#May 25th AU

[jtl-fics]

Fluent Freshman - Part 20

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FF had watched more than a few self-defense videos when he believed that Andrew Minyard was looking for a dark alley to stab him in. He had learned how to turn the attacker’s momentum against them. Had learned about disarming the person trying to stab him.

He’d even had Matt teach him a few punches claiming that it was for the dust-ups that tended to happen on the court.

He, naturally, does not use any of that knowledge because his mind immediately reverts into Lizard panic mode the moment Jackson Plank takes another step forward with a knife (HUGE. Is it wild that he is thinking about Crocodile Dundee right now?)

“If you come quietly you won’t get hurt.” Jackson says and he reverts to who he is as a person and he freezes. His bravery was used up maybe it was only ever tied to great pump up songs and now in the silence of the alley he is back to being Stone-Faced Smith.

“You’re going to dial up Wesninski and if you don’t say EXACTLY what I tell you to then I’m going to have you SING in agony.”

Y’know in that moment he stops thinking about Crocodile Dundee.

He thinks about a movie that is far more ingrained in his mind than any number of self-defense videos or one-off lessons with Matthew Boyd where he’d been trying not to flinch. A movie he had watched in better days with his family and had been a favorite of his Grandma’s (and his).

He thinks about Miss Congeniality.

Sandra Bullock as Gracie Hart has taught him everything he ever truly needs to know when he takes a step back and Jackson comes at him.

He strikes right at Jackson’s nose with the palm of his hand.

“SON OF A-“

The knife is dropped and FF kicks it under a dumpster.

FF grabs the single weapon he has on his person.

The McDonald’s Megamind Happy Meal Light Effects Brainbot.

He points the LED light straight at Jackson’s eyes and just like Aaron in the car on the way back, “Shit, that’s bright!” And now completely blinded by a combination of watery eyes and LED McDonald’s toy he proceeds to SING just as Gracie Hart had taught him.

S - Solar Plexus. He punches Jackson there as hard as he can.

I - Instep. He smashes his booted foot down on the inside of Jackson’s shoes (who the fuck wears LOAFERS to a kidnapping?)

N - Nose. He’d feel bad about hitting it again if Jackson wasn’t y’know…a hitman out to hurt Captain Neil.

G - Groin. He may have to give himself just half a second to apologize to all of mankind for what he is about to do. His step brothers had definitely kicked him in the groin plenty of times to try and get a reaction. It’s an art to not let anyone know that your ball has retreated up into lower intestine. He kicks Jackson as hard as he can (collegiate athlete) with the boots that Nicky had let him borrow. He is right on target with the toe of his shoes.

Jackson goes down.

The next thing he does is not something Gracie Hart had taught him but does still feel like the right thing to do in this situation. He kicks Jackson in the head and the man goes limp.

If FF throws both hands up in the air and lets out a “I am Miss Congeniality!” Victory cry into the alleyway well no one is around or awake to know that.

He feels like he deserves a sash and a crown and some flowers.

He looks down at Jackson and then over at the van the man had hopped out of. He was definitely PLANNING on kidnapping Captain Neil so he probably has like…some kind of restraint?

Well, better to completely subdue this guy before he tries to figure out the game plan for Romero. Wait, what’s that next to the Crocodile Dundee knife, are those...?

***

Roland is calling for a second time.

Andrew had let it go to voicemail the first time. It was usually Roland complaining about Nicky, Aaron, or Kevin doing something exceptionally stupid in their inebriated states. They have a system. Roland will call and leave a voicemail detailing the dumb shit his family has gotten up to and then he’ll let it go.

If Roland calls twice then there’s an issue.

Arm still around Neil’s shoulders he answers the phone, “What.” He asks.

“You need to help your new friend. There’s some guy following him, he’s armed and dangerous and looking for someone to grab to get Neil’s attention. He tried to lead the guy outside but he’s standing watching it for now so there might have already been someone waiting?” Roland gets out in a rush and Andrew is up and moving towards the stairs even as he’s closing the phone to disconnect the call.

Neil, of course, is right on his heels. “What is it? Did something happen?” Neil asks and they are up the stairs and pushing past Frank and his stupid pineapple shirt. Andrew spots Nicky and he spots Aaron.

“Get Nicky and Aaron somewhere safe. I need to go help Smith with something.” He says because whoever this is wants Neil and Andrew will not let Neil get within grabbing distance and won’t mention it. Neil, blessedly, does what Andrew asks without question.

Andrew scans the crowd and finds a man whose gaze goes between his phone and the back door.

A face that Andrew had memorized.

One of Nathan’s surviving men.

In the same Zip Code as Neil.

And that man has the audacity to still be breathing.

He looks and Nicky and Aaron (drunk, drugged, and useless because Andrew had wanted them to be) are with Neil and Roland is directing them to the backroom.

Andrew goes out the alley and can feel Romero’s eyes on him.

He’s prepared for a lot of things to see out in that alley. He’s angry that FF hadn’t just come down and grabbed him and Neil (he does not need TWO martyrs) and he wants to know what the fuck FF was thinking (or if he was thinking at all). Even with that anger he does not wish to see FF’s blood spilled all over an alleyway because Andrew’s family needed to be protected and FF was the only one sober enough and aware enough to do it.

He knows what Nathan’s men are capable of.

Knows that Romero was one of Nathan’s best so if there is someone out in the alleyway then it’s likely one of his other bests.

FF doesn’t even know how to use a knife. He had asked and FF had firmly declined every time Andrew had brought it up after the first fainting incident. “I’m not interested in learning that. No.” Had been the standard response.

He knew FF had at least taken a lesson or two from Boyd on throwing a punch considering the one he shot out a week ago when a Striker came at him after the third time FF intercepted a pass.

Still, Andrew had not anticipated coming out into the alleyway and finding an unharmed FF securing an unconscious Jackson Plank’s arms behind his back with fuzzy handcuffs.

“Am I interrupting something?” He asks and FF looks up at him with a flush on his cheeks.

“It’s not my fault this is a weird sex alleyway! They’re the first thing I found on my way over to the van to look for actual restraints.” FF says immediately and Andrew almost laughs at the insanity of it. “Wait, where’s Captain Neil?” FF looks around nervously.

“He’s with Aaron and Nicky in the backroom. Roland gave me your S.O.S.” Andrew says even as he quickly makes his way away from the door and towards FF. “Romero is watching the door. Let’s give him a reason to come out.” He says going over to Jackson and when he rolls the man over he raises an eyebrow at the piss stain on his pants and the blood dripping down his nose.

He looks to FF who resolutely does not look back at him.

It’s a story he’ll get out of his friend eventually. Looks like FF didn’t really need those knife lessons. Something settles a bit more in Andrew, it’s nice to have someone else in their group that could handle themselves in a fight.

Andrew finds a phone and FF rolls Jackson back onto his stomach, “He could choke on his own blood.” He shrugs and Andrew wouldn’t care if Jackson choked on his own blood in fuzzy handcuffs in a back alley but he can understand FF not wanting a murder charge.

Andrew looks at the phone and sees the the swipe pattern clear as day. It takes him two tries to get the order right but then Jackson’s phone is available for him to get over to the texting app.

The texts he reads there make him angry. There were a lot of plans on what the two of them were going to do to Neil before his body was offered up to a different crime family to show that Romero and Jackson had no loyalty left to the Wesninski line.

He types out a text to Romero that will have the jackass come out thinking everything had gone well and they had two hostages. He looks over to FF, “You ready for round two?” He asks.

“There isn’t a tap out option right?” FF asks and Andrew laughs at the joke.

Always cool under pressure it seems.

“No.”

“Then yeah, I guess just hit send.” FF says with a shrug.

Andrew does just that.

MASTERPOST FOR ALL PARTS OF FLUENT FRESHMAN AU

NEXT

Didn’t wanna leave ya’ll hanging on that particular cliffhanger for too long ;)

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The requests to be added to the tag list keep being spread out across a few different areas. If I missed you please just ask again in the replies I promise I just missed you.

As stated before if you’re up here and I spelled it  right but you didn’t  get a notification there might be something  switched around in  your settings that won’t let me tag you properly?

[m1d-45]

repentance

summary: xiao is well aware of the threat he poses to others, but fails to recognize that the one he hurts the most is himself. or, my wishes for xiao.

word count: 8.1k what-

-> warnings: massive spoilers for liyue archon quest, spoilers for xiao lore, spoilers for the lantern rite (3.4), hurt no comfort, xiao briefly speaks about himself as a tool/weapon.

-> gn reader (you/yours) and unspecified traveller (they/them). reader has yaoyao n yunjin, and isn’t a traveller main

taglist: @samarill || @thenyxsky || @valeriele3 || @shizunxie || @boba-is-a-soup || @esthelily || @turningfrogsgay

< masterlist >

xiao was happy you were enjoying the lantern rite.

it was… rather unconventional this year, with the music festival making its debut, but you didn’t seem to mind. instead, you were excited, listening to dvorak’s story with rapt attention. you were enthusiastic about helping him, even though you’d just met.

he supposed it was a testament to your kindness.

as with the other times you were in liyue, he followed you closely, ensuring no demons crossed your path. he knew of your team’s strength, and would be a fool to assume you couldn’t safely evacuate if they were outclassed, but still, his spear shattered karma-heavy mitachurls, vanishing the instant before your vessel turned the corner.

even as the karma seeped under his skin and added to his heavy debt, he cursed himself. he should never have allowed such a dangerous enemy to get that close to qingce village. following you was a worthy cause, but shirking his duties for one more than capable of defending themself… it was unwise.

still, he watched until he was certain your party was safe within the boundaries of the harbor, only allowing himself to relax once you met up with ganyu.

with a final look at the lanterns, xiao vanished.

the next time he saw you, he was at mount aocang, collecting some qingxin. though he was rather fond of the flower, they weren’t for him, and instead for verr goldet. he’d heard her complain about how no adventurer wanted to take her commission to collect them due to the rite, and most shops only sold silk flowers or glaze lilies in large amounts due to the same problem. considering the significance of the lantern rite… somebody had to do it.

still, he kept his ears pricked, listening for any calls of distress over the gentle wind. he was cautious to remove all the major threats before he began this task, but he could never be too safe. monsters tended to get more active around lantern rite, and he couldn’t risk-

“help! help!!”

xiao’s hand halted, barely an inch from the stem of a qingxin. the voice… it sounded like paimon, but surely-?

“someone’s drowning!”

in an instant, xiao teleported away, uncaring of the flowers that fluttered from his grasp and down the mountain. he went first to the source of the shout, then dashed to the figure in the water, looping his arm around their chest and taking them with him to shore.

the person coughed and he checked to make sure they weren’t choking, only to be met with the familiar face of the traveller.

he frowned. “what is going on?”

“how do you feel right now?”

xiao blinked and looked away, taking a look at his surroundings for the first time. he was atop mount aocang—what were you doing at cloud retainer’s abode?—next to paimon and ganyu, and a ways away was shenhe, chest heaving in exertion. by the looks of it, she had climbed up the mountain at the disturbance. mentally, he commended her speed.

“ah, shenhe… and the conqueror of demons…”

he stepped away from the traveller, ignoring the way his hand lingered for a moment at their side. your aura seeped from them like tea in a cup, slowly irradiating the air around you. even still, it was not wise to stand so close to them with his debt. it may seek out your light and land within them instead, and he wasn’t sure he could forgive himself if one of your most prized fell ill because of him.

“-looking for an adeptus who's good at being a lifeguard and playing music. but if the adepti aren't gonna stay at home, then how are we supposed to find them?”

even only catching the latter half of paimon’s explanation, xiao knew his time there was done.

“it wasn’t me.”

“ah, yeah, so this adeptus is most likely a woman…”

xiao bit his tongue, but noted the small hint of amusement in shenhe’s voice with a sharp look.

“I am not an adeptus; as you both already know, traveler and paimon.”

paimon nervously laughed, tucking her hands behind herself and swaying side to side. “heh... okay, so this is paimon's fault... no way paimon would've suggested this idea if she'd known how awkward this was gonna be...”

what else did she expect? calling for help after he’d pledged to answer whenever they called, after he swore to assist and ensured they both knew that, and she was still shocked?

…belatedly, xiao realized she never said his name.

“i’m fine. sorry for troubling you both,” the traveller said, giving apologetic looks to the both of them. even though xiao knew they were capable of swimming, he still felt some tense part of him relax.

he nodded, taking half a step back. “glad you’re okay.”

“you’re leaving already?”

“as far as I know, the one you seek is no yaksha. and one last thing...“ he paused, sending paimon a glare. “your actions here caused others a great deal of worry. do not repeat them again in the future.”

he barely gave himself time to see a new wave of guilt wash over her face before he turned and vanished, leaving before he could let himself be swayed into joining your part in your search.

he spoke the truth: you weren’t seeking a yaksha, and he knew the other adepti would be much more help than could be, and without the risk of proximity to his debt.

no matter how many times the traveller privately sought him out after you had left, thanking him for his actions and not-very-subtly implying he answer the stars, he turned them down. he was too much of a risk. perhaps if your team consisted of more gods and less fragile mortals, perhaps if rex lapis finally found a way to keep his karma from latching onto others, then… maybe, maybe he might look to the sky with something more than wistful longing.

finding his eyes beginning to stray higher yet again, xiao shook his head, drawing his spear. even if you did have hardier vessels, he would still be a liability. your light tended to open the soul, to expose and to heal, but with him there it would only result in your team becoming susceptible again, as much so as if they were mortal.

perhaps, he thought, scanning the land for any threats, he was lucky you hadn’t wished upon his stars. he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to deny his god.

with shenhe and cloud retainer by your side, xiao had left you to your own devices, returning to collect qingxin for verr goldet. it was a simple task, one devoid of any distractions, and he returned to the inn before dusk. grabbing a string of ribbon off the large tree encasing the inn—so many people lost their things within its branches, he wondered if it was even worth trying to retrieve them all—and tying them together, he made his way down to the stairs.

she looked up as he approached, having grown familiar with his light footsteps, and smiled at the small bouquet in his hands.

“adeptus xiao,” she greeted, dipping her head as he dropped the flowers on her desk. “what have i done to earn such a gift?”

he crossed his arms. “nothing. i overheard you complaining about not having qingxin flowers, so..” he tilted his head at them. “i collected a few.”

“a few?” the new voice made him jump and he turned towards the source, met with rex lapis’ smiling form. “if i may, i believe that’s quite a bit more than ‘a few’.”

“indeed! i only wanted qingxin as a centerpiece for a few arrangements, but with all of these, i could make twice as many with some to spare!”

xiao’s jaw tensed, but he only gave a sharp nod, turning away. he was halfway enveloped in smoke when morax called his name, forcing him to stay.

he dismissed it, looking over.

“my apologies, but i wish to speak with you. do you have the time?”

xiao nodded again, and followed him up the stairs to the balcony. as he did, he tried to scan his memory for any reason for his sudden visit. he couldn’t remember any significant lapse in his duties, nor anything may have drawn his attention… perhaps he simply wished to warn him about the increase in monsters around lantern rite? but no, the rite’s been happening for years…

a light cough drew his attention, and he blinked, quickly looking up from the floor. “rex-“

“it’s zhongli, xiao. i am a god no longer.”

the need to insist otherwise prickled across his skin, that just because he didn’t have his gnosis and took on a new name didn’t resign him of his status, but he kept that argument quiet. it was one they’d had before.

“zhongli… to what do i owe the visit?”

a satisfied smile crossed his face as he turned to the sky, twisting in search for a specific constellation. “you and i both know why.”

xiao almost wished he was there to chide him about his duties. he could take being told to focus on liyue rather than your capable party, he could take being told to allow you the experience of travel yourself, since he wouldn’t be in other nations, all of those arguments had been quietly and instantly prepared for the moment gold eyes met shimmering amber, but this…

xiao hesitated. zhongli continued.

“i understand any reservations you may have regarding the process, but i must insist any fear you feel has no place here. the first law is more than able to handle one yaksha’s debt-“ arguments sprung to his lips, pushing to be let out “-and while your hesitance would be warranted if it were any other traveling party, this is the exception. please do not show such resistance when the time comes as you do now.”

he crossed his arms, staring firmly at the fake vision of his back to keep his gaze from wandering up, above, wandering to his constellation in the night sky. alatus nemeseos, the bird turned skyward, even as it shone amongst stars.

“who would i be to resist the call of the divine?”

zhongli turned, partially, his profile cast in warm tones from lighting of the balcony. “you tell me, alatus.”

xiao felt his words as a physical hit to his chest, something sharp twisting in his soul. he wasn’t sure why, he knew his argument was reasonable, your party would only be damaged with him there, it wasn’t built for him to slot within it, everybody you travelled with was picked for a reason and who was he to try and-

“xiao.”

“zhongli.”

he turned fully, this time, crossing his arms and leaning against the balcony railing. “they have been awaiting your presence for quite some time now, you know.” he did, ever since he found out how to access his banner he’d been spending more time in it than he probably should, listening to your team travel in search of the primordial gems you cast across the stars. “i expect you to follow their call when it sounds.”

bitter emotions swirled and twisted within him, words he didn’t understand coming to mind as the ones he did know failed him. there wasn’t a word for the sharp conflict within him, no word for the push and pull between the desperate want to be by your side and the need to keep you safe. he’d existed for millennia, and yet even the most flowery of metaphors failed when faced with the overwhelming decision he had to make. how could he choose? how could he pick between disappointing you and poisoning the ones you loved? how could he handle the very real possibility of having to watch as the traveller grit their teeth, as your vessels slowly rotted and decayed, how could he live with that knowledge? that it was his fault, that he had done it, that by simply being near him they were choosing to die?

but how could he live without you?

zhongli had apparently noticed his turmoil and, evidently satisfied with having planted the vine that grappled with his conviction, gave the slightest nod of his head, allowing him to change the subject.

xiao took it in an instant, “it's almost lantern rite, yet you took all the trouble coming here.”

zhongli sighed, an old problem brought back to mind. he’d feel bad about bringing up the rite if he wasn’t horribly uncomfortable with the prior topic. “the director has a way of making it difficult to decline..”

director?

after a moment, he remembered the job he’d taken on. he hadn’t spoken much to the current director of the funeral parlor, but had heard of her eccentricity. “rex lapis-“ zhongli’s eyes sharpened, but he couldn’t bring himself to apologize for the slip when his mind was still fixated on the concept of the divine “-may I ask what troubles you?”

after a moment, he sighed again, taking the conversation towards something called sesame oil he needed to buy. xiao responded when it was appropriate, letting his answers come whenever they were needed as he continued to think.

zhongli had said you were ‘awaiting his presence,’ but… you hadn’t cast any of your stars across the sky. surely, if you were as eager as he made you out to be, you would have tried to wish on his stars? surely you wouldn’t be out and about, enjoying the rite, mastering paper plays and assisting yelan? you wouldn’t be out with the crux, skidding across the sea in your waverider, or enjoying the launching fireworks that shot your vessels high?

(he, privately, hated that last aspect of your spent time. his heart always leapt whenever you were slightly delayed on shooting yourself forward, his hand tight around his polearm as he made sure that your vessels never fell too quickly. there was only one of these… displays? attractions? set up in liyue, for which he was both grateful and resentful. as much as he hated the loud crackles and bright flashes of the gunpowder, obscuring your vessel’s figure long enough for him to draw unsavory conclusions, he would much rather you fly with sparks where he could watch)

still, xiao kept his arms crossed, forcibly tuning back into the conversation if only to hear zhongli excuse his long-winded ramble and brush by him, an expectation in his eyes. he pulled himself from his thoughts, however heavy, and made the choice to draw his polearm once more.

maybe if he protected liyue, maybe if he pulled villagers from the path of mitachurls and stabbed the jade point of his weapon into the masks of lawachurls, maybe you would recognize that he was much better suited to this sort of work. maybe you would understand the threat that was his soul, and allow him to continue assisting from the shadows, never glimpsed but always seen.

wind swept across the empty balcony, the last yaksha having returned to his duties.

the next day was as easier than the last. your party had strayed north, towards mondstat, and though he admittedly missed seeing them around, he would be lying if he said it didn’t make his job easier. he could move swiftly, acting on autopilot, barely allowing the ruin guards to collapse to the floor before he was gone in a flash of teal and black. one could argue it was dangerous to be so automatic in his movements, to not be paying attention to his surroundings, but he would simply reply with a shake of his head. it wasn’t easy to sneak up on the adepti. by the time somebody set their intent to approach him he had already felt their presence on the wind, and had vanished.

which was exactly why, when he overheard verr goldet talking with somebody in an exasperated tone, he knew the recipient would be climbing the stairs to the balcony before they touched the first step.

he moved, with heavy irritation, to the roof of the inn instead, standing in the shadows. hopefully whoever it was would be gone quickly; he couldn’t see the stars very well from under the tree.

the first thing he sees is a hat, decorated with flowers, then two spiraling twin tails of reddish-brown hair. the ornate jacket is next, familiar in a way he doesn’t recognize.

the person stops in the middle of the balcony, pausing for a moment before bringing their hands to their face-

“conqueror of demons! adeptus xiaaaaao!” he winces at the girl’s volume, at the way it amplified over his name. “guardian of wangshu inn! hero of dihua marsh!”

maybe if he just ignored her she would leave? plenty of people knew him, sought him out for one reason or another, surely she would be the same?

she turned in a slow circle, her hands on her hips. “i know you're thereeee!”

he couldn’t stop the way his tongue clicked at her lack of manners, nor the way the sound travelled down to her. one hand held her hat as she searched the shadows above the inn, and he stepped to the edge before she could climb up herself and get hurt.

“quiet! do not disturb the peace.”

she grinned, another flash of familiarity shooting through him at the sight. “sorry! but you wouldn't show up if i didn't yell your name, would you?”

xiao studied her face, searching for a detail to latch onto. her eyes, the design on her hat… her rings.

“i know you,” he said finally. “you're the 77th director of wangsheng funeral parlor…” he weighed his options. the parlor and the yakshas had worked together in the past, and if there was something wrong…

he held back a sigh. “is there something you need?”

the director—hu tao, his mind finally recalled—invited him down with a sweep of her hand, and he dropped off the ledge of the roof before he could make the conscious choice to.

“well, as you know, the funeral parlor has worked closely with the yakshas in the past-“

xiao tuned out her words. she needed a favor, clearly, and if there was one thing he disliked it was people dancing around what they wanted.

‘oh mighty yaksha, please grant us assistance,’ as if they weren’t actively wasting time by not just getting to the point. he understood the need to be respectful, and honored that respect in turn, but this?

he crossed his arms. “get to the point.”

hu tao faltered, but quickly recovered with a smile. “ah, not one for small talk? that’s fair.”

he sharpened his gaze into a glare.

“alright, i get it… in truth, im only here for one thing. just one tiny little favor, in honor of the lantern rite.”

“…which is?”

“are you free in two days? i’m hosting a dinner party with-“

“no.”

she blinked, red eyes owlishly wide. “what? but you haven’t even heard what i was asking!”

“i don’t need to. adepti have more important duties than dinner. even if that weren’t the case, you of all people should know the danger that i pose at any social gatherings.”

her face twisted. pity. “i do know! which is why-“

“i’m not going.”

her eyes hardened. determination.

hu tao crossed her own arms, her voice taking on a sharper tone. “adeptus xiao. on behalf of the wangsheng funeral parlor, i am inviting you to a dinner in two days, at seven at night, at xinyue kiosk, to celebrate the lantern rite. i have made the necessary arrangements prior, and have ensured everybody at the gathering is well acquainted with elemental power. your karma will not be a problem for the length of the dinner, of which i am certain. i must heavily insist that you come.”

her tone surprised him, the sternness with which she spoke almost reminding him of verr goldet.

maybe it was that comparison that made him revisit her words, or maybe it was the stars beginning to shine in the night as it darkened with dusk. maybe it was because he recognized his own amongst them, his unspoken duty written across the sky.

or maybe, by chance, it was her choice of phrasing. ‘acquainted with elemental power,’ not ‘vision wielders.’ functionally, they meant almost the same thing, but…

his eyes flicked to the sky. to his debt, and not the one poisoning his soul.

“in two days.”

and just like that, the stern facade was gone, a giddy smile in its place. “yep! in two days, at seven at night-“

“-at xinyue kiosk. i do not forget such things so easily.”

she nodded excitedly, one hand going to twist the rings on the other. “alright! uh- have a good night, then!”

and without another word, she brused past him, the small wave of warmth from her vision the last remnants of her presence.

xiao walked to the edge of the balcony, setting his hands on the railing. after a long moment, perhaps extending to two, he looked up.

‘acquainted with elemental energy’…

two days passed.

the clock read five past seven.

xiao was not at xinyue kiosk.

in fairness, he didn’t realize the time. immortals experienced it differently, hours slipping by before he could think to reach for them. he’d vanished from the inn at around five, intending to make a final sweep of the nation, starting at the southern edge.

for safety, he told himself, ripping his spear from the nth hilichurl. he couldn’t bear if somebody got hurt because he wished in indulge in the aura of the divine.

for the dinner, he swore, twisting the tip of his spear into the eye of a ruin guard, seeing the power through its body cut off sharply as it fell to the floor. so he could spend as much time as he dared by your side before having to go.

and for the adepti, he muttered, who had enough to mourn around this time anyway, who didn’t need to have something else to worry about.

for your world, which you had so carefully crafted, and everything within it. for you, who he had prayed to before he left, leaving the last remains of his almost tofu at the shrine for you at the inn.

for you, his god.

by the time he noted the hour and hastily returned to the inn, checking the time in his room, the wind had carried him the call of his name.

“adeptus xiaoooo? conqueror of deeemooons? you’re late for dinner!“

he recognized the voice as hu tao, and met her on the balcony. she had her arms crossed, red eyes sharp when they found him.

“there you are! what are you still doing here?”

he didn’t have much of an excuse. “i apologize. i was caught up in my duties and lost track of time.”

it seemed to appease her, her arms falling to her sides. “fine, i guess you’re excused this time. now come on!”

she took a step towards the staircase back down, but he caught her by the arm, ensuring he had a strong grip before teleporting them both just outside xinyue kiosk. the waitress startled and hu tao stumbled, but both seemed fine.

to his surprise, the director recovered quickly, walking up to the doors and pushing them open with far too much force, in xiao’s opinion.

“ta-da! we're here!”

he followed, carefully shutting the door behind him, taking a quick look around the room. it was mostly empty, likely reserved for the dinner, and though hu tao blocked most of the people from his view…

he met zhongli’s eyes, noticing the barely there widening of his eyes in shock. “i see... so the important guest is the conqueror of demons.” it was strange hearing his title on his tongue, the words that hardly meant anything to him anymore spoken by morax himself. “i’ve been looking forward to meeting you. the director didn't mention anything when she invited us. what a pleasant surprise... gathered here with us tonight are not only young and accomplished individuals, but also the protector of liyue’s peace, adeptus alatus. to convene here with all of you is indeed a great honor.”

the uncharacteristic praise was a shock, one that left him scrambling for a response. he shouldn’t have been so affected, he was thanked daily by the people he saved from hilichurls or abyss mages, but here….

he chalked it up to your presence. it made sense he would be on edge so near your vessels, right?

“i’m sure you're exaggerating, zhong-… sir.“

hu tao huffed, and he couldn’t tell if she was out off by him or zhongli. “ugh, there he goes again! enough with the pleasantries. let our guest take a seat.” despite saying this, she didn’t move to sit down. “everyone here today is well-known in their own field and has probably heard about one another to some extent. some of us are even old acquaintances, so there's no need to be this forma…. i heard that the conqueror of demons and traveler are pretty close, no?”

the traveller looked up and nodded with a smile, keeping eye contact with him despite hu tao speaking.

“great! you two sit together!”

he walked and sat besides the traveller, noting the chair between him and zhongli. was somebody else expected?

hu tao sat after asking the host to bring the food, and your aura ebbed from the traveller. they blinked, as if waking from a deep sleep, and everybody greeted them again, saying hello to them instead of you. they exchanged greetings in turn, and xiao forced out a hello when their gaze landed on him. you may have left, leaving them to eat on their own, but his soul still strained for the remnants of you that permeated the traveller. it was an expected side effect of dealing with your first vessel, but not one xiao had ever experienced so intensely. he usually kept his distance, carefully monitoring the flares and floods of his karma, never sitting directly next to them for a meal.

but it’s just a dinner, he told himself, staring down at food he had no intention of eating. just a dinner. an hour, perhaps two, and his heart rate would return to normal. an hour, and he wouldn’t be so distracted when the traveller tried to gently make conversation, perhaps two until his eyes stopped drifting their way.

below the table, his hands flexed into fists.

your presence waxed and waned during the dinner, attention ebbing and flowing as the conversation went on. it spiked when barbatos arrived, leaving xiao struggling to remember what cover story he’d chosen.

‘venti’ had picked it up smoothly, and xiao let himself lapse back into silence. it was difficult to speak at such a gathering with so many, when he had to put up front after front with your golden aura reaching to tear them down. he didn’t want to pretend, to lie, to swallow oddly-textured meals that scraped the edge of edible, but he also didn’t want to lean too far the other way and fall into the divinity at his side.

(it was so tempting. he could feel his skin prickle where the traveller got close, reaching for a plate or to pass one to another. the stain of his soul reached for your cleansing water, begging to slip under the crashing waves and drown with you in his lungs. with every gasp of air, salt soothed his sting, easing his pain breath by breath)

a sharp call of his name drew his attention, and he blinked. the traveller was looking at him, some message in their eyes. he couldn’t decipher it.

“what’s with the urgency?” his mouth said, unbidden.

“are you done eating? could you come take a walk with me?”

“….sure.”

they flashed a quick smile, placating hu tao and paimon before standing, inviting him to do the same. he walked for the door, though they lingered momentarily to speak with the others.

the room was filled with you. even as you were in the opposite corner, talking with hu tao, he could feel your amusement, your joy. you liked seeing them all together like this, and you brightened the room simply by being in it. tensions lessened, arguments ceased, even the most petty of squabbles were reduced to merely a thought on the wind as you swept by-

the traveller pushed open the door, inviting him out with a smile.

in all honesty, xiao barely paid attention to his conversation with the traveller.

he felt the emotions in his words, the intent behind them clear in his mind, but he let the pull of your command guide him to the phrases themselves. the strings of your device, gentle yet firm, twisted his body, crossed his arms, turned him away, all in a careful act of your design. to bend so easily to another’s will would be a sign of weakness if it were anybody else; yet it was you, and even gods were known to kneel.

and so he spoke, even if he did not know the words. he accepted the plate of almost tofu from xiangling, even as the shake in his hands was stilled by your careful light. he let himself sink into your presence, into the brief glimpse he would have of it before you were whisked off to another adventure. another day of commissions, another day of ley lines and ruined domains, another day where xiao sat silently in the shadows, wishing he could be closer even as he knew his place was to watch from afar.

he walked inside with xiangling, stepping into a circle he expected yet didn’t know would be there. he stood, and basked, feeling like no more than a snake curled up on a warm stone, letting itself sink sink sink into the sun. his skin was riddled with goosebumps despite the pick-up in his heart and the slightest of flushes on his skin. even in the warm room—with warm you—a chill travelled down his back, prompting his speech.

“i refuse.”

he said his lines. he passed the torch to the traveller, far more equipped than he to handle your light; perhaps that was why they should light the incense. they took their place as the spot of your attention with grace, the predetermined words slipping from their mouth with ease.

“you, of course. take a look in the mirror.”

natural, easy, their head moving a hair before the strings told them to, their body so attuned to your wishes that they saw them before you did. the light of the room painted a halo around their golden hair, an imitation of the divinity that rolled off them in waves, washing out to latch onto those near you and pull. you did not call them to harm, never, and yet it felt almost painful to resist, as if it went against their very nature.

“i trust the traveller’s judgement.”

though he meant it, he was not the one who said it. xiao was floating at sea, both wishing for an anchor and praying he could sit and bob atop the water for just a little while longer.

perhaps it was selfish to want to be so close when such a deadly force lied inside of him, but now… xiao could not find it in himself to care as much as he should. he let himself stand next to the traveller, as close as he dared, soothing himself with the knowledge that they were more resilient as an outlander. maybe he was even being safer, by being further away from the others?

(it was a fever dream. xiao didn’t want to wake up)

he followed the others outside again, stood in silence as they said their goodbyes, only ever coming out of his thoughts at the sound of zhongli’s voice.

“well then…”

the knowing look he gave immediately made him think he’d missed some important information, “rex lapis-“

“just zhongli will do.” his eyes softened to sympathy, the knowing switching to understanding. “i live as a mortal in liyue harbor now. i am just one among many who begin work at sunrise, and retire to rest at sundown. if we were to consider status and seniority, as zhongli, i should be respectfully referring to you as adeptus xiao.”

“heaven forbid,” he answered immediately, momentarily forgetting about the binds of his actions. for morax, a god, to refer to him by title? no, that was impossible, unthinkable, so many layers of wrong-

“adeptus xiao,” the traveller called, their voice shaded with a laugh. and there, just beneath it, was you, your influence curled around their words.

you chose for them to say that. you chose to address him as if he were an equal.

…it wasn’t often xiao found himself questioning the divine, but he couldn’t help but ask why you were making it so hard for him to keep his distance.

“…but whether to me, streetward rambler, cloud retainer, or younger adepti such as xiao and ganyu, those adepti and gods that may seem extraordinary to humans are something more akin to close companions. this was as true back then as it is right now. just as xiao may seem unapproachable to most, but the traveller has proved otherwise.”

xiao wondered if they ever got tired of hearing ‘the traveller’ in place of their name. he knew zhongli knew it, as did he, but your device never allowed them to say it… it was as if it was a closely kept secret, but only a secret from the traveller themselves.

“there's no need to dwell too much on certain things.”

“rex- i mean, zhongli, what you're saying is...”

he nodded. “it looks like you understood what i meant.”

he didn’t. though he understood that the traveller was closer to him than most, he didn’t know how it related to the conversation at hand. was it his lack of attention to the meal? surely none could blame him for that, for a wounded man to seek out the balm for his ailments..

“hm…” zhongli’s eyes flicked over the group, quietly assessing his options. “the director asked me to accompany you on your return, but i don't think you'll need my protection. i’ll be taking a walk around and admiring the night scenery. after that... it'll be time for me to go back and meet up with the director. goodbye, for now.”

before xiao could protest, he had walked away, leaving them standing outside xinyue kiosk.

paimon waved, “bye, zhongli!” and xiao took notice of the slight bob in zhongli’s shoulders, and the wave over his shoulders that you could not see.

“everyone's gone now... paimon always feels a little empty inside when a lively celebration ends... but at least you'll always stay by paimon's side!”

the traveller’s mouth ticked up in a smile as they crossed their arms, affection in their eyes as they waited for paimon to recognize her slip.

“no- no no, paimon got it mixed up! paimon, the best and most distinguished travel guide, will always stay by your side, traveller!”

the traveller’s eyes unfocused, your presence bleeding through even further. “it’s my honor,” they finally said, “but i’m afraid there'll be a lot to ask of you in the future too, most distinguished paimon.”

the words, though not their own, flowed so easily off their tongue. they were at perfect ease, used to the strings that puppeteered their actions and working alongside them. xiao couldn’t help but allow himself the brief illusion of imagining how it would feel to go into battle with you at the helm; he’d been controlled by you before, briefly, for a moment here or a group of enemies there, but nothing like the reported battles you’d gotten into before. the glimpses of coordination he’d seen from you as you cleared out hilichurls or treasure hoarders were fascinating, but part of him yearned to know what it was like when you battled azhdaha, or challenged childe yet again at the golden house.

“-xiao, is there anything else you wanna do? oh we could take you on a tour of liyue harbor!“

he pulled himself out of the delusion. he already knew that would be deadly for anybody else on your team, so why did he keep allowing it to creep back into his mind?

“no need. i’ve stayed here for much longer than i had expected. the city lights are a fine sight... but it's time for me to leave. the events of today occurred so abruptly.. i appreciate your kindness.”

the traveller listened, receiving orders from heaven itself. when they spoke, xiao could almost believe it was you speaking to him.

“the feeling's mutual. you don't have to thank me every time.”

he nodded, taking a step back. he hated how much he didn’t want to listen to the strings. “okay.”

what kind of vessel could he be, his mind taunted, when he couldn’t even follow the simplest of orders?

the traveller’s face twitched, worry flashing over their features, but he grit out the last few words before they could stop him.

“i’ll see you next time, then.”

he hoped he would, even as he knew he couldn’t.

xiao stood on the balcony of the inn, letting the wind wick some of the heat from his skin. it was warm, partly due to the lanterns and sparklers set up around the inn, but he couldn’t find it in himself to mind.

not when you seemed so happy.

you had loved the rite this year. you had cooed and fawned over the select vision holders that your device allowed you to see, though with careful precision to their dialogue. you walked around liyue, taking in the sights of the paper lanterns. you had appreciated the bit of history, this year, and though he wondered why, he would not question it. your device had a way of turning the most tragic of monologues into a story unfolding before your eyes, and he supposed even the same opera would be interesting with new props.

not for the first time, he looked to the sky, tracing out the twin constellations nearly directly above him. he didn’t know the name of the other one, nor who it was for, but he recognized his own with ease.

alatus nemeseos. winged nemesis. the constellation of a traitor.

he gripped the railing a bit tighter.

he didn’t choose for his constellation to rise, he knew that, but he was choosing to wish, selfishly, that he’d be the subject of your golden stars.

(it was wrong. it was awful. he was wishing death upon those you loved, he was hoping that those at your side would corrupt from his karma and fall, he wanted to chase his desires despite the lethal consequences. he wanted to break his contracts to ‘always serve, always protect,’ to go against everything he’d learned as a yaksha and an adeptus, to drop to his knees and pray that the affection you had shown to him through the traveller was from you and not them. he wanted, so desperately, for your light to shine upon him once more, ignorant of the way his darkness crept into those around you. he was wrong. he was awful. but even as the thoughts plagued his mind, he didn’t want them to stop)

the stairs creaked and he tensed, ready to disappear, but the wave of your aura kept him from leaving.

ah. he should have expected that.

you liked to come up to the inn’s balcony, sometimes, whether to climb onto the roof and view liyue from a different angle, or to inspect the strange rock formation in the pot up here. and after the dinner… it made sense you’d want a quiet place to think.

your vessel walked up besides him and he turned, eyes quickly flicking over their figure. uninjured.

the vessel flashed a smile, an instant before words were pulled from xiao’s mouth.

“yanxiao just came up here with some almond tofu, but... i haven't finished everything xiangling gave me yet... you should try some too. i’m not as experienced in tasting mortal food as you, and i couldn't tell the difference.”

amusement washed off your vessel, their own mouth twitching into a smile, and pride swelled in his chest.

“...there must be many different stories to tell of the hustle and bustle of the mortal world, too. you can tell me. i will listen.”

part of him hoped you would answer, that you’d take the moment to vent off some of your worries and let the night air take them away… but you didn’t. the conversation ended, and he turned back to the balcony, belatedly realizing his turn earlier was calculated.

your vessel walked up besides him, and though your imprint on them was lesser than the traveller, the proximity more than made up for it. the entire side of his body was warm, almost hot, the pain from his karma lessening.

his karma.

xiao’s eyes flew open—how could he forget, how could he be so risky with somebody so important—but your vessel was gone. he wasn’t standing on the inn balcony anymore, the warmth wasn’t solely to one side of his body-

clouds puffed up all around him as he crouched upon an invisible floor, the binds of your device far stronger when he tried to move.

his banner. why was he here?

he hadn’t chosen to come up, to rest amongst-… stars…

blue streaked the sky in front of him, different than the pale shade of the sky.

a wish.

xiao took in a sharp breath, his lungs filling with divine air. he could hear his heart in his ears, his thundering pulse nearly drowning out the sound of the blue stars falling in front of him.

shooting stars. you were making a wish.

upon his constellation.

why? why did you want him? your team was complete, you were doing excellently, your main was more than strong enough to handle what you needed to. you didn’t need him.

blue.

why? surely you knew of his karma, of how dangerous he could be? you had to, the traveller brought it up at dinner, and though your vessels were strictly vision holders, even they would soon succumb to his debt. he couldn’t- you knew he couldnt go, you had to, so why were you wishing on his stars?

blue, and he could have sworn he dropped a few inches.

he knew you had each of the lesser constellations circling his, he saw the excited tears from yaoyao and heard of the break that yun jin’s opera house had to take. you had no reason to cast your stars into the sky except for him, but he couldn’t go. he wanted to, and he was so selfish for yearning for your touch, but he knew he couldn’t go.

he couldn’t poison your team. he couldn’t bear to watch those around him crumble and die because of his mistakes, not again, not when you loved them enough to build them from ash.

blue.

blue.

blue.

with every star that went by, your aura grew stronger, wrapping around his entire being as if you were getting ready to pull. his mind warred with itself, the needs to obey your call and yet protect your vessels tumbling over and over in his mind, a coin flipped into the air in permanent stasis. he didn’t want it to fall, but he needed it to.

what did he do? did he even have a choice? it was impossible to say no to the divine, but he knew that at least for now he had the illusion of choice, a question posed that he didn’t have the answer to.

were you worth it?

(yes. yes. of course you were. he would put a million demons to rest if it meant a glimpse of your hand on his skin, he’d push himself to the brink of death if you would only pull him gently from the edge, whispering carefully in his ear that you were proud of him. he was yours, in all of his entirety, and were it not for your other vessels he would be fighting tooth and claw to answer your call and turn the stars gold. he wanted, so terribly, to present himself in front of you as nothing more than another tool at your disposal, but what weapon tarnished the blades it was kept beside? what were his wants compared to the lives of others, others who had already seen their god and bowed their head, others who you loved and adored and praised and apologized to? what was an adeptus to one bathed in the light of god, what was rotten, rusted steel to a razor-sharp edge, what was xiao to the ones you loved?)

a star formed, bright gold and illuminating the clouds besides it, and xiao froze.

his thoughts were an anxious mess, his normal clear head lost and discarded in the face of the divine. rationality was gone, selfishness warring with selflessness, every lesson he’d ever learned worth nothing more than dust in the face of the star shooting towards him.

the star flew by.

no.

he reached, desperately, pure instinct kicking in as he pushed against the binds of the invisible space he was trapped in. he didn’t want to be here, he wanted to be there, he wanted to be wrapped in the golden light of heaven and fall to earth in your embrace, shielded from the impact of earth on bone as you swept him into your quiet realm of stars.

the star jerked slightly, but did not turn.

xiao watched, helplessly, as it picked up another, his chest heaving. in an instant, both sides of his mind came to a swift conclusion: he had made a mistake.

what did he do? why didn’t he listen? why couldn’t he just go when he was called, why did he doubt your judgement? of course you knew, you always did, he was a fool to think he knew better than the one who knew all, a fool and a heretic to try and apply his narrow world to the keeper of thousands.

he fell from the clouds, stumbling on the wood of the balcony, his hands automatically finding the railing to stabilize him.

what had he done, and why had he chosen to do it?

he turned, seeing your vessel standing there, looking lost for a split second before you returned, their body relaxing again. they looked at him for a short moment, their eyes sad- disappointed? he couldn’t tell, his heart was racing and his thoughts were blurry, every breath one of acid.

when they vanished in a cloud of golden sparks, the first tear fell. he didn’t have the right to cry, he knew, this sadness was of his own doing, but the knowledge didn’t stop the tears. he had driven the blade into his chest and had no right to cry injustice, but his heart still wept, the severity of his actions only hitting once he could no longer repent for them.

all he could hope for was that you would be happy, even without him at your side.

[inamindfarfaraway]

This is incredibly niche, but… Avatar: The Last Airbender AU fusion with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Sokka is Chip Tolentino. The winner of last year’s bee, he’s experienced, highly intelligent and a little too cocky. But this time he gets… distracted by Ty Lee’s friend Suki in the crowd.

Ty Lee is Leaf Coneybear. She’s not that smart. Her sisters have been telling her that for years. She came third in her district bee, but the winner and runner-up weren’t available on the county one’s date.

Mai is Marcy Park. She succeeds at everything she does, only sleeps three hours a night, isn’t allowed to cry… and is not all business.

Aang is Logainne Schwartzandgrubiniere. His adoptive dads - a younger Tashi and Gyatso, the former strict and ruthless, the latter kind and more lenient - have high expectations for him and he lives in fear of disappointing them. He is precociously aware of and involved in social activism.

Azula is Olive Ostrovsky. She’s taken to the bee by her big brother because their father is working late again and their mother has recently left the country, and spends much of it struggling with her insecurities as her dad continues to not show up. Then to her amazed delight, she finds that she’s making a friend for the first time.

Toph Beifong is William Barfée. She has a magic foot technique, tapping words out in braille. She probably could have won last year if her overprotective parents hadn’t pulled her out against her will the instant her competitors got a little mean. Her growing bond with Azula is purely platonic (unless you ship them, which I don’t).

Piandao is Rona Peretti. He won this bee as a child. Treasuring that memory and valuing the discipline and excellence that accomplishment entails, he has become the moderator, taking pride in helping the new generation thrive under pressure, discover their potential and learn life lessons.

Zhao is Douglas Panch. He’s bitter about being a vice principal instead of a principal. Five years ago he stopped working at the bee due to an “incident”, likely because of his anger issues. But he’s totally fine now, he swears.

Jet is Mitch Mahoney. He’s an ex-convict being the bee’s comfort counsellor for his community service, just eighteen himself. Though jaded, he comes to care a lot about the kids.

[danikatze]

Thank you for tagging me @tj-dragonblade 💖

Last Song: the intro tune of the show I'm currently watching. It's stuck in my head and probably will be for another week.

Last Show/Movie: I honestly have no idea, I'm so all over the place at the moment. Wait -- the last movie may have been the Iron Giant? Hadn't seen it for about 15 years. It was good :))

Currently Watching: Tussen Kunst en Kitch lmao - I listened to a podcast where Antique Roadshow was mentioned which sounded like the American equivalent? Where people have experts look at random stuff they found or inherited usually, and find out if it's worth anything. Anyway I always loved that show back when I still watched tv and it turns out my dad is subscribed to an app that has like 13 years worth of episodes on it so I started binging it this evening hahah. It's one of those things that's just lovely to have on in the background. Also listening to The Unfinished Print, a podcast about Mokuhanga, but that's not something I can listen to non-stop. A lot of information coming at you and the sound quality isn't always great. It's real interesting though and makes me wanna carve some wood again.

Currently Reading: technically Patience and Sarah by Isabel Miller, but I'm currently (again) not great at reading.

Current Obsession: imagining House of Five Leaves characters in Howl's Moving Castle lol.

[ellecdc]

All's Fair in Love & Chaos

1st instalment (read the second here)

a short blurb style mini-series in collaboration with @unstablereader no real plot, just vibes and comedy.

Synopsis: soulmate au, everyone's soulmate's initials become visible on their wrist when the last person in the bond 'comes of age' (I've left the age ambiguous because their may be mature insinuations later on in the story). As luck would have it, and much to everyone's horror; it appeared that you, Barty Crouch Junior, and Sirius Black were soulmates

poly!DeathStar x fem!reader

The day that every witch, wizard, and wix alike waited their whole life for finally came for Sirius Black; the day that their soulmate’s initials became visible on your wrist.

The mark becomes visible when the last person of your soulmate bond comes of age. For example, much to Lily’s chagrin, the initials J.F.P became visible on her wrist on March 27th, as did the initials L.J.E on James’ wrist.

Much to Sirius’ chagrin, on June 25th, the initials R.A.B became visible on Remus’ wrist, as did the initials R.J.L on Regulus’.

And so it went for the rest of his friends and classmates.

Except for poor Pete, whose wrist adorned the initials of someone who - after much research and triple-checking by all of their friends - clearly didn’t go to Hogwarts.

Sometimes, however, soulmate bonds took place between more than two people, and though it was possible for it to happen among all blood statuses, the odds were higher amongst Pureblood’s.

So when Sirius woke up this morning to a weird burning/itching feeling on his wrist, only to see not one, but two sets of initials, he was feeling pretty chuffed.

That dissolved very quickly, however.

“No…. nononononononono.” He muttered in agony as he saw two people approaching him; one looking almost as horrified as he did and one looking awfully sinister.

“Well, well, well.” Barty Crouch Junior drawled as he made his way to the Gryffindor table, dragging you over with him - seemingly without your consent – by your arm. “I thought it must have been a mistake when I woke up to find out I had a Son Of a Bitch as a soulmate, but alas; here you are.”

“This can’t be.” Sirius whispered disbelievingly, causing Barty to cackle maniacally.

“Oh, but it is.”

Any words that Sirius had died on his lips at the wheezing of his younger brother.

You, Barty, and Sirius all turned to see Regulus hanging from Remus’ shoulder as he clutched his stomach.

“I…I – oh Salazar, I think I finally believe in gods! All of them! Oh…” He stuttered in between fits of laughter.

Sirius looked between him and his supposed best mate, but Remus only looked at Regulus as if Regulus was his most beautiful when he was laughing at the expense of his brother.

Bastards; the both of them.

“Happy birthday, Y/N!” James offered, his face clearly trying to smile though it took on a pained expression in comissery.

“Thank you…” You accepted timidly, eyes darting between the group of people you suddenly found yourself emmersed in.

“Now look what you’ve done, Black.” Barty sneered as if Sirius’ last name was a dirty word. “You’ve worried our poor girl.” He cooed as he pulled you tight into your side, causing you to squeak in surprise.

“I hardly think I’m the one worrying her.” Sirius sneered back.

Barty’s face turned stony. “Just what are you insinuating?”

“Uhm, that you’re certifiably insane?” Sirius responded simply. 

“Oh, come now; Junior’s not that bad.” Remus tried to reason; his boyfriend still hanging limply off his shoulder as he tried (and failed) to repress his laughter. 

“Not that bad?” Sirius screeched incredulously. “Did you not see what he did to Crawley?”

Peter snorted at that. “Mate, you literally did the same thing to Snape.”

“That was you?” Barty asked in surprise, looking Sirius up and down skeptically.

“Sure was.” James answered on his behalf.

“Huh.” Barty chuckled in thought. “That’s where I- never mind that. I only did that because he groped Y/N’s arse.”

Sirius felt his own face turn stony as he turned his attention to you. “Is this true?”

You seemed to pale at the attention. “Well…yes? But-”

“Ha ha. Black’s just as bad as me.” Barty sing-songed from beside you, looking at Sirius with a look of faux innocence.

Sirius heard a thump, and he looked over to see Remus looking behind the bench where Regulus had apparently fallen in his fit of laughter.

“I – I’ve died, yeah? I’m dead? Fuck, I must’ve done something right in my past life to be rewarded with this. Sirius is – is bonded to Barty Crouch Junior.” He howled with laughter, so uncharacteristic of the young, stoic Black. 

“I am not!” Sirius argued petulantly. “I’m bonded to Y/N, Junior just…happens to be there.”

“If you’re only bonded to Y/N, why are my initials decorating your wrist, hm?” Barty asked salaciously, pulling Sirius’ wrist towards him to see the evidence for himself.

“Oh, sod off.” Sirius barked, shoving him aside and offering you an apologetic glance before storming towards the exit.

“Oi! Where are you going, future-Mr-Barty-Crouch-Junior!?” Barty taunted.

“To jump off the astronomy tower!” Sirius called back.

“Ou! We should go watch.” He said, turning to you before following Sirius out. “You should try to do a flip!”

“Oh, Y/N.” Lily cooed after the boys finally disappeared out of the Great Hall. “I’m so sorry.”

You let out a long-suffering sigh as your eyes stayed focused on the place where you last saw your two new soulmates. “If Regulus did something in a past life to be rewarded with this, I must have done something right horrid.”

[f0point5]

Tell me why, I’m feeling like I missed you all this time

Bonus part to the Max Verstappen x bestfriend!reader social media au

A/N: I know I polled this and it came out majority that the progression of Max and Y/N’s friendship should be a written piece but I really wanted to include text conversations so I decided to do both. There will be a written companion piece to go with this eventually. I hope you guys enjoy this version anyway! <3

January 2017

25th March 2017

April 2017

May 2017

July 2017

August 2017

Tag list

@somanyfandomsbruh @eugene-emt-roe @reidsworld @max3verstappen @laneyspaulding19 @elliegrey2803 @inthestars-underthesun @jayda12 @gaysontoast @baw-sixteen @wcnorris @motorsp0rt @obsessed-fan-alert @lifesuckslife @luciaexcorvus @dumb-fawkin-bitch @lickmeleclerc @goldeng1rl8 @trentwife @mynameisangeloflife @princessria127 @mcmuppet @hiraethrhapsody @toomuchdelusion @lxclerc @lpab @lordperceval-16 @larastark3107 @bangtanxberm @random-readers-world @bladestark @allenajade-ite @ironmaiden1313 @thatgirlthatreadswattpad @charllleclerc @kachoooow95 @bellalilo @samywhale @satellitelh @leclercdream @jamie2305 @illicitverstappen @vellicora @honethatty12 @sociallyinepludi @raizelchrysanderoctavius @bellewintersroe @taylorslovesswifties13 @tyna-19 @jquinnmunson

[zeestarfishalien]

Unwanted Farewells

[Day 5 DPxDC Week: Jason Todd // Soulmate AU // Funeral Rites ]

• Anger Management ship (Jasmine Fenton x Jason Todd) No relevant warnings beyond the usual DP stuff

Jazz has always had it the worst. Danny might have been the one to die but Jazz is the one who lost not only her soulmate, but her little brother too. It doesn’t matter that he’s still around, he knows the grief weighs on her sometimes. She overcompensates by being a massive mother hen and general pain in the neck but he tries not to get too upset with her about it.

With Dani with an “i” fresh out of high school and Jazz’s birthday coming up soon, he wants to do something special. He spends a lot of time bribing Ghost Writer in order to research his idea out.

It’s probably the most time and effort he’s put into a project that wasn’t about space.

Proposing the idea to her is the one big thing this all hinges on. He’s not 100% sure she’ll be on board with this but he’d like to try.

And trying is what kicks off the first part of his plan. It’s a little awkward to bring up the fact that he doesn’t have a grave and would like one. It’s almost physically painful to see the grief it brings to Jazz’s eyes. She tries to hide it but Danny has always been able to read her better than he lets on. It’s part of the process though. He needs her to see how this goes and feels. How it’s a celebration of life and honoring those who have passed and not just a somber reminder to the living of what they’ve lost. He needs her to see what it means to him. And what it would mean to her soulmate.

He makes the grave marker of course. They’re not about to buy one when he has the strength and abilities to carve it out himself. He makes sure that it’s vague unless you know him. No names, no identifying markers like age or dates. It’s simple and meaningful for him.

{May he rest here between walks among the stars, our friend and brother beloved}

From there it’s pretty much all fun and games. Literally.

Same brings the games while she has Tucker pack out the food. It’s a combination of some of Grandma Ida’s homemade desserts and various junk foods. Even Tucker brings some cookies his mom helped him figure out how to make.

Jazz is in charge of the drinks while Danny and Dani handled all the decorating. It’s a combination of solidified ectoplasm, his ice, and various flowers they’ve gathered and strung together in a flower chain.

It’s a smashing success and he sees something in Jazz release. Some niggling worry or grief she carried that is no longer there.

Now, he decides, it’s time for part two.

What throws part two for a loop is when Dani with an “i” brings up that she’d like a grave and proper funeral rites as well.

It’s not a setback. Definitely not when he sees how much more relaxed and content Jazz is at Dani with an i’s wake.

It’s only a couple days from her birthday when he brings it up. The funeral practices for soulmates are as varied as they are sacred. He proposes her options via a PowerPoint he put far too many hours into.

By the time he finishes rambling, she’s got this sort of startled look on her face.

He twists his shirt in his hands as he stands awaiting her judgement. The longer she’s silent, the more convinced Danny is that she’ll reject the whole thing and not talk to him for a month.

Okay, maybe a week but still a week is a long time.

Suddenly Jazz is crying and oh ancients he’s really messed up this time. She’s not even mad just straight up upset by his offer.

But then she’s hugging him, telling him she loves him, and thanking him.

It’s not as hard as Danny feared to actually track down the location of a Jason Todd who died before Jazz reached 16 (she never wanted to look him up before, didn’t want to know what she was missing) and the day before her 25th birthday Danny, Dani, and Jazz all pile into her little car to make the drive to Gotham, homemade foods in tow.

Danny and Dani made sure to swipe one of Vlad’s special rich dude credit cards to fund their trip and the stop at multiple flower shops to get enough flowers to make flower chains and crowns for all of them.

It’s closing in on evening, the day of Jazz’s birthday when they finally roll up and upload everything. They didn’t bring any lights, but none of them really need much light to see for eating food and drinking sodas. Jazz brought some jasmine tea and an extra cup to place on Jason’s grave. They make a funky, dark evening of it, but finally Jazz grows more somber and keeps taking long looks at the gravestone so Danny and Dani decide to make themselves scarce.

They’re about halfway across the cemetery when out of the shadows steps the looming menace of Red Hood.

“The fuck are you doing at that grave?”

It’s not his voice or his tone, but the sub vocal ghost speak that makes Danny and Dani freeze up ramrod straight.

That’s a revenant and they’re trespassing on his resting place without permission.

So of course like any sane person, Danny says something stupid. But he just can’t believe out of all the ridiculous coincidences to exist in the world, that Jazz’s soulmate is undead like him seems just too far to believe.

“Jason?”

Almost late despite having the day off work bc I had to go shopping and bc of where I live, shopping is essentially a full day affair. This is shorter than I’d like it but I also kinda enjoy where it ends XD imagine their next moments however you please or feel free to add onto this.

[levmada]

every—lesser known—canon fact about Levi Ackerman.

infamously over the years, there have been countless false rumors about Levi in particular out of the cast. many of them have become popular, even ubiquitous, and it's annoying!

and also disheartening when you find out it's not true....

and hurtful when you realize it was - sometimes - made up by trolls.

so i'm making this post<3

credit to @levisfavoriteacup for the idea!!

*disclaimer: i'm not perfect, so this may not be Everything™️ but I am confident that it's the majority of information available, and that it's trustworthy. :)

First the most populars. There is no evidence across interviews nor other content over the years that:

Levi is ugly, and is considered ugly in AOT.

Nope. See here: (tumblr link), or:

Isayama finished his first sketch of Levi mostly on a whim, but the moment he drew his face, he had a sense it would work well / he knew he had something good. Something told him: "the yaoi fangirls are going to like this one".

As time passed and his popularity grew, Isayama caught onto this and wanted to portray him more attractively (in multiple ways) to the viewer/reader.

But from the beginning, this was something of the goal. He is short because Isayama had in mind what young women/fangirls in Japan consider attractive: a man with a higher-pitch voice; has a small face; and who is "short but strong".

In the world of AOT, he (in a nutshell) is mostly considered plain or awkward, but combined with his reputation and style, he's very charming. "He cleans up nice." Overall, it is positive :) But more importantly, realistic I think.

He's also something of a celebrity. People who advertise their product as being used by him are more successful; when he's seen in a shop, this by itself is considered "advertising" and more people come in. Quote: ""the tea that the hero bought”".

He's definitely not a 2/10 at any rate😇.

—the 24th episode of Naoki Yoshida's Anime Plan, 2013 / Interview with Frau Magazine, 2013 | Hajime Isayama x Hikaru Suruga (2014) | AU Smartpass - Erwin & Levi Close Up Interview Part 1 | Taking shelter from the rain reprise: Levi and Peaure

Levi’s type would be someone who’s "tough, feminine and sensual".

Levi's type "might" be tall people. But context matters, because in multiple translations "don't you think?" and "might be" are thrown around a lot. Isayama isn't known for his clarity. When asked, he practically said the question right back. —fan Q&A from a festival in Betsumaga, Aug.2014

What this quote might have come from is a statement by the author of an article Isayama was likely involved in. I can't say this is 100% canon, but in my opinion it's a little less canon than the Smartpass AUs; if those are sub-canon, then this is sub-sub-canon:

Levi's romantic type is someone who walks three steps behind him, and likes cleaning.

In the past, in Japanese culture, for a wife to walk three steps behind her husband implied highly traditional gender roles. What this is much more likely to mean is that Levi's romantic type is someone who will let him protect them, or will run away and survive even if it costs his life. (And they have to like cleaning.)

—the article is from 2013, and no longer exists. but the link was used as recently as 2021 as a source in this post by a reliable translator. I've found this quote also in varying qualities of translation across Japanese and English forums, so to the best of my knowledge, it's reliable.

Levi's cravat is a piece of his mother's dress + he was wearing her dress when Kenny found him.

This is a popular rumor that Isayama has never confirmed (i think it is true, tho.)

December 25th was chosen by his comrades because he doesn't know his actual birthday.

The guidebook only states that it is his birthday. I can't find any more context on this. —AOT Guidebook; p.256

His character profile:

—AOT Guidebook; p.78–79

His name is Hebrew, and means "attached" or to be "joined".

Isayama came up with Levi's name after watching American documentary "Jesus Camp". (It's about a summer camp-type program where evangelical Christian children are taught extreme beliefs. One of the children was named Levi.) Isayama heard it and thought it sounded cool. —Hajime Isayama x Hikaru Suruga (2014) | 2010 blogpost by Isayama

Levi is in his early 30s (in s3/RtS/volume 19). –Interview, Universal Studios Japan’s SNK THE REAL exhibition, 2016 | confirmation

If Kuchel was still alive, Levi would want to make sure she had an easy life. This means specifically filial piety, a concept exclusive to the East: he would fulfill his duties as a son for her. (tldr he's a mama's boy :3) —Bessatsu Magazine, 2019

Levi would have thin facial hair, but he prefers not to, so he shaves frequently. —January 2020 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 124)

He doesn't like coffee milk or coffee jelly. They're out of the question even.🤐 —July 2018 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 106)

He just gets depressed when he drinks coffee. Maybe he loves tea that much? He stopped calling Hange names like 'shitty glasses' since they became commander because he "seems" to respect their position that much. However, a Smartpass story delves deeper into this (and states as I suspected): [After Hange makes a joke] "Since becoming the commander succeeding Erwin, they’d toned down on their past speech and behaviour that had a touch of tomfoolery; Levi understanding that they were nevertheless trying to maintain the self “that was the case then”, also loses the will to curse at them." + "In the past, Hange had a Hange-type dream, and should have been progressing to that purpose. That lately, was it the weight of the office of commander, or was it due to the reality that is “all the world was our enemy”, their manner had changed considerably." —May 2017 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 92) | Goodnight. Sweet dreams, dear. Act II: Levi

If he and Kenny had fought one-on-one, Levi would've won. —December 2016 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 87)

intermission: all about tea

His favorite "food" is black tea. No actual food.

He doesn't add sugar or milk to his tea because he considers it too expensive—which it is canonically. Despite this, he will share his tea with his comrades (his original squad as far as is seen).

Even though he's Captain, he'd rather drink it straight (the implications of which are he's a hardworking man, like that of a farmer. aka, this makes him seem humble).

If a time of peace ever came, Levi wants to open a black tea shop (he said in a dreamlike way, not so much based in reality).

He also knows a good amount of facts and history about it. He's a tea enthusiast!!

Levi receives pilfered tea in shipments monthly, thanks to Erwin.

—AU Smartpass - Erwin & Levi Close Up Interview Part 2 | Part 1 | Taking shelter from the rain reprise: Levi and Peaure | Bessatsu Magazine, Jan.2014 | September 2016 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 84) | AU Smartpass My First Time Around: Levi Ackerman | The Case of the Corps Tea Party - File No. 09 Levi's Side (3/3) | sugar and milk in tea from the Japanese perspective

Levi, out of his original squad, found Petra cute/sweet in the general sense of the word "kawaii". Like Levi's romantic type however, this was sort of a non-answer to the question (of whether Levi thought she was cute). —2014 interview

After RtS, Levi seems to consider Hange and the 104th his family. —AU Smartpass My First Time Around: Levi Ackerman

He wears a cravat because Isayama based part of his design off Rorschach from the movie 'Watchmen'. He looks "delicate" because of his size and weight, but he's so powerful because [in issues before the reveal of the Ackerman bloodline] of "invisible power" at work. —January 2016 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 76)

The best way to describe the way he thinks is to compare him to the main character from the movie The Hurt Locker (2008). His character was born from Hiei from the manga 'Yuyu Hakusho', and Rorschach from the movie 'Watchmen'. The former was the basis for his appearance (especially his eyes), and the latter was the basis for his personality. Firstly though, Isayama had an image of a small man being the strongest.

—Hajime Isayama x Hikaru Suruga (2014) / Brutus Magazine (2014)

He is something of a protagonist (especially in s3p1). — Animedia, June 2018

His favorite tool (in general...?) is microfiber cloths (for dust I guess. Levi has no need for weapons :3) —July 2015 issue of Bessatsu Magazine

He will usually laugh/smile when he sees convenient cleaning goods (i.e., vacuum cleaners? feather dusters? ((cuz he's a shorty?❤️)) —Bessatsu Magazine, Dec. 2013

He does want to be taller sometimes. He gets eager to clean up after meals rather than cook at all. He can cook, though. —Bessatsu Magazine, Aug.2014 | fan Q&A in Oyama, Oita, Mar.2018

Levi mostly couldn't adapt to the changes that came about after the truth was discovered. Only he wears mostly the same uniform, cape, and blades.

After RtS, Levi personally retrieved Erwin's remains himself, for whom there was a special memorial service. After Eren (inadvertently) called him a "tiny old man" in season 3, Levi didn't care, but when he thought of it by himself later, he was hurt (unclear exactly why). Levi's father, most likely one of Kuchel's customers, is an insignificant man who's short. That's where Levi's height comes from. His face comes from his mother. At the start of season 4, Levi didn't change much compared to the 104th because he's turning into an "old man" who'd rather stick with his flip phone so to speak. He "doesn't break out into cold sweats". AKA he's always calm under pressure. He considers prostitution to be an ordinary job because of his childhood. Levi's vision is very sharp, way above average. He thought Eren's new look beginning season 4 was unclean/dirty (in more ways than one perhaps). —fan Q&A in Oyama, Oita, Mar.2018

He has slight bouts of insomnia. He never snaps/explodes when he's angry. But he does get angry or grumpy a lot, in general. He doesn't sing. It's more likely he would dance. If he was a fan of Momoiro Clover Z (jpop girl group), his favorite would be Momoka. When/if he drinks, he has a high tolerance, but he can get a little drunk :) One thing he highly hates and fears is mold. He is the one who ordered Armin to dress as Historia during the uprising. His blood type is A. Blood types are much like horoscopes in Japanese culture, and Levi's is as such: kichōmen, or well-organized; he likes keeping things neat, but can be stubborn and stressed out easily.

Whether he eats enough or has a good diet? He is "a bit lax". Maybe he forgets to eat sometimes, or has a low appetite. When Levi bathes, he goes for a quick shower then soak in hot water, which takes about ten minutes. Like a bird :')) He on any given night gets about 2-3 hours of sleep. He thought Eren was the best at cleaning (in season 3 / uprising arc). Because of his childhood in the Underground, Levi has a preoccupation/obsession with cleaning (specifically to ward off disease). He also doesn't have any pajamas, mostly keeping day clothes on when he goes to sleep - which is in "his" chair. Levi cuts his own hair using clippers. (Something like:)

He's aware Oluo imitated him, and found it annoying. Levi's horoscope (in general) as a Capricorn: Humanity’s Strongest Soldier - Levi. He possesses warmth in the midst of a dispassionate nature, and he is capable of leadership without verbal expression – both of which are special qualities of a Capricorn. Capricorns tend to hold certain levels of authority, even if they must carry out somewhat unreasonable tactics while in such positions. But when such authority is backed up with actual abilities, a Capricorn can gain Levi’s type of confidence and also be put on a pedestal by those around them. However, Capricorns won’t be dependent on others, much less trust them easily. They don’t hold high expectations and thus never feel a sense of failure. Levi’s faults include the inability to express himself clearly.  Even though he wants to encourage his companions, he always speaks in a roundabout way, and without Hanji’s translation it’s nearly impossible to understand Levi’s intended meaning. Even though he is dependable in most situations, when it comes to love/romance, he expresses himself clumsily/awkwardly. —FRaU Magazine, Aug.2014. | fan Q&A in Oyama, Oita, Mar.2018 | Levi: Close-up Report (Part One) | Translator *the horoscope wasn't written by Isayama, but was published alongside canon information, and it's also not factually wrong, so I'm including it.

The dark circles under Levi’s eyes are to convey the “self-destruction” he takes on to reach the “standard” of Humanity’s Strongest. —Interview on the topic of Levi, May 2015

His 'liege'—as Eren is to Mikasa, and Uri is to Kenny—is Erwin. He is afraid of making deep relationships because of the cruel world he lives in; he can't know when someone he cares for will die or how soon. That 'gap' left in Levi's heart by Kenny's death was filled by his squad (the 104th). If Levi hadn't joined the Survey Corps, he would've been a "very irresponsible person". Risky with his life perhaps? As a kid, Levi used to make himself stronger in order to receive praise from Kenny. When he abandoned him, he wondered what his strength was even for. He was able to find peace with Kenny after his death. In CH72, the reason Levi kicked the shit out of Eren and Jean is because of his argument with Erwin earlier.

He knows he's a slave to his own strength, aka the idea of being a hero. He realizes it when Kenny asked what he's a slave to in s3/ch69. —Answers Guidebook, Aug.2016

If he ever changed his appearance, the one thing Levi couldn't be able to give up is his undercut :') He would grow out the top and tie it up :3 —Oyama homecoming event Q&A in 2014 | 2 | 3

Levi knows how to use a gun, but he "places more trust" in knives. —Bessatsu Magazine, 2019

Levi tolerates saunas. But instead of enjoying himself he seems to see it as a test of endurance. (LOL) —Bessatsu Magazine, 2020

Levi has newspaper-level handwriting that he practices often. He's very conscious of it and being connected back to the Underground. —AU Smartpass TEXT: Levi’s Signature

Isayama had considered killing Levi around the time of the thunderspear explosion. (As always) Isayama deliberated with his editors whether or not it'd be meaningful if he died, and they decided it wouldn't be. —Kawakubo interview, 2021

Specially, Levi holds his swords in a reverse grip "his own way" since he wasn't officially trained. —Illustrate Note Magazine, 2017

Levi forcefully bathes Hange by knocking them unconscious. —AU Smartpass - Erwin & Levi Close Up Interview Part 1

Levi is 4 at the time that Kuchel dies. —What the director informed Kamiya Hiroshi of on set

His character song is called "Dark Side of the Moon", found on YouTube here. Translated lyrics here.

how to draw Levi:

—AOT Guidebook; p.229 | +Illustrate Note Magazine, 2017

[ectoberhaunt]

Ectoberhaunt 2023: Science VS Magic

Dear Phandom new and old, sorry for the delay but this here is our 2023 theme and prompt list! Once again we've changed it up a little to make it a little easier on all of us, and to invite fun and mayhem Phandom wide! Prompts are once again Monday-Friday, with Friday being singular prompts, and weekends being (mostly) free as catch up days. The only real change is our new 'isekai weekend' on the 21st and 22nd, with two different sub prompts for the days. Isekai is a subgenre of anime in which a character ends up in a different place or world all together. It literally translates to 'otherworld'! The two prompts for this weekend are 'past prompt', where we want to see the Phandom use a prompt from either of our previous calendars. The other is 'portal shenanigans'. We highly encourage you to create crossover content and AUs you've wanted to play with. As always, our last prompt day is October 24th to make way for the Ectober Week event. This means our free days are the 1st, 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th, with the 25th-31st being @ectoberweekofficial's time to shine. Please tag all prompt fills as "Ectoberhaunt23", and follow the additional posting guidelines below!

Posting for this event begins October 2nd!

Down below are our written out calendar prompts (for accessibility) AND our posting guidelines. Check 'em out!

The Prompts

Below are the listed prompts in date order, if it's blank it's a catch up day. First prompt is Science, second is Magic!

-

Tecnomancy vs Botonamancy

Black Cat vs White Crow

Aliens vs Zombies

Hunt vs Haunt

Tabletop

-

-

Robots vs Dragons

Pseudoscience vs Occultism

Dread vs Calm

Obsession vs Repression

Horror Flick

-

-

Revenant vs Death Echo

Blood vs Flesh

Unravel vs Intertwine

Claws vs Horns

Danse Macabre

Isekai: Past Prompts (2021 | 2022)

Isekai: Portal Shenanigans

Technus vs Magic

Science vs Dora Ectober Week!

coming soon

coming soon

coming soon

coming soon

coming soon

coming soon

coming soon

Post Guidelines

The following are the posting guidelines. Please follow them so we can reblog and share your posts without issue. We will also have this as a post available on our blog separately.

Tag all posts with “Ectoberhaunt23” so we can find it. If you do not use this tag, we may not find you.

Tag which calendar you're pulling from (“EH Science” or “EH Magic”), which day the prompt is for ("Day X"), and which prompt(s) you completed ("Eyes" "Teeth"). Example: #ectoberhaunt23 #EH science #day 5 #hunt Single day prompts, such as the ones on Friday, do not need a tag for which calendar it's for.

Put your fics under a readmore. Add a summary before the cut with a short preview, content warnings, and which prompts were used. Then, add a readmore no more than 150 words or 10 lines/groups of text under your summary. If you're using mobile, type :readmore: and hit enter to make a readmore. If you do not do this, we will NOT reblog your post.

Make sure to tag all common content warnings (blood, gore, death, drugs, body horror, existentialism, & vermin)

We will try to reblog every prompt we can. Feel free to @ us in the post too or send us a DM with the post!!

Feel free to shoot us an ask about rules/clarifications and any queries on prompts. Our discord is open as are our messages.

Here is a spreadsheet you can use to track your progress made by the talented @ajitated

Title graphic by @kawaiijohn | Calendar graphics by @ajitated

[mckirkevents]

Welcome to McKirk Week 2024!

Held from 20th – 26th May, McKirk Week is a creation event focused on the Kirk/McCoy pairing, across all universes. 

HOW IT WORKS: 

There are three prompt lists – Trek, Gen, and NSFW. Trek are prompts based on the Star Trek universe, Gen are general prompts and tropes, and NSFW are of course the NSFW prompts. You’re welcome to pick from any prompt list (or even combine a few), and you can fill as many or as few prompts as you fancy.

Your creations can be any form of media: art, fic, edits, videos, web weaves, memes, playlists, fic rec lists, cosplay… the list goes on! As long as you can make it McKirk, it counts.

And on that note: this is a McKirk event so McKirk should be the main pairing in your works. Background ships, side pairings, and poly ships are okay as long as Kirk and McCoy are the focus.

NSFW prompts, plaintext transcript, and rules below the cut:

PROMPT LISTS:

TREK PROMPTS

Day 1 (20th): First Contact Day 2 (21st): Shuttle Crash Day 3 (22nd): Clones / Doppelgangers Day 4 (23rd): Shore Leave Day 5 (24th): Old Married McKirk Day 6 (25th): Transporter Malfunction Day 7 (26th): Diplomatic Dinner

GEN PROMPTS

Day 1 (20th): Amnesia Day 2 (21st): Taken Captive / Abduction Day 3 (22nd): Huddling for Warmth Day 4 (23rd): AU Day 5 (24th): Drunken Confessions Day 6 (25th): Sickness / Injuries Day 7 (26th): Reunion

NSFW PROMPTS

Day 1 (20th): Lingerie Day 2 (21st): First Time / Virginity Day 3 (22nd): Sex Pollen Day 4 (23rd): Crying After/During Sex Day 5 (24th): Only One Bed Day 6 (25th): Semi Public Sex Day 7 (26th): Sex Toys

THE FINER DETAILS:

You’re welcome to start on your piece(s) whenever you’d like, but please refrain from posting them until the relevant day(s) where possible.

When posting your works to tumblr, please use the tag # mckirkweek2024 and/or tag us @mckirkevents so that we can find your posts to reblog.

There is an AO3 collection HERE that you’re welcome to add your McKirk Week 2024 works to.

There is no deadline to post your works (we get it, life gets in the way sometimes), and the AO3 collection will be open indefinitely. 

You’re welcome to create whatever you want, but please do tag/warn as appropriate for NSFW and other sensitive content.

For tumblr posts, please do add a mature label to explicit imagery, and/or crop and link externally to the full image, in order for us to be able to reblog.

And most importantly: have fun, be yourself, and keep it McKirk!

ANY QUESTIONS?

FAQ coming soon, but until then, send us an ASK!

[muffinsandstardust]

Guys....

that's not Baghera...

the french were announced on may 12th.

that wasn't Baghera. that was Baghera's twin.

unedited images and over-explaining(+extra lore details i noticed) under the cut.

so! let's start with the book of hybrids. if we assume the date is the hybrids birthday,* the hybrids are grouped by the month they were created. we already know from past books that the first letters stand for the animal and H stands for hybrid, combining to mean [animal]-hybrid. so we have Wolf, Rabbit, Parrot, Cat**, and, presumably, Duck. the numbers are where things get tricky, I think the [A] numbers are for individual subjects of that type of animal. E.G: there have 58 wolf subjects. Hybrid numbers i think are hybrid projects, meaning the sequence used to create the hybrid. so what happened to the missing numbers? i assume they didn't survive creation or were created before this book was made or both. going off that we can safely assume that D102 & D103 are twin duck-hybrids that were created from the same experiment on April 25th.

The picture is marked D102, and is notably a regular minecraft model, there are several mods that allow player models to change size (something that i think has been used on the qsmp? correct me if I'm wrong.) and the team is more than capable of creating a custom model for a child if they so choose***, which in my mind, implies the picture is not of a child but an adult. D102 was noted to have passed away on may 9th, the lab is then noted to be out subjects "except one who is unavailable". why would would a subject be unavailable? well if they weren't on the island anymore it'd be pretty difficult to run experiments on them. AKA baghera. the french were announced on may 12th, 3 days after the subject died and the lab ran out of test subjects.****

so baghera had a twin, and escaped without them. she might not have even known if she was kept separate from them. that twin is now dead. i already know people are going to create AUs were either forever is the twin, the twin lived, and or they were triplets

*note streamer baghera was born january 6th, this could mean with q!baghera has a different birthday, or we're wrong about this being the date of creation.

**there was only one cat hybrid mentioned in the previous book so this could mean either too different kinds of hybrids or this second cat wasn't mentioned in the previous book for an unknown reason.

***this is not accounting for the time needed to create a model. the modelers could have been too busy to create one. in which case the picture could be of a child.

****assuming this happened in the same year which we have no way of knowing at the time.

final note: i due to the fandom wiki being terrible and the mira wiki being new and still being set up, I could not find the book with baghera's original designation/subject name which could debunk or prove this entire theory. if anyone could provide it that would be incredibly helpful!!

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Weekly Recap | December 25th-31st 2023

Happy New Year everyone! May 2024 be better than 2023, and may season 7 be good to us!!!

Complete

Battle Born by allisonRW96/ @homerforsure (NHL AU, Established Buddie | 11K | Teen): Buck comes down with appendicitis during the playoffs. He decides to play through it.

🔥 through tooth and claw (to where you are) by allisonRW96/ @homerforsure (Post-S6, Hurt Buck, Getting Together | 18K | Teen): With a reverent hush, Christopher said, “Whoa, it’s so close.” And it was almost as though Buck needed to have that obvious fact pointed out to him before the vague dread of animal instinct that had been pooling in his stomach could solidify into a real, actionable fear. It’s so close. Something’s wrong. AKA: The Rabid Coyote fic

we’ve got something permanent (i mean in the way we care) by callmenewbie/ @callmenewbie (PWP, Breeding Kink | 7K | Explicit): Buck has baby fever and it’s Eddie’s job to give him what he wants. Kind of.

Here Where We Should Be (Kiss Me, It’s Christmas) by allisonRW96/ @homerforsure (Christmas, Getting Together | 5K | General): It’s Christmas and Eddie decides he can’t possibly wait any longer to start kissing Buck.

well, I hate to be a bother, but it's you and there's no other by allisonRW96 / @homerforsure (Getting Together | 3K | Mature): Eddie starts dating again and learns a few things about himself. The most surprising one? He's actually ready this time. Now he just needs to get Buck on board.

in a little while (you will find some relief then) by allisonRW96 / @homerforsure (Hurt Buck | 10K | Teen): Buck gets a severe case of poison oak. He handles it about as well as you'd expect.

🔥 The Nearness of You by allisonRW96/ @homerforsure (Work Trip | 17K | Teen): Eddie reassured himself that he could do this. Other teams coming in were probably going to be staying at the same hotel in the same double rooms and it was very possible that none of them were going to be having sex. Or even lying awake at night thinking about it.

We Can't Succeed but We Love Trying by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (PWP, Breeding Kink | 15K | Explicit): In which Eddie has the thought that if Buck's gonna "donate" his sperm anywhere, it should be with, well. Eddie.

all it took was a backwards baseball cap by honestlydarkprincess/ @honestlydarkprincess (PWP, Getting Together | 5K | Explicit) : Or, the one in which Eddie loses his shit at Buck wearing a backwards baseball cap. Seriously, can this man get more attractive? Is he trying to kill Eddie?

drawstrings by browney3dgirl6/ @hoodie-buck (PWP, Getting Together | 3K | Mature): Eddie helps Buck fix his drawstrings. How was he supposed to know it’d lead to him sitting in Bucks lap?

🔥 come with me, together, we can take the long way home (series) by allisonRW96/ @homerforsure (Canon compliant | 105K | T to M):

Get me through the night; Make me feel alright (Post-S3 Finale | 11K | Mature): After an emotionally-gutting reunion with Abby, Buck turns to old coping mechanisms. Eddie helps him find a better way. In Uncertain Times, The Uncertain Rules Apply (Pre-S4 | 22K | Teen): Covid comes to LA. Eddie copes. Or doesn't. Holding out for Something More (Stuck in Reverse) (Post S4E3/Lone Star Crossover | 26K | Teen): LA is coming out of lockdown and the world is returning to some sense of normalcy. But going back to the way things were hurts more than Buck expected. While his therapist challenges him to confront what he really wants, the team takes a trip to Austin... and El Paso. so far from being free (S4E4: 9-1-1 What's Your Grievance?, S4E5: Buck Begins | 46K | Teen): That’s Daniel. He was our brother. Buck doesn’t know what to do with the past tense. He never had a brother. He’s always had a brother. He gained one and lost one in the same breath and it feels impossible.

carry my heart home to you by allisonRW96/ @homerforsure (Getting Together | 4K | Teen): After his parents join him for a therapy session, Buck starts to learn that some people are never going to be able to give you what you need. And some people are.

if you say it with your hands by hammersmiths/ @henswilsons (S2 | 10K | Teen): Buck thinks it must be a habit he still hasn’t dropped from his days in the army, or maybe it comes with the territory of being a dad – but Eddie can nap pretty much anywhere. or, Eddie starts casually falling asleep against Buck, and Buck is very normal about it.

🔥 into thirty separate parts by hammersmiths/ @henswilsons (S6 | 12K | Teen): “Theoretically,” says Buck, as soon as Eddie picks up the phone, “your ex writes a book about you.” There is a pregnant pause. “…Right,” Eddie decides on, finally. or, Taylor’s book comes out.

close friends (that you lowkey want to fuck, but in a totally platonic way) by rowan_wood/ @transboybuckley (Getting Together | 2K | Teen): Instagram rolls out a new feature, and Buck doesn't totally understand how it works.

I'm still standing in the same place where you left me standing by trysetmeonfire/ @try-set-me-on-fire (POV Bobby, Hurt Eddie, Getting Together | 8K | Teen) Bobby deals with the ramifications of a misplaced confession

Keep My Heart Warm In Yours by callmenewbie/ @callmenewbie (Christmas, Post-S6, Getting Together | 18K | Mature): Christopher decides that he wants to go skiing, Buck makes it happen and the cabin at the foot of the mountains turns out to be quite the romantic backdrop for their little getaway.

Hiding the Christmas Present (of You and Me) by Princessfbi/ @princessfbi (Christmas | 7K | General): Buck thought he was going to spend Christmas alone. His family decides to correct that assumption.

If I Fall, Can You Pull Me Up? by Princessfbi/ @princessfbi (Hurt Buck, Established Buddie | 7K | General): Eddie could pick Buck from a million miles away. Buck’s entire being was like one bright light in an otherwise cloudy sky. So, he was really interested to know why some stranger was wearing his boyfriend’s turnout coat and pretending to be him.

Used to Think That Lovin' Meant a Painful Chase by Princessfbi/ @princessfbi (Getting Together | 4K | Teen): It’d been fine when Buck had Eddie’s dick in his mouth. It wasn’t often that Buck got to see Eddie come undone but he’d been treated to a private showing and the pride he had being the one to take Eddie there was indescribable. But then things got… weird. Or maybe, it was Buck that got weird? He still wasn’t really sure where it started, to be honest.

for all the words unspoken by Maira/ @carrierofthepaperclips (Work Trip, Getting Together | 5K | Teen): "Buck." Eddie had already dropped his bag and was standing next to the bed, hands on his hips. "We've slept in the same bed before. I'm pretty sure we'll manage to do the same in this one, it's humorously large. Don't!" He held up a hand as Buck opened his mouth. His lips twitched, though, so Buck took it as a win. ... or, the one with only one bed.

underneath the tree by devirnis/ @devirnis (PWP, BDSM | 2K | Explicit): Frowning to himself in concentration, Eddie carefully folds the wrapping paper around the corner of the box. He has no idea how his mother makes this look so easy, even after she walked him through it earlier on FaceTime. Under the tree, Eddie’s present whines plaintively.

WIP

🔥 Precious & Fragile Things by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Small Miracles AU, Angel Buck | 20K | 8/? | Teen): Buck is the Fallen Angel of Petty Temptation, who has been tasked with tempting human Eddie Diaz to sin and enjoy life, but just a little. He thinks the job will be easy - get in, get out, go back to Peru to continue messing around with eternity. But when Buck arrives in Los Angeles, he finds Eddie is harder to tempt than expected, and more compelling than Buck had hoped.

🔥 Things We're All Too Young to Know by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon, S1 through S6 | 102/? | 276K | Mature): This is a love story. Even if it doesn’t always look like it. Even if it doesn’t always feel like it. A look back on Eddie and Buck's lives up to now, and what led them to each other, interpreted from the current 9-1-1 canon.

Love Ends. by rowan_wood (Exes to Lovers | 4/17 | 5K | Explicit): But what if it doesn't?

in my head by yourcatfishfriend/ @your-catfish-friend (Friends With Benefits | 8/9 | 30K | Explicit): Buck is confidently bisexual. Eddie isn't sure. Buck helps him figure it out.

Re-Read

🔥 Always, All Ways by ashavahishta/ @ashavahishta (A/B/O AU | 85K | Explicit): Buck’s the only omega in the 118. He’s got secrets, and walls a mile high. Eddie’s the alpha determined to knock them down.

[bunnyywritings]

birthday special event !!

okay ! so, i wanted to do a fun little thing for my upcoming birthday (may 22nd) and i've been wanting to practice writing smut SO i came up with a onlyfans/pornstar!au with multiple characters (it's lowkey super self indulgent cause i love these characters sm)

it'll be throughout that week of may 19th-25th and here are the planned characters and their "videos"

sunday: nanami kento - lazy morning/soft sex monday: roy mustang - soft bdsm/he let's you think you have power tuesday: suguru geto - "caught" masterbating/guided masturbation wednesday: akira tendo - head while he plays video games/kinda voyer thursday: stein - (i'm not even sorry for this one) college prof. stein/shy straight A student friday: loid forger - i can't decide between "babysitter" reader or like forbidden co-workers or sumth saturday: toji fushiguro - i have no fucking clue

so i'm still in the process of writing but any and all comments or suggestions about the like theme of each "video" is welcome (please please please i need feedback) i'm excited for this and hopefully ya'll will be too

feedback here (or if you want to be added to the taglist) !!

[destieltropecollection]

2024 SUBMISSION TIME HAS ARRIVED - THE TROPE COLLECTION IS AFTER YOUR FICS!

The Destiel Trope Collection is a SELF-REC collection for destiel fanfic full of tropes. Every year the list is voted for by you and the highest voted gets listed for the 31 days of May. If you have any questions, please ask!

Below (the readmore) is a list of the tropes that will be included in this year’s collection (all voted by you peeps!).

SUBMIT YOUR FICS HERE

WHAT CAN YOU SEND?

Completed fic? YES

Work In Progress? YES (if currently being updated)

Old fics? YES

New fics? YES

Fics written specifically for this collection? YES

Short fics? YES (over 1k words)

Long fics? YES (no max word count)

10 fics? YES

1 fic? YES

WHAT CAN’T YOU SEND?

A fic that wasn’t written by you - if you co-authored it, then that’s fine as long as you have permission of your co-author to submit it

A fic shorter than 1,000 words. Due to a popular result on the feedback form, the minimum word count is 1k.

The same fic several times in several tropes. A single fic is only allowed in one list, so, if it fits in several, pick the best one, or draw straws (up to you).

See the full rules and submission guidelines here.

SCHEDULE

2nd January 2024 - Submissions open

25th April 2024 - Submissions close

1st May 2024 - Day 1 of the Trope Collection Posts

1st June 2024 - Masterpost goes up

QUESTIONS?

Send a message or IM to @destieltropecollection!

THE LIST ↴

Angst with Happy Ending Idiots in Love Friends to Lovers Hurt/Comfort Touch-Starved Canon Divergent Bed Sharing Fake Married for a Case Empty Rescue Wing Fic Enemies to Lovers Fake Dating Case Fic Soulmates Witch Magic or Curses Secret Relationship Roommates Amnesia Two-Person Love Triangle Canon Compliant Cowboy!AU/Ranch Omegaverse Established Relationship Fluff Firsts BDSM Single parent AU Coffee Shop AU Murder Husbands Whump Cabin Fic

[palmtreesx3]

ACT 4 GOING ALL THE WAY - Steve’s Chapter OUT NOW!!!!

SexShop!Steve x Reader : SexShop!Robin x OC

Summary: Steve and Robin have about had it with Hawkins, so on Robin's 25th birthday, the pair decides that there's nothing holding them there anymore and they start packing their bags. The friends move to Chicago and quickly find an apartment to call their own. As luck would have it, within hours of arriving to the city, Robin stumbles on a no-strings-attached job offer for both of them - what could be better?! Now just to break the news to Steve…. This multi part story will both explore their platonic relationship and their chaotic experience working at the sex shop together as well as their own paths of self discovery as they plant their roots in their new city and finally deal with the invisible baggage they drug along with them when they moved.

Warnings: Eventual smut (f/m, f/f and both m+f masturbation); a whole lot of sex talk, sex toys and NSFW topics; LGBTQ+ but in the late 80s/early 90s; inexperienced Robin; reformed King Steve; exploring topics or implied reference of ADHD and anxiety. Some non cannon in this AU but cannon themes and Easter eggs a-plenty. Chapter specific warnings will be included. 

Prologue  (7.9.23)

The-V-Card (7.14.23)

Act 1: Foreplay - Aphrodisiac (Robin’s Chapter) (7.24.23)

Act 2: Exploration - Lube (Steve’s Chapter) (8.18.23)

Act 3: Getting Lucky - Praise Kink (Robins Chapter) (10.16.23)

Act 4: Going All the Way - Queening (Steve’s Chapter) (1.26.24)  

Act 5: Right on the Edge

Act 6: Climax

Aftercare

Acts will be comprised of separate Steve and Robin-centric Chapters, but they will not be standalone stories. They are co-existing. Bits and bobs of Steve’s storyline and character development will occur during Robin-centric chapters and visa-versa. These two are co-dependent, just like our favorite guy and gal. 

Extras Below the cut!

Playlist

Click Here to get in the mood!

Mood Boards 

Prologue  

The-V-Card

Act 1: Foreplay - Aphrodisiac (Robin’s Chapter)

Act 2: Exploration - Lube (Steve’s Chapter)

Act 3: Getting Lucky - Praise Kink (Robin’s Chapter)

Act 4: Going All the Way - Latex (Steve’s Chapter)

Act 5: Right on the Edge

Act 6: Climax

Aftercare

Blurbs 

Yeah, I know I’ll write these, too... I hav too many head-cannons already piled up for these two in this AU. Don’t hesitate to share your thots or questions with me on these two and you may get yourself a little freebie in your bag straight from the sex shop. 

*AU Note: Cannon events from their past are still laced in their character experience. Hawkins is weird and they have experienced Upside Down related events, however not to all characters you know and love. If characters exist in Chicago in this AU, they’re not connected to Hawkins. 

[staerplatinum]

Some of my favorite doodles from my headcanon/redesign concept sheets used as an excuse to list my headcanons about the main six (for an AU that I'm writing)! More under the cut!

Charlie Morningstar:

She's way more hot-headed than in canon, albeit still keeping her cheerful and gentle persona.

She loves food, and she's always hungry. I always loved the trope of protagonists (both male and female, like look at Goku himself, Usagi Tsukino or Minako Aino) and I think it could fit Charlie perfectly!

She loves planning (and this is already canon) and she has a lot of stationary gadgets. "Sure Alastor, you can borrow any pen! ... Not that one! :D" And takes good care of them.

Her birthday is February 29th. I thought that it wouldn't be strange if her birthday ended up being that day if she follows a demoniac calendar...

Vaggie:

It's canon that she likes everything to be clean and organized. I think she would help Niffty with the rooms and everything! They bond!

She and Angel Dust absolutely have BFFs vibes. Before Hazbin Hotel I remember they were meant to be a couple, but with the new canon they're still adorable as best friends and I love the dynamic more. They get into fights but it's never anything serious, they look like a big brother and a little sis, even though sometimes she definitely acts as a big sis to him. Angel sees Molly through her :(

As we know she doesn't really believe in herself, but she actually makes a very good leader!

In my fanfic, contrarily to the series, she was really fighting with burning hate towards the angels that cast her out. She holds a deep grudge and it's hard for her to come out of it. (I want Out for Love to be useful, it's my favorite song ç_ç)

Her name as a human was Agata Flores, she was born the 28th of June in 1993. If we still count 2014 as her death and if she was once a winner that then became sinner... my headcanon is that she died of a hate crime in March 25th 2014, aged 21.

Angel Dust:

He's not in drag 24/7. He really is feminine, but sometimes likes to try masculine outfits too. (which make Husk wonder "why am I staring??")

He's secretly a nerd. Or not so secretly. He owns video games, and especially likes RPGs and life sims.

He overanalyses everything. Well, almost everything but still. He actually likes reading, and this led him to analyse anything that comes into his eye. (Oh, I can't wait to write one of those scenes because I already had fun outlining it LMAOO)

He's probably Charlie's food buddy. Give them some food and they'll be happy (Valentino doesn't like this but get screwed Val, give him food too)

His name as a human was Anthony (canon) Cavallaro and had Neapolitan heritage. He's born in April 1st (and this is canon) 1912, he died of overdose (canon) in October 11th 1947, aged 35.

Alastor:

I loved his pilot persona more than the series', and most of the things are confirmed canon... but I do have some headcanons for him, too! (also yeah I don't think that will be my last radioapple drawing or doodle lol)

We know he either doesn't sleep or sleeps with his eyes open. Well, I imagine him that in the few rare occasions he actually sleeps, his radio works as a mental surveillance "camera". Also, he's a light sleeper and would definitely go "Do you fellows mind? I'm trying to sleep." like the old man he is.

I would like to explore Alastor's feelings for Charlie more, and how he sees her as a daughter. While we may not know if he was telling the truth, I think they both seeked each other as a fatherly and daughter figures in a way. Many in the fandom headcanon Alastor's father to have been shitty to him. If he truly sees Charlie as a daughter, it could be because he would like to be a better father than the one he had, and since he never had children, he grew affectionate to Charlie as such.

He knows how to handle alcohol well, but I like to think that when he's really drunk he doesn't even know what he's doing. Oh, you saw him playing with Angel's Nintendo Switch? He even brought it into his room to continue playing Animal Crossing by himself? He was totally wasted.

His name as a human was Alastor (which is apparently canon, but I wonder if it'll be retconned or not?) Boudreaux-Alexander. Boudreaux was his father's last name, Alexander was his mother's. He didn't like his mother taking her husband's last name and wanted to keep his mother's. He was born in March 7th 1901, and died in August 4th 1933, aged 32, after being shot by a hunter that confused him with a deer and was mauled by dogs afterwards. (Yikes, I'm so sorry)

Niffty:

She definitely has written lots of fanfics about her fellow hotel friends. Especially men. Yet, she loves Charlie and Vaggie too, so they're there as well.

We know both Niffty and Husk have deals with Alastor. She loves them both, I love to headcanon that when she feels lonely and can't sleep well or had nightmares, she either goes to Husk's or Alastor's room to sleep with them. They welcome her warmly ç_ç

Alastor and Husk most definitely know Niffty's story, which is why they care about her so much. She's childish for her age, but it could be tied to a past that only the two of them know very well.

Niffty knew Vox when they were alive. Now I know it could be a weird headcanon since Niffty is Japanese and Vox is American, but if Niffty's work brought her around the world it wouldn't be weird if they crossed paths. When Vox died Niffty was 19, she either saw him die in front of her eyes or something else happened.

As I mentioned in my concept sheets, she used to wear glasses when she was alive so she can't see really well without them after she died. Sometimes she borrows Alastor's monocle, and if we apply the headcanon that he's colorblind, without his monocle not only he can't see anything but can't even see colors LOL

Her name when she was alive was Sachiko Tanaka, born February 27th 1934. She died September 1st 1956, aged 22, there are popular headcanons about the way she died and yikes, if it's true she didn't have a good death either. Not at all.

Husk:

Maybe I'm overanalysing but what if the reason why he grew affectionate to Niffty was because he once had children? Or just one? Either he had a child and was with him but felt like he wasn't a good father or his ex-wife left him because of his gambling addiction and this made him feel guilty, not able to see his child ever again. (I feel bad just thinking about this but ç_ç)

Despite the fact he hates being on a leash and none other than Alastor's, he actually cares about him. If the two were friends when they were alive (including Mimzy), this could explain why he's still around Alastor even if reluctantly. (Sure he says he's forced, but in the pilot Alastor summoned him, so it's safe to assume either Alastor-Husk-Niffty were roommates before coming to the hotel and did their business without telling Alastor, or simply we need more explanations of Alastor's deals)

His name when he was alive was Ivan Goncharov, born January 29th 1900, and died in December 23rd 1967, aged 67. As I mentioned in my concept sheets, he was friends with Alastor and Mimzy when they were alive and he was the last one of them to die. He would often visit his friends' graves when he was still alive :(