#every once in a while an anon would bring up a new and interesting idea

[bluedalahorse]

Periodically I wonder what Young Royals fandom could have been if bad faith anon discourse about so many characters and plot points hadn’t been so Everywhere during the fandom’s heyday.

[fatuismooches]

fabulam diu oblitus - prelude.

synopsis: The tale of the raven and the sparrow has long been forgotten by most, but some will always remember.

includes: dottore w/ gn! reader

notes: This is the first part of a multi-chaptered fic that became too long to put into one post. It is a telling of your and Dottore's life as a fairytale, with fragile reader because yes. Thank you to all of my followers and anons who helped me figure out the animals that should be used and especially my lovely moot @kaixserzz!

prelude. first interlude. second interlude. postlude. sequel.

“Once upon a time, there was a baby raven. The raven was an inquisitive and curious hatchling who wanted to explore things that no one else had ever dared of. But because of his ideas, the raven was beaten, shunned, and cursed for the entirety of his childhood. Eventually, as soon as he reached adulthood, he was chased away from his nest, and from that day on, the raven swore to never trust a single soul ever again. But one day, the raven came across a sparrow, who seemed to love to challenge and test him at every possible moment.”

When Zandik was exiled from his hometown, he thought that he was prepared for what was to come, for he had experienced the worst of what humanity had to offer. He knew better than to give any other person the time of day and resolved himself to be cold and closed off. And he didn’t mind being that way, as everyone at the Akademiya was a sore, shallow disappointment. He wondered if anything of substance ever went through those brains of theirs. Ignoring his classmates had garnered him a poor reputation, but it didn’t bother Zandik too much as he was far more interested in his personal research.

That was until he met you.

You had barged into his life out of nowhere, much to his dismay, and invaded his space, now occupying one of the beds in the dorm. You had greatly sabotaged his workspace and time, as now he had to be conscious of what he worked on in your presence. He had to be careful in his own bedroom because of you. It was positively infuriating. But perhaps the most confusing and annoying thing was your attitude towards him. 

You were… kind. You would smile at him. You would inquire into his studies and research with supposedly genuine interest (he had yet to deduce whether you were being real or not.) You would cook for him and continued to do so even though he had yet to thank you for it. You would run errands for him willingly without any protest. You would shut down anyone talking shit about him immediately.

Zandik didn’t like it.

—

“Despite the sparrow’s kind nature, the raven couldn’t bring himself to accept it. It wasn’t unheard of for ravens to prey on sparrows, and at some moments, sometimes the raven wanted nothing more than to swallow up the sparrow so they wouldn’t be in his hair anymore. But there were no opportunities for the raven to do that, so he was forced to endure the sparrow’s presence. However, he came to realize that the sparrow had far more strengths than he initially gave them credit for. Over time, it blossomed into a most unique relationship, one that should have never been possible.”

Zandik wanted you gone. Your behavior didn’t sit quite right with him, for reasons that weren’t hard to guess. But there was nothing he could do. No amount of harsh words or bickering could seem to deter you. Surely you heard of the rumors? Of what he possibly could have done? Of what he could possibly do to you? And yet you insisted on sticking around, despite his vehement denial of your presence.

Although Zandik didn’t like you, that didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate your usefulness. And more recently, your intelligence as well. You didn’t think like the other scholars at the Akademiya. You weren’t short-sighted or close-minded, you were always open to new ideas and discussions. You were willing to listen to him even while he was being rude and made zero sense, always having a notepad handy to write down his words. At first, Zandik thought you were mocking him, but a quick investigation into your notes made it clear that you were one hundred percent serious. 

Naturally, you didn’t think exactly like him either for obvious reasons, but it was… refreshing. That made you far more intelligent in his eyes than any other brain-dead scholar. Yet at the same time, your excessive kindness made him think you were painfully stupid. Especially when his cruel insults and ignorance didn’t drive you away, and at some point you had the audacity to start giggling at him whenever he did so. Very strange, stupid, and smart.

He had dubbed you an enigma. Indeed, you were puzzling and difficult to understand. Normally, he enjoyed the challenge when it came to stuff like ancient texts or questions that arrived from his research, however, he wasn’t sure if he liked these qualities in a person. He liked your curiosity but your personality made him feel things he didn’t want to. But much to his dread, even this scholar wasn’t totally immune to your sweet charms, and he was slowly but surely beginning to warm up to you.

—

“Against all odds, the raven and sparrow became one and the same. It seemed as though the two could not be separated.”

You were always sure it was going to be a long and arduous journey, becoming Zandik’s friend, but you were well aware of what you were getting yourself into. Though even you could not have anticipated how much Zandik would like you, despite it always being your goal. It started off gradually, and it took you a bit to realize his small changes toward you. 

Something you realized was that Zandik enjoyed being genuinely listened to. Perhaps because no one had lent him an ear, or even then never took what he said seriously. Perhaps he was mocked and shut down. So you listened. And he told you more, and more, and more every time. You could be doing your own thing, and Zandik would drag you away from it, under the premise that his work was far more important. The audacity! But you didn’t really mind, except the times he woke you up in the middle of the night to check over his conclusions. 

Even still, it was hard not to find his bursts of excitement and passion cute. It was hard not to find how he inhaled your cooking cute. It was hard not to find his little grunts of approval at your work or the reluctant compliment of “Good, I guess” cute. And oh, and don’t get you started on the way he blushed when you got a little too close, and then promptly told you to fuck off. Zandik was so cute. Unhinged. Not a good or nice person. Mean. But cute. 

Eventually came a time when Zandik stopped trying to get rid of you. He stopped locking you out of the dorm and he stopped throwing insults at you for merely existing with him. Instead came times when you two would “hang out” as you would put it. You’d teach him how to cook but uncharacteristically gave up after one lesson because he was truly that bad. You would do group projects together and then snicker to one another about how the other groups’ work paled in comparison. You two would go out together, initially for the purpose of research, but end up spending some time relaxing in the soft plush of the forest together. No words were said, but perhaps fingers and legs accidentally brushed each other every now and then.

These were good times, Zandik admitted to himself.

—

“Despite their blatant differences, the raven and sparrow seemed to fit together perfectly, wings and beaks tucked into each other effortlessly. Both had accepted each other for who they were, something no one else had done for either of them. Many years passed, and the two developed feelings for each other. However, neither of them was sure how to express their love.”

The good times lasted far, far longer than Zandik could have ever dreamed of. You had remained a constant in his life for many years. He could have never imagined you’d stick around nor would he tolerate your presence for so long. It was now that he realized that there would always be a vast amount of possibilities in this world, ones that he would never believe existed, but they certainly did. You were an example of that.

Another thing he realized was how differently his body and mind could react around you.

Zandik realized, that sometimes his palms could get hot around you. Not sweaty, but hot and tingly. It was a strange sensation. He realized, that when your skin came into contact with his, instead of feeling like he had just been scalded, he simply felt… warmth. Not the overbearing or underwhelming kind. It was just warm. The worst part was, he realized that on very few and rare occasions, his heart would speed up a bit and get stuck in his throat. It was horrible. Zandik despised it.

And his mind, his mind would unconsciously favor you. He would wonder, what time were you coming home? Did anyone bother you? When you didn’t understand something, his mind automatically went to the idea of explaining again (begrudgingly?) instead of leaving you hanging. He hated group projects even more now when they weren’t with you because his mind instinctively knew that other people simply could not hope to compare to you in the slightest. His mind grew in various ways over the years, but this particular aspect… he was confused. This part wasn’t necessarily a hindrance, but it was odd and he couldn’t control it. Zandik preferred to be in control, especially of his own body, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t understand. 

You, on the other hand, completely understood your own feelings as well as Zandik’s. There was no doubt about it. You were in love with Zandik. Zandik was in love with you. This was the irrefutable truth. You couldn’t determine exactly at what point he began to like you romantically, but you knew you had liked him for years. You were just glad the pining was mutual now because the feelings were starting to weigh heavy on your heart. But now, you found yourself in a plight.

How to finally confess to Zandik.

You really had no idea how to do it. If it was any normal person, you’d probably have an easier time. But no, this was Zandik, which made everything complicated. You had gone through multiple different scenarios in your head, and none of them seemed right. You thought about it, in the morning, during class, while eating, on expeditions, before bed. Yes, the procedure of making Zandik your boyfriend was occupying your mind far more than it should be, embarrassingly enough.

Zandik noticed your continuous contemplative state of mind as well. He wasn’t much of a fan. No, not at all. Did you realize how much of a nuisance it was to be explaining or giving instructions to you and then find out you’re staring into space (which coincidentally happens to be his face) instead? And then he has to snap at you to pay attention and instead, you just give him a silly smile? It was nonsensical. At some point, Zandik had decided this had gone on far too long and demanded you tell him what had occupied your mind so much that it turned you into an airhead. Unfortunately, it was mostly unsuccessful as you two only had a little back-and-forth, with you defending that you were just tired lately and Zandik calling you out on that bullshit. But he let it go.

Was he worried? No, of course not. It was just that having his assistant’s mind not focused on him was entirely bothersome.

… Alright perhaps he was a little worried. Just a little. He didn’t like it when you were troubled.

—

“But thankfully, the sparrow found a moment to show their true feelings. Was it the perfect moment? No, perhaps not. But it became one. And amazingly enough, the odd duo had become an odd couple.”

It was the most average of nights. Really, incredibly average. The two of you were stuck on the floor doing a group project for the past few nights. It was a lot of work, meant for a group of people, but of course, you and Zandik refused to add anyone else to the group, so now you two had been grinding the work together for a while. But neither of you minded. It really was much easier with the two of you anyway.

Right now, Zandik was rambling on about what to add and what to do next and the comparisons and contrasting of the data and a variety of other things. Normal Zandik things, as he pointed and waved his hands to make his point. But all of his words entered one ear and came out the next for you. You were far too busy admiring his beauty.

Zandik didn’t notice your adoring stare, no, of course, he was too caught up in his rambling, but that was okay. You didn’t know what came over you, but an impulsive thought to just make him see came over you. To taste him. To let him taste you. To let him realize the depth of your feelings. To let him realize the extent of his own feelings too.

And so for the first time ever, you cupped Zandik’s cheek, to which his words came to an abrupt stop. He practically swiveled his head around to give you one of those signature looks of his, and he had your hand that was on his cheek in a tight grip around your wrist, nails digging into your skin as an automatic response to such blatant physical touch. It hurt, but that was when you took the opportunity.

After all, it was hard to focus on the pain when his lips were on yours. 

You were kissing Zandik, who was immediately practically screaming into your lips, along the muffled lines of “whadahelareyodoigmph?” And you would have chuckled at his reaction, were it not for how entranced you were by kissing him. It seemed, that after the initial shock, Zandik piped down and also began to process what was happening. He didn’t fight back. He didn’t move away. His grip on your wrist loosened, and you took the chance to intertwine your fingers with his instead before pulling away in satisfaction. Zandik’s face was red and his lip quivered in a half-hearted scowl, probably cursing both you and himself because of the fact he enjoyed a mere kiss that much. But he wasn’t the only one affected. Your own heart was hammering out of your chest as you tried to stop yourself from smiling too widely.

“You know, I’ve…” you paused, trying to control your heartbeat, “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.” So this was what was occupying that idiot mind of yours, Zandik thinks. How stupid.

Zandik's eyes flickered to yours, bearing a half-hearted glare, and they only said one thing: oh, he hated how easily you made him feel disgustingly weak, and how his fingers tremble in anticipation when you’re near, and how his heart beats far too much for what’s to come next, but oh, he demands that you do it again right now before he goes mad. So you did. You kissed Zandik again, and this time he kissed back.

His pointy teeth grazed your lip as he awkwardly kissed back, clearly unsure of what he was doing. But that was okay. You were probably his first kiss, after all, the idea of doing such a thing with anyone was revolting to him. Before he fell in love with you, of course. Well, this was your first kiss too, but you had read enough books to know what you were doing. You caressed his hair, gently rubbed his arms, and perhaps pushed him down on the bed a bit. It was very nice, to have years of feelings condensed into these kisses.

Neither of you said anything for the rest of the night after the kissing session, the group project now long forgotten. Except when you squeaked in pain since he had the gall to bite down on your lip, then swipe your bloody lip with his tongue deviously. You should have known that Zandik being inexperienced in something only lasts for a short time.

When you two finally went to sleep, Zandik allowed it when you climbed into his bed and delicately placed a hand on his chest, cuddling into him.

—

“The sparrow and raven’s romantic partnership began just like that. Nothing else needed to be said. In all honesty, nothing had changed much between the two who had been friends for years, except for the addition of an overwhelming amount of affection from the sparrow towards the raven.”

You and Zandik were dating now. It was truly a dream come true. Truly a dreamlike moment to randomly kiss his cheek and then watch him become a mixture of flustered and angry at you for doing such things. Truly a dreamlike moment to be able to squeeze his hand under the table when people were talking about him. Truly a dreamlike moment to be able to hold him and caress him all over, to watch his face as he received the love he never received as a child. And truly a… laughable moment as he familiarized himself with holding you, which took much work and effort. 

It was fine though. You were positive your relationship would endure throughout any kind of struggle.

—

“Though, like any kind of relationship, the two sometimes encountered a few bumps and turns that would perhaps set them back. But, these problems never lasted too long because… the sparrow and the raven had unusual ways of solving their problems sometimes.”

Zandik wasn’t very strong. Smart, a definite yes, but his physical abilities weren’t anything special, which was why you took it upon yourself to fight whenever the need arose. So when he came back to the dorms one day with hastily wrapped bandages and cuts and bruises, naturally you were extremely worried.

“Who did this?” He didn’t respond to you as he made his way to the bathroom and you quickly followed after. Zandik was digging through the cabinet for more medical supplies, the previous bandages now lying on the floor.

“Zandik,” you murmured. You knew that people didn’t like him, but you didn’t think it would go to such a physical extent. Most people had the common sense to leave him alone or merely talk about him instead. But now that you thought about it, you had an idea of who it could be. Ugh, those fools from the recent expedition. When Zandik exposed their faulty and false research in front of everyone with ease, they seemed to grow some kind of grudge against him. 

“Zandik, let me see.”

“There’s no need.” You watched as he roughly treated the wounds, his emotions clearly showing in his actions.

“Zandik, I can-”

“I said no,” your lover harshly snapped, gritting his teeth. He was trying to stop himself from saying anything else because he could say things he didn’t mean when he was in this kind of mood.

“Okay then,” you acquiesced and let him be. As much as you wanted to comfort him, it wasn’t a good time now. You needed to give him some space first. But at least when you left the dorm, you had a goal in mind.

You didn’t return until it was pitch black outside, and similarly, all the lights in the dorm’s building were off, so you wandered through the darkness until you reached your room. Ah, the door was unlocked too. Zandik must have left it open for you. You just hoped you didn’t get any blood on the doorknob.

The room was dark. Zandik probably went to sleep early. You went straight to the bathroom to clean up. After all, your hands and clothes were all icky with the blood of your classmates. Flipping on the light and looking at yourself in the mirror, you examined yourself. Good thing you weren’t wearing a nice outfit. And your face, not a single scratch of course. They couldn’t lay a hand on you and they wouldn’t be laying a hand on Zandik ever again.

“Where were you?” The sudden voice nearly made you jump. Zandik was at the doorway. So he was awake.

“Oh, Zandik. Hello. I was simply out with my friends, you know?” You gave him a reassuring smile. Obviously, the scholar knew that was a complete lie. He knew what you had done, he just had trouble understanding why. And how too.

Zandik came up to you and grabbed your hands, surprising you. His watchful eyes checked them thoroughly, the blood not bothering him in the slightest. You were truly unharmed. If you weren’t, he would have done something a lot worse than what you did.

“What, are you worried?” You teased. He seemed to be feeling better. Zandik only huffed in response.

“Why would you do that? Now the Akademiya is going to be behind your back.” Classic Zandik, using negativity to mask his appreciation.

“No, they won’t. Our little friends got beaten up by some Eremites instead. They told me so themselves,” you giggled almost a little crazily at his expression. “You’re not the only one with tricks up your sleeve, Zandik.”

“Even so, it was,” he paused for a quick second to think, “a fruitless waste of time. You could have been helping me instead.” Again, you couldn’t help but laugh at his words. It would really kill him to be truthful for once, huh?

“Look,” you placed both your bloody hands over his own. “You are my boyfriend, are you not?” You cocked your head to the side, waiting for a response to which he nodded. “Precisely. So by that logic, I am yours, and you are mine. And naturally, I like to take care of things that are mine. Especially if that happens to be my brilliant blue-haired scholar,” you smiled. Perhaps you seemed a touch bit possessive. But this wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, no, you two belonged to each other after all. Zandik didn’t respond but he unconsciously gripped your hands a little bit tighter.

“Just make sure no one sees you doing the laundry,” he huffed.

“Yes, love~,” you pressed a kiss on his cheek to which he made another grumble but made no effort to stop you. After you two got cleaned up, a restful and peaceful sleep came naturally.

—

“Underneath the moon and stars, the two shared years' worth of memories, touches, and love. Though even the moon couldn’t quite understand this seemingly impossible couple, it still bore witness to their endeavors every night without fail. But one day, tragedy struck. The sparrow fell sick to a terrible illness.”

Your relationship with Zandik had become one of the highlights of your life. Perhaps it seemed like you were too crazed for the man, but what was love if you two weren’t a bit crazy for each other? Your life was truly a joy with this grouchy and easily irritable scholar who went a wee bit soft at affection. Well, that was if you excluded the few ailments you had come down with recently.

It started small at first. 

Seemingly minor things affected you. Perhaps a painful throb in your head that wouldn’t seem to go away, but you passed it off as the stresses of exams and school. Aches and pains when you moved your body, but maybe it was just from sleeping in awkward positions because you kept passing out in the middle of the night after pulling yet another all-nighter with Zandik. Sometimes you felt unusually cold, or perhaps hotter than normal. But you thought it was nothing too big, maybe something was going around in the Akademiya.

That’s what Zandik thought too… at first. You were a strong person, no stranger to fighting whether it was people or Ruin Drakes. You would bounce back. In fact, in the beginning, he thought you were overdramatizing your pain. Groaning and whining and clinging to him in an attempt to convince him to stay in the dorms today instead of going out on this expedition. Of course, he shook you off and rolled his eyes, telling you to hurry up. He didn’t miss the tiny sigh you let out, and the slight twinge in his chest but that was quickly washed over by the thought that you were simply milking your unwell condition in an effort to gain more of his attention. 

He didn’t miss how you were much quieter than usual, leaving his voice to fill the silence as you two walked. He didn’t miss your slow and tired steps, to which you had to ask for him to slow down which he begrudgingly did. And he certainly did not miss when you tripped and nearly fell were it not for him catching you in time.

Zandik was about to scold you for your carelessness but the words died on his tongue at your expression. Dulled eyes and pants, your chest heaving up and down due to the strain. You swallowed before your eyes sparked back to life again, seemingly recovering from that little fall. 

“Sorry,” you smiled at him with a hint of nervousness. “Guess I didn’t get enough sleep.” Yeah, you went to sleep a bit late last night, but it wasn’t a three AM kind of night. It was rather earlier than usual, to be honest. So you really weren’t sure why your body was acting like this. Zandik looked at you, silent and unimpressed, but you think he bought it. After that, you tried to return to your normal chirpy self despite the throbbing of your head. You were saved by the fact that this expedition was only examining plants and fauna for a class instead of the normal expeditions you and Zandik carry out.

It did not get better from then. Zandik surely noticed from the way his usual rude comments gradually turned into silence and quiet help at your genuine condition. He wasn’t stupid. He could tell that you were being real. But it all boiled over one afternoon.

You wanted to ignore your deteriorating state badly. You wanted to pretend that it didn’t exist. If you admitted it to yourself, then everything would be over. For what good were you when you were stuck in bed all day? Not just to yourself, but to Zandik as well? You knew he would never leave you, wouldn’t ever hate you but… still, it bothered and worried you more than you liked to admit. So whenever it was possible, you did some tasks for your lover.

Today’s errand was simple. You’d done it multiple times before. You just had to retrieve some parts Zandik ordered (legally, this time) and bring them back to the dorm. And you had done just that… only with a minor hiccup. Yes, it was only a small setback, being pushed and shoved by some of your classmates who didn’t like you or Zandik. Yes, it was just an insignificant occurrence, your body too weak to fight back and put them in their place like you normally did. And since it was so trivial, you didn’t want Zandik to know. So when you got back to the dorm, you put on your smiling face and acted oblivious, handing your boyfriend the purchase and then scurrying to the bathroom. 

Not to mention, there were some scuffs and marks on your uniform. They looked to be only minor, but Zandik still noticed them immediately. Your uniform was crisp and pristine before you left, after all. And whenever you got into an altercation, you’d tell him every time. This time, however, seemed different. Now that you looked back, you were pretty damn obvious, but your knees were hurting really bad.

The scholar waited a few moments before waiting outside the bathroom door, listening in. What he heard were whines and grunts of pains, and then something falling supposedly from the cabinet, and then a string of curses from you. You were definitely hurt.

“[Name].” His tone was flat and serious, and immediately all noise from the bathroom became nonexistent.

“…Yes?” That tone of voice. You were guilty of something.

“I’m coming in,” he didn’t bother giving you a grace period despite your sputters of protest. Zandik found you near the sink, only in your undergarments, Akademiya uniform discarded to the hamper, now stained with small patches of blood. Knees and elbows scraped and bloody. Instinctively you moved your heads to cover your elbows at least, in an attempt to minimize the severity of the situation… which didn’t really work.

“Oh… hey Zandik!” You smiled nervously. “See this,” you motioned to your injuries, “I just tripped and fell again. No big deal!” You had a good and believable excuse. It was just that your execution of it was really bad and your boyfriend could see through you easily. But he didn’t need you to tell the truth, he already had a hunch as to what happened. Plus, if you truly had fell, the gashes wouldn’t have been so deep.

“...” Zandik seemed expressionless as he went behind you and grabbed the bandages and the necessary supplies to disinfect it, before grabbing your hand and pulling you to the bed. You opened your mouth to argue but closed it again, probably realizing there was no getting out of this. It was eerily quiet as Zandik uncharacteristically treated your wounds with more care than usual. Most of the time, he was rough with it as he scolded you for being dumb, rolling his eyes as you chastised him for being so mean. This time, however, most of the sting was from the liquid cleaning the wound. He finally wrapped the bandage neatly around your knees and elbows, before he broke the silence.

“You’re not leaving the dorm tomorrow.” You snapped your head up at this statement.

“Excuse me? Yes, I-”

“No, you’re not. You’re staying in bed.”

“You can’t decide that for me. I can go where I-”

“Not when you’re like this,” he bluntly stated. It was harsh, but it was the truth, and you knew it. But hearing it like that hurt, even though you knew this was Zandik’s way of looking out for you.

The room was quiet again since you couldn’t argue any further.

And so, you had decided to take a break from going to classes for a while. Well, it was more like Zandik had decided that for you, his words being that it would be a great inconvenience for both of you if you continued to act like this, and so he confined you to bed rest and refused to let you leave. Sure, his expeditions would have to be delayed, he lamented, but it would be a waste of time to go when you weren’t in tip-top shape. So stop being an idiot and fighting him and rest already. You know, Zandik’s typical way of being worried. He even took the time to teach you everything, and of course, keep you updated on how shitty the professors were.

So now, your days consisted of resting in the dorm, sometimes doing homework that Zandik brought home, or your own hobbies. But you did feel bad. You didn’t like sitting around and doing nothing all day long when Zandik had to be by himself now. If you were going to be stuck in the dorm all day, the least you could do is tidy up a bit. And of course, cook for the two of you.

Cooking and sometimes even baking were things you liked, but it became one of your favorite things because of Zandik. It sounded strange, but you liked seeing him well-fed and not living off of his inedible cooking. Today you would make… shawarma wraps. Yes, you were in the mood for that today. And so you got to work preparing and cutting the ingredients. The only problem was… your hands were far more shaky than you wanted them to be. The knife quivered in your hands and now the vegetables were being cut weirdly.

Indeed, it had been harder to steady your hands nowadays, so you tried to go for easier food to prepare. But you really wanted to eat some shawarma wraps today,  so you continued on. If you just focus your hand, then surely the knife would just-

…And now, there was blood spurting onto the countertop and dripping on the floor. Just great. It was like nothing would go your way ever again once you came down with this mysterious illness. You blinked back tears the whole time you clumsily wrapped the cut and cleaned the kitchen. 

It was a horrible feeling really, to suddenly be unable to do things that were once so easy. To have things you once loved doing feel like a daunting chore now. No matter how hard you tried to avoid thinking about your illness, it felt like it was consuming your life now. You didn’t want it to start defining you… but it hurt. So badly, that you didn’t even bother putting up your usual cheerful front that evening. Zandik took one look at your hand and could deduce what happened. He would have scolded you, were it not for your terribly gloomy expression.

Once again, in pure silence, he redressed your wound (which was poorly wrapped by your unsteady hands.) You didn’t want to speak, nor did you want Zandik to speak. You didn’t want any pity or reprimanding right now. You quietly rested your head on his shoulder, requesting nothing more.

—

“From then on, the little sparrow’s condition only went on a downward spiral. It seemed like no amount of rest and medication could hope to help them recover. Slowly, it seemed like they were becoming a shell of their former self… quiet, tired, and closed off. The raven could only watch as his beloved grew farther… and farther… and more distant from him in more ways than one. In fact, it would be more fitting to call the sparrow a butterfly now. Butterflies are beautiful, but transient. They are truly a joy to admire, but if one gets attached, they will only end up in a world of pain as the butterfly leaves them far too soon.”

You had long given up on classes and work. The assignments Zandik brought home were piled up in a corner. Just looking at them made you feel exhausted. You tried to do some every now and then, but how could you focus on school when you felt like you were physically and mentally deteriorating with every passing day? Though, many had no sympathy for your current predicament which was why you found yourself in your current predicament.

Kicked out of the Akademiya. How embarrassing. Yes, you were not joking. They had a letter of expulsion delivered right to your door for being absent and missing too many assignments, and an order to pack all your belongings and leave within a week. You were not very surprised and kind of accepted it. Zandik on the other hand, had a few choice words for the messenger, before slamming the door with a bang. He was much more wildly upset about this than you were, a spew of curses directed towards a multitude of people in the Akademiya came flying out his mouth. He wouldn’t accept this, he said. But both you and him knew there was nothing to be done, especially since they would never listen to an outcast such as himself. So in due time, you found yourself admitted to Sumeru’s local hospital. Zandik’s expression was grim, which you tried to change.

“I know you’re going to miss cuddling up to me at night, dearest,” you teased in an effort to lighten up the mood. “Don’t miss me too much!” Zandik, however, did not have the slightest reaction, which made your smile dim.

“Hey,” your tone dropped a bit. “Don’t look so glum. Otherwise, you’re really going to make me think you can’t live without me.” This particular tease made his eye twitch.

Zandik scoffed, “You overestimate yourself. I am not so helpless that I would need you to be near me at all times. Furthermore, I suggest you be ready for when you come back. We have a lot of work to catch up on.” You couldn’t help but laugh at that. Oh, how perfect it was, despite all the changes in your life, Zandik never changes, does he? With his harsh words veiled with some kindness underneath, a silent promise to you that he will make you better and you will be healthy again in no time.

“Of course, of course, love. I promise I’ll be ready to be worked to the bone by you after all of this,” you smiled softly. Zandik rolled his eyes, but at that moment, everything felt like it was going to be okay.

And it… kind of was, for a while. If you ignore the whole context of the situation. You were surprised to see Zandik make time for you every day to visit you in your dreary hospital room, but he did. He would bring you things sometimes, books or puzzles so that your brain wouldn’t get bored. The hospital staff were initially on guard at his presence every day, for his reputation had spread even beyond the Akademiya, but they got used to him after many repeated visits. 

Zandik, on the other hand, didn’t realize how much different you made his life until you were actually gone. He told himself that he could deal with it, that he had done it long before he ever met you, so he would be fine.

He wasn’t.

No longer could he bask in you and everything that came with you. Your brains, your intelligence, your strength, your efficiency, your productivity, your voice, your smile, your laughs, your horrible jokes, your touch, your cuddles, your body - you, you, you. No longer could he call for you and you would be there in an instant, arms swung around his shoulders. No longer could he fall victim to being the taste tester for your new recipes. No longer could he consume your very being… it was driving him mad. He despised how you weren’t at your rightful place at his side.

And he despised how dull your eyes had gotten. For the first few weeks, it was “normal” at least. You’d still be excited to see him. Listen to him. Converse with him. Beg him to stop trying to cook again and just buy takeout. “Normal” things. But now, it was very different. You never outright ignored his presence but, you were far more distant. Barely speaking full sentences, save for the “mhm” and “uh huh” that sounded more forced than anything. Not even mustering the energy to reach out to him or brush your fingers against his You had asked for your bed to be placed right next to a window, and every time he visited, you were in the same position. Staring out the window longingly, gazing down at the city.

And there was nothing Zandik could do. There were no words he could say, no amount of comfort he could provide that would somehow make things better. No, the only thing he could do was solve the issue itself. He was best at that anyway, the scholar and researcher in him paying off. The Akademiya’s libraries were overtaken by him, day and night. No medical text went unread by him. He looked for answers during class lectures. During meals, during the early hours of the morning, and depths of the night. He looked and looked and looked without rest.

But one day, Zandik realized that perhaps he hadn’t taken things seriously enough.

He arrived at your hospital room like any other day, only to see a few nurses crowded around you, fussing and worrying to each other until they saw him, visibly stiffening. It was then his eyes flicked down to your body, which looked… oddly lifeless and unmoving. His brain figured out what this meant before his heart did. One already knew what happened while the other didn’t want to accept it.

“Err…” The nurse fiddled with her clipboard, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news, especially to one such as Zandik, “As of today, [Name] has fallen into a coma…” He couldn’t pay attention to the rest of her words. 

The whole world went silent to him at that moment. Everything around him did, as he could only focus on your figure.

—

“With the sparrow now asleep with no signs of waking up, the raven uncharacteristically found himself at a loss.”

Zandik decided it was time to occupy himself with other activities. Like the hospital in the desert he worked at, treating, or rather experimenting on the patients there. It was for a number of reasons. Staying in the empty dorm room without you bothering him every couple of minutes was beginning to drive him more than just mad. Going to the hospital to be greeted by your sleeping body provided nothing but a flurry of negative emotions in him. To curve his growing curiosity and thirst for knowledge. And although Eleazar wasn’t what you were afflicted with, perhaps studying it could provide some insight. 

It was entirely morbid, cruel, and unethical, whatever word one wanted to say would probably fit the bill. Using corpses as material for “medicine”, driving his last remaining patient mad. Yet there was no part of him that felt guilty. That felt bothered. In the end, all he could think about was how satisfying the results of this experiment were. He cured Eleazar. Perhaps he could cure your illness too. Zandik was, in fact, excited.

Zandik continued to visit you every single day to check on you. It wasn’t like the staff cared much at this point. It was then he started keeping dedicated notes on your condition. He wasn’t much of a doctor nor was he experienced in the medical field, but the Akademiya’s library had proven to be more useful than he thought.

He took your vitals. Your heart rate. Temperature. Everything. Everyday. This time he injected you with what he hoped would cure and wake you up. Nothing. There was zero reaction internally and externally. It was a failure. It was frustrating.

Zandik, as a child, was used to being rejected. He never got what he wanted. Which was why as an adult, he made sure he acquired everything he wanted. Regardless of what, why, or how, nothing would stop him. And now that he was hitting that same block again, no matter how hard he tried, he was starting to seriously get irritated. Not at you, but at himself. This happened before, but this time there was also the fact he didn’t have your inquisitive mind or soothing presence to make him feel better.

Not to mention there was also Sohreh. Initially, he managed to tolerate her thanks to your coaching, but now that he had so many things to deal it, he found it harder and harder to deal with the Amurta. She was also the only one who had the decency to send condolences for your current situation, though he brushed her off before she could even get the words out. Yet by some annoying twist of fate, the girl kept popping up randomly around him, whether that was expeditions or group projects together.

When Zandik found his hands around her neck, he wasn’t surprised at himself. He didn’t feel anything at all, actually. On the same day, he went to visit your sleeping body and traced your veins with the same hands that killed your classmate. He wondered if you would feel any different to him if you knew what he’d done. If you would perhaps leave him. From how deeply you were sleeping, it seemed like he would never receive that answer though.

The days that followed were nothing noteworthy unless Zandik’s further spiral into madness and experimentation for both your sake and his innate desire were to be described in-depthly. Soon enough, he was banished from the Akademiya and into the desert. Despite his dislike for that place, it was a hindrance as he still needed somewhere to conduct research… and your body was still in a Sumerian hospital. But no matter, he’d make do.

It was then he met a gray-haired Khaenri’ahn man who offered him something that was too good to pass up and bestowed a name upon him.

Doctor? He was obviously no doctor. At least not one that helps people. Quite the opposite. If you were here, surely you would be laughing and cackling along with him at the irony of that name. But Zandik liked the ring of it.

And so Il Dottore was born. He just wished you were here to see it.

—

“Many, many centuries went by, and the raven progressed with his research in all areas and became akin to a God himself. However, his sparrow remained in a deep sleep and he could only watch as he failed to help his slumbering beloved.”

Dottore was now a man of many feats. To list them all would take a large amount of time, and the only person who would be willing to sit and listen was you. And you kind of did in a way, because for centuries, your sleeping body would be the first one to know about anything. Dottore would tell you of his accomplishments, his failures and successes, his useless co-workers, and how no one could ever compare to the assistant you were to him. And how despite the fact there was no doubt that his research and progress were entirely fulfilling, there was still a distinct emptiness and boredom in his life that only a certain someone could satisfy.

He wasn’t the only one who felt that way. The same conversation was exchanged between him and a segment every day:

“Are there any updates on [Name]’s condition?”

“No, nothing to report, Prime.”

The segments too would bemoan about the situation and wonder when you would wake up. Yet there was nothing that could be done. Countless resources and time had been exhausted on you, yet he had nothing to show for it. The only solution was to wait for you to open your eyes on your own, however long that may take. Dottore would undoubtedly wait though, what was a few more centuries, after all?

—

“But one day, a miracle happened. The bird woke up from their eternal rest, utterly confused and lost.”

Nahida rubbed her eyes and stretched out her body. To think that was only the beginning part of the fairytale! It was truly a long tale, yes, the one of Zandik and [Name]. Yet every part of it was intriguing and left her on the edge of her seat. And what better storytelling was it than to leave it on a cliffhanger?

[ghostmoon1]

loooove the fact that you write for roach!!!! our bug boy needs attention too. i have an idea for him if you're interested: adopting a cat. what if he finds a small kitten somewhere where he is on a mission and decides to bring it home to his partner. just imagine everytime be comes home he's like "where is my son????" and the kitten runs to him and climbs on his pants 😭

Hello anon!!

Dearly sorry for how long this took me to write, motivation has been biting my ass lately. But this idea is adoreable, and Roach would be the best ever cat dad. I wrote a lotta this with my own cat sitting on me :D

I hope this is enough and that you enjoy!!

Cat Dad Roach

It was in the middle of a mission, walking along the streets of a small town. He was wandering at the back of the team, watching Ghost and Soap banter with each other before his eye got caught on something else in the street. He tears himself away from the team, who soon notice his disappearance. They watch from a distance as Roach slowly steps up to a small bundle of fur lying on the side of the road. His face lights up as he reaches for the small kitten, grinning ear to ear, melting a little inside at its small meow. He cradled it close to his chest, taking it back with him no matter what anyone said.

When he got back home, you were standing in the kitchen. When you heard keys in the front door and the soft padding of his boots in the hallway, you knew he was finally home, back to you. You make your way through the house, sticking your head into the doorway. 

“Welcome home baby. Missed you” you say with a smile, that smile turning into a face of confusion as you see him quietly slip his bag off his shoulder, a bundle of blankets wrapped up in his arms. You stare at him with an eyebrow raised, silently questioning him.

He slips his mask off and grins, no look of guilt to be seen. Adjusting the blanket, he speaks softly. “Found ourselves a little friend.”

He moves the blankets to the side, revealing the face of the small kitten, peacefully sleeping in his arms. “Gonna name him Steve.”

From that point on, Steve was a part of the family. There was no changing that fact, he has been adopted, and as Roach refers to him; he is now his son. And you hear about it no matter the hour, or where you both are.

Whenever he comes home from a mission, or just walks in the door from ducking down to the shops to grab some bread that you needed, he instantly drops the items on the kitchen counter, gives you a quick hug and kiss before he then struts through the house, calling out “Where’s my son?!”

He continues this for a few minutes until you can hear the tiny padder of paws against the floorboards, and a noise escaping his lips that you can only describe as pure joy. He kneels, just for Steve and lets him climb all over his clothes, it doesn’t matter if he puts pulls and claw marks all over it, they could be replaced. His beloved Steve never could.

He ends up joining you both for cuddle sessions, every single time. While Roach’s body is intertwined with yours, Steve finds his way into some spot, usually someplace on his chest, to feel his warmth radiating through him and to listen to his heartbeat, always nuzzling against him and leaking trails of cat fur.

Now, he's always thinking about his beloved son. Even when you both go out to shop. He drags you to the pet aisles, even if you complain and say that other things need to be done first. No, he is shopping for his son as well. Once you finally drag him out of the aisle, the trolley is now covered in new cat toys, some new treats to try out, a cute new bowl, and oh… don’t forget the outfits. (He also finds a roach outfit… like father like son)

[ And here is a lil drawing done by @gomzdrawfr bc we were talking about this teehee. Thank you again Gomz!! ]

He feeds Steve like he is royalty. He buys him the best foods and treats, plating the food on his assortment of bowls as if it had come from the fanciest restaurants. You have to stand in the doorway and watch as he coos over his son, watching in delight as he bounds over for his five-star meal.

[rookiesbookies]

Hi i love the empress and male!concubines idea with the COD boys, I def think that it'll be interesting to see more hcs for this idea/au?

Alright my little anon. Truthfully I should have given more details in the og post (it also started as a rant about how I couldn’t handle a poly relationship because of my anxiety (I also saw a post about a girl who had 4 partners and didn’t get any attention and it made me sad so that's also way).) I have been stewing on this idea though so here’s some hc. Might do more if people are still interested in it or want more, I do love talking about my AUs (like this one and the Greek god one, so let me know if you want me to go more bc stuff like this rattles around my brain)

Also apparently there is a term for a male concubine and they’re called concubinatus or a concubinus. Honestly I took Latin and the fact I didn’t expect this lowkey brings me pain.

General HC?

The first empress in a long time. And the first empress to like her concubinuses (hope that's right) more than the idea of marrying for an emperor. So the council decided to bring you only the best warriors to keep. They of course still must serve occasionally but they have been elevated in status to there is lower risk anything will happen. Mostly kept as tacticians or kept to train the new boys joining the country’s military.

Konig and Krueger were taken as trophies of war for the Empress. They were two of the largest, smartest, and strongest men from the battlefield.

When the two were adjusting, it was difficult. The empress was gracious with them, mentioning how she wouldn’t dare make them do anything, apologizing for the war and the loss. Truthfully trying to get them comfortable, and the two were honestly shocked but I’ll get into that more in their sections.

Keegan was sent as a gift by a neighboring nation looking for peace and protection. He had a good time adjusting, sometimes making comments about how this treatment is too good for nasty military dogs like all of them but I’ll touch on that more later.

Price

Price was probably the first concubinus. He had been a strong warrior and was deemed by the council to be a good fit for what they were hoping for. He also, however, did not intend to retire from his position so they had to find an alternate reason to stop him from getting in trouble.

For him it was awkward. His empress was a bit younger than him, however he did crave to be a father. While the empress didn’t intend to fall pregnant yet, he would be on his best behavior when the opportunity came.

The chance to be the father of the next royal was something he couldn’t miss.

Soap

Both him and Gaz were best in their class, breaking records, so it only made sense it seems to send them to the empress once they got their prime years out of them.

He was probably the last concubinus to come in before the gift and the trophies of war. He has the more vicious puppy eyes. He waits for you like a dog every time you leave and enter. Always talks about how much more comfortable your bed is and how nice it is to lay with you. Definitely sweet talks you even though he’s already a concubinus.

Will literally do anything you say and it’s partially because he thinks he will get sent back to the military full time if he doesn’t.

Ghost

Definitely does checks on all the palace guards to make sure they’re up to spec. If even one slacks he uses his power to make them run.

This is all because of how gracious the empress has been with him. When he had a fit of ptsd (i'm thinking anxiety attack or something) she invited him into her room and away from the others so he didn’t feel embarrassed and comforted him as best she could before making him some tea. With an empire that stretches across Europe he was impressed she had the time to stop and care about a random concubinus.

Definitely was surprised he told you as much as he did and how you listened and comforted him. Telling him you’d never make him do anything he wasn’t comfortable with was something he appreciated.

Gaz

See the first paragraph of Soap’s bc Im not copying it again.

Since I feel like Gaz is the older of the two (he seems to have a maturity I dont see as much in Soap idk?) He was sent to her first of the two for his ‘semi-retirement’. Now they just need them to occasionally train incoming recruits.

He definitely enjoyed adjusting to the cushy life of the castle. He liked being able to keep his weapons since he did double as a personal guard for the empress. But he likes that he and the other concubinus get a hot tub more, definitely likes all the fancy clothes.

His job is the have sex with his sexy empress, what’s not to love?

Konig

Truthfully, when he was being cocky toward the other concubinus and you pulled him away into a separate room to tell him you knew he was compensating for his anxiety, he was more than shocked. He was stunned into silence.

So when you reached your hands under his hood and rubbed his cheeks, telling him it was ok and he didn’t need to act out, he melted. He had never truly been shown such softness, so to be shown it by the empress of the enemy? He was so conflicted. With a pat on his chest you told him he could take on his position fully when he was more comfortable and that you were concerned for him and there if he needed to talk. He was still quiet.

Krueger

Was not interested. No matter how many compliments you gave him or gifts you sent, he wouldn’t budge. He was grumpy and hostile. So much so he made the other concubinus nervous especially for you.

It wasn’t until you pulled him into your room that night that he relaxed quite a bit under your soft hands and apologies. Massaging his tired muscles, and lulling him into a sense of security. Now he understood how Konig folded so easily.

He offered to return the favor but you told him not until he was more comfortable and made him promise to play nice. He agreed but only to be a bit nicer.

Keegan

He honestly believes this treatment is too good for all of them. They were dogs of war, animals trained to kill, and now they’re dressed in fancy clothes? With an empress who dotes on them when they should be doting on her? Truthfully he baffles him. He isn’t ungrateful, he just didn’t expect to become a concubinus when sent here. He expected a joint military operation or to be a representative. He hit it off quickly with the group from the empire’s military.

The two from the war keep to themselves and the shorter one threatened to bite him.

Often feels the most out of place because he is the only one from his area, but he doesn’t complain. He gets nice gifts and is invited into your room pretty often, so he appreciates every moment. He wonders if it would be proper or allowed for him to get you gifts?

I was surprising more eager to write this ask than I thought. Let me know if yall want me to do formal parts to this? Maybe an actual fic for this au?

Masterlist is pinned on profile as always, don’t forget to leave me a comment or a request in my inbox to let me know what yall want to see!

[quantum1mmortality]

(SORRY LONG ASK VERY LONG ASK)

So... I'm shy and a bit scared to post it(hence the anon) but I wrote a drabble and NEED to know your opinion on it AKJSH

Its of Post crash Curly x new medic reader training under Anya ( It doesn't need to be romantic, but I wrote that Y/N had a crush on him and didn't say anything because she knew that if he felt the same, he would hold back due to his high rank/risk for power imbalance)

In this story, Y/N would give Curly his meds in place of Jimmy and Anya. She would sneak water packets into the medbay and filling an eye dropper with the water and elevating his head to help his medication go down easier. They did it behind Jimmy's back due to him thinking it was an "unnecessary waste of water". To hide it from him, they needed to empty the packet to discard it. A thought hit them to grab a rag and wet it with what was left of the packet, and place it over Curly's mouth to keep his teeth covered and his mouth moist, and talked him through it while they did it. They asked him to move his eye left if it helped, or move it right if he wanted her to take it off. When his eye flicked to the left, it dawned on them that they finally had a method of communication, they began to ask about things he wanted, (ex, a blanket and an extra pillow), and just getting excited and emotional that they finally had a way to talk again.

they wrote phrases on paper and taped it to the wall for him to motion to when he needed, (take cloth, rehydrate cloth, give cloth. Take blanket, give blanket. Ect) and over time, the wall filled with more phrases for him to motion to. And when he seemed to be a bit stronger due to the better quality care it enabled, they tried to reteach him to write by taping a pen onto the bandages of his arm and holding a notepad steady. He practiced a little with lines and curves, and once he a bit more oriented, the first phrase he wrote, the first words from him anyone on the ship heard since the crash, scratchy and shaky, but readable

"Thank you".

I guess this is my way to trial run the idea? AKAJAH do you have any ideas for it? I love your headcanons, and honestly if I really like your additions/ideas (or anyones tbh) I may add them in if I decide to post it ^^

i LOVE this anon. I really like the idea you came up with for communication, I've never seen anyone else write something like that.

I don't have very much to add to it tbh.. the only thing I can really think of is Anya would definitely want to be involved in this, especially the later stages. Maybe Anya and reader would take turns checking up on Curly, but I think she'd like it if reader was there(for extra emotional support).

Also, Jimmy would be against it. Like you said, to him it's, "a waste of water." I think Daisuke would just lurk around the door to make sure Jimmy wouldn't start anything if Anya and reader are in with Curly.

I lied, I have another thing to add; reading. Imagine this; reader has a bunch of books she brought in the tulpar, and every week, she'll bring a few to curly and have him pick which one he's more interested in, via motioning to the one he wants. Reader would then pull a chair next to his bed and for the next few days read that book to him.

Okay that's all thank you 🫶

[mari-lair]

How many times will you bring insanity (rare pairs/"crackships") into the world, opening my virgin eyes to a whole new universe (the brainrot) I was so readily unprepared for and drag me down into the depths of hell where I can make sense of those twisted visions too???/lh/pos

Seriously, I never knew I needed Teruaoikane in my life. I never knew how fun Natsukane could be. They both make so much sense when you share your thoughts. So much so that I can't stop thinking about them either. You have opened my eyes time and time again and by GOD I cannot close them. Please tell us more about your ideas op

iughyoiuguyfgtuft thank you! Spreading my madness is a passion of mine, I'm happy you appreciate it Anon.

Here are some crumbs of terukaneaoi and natsukane!

terukaneaoi first:

When Teru says he wants to date the Aois, that's what he means, he has minimal experience with friendships and zero with romance, is all new and exciting and interesting. Aoikane on the other hand are very serious about romance, if they accept to date someone is because they expect a lifelong love, a marriage, which has always been more connected to politics than love to Teru. So when Teru accepts dating them, he is unaware he proposed/accepted their proposal.

Aoi can't do her hair well with her numb hand, and Teru is the one to always offer to help, usually giving her twin tails like he does with Tiara and other simple styles. Akane is the one Aoi goes to when she wants something fancy, cause he spends hours learning and perfecting complicated hairstyles for her.

Teru likes to call every hang-out a date, cause it gives him an excuse to dress up, and he rarely gets opportunities to use his nice yet very unprofessional clothes.

They are all weak to combo attacks. If Aoi and Teru want the same thing, Akane will cave in, if Akane and Teru want the same thing Aoi will cave in, and if Akane and Aoi want the same thing Teru will cave in.

Aoi has problems saying "I love you", it feels too heavy no matter how many times it's said to her, or how confident she is that her feelings are returned. She finds it easier to say "We love you"

Natsukane:

Natsuhiko would be stuck in one-sided pining hell for a while and be completely caught off guard when Akane started getting attached. Akane won't even notice his behavior is changing, but Natsuhiko is VERY aware Akane's dismissive "shut up, get out of my sign" turn into him rolling his eyes but actually paying attention to everything he says, and making fun of pickup lines from months ago or teh way Akane doesn't react when Natsuhiko wraps an arm around his shoulder or act clingy either. Natsuhiko is very visibly delighted and emboldened by this.

Natsuhiko is okay with a lot of things frowned upon, like trespassing, flirting with many people at once, hurting people, drinking alcohool underage, and such. He tries to be a 'cool bad guy' to impress Akane but he just gets disgust for his efforts, which turns into worried lectures once they are closer and Akane start caring about his well being

Natsuhiko thinks they are dating way before they are actually dating.

Natsuhiko is very self-centered, his 'perfect' dates and romantic gestures involve things he personally likes and he rarely thinks about his date preferences, but he is not picky about affection, he loves being loved and spoiled above it all. So he'll be shocked when Akane want to go somewhere he knows Natsuhiko loves, absolutely smitten about it.

[mumms-the-word]

Maybe for an angst one shot could you please write Minthara x human fem!tav? How Minthara knows her girlfriend will get older quicker and won’t be able to live for hundreds of years like her

Hey anon!!! I am SO sorry it took me forever to get to this but here you go!! Some unexpected Minthara angst for your day :’)

~*~*~*~*~*~

Immortality

It began the day Minthara saw her lover staring at her reflection in the mirror. The beginning of a long, drawn out ending that was paradoxically, frighteningly, all too close.

She had paused in front of the mirror, Minthara’s lover had, lifting a hand to tuck some of her long hair behind her round ear when they both saw it. The first gray strands, standing out starkly against her lover’s dark hair.

Minthara said nothing that day. She simply watched as her lover pulled back more of her hair, silently counting the strands, before leaning in to examine other features. The tiny lines around her eyes, the lines around her mouth. She dragged her hand absently down the column of her throat and turned her head this way and that, simply looking.

Looking for signs of age.

The examination had taken mere seconds. After that, her lover had merely frowned briefly in the mirror before fixing her hair and turning away, moving on to her next task. But the memory burned into Minthara’s mind, bringing with it thoughts and fears that Minthara had never yet dared to entertain.

She wouldn’t live forever. Minthara had always known that. With lives as dangerous as theirs, always dodging a blade in the dark, always attempting to stay two steps ahead of the next poisonous scheme, they were not guaranteed tomorrow, let alone a lifetime with each other.

But that wasn’t what bothered Minthara. To live a few months with her lover and lose her to an assassin’s blade or the schemes of the drow matrons was simply the threat of reality. She had lost countless lovers in such ways before. Though this woman, her beloved, meant so much more, Minthara was prepared after a lifetime of loss to deal with the grief of losing her to war.

Minthara had not been prepared to face the possibility of losing her lover to mere time.

She was over two hundred years old, while her lover had barely a few decades to her name. Her lover would be fortunate to make it, bent and worn and gray, to the end of a century. At the end of a century, Minthara would merely be a century older, looking little different than she did now.

But she would be without her lover.

It was pathetic, how much the thought burrowed down into her brain and squirmed there, like that wretched tadpole had once done, whispering old half-truths and prejudices of her time in Menzoberranzan. Old memories that had lain dormant, until now. She recalled the priestess of House Vandree, how she had shared her bed for countless nights, and how she had held her close, whispering comforts in her ear as the poison took over her body.

Poison that had coated Minthara’s lips, transferred with a kiss.

She would not let Menzoberranzan take another lover from her. She would not let blind duty steal the joys of her love for her beloved. She was determined to stand between her lover and every killing blow, to go out first, if at all possible.

But her beloved was human. If Menzoberranzan didn’t take her, time would. 

Time was not something Minthara could stop or silence or stab. But perhaps it was something she could out-scheme.

She had brought up suggestions to her lover in the following days. Vampirism, perhaps—if Astarion could be convinced, after a hundred favors and deals, to make her a full vampire. Or perhaps a dark ritual, some spell that was just out of reach. Perhaps the new God of Ambition would have ideas, or another of their allies would find a solution. They could depart for the astral plane, to live un-aging among the stars.

But her beloved hadn’t shown interest in any of these ideas. “I don’t think I would stay myself if I traveled down that path,” she would say to almost every suggestion. “I promise, I am content.”

But Minthara was not. They had battled against gods and monsters, men and beasts. They had felled dragons together. They had raised armies together and pulled each other from the jaws of death. 

To lose her in war, Minthara could handle. The loss would be great, driving her nearly to madness, and the vengeance greater still, but in vengeance perhaps there would be relief. What vengeance could she take against time?

Once more, poison lingered in her mind. Vials of exquisite, rare poison, glittering gem-like in their crystal bottles. One drop on the lips would be enough. A kiss of death.

Perhaps they ought to go out together, lying side by side, counting their final breaths as their skin cooled and their heartbeats grew slow and faint. Perhaps someone would find them, still lying together. Perhaps in two hundred, three hundred, one thousand years someone would find their bones untouched, the skull of one laying against the ribcage of another.

Obscurity did not seem so terrifying when she thought of the future like that.

The treacherous thought lingered in her mind until at last her lover said something that changed her mind.

“Promise me something, Minthara,” she said, as they lay together in the darkness. “Promise that once I’m gone, you will carry our name for us.”

Minthara sat up. “My love—”

“Swear it,” she said, sitting up too. “An oath, Minthara. That no matter when I die, you will live on. That you will carry our house and burn our name into the annals of history.”

“I will not let you die,” Minthara said, her voice full of rasping pain. “I will find a way—”

“My love,” her beloved said, cradling her cheek. “We all die. I do not fear death. Nor do I fear the ravages of time. I know you do, because I can see it in your eyes every time you look at me. I think you fixate on these gray hairs more than I do.”

Minthara said nothing. There was no defense to make against such a statement.

“Swear an oath to me that no matter when I die—and make no mistake, I hope to live for many years with you at my side—but that when I die you will live on and that you will keep our house and our name alive. For me.”

“I cannot. To face the centuries ahead without you at my side—”

“You can.” Her lover held her face in both hands now, eyes full of tenderness and quiet strength. Confidence and sorrow. Full of love, for her. “You keep asking me how I might prefer immortality. This is how. By you going forward and carrying my name with you. Carve my name—our name—on the pages of history, over the doorframes of your homes, into the very foundations of Menzoberranzan itself. Carry our banners across the continent and establish the empire of your dreams with armies bearing our crest on their armor. Make it so that long after I’m gone, there is not a soul on this earth that doesn’t know our name. That is how I’d prefer immortality.”

Her beloved dropped her hands and faced her fully, sitting on her knees, and held out her hand. “Swear it, my love.”

Minthara stared at her hand. “But the future will be empty without you.”

“Swear it.”

“What use is an empire without its empress?”

Her lover just smiled. “Minthara. Swear.”

Minthara struggled again but finally broke, taking her lover's hand. “I swear it. On my oath, I will not rest until our name is known on every continent.” 

With the oath sinking into her bones, Minthara bent forward, pressing a kiss into her beloved's palm. She lingered there, soaking in the warmth of her skin, the feel of her battled-toughened fingers curling beneath her chin. Her lover raised her face and kissed her, deep and tender, tasting the oath on Minthara’s tongue. Minthara let herself be lost in that kiss, in the fantasy of this moment never ending. When they finally broke for air, it was too soon.

“And now, my love?” Minthara whispered.

“Now we make every day count.”

[chronicmisfit]

hi, I would like to order a slice of angel’s food cake and a vanilla latte with whipped cream.

I got'chu anon. Went with head canons for when they take you on a date, and added a drabble for each of them.

Order: Romantic Wonderland Curse Boys with Fluff

The day before William’s date with Kate, he takes her out to buy a dress

Kate wears that dress on the date

And discovers that William has a matching suit

William definitely enjoys the ensuing fluster expressions Kate shows him

He takes her out to a VERY Fancy restaurant

Even in the dress he bought her, Kate still feels out of place

William being there makes up for the nerves she feels though

William smiles, choosing to watch Kate eat the meal she ordered in favor of eating his own meal.

After a moment, she looks up and swallows before asking, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Hm…? Am I not allowed to watch my lovely Robin enjoy herself?” William responds smoothly.

Kate blushes, “That’s not what I said. You need to eat too, you know.”

“Haha, and I will. You know I love seeing you experience new things.” William reaches forward and brushes a strand of hair out of Kate’s face.

“Yes, I know. I love you so much, William.” Kate places her hand on his, keeping it near her.

He places the hand on her cheek, “I love you too, my Robin.”

A festival was happening in London

And Liam had the spontaneous idea to take Kate

Liam didn’t even tell Kate where they were going

Once they get there, Liam smiles as Kate’s eyes light up

They try everything they have the time to try, no matter how odd it is

If Kate shows interest in something, it sparks Liam’s curiosity too

“Oh look, Liam! That game has a prize!” Kate points over to a game where you try to guess which cup has a ball beneath it after the man moves the cups really fast. The prize is a large plush cat.

Liam follows Kate’s gaze, and he asks, “Do you want it?”

Kate nods, and they start to head over. Just before they get there, someone warns them, “That game is rigged, so be careful.”

Liam thanks them for the warning, then asks Kate to go try it herself while he does something.

While trying and failing to win the prize, Kate suddenly sees the ball floating up to the game master’s pocket, then it slips in.

Did Liam just use his power to show her the answer? The ball must have fallen through a hole to make it so that none of the cups have the ball in it.

“It’s in your pocket.” Kate says confidently.

The game master furrows his brow in confusion and reaches into his pocket, his eyes widen as he pulls out the ball, “How-?”

“Yay! I win the prize!” Kate cheers.

Unfortunately, the man has to give up the plush he never intended for anyone to win, Kate meets up with Liam as soon as she walks away from the game.

“You’re a very sneaky Kitty.” Kate giggles.

Liam smiles, “I was just curious about how the game was rigged, that’s all. And you got the plush you wanted too~.”

“It reminds me of you.” Kate and Liam both smiles as she says that.

Harrison is more of a stay in kind of person

But every once in a while it’s still nice to go out

Harrison always wants to go to bookstores and places like that

And Kate prefers going to restaurants and more social places

They usually end up going to Kate’s choice and then going to the bookstore after

Sometimes Kate will see flyers about events and Harrison will decide to take her there right then

This time, Kate found a brand new chocolate shop that opened and begged for Harry to take her there. Harrison happily agrees to go with her, even after Victor overheard and asked them to bring some home for everyone else.

They ended up trying every chocolate the shop sells, and Harry started sneaking chocolates out of what Kate had boxed for the other members of Crown.

“Harry!” Kate chuckles, she expected this from her sweet-tooth boyfriend, “That’s not for you!”

“I can’t help it.” Harrison pecks Kate’s lips, she can taste the chocolate he’s been eating, “Maybe we just need to buy more so that there’s plenty for me.”

“Your kisses taste like chocolate…” Kate tells him.

Harry raises his eyebrow, then kisses her again, “Do they?”

“Yes… But maybe you should kiss me again just so I can be sure.” Kate whispers.

“As you wish.” Harrison doesn’t stop at one more.

Masterlist

[noodleblade]

(BD & ratchet anon) i'm honored you got inspired by my ask! tbh it was just a thought that had been rolling around in my head for a while now and i just wanted to share it :)

but yes! i think a very quiet and comfortable friendship would strike up between them! since it's canon ratchet starves himself for the rest of the team, i like the idea that BD would notice and try to get ratchet to take better care of himself. (especially since BD would feel a little guilty that they have one more mouth to feed b/c of him)

i do think things would get like 5x funnier once KO arrives b/c KO and ratchet would NOT get along. i'm imagining the two of them sniping at each other while BD is just in the background. sweeping the floor. tidying the datapads. wiping the berth. ( ratchet tells BD that's he's surprisingly handy and ratchet's been considering getting an assistant lately would he be interested in a new job? and KO is just 🔪🔪🔪)

Teehee <3 Thanks for the inspo! I'm always thrilled to talk about non-canon friendships and I think they have sooooooooooo much potential for a very fun dynamic!

GUH ;-------------; Breakdown is used to keeping an eye on Knock Out so unintentionally he does the same for Ratchet. For Knock Out, it was always just how their partnership worked and he enjoys caring for him, but for Ratchet, he can see the wear and tear clear as day and can't understand how the Autobots are going forward like this. He brings Ratchet his ration every day (especially when he notices the medic sometimes forgets in order for Bee or Arcee to top off on what they need). He takes on the heavy lifting around the medbay ("no need to wear yourself out doc"). He even offers to oil up Ratchet's finger joints. Ratchet's response is a firm, balking no but a few days pass and he kind of warms up to the idea. Cue the most awkward night ever where Breakdown does maintenance on Ratchet's hands with surprising delicacy. When pressed, Breakdown just shrugs and mentions he likes doing it for Knock Out and misses him. Ratchet kindly doesn't ask more questions about Breakdown's weird position.

The KOBD reunion is teeth-rottingly sweet but Ratchet ruins it immediately by just being there. Knock Out can see how comfortable Breakdown is and gets immediately threatened. Not only is Breakdown his assistant (the absolutely screaming match he gets into with Ratchet for even offering Breakdown a job), but Knock Out prides himself on being Breakdown's medic. No one else. He critiques the repairs that Ratchet has made to his assistant. He is tempted to redo all of them and Breakdown has to placate him and calm him down. It becomes Breakdown's new role- mediator of the medics. Its becomes a very integral position in the medbay.

[lover-of-mine]

No idea what a fun name along the lines of Lady Whistledown or Gossip Girl would be so yes you can call me blue anon! Happy to have someplace to share these horrors.

Today has been interesting so far (mustache!) Once again BTs cannot tell the difference between Eddie and Tommy while also simultaneously insisting they could not be more dissimilar. They love projecting all of Tommy’s negative qualities onto Eddie and all of Eddie’s positive qualities onto Tommy. The latest in this is the whole ‘Eddie will side with Gerrard’ bullshit and the plagiarized ‘what if (character) gets out of the pool while Whatta Man is playing and Buck is horny about it’ post.

Honestly the Tommy version of that post made me laugh so hard. It would just be strange of the writers to reuse that song and sequence with Buck and Tommy. The show has only ever reused one song: Carry You by Ruelle in 3x15 Eddie Begins and 5x16 May Day. Both scenes where it played were hopeful moments of a character being saved by their family (Bobby) or fighting to survive because they wanted to get home to their family (Eddie). Plus, both scenes were also a big moment for Eddie (fighting to get out of the well in 3x15 and finding his purpose as a firefighter again in 5x16.) Point is that the show’s music cues are very intentional. Using Whatta Man with Buck and Tommy would not just be an odd choice. Despite the new context the song and the imagery would still be a callback to the first time that song played. The writers would essentially be drawing yet another parallel between Tommy and Eddie. It would never happen because it’s a stupid idea but if it did it would honestly end up supporting the Buddie agenda. BTs did not think that one through.

Yesterday some of them were theorizing that Lou is being purposefully hidden on set. I think this is their way of coping with the fact they have not gotten updates from him in a long while. According to them the PR team knows that Lou being on set will cause an uproar among Buddies on social media. So to keep the peace they are hiding the fact that Lou is already on set and one day there will be a video released where he is accidentally shown in the background.

Still sticking with that theory. Which brings us to today. Apparently when Lou liked Kenny’s video of Peter and Ryan it was his way of signalling that he is on set currently filming and he will be in season 8. He’s just ‘not allowed’ to post anything actually confirming that so this is his way of secretly showing his loyal fans the truth. At what point do we get to officially call BTs a cult?

Oh and of course they are hoping for Lou content but (much like the pool post plagarism) they cannot come up with anything original. Aisha and Oliver posted content with Oliver’s dogs? Lou should post content with Oliver’s dogs. Kenny posted a video of Peter and Ryan? Kenny should post a video of Lou. The lack of creativity is concerning actually. All they do is shove Tommy and Lou in spaces where other characters and actors have been and should be.

Hi love 💙

The whole Eddie will side with Gerrard thing is just bananas. And we've been saying they are literally replacing Eddie's name in shit and pressing post but the whatta man thing was beyond insane. If they did something like that it would be once again making people question the way Buck felt about Eddie back when he was introduced. Honestly, giving Tommy a slowmo cut to Buck looking to dumbfounded would shoutout buddie because it draws yet another direct parallel to Eddie. They definitely did not think that one through.

And the whole theorizing he's on set and being hidden, I'm not saying it's impossible, but again we are in a network procedural, this is not Sony trying to hide the fact that Andrew Garfield is coming back, the expectation is that Tommy will be back, so there would be no surprise there, they just think we will lose our minds because they somehow lose theirs every time they find out this isn't the Tommy show. And I think at this point cult is the only way to describe what's happening. But seriously, can they come up with anything original? Even the actor interactions now need to be repeated? Dear god. We need to expand Maria's meme because this is insane behavior.

[commander-rahrah]

So do I! I'm glad Astarion is patient with them although he does tease them XD I love the idea of him embroidering little designs whether it's stars, moon, or something else! It sounds adorable 😊 I would definitely adore letting him have the first pick of new clothes! He deserves it & it would help him separate from his past too 🤍 Thank you for sharing your thoughts because I love it so much :)

Here's my idea that I would love to hear your opinion! Just to let you know this is quite self-indulgent XD What if Astarion had five things about what GN!Reader does that frustrate & confuse him (but he's secretly grateful for it)

1. They always make eye contact with him unless there's something that requires their utmost attention

2. They always remember what he said to them like a book he mentioned briefly that he wants to read but can't find so they worked hard to find it for him or they asked if he doesn't mind continuing what he was talking about earlier before there was an interruption

3. They always ask for his consent even if it's something he suggested because they're familiar with forcing themselves to do something they don't like or they're used to being presented with the illusion of choice

4. They always thank him whether it's something like shooting down an enemy while they're too preoccupied or helping them carry some stuff

5. They won't touch him unless it's for his benefits like quickly removing a leaf from his hair that he keeps missing (that's how they know because they noticed his stiff expression & how tense his body is briefly when they did for the first time) or pulling him to safety

What do you think of it? I'm curious :3

Okay, tumblr definitely lost this one -- so sorry about that anon!

I think that with most of these, the biggest thing would be Astarion realizing that you actually are perceiving him. Seeing through any of his careful masks and facades he puts up. A lot of these things are ideas I've been slowly exploring in my fic series as Tav/Astarion's relationship grows, but I can definitely share some little thoughts about them before I post my bigger thoughts in my fic aha!

I would imagine that Tav/reader continuously making eye contact with him might make him nervous at first - he would try to figure out what you were trying to do, if you were trying to throw him off or something. Once he realized it was just because Tav/reader was genuinely interested in what he was saying, listening and watching… his mind might betray him a bit. Why did you focus on him so much? Did you like what you saw? What if you didn't? I think its something he would have to get use to as he let his guard down more and more, and began to trust Tav/reader

I think he would be floored the first time Tav/reader did something like this. If he made some off the cuff comment about wishing he had better reading material, and then the next night there was a little stack of books sitting in his tent. If you did it again, he would maybe ask in a teasing way, but secretly really really wants to know why you're doing this, "What's the big deal? Trying to bribe me?" and being even more confused when Tav/reader shrugs and tell him that they thought of him when they saw it or remembered him bringing it up. This would make him even more confused and probably tell them as such. "You get more puzzling every day."

The always asking for consent thing is actually a scene I already have written for my series Talking to the Moon - but a bit of a snippet of how it will go is essentially him getting exasperated as Tav once again asks "May I?" and he goes "Do you insist on asking that every time?". "Yes, Astarion. Every time." And even if it was his idea, I think Tav/reader would still ask. He might roll his eyes, "Darling, it was my idea." But you would explain that he can always change his mind, that consent given or promises made before can change, that in the moment it could change. That you never want him to feel like that with you, not ever, not again. So yes, you will ask every. single. time.

Gratitude is not something he is used too. His master made demands, not requests. There were no thank yous expressed to him, not ever. I think he would probably mask this one better then any of the others, flipping his hair and replying in his sassy voice that "you owe me" or "yes, I am quite something, aren't I?" But every thank you you gave him, probably healed something inside him

I think that post-confession, Tav/Reader would only ever touch Astarion without permission if it was a matter of safety, like pushing him out of the way of an arrow or for a spell, etc. And before he could say anything, they would start profusely apologizing, not trying to explain it away but then Astarion would shush them, reassuring them that he was alright, "It's okay, I'm fine. We're okay, I promise."

[streetlightyeri]

and the old men that i've swindled really did believe i was the one

hope that anon who wanted me to write for Javi is still here cause this idea came to me while I was having my weekly Everything Shower and had evermore playing (she's defrosting guys). here's a peek at one of my many wips, this time based off of cowboy like me. I really like the idea of pre-movie Javi where he kind of doesn't care that he's chasing Riggs for money and is willing to do anything to get his business off the ground, which leads him to high society New York where he meets a girl who kind of doesn't care where the money she spends comes from either. trying not to spoil everything, but I really am enjoying writing this so far! I feel like a lot of my FMCs fall into either the grumpy or sunshine archetype, so this FMC is very fun to bring to life.

please let me know how yall feel about this, I feel like this might not have a great reception since this is pre-redemption arc javi with a morally gray FMC, but im really interested in everyones opinions, good or bad.

as always with my tip posts, unproofread. <3

The rain pattered on the tent above the tennis court where Robert Tomlinson IV’s wedding reception was being held. His wife was dressed in a beautiful silk wedding gown, outdoing all the other women in the venue, as to be expected. But from the moment Javi was introduced to her, he couldn’t even remember what the bride looked like.

A business partner of Riggs grabbed him by the elbow, one too many drinks in, and brought him to a standing table towards the center of the room. “Javier, I’d be delighted for you to meet my date for tonight! I think you two would get along wonderfully.”

The way he said his name, so whitely, irked him a bit. But Javi had no room to say no; insulting this man, no matter how drunk, could put an even deeper strain on his relationship with Riggs. And Javi needed his money. While Javi gathered that most of the men in this layer of society had married up (in the sense they married way down their age), he at least expected someone who matched the man in attractiveness. There was no outward signs that this man, who Javi eventually learned was stock broker Albert Hemingway VI and a distant relative to the Belgian royal crown, was a complete and utter creep, but the jokes he laughed at at the bar and the way his eyes lingered a moment too long on his date’s bust made it clear to Javi he was just like the other men in the room who told said jokes. This man, no matter how sleezy, had money and sway and, evidently, was a man Riggs wanted pinned to his lapels.

“Javier, this is my date, Violet.” That’s how Javi found himself eye to eye with the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. She wore a black silk, floor length gown that he wasn’t sure she’d be able to even sit in, paired with the reddest lipstick he’d ever seen. Her lips were wrapped around a cocktail straw, sipping lightly at the dirty martini in her hand. Her nails were a perfectly manicured nude. And she didn’t seem to care about Javi’s opinion of her at all, if anything, she was judging him. Which was fair in his eyes - he was dressed in his army dress uniform, and who in this walk of life joined the military? He was brushing shoulders with the same people who paid to dodge the Vietnam draft; these were the people whose names were on the buildings and tanks and weapons Javi interacted with every day on base. He had been mistaken as venue staff more than once, empty glasses held out to him by people who didn’t even bother to look away from their conversations.

So, he opted for a tight-lipped smile and nod of acknowledgement for the girl. Her crimson lips pulled into a small smirk. “Hello,” her voice was sultry, a note of an accent that Javi couldn’t place; he just knew that her vowels were wrong, an inkling that she was just as out of place as he was. She just played the part better.

The night proceeded on, Javi’s eyes following Violet the entire time. He had to swerve to avoid glasses and hors d’oeuvre plates being thrust at him. At one point, he accidentally took one as he fixated on the way Violet covered her mouth as she shook her shoulders and crinkled her eyes at one of Hemingway’s jokes; Javi saw the way her mouth stayed stoic behind her hand. Hemingway didn’t look at her long enough to care, instead turning his attention back to his friends. By this point, Violet had abandoned the cocktail straw and downed the rest of her glass when his hand found her waist.

The night continued. Violet was holding her liquor well; Hemingway was not. He was with other men Javi was with at the bar earlier in the night, his forehead connected to the bartop, the other men not far behind. He scanned the crowds, finding her standing outside the coverage of the tent, smoke billowing from her lips. He found himself making his way towards her, the perfectly manicured lawn of the Tomlinson’s Hamptons home squelching under his dress shoes until he made it to the small gazebo she was standing in, alone. It was clear she heard him with the noise his shoes made against the granite floor, but she didn’t turn to look at him. Under the stained glass gazebo, the rain pattered at a more comforting pitch, as though the raindrops were singing to them. A breeze tunneled through the small building. The bottom of her dress was muddied and damp.

“I think you’re in the clear, as far as sleeping with him goes.”

Violet looked at him from the side of her eyes before averting her gaze back to the front. Her voice was coated in that posh accent that he had a feeling wasn’t real. Her Gs weren’t polished and her As extended. “What if I wanted to?”

“Did you?”

She took a long drag before responding to him. “Would you?”

He let a puff of air out from his nose in a humorless laugh. “Would anyone?”

She mimicked him. “He has eight kids.”

Javi’s eyes widened and a real, shocked laugh fell from his lips. “Eight?”

“Yeah, I think he’s hopin’ I can round him out to double digits.” She laughed as well. “He and every other sad, lonely man with too much money on Wall Street.”

From the tent in the distance, a French love song began to play, the live string band increasing their volume, signaling the newlyweds were preparing to depart. A cheer went up by those who were still coherent. Javi repositioned himself, one hand behind his back. He bowed slightly to Violet. “Would you care to dance with me? Have a good moment to remember from this night?”

She tossed the cigarette onto the ground and extinguished it under the toe of her still-wet stiletto. “Dancin’ is a dangerous game, Javier.”

She departed from him, walking back to the tent, no doubt to collect the drunk Hemingway and put him in a limo back across Long Island Sound. He called after her, “It’s Javi.”

She looked back at him over her shoulder, a mischievous grin that Javi couldn’t exactly pinpoint the meaning of. “And it’s not Violet.”

She disappeared into the crowd of people as he gazed down at the extinguished cigarette drenched in red, trying to make out what was her lipstick and what was the moonlight seeping through the red, stained glass rose above him.

[ryuichirou]

So I just had a silly crack!idea for the Kalijami Sultan AU

What if the equivalent of the royal council is pressuring Jamil for what seems like the 100th time that he needs to convince Kalim to have an heir. Jamil in all his utterly DONE glory proceeds to jinx himself and the council in the most ridiculous fashion.

Jamil*with all the rage of the sun*: Do you think I haven't been trying?!!! At this rate, I'd have better luck giving him a child MYSELF!!!!

Council of Elders*sarcastically*: Well in that case, you two better get started then.

Timeskip to a few days later. Kalim and Jamil need to go on a long business trip. It lasts for 1 year 🤭🤭🤭

Everything goes smoothly until an incident happens on the way back. Kalim helps out a genie or some other entity in disguise. Entity sees the pining!Kalim and decides to reward him with a baby without needing to bother with the other stuff. Entity hands him a beautiful flower that Kalim gladly accepts. While back at the hotel they're staying, Jamil and Kalim get pricked while investigating the plant. Luckily there doesn't seem to be any side effects so they decide to deal with the mystery flower in the morning and sleep for now. When they wake up the next morning there is a lovely baby girl in place of the flower that suspiciously looks like them. They bring the child with them.

Tests are made and the results confirm that she is without a doubt their lovechild. Kalim is ecstatic while Jamil is having an existential crisis beside him. Conveniently the Council of Elders were present at the time so they're getting flashbacks to the conversation above and side-eyeing Jamil in shock and disbelief.

Council of Elders *internally*: Man really went ahead and did it himself 🤯

I'd like to know if you have any headcanons for this. Seemed like an amusing idea and it would be fun if you elaborate on the it or to know what you think would happen next. Like how would everyone react, what baby girl is like, and Kalijami as parents.

Lol, the only way Kalim is going to have children is if there is some kind of magic involved, honestly, this is probably true. And of course Jamil would end up being involved one way or another, since the heart wants what the heart wants….😭 You’re a mother now, Jamil, better get used to it (he’s been parenting Kalim for his entire life, so it’s nothing new)

First of all, we are very happy that you enjoy our AU, Anon! It’s always great to hear from people who get invested in them and want to hear more from us. But unfortunately, we can’t really elaborate much on the idea, since writing about characters having children and parenting isn’t really our thing: we rarely have any ideas or interest in this topic. I can only imagine that they’d get tons of unsolicited advice from every single character: NRC is full of opinionated people who are certain they know better. Also, Lilia. Just Lilia.

Once again, thank you for sharing with us and thank you for liking the AU!

Sorry for a disappointing reply, and have a great day.

[swanimagines]

im half asleep right now (staying up late scrolling when i rlly should be sleeping 😅) but i just was overcome with appreciation for your blog and i really want to let you know that your posts always bring a smile to my face. it makes me so happy to see you feeling comfortable enough to return to tumblr!!! (and i also wanna say please dont be too hard on yourself, youre doing amazing things and seriously appreciate your presence on this website so much ((but would also be on your side in a heartbeat if you ever decided to change platforms again, because at the end of the day the only thing that matters is that youre enjoying yourself and are in a space you feel safe in!!)))

i have my own fanfic blog, that i notably made like the day of a new film releasing, so i think within like that first month i got like ~200 requests that i still havent answered all of- my point being that seeinf you persevere through all your requests makes me feel like i have the strength in me too to complete my own. it just makes me feel like im not alone/its okay to be human and go at my own pace

anyway im so sorry if this is rambly or clunky or makes no sense. im typing this with clumsy fingers on mobile tumblr so everythings really janky 😭 so ill just wrap this up before i fall asleep with my phone fallen ontop of my face and just say, thank you. thank you for doing what you do & making me feel less alone

(and, ofcourse, a huge thank you for all the amazing fics youve posted over the years, im still making mt way through your masterlists and every new fic i read brings me so much joy)

sending so many positive vibes your way. i hope life (and people on tumblr) treats you super well, you deserve it!!! 💞💞💞

PHOTO TEXT: "same rambly overtired anon from a second ago- i also just wanted to say your commitment to always returning to writing even when you burn out or take long breaks also really resonates with me. it reminds me that im not some sort of failure just because i cant write all the time, and its like a light at the end of the tunnel reminding me i can always come back no matter how long its been

okay, thats all for real this time!!! im holding myself accountable and saying ill got to sleep as soon as i send this ask 😅😅 (i need energy so i can have a blast writing tomorrow after all!! 😄)"

ANONNNNNN YOU MADE ME SMILE SO WIIIIDE!! It cheered me up a lot, even though I'm very cheery anyway right now because of next week (!!!!), but you made my day even better!

Honestly I still do have fleeting moments when I wonder why did I come back because there are some rude/weird people who pop into my inbox/messages once in a while, but people like you are exactly one reason why I decided to come back to post!!

Just a while ago, someone splatted multiple very long and detailed smut scenarios with extreme kinks to me through IM's and was like "I'm not asking you to write these but what do you think of these ideas?" and when I told them that it makes me really uncomfortable and I can't even finish reading that first message, they were like "oh, ok. But what do you think of them?" and yeah I was pretty creeped out, in the end I had to block that person because it felt like they pressured me to finish reading those.

But overall, the feeling of being here has been healthier than when I left? I'm kinda scared of The Sandman season 2 though 😅 (Last time S1 was one of the culprits that made me leave, people just wouldn't understand why I don't write smut for it when everyone else does, there was a huge beef about it and yeah, browsing through Morpheus tag is still very much smut sooo mmh, S2 scares me + I'm also scared of whether there's going to be the same kind of drama that was with Harry Potter/me writing for Harry Potter when JKR started clowning around, which drove me away and ultimately completely made me lose interest to write for it/return to write for it. I just hope people won't attack us who will continue writing for The Sandman despite what Neil Gaiman has been doing)

But on the other hand, seeing that a lot of people in the community have left because of pressuring/guilt-tripping/toxic people, it may have contributed in how people are more polite, or at least attempting to be more polite? Most people who I've asked to send in their "machine request" again with a hello/please/thank you have done so and usually with an apology too. In 2022, such people either told me to fuck off or alternatively told me to fuck off + blocked me, so this is an improvement and it makes me have hope for the future of this community!

And yeah haha, glad to know there are people who understand the way my to-do list is packed. There have been a few people who requested and pulled their request off when they learned that it won't be coming out next because they've been used to writers who write their request within a week max from after they send it in, and I understand why people find my way confusing, why I just don't close requests. But like SOMEHOW those people who don't see any of the "requests are closed" signs always seem to send me the most amazing requests that hurt to turn down because my requests were closed 😅 So that + because the DRAMA was unbelieveable every time my requests closed, I made a decision to open my request box for good. People request and virtually sign an agreement to wait patiently, but they also have the right to pull their request out if they get tired of waiting and want to send their idea to someone else.

Also I'm proud of myself for having succeeded in keeping up a steady pace of posting for these first few months (currently my active queue is running until April 11, and hopefully beyond that) after being extremely slow for so long and I want to give some credit to supportive people like you for that!

(Also 200 requests during the first month?? 😳 You must be a brilliant writer if so many people found you in such a short time, even if that film is a massive success (which I assume it was)!)

Have a good day, week, year, decade writing sweet nonny and thank you so much for sending this message 💕

[shi-daisy]

Chapter 13 and 14 have me reeling omg ma'am! 😭 The fluff 💗 the twists😱 the smut 🥵 We been blessed! I love how Tamlin is finally getting his healing arc/found family/Lucien romance because the way you write our boy is so cuteeeee!!! The flashbacks were adorable, Lucien is so handsome and adorable and I need both of them to be happy and cherished forever. Goodbye SJM canon this is what's canon for me now!

Few questions tho, given that you've named all the other 'nameless' characters like the Vanserra family, Tamlin's family, and other secondary characters is there are a reason why you haven't named Rhysand's family? Like is it because you're looking for a fitting name or a story reason?

Also, given that the new Dusk Court is seemingly a mix of Greece and Japan do you have headcannons for the other courts? What would Spring, Autumn or Winter be?

Finally I can't wait to see more of the Njght Court rebellion. After the whole Dusk reveal I'm excited to see their reactions and maybe backstory, and them with the Valkyries because Gwyn and Lunara would be such a cute friendship. Also Grim is best boy I love this man he's had one scene and now I need a prequel we stan himbo dad warrior in this house! He's what Cassian should've been!

Speaking of, Nesta needs to come back and read everyone for filth! Book 2 might be all about her but she so fun to read here too, especially as Tam's sister (they'd be cute as a ship too but platonic siblings Nestlin is life)

Anyway so sorry for the long message, I love your fic and I'm cheering you on! 💗

Aaaaaaaaa!!!! Anon c'mere and let me hug you! You're so sweet! Thank you so much!!! 🥰🥰🥰 it's been a joy to write this fic and while I already loved Tamlin and Lucien both as individuals and as a ship before, thanks to the fic they've gone up to otp status in my heart. I'm so excited to keep bringing you my boys and their adventures be it sweet and fluffy or high stakes.

Okay so to answer your questions, the reason I haven't named Rhysand's family (or the other bat boys family) is less interesting that twist a or story and has more to do with spite. I am spiteful AF when it comes to the page hogging bats and I refuse to give them any once of development or thought other than antagosnist. So I have zero intention of naming any of those characters because I know SJM would grant them names before the Acheron parents or the Vanserras or any other more important character. So no, I'm just a petty spiteful slug in that case. Sorry to disappoint.

Glad to hear you cought the Greece/Japan mix invented for Dusk. Given that Night seems to be based on Greece along with Middle East at least from what little world building we were shown I thought it would be cool to have them have Greek influence due to Night's colonization but also retain the Japanese inspired culture and aesthetic that was theirs before their fall. I have some ideas for the other courts but these are just headcanons.

Spring- Scottland, France

Summer- Kingdom of Hawaii, Polynesian, Caribbean

Autumn- Spain, Ireland

Winter- Russia, Norway, Korea

Day- Madagascar, Kenya, Roman Empire

Dawn- India, China, Vietnam

Dusk- Japan, Greece, England (Gothic period)

Night- Greece, Middle East

You shall get more Night Court rebellion content soon, I love this group and trust me you haven't met them all yet, lots of peeps want Rhys gone. Gwyn and Lunara will be good pals don't you worry, priestess stick together and I really want more Gwyn she is a delight. Seriously considering a prequel with them at some point.

Funny you mention Grim, he's the favorite so far out of the Rebellion oc's and while I love this precious edgy himbo he is not of my creation @maplesamurai made him as an NPC for one of our D&D campaigns and I've been obsessed with him since then (that version of him and of D&D Lunara are also a couple, mates in every universe baby!) So thank him for the best boy and best himbo. Cassian's got nothing on the best dilf!

Nesta too will get more page time, I'm just keeping from adding too much before her own book, while her healing is mostly happening offscreen and she will be stable by the time of book 2 girlie will have stuff to deal with later that I need to put off for now, but do expect her to get a good moment along with the rest of the squad. Also yes platonic Nestlin for life! They'd be an awesome ship, but as siblings they're a winning combo. Eris look out Nesta now has an older brother to keep an eye on ya once you're official!

Don't ever worry about long questions anon, I live for comments and asks and any attention so I'm absolutely delighted that you sent me this and so grateful you love my silly fix it fic! Thanks so much and I hope I've answered your question! 💙

[phanfictioncatalogue]

hi! last anon here who asked abt the time travel thingy, would also like to hear your all time favorite fics! im a bit overhwlemed with the so many fics i could read so a small list to start with would be immensely helpful 💗

All admins feel free to add on! But off the top of my head, here’s some of my favorite longer fics! Lmk if you want shorter recs too!

A Stolen Ring (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Dan’s not normal. Why?

He's not human, he has a mysterious ring, and he hates Phil Lester. They have a strange past, one filled with bullying and avoidance, but when Dan turns into an incubus, everything changes. He struggles with his identity and cries himself to sleep most nights, yearning to be normal. And somehow the universe makes it worse by bringing him and Phil together - in the most literal sense.

(TW) Absolutely Lovely (ao3) - Autumn_Kismet

Summary: His friends and family think he's acting strange, they're worried that he's depressed again, but Dan doesn't see it. The only thing he sees is the new guy at school, the quirky one with the black hair and stunning blue eyes, and that's bad. So bad... because he likes him, and Dan can't like him. Dan can't be gay. He'll lose his family, he'll lose his friends... he'll become just like his father, and that's the last thing that he wants in the entire world. It's a scary thought that he doesn't think will ever go away and if there's the possibility of that happening, of him becoming the disgusting monster that his father was, or is, then maybe the world is better off without him, regardless of what PJ's dad, his mum's new husband, has to say.

Believe in Me (ao3) - Elleberquist6

Summary: Dan Howell is living at home while he’s saving money for college, which isn’t easy since his parents don’t understand him. Unlike them, he loves dogs, is a vegetarian, has no interest in the family business, and he despises the supernatural. He struggles to accept things that are illogical, even though he is a kitsune. Kitsune are foxes whose powers involve the ability to cast illusions, but Dan just wants to be normal. Phil Lester has just moved to London, where he works as a dog walker. When his path crosses with Dan, Phil is eager to get to know him. Unfortunately, Phil soon finds that being friends with Dan is far more complicated than he could have imagined.

(TW) Break Me (ao3) - MySecretsX

Summary: In this world, you're marked with black. That's if you have a soulmate at least. Everyone is destined to cross paths with the one who is meant for them, at least once in their lives.

When you and your soulmate meet, you will touch, if only briefly, and the exact area of skin you touch with the other turns from black to white, with streaks of blue, purple, yellow, all marbled in with each other.

Daniel Howell is well-known in town. People cross the street if they're approaching him and newcomers to the neighbourhood are warned about his presence. Exactly like the Lester's were. But Phil Lester has other ideas, he saw the pain within the boy, how bad can he really be?

Bury Your Flame (ao3) - worriedpeach (skeletonflowers)

Summary: After receiving a dragon egg when his grandfather passed away, Phil is forced to ask for help from the local dragon tamer. As he soon finds out, Dan Howell is nothing he’s been expecting. Infuriating, ludicrous, and completely lacking respect, Dan is everything Phil hates. But Phil will do anything to make his grandfather proud, even if that means getting help from the local cluck.

Cat and Mouse (ao3) - jilliancares

Summary: Dan Howell is the Panther. He's evil, nefarious, ingenious, and good at coming up with adjectives for himself. The Raven is a nuisance, but he's definitely the most fun part when it comes to being a villain. As a child, Dan had been scared of his powers. He'd been weak. He'd become strong, though. Strong enough to torment the city; strong enough to annoy the Raven with every opportunity he got.

Phil Lester only had one goal these days. To become strong enough to defeat the Panther.

Desires (ao3) - A_Million_Regrets

Summary: What would you do if you were suddenly hauled from your inauspicious life and dumped into an unforeseen catastrophe with your worst enemy?

Dan Howell and Phil Lester completely and utterly hate each other. They fight every time they meet, and all of their friends are tired of it. But one day, these two hot-headed, reckless men stumble through a secret passage in a mysterious old house and wake up on a strange island uninhabited by other intelligent life forms. They only have each other and no way to escape. Will they fight to death, or will they learn to trust each other in a world where no one else exists? Can they put aside their mutual hatred for each other to survive this misfortune?

(TW) Get Out Your Damn Umbrellas (ao3) - llamalamp

Summary: Phil's only gone for one weekend.

Apparently that's all the time it takes for everything to fall apart.

(TW) Head Down Low (ao3) - Rhensis

Summary: Dan isn’t right. He’s not like most of the others, he’s not genetically pure. He has no destined path, he has nothing going for him in life. He’ll be lucky to get himself a job in a fast food kitchen, and everyone looks down on him like he’s a piece of dirt stuck at the bottom of their shoe. Except one person: Phil Lester.

The Colors in You (ao3) - Phandiction

Summary: Dan is a dragon with scales as black as a moonless night. Part of the Dark's, he’s not supposed to get along with the colorful Chrome dragons from the other side of the island. But after seeing a Chrome for the first time in person, he’s transfixed by the rainbow of colored scales and against his better judgement rescues the dragon from a group of Dark’s seeking to kill it. Now responsible for hiding and protecting the Chrome dragon named Phil until he’s recovered enough to return to his home, Dan questions the laws that's kept the two species from each other for centuries.

The Slave Boy (ao3) - Phandiction

Summary: On his eighteenth birthday Phil receives a quiet and timid slave boy as a gift from his father. Phil intends to make Dan his friend more than a slave but social status and pressure from his father forces the two to keep an emotional distance when it comes to being in public. Behind closed doors though the Master and his slave become close. Phil is expected to take over his father's business and marry a prestigious young girl but this isn't what the young Master wants. What he wants is something he can't have in his world, his slave boy.

(TW) Those Who Trust (ao3) - theshyauthor

Summary: Dan used to be a submissive and now he’s just a broken shell of a man.

Thyme after Thyme (ao3) - chisomo

Summary: Dan Howell runs an apothecary shop in the heart of London, a city wrought with rising tensions between witches and normal humans. Dan tries to ignore the daily instances of prejudice towards his kind and keep his magical abilities a secret, but his life is irrevocably changed when a garden shop is opened next door by a certain sky-eyed young human.

Trust Me, I'm Broken Too (ao3) - natigail

Summary: The Lesters – the royal family of his homeland – was nothing like Dan thought they would be. Well, the King was just as horrible as he had heard but the King’s brother’s son, who was third in line for the throne, was nothing like Dan thought he’d be. Dan had been adrift for three years going from one “place of employment” to another, only his life was seen as worthless and he was more property than an employee. He had never imagined he’s end up as the property of Prince Philip.

The Prince had no intention of ever taking on a personal servant, which was a fancy name to disguise the fact a law essentially enslaved people. Phil often had to do things he didn’t want to or risk being removed from the succession to the crown. If that happened, who knew who his tyrant of an uncle would pick as a successor? When pressured into the choosing, he’d wanted to go for the most innocent, young girl, but hard brown eyes caught his attention instead.

Weather With You (ao3) - Evening42

Summary: Phil moves to an isolated cottage to start his dream of writing a novel. He meets a mysterious silent stranger on the beach who has a tragic history.

-Rae