#somewhat unrelated but i think i want to make this the year of dark fics/less conventional fics

[hwanghyunjinenthusiast]

Maybe it's because Hyunjin day is so close but, I am feeling motivated today

[sweetest-honeybee]

Down to Dust

Chapter 1

Fic Summary: Grian will have to keep the dragon egg secure for the Watchers. But, they’re not the only ones who want it. On a completely unrelated note, Mumbo will have to deal with a version of himself thats only amplified by his No Killing mindset.

Chapter Summary: Grian’s getting tired of Scar’s shit and Mumbo thinks he’s a responsible adult.

Word Count: 1392

TW: None

Note: TEGG doesn’t exist in this fic

Enjoy!

———————

This was the third time this week that Scar managed to find Grian’s hiding spot for the dragon egg. Grian was sure that he couldn’t have possibly found it behind one of the sheep in his farm and yet, here the two builders were, one with a proud smirk on his face and the other glaring with a somewhat playful disdain. They stood in the center of Grian’s base interior, the avian cradling the egg in his arms.

“Someday I’m going to hide this egg a thousand blocks away in the ocean,” he said. “I bet you’ll waste your time then.” This was only met with a snort.

“Hey, I might. You never know,” Scar shrugged. “You never let anyone near it, it only makes it more fun!”

Grian rolled his eyes, biting back a smile at the other’s blatant ignorance. “I never let you near it. Besides, it's a fruitless attempt for me at this point.” He turned and rested the egg on a nearby anvil. “If I don’t let anyone near it, it’s because you told them to touch it in the first place.”

Scar raised a finger to say something but clamped his mouth shut with a reddening face. “Mumbo wanted to touch it,” he opted to retort.

The other didn’t reply, only facing his friend with a raised brow and crossed arms.

“Okay maybe I talked him into it but that’s not the point.”

Only now did Grian break into a grin. “Well, I hope you look forward to never seeing this egg again.” He tapped at the top of the shell. “It’s too special to lose.”

“Yeah I bet it is after it took five minutes to kill the dragon,” Scar laughed. “You’ve never told anyone why it’s so special, though. I’m curious.”

“That’s for me to know,” he jabbed a finger at Scar ,”and for you to never find out.”

“Ah, but I will.” Scar pulled his sleeve to check his watch. “But, my time here is done. I’ve got wagons to build.” With a tip of his hat, he exited the base.

Grian watched as the door shut behind him. “Talk about time management,” he mused.

With that, he sighed and swiveled his gaze to the egg. Under the later afternoon beams, it was a beautiful thing. Its contents, however...The avian shook his head. For now, it was a peaceful souvenir from his battle. Although, it wouldn’t be his to keep. Not for hundreds and thousands of years. It belonged to a much more powerful family of beings.

And so Scar needed to keep his hands off of it.

Despite this, however, Grian hardly minded the shenanigans. He wasn’t exactly praised by the egg’s owners; really, he lacked a more...optimistic relationship with them. Having his rank and abilities revoked by the Watchers was almost as bad as being disregarded by them as a Player entirely. He shuddered at the thought but followed Scar’s choice to leave the building; he wondered what his neighbors were up to. Although, he probably shouldn’t have left the egg so exposed should Scar try to touch it again.

He rolled his eyes to himself, then looked around. Scar, like he mentioned, was stringing together small wagons. Grian cringed at how much copper the man used in his builds- not because of distaste but that he could hardly imagine himself spending so much time grinding for the stuff. He glanced at his roof.

Well, maybe he could.

His gaze then rested on Pearl’s and Impulse’s bases, then Mumbo’s. It was strangely quiet this afternoon. He’d hardly seen any of the three since the day before. Mumbo moreso, but the other two not so much. Curious, he made his way across the field. Only then did Mumbo’s head pop out of a hole by his surface farm did Grian notice that anyone except Scar was out there at all.

Grian stopped and watched as his mustached friend pulled himself out of the hole. Unsurprisingly, he was covered in patches of mud and dust starting at the tips of his fingers. As he noticed that Grian was there, he waved.

“Hey!” Mumbo greeted happily. He stood and dusted himself off in a useless effort to look somewhat presentable. “Sorry about the mess, I’ve been fixing some things in the potato farm.”

“I thought that usually didn’t involve rolling in the dirt,” the avian chuckled. “I’m trying to keep Scar off of the egg.” Mumbo raised a brow. “No, it didn’t work.”

“Huh, I thought he’d never find it in the sheep pen.”

Grian scoffed. “You’d think.”

“You could hide it in someone else’s base. Or better yet, in his own base,” Mumbo suggested.

The avian contemplated the idea, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I can’t really let it go anywhere else.”

“You can’t or you won’t? I can babysit the egg.”

At that, Grian laughed a single ‘HA’ at the proposal. “I’d rather have Scar just take it,” he replied. “No offense. It’s a magical egg, you couldn’t handle it.”

The redstoner gaped with offense despite Grian’s comment. “I think I’d be great at it!”

“Right, right,” the other sneered, but couldn’t help but to giggle at the thought. Eventually, he calmed himself. “Anyways, I’ve got work to do. I suggest a bath for you as well.” Grian looked Mumbo up and down. “You need it.” With that, he rocketed himself away with a salute.

Mumbo stared in disbelief, then turned to Grian’s house. He’d be a great babysitter for the egg! Grian was only just trying to insult his obvious responsibility. Seeing as Grian couldn’t keep the egg away from anyone, it wasn’t like he was much better at the task. Besides, he couldn’t kill the dragon, so what better way to obtain a dragon egg than through showing Grian just how responsible he was with it.

With that thought, the redstoner looked around. Nobody other than Scar, who was busy building, was around. So, he more or less stealthily creeped his way into Grian’s base. If anything he probably looked like a long legged spider. Mumbo expected the dragon egg to be hidden once more but much to his surprise, it was blatantly out in the open. He almost face palmed for Grian’s sake. It was too easy. He hastily plucked the egg from its place and shoved it into his inventory. Hopefully, Scar wouldn’t find it odd for Mumbo to have been there should he notice anything weird.

Mumbo left quickly and already began conjuring plans for a vault. Knowing Grian, it hardly needed to be in any way complex. Where to put it, however, was the question plaguing his mind. He really didn’t have a lot of space to work with. But, the underground potato farm should work just fine. Behind the backdrop was a perfect area. So, he did just that. Within hours, the vault was done and dusted. In it, a quartz interior with a pillar topped with a purple pillow. Mumbo looked around, admiring his work. He then turned to the pillar and pulled the egg from his inventory. He placed it on the pillow carefully, almost as if he wanted the egg itself to be comfortable. With a pat to the top of the egg, he left the vault.

It’s been a while since he last saw Grian. The builder should’ve returned to his base by now and saw that the egg was missing. Mumbo supposed that Grian was simply hanging out with their neighbors. He ascended the ladder, still covered in layers of soil that fell from the wrinkles in his now stained white undershirt. The redstoner peeked his head out of the hole. The sky was dark and littered with stars. Zombies groaned and skeletons' bones clacked blocks away.

Ah, Grian might’ve been sleeping.

He sat on the edge of the hole, legs still dangling inside, and checked his watch. It was late and tremendously so. How long had he been under the ground for? He raked his fingers through his hair. Well, time to sleep then. He made his way to the van and after he did, he looked out once more before sliding the door shut. Tucking himself into bed, he drifted into a peaceful slumber. The thought of the stolen egg hardly left any thoughts on his mind.

[el3anorrigbyworld]

Napollya Fic - Secrets

Napoleon could feel Illya’s eyes on him like daggers. They had walked in silence all the way from Waverly’s room to their office and now, left with no other choice, he has to deal with his partner’s wrath,

“You never told me about your covert mission.”

“That’s the entire point of it, Peril.”

Silence ensued, and before Napoleon could explain himself further, Illya backed him up against the wall behind them, grasping the sides of his jacket hard. Napoleon tried to make a forthwith counter by pushing Illya off, but he was no match for the taller man. In the end he ended being backed up against the wall again.

“All right, I should’ve said something to you. Sorry I had you worried.”

“That is understatement.”

“Sorry again.”

Lately, UNCLE had been having cases of agents mysteriously missing on the job, and when Illya couldn’t contact Napoleon and no one else seemed to know of his whereabouts, Illya had feared the same unfortunate fate had befallen his partner. It was only a few days before Napoleon’s return that Waverly finally revealed that the former CIA man had been roped in to lead the covert mission in solving the missing agents’ case. His superior, however, failed to mention any details of the mission.

“What was the mission about?” Illya now demanded from Napoleon. “Waverly did not tell me anything.”

“It was THRUSH. One of our agents was suspected of being a mole, giving them inside information about our agents that they needed and I had to get in to confirm Waverly’s suspicion.”

“You went undercover as THRUSH? But the mole would have known you are UNCLE,” Illya hissed, unsatisfied at Napoleon’s explanation..

“It was safe. I had a good disguise, he hardly recognised me. Besides, I got out unscathed, didn’t I?”

“Did you?”

“Fuck, yes, I did! I’m fine!”

Napoleon didn’t mean to raise his voice but he needed to put his point across Illya’s thick head. Even if he had wanted to, Napoleon couldn’t let Illya know about the mission. He thought Illya would understand his reasons why. He never expected, however, to receive such a reaction from the Russian now that he’s back.

Napoleon eyed the man who was mere inches away from him, and something swelled in his chest. Now, there was an unspoken truth that he had feelings for his partner, a fellow agent. A very male agent. Yes, Napoleon knew he was being stupid, but there were some things he couldn't control. He dared not tell anyone about it, even Gaby, because love in the workplace was not acceptable, especially in their line of job.

“Were you hurt? Did they ask anything of you?”

With each emphasised word, Napoleon was being pulled harder into Illya’s grasp, causing him to suck in forced breaths. He needed to calm down and so did Illya. Napoleon understood what Illya was insinuating. The anger in his eyes was heated. Despite it, Napoleon liked seeing such intensity in those blue eyes of his, and he continued looking at them, admiring them, without uttering a word. Illya seemed to have moved closer, their hips almost touching but there was no change in his expression. This was his punishment, Napoleon swallowed. To have someone he wanted, so close, yet it was something he could never have. His heart was in his throat. What if Illya secretly knew that he has the hots for him? Was he toying with his emotions?

“Answer me, Cowboy.”

Illya’s voice pulled Napoleon out of his thoughts. His tone had calmed but he was still holding Napoleon as if he wanted to make him feel uncomfortable.

“I’m fine, Peril, they didn’t hurt me. They didn’t touch me.”

Illya’s jaw clenched but then his eyes quickly softened on Napoleon.

“Next time you tell me everything. I do not care for Waverly’s rules.”

Napoleon’s heart did a flip. What was Illya trying to tell him? He wanted to protest but was pulled into a sudden crushing hug. Fuck, this was all he would get after all that heated build up? A fucking hug? But it was much better than the Russian being angry at him all night and though he wished Illya had kissed him instead, Napoleon would take what he was being given.

“I’ll buy you a drink to make it up to you,” were the words that slipped out of his mouth to make things less awkward on his part, and Illya thankfully nodded to Napoleon’s suggestion while still holding on to him tight.

—

Illya battled his demons as Napoleon and he were tucked away in a dark corner booth of a neighbourhood bar not far from Napoleon’s apartment. They have had a couple of glasses of good scotch and vodka; Napoleon’s way of unwinding after his successful covert mission. Illya had agreed only because he wanted to spend time with the American after being away from him for more than a month. And of course, another reason was because he was in love with the man. Illya had hated himself for it but he had come to terms with his feelings and Napoleon being away from him had make Illya see things more clearly. He couldn’t live without Napoleon in his life. It was a terrible realisation but there was nothing Illya could do about it.

“Ahh, this song was playing while I watched you being chased by Vinciguerra’s goons in the docks back in Rome. Interesting choice of music for tonight, don’t you think, Peril?”

Illya raised an eyebrow, ears perking up to what’s being played on the radio at the bar. Napoleon had told him the story about the song before, and Gaby had explained the meaning of the lyrics to him. Suddenly remembering what the song was about, heat mounted in his cheeks as Napoleon eyes fixated on him.

“The name of the love song is ‘Che Vuole Questa Musica Stasera’,” Napoleon had once teased him. “It’s a song about someone thinking of his lost love.”

“You love this song, don’t you?”

Napoleon was smiling at him and Illya quickly scoffed at Napoleon’s suggestion. He took a swig of his drink when Napoleon’s unrelenting stare sent a small shiver running through his body.

“I hate this song,” he retorted, putting his empty glass down seconds later.

“No, you don’t, Peril.”

Napoleon’s eyes twinkled with humor and there was a mischievous curl to his lips. Illya unceremoniously leaned in, discovery widening in his gaze. Even through the dim light and alcohol fumes, the fact was not lost on Illya. Napoleon’s eyes were beautiful. And they always demanded his attention. Those blue eyes were sometimes softened by pain, sometimes lazily seductive. Sometimes, they were the window to his soul in which Illya could not resist.

Illya was not sure which look he was receiving at the moment so he narrowed his eyes to see better, but when Napoleon threw him a look, forehead wrinkling with that slight tilt of his head, Illya’s breath immediately left his body.

He cursed underneath his breath, knowing he was royally fucked. And he really needed to do something about his predicament.

—-

They both headed back to Napoleon’s apartment after their drinking session eventually ended. Illya figured Napoleon was too drunk to be left alone and though the American protested he was fine, Illya wasn’t going to leave him alone.

“You are worse than Gaby, Cowboy. Just terrible.”

Napoleon grinned up at him.

“Well, it’s unfortunate that you are stuck with me. A terrible partner, Peril.”

Napoleon stopped in his tracks and held Illya’s upper arm in a firm grip. It was a bold move. And what he’s about to say was even bolder.

“You ever regret meeting me in Berlin?”

Illya shook his head. “Never.”

There was no hesitance in Illya’s answer and there was something in his voice that made Napoleon decide life’s too short for him not to take any chances. Suddenly he didn’t care if Illya didn’t feel the same. He didn’t care if Illya did not return his feelings. He just wanted, needed to tell him everything.

“I think I am in love with you.”

Napoleon’s mother used to say men are better with actions rather than words. Like with most things, she was definitely correct in this regard. Because all of a sudden Illya was kissing him. Napoleon gasped in surprise. The next thing he knew, those giants hands were all over him and Napoleon’s back was against a dirty brick wall in some back alley and he was kissing Illya back. They kiss and kiss and kiss, lost in their desire, the night drowning them in near-black darkness.

—-

Illya’s practically vibrating out of his skin. He was excited, so nervous, his hands were digging into Napoleon’s hips, trying to stop their shaking. He had heard stories before, from fellow agents, from informants, from their marks; Napoleon’s reputation as an excellent lover proceeds him. But he had never been on the opposite end of his ministrations.

Illya was somewhat glad, because the minute Napoleon opened his mouth and dipped his tongue in again, biting at his lower lip, those unwanted thoughts fizzled from his brain completely. Illya’s knees buckled and his head was just swarmed. Dizzy, light, he felt likke he was walking on a tightrope and he just needed to let go and fall.

“Napoleon,” he whispered against his lips, voice broken.

Napoleon leaned into him, molded their bodies together as he cupped his face in the palm of his hands.

“What are you thinking?”

Illya had been partners with this man for a year now and there was no denying that he loved Napoleon so much, the mere idea of losing him would tear him apart in an instant.

“This is no joke, yes?” he asked.

“Never,” Napoleon whispered.

“When you were gone I thought I would never see you again.”

“I’m sorry, Illya.”

Illya’s heart raced as he closed his eyes against the onslaught of repressed emotion. “Don’t do it again.”

“I won’t. I’m here now,” Napoleon said, repeated, over and over. “I’m here.”

“I know,” Illya murmured, kissing the side of Napoleon’s mouth softly. “I trust you.”

“You have no idea how much you mean to me,” Napoleon quietly revealed and Illya’s heart rested in his throat. He pulled away and the blue eyes he saw then revealed something he had failed to see all those times before.

Love.

[bts-ficrecs]

So I’ve read quite a lot of stories ever since my re-entering the fanfic community (after 3420 years) and I’ve reblogged a lot of them to remember and recommend as well. And of course, like with all things, there are some special ones that slithered their way into the crevices of my heart. These are the stories that my mind comes back to every once in a while. These are the stories that made me laugh, cry, yell, and blush - all times 3000. Yes I went there. Cry with me.

These are the stories I hold dear :“) I hope anyone who happens upon this post enjoys the stories I listed below just as much as I did (and still do).

I will update whenever I find a new favorite!! :”) Also be forewarned, there are over 40 fics under the cut 😅😂❤

➢ Butterfingers by @seokkbuns ⠀ ✎ Summary: He had you at the very first pebble he gave you. ⠀ ▸ fluff, hybrid AU, teacher AU ⠀⸙ notes: i. swear. to. glob. this. is. the. most. ADORABLE. STORY YOU WILL EVER READ !!!!!!!111111 I am absolutely smitten and refuse to shut up about it!!! Just. GO READ IT!!!! Cute and clumsy teacher!! Who loves kids!! I just cannot deal.

➢ Duck and Cover by @versigny ⠀✎ Summary: There were two things you never dreamed would become your biggest worries with your new job: Kim Namjoon, and that god damn camera. ⠀ ▸ fluff, idol AU ⠀⸙ notes: absolute fluff. minor angst. secret relationships~~ ooh la la

➢ For All The Petals by @rosaetae ⠀✎ Summary: A story in which you met him in the spring, fell in love with him in the summer, but he left you in autumn and how you missed him in the winter. ⠀⠀▸ angst ⠀⸙ notes: AUHGHHAKJGRL you don't know how many tears i spilled reading this. does soft heart ache even exist???!? like. it wasn't a punch-in-your-gut kind of attack but more like a i’ll-tell-you-i-love-you-every-day-and-then-disappear-forever like of attack..... hahahaha wow now that i think about it, that hurts even more than a punch in the gut. lmao. good luck with the emotions when you read this!

➢ Intro: Her by @jamaisjoons​ ⠀✎ Summary: You enter Namjoon’s life in the most unexpected of ways, but will you be able to stay, especially when he comes with three adorable but chaotic children, even more chaotic best friends and a bitch of an ex-wife? Not to mention your own emotional baggage. ⠀⠀▸ fluff, angst, smut, ongoing series ⠀⸙ notes: I fell in love with the characters and the story line so fast. And so will you.

➢ Obligated by @underthejoon ⠀✎ Summary: Married by obligation, weighed down by circumstance. Except for those nights when you’re both drunk, falling into bed with one another and realizing you’re human. Occasionally this happens, occasionally you fuck. Until your life changes and you realize Namjoon, the very man you’re obligated to, might just be the very man that you crave. ⠀⠀▸ angst, smut, fluff, arranged marriage AU

➢ Out of The Ordinary by @njhsmoon ⠀✎ Summary: One of your mage students is extremely gifted and her human father is beyond overwhelmed so you take it upon yourself to tutor her outside of school. ⠀⠀▸ fluff, mage AU, teacher AU, single parent AU ⠀⸙ notes: SOBS. I JUST. I LOVE THIS TOO MUCH. can you imagine a human Namjoon extremely overwhElmed with his magical little girl with no one to help him!! and then a magical woman teacher appears and! saves the day!! and his life!! askjfaef YO UWILL LOVE THIS I RPOMISE YOU. OK OK ALSO THERE’S A DRABBLE FOR THIS CUTE ASS FIC!!! READ IT!!!!!

➢ Pages of Petals by @sodoyouknowbts ⠀✎ Summary: A change in the weather stirs a sweet encounter between a florist and a bookshop owner, where one begins to learn the language of flowers. ⠀⠀▸ fluff ⠀⸙ notes: soft namjoon + flowers. what more could you ask for? asaskdjflka <333333

➢ The Take Home Test by @versigny ⠀✎ Summary: In which your mission to deliver homework to Kim Namjoon goes very, very, wrong. ⠀⠀⠀➥ 3 extra drabbles ⠀⠀▸ dirty smut, college AU ⠀⸙ notes: IT'S DIRTY. BEWARE THE ARMPITS.

➢ Through the Phone by @imaginethisbts ⠀✎ Summary: The sexual frustration is real when Namjoon goes on a month long business trip, halfway across the world. So when the chips are down and the tides get rough, and you can’t actually get to one another… what do you do? You go to the next best thing of course - phone sex. ⠀⠀▸ smut, smidgen of fluff ⠀⸙ notes: i’ll just say one thing. and that is that i love it when random moments of fluffy romance happens after the dirty :”)

➢ Tigerboy by @joonbird​ ⠀✎ Summary: You, a docile rabbit hybrid, have been waiting a long time to meet the mysterious tiger hybrid, Kim Namjoon. ⠀⠀▸ smut, hybrid AU

➢ Try Me by @jjkfire​ ⠀✎ Summary: You wanted nothing more than to leave behind your old self when you graduated from high school and moved on to college to play rugby but when you see your high school classmate, resident fuckboy and captain, Kim Namjoon, at the rugby department orientation, you feel like everything might fall apart. ⠀⠀▸ fluff, rugby AU, ongoing series

➢ By Your Side by @sodoyouknowbts ⠀✎ Summary: Jin is somewhat arrogant, overly confident and a tease. All the things you find infuriating in a man and he also happens to be your roommate. It’s a wonder how you two can live together without killing each other…but it’s not like you’re anything more than friends. Right? ⠀⠀▸ fluff, angst, smut, roommate AU, complete series ⠀⸙ notes: UM. this was so incredibly amazing and heart wrenching and frustrating to read. hahahaha. the friendship dynamic that changed over time throughout this series was incredible to read. both characters had a lot of growing up to do and grow up they did. i enjoyed every moment of it.

➢ Edge of Tomorrow by @thedefinitionofbts​

⠀✎ Summary: No matter the amount of rain that falls, what the unrelenting darkness erases, or how many times we are reverted back to the past, I’ll definitely save you. ⠀⠀▸ angst

➢ Ephemeral by @donewithjeon ⠀✎ Summary: As your eyes fluttered open, you were met with a familiar white ceiling and the sound of steady beeping coming from beside you. A quick scan of the surroundings confirmed your suspicions—you were in a hospital room. ⠀⠀▸ ANGST, patient AU ⠀⸙ notes: I almost never reread things much less sob each time that I do. I wish I was exaggerating lmao this fic makes me such a crybaby. It's great. I love pain <|:o)))) [insert clown meme]

➢ Let Me Be Yours by @glassbangtan​ ⠀✎ Summary: How did people just get into relationships? Friends getting married at such young ages, inviting you to weddings left, right and centre – it definitely left room for you to feel like shit about your own love life. After getting stood up, you decide to treat yourself – and it is during this coping-shopping spree that you come across a fellow lonely person like yourself, Kim Seokjin. ⠀⠀▸ angst, fluff ⠀⸙ notes: This fic just... hits a different way than all the others listed here. I relate a lot to this story. That’s all I can really say. This is special to me.

➢ Long Live The King by @remembeo​ ⠀✎ Summary: Long live the King, and may he reign forever more. ⠀⠀▸ smut, angst, fluff, fantasy AU, prince AU

➢ Off Limits by @floralseokjin ⠀✎ Summary: You’ve been lusting after your brother’s best friend for a while now, ever since you met him at a house party, flirting it up a storm as you failed to realise who the other was. That was months ago now and things are still awkward, but you can’t ignore the sexual tension that’s simmers between the two of you…and it keeps getting worse… ⠀⠀▸ smut, angst, fluff, complete series ⠀⸙ notes: you want PAIN? you want NASTY? you want FUZZIES? this series has got it ALL i tell you!!!!! adfhklafh yeah. i . yeah. do yourself a favor and just read it.

➢ Sehnsucht by @johobi​ ⠀✎ Summary: An embarrassing run-in with your new boss is only the start of your destructive infatuation. ⠀⠀▸ smut ⠀⸙ notes: W H E W !!!!!111 

➢ Seven Seconds in Heaven by @jimlingss ⠀✎ Summary: In the moment of your death, Heaven drops the hammer of punishment; making him travel back in time to relive memories that can never be changed. Seven memories. Seven minutes in each. Seven seconds before they are ripped away. ⠀⠀▸ angst, fluff, little bit of smut ⠀⸙ notes: WOW. YEAH. TALK ABOUT GETTING A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE. UUMMMM. I don't want to say anything else in case I spill the beans so I'll leave it at that. Read it.

➢ The Leather Loafers by @jimlingss ⠀✎ Summary: Yes. You went to the ball. Yes. You ran into the prince. Yes. The shoe fits. BUT-! You aren’t that Cinderella bitch. THEY’VE GOT THE WRONG PERSON! ⠀⠀▸ fluff, Cinderella AU ⠀⸙ notes: yeah...there's some crack involved but c'mon. it's Jin we're talking about. minor angst. Great adventure :")) 

  ➢ Untimely Confessions by @jjungkooked ⠀✎ Summary: Your friendly neighbor finds his way into your (very unsocial) heart. ⠀⠀▸ fluff, neighbor AU ⠀⸙ notes: CUTE NEIGHBOR AU WHat more can I say TTT0TTT

➢ Untitled by @oh-hey-tae ⠀✎ Summary: It's been a week since you last talked, three since you saw him in person. You miss him terribly... so you call him despite your nerves. ⠀⠀▸ fluff ⠀⸙ notes: when i first read this, i was in incredible need for a soft jin fic. and this was it. this is it. an incredibly soft jin fic. giving him. ALL. THE. LOVE. HE. DESERVES.

➢ Burn by @dreamscript ⠀✎ Summary: Love is a powerful force; You and Yoongi defy nature itself and burn down the barriers. ⠀⠀▸ angst, fantasy AU ⠀⸙ notes: don't let the short length mistake you into thinking it's not gonna hurt. because. it's. gonna. HURT .

➢ Cobalt and Charcoal by @tayegi​ ⠀✎ Summary: In just ten minutes, he has ruined everything that you and Yoongi have worked for in the past year. It's terrifying to realize that a stranger could have such an impact on you so quickly... except he's no stranger. He's your other half. The only person who will ever own your heart. ⠀⠀▸ smut, angst, soulmate AU, feat. Jungkook

➢ Intoxicating by @versigny ⠀✎ Summary: You go clubbing and get drunk to spite your annoying, stonecold roommate. ⠀⠀▸ angsty fluff, roommate AU ⠀⸙ notes: se xual  tens ion + drunken mistakes. that's all i gotta say.

➢ Jilt by @taesthetes​ ⠀✎ Summary: Forever was only temporary. ⠀⠀▸ angst ⠀⸙ notes: don’t underestimate short fics. 

➢ Koi No Yokan by @oh-hey-tae ⠀✎ Summary: The boy on the bus could work on his bedside manners. ⠀⠀▸ fluff, idol AU ⠀⸙ notes: discovering this fic was an absolute MIRACLE. i swear to glob. i'm so glad i went hunting for this fic after finding out the person i originally read it from was an imposter. and then i got to shower the true writer with loving words. and this story definitely deserves so many loving words.

➢ Miss Dial by @versigny ⠀✎ Summary: [11:31] You: okay so i’m texting you now like I promised instead of drunktexting yoongi and telling him how badly i want his cock tonight. Arent you proud? [11:32] unknown number: this is yoongi, hi ⠀⠀▸ smut, fluff, university AU, ongoing series ⠀⸙ notes: //CCOOUGGHHSSS// THIS. This is the fic. My baby. I'm so freaking attached. This. Is the story that basically started it all for me. I had only just started dipping my toes back into the world of fanfics when I encountered this. And wow did I get pulled in so quickly. It holds title for many firsts. I have so much affection for this series and I will for sure shed a lot of tears when it ends. My forever favorite. I love you Kappy and Nat for having brought this to life.

➢ Monochrome by @chimchimicorn ⠀✎ Summary: The world is black and white until you meet your true love. ⠀⠀▸ angst, soulmate AU ⠀⸙ notes: this is not a Tumblr fic but a story posted on ARMY Amino (ARA). No worries, you don’t need an account to read it! ⠀⸙ notes: it will hurt. 

➢ Play With Me by @thatonegirl ⠀✎ Summary: Your world is breaking and you and Yoongi struggle to push through the pain. ⠀⠀▸ angst ⠀⸙ notes: another story found on ARA

➢ Please Be Naked by @floralseokjin​ ⠀✎ Summary: You find it’s easy to become addicted to a distraction… ⠀⠀▸ smut, angst, fluff, complete series

➢ Candy Hearts by @puppetwritings​ ⠀✎ Summary: He starts dropping candy hearts on your desk. ⠀⠀▸ fluff

➢ Delicate by @bluesxde ⠀✎ Summary: After being effectively dumped by your fuck-buddy, your attention is unexpectedly drawn towards your womanizing friend and fellow dance major, Hoseok. ⠀⠀▸ smut, angst, fluff, college AU, fuckboy/fuckgirl AU, friends with benefits AU ⠀⸙ extra notes: what a ride. *wink wonk* i loved on this story so much. i have a weak spot for fwb!AUs. and y/n constantly trying to! pull! him! in! and! him! constantly! trying! to! resist! the danger. the fun. spicy~ i love this story so very much.

➢ Fetish by @versigny ⠀✎ Summary: Hoseok is the sweetest boyfriend. Even in bed. But you want him to be more dominant. So you tell him. ⠀⠀▸ fluffy smut ⠀⸙ extra notes: the fluff is so overpowering I barely paid attention to the sex. But the sex was still great 👀

➢ Misconceptions by @yoongihime​ ⠀✎ Summary: In which your roommate bails out on you last minute and you’re forced to share an apartment with this gorgeous a f human but, no worries, he’ll never see you that way… right? ⠀⠀▸ fluff ⠀⸙ notes: s e x u a l  t e n s i o n .

➢ Transference by @jeonjagiya ⠀✎ Summary: During a routine visit to the local bakery, you stumble upon an intriguing business card and figure, what the hell. ⠀⠀▸ smut, angst, therapist AU, complete series ⠀⸙ extra notes: the Hoseok series that took BTS Tumblr by storm, lol. And for good reason!! The character development!! The rawness and vulnerability from both characters! The naughty goodness! Just wowowow, a great Hoseok series that definitely deserves the hype it received :')))

➢ Written on Our Veins by @army-author ⠀✎ Summary: You and Hoseok are sick of spending the holidays soulmate-less while your friends enjoy Christmas as couples… tired of waiting for fate to make a move, you decide to take matters into your own hands. ⠀⠀▸ fluff, angst, soulmate AU, complete series ⠀⸙ extra notes: if you want a story that will give you lovely feels and then RIP IT AWAY FROM YOU only to give it back (with extra goodies), this is the story for you :") I absolutely enjoyed watching Hoseok and Y/N get themselves into what they thought would be innocent fun for the holidays only to find out that maybe... it wasn’t such a good idea... but maybe it was? :”)))))

➢ Azure Blue by @jimlingss ⠀✎ Summary: You set off on a journey only to be joined by Jimin: the boy with elegant, azure blue wings. ⠀⠀▸ fluff

➢ Beneath the Water by @jungshookz ⠀✎ Summary: His legs were sparkling. You looked up from his face slowly and towards his legs, your head tilting in confusion when you were met with the sight of… well, it certainly wasn’t a pair of legs. What the fuck? ⠀⠀▸ fluff, smidgen of smut, mermaid AU ⠀⸙ extra notes: I think this was my first mermaid AU?@?@?@ but oh my goossshhhhh asdfj;alje yeah. that’s all I can really say. I’m in love with mermaid Jimin. I thirst for morrre from this AU afaaa;kls don’t mind me as I spazz all over my keyboard once more :’))))

➢ Cordially, Jimin by @kpopfanfictrash​ ⠀✎ Summary: When you start work in your new office, the last thing you expect is a distraction. Especially not one as cute, witty and impossible to handle as Park Jimin. A story told through correspondence. ⠀⠀▸ fluff

➢ Desires by @nightbts​ ⠀✎ Summary: It wasn’t your place to worry for him, you shouldn’t, it wasn’t good for you. But since the day you saw him that hurt, you couldn’t help it. ⠀⠀▸ angst, fluff, bad boy AU ⠀⸙ notes:

➢ The Blue Notebooks by @inktae ⠀✎ Summary: You meet Park Jimin after a particularly rough landing. ⠀⠀▸ angst, fluff, time traveler AU ⠀⸙ extra notes: I didn't think a fanfic could affect me so much. Even now as I write this, without having to reread to refresh my mind, my heart thumps painfully. It feels like I only read this a few days ago. It's one of those stories that doesn't rip your entire heart out in one go but slowly tears a few slivers out and continues to do so even when you're done reading. The pain is never ending. No, no one dies. No, there isn't an ugly break up. It's one of those "what if" stories. To me, anyway. I can't reveal anything more or else I'll spill the story lol I don't know what's up with this fic. But I'm never ok when I think about this story. My rambling doesn't do this story justice. Just read it.

➢ Away From the Sun by @inktae ⠀✎ Summary: You leave your home in search of your brother.. in search of answers.. but you end up making a slight detour. ⠀⠀▸ angst, fluff, soulmate AU ⠀⸙ extra notes: this was. a. journey. i kid you not. 20k story. i lived every moment of this - that's how good the story is. i felt the respect and fondness y/n felt for the eccentric taehyung. i felt the confusion of the "what next?" phase in y/n's life. i felt that hard. an amazing story beyond romance.

➢ Amaranthine by @rainwards​ ⠀✎ Summary: In which the sun loved the moon so much that it died every night just to let it breathe. ⠀⠀▸ angst, reincarnation AU ⠀⸙ notes: :-)))))))))))))) don’t read if you donut wanna be SAd.

➢ Give Me Your Hands (I Will Pick the Stars for You) by mindheist ⠀✎ Summary: I miss you like the moon misses the sun, destined to chase you until the end of time. ⠀⠀▸ angst, historical fantasy AU, feat. Jungkook ⠀⸙ notes: ur heart will heart. i can promise u that.

➢ laser tag AU by @kpopfanfictrash ⠀✎ Summary: You go laser tagging with the boys and come face to face with Taehyung. ⠀⠀▸ s e x u a l  t e n s i o n but it's PG ⠀⸙ extra notes: I have never been so invested in a drabble I swear. The amount of times I've fantasized about this lasertag!Taehyung and Y/N's story is almost embarrassing to admit, hahaha.

➢ Rent-A-Boyfriend by @jimlingss ⠀✎ Summary: Are YOU lonely? Need someone to cuddle at night? Do you want love? If you said ‘yes’ to any of the questions previously mentioned then we have a service for you! RENT-A-BOYFRIEND TODAY! ⠀⠀▸ F L U F F

➢ Seoksanhwa by @gukyi​ ⠀✎ Summary: May you keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Watch your back, keep to the wall. Always be ready to attack. Do not let your guard down, for it will be the last thing you ever do. The game of love is cruel and treacherous, the obstacles high and the stakes even higher, and the royal family never did play fair.  ⠀⠀▸ fluff, angst, smut, prince AU, joseon AU ⠀⸙ notes: r u ready to cry ur fcking eyes out :-)

➢ Song of Sunrise by Fable ⠀✎ Summary: Late at night, as dawn started painting the horizon, a night elf was running, his thin silhouette shining in the moonlight, the sound of his light steps resonating in the leaves of the silent, silent trees. That elf’s name was Tae. And Tae was heartbroken. ⠀⠀▸ fluffy angst, fantasy AU ⠀⠀▸ platonic Taehyung x Jimin ⠀⸙ extra notes: another story on ARA

➢ All's Fair by @goldenscript ⠀✎ Summary: Sometimes people can surprise you and do absurdly kind things, even the ones you least expect… even your rival, Jeon Jungkook. ⠀⠀▸ fluff, enemies to lovers AU, baseball AU ⠀⸙ extra notes: this fic made me blush a whole lot. just a lot of wholesome fluff. :")

➢ A Piece of the Moonlight by @jimlingss ⠀✎ Summary: For your loved ones, the people who are waiting at home, the people who have died - you will fight. And sometimes to fight means to sacrifice: who you really are and the person you really love. ⠀⠀▸ ANGST, mulan AU ⠀⸙ extra notes: this is the fic that led me to KNOW WITH STRONG CONVICTION that there are some fanfic writers who are unbelievably talented way beyond the world fanfics and deserve so so much joy and success if they decide to pursue writing as a career. This is it. This is one of them. If ((((jimlingss)))) ever decided to make this into a full fledged book with her own OCs, there's no doubt it'll be even more A M A Z I N G than it already is. I just love this story so much. It moved me to tears. And not just tears -- but legit ugly crying. Do yourself a favor and read this masterpiece.

➢ baby!Jeon drabble series by @an-exotic-writer ⠀✎ Summary: A series of drabbles and scenarios about (Not-So-)Baby Jungkook, his 6 older brothers, and you. ⠀⠀▸ F L U F F !!!!!! ⠀⸙ extra notes: 6 GROWN MEN. 1 GROWN WOMAN. 1 LITTLE BABY. SO MUCH FLUFF. AFJALEJGAJFAE. 60k+. this is 2 years worth of writing, y’all. so much fluff. so much luv.

➢ Blue Orchids by @inktae ⠀✎ Summary: You were eighteen years old when Jimin’s name showed up on your hand. ⠀⠀▸ angst, fluff, implied smut, hanahaki AU, soulmate AU

➢ Date in a Box by @jimlingss ⠀✎ Summary: If you’re in a hurry then we’re here to help you! Everything you need in a box. Delivery less than five minutes. Upgrade and we can personalize your date even more! Guaranteed 100%! Don’t fret, we’re here. ⠀⠀▸ F L U F F !

➢ Heat Wave by @iq-biased​ ⠀✎ Summary: The air conditioner breaks during the hottest week of summer and you have to figure out how to stay cool. ⠀⠀▸ smut, fluff, roommate AU ⠀⸙ notes: the title is accurately named bc reading this will definitely make you warm. very warm.

➢ Five Dates by @kpopfanfictrash ⠀✎ Summary: “Ten dates,” he nods, smile tugging at his lips. “Ten dates, to decide if you want this – want me – or want me to go. Ten dates to get to know me. Ten dates,” he says, oddly soft, “to fall in love with me.” ⠀⠀▸ fluff, smut

➢ Hiraeth by @thedefinitionofbts ⠀✎ Summary: We are always yearning for someone, even if that person may not exist in this tangible realm. ⠀⠀▸ fluff, angst, smut, college AU, soulmate AU

➢ Human Error by @gardentulips ⠀✎ Summary: Jungkook is your latest creation, and so much more... ⠀⠀▸ fluff, angst, robot AU

➢ Mamihlapinatapai by @tayegi ⠀✎ Summary: You reunite with an old flame. ⠀⠀▸ angst ⠀⸙ extra notes: it's not a happy story. i'm sorry. but it is a definitely good painful story. so i'm not sorry.

➢ Orange Tulips by @kainks ⠀✎ Summary: You’d remember Jungkook with every life you lived. Only he’d never remember you, never recall how your fates were written in the stars since the beginning of time. ⠀⠀▸ angst, fluff, smut, soulmate AU, reincarnation AU

➢ The Swirling Ways of Stars by @inktae ⠀✎ Summary: He feels like the thrill of the unknown and the unexplored, like that hesitant feeling of a new sensation under your fingertips. He’s like the first taste of a newly discovered flavor, one that hits your tongue and quickly spreads through your body from head to toe. ⠀⠀▸ angst, fluff, fantasy AU

➢ Tea and Ice Cream by @blackcatkuroi ⠀✎ Summary: It’s the small moments that truly shine. ⠀⠀▸ platonic OT7 ⠀⠀▸ fluff ⠀⸙ extra notes: another story on ARA. Super cute story that briefly illustrates the close bond between these guys.

Random notes: (cause I just LOVE to blab even when no one cares hahahaha) 1. Not surprising that JK has the most, lol. People just love writing him... and I'm okay with that :"))) I am surprised by the amount of Namjoon fics though, I didn't think it'd be that many! I guess I'm lowkey Namjoon biased................. no scratch that. I'm SO Namjoon biased. Lmao. 3. I realized quickly on that I'm very picky about Taehyung fics I read thus I have few Taehyung favorites :"( I need more. Also I really need to read more Hoseok and Jimin fics. Also I'm whipped for Yoongi. What can I say. He my Master 4ever. And of course I read a lot of Jin fics considering he is my UB, so I have a lot of favorites :"))) 4. Haven't read found very many OT7 fics. I would very much like to find more stories that explore their amazing brotherhood/bond!!

[kylosrehn]

for the tv series thing, I know it isn't one but star wars?

send me a tv film series and I’ll tell you:

my all-time ultimate fave character: 

Since the sequels came, I’m highkey loving Rey. But before that it was Vader. Still is, I guess. They’re kinda tied. Yeah I like the villains okay fight me.

a character I didn’t used to like but now do:    

Hmm…Kylo I guess. I never disliked him, but I was pretty meh about him. I just didn’t care all that much. But I like how they fleshed him out in TLJ and built-up his backstory, and I’ve warmed to him since. He’s very much a tragic character and I always like that. Between the two of us, he reminds me a little bit of Ward—or FW Fitz, take your pick. It’s the whole lack of affection/evil mentors make monsters out of good boys/men thing all over again. 

      a character I used to like but now don’t:

I actually left this question til last to see if I could think of something, but nah, I’ve got nothing. I don’t think I went from liking to disliking any one character completely, just kind of…liking them less. Padme is one of those. She used to be my girl through my childhood and now I’m more meh about her. I guess that’s the closest example I can think of right now.

a character I’m indifferent about:

There’s a good few. Rose, Finn, Holdo out of the sequels. They’re the first ones that come to mind. Boba Fett, Phasma, Hux (aside from the fact that he makes for good comic relief). I don’t know, probably a few more.

a character who deserved better:

Maybe Padme, because the whole ‘breed and die’ trope, but it was obviously necessary because she never shows up in the originals and they had to explain that somehow. And Obi-Wan. Though it’s less of a ‘deserved better’ and more of a ‘fuck he’s been through a lot of shit in his life.’ The Rogue One crew I suppose, though again that was a plot thing. 

a ship I’ve never been able to get into:

Finn/Rey. I’m just not very interested in friends to lovers ships (looking at you FS.) And maybe Han/Leia. I know they’re basically at “iconic” level by now, but they never really wowed me. Tbh most SW ships are like, “eh, okay” for me. I tolerate/moderately like them, but there are very few that make me go into hardcore shipper mode. Mini-me loved Anidala growing up, they were literally one of my biggest childhood OTPs, but over time the allure has started to fade and I’ve picked up on more and more flaws, and honestly, I think I’ve just outgrown them. Now I’m focusing on Reylo because it’s just such a cool dynamic that’s never been explored in the films before (I mean, a telepathic/empathic bond that lets them tap into each other’s skills and memories? That’s so awesome, I’m so here for this) and all that build up and development in TLJ really got me. I was kind curious (but mostly in the worried kind of way) to see how they’d approach it after TFA but now I’m 100% on board. I loved what they did with them. Aaaand that’s not the question. (Totally unrelated: I lowkey shipped Vader with Aphra from the Comics. It’s such a rarepair, but the dynamic was quirky and I’m always here for that. She was kinda like a S1-Skye cracking jokes at this evil, murderous Sith Lord. Plus, the line “you’re what I’ve been waiting for my whole life.” ‘Nuff said.)

a ship I’ve never been able to get over:

Reylo. Please don’t screw it up in IX, please please please.

a cute, low-key ship:

Jyn/Cassian. Also, I really like platonic Finn/Rey. And Luke and Leia’s relationship. And I wouldn’t be opposed if somehow Finn/Poe happened. And Poe/BB-8. Okay so not all of those are ship-ships, but y’know.

an unpopular ship but I still enjoyed it:

Tbh I lowkey wanted Poe to be with Paige, Rose’s sister, but lol she got killed off pretty quickly. Unpopular…well, I’m kinda looking forward to seeing how Han/Q’ira plays out in Solo (I’m 99% sure she plays him somehow. But hey, that seems to be my type.) I don’t know.

a ship that was totally wrong and never should have happened:

Eh, I don’t hate any ships, really, or think something was “wrong.” Not a huge fan of Rose/Finn just because I don’t see any chemistry between them and it sorta feels one-sided, but I mean, you can develop feelings over time, so that might change in IX. I don’t mind them, they’re just kinda…there. Not a fan of Kylux but that’s just a fan thing, so whatever.  

my favourite storyline/moment:

Right now it’s the Reylo Force Bond scenes. Yeah, all of them, lol. And the throne room fight scene because you expect them to start attacking each other, but instead they work together and subvert all expectations and I loved it. That scene at the end of Rogue One where Vader just demolishes the rebels. It was so dark and chilling and just all around ahh. Also, the Obi-Wan/Qui Gon/Maul fight from TPM is one of my all-time favourites. And the music! Ahh, awesome. Oh, also, the arena fight on Geonosis. I’m not sure I have a favourite storyline—though I’m admittedly a sucker for the whole ‘here, go on a totally-not-romantic trip to protect to senator on this beautiful, lush, fragrant world and try not to fall in love lol bye’ storyline because it’s just so wonderfully tropey. It’s like something pulled straight out of fic (and not necessarily in a bad way.) I’m kinda tempted to write a fic based on that, ngl. One day. 

a storyline that never should have been written:

Predictably, lol, I’m gonna say the Jar-Jar Binks/Gungan stuff from TPM. The whole underwater kingdom concept was cool, but it just felt like it took up way too much screentime. I wouldn’t have minded if it was just more of a background thing, or if it was of lesser importance. They’re just a huge part of this film and then they’re virtually never brought up again (in the films) in any significant way, so all of that just feels so moot and unnecessary, like it was just a run time filler. The political plot, although somewhat frustrating, does prove relevant to the story later on so I’m cool with it. I don’t think I hated any storyline really. TFA was a disappointment for me in that it felt a little too familiar and I really wished they would’ve taken more risks and tried to pave their own path as opposed to recycling elements (I mean, ANOTHER Death Star? Sorry, Starkiller Base. Really? And the Empire’s defeated but like, merely a few years later they’re back and crushing the rebellion again? Sorry no, that’s…It’s the First Order now. Got it. Totally different. My bad.) from the originals just to please the hardcore fans, but luckily TLJ assuaged most of that frustration. I can only hope the mood for IX is closer to TLJ than TFA because that would be regression and honestly just a huge insult to the saga.

my first thoughts on the show films:

I think I just loved them straight away, lol. I must’ve been…five at most when I first watched them—well, the originals and I and II, they were the only ones that were out at the time—on the good old VHS with my dad because he was/is a huge fan and he got me into it. Obviously the more nuanced stuff flew over my head as a small kid and certain things only really clicked when I rewatched them years later, but the love was there. 

my thoughts now:

I still love it, though my love tends to come in sporadic bursts now as opposed to being linear all the time. Like, I can just push it to the back of my mind for a year/two/three but then something like Rogue One comes out and reminds me just how much I love that world. I ride the high for a few months, read fic, etc. and then the hype tapers off and plateaus for a while. Nothing for another few months/a year, new movie, and wham, I’m sucked back in. 

I try to stay in my own little corner though and not get too involved in fandom because the drama is just nasty and can really suck the enjoyment out of, well, everything really. For a long time I guess I just wasn’t aware of how nasty the SW fandom was—aside from the group that hates on the prequels for the sake of hating the prequels because it’s what the cool kids do or whatever—probably because I didn’t actively go looking for this type of stuff. But then TFA came out and it kind of erupted like a volcano that’s been…somewhat dormant since III in 2005. Still, I stayed away from it for the most part, only hearing stories of hate in passing, and never really engaged until after TLJ, when it became a little “safer” for the Reylos to emerge. Before that it was two years of hell and name-calling and threats and verbal abuse and general fandom wank, to my knowledge. And that’s fucked up. No one should have to endure that, not in any fandom. Stuff like that just pisses me off so much. But I’m sure you already know that.

[sanerontheinside]

Was working on fic prompts last night and one got very long and very out of hand and formed another AU because I do that. If I continue working in that AU, I’ll link to this, but for now it works as a standalone, so 

(borrowed a little from @deadcatwithaflamethrower‘s ReEntry, as usual) (also I think this slips into an AU of @doctorwithafryingpan‘s proposed Tahl Lives AU)

Beautiful is the Temple on Alderaan, with its high vaulted ceilings and its carved pillars and walls, with the statues that line its halls. Splashes of brilliant colour dapple its floors where sunlight bursts through the stained glass panels above and falls to the ground in soundless cascades. 

It would be so easy to make this place austere, ascetic as the Jedi are thought to be - aloof and cold, cold as the mountain winters.

But Alderaan is not cold.

Though the Temple sits nestled in the mountains, perched far away, near-inaccessible unless you know precisely how to make your way to it, the Temple is not cold, it is not austere, it is not at all aloof.

It is, however, somewhat abandoned. Many of the old Temples are, for there are far fewer Jedi these days than even a mere century ago.

The first time Qui-Gon Jinn comes to the Alderaanian Temple, he comes with Master Dooku. Master Dooku is the definition of this perfect Jedi, the only definition Qui-Gon knows. He is cool, he is clinical, he is aloof.

Qui-Gon chafes under the weight of his - frankly chilling - ever-evaluating gaze, his unrelenting sternness. His Master’s praise is rare at best, and he is not a demonstrative man. The only contact the boy can expect is the heavy press of a hand on his shoulder to correct an error in his form (and, stars, he can’t stand Form II). Once, he got himself sold into slavery by complete accident, and his Master chided him for it, made him feel a fool and unwanted -

No. Made him feel how acutely he had inconvenienced his Master.

(Qui-Gon does not know this is wrong. All he knows is that he is not enough, and it’s his fault entirely. He’s sometimes tried to explain, but his explanations are inconsequential, so he pulls them into himself and forces them down. It will be years before he realises that his frustrations escape him in other ways, and the skies are blanketed grey, and the clouds grow heavy and his lungs go tight before they spill.)

(And then, for a time, he feels less tense.)

The first time they come to the Alderaanian Temple, Qui-Gon meets an Archivist who is warm and kind and reminds him of Tahl. She smiles and helps him look for the texts he needs for his classwork, sits him down at her table and throws up her feet to the chair beside her, settling in to read, herself. When confusion knots his brow and he’s all but broadcasting his dismay at failing to understand a simple problem, she catches the tense line of his shoulders in the corner of her eye and softly asks him to read it out to her. Qui-Gon does.

He watches, fascinated, as her agile mind bends and twists and turns, fingers skittering over the table between them. She explains herself, backtracks, prompts him, breaks down the question into parts, tells him things he’s never heard before, pulls up old texts as evidence, and through it all she even finds ways to make him laugh. She never once makes him feel lesser for not knowing so much of what she’s said, never chides him for not looking something up before asking.

Predictably, good moods do not last. He’ll forget what it was about, in a week, because all their arguments are one and the same, but for now Qui-Gon feels the sting of his Master’s words keenly, and he takes himself outside to sit on the Temple doorstep. He tries to be still for a moment, shaking not with the cold - then gathers a breath of air in his lungs and slowly counts as he holds and lets it go. It’s cold, but warmer than the day before, and there is no sharp, biting wind. He looks up just as the first of a flurry of snowflakes twirls through the air and some of them settle, lightly prickling, on his skin.

Behind him the Archivist’s already-familiar presence is warm as it draws near. He doesn’t want to be seen, but at the same time, he wants that comfort. He wants someone to see him, really see him. Just someone.

The warmth of that presence seeps into him when she sits down, almost close enough to lean towards him and brush shoulders. “It’s early for snow,” she remarks absently, but says nothing else.

Qui-Gon thinks it must be lonely here, where she is one of a handful of Jedi whom he’s seen, and there are perhaps a handful more in the more distant parts of the Temple. Yet it is warm and peaceful, and he thinks that perhaps she isn’t unhappy even in this small circle.

By dint of a heavy snowstorm, Master Dooku decides to delay their departure a few days. Qui-Gon spends those days mostly sequestered in the Archives.

The second time he comes to the Alderaanian Temple, the Archivist is no longer there. The Temple feels colder, because its walls have stood even nearer to empty in the last decade. It feels almost the way he felt, for much of these last ten years.

And yet, as he brushes his fingers over the old cloth- and leather-bound books, painstakingly cared for and preserved, he catches a hint of that warmth still. In his mind, a new flame burns - a young child he’d been forced (yes, forced, Master Yoda, you gave me no choice in the matter) to take as his Apprentice. They haven’t had an easy time of it, though their difficulties stem from different things.

Obi-Wan learned harsh lessons on Melida/Daan, lessons that Qui-Gon had wanted to shield his Padawan from learning. No matter how you try, no matter if you do everything right, you can still lose in the end - that was what Tahl had said. He couldn’t explain to this brilliant boy that the sacrifices to end their war had to come from the Melida/Daan alone, and not from Jedi. Instead he’d watched his Padawan suffer, thinking he’d failed to protect him - again - that he’d failed as a Master.

That he wasn’t enough. Again.

And yet this child had burrowed into his arms afterwards for almost the entire duration of their flight back to Coruscant, clung to him and wept into his tunics, and would not let go. When they made it back to the Temple, Qui-Gon had taken him straight to the Healers and refused to leave the boy’s side even to make their report until he was released a tenday later.

Those early days, Obi-Wan was restless without the tactile reassurance that Qui-Gon was still there, still with him. When they made their report to the Council, he’d inched closer and closer to his Master’s side without any conscious awareness of it, and Qui-Gon had finally given up all pretenses of serenity or aloofness, pulling his Padawan tight against him. In the privacy of their quarters, Qui-Gon held him for their shared meditations while he guided Obi-Wan’s mind, helped him reach out with the Force to see what his eyes no longer could.

They’d been removed from the active mission roster. Qui-Gon cornered Mace outside the salle once while Tahl watched Obi-Wan as he worked through his warmups, and demanded to know the reason in a low growl. Mace had deliberately brushed him off, but answered, not without sympathy, that Qui-Gon’s missions were always high-pressure diplomatic disputes, and many had a tendency to go to pieces.

“Mace -”

“It’s not an accusation, Qui-Gon. If anything, it’s something of a compliment. We have a tendency to run our best ragged, and we’ve been sending you into situations that, sometimes, should have been left alone entirely.” Like Melida/Daan - the words hung unsaid in the air between them, colouring it with regret.

“Never thought I’d hear you say that,” Qui-Gon grumbled, somewhat mollified.

Mace shrugged. “You didn’t hear it from me. We’re looking for something that has a bit less chance of going to pieces, but at the moment all we have is the Alderaanian Temple -”

“What?” The Force seemed to chime in his ears. “What about the Alderaanian Temple?”

Thus they had found themselves here, in the mountains. Qui-Gon still remembers the convoluted route the guides had taken his Master on, but when his Padawan looks left instead of right and asks, ‘why not that way?’ he listens and lets him lead on. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they find themselves at the Temple steps long before dark, when their expected arrival had been estimated at nightfall.

More and more, Qui-Gon lets himself hang back while his Padawan walks ahead, quite in reverse of tradition where the Padawan follows the Master. Obi-Wan is daring, yes, at times even reckless, but he’s never lead his Master astray.

In the quieter moments, and particularly in the evenings, Obi-Wan prepares tea for them both, almost ritually presents it to his Master, then curls up pressed against Qui-Gon’s side. It’s on one of these nights that Qui-Gon notices how the ache in his chest eases when his Padawan settles beside him. He’s reviewing an inventory list for the Temple - and, gods, if this is the work of the Head of the Coruscant Temple, he quite understands why Mace looks like he has perpetual migraines (because he actually does).

But when Obi-Wan presses close, the threat of a migraine recedes; and moments later, when the rhythm of soft shallow breaths proves that the boy has fallen asleep, Qui-Gon realises he will never, never feel at ease without this. That he has, perhaps, never felt so much wanted and needed in all his life. The feeling almost overwhelms him, constricts his chest and clutches at his throat and dares to steal his breath. He breathes through the sting at the back of his eyes, shuts off the datapad and shoves it away to wrap the small, beloved warm body beside him in a tight embrace.

[eeee-lye]

Fic: No Man (n)or Woman

(Darius and Tes are trans, autistic magicians. Tes is agender, aro and ace; hir neurodiversity extends to anxiety. Darius is polyamorous, arovague and pansexual; his neurodiversity extends to partial seizures, hallucinations and severe depression. This story shows the Defiantly Platonic Adventurers they’ll become in Kit March.)

Word count: 2140 words.

Content advisory: An exorsexist prophet. Self-harm, hallucination and suicidal ideation mentions. Use of the word “madness” to describe a person with mental illnesses in a way that is ableism-coded but meant as a literal statement of fact and isn’t a negative quality of the character in question.

Summary: Darius’s history gives him the upper hand in the art of hunting eldritch creatures, but a certain prophecy might involve Tes—despite hir feelings on the matter of bladed combat.

AN: This probably isn’t going to be canon; I wrote it for fun because, as an agender writer, I had to play with the “gendered prophecy loophole” trope. If it is, it occurs somewhere in the second book when, for reasons I won’t yet disclose, Darius and Tes are on their way to seek sanctuary with Darius’s lover/partner, Aysun Kadri. I doubt this makes as much sense on its own as I wish, but I enjoyed writing it, so I’ll post it anyway.

It’s madness, ze thinks, but Darius has never pretended sanity.

“I don’t see the need.” Tes pulls at hir right sleeve as ze talks. The dank and cold passage, albeit sufficiently illuminated by the sickly pink glow from the paper rolled up in hir left hand, closes in on hir. Ze wishes for cloaks and coats and capes trimmed with rabbit fur. Ze wishes for a roaring fire and the middle of summer. Ze wishes for anywhere in the world that isn’t here, even as Tes hirself realises there’s places in the world far worse than a passageway that reeks of mould. “I’m a magician. Student magician.” Ze hesitates, unsure how Darius will regard hir taking that title to hirself, but Darius doesn’t even look at hir. “I’m a student magician. I’m learning spells. I don’t see what possible point there is in learning—learning the sword.”

It occurs to hir, a moment too late, that a man who worked as both magician and mercenary guardsman might take some offence at that. He explained that morning, at length, why magic alone isn’t like to work today. Hard to know, though, since Darius’s steady steps reveal no emotion. While his eyes leap from floor to ceiling and wall in an unrelenting stream of restlessness, that might be the wariness of a man paying attention to their surroundings.

“I won’t be any good at it.”

Darius nods and flicks his flesh hand, which Tes knows is his way of telling hir he heard, even if he doesn’t have anything to say. He tilts his head, nostrils flaring, but, even then, it takes him several moments before his lips move and he speaks in his usual soft drawl: “I can smell it.”

Tes sniffs, but ze doesn’t have his sensitivity. Wet earth, the rotting-sweet mould and a slight salt tang; nothing perceptively eldritch. Having seen how much it plagues him, ze doesn’t mind. Ze just signs instead. “Should stop—”

Darius shakes his head. “It knows. It knows. Felt our footfalls, like a snake.”

How does he know that? Ze nearly asks, save for the feeling that a man who spent however many years travelling the world might know all manner of strange things. Tes nods and walks on in quiet. Ze wanted this, ze remembers. Back at the College, when the strange and dangerous was at least somewhat mitigated by March’s watchfulness, ze wanted to see eldritch creatures and denizens of mysterious places. It shames hir to realise that’s now no longer the case. No, if given the choice, ze’ll be back in hir own bed so fast ze’ll surprise even hirself.

Ze doesn’t know what that says about hir. Ze doesn’t wish to.

The passage ahead widens. A cavern or gallery, the black walls marked by squared-off chips and cuts that speak of everything human. Water, dripping from somewhere above, collects in gouges marring the already rough-cut floor, forming shallow pools ringed by a fluffy white mould or fungus that reminds Tes of whipped cream. Great redgum beams support the roof and walls, and these seem untarnished by time, perhaps thanks to the tarred glyphs carved into the wood. Collapsing pieces of machinery and abandoned tools fared less well: support struts, cranks and the bails from broken buckets lie in rusting pieces. Did the miners deem them too worthless to be brought out? Or did they run and leave everything behind?

The air warms as they cross the gallery, the walls fading into shadow, and only then does Tes discover what Darius must have scented underneath the mould and rock: something warm and tangy, like a blend of cinnamon and allspice.

Ze drags in a breath and then another, wondering.

“Sandalwood. Sandalwood and the barest touch of cedar. Efe. Then bergamot and lemon. Aysun.” Darius’s voice barely sounds above the quiet thud of leather soles on rock. “Whatever … attractive.”

“I like eating cinnamon biscuits,” Tes says.

Darius grins back at hir, his gold teeth glinting. He slows his pace, taking short, testing steps towards the right—heading, Tes realises, for a yawning gap studded with blue phosphorescent spots at the side of the gallery.

At the very edge of hir hearing, ze can pick out a gentle, regular sighing.

Breath.

The more the paper lights in their hands illuminate the rock wall ahead, the less Tes shivers—and the more ze ponders the warmth and safety of March’s kitchen. Food, conjured by magic, since there’s no way to explain how one man managed multiple-course banquets and snacks for the entire school. March himself, content to talk even if a student came down for an apple at two in the morning. Long gone, now, and it’s only hir fault. If ze hadn’t meddled, ze wouldn’t be here, in the cold and dark of an abandoned mine—

“No.” Darius’s wood hand rests on hir shoulder. Even now, the strangeness of that touch makes Tes jerk. His thin leather gloves don’t provide the cushioning and moulding effect of flesh fingers. Ze hates that ze still reacts to it. “This … it’s you, but it isn’t ... isn’t all you.” He stops, exhales. “It’s not you, not right this minute. Don’t let it take you. Understand?”

Ze draws in a shaking breath. The bite of the cinnamon now obscures all other odours. “What…”

“You!” Darius’s full shout isn’t loud, but the gallery gives it a rattling quality, not quite an echo but unusual nonetheless. “You think, you think you can trick me with guilt and doubt? You think you can give me anything I haven’t? Haven’t already?”

It’s madness, ze thinks, but Darius has never pretended sanity.

You think you can dare me?

Ze doesn’t hear the voice. It sounds in hir skin, in hir bones, in hir brain, a jerking, shuddering vibration that makes hir feel as though consciousness is a dream or illusion. It roils through hir head and down through hir neck, and for a moment Tes isn’t sure where ze begins and ends: there’s just the voice, surging through every tiny corner of hir skull, threatening to sweep hir away with it.

“That’s it?” Darius’s hand tightens on hir shoulder. “Seven. I was seven. March’s pet sea serpent smashed me against the wall. Broke my nose, broke my skull, left me with seizures afterwards. You’re not even interesting.”

“You’re, you’re mocking the—”

Darius just pushes hir forwards.

The shrieking starts, then. This time, Tes hears with hir ears, but knowing that only makes it worse. Ma. Anise. Leslie, Teacher Mary, the students under the tree with caterpillars in their hands. Holly and Iris, March and Wings. Their high-pitched wails, pleas for rescue and safety, fill the cavern, sharp enough that Tes forgets everything and jams hir palms over hir ears. Ze never did well with noise, and this unearthly crescendo not only judders right through hir skull, it bears a world of desperation right along with it—just how ze might have screamed, that night in the tower. Ze jerks and starts forwards, even knowing that the owners of said chorus live safe on the other side of the Shearing Straits, unsure if ze means to save them or beg them to stop shrieking.

Ze just knows that ze won’t, ze can’t, bear this a moment longer—

Darius’s hands close around hir elbow, yank hir to a halt, let go. His lips shift as the chaos fades, and, trembling, ze risks lowering hir hands to hear him. “…eight months. Eight months the dead tells me to die. Be with him.” Darius laughs. It’s a bitter, hoarse sound, and Tes wonders if the shades he heard cut him deeper than he’ll admit, but it’s a laugh nonetheless. He walks forwards, pushing Tes along before him. “I can ignore this. You’ve, you’ve got nothing for me.”

The voices fade into nothingness, leaving Tes moving toward the mouth of another tunnel with ringing ears and shaking hands.

Darius reaches across his body, draws the Worldblade, lets it hang loose in his flesh hand. In the pink-tinged light, it looks even more unprepossessing than usual: a battered, nicked, curved blade too short and light to be accounted a sword for anybody but Darius. If it did Fell the tree, Tes thinks, it took almost as much damage in doing so as the tree itself, but ze can’t imagine how such a thing occurred, having seen the breadth of the stump. Magic, perhaps, save that no magician ze has ever met will waste time on making a knife capable of cutting a mammoth hardwood tree when they can work that same magic on a crosscut saw. March himself gave a thousand lectures on the importance of using the right tool for the job!

It has been prophesied. The voice booms through hir mind with a confidence that reminds Tes of Ma’s unshakeable belief in her many nonsensical rules. No man nor woman will defeat me.

Darius draws to an abrupt halt. The blue lights, fading in intensity as their own grow closer, flicker only a few yards distant. “What?”

Now the voice laughs. No man nor woman will defeat me.

Darius lifts his hand from hir shoulder, shifts his flesh hand until his fingers close lightly about the throat of the blade with the blunt edge resting against his skin, and extends the sword, pommel-first, towards Tes. “It should be ‘neither man nor woman’. ‘Nor’ is a conjunction, but it isn’t always a synonym for ‘or’. Why do those prophets specify only two genders?” He shakes his head at Tes. “Here. A possible point for learning the sword?”

Tes stares at him. He doesn’t mean that, does he? “Because it says a prophecy?”

He stands calm and relaxed, his wooden fingers twitching the bead ring pendant at his throat. “You don’t dare prophecy, Tes! Not when the loophole is this wide! You’re a magician. If you need to, burn it. Like the gnomes.”

Ze looks first at the Worldblade and then back up at Darius’s eyebrows, not caring that hir gaze is too intent for politeness. “You’re … you’re not a same man, so…”

Darius returns a stare just as punishing. “Truly, Tes?”

Ze sighs and shakes hir head. No. Claiming that Darius isn’t a man on an erroneous technicality diminishes Darius, hirself and everyone ze knew and liked at the College. Ze can’t do that any more than ze can declare hirself male or female, not when ze knows any gender is a lie.

“Take.” Darius jerks his wrist. “It’s yours, as much as it’s mine. You feel that.”

Ze does, and it terrifies hir. It’s easy to let Darius bear the wretched thing; he, at least, appears comfortable with the possession of a weapon. There’s a reason for the Worldblade to sing in his hand! He’s a construct master! There’s no reason for it to respond as it does to hir. “I’m not—I’m not meant to be here. Doing this. Any of it. I’m not.”

Neither is he, ze knows, and while this whole escapade happened because of Darius and the Greensward, it shouldn’t have involved hir. That it does is all on Tes, and ze knows that he would have found everything a great deal easier if he didn’t have to look after a student magician—a magician who has gotten him into trouble since the day they met. He offers hir no impatience, though. He never has. Ze has heard him rail and scream at March and Amelia and the belt; ze has watched him smash plates and slam doors; ze has seen him take blades to his own skin. Ze knows Darius’s mistrust of people holds edges so sharp it draws blood, but he never shows it to hir, however difficult that might be.

Ze can argue that he was never meant to walk into a colony of tick gnomes to save Tes, yet ze never heard him complain.

The only answer, then, is clear.

“I know you won’t just ... well, leave me,” Tes says, but, despite knowing it unfair to make that comment into a question, ze hears it in hir words nonetheless. He won’t stand back and let hir do this alone. Will he? Ze takes the worn leather-bound hilt, though, gritting hir teeth against the sudden rush of heat in hir fingertips and palm, and ze hopes he sees that as apology enough.

The Worldblade hums against hir skin, vibrating like a purring cat.

Darius returns his hand to hir shoulder, and that, too, is a kind answer to a question ze shouldn’t have asked. “One thing, person.”

Tes swallows. “Stab with the pointy end?”

He snorts. “No. No. If you’re stabbing ... shades, if you’re stabbing, everything has gone wrong and you should set your opponent on fire.” He shakes his head, but he smiles while he does it. “In case you need to use the sword as a sword, here’s how you hold it.”