290. EXCHANGE WRAP | FIC IN A BOX 2022.

[peaked]

This was my second year participating in ficinabox, which happens to mark my one-year anniversary in exchanges. This round, I was successful in swaps and got to have fun creating for different assignments. I ended up writing 72k in total (which is only a testament to how much fun I had creating for this exchange) and explored a lot of the collection (I'm not too sure how many comments I left, but I think I broke my own record). FIAB is one of my favourite exchanges for how it encourages me to be creative and how I get to selfishly enjoy everyone else's creativity.

Without further ado, the good stuff:

I created for The Boys, Enola Holmes, MCU, Six of Crows, and What If…?.

My recs include A Series of Unfortunate Events, A Song of Ice and Fire, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Emperor's New Groove, Harry Potter, Marvel 616, MCU, Murdle, Original Work, One Piece, Oxford Time Travel Universe, Star Wars, and Taylor Swift music video.

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What I wrote:

THE BOYS

[FIC] AITA?
annie/homelander; mature; 1.5k words; reddit post and replies; for timbre
AITA for being mad my "boyfriend" insists on putting his name first for everything?

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[FIC] give me one reason to stay here
queen maeve/homelander; mature; 3k words; for timbre
Five moments exploring the rise and fall of Homelander and Queen Maeve’s relationship and the one moment that they could’ve had if things were just a little bit different

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[FIC] play all your games my way
queen maeve/homelander; explicit (sexual content); 5.8k words; for timbre
After dancing around one another for months, Maeve and Homelander finally give in and have sex.

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[FIC] bullet holes in your vanity
annie/homelander; explicit (sexual content); 13.5k words; includes social media; for timbre
When the media questions the authenticity of Homelander and Starlight’s romantic relationship, Annie takes it upon herself to get comfortable with Homelander. It’s not her fault it results in a game of intimacy chicken during Superhero Con.

ENOLA HOLMES

[FIC] of flowers
enola/tewkesbury; teen; 17k words; for svgurl410
Enola enlists Tewkesbury’s help to solve a murder case where clues are found in the meaning of flowers.

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

[FIC] crawl out of my body into yours
natasha/steve; mature; 12.6k words; for Rubick
When Steve returns the Soul Stone to Vormir, he pays the highest price to bring Natasha back.

—

Or: Steve and Natasha are soulbonded and Natasha discovers the real reason why Steve’s deal worked.

SIX OF CROWS

These are sequels to a gift I wrote c_art for battleshipex: almost home.

[FIC] coming home
inej/kaz; mature; 6.4k words; for c_art
When Inej returns from her travels at sea, Kaz reluctantly gifts her the letters he didn’t send.

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[FIC] home is where the heart is
inej/kaz; mature; 1.4k words; for c_art
Five letters Kaz never intended to send to Inej and the one that he wrote to hand-deliver to her.

WHAT IF…?

[FIC] don't leave me here
wanda/vision; mature; 11.6k words; for Heather
"I want to stay with you," Wanda said, cupping the nape of his neck. "Please. Just for a moment."

"You can stay with me for as long as you like, darling," Vision smiled. "Anything you want, anything you desire—I will give it to you."

She smiled and lowered her head toward his. "Good," she murmured against his lips. "You’re not allowed to leave me."

"Then I suppose I shan't," he chuckled.

—

Wanda refuses to accept Vision is dead.

*

My gifts:

THE BOYS

[FANMIX] When I Saw You Scared by gaialux
queen maeve/homelander; teen

This is such a great playlist of songs that showcase the rocky relationship between Queen Maeve and Homelander. There's great songs in there that capture them both as a unit and separately as fucked up individuals. I never expected to get a fanmix for this exchange and I was so thrilled it was for them!

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

[FIC] Girl's Night by Rubick
yelena/kate; explicit (sexual content); 16k words
Yelena had her back to Kate, and Kate took the opportunity to look over Yelena’s lean frame. Plenty of places to hide weapons, she thought. Kate focused on Yelena’s hips, at the slight bulge along the outside of her sleek thighs; there was probably—

Yelena’s voice cut through Kate’s thoughts. “Are you checking me out for weapons or because you like looking at my ass?”

“Both,” Kate answered automatically, and then her brain caught up with her mouth. Her gaze cut up to where Yelena had turned around to face her, and her grin was way too wide. “Uh, I mean—”

“I forgot how funny you are, Kate Bishop.”

~~~

Kate returns to New York, figuring that after the excitement of Christmas, her last semester of college will be super boring.

Yelena has other plans, though. And they definitely aren’t boring.

This was such a fun ride. It features great slowburn, Kate being a dickhead about Yelena (which I love), and vulnerability between the two of them. I really enjoyed the gradual development and change in their relationship and how Kate gave Yelena space to exist without any judgement, while Yelena encouraged Kate to challenge herself and be a little more confident in who she is.

*

Here's what I enjoyed in the collection that wasn't made for me:

A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

[LOGIC PUZZLE] Variables Facilitating Decisions by sincereously
VFD members; gen; 338 words
In the night after an unfortunate masked ball, a few acts of thievery took place.

This is deserving of VFD and the ridiculousness of this universe.

A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE

[FIC] Wishing Stones by Alley_Skywalker
gen; elia martell; 2.1k words
Elia knows of sand as well as any Dornish man or woman, noble or common. But somehow her life has been just as marked by the sea.

This is a really great pre-Rebellion Elia piece.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

[FIC] Angels & Scoobies by Jen_814
angel investigations & scooby gang; teen; 4.3k words
“Hey, Magic Box,”
“Ugh,” said a voice down the telephone. “Xander?”
Xander slumped back in his chair. “Cordelia,” he said. “And what have I done to deserve this horror?”
--
The monster-hunting teams of LA and Sunnydale call each other sometimes, when the job gets tough.

The fact that we never got a crossover like this is such a shame. All the character voices are absolutely spot-on, and you'll experience combinations of characters who should've gotten to interact but didn't in canon. A must-read for BTVS fans.

-

[FIC] Trust by RoselynnThornwood
buffy/spike; explicit (sexual content); 1.3k words
What, exactly, did Buffy and Spike get up to with those handcuffs?

The Spike POV is so, so good and so true to character. Spike's love for Buffy is so clear in how he worships her—and Buffy's trust in him is so palpable given that she lets him be the more dominant of the two in this scene. This captured everything I loved about the Buffy/Spike ship.

THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE

[ART] There, there by Blurble
yzma & kronk; gen
Yzma comforts Kronk

The art is so, so good. The expressions and proportions of the characters are so spot-on. (You'll get why I mentioned proportions when you see it!)

HARRY POTTER

[FIC] Mirrored by lionessvalenti
harry (& snape); gen; 1k words
Harry is summoned to meet with Snape's solicitor more than a year after the Battle at Hogwarts.

This is a really great post-Deathly Hallows piece that shows Snape having the last laugh (in a good way).

MARVEL 616

[FIC] Kate emojis by c_art
gen (sfw)

These emojis honestly could've been drawn by David Aja. They're so cute and really capture the design of Aja's Hawkeye!

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

[ART] In His Glory by IridescentLily
loki; gen

Stunning artwork showing Loki at his most glorious.

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[FIC] Lead With One by lionessvalenti
sarah/bucky; explicit (sexual content); 2.4k words
Bucky and Sarah might be taking things a little too quickly, but it's good.

A fantastically intimate look into Sarah/Bucky being physically and emotionally intimate. I really loved how vulnerable and communicative they were with one another.

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[FIC] Light by lionessvalenti
valkyrie/bucky; teen; 4k words
After the events of Infinity War, Bucky goes to what will become New Asgard to help them build. Valkyrie doesn't know what to make of him.

I really enjoyed reading two characters who have never interacted talk and support one another. The Valkyrie voice is spot on.

MURDLE

[LOGIC PUZZLE] THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE BLOND HAIR IN THE CONNECTING ROOM by Brachylagus_fandom
detective logico & inspector irratino & officer copper & the amazing aureolin & mayor honey; gen; 5.6k words
Deductive Logico's Sundays were normally spent sorting out the presumed death of his rival, antagonist, and friend at the international rich people's prison, but both he and Inspector Irratino had taken this particular weekend off. Unfortunately, a big-wig businessman had been killed in their hotel on Sunday morning. But before he can assemble cards or construct a grid, Logico must figure out the suspects, weapons, locations, and motives involved and uncover the clues he needs - with the help of Inspector Irratino, of course, and that of a CSI agent.

A really fun logic puzzle that has a great introductory story that fleshes out the characters we ever only get glimpses of when playing the game.

ORIGINAL WORK

[ART] Cute bear emojis by c_art
bear & snake; gen (saw)

These are really cute bear emojis that showcase the many emotions of a bear. I think they're super cute!

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[FIC] Upon A Star by Anonymous
spell writer for hire & witch who grants his wish for a price; gen; word count unavailable
You find yourself in the middle of a magic shop...

A Twine-based interactive fiction game.

This is a really cool game that lets you interest with different text options to further explore the magic shop. I really loved this as the worldbuilding as phenomenal and very contained by prompts found within the magic shop. If you love fantasy stories and interactive fiction, you'll like this.

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[FIC] The Show (and the Story!) Must Go On by BardicRaven
desperate exchange mod who finds entrance to underworld & pinch hitter who died before posting; gen; 1.2k words
Writing4Writers mod Emily Chatham reached the end of her rope at 12:49 p.m., on a Thursday.

I thought this was a hilarious take on what it's like to do exchanges.

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[FIC] The Knight and the Secretary by BardicRaven
wandering lady knight/pining female friend whom she writes letters to; teen; 3k words

An adventure told in a series of letters that showcases really great and fun worldbuilding and wonderful lessons learned. I really loved the relationships our wandering knight formed and how she dealt with everything with an incredibly kind hand.

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[FIC] To Break Free by Nununununu
newly-crowned empress/foreign princess she's marrying but has never met; teen; 1.6k words
“Your marriage?” Gazing up at Flowers over the rim of the delicate china teacup, the Empress raises perfectly arched eyebrows.

Flowers takes her in heart-shaped face, younger than expected but still no girl, and the single lock of long hair slipped from its intricate style without being tucked back in place. Thinks about why the Empress might have taken it upon herself to slip away from her own lands to Flower’s brother’s Kingdom and to come here by subterfuge. Thinks about the fact the Empress has brought none of her many counsellors with her and none of her court: only her crew and a few handmaidens of her own.

“Our marriage.” Flowers reluctantly amends.

This is stunning. The writing is so lush and the characters are fantastic. I wish there was more of it because it hooked me and didn't want to let me go.

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[ART + POETRY] Brocolye by Blurble
werebroccoli; gen; 55 words

You just need to read this lol.

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[LOGIC PUZZLE] Too Many Head Spoil the Raid by debirlfan
multi-headed dragon & villagers; gen; 207 words
In a abandoned castle near the village of Daffield lived a multi-headed, multi-chromatic dragon with his trove of riches. Unfortunately, the heads didn't always get along, and one of the main things they disagreed about was how to treat the local villagers.

This is a really cool logic puzzle that you'll enjoy if you love dragons being problematic and a little hopeless at times.

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[LOGIC PUZZLE] Mighty Man to the Rescue? by debirlfan
mighty man; gen; 467 words
Mighty Man is a superhero blessed (cursed?) with a number of superpowers. He keeps trying to do good. Unfortunately, he causes more problems than he solves.

This is a really fun logic puzzle retelling the hopelessness of a superhero who is, well… not very helpful.

ONE PIECE

[LOGIC PUZZLE] Who Killed the Cook? by Blurble
strawhats; gen; 642 words
It's a beautiful day in March, and an attempt at birthday presents has gone horribly wrong.

I'm canon blind to this canon, but I still enjoyed solving this puzzle.

OXFORD TIME TRAVEL UNIVERSE

[LOGIC PUZZLE] To Say Nothing of the Corgi by primeideal
gen; 260 words
The Queen is dead, and the royal dogs are grieving. This calls for an adventure through time!

If you love time travelling adventures, you'll love this. A very fun and cute logic puzzle. (I'm unfamiliar with the canon, but I really enjoyed this.)

STAR WARS

[ART] Bond by IridescentLily
leia & luke; gen (sfw)

If you love Leia and Luke, you need to see this stunning art that shows how different they are and also how they're so intertwined in their similarities.

TAYLOR SWIFT MUSIC VIDEO

[FIC] Unknown to Me by dragons_and_angels
the forest, the traveller, the piano, the ocean & the cabin; gen; 2k words
The forest, the ocean and the cabin watch the traveller.

I thought this was such a creative take on the music video's thematic and visual elements. It's so rich in world-building and so satisfying to read.

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You can check out the collection, which has over 800 works. ficinabox has different mediums, so not everything is a story! There are over 300 fandoms to explore and many, many great pieces to discover. If you do find something you enjoy, please consider leaving the creator a kudos and comment!

Comments

[rubick]

Thank you again for my gift! And how did I miss those Kate emojis????

[peaked]

You are very much welcome! Next time, please don't write a good letter with good prompts. That's an order.

[southernmedicine]

not me casually bookmarking this entire post for later

[peaked]

Embarrassing.

[vriddy]

Gobsmacked at your output! Congratulations on an incredibly successful exchange experience :D 🎉

[peaked]

Thank you! I still don't think my fingers have recovered.

[ultra_fic]

Wow, look at what you did! Amazing :) I didn't realise you had only been doing exchanges for one year. Have I really known you only such a short time? Huh. Anyway, congrats on creating so much and having so much fun doing it too :) Also, thanks for the recs - I'll be checking out a few of those :)

[peaked]

I've honestly felt like I've been doing exchanges for 84 years by this point.

[pianogurl330]

Wow! Congratulations! That's amazing!

[peaked]

Thank you!