photographs, and to discover some glimpse of beauty left in the world. She wanted to find her sister. They said it was a time of safety and prosperity, but that was a colourful re-imagining of the facts as they existed in black and white. Boats Against the Current, part 1, part 2 by Nicole Perry A short story paying homage to F. Scott Fitzgerald by placing Mulder and Scully in a 'Gatsby' universe. / Dana is married to an abusive man and secretly seeing Mulder, the love of her life. By the Dim and Flaring Lamps by @sunflowerseedsandscience Captain Fox Mulder, the abolitionist son of a Virginia plantation owner and slaveholder, has turned his back on his family and everything he's ever known in order to fight for the Union, rather than joining the ranks of the Confederacy alongside his fellow Virginians. He runs off to Pennsylvania to join a newly-formed regiment in the spring of 1863, and there, he meets and quickly befriends the enigmatic young Daniel Scully, a private under his command. Private Scully's steady shooting and bravery in battle have proven him to be a far more capable soldier than his age would suggest. But in the days immediately following Gettysburg, Mulder discovers that Private Scully is hiding a secret, one that could change their friendship- and Mulder's entire life- in ways he couldn't possibly imagine. Condemned to Repeat It by Branwell The story is set in fall of 1997 after Redux II and before Detour. Mulder and Scully have been assigned to a "routine" X-File by Skinner. They don't believe it will amount to much, but it proves to be more dangerous than expected. As the case progresses they're reading a manuscript that was found among Melissa Scully's things, at the request of Maggie Scully. Melissa believed it was an account of a past life of someone in the Scully family. It raises personal issues Mulder and Scully are not prepared to face. The Countess by @slippinmickeys A reimagining of the characters from The X-Files in Regency Era London.... a dozen different lives by skuls (@ghostbustermelanieking) Five lives Mulder and Scully shared. (prompt: the one where soulmates are reincarnated and keep finding each other throughout their different lives) A Familiar Heart by Mish "The Best Years of our Lives" meets "Magnificent Obsession", Mulder and Scully style. (There's also an unfinished sequel: An Unchanged Soul) Katherine of Ireland by Jenna Tooms The King is dead. Long Live the Queen. Hiraeth by Prufrock's Love Aber, North Wales, 1215. In a world of dangerous men, she was a dangerous woman to love. Moment at the End of the World by Dianora Mulder and Scully meet on the brink of the Civil War. A Moment in the Sun by Prufrock's Love Autumn in New York, 1953. A legendary baseball player past his prime and a beautiful woman with a secret. A Notorious Affair by Nicole Perry Mulder and Scully in Hitchcock’s movie ‘Notorious’. Paracelsus by Prufrock's Love Georgia low country, summer, 1865. A lost soldier, a bend in the road, a passing stranger, and a chance at a life never meant to be. The Second Side of Light by @scapegrace74-blog In 1845, circumstances throw Fox Mulder and Dana Scully together as they cross the Oregon Trail. Untitled AU by @frangipanidownunder Weird little five para AU set somewhere in Wales in some unspecified medieval time Untitled AU by @scapegrace74-blog Royalty AU

🌹🌹🌹

from my top!chowder fic:

And god, he had really meant to make it chaste, a teasing brush of lips to keep Nursey talking, but as soon as his rough lips met those soft ones, Chris was hungry.

a pov one shot I did for my untitled da project:

Honestly, it wasn’t even the meanest thing he’d heard from Jaime, with his slow drawl and the slight accent that put a distinct heat into a choice few of his words…

my seroroki drag queen au:

Distantly, Icy registers that he’s asking her something, and nods along accordingly– it’s not until Hanta eases his way between her legs and into her mouth that the deja vu hits her full-force, this sweet, slow kiss just as warm as last night’s.

My Tumblr Fic Masterlist

It’s been a while since I’ve done this and it seems like a good time now to compile a list of all my Captain Swan fics that are only posted here and not on AO3 or ff.net. These are mostly little ficlets/drabble type things, post ep fics, stuff based off promos and behind the scenes pics, some short AUs, and a few extras from BtH and BH&H.

I’ve organized it by type and there’s over 70 fics linked, most are untitled and I’ve included a short description for each. Some are just a paragraph, some are longer, S3, through S7 are all represented in some form, there’s a lot of Dark Swan stuff from S5 because I apparently wrote a ton of that, there’s the untitled Lieutenant Duckling “sneaking in the Princess’s bedchamber” three part saga which is my most popular Tumblr-only fic, there’s the Underworld, Storybrooke, the Enchanted Forest...basically everything I could find.

It’s pretty damn long, so the actual list is under the cut. 

Happy reading, everyone!

Canon Based/Pre and Post Ep Fics

Touch - Killian with both hands on their date (written before the ep aired) (untitled) - written for the prompt of Killian buying Emma flowers (untitled) - Emma and Killian after his heart is returned in S4 (untitled) - post Heroes and Villians, Emma still doesn’t have her own place (untitled) - Emma and Killian drinking rum together in her apartment in New York City Serenade (untitled) - Killian loses his hand and becomes Captain Hook (untitled) - Smutty angst about the threat of the darkness in S4 (untitled) -- Killian and the attempt to find Emma after she becomes the Dark One (untitled) - Killian after Emma is swallowed up by the darkness (untitled) - Emma’s connection to the dagger after becoming the Dark One (untitled) - Emma after becoming the Dark One (untitled) - Emma sucking Killian into the darkness (untitled) - Killian finds the Dark Swan (untitled) - Dark Swan and Killian smut Can’t Sleep - in Camelot, Emma can’t sleep Bed of Roses - the middlemist field (untitled) -  Dark Swan contemplation  (untitled) - Dark Swan just before the curse brings them back to Storybrooke (untitled) -  Dark Swan with Killian’s ring (untitled) Dark Swan and the dreamcatchers (untitled) - Angsty, smutty goodbye before Killian is pulled into the Underworld king size (the space between us) - Post Underworld (untitled) - Jones Brothers, based on the selfie Jen posted with Colin and Bernard (untitled) - Milah’s thoughts when she meets Emma in the Underworld (untitled) - another Underworld drabble (untitled) - Killian after Emma leaves him in the Underworld Dust to Dust - Killian says goodbye to Robin Hood (untitled) - Killian attempts to summon the new Dark One (untitled) - Another Killian summoning the Dark One fic lonely too long - Post Underworld David versus Goliath - Charming drags Killian into the woods at Christmas unpause - moving in together in S6 swordfight - Prince Charming and Captain Hook battle for a prize compass rose - Killian gets another tattoo gifts of the magi - Killian and Emma at Christmas safe passage - the Charmings on the Jolly during the flashback in the musical ep o villain, villain - Killian remember’s David’s father if wishes were horses - Wish Realm, written before the ep aired beggars would ride - the follow up to if wishes were horses later that night - Emma pays Killian back for the “You kiss me with that mouth?” comment from S6 (untitled) - Killian and Emma post Dark Waters a bit familiar (but different too) - Captain Beauty S6 friendship fic (untitled) - Killian’s thoughts on Emma’s red leather jacket

AUS

Christmas Tree Lot - Christmas fic Doorcrasher - Emma and Killian meet while lined up for a Black Friday sale the tower - AU of the S4 finale, Killian rescues Emma from the tower history repeats itself - another take on Captain Hook and Princess Emma in the Wish Realm the dark ones - when there’s 2 instead of 1 (untitled) Killian and the Dark Swan in Storybrooke family reunion - Underworld Jones Brothers AU at my worst, you are my best - Killian gets split in two with Dr. Jekyll’s potion (untitled part 1) - Captain Hook returns from Neverland to kill Rumple and discovers a new Dark One instead. (untitled part 2) - follow up to the Captain Hook/Dark Swan fic (untitled) - Killian becomes the King of Camelot (untitled) - Young!Emma and Young!Killian street kids AU  Queen Takes Knight Part 1 - Emma gives into the darkness, and Killian follows Queen Takes Knight Part 2  (untitled part one) - Lieutenant Duckling “Sneaking into the Princess’s bedchamber” (untitled part 2) - the follow up to the LD fic (untitled part 3) - the conclusion to the LD fic Anchor - AU of the tavern scene in The Jolly Roger (untitled) - written for the prompt, “Swan, you’re depriving me of a romantic gesture.” Secret Agent Man Part 1 - AU based on the movie Kingsman Secret Agent Man Part 2  (untitled) - Captain Duckling Enchanted Forest runaway bride AU

Beyond the Horizon Extras

treasure map - Smutty drabble Remember When - reminiscing about when they fell in love (untitled) - Killian gets hit with a bag of flour that makes his hair appear grey

Between Heaven and Hell Extras

the anonymous benefactor - background as to how their current arrangement came to be sin eater part one - Killian is summoned by a desperate young woman in 1920s New Orleans and decides to use her plight to his advantage with Emma. This one is fairly long and is currently unfinished.  sin eater part two sin eater part three sin eater part four  your sin (my salvation) - end of Lent reunion smut untitled (somewhere) - Emma and Killian meet up in an empty movie theatre for a midnight screening of West Side Story midnight mass - Killian prays, Emma answers upon a midnight clear - Killian at Christmas a quiet moment - sometimes Emma needs a bit of a respite from what’s going on in the world and seeks Killian out.

WIP Grab Bag meme

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you and interests you and I’ll post a little snippet of it or tell you something about it!

@katreal-fic tagged me in this, knowing full well what she was doing! i just want to say for the record that i have adhd okay, i could be even worse. oh, and i recently went through and took all the things that were just a couple paragraphs or less and put them in one document to reduce clutter. 

i tag @themockingcrows, @alldavekat and @oncewewerezombies

(warning: i ship everything!)

A Helping Hand

adventure time au

alpha daverose

alpha rose/bro

alphajohndave

apocalypse

bogan bro

bro/ghb

brocal

brodad massage

brokri

bronus

brosign

Carapacian Rave

Confrontation

crocker fixit

crossdressing!jane/droog

Crow's Feet

dave's hot karkat's pissed

dave/davesprite

davebot/rosebot fight

davedirkbro

daverose visit

davros

Days of our Lives

derse monsters prospit victims

different views on romance

dirkborn

dirkborn artist

dirkdad

dirkdave birthday

dirkhal pwp

dirkioh

dirkjake

dirkjake genie

dirkjake johndave fight club

dirksol

domme!rose/police!kanaya

drag queen dirknaya

draharmione

droogjane piano

erikar

football wolfstar

FUCK YOU, TWINS

get in the fucking robot

gideonstuck

haljohn casey is there

house of sbahj

hp preservation thing

hp something

jake running away

jakejohn something

JANE NOIR

johndave valentines

johndavesprite

johnjade

language barrier CH2

left to rust

Meeting Your Destiny CH2

More Than Just Gamers

olympus Conglomerate of Dirks

olympus daverose

olympus Zombies

Overwhelmed

Pony Play

porrim/kurloz

pretentious uni betaot4

prompt

rise with the moon 3

rosekri

rosemary first date

rosemary pride and prejudice as a structure

roxydad

Running Away

sbahj

Send Nudes

Shit, Let's Be Santa

signless domming tagora

simultaneity

snowmandad

Solkat big bulge karkat

solkat pitch pwp

Somno dream scenario (lol) from Burning Chrome - William Gibson

sugarbro

talking as movement

team sloppy interspecies makeouts

The Good Place

The Other Two Are Lucky To Have Me

ultdirkrose fight idk

Universes Colliding

Unknown Number

Untitled document

werewolf & mummy 2

What Are Friends For?

Yet Another Crisis 2

oh my god this is so many. oh my god someone take this away from me. 

Re-blog Tag

The fabulous @magic-girl-in-a-muggle-world tagged me to re-blog a fic I’m proud of. Thank you so much darling <3

If anyone wants to play consider yourself tagged. I’ll tag @gryffindorhealer @thisismegz @petals-to-fish @pansexualsnuffles

Glimpsing Happiness

FFN and AO3

I wrote this wonderful piece with @hufflepuffmarlenemckinnon and it’s still one of my favorite ones to go back and read. I’ll post just the first two chapters here, but if you follow the links above they’ll take you to the full 34K word story. I hope you enjoy this WWII Blackinnon AU!

Chapter 1

Marlene straightened her veil and smoothed the creases out of her white apron before grabbing her gray woolen coat. She chuckled bitterly at the lies she and Mary had told themselves when the war began. September seemed like a dream not just over half a year ago.

When she'd interviewed for the QAIMNS to be a military nurse she'd been a bit startled at being asked to wait afterward. The officer had returned to the waiting room ten minutes later and handed her a packet. Open only in the event of war was printed across the front. He thanked her and sent her on her way. When Mary had the same packet after her interview, Marlene at least knew it wasn't a ploy. Marlene still remembered the chill she felt when England declared war. She and Mary opened their packets together in Marlene's room. The fact that they'd been assigned to the same place was a miracle within itself. War had a habit of pulling everyone apart. But they thought Netley would be an adventure back then. They thought they would be by the sea and have beautiful scenery to live in and that this was how they'd make a difference. Though if she was honest, Marlene would have preferred being handed a rifle and marching orders. But she had to take what she could get.

“Ready Marls?” Mary came out of the loo and walked to the small bed adjacent to the one Marlene sat upon. Her Majesty's nurses were being put up in qualified dwellings, but Marlene knew the stories from The Great War and she refused to become attached to this small flat as home.

Home was London. Home was the bustling streets where she would run to school with her brother and sister. Home was making fun of her older brother for pinning after the shop girl. Home was her younger sister playing their grandmother's violin because she had the gift. Home was her mum's Sunday dinners and her seamstress work all over the sitting room. Home was the smell of her dad's pipe tobacco wafting through their small house and his hugs that made her feel understood. Home was when everyone thought that the world had seen it's worst war. This, well this was anything but home.

Marlene sighed and grabbed her gloves, “Let's get this wretched walk over with.”

Mary tutted, “Just think of it as a pleasant stroll near the seaside.”

Marlene playfully pulled one of Mary’s black curls from under her veil, “I can always count on you to be a bright ball of sunshine can't I?”

Mary reached up and grabbed one of Marlene's blonde ringlets. Marlene flinched as the lock of hair caught on Mary's wedding band, “Your fault for wearing the sun on your head, Sister.”

The women began their trek up to Netley Hospital. The cold spring air whipped against them and Marlene nearly lost her veil twice. It was biting cold and their fingers and toes ached as they climbed the hill. There's a reason that it took two steam engines for the trains to reach the hospital station, Marlene mused as she braced herself against the wind that threatened to knock her back down the hill.

When they finally made it to the hospital doors, Marlene groaned. The entry to the hospital was most peculiar and if she was being honest, downright disturbing. This grand entry served as some sort of deranged circus. All the skulled momentos of animals that had been collected across the British Empire. Beasts really, she shuddered and practically dragged Mary past it all as quickly as possible. Marlene didn't think she'd ever become accustomed to it.

“They really aren't all that bad, Sister Marlene,” Mary smirked and stopped to admire what was labeled as an elephant skull.

“Sister Mary, we're going to be late if we don't step to it and the Matron won't thank us for it.”

Mary sighed and removed her coat before adjusting her scarlet tippet, “Well then off we go.”

They walked to their Matron’s office, nodding politely and grabbed their assignments off the wall covered in file folders.

“Bollocks,” Marlene muttered as they walked out and she opened her folder.

Mary peered over her shoulder, “Oh dear.”

“I was supposed to be done this week!” Marlene groaned. “Private Fenwick will be cleared and on his way to the station by now and I was supposed to be done with Quarantine because we'd have no more patients. But no! We had to get a typhoid fever patient!”

“But we sent vaccines over to France. He should have been vaccinated, it was mandated, David told me so.” Mary’s husband had been sent over to France with the British Expeditionary Force.

“The vaccine isn't a guarantee, Sister. He's probably one of the lucky ones.” Marlene huffed and snapped her folder shut.

“Yes,” Mary rolled her eyes, “very lucky, indeed.”

“Enjoy surgical recovery,” Marlene tipped her head as they reached Mary's ward.

“Enjoy your walk,” Mary blew her a kiss before walking into the first room of her ward.

Marlene started her near quarter-mile trek to the far side of Netley Hospital. She'd gone home last night looking forward to a new assignment, to being done with the Quarantine patient. Not that Private Fenwick was a bad sort, but Marlene was tired of being sequestered off with the shy little ward maid, Arabella Figg. She was a sweet enough lady, but she always insisted on talking about the cats she bread and Marlene wasn't particularly fond of cats, she was more of a dog person actually, so their conversations fizzled out quickly.

“Sister Marlene,” Arabella smiled kindly at her as she pulled the sheets off of Private Fenwick's cot. “I told them to put your new patient by the window. Not much of a view, but I thought a bit of sun would do the poor officer good.”

“Thank you, Arabella,” Marlene nodded and walked to the far end of the room where a man lay unconscious under his blankets. Opening the chart, Marlene sighed, “Welcome home, Captain Black.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 2

It started out like just a common cold. Sirius did his best to ignore the blaring headache and aches in his muscles. He was fighting in a bloody war; he had more important things to focus on than the damned sniffles.

But within a few weeks, it was high fevers to the point of full-on delirium. No amount of Iron-will stubbornness could have kept him on the field after that. He was lucky someone had dragged him off to sick bay before his vision gave out.

Losing his sight was quite jarring, even to a mind that was preoccupied with the fact it was boiling. Was he dying? Where was he? What was happening?

He woke up, and by virtue of doing so, he was fairly sure he wasn’t dead. He didn’t quite have a gage on how long he was unconscious, but when he woke he was absolutely sure he’d been moved.

The smell.

This was some sort of infirmary or hospital. It smelled like sickness. Death and dying. Was he next? What sort of soldier dies of the sniffles? Uncle Alphard would be ashamed.

Or he would have been...He was gone now. Sirius winced. The news of his favorite Uncle’s passing was fresh. The letter had only come a week before the nosebleeds began.

Uncle Alphard had been his hero. The only person he could really look up to in that whole god-forsaken family. He was also just about the only blood relation that Sirius had who hadn’t been ashamed of him.

To be fair, the shame went both ways. Having grown up in a house with his 1st cousin, Bellatrix Black, who kissed the ground that Herr Hitler walked on, was not something that Sirius was particularly proud of. Leaving aside the constant rumors that she was intimately close to the Führer and may or may not be pregnant with his horrible Nazi hellspawn. Sirius didn’t even believe that last bit, but he felt sure that Bella wished it were true. She’d had these awful framed photos of him up in her bedroom when they were children. She was living her dream… It disgusted him and he didn’t bring it up if he could help it.

Instead, he attempted to shake off any hints of German in his speech and mannerisms. This was a monumental task for someone who spoke German from the nursery. In truth, he was a quarter British, if that. His mother’s mother was a Granddaughter of Queen Victoria herself. But they’d married Germans, as the British nobility had been wont to do, and consequently, his Mother’s noble house of Black, was about as German as anyone in Europe.

His father was bitter that he never got to wear the crown he had lived his life thinking that he deserved. He’d never fully adjusted. It was a far fall from His Royal Highness Orion, Crown Prince of Saxony, to an untitled exile, taking his wife’s name and live off her relatives' generosity.

Things were always tense at Uncle Cygnus’s generosity and his estate in Berkshire. Sirius and Cygnus’s middle daughter, Andromeda, clung to each other, and their uncle Alphard, in the midst of all these disgruntled Germans. The three of them were all that was left, well before England declared war. The others contended that Herr Hitler had the right idea about the Herrenmenschen. Transparently desperate to be superior to someone after losing their titles, they made their choice.

Sirius felt that he had to make choices of his own, despite being only 15 at the time. He’d opted to stay behind with his best mate from Eton, James Potter, and Uncle Alphard. This decision, and his iron-will refusal to do as he was told, did not go over well.

His mother berated him for his choices, saying he was a traitor to his blood. He said they were traitors to his country. This was the country that had educated him and taught him to be a man more than she ever could. So his parents and younger brother went on their way to support the Fürher and Sirius Black did his damnedest to be an English Gentleman through and through. That was that.

Apparently, being an English Gentleman did nothing to fend off typhoid fever. So he was to convalesce at the rather unpleasant smelling Netley Hospital for the time being.  

Those were amongst the words of the commanding baritone voice, was it a doctor? A medic? How was Sirius supposed to know? He couldn’t bloody see. How did people manage to live like this?

This was going to get old very quickly, if, like the voice informed him, he was going to live through it. Six weeks as a blind invalid?

Bollocks…

“Welcome home, Captain Black” the sound of his name startled him out of his half unconscious state.

“Did you say home? Are you sure about that? I think perhaps I died and went to Hell. Are you Hell’s secretary?”

“I beg your pardon! I’m Sister Marlene McKinnon. I’m charged with taking care of you while you recover here at Netley. So I recommend you be a bit nicer to me. You just asked the woman who’ll handle all your meals and medication for the next… ooooh six weeks is it… if she was Hell’s secretary.”

“And I’m still not convinced that you’re not. Sister Marlene. Are you a nun? I’m afraid I find myself dreadfully blind at the moment. You’ll have to tell me; are you wearing one of those nun head what’s-its?”

“Well, this is going to be an eventful six weeks… No, Captain Black, I’m not a nun. Sister is a rank. Sister is my rank in Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service.”

“Ah yes. Great Aunt Alix. That was the funeral of the season when I was six.” He remarked casually.

“Captain, I don’t care if her Majesty herself was your aunt. You still have to be polite.”

“Do I? Is there a law? ‘Here in Hell, we must be polite’? I must say, that’s unexpected. Here I was thinking the Devil would be lax with the rules. Shows what I know.”

Sirius was pretty sure he heard the woman, Sister Marlene, groan.

“I’ll be back in an hour, Captain Black. Perhaps by then you’ll have reconsidered your attitude.” Her clipped footsteps faded towards what must have been the door.

wip list

*whip sound* YEEHAW. i had to hop on this, because i have more wips than fics. everything is under the cut.

started and posted:

don’t say maybe: anothe pathetic crygi high school au with hopeless lesbian pinning after gigi and bisexual gigi trapped in a relationship she doesn’t want to be in anymore. there’s also dusty and blair over there in the background.

only fools fall for you: sugar baby scarlet pins after underdog yvie oddly and thinks it’s one-sided, but GEE, underdog yvie pins after her too! there’s branjie there too, but no one knows how to properly communicate so shit takes a long time.

only angel: this is me living my impossible dream of being a victoria’s secret angel and getting a designer gf through scyvie. that’s literally it. 

in the dark: vanjie is a vampire, brooke is a bastard witch that she feeds off from. scyvie is there trying to kill each other until they don’t. there’s also someone that wants to kill brooke but that’s beside the point.

blow a kiss, fire a gun: mafia au in collab with lily! nicky pins after a cop and crystal is getting coochie from gigi the swedish mafia leader. jan fakes passports for a living and she’s also about to marry a cop called jaida. it’s as chaotic as you’d think.

started but not posted:

amarrame: sort of prequel for in my head, we belong focused on jan and jaida and their relationship. i have literally one chapter beta-ed and ready to go but not a thing else

untitled alternative version of the hanahaki fic: in which gigi Actually Dies and crystal does get married. the meaning of happy ending is up for debate.

china: first installment of my perreoverse series, based off a scandal between two reggaeton powerhouses in which one of them was accused of cheating and  a whole story line was created thanks to three songs, that in the end turned out to be fake.

tierra y sol: the fuck spain au! gigi is a criolla living in post-colonialism argentina and crystal a mulata. star crossed lover thingz ensue.

i’ll run to you: heidi/jaida in which they’re high school best friends and reunite after ten years bc jackie and nicky are getting married and they wanted to reunite The Gang. some background crygi is thrown there, with crystal being a single mom of a little boy and gigi as a useless lesbian that hasn’t had a date since college.

ideas that haunt me at 3 am that one day i plan on doing: 

TOUCHDOWN (yes in all caps): an ode to straight high school rom coms in which the underdog girl somehow ends up dating the hot captain of the football team. nicky is the quarterback of the female team of american football and crystal is the bitchy cheerleader she dates. enter nerdy, unpopular girl jackie that nicky pins after they got paired together for some shit. 

corpse bride au: based off solely on crystal’s black bride runway. gigi is the human and she’s the corpse. will they get the happily ever after unlike victor and emily? who knows!

exchange student au in which plastique is a vietnamese transfer and kimora takes her under her wing bc she’s the only other vietnamese kid. there are also a bunch of drag race thailand queens and asian queens are the overall focus. i sprinkled a brooke pinning after plastique there for the shit n giggles

a surfer au spin off focused solely on jaida and jan, and how their relationship developed in the year we never got to see because the writer was lazy

another surfer au spin off but with crystal and gigi and how they actually stopped fucking around and became girlfriends even with the long distance.

waitress au spin off with jackie and nicky being cute

greek gods au remastered with crygi

kidfic in which the s12 queens cause chaos and a daily mayhem. rock eats crayons and the others let her.

a songfic series with tove lo’s album queen of the clouds

on that note, a lesbian au songfic with timebomb in which crystal is getting married and goes on vacation with her friends over the summer and has a summer fling with gigi, in which they both know it’ll never be anything more because WE’RE NOT FOREVER, YOU’RE NOT THE ONEEEE

historic au with wongdoll (drag race thailand dearis and année) being part of some emperor’s harem and falling in love.

angel/demon au in which angels hunt demons and the demons are actually chill. the demons are the dragula girls and the angels are rpdr girls.

idk there’s probably more but these haunt me the most

Sometimes I think about yelling at STAR WARS fandom to slow the hell down because I have so many things to read and so many books and comics on top of all the fic, but then I remember, THIS IS THE BEST PROBLEM TO HAVE, oh no I have so many fun things to read! How awful! I can’t keep up with everything that I know I’m going to enjoy, so I have to post a list before I’m finished catching up, because otherwise it’d take me another month! Terrible! The fandom really has put out some absolutely wonderful things lately and I’ve just felt really happy and fizzy about them, I’ve been excited to yell about them and now I want to yell at other people about all the stuff I loved. STAR WARS FIC RECS: TIME TRAVEL RECS: ✦ Hearts Entwined by KeeperofSeeds, obi-wan & shmi & qui-gon, time travel, 6.5k wip   stolen moments between Padawan Kenobi and Shmi Skywalker, glimpsed by Qui Gon Jinn, and his continued attempts to understand both this strange new addition to the Temple and the unexplained relationship between the pair PREQUELS RECS: ✦ And the Void Answered Back by Ghost_Owl, obi-wan & anakin & rey & finn & poe & ben & yoda & maz & cast, force ghosts, 37.5k wip   (Follows the Force ghosts of Anakin, Obi Wan, and friends getting dragged kicking and screaming through the events of The Force Awakens) ✦ Youngling by LostintheTARDIS, obi-wan & anakin & cast, de-aged!anakin, 65.5k wip   Obi-Wan is sent on a rescue mission to find his missing padawan, shot down after completing a mission of his own, but what he finds is not what he expects. “No, it… It’s not possible, Obi-Wan. How can Anakin Skywalker be this little boy?” ✦ Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan Kenobi by stonefreeak, obi-wan & anakin & padme & cody & bail & palpatine & cast, 16.5k wip   By an old Republic law, all members of the Jedi High Council are senators in the Galactic Senate, and can thus be voted in as chancellor. ✦ The Orchards by Raven_Knight, obi-wan & qui-gon & cast, 3.6k   When young Obi-Wan Kenobi is injured on a previous mission, Qui-Gon Jinn refuses to accept further off-planet missions until his Padawan’s recovery. Yoda assigns the pair an in-Temple mission of utmost importance while Obi-Wan heals. Master and Padawan welcome the change of pace. ✦ Staggering Is For Those With Nothing To Live Up To by shiningjedi, mace & ponds & depa & yoda & obi-wan & cast, 4.9k   Ponds has fought side-by-side with his general for over two years, so if Windu thinks that he can’t tell when something’s off, then, with all due respect, he’s made a serious error of judgement. ✦ Blow me away, Master Kenobi by stonefreeak, obi-wan, 1.9k   An explosion at a spaceport caused by anti-war extremists leaves Obi-Wan to navigate his way up through the surface through the debris. And then he finds the children… ✦ Found Clan by silvergryphon, boba & ocs & obi-wan & anakin & cast, 18.4k wip   After the Battle of Geonosis, a Jedi Healer discovers young Boba Fett mourning the loss of his father. Not about to leave a ten-year-old boy on his own, she promptly adopts him with the full collusion of her Padawan. ✦ The Art of Dual Wielding (Specifically, How to Not) by F-117 Nighthawk (F117_Nighthawk), obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, ~1k   “Hey, Master, can you teach me Jar’Kai?” ✦ On the political ramifications of a marriage between a Jedi and a Senator by Deviant_Accumulation, obi-wan & anakin/padme & cast, 9.4k wip   In a shocking revelation, Nabooian priest Father Herriem has come forward stating that one year ago, he has officiated a marriage between Senator Padmé Amidala, former Queen of Naboo, known for playing a major part in the Liberation of Naboo, current Galactic Senate representative of Naboo and leader of the liberal south-up faction, and Knight Anakin Skywalker, Jedi General of the Republic Army. ✦ The House of My Father by ReneeoftheStars, dooku & cast, 2.4k   Dooku has left the Jedi Order and returned to his homeworld of Serenno, where he claims his rightful place as the Count of House Dooku. His sister-in-law is less than thrilled with his arrival. ✦ untitled by stonefreeak, dooku, 2.6k   Yan Dooku looks out over the holotable, filled with recent battles against the Republic. Battles that has started to go increasingly well for the Republic, with the heightened morale from their new chancellor. ✦ Full of Charts and Facts and Figures by ambiguously, mace/depa, 4.3k   Mace and Depa get kidnapped by pirates. ✦ Shed by SingManyFaces, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, ~1k   Not long after being assigned to Anakin, Ahsoka becomes worried he’s hiding something serious and goes to Obi-Wan for advice. ✦ Tipping Point by Ria Talla (ronia), adi gallia & finis valorum & eeth koth, 3.3k   “I believe that if what’s happening on Naboo is allowed to continue, the other member systems will wonder what they owe to a Republic that can no longer protect them.” ✦ The Path of Totality by Raven_Knight, obi-wan & yoda & qui-gon & cast, 1.8k   Before going their separate ways into exile, Obi-Wan Kenobi shares with Yoda a lesson of wisdom he’d learned from his late Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. A lesson of darkness, light, and hope. OBI-WAN/ANAKIN RECS: ✦ Homecoming + Ben + To Love What Death Can Touch by Ripki, obi-wan/anakin & luke & leia & cast, western au, 3.7k   After a long absence, Anakin finally returns to the Lars farm. (Western AU.) ✦ The Missing Part by Nightstar269, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, modern au, 57.4k wip   Anakin Skywalker, a student of mechanical engineering, has always felt that his life was lacking something, a feeling that was made much worse with the deaths of his mother first, and of the woman he loved some time later. Still haunted by the pain and heartbreak, he tries to go on with his life as well as he can. When an initiative of the director of the university has the students attending the classes of another degree so as to enrich their knowledge, he will meet someone that will turn his world upside down. ✦ Across the Darkness by xpityx, obi-wan/anakin & anakin/padme, 19.3k wip   Obi-Wan knew they had hit the temple’s inner security measures when Anakin went from calm to clutching both Obi-Wan and his lightsaber between one step and the next. ✦ Desire by Ralph_E_Silvering, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, mild d/s, 10.8k   Anakin Skywalker decides to take his investigation of an illegal smuggling ring in entirely the wrong direction when he finds a substance called “Desire"…and Obi-Wan cleans up his mess, as usual. ✦ What An Expensive Fate by FromDreamstoEmpires, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, sith!anakin, 1.3k   Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at him, “But you like it when I tell you what to do.” He said softly, hand pulling on his curls until Anakin was forced to look at him, “Don’t you, sweetheart?” ✦ In the Details by SingManyFaces, obi-wan/anakin & anakin/ahsoka & obi-wan/anakin/ahsoka, NSFW, 2.3k   Anakin spends time learning the bodies of those he loves, and enjoys the same treatment. ✦ Collar by bell (belldreams), obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, d/s, 4.1k wip   “You have to be sure, Anakin. Once we’re in, we’re in.” “I think I can handle being your sub, Obi-Wan.” ✦ Pursuit by Icse, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, modern au, 18.5k wip   Aka ‘Obikin Equestrian AU’ on Tumblr. ✦ Thank You, Dear Heart by supercalifragilistichespiralidoso, obi-wan/anakin, ~1k   Obi-Wan calls Anakin by a pet name when they’re not alone ✦ came last in the technical by destiny919, anakin & ahsoka + background obi-wan/anakin, 1.5k   “Okay, Snips,” Anakin said confidently. “We’re doing this. We’re making this happen.” ✦ my heart is an echo chamber by Burning_Nightingale, obi-wan/anakin, 3.4k   Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader don’t meet again until their final confrontation on the Death Star. Not in person, at least. ✦ Rebel with a Cause by planetary_retrograde, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & cast, 12.6k wip   A year after the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Galactic Empire, former Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi has formally joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic. His new mission: training Rebellion pilot and resident loose canon Anakin Skywalker. ✦ untitled by subskywalker, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, d/s, cock warming, 1k   “Remember dear one,” Obi-Wan reminded him as he pet his curls with one hand while the other stroked his cheek gently. “If it gets to be too much or if your need a break just tap our signal, okay?” ✦ Out Of Control by Gildedmuse, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 4.2k   “All right. But you owe me, and not for saving your skin for the tenth time . .” “Ninth time. That business on Cato Nemoidia doesn’t count.” ✦ last one on the list by destiny919, obi-wan/anakin & cast, ~1k   TIL the Han Dynasty was founded by a sheriff who was transporting convicts when several escaped. Knowing the punishment for this was death, he freed the rest and organized many into a rebel band, eventually going on to help overthrow the ruling Qin Dynasty and install himself as Emperor. ✦ darling can’t you hear me (s.o.s.) by nessa_j, obi-wan/anakin & cast, 3.5k   Stranded alone on a planet, Obi-Wan thinks his transmissions aren’t being received, and starts sending private messages to Anakin, not knowing that Anakin can hear everything. ✦ a night full of stars by Ralph_E_Silvering, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, 2k   Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka are sent to Batuu on a mission by the Jedi Council. While there, Anakin and Obi-Wan finally act on the unspoken feelings between them. ✦ untitled by spell-cleaver, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, ~1k   So for the prompt mashup, Magical Accident, Accidentally Married, Obikin Thanks! ORIGINAL TRILOGY RECS: ✦ The Family Tree by frodogenic, vader & luke, 12k   In which Luke Skywalker is stranded in a tree waiting for a flash flood to recede. Too bad he’s got company… Post-ESB oneshot, can be read as canon-compliant. ✦ They rhyme by liv_k, obi-wan & anakin, 5.2k   Past and future, darkness and light, despair and hope meet one last time. ✦ Stitched With Its Color by lammermoorian, luke & hera & cast, 4.4k  Luke’s been all over the galaxy searching for clues about the Jedi - he should have started a little closer to home. REBELS RECS: ✦ in this world by xpityx, zeb/kallus, NSFW, 2.1k   It had been eight months. Eight months since he’d last seen Alex in person. He’d still been Kallus then, had still been convinced that the Ghost crew were taking him to his executioners. FULL DETAILS + RECS HERE!

8, 12, 29 xx citrus

<3<3<3

8. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, share a song that’s been inspiring you lately.

No, but I listen to music while I outline and edit, so I’m still going to put a song here. Which is, inexplicably, Go Away by Oingo Boingo???? It makes me want to write my x-men au lmaooooo

12. Is there a trope you haven’t written yet but really want to?

I need to write an arranged marriage au or marriage of convenience like I need AIR, I just need to actually think past the trope for once

29. Send me a word. If it’s in your WIPs, include the sentence and a short summary of the fic.

I had to message them for the word but it is “tears”

Adore laughs, voice still wobbly but tears completely gone. “Awesome,” she says. “Drugs are my favorite past time, too.”

This is from my untitled to wong foo au, which if you haven’t seen the movie, is just three drag queens driving cross country to compete for Miss Drag USA and ending up getting stuck in the middle of I think Utah? The plan was shalaska and biadore, with Alaska living in the town they end up in and the other three being the queens. I’m not sure if I’ll continue it (it’s older) but let me know if anyone is interested!

(For those who have seen it: I have Sharon as Vida, Bianca as Noxeema, and Adore as Chi Chi, which is genius casting because I am a genius)

WIP Wednesday 14 February 2024

happy valentine’s day friends! I was tagged by @eusuntgratie and @getmehighonmagic to share some words

here’s some first meeting between Brian and Justin in my drag queen au. it is not a meet-cute because Brian refuses to be cute.

When he looks back to the platform, the twink is gone and Brian curses to himself, predator having lost his prey. He glances to the bar and then to the door of the club, trying to decide which direction to move in. Before he can decide, he feels the heat of a body against up against his, the warm press of hips moving in time to the music against his own, and his arms suddenly filled with blonde. His senses suddenly crowded with the sour scent of sweat on the kid’s neck and the bitter aroma of cheap vodka sodas on his mouth. He knows the body glitter covering the guy’s body is quickly littering his own shirt, but he cannot bring himself to care. He knows how he’s spending the the remaining hours before dawn pours rosy fingered into his loft. No backroom tonight, he wants to savor his prey.

i’m leaving this an open tag for anyone who has words to share or needs some gentle peer pressure to add to their wip

I’m very proud of the writing I’ve done this week! Mortal Truth; and You Wish You Didn’t Ask the Question came out on Sunday; You Are Dead, My Life, and I Still Breathe came out yesterday; and I just posted the fifth chapter of The Sands of Titan! This week has been very productive! To celebrate (and because I want to know what people are interested in reading next), under the cut I’m putting the titles and short synopses of fics I’ve got on my to-do list. Message me if you want more information/want to weigh in on what to write next.

If Even Death Were Grace: “we begin in the dark/and birth is the death of us,” Anne Carson, “antigonick.” Anthony Stark, son of Howard Stark, Titan of the Forge, and Maria Carbonell, Titaness of Family and the Hearth, God of Invention, finds himself like Iphigenia, a sacrifice—a pawn—to placate the furies of other deities, for transgressions he didn’t commit. Nevertheless, he holds his chin up and walks the path to Hel, averting a war and agreeing to a marriage both. Better this than the alternative. Frostiron, retelling of Persephone and Hades (at least inspired by) with Tony in the place of Persephone and Loki as Hades.

I’m Not Playing God: (All this time, I’ve been playing human.) Frostiron, ThorBruce. Tony Stark walks out of the abandoned bunker in Siberia having awakened, realizing he was a god born to walk with humans. Rewriting from about the end of Ragnarok to Endgame.

I Hear You Whisper underneath Your Breath/I Hear You Whisper You Have Nothing Left: Tony wakes from nightmares of a life he can hardly imagine, a life where he’s left behind in a freezing bunker by an enemy wearing Steve Rogers’ face. Loki tries to comfort him, to distract him from these visions, but they become harder and harder to ignore—until something has to give. Frostiron.

Desiring More Yet: Harley Keener is always hungry, always starving, always looking for the next thing to drive his teeth into. He burns through ideas, through petty lovers, through inventions and motivations and addictions, looking for something—anything—that will satisfy him. He was hungry before leaving Rose Hill, his hunger driving him to New York, and he's still hungry even now, even cared for and loved by Tony and Pepper, even in this place that was supposed to be everything that he wanted. Perhaps it was some kind of idle dream, expecting thing new place to be all that he wanted, all that he needed.It did, at least, provide more distractions from his hunger than Rose Hill, Tennessee did. Peter Parker is content with what he has. Most of the time, at least. Sure, sometimes he's a little lonely—but Aunt May, Ned, MJ, Tony, Pepper, they're all there for him, just a phone call or a text away at their farthest. Sure, sometimes he carries this guilt from not doing enough, not being enough, failing people—but he's Spiderman, and he can't afford to get too down, because he's got other people counting on him. He pulls through. Sure, sometimes, the night is so big and dark and he feels like it's so empty it's going to swallow him whole, but Karen's in his ear all night, keeping him going. He's fine. Really. Maybe he's not as fine as he wants to be. Parkner.

One-Part Sadness, Two-Parts Tragedy: a Harley Keener character study told in three parts: the first is his time in Rose Hill, the second his transition from Rose Hill to NYC with Tony and Pepper’s help, and the third NYC post-Endgame. Major character death, no happy ending.

Warfare and a Man at War: a Tony Stark character study that will be a series, beginning with Warfare and a Man at War, followed by Of Gods and Men and concluding with In Hope and Fear. Warfare and a Man at War will focus on human conflict, the struggles of human war and its effects. Of Gods and Men will be the introduction of aliens and Other threats, justified paranoia, and how one fights an outmatched battle to win. In Hope and Fear will conclude the series; it will be the end results, the conclusion, what happens to civilians once the threat is “gone.”

Brinesoaked Bodies: mermaid!au. Chapter titles: “Left Broadside onto Breaking Seas;” “The Black Hurricane;” “Worn by Winds on Every Sea;” “The Whole Uproar of the Great Sea Fell Silent;” “Serenity that Calms the Weather;” “Brinesoaked Bodies.”

Insensible Shades: a Rapunzel/Tangled au meets Orpheus/Eurydice. Harley is the stolen child of King Anthony and Queen Virginia. Peter, a thief/vigilante dubbed “Spiderman,” is on the run from the kingdom’s guards—a misunderstanding, he insists—and comes across a tower. He takes Harley to see the lanterns, initially rather unwillingly, only to accidentally drag Harley into the mess of his non-legal affairs. Peter sacrifices himself to save Harley; Harley, in turn, becomes like Orpheus and travels to Hel to trade for Peter. Parkner, angst with a happy ending.

Boyfriend Clothes: Harley Keener lives in the same dorm as his friend, Peter Parker. They aren’t the closest—Ned Leeds and Michelle Jones definitely take up more of Peter’s time than Harley does—but they share physics and engineering courses, and both work as personal interns for Tony Stark—which is kind of code for Tony pseudo-adopting the young geniuses. Harley’s best friend is Shuri. She laughs at how Harley gushes over Peter—so long as he isn’t around. In turn, Harley teases Shuri for how she stammers around MJ. They’re both disaster gays. One night, Harley sees Peter walking to/from the bathroom (or something similar in the dorm) in pajama bottoms (shorts, which barely come past the shirt he’s wearing over them) and a giant fleece button down. It reached down almost to his mid-thigh and hung off his shoulder a little, the top button undone so the shirt was open to about his mid-sternum. Harley took this as obvious evidence that Peter now had a boyfriend (maybe even staying in his room that very night) and had to get to the bottom of it; he had to at least know who Peter was with—if only for the purposes of moving on. Parkner, college!au, no powers, silly fluff & humor, shenanigans.

Untitled #1: In order to keep the Time Stone from Thanos, Stephen Strange liquefies it (the way that the Reality Stone becomes Aether) and places it inside the only one on Titan who has withstood an infinity stone before: Tony. Thanos retreats temporarily to plan again; Tony must learn to use his newly-gained magic before he returns in order to save the universe.

Untitled #2: Disturbances occurring in the magical “ley lines” or Circumstances lead to Stephen investigating the multiverse; the disturbances aren’t coming from within this universe, or perhaps even any specific universe. They seem to be coming from all universes and none of them at the same time; it’s the roots of Yggdrasil, shaking with anticipation for whatever is on its way. A horror lurks in the void between Yggdrasil’s roots, and Stephen has to locate and banish it. Frostironstrange, Ironstrange, multiple universes, alternate timelines, horror/lovecraftian horror.

Untitled #3: Space pirates. The Ironfam (Tony, Pepper, Rhodey, Bruce, Peter, Harley, Morgan) are on the run from the imperial rule of the SHIELD system upon Tony, Rhodey, and Bruce discovering the way their military employers maintain and gain power. They’re pursued by a small task-force (Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Sam; Phil is their handler) from SHIELD and the Winter Soldier, a ship from the HYDRA system (once a colony of SHIELD which revolted and is now in the throes of a Reign of Terror, French revolution style) commandeered by a (brain-washed) captain proficient at hiding his ship using comets and ice rock fields. (The Winter Soldier is captained by James Barnes, a spy sent by SHIELD to keep an eye on HYDRA, only to fall into their hands.) The Winter Soldier has commands to capture Tony, Rhodey, and Bruce for their military & scientific knowledge. Yggdrasil is a system far enough from SHIELD and HYDRA that neither know of it; it’s ruled by Odin, king of Asgard and conqueror of Jotunheimr, Vanaheimr, Alfheim, Muspell, Svartalfheim, Niflheim, and Nidavellir. Loki was taken from Jotunheimr when it was the last planet to be subdued by Asgard, being the furthest planet from the system’s star; Odin intends on making Loki the ambassador for the Jotuns, knowing that they still mourn the loss of their prince. Loki doesn’t take this well when he finds out; his mother Freyja helps him to flee. Odin sends Thor after him to capture him “on grounds of treason.” Stephen Strange flees the Sanctum Sanctorum System when his planet, Kamar-Taj, is invaded by the rapidly-spreading empire Dormammu. The Ancient One had been grooming Stephen for taking her position as the protector of Kamar-Taj once she had stepped down, but Kaecilius, a jealous pupil of hers, aided Dormammu in infiltrating Kamar-Taj’s defenses as what he saw as retribution for being looked over for the position. The Ancient One, worried for the fate of the people she protects (not necessarily governs, though almost every government on Kamar-Taj recognized her as an influential power), sent Stephen away, having one of her trusted advisers, Wong, take him from the system. Kaecilius hears of the plot to sneak Stephen off the planet before the Dormammu forces could invade, and he attempts to prevent their escape. This fails, but Stephen does gain the favor of the Cloak of Levitation in this fight. Stephen and Wong escape, bringing the Cloak. Stephen intends on someday returning to rid Kamar-Taj of Dormammu rule, but he has a lot to learn from Wong and the universe first. All of these plotlines intersect, threading through, around, and with one another. Polycule: Tony, Pepper, Rhodey, Bruce. Eventual additions of Frostironstrange and ThorBruce

Untitled #4: sick!fic; I have the list of headcanons/ideas here. Parkner. Cute & fluffy, featuring trans Peter with an unidentified but minor sickness and Harley being a good boyfriend.

Untitled #5: Stardust!au. Part One: Tony Stark leaves Wall to explore the land beyond it which beckons him, but only for a short time, with people depending on him back home. He falls for an imprisoned fae, attempts to free him, but ultimately fails and must return to Wall. Not long after, the watcher of the wall brings him a child in a wicker basket named Harley. Part Two: Eighteen years later, Harley Keener is infatuated with a girl named Victoria. He, trying to win her hand over her other suitor, E.J., promises to bring her a star that they see falling from the sky. He expects something like a precious stone; he, instead, meets Peter. They get dragged into an adventure running from star-eating warlocks, meeting lightning-catching pirates—who always make sure to dock frequently, so their captain can see his alchemist spouse—and a wild scramble for a throne that seems to have no viable heir. (Whether the fae is Loki or Stephen, I haven’t yet decided. Weigh in if you have a preference.) Parkner, ThorBruce, either Frostiron or Ironstrange.

Beyond these, I have my NaNoWriMo story (rough hands//soft hearts) and my Clint Barton Bingo card.

Fabulous Olicity Fanfic Friday - August 3rd, 2018

Happy Friday! So this is my attempt to both thank awesome fanfic writers for their amazing work and offer my recommendations to anyone who is interested. Here are the fantastic fanfic stories I read this week! They are posted in the order I read them. 

Please Note: I’ve been struggling trying to avoid Season 7 spoilers, I’ve failed a few times - so I have to stay away from just glancing at what is new AO3. Sadly, this will prevent me from seeing stories that aren’t shared on Tumblr. I am also avoiding spec stories, that I haven’t already started. I sad. Stupid spoilers ruin all my fun.

My Arms, They Will Hold You by @olicityaddicted - Oliver is back home from prison, but something happens when he has a nightmare. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15404745

If I Tremble by @smoaking-greenarrow - A collection of prompts and ficlets, with all the smut! Olicity sexy times are the best times. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15409122/chapters/35762643

I'll Try to Behave by who_seeks_shall_find - William is excited to meet Ray and Sara. When William, Ray and Felicity start talking about science, Oliver feels a bit left out. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15403056

Visit to Gotham by @cruzrogue - Olicity Hiatus Fic-a-thon - Prompt: Unfinished - Felicity and William move to outskirts of Gotham City. Before Felicity and William move back to Star City after their adventure in Gotham where William finds his step-mom is helping Batman and he thinks she could possibly cheat on his dad with Bruce Wayne. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15421605

Hidden Talents: Work in Progress by @laureningall - Olicity Hiatus Fic-a-thon - Prompt: Unfinished - After a perfect evening with Felicity, Oliver is anxious to bring her breakfast in bed, starting with coffee. Fate has other plans. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15038072/chapters/35818332

The Queen's Mage multi-chapter WIP by @the-shy-and-anxious-fangirl - Words have power, and mages, those with the aptitude to draw on that power, are few in number. Thus, their services are highly sought after by anyone who has exhausted all mundane means of solving whatever problem is plaguing them. Felicity is reminded of this fact the hard way when she is hired by Moira Queen, the Lady Starling, to find and return to her son Oliver, who fled his family home five years ago following the death of his father. With a threat hanging over her should she return without Robert Queen's heir, Felicity begins her search. When she finds Oliver, and ends up joining his vigilante crusade while she waits for him to decide whether to return home, the last thing she expects to do is fall in love with him. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14617068/chapters/33781269 | ONE | (Oliver the Footballer) multi-chapter WIP @someonesaidcake - Felicity Smoak had a plan; to save enough money to kick her monotonous job and start up the company of her dreams. She made good plans, solid plans, attainable plans. He was never part of her plan. His name was Oliver Queen, the reclusive Brazilian football star with a broken smile and a story to tell. He'd never planned on her either. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15005402/chapters/34779542 Deep Water multi-chapter WIP by @it-was-a-red-heeler - A Season 7 Speculation fic. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15081917/chapters/34968092

The Ring by @spaztronautwriter - The 4th prompt for @olicityficchallenge is: A stuck elevator, a dead cell phone, and a ring. https://spaztronautwriter.tumblr.com/post/143048602908/olicity-fic-challenge-4-the-ring

Love and Little Cupcakes multi-chapter WIP by @christinabeggs - Felicity loved sweets so much that she paid no attention to her lovelife. Until Thea Queen came into her store wanting fabulous cupcakes for her sixteenth birthday. SO ADORABLE! http://archiveofourown.org/works/12400539/chapters/28216053 Falling For You multi-chapter complete by melicitysmoak - Both at significant crossroads in their lives, Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak cross paths one weekend at Niagara Falls. They fall for each other as strongly and swiftly as the mighty waters that drew them there that late spring morning. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15152363/chapters/35138201 The Eternal Love multi-chapter WIP by Mellowyellowdiamonds - Forced into a loveless marriage to Al Sah Him by her ageing and clearly looney adopted father Ra's Al Ghul, Felicity Smoak tries her best to plot her way out of this "terrible" marriage in a bid to regain her freedom. Her husband however has other ideas and is determined to foil her plans every step of the way. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15328269/chapters/35564142 Something Inside This Heart Has Died (You're In Ruins) multi-chapter complete by @entersomethingcleverhere - After a life-changing, soul-crushing event that happened five years ago, Dr. Felicity Smoak exiles herself to an Army hospital in Germany. She spends her days stitching soldiers back together, but who's going to heal her? Enter Command Sergeant Major Oliver Jonas, an American soldier who gets injured during an IED attack with a beautiful smile and more than a few secrets of his own. https://archiveofourown.org/works/5472908/chapters/12647312

Please Call Me (Only if You're Coming Home) by @entersomethingcleverhere - It's Felicity's first stateside Thanksgiving in five years, and she's spending it with her fiance's family. What's Thanksgiving without some drama sprinkled in? https://archiveofourown.org/works/5761705

Time for a Story multi-chapter WIP by @smkkbert - This fic shows Olicity and their life as a (married) couple with family. Although Olicity (and their kids) are the protagonists, other characters of Arrow and Flash make appearances. YOU NEED THIS STORY IN YOUR LIFE. http://archiveofourown.org/works/3912157/chapters/8757172

Soulmates multi-chapter WIP by @bri206 - What happens when Oliver and Felicity wake up in the past with no idea how they got there? They will have to relive their past lives and maybe find an ally or two to get back to their present. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15466416/chapters/35903511

Hidden Talents: What are Friends For? multi-chapter WIP by @laureningall - True friends will help you out - even if you don’t realize you need their help. In other words how Thea and Curtis conspire to reunite our favorite couple. Will they succeed? https://archiveofourown.org/works/15038072/chapters/35914386

One Night multi-chapter WIP by @suttons-brady - Felicity paces back and forth in her bathroom, fingers playing with each other in front of her stomach and her bottom lip pulled between her teeth. How the hell did she get here? She prides herself on being smart -- on being a genius, actually. Hell, she skipped eighth grade! So how in the hell had she ended up here, burning a hole in the floor of her bathroom, waiting for a flimsy plastic stick to tell her if her life is over? http://archiveofourown.org/works/11076792/chapters/24706029

Shatter multi-chapter WIP by @yespleasehawkeyee - Star City has fallen victim to a serial killer. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14594097/chapters/33728688

The Paths We Take multi-chapter WIP by griever11 - Rival CEOs AU. Felicity Smoak, CEO and founder of her own company, is trying to prove herself in the cutthroat world of the technology industry among the other bigwigs in the game. Oliver Queen, recently back from the dead is trying to prove to the world that he's no longer the same man-child who went down on the Queen's Gambit and is finally worthy of his family's legacy. Both equally formidable names in the corporate world. And both with a long, complicated history with each other that no one but themselves are privy to. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15314133/chapters/35530296 10 Rules of Rebounding multi-chapter WIP by @smkkbert - Oliver and Felicity start a sex relationship as rebounds for each other. What’s supposed to be just fun, soon gets complicated when it turns out that their work lives collide, Robert Queen fears their sexual relationship could threaten his company and an ex comes back into the play. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15403404/chapters/35749620 Pieces of Always multi-chapter WIP by @so-caffeinated and @dust2dust34 - Life continues after Forever is Composed of Nows. Ongoing non-linear collection of family moments for the Queens. http://archiveofourown.org/works/8220479/chapters/18840356 Caged by @supersillyanddorky06 - Prison AU. She's the beautiful prison doctor. He's the most dangerous inmate. https://archiveofourown.org/works/4493247/chapters/35973042

The Reason multi-chapter WIP by flipflops - Oliver is an Alpha and Felicity is an Omega....circumstances lead Oliver to find this out and a very bad time or maybe very good time... https://archiveofourown.org/works/15012431

Untitled by @smoaking-greenarrow - Prompt: Could you write a fic about 6x22? When Oliver saves Felicity in the precinct, and he angrily and worriedly drags her back to the van, like a lecture or argument he gives her for doing such thing, him being worried sick and protective. http://smoaking-greenarrow.tumblr.com/post/176461047934/could-you-write-a-fic-about-6x22-when-oliver

Unexpected Meeting or Fate? multi-chapter WIP by CaptainSammyAngel - Since she was a little girl, Felicity Smoak has been apart of the League of Assassins. While Oliver Queen for the past six months has been the CEO of Queen Consolidated and trying to keep it afloat. When the League decides to start the hunt of Malcolm Merlyn in the last place he was located, two people will meet but circumstances and pasts will make it difficult for them to be together. Will they find a way or will they be torn apart? https://archiveofourown.org/works/15007139/chapters/34783916 Whiskey and Romance multi-chapter WIP by @mindramblingsfics - Felicity Smoak gets the opportunity of a lifetime to compete for the hand of Prince Tommy Merlyn. She is taken from her normal mundane Vegas life and is soon swept up into a lifestyle full of nobles, drama, obligations and chaos. All the while trying to stay afloat, someone else begins to win her heart, Tommy’s best friend, Oliver Queen. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14441952/chapters/33357156

The Omega Project! multi-chapter complete by @oliversmuse - Oliver Queen was enjoying being the strong Alpha on campus at Harvard when he met and fell in love with Felicity Smoak, a strong Omega who was going to school nearby at MIT. Their time together was amazing until one day she disappeared. There was no note and no trace that she had ever existed. Oliver is now the most powerful Alpha in Star City, and he will move heaven and earth to find out what happened to his Omega. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15330348/chapters/35569281 Elizabeth Grace Smoak multi-chapter WIP by @lynn8828 - What if Felicity and Oliver briefly had met before he got on the Gambit? Despite her best efforts, Felicity was unable to get in contact with the famous Oliver Queen after having a one night stand with him and getting pregnant with his child. After raising their child for five years after finding out that Oliver died on the Gambit, she finds out he is alive and knows that she needs to tell him about their daughter. But will he believe her? AMAZING STORY!! http://archiveofourown.org/works/13639371/chapters/31322715 Finding Felicity multi-chapter WIP by @lynn8828 - After Lian Yu blew, Oliver searches for his friends and loved ones on the island. This is an AU versions of what happened when Oliver found everyone after the explosions. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15538641/chapters/36071301

Do You Believe in Soulmates? by who_seeks_shall_find - William asks a question that Felicity isn't prepared for. He asks: "Do you believe in soulmates?" https://archiveofourown.org/works/15297816

Can I Go? by who_seeks_shall_find - William wants to attend a party. First, he just needs to ask for Oliver and Felicity's permission. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15243012

Partying Can Suck by who_seeks_shall_find - William attends a party but everything doesn't go according to the plan and in the end, William is glad to see his dad and Felicity. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15242856

It's Only Three Days by who_seeks_shall_find - Felicity is leaving for Gotham City because she has a business meeting there. Oliver wants to say a proper goodbye before the take off. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15450720

It Was a Great Speech by who_seeks_shall_find - Felicity comes back from her business trip and she wants to spend some quality time with her husband. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15450843

That's Insane by who_seeks_shall_find - There has been a break-in at Felicity's apartment and everything is smashed down and ruined. They wonder whether it's about Felicity and Curtis' start-up or Felicity being married to the Green Arrow. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15489318

My Favorite Grandson by who_seeks_shall_find - Donna comes to Star City for a visit and she is determined to get to know her grandchild better. Raisa may feel a bit jealous. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15504066

Talk to Me by who_seeks_shall_find - Felicity has no idea how she and her mom have ended up talking about a conception of a child. Oliver is still in prison after all. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15505512

You Promised by who_seeks_shall_find - Diaz is caught and Felicity wants to get rid of her bodyguard. Nevertheless, Oliver struggles to keep his promise. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15505992

Re-Airrow: Episode 2x01 by @lostolicityscenes  -This scene takes place after the clip above but before the clip I will attach at the end. It mainly functions as a way to fill in the emotional blanks between Oliver and Felicity leading up to the Russia episode. https://lostolicityscenes.tumblr.com/post/176561447621/re-airrow-episode-2x01-an-i-was-planning-on

P.S. Hong Kong: Was it Real?!? multi-chapter WIP by @cruzrogue for Olicity trope-tastic award: Fake Marriage - This is off season 3 Flashbacks. When Tommy goes to Hong Kong he doesn’t go alone he takes his friend Felicity as the best information system being to help him locate Oliver Queen. Tommy may leave empty handed but Felicity gets to be a bride… https://archiveofourown.org/works/15025697/chapters/34832747 Caught in the Rapture multi-chapter WIP by @bindy417 - AU. Being the daughter of a ruthless and notorious crime lord, Felicity Smoak didn't think her life could get any worse. When her father unexpectedly sells her in marriage as a peace offering to his enemy, she quickly learns it'll take more than just her sharp intellect to survive. But what starts out as a sentence worse than death may actually be her only shot at freedom. AWESOME STORY!!  http://archiveofourown.org/works/7931917/chapters/18128824

// @emmaamelia95 // @mel-loves-all // @oliverfel4 // @green-arrows-of-karamel // @coal000 // @miriam1779 // @memcjo// @captainolicitysbedroom // @tdgal1 // @spaztronautwriter // @lalawo1// @quiveringbunny // @wrongshipper // @thebookjumper // @vaelisamaza // @myhauntedblacksoul // @lovelycssefan // @laurabelle2930 //

Introductions Meme

RULES: List the openings of the last ten stories you published. Look to see if there are any patterns that you notice yourself, and see if anyone else notices any! Then tag some friends.

tagged by @theputterer​

Full disclosure some of this stuff will be unpublished novels because I don’t have 10 stories on AO3. Also what constitutes an “opening” varies

The End of the Line of Llewelyn Ap Iorwerth, Great King of Gwyneth (Nonfiction, July 2018)

Once upon a time, there was a man named Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales. In those times, Wales was a name for the lands that had never been Romanized or Anglicized or Normanized. Llewelyn’s grandfather, Llewelyn the Great, had brought many Welsh clans under his control, and became the closest thing they had to a king, but it was not one kingdom.

The End of Alexander III  (Nonfiction, July 2018)

Alexander III was a great king of Scotland. He brought stability to a country that had struggled for generations. He married the sister to King Edward I and with a clever tongue he avoided bending a knee to England.

Lady Aethelflaed, Queen Bee  (Nonfiction, Aug 2018)

Lady Aethelflaed of Mercia was not a woman who took anyone’s shit. Her father was Alfred the Great, who had brought most of England under his control. Her mother was Ealhswitha of Mercia, a woman from the only Anglo-Saxon kingdom that allowed women to rule.

Vampire Hell Novel (Original Fiction, July 2018)

Isaac locked the back door to the bar just past 3 am. He stank of spilled beer and fried food; the quiet of his own mind was an echo after the chatter of a busy Thursday.

Someone moved in the alley behind him.

“Didn’t expect you to take so long, to be honest.”

Midsummer Flowers (Penumbra Podcast, May 2018)

The flower shop is Damien’s, technically. Rilla grows all the flowers, of course. She knows all the medical uses and Latin names and how to preserve them. Damien is the romantic and the flower arranger, and he makes most of the money for them. People only go to Rilla when they need something strong and purposeful.

Untitled Destiel AU (Supernatural, April 2018)

Cas used to eat lunch at 2pm every day. It was the exact halfway point in his day, and provided 15 minutes of quiet before high schoolers descended on the mall. He set his internal clock by those markers. Lunch was from 2-2:15. The first teenager arrived between 2:35 and 2:40. He clocked out at 6:00 exactly no matter how busy it was, so as to avoid overtime. His paycheck came every other Tuesday, exact to the dollar. Today, it was 2:54 and he was waiting for Dean.

Winter Song (Original Fiction, Nov 2017) 

Irina burst into her house, her arms filled with mail and groceries.

“Ema!” She shouted. “There’s mail from Mirele and Levi! And the newspaper from St Karlsburg finally came--only a week late this time, and the spring catalog--only a month late on that. Do you think the trains got fixed at last?”

Loud the Waves Roar (Original Fiction, Nov 2017)

King Owain died on a crisp autumn day, four days after his queen.

The day of their funeral dawned equally crisp, but storm clouds rolled in as the procession wound through the cobble streets. The priest began his sermon as thunder cracked overhead, and the people of the city were drenched as they crowded in the streets to pay their respects.

It was the sort of atmospheric irony that druids could have summoned, once upon a time. For a king such as Owain, who had ruled Alpa for 47 bloodless years, it would have been only fitting. But magic had left the land in favor of regulations, or perhaps it had only ever existed in the legends to begin with.

To Lie Under (Supernatural, Oct 2016)

They find the nest of ghouls right after dark. They shouldn’t be an issue—they’ve dealt with ghouls before—but there are more than they expected and Cas is Cas. He’s semi-immortal and nearly suicidally reckless, and he takes a hell of a beating. Dean himself is dragging, bruised and covered in other people's blood, and he can’t protect Cas the way he wants to, overwhelmed by the three ghouls he’s fighting on his own.

Hades (Saiyuki, Nov 2015)

Hades hadn’t always been his name. In fact, if you wanted to be really technical about it, Hades still wasn’t his name. He hadn’t changed it legally. Still, no one here knew what the name on his birth certificate was, and Hades liked it better that way.

SO, patterns! 

For a lot of my stories I start very zoomed out, and then spiral in to the story a few paragraphs in. The two stories that start with dialogue or quick actions are the two stories where I know the characters best. Isaac has been my dearest character for a very long time. Irina came to me fully formed in a flash, and I didn’t need a long scene to establish who she was. 

I will use present tense for fanfic (3/4) but never for original fic

I like an opening sentence that establishes the status quo in some way. It either shows the part of someone that will change, or what the conflict is. In fact, looking at these, I think my vampire novel is really suffering for a more interesting introduction. 

I don’t waste much time with mystery or intrigue. 

I used to open nearly everything with a line of dialogue, and jump right into action with almost no establishing information. While I think a hook is important, my writing went the opposite direction, and everyone was floundering around in a white room with no motivation

I still tend to think of this as a flaw in my writing (and I do forget blocking in long, dialogue heavy scenes), but the introductions show that my writing has seriously evolved in terms of language. 

No joke, I credit most of this to Maggie Stiefvater 

I read the Raven Cycle in the early fall of 2015 and wanted so much to write like her. She describes people by describing the things around them in a way that is captivating and powerful without ever being obvious. Even while I was tearing through the story, I was picking through the craft of how she puts words together. 

The rest of this credit goes to @clpolk and the rest of my writing slack, who put so much time into making a story that exists as a story and not just a pretty collection of words. This knowledge has seeped into my awareness from the very first sentence of the stories I tell. (If I were talking about story craft as a whole, they would deserve a much higher proportion of the credit). 

Tagging @tellthenight @tryslora @ernmark and anyone else in my writing circles who has enough stories to do it. This was way more helpful than I expected, even if I did fall down a rereading well. 

Part 3 - Untitled - Bond!AU

Pt 1 and Pt 2

For those who want one: a visual aid to the italicized portion (4min vid) - I suggest reading first. (Beware the read-more) 

Steve watches Tony enter the ballroom, dressed in the finest of black tailcoats. He gains immediate attention from everyone in attendance; they flock towards him like moths to his golden flame. Tall and high-collared, blonde hair artfully styled, Tony is a commanding presence, but something about it settles like a stone in Steve’s gut.

Tony grins, smirks, charms the ladies as he passes them, endears himself to their partners. Steve steps into the light, feeling small and forgotten. He hates it, hates that Tony hasn’t noticed him yet. His hands fist at his sides; they’re rougher than he’s used to, fingers calloused in the wrong places. They tremble a little. 

Tony turns, and they come face-to-face, close, too close. Steve can’t breathe through the sheer force of Tony’s attention. It’s instant, electric. He looks up into Tony’s blue eyes and balks, heart stuttering as Tony looks him over, walking around him. He can’t look away from Tony, even as Tony’s attention is caught on the Queen. 

Tony goes to greet her, daring and flirtatious, and Steve feels the nausea roll thickly through his system. He forces himself away, back into the shadows where he can watch Tony without the prying eyes of the other guests. 

Tony moves away from the Queen’s audience and grabs a passing flute of champagne, which he downs in the same motion as a woman approaches him. She’s daring and demanding in the same way, and Tony takes the challenge. 

Steve swallows at the sight of her; confusion making it difficult. He remembers her, though; she was strong and determined, tall and dark. She laughed like rich liquor and had burned just as well. Ophelia Sarkissian. She’d wanted to poison the world. Instead, she’d been left behind in the dirt.

Steve’s knees weaken as Tony spins her into motion, the orchestra all at once loud and seductive, guiding Tony through the motions of an age-old dance. Steve sits heavily, uncaring of the distress it causes the fine silks of his suit. He sits, and he watches Tony press his mouth to her jaw until another pushes Ophelia away to take her place. 

Brock is short and angry, dragging Tony into the dance like he’s ready to fight. His movements, while practiced and acceptable, are forceful and meant to punish as much as please, and Steve can see Tony’s almost overwhelmed by it. He throws himself out of his seat, begins to circle the floor, and turns to face the balcony right when Brock pulls Tony to the floor. He doesn’t need to see this.

Steve knows that Brock had stained the floors; they were replaced with the polished, gray bamboo. Tony had picked them out himself. 

Tony’s dance partners blur together, and each one curdles in Steve’s stomach, but when he pays attention again -too close, much too close- Tony is flowing in slow motions, swaying with a willowy figure just as blonde as he. They move like a serene river, a brook that’s sure of its path. A hand smoothing down her leg, lifting and guiding, dipping her until she comes up with a breathless smile; she shines like a diamond, like a star. Celeste.

Steve pushes forward, jealousy flooding so profoundly, but tinged in fear, because he knows now what Celeste carries, and he can’t let Tony be hurt, but Tony stills, head turning slightly to the side. He’s aware of Steve, perhaps always has been, and knows that Steve’s restraint is snapping. 

And so he snaps first, throwing himself away from Celeste to move into a dance all his own. It’s frenetic and chaotic; it’s everything that Tony is, a force to be courted. Steve is shaken and shaking. 

Tony’s partners confront him one by one again on the floor, pushing him through to the end of the dance, taking him along for the ride until they’re spinning and stepping and the music is swelling, and Steve can’t breathe. 

All he can do is watch and wait and follow along with Tony to the end. And as the music crests and Tony’s backed into the corner, their eyes meet over the others’ heads, and Steve knows that he’ll always follow.

~~

Steve doesn’t come awake with a jerk or a gasp. He blinks up at his ceiling, the exposed beams distant and without judgement. He hums once, short, just to test his hearing, and relaxes marginally when it doesn’t sound muffled. He presses an arm over his eyes. 

He knows he’s alone in his apartment again, knows that Tony had helped him to the couch then left, still just as angry. The device is probably long-since destroyed in the fireplace that’s still burning lowly to his left. The radio on the mantle is playing soft classical. That would explain the dream. Sort of.

“Fuck,” he mutters. He’s royally fucked up, and he wonders how long it will take to smooth everything over with... with Q, and with the inevitable shit show Fury is going to cause over this. He slowly, carefully sits up, feeling his stomach roll. He pauses, one hand on his knee, and draws in deep, steady breaths. 

As he breathes, fragments of the dream filter through his thoughts, and he grasps at them. It’s not easy; lucidity steals away most of the dream’s crazy subtext. He looks at his hand, the familiar lines and ridges of the callouses formed from his love life with guns. 

Q had had blonde hair and blue eyes, dancing with Steve’s ex lovers who had tried to kill him, most of whom Q had personally disposed of. He scoffs and buries his hands in his hairs; he’d been dreaming of himself from Tony’s point-of-view.

“I’m fucking crazy,” he decides. He already knows he’s in love with Q, has been since the first stupidly-big word out of the man’s mouth in that shitty little dive bar where he was still Tony. Steve had thrown caution to the wind and taken Tony home, to an apartment different than his current. 

The sex had been incredible, hot and heavy, and yet... They’d laughed and joked and drank, fucking through the night until Steve had been the one to wake up alone not long before noon.

He thinks back to that night now, remembers how he’d talked Tony into taking the job he’d been offered, not knowing then what he’d find out that next day. “007, meet your new Quartermaster.” Tony is gone, and in his place, Q faces Steve with a grim resignation and a hand held out in greeting. And Steve knows then that taking that hand means erasing the previous night. At the time, it seems an easy enough decision. He shakes Q’s hand, a blithe smirk gracing his expression. 

“Good to meet you, Q. I trust we aren’t keeping you up past your bedtime. I know folks your age like to watch their Jeopardy while tucked in their beds.”

With the barb came understanding, and Q had taken his hand back and shrugged slightly. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring the tele in next to your crib. When you want your bottle, just pitch a tantrum, and I’ll be sure to warm it up for you.”

Steve pushes to his feet, sways slightly, and scowls. He doesn’t want to think about the past right now. He’s not feeling in the mood for regret and mistakes, except for the one that had caused the headache he’s sporting. He walks steadily into the kitchen to take a few painkillers, and as he’s putting his glass in the sink, he finally notices the plate on the stove. It’s covered in foil with a note scrawled over it. 

-To help with the nausea. Eat. Slow.- 

Steve’s back curves forward, hunching him over the stove as he braces his hands on the counter. He closes his eyes and breathes, deep and counting. How is he supposed to play the good little agent when Q slips from his part too? 

Steve knows for a fact that no other Quartermasters cook food for the agents. Just like how no other Quartermaster kills for the other agents so freely like Q does, out of jealously like Q does, feels the deep down satisfying guilt of it like Q does. 

Steve takes the plate, steps out of the kitchen, and grabs a bottle of whatever liquor is closest on the bar -he notices the broken bottle is cleaned up and gone- before returning to the couch. He sits back and does as instructed, eating slow and aiding it with copious amounts of alcohol.

All of that fierce loyalty and possessiveness, bundled up and suppressed, burn like fire for Steve beneath Q’s sneering calm. Long has SHIELD accepted that Q will do as he wishes concerning Steve, and because of this, Steve knows he can get away with a great deal where other agents can only dream. 

So when, a few days later, Steve is facing Fury across the evaluation desk and hears, “We’re reassigning you,” Steve doesn’t worry. He smirks. 

“Yes, okay. For the five minutes it takes Q to find out? You know how this plays, Director,” Steve replies, idly tapping to fingers on the desktop. “You threaten and Q just blows the smoke away. Why are you wasting my time with this? I’m fine.”

Fury closes Steve’s folder and fold sits back. His eye patch is slightly crooked, and it’s been driving Steve just a little crazy. 

“On the contrary, 007, this time, it’s at Q’s submitted request.”

Steve stares, expression unchanging, unmoving. He doesn’t breathe. “Pardon?”

Fury smirks. “You’re on suspension pending your physical eval. After that, if you’re cleared, you’ll be reporting to Quartermaster Hammer.”

~TBC~