#radialarch

[24x81]

top 5 poems!!

this was hard!!! but these are the ones i think about most/keep going back to/stuck with me all these years. apparently I like it to hurt

1. i like my body when it is with your - e.e. cummings

2. conversation with mary - gabrielle bates

3. pomegranate - sol rios

4. leda and the swan - william butler yeats

5. you are jeff - richard siken

[hallowedlore]

omg what ARE your top 5 books of all time

WOW going straight for the throat I see I see!!!!

I'm excluding plays & poetry from this, because I will actually cry if I have to weigh pratchett against shakespeare. THEREFORE: novels only, in no actual order:

sarah waters' Fingersmith. blew me up, cut me down, ate my heart whole & spat it out remade. obviously I cannot Say A Word about the plot, because that would spoil too much to unwary tumblrers, but this is a book about hatred and desperation and grief and horror & also a book about fascination and attraction and seeing true for the first time. and sex. maud & sue are each other's foils, shadows, personas, and ghosts, each other's assured ruin and fragile rebirth. I adore it.

terry pratchett's Going Postal. honestly, this could have been night watch, or monstrous regiment, or hogfather, or small gods — but I'm listening to the going postal audiobook as i type this (the moist audiobook, if you will), and so much of it is truly, deeply heart-shattering. a story about a con man forced into public service, a harangue against capitalism, a plea for humanism, often hilarious, sometimes beautiful in meaning & form, and sometimes so dry the plaster starts to peel. and moist is, in every way, the Perfect Protagonist, bless his deceitful little socks.

shirley jackson's We Have Always Lived In The Castle. I don't think I can speak about this book without stumbling on clumsiness. I will say that the prose is phenomenal — vivid, intense, constant, rich with color & horror both — the characters' vicious cycle drawn fantastically, the setting claustrophobic but enormous, & the ending... spatial. everything is wrong, but everything is so so right.

connie willis' To Say Nothing Of The Dog. listen, this is not a quality contest; willis' prose is a little repetitive & her plot nonsensical, but I love this book from the depths of my teenage heart. it taught me english. it comforted me at the bottom of the hole. it gave me so many other writers (sayers, wodehouse, even shakespeare himself). it is a warm bath of a book, and I return to it whenever I need to feel that I am loved.

I think I'm going to have to go with austen for the last one, though it breaks me to push others away. Pride & Prejudice, though, or Emma? p&p is luminous & joyful & caustic & young; emma is masterfully written in every way. I don't think I can choose, so I will smush them together & call it done — some books live in your heart forever.

special mentions: dwj's Howl's Moving Castle, sayers' Gaudy Night, baldwin's Giovanni's Room, caudwell's Hilary Tamar series, heyer's The Talisman Ring, forster's A Room With A View, dumas' The Count of Monte-Cristo, t. kingfisher's The Raven & The Reindeer, tamsyn muir's The Locked Tomb series, the Sherlock Holmes books, the Lupin books, others I probably forget, and a fair few romance novels that I'd be glad to talk about (if someone wants my thoughts about the romance genre xoxo)

[mitsususu]

There are over 50,000 Stucky fics on AO3. If you’re new, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when there is so much to read. All this talent; where to begin? Below are 5 stories to get you started:

“This, You Protect” (T, 64k) by owlet

The mission resets abruptly, from objective: kill to objective: protect

+ Post Winter Soldier, this story is part of a series spanning 264k words. It follows Bucky as he discovers coffee, navigates his identity, makes new friends, and reconnects with Steve. 

-☆-

“4 Minute Window” (E, 24k) by Speranza

"Look, if they catch me," Bucky muttered, "they're either going to kill me or they're going to put me in a box with a little window and—Steve, I can't."

+ Post Winter Soldier, this story is part of a series spanning 148k words. Bucky has regained his memories. Through covert communication, Bucky and Steve work together to escape the intelligence agencies trying to lock Bucky away.  

-☆-

“The S. Rogers Memorial (it’s NOT a shrine) to J. B. Barnes” (T, 18k) by SkyisGray

When the Avengers realize that Steve doesn’t have anything to remind him of Bucky Barnes, they embark on a project to track down Bucky memorabilia. But it seems that Steve isn’t the only visitor to the (unofficial) J. B. Barnes memorial (which is totally NOT a shrine, Tony).

+ Post Avengers (2012). As the summary says, the Avengers give Steve thoughtful and meaningful items to cheer him up. Their kindness inadvertently foils Hydra’s plans.

-☆-

“before we can breathe easy” (T, 22k) by belovedmuerto

No one touches Steve.

Bucky sets out to do something about that.

+ Post Winter Soldier, this story is part of a series spanning 76k words. Bucky has not fully recovered, but tries his best to give Steve more hugs. A soft story about stepping beyond comfort zones to make steady progress towards healing.

-☆-

“United States v. Barnes, 617 F. Supp. 2d 143 (D.D.C. 2015) (T, 20k) by fallingvoices and radialarch

The Associated Press @AP Winter Soldier set to stand trial for Washington D.C. massacre and treason apne.ws/1og6SWE

+ Repeated from the Winter Soldier Trial list. A courtroom drama as told by tweets, interviews, trial transcriptions, e-mails, and news broadcasts. Love declarations of the century.

-☆-

*More Stucky Recs here

[mathprofessorquotes]

Algebraic geometry professor: Now we’re going to talk about blowing up points in affine space.

Teaching Assistant: Because of this terminology, mathematicians have been arrested at airports.

[avengersbeyondstark]

United States v. Barnes, 617 F. Supp. 2d 143 (D.D.C. 2015)

by fallingvoices and radialarch

T, 20k, Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes, Complete

Summary:  The Associated Press @AP Winter Soldier set to stand trial for Washington D.C. massacre and treason apne.ws/1og6SWE

My comments: This story is an absolute classic in the fandom, or at the very least it should be. Written back in the era fresh off the release of the Winter Soldier, it contains a lot of the tropes I think the fandom has come to associate with that time period of fanon: fake-though-oddly-realistic social media posts, snippets and pieces of full-on academic papers on the morality of punishing a man who was brainwashed into being an assassin, and all of the painful ambiguity that would and should be present in a story where the Winter Soldier is brought to trial for crimes he never would have committed if he’d had the choice. Steve and Bucky are reunited amidst the courtroom drama, and America is torn on what to think of it’s national hero being in love with such a dangerous “villain”. This story has been in my Fic Recs list for literal years. Well worth the read!

media fic, Courtroom Drama, mentions of torture, mentions of Natasha Romanov/Sam Wilson, Social Media

(Please feel free to REBLOG as a signal boost for these authors and this story if you enjoyed it!)

[audreyroscoe]

Yeah I'm talking about n.e.c.! 😊 Agree with everything you said honestly, the characters and relationships were so well written (i love semi canon compliance), and the writing so poetic, I'm a huge fan of that. Those quotes you mentioned are forever ingrained in my mind (or heart)! God, this series is definitely one of my favorite fanfics I've ever read. Also i'm glad how you read it just when you needed it 🌟 Do you have any other favorite stucky fics? Oh and what did you think about endgame?

Hello! <3 Thank you for your ask! I’m happy my rambling didn’t scare you off..

Yes me too! Semi canon compliance is what always gets me because I usually look for fanfiction after finishing a movie or a book, simply because I wanna stay in that “world” a little longer and see what else these characters can do and feel and how relationships can evolve.

And I’m totally with you, these quotes feel like a stab every time I read them, but in a good way (is that weird?) They just make me feel so many things.

And thank you so much for your kind words! <3 It really helped a lot and definitely is a big reason for why I’m addicted to these earth-shattering kind of love stories, especially with their whole beautiful poetry.

I was so happy when I saw you asking me about my recommendations because I know I fell in love with so many Stucky fics and talking about them again makes me happy! :D

Ain’t No Grave by spitandvinegar

The first one I have to mention after n.e.c. is “Ain’t No Grave”, because that story buried me in feelings. I have to give a warning (just like the author, so please mind the tags and author’s note), that this story deals with a lot of heavy topics. I have to admit that I don’t recall all the details anymore, but it deals heavily with Drug Abuse, Past Rape and especially PTSD. Bucky deals with what happened to him and it’s also abstract from time to time but absolutely worth the read. 

The author describes his feelings and his struggles so well and so painfully, and then there’s Steve who’s trying his best to help.

United States v. Barnes, 617 F. Supp. 2d 143 (D.D.C. 2015) by fallingvoices and radialarch

One thing I loved about “Not easily conquered” was the way the authors embedded not only writing but Twitter posts and different forms of media.

This story does that but in an even grander scheme: Bucky’s trial for everything he did as The Winter Soldier is portrayed through interviews, articles, twitter posts, transcripts etc. It makes the whole story feel alive and also devastatingly real - I wanted to be there the entire time to just yell at them all to shut up and protect Bucky already. It makes you feel like you’re in the middle of all the mess, watching along in horror with Steve and the others. Please mind the tags!

This, You Protect by owlet

One of, if not the most heart-warming Stucky fic I’ve ever read. Bucky deals with what happened in The Winter Soldier, when suddenly his mission protocol fails him and he’s left with a more or less free will. The author did a great way of having the mission there as basically a second protagonist that Bucky talks to, feels betrayed by and always looks to for agreement or disapproval. It’s sad sometimes but mostly it’s adorable and funny, especially with Steve and an adorable group of older people in the mix, who always look out for Bucky.

Those are the stories I remember off of the top of my head! I hope you’ll like them and I would be super happy to read some of your recommendations as well! <3

About endgame… 

Honestly, I really, really liked it. I liked what they did, I liked the way they put in references and humour and absolute heartbreak, but the ending is what still makes me question and rethink it all again and again. I loved Steve in the whole movie but his relationship with Bucky, which they build and build from the beginning until Civil War, kept fading and left me a little disappointed in Endgame. I also, as many others, can’t imagine Steve going back and basically leaving Bucky alone (when he eventually dies)… (which is why I kinda rewrote my own ending). 

I actually agree with the people that say that Tony’s heroic death perfectly fit with his character and I really liked how they did it, but I also wish he could have had a happier ending… 

What do you think? 

(hope this wasn’t too much oops)

(might come back to this and add things)

[lucy-vanpelt]

oooh this is cheating but tell me about JON in inception au :D :D

WELL, first of all, here is the inception au. jon’s an architect in it, which was mostly influenced by these excerpts from david litt’s book about being an obama speechwriter. jon’s mostly the eyebrow waggling close friend of tommy in this story, but i remember really wanting him and lovett to click well while tommy is naturally the more guarded and suspicious one - this was before “sold! never regretted it for a day!” but i’ve always seen jon as someone who is a pretty good judge of character, and more specifically a very good judge of who is or isn’t going to get along with him, a thought probably influenced in large part by this other excerpt from david litt’s book. thanks for all the canon accoutrements, david, you’ve helped more than you’ll ever know.

one of my favorite things to write about and allude to across fandoms and aus is the “how these people got here” training piece (i.e. starfleet in the star trek universe), so i loved sprinkling in little details about how jon and tommy met while they were training for dreamshare espionage together; it’s definitely a callback to the rl canon of them all coming up through the obama campaign. i don’t go into jon’s totem in the story but now that i’m thinking about it, i like if it’s something to do with his oft-mentioned contacts (”twenty twenty babyyy,” tommy says helpfully) - like, in dreams he has perfect vision and doesn’t need corrective lenses at all. something very subtle yet practical that also kind of plays to his vanity seems very jon favreau. and he could still wear those damn aviators all the time.

in the futurefic i teased in the end notes, i think jon’s probably the first one of them to start getting disillusioned with what they do for the government on a regular basis. you know, this is the guy who puts “activist” in his FEC contributions, so of course in this AU he’s the idealistic one who’s like, maybe we could do something better with this extremely specific skillset that isn’t spying on people for the CIA. and once he goes of course tommy’s gonna follow, he’s the head and jon’s the heart, and lovett’s like “you motherfuckers aren’t going anywhere without me,” etc etc hashtag resistance

[no-birdstofly]

tell me about that bit in witches fic where jon finds out TOMMY AND LOVETT HAVE BEEN PUTTING MAGIC INTO HIM ALL THOSE YEARS

Oh no. Let’s start by saying that all the magic in the witches fic is a hodgepodge of many, many myths and beliefs that have been percolating in my brain for YEARS. I won’t copy in the whole chunk you’re referencing, but here’s the ~~emotional bit: 

“Hey,” Tommy says, carefully running his hand behind Jon’s ear, “I’m sorry. I never meant—we never meant to use it that… liberally with you.“ “We just wanted to…” Lovett trails off. Jon blinks his eyes open. Lovett looks uncomfortable.“We wanted to take care of you,” Tommy says, squeezing the base of Jon’s neck.“Yeah,” Lovett says, voice hoarse. “That.”

The magic in this fic is incredibly personal and inherent to the witch. It boils down to: either you have it, or you don’t, and you have natural aptitudes. You can get better through practice, but you can’t wholly learn it from scratch. It’s kind of like an innate talent. It’s an intrinsic part of a witch, which is why Tommy and Lovett have different gifts, and I think it’s a lot of gut instinct.

It also means witches have a better understanding of the world around them, and of the universe, without even trying to. Magic is energy manifested. In bolstering Jon up throughout the years, what they’re doing is sharing their own life forces, in particular I was thinking of qi. (A long-winded argument could probably be made that the magic they do is actually REALLY advanced physics.) Witches have greater life forces because they can draw energy from a number of things around them – they have a lot to tap into, so they can share it (even if they’re not supposed to). And some stuck to Jon because they’re soulmates which is why he can see traces of magic that he shouldn’t be able to. 

To me, this magic is very elemental, with Tommy’s tied to people and organic matter, and Lovett’s to air and time/prophecy. (Tommy’s is more grounded; Lovett’s is more ephemeral.) 

Tommy and Lovett have known about each other for years, which was a huge weight off both fo their shoulders (even if they were initially suspicious of one another). Tommy never thinks of telling Jon, not seriously, but there are so many times, late nights at the office and half-asleep on the bus, where he thinks it’d be nice if he could. Jon tells him everything, and Tommy feels the disparity in their friendship like a heavy weight. Neither of them mean to ever give Jon as much as they do, to siphon off their own energy in that way, but Jon makes it so easy. Easy to want to take care of him, to protect him, to love him. This is a super forbidden thing they’re dabbling in, but they can’t help it, because neither of them has ever met someone so worthwhile of having magic funneled into them. 

There’s a line in the fic where Lovett admits he thought Jon was one of them when they first met, because how could Jon not be magic, and I think that sort of represents both of their feelings about the whole business. 

As for JON, I tried to tread a careful line of “understandably freaked out” but “still in love with these idiots.” He accepts probably too easily, but this Jon is already so open to them in every way, so he’s easy for it. And for them, it feels like a betrayal to not be open with him in turn. Probably they’ve talked about telling him ad nauseam throughout the years, and the rain ritual is an excuse to finally do it – because they do need someone’s help, and they’d rather it be his. It’s Lovett’s idea to just throw Jon into the deep end without explaining anything first, but it’s Tommy’s idea to kiss him. They’d talked about that, too, but Lovett didn’t know he was going to do it until he saw it with his own eyes (and then kissed Jon for himself.) 

But I do think Jon has to reevaluate all these little moments throughout the years where he didn’t know they were silently, selflessly helping him. I also think he feels kind of smug about it, afterward. He has two powerful witches in love with him, that will do anything for him – that already were doing anything for him before he ever even knew it. He’s giddy with it and he likes to tease them about it, and obviously he’s into the sex magic side of it. That side of it is GREAT. 

And and I think there’s a sequel to this which is largely just Jon watching and reading (ahem, listening to) everything with witches he can get his hands on and asking annoying questions about what’s real and what’s not. I think he’s FASCINATED by this new world that’s been exposed to him, and he wants to know everything. It’s fun for Lovett and Tommy to get to show off, too.