Whispers

overcomplicate the simple

First, I'm going to love on my gift fic, written by the incomparable findthesea:

overcomplicate the simple (2043 words) by andibeth82
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Lance Hunter/Bobbi Morse
Characters: Bobbi Morse, Lance Hunter
Additional Tags: Developing Relationship, Companionable Snark, Friends to Lovers
Summary:

This is what Bobbi Morse knows about Lance Hunter, and this is what Lance Hunter knows about Bobbi Morse.

I love the tone of this story. It fits with the vibe I expect from these two, and the banter and the secrets and the denial (she is soooo in denial about being in love with Hunter here) and the history, which I've begged for time and again in exchanges, it's here and it's perfect and it's so like them.

I love this story. She managed to work in Clint/Bobbi history too without demonizing anyone and let Bobbi be Bobbi, which is to say quite flawed but I love her anyway, and let Hunter be Hunter, which is to say also flawed and insightful while still totally missing the mark half the time in the things he knows about her. That tension they have on the show is here and I love this fic so much.

Ahem.

So go read.

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In Your Eyes

As for what I wrote, I wrote two fics, my assignment which thrilled me to pieces to get and a pinch hit the letter utterly sold me on.

findthesea helped me finesse this one (and decide whether it was any good at all). I always feel so at sea when I first hammer my way through a pairing and am trying to get their voice right. I rewatched a ton of Wanda clips and vids over and over and over and hoped for the best. (I think I'm in love with Wanda.) I stalked theladymore's journal and totally participated with Wanda in her give me a character meme and I'll tell you what I love about them.

I couldn't get to the bedroom stuff, though the ideas were there, because for some reason, I had to write the get-together fic first and fic out why I thought they'd work and how they'd get drawn together.

Normally, I don't like the premise that Laura's Barney's widow, but for this fic, I ran with it, and I don't honestly regret the choice, so there it went.

In Your Eyes (2452 words) by scribblemyname
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Clint Barton/Wanda Maximoff
Characters: Wanda Maximoff, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov
Additional Tags: Friends to Lovers, Canonical Alternate Universe, Developing Relationship, new avengers team, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie)
Summary:

It broke something between them, to acknowledge each other on the field, professionally bleeding into personal when Wanda moved to actually talking to him in the halls or common rooms. She wished him a good trip when he headed back to the farm to visit his brother's family. She smiled when he returned.

---

The Queen, In Exile

I don't even know what to tell you. This fic, this fic. The letter asked for so many things that hit my buttons and I just wanted to write it when I saw that letter and pounced fast before someone else could grab it. Then I hit crunch time and their voices weren't working for me, I wasn't sold on the relationship like aurilly, my recip wanted, and really the big problem was getting the crossover to work to my exacting standards.

Handwaving works to a point, but the more I dug into Narnia, the more I was convinced that the rings would never strand Susan out of time. She was just a little too young for Bucky in their original times and my recipient wanted Bucky, not the Winter Soldier, which I slowly began to realize I only knew through fandom osmosis.

Prince Caspian saved me. I started my canon review with The Horse and His Boy to pick up the royal speech patterns, but there was also commentary on Susan's personality that made me think of the other book, and behold! Royal speech patterns! I dug in and there was this throwaway line from Aslan about chinks between the worlds. I pounced on that so hard and the fic started pulling together from Susan's side. The more I read, the more I loved her. I kept in mind Lewis's saying that basically Susan's story was a more mature, complicated story rather than a children's one. He wasn't trying to say, she had a life, that's bad, so I dug into that because I wanted to do her justice without destroying what the book was really trying to say en brief.

So basically Susan, chinks and chasms between worlds that all work differently, and Aslan in all of them.

Then He sends her back to the MCU and I'm home free, right, because I've done all the brainstorming for her and Bucky and why they work and their scenes together? Yeah, no. I know Winter Soldier in MCU fine enough from watching CA2, but I really never watched all of Bucky's material (or almost any) in the first movie and I had to go canon review him and watch and watch and watch until I felt like I had a handle on him.

In short, this was an unexpected fic I never expected to get the reaction it did. I'm a little awed by how many people liked it and how well. I barely resisted writing Clint + Susan archery contest fic. And my nonny beta was gloriously awesome. Like awesome, awesome.

So. Have a fic.

The Queen, in Exile (4119 words) by scribblemyname
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis, Captain America (Movies)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Susan Pevensie
Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Susan Pevensie
Additional Tags: Crossover, Realm Hopping, Post-Canon, First Meeting, Developing Relationship
Summary:

Bucky isn't the only one who's lost everything. He was born in 1917. She was queen in another world. Susan is someone he never expected to find.

If you love Anne of Green Gables or A Swiftly Tilting Planet, you will love this. I got TWO gifts from Invisible Ficathon and feel utterly spoiled.

Of The King's Sons (1391 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Horn of Joy - Matthew Maddox
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Madoc, Gwydyr
Additional Tags: Documentation
Summary:

An early chapter of "The Horn of Joy;" Madoc visits a soothsayer, attends a funeral, and leaves home.

The Jealous Lover, Or, In Death Not Divided (6550 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Cordelia Montmorency, Geraldine Seymour, Bertram DeVere
Additional Tags: Romantic Friendship, duskly flashing eyes, alabaster brows, Jealousy, tragical and pathetic, Betrayal
Summary:

By Anne C. Shirley.

Cordelia Montmorency and Geraldine Seymour were bosom friends who swore never to part from each other's embrace, but when the dashing and mysterious Bertram DeVere interposes between them, shadows fall upon their path that once was so fair and bright.

Special thanks to Diana Barry and Matthew Cuthbert for their inspiration and encouragement, and to Miss Stacy for being so awfully understanding in letting us write what we wanted for this composition.

Warning: very tragical, don't like don't read!

Because it's adorable and I have a headache and needed a pick-me-up, so wandered through someone else's gifts.


Missed Messages (2053 words) by Koren M
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Hawkeye (Comics)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Clint Barton/Kate Bishop
Characters: Clint Barton, Kate Bishop
Additional Tags: First Time, Voicemail, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Summary:

There were a lot of ways they could screw this up all on their own - they really didn't need everyone else's help.

Originally posted by in_the_blue at I Need My Fics Signups

And eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! They're gorgeous. One is gen and lovely, and the other is not and will break your heart. I'm serious. Plus with bonus great endgame pairing while STILL breaking your heart about the main pairing. Ahem.

So...

bomb in a birdcage (5334 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Clint Barton & Bobbi Morse, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov
Characters: Clint Barton, Bobbi Morse, Natasha Romanov, Maria Hill
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Military, Developing Relationship, Male-Female Friendship, Hurt/Comfort
Summary:

“So what’s your story?” Bobbi asks when they’re roughly more than halfway to where Hill’s pointed out they should be tracking coordinates.

OR, the one where Clint is in the military.

This fic, this fic. It makes great use of a dream, hints at potential deafness, great platonic relationships between Clint and Maria (as his SO, squee!), Clint and Natasha (his tattle-telling partner, more squee!), and Clint and Bobbi (first meeting, paired up for a mission), and she does her Bobbi takes care of her team and cares about everyone on it thing and they're all in character and it's military and realistic and AWESOME.

And then there's the soulmate/soulmark fic. I warned you once, right? It will break your heart. It's perfect. It's lovely. It's complicated because soulmates ARE complicated and that's what I love about them.

Between Destiny And Love (8765 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Maria Hill/Clint Barton, Maria Hill & Clint Barton, Maria Hill/Steve Rogers, Maria Hill & Steve Rogers, Clint Barton/Laura Barton, Maria Hill & Natasha Romanov
Characters: Maria Hill, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Laura Barton, Nick Fury
Additional Tags: alternate Universe - Soulmarks, relationship, Love, Angst, Trope Subversion/Inversion, Sorry Not Sorry, Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Love Is Difficult, This Is Not The Soulmate Fic You're Looking For
Summary:

Maria Hill meets Clint Barton on her first mission as a full-fledged SHIELD agent, reared, geared, and ready to rumble. He walks with a swagger as most male operatives do, and she prepares to be paternalised as most female operatives are.

Sometimes love is complicated.

And tielan, I am firmly of the belief you will ADORE this fic.

So I was perusing valuable links and ran across this gem of a post called "14 Ways to Handle a Christian Introvert." Note: I am a Christian and an introvert. I rolled with laughter. This is me. You read my mind.

An excerpt:

2) We just don’t sing like the front row.

It’s great that extroverts can freely express themselves during worship time.  But introverts sometimes just read the lyrics, connect inwardly, and keep their hands inside the vehicle.  If you see us raising even one hand and singing a few words, we are seriously pushing the gas pedal all the way to the floor.

3) Do not ever rebuke us in public.

Or you and I are done.  Forever. You should never do this anyway.

7) We get super-tired around a lot of people.

My limit is about four hours, and then I actually get a headache from just hanging around human beings.  My Sabbath rest is leave-me-alone-time with my non-judgmental dog.  Give us that time without trying to counsel us about it.

8) Don’t be offended if we don’t reply right away.

Sometimes when we see a Facebook invite to that next big church event, we just let it sit there and think about it periodically throughout the week and then come back to it before committing.  We do the same thing with text messages, emails, phone calls, and you showing up at the door.

10) Please do NOT bring a lot of attention to us.

Not in the church bulletin, not the church site, not for my birthdays, not for that nice thing I did for the homeless — just please, no spotlight.

11) Sometimes we’re just moody.  It’s not depression or a “spiritual attack” or “unconfessed sin.”

One word: space.  Lots of it.

Originally published at Liana Mir. You can comment here or there.

We all of us have favorite things. Mine are primarily words, tea, fiction, and music. Cooking, organization, and analysis tend more to be guilty pleasures. What can I say?

Tea

tea • noun 1. the second-most perfect beverage in existence, the first being water; 2. nature’s pharmacy for the soul.

My favorite current tea blend: CHICORY MATÉ SPICE

For an entire teapot:

• 4 tbsp. yerba maté herb
• 2 tbsp. stevia leaf
• 1 tbsp. chicory
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon powder
• 1 tbsp. ginger powder

For one cup:

• 2 tsp. maté
• 1 tsp. each of chicory, ginger, cinnamon, and stevia

Use a coffee filter to strain this tea! A regular tea strainer will get gunked up with powder and you may lose some of your tea. Steep in almost boiling water until a dark, rich brown. Strain and enjoy!

Books

writer • noun 1. a reader who decided if you want something done right, you must do it yourself; 2.a reader who ran out of books; 3. a reader inspired to immitation.

Unseen by Rabia Gale

A collection of two previously published fantasy short stories about magic in unexpected places and about the loss of that magic. I had read the second selection—about a pudgy, ordinary man who has forgotten his own incredible origin and former life—before Rabia asked me to proofread this collection, but the first story—about a Pakistani girl who can see into a fantastical world others are blind to—was new to me. Both are enjoyable, full of choices between modern safety and wild beauty. Recommended to avid readers of Beneath Ceaseless Skies or Lightspeed‘s fantasy selections. [ ebook ]

Other Impressions of the Author:
Shattered

Aphorisms of Kherishdar by M.C.A. Hogarth, voiced by Daniel Dorse

Being quite fond of flash fiction in the first place, Hogarth’s fil ekain, or incense stories, drew me from our first introduction. The Ai-Naidar are a graceful alien civilization who value the society more than the individual; thus they seek to find the place of each in the fabric of the whole, that none endure separation. These are beautiful stories, “short and lingering,” as the narrator tells us, and the reader does justice to them with his warm storyteller voice. If you have never tried audio before, this is a lovely place to begin. [ audio ]

Other Impressions of the Author:
Spots: the Space Marine
The Case of the Poisoned House

Bread

hardtack • noun 1. a boring, edible substance made from flour, water, and maybe a pinch of salt; 2. a base for creating simple, mouthwatering breads.

SALSA BREAD

• a bowl of all-purpose flour
• a large jar of salsa
• water

Combine all ingredients until all powder is thoroughly mixed in and dough is slighty soupy. Layer a baking dish in parchment paper and pour in mixture. Bake between 350 and 400 degrees until a knife stuck in the middle comes out clean. Enjoy!

[Note: I live in high altitude and it seems to take roughly about an hour for the bread to be done.]

What are some of your favorite things?

Originally published at Liana Mir. You can comment here or there.

1. Spots the Space Marine by M.C.A. Hogarth

I’ve held off on talking about the amazing fiction I’ve been sucked into and reading like my life depended on it, simply because I seem to suck royally at motivating myself to do so. Well, this one broke that block.

I have loved her tragic, but transcendent The Worth of a Shell; I have adored her stories about Jahir and Vasih’th, the xenopsychiatrists; I have faithfully slurped up every possible smidgen of Black Blossom she could throw at me: it’s like Emma with male aliens instead of female humans. It’s a fantasy of manners, and I want her to write a zillion more. And then there’s Spots.

I tried this book as an e-book first. Could. not. get into it. My paperback came from when I backed it on Kickstarter, and I pushed through the first four chapters and that was it. Hooked. The narrative zings along and you cannot put the book down without grumbling terribly at the requirement of doing so.

A 32-year-old mother is called up from the reserves and sent to supposedly in-the-middle-of-nowhere depot, which just happens to turn out to be practically on top of a crab breeding facility. I don’t know even how to describe this book. This is a family, a Marine family, in space fighting crab-like aliens that look eerily like their allies, the violinists. It’s a roller coaster, but it doesn’t feel like one; it’s that smooth and well-put-together.

Read it.

2. The art business book by M.C.A. Hogarth

The woman’s earning a living doing what I want to be doing. Enough said. Please consider funding this book through IndieGoGo.

Originally published at Liana Mir. You can comment here or there.

Originally published at Liana Mir. You can comment here or there.

Originally published at Liana Mir. You can comment here or there.