285. EXCHANGE WRAP | SEASONS OF DRABBLES.

[peaked]

So I think this round of seasonsofdrabbles might be my favourite??? It's hard to have a favourite when there's always a handful of amazing drabbles that just hit me in the face or kick me in the gut or rip my heart out.

As a participant, I love every round because I make it a point to spice up my requests and ask for a few different fandoms. As a creator, I like to use this as an opportunity to experiment, try new characters/ships, and challenge myself with great ideas inspired by amazing requests. This time around, I stuck to 200-300 words because I was busy with ficinabox. (I did try to write 100 words, but the drabble that originally had it didn't feel right, so 100 words unfortunately didn't make it as a successful hit on my Drabble Writing Bingo Card. Sometimes that happens! I was still very, very happy with what I had spun into tiny stories.) I also wrote some ships I've never written before, which was exciting and terrifying.

I was absolutely spoiled. (I got a drabble focusing on a character study of my favourite The Boys character and drabbles of my main fandom, TVD! (So glad I didn't sacrifice that request for something else!) I also got a DCU Comics drabble (I was so excited to shake that!) and, of course, what appears to be my main fandom, MCU.)

What I wrote:

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES

[FIC] heavy stones for Firebull
katherine/bonnie; mature; 200
When Bonnie saves everyone again, Katherine’s there to help her pick up the pieces.

[FIC] eyelash for Firebull
caroline/bonnie; teen; 300
Caroline thinks Bonnie’s hot.

*

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

[FIC] two immovable stones for dreamerfound
yelena/kate & lucky; teen; 200
Kate does her best not to disturb Yelena and Lucky as they sleep.

^^ Inspired by my cats.

[FIC] not alone for svgurl410
natasha/sam; teen; 200
Sam reminds Natasha that she’s not alone.

[FIC] waiting for Ultra
peggy/steve; teen; 200
Peggy was waiting for him at the end of the line.

[FIC] cheesy for MalevolentLighthouse
natasha/steve; teen; 200
Natasha helps Steve cook for Christmas.

[FIC] waking, dreaming for alchemise
monica; mature; 200
When Geraldine sleeps, Monica wakes.

*

ENOLA HOLMES

[FIC] soft hair for svgurl410
enola/tewkesbury; gen; 200
Enola decides Tewkesbury needs a haircut.

My gifts:

THE BOYS

[FIC] The Way Forward by southernmedicine
maeve (maeve/elena); gen; 300
The nightmare is always the same.
The only way to stop it is to slay the monster.
Maeve is not a damsel, but she is in distress.

The closure any Queen Maeve fan deserves. This is how I wish season three had ended on the show. It's such a great character study for Maeve that explores her trauma after Soldier Boy, how she feels in the aftermath (and how lost she is), and how she truly ist he hero Annie believed her to be. And it ends on such a hopeful note, which is what we deserved more than what canon gave us.

*

DCU COMICS (NEW 52)

[FIC] Caught Off Guard by knave_of_swords
barbara/dick; mature; 300
Getting frisky with Dick at her place was a mistake, Barbara realizes, when she hears Cass and Steph come back from a night of patrolling early.

The relationships in this are so perfect. I love the trope of being caught in the act. One thing I love about the Nightwing comics is how everyone knows about Barbara/Dick and that they always encourage them to take a chance—and to see them do that (and try to in secret) is so worthwhile. I honestly felt like it came out of a comic panel.

*

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

[FIC] Love Will Endure by Ultra
natasha/bucky; teen; 100
'No physical punishment, starvation diet, or stretch in solitary could hurt like having to watch the one she loved have his mind put in a blender one more time.'

/clutches my heart. This is everything I ever wanted for the MCU WinterWidow when it comes to a shared Red Room backstory between Bucky and Natasha. It's so heartfelt and really shows the best of both characters.

[FIC] Missing Something by MalevolentLighthouse
mj/peter; gen; 100
MJ’s thoughts as Peter leaves the coffee shop.

Oh, how I loved this! MJ is so perceptive and it's a tragedy that Strange's spell kicks in. I can't put into words why I love this so much other than I love the implication that MJ is there, she's right there, and then the spell shoves her away. The last line in particular is what I can't stop thinking about because it's both tragic and hopeful. This is one of those drabbles where the line kicks you in the face and you thank you for it.

[FIC] Classical Conditioning by MalevolentLighthouse
natasha/tony; teen; 200
Natasha gives Tony a sparring lesson.

The characterisations are absolutely spot on and captures everything about why I love Natasha/Tony as a pairing. (This is a new ship for me and this drabble did not disappoint at all!). The Tony POV is fantastic (and horny) and Natasha won't have a bar of it.

*

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES

[FIC] Poisoned Ambrosa by Firebull
katherine/bonnie; mature; 200
Katherine eagerly gulped down the sweet blood she knew was poisoned with vervain.

Although Katherine's clearly desperate, her survival instincts come through so fantastically in this. Bonnie's at her most powerful, but she's also at her most compassionate, too. I just really love this drabble. On the surface it looks like a power play against Katherine, but beneath it, it's thrumming with tension and trust and a potential for a really fantastic relationship.

[FIC] Belonging To The Flame by Firebull
katherine/bonnie; gen; 300
Clever eyes looked right through Katherine's facade. All her masks might as well be transparent. She considered throwing them into the flames just to watch them grow.

This is such a great exploration of Katherine/Bonnie and really shows how these two can connect to one another. The mutual respect is palpable and the potential is so ripe. While Katherine's pining for Bonnie, she doesn't lose her edge or her ability to be the biggest player in the room. I can't put into words why I love this so much, but I really, really do.

[FIC] Fair Game by Hecate
katherine/klaus; teen; 300
"Ah. How disdainful my sweet flower has grown."

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd get Katherine/Klaus. (They are my guilty ship for so many reasons and this drabble captures it all!) This is such a great relationship study that explores how fucked up their connection is, how toxic they are when around one another, and how they can't ignore the tether that binds them together. This is what we deserved in canon. It's just *chef's kiss*. So fucked up in such a fantastic way. Both of them can never let the other go.

What I enjoyed in the collection:

BUFFYVERSE

[FIC] Wilted and faded by Anewhope303
buffy; not rated; 100
When Buffy looks in the mirror, she expects to see a zombie, but no, it’s just her.

A really fantastic look into Buffy during season six.

[FIC] Instructions for Survival by Hecate
buffy & giles; gen; 500
He tries to teach her.

A fantastic exploration of Giles' guilt at Buffy's death. The conclusion is so hopeful and really brings everything full circle, especially with the lesson he learns to simply trust Buffy to reach out to him when she needs him.

*

DCU COMICS

[FIC] Growth by Jubileen
dick & bruce; gen; 300
Bruce comes to visit Dick in Blüdhaven.

I love the Batfam and this piece really explores the complexities of Bruce and Dick's relationship. It covers both positive and negative sides so brilliantly without compromising either character.

*

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

[FIC] Vormir has a Life-Saving Return Policy by MalevolentLighthouse
natasha & steve; gen; 100
Steve returns the soul stone to Vormir.

I really loved the ending to this. It's so hopeful.

[FIC] Marvels by persephonereturned
monica & carol; gen; 100
"Maybe I can fly up and meet you halfway."
"Only if you learn to glow, like your Auntie Carol."
"Or maybe I'll build a spaceship. You don't know!"
"He doesn't."
- Captain Marvel (2019)

This is the resolution to Monica's resentment toward Carol that I hope we get in the MCU. I thought this was a really beautiful moment that had a wonderful callback to Captain Marvel.

[FIC] Another Time, Another Place by Ultra
natasha/clint; teen; 200
“Weird dream.”
“Weird how?” he asked, sliding back into bed beside her. “Come on, you know you wanna tell me.”

The banter between Natasha and Clint is spot-on and everything we deserved to see more of in the MCU. This was a really great take on an alternate timeline where Clint's backstory is changed.

[FIC] Cleaning Day by alchemise
may/happy; gen; 200
“This is seriously disgusting. And I should know; I used to clean up after Tony’s parties.”

This really captures why I think May and Happy work as a couple. The background relationships of May and Peter, Happy and Tony, and Peter and Tony are woven so subtly throughout this. It's not heavy-handed; this feels like it could've been a scene from one of the movies.

[FIC] Exit Interview by MalevolentLighthouse
yelena & val (yelena/kate); teen; 200
Yelena is done being an assassin-for-hire.

Val's voice is absolute perfection in this.

*

ORIGINAL WORK

[FIC] Sanctuary by sweetcarolanne
walled garden & roses; gen; 100
A sanctuary for a vampire.
A place of death for the unwitting.

This is so gorgeous. The style is beautiful and the imagery is just stunning. It really makes vampirism romantic.

[FIC] Dear Lady Anne by sweetcarolanne
vampires; gen; 100
Are the villagers' suspicions of Lady Anne something more than superstition? None can say for sure...

This is beautifully haunting.

[FIC] Dust Bunny by sweetcarolanne
witch/monster under the bed; gen; 100
A witch wanting love uses her magic to bring forth a very friendly monster from under the bed!

This is really cute and has such a jovial tone to it.

[FIC] Leap by Nununununu
little gorilla girl who wants to be a ballerina; gen; 100
She dances alone at first.

This is really beautiful and has such a wonderful and satisfying arc.

[FIC] A New Friend by Nununununu
monster under the bed & little demon girl who wants a human friend; gen; 200
It must have come through the wrong portal.

The worldbuilding in this is so subtle but perfect. I really love how the opening is full of trepidation and ends on such a promising and hopeful note. This was very cute.

[FIC] Snack Monster by MalevolentLighthouse
little girl & monster under the bed; gen; 200
Hailey has an unlikely best friend.

This makes me want to have a monster under my bed. This is so cute.

[FIC] stands yet the wallstone by Ermingarden
abandoned city & lake & star & cloud; gen; 300
The city had no name.
This was a new state of affairs, and the city was still getting used to it.

This is a great triple drabble that explores what identity is and how you can find your own identity without needing to be bestowed one by someone else. This has such a promising ending and teases a wider world.

Check out the collection as there's plenty more in other fandoms! If you find something you like, please give kudos and consider leaving a comment.