Fic: Stained in the Blood (of a whole generation) (WIP)

[ardatli.livejournal.com]

Stained in the Blood (of a whole generation)

Fandom: Young Avengers/Criminal Minds

Parts: 7/9

Length:  29,512 words, as of current part

Rating: M (for canon-typical violence)

Pairings: Background Billy/Teddy, Cassie/Jonas; Gen casefic for Criminal Minds

Warnings: Minor character death, some graphic violence (CM-level, fire-based, no sexual component)

Disclaimer: Not mine, never mine. All credit goes to my betas, roane, moonbrightnites and frogy. All blame is mine. 

Summary: No-powers, modern AU crossover.

A string of brutal deaths brings the FBI’s vaunted Behavioural Analysis Unit to New York City on the trail of a serial arsonist. But when the UnSub appears to target a young man named William Kaplan, it becomes clear that nothing at all is what it seems...

“What makes you think I saw anything?” Tommy asked. Red and orange and smoke flashed behind his eyes, the ropes of the ladder burning his hands as he slid down, the taste of bile and fear and smoke mingling in his nose and mouth.

“You had to.” And Teddy was pleading now, not threatening. “Because if you didn’t, my mom is as good as dead.”

AO3 links:

Prologue  Chapter One  Chapter Two  Chapter Three  Chapter Four  Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Comments

[time-testudinem.livejournal.com]

This story has me rewatching CM from the beginning, and possibly buying Young Avengers comic books. I think that says all you need to know about how much I am enjoying it.

[ardatli.livejournal.com]

O.O

[runs in circles and flails gleefully]

You, sir/ma'am, have just made my day in the best way possible. Thank you so, so much!

(And everyone should read Young Avengers! The series is restarting in January, so catch up on the trades now!)

Edited to add: And Kate is currently co-starring in the new Hawkeye book, written by Matt Fraction / drawn by David Aja. SO GOOD.

[time-testudinem.livejournal.com]

I know! I love, love, love that Hawkeye book. So recognizing that Kate might be in this fic is what had me picking it up in the first place. The rest of the awesome has just been a bonus.

As a recent convert to comics, I just wasn't sure about reading Young Avengers, as I don't want to go to far, too fast. But your fic does make a great case for doing so. Hawkeye was my gateway book, because I do actually shoot archery, and I have really spent a lazy Sunday morning sorting arrows, and had to go out to the store for something to label them with. So I did not stop laughing that whole 3rd book. I have them on my iPad, but I wish I could get the cover of issue 2 on a poster, as it is a pretty damn good instructional graphic. Now if I could only get my release to be that smooth.

[ardatli.livejournal.com]

Young Avengers is actually a pretty good introduction to the Avengers side of the Marvel Universe. The original gang are all legacy heroes - connected in some way to a previous Avenger - so you get a bit of the world's history in some of the flashbacks and explanations.

I'd suggest grabbing the first run - it's only 12 issues, and I know they're available in .cbr, as well as a gorgeous collected trade.

If that hooks you, there was a Young Avengers Presents mini-series of six books, each one focussing on a different character (though I have to say, I hate a lot of the art in those).

The Avengers: Children's Crusade mini (9 issues) came out in 2011, and is both very good and necessary reading for those intending to pick up the new volume when it starts (major character changes in that one).

A number of the events on the YA end of things in SinB are taken from/inspired by the YA arc 'Family Matters' from the original series, with obvious changes for universe compatibility.

I used to shoot crossbow, but I haven't in years. Hawkeye really makes me want to get back into it!