recs and links

In the downtime before their mission begins, Bucky takes Steve to the shooting range. Really nice UST here.

"I still don't see why we need to do this," said Zuko. "Aang isn't even here." "Lots of reasons," said Sokka, "all of them excellent." "Oh yeah?" "For one thing, Aang can't get married without some kind of masculine manly hunting taking place. And since Aang doesn't eat meat, it's down to you and me to carry on the ancient traditions of my people. Manly traditions." "Right," said Zuko. "Only, fishing isn't hunting." "The first rule of being a manly man is that when Gran-Gran says we have enough meat but could use more fish, you listen." Sokka & Zuko ice fishing and bantering. ♥

Bruce trains Tim. Disturbingly believable and heartbreaking. Oh, Bruce, stop trying to make everyone else as fucked up as you are!

The gleam of gun-steel metal and a new star – no, a shield. His shield. He blinks, catches sight of a yellow page crumpled in the polished metal fist. Curious, he works it free. A note. From Fury, of course. "Before you go working yourself up, thought you should know that the kid designed this all by himself. – Fury" The slow, wondering smile takes Steve by surprise. He's hoped. He's believed. Hell, he's prayed. But this – Bucky branding himself with Steve's mark? – this is the first time he's known things will be okay. AU where Bucky doesn't run in London. Reunionating for the win!

Two old friends of Sam's from Stanford run into him again in the middle of a hunt. Things do not, as they say, go well. Oh, Sam. Really sharp outsider POV on what the Winchesters must look like to the people they rescue.

When Kon’s sleepy, Krypto brings him blankets. When Kon’s hungry, Krypto brings him food. And apparently when Kon’s horny, Krypto brings him Tim. He’s not sure which is weirder, that Krypto can tell when he’s horny or that Krypto’s the first to figure out that Kon’s totally horny for Tim. This is adorable! Best superdog ever! ♥

Maybe the problem is that sometimes Bucky looks at Captain America in his red, white and blue uniform and shield, with his broad shoulders and strong back and his handful of inches on Bucky’s height, and feels more lost than he has since he first stepped on English soil. He missed it all, Steve doing whatever he did to prove himself the one worthy man of all soldiers to be given the scientist’s serum and he missed the change. He missed Steve’s turn as America’s new and improved Uncle Sam. He missed Steve becoming this hero Captain America. He misses Steve. Lovely and warm and suffused with melancholy and nostalgia. (movieverse)

Really lovely bit of Thor/Jane, but what I like best about it is how comfortable and warm they are together. I like that they laugh and joke while they're having sex. It makes them feel real.

Thor and Jane are still separated but he still finds a way to watch over her. Lovely and sly.

“Let me get this straight,” Steph said, both hands raised. “You just woke me up at four in the morning because you want to have a team up. You want to team up because Red Robin was kidnapped by a woman calling herself the Crazy Quilt. You and me, versus the Crazy Quilt. And PS, it’s four am and I have a philosophy quiz at eight.” “Yes,” said Batman. Bruce and Steph get stuck in an elevator and have what passes for a heart-to-heart in the Batfamily. I might have teared up a little. Oh, Steph. Oh, my heart.

Steve and Bucky celebrating in their tent after a hard day of fighting. Hot and sweet. (comicsverse)

Steve wants to come out. Bucky doesn't want their relationship to be a political statement. I enjoyed this, especially the give and take between them. (comicsverse)

Highly enjoyable (and long) Darcy/Clint story that details the early days of the Avengers Initiative as Darcy and Clint get together. (Ends a little abruptly, but maybe I just feel that way because the loose ends left are the ones I was really interested in.)

So Darcy's still a virgin. It's not a big deal or anything, but Clint wants to make her first time special. Funny, sweet and hot. (there's a second fill in the thread as well, Rara Avis, that is also pretty funny.)

"I get no respect," he tells Thor. "No respect at all." "A true leader earns the respect of his followers," Thor says. It's a little like being lectured by a very earnest golden retriever puppy. Ahahahaha! Thor and Tony bond. Adorable!

It's ridiculous and weird, Ron thinks, that yesterday they defeated Lord Voldemort, and yesterday they figured it out, figured out it was never either for any one of them, it was always both, and now Hermione's reading a book and Harry's sleeping and he, Ron, can just go over and sit with them. And be part of an us. It probably counted as madness, but it was the best kind. Harry, Ron, and Hermione take a couple days off to deal with what happened in the final battle and also to figure out how to move forward with their relationship. It makes my heart so happy to imagine this future for them, together. ♥

Tim, Kon, and Cassie, dealing (or not) with their issues upon Kon's return. Deliciously angsty but hopeful that they'll figure it all out in the end.

Really lovely look at Esme Weatherwax at various points in her life (and death).

Google Plus or Google+ is the latest social network from Google after Buzz. Orkut is also owned by Google but because of diminishing popularity of Orkut worldwide compared to Facebook, Google has brought up something very new and radical called the Google Plus. But if you don’t want to use the Google+ anymore or you want to get rid of ...

Lovely, understated AU in which Magneto comes back to Westchester to help run the school. Thinking that there's no problem with the Professor and Magneto being together, and saying so, quickly becomes a kind of litmus test: at the school, among mutants, "normal," human social rules don't apply. The Professor would hate that line of thinking, of course, but few of the new pupils--who seem, as Erik says to Charles many times, to get younger and softer as the years pass--have the temerity to say so right off the bat, particularly not to their older classmates, who are almost always the first people like them that they've ever known. Those who keep that thought to themselves, or who do have problems with two men being, for all intents and purposes, married, generally decide that there are bigger things to worry about by graduation.

Ridiculously hot Tim/Kon first time reunionating porn, set right after Tim sees Kon alive again for the first time. (there's one bit where Kon calls Tim "baby" that I find jarring, but that probably wouldn't bother most people.)

They're as alone as can be with a couple dozen cops, paramedics, and CDC personnel milling around on the other side of a three-sheet curtain of cloudy PVC. Peter and Olivia in a hazmat shower. Short, sharp and hot.

Erik is forced to relive the day on the beach over and over until he gets it right. I do love a good Groundhog day story.

"You're my date?" "It's not a date," Clint said carefully, as if he'd been coached. "Uh-huh." "It's a morale-boosting experience," he added, making Darcy pause where she was scooping her bag off the floor to stare at him. There was the beginning of a shit-eating grin flirting around the corners of his mouth. "That makes it sound like you're being whored out to me," she said finally. "All undercover SHIELD operatives receive extensive rentboy training." "Are you expected to spend a lot of time lying back and thinking of America?" "That's more Steve's style." "Yeah, all right, I'm not touching that one," Darcy said, shouldering her bag. She took another look at Clint and decided she probably wouldn't mind if he were being whored out to her, hypothetically: after a college career dating three economics majors, an engineer, and a future master of public policy, his biceps looked pretty good. So did his ass. But that wasn't the point. // fake dating + Darcy = AWESOME

Astrid starts hearing things in the lab, and wonders if she's having a breakdown. So. Adorable.

Astrid starts hearing things in the lab, and wonders if she's having a breakdown. So. Adorable.

Pitch-perfect Pushing Daisies story with a cameo by a Middleman character. Funny, sweet, and full of heart. Plus luscious descriptions of pie and ice cream.

Pitch-perfect Pushing Daisies story with a cameo by a Middleman character. Funny, sweet, and full of heart. Plus luscious descriptions of pie and ice cream.