Uffish Thought

On the menu this round: ex-soldiers with feelings, dumbass superheroes with feelings, and vids! (please note there is some overlap between categories *g*)

Take My Whole Life Too by muccamukk (Band of Brothers, Lewis/Nixon)

After spending the whole war pining, Dick finally confesses his feelings. The trouble is, he doesn’t know what to do with Nix now that he has him.

In which they don’t have a great first time so Dick decides he must DO RESEARCH. *cackles* God, I love him so much. Sweet, funny, and (eventually) very hot.

Worthy of Trust and Confidence by Alethia (Generation Kill/West Wing, Brad/Nate)

“Mr. Vice President, I believe you might be familiar with Special Agent Colbert.”

The world stilled.

And in walked Brad. Black suit. Black tie. Perfect.

or: Generation Kill/The West Wing futurefic fusion. The Seaborn/Fick ticket sailed to victory in the 2016 presidential election. Amidst governing and getting the last of the troops out of Afghanistan, Nate’s daughter starts receiving threats. Naturally, it’s Brad to the rescue.

Once again, reading Band of Brothers fic slingshotted me sideways in GK fandom. It’s been a few years, so I finally found and read this one, which is a gorgeous story about grief and letting go as much as it is a romance.

The Department of Special Collections by @cesperanza & @albymangroves (MCU, Steve/Bucky)

It was a messy thing of leather and papers and rope. It looked like Phillips had carelessly thrown a bunch of documents onto an old piece of black leather and then rolled the whole thing up and tied it … The papers inside were all different sizes, everything out of order and haphazardly stacked, like someone had been in a hurry and just grabbed it all.

Outsider POV *and* archival porn *and* epistolary? With beautiful art? Yes please!

what’s up danger by @tempestaurora (MCU/Spiderman multiverse, gen)

Gwen snorted. “You and Miles would get along-” A smile appeared on her face, growing wider. “You wanna go on a trip?”

“A multi-dimensional trip.”

“The only fun kind,” she agreed. Gwen turned to him, her smile large and coaxing. “It’ll be great. I’ll get you back here as soon as you want – but it could be fun! Meet Miles, maybe another Peter if we have time.”

Peter really wanted to go to another universe, let’s be clear. But he a) had homework, b) didn’t need his brain to melt out of his ears, and c) had a dinner to get to in three hours.

He totally ended up going to another universe.

Admittedly I am 100% the target audience for this because I love all Peter Parkers forever and ever amen, but it’s also flat-out adorable and a fun, gossipy twirl through the various movieverses.

you keep me hanging on by @lamujerarana (Marvel 616, Peter Parker/Johnny Storm)

Johnny, reeling from his breakup with Medusa and the loss of his entire family, turns to Peter for comfort…that eventually involves casual sex that isn’t so casual for Johnny, since he just so happens to be in love with Peter.

Everything becomes incredibly complicated.

Ahh, mutual pining while actually having sex on a regular basis is a hard trope to pull off, but this was right on the mark. And super hot.

Stress by @findmeinthealps​ (vid, Iron Man)

I’ve seen this song vidded in other fandoms, but it’s a great choice for Tony. Zippily edited and damn charming - right up until the gutpunch of an ending. (no I haven’t been able to watch Endgame again, why do you ask?)

I Found A Reason by @trelkez​ (vid, The Eagle, Marcus/Esca)

Very simple, both in construction and music, but it really captures the intense connection (bad and good) between Marcus and Esca. I’m kind of annoyed at myself for only just finding it. *watches again*

I was busy watching 18 movies in one week, and then out of town and frequently without internet for another week, so these four fics are literally the only ones I bookmarked in March. Enjoy!

Still Life With Flerken by @copperbadge​ (Captain Marvel, gen)

Nick Fury: soldier, spy, strategist, cat dad.

Exactly the coda I wanted after the movie!

how to win friends and influence people by Bundibird (MCU, gen)

Someone talks shit about Tony, and, well, Peter isn’t about to let that happen. He doesn’t mean for things to escalate, but in his defense, he’s not the one who threw the first punch. That dubious honor goes to the shaggy-haired kid who apparently takes insults to Mr Stark as well as Peter does, and – well, Peter could hardly let the other boy take on five guys by himself, could he?

In which Peter meets Harley, and Tony shows up to interfere. No one should ever allow *Peter Parker* to be the most sensible person in a group, it’s too hilarious.

And This, Your Living Kiss by opal_bullets (Supernatural, Dean/Cas)

Only a very few people in the world know that the celebrated and reclusive poet Jack Allen is just Kansas mechanic Dean Winchester, a high school dropout with a few bucks to his name. Not that it matters anymore; life has left him so wrung out he never wants to pick up another pen.

Until, that is, a string of coincidences leads Dean to auditing a poetry course with one Dr. Castiel Novak. The professor is wildly intelligent, devastatingly handsome…and just so happens to be academia’s foremost expert on the poetry of Jack Allen.

I know, I know: Dean as a poet?!? Really? But I took a chance on this and it not only works as an AU, it’s a gorgeous story about grief and love and inspiration and all their tricky intertwinings, with a soupçon of identity porn to satisfy my tropey ass.

The Salt and Pie Guys by robotsnchicks (Supernatural, Dean/Cas)

Some overnight shifts at S-Mart are more interesting than others. Tara won’t be forgetting tonight’s shift anytime soon.

I love a good outsider POV, especially in this fandom, and this one is just… *chef kiss* So spot-on in all ways.

( January: Star Wars, Leverage, Goblin Emperor, Vorkosigan, Chalion )
( February: Yuri on Ice, Rivers of London, Fantastic Beasts, Hannibal )
( March: Yuri on Ice, Voltron )
( April: Star Wars, Yuri on Ice, Voltron )
( May: MCU, The Mummy, Witcher, Yuri on Ice, Ouran, Queen's Thief )
( June: MCU, Six of Crows )
( July: Goblin Emperor, Wizard of Oz, original, Teen Wolf )
( August: Hannibal, Naruto, Leverage )
( September: Mythbusters, Lord Peter, Books of the Raksura, Captive Prince, Murderbot )
( October: Leverage, Dragon Age, Kingsman, Magnificent Seven )
( November: Stranger Things, Hobbit, Walking Dead )
( December: Goblin Emperor, Temeraire, Yuletide )

Doing this a little early today, since we're throwing a party later and I fully expect to be drunk until the wee hours:

1) Picked up my pull-list at the local comics store. My favorite cashier was sadly not there to check me out -- she is an adorable gawky button of a human being -- but another lady with purple hair took care of me. We agreed that Kamala Khan is The Best, and pondered the question of why Wolverine is always teamed up with teenaged girls. If you're not reading Ms. Marvel, YOU REALLY SHOULD because ( spoilers for Ms. Marvel #6-8 ) The art is amazing all around, especially the tiny background text jokes: just in #8, there was the Pedantic Monthly article they get assigned for homework, a "Blerf Alley Boxes" logo on a box in an alley, "Beware of Racoons" sign, a hilariously mislabeled classroom map, and a shirt that reads "Keep Calm, I am Persian Like The Cat". And that's in addition to the fabulous character work. ♥

Which reminds me, is anyone else reading She-Hulk? I was trepidatious when Javier Pulido took over as series artist because I hated his work on Hawkeye, but his style works really well on She-Hulk. Bizarre! And I find it interesting to see the contrast between Clint and Jennifer's approaches to their non-superhero work: where Clint is pathologically incapable of asking for help, Jennifer is constantly networking and calling in old friends and doing favors. At first I thought it was just making for some great cameos, but a few have turned plot-relevant and it looks to be a series trend. ( spoilers for She-Hulk #8 )

2) Lindsey's Miss Fisher Blu-rays came in the mail today. Everyone's faces in extreme high-def! :D

3) Om nom nom half-birthday cake made of deliciousness and fudge. I've managed to resist eating any before the party, but it sure *smells* good....

I was googling "Captain America: Living Legend & Symbol of Courage" to see if I'd remembered the name of Steve's Smithsonian exhibit correctly, and discovered a) I was right and b) they apparently put the exhibit at Disneyland.

Don't get too excited: the internal content is not really the same, but they must have donated a few of the props from the movie because the entry sign is the same IIRC, and they have the skinny Steve/serum Steve holographic display.

OMG, NERDS. Film people are the best.

ETA: Wow, also just realized ( spoilers )

YAY THAT WAS AWESOME WHEN CAN I SEE IT AGAIN NOW CAN I SEE IT NOW

Okay, well, no, I resisted temptation and am making myself wait ( spoilers )

I am greatly amused by the idea of locking Stiles in a room with Seth from The OC and Peter Parker. I have no idea what they would talk about (other than something nerdy, obvs), but dear god, would they talk.

ETA: Alternately, Stiles, Veronica Mars, and Brendan Frye. Veronica and Brendan have the edge on intimidation factor, but Stiles has heightened resistance and mad research skills.

The rules:

1. Go to page 77 (or 7th) of your current ms
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines – sentences or paragraphs – and post them as they’re written. No cheating.

From my Avengers fic (almost 10K and therefore longer than any fic I have ever written, and still only maybe 10% done):

“I always miss that about New York when I’m in California,” she said, after an awkward pause. “No matter how many people live here, you always manage to run into someone you know.” She regretted the words instantly - how many people did the Captain even know in the city anymore?

Thankfully, the corner of his mouth turned up a little, changing his smile into something more genuine. “I missed that about New York, too.”

Pepper grinned back, relieved that she hadn’t stuck her foot in her mouth. “I was just heading uptown for a meeting - can I drop you somewhere?"

It's no secret that Steve Rogers is my forever favorite Avenger, but my real Steve OTP is Steve/drawing. When I first fell into Avengers fandom back in 2010, that piece of canon was the first thing that really drew my attention to Captain America and made me realize that he was a hell of a lot more than Marvel's answer to Superman.

Steve was an artist before he was a warrior, and still is one - that change didn't erase who he was before, only enriched it. He's an idealist with a devious streak and a snarky sense of humor; a genuinely good person who can be impossibly stubborn and judgemental, but flexible enough to change his mind and admit he's wrong; adaptable enough to wake up in the future, having lost everyone he loved, and still build a new family and remain a hero. He believes in grand principles, but understands humanity well enough to be pragmatic about them - and that more than anything is why he can lead the Avengers, the world's most screwed-up, super-powered herd of cats.

I love him a whole lot.

And since it all started with Steve and his sketchpad, have some recs where Steve does art!

Sketches by spockside
Movie-verse, but no spoilers for the events of The Avengers, in which Steve asks the team to pose for him, individually. Lovely character work for everyone, and her Steve is the perfect mix of earnest and insightful and quietly snarky.

Luceat by dira
MAJOR spoilers for the movie, but also has a super awesome use of Steve's art and was generally an amazing coda.

Greyscale by jazzypom
Despite everything that happened, his talent was still here, shifting under skin and at tips of fingers, ready to be called to service.
Comics-verse Tony/Steve UST. Steve starts sketching again after they restart the Avengers, and his artist's eye sees Tony anew. This was one of the earliest stories I read about Steve's art, and it's still lovely.

A is For Artist by elspethdixon
Comics-verse. Adorable short about Steve and crayons, past and present.

64 Colors by musesfool
The focus is Darcy and crayons, this time, but Steve plays a big part, and mostly: TEAM BONDING VIA CRAYON. ♥ Movie-verse, written pre-Avengers so no spoilers.

Easel by simmysim
Comics-verse. Steve finds his old easel at a charity auction.

Scratched by garrideb
Comics-verse, established Steve/Tony. Steve talks Tony into a little graffiti for a good cause. I just about died laughing at Steve's devious methods of talking Tony around, and their comfortable banter together, and Tony using Extremis for sex-related purposes.

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fryer
Gen
Notes: (on AO3) Many thanks to inmyriadbits for assuring me this wasn't totally self-indulgent, to philomytha for the lightning-fast beta, and to ignipes for the timely vocab assistance. They are not to be blamed for the title. Sorry y'all, I couldn't resist a pun that bad on this little sleep.

( Getting ambushed at a McDonald’s in downtown New York was not the finest moment of Phil Coulson’s career. )