#that or we’re getting a canon time travel au

[redstonekate]

Predictions for this “Remaining Statement”

1. Joe Spooky, regarding sinister happenings

[puthyflapps]

baby stop teasing us with fics 😩

I mean I could expand upon my ideas a little bit if you were like into that sort of thing

[peachdues]

ALL THE THINGS WE LEFT UNSAID — PROLOGUE + TEASER

Tengen’s Bundle of Joy • Secret Pregnancy AU

A/N: surprise! Have a first look at Tengen’s installment of my Bundle of Joy series.

This fic will be multi-part canon-AU. It is a non-linear story (alternating between Then and Now) and double surprise! It will be a slow burn (just because they fuck doesn’t mean they’re in love!)

CW: MDNI • this story features explicit sexual content • secret pregnancy • angst • mentions of injury/head wound • these two are stubborn as fuck lmao

PROLOGUE

“The Sound Hashira is rumored to be in this region. Some mission.”

Your comrade’s off-handed comment freezes you in your step.

“Where.”

Your fellow Kinoe shrugs, unaware of the way your eyes dart anxiously around the clutter of wooden homes and ramshackle shops, as though you half-expect the silver-haired swordsman to leap out from the shadows at any moment.

“It’s not like we get details of the Hashira’s missions shared with us,” he brushes you off with a yawn. His arms fold behind his head, his gait lazy and far too casual for someone of his position as he struts lazily along an uneven path that leads to the small building marked with a fading, painted wisteria crest. “We might be Kinoe, but we’re still bottom feeders compared to them.”

You hum in half-hearted agreement, but your attention to your fellow Slayer — to your mission — flounders as the knowledge you’ve worked desperately ignore explodes out of the mental bottle you’d shoved it into.

Beneath the ever-tightening buttons of your uniform shirt your stomach has begun to swell. Slight; not yet noticeable to the naked eye, but sure as hell prominent when you’re fighting to close the last two buttons or fasten your hakama pants.

You thumb absently at your belt — now loosened two notches. Perhaps you’ll take a cue from the Love Pillar’s book and opt for a skirt. At least the waist would sit higher up, the pleats, offering cover you’ll need while you figure out what the fuck it is you’re going to do. It won’t be long before your secret is exposed; before word inevitably reaches the jewel-crusted ears of the very one you want most to avoid.

You’d be more useful dead.

A callous thing to say to a subordinate, let alone someone who’d risked their neck on more than one occasion to preserve his. And, for all the testiness that had built between you over the years, a resentment born of your mutual inability to confront the other honestly, you hadn’t expected him to resort to that.

You’d known he regretted his words the moment he hurled them your way, but it was too little, too late. And it hadn’t stopped you from leveling his ire with your own, your response a series of poisoned darts you were only happy to launch right back his way.

I look forward to meeting your expectations.

But it was his regret, perhaps, that led him to grab you by the bicep as you’d tried to leave, that yanked you back to face him, breath heavy and pupils dilating.

The crack fissuring across your chest had been dulled by the way his hand swallowed your arm; how his mouth crashed into yours, and the powerful movements of his body. But once he’d collapsed atop you, panting and spent, the wounds he’d inflicted turned raw once more, the salt of his sweat preventing your blood from clotting where he’d torn your chest clean open.

You manage a furtive shake of your head, dispersing the memory of his body and his violence from your mind. This is not the time for you to pick at the scab over your heart, not after you spent the better part of the last two months trying to force it to form. For now, you need to focus on getting the hell out of here; to get as far away from this desolate corner of the earth before the universe decides to throw you back at him.

Before he knows.

Your comrade prattles on, bragging over how he’s been lucky enough to see the Sound Pillar in battle, oblivious to the smirk settling on your lips in spite of yourself. The Kinoe you’ve traveled with seems unaware that in detailing the way the Corp’s great Uzui had appeared out of thin air to save him and the handful of other slayers cornered by a particularly fearsome avian demon, he’s admitting to his own ineptitude in finishing off the beast on his own.

The Hashira don’t come unless hope is lost; the fact Uzui had appeared at all meant they’d been done for. Yet, he wears the boast of having needed his ass saved by one who’d undoubtedly disposed of the demon with a painful swiftness like a badge of honor.

You know better.

For all the ways your fellow swordsman brags over having witnessed the Pillar’s great display of strength, you’ve seen him weak. Not only that, but you’d been the direct cause of such weakness; you’d broken him down, made him give into temptations he believed he’d suppressed.

But that weakness has led you here — chewing on your thumbnail in a fit of anxiety your comrade remains woefully ignorant of as you try banishing the memories of the Sound Pillar’s weakness from your mind.

More, you’d begged him, sweaty and panting and delirious. More.

He’d obliged you — enthusiastically so. And the way you’d fallen apart in his arms showed you that you were just as weak as he.

Not once had he bothered to apologize for what he’d done; what he’d said. And his too casual pronouncement that your death — as gruesome and violent as your profession demanded — would be a better convenience than for him to work through his own bullshit was a slash through your chest even his most fervent apologies wouldn’t be able to stitch back together.

Not that you thought he ever would offer one — but the image of him dropping to his knees and begging you for forgiveness you wouldn’t allow yourself to give was a small comfort to your bitter heart.

Besides, you’d claimed the privilege of having the last word by not saying any at all. Instead, you’d crept away from the inn, leaving him asleep on the discarded heap of his uniform in the room you’d been forced to share.

You’d given him exactly what he’d given you — nothing. And that vindication had been as sweet as it was short-lived. Now, you’re stuck with the consequences of your own pride and weakness without any idea of what to do about it.

Feigning indifference where Tengen Uzui was concerned, however, is your speciality; a skill you’d perfected just as surely as you’d mastered shadow breathing. Thus, the mask of cool neutrality is easy to slip on as you listen to your comrade continue prattling on about skill levels and techniques to improve breathing styles, chiming with a mildly interested nod when necessary.

And you plot; plot your escape from this tiny fishing village, plot how best to guard the secret you know won’t remain such for much longer. Running away from your problems had always been far easier than forcing yourself to choke them down, and this time will be no different. Of that much, you’re certain.

Coward, a voice that sounds suspiciously close to Uzui’s hisses in your head. Coward.

And so, you continue to strategize your best chance at avoiding the storm brimming on your horizon as your fellow Kinoe continues, too consumed by his blustering to notice how your had drifts to your stomach, resting on the hidden curve where the Sound Hashira’s child grows.

—-

BONUS

“The baby — the baby —“

“Where?” Tengen surveys the wreckage scattered around you, ears carefully pricked for any cry, any smaller, weaker heartbeat, but for all his strain, he can discern none. “Was it a village kid?” He jostles you as much as he can, trying to force your eyes into focus. “Where, Y/N?”

But you only keep muttering the baby, your brow furrowed, your head twitching as though in dissent, though it remains limited where it is braced in the crook of Tengen’s massive arm.

He swears under his breath as your eyes roll into your head, your lips straining to form the mantra you cannot stop repeating, even as your breath turns shallow and raspy. Two fingers find the pulse point in your neck, and Tengen swears again at weakened beat of your heart.

“You don’t get to die.” He snaps at you, hand slapping lightly at your bloodied cheek. “You don’t get to run away. Not now. Not again.”

He needs to figure out where else you might be injured — that way he can help, can stabilize you before the Kakushi arrive. You’re not taking the easy way out this time. He would stand at the gates of heaven or hell itself to block your way, ready to haul your ass right back to life so he could chew your ass out the way you so obviously needed. And once he did, he can put this volatile, tempestuous thing between you to rest. He can free himself of the bonds you’d snapped around his wrists the moment you first sized him up and cut him down with a few, caustic words.

Then, he might finally be able to let you go.

Gritting his teeth, Tengen surveys your body. Your head wound is the most prominent, but no matter how much blood mats in your hair and streaks down your face, he knows better than to assume that it’s the worst you’ve sustained.

Gently, his hands smooth along your body, and he notes every odd bend, every lump along your joints that does not belong.

“The ba — baby —“ your voice grows fainter with each word, and Tengen can only see a sliver of white peeking out from between your eyelids.

Beneath the dark crimson of your blood your skin has turned ashen.

“Y/N.” The hoarseness of his voice has nothing to do with the smoldering flames and thick smoke that has burned the village to its skeleton. His hand slides to your abdomen, ready to position you in his arms so he can run with you, can tow you to the nearest Kakushi. You will not die; he forbids it, he forbids you from even trying —

His hand settles on your navel and freezes.

Beneath the flush of his palm is a curve; an outward swelling of your stomach that had been hidden under the loose fit of your uniform shirt, but under his touch, it is unmistakeable.

A bump. A sizeable bump extends from your abdomen.

The grunts and groans of the houses and structures giving way to the crackling flames fall away, his ears filling instant with a high-pitched ring that pulses in time with his thundering heart. The sweat rolling down his neck turns cold, his chest tightening until his lungs burn. Slowly, his eyes drag back up your body until he finds your graying face once more.

For one, brief moment, your eyes flutter open and search wildly before landing on his, wide and frozen in his horror.

“The baby.” You say once more, in explanation and confession. And then your eyes roll back into your skull and you turn limp in Tengen’s trembling arms.

[bunthebreadboy]

i saw a fanart on pinterest when i decided to change my entire phone theme and i can’t get it out of my head.

the art was just after the zuko and ozai agni kai. zuko was knocked out, iroh was getting ready to take him and leave, and azula just came in and said “i took care of it”. if anyone knows what i’m talking about and has it saved or knows the og artist pls lmk!!

anyways. it got me thinking about an expansion of this au (that i will never write because i have neither the patience nor the time to do that) that (unsurprisingly) results in disasterlesbian!azula

so hear me out on this one. there would need to be an entire plot. like. what’s aang going to do??

azula killed ozai by electrocuting him. it’s the first time she discovers her lightning bending. it looks like he had a heart attack in his sleep. (don’t get too wrapped up in the details. azula’s a prodigy she can be overpowered for a bit)

why did she kill her dad? she’ll swear up and down that it was because “he really should have picked on someone with a better fighting ability than zuzu. honestly, it’s stupid he didn’t lose his honor after frying my pathetic firebender of a brother to a crisp.” it’s actually because she kind of sort of loves zuko. she will NEVER admit that.

iroh becomes fire lord, albeit a bit reluctantly. he spends the next three years attempting to end the war, stop the spread of propaganda in the fire nation, and deal with his niece and nephew bickering all the time.

so aang comes out of the iceberg. meets katara and sokka. katara convinces him to take her to the north pole because he’s the avatar, he still should probably master all four elements war or not. all of the traveling is the same (except zuko chasing them) until they get to omashu and king bumi is like “what’s up my dude, welcome back. we’re recovering from a war, so you should probably learn politics and how to not offend anyone while you master the elements!!”

(“there was a WAR?!?!!!” -aang, probably)

so now aang does a deep dive into all of the nation’s politics while also training. katara doesn’t really attend his meetings, but sokka’s a total nerd and is sat for every single one. first is waterbending at the north pole. insert canon things but add in a meeting with arnook.

this is where we introduce the REAL enemy, because the enemy can’t be the gaang attempting to learn international law at 12, 14, and 15 years old. during the full moon someone assassinates the moon spirit! (sorry yue, i love you but you still die in this au…)

so after mastering waterbending the gaang heads to the earth kingdom. they meet toph and she joins. they head to ba sing se, which, after trying to talk politics with the king, they realize is still completely unaware of the war. while in the earth kingdom, we get a name for the big bad. the dai li. after realizing that ba sing se is basically a military dictatorship, the gaang escapes and head to the fire nation.

that’s where zuko, azula, and iroh get reintroduced. aang and sokka consistently come back from meetings with the royals complaining about “oh my god, the princess is such a bitch. seriously, how is she allowed to help run this country??”

katara eventually goes with the boys to a meeting to get them to shut up. toph makes fun of her for being a people pleaser, but katara will do literally anything to get her brother and best friend to stop yapping about the same topic at her every. single. day.

azula (disaster lesbian) doesn’t say a single word throughout the entire meeting. sokka and aang walk out feeling like they were in the twilight zone. katara shows up to more and more meetings. why? definitely not cause the princess is sort of kind of somewhat cute intriguing.

insert azula’s gay awakening crisis here. she eventually starts talking at the meetings, but she’s only ever nice to katara lmao. katara does realize that azula’s an actual genius, though. she decides that the two of them could probably like, take over the entirety of ba sing se in a day if they tried hard enough. but of course that is purely hypothetical.

so one day a meeting gets interrupted by a literal dai li assassin trying to kill aang. he barely escapes the resulting fight.

so the dai li send more assassins. and even more assassins. until finally zuko gets fed up and is just like “alright i’m tired of dealing with these guys. can we please go kick their leader’s ass??”

that is how azula and zuko end up joining the gaang. and how azula can eventually lay siege over ba sing se (even if she reluctantly gives it back when katara tells her to).

—

other misc key points:

- azula and katara get together right before they fight with long feng. it happens cause katara notices that azula is nervous (nobody else would be able to tell) and so she’s like “zula. you’ve got this. we’ve got this” and kisses her lmao

- toph and azula are best friends, to katara’s obvious dismay

- the second azula calls zuko “zuzu” in front of sokka he immediately starts rolling on the floor and laughing. katara has to make sure his lungs are okay afterwards

- zuko: “im literally not gay??” sokka: “yeah, and toph can see”

- toph regularly comes back to wherever the gaang is staying with bags of money. she knows how to find every single illegal fighting ring in the world.

- this is a loooooong term plot. since there’s no reason to worry about the comet it can take place over many years. which also means that katara and azula literally pine for each other until they’re like 20 and everyone around them, especially (and surprisingly) aang, is like “oh my god make it stop”

[moonmoonloves]

Kinda confused at Sterek hate. Like, I’ve just been sitting happily in my little corner that I’ve curated for myself with lovely people that love all the ways they can fall in love. But a lot people really think we’re gross?

I thought Hoechlin said the age gap between them was originally supposed to be three years so that he would have been a senior when they were freshmen and that’s how they would’ve known him, but then JD decided to have Kate rape him so he had to age him up?

A lot of the haters try to pretend that Sterek shippers weren’t purposefully queerbaited, like that “we’re on a ship” moment didn’t happen. Also, they don’t seem to understand time progressing? In ALL of the Sterek fic I read their relationship is consensual and Stiles is above the legal age of consent. Stiles is in college, or back from college, or they’re just grown adults living their lives. I love a good slow burn, like years in the making: from enemies to begrudging allies to begrudging respect to friends to lovers. My favorites are Derek gets therapy. I would say the driving force behind me even getting into teen wolf fic was Derek Hale Deserves Nice Things, because holy shit JD hates him (which can be further proven by the recent movie, not that we were ever in any doubt).

Let’s also not forget that canon doesn’t have to matter in fic. We can pick and choose. You can age them up, down, make them the same age, there can be time travel, time skips, au’s where you can change literally anything.

Shipping them for me boils down to the chemistry between the actors playing them. The ship wouldn’t exist without it. If Hoechlin had been cast as Scott for some reason, I’m quite sure we would have been Sciles shippers. And the fact of the matter is the actors playing them were 19 and 23. Their chemistry on and off screen is what fueled their ship despite the fact that that may not have been the intention of the show, the writers, or even the actors themselves. I started watching Teen Wolf thinking Sterek would eventually be canon just from gifs of them together because that’s how strong their chemistry was.

I have read so much great Sterek fic, some of it was better written than books I’ve read, and it was given for FREE. I think that’s amazing and I just don’t get the hate lol.

[satashiiwrites]

Welcome to the Jungle: Chapter 1: Where We Lay Our Scene

finally.

Title: Welcome to the Jungle, Chapter 1: Where We Lay Our Scene

Fandom: 911, Jumanji

Pairings: Evan Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Daniel Buckley/Robert Nash Jr

Fic Summary:  From the concrete jungle to the actual jungle, five players will be summoned to Jumanji to save it from the wicked Van Pelt.

Rating: Explicit (sex, stereotyped villain) 

Tags/warnings: explicit sex, canon-typical violence, Jumanji AU, time travel fix it, slow burn, long fic, pod fic welcome, deviating from canon where it suits the story, canon timeline is a mess and we’re just not going to stress about it, author doesn’t do straight up adaptations, eventual happy ending, mention of divorce and canon character deaths, aged up Robbie and Brook, mentions of child neglect/abuse from the Buckley parents

March 1993, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburg

The children’s cancer ward is an island of color in the otherwise bland sea of beige and gray that makes up the palette of the Pittsburg hospital. There are cheerful murals and paintings designed to cheer the young patients around him, but Danny can only think that he hates being stuck here. 

He’d much rather be home with his sister, Maddie, and baby brother, Evan. 

Instead, he’s stuck here after receiving a bone marrow transplant from Evan, waiting for his body to get stronger. Danny isn’t an idiot. He knows his Mom and Dad only decided to have Evan because he—Danny—got sick. They don’t pay enough attention to Evan, and Maddie is often stuck taking care of Evan despite being only a year older than Danny.  

Read chapter one here on AO3

[thebestusernamepossible]

Literally going insane, might have to write fanfic for the first time in 2 years because the people™️ do not get my favorite female characters like I do and I feel the insurmountable urge to write her. I’m going to bite drywall why don’t ppl see her complexities. PLEASE STOP WRITING HER ETHIER AS DOMICILE MOM OR BITCH (or just for shipping) she is so so cool please guys please.

Also while I’m here, fandoms tendency to shove women in the ‘pure powerful goddess who can do no wrong’ box and then proceed to never give them an actual narrative role other than like ‘supportive’ or ‘took out a few background guys’. Like why DOES this incredibly badass and complex female character just get shunted into doinging some cool flips, getting praised about it (she’s the strongest fighter, so feminist wow) then never getting actnowleged as a 2 dimensional character.

I saw this a lot when I was in the Batman fandom, particularly with Cassandra Cain. She is a highly complex and interesting character, but in fandom she’s kind of shunted to ‘Badass therapy dog who takes care of the men’. Because even on the slight chance her backstory is brought up it’s always never delved into and mostly used to make her etheir more tragic and in need of support on a surface level or to let her be compassionate with the men characters who get their actual problems foucused on. It’s a unqiue kind of frustrating because it’s like almost letting the cool female character be cool, but it’s more like the idea of a badass women is shoved in your face, maybe joked about (or if we’re lucky she gets to beat up a few bad-guys), but ultimately treated like a cardboard cutout. Interestingly this actually isn’t entirely a female character thing, it’s also common with like old grandfather/grandmother characters and the elderly in general. But it’s usually badass women from what I see. :/ Why can’t fandom explore their stories (people do but why is it so much less), why can’t they be the prtags of cool AUs or time-travel fix-its, or crossover events

Idk I think I’m just frustrated, and I typed out more than I thought I would. Also Ive seen what happens to some other posts complaining about fandom misogyny, so please know if you’re a TERF, fuck off you have no place in this discussion. We will never agree, and frankly all of these points apply to canon Trans Women characters. Don’t say shit ill fucking end you.

[theoceanofasanoya]

day 2 of asanoya: horizon (tags: established relationship au, canon divergence au, fluff)

Asahi likes the USA right now. He’s complained a lot about how inconvenient everything is, compared to Japan, about the people being too friendly and trying to speak to him despite his broken English (he gets too anxious, okay?), and especially about the food’s taste, but he likes it right now.

He squeezes Yuu’s hand that he’s holding, and brings him closer. He wraps places his arm around Yuu’s shoulder, and sighs, content.

The ocean is calm, the waves lapping at the sand in an almost hypnotic rhythm, and his boyfriend is huddled close to him. It’s been a while since he’s seen Yuu this serene.

“You know, Asa-chan, we’re total opposites,” Yuu says.

Asahi hums. This is quite obvious to everyone and anyone that meets them. Asahi’s large physicality is in opposition to his personality, just like Yuu’s.

“But I think we have some similarities.”

“We do,” Asahi admits. Both of them like coffee first thing in the morning, and they make two cups even though Asahi always eats something before his coffee. Yuu re-heats the coffee every day. Both of them love volleyball. Both of them enjoy travelling. Both of them love beaches.

“I sometimes wonder if we’ll ever break up.”

Asahi pauses. His mind begins to make a lot of assumptions, but he reels it back in, somehow convinced this is not his boyfriend’s way of breaking up with him.

“Why?”

Yuu shrugs, and looks at him. His face serious, his eyes dark with concentration and focus - like when he plays any games, and he leans his back closer to Asahi’s chest, so they’re cuddling now. “I can’t think of a time when I’m not with you. It feels right that I’m with you. And I think I know why.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re everything together. You’ve got the morning horizon covered, and I’ve got the evening. That’s basically the whole day.”

Asahi considers his words, then laughs so abruptly a bunch of seabirds squawk and fly away. “You know what? I agree.”

“So I don’t think we’ll ever break up, even if we’re total opposites.”

“Yeah.” Asahi leans closer to his boyfriend, and kisses him. Another reason he likes the USA. He can do this without his stomach twisting and churning. “We’ve got the sky for our similarities, huh?”

“That’s cheesy, Asa-chan.”

“And what you said wasn’t?”

“No,” Yuu says, laughing when his boyfriend lets out a whine. He kisses him as an apology. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Asahi looks back at the beach in front of them. The sun is a deep purple now, ready to disappear into the ocean and become a dark blue.

[ohyoufool]

20k for 200!

In the spirit of everyone who has done such fun follower celebrations in the past, and the milestone I just reached (thank you for loving my ideas about these wacky little characters we all love??), I'm trying to write 20k total across different submissions YOU guys submit.

And, because I'm a sucker for chaos, this is specifically an alternate universe fic festival. Have an idea of an AU you think would be fun with OMGCP characters? This is THE MOMENT. These will be short pieces, written in order of submission over the next few weeks.

And just in case you're having a hard time brainstorming ideas... pulling back the shades on my AU ideas list I haven't written yet. Feel free to submit any of these or put your own spin on it!

The fun goes as follows:

Submit an AU. Can be from the list included below, can be one of your own ideas.

Jazz it up. Give me a song. A scene that comes to mind that made you pick the AU. A snippet of dialogue. Anything!! I want this to be a little bit a both of yours and mine, because I’m excited we’re all here to celebrate this fandom together.

Be following me, and submit it as an ask! :) <3

Submissions open until MAY 17!!

Window washer AU

Eel fishing AU

Asbestos removal AU

Ghost AU

Ice cream AU: Bitty works at an ice cream store and Jack keeps coming in and bringing different dates. Bitty catches feelings anyways, and it turns out that Jack has been bringing the dates there as excuses to see Bitty.

“Race 2” AU where Jack and Bitty get teamed up as a recently-retired NHL player and a food network star.

Sports AU: Any. give me a sport. I will write it.

Catering AU: Bitty is on the catering staff at a 5 star hotel. Jack is the best man at Shitty and Lardo’s wedding that he’s catering. 

Bitty is the PR person for the Falcs and Jack is on the coaching staff AU

I’m a night guard at a museum and you haunt the paintings AU

NASCAR AU

Space Bar AU

Bob and Alicia Assassin AU

Jack works at an upscale dude ranch, where Bitty is the celeb who comes for a getaway with his friends AU

Bitty is the newly elected President of the United States. Jack is the secret service agent assigned to him AU

Bitty!Angel AU

Jack notices slowly in little ways like Bitty always being in focus on photos and always smelling like pie and the ‘sunshine’ way that people keep describing him always makes Jack feel like the light on him is just a little wrong.

Mob Boss x Bodyguard AU

TV Show AU: The team is all playing themselves as characters in a Check Please TV show. Jack and Bitty are playing love interests. Horror ensures. 

Players in canon TV show but role reversal. Bitty’s parents were the famous actors. Gives a sexy chance for Bitty to have anxiety. Bitty looks at Jack the character and sees what is easy to love about himself. BECAUSE they are playing opposite roles. Jack loves him like it’s breathing. 

Airstream AU: Bitty buys a pair of hiking boots from Jack on Facebook marketplace. Bitty is doing the social media and cooking and driving for his best friends’ band while they’re travelling the states and hiking around America while he runs a cook vlog from their airstream trailer. Jack is a mechanic and failed motorcycle racer who sells him the boots. Bitty proceeds to text Jack photos of the boots accompanying him around the tour across the US throughout the summer. The vlog about the journey of the boots makes Bitty’s vlog blow up and go viral. The band starts taking off. Bitty (also their opening act), invites Jack to a show when they’re back in the area. Jack sneaks off to a show that he didn’t think he was going to be able to make it to and Bitty comes on stage and fucking SINGS A SONG ABOUT HIM. They make out against the airstream after.

High school musical AU: instead of troy and gabriella, they’re CHAD AND RYAN

Bitty the vlogger who has an ongoing series about how he has the criteria for the Perfect Date and he’s convinced that once he goes on it, he’ll have found the perfect guy. He slowly gains followers and goes on a date on a friend (Shitty’s) recommendation, and to his surprise, the guy gets ZERO of the things on his list. They fall in love anyways. AU

Rock band in the middle of the apocalypse. Yeah that’s it. AU

Politician and reporter AU

Wedding DJ x Wedding Party AU

Wild West AU

Band AU where Bitty is the lead singer and Jack is the drummer and they’re famous. Bitty has been in love with jack for forever and jack finally catches feelings. There is totally a gay angst moment where jack writes a song and it gets leaked  on twitter. So there’s Jack, in a backwards baseball cap with an acoustic guitar and IT’S THE DRUMMER POSTING AN ACOUSTIC LOVE SONG. sound the alarms. The worst part is it mentions blonde hair and brown eyes and it’s so about Bitty it isn’t even worth denying and ends up getting them together.

Witch AU where someone has a cursed item and is taking it to the other character, who is a cursebreaker, to fix it. (You pick who is who)

College track AU: Jack is an unbeatable distance runner and Bitty is the short and fiery sprinter who he can’t keep his eyes off of.

Speech and debate team AU

SECRET BONUS OPTION:

ALL THE AUs: Jack/BItty keeps waking up in different realities. He isn’t quite sure what it means. Based on the quote: “you don’t get what you want, but you get what you need.”

[lastlight-inn]

you came back with gravity

Chapter 1: my resentment's getting smaller

Gale x female!Tav

3.7k words

Mature

AO3 Link

On one Waterdhavian spring day a chance encounter brings two old friends back together for the first time in almost ten years. Gale Dekarios is the last person Poppy wants to see but when confronted with his affliction, Poppy is forced to make a decision that will define both of them for the rest of their lives. – A Canon-Divergent AU where Gale still has the orb but the events of BG3 don’t happen.

Tags: Angst, Grief, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Discussions of Death, Discussions of Suicide

banner from @firefly-graphics

The wet cobblestones of Waterdeep slap under her boots as Poppy makes her way to the South Gate. It thankfully had not poured last night as many had predicted so the caravan should be leaving on time and without any road condition delays. It’s times like these she wished she taught herself Teleport. Half the fun of travel was the actual travel, the in-between of your departure and arrival. But given where she’s trying to leave, that fun isn’t as tempting as it usually is. She is deeply considering stopping by Book Wyrm’s Treasure to buy a scroll just so she could get out of here. 

She never liked to stay in Waterdeep for too long these days.

Just as she is about to come upon Delzorin Street, the flap of wings and a familiar shrill voice meets her ears.

“Miss Lyons! Oh thank the gods, what serendipity!” 

In a blur of fur and feathers, a mottled tressym lands on a low post a few feet in front of Poppy.

Poppy sighs inwardly. She loves Tara, but Tara is too close to what Poppy is trying to avoid. She definitely will be stopping by Book Wyrm’s after this…

“Tara!” Poppy exclaims, putting on a show of excitement of seeing her old friend. “How are you my dear?”

“I don’t have time for pleasantries or whatever you thought that passed as just now Miss Lyons,” Tara admonishes. “Mr. Dekarios and I are in need of your assistance.”

“Oh the great Archmage Gale of Waterdeep needs my assistance?” Poppy asks sarcastically. “Apologies if I don’t believe that. Now excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”

“He is not asking, I am.”

That makes Poppy pause. “But you said he needs my help?”

“He needs help but he will not ask for it, you know how he gets. But this time it may cost him his life.”

Poppy can only stare at the tressym. Tara loves Gale. Would do anything for him. It comes with the territory of being his familiar but also knowing him for over twenty years…thirty years? Gods, she’s getting old. But while Tara would do anything for Gale, she also calls him out on his bullshit. It’s something her and Poppy bonded over when they first met. And if Gale actually is in trouble and is refusing help, Tara would go and seek assistance…but then another thought occurs to her.

“Why doesn’t he ask Mystra to help him? Surely this is something his goddess can handle.”

Tara actually looks uncomfortable for a moment before replying, “She has forsaken him. Due to the cause of the situation he finds himself in, his prayers and pleas go unanswered. I have been doing what I can to assist him but there is only so much I can do, and he is adamant I don’t contact Elminster or The Blackstaff.”

Poppy chuckles darkly, “And what makes you think that I can help? I’m no archmage.”

“Do not sell yourself short Miss Lyons, you are quite powerful. But you are his friend—”

“We’re not friends, Tara,” Poppy interrupts. “We haven’t been for years now.”

“But what about you and I? Please Miss Lyons, if not for him would you do it for me? I’m desperately worried about him. I hate to see him wasting away as he is and there is only so much I can do,” Tara implores.

Wasting away? Poppy shakes her head. No. She can’t. He wasn’t there for her when she needed him so why should she be there for him? 

But when she looks back at Tara, Poppy only sees deep concern carved into the tressym’s face.

Oh for fuck’s sake.

—

The townhouse looks a little worse for wear. Gale had enchantments all over the property to keep it looking its best no matter the season. It’s summer and his roses should be in bloom, but instead sit dead and dry in the mulch borders against the building. The vines that had once grown artfully up a trellis are now unruly and climbing halfway up the facade of the building. 

Tara unlocks the door with a swish of her tail and Poppy follows her inside. 

Something is…off. Just like the unkempt flora outside, the inside of Gale’s tower feels wrong. Poppy recalls previous visits to Gale’s tower where the Weave would practically smack you in the face as you crossed the threshold. Between the wards of the tower, the amount of artifacts he kept on hand, and Gale’s mere presence, the Weave was something integral to Gale’s home akin to the scent of someone cooking in a kitchen or music in Poppy’s home growing up. But not anymore.

Visually, it’s less cluttered. Poppy follows Tara up the stairs and sees some noticeably empty spots in the display cases and bookshelves that line the walls. There’s also a fine layer of dust over almost everything, as if he hadn’t been using this part of the tower in quite some time. 

Then there’s the quiet. The enchanted piano that one could usually hear from where it played in Gale’s study on a near-constant basis is silent. Poppy pokes her head into the kitchen at its landing and sees dishes piled up in the sink, no unseen servant tending to them. 

It’s unsettling, to say the least. Gale is someone full of life, color, and movement and that extends to his home. To see it in such a state makes her mind wander as to what condition she will find Gale in.

Eventually, she reaches the landing for Gale’s bedroom where one half of the double doors stands ajar, Tara’s fluffy rump disappearing through it as Poppy rounds the corner.

She takes a deep breath and moves into the doorway, stopping in the threshold. Poppy hasn’t spent much time in Gale’s bedroom but she has seen it enough to know generally how he tends to keep it. And what she sees now makes her heart sink. Gale has been a night owl for as long as she’s known him, so him sleeping in isn’t an immediate cause for concern, but she knows better than anyone what a depression nest looks like. What it looks like when one can’t get out of bed. It’s a particular type of wrinkles present in the linens and the level of darkness in the room. It’s how he’s laying in the bed, splayed out like he’s become one with the mattress. It’s, to be frank, the smell. Of when someone stays in one room for too long. A type of must that melds together with one’s natural musk. 

Tara flaps onto the bed and bats him on the chest with a paw. “Mr. Dekarios, we have a visitor,” she announces. 

Gale stirs, a low groan barely audible from where Poppy stands in the doorway. “Tara, we don’t take visitors,” she hears him mumble.

“Yes we do! I invited them myself. Now please sit up! We don’t want to be rude to our guest.”

“Tara!” he reproves, his voice hoarse. “I can’t let anyone see me like this—”

“None of that Mr. Dekarios, they are here to help. Now get up.”

Gale lets out a long-suffering sigh and moves to sit up, rolling out the cricks in his neck and Poppy can’t control the quiet gasp she utters at the sight of him.

He’s so thin; gaunt, even. His hair is grown out around his shoulders and a tangled beard crowds his jawline. But what really shocks her is the pale purple glow that emanates from the tendrils of a tattoo on his chest that crawls up his neck and across his cheek, making his dirty white shirt glow purple as well. 

Gale’s eyes shoot to the doorway at her gasp and for the first time in ten years she is looking Gale Dekarios in the face and she absolutely hates it. Not just because she does not want to be here, but because of what he looks like and how it makes her feel. The purple glow seems to flare as he looks at her and he winces, clutching at his chest. 

Curiosity getting the best of her, Poppy tosses her bag and jacket  into a chair and strides into the room to get a closer look at the unmistakably magical and painful mark that brands his chest. 

“No, please,” he gasps. “Poppy, you don’t need to be here. Tara, what in the blazes—”

“I will not be admonished for my actions Mr. Dekarios. You did not specifically say that we could not reach out to her for help, and I happened to encounter her on my errands.”

“Yes, but—”

“Gale what did you do?” Poppy interrupts. 

He turns to her with the most pitiful look on his face. Clearly in pain, clearly uncomfortable with her presence given their last interactions or lack thereof, and clearly worried which confuses Poppy. 

“It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with I am perfectly fin—eughhhhh” Gale lets out a groan and his eye twitches and he clutches at his chest once more. 

Poppy crawls onto the bed next to him and pulls down the collar of his shirt to see that the tendrils converge on a circle on his sternum. The skin is bruised in the center and the glowing seems to get stronger not due to her removing its covering, but by Gale’s distress.

“Please, please,” he wheezes. 

She ghosts a hand over the mark to get an idea of what in the hells this is and feels something hungry and roiling in his chest. Something dark. She closes her eyes and tries to focus on the magic nestled there and it feels wrong. 

“I’m assuming you’ve tried dispelling this,” she mutters, brain working overdrive, trying to remember everything she’s ever read that might be useful. Thinking through every spell she knows and how they can help, if at all. 

“Of course I have,” he gasps. “Please Poppy, you don’t need to concern yourself with me, let me suffer.”

“Shut up,” she snaps. Thinking. Thinking. 

Wanting to see it for herself, she tries to dispel it, crooning the words and twisting her fingers just so over his chest. She’s failed to dispel too-strong magic before. She knows what it feels like, like throwing her own magic at an impenetrable wall of Weave. And she knows what it feels like to successfully dispel, to feel it fizzle away by her will and song. 

But this, this thing in his chest does neither. Instead it consumes her spell, pulling the energy she evokes from the Weave and devouring it. Gale groans in relief and he collapses into the sheets.

Her spell ends and the glow subsides, but she can feel the energy beneath Gale’s skin and it seems to be sated. For now. 

“What the fuck is that, Gale?”

Gale lays there next to her, panting. “Poppy, you really should go.”

“The fuck I will, now answer my question!”

“I brought her here to help, Mr. Dekarios,” Tara appeals. “Please give her a chance to.”

“There’s nothing else she can do, Tara.”

“Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence. Maybe if you actually tell me what happened I can surprise you, hmm?”

Gale looks between Tara and Poppy before seemingly resigning himself to his fate. “It’s not a particularly flattering story.”

And so he tells her. About Mystra. About his drive for more. About the book. How it almost killed him outright. How Mystra has abandoned him. How it’s been eating away at him for almost a year. How he’s emptied every magic artifact in his tower so Tara goes out in search of magical items. And how she is the only person to know about this outside of Tara.

She can only stare at him. Her stupid genius of a best friend. Ex-best friend. The tunnel vision, the fucking ambition, none of it is surprising to her. He’s been like this their whole lives. Only this time it didn’t get him ahead, instead it did the opposite, rending him into the man that lays in his bed in front of her, barely able to cast a cantrip. 

What is she even doing?

“You’re fucking unbelievable,” she mutters.

“You know me, always striving for the astounding,” he jests.

“Oh, feeling good enough to joke now that I’ve pumped a spell into you, are we?”

He winces at the callout. “It’s been some time since I last consumed an artifact, and it did alleviate most of the pain, even though that is not exactly what you had intended.”

Poppy’s mind buzzing with this new information of the orb and its magic, an idea occurs to her.

“Let me try something else.” She places both hands over the orb and closes her eyes to focus. She strains to listen for the hum of the orb, its frequency, its note. In her travels she’s dispelled things as she just attempted to, but there’s another way. Like how opera singers can reach such notes that shatter glass, if she can counter the frequency of the orb, maybe she can neutralize it. Not really casting a spell, more like pure manipulation of energy by reaching out to the metaphysical echoes of the words of creation from the very beginning of time. Something raw and primordial compared to the neat and tidy way casters interact with the Weave in this day and age. 

It’s discordant because of course it is. Not a single note but a collection, a chord. Something sharp that grates at her ears but she grasps onto it, and begins to sing. No words, just notes. She doesn’t have perfect pitch but with enough focus and time she can match notes just fine. But her voice can’t make this note on its own. Raising one hand, she casts Minor Illusion to create another collection of hopefully correct sounds to compliment her voice. She strains to focus on the frequency, this spell, and her singing at the same time. It just might work. She needs it to work. Gale needs it to work. 

After a few minutes she finds the right combination of notes and holds.

They don't need to wait long. Moments after the frequencies match Poppy can feel the orb become angry. Unstable, even. Like instead of neutralizing it she’s amplifying it.

“Poppy,” Gale gasps. “Poppy stop.”

She opens her eyes and sees pure terror and pain in his brown ones. “This is supposed to work,” she cries. 

Gale cries out in pain and the orb glows brighter and brighter and so she lets go, wrenching her hands away from him and cutting off her connection with the orb. He presses a hand onto his chest, the mark still glowing and tears streaming down his face.

Disbelieving, angry, ashamed, ashamed, ashamed, Poppy reaches forward to touch his arm and he flinches. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, casting a strong healing word over him, hoping it at least helps with the pain.

Gale takes a few moments to catch his breath before he responds, “You should leave.”

“I’m not leaving you like this.”

“You should be back out there living your life! And I’ve clearly made you late for something seeing as you’re in traveling clothes. Go and forget about me and all of this. I’ve been managing just fine on my own.”

“Having Tara go and fetch you enchanted items to sate the orb isn’t sustainable, don’t be stupid. Besides, have you seen yourself? When’s the last time you ate something?”

His hesitation is enough of an answer for her. She grabs her bag and jacket and storms into the kitchen a few floors down. Conjuring her own unseen servant, she sets it to wash the dishes while she prestidigitates the rest of the kitchen clean. There’s not much in the pantry except for some rotting fruit which she immediately tosses. Upon inspection of his larder in the basement she finds his seemingly endless stores of hundur sauce and wine but unfortunately not much else other than some rice and flour. 

Poppy makes her way back up to the foyer and sits in one of the armchairs there, a cloud of dust pluming up as she compresses the cushion. Sneezing, she casts another prestidigitation until the dust is gone and then settles her face in her hands.

What the fuck is she doing? She’s supposed to be on her way to Baldur’s Gate by now. He doesn’t deserve a fucking meal from her.

Rot. Let him rot. He wasn’t there for her, so why should she be there for him? She’s done all she can in trying to dispel the orb. He’s gone and done something way over even his head and now he’s stuck, barely even a shadow of his former self. 

Serves him right, she thinks. But there’s no schadenfreude like she wants there to be, expects there to be.

Her mind churns, battling her spite and her guilt until a small thump gets her attention.

Looking up from her hands she sees Tara sitting primly in front of her on the carpet, watching. Waiting.

“Please don’t look at me like that, Tara.”

“Like what? I don’t know what you mean, Miss Lyons.”

Poppy sighs deeply until she feels her chest tighten around the lack of air in her lungs. 

“He never stopped trying, you know. He wrote you many letters. Some the length of novels. He never sent them, of course. But your absence pained him and still does. I’m not saying what he did was okay—I gave him my own lashing when he missed your mother’s funeral—but I’m worried for him. He hasn’t spoken to Morena since this began, and there’s only so much I can do to deflect her questions. And I don’t know who else to turn to. I’ll keep trying to find magic items for as long as the orb needs them, but you’re right. That isn’t sustainable.”

As long as the orb needs them. What’s the timeline on this sort of thing? Is there even one? Is this something Gale will live with for the rest of his life? Or will the orb be the end of his life?

“Tara…do you know what will happen if you stop feeding the orb? What will happen?”

Tara’s ears flick in irritation, in concern. “I don’t think you want to know that.”

“Tara, please,” Poppy pleads.

The tressym sighs. “Mr. Dekarios surmises that the orb when left unfed will explode. It could level the entirety of Waterdeep.”

Shock doesn’t even begin to describe how Poppy feels at that. She sits up a little and reaches a hand out and Tara comes, hopping into Poppy’s lap and allowing her to hug her and bury her face in her fur and feathers. 

Shock makes way for dread, panic, and of course worry. But not helplessness. 

Poppy is no Archmage, but she’s nothing if not creative. All this information does is make her want to beat it. Destroy it. Save him.

Save him. Gale may have made a stupid fucking mistake all those years ago that made her tear her heart out, but that doesn’t mean she wants him dead. As a matter of fact, right now it’s the last thing she wants.

—

A few hours, a perusal of Gale’s cookbook collection, and a trip to the market later, Poppy is moving through Gale’s kitchen as if it were her own. Gale is by far the more creative cook but Poppy can follow a recipe and knows how to hold a knife, and that’s enough to make something delicious and filling. Gale’s notes in the margins of the recipes aren’t unhelpful either.

It’s while the stew is finishing up and she’s singing as she toasts some bread that she hears the shuffle of feet behind her. Keeping her hands working but turning her head over her shoulder she catches Gale hesitantly making his way into the kitchen.

“You’re up! I thought the orb made you completely bedridden.”

“No, ah,” he starts. “When the orb is sated I am mostly myself but with some lingering pains. When it begins to hunger on the other hand…”

“Understood.”

There’s a bit of an awkward silence afterwards as Poppy turns back to the food cooking in front of her. She doesn’t hear Gale move and is waiting for him to say what he came down here to say. Because he always has something to say.

“You don’t have to do this” he draws off.

“You’re right, I don’t,” she says. “But I refuse to leave you like I found you. Or let you get back to that state for that matter.” Scooping up some stew in a bowl, she then grabs a microplane and shreds fresh cheese over the top like she’s seen Gale do before when making a similar dish. 

Placing the stew and bread at the place setting closest to where he’s sitting, she gestures to it and says, “Eat.” 

Gale doesn’t move to take a seat, he only stares at the bowl with that crease between his brow that forms whenever he’s thinking hard about something. 

“Why are you still here?” he asks.

Poppy pours herself her own bowl of food and sits across from his spot, digging in, using her chewing of the meat and vegetables to give her time to think over her answer.

While she mulls, Gale finally sits but doesn’t touch the food. After a few moments, she swallows. Honesty has always been the best policy in her opinion, even though she would love to lie through her teeth right now. She reaches for the unopened bottle of wine on the table and begins working the cork out to keep her hands busy.

“Because I’m supposed to be the one who gets bedridden for weeks at a time. Who locks herself away in a dark room because everything is too much. And you’re the one who’s supposed to glow with the sun and with life.”

The cork finally free with a ‘pop’ she pours both of them hearty servings. They both need it.

Poppy finally levels her gaze at him. “Because I care about you. Now eat.”

[randomficrecss]

My Hero Academia Fic Rec

i’m not super picky with my mha ships so here’s some of my fav fics for bakudeku, kiribaku, and tododeku! enjoy<3

KiriBaku

An Abundance of Penguin Shit by vixensheart

T | 295.1K | 25/25 | AU no quirks, AU animal handler, Slowburn, penguins, panic attacks

Penguins are overrated, in Katsuki's mind. They smell, they're loud, and they shit every ten minutes. How he ended up working with them, he doesn't know, but he hates it.

Okay, so maybe he needed a pay raise. Sue him. That doesn't mean he enjoys it. It's hard to enjoy getting bit every time he so much as looks at a penguin, after all. Let alone when he tries to handle one.

It certainly doesn't help that he keeps getting paired with Kirishima, who's all smiles and way too damn friendly for his own good.

~

Or, when Katsuki works as an animal handler because he's broke and hungry, and inadvertently warms up to both the penguins, and a certain red-haired boy.

I wasn’t looking for love (but then there you were) by dragontrappedinhumanskin

T | 35.5K | 1/1 | AU college, fluff and angst, strangers to lovers, first dates, public transportation, basketball player kirishima

(past child abuse)

Bakugo always fucking hated riding the subway every week, its crowded, loud and he's tired, but then he starts seeing the same redhead every time.

--

Katsuki blinked in disbelief. What the shit, he’s asking to play rock, paper, scissors. Is he fucking five years old? Who can be this stupid?! And he took his hand off the handle, does he want to fall?

Katsuki glared at him, but the redhead just smiled, and his eyes glint with a challenge, and before Katsuki can really think it through he’s taking his free hand and making a fist in front of himself.

The redhead’s smile turned less challenging and more cheerful, and Katsuki decided that this might not be that bad. He’s going to fucking crush him at rock, paper, scissors, even if it’s a stupid game.

neon season by chonideno

T | 26.3K | 1/1 | AU no quirks, road trips, aged up characters, sharing a bed, happy ending

the car is old and the road is long. nothing truly feels real, gas stations are empty, hotel rooms are on another plane of existence, street lights flicker when they walk past them. the fabric of their relationship changes a bit with every new city they drive through, progressively muffling the buzzing static of their thoughts

or how kirishima and bakugou share food, beds, bodies, and refuse to admit they want it to last

slow it down (go easy on me) by newamsterdam

T | 26.9K | 3/3 | time travel, marriage, future fic, angst with a happy ending

It’s at that moment that Bakugou realizes something is very, very wrong. He glances down at himself and sees scars he’s never had before along his arms, little nicks and scratches he’d never have been oblivious to. When he reaches up, his limbs feel longer, and as he staggers to his feet he stands several centimeters taller than he had, last thing he knew. He glances at the mirror, catches sight of his reflection, and screams.

One of the doors on the opposite side of the room bursts open, steam spilling out into the bedroom. A man crosses the room in quick strides, looking around for some enemy he can’t yet see.

No, not just a man. Kirishima.

When a confrontation with a villain throws Bakugou through time, he's forced to face a future he never imagined, and maybe something he can't leave behind.

the easy parts by chonideno

T | 11.6K | 1/1 | hurt/comfort, canon compliant, scars, insecurity, happy ending

Kirishima made it out alive but his body is covered in wounds that won't heal without leaving marks behind. He hides them away from the sight of others, away from his own, and he hates every part of it. Bakugou watches him reduce his own character to a parody of what it used to be, and he can't stand it.

Or how Bakugou and Kirishima learn to deal with these scars, with themselves, with each other.

Tonight, We’re the Sea by idratherhaveyou

M | 60.7K | 11/11 | AU no quirks, slowburn, hurt/comfort, soft, the ocean

Kirishima goes to a quiet seaside town to take care of his grandmother after she has a bad fall. There he meets Bakugou Katsuki and falls in love.

TodoDeku

sore must be the storm by Pouler (poulerslashes)

T | 10.4K | 1/1 | injury, claustrophobia, near death scenario, hurt/comfort, aged up characters, future fic

(past child abuse)

“We were in a fight,” he said.

“Yes,” Todoroki returned.

“And now we’re trapped?”

“Yes.”

“Under a building.”

“So it would seem.”

Two friends share time and words together as they try to keep a dark situation from turning into a hopeless one.

Summer Stars by PitViperOfDoom

T | 61.2K | 13/13 | hurt/comfort, mutual pining

(past child abuse)

It's been judged safe to send the students of UA home to their families for the first three weeks of summer, much to the relief of everyone whose name isn't Todoroki Shouto. Luckily, Midoriya has a solution for him, and Midoriya Inko has a lot of love to give.

i love you like the sun came out by unreemarkable

T | 46.5K | 6/6 | fluff, angst, developing relationship

(reference child abuse)

Todoroki Shouto is untouchable, until he isn't. What comes after goes a little like this.

[In which Todoroki falls, slowly, steadily, with his eyes wide open.]

Hooked On You by Trenchcoatkitten (love this one bc i just started crocheting like 2 months ago!)

T | 23.3K | 3/3 | crochet AU, college students, getting together, quirkless AU

While looking for a way to get a sweater for his dog, Shouto finds that he may be able to make one himself–and his main way to learn how is from a streamer with gnarled, scarred hands and a very kind voice that Shouto is rapidly coming to like.

OR

The crochet au that nobody asked for but I decided to write because it's like chicken soup for the soul.

prince & prince by Authoress

E | 183K | 22/22 | princes AU, arranged marriage, quirks equal royalty, undercover deku, slowbuild, hurt/comfort

Note to self: don't accidentally fall in love with a prince who's in an arranged marriage keeping your kingdoms from declaring war against each other. Especially when you're spying on him as his manservant.

Checks and Balances by indirectkissesiniceland (literally my fav omg, read the whole series!!)

T | 113.8K | 30/30 | AU college, hockey, cheerleaders, slowburn, friends to lovers

(referenced child abuse)

Izuku Midoriya was a competitive cheerleader up until an injury to his hand made tumbling and stunting an impossibility. It's devastating to think that cheer could be out of his life for good—until a pair of enthusiastic classmates show up at Izuku's dorm room with a signup sheet for a new hockey cheerleading club. All that's left to do is learn how exactly hockey works...and try not to think too much about the prodigious freshman right wing, who's just about the most wonderful person Izuku's ever met.

Shouto Todoroki has eaten, slept, and breathed hockey his whole life. He's got a legacy to live up to with his pro-hockey old man, and he's no stranger to the scrutiny and expectations of his coaches and teammates. It's different now that he plays for UA, though. He's got a former pro coach who sees potential in him and teammates who might actually like him as a person. Then there's the cheerleading captain, who's kind and compassionate in a way Shouto's never known—and who won't rest until Shouto stops dismissing hockey as nothing more than his old man's game.

When He Sees Me by Trenchcoatkitten

no rating | 81.1K | 14/14 | AU no quirks, blind midoriya izuku, dancer todoroki shouto, angst with a happy ending

(referenced child abuse)

“Sorry,” Midoriya says. “I tend to get off in my own little world sometimes. Guess I just talk a lot. Hope that won't bother you.”

“It's fine. I don't talk very much.”

Midoriya grins again, lighting up the booth brighter than the light hanging over the table. “We're a perfect pair, then!”

xx

Todoroki Shouto moves in with someone he's never met, just while he's in town for his show. He's never really known what home could mean, and, well, Izuku's the perfect ball of sunshine to show him.

Basically, this is a Blind!Izuku and Dancer!Shouto AU :)

BakuDeku

i was a little bit lost (but i’m not anymore) by starkliquors

E | 58.7K | 9/9 | AU sugar daddy, ABO dynamics, kid fic, sugar daddy bakugo,

Struggling as a single parent sucks. Especially when he had so many other responsibilities. So when Izuku asks his best friend to help him find a better job, he doesn't expect that to lead to becoming the sugar baby of the Symbol of Victory himself, Ground Zero.

No Perfect Time by ThyNameNotSpoken (read part 2 if u like shinsou hitoshi/kaminari denki, it’s so good)

E | 73.9K | 9/9 | hurt/comfort, dad katsuki, quirkless midoriya, eventual smut, single parents

Katsuki Bakugo has lived his life with no regrets. He goes all in. He doesn’t lose. He doesn’t fail.

Until he does.

Now he's stuck taking care of a baby he swore to protect.

But he needs help. He knows now that he can't do everything alone. That's how Izuku comes into his life. . .and never leaves

Baby Face by VersaceThong (classic “who did this to you” fic)

E | 16.5K | 1/1 | friends to lovers, hurt/comfort, trauma, injury, scar, falling in love, sexual content

A thick bloody gash runs from Deku’s right brow, across the bridge of his nose, over his cheek, and all the way down to the edge of his jaw. A sickening, jagged line etched diagonally over his face, wide enough to miss one of his eyes by mere milimeters.

He almost crashes into Deku, grabbing his arm in one hand and his face in the other. Katsuki’s index and thumb press into either side of his jaw, squishing Deku’s cheeks together.

With a voice so low he doesn’t recognize it as his own, Katsuki grinds out his words.

“Who did this to you?”

______________________________

Or; a villain leaves a scar on Deku's face and Katsuki absolutely loses it.

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

~*~

1. hi! could i ask for fics that describe the long and logistically-nightmarish aspects of the SSC? mayyybe acknowledging how without wwx it would've been even more horrific? (i read along with flute in wartime and its absolutely gorgeous but annoyingly my brain refuses to enjoy top wwx and/or bottom lwj so that limits the request a bit re: the explicit fics...) thank you a lot!!

we're starting at the end by Miss_Enthusiasimal (M, 92k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Time Travel, Canon Divergence, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Golden Core Reveal, Burial Mounds, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Starvation, emaciation, Cannibalism, Self-Harm, Amputation, Suicidal Thoughts, Sunshot Campaign, let JZX and WWX be friends club)

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2. Hello again, thank you for the last time you guys recommended me fics , they were amazing and i loved reading them and i am back with another request. Can you please recommend A) some wangxian arranged marriage au before the sun shit like the war didn't happen in the au , and wei ying doesn't lose his golden core , canon divergent and they make their marriage work out , happy ending. Thank you in advance 💗🫂

B) Hello, it's not been 24 hours and i am back with yet another request, can you please help me look for something where wei ying and lan zhan are childhood friends and are absolutely smitten with each other and wei ying's parents are alive and them and lans have friendly relationship. Thank you:) @sineofu​

2A)

Give Me a Chance to Fall by brooklinegirl (E, 37k, wangxian, canon divergence, arranged marriage)

Into the Oubliette by Ruixx (M, 122k, WIP, wangxian, JYL/JZX, growing up, fix-it of sorts, time travel, arranged marriage, sibling bonding, adopted sibling relationship, light bdsm, sunshot campaign, war, politics, hostage JYL, visions, LXC redemption, good uncle LQR, empire building)

Lead Me On Through by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 54k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Practice Kissing, practice other things, horny boys in love, questionable logic, Questionable Choices, they’re dumb but cute) they're arranged to marry each other but don't know that...

💖 sweet chaos by eachandeverydimension (G, 86k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Canon Divergence, Fluff, Romance, Light Angst, Falling In Love, Different First Meeting, Qīnghéng-jūn’s A+ Parenting, Night Hunts, Chinese Language, Good Sibling LXC, Good Sibling JYL, POV LWJ, Getting Together, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Chinese Culture, Slow Burn, No Homophobia AU, Chinese festivals)

Concord by Deastar (T, 41k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Gūsū Lán Sect Rules, Depression, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending)

2B)

Cartwheels In Cloud Recesses Series  by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 23k, WangXian, CSSR/WCZ, CSSR and WCZ Live, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Cloud Recesses Shenanigans)

tall as the mountains that sheltered us  by thelastdboy (M, 4k, CSSR/WCZ, CSSR & WWX & WCZ, wangxian, canon divergence, CSSR & WCZ live, crack treated seriously,   childhood friends to lovers, genius WWX, inventor WWX, bg character death, happy ending, WCZ pov)

~*~

3. ITMF lwj seducing wwx

got your way with me by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 51k, WangXian, Modern AU, Friends With Benefits, Fuckbuddies, wangxian/others very briefly, otherwise it’s OTP all the way, lwj FUCKS) the "lan zhan fucks" tag on ao3 has some good ones

🧡 Rule Number One: Never get attached. by KizuKatana (E, 130k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O, Light Angst, Crime Boss LWJ, Rogue criminal genius WWX)

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4. Hey!!! How are you guys doing? I hope you're healthy:) Hi! Aside from allergies been fine 😊 ~Mod L

This is an IITMF request : fic where WangXian fall in love at first sight. Angst is fine but not too much. I'm in the mood for sweet fluff lately.

Thank you for your hard work✨✨✨ @tinyfoxpeach​

Hello!! This is #4 from the recent IITMF. Thank you for your rec!! I'm gonna read them now ♡♡♡

I know what my heart wants by yakuso5u (Not Rated, 28k, WangXian, Modern AU, Single Father LWJ, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Getting Together, Accidental Child Acquisition, Domestic, Slice of Life, Christmas references)   does love at first site but stupid pining for a bit count? These are all super fluffy either way

box your errors by mellowflicker (T, 42k, WangXian, Modern AU, single dad lwj, Domestic Fluff, Family Issues, Slow Burn, Kid Fic, let lwj have friends agenda, Hurt/Comfort, Pining)

And They Were Quarantined series by thunderwear (E, 49k, 3 works (complete), wangxian, 3zun)

joined delight by RoseThorne (M, 1k, WangXian, fast burn, Marking, Frottage, Marathon Sex, Implied Sexual Content, Love at First Sight, POV Third Person, POV LWJ, Canon Divergence, Cloud Recesses Study Arc)

Blooming Days by Atsushiis (G, 7k, wangxian, LXC & LWJ, MM & LWJ, modern, college) university au, meet-cute, first dates, first kiss, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, romance, falling in love, gratuitous handholding, LWJ protection squad)

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5. Hi! For the next ITMF can you recommend me a fic where JYL (and JZX if possible) lives after WWX dies? Either she survives the wound/in coma/the Jin lies. Preferably if it's yunmeng trio feels (no jiang bashing i mean). It didn't have to be the focus of the story, i just want them meet and have a talk. Thank you! @idontknowwhattowriteforusername

Arrayed by FirefliesNLightningBugs (M, 5k, WangXian, XuanLi, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Protective JZX, JZX Lives, JYL Lives, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Supernatural Elements, Post-First Siege of the Burial Mounds) has jzx and jy live with it revealed right after their death. Wip. Feels. If comments are to be believed, it made many people cry. Um, I know there's another long fic I think might work with this where jc is married to wq and I think they had twin daughters? Idk

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6. Hello!! First time doing this lol. I'm in the mood for a fic that's mainly LWJ angst or whump fics where he's very hurt and/or grieving and everyone around him is worried about his wellbeing. Maybe set during the 13 years or before the ending. Preferably, anyone else's POV but not LWJ's. Unfortunately, I love seeing my favorite characters sad lol.

to the act of making noise by words-writ-in-starlight (Gunmetal_Crown)  (G, 19k, LSZ & WWX & LWJ, WangXian, Grief/Mourning, Father-Son Relationship, inquiry, Music, Angst, Fluff, Found Family, mostly CQL verse, Podfic available) not sure if this is what OP is looking for since whump isn't the focus, but this is indirectly A-Yuan's POV of LWJs mourning

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7. Itmf fics where wwx's silver mask features prominently, with secret identity/double identity vibes. Esp if set during sunshot campaign/any time prior to wwx's death in canon timeline. Bonus points if key players (like lz or Jiang siblings) don't know the masked identity is him and/or didn't know him previously.

Impossible by Theladyofravenclaw (G, 11k, WangXian, ChengQing, Cinderella (Fairy Tale) Fusion, Cinderella AU, Misunderstandings, Oblivious WWX, Canon Divergence, Everybody Lives Nobody dies, Happy Ending)

Mask by BurningTea (M, 30k, WangXian, Non con tag refers to activity between WWX and LWJ which WWX believes to be consensual, Bottom LWJ, War Prize LWJ, YLLZ WWX, Canon Divergence, Canon Setting, dubcon)

The Scarlet Lotus by rainbowninja167 (M, 127k, WIP, WangXian, Marriage of Convenience, Secret Identity, Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Canon-Typical Violence, canon-typical war crimes, Yunmeng Bros, the mortifying ordeal of getting seduced by your own husband, nonlinear chronology we die like cql, just kidding nobody dies in this fic, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication)

Tumblr fic by shanastoryteller

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8. For the next ITMF, please recommend me the filthiest and dirtiest wangxian fic you ever read! Preverably the one that you can read in one sitting

P.s. no bottomji please. Thank you

Febrific by tailor31415 (E, 2k, WangXian, post-novel, PWP, Figging) There was one involving peeled ginger root object insertion that was really good but I can't find it. / found it

Making Mouths at Dragons by athena_crikey (E, 10k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Mpreg, baby fever, near PWP, Dragon sex, also human sex, Rimming, Size Kink, Egg Laying, Feel-good, hints of self-worth issues, Dragon LWJ)

Fentao-laoshi's Guide to Cut-Sleeve Pleasures by occultings (microcomets) (E, 31k, wangxian, canon divergence, pining while fucking, friends with benefits, first time, cloud recesses study arc, practice kissing, sharing a bed, jealousy, getting together, confessions, happy ending)

dreaming and getting a glimmer by verseau (E, 27k, WangXian, Modern AU,, College/University, Glory Hole, Compulsory Heterosexuality, Internalized Homophobia, Humiliation, Slut Shaming, Identity Porn, Objectification Kink, Mildly Dubious Consent, Mild Feminization)

eating sugar out of your hand by azuresummer (E, 20k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O Dynamics, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, A/B/O Roleplay, Dom/sub, Dominant LWJ, Submissive WWX, Established Relationship, Roleplay, Consensual Non-Consent, Under-negotiated Kink, degradation kink, Praise Kink, Light Bondage, Size Kink, Size Difference, Spit Kink, Hair-pulling, Daddy Kink, Slight Crossdressing, Lingerie, Creampie, Feminizing Language, Dirty Talk, Overstimulation, Prostate Milking, slight breathplay, Facials, Snowballing, Finger Sucking, Panty Kink, Spanking, Crying, Mentions of Face-Slapping, Drunk Sex, Mating Cycles/In Heat, LWJ and WWX Have a Breeding Kink, PWP)

I Won't Tell If You Won't by anxiousTypist (E, 11k, WangXian, Modern AU, Masturbation, Public Masturbation, Semi-Public Sex, Exhibitionism, Voyeurism, but not really, no one sees, Coming In Pants, Wet & Messyish, Mildly Dubious Consent, lwj involves wwx in his masturbation without his consent and also enjoys secretly getting cum on him, PWP)

The Amber Hairpin by may10baby (E, 7k, wangxian, f/m, female LWJ, male WWX, top LWJ, bottom WWX, canon divergence, arranged marriage, courtship, CSSR & WCZ live, bondage, smut, possessive LWJ) Oh! I just remembered! /yes/ this is tagged both het!Wangxian with fem!Lan Zhan AND Top!Lan Zhan, and DAMN did she do so

after the crash landing left me stranded (on an abandoned oceanic planet) by fenaly (E, 4k, wangxian, Alien!LWJ, Sci-Fi AU, Breeding Kink, Oviposition, Explicit Smut, Non-Human Genitalia, Monsterfucking, Non-Consensual Oral Sex, Non-Consensual Somnophilia, Non-Consensual Oviposition, Lots of Cum, alienji feeds wei ying some nutrition eggies and takes care of him until he heals okay, egg vore, Ambiguous/Open Ending)

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9. Hii do you guys have any fic recs with lwj's ribbon and the meaning behind it like misunderstandings etc both mdzs or cql

A Mother's Love by FirefliesNLightningBugs (M, 168k, WIP, WangXian, ChengQing, Canon Divergence, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Mostly combo of the Untamed and MoDaoZuShi timelines, Unreliable Narrator, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Miscommunication, Family Feels, PTSD, Post-Sunshot Campaign, Political Intrigue, Mystery, POV Multiple, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Genderbent WWX, Intersex WWX, not a/b/o, POV Original Character, Expanded Universe, Unplanned Pregnancy, Golden Core Reveal, WWX Has No Golden Core, YLLZ WWX, Getting Together, MXY Lives) wwx (and others) not knowing what the ribbon means gets brought up a few times. Nor does he recognize its significance (and implied acceptance) when he let's lz tie it around his wrist off screen in the first chapter.

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10. Itmf A) foxxian and dragonji, esp ones which have baby half fox half dragon kids (more plotty stories than smutty please) or ones where one of them finds an orphaned baby from not their magical race (so like foxxian finds a random dragon egg, dragonji finds a random foxkit, etc) B) any animal or spirit/fantasy creature shapeshifter stories.

Our Shape-shifter AU might have something you’d like ^^

10A)

Foxxian/Dragonji thread by @/cerbykerby (wangxian, cw: dubcon, mpreg, memory loss)

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11. Could you recommend A) a fic when weiying reincarnated and marry lan zhan but then due to some curse or something he died again but with a happy ending he came back again or something like that 🤭 and B) also some darkji fic where he's obsessed with weiying 🥺😘 @friedsublimeface

11A)

All Old Things are New Again series by The Feels Whale (miscellea) (M, 59k, WangXian, Reincarnation, Modern AU, canon still happened, extreme post canon, Sugar Daddy, Kink Negotiation, gentle dom!LWJ, canonical levels of consent play, Modern Cultivators, cultivators can   recognize important people from previous lives, vaguely, this started out as a cute sugar fantasy and got just incredibly horny very fast, blame LWJ) lwj meets reincarnated wwx in a modern setting, so i think it counts? very post canon? if the modern era doesnt bother you, it fits well with the request

11B)

A Matter of Time by mrcformoso (M, <1k, WIP, wangxian, time travel fix-it, graphic depictions of violence, underage, LWJ pov, JC pov, dark LWJ, manipulation, grooming, teen body adult mind for LWJ, happy ending for wangxian, problematic consensual underage sex, blood & violence, insane LWJ, manic LWJ) I only just saw this at the start of looking through the time travel fix-it tag, but I think it might fit? I haven't actually read it

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12. Hiya! Firstly, thank you so much for all you do for this fandom. I can't tell you how many amazing fics I've discovered because of your blog. 🙇‍♀️💖 For your next ITMF post, I'm curious if there are any modern AUs out there where WWX lives with LWJ's family or WWX lives with LWJ's family (as a couple). I remember a threadifc exploring that concept a while back...Ty! @morecolorfulmetaphors​

paired wings soaring by typefortydeductions (E, 33k, WangXian, Modern AU, Domestic Bliss, Slice of Life, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, both physically and emotionally, Kissing, BDSM, one instance of car sex, Light Somnophilia, Suspension, subspace AND domspace, Comeplay, very loving and consensual degradation) LWJ and WWX move in with LWJ's mother

The Fifth Type of Non-Contact Force by Caixx (Not Rated, 83k, WangXian, Modern AU, High School, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Fluff and Humor, Actually Somewhat Canon, Mutual Pining, Horny Teenagers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Graphic Smut) exchange student wwx lives with lwj lxc and his uncle

~*~

13. hurt comfort @cribisfringu

Our Sick Fic / Hurt/Comfort comp posted just in time 😄

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14. I have found the best modern aus almost always make me cry SO I’m itmf angst w happy ending (important!) modern fics that you think might fit that! Preferably wangxian but other is also OK as long as it’s not JC or XY, I just don’t find them that interesting usually.

Zero by theladyofravenclaw (G, 19k, WangXian, Modern AU, Soulmates AU, Musicians, Friends to Lovers, Reincarnation)

see you yesterday by glyphic (M, 138k, WIP,  WangXian, Modern with Magic, Ghost Hunters, Time Loop, Case Fic,   Hurt/Comfort, Memory Loss, Angst with a Happy Ending, Slow Burn) technically I don't yet know if it's a happy ending since it's still a WIP but it's so so good and I have high hopes for a happy ending!

one good thing by Yuu_chi (T, 26k, wangian, modern, ghost wwx, fluff & angst, happy ending, alarming number of rabbits, Podfic available)

the best of you by sysrae (E, 41k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Getting Together, slightly undernegotiated kink, but in a very soft and consensual way, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, JFM and YZY’s A+ parenting, Dysfunctional Family, Mental Health Issues, therapy is good actually, Reference to animal attacks/animal cruelty, descriptions of past violence)

this river runs to you by sundiscus (T, 53k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Mutual Pining, Dragons, Literal Sleeping Together, Tender wound tending) 

💙 Wish I could forget the taste of your skin and the feel of your hands pinning me down  by KizuKatana (E, 63k, wangxian, WQ & WWX & WN, modern w/ cultivation, getting back together, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, case fic, pining)

leading tone by silencemostofall (G, 32k, WangXian, Modern AU, Soulmates, with a lil twist, Eventual Happy Ending, lesbian wq rights, Music, Orchestra, platonic and romantic pining, Podfic available)

You Bring the Colour by fuddy_duddy (rainier_day) (G, 12k, wangxian, art school, art restoration) 

Night Bus by Suspicious_Popsicle (G, 3k, wangxian, modern)

Let the streetlights guide you home by tellthemstories (M, 36k, WangXian, Modern AU, so much UST, references to drink drugs and underage driving, wwx’s a mess but what else is new?, Car Racing, Street Racing, [podfic] Let the Streetlights Guide You Home by jellyfishfire)

Your Heart, My Table by Spodumene (G, 30k, WangXian, Modern AU, Canada, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Family Dynamics, Parent Death, Supporting Character Death, Chinese New Year, Comfort Food, food is love, Getting Together, food as a love language)

Nothing but your heart by airinshaw (E, 21k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O Dynamics, Implied Mpreg, First Time, Getting Together, Angst and Drama, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anal Sex, Whump, Breeding Kink)

When You Wake, 怎能当梦一场 by MouSanRen (T, 39k, WangXian, Modern AU, WWX is in a coma, Angst with a Happy Ending, Modern AU, Single Dad LWJ, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Parenthood, YZY's A+ Parenting, JFM's A+ parenting)

A Well-Heeled Man by littlelightbeams (E, 52k, WangXian, XiYao, XuanLi, Past ChengQing, Modern AU, Inspired by Crazy Rich Asians, Morning Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Sneaking Around, Mistaken Identity, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Declarations Of Love, Sibling Love, Angst with a Happy Ending, Romantic Comedy)

Tempo Rubato by Spodumene (E, 107k, WangXian, Modern AU, Angst with a Happy Ending, Romance, Persuasion au, Separations, Mutual Pining, Depression, Miscommunication, Emotional Roller Coaster, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Reconciliation, Eventual Smut, Jane Austen Fusion, Underage Kissing)

The Right to Care by travelingneuritis (E, 61k, WangXian, Modern AU, Mood Whiplash, musician LWJ, nanny wwx, Developing Relationship, Breakup, Texting, Pining, Eventual Happy Ending, Adoption, Child Abuse, abuse intervention, Miscommunication)

The Fifth Type of Non-Contact Force by Caixx (Not Rated, 83k, WangXian, Modern AU, High School, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Fluff and Humor, Actually Somewhat Canon, Mutual Pining, Horny Teenagers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Graphic Smut)

take my hand, will you share this with me Series by doodlebutt (E, 137k, wangxian, JC/WQ, modern, figure skating, hurt/comfort, pining, angst w happy ending, major character injury, recovery, getting together, past trauma)

undone (the spreadsheet song) Series by spookykingdomstarlight (E, 282k, WangXian, XiYaoSang, LWJ/OMC, Modern AU, Artists, Communication Failure, Mutual Pining, mutual obliviousness, Demisexual WWX, Eventual Smut, Getting Together, Mentions of Past Lan Wangji/OMCs, Crack Treated Seriously, Friends to Friends With Benefits to Lovers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Linear Narrative, Established Relationship, Pre-Relationship, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Separation Anxiety, Family Drama, Dysfunctional Family, Self-Worth Issues, Casual Sex, College/University, Temporary Long Distance Relationships, Relationship Pressures and Stresses, Insecurity)

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15. In the mood for some aloof Wei Wuxian!!

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16. ITMF helpful/smart JGY? Could be any genre, canon or modern, I just want to see his cunning used to aid his friends rather than for villainy.

The Edge of Night by Hobbsy3 (M, 277k, WangXian, XuanLi, Modern AU, Zombie Apocalypse, Yúnmèng Siblings Dynamics, Accidental Baby Acquisition During a Zombie Apocalypse, Junior Quartet, (except they're all babies), Angst with a Happy Ending, Minor Character Death, Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Gore, Ensemble Cast, Worst Zombie Fighting Team Ever, Found Family) I'm still only at chapter 22 and so far JGY has been very loyal and helpful! It's a modern/zombie apocalypse au and it's so good!

there's this forced arranged marriage fic immediately post sunshot between jgy and wwx (jgs's idea) which leads jgy to switch to Jiang side on ao3.

shades of grey spill from my veins (bleeding ink all over the page) by cl410 (M, 58k, WangXian, POV NMJ, Canon Divergence, Joining the "WWX raised by the Nie Sect" Club, Hurt/Comfort, Accidental Sibling Acquisition, Single Dad NMJ, NHS & WWX Friendship, Fluff, Humor, Happy Ending, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Protective NMJ, Sunshot Campaign, Some angst, Blood and Injury, Kidnapping, Protective Siblings, Found Family) Another fic where wwx was raised nie, mightve included a chapter with sword spirits pov, think had "grey" in the name but was later changed, where jgy stays a loyal deputy. (This fic? - Mod C)

what builds a home by Stratisphyre (T, 46k, wangxian, meng yao & wei wuxian) Another fic where jgy mama takes bby jgy and runs from abusive jgs and adopts bby wwx along the way maybe called '2 for price of 1'? They're like brothers in that. (Were you thinking of this one? Afaik the fic you named is about WWX adopting baby MXY, but I could be wrong. - Mod C)

#13 of This post has some Good JGY fic recs that might be helpful ^^ - Mod C

Peony to Lotus series by Deriliarch (T, 65k, JYL/JGY, wangxian, canon divergence, arranged marriage, demisexual character, demiromantic character, fix-it, slice of life, angst)

for want of a fox series by DangerousCommieSubversive (T/E, 34k, wangxian, LXC/JGY, canon divergence, creatures & monsters au, Fox spirit WWX, minor character death, espionage, sunshot campaign, scheming JGY, scheming NHS, slow romance, war, happy ending, not everyone dies au, first time, dual cultivation, poetry, smut, marriage proposal)

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17. Itmf Bitchy LZ, like in pentimento maybe? I really like when he makes petty little jokes about others with WY (or just with wwx in general) or like just him generally being the politest little bitch about things. Thank you! @desperation-is-my-middle-name

卧薪尝胆 by RoseThorne (G, 978, WangXian, Petty LWJ, Bunnies, False Accusations, scapegoating, Cultivation Sect Politics, Chief Cultivator LWJ, POV Third Person, POV WWX) might fit

mating rituals by detectorist (E, 16k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Humour, Pining, Getting Together, Idiots in Love)

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If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what  you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack,  whatever - it’s all good!***

[karahalloway]

(Less Than) Noble Intentions: Chapter 17 - News Flash

Fandom: TRR

Pairing: Drake Walker x F!OC (Harper Gale)

Series Summary: The social season may be over, but Harper Gale’s problems are just beginning. With everyone at court a potential suspect, can she and Drake survive the engagement tour and get to the bottom of the plot against her and clear her name? An AU take of TRR2 featuring my OTP - Harper & Drake.

Masterlist: (Less Than) Noble Intentions

Chapter Summary: Harper and the Beaumonts get on a plane to Italy… but they are not riding solo

Word Count: 4,500

Rating/Warnings: M (using the Lord's name in vain, shocking revelations, possible ulterior motives)

Chapter theme song:

A/N1: And… we’re back! I know this is a bit delayed, thanks to my new Heaven’s Secret distraction, but I am hoping to refocus myself on this continuously neglected series again for the next few weeks/months so we can make some headway towards wrapping it up. Also, I know we all miss him, and he hasn’t had as much page time as we all (Harper included!) probably want, but I promise that after this chapter there will be a lot more Drake again 🥃

A/N2: Astute readers will probably notice that there is nary a train in sight (in this chapter, or any future ones). This is deliberate because (i) I never understood why PB went in that direction in canon (is a travelling boutique really that important?!), and (ii) trains don’t make sense from a security point of view anyway (apparently the UK’s Royalty and Specialist Protection — which provides close protection to the royal family — used to hate it when Elizabeth II travelled by train, because it was always a massive headache to ensure her safety as trains travel on a fixed route and schedule, with no opportunities for diversion or evasion of things go to pot). So… planes it is ✈️

A/N3: Finally, another special shoutout to @thegreentwin​ for giving me the inspiration to have a crack at creating the tabloid cover page featured in this chapter. If you have not read The Rebel Prince, please do so! It is cute, funny, insightful and the gossip magazine covers that accompany several of the chapters are something else!

Chapter 17 - News Flash

"I thought we're going to Italy..." I remark the next morning as we pull to a stop on the tarmac of a secluded private airfield.

"We are," confirms Bertrand, jamming a fedora onto his head to protect against the ferocity of the morning sun... and hide the brutal sunburn he managed to acquire as a result of spending the entirety of yesterday's Festival outdoors without any SPF protection.

"Then what's with the literal mountain of luggage?" I ask as we step out of our customary limo.

Bertrand fixes me with a red-faced glare over the roof of the vehicle. "Have you learnt nothing from the social season?"

I throw him a deadpan look. "You mean apart from the fact that you insist on packing everything, including the kitchen sink?"

Maxwell's snort drifts up from the backseat.

The elder Beaumont is not impressed with my clapback. "The engagement tour will be one high-profile event after the other, which means that we will have neither the time nor the opportunity to engage in slap-dash shopping sprees. Not only would such proletarian behaviour be rude, but it would be misguided as well, given that we need to ensure that for each event we abide not just by the formal dress code indicated on the invitation, but also that we do not clash with, or indeed overshadow the hosts — or the King and future Queen, for that matter! — in terms of style and colour, all while being thoughtful in ensuring that we incorporate elements from both local and Cordonian designers to visually showcase the strength of the bonds that knit our respective nations together. On top of all that, it is imperative that we—"

"How the heck is anyone expected to pull all that off?" I blurt in disbelief.

"Through careful planning and coordination," Bertrand declares as he comes to join Maxwell and me on the other side of the limo. "Which is why I have taken the liberty of pre-selecting each outfit for each event of the tour, in consultation with the Palace's Master of the Robes."

My mouth drops. "You... Put a wardrobe together? For me?"

"Yes," comes the diffident affirmation. "Given that all eyes — not just those of our fellow Cordonians, but of our host nations' — will be on us constantly, we cannot afford any fashion faux pas."

I stare at my former sponsor mutely, mouth opening and closing like a dumbfounded goldfish.

Maxwell attempts to diffuse my slap-faced reaction with a jovial grin. "Bertrand used to lay my clothes out for me all the time when we were younger. I know he doesn't look it, but he has excellent—"

I shove an accusatory finger out. "He tried to foist me into a Medieval cosplay dress! That is the exact opposite of excellent taste!"

The elder Beaumont bristles. "It was hardly—"

"And how the hell did you afford all of this anyway?" I interject, throwing my arm out towards the carefully stacked Eiffel Tower of suitcases. "Because last time I checked, you were flat broke!"

Bertrand's already ruddy complexion darkens further. "There is no need for you to concern yourself with—"

"How?!"

After the way Maxwell had tried to sell covert photos and Christian and me from New York to the press in a bid to make bank, I am not willing to take any kind of half-baked deflection when it comes to the Beaumonts and money. I've been used one too many times for someone else's gain, so my trust is virtually non-existent at this point.

Bertrand swallows thickly as he averts his eyes. "I... I may have made recourse to an old sewing machine I found in the attic..."

My eyes just about pop out of my head. "You what?!"

I'd expected any one of six million other explanations — he'd sold the vineyard... remortgaged Ramsford... auctioned off every last chair and curtain from the manor... Even offered his soul to the literal Devil...

But using a sewing machine...? To make actual clothes...?

I had obviously caught the sun yesterday as well, and am now suffering from heat stroke...

"Bertrand has always been interested in fashion," explains Maxwell with a perfectly straight face. "He even wanted to enroll at the world-renowned Istituto Marangoni International in Milan to study Fashion Design. But then our father took unexpectedly ill, and—"

"Yes, yes..." interjects Bertrand with an embarrassed wave of his hand. "No need to revisit broken dreams and unfulfilled promises. The point is that I made the best use of what meagre funds and resources we had at our disposal to curate a serviceable selection of outfits for each of us. With a little help from Maxwell, of course."

"I was the mannequin," he declares proudly. "I admit, I got poked a few times in the line of duty, but it was worth it. Bertrand did a stellar job – you're going to love what he made for you."

"I... I don't know what to say..." I admit faintly.

And here I'd been thinking that Bertrand's closet Harry Potter obsession had been a big reveal...

"Yes... Well..." Bertrand clears his throat uncomfortably. "We each have our unique talents. Speaking of... I trust you have been practicing your Italian?"

I frown. "My what?"

"You were supposed to give her lessons!" cries Bertrand, smacking his brother over the back of the head.

Maxwell's retro '60s sunglasses fly off his face. "My Prada’s...!"

"What about French?" Bertrand demands, rounding on me with all the intensity of a furious tomato on the verge of exploding.

"Allard and Schweitzer have been teaching—"

"Some initiative at last!" exclaims Bertrand, throwing his hands up in the air in deliverance. "Good — you'll have some semblance of a basis, then. However, while both languages share a common root — that being Latin — and a border, as a result of roughly fifteen centuries of historical and linguistic divergence, Italian has become markedly different from its Gallic cousin, so we will have our work cut out in making you even semi-proficient by the time we land in Rome. So, I hope you brought pen and paper with you."

My shoulders slump as I watch Bertrand stride off towards the waiting plane. "Great..."

There goes the next hour and a half of my life...

"I knew I had forgotten something..." admits Maxwell, rubbing the back of his head as he retrieves his sunglasses from the tarmac. "But I thought it was just my second favourite pair of boxers."

"It's fine..." I assure wearily him as I begin my own trudge towards the jet. "It wouldn't be a true Beaumont travel experience without a droning Bertrand lecture..."

Though I guess it could be worse. I could be stuck on the royal jet with Christian and Madeleine. Which — after what happened yesterday — would be like staging an aristocratic rendition of Squid Game... 20,000 feet in the air. So, on that basis, I'll willingly subject myself to Bertrand's monologuing any day of the week, if it means I can—

"And there she is..." remarks a familiar, though very much unexpected voice as I step onto the plane. "The woman of the hour."

Jerking my head to the right, my eyes land on Olivia, lounging on one of the cream-coloured leather seats, her killer spike stiletto boots dangling over the armrest as she casually peruses a broadsheet.

"What are you doing here?" I ask in disbelief.

Olivia lowers the paper to meet my eye with a quirked brow. "You mean, on my own aircraft?"

I cast a glance in Bertrand's direction as I make my way down the gangway. "Guess your meagre funds and resources didn't extend to sourcing jet fuel?"

Bertrand coughs evasively as he stores his briefcase in the overhead locker. "Since we are all heading in the same direction anyway, Lady Oliva was kind enough to—"

"Shut it, Beaumont," Olivia snaps. "I am doing this as a personal favour, not an act of charity. As Lord knows that I wouldn't normally tolerate sharing recycled air with this many people in a confined space. So, if you want to stay on this plane, you will save the histrionics for the Italian President."

Bertrand promptly clamps his mouth shut to sink into his seat without another word.

"Wow..." I say, settling in across from Olivia. "He must've been really desperate to come to you for help... No offence."

"None taken," she replies with a breezy shrug as she flips the broadsheet closed and nods to the cabin attendant. "Because the request didn't come from the Beaumonts."

My head snaps up in surprise. "Then who?"

She regards me for a long moment, as if debating whether to tell me. Finally, she lets out a resigned exhale. "Drake."

My jaw hits the floor. "What!"

Olivia scrunches her mouth up ruefully. "He twisted my arm into agreeing to look out for you while he's off playing desert soldier."

I stare at her. "How in the world did he—?"

Maxwell thrusts his head 'round the back of Olivia's seat. "Drake's playing video games! Instead of coming to Italy?”

The Duchess of Lythikos shoves the intruding face away with the palm of her hand. "No, you imbecile! Drake's gone to Dubai." Glancing at me she adds, "I presume they know?"

"They do now," I concede with a sigh.

Thanks to the slew of quick-fire developments at yesterday's Festival, followed by the rabid packing to get ourselves ready for the international leg of the tour, I haven't had a chance to bring the Beaumonts up to speed with everything that's happened in the past twenty-four hours.

But they're bound to find out about Drake's last-minute side-trip at some point, so this is as good a time as any to level with them.

Maxwell’s mouth drops with an aghast look. "But I didn't hit him that hard!"

Olivia quirks a brow at me.

"Long story, don't ask," I tell her wearily. Glancing up at Maxwell, I add, "He's gone after Tariq. Bastien found him hiding out on some rich cousin's yacht out in the bay."

"Oh." Maxwell scratches his head abashedly. "That makes more sense..."

"How do you put up with these two?" asks Olivia with a shake of her head as Maxwell sinks back into his seat.

I give her a shrug. "They have a weird way of growing on you..."

"Like some deadly fungus..." she mutters with a roll of her eyes.

"I heard that!" objects Maxwell from behind her.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't eavesdrop, then!" she throws over her shoulder snidely. Turning back to me, she adds, "And speaking of funguses, you can remind your boyfriend when he gets back that you both owe me. Big time."

My gaze darts to hers. "I— We're not—"

"Thank you for confirming it," she interjects with a sly smile. "But also, I'm not an idiot. It's obvious to anyone with a set of eyes that the fool is in love with you... and you with him. It's all quite disgusting, really..."

I feel my cheeks redden. "So, why help us, then?"

She heaves a low breath. "Because you stuck your neck out for me when you didn't have to. Despite everything I did to try and undermine you during the season. And because we have a common enemy."

She tosses the broadsheet that she'd been reading over to me.

Catching the copy of the Cordonia Sun before it has a chance to slide off the table between us, I glance down...

...and my heart sinks as I take in the unflattering picture of myself seemingly facing off against Madeleine under the sensationalist headline.

I shove the paper angrily away. "Hey. I didn't start it..."

"And yet you somehow always manage to find yourself in the middle of it, don't you?" she counters with an arched brow as the jet revs its engines for take-off. "The half-nude pictures... The Beaumonts' financial troubles... The speculations about the real reason Christian gave you a duchy... I mean, even the Duchess of Sussex would have a hard time competing with you when it comes to front-page scandals."

"And you think Madeleine is behind it all?" I ask tightly, indicating the tabloid.

"She would certainly have a lot to gain from waging a targeted media campaign against you," Olivia affirms. "She isn't married to Christian yet, and after what happened with Leo, she no doubt feels threatened by your continued presence at court. So, discrediting your integrity in the eyes of the Council would help her ensure that Christian can never formally pick you over her to become Queen."

"Because she doesn't know I turned him down..." I grumble dejectedly as the plane pulls into the air.

"And certainly would not believe you if you told her, either," she adds. "But she is not the only one with something to lose."

I sit up straighter. "You mean there are other suspects?"

"Yes," she nods. "Namely Godfrey and the Queen Mother."

Bertrand erupts from his seat at the mention of the two names. "That is an outrageous accusation! The Queen Mother would never—!"

"Madeleine is her niece," counters Olivia flatly. "Given that she has no children of her own, she practically treats that golden-haired harpy as if she is her heir. And since she was the one who brokered the original marriage contract between Leo and Madeleine, she clearly doesn't want all that work going to waste."

I frown. "But if everything was in place already, why have a social season at all? Why not just sub out Leo's name for Christian's in the contract?"

"To give Christian the illusion of choice."

My jaw drops. "You're not serious..."

"It would have been in poor taste to simply swap one prince out for another," Olivia advises. "Leo hadn't died... merely abdicated. But that decision nevertheless rocked the kingdom to its core."

"It's true," supplies Maxwell, leaning around with a mouth full of jelly worms. "The headlines were vicious."

"So..." I muse with a frown. "The Palace needed a distraction?"

"Yes," Oliva affirms seriously. "To draw attention away from Constantine's failing health."

"Wait," I cut in. "Constantine is dying?"

Olivia nods. "Prostate cancer. By all estimates, he has less than a year to live."

"Oh, my God..." I gasp, hand flying to my mouth. "No wonder Christian didn't want to talk about it..."

"The Palace is under strict instructions to keep the whole thing tightly under wraps..." she explains. "At least until after the coronation and wedding are both out of the way. They don't want the news to overshadow the first few critical months of Christian's rule."

"So, how did you find out?" I query.

She cuts her eyes over at me. "Like I said at the Masquerade Ball... Christian and I share a special connection. There are no secrets between us. Also – look at who you're talking to. I have files on each of the suitors from the social season. You seriously think I wouldn't know about something as vital to the functioning of the kingdom as the state of the King Father's health?"

"I guess not..." I concede, still trying to process this bombshell. "But how does giving Christian an illusion of a choice during the social season help cover up Constantine's cancer?"

"In the wake of Leo's abdication, support for the Rys family fell to an all-time low. The press started to question Constantine's policies, and the direction that the kingdom has been heading over the past few decades, implying that the country's current trajectory was unsustainable... and uncorrectable."

"I remember reading something about that on the flight from New York..." I recall. "There were suggestions that Leo abdicated because he didn't believe in the future of the monarchy."

"Which wasn't the case at all," she cautions. "But the Palace was worried that such intense media scrutiny would unearth evidence of Constantine's ill health... which would in turn intensify the calls from the republican factions of the country to abolish the system of hereditary rule completely. So, in a desperate bid to reunite the people behind a common cause, and shore up support for the monarchy, the Palace decided run the season again."

"But why?" I ask, still not seeing the connection.

"To charm the country with the fairytale of a royal romance," denotes Olivia sourly. "Because people apparently go ga-ga for that shite..."

Bertrand narrowly avoids choking in his seat across the aisle. "That is a crude and absolutely salacious interpretation of—!"

I whirl across the aisle. "Wait. You knew about this?"

Bertrand folds his arms across his chest. "I am a serving member of the Council. Of course I knew about the Palace's decision to run the social season again. But to suggest that it was all done simply for the sake of—"

"God, you're thick..." interjects Olivia.

Bertrand blanches. "I beg your pardon?!"

"You've been at court long enough to know that the truth is never the whole truth — there is always some hidden purpose or ulterior motive."

"But to suggest that—"

"The Palace needed a believable story — one that could capture the public's imagination — while still serving the needs of the kingdom," Olivia states. "A story of duty and love."

"Between Christian and Madeleine?" I ask sceptically. "But they don't even like each other."

"So?" scoffs Olivia. "The aim was to sell the lie to the populace. Everything else is inconsequential. And can be made to fit the narrative."

"But if you knew all this," I counter, "why did you join the competition?"

"I joined exactly because I knew the season was a sham," she replies heatedly. "To give Christian a genuine choice... not just the one that everyone else was determined to steer him towards."

"Because you love him..."

Olivia nods tightly. "Yes. And I knew it was a long shot. But even if he wouldn't end up being able to choose me — Regina would've made sure to stack the Council votes in her favour — at least I could be there to support him... as a friend."

I feel my heart go out to her, knowing from personal experience how difficult it is to be in a situation where you desperately want to be with someone, but can't because of circumstances that are outside of your control.

"But then, of course..." adds Olivia, once again with her customary breeziness, "you show up from out of nowhere with your hideous accent and relatable backstory—"

"Hey!"

"—and the whole country — Christian included — loses their collective minds. With the result that Regina's plan to make her niece Queen begins to unravel at the seams."

"Which is why she decided to set me up..." I surmise heavily as the jet levels off.

It's been fairly obvious from the start that I'm not Regina's favourite person... But the knowledge that she'd go to such lengths to publicly blacklist me? That's just inexcusable.

"You have no proof of that!" objects Bertrand, butting in again.

"Not directly, no," Olivia admits. "But all the evidence we have to date fits. The money Tariq received for his involvement came from a numbered account located in Switzerland. The blackmail letters distributed at the Coronation Ball were printed on Palace stationery. And as far as motives go, the Queen Mother would have more reason than most to influence the outcome of the social season."

"I cannot believe I am hearing this...!" decries Bertrand with a shake of his head. "The implications alone would be—"

"Ruinous to the Rys family," confirms Olivia. "I am aware. Which is why we must tread carefully in order to avoid tarring Christian with any of this. The monarchy would not survive the ensuing scandal."

"What about this other guy?" I ask. "Godfrey? How does he fit into this?"

Olivia throws her hands up. "Lord, you're more clueless than him!"

"Excuse me for not knowing every single Cordonian nobleman by name," I snark back. "I've only been a duchess for a day..."

"I'll send you my files," Olivia huffs wearily. "All two hundred of them."

My eyes widen. "There's two hundred—?"

"There's more, but those are the important ones," she replies with a dismissive wave of her hand. "And if you want to be an effective duchess, I suggest you study up because you need to have the entire contents of those dossiers memorised and ready to deploy in any given conversation."

"Sweet Jesus..." I gasp faintly, making recourse to Drake's favourite invective, as it certainly fit the magnitude of the task Olivia has just dumped on me.

"You didn't grow up in this world, so you have a lot of catching up to do," Olivia shrugs unabashedly.

"Yeah, I'm very much aware of that..." I concede dryly, rubbing my temples. "So, who is this Godfrey?"

"The Third Earl of Huntford, and Duke jure uxoris of Krona."

My brows furrow in recollection. "Krona... Does that mean he's—?"

"He's Madeleine's dad," supplies Maxwell, popping his head into the aisle again, this time in the company of a CapriSun juice pouch.

My eyes widen. "The man at the garden party! But what does he have against me? I've never even met him!"

"The fact that you are still here..." offers Olivia blandly. "Competing against his daughter for the attentions of the King."

"It's not exactly a competition," I scoff. "I'm not trying to steal him away from her."

"Except that isn't how the press is portraying it," counters Olivia pointedly, tapping the front page of the Sun.

I open my mouth again, but quickly shut it, realising that Olivia is right. As regardless of my personal reasons for being back at court — as the Royal Consort, no less! — the view from the outside presents very differently. And given that Madeleine herself clearly feels threatened by my continued presence at Christian's side, it's no small jump to imagine that her father — who, based on what I saw at the garden party a few days ago, is just as power-hungry and image-conscious as his daughter — would also feel the same.

"Crap..." I huff, falling back into my seat dejectedly.

"Not the most elegant of phrasing," muses Olivia. "But certainly succinct."

"What am I going to do?" I ask morosely, starting up at the cabin's air vents.

"Help me gather as much proof as we can during the course of the tour," Olivia instructs. "So we can narrow down our suspect list... or indict all three of them. In either case, we will be more effective if we work together."

"That plan is akin to sedition!" cries Bertrand, clearly aghast by the very suggestion. "Bordering on treason! All of us are in enough hot water already without—"

"Which is why it is imperative that no word of anything that we have just discussed leaves this aircraft," declares Olivia with a steely look. "Or I will personally hunt you down and turn your face inside out."

I gulp at the gruesomeness of that particular image. "What... What about the staff? Can you trust them?"

"They are all Lythikosians," Olivia states. "Who have sworn blood-oaths to House Nevrakis. They would never dare betray me."

"Good to know..." I admit, watching the cabin attendant re-appeared with a selection of drinks, and wondering if underneath her uniform she is as armed to the teeth as Olivia supposedly is.

"I presume the same goes for your beefcakes?" asks Olivia, nodding her chin towards the back where Allard and Schweitzer have taken up residence for the duration of the flight.

"Yes," I confirm. "I trust them with my life."

She dips her head in approval. "Good. So, as first order of business, I suggest—"

"Can we tell Hana?" interjects Maxwell, bobbing up from behind Olivia again. "She's helping us, too!"

Olivia heaves a breath. "Yes, fine. But—"

I hold up a hand. "And Drake will probably want t—"

"Yes, fine!" she snaps irately. "Anyone else? Your maternal grandmother, perhaps?"

I bite my bottom lip as I peek up at her. "Do we tell Christian?"

Olivia holds my gaze for a long moment. "No. Not until we have concrete proof. One way or another. He has enough crises to manage right now without lumbering him with a major constitutional one as well."

I nod in understanding. The mere suggestion that his godmother and future father-in-law have been conspiring to put Madeleine on the throne (potentially with his fiancée's own buy-in!) would be soul-destroying. Which is why we need to find that smoking gun — ideally several — before we present our accusations.

"Not sure if it will be of any help at all," I say, "but Ana de Luca managed dig up some information on the freelance photographer Tariq was working with on the day of the Jamboree."

"Did you bribe her with another exclusive?" chaffs Olivia dryly.

"We'll need someone to help us set the record straight," I affirm. My shoulders slump suddenly. "But I gave the flash-drive to Drake."

"Which he gave to me," smirks Olivia, pulling the device from the pocket of her jacket.

I gape at the piece of plastic in her hand. "Drake really trusts you, huh?"

"More than most," she shrugs coyly, flipping the drive over to me.

I catch it with both hands. "We should review whatever is on here. Who knows? Maybe the photographer is part of the press corps covering the tour."

"I have my laptop with me," Maxwell offers. "I was going to use it to mix some tunes, but—"

"You'll only get one chance to unravel a high-stakes aristo racket!" I quip, dangling the drive between my fingers.

"God, your incessant American optimism is stomach-turning..." Olivia groans. "And you've clearly spent too much time with Walker."

"Hey," I hit back. "This is the best lead we've gotten yet. We shouldn't discount it. This photographer could be key to linking Regina and/or Godfrey to the plot to influence the outcome of the social season."

"Assuming you can find them..." counters Olivia. "And get them to talk."

I meet her eye with a level look. "Good thing that's your area of expertise, isn't it, Duchess?"

The corner of her mouth lifts craftily.

"But what about Harper's Italian!" disparages Bertrand. "We'll be landing in less than an hour, and she still doesn't know the proper way to greet the President in his native tongue without insulting him!"

I swallow a groan. "Do I really need t—?"

"Being able to carry a conversation with the Head of State in Italian will go a long way in demonstrating to both the public and the press that you are serious about your new role as Duchess of Valtoria," he advises frankly. "And will score you some much-needed diplomatic points with our hosts as well."

"Guess we have our work cut out for us, then," I accede with a sigh. "Any chance for some coffee?"

"Turkish, Irish, or Sicilian?" asks Olivia.

"Which is closest to a latte?"

"Probably the Sicilian," she advises. "If you make it into a granita di caffe."

"I'm feeling Italian already!" I gibe in an attempt to lighten the mood a bit.

Bertrand groans loudly from his seat. "Oh, Dio..."

The story continues in Chapter 18 - Diplomatica

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(Less Than) Noble Intentions only (let me know if you want to be added!)

@thetruthisthatiloveyou @anakjaybon-blog

[kitsune024]

Crossovers

Doctor Who

run, boy, run (the Umbrella Effect) by @ford-ye-fiji I Part 1-13 I Series Completed Crack Treated Seriously, AU - Fusion, Time Travel, Number Five | The Boy is So Done, Action/Adventure, Angst and Hurt/Comfort

Two unlikely allies, familiar in more ways than they can imagine, join forces in a series of happy accidents. And then things get really complicated very fast.

The Walking Dead

From One Apocalypse to Another by y_oruko I Chapters: 17/? I Crack Treated Seriously, BAMF Five | The Boy, BAMF Rick, AU- Canon Divergence, Five has beef with almost everyone, Eventual Found Family, The Walking Dead Season 5

Five lost his siblings to the void of time when he recklessly tried bringing them all to travel back in time. It bit him in the ass and threw him into a world where apparently zombies were real. The universe sure loved to screw him over. Rick didn't know what to expect when he followed the priest into a church, but it's certainly not a homicidal teenager.

The Four Horsemen by @silverwolf3432 I Chapters: 24/30 I Five | The Boy/Original Female Character - Dolores, Whump, Original Character Death(s), Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Torture

Instead of waiting 28 years, the Handler plucks a 15-year-old boy from the rubble of the Apocalypse and trains him to be a killer. So Five knows. He knows what it’s like to live through hell, to be broken down and made back up again, to be stripped of everything. He understands and he can relate to the torture Reginald Hargreeves put his siblings through after he disappears, even if they claim he never could. He knows because he went through it too. Because before he worked alone, there was Dolores. Because before he was the best, they were the best. Because before it was just Five, they were the Four Horsemen.

The Five Whistle by @i-logophile I Chapters: 1/1 I one shot Hurt Five | The Boy, Creepy The Handler, AU- Canon Divergence, Episode: s02e05 Valhalla

“What the hell was that?” Five tried to demand, but his breathlessness ruined the effect. The Handler grinned. “What? This little thing?” she asked, pulling a long, thin device from within the folds of her coat. “This is just a little something I had cooked up back at Headquarters just for you.” She twisted the end of the device. In response, the fabric of space released an unearthly howl of agony, making Five’s legs collapse beneath him. Then it stopped, and a shadow fell over him. “Now about that assignment,” The Handler said, gazing down at him with a predatory grin. – After the Hargreeves’ disaster of a family meeting, Five is still pacing the alley outside of Elliott’s when he’s confronted by The Handler. She presents her offer, but since it’s not his only option just yet, Five declines. However, The Handler isn’t so easily denied, and she decides to use a little something from the Commission to convince Five to rethink his decision.

The Lonely Lodger Inn by @i-logophile I Chapters: 1/1 I one shot Blood and Violence, Gore, BAMF Five | The Boy, Feral Five | The Boy, Episode: s02e07 Öga for Öga

"Ben, are you crazy?! We just watched Número Cinco go fucking apeshit on a room full of random people and—” “What if he had a good reason for it?” Ben interrupted, crossing his arms. “What if they were bad guys or something? Ever think of that?” Klaus scoffed. “‘Bad guys’? Really, Ben? We’re not thirteen anymore.” “Exactly, so use your brain, moron. Why would Five just go around murdering people in the ’60s?” “Oh, I don’t know, because he’s fucking psycho?! He’s probably all screwed up from time travel or something! Who knows what kind of shit—” “Klaus.” “What?” “He can hear you.” -- Or, what if the Board meeting was somewhere in Dallas, and one of Five’s siblings stumbled upon the massacre as it was taking place?

Crocodile Tears by @i-logophile I Chapters: 1/1 I one shot Five | The Boy Cries- but it’s “pretend”, Kidnapping, Drugging, Angst, hurt/some comfort, Post-Season/Series 02, The Commission. Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug

A plan took shape in Five’s mind. It wasn’t one he particularly liked, and it would be unequivocally humiliating, but with the Commission coming and their powers shot to hell for the foreseeable future, Five couldn’t think of any other option. Didn’t change the fact that he despised crying. -- Five pretends to cry to get an enemy to lower their guard—emphasis on “pretend.” His siblings don’t catch on. After getting over their shock, they become unnecessarily distressed and proceed to flutter around Five like neurotic chickens. Oh, and some people die, but that was kind of the plan all along.

Can you hug me as I go? by maddienole I Chapters: 10/10 I Completed Five | The Boy Whump, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Flashbacks, AU- Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Angst

What if the FBI captured Five instead of Vanya? 2x7 canon divergence.

Misfortunes with The Sea by @euoniatz I Chapters: 6/6 I Completed Dark Five | The Boy, BAMF Five | The Boy, AU - Canon Divergence, Number Six | Ben Hargreeves Lives - eventually, The Sparrow Academy, Hurt No Comfort, Whump

Five doesn’t hold back anymore, doesn't think he could limit himself again now even if he wanted to. His eyes glow, never to be denied again, and the space around him shifts as if someone is pinching and pulling reality by force. The Boy tries not to laugh, but he feels incredible on a level he has always, during the sad expanse of his life, thought impossible. * When the Hargreeves return from the 60s, Five is already at the end of his rope. He swears off killing, only to find their deceased father in the living room, disapproving as ever. Add six mediocre replacements and a ghost coming back to haunt them and you've got yourself a desperate time traveler whose grip on reality is slipping. Five is willing to sacrifice his own humanity for the sake of his siblings, but is his humanity really the most important thing he could lose? How much power can he afford to let loose before he loses control himself? Will his family even want him after everything is settled?

[teecupangel]

I had this dream where an assassin has this slitted smile and when I woke up the first thing I thought was "the slitted mouth assassin???" and I was only thinking if that assassin was a ghost or just had a slitted mouth, so now I wanna know what happens if they had a slitted mouth and it can be any assassin you want I just want slitted mouth assassins scaring the crap out of people

When I read this, my first thought was the urban legend/folklore of the Kuchisake-onna, a woman whose mouth has been slit from ear to ear and would ask people if she was beautiful and if they keep saying yes, she’ll disfigure them the same way, but if they say no, she’ll kill them (usually cut them in half).

Honestly, I vote on Desmond having to deal with this sort of thing as part of “I survived the Solar Flare of 2012 but at what cost?” AU idea. He could also keep wearing a mask (like a face mask or a full on mask) to hide his slit mouth.

Of course, an alternative would be…

The scar-boys (Altaïr, Ezio and Desmond) could be the ones to get slit mouths instead of their canon lip scars.

Now, the common route would be for them to get their slit mouths during the time they got the scar on their lips (like, we’re just exchanging the scar for the slitting) but, if I may suggest an alternative for each:

Altaïr could have gotten his as a punishment for his failure in Jerusalem from Al Mualim himself. It’s a clear show of his failure and Abbas never misses the time to remind Altaïr of that. He’s not allowed to cover it up in Masyaf or in any of the bureaus but he can cover it up (he has to, he’d be easily recognizable if he doesn’t) whenever he’s traveling or performing any tasks and missions for the Brotherhood.

Ezio got his when he accepts Uberto’s invitation to come inside after giving him the documents. He’s grabbed by the guards and maybe Uberto slits his mouth as punishment for being an annoyance and it’s only Rodrigo’s “stop playing around and kill him” orders that made everyone pause long enough for Ezio to get away. He still fails to save his family and his slit mouth is a constant reminder of how he failed his family and how he believed himself to be so stupid to fall for the enemies’ ploys. He hides it most of the time with a fabric of some kind but, when he assassinates people who had a hand in the conspiracy, he pulls the fabric down to show his slit mouth to tell his target how they had created the monster they see in front of them.

And then… there was Desmond…

Who didn’t have a slit mouth…

Until…

One day, during one of Desmond’s few breaks from the Animus, Lucy realized that Desmond hasn’t returned from his ‘walk’ and Rebecca checks the security cameras. They see Desmond just sitting on what used to be Ezio’s room and Shaun makes a snarky comment about how Desmond must have fallen asleep sitting down, or he’s being a spoiled brat that wants someone to get him (Rebecca and Lucy just sigh because they know Shaun doesn’t really believe that, and he’s just being snarky for the sake of being snarky).

So Lucy goes to get him but freezes when he saw the blood coming from the unsheathed hidden blade on Desmond’s left arm.

For a brief moment, flashes of Clay’s death shook Lucy to her very core, making her hands tremble and her skin pale.

Then she called out, “Desmond?”

And Desmond turned to look at her with mouth slit from ear to ear like a mockery of a vicious smile. As blood dripped on the floor, Desmond asked calmly, “Lucy…”

“Do I look like them now?”

[freneticfloetry]

ten questions for writers

Have I done this before? I feel like I've done this before. Oh well, still fun if I have. Thanks to @orchidscript @rmd-writes and @liminalmemories21 for the tags.

How many works do you have on AO3? 48. (We won’t speak of the tomb of forgotten fic.)

What's your total AO3 word count? 373,455 solo + 3,646 as part of a ~32k collab.

What fandoms do you write for? Actively: 911 LS, RWRB, The Magicians (ish).

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Absolutely! Comments are the best serotonin. Feedback is the single biggest motivator in the world for me. (I got a comment the other day on my beloved Magicians time travel shenanigans WIP, the plot of which was damn near the death of me, and though the show still makes me physically ill at this juncture, that one comment made me want to write it again.) I also just love responding to what people tell me they enjoyed, or exploring the symbolism or themes they’ve picked up. With writing fic, we’re in the incredible position of being able to regularly interact with our readers, and that’s a gift I would hate to miss out on. There are a couple pages of comments on my juggernaut fic that went woefully unanswered — they’re years old now, and I still itch to respond.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Sadly yes. Wattpad is a lawless place.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? I have! Though not since the advent of GDocs and cloud-based Office, so I’ve never had the thrill of words magically appearing. Even so, I had a blast and would love to do it again.

What's your all-time favourite ship? Oof. I patently refuse. If pressed, I could maybe provide a top ten.

What are your writing strengths? Dialogue. I’m good at making characters sound like themselves (or at least who they are in my head). Character insight. Story structure. And @finnglas says I’m good at ensemble scenes, which is still a big point of pride.

What are your writing weaknesses? Brevity. Beginnings. Raging perfectionism. Getting too tied to canon, in a lot of cases. I need to write another big, all-encompassing AU and shake off the bonds of writing the things in between what we’ve already been given. (Also, my alliteration problem is real.)

First fandom you wrote for? OG Roswell! Lots of Michael/Liz and Kyle/Isabel. It was all very melodramatic.

Tagging in @never-blooms @ambiguouspenny @paperstorm @reyesstrand @heartstringsduet @carlos-in-glasses