#cabb2018

Art done for @cabigbang in collaboration with @whtaft!!! The story goes live tomorrow, so make sure you check it out!

Title: Touch Starved Author: mylifeisloki, artwork by @sleepygrimm Warnings: none Rating: Mature Relationships: Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov Word Count: 29,988 Tags: professionalcuddler!natasha, PTSD!Steve

Summary: Life just hasn't been the same since Steve came back from the army. Left alone and fragile, he follows the direction of his therapist to get out there and seek out a human connection. What he finds is Natasha, a professional cuddler who gives him much more than just the physical touching he's been craving. 

The Restoration Artist - Teaser Snippet

A collaboration for @cabigbang

Header Art by @cryo-bucky​ Traditional Art by @samthebirdbae Fic by @resinonao3 (Ao3)

Artwork rating: G Fic rating: Explicit Word count: 110,000 Relationship: Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes Archive Warnings: None - Additional tags below the cut

Summary:

As a conservator of rare oil paintings for The Met, Steve Rogers thinks of himself part scientist, part archaeologist, but hardly an artist in his own right. Only when he’s faced with the daunting task of restoring a frozen painting from a recently unearthed Nazi art hoard does he start to feel his passion for the craft return. Before he has a chance to understand what that means, Steve is transported to the 1940’s, where he meets both The Winter Soldier himself, and his own destiny.

TEASER SNIPPET

New York Times - ART & DESIGN SECTION

Secrets of Nazi Art Rescue Continue as Long Lost Vault Yields Frozen Treasure By SHARON CARTER

October 6, 2016

Within days after it was discovered that an 85-year-old man had hoarded hundreds of artworks collected by his mentor during the Nazi era in an unmarked Siberian bunker, the world gasped at the prospect of rediscovering long-lost treasures.

This week, two months after the discovery of the bunker inherited by Aleksander Lukin, the vault was finally opened. Past seismic activity had damaged the structure, which delayed the excavation.  

Once the three foot thick door was removed, though, workers were met with shocking conditions. It was quickly discovered that while the inner chamber remained structurally intact, a breach in the antiquated ventilation system had allowed snowmelt to flood the vault. Over time the underground facility had turned into a giant freezer, trapping the contents in solid ice for decades.

The collection contains over 500 items, including not only paintings, sculptures, sketches, and drawings but also ledgers and other documentation, most of which will not be disclosed until a full investigation on the provenance of the pieces has been concluded.

Most of the finest works in the collection were acquired by the late Mr. Lukin’s mentor, Vasily Karpov, an art dealer who began smuggling art out of Nazi Germany in 1938. Among other accolades, Karpov was also one of the original founders of Shield’s, the world-renowned auction house based out of New York. Just as Shield’s is known for conservation efforts, Karpov’s efforts mostly focused on rescuing art that had been dubbed ‘degenerate’ by the National Socialist party, and brokered deals for Jewish families attempting to exchange their collections for passage out of Nazi occupied territory. While Karpov’s motives are scrutinized by some historians as war profiteering, Karpov bypassed checkpoints by requiring the first party owners of the work to travel with it. This established an art-fueled underground railroad that allowed many Jewish families to escape persecution and they themselves considered the man a hero.

Lukin left his possessions, including the now infamous art hoard, to Shield’s, and a number of their top art historians were on site to assess the finding. Not all were disappointed in what they uncovered.

“In a way this could be a blessing,” said Philip Coulson, long time art historian for Shield’s. “Despite the level of damage and decay caused from exposure to the elements, we’ll still be able to identify much of what’s been stored here. Even if we can’t salvage anything, what we’re most excited for are some answers.”

There is evidence that the vault may contain works by Monet, Cézanne, Renoir, Fabergé, Otto Dix, and other masters, though only one piece in the collection has been identified to the press, and is perhaps the most mysterious. The single portrait was recovered from the vault while keeping it encased in ice in an effort to protect it from succumbing to rapid decay. Coulson identified the subject as a lone American soldier from the Second World War, artist is unknown.

The rest of the hoard, according to Alexander Pierce, Chairman of Shield’s, will remain on site as they are carefully excavated from their frigid prison.

“I know this sounds like a disaster,” said Pierce. “We are doing all we can to safely relocate the rest of the collection and identify more that may be somewhere in one of Lukin’s many properties and holdings. Later in life, the man became fairly eccentric. I wouldn’t be surprised if we found some kind of message that he left behind.”

Whether or not this one, frozen painting was left as some clue leading to the rest of the collection or simply abandoned due to relatively unremarkable provenance has yet to be determined.

The single recovered painting has been dubbed The Winter Soldier due to the condition it was found in. It will be transported to a world-class restoration department of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in hopes that the painting can be salvaged.

For now the mystery of the Lukin art hoard will continue to baffle the art world and historians alike, until The Winter Soldier can tell his own story.

About Shield’s

Shield’s, the world's leading art business, had global auction, private, and digital sales in first half of 2016 that totalled £2.35 billion / $3 billion. Shield’s is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and expertise, as well as international glamour. Shield’s offers around 350 auctions annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewelry, photographs, collectibles, wine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $100 million. Shield’s also has a long and successful history conducting private sales for its clients in all categories, with emphasis on Post-War & Contemporary, Impressionist & Modern, Old Masters, and Jewelry. With an origin in protecting cultural property throughout political, social, and environmental turmoil, Shield’s is the very icon of art conservation the world over.

Alongside regular sales online, Shield’s has a global presence in 46 countries, with 10 salerooms around the world in London, New York, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Dubai, Zürich, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

Sealed With a Kiss

Author: @follow-the-sun-fanfic​ Artist: @thelittleblackfox​

Relationships: James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers Warnings: None Rating: M Wordcount: 64,196 Tags: Non-Serum Steve Rogers/Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes | Shrinkyclinks; Alternate Universe - Magic; Selkie Bucky Barnes; Accidental Marriage; controlling parents; Fae & Fairies; Alternate Universe - Fae; Demisexual Steve Rogers; Asexuality Spectrum; Asexual Character; Awkward Asexual Seduction; Protective Bucky Barnes; Genderqueer!Loki

Summary:

Steve shook his head in disbelief. “So just because I knocked your coat on the floor and handed it back to you, now we both have to be legally married to a stranger forever?”

“Well,” Bucky said, eyeing the ring box on the coffee table, “we don’t have to be strangers.”

Bucky's a selkie. Steve's a clumsy human. They're married now. Oops.

Read on AO3

Art by @thelittleblackfox​

Title: Kismet

Author and Artist: Saucy(Nyxnarciss) and araydre

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Rating: Teen

Relationship: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Word count:

Tags: Alternative Universe-Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Nomad-Steve Rogers, Angst, Depression, Recovery, Iron Man 1 Timeline, Canon Typical Violence

Summary: Captain America is pulled from the ice years before the attack on New York, decades out of time, and raging at the world he lost everything for. There were only two things he was completely certain of; He was done fighting and he wanted nothing to do with the Merchant of Death.

“The gym was deserted, fluorescent lights casting shadows down the empty halls, rhythmic thumping and shifting feet the only sounds from inside. Though there was only one man inside, the waves of pain and frustration could have been enough for fifty men. The past six weeks had been a test of wills, and a kaleidoscope of discoveries, but Steve Rogers would have given all of the flashing lights and amenities for just one more day back home, one more day where things made sense. And isn’t that the funny part. Home. Steve’s home was just down the street. The apartment he shared with his mom most of his life was a relic above some new trendy coffee shop. The diner he swept floors at back in ‘39 was torn down and a drug store with automatic doors and robot cashiers stood in its place. Steve was closer to home than he had been since before project rebirth and yet he felt like he had never been further away.”

Read on AO3

Art by araydre on AO3 and Tumblr

@cabigbang

Double Blind Experiments

Author: captainmistyknight Artists: massivespacewren and gil-estel Relationships: Steve/Bucky/Tony (pre-slash), Steve & Natasha Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Rating: T Word Count: 18120 Tags: Gen Fic, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Villain AU Summary:

“Iron Man has been classified as a Category Alpha level threat. He must be neutralized at all costs. What do you say, Cap, are you in?”

Steve’s primary mission after seventy years of frozen isolation is to work alongside SHIELD’s Avengers to take down Iron Man, an infamous villain who’s been engaging in unchecked and unprompted property damage for the past three years. SHIELD and Stark Industries have lost countless dollars in technology. But as Steve gets closer to his team, and to Tony Stark, the reclusive billionaire whose tech Iron Man allegedly stole, things start to get more complicated. Can he figure out who to trust before innocent people get hurt?

Read on AO3 Art by @massivespacewren Art by @gil-estel

CAPTAIN AMERICA BIG BANG: COMING 2018!

The Captain America Big Bang (CapBB) is open for all canon characters in the Captain America MCU and Captain America Comics. This means gen, slash, het, and poly works are allowed, in all ratings.

This challenge is inclusive of all characters and ships within the Captain America ‘verse. As such, kinkshaming and shipshaming will not be tolerated. It is important for participants to respect each other during the duration of the event, please.

Sign-ups will be in March 2018, claims in July 2018, with posting to begin in September 2018 and end in November 2018.

More detailed information will follow soon! Please follow us for news and/or track the #capbb and #capbb2018 tags.

REQUIREMENTS:

Make sure to click ‘keep reading’ to check CapBB Requirements!