#ilosttrackofthings

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, @ilosttrackofthings​!!!!

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV) Relationships: Jemma Simmons/Grant Ward Characters: Grant Ward, Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s01e21 Ragtag, Season/Series 01

It’s all so loud, he can barely hear the real Fitz and Simmons, pleading for their lives less than three feet away. It’s all background noise compared to what’s going on in his head.

—Or at least, it is until one thing stands out.

“I’m pregnant and it’s yours!”

Mwuah, love you

It’s not until she’s in the luggage box of the carriage that she feels she has a moment to think — like a fog has been lifted from her brain.

It’s so much easier to believe the worst of a situation — so much easier to believe that the most handsome and famous Grisha in the country has been manipulating her, instead of actually attracted to her.

And maybe he has been — but she’s not entirely sure Baghra isn’t as well. She feels like a toy that’s being passed around and traded and —

Enough, it’s been enough and too much and she wants to find out the truth. There are more than two sides to every story and she’s not even sure she’s heard a single full side yet so — so she has to ask him. She has to find out.

Which is slightly problematic because she’s on her way away from him and everyone and — she swears under her breath and tries to push open the box, but it must have locked after her and it doesn’t budge.

She’s still rattling along, feeling each bump of the carriage, when she manages to find the small glass in her purse. She closes her eyes and aims her light as best she can and — well that’s a little bit of fire, but she smacks it out and pushes open the lid and —

At least the horses are only walking. It’s awkward to climb out and drop to the dirt and then she darts into the bushes on the side of the road just in case, but the carriage doesn’t stop.

Letting out a breath she rubs her face. It’s night she doesn’t know her way, but she can see the lights of the Little Palace lightening the sky around it from here. So she straightens her shoulders and starts walking.

She’ll get answers and she’ll find out the truth and — and she hopes that the affection for her hasn’t been a complete lie. And if he is trying to use her to do something nefarious like his mother (maybe mother? probably mother.) said, well, she just won’t let him. They’re her powers and he cannot control her.

Alina is just starting to regret her choice in footwear, and also regretting not just waiting until the carriage stopped and then trying to find someone to take her back. She’s taking a short rest against a tree by the side of the road, rubbing at the arch of her foot, when the thundering sound of hoofbeats because audible and — a carriage and four riders thunder past and then halt abruptly and —

Post being talked about - (x)

Uh, yes we do! <3

Jane would probably go in to touch his cheek similar to how Frigga did, and say, "your eye looks different..." And Thor would gently hold her hand, bring it down to his chest. "Really? I didn't notice," he'd try to smile.

"How'd this..." She'd try to question but he would just shrug and say, "don't worry about it, Jane." She'd still move her hand upwards while he holds it and warily, tenderly, touch his scar. And he'd close his eyes and lean into her...

I was tagged by @frivoloussuits who knows how long ago, sorry, I have so many old tag games that I’d need to get to... but well, this should be quick enough, so it’s a good start LOL. Thank you for tagging me!

slowburn or love at first sight // fake dating or secret dating // enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers (though there must be a friends-of-sorts stage in the middle) // there’s only one bed or long-distance correspondence // hurt/comfort or amnesia // fantasy au or modern au // mutual pining or domestic bliss // smut or fluff // canon-compliant or fix-it // reincarnation or character death // one-shot or multi-chapter // kid fic or road trip fic // arranged marriage or accidental marriage // high school romance or middle-aged romance // time travel or isolated together // neighbours or roommates // sci-fi au or magic au // body swap or genderbent // angst or crack // apocalyptic or mundane

the first character i ever fell in love with: Skye. Or Ward. I can’t really remember which came first. Probably Skye because she was so relatable and quirky and positive but I also loved grumpy pretending-not-to-care SO Ward. 

a character that i used to love/like, but now do not: Skye… or Daisy I guess. I started losing interest around halfway through S2 with the whole Afterlife plot (and then just stopped watching the show altogether after the S2 finale lol) but S3 was the one that really left a bad taste in my mouth. And the start of S4 with emo vigilante Daisy. I don’t dislike her, but it’s a far cry from the love I had for her in the early days. Same with Jemma, actually. I really liked her in S1, this cute, quirky if slightly awkward scientist willing to bend the rules when she believes it’s the right thing to do. Afterwards things got… complicated. I like her more on her own, outside of FS scenes (which, when does that ever happen?) Can she/they ever have a storyline that doesn’t involve saving the other one? For science? No?

a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not: Hmm… I don’t think I have one? Once I decide I like something, I fall for it pretty hard. lol. I guess Daisy/Lincoln. That’s a funny one, because when they sort of started flirting in S2 I liked the idea of them together, and I thought they had a lot of potential. But once it actually happened I wasn’t into it at all. It felt kinda rushed and I just didn’t really see any chemistry between them. It was an ‘expectations vs. reality’ sort of thing for me.

my ultimate favorite character™: Oh gosh… Fitz, I guess? I mean, obviously I’m trash for Ophelia but I actually wasn’t all that fond of the whole Aida arc at the beginning… I liked her more in the Framework, and all the potential she had as a human (or Inhuman, whatever.) It’s funny because he sort of grew on me. I admittedly didn’t pay much attention to him in S1 because I was so wrapped up in Skyeward, but once they killed that storyline and started developing his character from the nerdy sidekick/comic relief to an actual, fleshed-out character dealing with brain damage, then yes I became involved. Still mourned the untimely demise of Skyeward in S2 though.

prettiest character: Fitz or Ward if it’s more ‘handsome’ pretty. Out of the ladies… Daisy, I suppose? Also Stephanie Malick because personal bias - yes I’ve loved Bethany Joy Lenz since One Tree Hill and they totally should’ve let her stick around for longer than two episodes god damn it.

my most hated character: I’m not particularly fond of Jemma. Or what they’ve done with her, I suppose. But god damn it if there’s one character I hate it’s Ruby. Really glad that arc is over.

my OTP: This one’s pretty obvious. Skye/Ward and Fitz/Ophelia. Hehe. 

my NOTP: Fitzsimmons sorry not sorry.

favorite episode: (In no particular order): 5.14, 4.16 and 1.17. Self Control and, frankly, all the Framework episodes, are strong contenders, but that’s my podium. 

saddest death: I’ve got to say Fitz. Mostly because it was so sudden and I honestly wasn’t expecting it at all. I genuinely didn’t think they’d have the balls to kill off one half of FS, especially on-screen. I was literally expecting him to miraculously pull through and just have his legs amputated or something. It felt so surreal. Of course, then they brought CryoFitz back into play so really it was all just one big cop-out (figures) but the shock factor was definitely there. It was just the right amount of sad and downright distressing and even unsettling, with the way he didn’t fully comprehend what was happening and just…slipped away. I also really liked how they didn’t cheapen the moment by making it all about FS, which was… honestly such a nice surprise? I preferred the shocked and unaware approach they took, and how he spent his last moments with… kind of the two most unlikely people - May whom he hasn’t ever really bonded with, a relationship which is made especially awkward by their experience in the Framework and the ‘super villain interrogation’ in 5.15; and Mack, who literally told him days or even hours earlier that he needs ‘fixing.’ It was all very weird and bizarre and surprising, and definitely felt like a solid punch to the gut. At least, until they straight up announced they’re going to essentially retcon it… Eh. Also, Ophelia? Maybe less sad and more just downright disturbing and gratuitously violent and graphic. 

favorite season: If Season 1 and 4.16-20 and 5.14 could somehow be merged into one season… that would be it. lol. Overall, I have to say S1. Most people hate it and call it the weakest season and, sure, it felt very formulaic and had this predictable ‘monster of the week’ format at first but it was genuinely enjoyable to watch. Every other season after that I just found myself getting angry at something. lol. I actually liked pretty much every character in S1 to some degree and because nothing was set in stone or made explicitly canon yet, there was a lot more freedom shipping-wise. There was no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ ship, or ‘no you can’t like this character because of X, Y, Z’ it was just whatever you were into. For a while it seemed like pretty much all combinations of the Bus Kids ships had a decent chance of sailing. That’s a pretty damn good feeling. 

least favorite season: Hands down Season 5. I wasn’t a fan of Season 3 either (though admittedly I did like certain episodes/aspects of it) and Season 2 could’ve done without that whole ‘Real SHIELD’ plot but Season 5 takes the cake. I mean… seriously. It was a let down, especially after the hugely successful Framework arc (the show’s strongest point so far imo.) So naturally there was a lot of expectation and it kind of fell flat. They had maybe 2 or 3 strong episodes. The rest was riddled with plot holes, blatant fan service, lines that sounded like they pulled straight from fanfic, radical and often inexplicable shifts in character behaviour from one episode to the next that could be classified as borderline character assassination, frequent lack of continuity, too much time spent on characters that ultimately turned out to be irrelevant/got quickly killed off, writers seemingly forgetting what had happened in literally the previous episode, etc. There’s really no excuse for that mess. lol. Not to mention the at times pretty obvious budget cuts and the lack of decent lighting which made the space pod downright unwatchable at times. Really feels like the weakest, most disjointed and confused season of all. Which is a shame. Because it could’ve been great. But it just really… wasn’t.

character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate: I don’t want to say Jemma but… Jemma? I guess part of the problem is that I feel there tends to be a discrepancy between the actual canonic on-screen representation of Jemma and fanon Jemma, at least in my experience. She (and Daisy) seem to get put on this imaginary pedestal a lot of the time and given leeway and all these concessions that other characters aren’t allowed. Sometimes I think I hate fandom’s approach to and treatment of certain characters more than I hate the actual character. Also, Mack and Bobbi? I feel like they’re pretty massive fandom faves as well and I never really got invested in them. I don’t hate them, they’re just… Meh. 

my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave: Leopold, the ultimate trash fave. Hehe. He’s just so deliciously messed up and complex and it’s so much fun to explore all of that. He’s like the one villain AOS completely unintentionally got right. Magnetic, charismatic, complicated. Sure, he only ever really shows up in about five episodes but in those five or six episodes they build a really solid character. We’re not told or shown everything, but that’s the point. Sometimes the implication is enough - and it’s super fun to fill in those gaps. And those suits. I mean, c’mon. lol

my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave: Literally no one on this show is a cinnamon roll anymore. lol. I think Ophelia easily could’ve had a really satisfying redemption arc if the writers were actually willing to get into that instead of just shelving their more complex characters and turning to the safe option of ‘let’s kill the baddie.’ Ward could’ve possibly been redeemed too (up to a certain point at least) but I guess part of his appeal is that he didn’t want to be? Uh… and out of the still alive ones (kind of??), Fitz. He’s had a really tough time literally since S2. I also liked Mace and Radcliffe and I kind of wish they got to stick around for a bit longer.

my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship: Fitz/Ophelia. Obviously. I guess one of the more weirder ones is Hive/Stephanie. That’s… not remotely canon (I mean, I guess they kissed? lol) but in my headcanon Framework verse it is. Let’s be honest, there’s probably tons more because I always latch on to the more obscure stuff, but I can’t really think of anything else at the moment.

Twice a year, Hydra hosts this grand soirée for no particular reason other than to gloat and showcase their power and authority. A lot of shady stuff probably goes down, but it’s Hydra and they’re in command, so no one really questions it or puts up a fight.

Jemma Simmons is a cog in the Hydra machine. She was taken at a young age during her studies and forced to work for them under the Incentive Program, though her incentive—her parents—aren’t locked up in some random room in some random facility. Still, the threat is very real, so Jemma has been a good scientist for them despite growing increasingly opposed to Hydra’s goals, tactics, and misuse of her work.

Her one reprieve are the nights of the soirée that she is fortunate enough to be invited to. Why? It’s the one night she sees Grant.

Opportunities for Eternity by @ilosttrackofthings