#starry says its bruce’s turn with the big brother >:((

[liquid-luck-00]

Wayne Gala/Father-Daghter Dance

Bio!Dad Bruce

Day 14: Wayne Gala and Day 16: Father-Daughter Dance

Ao3 ~~~ First ~~~ Previous ~~~ Next

~~~~~~~~~~

Knock, knock.

"Come in" Mari called, taking a shaky breath smoothing out her gown.

She was wearing a blush straight flowing skirt. The top was a 3/4 sleeve that was covered in silver lace and stones. Her hair was in loose waves falling over her shoulders. It was held back only by a twisted braids forming a crown around her head.

"Nervous?"

"Maybe a little" she laughed turning to face her dad.

He was wearing a simple fitted black suit with golden cuff links. His tie was a soft gold with hints of a caramel brown.

"We don't have to present you if that's what is worrying you" he wore a slight frown and worry laced his voice.

She gave him a smile "That's not it. It's just... I've never done an event like this"

"Oh. Well that is an easy fix"

"How?" she tilted her head.

"It is a masquerade, after all" he had picked up her mask and set it in place on her. It was silver form to look like a swan on her right eye and it’s head resting on her temple while the other one is beautiful filigree. There were gems on it which were all A pale rose color, this one shifted from its tail to its head silver to light blush and its beak.

"Oh" she giggled.

"Besides I won't be to far and neither will Selina." she began to smile. "Your brothers may end up not letting you out of their sights" she chuckled at this. "Besides I doubt Jon will leave your side."

"Dad!" she blushed furiously and he gave her a smirk.

"See nothing to worry about. We are all here for you." he kissed her forehead and lead her into the ballroom.

---

"Okay Dick. Spill" Jason sighed already done with the night. As he walked up to his brother who was watching the entrance.

He was in a charcoal suit with a crimson shirt and black tie. He was wearing a black and silver and white rabbit half mask covered with small swirls.

"Spill what Jay" Dick answered still smiling like the cheshire cat.

Dick was in a midnight blue fitted velvet suit accented with silver that matched his tie and a Bluejay sculpted it half mask.

"You look like the cat that ate the canary and if that's not guilty enough you keep scanning the room looking for something or someone."

"I'm not" he didn't finish that sentence.

"You are and unless you don't want to see this night through you'll talk."

"Okay, okay" he conceded. "You know how I spoke about getting Mari a date for tonight"

"Yeah... Shit Dick you didn't" great now I have to fix this, maybe the replacement and demon spawn will help keep this idiot's plan from succeeding.

"Two actually" Dick was now grinning like an idiot.

"And how sure are you that either will be right for our sister?"

"Well she did give me the names herself."

Okay not what he expected. "How?"

"She mentioned she had a crush on each of them. So I contacted them and they both agreed. Funnily though they were both on the guest list already" Dick began to ramble.

"Dick" Jason called getting his brother's focus again. "You said had. What were her words and think carefully."

"It was something about 'what a mess she was around them' I think. Why?"

"Was that's past tense" he nearly face palmed.

"Ya so?"

"Past crushes not her current" he holds Dick by his shoulders nearly shaking him.

"What's your point. Oh. Oh. I messed up" Dick finally seemed to realize.

"Ya you did, now let's see if we can fix this. What are their names?"

"Luka Couffaine and Adrien Agreste"

"Let's get the other two and try and fix your meddling if we ever want our sister to speak with us again." Dick nodded and the two of them went to find the demon spawn and replacement.

---

Jon found Mari not long after he had entered the ballroom. He was in a simple royal blue suit with a light gray shirt and silver bow-tie. His had on a domino mask which was a royal blue and mimicked a starry night sky, accented with silver clock gears, emphasizing his electric blue eyes.

"You look amazing Sunbeam" she gave him a smile.

"Thank you, but I've got to say you look great too." and he returned the smile.

"Would like to dance?" she giggled and was about to take his arm when someone called out.

"Marinette" he looked towards the voice and saw a blonde in a black suit and tie with a green shirt. His mask was a dark evergreen almost black and resembled a cat with ears and golden painted markings.

"Well look what the cat dragged in." Mari mocked and hugged the boy.

"I haven't been dragged anywhere." he put on an expression of mock hurt, reminding him of Dick, "Besides if I was dragged in this suit I would be avoiding you" she laughed at that. "You must be Mari's date, name's Adrien" he extended his hand towards him.

"Jon" and they shook hands.

"Just a warning. If you hurt her, even Batman will never find the body" he switched to a serious tone, but sounded more like a joke of a threat.

"Adrien" Mari hit his arm. "he is harmless to everyone but himself."

"Hey" Adrien pouted. "Let's just find Luka so we can start messing with your brothers" he grumbled.

"I hope you know what your getting yourself into right? Because I for one do not want to be on the wrong side of any of them" Jon warned.

"Trust me. After this Dick will never meddle in my love life again." Mari deadpanned a hard edge in her eyes as she explained their plan as they searched the room for the other player in this game while avoiding the bat boys.

"There he is" Adrien announced a few minutes later. "Looks like he's with Jagged that might be a problem.." Adrien frowned, the other boy had black hair with the tips dyed teal. the was in a black suit with a smoky actual shirt and gold tie. His mask was a white cat the left eye left in a dark blue and the left eye had a dark blue lightning bolt outlined in a hot pink with an electric blue unicorn horn.

"Leave Jagged to me" Sunbeam answered confidently.

"Tim is heading towards him." he added "Wait how are you going to handle Jagged" her smirk was the only response he got.

"The question we should be asking is how is she going to shake her brother and get away from Jagged?"

---

"Hello Luka" she stated plainly as she met the small group. "Hey Jagged, Penny"

"Marinette it's Rock'in to see ya" Jagged scooped her up in a hug. While Penny gave her a smile and pat her head. Jagged was in an electric purple blazer with white slacks, and a black shirt. He had a bronze untied tie and his mask was inspired by Fang in the same bronze as his tie. Penny's dress was an off the shoulder gown fading from white to purple to black at the train. The purple and black was lifted with bronze stars. Her mask was a fade between white and purple but it was completely made with glitter.

"Mari! Finally I found you" Tim had finally made it to their group. He was in a black suit and a light gold shirt with a red bowtie. He wore a golden half mask resembling a dragon with twisted horns. Jagged's arm was still over her shoulder. "And who is this?"

"Oh sorry, introductions" she clapped her hands.

"Melody would you like me to introduce us?" Luka offered.

"No its fine... This is Tim one of my older brothers" she smiled. "Tim this is Luka Couffaine, Penny Rolling, and this is Jagged Stone ” she finished.

"Mari if Jagged is your Uncle, Dad I think that means you have a nephew now" Luka added with a small smile in his eyes.

"Blimey you’re right" Jagged let Mari go and hugged Tim not letting him get in a word. "Any other sibling I need to meet Marinette?"

"Plenty" she laughed "But you should know Tim here is a big fan." she grinned. After that statement the Rocker seemed to make it his mission to get to know Tim. While Tim seemed to starstruck to answer, that and Jagged didn’t give him an6 time to answer.

"I think Jagged broke your brother" Penny stated with a chuckle.

"Don't worry he'll be back to normal soon" she laughed "Do you mind if I steal Luka away?"

"Of course, You do have your phone?" Luka nodded at her question and they walked towards Adrien and Jon.

"Jagged is going to keep your brother busy a longtime, Melody"

"So, Tim is taken care of. Whose next Mari?" Jon asked her.

"Hm, Who would feel played if he helped us mess with the others then flipped it on them?" she smirked.

"Damian" Jon answered confused.

"Wait we are recruiting your brother to mess with your brothers" Adrien asked, she nodded her head, "Mari you're more chaotic than the black cat himself."

"He'd be so proud, so lets find Damian"

"That shouldn't be to hard" Jon responded pointing behind him, "he's heading this way."

Sure enough Damian was stalking towards their little group. He was in a dark emerald suit with a black shirt and gold bow-tie. He wore a black kitsune fox mask with gold in the ears and dark green markings.

"Tt there you are Dick and Jason have been looking for you."

"Really what a coincidence so were we"

"Let's go" he turned around took a step before turning back around "Why?"

"Let me guess Dick figured out he isn't a good Cupid and now he is trying to fix his mess?"

"Yes. Your point"

"You know these two are some of my best friends, so they told me and we decided to prank them a bit tonight, we even got Jon to help"

"Perhaps I may assist as well" she couldn't see it but she knew her brother was wearing his trademark smirk under that mask. She nodded her head. "Okay so how are we going to handle those three."

"Two" Adrien corrected.

"Who did you deal with?"

"Tim" Jon answered this time.

"How?"

"Jagged" She piped in.

"Is he in this plan?"

"No that was all Mari" Luka replied. "But you might want to steer clear of my Dad for a while." Damian nodded his understanding.

"Best that we deal with Jason next then" he planned.

"Or we can get two birds with one stone" Adrien grinned. Everyone stared at at him in shocked silence.

"Care to explain Adrien" Luka finally broke the quiet.

"A game of monkey." he answered which seemed to confuse everyone. "We tell them the name of someone in the group and then only that person is seen."

"That will drive them insane" Damian commented "Let's do it"

That was exactly what they did. Dick and Jason seemed to always be five steps behind. By the time they spotted her and made their way to her she was gone.

At one point they decided to split up but then she didn't appear for an hour. Once they regrouped the game of cat and mouse continued.

By 11:30pm they had been at this for almost 4 hours and her brothers went up to the baloney but instead of watching the floor they were sitting upstairs. This is what she took as the cue to end their game of monkey.

"Hey you two. I heard you were looking for me." she smiled as she approached.

"Mari we've been look for you for hours." Dick called

"Wasn't the Demon with you at one point or another" Jason asked tired.

"I was" Damian responded next to him.

"Why didn't you bring her over then?" Dick asked their younger brother.

"Because it wouldn't have been half as annoying for you without him." Jon appearing and answering from between her and Dick.

"What do you mean? Was this just a game to keep us running around?" Jason seemed to be catching on.

"I've got to say it went better than planned" Adrien proudly stated as he made his appearance.

"Was Tim in on it?" Dick asked resigned.

"No Jagged got to him before we began, this game of monkey" Luka grinned from his spot on the railing watch those below.

"Jagged as in Jagged stone!" now Jason was at the railing looking for his brother and the Rockstar.

"We should probably rescue him now, huh?" Mari asked aloud.

"We should" Damian answered her "Father wants as all on the stage after the New Year count."

"I'll go get him" Mari offered.

"No I'll go" Dick responded. "Tim is only there because I set him to find you." he finished.

"Yes he is, but I'm the only one who is able to get in a word with Jagged" she countered walking away.

She was able to get Tim easily and the two made their way towards the others. By then Tim seemed to normalize a bit, he was a complete zombie after Jagged, that once they reached the others he finally spoke.

"When were you going to tell us Jagged Stone was your UNCLE!" he finished in a soft shout. At that her brother began questioning her but she had placed her face in her hands and shook her head.

"Jagged is my honorary Uncle" she sighed. "Besides dealing with all of you took up so much of the night that I need to find my date and apologize" she huffed. Jon 'mysteriously' vanished during the exchange.

---

"Wait if Mari had a date why did she leave, which one of you was it?" Drake was giving Agreste and Couffaine a stare.

However the two in question began to laugh. My three older brothers shared a look and explained what had occurred this evening.

"So who is this date she went to find?" Drake finally asked a relevant question.

"I have no clue" Grayson answered and again Couffaine and Agreste were laughing.

"Okay I get why you three wouldn't guess" Agreste pointed at Grayson, Todd, and Drake "But you've been with us, how could you not tell." Agreste was grinning.

That was when the pieces fell, Kent, he practically ran through the hall his brothers not far behind. The count down had started.

10

They still hadn't found those two.

9

He spotted his sister and best friend not far from his father and the stage.

8

7

6

5

They were about to reach them.

4

Kent pulled his sister in close.

3

She raised up on her toes.

2

They were right next to them.

1

They kissed and a flash was seen over his shoulder, Grayson must have taken a photo. They pulled away and then seemed to notice them.

"How long?" Damian asked his sister.

"How long we've been dating or how long it took for you to figure out you were played?" she asked him removing her mask.

"The moment I offered to help I was played, I realize that" he answered begrudgingly.

"So how long have you been dating" Grayson asked impatiently. A smile clear on his face and amusement in his unmasked eyes.

"Not long" his father answered as he made his way towards them. "It's been about a week. Besides it's time Mini."

---

Standing on the stage was Damian next to Dick who was on my right. On my left was Selina, they Jason and finally Tim.

"Hello everyone" he began to gain everyone's

attention. "As this is a new year and new beginning I would be honored to introduce as well as reveal to you all the very talented designer MDC" Marinette walked on the stage from the right.

"Hello I am Marinette of Marinette's Designs and Creations" she smiled and spoke confidently. There was a series of polite applause and when it ended I spoke again. "I am also pleased to announce that Marinette is also my daughter." That arose some questions from the reporters in the room.

But it was Lois whose question caused the room to fall silent.

"Is she another adoptive child or biological" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"She is my child biologically, she is also the youngest of all my children. He smiled and that seemed to placate most of them.

As he and his family walked off the stage Lois and Clark were waiting with Jon.

"Mari anything you want to say?" Lois questioned her.

"Um" she looked confused and Lois gave a small laugh before showing her, her phone. It was a photo of her and Jan sharing the Midnight kiss. Mari turned bright red and as he looked at Jon who matched her blush.

"I get the first interview” she smiled as she hugged Mini.

"Okay" she smiled and returned the hug.

"Care for a dance Mini?" he asked hoping to keep the mood light. She nodded and made their way to the dance floor.

They danced together for about four songs before Jon took her and they began to dance instead.

Next

~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist:

@mochinek0 @justafanwarrior @abrx2002 @ranger-gothamite @fantasiame @moonystars14 @mochegato @bigbeautifulandfullofsugar @maribat-is-lifeblood @iglowinggemma28 @miraculous-ninja @talutah0 @vixen-uchiha @danielslilangel @witchsblackfox @pawsitivelymiraculous @lizziejay @marinettepotterandplagg @colorfulmongerpsychicranch @dast218 @sassakitty @miyla-lokidottir @lilkymilky @tazanna-blythe @tired-butterfly @lozzybowe @smolplantmum @queencommonsense @loopingtangent @chez-pezeater @paintedhope7 @technicallyburninggarden @meme991001 @wannajointhecrabcult @melicmusicmagic @trippingovermyfeet @greatcatblaze @fidget-eep @miraculouslydumb @iamablinkmarvelarmy @laurcad123 @hauntedwintersweets @fc-studios @fusser90 @madking-warqueen @buginetye @little-lady-bird @thebooki3h @iamabrownfox @galla02006 @syrencall @gimpedmercy

#miraculus ladybug #dc x miraculous #dc x mlb #maribat #mlb x dc #batman #marinette #ml marinette #batfam #marijon #miraculous x dc #bio!dad bruce wayne #bio! dadbrucewaynemonth2020 #b ! dbwm2020 #dick grayson #jagged stone #jason todd #tim drake #damian wayne #adrien agreste #luka couffaine

[2sunchild2]

Just Watch: Daminette au

I’m like a few hours late but that’s okay!

@ozmav not sure if u wanna read the angst but lol whateves

Tag list: @realrandomposts @maxdark158 @slytherinsheashire @mindfulmagics @chloe-bourgeois-is-big-gay @im-here-for-the-content @drama-queen-supreme @jaynintodd @starry-bi-sky @northernbluetongue @miraculous-mangoes @kceedraws @fanboy7794 @someone-ev @zebrabaker @kelelamentia @maribat-archive

I hope it rips ur heart out!!! ♥️♥️♥️

They had been watching an old television rerun when it was interrupted by the sound of the news channel.

“Breaking news with Lois Lane.”

“This just in, we have just received news of a terrorist attack in Paris. The anonymous message has linked a video of said attack and the number to one of their news channels. We are currently in contact with Miss Nadja Chamack.”

All activity suddenly ceased in the household, all eyes now watched the screen anxiously. The screen split in half to show Nadja, looking out of breath and afraid. The sky was dark, which was normal since it was eight in the afternoon. What wasn’t normal was the screaming and the burning buildings in the background.

Lois Lane appears worried for a quick second before gaining her composure and keeping a professional face.

“Miss Chamack, we received some disturbing news about a terrorist attack would you mind giving us some insight on the situation?”

Nadja cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure. The fear was still very evident on her face and she seemed to flinch at every scream she heard.

They began to worry. News of this didn’t usually get spread around and normally stayed in Paris. Bruce had put his phone down and Tim began typing furiously on his iPad.

“In Paris… we have these things, called akumas. They’re like,” she paused for a moment struggling to get the word, “c’est quoi le mot…. demonic! They’re these demonic butterflies controlled by this villain named Hawkmoth. Our heroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir usually stop them from causing too much damage. But.. this time… this time it’s different.”

Damian sucked in a sharp breath. Akumas were never this big. They never caused this much damage. He watched the destruction behind Nadja. The sky was dark and full of smoke. He could see burning buildings and collapsed monuments.

He turned to Tim, who was still furiously typing on his computer, his eyebrows scrunched together. Tim was trying to find that damned blog. The one that was blacklisted a while back. Sure, it wasn’t the most resourceful blog, but the owner always made sure to put s video of the battles. And that’s exactly what he was looking for.

The tv was disconnected and Jason yelled in outrage before being shut up by Dick, who looked at Tim and nodded. The tv was reconnected, only this time, to Tim’s computer. It was a live stream of the akuma battle. And a gruesome one too.

This akuma, no, this monster, this thing has been causing chaos and terror in the streets of Paris.

The screen showed Ladybug, Cat Noir and a few other heroes taking a defensive stance against the creature. Their eyes hard and their faces scowling. They noticed the turtle gagging at the thing. And when the camera focused on it, they understood why.

It was horrific. The giant spider-like thing was as big as a two story building. It’s body was mainly composed of what looked like mutilated animal bodies holding together. Said bodies were inside out and were oozing in the most gruesome way.

Dick felt like throwing up. He put a hand to his mouth and began coughing.

The thing let out an ear-piercing roar and began to charge. The Ladybug and the Bee swung in action, the Dragon running beneath them and the others following.

They wrapped their yo-yos around the thing, earning disgusting gooey sounds in return. The Dragon yelled out a faint “Viperion!” The snake came up and aided her. The creature whacked them away with its tail and they the wall of a building a good mile away. They fell to the floor, unconscious.

Next was the bee, the fox and the turtle. The heroes were scattered on the floor, bleeding and in tremendous pain.

The Cat and the Ladybug remained.

Damian’s shoulders tensed.

Five down, two to go.

He watched as they talked to each other, their eyes still trained on the gruesome creature.

The Waynes watched the quiet stare down.

“Call the league.”

Cat Noir lengthen his metal staff and Ladybug spun her yo-yo.

“They’re heading to the planes as we speak.”

The two remaining heroes fought. They got beaten, scratched and grown but they managed to get back up and fight. They were getting battered and bloodied but they still fought without faltering. The buildings around them seemed to crumble with every minute that passed. Streetlights were bent, cars were wrecked and trees were quite literally toppled over.

The world had never seen Paris in such a state.

Damian had never witnessed his Angel battle a monster this destructive.

They watched the cat yell something incomprehensible and his hand was surrounded by a black aura. He glared at the monster before rushing to it, ignoring the ladybug, and preparing to attack.He was grabbed by the waist, a mutilated tentacle holding him up and throwing him to the Eiffel Tower. It disintegrated as soon as he landed.

The ladybug remained.

Damian stiffened and he felt Jason squeeze his shoulder, an indication for him to relax. But he couldn’t. On god he couldn’t. He was feeling something he’d never felt in his life before. This feeling was so strange and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like it at all. And when the ladybug was slammed against the ground, Damian knew what he was feeling. He was afraid. For the first time in his life, he was afraid. His teeth clenched and his leg bounced. He was afraid, not for himself, but for his Angel taking a massive beating on the other side of the world. And he hated that he couldn’t do anything about it. He hated that he had to sit there, on a couch in his home, and watch the love of his life battle for her life. He hated how helpless he felt when he watched her clutch her bloody arm and how she could barely stand up on her own. He hated that calculating glare on her face. He knew she would do something logically irrational. And he hated it.

He watched as the monster hurled itself towards her, grabbing each of her limbs with its many arms and held her up close, inspect her with its beady eyes. She glared back at it with those beautiful bluebell eyes.

Ladybug watched her opponent carefully. It snarled at her and she could practically feel the drool dripping down her arm. She was trapped.

“Come on Dupain-Cheng, don’t die on me. Don’t you fucking die on me today,” he whispered to the screen. His brothers glanced at him wearily. He only called her by her last name when he was worried. And with the bouncing knee and the teeth biting, they knew he was stressed for her.

She had to get out of this. There’s no way she could. Not today, she was ladybug for fuck’s sake! She wiggled her arm loose, hoping it’d work, and let out a sigh of relief when it did. That did not last long.

She glared into the beady eyes of the akuma. She had so much to live for, she knew that. But at what cost? She couldn’t get out of this, her teammates were knocked unconscious or were severely injured. She thought about everything she could’ve achieved at this point. She thought of her friends. She thought of her love. She closed her eyes blissfully, remember ping every detail of his face, from his jet black hair to his stern green eyes. She looked up at the sky, her way of saying goodbye before looking back at the creature and gave it one last smirk.

“I’ll see you in hell.”

Damian screamed at the tv as the monster ripped through her torso. He watched, horrified, as it dropped her body on the ground as if it was nothing. As if, as if she was worth nothing. His tears fell freely as he watched her decent to the ground.

He watched as the snake, the bee and the dragon rushed to catch her. She watched as she weakly took off her earrings and detransformed. The other heroes cried harder in shock. She handed her earrings to the dragon. She and the bee left to end the fight, the other followed. He watched as the snake began to shake, holding her like she was fine china about to break. She coughed up blood and looked at the boy with a smile on her face.

Her hand fell to the ground.

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

Everyone has a different way of coping with death. Dick had been in denial about it for a week. Tim had locked himself in his room and only came out to get more coffee. Bruce buried himself in his work.

And Jason?

Jason was nowhere to be seen. He had been off the grid for a month. Not a call or a text. He disappeared after the incident.

Damian refused to accept the death. No, she couldn’t die. She was ladybug! She was Marinette! She had a solution to everything!

I guess this time was different. He darkly thought. He sat on one edge of the bed, fiddling with a small velvet box. He had planned for this moment a week after they started dating. And now she was gone. She laid six feet under in the cold, hard ground.

She was only twenty two.

#daminette #maribat fic #maridami #ml angst #uwu #did it rip ur heart out #marinette x damian #marinette dupain cheng #miraculous ladybug au #miraculous #sunnie writes angst #sunnie did the angst

[thecitylightshow]

WIP Picking

Okay, I know I don’t have many interactive followers, but I need opinions. I have several Big Fics underway, and I don’t know which one I want to concentrate on first. So, I’m asking y’all to vote (and I will shamelessly tag a bunch of people who’s opinions I would love, sorry not sorry). The options are…

(beware the cut!!)

Softly, With Starry Eyes

He reaches out to tuck a fallen curl behind Tony’s ear. Tony can feel the nerves sitting in Steve’s gut, but all he can feel is relief.

Maybe this won’t be so hard.

“Dinner.” Steve says, breaking Tony out of his thoughts. “We should have dinner first.” He’s smiling, and his fingers are still tracing Tony’s cheek. Tony reaches up to intertwine them with his own.

“Dinner,” he echoes. “We can do that.”

A shared emotions soulmate AU in which everyone expects Steve and Tony to angst over the situation and continue their antagonist barely-even-co-workers style relationship for Some Time, but what actually happens is a healthy embarkment into a strong and trusting romantic relationship.

I did say this is an AU.

Featuring; Tony actually wants a soulmate, the two most stubborn individuals on the planet, some rare-pairs because fight-me, and really not that much angst at all.

Tony/Steve, Clint/Bruce/Bucky, Rhodey/Nat, Jan/Pep, Thor&Loki.

 thank you, kind ghost

A long ass fic that leads into a complex universe, injecting a large supernatural element into the MCU universe. Written for @kiernaserea, it features Ghost!Steve haunting Tony as he grows up, and them eventually being able to get to know eachother.

Large focus on slow-build Steve-Tony, Steve&Maria friendship, and Tony becoming the Tony we all know and love.

Tony fusses over the bots quietly, but eventually he turns to where Steve stands, his hand not in the sling coming to rest on Dum-E’s head. “So you’re my kind ghost?” he asks, and his voice is shaking. “Steven fucking Rogers…” he murmurs around a smile so fragile, that Steve can’t help but quip;

“There should be a Captain in there somewhere.” and though his voice is breaking, Tony smiles and he’s laughing, and perhaps it’s slightly hysterical but the haunted look fades a little behind his eyes. Steve smiles back easily and lets Tony laugh. He stops eventually, propping himself up on Dum-E - who’s more than happy to stay there and be a prop - and for a moment he just stares at Steve.

“Do I want to know?” he asks after a moment, and swallows hard. “My mother-” he stops himself. Steve wishes he could pull the man into a hug.

“She wants to see you.” Steve settles on, when it's clear that Tony’s not going to speak. “But she doesn't want to make this worse.” Tony's eyes go wide.

“What the fuck is going on? Because you- you and her are very dead.” he freezes then. “Did I die, is that it? Or is this some form of punishment-?”

“No! No, it's-” Steve runs a hand through his hair. “You're not dead, Tony. I don't know how you can see us now, but you can, so that's a, that's a, a thing.” Tony's got one eyebrow raised at him. “You're not crazy, I swear.” Steve tells him, because he knows what Tony is thinking.

“So I'm just supposed to accept that Captain America decided to spend his afterlife haunting the fuck out of me?”

“If you could that would really speed this explanation up.”

The Soulmate Situation

A poly-soulmate, names on skin fic, where Tony, Steve, Bucky, Natasha and Bruce all share a bond. Slow-build, mild emotional angst, but mostly just them feeling out each other’s broken edges and getting together. It’s got a lot to it with no substance, at present. A snippet of the prologue, to give a feel…

Time likes to play games.

 Meeting soulmates two and three is something of a clusterfuck.

Steve Rogers isn’t dead.

(He thought he was though, he’d made peace with that, and now he’s in a future and screaming that he shouldn’t be here even if most of his soulmates are).

There’s a god in the room and another out to get them, and oh, Bruce Banner’s smirk is adorable but his walls are up (- and he’s furiously trying to barricade himself up behind them, muttering this is bad this is bad this is bad-) and he’s tense as hell. Tony’s never felt more alone in a crowded room that he does right now.

Three names in touching distance, and about as far away as they could be. No friends.

No allies.

He’s never been called a team player, and maybe this is why.

 It’s all any of them ever wanted to be.

 +

 Tony looks down, and they look up. Nuke in hand, Tony’s 99% assured of his own imminent destruction. Time will take him back too soon. He wonders if there are words.

They all do.

I’m sorry seems quite prevalent. Forgive me, hot on its heels.

They’ll be Tony’s dying words, if he does speak, but he’s no poet and there’s nothing worthy that he can make pass his lips.

There’s worse things to die for, Tony thinks to himself, and then the universe is stretching out before him. He closes his eyes to the endless abyss and the armada beyond with a smile and a not-quite prayer, and hope that wherever he’s destined for James will be waiting.

Steve smiles like the sun when he wakes on a roar, and Tony thinks to himself there are worse things to live for.

 Cross My Heart

Based, with permission on a complex ass idea of @goodmorningbeloved’s that I was very eager for, planned, and then had a very bad drop in mental health. If you vote for this, I’m going to need help. I can’t do this fic alone. The opening, to give a feel…

It starts like this.

 Tony glances down at his wrist. He’s in the rubble of New York where he was before. The same people are gathered around – he was gone for months, but he was gone for less than a moment. He’s not the only one surprised.

The X is still there.

A mark as if drawn on in black ink, like he’s seen on the skin of so many people and never seen on his own. He’s still waiting for it to disappear, he realises, but it’s not fading. There’s small changes happening to the situation; whatever he changed, it’s helping. The X isn’t fading.

He looks up, and finds Bruce before he finds him.

“Time is more linear than we thought.” Tony says, and then he starts to laugh.

 For Tony, it starts like this.

 Tony feels like he’s committing some form of cardinal sin.

It’s not unusual for the crossed – those with their soulmate X’s – to sleep with other people, even the uncrossed. It would be silly not to, so often people don’t know who caused the X to appear on their wrists.

But this is Captain America.

Fuck that, it’s Steve Rogers, who’s damn well meant to be untouchable to someone like Tony. He’s just so touchable though, and he started it.

When this all comes crashing down around his ears, Tony will remember. Steve started this.

 For Steve, it starts like this.

 He walks fast, avoiding people on the streets as they bustle past, avoids the alleyway and- wait. Tony walks back a few steps, and before it honestly registers what he’s seeing, he’s calling out “hey!” The two taller men step apart for a moment, and Tony gets a flash of blond hair from the guy they were kicking the shit of before they turn to him. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size? Maybe without ganging up on him like cowards?” The men sneer, glancing at each other, and with a sigh Tony holds open his jacket to show them the revolver he’s got tucked in his belt. “Pull the other one, fellas.” He says – god it’s only been a month and he’s picking up the slang in a way he never had when it was just Steve to learn it from. The men pale, and leave in a huff.

Tony’s holding out a hand to help the poor guy up, and it’s not until he’s staring into a pair of blue eyes he knows as intimately as he knows himself, that Tony realises he’s just fucked up.

There’s an X on his wrist, to match the one on Steve’s.

Part of him wants to laugh that he’s always been jealous of himself, and the rest of him seems to be sending in an error report.

“You didn’t have to do that…?” Steve trails off into a question, and Tony coughs, wishing he didn’t have to lie about his name but knowing he must.

“Edward.” He says. “And I couldn’t just let my best fella get beaten.”

 The middle?

Well.

That’s complicated.

 The Road Through Hell (Is Paved With Fucking Landmines)

Welcome to the best Worst Road Trip fic you’ll ever read; where everyone's crazy, the war doesn’t matter, and the only thing being counted are the bullet holes in Howard's Aston Martin.

A fic featuring Tony, Natasha, Loki, Clint and Sam going AWOL amid my version of WW3 to go and rescue the unit that Steve, Bucky and Thor are assigned where it has been lost and abandoned behind enemy lines. The war is in the background, this features SteveTony letters, ridiculous jokes and dark moments, but a surprising lack of angst. Hopefully.

 Treasure of the Heart

When Steve Rogers comes to see him, and wishes to find his brother, Bruce knows that to grant his wish will set a chain of events in motion. Events that could tear apart the kingdom, and will probably break his heart.

He says yes anyway.

Wish-granter!Witch!Bruce, pre-serum!adventurer!Steve, soul-forger!Tony, assassin!Natasha, half-elf!theif!Clint, dwarven!Thor, knight!Rhodey, cleric!Pepper and faye!Jan. Also featuring Dummy, Jarvis, You and Butterfingers as soul-wisps, a Peter&Harley&Kamala cameo, and a past to remain where it lays.

It’s a Bruce/Bucky fic, with an on-going plan that’s sat in a chat. I’m fond of it, even if it drives me nuts.

(If people were looking for The Stark’s High Society Orphans Club on this list, I apologise, but also promise that that fic is always on-going, but it also never had a plan. I’m still writing it, but it gets more attention than all of these and gets difficult at every turn).

@ishipallthings @itsallavengers @xtaticpearlsblog @codeflaws @savedbythenotepad @itstheallmother @reioka @agenderraskel @viudanegraaa uh… fuck, just, please?? Help me?? I don’t know which to work on and I’d prefer to work on something people would actually like to read!!

(People can reblog this. Please reblog this. I’ll come back and look at 17/08 8pm GMT. Wait no GMT plus 1, it’s summer. Friday, I’m looking on Friday). 

#stevetony #thecitywritesshow #brucebucky #Help a fella out

[miss-m-calling]

Shipoween 2020 letter

Canons requested: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Starred Up, Witchblade (TV)

Dear writer,

Hello and thank you for writing for me. I’m very excited to read whatever you come up with.

Without further ado…

Lenny Bruce/Miriam “Midge” Maisel/Susie Myerson

Lenny Bruce & Miriam “Midge” Maisel & Susie Myerson

Lenny Bruce/Miriam “Midge” Maisel & Miriam “Midge” Maisel/Susie Myerson

I’m here for Midge’s adventures in the intoxicating, foul-mouthed, and often-frustrating world of comedy, so her dynamic with Susie and Lenny is where it’s at. I just love the interactions between these three, and between every pair combination among them: Midge and Susie bantering and swearing and tits-upping even when they irritate each other, Midge and Lenny bringing the pathos as well as the humor, and Lenny and Susie both being hardened old pros with still a little glimmer of starry eyes. I am good with either V-shaped triad/poly or hey, Susie (whom I absolutely read as gay) might find a way to be good with a full-on triangle… If you want to keep it platonic, True Companions all the way, always there for each other, even when they want to strangle each other. And as much as I like the comedy inherent in the characters, I also love that they’re all three, each in their own way, messed up people and dysfunctional to various degrees. So yeah, I just want Midge to hand the kids over to her parents, ditch Joel once and for all, marry (interpret that as literally or as loosely as you want) both Susie and Lenny, and for the three of them to ride off into the sunset to make comedy history. Canon-specific DNWs: anything above M rating, pairing any two as a / couple with the third as a & hanger-on, and while Lenny can still be his RL messed-up, drugged-up self – albeit the gentler version the show gives us – it would be good if he didn’t kick the bucket a handful of years down the line.

Most of these prompts are from before S3 dropped – feel free to work with canon or diverge however you see fit, I am all caught up now:

-Does Susie manage them both? Does Midge open for Lenny on tour? Does he open for her??? Or they become equal stars on the comedy circuit?

-Maybe Lenny joins Shy Baldwin’s tour, or they run into him while touring Europe or the US, or after Shy fires Midge, Midge and Susie cobble together a Midge-only tour of America and keep crossing Lenny’s own touring path, and they all tool around, and yes I would love as much period detail and geography porn as you can throw at me. And while Lenny and Midge have seen the world, Susie hasn’t – her reaction to different foods, languages, customs, landscapes would be spectacular to witness. Especially if “different” is someplace as close to New York as Jersey or Connecticut, or someplace as far away and different as, say, Japan.

-If they do go to Europe, somehow or other they also tour the Soviet Bloc. Cue culture clashes, getting followed (or thinking they’re being followed) by the secret police, getting hammered on vodka and herring and pickles, and then when they get back to the States, the Feds grill them. It’s all dead serious, and Midge and Lenny refuse to take it as seriously as they should, while Susie is trying but the whole thing is really pissing her off…

-Lenny’s burned out, and Midge is just getting started. This dissonance may or may not find some sort of resolution. One thing’s for sure: Susie has limited patience for both Lenny’s depression and Midge’s need to make everything pretty.

-Instead of going to Joel for a no-way-is-that-closure fling after the Steve Allen Show taping, Midge goes to have a drink or seven with the two people who have, in their own ways, always been there for her and never let her down.

-Midge goes on TV again, this time as the star: longer set, prime time slot, dressing room, the works. She’s dying of nerves. Lenny and Susie coach her through it.

-More radio work to make ends meet in between gigs: hilaribad period ads, hilaribad radio drama, running all over town to be on time, getting paid in all kinds of dubious merch…

-Midge and Susie head out west to make it big and stay with Lenny once they’re in Los Angeles, and it’s marvelous (ha ha) and disastrous in equal measure.

-More of Susie being the hypercompetent manager we saw especially in S3! (And please don’t dwell on her gambling problem, I was not a fan.)

-They all three get drunk, maybe with a hint of sadness if it’s the holidays (you can ignore my DNW about holidays, but please let that be just the background, not the lynchpin of the story) or someone’s birthday, and there’s a bar fight, running from the cops, eating greasy food at ass o’clock, and possibly kissing, not necessarily in that order.

-One or two or all three of them get arrested/have court appearances all over America and have to bail each other out, or find someone to bail them all out, or secure legal counsel – you get the drift. Or all three of them are trying to explain to a single lawyer what happened, talking over each other, the two pros not being able to resist landing zingers and Susie not being far behind, and the lawyer just getting more and more confused.

-They get in trouble some other way – offended patrons, surly management, shitty hotels, tour bus breaks down in the middle of Wyoming – and have to have each other’s backs because no one else will.

-Three-person road trip or tour, and only Susie knows how to drive. So Midge decides to learn, right then and there. And Lenny… Lenny may or may not be too lazy/hungover/lying about not knowing how. There’s supposed to be a rotation so everyone gets to stretch out on the back seat for equal lengths of time, but you know the system doesn’t work too well in practice. Also, they play games in the car to while away the time, and they do it their own way of course: I spy, cows on my side, yellow car, never have I ever, 20 questions, or riffing on whatever’s playing on the radio…

-They sit down to watch the moon landing (you can move it up a bit so it’s not happening a whole decade after S2) – by which I mean, Midge is all gung-ho about the moon landing, and Lenny and Susie are like whatever – and things don’t quite go to plan, but a good time is eventually had by all.

-It’s Yom Kippur again, and Midge wants to do the whole production: synagogue, breaking fast, the lot. Lenny and Susie would rather eat glass. Midge gets her way, of course. Does she decide to bring Susie and Lenny home to meet – or meet properly – her parents??? I bet Abe and Rose’s reactions would be something to see. (This too is an exception to my DNW about holiday settings – I just want stuff to get as crazy as it did the two times we saw Yom Kippur celebrated on the show, and for everything to still somehow turn out relatively OK.)

-Midge and Lenny have cheered each other up when the going got extra rough. I want for Susie to be especially down in the dumps – maybe her boozehound of a mother died and Susie took it worse than she does in canon, maybe some asshole told her she’s a shit manager and got her right in her insecurities – and Midge to rope Lenny into trying to cheer her up. And for Susie to fight them every step of the way but still be glad they care enough to try.

-Inspired by Susie’s brother looking just like her, by which I mean she and he and their sister look nothing alike, and by Lenny’s “she’s my mother” quip about Midge at the TV studio and then his “let me introduce my wife or maybe my sister” in Miami – Midge, Susie, and Lenny pretend to all be blood relatives, or mafiosi, or spies, or something else they’re not, while out in public, say in a restaurant. Just to be assholes and see how long they can keep it going before they break character or people figure them out, or call the cops, or something. There’s totally a bet on who corpses and breaks character first. Or, nice hotels ca. 1960 weren’t very big on letting unmarried couples, let alone threesomes stay in rooms together – pretending to be family might make that easier; forgetting what they’re meant to be to each other, or mixing up their backstories might make it harder. Or they’re just trying to save money by only getting one room, there’s only one free room in the hotel, or any other screwball reason you can invent.

-Lenny and Midge do a (comeback) tour of the Borscht Belt, and all the Steiner Mountain Resort guests (especially the gossipy old hens from the beauty salon) and staff go to see them – and heckle.

-Stuff happens and they end up performing at some hole in the wall place where no one knows who they are (or no one believes it’s really those people they’ve seen on TV) – tough crowd, but a good workout for the two comics, and if Susie gets to threaten to rip off someone’s head, all the better.

-Lenny and Midge honing their routines – and maybe developing a double act – and Susie being all “oh my fucking god, what the fuck!!! … They’re actually good. I’m so proud.”

-Sharing a bed with two other people is an ongoing project: who sleeps (or refuses to sleep) in the middle? Who gets up during the night and why? Who starfishes across most of the bed? Who snores, and how does this get handled? If alcohol or pot have happened, how does that affect the sleeping arrangements? Also, Susie and Lenny witness and react to Midge’s beauty routine, ‘nuff said. Or, for various reasons one person after another ends up decamping to another room/bed/couch, but it doesn’t help them get much sleep or even stay there very long (this is inspired by my love of Shirley Jackson and her short story/humorous essay “The Night We All Had Grippe”). If you prefer to keep it platonic, most of this would work if they’re just sharing a double bedroom on tour (I leave the reason for why Lenny is bunking with the women up to you).

Starred Up (2013 movie)

Oliver Baumer/Eric Love

Yes I do ship it, I do, I do!

Ahem. Don’t get me wrong, I liked what the movie did with the father-son relationship and its influence on both men’s character development – but I really wish they hadn’t got Oliver out of the action before the story’s climax (not like that!). The final denouement with Love father and Love son was great, as was the hint at the end that Eric learned something in anger-management group and has a support network that will help him a lot. But. I would have wanted to see more of the intriguing dynamic between Eric the intelligent, semi-feral, yet not-incorrigible, young thug and Oliver the educated, dedicated, kind yet aware of his own potential for violence (what was he on about with “I need to be here”?), slightly older counselor. They had me at Oliver’s “I want him” and Eric later telling his father that Oliver’s a better man than Love Sr. Also the not-flirting and the push-pull in the scene when Oliver picks up Eric from his cell - yowza!

For this canon, my dubcon DNW does not apply.

Prompts:

-I would love to see Oliver return to holding his group in prison, so the two of them can interact more, either in the movie’s immediate aftermath or years down the line, as it’s implied that Eric will be serving a long sentence. Give me more scenes from anger management or the ribald, honest, free-flowing conversations in group, either with the other men present (I liked Hassan and Tyrone especially, among the group members) or a one-on-one session.

-An oblique or open-but-undramatic admission/declaration that they both know there’s something there, even if they don’t know what to do with it. Or, one or both of them knows exactly what to do with it, and the push-pull that would result from that.

-Dirty talk: used for arousal, as a defense mechanism, as a form of flirtation. Eric using slurs to assert dominance, and Oliver not letting him hide behind profanity, when he can use colorful language to express emotion and/or sexual interest. There could definitely be some verbal taunting/flirting about who wants/is eager to do what or is good at doing something. There may be some sniping comments about logistics and (lack of) condoms and barebacking and what men get up to in prison. There probably wouldn’t be deep discussions about sexual identity.

-An emergency in the prison requires a lock-down, so Oliver gets temporarily stuck in Eric’s cell or another room with only Eric for company. Things get porny and/or emotional.

-Eric is eventually released (you can handwave this so it happens soon after the movie or have it happen years later) and crashes with Oliver while he adjusts to the outside world. You guessed it: things get porny and/or emotional.

-How do they get to the point where both can cross that line from friends/whatever the hell they are and become, to lovers? (There’s Eric’s personal history and general discomfort with vulnerability, plus all the ways prison sex can be or make things complicated, and if it helps, I headcanon Oliver as either gay or bi and at least somewhat closeted, at work especially.) Who initiates and “directs traffic”? How does their always-contentious dynamic shift during and after sex? Is the sex an isolated (series of) occasion(s), or a progression/escalation over multiple encounters (how would I love especially an escalating series of encounters, let me count the ways)? Eric might seem like the logical initiator and/or dominant partner as well as using the possibility of sex to manipulate and exert control, but then Oliver might (or might not!) surprise him and is definitely the one more in touch with himself as well as aware of his custodial duty toward the men in the group.

-At some point in their intimate relationship (probably not right at the start, and probably not in prison, though if you can make it happen in prison, more power to you!), Oliver decides he’s going to take his sweet time and make Eric fall absolutely apart with pleasure, while using dirty talk to both arouse and empower Eric to own his desires – by that point, Eric is in a place where he can let that happen and enjoy it, even if he still talks tough.

-Role reversal: Oliver as the con (jittery, shut off, sticking out like a sore thumb in prison with all his fancy learning, yet no pushover) and Eric as the newbie counselor (kid from the wrong side of the tracks made good? Youthful hoodlum turned around his life, now trying to help others via tough love and lots of swearing and maybe a bit of manipulation when called for?)

Witchblade (TV) Sara Pezzini/Danny Woo

I used to love this show back in the day, and loved it again in all its hokey gloriousness when I rewatched it recently. Sara figuring things out and being a principled badass, but maybe out of her depth with the Witchblade, and her dynamic with Danny, whether he’s a ghost or alive, it’s all catnip to me. Sara is not extremely quippy, she has a job to do dammit! and don’t look at her vulnerable side, just don’t look at it!, and I love that about her (she’s much harsher in S1, after Danny’s death, than in S2); ditto that Danny is somewhat softer than she is, but still can hold his own thanksverymuch (well, when the plot doesn’t require him to get nabbed by bad guys) and has a bit of a deadpan snarker side too. I’d love something that plays around with their canon dynamic from either season, or uses canon as just a starting point. Some of my prompts lean dark or horror-y, so don’t be shy about going there; I’d also enjoy a story in which the Witchblade itself ends up not being very significant (say, they start to investigate a possibly mystical case and then nope, plain murder). Canon-specific DNW: Irons and any version of Nottingham appearing (you can mention them if you need to).

Prompts:

-The Witchblade is more parasitic than symbiotic, and instead of Sara learning to control it, its feeding on Sara affects her more and more over time. Or, the visions and dreams ramp up into full-blown paranoia and/or disassociation. The Witchblade’s POV, maybe (it is sentient)? Asking for help is the hardest thing for someone like Sara, but what are (more than) friends for? I’d also enjoy a dubcon scenario (exception to blanket DNW) where Sara really shouldn’t be having sex when her head is all messed up by the Witchblade’s influence, but… well… they do. The Witchblade canonically enjoys violence and bloodshed perpetrated by its wearers, so it stands to reason that it might lower other inhibitions too.

-Witchblade v. mythological monsters. In S1, even with everything else that’s going on, Sara absolutely scoffs at the possibility of vampires. So of course I want: Witchblade v. vampires! The scarier and more feral, the better. Or, it’s implied that the Witchblade was forged from a meteorite, so it’s basically an eldritch artefact from outer space. Yes, please lean all the way into the Lovecraftian tropes! (The moon is turning red, the Old Ones are back, it’s the end of the world as we know it, but Sara’s got her partner by her side.) Or something from Chinese mythology, so Danny can kick extra ass. Or, for a silly take on Chinese culture: Sara and Danny in the world of Big Trouble in Little China, another old fave of mine, the entire plot of which revolves around… a woman with green eyes and an unwanted connection to the supernatural.

-The Witchblade has a reputation for abandoning its wearers just when they need it the most. True to form, it slips off of Sara’s fist, leaving her and Danny to save themselves with good old-fashioned guns, fisticuffs, martial arts, and of course having each other’s back.

-More of the psychedelic-ness in many of Sara’s fight scenes, where now she’s a woman in a leather jacket with a gauntlet on her arm, now she’s a knight in armor! Now her opponent is human, now he’s a wolf-shaped spirit of evil and hatred! Playing around with the characters’ senses and perceptions – yes!

-Instead of seeing only Danny and needing him to play intermediary for Sara to talk to other ghosts, the Witchblade makes Sara see ghosts all over the place, and it’s getting to her. Ghost!Danny may or may not help with that. Or, ghost!Danny is basically always around, whether Sara can see him or not. He manifests when Sara is masturbating, and you can’t really feel guilty if the ghost of your dead partner whom you’ve always had a thing for helps you out, and anyway you’re probably going crazy and none of this is real, so it doesn’t count anyway… right?

-Case fic/stakeouts and banter. Flirting to pass the long and stressful days at work. Quick and guilty sex because Danny’s married. Slow and intense sex if handwave he’s not married but “oh noes we’re partners, we shouldn’t be doing this, but somehow we keep doing it anyway.” Hooking up in the car. I’ve always headcanoned that they had a thing pre-canon which ended for Reasons, but they both kinda wish it hadn’t, hence the hand kissing, and the “I can’t even touch you,” and the coffee bringing/stealing, etc. So feel free to play around with that.

-Undercover as married, undercover as a gangster and his moll (LOL at Sara as a moll, or have Sara as the gangster and Danny as her lieutenant/enforcer/arm candy), undercover as “they think we’re fucking, better fake it real good for the people listening in, oops shit got real fast, careful don’t say each other’s real name or you’ll blow your cover.”

-More timey-wimey shenanigans with the Witchblade. Maybe it allows Sara to manipulate time more than once. Maybe she starts doing it way too often, throwing the continuum out of whack (something non-linear would be very interesting). Maybe she and/or Danny remember some or all of what happened in S1. Something about all the multiverse versions of them, possibly splitting off from a dramatic moment. Time loops and feelings are a combustible mix.

-Apart from the super obvious shippiness, what I like about S1 especially is how Sara rolls with the weirdness the Witchblade has brought into her life, instead of reaching for rational explanations. More of that (I can’t think of a better way to put it), and double extra brownie points if alive!Danny figures out at least some of what’s going on with Sara’s bracelet and somehow gets in on the action. Maybe a Danny saves the day divergence? Or how about a loophole that allows a man close to the Witchblade’s wearer to wield it temporarily, but There Is a Price to Pay.

Likes:

I love pre-canon, canon, post-canon, canon-divergent, and missing-scene stories. I love character-driven and plot-driven stories equally, and I love fics which mix humor and angst/serious business when appropriate for the canon.

I love stories about characters at work and play, group dynamics, family dynamics (including constructed families), professional partnerships, friendships, alliances, rivalries, intimate couples (new lovers/first times as well as long-term/established couples), UST-ridden couples who are not just UST-ridden but connected in other ways too, etc.

I love irony, snark, humor as well as angst arising from the characters rather than the plot crowbaring it in, linear, non-linear, and 5+1 stories, hopeful endings, happy endings, bittersweet endings, worldbuilding, competence, spiky characters who keep their jagged edges and spikiness in adversity as well as when their lives are going well, square-peg-in-round-hole characters, characters who are their own worst enemies as well as those who can get over themselves when the occasion calls for it, characters with conflicting values which may or may not be reconciled/resolved, characters who treat each other with respect and as equals even if they hate/annoy/can’t stand/love to dislike each other.

I especially love workplace stories (this can mean anything from an actual workplace/casefic/procedural setting to anything that revolves around the canon world in which the characters live) in which the characters are competent and dedicated to the job, and while they may not be exactly friends and they may well irritate one another, they still manage to rub along to get the job done and maybe even grow to care about one another (much to their surprise and sometimes reluctance/discomfort). Or, if they can’t get along, show me why not and what’s preventing them from finding common ground.

In terms of ship dynamics, I love (where it fits the characters) banter, competitiveness or antagonism shading into attraction (this tension need not be resolved), oh-god-why-did-it-have-to-be-you-what-did-I-do-to-deserve-this, bickering yet loving couples, characters who are serious about their romantic interests, characters who think they are much better at flirtation than they actually are, characters forced to work together only to prove much more compatible than they initially assumed, fics which mix an exploration of characters’ professional and everyday lives with shipping. A dynamic I cannot resist is shipping a couple who are incompatible in some important way (they are ideological enemies, cop and criminal, spies from opposite sides, one betrayed the other or they betrayed each other), and while they love and want each other they’re also not willing to change sides or surrender/compromise their identity for the other’s benefit, and how they might (or not) make their relationship work anyway.

I don’t have any very specific likes for smut, other than smut fitting the characters – show me how their canon dynamics spill over into the bedroom (or other place of congress). I also like sexual scenarios that subvert expectations a little and surprise the characters themselves (e.g., the person who’s usually quiet or more passive taking charge, the more aggressive person goes with it possibly snarking or commenting on it as long as they can). And I like sexual scenarios that contain an element of competition, antagonism, oh-god-this-is-a-bad-idea-but-we’re-going-for-it-hammer-and-tongs, not wanting to admit feelings or show vulnerability except oops it happens anyway, whether the characters acknowledge it or not, or just people getting way more into it or being more affected by it than they thought they would. When it fits the characters and their canon dynamic, you also can’t go wrong with we-both-wanted-this-for-forever-and-now-we-both-know-it-so-here-we-go-diving-in-headfirst. For het and/or slash, oral, vaginal, anal incl. pegging, manual (ifyouknowwhatImean) – it’s all good. You can go as veiled or as explicit as you like, but please avoid excessive medical jargon – I don’t find a lot of mention of “penis” or “clit�� sexy.

DNWs:

MPREG, A/B/O, knotting, D/s, kinks, incest, underage, genderswap/genderbent characters, xeno, non-/dub-con, torture and abuse (this and non-/dub-con can be mentioned if the story needs it, but please don’t dwell on it in loving detail or subject any of my requested characters to it), dwelling on bodily fluids (mentions of gore/blood and come are fine), toilet humor, character bashing, issuefic, gender/sexuality/race/ethnicity/religion/ability/identity headcanons, unrequested ships, soulmates and soul marks, major character death (meaning my requested characters being or staying dead by story’s end), serious illness or injury, pregnancy and children, holiday or wedding setting/theme, secondary characters shipping the main pair like it’s their job, reference to RL current events, 1st/2nd person POV, unrequested crossovers or fusions, AUs which have nothing to do with canon

#dear author letter #shipoween 2020