#(this is part of the new chapter of Meanwhile but posting it as a standalone too)
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London, Soho, AZ Fell’s Bookshop, 1941
“That’s the trouble with you lot, you tend to see things in black and white. Sometimes, you just gotta blur the edges.”
“Well, maybe there is something to be said for… shades of gray?”
Their glasses clinked.
“Well, shades of dark gray,” Crowley corrected, and the ease crept back into their conversation along with the little correction, leaving the emotional vulnerability under the table, where the photograph rested on Aziraphale's thigh.
“Shades of a very light gray, I rather fancy.” Aziraphale smiled into his glass, preparing for their disagreement to turn into a full-blown silly discussion on color theory. Which it did.
While their aesthetic discrepancies about various shades of gray were being discussed at length and in oral treatises, the angel and the demon were very much on the same page when it came to wine, and the drinking of it. They had not over-indulged, not tonight, but were emptying the bottle between them slowly and comfortably, having settled into a conversation of the same kind. The virtues of mixing colors, all that. It came to them easily, the debating, each fending for the role they had been assigned.
“Of course, take too many colors and you just end up with a sort of brown-gray sludge,” Crowley said now, and made a face. “Bit like the walls of hell.”
This was the wrong term to drop so carelessly, on a night such as this, and the lapis-lazuli dreams of Aziraphale’s mind were washed right down the drain, where they traveled until they turned into a sort of brown-gray sludge and dripped onto the road to hell, which matched the walls in color. Hell, where Crowley had almost ended up tonight, and not to pay a friendly visit with a report card.
“Crowley, what would have… If they’d taken the photograph, what would have happened to you?”
Aziraphale had turned the page and stumbled upon a new chapter of their conversation, pricking himself on the safety pin that kept the messy draft of the novel of Them all in one tidy place. This was uncharted territory, both of their relationship and of his heart. Aziraphale really, really terribly loved a good story with a happy ending. Shame if it were to be cut short, finished before its time. But where was it headed? The proof was in the pudding. (A good kind of sludge, with a more pleasant color.) There were no instructions, not on the pudding box and not in the first and second and hundredth drafts of their millions of stories. Aziraphale was scared, he realized, of the open-endedness.
He looked nervously at Crowley, for a moment, before his eyes flitted away.
“Eehhhh,” Crowley said. “Eh. Dunno. Y'know. Bad stuff. Good at that , they are.”
Crowley wouldn’t answer him, Aziraphale realized. At least not properly. The demon began blubbering away now, about the creativity of hell, trying to work his way back to the topic of colors along the sludgy walls of hell and likely succeeding, but Aziraphale wasn’t really listening anymore.
Aziraphale didn’t say he was scared. He even tried not to show it. He’d shown too much, already, tonight. And look where it had gotten them, all this emotion. They were safe now, yes, but Crowley had risked too much for him today – and too many other days and nights, as well. It was all his fault. And he kept doing it, too, purposely even, sometimes (though not tonight) and it was so terribly selfish of him.
Crowley’s safety was more important to him than anything else.
And he was its biggest threat.
They couldn’t keep doing this. Not after tonight. Not after Crowley had tread on hallowed ground for his sake; after Crowley had held a gun to his face, shaking, pleading no; after Crowley had almost gotten dragged down to hell for trusting an angel. Not after Aziraphale had realized that he– how much Crowley meant to him, and how much losing him would tear a hole into the very fabric of his being. Not the loss of his corporation – though that was its own kind of terror and a cause of many past nightmares – but the loss of him, Crowley, his very being. No more Crowley ever again, not in this body or any next. The thought had been so terrifying he'd rejected it immediately, and shut it away, but it was back now, a monster not constrained by drawers or cages of the mind. He'd realized there was no Aziraphale without Crowley, not really. And he couldn’t imagine it. But to keep him safe, to truly keep him safe–
“It’s getting awfully late. Maybe you should leave, now.”
–he needed to stay away.
“Eh?”
“I said it’s late, and I’m ti– tired… and– you should probably leave. We’ve spent– too much time together, today, have we not?” He tried to laugh, nervously, and Crowley furrowed his brows.
He got up anyway, abruptly and a little stiffly. “If that’s what you want, angel.”
It’s not what I want at all. “Yes.”
Aziraphale got up, as well, pushing his chair into the table and following Crowley to the door. The demon was walking briskly, but stopped short before reaching the exit. Aziraphale came up to his side, looking torn, and lifted a hand as if to hold him. He, too, stopped short before making contact. Let it drop.
“Angel,” Crowley started, but obviously didn’t know where to go with the words. What’s going on? The sudden change had thrown him off, and yet he was beginning to realize, slowly, what might have caused it. The worry in Aziraphale’s eyes was telling.
“I can’t have you risking your life for me,” Aziraphale said now, very quietly.
Crowley exhaled through his nostrils. We’ve both been risking our lives for each other for a very long time , he wanted to say. Wonder why that is? He said nothing. He didn’t want to think about the answer to that question, either.
Aziraphale looked at him, and there was something in that look, in that god-unforsaken gaze , that tore at Crowley’s insides, and he leaned forward: just a bit. And Aziraphale didn’t draw back. They stayed like that for a moment entirely too long for it to mean anything but one thing, but neither closed what little distance remained between them.
It was Crowley who turned away.
“Good night, angel,” he murmured, and Aziraphale only registered the sound of the little door bell as the Bentley was already roaring to life.
He stood there, alone, for several more moments, grappling with what had not happened, before he returned to the back room, where the photograph lay on the table, mocking him and his silly little human feelings. He didn’t want to look at it.
He should destroy it. Wasn’t that the right thing? The only thing? But Crowley’s absence hurt (already, already it hurt) and... what if he followed through and kept him at an arm’s length? What if nights like these were no longer possible? At least not until things had cooled down, one way or another. A few decades, maybe.
But he couldn't do it. Couldn’t bear it.
He pocketed the picture, carefully, in his waist coat. He suddenly felt like crying. Instead, he wandered into the shop, sat down at his desk, and opened a book. Paradise Lost. How wonderfully ironic.
He kept reading until dusk, and longer still, and when the little bell chimed again, announcing a brave and forlorn customer, Aziraphale slid the photograph between the pages, and closed the book, and got up with a smile.
#good omens#ineffable husbands#good omens fanfiction#my tiny take on 1941#(this is part of the new chapter of Meanwhile but posting it as a standalone too)#my writing#inefficable
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new work! Survive
I gave myself the weekend to work on this and then I didn’t, LOL. So this is another sort of short piece, which I had thought to put as another chapter of the previous one, but then that was too complicated, so it’s a standalone too. Fairly shortly after Tenuous Position, it takes place in Novigrad and features Morvran’s chatty assistant Tiron making unlikely friends.
This is maybe a bit redundant and sort of self-indulgent but I feel like I earned that LOL. I have like so much more story to post but it’s mostly out of order and I’m still working on it. And to be honest the Peace-Tied arm of the story is hung up in me needing to do major revisions on a future, very complicated chapter, and I am being a chicken-butt about it and not doing them, but i really ought to so I can get those timelines to reunite because boy do I have a whole backlog of shit that’s got to happen when they do and so the sooner I get to it the better. But! here, meanwhile, is another little bit of the Meowvran Backstory, the war crimes behind the pathetic wet cat we know and love, etcetera. This time he is in Novigrad during Witcher 3, not looking at titties.
Survive, on AO3
Ves stared at him for a moment, and then some of the tension went out of her shoulders. “Oh,” she said. “No, you-- that wasn’t a mistake. I-- well, I like both.” She frowned, but it was a different one. “How do you have such good Common as to barely have an accent and yet not know those words?”
“Those words don’t come up when you learn Nordling from books and your grandmother,” Tiron said. “I can’t swear either except what I’ve learned on this trip. I don’t even know the crude names for body parts.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Really?”
“Yes really,” he said. “And furthermore, I should be honest with you, I am actually not a spy, I am only here so that my compatriot does not wind up murdered, and actually I know nothing of substance.”
“But you don’t even know how to swear,” she said, as if that were the most astonishing thing she’d ever heard.
“Well, not in this tongue,” he said.
She looked interested. “In other ones, though?”
“Of course,” he said, affronted.
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Hello!!
I’m new here and was looking at your master list. Is of fawns and shadows a fic or does it just include little separate stories?
I’m new ish to tumblr😭 could you do a post showing how to navigate your master list???
Thank you so much!!
Hi,
So, it's both. It's a fic, where there are like 7 huge chapters. And then I got pulled in a number of different directions with it. So meanwhile I wrote a bunch of prequels AND sequels. But they are all set in the same world, so to speak. But they can also technically be read as standalones. (I know, good luck with all that! :))
Essentially I am a disorganized writer!
BUT, if you are gonna read it, below is the sequence.
(Though I am writing something right now, which would also be a prequel, that would follow One Day in Velaris)
The entire spread is about 10 years: Starting just post the fateful Solstice (which is where Snowed In begins), all through their relationship, up until they become Lord and Lady of Hewn City and have a bunch of kids
So, these are all prequels:
Snowed In (Prequel) (Part of 25 days of Elriel Solstice)
Five Golden Rings (Prequel/Continuation of ‘Snowed In’) (Part of 25 Days of Elriel Solstice)
Mistletoe (Prequel/Continuation of ‘Five Golden Rings’) ( Part of 25 Days of Elriel Solstice)
One Day in Velaris (Prequel)
Below is actual Fawns Of Shadows, which I am still working on in my own special way:
Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven
(Basically, blah, blah, things happen, they get together--that's the gist of Fawns and Shadows)
And these are the sequels:
A Gift from Father Winter (sequel) (Rated E***)
The Heirs of Shadows (set in Of Fawns of Shadows world) completed
Chapters I and II (***Rated E)
Revenge Served Cold (completed)
Sorry. Good luck! Hope you enjoy it.
There is a lot of very slow build up and then lots of sex too.
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A Shot in the Dark: Chapter One (Author’s Commentary)
(read the fic here)
General Notes:
(So I kind of stole this idea from my friend @unexpected-possibilities after she made an author’s commentary post on one of her fics, and I was like “Oh. Wait, I actually find this kind of stuff SUPER interesting to read." So...yeah, here’s mine for anybody who feels similarly lol)
I have been dying to write this kind of story pretty much since the completion of my second Wizards/ToA fic back in August, but it took me a while to suss out the plot. I generally try to keep my fics as canon-friendly as possible (not that I have anything against AUs, that’s just not a direction that I usually go in) so it was tricky to create a high-stakes adventure story that didn’t mess with canon too much.
That being said, Chapter 1 is pretty chill, apart from the scene at the end. But it is incredibly important to the plot, because it sets up elements that will be very relevant later in the story. It also serves to re-establish the three-way relationship between Douxie, Archie, and Nari, which will give their interactions in the future chapters more weight.
One last general note before we get to the passage-specific stuff: The song “Protector” by City Wolf has always been my go-to theme for the Douxie-Archie-Nari relationship, but I think it really captures the feel of this story in particular (or at least, it will once the whole thing is posted lol). I’ve never associated a particular song with any of my other fics before, but this one really was a huge part of what inspired this story, so I highly recommend that you give it a listen, if you are so inclined.
Passage-Specific Notes:
Two pairs of luminous golden eyes were hovering uncomfortably close to his head and staring at him fixedly. Douxie yelped and threw off his covers, scrambling upright and fumbling for his magic vambrace nearby. A small green hand held it out to him politely, and after a bit of confused blinking, Douxie finally registered the faces of his companions. Nari and Archie were sitting on the floor next to his mattress, looking at him eagerly.
Two short things: One: I had no idea how I was going to start this scene, and then I remembered that one Calvin and Hobbes strip where Calvin wakes up to find Hobbes hovering over him menacingly, and I was like “Yes, that will do nicely.” Two: I still have no idea what Douxie’s magic bracelet-thingy should technically be called, so I settled on vambrace. I know Merlin refers to it as a bracelet in the show, but Merl, I’m sorry, but you clearly know nothing about jewelry. That thing is NOT a simple bracelet. (Also I had to research the difference between bracers and vambraces in order to determine which word to use. Bracers are apparently protective gear that is exclusive to archery, while vambrace is a more general word for any kind of armor worn on the forearm).
“It’s also the day you promised to bring Nari to Central Park,” Archie informed him.
This is a callback to a previous entry in the series, Home Away From Home. Although each entry in the Immortal Bonds series is written in such a way that it can be enjoyed as a standalone, I do weave tiny threads of continuity throughout all of them.
Mornings for Nari looked very different than they used to, she realized as she set the kettle on the stove, stepping back so Archie could light it (due to her somewhat complicated relationship with Bellroc, she was still wary about anything that involved fire). As a demigoddess who had existed for hundreds of millenia, she had never had much experience with something as human as family domesticity.
The scene where Nari and Archie make Douxie’s tea was originally going to be much longer and feature a lot more introspection on Nari’s part (I even researched the British tea-making process for it, since I’m fairly certain Douxie is the one who taught her how to make tea). I was going to start exploring the idea that Nari is still insecure about her place in this little found family, but I realized after about three paragraphs that there’s no way Nari doesn’t know how much Douxie genuinely loves her--she is already proficient in reading his emotions at this point. So that’s an internal conflict for another day.
“Keep very still for me, Nari.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his aura flowing out and wrapping around her like a warm, familiar cloak. “Celare,” he murmured, and Nari felt a sharp tug on her spirit as the spell washed over it, cool and comforting like the shade of an old tree.
If you’ve read previous entries in this series, you know that I can wax poetic about the physical sensations of magic for DAYS. It is one of my favorite aspects of writing Tales of Arcadia fanfiction. Also Celare (kel-ahr-ay) is Latin for “Hide” or “Conceal.” I had to get outside help for this because I don’t speak Latin, and Google Translate is (as I found out) completely unreliable for even the simplest, single-word translations (it gave me the word for “clothe” when I used it 😑)
The first time she had walked the streets of New York City, Nari had been on the verge of tears. There were so many sensations assaulting her mind at once, the feeling of countless souls buzzing around, a crowd of spirits so thick that sometimes it felt like a wall. Even without tapping into her roots, she was drowning in a sea of tangling energies, as hundreds, even thousands of voices echoed in her soul all at once.
Oooooops, is that a parallel for Sensory Processing Disorder? Well, how did that get in there??? *shoves my own mental health issues under a rug with my foot* I have no clue.
This is probably as good a time as any to discuss auras vs. life energy. Basically, aura is the energy radiated by the presence of magic. Magical creatures who share close bonds can become very sensitive to one another’s aura, and because magic is so inextricably linked to emotion, Nari is able to read Douxie’s aura to pick up on whatever he’s feeling (though this is because she is extra sensitive to magical presence--Douxie is attuned to her aura, but he can’t read hers the way she can his). Life energy, meanwhile, is the energy given off by every living soul, magic or otherwise, and that’s what Nari is able to sense via her powers as a demigoddess. I sometimes interchange the word aura with spirit or soul or something similar, but if Douxie or Nari are sensing one another in any capacity apart from their actual physical senses, it’s their auras. Archie also has an aura, but it’s not as intense as that of a true magic-wielder.
He was fashionably dressed, (“business casual,” the humans called it), with an elegant black trench coat hanging nonchalantly off of his arm. He had dark brown hair, handsomely trimmed and styled, just a bit shorter than Douxie’s, and was wearing a large pair of expensive-looking sunglasses. He looked thoroughly uninterested in the world around him, and had the appearance of someone who was waiting to meet up with a particularly tardy acquaintance. But Nari couldn’t sense that he was waiting. She couldn’t sense anything from this man. He emitted no life force, no aura or energy of any kind. He was like a standing, breathing corpse.
I have had this character floating around in the back of my mind since August, and I was just waiting for the opportunity to use him. Also fun fact, he was originally conceived as a sort of prototype for who I thought Mordred Le Fey would be in the ToA universe. But since canon is technically still ongoing and the ToA writers could still bring Mordred into the picture, I decided to adapt him into the original character Rivan (whose name will be properly revealed in the next chapter).
Beside her, Douxie’s aura was rippling with unease. But a moment later, his spirit stilled, and he put an arm around her to turn her away from the alley...
...A minute later, the crosswalk signal changed once more, and they continued on their way. Though Douxie’s spirit was radiating a placid energy, Nari couldn’t help noticing that he kept his arm around her for the rest of the journey.
It was important to me that Douxie not look like a complete idiot in this scene, which was a little difficult since this part isn’t told from his perspective. Homeboy absolutely knows better than to ignore something suspicious like this. But he is also acting as Nari’s brother/guardian in this scene, so he tries to play it off to keep her from worrying too much. He promised her a fun day in Central Park, and he’s not willing to bail on that just yet. But I’m hoping that the fact that he has to force his aura into a state of calm and physically holds Nari close to him as they walk are good indicators that he has gone on high alert.
And that’s a wrap for this week! Next Friday, all hell is gonna break loose, so definitely come back for that. If you have any questions/comments, definitely hit me up either in my Ask Box or over on Ao3. As always, thanks for reading! ✨💕
#fanfiction#writing#author's commentary#tales of arcadia#douxie#nari#a shot in the dark#the magical siblings#and their therapy cat
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Stars Like Angels Fall (Part 10 - Epilogue)
by AriaAdagio
Chapter: 10/10 a.k.a. IT’S DONE IT’S DONE IT’S DONE! YAY!
Fandom: Lucifer (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Lucifer Morningstar & Trixie Decker
Characters: Chloe Decker, Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Dan Espinoza, Trixie Decker, Ella Lopez
Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Angst and Fluff, Humor, new relationship awkwardness, Emotional Baggage, Basiphobia, bed sharing, Domestic schmoop, but not too schmoopy, Sexual Content, Wingfic, Angels, Case Fic, Teamwork, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Blood and Gore, Competence Kink, Skydiving, some comic influence, Lucifer acts his age, Lucifer Needs a Hug, Chloe needs a hug, Hugs for everybody, Lucifer is adopted by a cat, Lucifer is triggered, Lucifer learns to use his words, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Season/Series 03, Chloe KNOWS, Lucifer Bingo 2019, Readable standalone
Summary: “Where do I begin? With the grandest fall in the history of time?” When Lucifer and Chloe’s latest investigation points toward skydiving shenanigans, Lucifer must grapple with his fear of falling. Meanwhile, in the wake of recent trauma and Chloe’s altered worldview, Chloe and Lucifer explore their budding relationship. [Deckerstar. Post-Castaway but readable standalone.]
Preview:
Thank you so much to @thewollfgang for the purty banner, and to @pellaaearien @thewollfgang and @tarysande for being awesome beta readers :) Thanks also to everybody who’s been following along on Twitter and Tumblr and sending encouragement along the way!
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Stars Like Angels Fall
read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2Ln9pCC
by ariaadagio
“Where do I begin? With the grandest fall in the history of time?” When Lucifer and Chloe’s latest investigation points toward skydiving shenanigans, Lucifer must grapple with his fear of falling. Meanwhile, in the wake of recent trauma and Chloe’s altered worldview, Chloe and Lucifer explore their budding relationship. [Deckerstar. Post-Castaway but readable standalone.]
Words: 6253, Chapters: 1/9, Language: English
Series: Part 2 of Gravity
Fandoms: Lucifer (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Categories: F/M
Characters: Chloe Decker, Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Trixie Decker, Dan Espinoza, Ella Lopez
Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Trixie Decker & Lucifer Morningstar
Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Angst and Fluff, Humor, new relationship awkwardness, Emotional Baggage, Basiphobia, bed sharing, Domestic schmoop, but not too schmoopy, Sexual Content, Wingfic, Angels, Case Fic, Teamwork, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Blood and Gore, Competence Kink, Skydiving, some comic influence, Lucifer acts his age, Lucifer Needs a Hug, Chloe needs a hug, Hugs for everybody, Lucifer is adopted by a cat, Lucifer is triggered, Lucifer learns to use his words, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Season/Series 03, Chloe KNOWS, Lucifer Bingo 2019, Readable standalone
read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2Ln9pCC
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MASTERLIST 2017/2018
TITLE: Why Tony Stark is injurious to the heart health of ninety year olds
AUTHOR: makeyamad
ARTIST: chaosdraws
PAIRINGS: James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
RATING: Teen and Up
WARNINGS: None
SUMMARY:
What if Bucky broke through his programming on December 16, 1991? What if Tony got to grow up with one of his childhood heroes who challenges him on a visceral level, constantly pushing him to change his own destiny and makes his heart beat like a hummingbird? What if Steve woke up to a world too bright and a best friend whose past cast red tinged shadows that threatened to swallow him whole, yet managed to smile for Steve? What would Steve make of Tony, his best friend’s guiding light , who looked at Steve with equal parts admiration and resentment?
And who the hell invited Thanos to the party anyway?
LINK TO STORY: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13623207/chapters/31280367
LINK TO ART: Click Here
~o~o~o~
TITLE: The path beneath your feet
AUTHOR: Striving-artist
ARTIST: Eriot (latelierderiot)
PAIRINGS: James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
RATING: Teen And Up Audiences
WARNINGS: None
SUMMARY:
A Star fell, and in its wake, Soulmarks appeared.
Smaller than a person’s palm, centered over their sternum, and a greater risk than when the Stars gave mankind Guilt, the Marks were to be Humanity’s eternal guides. The gift gave the Stars a way to direct their children. The Stars would watch, and wait to see what a person needed in their life. They waited to see what would bring them the greatest joy, then they could give them a token to find that path and keep them true.
***
All three share a Mark.
But Steve and Bucky have each other.
And Tony has Iron Man.
LINK TO STORY: HERE
LINK TO ART: HERE
~o~o~o~
Title: If Only
Author: Wix
Artist: RsCreighton
Pairings: Steve/Tony/Bucky, WinterIronShield
Rating: T
Warnings: References to past torture and mind control.
Summary:
The Avengers have tracked down the Winter Soldier and brought him into the fold, but Bucky isn’t really back yet and Steve’s hurting from the distance between him and his first love - and then there’s the whole thing with Tony.
It’s okay though, they’ll figure it all out…probably.
A/N: Not AOU Compliant, Not fully CA:WS compliant.
LINK TO STORY: http://archiveofourown.org/works/13596528
LINK TO ART: http://archiveofourown.org/works/13603791
~o~o~o~
TITLE: The Revenge
AUTHOR: Riverlander974
ARTIST: Hazein
PAIRINGS: James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
RATING: Teen
WARNINGS: N/A
SUMMARY:
“Hello. My name is Anthony Stark. You killed my family. Prepare to die.”
Heroes, Giants, Pirates, Villains, Revenge and True Love.
You know this story. Mostly.
A ‘Princess Bride’ AU.
A/N: New chapters will be posted every other day!!
LINK TO STORY: http://archiveofourown.org/works/13543128/chapters/31072041
LINK TO ART:
http://hazeinart.tumblr.com/post/170791391805/art-piece-for-winterironshieldbang-do-you-love
http://hazeinart.tumblr.com/post/170975656077/the-revenge-chapter-3-riverlander974-marvel
~o~o~o~
TITLE: Scientific Heresy
AUTHOR: antigrav_vector
ARTIST: Riverlander974
PAIRINGS: one-sided unrequited Margaret “Peggy” Carter/Steve Rogers, James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers, Tony Stark/Steve Rogers, Tony Stark/James “Bucky” Barnes, Tony Stark/James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers
RATING: M (violence)
WARNINGS: Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Time Travel, Mission Fic, ignores all MCU canon after IM2, inaccurate history
SUMMARY:
In the process of running the particle accelerator in his basement and save the day, Tony finds himself flung into the past where he has to take on a fight not his own if he wants to get home to stop Vanko. At least he had a chance to replace the old rector that had been killing him with the new one before everything went sideways… But now he has no choice but to face off with family, friends, and old heroes, and none of that sounds remotely appealing. Well, okay, getting to meet them all during their glory days kinda does.
But as it turns out, they’re not exactly what he imagined, and his path home is a lot longer than he’d hoped it would be.
And a lot more complicated.
A/N: Art will be posting piece by piece as the chapters go up, because otherwise there would be some spoilers. It will be embedded in the fic, too, so don’t worry, you won’t miss any. But don’t forget to go reblog and heap some love on the (ridiculously many!) lovely things River drew!
LINK TO STORY: http://archiveofourown.org/works/13664655
LINK TO ART: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13602213
~o~o~o~
TITLE: Trying
AUTHOR: Somiko_Raven (crystallized-iron)
ARTIST: Lasenby_Heathcote (lasenbyphoenix)
PAIRINGS: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/James “Bucky” Barnes, James “Bucky” Barnes/Tony Stark, James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
RATING: Teen
WARNINGS: N/A
SUMMARY:
It had been years since Steve last saw Bucky, and when his old friend suddenly appears back in town, he’s ready to do what he can to help him, even if that means saying yes to a date.
There’s a problem, though.
Steve’s already in a relationship.
LINK TO STORY: http://archiveofourown.org/works/13668645
LINK TO ART: http://archiveofourown.org/works/13668963
~o~o~o~
TITLE: sing (like there’s nobody listening)
AUTHOR: Daecyan_Shikoba
ARTIST: massivespacewren
PAIRINGS: Steve/Tony/Bucky, established Steve/Bucky
RATING: Teen
WARNINGS: N/A
SUMMARY:
Steve sends Bucky a link to a song that changes more than either of them could ever expect. Tony, head of a brand new prosthetic research team, meanwhile, has a decision to make: reveal his identity as Iron Man and risk alienating Bucky and Steve, or remain a mystery to Bucky, Steve, and the internet at large. The feelings Tony has for both men doesn’t make the choice any easier. All Steve and Bucky want is to take Tony on a date, if he’ll have them.
LINK TO STORY: http://archiveofourown.org/works/13666332
LINK TO ART: http://massivespacewren.tumblr.com/post/170867864733/here-is-the-art-for-my-stuckony-big-bang-i-got-to
~o~o~o~
TITLE: Imagine You and You (and You) and Me
AUTHOR: RomancebyFaye
ARTISTS: novarain01 and empty-crayon-box
PAIRINGS: James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
RATING: Teen (for now)
WARNINGS: N/A
SUMMARY:
Steve and Bucky both have two soulmates. When Bucky falls, Steve goes into the ice not long after. He wakes up decades in the future and has a rough introduction to his other soulmate, Tony Stark.
Neither man seem too enthused about the revelation, and Steve is slightly surprised when Tony makes no demands of him or even uncovers his soulwords. Turns out, Stark doesn’t think too highly of soulbonds. Still, they manage to work together and Steve comes to realize he might have misjudged Tony.
He’s working up the nerve to try and make this more than a friendship when Bucky turns out to be alive. And not quite alone.
Or, Steve is jealous of cuddles and bed sharing, Tony has no expectations of his soulmates because his soulwords are extra crappy, Bucky is sharing his psyche with the Asset, and all of them are on a converging path to falling in love.
A/N: Possible Smut to be added later. This would change rating to Explicit.
LINK TO STORY: A03 link
LINK TO ART:
empty-crayon-box piece one and two!
novarain01
~o~o~o~
TITLE: The Best of You
AUTHOR: Menatiera
ARTIST: araydre
PAIRINGS: James “Bucky” Barnes/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers, James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
RATING: Teen And Up Audiences
WARNINGS: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
SUMMARY:
Tony (genius, billionaire, superhero) and James (former WWII hero, former Winter Soldier, former Bucky Barnes) are figuring out their relationship. No, really, they’re doing great, after all the landmines are behind them. If they survived kidnappings, SHIELD at their backyard, revelations of past and all that jazz, what could possibly stand between them?
Enter Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America. And things, of course, go sideways immediately.
Tony is not entirely ready to face Daddy’s Dearest, his childhood crush. James is not at all ready to have his blond boy from the memories back.
They don’t have a choice.
And on top of this, Steve, freshly defrosted and doing his best to adjust to the new century with both loves of his life gone, has his own problems. Including but not limited to an intelligence organization full of overexcited people, an alien army coming from the sky through some magic-bullshit-science portal and a genius chaperoning him around - whom he might be falling for.
A/N: This is a sequel of Still Alive, but rest assured, it can be read as a standalone. Chapters will be posted every day.
LINK TO STORY: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13703103/chapters/31475598
LINK TO ART: http://araydre.tumblr.com/post/170948599062/
~o~o~o~
TITLE: The Heist
AUTHOR: @jacarandabanyan
ARTIST: @acastleintheair
PAIRINGS: Bucky/Tony, Bucky/Steve, implied future Bucky/Steve/Tony
RATING: G
WARNINGS: Some swearing
SUMMARY:
“So you know that one artist who’s a total recluse and never does interviews or anything? Rogers? Well, someone found some of his old artwork that he didn’t want people to see, and it’s going to be showcased in this fancy gala. So for… reasons I have to go and steal the art before the gala.”
“I’ll help.” Tony said immediately.
Bucky twisted around in his lap to get a good look at his face. “What? Really?”
Tony nodded furiously. “I’m with you all the way, what time is this heist going down, I’ll clear my calendar. Though I would like to know how you know Rogers when the man’s so reclusive no one even knows what he looks like.”
Bucky squinted at him. “That was seriously the worst explanation I’ve ever given you, but you’re going to agree just like that?”
“Yep.”
LINK TO STORY: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13714221
LINK TO ART: art
~o~o~o~
TITLE: Fight Club
AUTHOR: Reioka
ARTIST: puddingpong and latelierderiot
PAIRINGS: James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
RATING: Explicit
WARNINGS: None
SUMMARY:
Tony had always expected that his awful kink would never be brought up to his alphas. It had ended more relationships than it had helped. But when Steve and Bucky find out about it, they’re… supportive? Tony has no idea what he did to deserve these two alphas that are willing to indulge his kink but he’s glad. Of course, they have a few kinks of their own that they’re willing to divulge now too.
A/N: None
LINK TO STORY: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13779012
LINK TO ART:
http://latelierderiot.tumblr.com/post/171216496012/the-second-collab-for-the puddingpong–
http://puddingpong.tumblr.com/post/171216991982/winterironshield-bang-art-full-art-below-of-the
~o~o~o~
TITLE: Fallen Gods and Shooting Stars
AUTHOR: @lunaticalwriter
ARTIST: @chaosdraws
PAIRINGS: Steve/Bucky/Tony endgame
RATING: M (some smut)
WARNINGS: N/A
SUMMARY:
“Thousands of years ago, the First Gods tried to defeat Fate, and were banished from the Olympus.
Ten years ago, Howard Stark, head of the most powerful mob in America, was killed with his wife in a terrible accident, leaving their son Anthony to lead their family.
Three years ago, Obadiah Stane kidnapped Tony Stark and imprisoned him on an island in the middle of the ocean.
Somehow, this all leads to Steve and Bucky’s bedroom.
LINK TO STORY: http://archiveofourown.org/works/13799196/chapters/31724910
LINK TO ART: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13802646/chapters/31734486
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My Ducktales AUs Masterpost
I have a lot of AUs. And I want to have a place where both you and I can check back and find them! I actually couldn’t find them all :P so if anyone finds my second tangled au, my Svtfoe AU, or three of my hamilton aus please tell me!
(read more bc this is a long post)
Now, onto the aus!
Aunt/Mom Selene AU - Selene finds out about Della’s disappearance early on and stops by frequently to be an aunt/mother figure to the boys. Bonus Uncle Storkules!
Webbed Wonder AU - Webby is studying abroad when her school is attacked and she is forced to relocate temporarily to a college in St. Canard. While there, she meets the resident superhero, the Quiverwing Quack, and becomes a superhero alongside her, just in time to fight two supvervillains who strike a little too close to home. (chapter 1 should be out soon!)
Hamilton AUs:
Della
Dewey
Scrooge
Fenton
Actor AU - Scrooge, Donald, and Della were famous actors instead of adventurers, and the kids follow in their footsteps with an adventure show featuring some old friends! Bonus: acting headcanons that could go with the AU or be standalone
Legend of the Three Caballeros AU - Around the same time that he moved in with Scrooge, Donald met Panchito, Jose, and Xandra. He struggles to balance two secret adventure lives.
Sky Pirates AU - Scrooge leads a fierce band of sky pirates high in the sky.
Mother Knows Best AU (couldn’t find the original post) - Switched!Della and Magica. Dewey finds a strange blue amulet that contains the shadow spirit of his lost mother. Her influence makes him grow more distant until he finally runs away to train under her. Years later, her influence has corrupted him. He finds his family, now living at McDuck Manor. Della wants him to destroy Scrooge, but the power of his family might actually be stronger than the influence of his mother. Meanwhile, Huey, Louie, and Webby help their sister Lena find her missing aunt.
Power of Four AU {Masterpost I Chapter 1 I Chapter 2} - Beakley gets called away on a Shush mission and leaves Webby with Donald. She never comes back, leaving Donald to raise Webby. Ten years later, the quadruplets begin to discover the mystery of Webby’s missing grandmother and what they can do to get her back.
Lucky Puppet AU - Magica gets sick of Lena and uses the last of her power to latch onto Gladstone. After she has regained some of that power, she forces him to connect with his family as a way of getting her close to Scrooge and he starts to realize he can’t betray them, even if his life is at stake. Meanwhile Lena, lost and alone and starving, gets taken in by Beakley but is panicking because she’s in the house of her aunt’s worst enemy and no one knows who she is.
Switched!Lena and Magica AU
Tia Cabrera AU - HDL’s and Fenton’s dad were the same people. He’s gone, but he left a bridge between two broken families. HDL grow up with an extra aunt and an older brother who are more than happy to adopt the rest of their bizarre family when the time comes.
Duckberg Falls AU {Part 1 I Part 2} - (my very first au aaaaah!) Ducks in Gravity Falls!
Secret Agent AU - Scrooge stuck in the spy business, and raised Della and Donald to be secret agents as well! Donald takes the kids away, but after a particularly nasty brush with one of Fowl’s chief agents, Flintheart Glomgold, Shush executives force him to move into McDuck Manor (which just so happens to be one of their headquarters). The kids get immersed in the business. At least Shush still doesn’t know he’s secretly Paperinik, one of the only superhero in Duckberg/St. Canard not somehow affiliated with Shush.
Spyience/Spyro/GySpy AU - Two dramatic scenarios of Team Science getting involved with Shush and Fowl as secret agents! Separate from the Secret Agent AU.
Tangled AUs:
Duckpunzel AU - (movie-based), Lena, the orphan adopted by the royal family/captain of the guards in Corona, their youngest princess (before Princess Della’s sons and Captain Beakley’s granddaughter were born) was kidnapped by her biological aunt, the witch Mother Magica. She spends 18 years locked up in Magica’s tower before her adventurous adoptive sister/girlfriend, Webby, bursts into her tower, on the run from her great-uncle because she stole the tiara meant for Lena (she only wanted to study it!)
Webby’s Tangled Adventure AU - (series based) After being rescued from Magica’s tower by the love of her life, Louie, the adventurous lost princess Webby must adjust to royal life. But it’s not long before her magic hair comes back and her new best friend Lena takes her to see a young alchemist, Huey, in Old Duckberg. Shenanigans ensure, and Webby sadly has to fight Huey, but soon she and her gaggle of friends are on another great adventure, following the black rocks past St. Canard and many other magical places.
Mamma Mia AU (a collab with ppl from the Delpad Discord) - HDLW live on a beautiful island with their mom and uncle, running a hotel. Dewey and Webby are about to get married, but when Dewey and his siblings are going through people to invite, he finds his mom’s old journal and three important names. Launchpad McQuack, Don Karnage, and Storkules. Of course he has to invite them!
I’m always open for questions about these AUs! I will continue to update and reblog this post as I come up with new AUs, additions/revisions to my current AUs, and as I start writing them!
Bonus: Hunger Games AU
#ducktales aus#my aus#wavey's aus#ducktales 2017#dt17#mom selene au#hamilton della au#hamilton dewey au#hamilton scrooge au#hamilton fenton au#actor au#lot3c au#sky pirates au#mother knows best au#power of four au#lucky puppet au#tia cabrera au#gravity ducks au#duckberg falls au#secret agent au#team spyience au#gyspy au#spyro au#duckpunzel au#webby's tangled adventure au#mamma mia au
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What Are You Reading This Week - 4/23/18
Some of my favorites updated this week, and I thought I’d mention as well as posting new fics. I’m behind on so many, but I’ll get there! Add yours if you reblog and let me know what YOU are reading!
So without delay...
Your Mood: You just watched Emma Watson twirl across the dance floor on Netflix with the guy that played Matthew on Downton Abbey (still not over season 3, but bygones) and you want a little of that kind of romance:
Pandora’s Picks has you covered with:
Across the Stars by @nite0wl29 updated. with Ch 12. - A Star Wars Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending with a sort of “Beauty and the Beast” theme woven in.
Your Mood: You’re high maintenance, dammit, and by God you want a good Reylo story AND a strong Luke Skywalker who didn’t hold a saber near his adolescent nephew in a “lapse of judgment” (WTF, Rian, really).
Well...not many fics are gonna cater to you, but since I happen to feel this pissy at times MYSELF...Pandora has you covered. You are in search of:
Strategic Alliances by Wissixwe and Skywalkers (sequel that can be read as a standalone with a little catch-up via the author, @thereisnocureforthis. This deals with concepts that might blow your mind a bit or make you geek out if are a former Trekkie and love stuff like “folding space” and world building. Irno the Kourin was my favorite OC in Skywalkers and Dar Noah got Leia’s groove back in Strategic Alliance AND Skywalkers (more power to him - although he is a Sith, but a nice one). AND Luke FINALLY has a love interest in Skywalkers AND he’s playing his part as a hero, not as a grump old man. This was the Luke I wanted to see. Author is a ....physicist? Nasa engineer? Something like that, because she takes her plot and details seriously, and I’ve had to ask questions at times as she writes at a level far above my head sometimes. Intellectuals, this one is for you!
I also started A Certain Point of View by Wissixwe @thereisnocureforthis recently which is her first post The Last Jedi fic. It’s still early to know where this is headed, but I love the Leia/Ben/Rey interaction! Definitely worth bookmarking. The author has a beautiful and lyrical writing style and I’ve been following her since early 2016 when I joined!
Your mood: Possible tipsy, because you’re seeing DOUBLE! PP knows why: you are probably reading:
Across Alternate Universes updated by @intp-slytherin97 which is the one with two different Ben Solos/Kylo Rens in alternative universes that switch places. Damn do I wish I was on a desert island right now and could binge this. SOON.
Alone in Space by @mrsvioletwrites is a new one I just started. It’s five chapters completed, obviously a WIP, but it’s set in the Prohibition era and I just LOVE it so far! Snoke is a female character! Fiona O’Snoke was the leader of the bootleggers but got herself killed. Kylo the Killer is the bootlegger who now runs things with Hux and Phaedra (Phasma) as his helpers. Rey and Poe are the two detectives trying to solve the case of why young women are dying from methanol poisoning, and Kylo is investigating why his product is doing that as well. Meanwhile, Rey dresses in a slinky flapper outfit trying to draw out Kylo the Killer. And it’s working...
Your mood: You are pressed for time and can’t take on even a 10 page fic, but you need a good post TLJ one-shot. Pandora’s Picks recommends:
Connected in the Deep by @juuls
A moody, sensual one-shot exploring the Force Bond! One of my favorite writers due to her writing style. This little gem hasn’t had many readers finding for some reason. I loved it!
You’re in the mood for a bit of romance, a bit of soul, maybe a touch of poetry. Pandora’s Picks definitely recommends:
Songs of Innocence, Songs of Wisdom by @cosmo-gonika.
I’ve got to beta a few chapters, so I’m really steeped in this story which has a great plot, great descriptions, and some steamy sex scenes! There’s also a female rival for Ren’s affections, or it would APPEAR to be going that way - meet Vrieska, Knight of Ren and original character by the author. Watch that little minx!
Your Mood: PISSED because there’s nothing M/M on here!
Relax, boys. I’m a gay ally and Pandora has you covered! Check out:
Poe/Hux Afterstory Tales by @gamebird
BONUS - it’s COMPLETE! You have 22 chapters to binge!
This picks up after Pacification, where Hux and Poe sparked an unlikely relationship, earned one another's trust, and became engaged. In this, they get to know one another better as Hux continues to soften and learn how to be more of a human being. This is not a stand-alone and I would suggest reading Grey and Complicated, Orderly Lives, and Pacification first.
Your Mood: Fuck. This. Day! I need to punch something or...
Hey. Slow down, buddy. Pandora’s Picks suggests you quit punching your pillow and let’s get some of that passion redirected to...well, PASSION! I have the erotic interrogation story to end your night ona “happy” note!
“He’d Let Her” by @lucidlucy (I’m like the LAST person to discover this author, but what a treat to finally read these works!) Where’s Rey? She’s his guest! But then of course she escapes and Snoke wants him to find her yada yada and they explore the Force Bond and then Kylo is with her and...well, just read it! It’s the first part of a series, though. Not a one-shot, but I’m enjoying the ride!
That’s all for now. If you’re reading more than hat, you’re not sleeping enough, studying enough, or working enough! Anyway, it’s Monday and way past my bedtime. Hope that gives you enough new/old stuff to chew on until I get caught up and can add some more! Please reblog and give these authors some kudos and comments....or reblog so others can do so! Some of these stories have a following, but a lot do not, which is a pity as they are SO good! *If you feel I left off a good story or you know of some yourself, feel free to make your own list and use this format if it helps! My blog is for talking about and discovering new stories, in addition to things that make me laugh or are Star Wars related. I’m using the hashtag “pandora’s picks” or “Pandora Pick” so I can find these posts now....so many I’ve blogged are buried now!
Happy reading!
~Pandora
#What are you reading?#Pandora Spocks#pandoraspocksao3#Pandora pick#pandora's picks#Reylo#Reylo fanfic#Reylo fanfic recs#fic recs by mood
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Hey, you got any mega slow burn but canon stucky fics? Doesn't matter if it's pre TFA, or post CW or anything that just follows the canon storyline of these two!
Try these.
The Ungraceful Art of Falling by buckyfuckybarnes (complete | 150,479 | E )
Bucky Barnes was cold.He felt like he’d been cold for months now; doing nothing but experiencing one unending chill after another. He’d been cold in England, and again in Italy, and again especially in Austria – both while he was kept in an underground cell, and when he was strapped without cover to the unforgiving metal of Zola’s lab table.But Steve… Steve Rogers was sunshine. Everything about him was warm, from his crinkly-eyed smile to his white-hot rage. Steve was Coney Island on a summer’s day; lying back on high rooftops to watch fireworks on the 4th of July; drinking stolen whiskey in his parent’s living room…Loving Steve was a fact – simple and plain, like breathing air or bleeding red; loving Steve was soldered into his skin like a tattoo – it buzzed in his brain like its own kind of high. It was a part of who he was.
There Should Be Stars by childhoodinfamy (complete | 45,469 | T )
“All memories to tell you the truth aren’t good.But sometimes there were good times.Love was good. I loved your crooked sleepbeside me and never dreamed afraid.
There should be stars for great warslike ours. There ought to be awardsand plenty of champagne for the survivors.”- Sandra Cisneros
Or, it takes them decades.
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn* by newsbypostcard (complete | 164,102 | E ) *series; individual installments vary in length and can be read separately
“You keep asking me what I want,” Bucky manages, eventually. “But on any given day, my number one priority is to get through the day alive and myself, and to do it without killing anyone. Everything else is extra.”
Each work is standalone.
As Time Goes By* by Chiyume (complete | 68,406 | E ) *tagged for minor Steve/Peggy and minor fantasy about Steve/Bucky/Peggy
A timeline of Steve and Bucky’s relationship depicted as a series of shorter chapters. Dating from 1943 to present day (Civil War Compliant)
These Are My Hands, This Is The World by stellahibernis (complete | 128,302 | E )
Bucky goes into ice, and Steve is left to deal with it while trying to find a new purpose in a world where everything seems to be up in the air. First things first; get his friends free again, and proceed from there.
Bucky goes into ice, knowing that when he wakes up everything will be different. It will have been only a blink for him, but for others it will have been months, maybe even years. Still, there is a truth he knows; you have to save yourself. Others can help, but ultimately you have to be the one to do it.
He also knows that sometimes what you need to do to save yourself is incompatible with someone else’s needs or wants. Incompatible with their happiness.
Steve can’t help but think they keep finding each other only to lose each other only to find each other only to lose each other again, all the while circling around what exactly they mean to each other, never quite looking straight at it.
There is another truth that Steve knows; he can’t take it any longer. The cycle must be stopped.
Our Beginning by ohstars (complete | 167,107 | T )
Set in the twentieth century, this is the story of Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. Before they became Captain America and the Winter Solider. Before the war. Before the world put all of its weight on their shoulders.
Just two kids trying to get by in the world, and falling in love along the way.
Edit: cryofreeze70 wrote in with their new fic:
Captain America: Sons of War by Cryofreeze (WIP | 7,601 | M)
The Avengers Initiative is over, Steve Rogers is a wanted criminal who has gone off the radar, and Tony Stark is out for the blood of the man who killed his parents and ripped his team apart. Meanwhile, Bucky Barnes is suffering from the long-lasting effects of his time as Hydra's assassin and believes all hope is lost for him.
Steve has other ideas and is prepared to do whatever it takes to help him find peace, while Bucky just wants to keep his best friend safe from those hunting him.
But to do so, he has to find him first...
~ ~ ~ ~
Prepare yourself for a huge plot-driven, action-packed, canon-compliant (until post Civil War), multi-chaptered angst fest that I have been preparing for almost 2 years, and I really hope you enjoy the ride!
#anonymous#trope:slowbuild#trope:recovery#angst with a happy ending#trope:angst#Fluff and angst#genre:prewar#genre:postcivilwar#status:complete#length:over50k#mod iamnmbr3
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Tada! Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Mags’ War has gone up.
I may, um, still be aggressively editing later chapters. Sunday night I thought I was done except for chapter 5 of part 7. Then I decided to rewrite the second half of part 8. So...you’re going to continue getting chapters bit by bit until I’ve got the later parts under control.
Meanwhile, have a bonus chapter. This was originally supposed to be chapter 3 of part 1, but it doesn’t really contribute anything, it’s not especially good, and I can’t really post it as a standalone, because it assumes you’ve read all the way up through chapter 2 of part 1 of Mags’ War. But it’s got Mags and Annie! <3
So if you want to know what Mags and Annie are up to while Finnick’s in the Capitol right after the 74th Hunger Games, here you go.
I should have known. I should have done something.
Mags knows Finnick's a mediocre mentor, but she should have remembered that no one else would know that, and the other districts would react accordingly. She should have been able to come up with some plan for their kids, bought them a chance at least.
Learn from the past, focus on the future, Mags scolds herself. It's the same reminder she has to give herself every year, when she's home from the Games, working out a way to live with the loss of two more children.
With a sigh, Mags leans her head back on the pillow, wishing she could shake this flu-like exhaustion that's dogged her since the stroke. It's always hard to get out of bed right after the Games, and now it's impossible. Each trip to the bathroom takes everything she has to give.
She put on a brave face throughout the Games, because it was that or send Annie, but since she got home, she's been tucked up in her bed, sleeping when she can, and staring at the ceiling when she can't. She's glad it's a warm summer day in Four, because sometimes pulling a blanket over her body isn't worth the effort.
She's can't complain about a lack of pragmatic help, be it cooking, cleaning, or medical check-ups. In fact, she's overwhelmed with help. Someone's been organizing all this, and Mags suspects Pearleye. But grateful as she is, she can't help wishing someone were here simply to hold her hand while she's sick and grieving her tributes.
It's too late for that, though. She's spent her whole life keeping everyone at arm's length, for her protection and theirs. It's not safe to love anyone who's not already a victor. Now she's too old to ask, and she's trained everyone too well to expect them to cross that barrier. Mags is a prisoner of the very matter-of-fact warmth that she's always insisted on.
Finnick blazes past all barriers like they're not even there, but he won't be home for months, if ever. He's prone to hovering, but right now she could stand to be fussed over. Wise or not, she let him past her guard years ago, and now he's in her heart.
She misses him, and at the same time, she worries about him. She comes home from the Capitol and takes to bed, and he comes home jagged and on edge. And he'll come to her for comfort, but he won't talk to her.
At least she has the impression he talks to Annie. She hopes she's right. He's so insistent on managing his Capitol persona alone. And she's never quite sure what's going through his head. He jumped at the chance to move back in with her, but then he moved out, looking hurt and bewildered, when Mags was trying to make it work, and she never knew how to make that right.
A sound at her door makes Mags sigh to herself, and put on a tired smile.
Keys have been distributed to so many people that her house hardly feels like her own any more, but she has to admit that walking to the door is a tall order right now. Maybe she can reclaim some of those keys next week, when she's recovered a little.
All the victors have been by, even Rudder with a brisk status update on the academy. Pearleye. Daraleen. Most of the inner circle of the conspirators. The families of the two tributes. Friends and more friends. And it's only been four days.
“Mags!”
Mags actually raises her head at the sound of that voice.
She'd forgotten. The newest victor hadn't actually come by. She's so used to Annie not leaving her house that she must have subconsciously left her out of the list.
Annie throws her arms around Mags where she's lying. Mags smiles back and presses her cheek to Annie's, but doesn't raise her arms. She got all hugged out on the first day.
“My, it's dark in here. Do you mind if I turn on a light?” Mags glances around, seeing the living room from Annie's eyes. The sun went down on her gloomy thoughts, and it didn't seem worth doing anything about it.
At a nod from Mags, Annie turns on a lamp, and the familiar sights remind Mags that she's home again.
It's a little crowded, with the bed taking up a lot of space and a nightstand making it a little difficult to maneuver in certain places, but they've left her plenty of room to walk, cane and all, to the kitchen or bathroom. Finnick dug up a small table and a single chair, and put them on the path between the kitchen and the bed. More often than not, she has to rest there when making that journey.
Annie sits down on the bed and takes Mags' hand, looking her over. “I'm so sorry, you shouldn't have to do this just after a stroke. I would have mentored if I could have.”
Mags lets her hand rest in Annie's, while she keeps her face neutral. If you're not ready, you're not ready. But you may not have a choice soon.
“And I'm sorry I didn't come by sooner. I just—you know how it is."
Mags does. Annie looks about as destroyed as Mags feels.
"But I will make you waffles," Annie continues with a flickering smile. "I made sure to get all the ingredients this week. Blueberries and cream," she says proudly, and Mags' heart melts. Maybe she doesn't need Finnick for her post-Games recovery after all.
She smiles her gratitude and presses Annie's hand, but Annie's not done. "I was also thinking, if there are any renovations you want done to make it easier to navigate, I can help out. I know having the bed down here is the big one, but maybe a ramp up the porch? Or we could do something about the bathtub, I don't know."
Mags cocks her head. You're sure? Because she's been trying not to make too many concessions to her age, but now that Annie mentions it, a ramp would be wonderful. She's going to have to find accommodations that will help maintain her independence rather than threaten it.
"Yes, I'm sure," Annie says, still smiling. "I've been building stuff since I was a kid. I may not have been much help when they moved the furniture, but I'm not one of your big, strong victors. I'm your small, clever-handed victor."
Mags chuckles at how true that is, and they have a deal.
"I'm glad you're home," Annie says more softly. "Did things—go okay?"
Mags twists her mouth. Finnick may still not be great shakes at mentoring, but he's getting a bit better as he gets older. They lost both their tributes, but District Twelve brought both of theirs home. Or at least as far as the hospital, she thinks cynically. Wouldn't put it past the authorities to announce that they did their best, but the boy's injuries were simply fatal.
Finnick's stuck in the Capitol for the next several months gathering intelligence about how to make the most of the recent, shocking developments. Mags wants to hold a million meetings about what to do now, but first she needs to get back on her feet. She doesn't go in for self-pity, but it's not fair that the same stroke that left her with only exhausting methods of communicating also left her with constant fatigue.
And she isn't sure what's going on with Finnick and the way he won't stop talking about Katniss, but he'd better not be falling for her. The Girl on Fire, with her public life-saving romance, is more out of his reach than perhaps anyone in the country. She hopes Finnick would know better, but he surprised her with Annie, and he and Katniss have more in common, at least on the surface.
Annie's watching her face and coming to the right conclusion: it's complicated. Mags gestures toward the television and raises her eyebrow.
"Oh, did I watch the Games?" Annie interprets. "No, I didn't. I never do. I can't."
Mags didn't know what else she'd been expecting. Well, she'll see if she can get Annie to attend any of these meetings.
Meanwhile, she's going to take her up on that waffle offer.
All the sawing, pounding, and cursing sounds coming from above have Mags tilting her head curiously. She knows Annie's wrestling with the bathtub up there, but this is more excitement than Mags bargained for. It sounds like it's good Annie decided to practice on the upstairs bathroom before she touched the one Mags actually uses.
At just past sundown, Annie comes downstairs, covered in sweat and gunk. “Okay. I think I've got it! As long as...do you need to be able to soak in the tub? Or is just showering okay?”
Mags frowns at her, not sure how to answer that with a yes/no.
“I'm sorry.” Annie laughs. “Is it okay if there's no door and you can just step in and take a shower?”
Mags nods at that one. She hasn't felt up to soaking since before the stroke. Too complicated.
“Great! I'll do the downstairs bathroom tomorrow, and then you're set.”
The next day, Annie proudly shows off her handiwork to Mags. “You only have to step over three inches of tub wall to get in, and it's high enough to keep the water from flooding out into the bathroom, as long as we keep the drain clear. It'll need twenty-four hours to dry, and then you can use it!”
Mags tests stepping over the threshold, and finds there's a new handrail exactly where she wants it for this. She looks approvingly at Annie.
“Oh, yeah, the handrail. I put in two others, over there, see? That one if you need to steady yourself while you're standing up, and the lower one in case you need a hand getting up.”
Mags face lights up. Now she won't need to leave the bathroom door unlocked when she's in here. Or, maybe she still should—what if she has another stroke?—but she feels a lot more independent now.
She hugs Annie. Annie, you're the best.
Then Mags signs at her for a while. She's on the verge of giving up, when Annie guesses right. “You want Donn to come over?”
Vigorous nod. Great sweeping, embracing motions with her arms. “Everyone? Bring everyone?”
She nods again, and touches Annie's cheek proudly.
Annie blushes. “Oh, Mags. It's just a bathtub. You really want to show the whole Village?”
A definite yes.
What Mags doesn't need to tell her is that it makes a good excuse to get everyone over for a surreptitious meeting. Even if Brine and Octavius don't pick up on the double meanings, she wants to find out what Donn and Rudder think about Katniss, and Mags and Rudder aren't close enough that he can come over very often without arousing suspicion. It'll be good when she's not so tired, and she can start going back to the academy.
She trusts Pearleye's judgment, but even if Mags isn't making decisions any more, she still hates being out of the action.
Annie hates meetings now. She used to feel good about fighting back, when the prospect of her world getting blown up was distant and unreal, and she could tell herself that all the problems she worries about will be solved before they do anything dangerous. Now they're planning to take that leap with problems still unsolved, and it's all because of Katniss.
Even if Annie didn't watch the Hunger Games, trapped in the hell of reliving her own, the name Katniss Everdeen has been impossible to miss. The whole district is abuzz with it. Two tributes came home! Everything about this year is unprecedented.
Now that the Games are over, Annie's trying, for once, to watch television to see if she can glean what's going on outside District Four. But so far she and everyone else have been defeated by the censorship. The inner circle of revolutionaries here are mostly waiting for their spy to bring back all the information he's collected. Only Annie knows he might not, so she keeps watching.
But with Finnick in the Capitol and Mags unable to talk, the doublespeak is harder to follow than ever. If you want to find out what's really going on, you have to leave the Village.
In desperation, Annie finally bites the bullet and asks Donn to go with her to visit her sister. They can't talk exactly clearly on the way, but they can veil their conversations without worrying about every word being recorded.
Moving around on the ferry and admiring the sunrise, Annie's able to confirm her interpretation of events with Donn. Mags has been astounded by the popular response to Katniss, and it's led her and Pearleye to dramatically accelerate their timeline. Rudder is pushing to open hostilities before the next Hunger Games, Donn is coming around to the idea, and Mags is seriously considering it.
But there's one obvious name missing from that list. “We don't know how much outside support we'll have, though, right?” Annie asks. “We need more information.”
“We need more information,” Donn says, “and no one wants to strand him where he is.” He gives Annie a knowing look, and she nods, admitting that that's been on her mind. “He may not be my favorite,” Donn continues, “but we're all victors, and no one wants that.”
“Who is your favorite?” Annie asks, distracted momentarily from her fears.
“I don't know,” he muses, half to himself. Then his expression grows dark. “All my favorites are dead. Guess I don't pick my favorites too well.”
Annie flinches, and she puts a comforting hand on his wrist. She doesn't dare ask if Evan was one.
Donn gives her a small smile, pats her hand, and returns to the subject at hand. “We'll wait as long as we can, I guess.”
It's not enough, but it'll have to do.
Annie hates waiting, and what her mind obsesses about during the day, it dreams about at night. Again and again they start the war in Four, stranding Finnick.
Pearleye's not going to throw away the whole district, the whole country, to protect one man. If he dies in the Capitol, he dies a soldier in an enemy camp.
Mostly they don't kill him, though. They keep him. They pet him, and fuck him, and drug him so he can't spy and can't escape, but they always make sure he can still perform.
Sometimes they even let him appear on camera like this. While Annie huddles in a bomb shelter and cringes under each explosion, the socialites run their fingers down his chest and croon at him, like a little fuss in the districts is no reason to give up the important things in life.
The only way to protect him from here is to disown him. “I'd trust Annie with anything important before I'd trust him,” Pearleye scoffs on camera.
“He'd say whatever it took to get you in bed,” Annie's forced to say, “but after that...”
“He was a complete disappointment, and he's better off where he is.” Rudder rebuffs all attempts to use Finnick as a hostage.
Annie wants to launch a rescue mission herself, if Pearleye won't, but she has to be realistic.
A sound grabs Annie's attention, and she bolts upright in bed. Her heart speeds up. What is it? Is someone coming for her?
Johanna! Johanna Mason. That who Annie needs. She's undercover mission material. She likes Finnick. Annie just needs to find a way to get in touch with her so they can rescue Finnick.
First she needs to remember where she is. She's in a bed. Her bed in the Village, right? Maybe this is why Rudder sleeps with a light on. Maybe she should.
Wait, if she's in the Village, the war can't have started. Has it started? Annie sorts through her memory. She's pretty sure Finnick's in the Capitol, and Mags is...downstairs? Right, she's in Mags' house, and the war hasn't started yet. She's been having nightmares again.
Annie turns over and buries her face in the pillow, shaking. She hates not knowing what's real. She hates that this will feel real for the rest of the day. That, to her, Finnick will be as much drugged and captive as if it were true. Knowing better doesn't make a difference to her raw emotions.
Just like knowing she didn't trash talk Finnick publicly, and even in her dream didn't mean it, doesn't keep the bad taste from her mouth or the guilty feeling from her stomach.
And even knowing better, she still hasn't sorted out what that sound was. She's in Mags' house because of the stroke, right? A stroke is exactly the kind of thing Annie would dream up, but she's pretty sure these are real memories.
Suddenly a new fear surfaces, and she swings her legs out of bed as fast as she can.
She didn't fall. You're being crazy again.
Annie paces up and down the upstairs hall outside the guest bedroom, arguing with her brain while it screams at her about all the terrible things that could have caused that noise. This is why it didn't last when she and Finnick moved in with Mags. Her stupid, awful, crazy brain, ruining everything again.
With Finnick in the Capitol and Mags looking like death warmed over, Annie had to try again. And now she can't get the image of Mags lying helpless on the floor out of her head.
It's not crazy, her thoughts argue persuasively. It happened before. She's old. It could happen again.
No, no, Annie insists. She's just wound up because of the meeting earlier.
Annie does want to fight back, she does. She's just so scared of losing everyone. Grace has babies. Mags is an old lady. Finnick will be in the front lines even if her nightmare is wrong—and Donn never promised her it would be.
And she wants to help, but they're expecting her to make public appearances, and the last time she did that, she humiliated herself completely. It won't help the cause if she goes on camera and has another screaming, crying meltdown.
But no, she's doing better. She went all the way to the Capitol for Mags. She even booked a hotel room on no notice. When the time comes, they'll script her appearances for her. And she wants to help them out, not like when she was on Flickerman and the interviews were only to torment her.
It'll be better!
Now all she has to do is check on Mags, see that she's fine, and try to go back to sleep.
What are you going to do if you're right? the voice in her head taunts her. You don't know anyone in the Capitol with a hovercraft. You couldn't even carry her out of the house.
How do you get medical care after curfew? Where she grew up, it was just assumed that you couldn't afford a trained professional, and you and your neighbors pooled your knowledge and hoped for the best.
But this is Mags, oldest victor in the district. Maybe there's a proper doctor Annie can call. Maybe the Peacekeepers will even escort her somewhere. There's always at least one pacing the streets of the Village.
Annie can't stick her head out the front door and shout for the nearest Peacekeeper, Come save Mags--it's an emergency! Even imagining it makes her light-headed.
No, you have to have a plan before you go down there. If she does find Mags in distress, she'll panic and she won't be able to come up with a plan. Plan first.
Okay, just call Pearleye. She has a phone at home. She'll know what to do. She won't mind if you wake her up.
With that decided, feeling silly and sick and scared all at once, Annie starts down the stairs. She tiptoes into the living room and waits for her eyes to adjust to the dim light.
There's a lump in the bed that looks like Mags.
So she hasn't fallen. But is she still breathing?
Annie tiptoes closer.
The sudden motion from the bed makes her breath catch and her heart hammer, but it's just Mags turning half onto her side and holding out her arm. She makes a sound that, if it had words, would be Hey, honey.
All the breath runs out of Annie at once, and she wants to cry with relief. Mags is fine.
But Annie isn't. At Mags' beckoning, she comes closer, but she doesn't sit down. “I'm sorry, Mags. I don't think I can make this work. I can't stop imagining the worst, whether it's you or Finnick or both. I tried, you know I did.”
She lasted less than a month the first time, almost three now that it's just her and Mags. But she has to go home.
“I'll come over as often as I can, I promise. I'll keep cooking for you. If not here, then at home, and I'll bring it over. Or call Donn and send it over. And you know you're welcome at my place as often as your legs feel like making the trip. And if you think of any more renovations, let me know. It feels good to have something to do. But I can't stay.”
Mags sits up in bed and gives her a hug, then a gentle, understanding push. Go.
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Boutique Scents: The Luxury Fragrance Houses You Should Know
Discovering that someone else wears the same scent as you is kind of underwhelming. OK, if you like the person it’s bearable, but many iconic fragrances have been killed by bosses from hell, idiot classmates and irritating colleagues. Fragrance is often a very personal, considered choice and we like to pretend we’re the only ones who know about it. Of course, this is pretty unrealistic given that the major brands lurk on every continent, in every duty free, in every department store across the globe. Retaining exclusivity for the major houses comes down to restricting the availability on a single line or special collaboration and customisation services in the form of engraving or ribbons to make your bottle seem unique, while pumping the rest of the product into as many outlets as possible: it’s boring and predictable. Meanwhile, a truly bespoke scent is so expensive it’s reserved for kind of people who snap up a Tom Ford suit on their lunch break.
These days consumers are often missing a sense of discovery and a product that feels personal to them – and this is where the niche, luxury fragrance house comes in. The shopping experience is usually a more rewarding one with well trained, knowledgeable staff able to guide you through the collection. These brands tend to ignore gender marketing, eschew paying dead-eyed celebrities megabucks to front their creations and expect the customer to judge a scent on the quality alone (plus the sexy packaging, naturally). Clearly, you will pay a premium for the privilege of wearing something less people have access to. Still, it’s better than catching Dave from accounts wafting around in your signature scent.
So, if you’re in the market for something both interesting and personal, here’s our rundown of some of the finest – old and new – luxury perfume houses.
Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle
During the 1990s perfumer Frédéric Malle became frustrated with the commercial direction of some of the major perfume houses. To help preserve the creativity in the industry, he established the Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle as a “publishing house for the industry’s very best Perfume Designers”. Over the years the house has given a platform to some of the biggest names in the business including Dominique Ropion, Jean-Claude Ellena and Edmond Roudnitska (the fabled creator of Dior Eau Sauvage) and collaborated with fashion houses such as Dries Van Noten and the former head of Lanvin, Alber Elbaz.
The collection now contains a veritable list of modern classics. If you get the chance, the standalone boutiques are worth a visit too.
Try: Musc Ravageur by Maurice Roucel
One of the most well-known scents in the collection, Musc Ravageur is powerful, sweet and sexy; heavy on vanilla, spices and animalic musk.
£175 for 100ml; fredericmalle.co.uk
Clive Christian
Sometimes it feels like Clive Christian perfumes are more well known for diamond studded lids and gold-plated bottles than for the actual juice inside. We’re not always convinced by the old, “it’s so pricey, it must be good” theory. Certain natural ingredients, like orris or jasmine, might cost more than gold but truthfully, beyond a certain point you’re paying for the name and the halo of mystique. Still, the perfume heads approve, so if want to drop £500 on a good scent, Clive Christian won’t disappoint.
It’s a house with a history that stretches back to Queen Victoria’s reign. In 1872 she gave permission for the image of her crown to be replicated on the bottles of The Crown Perfumery. Clive Christian acquired the company and archives in 1999 – and set about making reassuringly expensive scents that often come in pairs. The 30ml bottles are a good entry point for those on a budget – use sparingly.
Try: X Masculine Edition
From the original collection launched in 1999, X is a woody, spicy vetiver with amazing staying power (due to the high 20% concentration).
£375 for 100ml; clivechristian.com
MiN New York
Chad Murawczyk and Mindy Yang launched Scent Stories, a collection of 11 scents, in 2014 that’s now grown to 18. Having curated and sourced unique fragrances for private clients since the late 1990s, Murawuczyk had access to some to the top perfumers in the world.
Known for its innovative, abstract fragrances, it’s the scent destination for customers who want something modern and conceptual. With evocative names like Moon Dust, Long Board and Dahab, each scent is like like a chapter in a bigger story and a long way from stuffy, traditional perfume.
Try: Chef’s Table
Imagine a chopping board full of fresh herbs and produce and you’ve got this: fresh, green and very edible.
£60 for 15ml; min.com
Creed
The French fragrance house was established in 1760 and is still run by the Creed family, with Olivier and son, Erwin, currently at the helm. It’s long attracted an exclusive patronage of Royals and celebrities alike and creates scents that the rest of the market scrambles to “emulate” (read: shamelessly copy). Silver Mountain Water, Green Irish Tweed and Millésime Imperial are all solid performers that deserve their spot in any gentleman’s collection.
Try: Creed Aventus
Accept no substitutions: this fruity, woody scent was launched to celebrate Creed’s 250th birthday, honouring a long tradition of ground-breaking fragrance releases.
£265 for 100ml; creedfragrances.co.uk
Kilian
Perfumer Killian Hennessey comes from good stock: he’s part of the famous Cognac family and the “H” in LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey). He swerved joining the family business to concentrate on bringing his own passion project to life in 2007: a luxury fragrance house. His innovative designs have also included scented cuff links and accessories. Behind the scenes, he works with big names like Alberto Morillas. Since the early days his fragrance bottles have been refillable, so you only need one – unless you want to collect them all…
Try: Back to Black, Aphrodisiac
Honey and tobacco are not the most likely combination but this works like catnip – on some!
£225 for 50ml; bykilian.co.uk
Vilhelm Parfumerie
Before Swedish/American Jan Ahlgren founded New York-based Vilhelm Parfumerie he was working in fashion. Then, in 2015, a collaboration with perfumer Jerome Epinette to create scented leather accessories led to the swift decision to establish his own fragrance label. Packaged in squat bottles with signature orange caps and simple labels, VP is an exercise in minimal luxe.
Try: Morning Chess
A smoky, leathery patchouli with a dark green undercurrent that’s inspired by Ahlgren’s holidays in Falkenberg, playing chess with his grandfather. Also worth investigating: Basilico & Fellini, Dear Polly and Dirty Velvet.
£155 for 100ml; libertylondon.com
Trudon
Cire Trudon are known for their cult scented candles but the fragrance line still flies a little under the radar. We were surprised when the fragrance collection launched with seven entirely new scents, and not eau de parfum versions of the home fragrance lines (we’d love the chance to wear Ciel, but there you go). Sophisticated in scent and design, there’s a fragrance here to suit even the most discerning of tastes.
Try: Olim
Clove, benzoin and myrrh are the main components in smoky, spicy Olim.
£180 for 100ml; harveynichols.com
The Perfumer’s Story by Azzi
Azzi Glasser is known as the private perfumer to the stars. She’s spent much of her career creating bespoke scents for private clients including Hollywood actors Orlando Bloom, Tom Hardy, Jude Law and Johnny Depp. She’s also created fragrances for Topman, Bella Freud and Agent Provocateur and London hot spot, Chiltern Firehouse. In 2015 she launched her signature collection and has since collaborated with creatives such as Rankin, James Lavelle, Jonas Äkerlund and Kingsman. She matches her scents to characters and style to help customers navigate the collection.
Try: Old Books
Bookworms who love the nostalgia of vintage paperbacks will appreciate this earthy patchouli accord.
£95 for 30ml; theperfumersstory.com
Floris London
The British answer to Creed is Floris London. It was founded in 1730 by Juan Famenias Floris, and opened his first store at 89 Jermyn Street, where it still stands today, run by his direct descendants, the Bodenham family. Floris obtained its first Royal warrant in 1820 for a smooth comb made for King George IV. Winston Churchill wore Stephanotis and Special No. 27, whereas Bond author, Ian Fleming, preferred No.89. These are classic perfumes, steeped in heritage.
Try: Santal
Vanilla and lavender with a fresh bergamot opening and spicy undertones of clove. It’s rich and smooth in equal measure.
£80 for 100ml; florislondon.com
The post Boutique Scents: The Luxury Fragrance Houses You Should Know appeared first on Ape to Gentleman.
Boutique Scents: The Luxury Fragrance Houses You Should Know syndicated from https://manscapedshop.wordpress.com/
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The 32 Most Anticipated Movies of 2018
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The 32 Most Anticipated Movies of 2018
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2018 looks set to be another huge year for films, with the biggest chapter of Marvel’s decade-long project with the Avengers, new instalments in the world of X-Men and Jurassic World, alongside the return of The Incredibles, Tomb Raider, Deadpool, and even Mary Poppins. And also, another Star Wars story. Here are the 32 most anticipated movies in the new year:
January
1. Mary and the Witch’s Flower
Release date: January 18, 2018
After Studio Ghibli shut down following the then-retirement of Hayao Miyazaki, several former employees – led by Oscar-nominated Yoshiaki Nishimura – founded Studio Ponoc, to carry on their love for film-making. This fantasy anime, following a young girl who picks a flower that grants magical powers, is its debut effort.
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2. Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Release date: January 26, 2018
The YA dystopian trilogy comes to a close with this third and final chapter, where Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) leads the group of escaped Gladers on their most dangerous mission yet: break into the Last City, the deadliest labyrinth of all, which contains answers to the questions they’ve had since the beginning. Wes Ball, who directed both previous instalments in the trilogy, is back as director.
February
3. God Particle
Release date: February 2, 2018
The third anthology entry in the Cloverfield universe is centred on a team of astronauts aboard the ISS who end up alone after a scientific experiment involving a particle accelerator makes the Earth disappear. Produced by J.J. Abrams and starring Daniel Brühl, Elizabeth Debicki, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and David Oyelowo, the film follows the astronauts as they fight for their survival.
4. Black Panther
Release date: February 16, 2018
The king of Wakanda T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), who first appeared in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, gets his own standalone film – directed by Creed’s Ryan Coogler – where his sovereignty is challenged by two enemies. He must team up with CIA and Wakanda’s special forces to prevent a world war. Black Panther also stars Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis.
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Black Panther and Captain Marvel Have Me Excited About Marvel Films Again
5. Annihilation
Release date: February 23, 2018
Alex Garland (Ex Machina) adapts the first book in Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy, where a soldier’s biologist wife (Natalie Portman) volunteers to enter an environmental disaster zone to figure out what happened to her injured husband and his fellow soldiers, who never made it back. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, and Oscar Isaac are also part of the cast.
March
6. A Wrinkle in Time
Release date: March 9, 2018
Ava DuVernay becomes the first black woman to direct a live-action film with a budget of over $100 million with this adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s famous book, where a woman works with her younger brother and a classmate to rescue her father (Chris Pine) from a universe-wide evil with help from three astral beings, played by Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling.
A Wrinkle in Time Trailer: Disney’s Cosmic Kids Adventure Looks Beautiful
7. Tomb Raider
Release date: March 16, 2018
Alicia Vikander stars as Lara Croft in this reboot of Tomb Raider, based on the 2013 reboot version of the popular game. As she sets out to finish her father’s research on the island he disappeared, she uncovers ancient secrets that will help clear her name. Roar Uthaug (The Wave) directs.
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8. Pacific Rim Uprising
Release date: March 23, 2018
Set ten years on since the first film, ex-Jaeger pilot Jake Pentecost (John Boyega) – son of Idris Elba’s character from the original – gets a chance to be a hero like his father when the Kaiju return, working with his adopted sister Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) and their fellow pilots to save humanity from extinction. Spartacus creator Steven S. DeKnight took over from Guillermo del Toro in writing and directing duties.
9. Isle of Dogs
Release date: March 23, 2018
Wes Anderson returns after a gap of four years with his next feature, a stop-motion animation set in a dystopian future Japan, where dogs have been quarantined on the remote eponymous island due to a “canine flu”. The film follows five local dogs, voiced by Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, and Bob Balaban, who help a boy looking for his dog and protect him from Japanese authorities.
Scarlett Johansson, Yoko Ono, Greta Gerwig, F. Murray Abraham, Ken Watanabe, Frances McDormand, and Liev Schreiber also have voice roles.
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10. Ready Player One
Release date: March 30, 2018
Steven Spielberg is at the helm of this long-awaited adaptation of Ernest Cline’s novel, which is filled with 80s pop culture references, including to Spielberg’s own works. The director felt he would be vain to include them, and has opted to avoid them. As for the story, Ready Player One is set in near-future dystopian Earth where mostly everyone spends their time in VR in a game called OASIS.
When the founder dies and says ownership will transfer to the first person to find an Easter egg, a race begins that pits the protagonist, Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), and his friends against a large corporation that wants control to monetise the system. Spielberg has called it “his most difficult movie” since Saving Private Ryan.
Ready Player One Trailer: Steven Spielberg’s VR Game-Movie Takes Shape
April
11. The New Mutants
Release date: April 13, 2018
The X-Men franchise branches into horror with The New Mutants from director Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars), where five young mutants fight to escape their past sins and save themselves from a facility where they’re being held against their will. It stars Anya Taylor-Joy (Magik), Maisie Williams (Wolfsbane), Charlie Heaton (Cannonball), Henry Zaga (Sunspot), Blu Hunt (Mirage), and Alice Braga (Cecilia Reyes).
12. Avengers: Infinity War
Release date: April 27 (India); May 4, 2018 (US)
Easily the most-awaited film of 2018, the third Avengers chapter is a lot more than that. It brings together everyone from past Avengers films, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, and Thor: Ragnarok – an ensemble cast that takes four paragraphs to list – to join forces and confront Thanos, who’s on a mission to collect the Infinity Stones. Infinity War, set four years after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, has been described as a “heist film” by director the Russo brothers.
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May
13. Solo: A Star Wars Story
Release date: May 25, 2018
The next Star Wars film arrives just five months after The Last Jedi, though this one is a standalone adventure set before A New Hope. It follows the adventures of a young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) and his Wookie partner Chewbacca, including meeting Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover). The cast also includes Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joonas Suotamo, and Paul Bettany.
Solo had a troubled road during production, with original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller being fired four months into filming, before replacement Ron Howard extended reshoots to fit the demands of Disney and Lucasfilm.
June
14. Deadpool 2
Release date: June 1, 2018
Ryan Reynolds is back as everyone’s favourite bad-mouthed superhero in this sequel, which expands the vigilante roster with Domino (Zazie Beetz) and Cable (Josh Brolin) in addition to the existing ones Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus. Morena Baccarin and T.J. Miller are also back, though David Leitch (John Wick) is in the director’s chair, after Tim Miller left due to creative differences with Reynolds.
15. Ocean’s 8
Release date: June 8, 2018
An all-female soft reboot of Ocean’s 11 focuses on Danny Ocean’s (George Clooney) estranged sister, Debbie (Sandra Bullock), who’s got a mind to pull off the heist of the century at the annual Met Gala, the target being jewellery worn by Anne Hathaway. Her crew consists of Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter, and Awkwafina. That’s only seven, so make up your guesses as to who the eighth will be.
Matt Damon will have a cameo role, as will half a dozen celebrities as themselves: Kim Kardashian, Maria Sharapova, Zayn Malik, Katie Holmes, Adriana Lima, and Serena Williams to name a few.
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16. Incredibles 2
Release date: June 15, 2018
Fourteen years on from the original, Brad Bird returns to the film that put him on the map, giving us another dose of the adventures of the Parr family: Elastigirl, Mr. Incredible, Violet, Dash, and of course Jack-Jack. Most of the original voice cast return, including Samuel L. Jackson as Frozone. The new villain will be The Underminer, voiced by John Ratzenberger.
17. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Release date: June 22, 2018
The fourth highest-grossing film of all time gets an inevitable sequel, set four years after the events of the original, with the lives of the remaining dinosaurs roaming freely on the theme park’s island threatened by a volcanic eruption. The former head of the park Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) convinces dinosaur trainer Owen (Chris Pratt) to help mount a rescue mission.
Given it’s a Jurassic movie, of course everything goes horribly wrong. Meanwhile, the two also stumble on a conspiracy that endangers everyone. The film, directed by J.A. Bayona, also has a cameo role for Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm, who was in two movies of the original trilogy.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Trailer – Everybody Runs, Including Dinosaurs
July
18. Ant-Man and the Wasp
Release date: July 6, 2018
Releasing after Infinity War, this sequel to 2015’s Ant-Man is actually set before the events of that film, which is bound to confuse everyone. Here, Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly’s titular heroes team up to embark on a new mission from Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). Peyton Reed is back as director, and the film also stars Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Judy Greer, and Laurence Fishburne.
19. Alita: Battle Angel
Release date: July 20, 2018
James Cameron is the producer and co-writer for this live-action adaptation of Yukito Kishiro’s manga, with Sin City director Robert Rodriguez at the helm, who also co-wrote. Made with a reported budget of $200 million, it stars Rosa Salazar in the lead, who plays the amnesiac cyborg heroine Alita by way of motion capture. Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, and Ed Skrein are also in the film.
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20. Mission: Impossible 6
Release date: July 27, 2018
Tom Cruise returns in his most well-known role as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, with Christopher McQuarrie also continuing his writing, co-producing and directing duties. Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Michelle Monaghan, Alec Baldwin and Sean Harris all return from previous M:I movies, alongside newcomers Henry Cavill, Vanessa Kirby, Sian Brooke and Angela Bassett. We don’t know anything about the plot, but expect outrageous stunts – most undertaken by Cruise himself.
August
21. The Predator
Release date: August 3, 2018
Shane Black (Iron Man 3) had a supporting role in the 1987 original, and he’s now directing proceedings in this fourth entry that takes place between 1990’s Predator 2 and 2010’s Predators. The ensemble cast includes Boyd Holbrook (Narcos), Olivia Munn, Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight), Keegan-Michael Key, Sterling K. Brown, Jacob Tremblay, Yvonne Strahovski, Alfie Allen, and Thomas Jane.
October
22. Venom
Release date: October 5, 2018
Sony kickstarts its own Marvel Universe with Tom Hardy playing the titular anti-hero, who confessed that he’s a huge fan of the character. Though the film will share the world of Spider-Man: Homecoming, which prominently featured Iron Man, Venom won’t have any connection to other Marvel movies. Have fun figuring that out. Sony has brought together an interesting cast though, with Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate, Woody Harrelson, and Riz Ahmed all attached. Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) directs.
23. First Man
Release date: October 12, 2018
Damien Chazelle’s work with La La Land and Whiplash has made him a name to watch, and his next film is his most ambitious yet: a biography of Neil Armstrong and NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on the years 1961-69. Ryan Gosling stars as Armstrong, alongside Claire Foy as his first wife, Corey Stoll as Buzz Aldrin, Kyle Chandler as NASA’s first Chief of Astronaut Office Deke Slayton, and Jason Clarke as Ed White, the first American to walk in space.
24. Mowgli
Release date: October 19, 2018
Just over two years on from Disney and Jon Favreau’s take on Rudyard Kipling’s book The Jungle Book, the mo-cap expert Andy Serkis directs his own version of the story, with an ensemble cast to match: Christian Bale as Bagheera, Benedict Cumberbatch as Shere Khan, Cate Blanchett as Kaa, Matthew Rhys as Kipling’s father, and Serkis himself as Baloo. It’ll be interesting to see how the film can separate itself, and not feel like a derivation so soon after Disney’s take.
November
25. X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Release date: November 2, 2018
Following on from the disappointing Apocalypse in 2016, long-time X-Men producer Simon Kinberg takes over directing duties for this next adventure for Professor X (James McAvoy) and his fellow heroes, which is set a decade later, in the 1990s. Comic fans will remember the Dark Phoenix saga storyline, where Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) loses control of herself. Here, an alien shapeshifter – played by Jessica Chastain – is seeking to use her.
Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Evan Peters are all back too. Here’s hoping X-Men can get back on track.
26. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Release date: November 16, 2018
J.K. Rowling’s expanded Potterverse moves to Paris with the second chapter in the expected five films, which is centred on the rivalry between Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), who revealed himself to be hiding in disguise in the first film. Depp’s casting, and Rowling’s defence of his presence has attracted criticism in the wake of the social movement following Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault allegations, but it remains to be seen if that will affect the film’s profits.
Directed by Harry Potter veteran David Yates, The Crimes of Grindelwald will feature the return of Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, and Ezra Miller. Dumbledore enlists his former student Newt Scamander (Redmayne) to help stop Grindelwald’s plans.
27. Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2
Release date: November 21, 2018
The sequel to 2012’s Wreck-It Ralph takes place as many years after the events as the gap between the two releases, with Ralph plugged into the Internet after a Wi-Fi router is installed in the arcade. That means online gaming (sort of), with tons of Disney Princesses – Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Snow White, Aurora, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Anna, Elsa, and Moana – all appearing in the animated adventure.
Sarah Silverman will return to voice Ralph’s best friend Vanellope von Schweetz, while Taraji P. Henson voices a trendy algorithm named Yesss. Mario might make an appearance as well.
December
28. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Release date: December 14, 2018
The Lego Movie co-director Phil Lord has written the screenplay for this animated Spider-Man outing that focuses on Miles Morales, who takes over the Spidey mantle after the death of Peter Parker. He’s still in high school, and must juggle homework while fending off crime in the city, including vampiric chief villain Morlun (Liev Schreiber), and his evil uncle Aaron Davis aka Prowler (Mahershala Ali).
youtube
29. Aquaman
Release date: December 21, 2018
Jason Momoa gets his own standalone adventure as the reluctant king of Atlantis, which is set after the events of Justice League. James Wan (The Conjuring, Furious 7) directs the only DC film in 2018, where Aquaman must keep balance between the surface dwellers polluting the globe, and his people who want to invade their world. Along the way, he also learns more about his past.
The film also has the pressure of bringing order to the DC film universe, which has had just one success amidst the cacophony of disasters around it. Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison, Dolph Lundgren, and Nicole Kidman also star.
30. Bumblebee: The Movie
Release date: December 21, 2018
The Transformers universe expands with a prequel spin-off tale for Bumblebee, who lived in refuge in a junkyard as a yellow Volkswagen Beetle in the late 80s. Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen) plays a teenager who discovers it’s no ordinary car, with John Cena, Pamela Adlon, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., and Rachel Crow starring alongside. This will be Travis Knight’s (Kubo and the Two Strings) live-action directorial debut.
31. Mary Poppins Returns
Release date: December 25, 2018
Fifty-four years since the release of the original, Emily Blunt steps into the shoes of Julie Andrews and takes her carpet bag to the Banks family home again, to bring joy back into the lives of three kids after the death of their mother. The sequel takes place 25 years on in 1935, during the era of the Great Depression in the UK. Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Pixie Davies, Joel Dawson, Nathanael Saleh, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep and Angela Lansbury are also involved.
32. Bohemian Rhapsody
Release date: December 25, 2018
Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) plays the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in this biopic that focuses on a 15-year period in the band’s famed history, from their formation in 1970 to their Live Aid performance in 1985, six years before Mercury’s death. Bryan Singer served as director from fours months in 2017, before being fired for absence and clashing with cast. Actor turned director Dexter Fletcher is currently busy finishing up filming.
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Stars Like Angels Fall (Part 1 - Give Your Heart a Break)
by AriaAdagio
Chapter: 1/9
Fandom: Lucifer (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Lucifer Morningstar & Trixie Decker
Characters: Chloe Decker, Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Dan Espinoza, Trixie Decker, Ella Lopez
Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Angst and Fluff, Humor, new relationship awkwardness, Emotional Baggage, Basiphobia, bed sharing, Domestic schmoop, but not too schmoopy, Sexual Content, Wingfic, Angels, Case Fic, Teamwork, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Blood and Gore, Competence Kink, Skydiving, some comic influence, Lucifer acts his age, Lucifer Needs a Hug, Chloe needs a hug, Hugs for everybody, Lucifer is adopted by a cat, Lucifer is triggered, Lucifer learns to use his words, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Season/Series 03, Chloe KNOWS, Lucifer Bingo 2019, Readable standalone
Summary: “Where do I begin? With the grandest fall in the history of time?” When Lucifer and Chloe’s latest investigation points toward skydiving shenanigans, Lucifer must grapple with his fear of falling. Meanwhile, in the wake of recent trauma and Chloe’s altered worldview, Chloe and Lucifer explore their budding relationship. [Deckerstar. Post-Castaway but readable standalone.]
Preview:
Thank you so much to @thewollfgang for the purty banner, and to @pellaaearien @thewollfgang and @tarysande for being awesome beta readers :) Thanks also to everybody who’s been following along on Twitter and Tumblr and sending encouragement along the way!
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Stars Like Angels Fall (Part 7 - Ultraviolet)
by AriaAdagio
Chapter: 7/10
Fandom: Lucifer (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Lucifer Morningstar & Trixie Decker
Characters: Chloe Decker, Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Dan Espinoza, Trixie Decker, Ella Lopez
Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Angst and Fluff, Humor, new relationship awkwardness, Emotional Baggage, Basiphobia, bed sharing, Domestic schmoop, but not too schmoopy, Sexual Content, Wingfic, Angels, Case Fic, Teamwork, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Blood and Gore, Competence Kink, Skydiving, some comic influence, Lucifer acts his age, Lucifer Needs a Hug, Chloe needs a hug, Hugs for everybody, Lucifer is adopted by a cat, Lucifer is triggered, Lucifer learns to use his words, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Season/Series 03, Chloe KNOWS, Lucifer Bingo 2019, Readable standalone
Summary: “Where do I begin? With the grandest fall in the history of time?” When Lucifer and Chloe’s latest investigation points toward skydiving shenanigans, Lucifer must grapple with his fear of falling. Meanwhile, in the wake of recent trauma and Chloe’s altered worldview, Chloe and Lucifer explore their budding relationship. [Deckerstar. Post-Castaway but readable standalone.]
Preview:
Thank you so much to @thewollfgang for the purty banner, and to @pellaaearien @thewollfgang and @tarysande for being awesome beta readers :) Thanks also to everybody who’s been following along on Twitter and Tumblr and sending encouragement along the way!
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Stars Like Angels Fall (Part 9 - Ten Million Years)
by AriaAdagio
Chapter: 9/10
Fandom: Lucifer (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Lucifer Morningstar & Trixie Decker
Characters: Chloe Decker, Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Dan Espinoza, Trixie Decker, Ella Lopez
Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Angst and Fluff, Humor, new relationship awkwardness, Emotional Baggage, Basiphobia, bed sharing, Domestic schmoop, but not too schmoopy, Sexual Content, Wingfic, Angels, Case Fic, Teamwork, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Blood and Gore, Competence Kink, Skydiving, some comic influence, Lucifer acts his age, Lucifer Needs a Hug, Chloe needs a hug, Hugs for everybody, Lucifer is adopted by a cat, Lucifer is triggered, Lucifer learns to use his words, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Season/Series 03, Chloe KNOWS, Lucifer Bingo 2019, Readable standalone
Summary: “Where do I begin? With the grandest fall in the history of time?” When Lucifer and Chloe’s latest investigation points toward skydiving shenanigans, Lucifer must grapple with his fear of falling. Meanwhile, in the wake of recent trauma and Chloe’s altered worldview, Chloe and Lucifer explore their budding relationship. [Deckerstar. Post-Castaway but readable standalone.]
Preview:
Thank you so much to @thewollfgang for the purty banner, and to @pellaaearien @thewollfgang and @tarysande for being awesome beta readers :) Thanks also to everybody who’s been following along on Twitter and Tumblr and sending encouragement along the way!
33 notes
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