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gffa · 8 months

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I've been a little slow on getting out new STAR WARS fic recs out, but in my defense it's because I've been reading a bunch of longer fics lately. In the spirit of "there's a special feeling to those fics that consume you and make you stay up until 3am because you can't put them down", here's a list of some of the ones I've loved or am in the middle of reading and they are haunting my thoughts and I need to inflict that on everyone else. Whether you're looking at a long upcoming trip and need some good reading material or avoiding your feelings by sinking into fic or just because you like reading, I hope you'll find something here! Including a bonus underrunning theme of throwing in a bunch of Jedi-loving fic to continue my agenda of making Jedi-centric fandom a more fun place to be. 30k+ is the minimum and this isn't all of my favorites, but it's a great list of "I have a week off to kill and I want to be in a fic coma by the end of it".

STAR WARS FIC FOR WHEN YOU NEED TO KILL ABOUT TEN HOURS WORTH OF TIME AND WANT TO HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT FICTIONAL PSYCHIC SPACE WIZARDS WHILE YOU'RE AT IT:

✦ Out with Lanterns by SkyeBean, mace & ahsoka & plo & shaak & cast, 312.5k In another universe, Jedi Masters Plo Koon and Depa Billaba decide a Padawan could do Mace some good. It takes a while, but he eventually agrees. When he takes Ahsoka Tano as his Padawan, Mace knows that he's broken through a Shatterpoint and changed the course of a life. How, he doesn't know. ✦ Reprise by Elfpen, obi-wan & qui-gon & mace & yoda & anakin & cast, time travel, 558.9k wip Ben Kenobi dies aboard the Death Star in the year 0 BBY. He wakes up shortly thereafter in the Jedi temple in the year 41 BBY. Haunted by memories and regret, Ben must forge a new path for himself in the Jedi Order of his youth while navigating the murky waters of time travel. Crafting a better future from bitter experience is hard, but learning to heal is even harder. ✦ Take it from the top and try again by mauvera, obi-wan & qui-gon & anakin & padme & mace & shmi & dooku & cast, time travel, 112k wip Five years into his self imposed exile on Tattooine, Obi-Wan Kenobi is gifted the chance to go back and bring hope back to the galaxy. With hindsight on his side, he fully intends to save his master, save his padawan, make some new and old friends again, prepare the Jedi for a war they’ll hopefully never see and begin to pull apart all the many tangled threads of the Sith Lord’s plans. Should be relatively easy. Right? ✦ Post Order 66 Exile AU by Livsy, obi-wan & anakin & cast, 46k Alternatively: after a failed order 66, in which many Jedi still died but the Sith were defeated, an exiled warrior and a boy wander a distant planet and attempt to get along. ✦ Remedial Jedi Theology by MarbleGlove, obi-wan & anakin & jedi & cast, 51.3k Let us consider the fact that the Jedi Order is a monastic religious organization based out of a temple, with five basic tenets of faith. ✦ Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan Kenobi by stonefreeak, obi-wan & anakin & padme & yoda & palpatine & bail & dooku & mace & quinlan & vokara & ahsoka & cast, 124.5k wip By an old Republic law, all members of the Jedi High Council are senators in the Galactic Senate, and can thus be voted in as chancellor. A Senator from a less prominent planet has had enough of Chancellor Palpatine's incompetence and calls for a Vote of No-Confidence and the installation of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi as Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. This one action becomes the catalyst that changes the direction of the galaxy. ✦ What We've Become by Vinyarie, vader & ahsoka & cast, 82k Darth Vader and Ahsoka’s fight on Malachor takes a different path, and Ahsoka actually is able to save her master. Or rather, she’s able to convince him to save himself. Diverges from canon in the last few minutes of Twilight of the Apprentice and goes increasingly AU from there.

✦ time to change the road you're on by wreckageofstars, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & luke & leia & han & ghost crew & cast, time travel, 93.6k wip The end of the Clone War is near - the fall of the Republic even nearer. Anakin Skywalker, caught up in the events that lead to the rise of the Empire and the loss of everything he holds dear, finds himself sent nearly two decades into the future. Ahsoka Tano, still coming to painful terms with the true fate of her former master, is - not exactly happy to see him. But the Force works in mysterious ways - and the future is not nearly as set in stone as they've been lead to believe. Multi-chapter AU, Rise of the Empire/Rebels-era. ✦ narrower than a razor's edge by bereft_of_frogs, obi-wan & dooku & qui-gon & anakin & sidious & cast, 30.2k Dooku tips his hand ten years earlier because he can't stand the thought of his former apprentice's murder, and that might just be enough to save everyone...if it doesn't get them all killed first. ✦ soften every edge by gigglesandfreckles, obi-wan & ahsoka (& anakin), major character death, 48.1k "Rejoice!" the galaxy says, in the wake of war and the dawning of peace. "How?" Obi-Wan asks. "No," Ahsoka says. (or: Obi-Wan & Ahsoka learn to live on.) ✦ hunting toward heartstill by blackkat, mace/cody & plo & fives & shaak & obi-wan & anakin & rex & cast, 207.2k Plo has an idea. Mace agrees, and everything snowballs right into hell from there. (Or: Mace and Cody get married in order to give the clones citizen status. Before they can focus on that, though, they're going to have to deal with ancient Sith artifacts, evil prophets, plots to overthrow the Supreme Chancellor, lost planets, monsters warped by Sith alchemy, inconvenient , and Darth Sidious turning his eye on a potential new apprentice. Just...not in that order.) ✦ Cataclasm by dendral, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & waxer & cast, 63.1k wip For reasons unknown to all but himself, Obi-Wan Kenobi has left the Jedi Order in the midst of the Clone Wars, taking with him a single clone. Anakin Skywalker has been unofficially tasked by the Order to find Obi-Wan and bring him home. Unfortunately for Anakin, it seems his former master is always ten steps ahead of him. ✦ Unexpected Awakening (The Rewrite) by Rhiw, obi-wan & qui-gon & anakin & feemor & bruck & jango & cast, time travel, 135.1k wip The life of General Kenobi is cut short at the hands of his Padawan, but the sight that greets his eyes upon awakening is not that of blinding light of the Force, but the Jedi Temple he knew when he was still a youth. As he struggles to understand the path laid out before him, Obi-Wan unwittingly captures the attention of a singularly unusual Temple Guard, and that of a reluctant Qui-Gon Jinn.

✦ Knightrise by deviantaccumulation, obi-wan & ahsoka & satine & yoda & cast, 89.4k wip There is no battle on Mustafar or in Coruscant's senate building. Instead, a small but still alive Jedi Order rises from its ashes on Mandalore. ✦ Fire and Ice by Yesac, obi-wan & anakin & cast, 111.9k Anakin wins the duel on Mustafar, but doesn't kill Obi-Wan. Along with Padme, Obi-Wan finds himself living in a chaotic world where the man he thought he knew has become the thing he swore to destroy. Can Anakin be turned back? If so, what then? ✦ Better That a Millstone by Icarus_is_flying, obi-wan & luke & anakin & leia & cast, 86.7k Vader discovers Luke and Obi-Wan on Tatooine when Luke is one year old and attempts to reclaim the family he threw away. Obi-Wan is less than pleased, and Luke and Leia? They have their own ideas about how their future should play out. ✦ Bloodlines by KCKenobi, obi-wan & anakin & dooku, 35.8k When an explosion traps them in the same doomed escape pod, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Dooku are stranded together on Tatooine. The goal is simple: cooperate long enough to survive, and not a second longer. But a shared past has a way of connecting the people we think we know—and bloodlines run deep. [or: your classic family road trip across a desert planet, except your grandpa is, you know, a Sith Lord. And now he's sort of starting to bond with your Jedi dad. And that might be an issue.] ✦ When Darkness Seems to Hide This Place by IllyanaA, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & rex & cast, 136k wip After killing three of the Jedi Order's best and brightest, Palpatine's fight with Jedi Master Mace Windu goes shorter than expected. Afraid he's lost his chance at recruiting a new apprentice, Sidious unleashes Order 66 across the galaxy, but, per their programming, the Clone Army is not to harm Anakin Skywalker. After witnessing the most painful loss he's ever experienced and injured at the hands of his captors, Anakin is ready to die like the rest of the Jedi, though not before getting his vengeance. ✦ Precipice by shadowsong26, obi-wan & anakin & padme & luke & leia & bail & ahsoka & rex & cast, 253.6k An AU in which Anakin Skywalker does not follow Mace Windu and the others to Palpatine’s office after they leave to arrest the Chancellor. As a result, he doesn’t get that final push over the edge, and doesn’t Fall. ✦ Averting Galactic Destruction by kj_feybarn, obi-wan & anakin & quinlan & rex & cody & fives & dogma & wolffe & plo & shaak & dooku & sidious, time travel, 44.3k AKA The Time the Force Sent Obi-Wan Back in Time and Quinlan Vos kept him from Going Kamikaze because let’s be Honest, Being Forced to Come Back in Time Would Suck.

✦ Into the Archives by skygawker, obi-wan & anakin/padme & palpatine & cast, 104.9k wip After hearing the legend of Darth Plagueis the Wise from Palpatine, Anakin decides that his best chance to save Padme is to break into the restricted Holocron Vault of the Temple Archives to search for information about Plagueis. Predictably, all does not go according to plan. Revenge of the Sith AU. ✦ Live To Fight Another Day by raemanzu, spica_tea, cody & rex & jesse & kix & obi-wan & anakin & fox & cast, 396.9k wip Clones have their place in the universe, beyond the schemes of Palpatine. Events conspire to place Rex on the path of a new fate, one which will affect the future in ways not even the Jedi could foresee. Loyal to source material and characterizations. Canon-divergent. Starts between seasons 5 and 6 of TCW and explores Rex’s reaction to Fives’ dying words and subsequent events building toward Order 66. Variety of canon characters. No ships. Very Ace and Aro. Strong focus on certain friendships (Rex and Cody, Jesse and Kix, etc) with those friendships playing major roles. Thematically about how the clones navigate loss, trauma, the concept of their enslavement, their identities, etc amongst the larger active plot threads. Content warnings for war-related PTSD, trauma, combat injuries, and all around war-related angst etc in later chapters. ✦ Life and What Comes After by Ibelin, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & padme & cast, 177.2k wip Obi-Wan dies on Jabiim. Anakin blames himself, doesn't know how to go on and yet - he does. Maybe the Force rewards that kind of thing, or maybe he just gets lucky, but when a mission lands Anakin on a vaguely familiar planet, he gets a second chance to do what he knows he should have done in the first place: save his master. (And maybe a chance to save the galaxy, too.) ✦ Knight-Errant by zinjadu, anakin & ahsoka & obi-wan & padme & rex & jedi & clones, 315.8k AU - The Jedi Who Knew Too Much. Rex decides to stay "in pursuit" of his Commander; he jumps. Now, with backup, Ahsoka navigates the lower levels and deals with Ventress. Meanwhile, Anakin takes the Order to task, finds a little more support, and things turn out a little differently for everyone. And this is just the beginning. ✦ the massive machinery of hope by Killbothtwins, obi-wan & qui-gon & anakin & shmi & jedi, time travel, 150.1k After the end of the war with the Empire, Obi-Wan wakes up in his twelve-year old body. Now all he needs to do is convince everyone he's psychic, trick his Master into taking him on before he's sent to Bandomeer, redeem a few bad guys, and try not to have a nervous breakdown. Pretty easy. It's not like the Sith are lurking on the horizon, waiting to devour the Jedi Order.

✦ The Exchange by MissLearn, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & ahsoka & padme & cast, time travel/body swap, 120k The Daughter has a bad day and it irrevocably changes the fate of the galaxy, twice over. Or; ROTS Obi-Wan and Anakin are swapped with their younger, TPM, selves. It changes things, in both parallels. ✦ In All The World by Kjellarnen, obi-wan & anakin & cast, 144.8k wip The story of how Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi tamed each other, from Naboo to Anakin's early days at the Temple. ✦ In Another Life by KCKenobi, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & padme, time travel, 52.3k Eleven years after the rise of the Empire, a favor to a friend sends Obi-Wan traveling through the multiverse. He encounters different versions of the galaxy and of himself—including one in which Anakin never turned to the dark side. Obi-Wan and this Light Anakin are forced to work together to stop the creation of a disastrous Empire weapon. But as they move through different versions of reality, the timelines become more and more twisted—and the harder it is to distinguish who they are from who they might have been. And—to find their way home. ✦ The Intruder by Hollyoakhill, obi-wan & original clone characters, 82.5k When a vicious attack from a strange, indestructible monster traps them on a derelict star destroyer, a young clone trooper fresh from Kamino join forces with Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi to find a way to escape. ✦ Conceal Me What I Am by Himboskywalker, obi-wan/anakin & padme & yoda & mace & palpatine & quinlan & cast, omegaverse, NSFW, 108.3k Separatist Propaganda is turning the Republic against the Jedi Order and the Senate sees no choice but to join in a political alliance to fight dissent on a unified front.An alliance is proposed through an arranged marriage,between a Jedi Knight and Republic Senator. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are chosen as representatives of the political union by Darth Sidious, meant to bring ruin to the marriage and the public's support of the Jedi,for Obi-Wan Kenobi is not the Beta he claims. But even Sidious does not know of the secret Anakin Skywalker keeps, that he is not the Alpha the galaxy believes him to be. ✦ Equinox by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 95.9k During the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan and Anakin crash on a remote planet and take shelter in the ruins of a grand estate only to find they are not alone.

✦ Invictus by Himboskywalker, obi-wan/anakin & cast, NSFW, 40.3k "He is the balance, the other half, the completion to Skywalker’s soul, a perfect dyad in the force. But while Kenobi is a simple answer, the force also sees the difficulty of the pair coming together in balance. The foundations of the galaxy they exist in pull at them, threatening to intervene in their unity. But this is also a simple problem, for the force is far greater than the foundations of a single galaxy, for it is the foundation of all. So the force enacts its will, to bridge the pair over a span of moments, of years, of eternities, and Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi will fall in love, have fallen in love, and are falling in love." ✦ Neutron star collision by thedunesea, obi-wan/anakin & cast, NSFW, 121.2k wip In the aftermath of Order 66, Anakin Skywalker's miraculous survival after his confrontation with the new Sith Apprentice Darth Vader ignites a sparkle of hope in the remaining Jedi, in the fledgling rebellion and, above all, in his former Master, who thought he had lost everything to darkness. But darkness is generous, and it is patient. ✦ Lex Talionis by intermundia, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & dooku & rex & cast, NSFW, 187.1k The ancient Galactic Republic is dying slowly—an ugly death of corruption, sprawl, and decay—with the sin of slavery hanging over its every triumph. The beleaguered Jedi Knights are too few to adequately patrol and police the entire Republic, and are faced with complacency and greed at every turn. Born into a crumbling and stagnant galaxy, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are faced with the greatest challenge of all: themselves. Obi-Wan likes rules and control. When the galaxy around him stops playing by the rules, what is a Jedi to do? Anakin needs rules and restraint. When the galaxy around him conspires to set him loose, what is his Master to do? Falling slowly or falling fast, falling through lust or falling through wrath—it all leads to delusion and moral decay. What can be born from the ashes? ✦ Atlas of Our Ruin by Ripki, obi-wan/anakin & cast, NSFW, time travel, 230.8k Both the past and the future casts long shadows. Obi-Wan and Anakin learn that the hard way, when a mysterious holocron flings them backwards and forwards in time, forcing them to confront painful truths. But the time-travel is only the beginning… ✦ Seed by bell (belldreams), obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 44k When Anakin falls prey to a lethal poison, Obi-Wan has no choice but use all his resources to heal him-- no matter how reluctant he is in administering the antidote.

✦ wicked thing by imaginarykat, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & cast, nsfw, sith!obi-wan, 124.2k wip There are rumours of yet another Sith Lord hiding among the Separatists. The Council sends Anakin to investigate. Anakin has a bad feeling about this. or, the story of how Anakin exists in a perpetual state of intense embarrassment, Obi-Wan is enjoying it a little too much, and everything is, generally speaking, a gigantic mess. ✦ Rulebreaker/Wildheart by chapstickaddict, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & luke & leia & barriss & cast, NSFW, 230k Darth Vader, the strong arm of the Sith, held loyal to his Order since they took he and his mother from slavery in the deserts of Tatooine. Until he became convinced they killed his wife. He abandoned his Order and disappeared in the chaos of the Clone Wars, presumed dead by all sides. That young Skywalker is known around town as a widower and homesteader; a Nabooian who emigrated to avoid the trade blockade; a father of overly-energetic twins and warding a Togruta war orphan; a decent mechanic if your farm equipment or maintenance droid is acting up. Anakin is a paranoid, over-protective hot mess doing his best to raise his weird pack the way Padmé would have wanted. How the hell is he supposed to do that when his kids and not-apprentice make him haul a half-dead Jedi Master home like a lost pet? ✦ more than a candle by jenmishe, obi-wan/anakin/padme, NSFW, 50.3k "The dark is generous and it is patient and it always wins – but in the heart of its strength lies its weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back. Love is more than a candle. Love can ignite the stars." Or, a few thousands of words of how Anakin, Obi Wan, and Padmé realize many things, which include, most notably, how they feel about each other and how to handle said feelings. Oh, and in the meantime, they deal with a megalomaniac Sith Lord. ✦ Anamorphosis by avocadomoon, obi-wan/padme & anakin & mace & corde & qui-gon & cast, 33.5k noun, plural an·a·mor·pho·ses [an-uh-mawr-fuh-seez, -mawr-foh-seez]. A distorted or monstrous projection or representation of an image on a plane or curved surface, which, when viewed from a certain point, or as reflected from a curved mirror or through a polyhedron, appears regular and in proportion; a deformation of an image.

#lumi.txt #star wars #obi wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #ahsoka tano #mace windu #qui gon jinn #jedi order #fic recs #star wars fic recs #long post #really long post

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the-modern-typewriter · 1 year

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Are you planning to publish any more books in the future? other than the God Key, already finished that :D

Yes :)

Though I don't have a complete first draft of either of the next ones yet. I have a lot of projects up in the air which means that it can be slow going on any one project.

Contenders for up next, depending on what I finish first, are:

Totally WIP/not really posted anywhere...

Moonlight Drowning - girl trying to rescue her sister from a fairy king (probs king, dithering on changing to a queen), appetite, desire, I'm thinking dark romance fantasy vibes.

Say Yes - my initial idea was a fluffy contemporary ace YA romance. But honestly, I'm not a fluffy person, and I might veer adult instead. We'll see what happens.

Then there is all the Patreon stuff. These are probably the closest to actual novels at this stage.

Adrian and Demarion - gay pirates, so help me god I want it done at this stage. It's been lingering on my to do list for far too long and it's driving my nuts!

For Kingdom, Come - dark fantasy gay royal romance??? Magnus and Leo. Idk. Good prince gets captured by evil prince. Shenanigans. Currently sitting at 48,000 words. Nearing the end. It's definitely in the last act now.

The Forbidden Section - weirdly fluffy/angst/ust romance about a Dark Lord (Eiran) and the scholar the dark-magic obsessed scholar (Akira) who he blackmailed into being his apprentice. It's primarily a romance with a sprinkle of magical school/chosen one plot. Currently sitting at 52,000 words. Over halfway through. Maybe beginning of third act?

The Birthday Gift - a novella about a villain's nonbinary sidekick (Absolute Zero/Zee) who gets giving the hero (Evolution/Jason) as a birthday gift. Story spins out from there. Currently sitting at 25,000 words. Nearing the end.

Cheating Death - human (Sebastian) walks in on his human lover (Kristian) cheating on with a vampire (Ansel). He finds out that he's secretly been their mission to protect all along, because he has magical blood that can cure vampirism. Plot shenanigans and polyamory to follow. Currently sitting at 37,000 words.

And that's not getting into the WIPs that are currently sitting on my abandoned/needs serious re-work pile.

Double Exposure - f/f serial killer thriller. The first few drafts are finished, but I'm not 100% happy with it. Needs a lot of work still.

The Forever Girl - a middle grade novel about a girl (Maeve) who becomes best friends with Time after her dad dies. I think I need to spend more time with children if I'm ever going to finish that one. It's outlined and the first draft is 75% written haha.

#my novels #wips #my wips #stories #writeblr #there's also always the self pub versus do I try and trad pub debate #I love The God Key but I think it's pretty niche #anything from Patreon would be a self-pub as it's already out there

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romaine2424 · 6 months

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For the Love of WIPs (Drarry style)

There's a lot of things I miss about LJ, but right up there was the weekly posting of the H/D Prophet run by @sassy-cissa and groovelover at the conclusion. It began posting in 2005 and It stopped posting in 2021. I know it was a ton of work for the mods to run it, but it truly kept Drarry fandom informed of all the one-shot fics, art released that week, and chapter updates for current Drarry WIPs, recs, etc... Also listed were the fests and what state they were in. Take a look at the links I posted above and see all the goodness. It was very centralized. *sigh happy times*

What made me think of this was I love reading Drarry WIPs but keep finding recent chapter fics that I missed while being posted and only found them completed and others that I'm currently reading but found by chance.

So, I thought I'd share the WIPs I'm keeping track of and those that have been completed recently that I've read.

Notes: Most WIPs (chapter fics) are long fics (over 50K and up to 1M). There are readers that see some lengths of completed fics and wince. That is one reason why chapters are often released weekly or whenever, so you have digestible amounts (5-15K). Sometimes as an author I feel in a Catch 22, readers don't have time to read long fics, but then won't read a WIP until completed. LOL

Below the cut are WIPs that I've read and that have been recently completed. I'll post ongoing WIPs that I'm reading tomorrow! I'm not listing the Warning and Tags for these fics as I'll leave that up for you to decide on what to read or not. But, there are a few here that do have strong warnings in the tags and/or Author Notes. One final note: I'm listing WIPs (chapter fics) that were posted over a time period, not completed chapter fics that were listed on one date as a whole. OMG this is a long post!

Recently completed Drarry WIPs

Passing Stranger (53K) by @lettersbyelise This just completed yesterday! I have 2 chapters left to read. :) Summary: Five years after the war, Harry, listless and depressed, stumbles upon Draco Malfoy playing the violin in an underground bar in Muggle London. The catch? Draco lost his memories five years ago. Ignoring his friends’ advice, Harry befriends an unwitting Draco, overlooking the fact that their mutual attraction might not survive if Draco’s memories return. Comment: Haven't quite finished but I love, love, the Draco in this fic. You could feel that this is Draco stripped of all the heavy responsibilities he grew up with including having a bigoted father. The tension is palpable with Harry being attracted to this Draco but feeling that Draco needs to be Draco Malfoy to move forward. *ugh*. 2. The Boy from the Piano Shop (90.5K) by @soliblomst completed 2/25/24. Summary: After going blind in a reckless attempt to avenge Ginny's death, Harry battles with severe depression. One day, he stumbles upon a quaint piano restoration shop in the heart of London and meets the owner, a kindly old man, and his introverted young apprentice, whose voice sounds strangely familiar. As Harry and Draco slowly reconnect through private piano lessons, the small workshop becomes Harry's refuge, offering him a glimmer of hope in a world without eyes. Set five years after the Battle of Hogwarts. Comment: I binged this fic bad!!! There is so much to love in this fic but one of the standouts is the OC Richard. You will love him, too. The gradual build up of Drarry is so well done. The dealing with Harry's depression is so raw and real. No cutting of corners. The ending was one of the best I've read in celebrating what is to come for Harry and Draco. And Draco, in the final scene will make you cry *happy tears*. 3. The Star Splitter (219K) by @oflights completed 3/22/24. Summary: On a routine time travel assignment to the past, Draco stumbles upon 7-year-old Harry Potter and witnesses his neglect and mistreatment by the Dursleys. In the moment, there is only one solution, even if it goes against all his training as a Time Agent: he has to bring Harry back to the future with him. In which Draco burns his life down for the sake of his former school rival. Comment: I think I followed this one from the start as I do everything @oflights! OMG the action, the tenseness, the magical lore, the worldbuilding, and the sweetness of Draco raising young Harry will have you banging that "next chapter" button. The Drarry in this happens slowly and has its ups and downs but so so worth the wait. The bond is strong and at the end and you will recognize and cheer for this Harry who says Fuck it all, I ain't letting this go.

4. Spotlight (All Eyes on Us) (58K) by @pixiedunhoff completed 3/15/24. This is the 5th and final installment of the Dark Arts to Dance Floor Series (317K) which began posting in July '23. Spotlight Summary: The spotlight can scorch.

“Has the wizarding world ever seen a couple quite like Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter? Though the pair remain frustratingly private and out of the spotlight, hardly ever seen in public together, our readers understandably demand to know more.

‘They’re happy together,’ Minister of Magic Hermione Granger exclusively tells the Prophet, before quickly ducking into a meeting for Squib Rights. ‘They’re so very happy.’”

- Daily Prophet, 2 February 2018 Comment: Pixie says in the notes, you may only need to read the 4th installment to completely get this fic, but hell, I say read them all. Pixie is newer to Drarry writing (longtime reader). I love the casualness and realness of the characters and how they interact. In Spotlight they so capture the feel of being backstage to a 'music rock star' (in the Muggle world) and on the rise in the magical one. As you're reading this fic, it might come across as being a lighter AU type fic, but don't be fooled there is much depth and layers upon layers to both Harry and Draco. Pixie just eases you into it. There were points that I just had to stop reading for a moment and digest exactly what was going on. Pixie will be on my Current WIP list, too! 5. Skybound (61K) by @xanthippe74 Summary: No matter how much Harry Potter wanted to believe he’d left danger behind when the war ended, it found him again anyway. All he had to do was step out his own front door on a Tuesday morning. A Drarry re-imagining of Howl’s Moving Castle.

Comment: I haven't finished this one, yet, but wanted to list it here. It's 6 chapters and I'm only 2 chapters in, but holy hell what world building and magical lore (and one very nasty curse). I'm not familiar with the original source, but that's okay. I'm very happy being carried along in one floating house! I'm a big fan of @xanthippe74 and am fully confident I'll love this as much as the author's other stories. Okay, I'll be back tomorrow with a list of currently posting Drarry WIPs, including two stinging hot A/B/Os, but in very different ways.

Enjoy!

Rom

#romaine2424 recs #drarry fic rec #drarry wips #so much drarry fic awesomeness #drarry wips completed

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thatuselesshuman · 3 months

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WIP anagram tag

Thank you for the tag @willtheweaver

My word: GOLD Your word: SILVER

G: "Go across the ice!"

O: "Oh y'know, killed a few careers, almost froze to death, almost drowned, and praised the Saints on my hands and knees for the fact that the Summer Quadrant is a nice breezy 85°," Jem recounted, finishing up the axe before handing it back to Johanna.

L: Lastly, he went to the fire starting station.

D: Despite himself, he grinned.

@moltenwrites @mathematical-apprentice @wyked-ao3 @katenewmanwrites @the-golden-comet +open tag

#writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #writer #writers #writer tag game #writing tag #writing tag game

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mysticstarlightduck · 4 months

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Song of Thorns - WIP Intro/WIP Wednesday

Jumping on the OPEN TAG by @little-peril-stories (here), and @kaylinalexanderbooks tag (here) because I was really inspired and wanted to give it a try! I tried to give my twist on the same format, because it was really cool!

(Also, I had been wanting an excuse to do an actual intro for this WIP for a while now, even though it's not my main one and is a much smaller side project lol)

By the way, if you like this, please reblog, it helps a lot 💕

Rules: Pick a WIP. Post something about it. On a Wednesday. Or whenever! It can be literally anything! (:

WIP INTRO - SONG OF THORNS

Title: Song of Thorns

Genre: High Fantasy/Dark Fairytale

Tags: #wip song of thorns #song of thorns

Synopsis/What Is It About?

Roselyn, a teenage girl from a backwater fishing village on the edge of the continent, moves to the kingdom's floating capital with her siblings - Jasen, her older brother and a brilliant aspiring sorcerer, and their 12-year-old younger sister, Portia - after Jasen gets a prestigious apprenticeship in the mystical city.

However, after a while, it becomes apparent that something is not what it seems in the city of legend. In fact, something is very wrong. When Jasen mysteriously disappears without a trace, trying to find out what happened reveals the true facet of the up-til-then-welcoming nobility, and gets her falsely accused of treason.

Sentenced to death for reasons she cannot understand, Roselyn finds her second chance when the royal family's youngest prince, the nephew of the King, sets her free in the middle of the night with a proposal - helping him stop the full extent of his family's schemes and save the city before it is too late.

With the help of the now-exiled prince and a couple other outcasts, Roselyn will expose the city's corruption and save her brother before it is too late. All the while she starts falling in love with the charming though lonely thief (Renn) who has stolen her heart. But with strange forces being tampered with and magic swiftly changing, time is slipping away disturbingly fast.

Tropes and Nice Stuff! (Or, a.k.a. What you can expect in this book!)

Friends to Lovers! (Renn x Roselyn, Prince Alaric x Jasen)

Eldritch horror, dark fantasy, and blood magic. The royals are basically fantasy mad scientists and it gets complicated...

The perfect city has some really fucked up secrets that nobody was supposed to find out. Ever.

Epic heists (or as I like to call it: these fools doing absolutely everything wrong but failing successfully)

Fantasy creatures, enchanted forests, a derpy giant talking cat. You name it! There are loads of peaceful sea monsters too, and some very dangerous creatures I've invented as well!

Sad, absolutely heartbreaking scenes and some goofy, silly scenes!

Goth thief who is actually very nerdy and not at all brooding.

An aro/ace druid's apprentice! A bit unhinged and admittedly clueless about the world outside, but the sweetest character ever"

An actually Good Stepmother! (Subversion of the Wicked Stepmother trope)

Enemies to Friends (that's a spoiler!)

A villain who may act childish but is actually not stupid at all and is the most threatening MF you'll ever meet

Whump! (Potentially)

Medieval/Renaissance period with a touch of Fantasy Science

A soft magic system

Siblings, family bonds, and intrigue!

Sometimes the villains kinda win and it is scary (but don't worry the heroes find a way to fight another day so it's not all doom and gloom, almost, but not.)

And more!💕

Meet The Main Cast! (The good guys)

Roselyn Lethia

A curious and opinionated teenager, Roselyn finds herself dragged into a net of intrigue, lies, and bloodied secrets after her beloved older brother suddenly goes missing without a trace, and the kingdom tries to convince her he never existed. She is kind, brave, and determined, though she can sometimes take on more than she can realistically handle, and needs to rely solely on her book-earned wits and sparse fighting skills to get through her fears. Her greatest motive is keeping her loved ones safe, but she also, deep down, yearns for some adventuring.

Prince Alaric of the Hyghsummit

Naive and slightly arrogant without realizing it, Alaric is the youngest prince of the reigning royal family. He is the nephew of the King and was largely raised by his stepmother Catallinah, a motherly but no-nonsense woman trapped in an arranged marriage to his uncle after the death of her husband, Alaric's father. Most of his other relatives from his large family consider him a weak link and most don't even bother with him at all - but Alaric is much more than the capital's "failed prince". He is a brilliant and well-read young man who has spent most of his time honing his abilities to bring down the lies of his corrupted family. He falls in love with Jasen, who became his friend after the latter started working as an apprentice to the court's High Sorcerer.

Renn Atrius

A foreign noble from beyond the royal lands, he was forced into the lifestyle of a thief from a young age, after being orphaned when his father was murdered for refusing to obey their neighboring kingdom's crown. Learning the art of disappearing into the night and taking valuables from the land that took everything from him and colonized his nation, Renn quickly became quite the nuisance for the King. But thankfully to his connection to raw blood magic, his slight vampiric abilities ensure no human soldier ever proves a real threat to him. He starts to fall in love with Roselyn, having become friends with her after trying to steal her coin purse (having mistaken her for a tourist from the capital).

Jasen Lethia

Roselyn's older brother, Jasen is a brilliant and highly ambitious student of the arcane arts. Their home village never provided much chances for his studies, but he kept practicing until he was good enough to earn a highly prestigious apprenticeship at the capital's Evocation Order. He is pragmatic, soft-spoken, and painstakingly patient, and though his studies are important to him, raising his sisters has been his top priority since their parents were killed in a bandit raid to their village when he was twelve, especially because their grandmother was too frail to really do much to raise them when she was alive. Jasen becomes close friends with Prince Alaric, who is around his age, though Jasen dismisses his own personal romantic feelings, believing that he would never be deemed worthy to love a noble and saying anything would only ruin their friendship, when in fact Alaric feels the same. Jasen went missing after discovering the truth about the King by accident.

Oriana Whisperleaf

A quirky and extremely talkative druid's apprentice, Oriana was neglected by her birth parents, who did not care for her. When she was five, she wandered into a local meadow and into the woods - no one came looking for her. She got really lost, but thankfully, she met the mysterious druidic witch who lived deep in the enchanted woods of the realm, a beautiful woman who took her in and raised her as her daughter and apprentice.

Portia Lethia

Roselyn and Jasen's youngest sister, Portia is a very quiet and often sensitive 12-year-old kid, who prefers to spend her time in the company of animals rather than people and wants to become an animal healer when she comes of age. She is smart, perceptive, and polite/well-behaved for her age, though sometimes she has a prankster streak!

Plot Points .... or not🙃 (so far, because this WIP is still early in creation)

"Peace and Quiet and All Things Nice - wait what tf is that in the water? Eh. Probably just a sea monster, it's likely nothing."

"You're saying we're going to the capital - a city literally built in the mountains floating in the sky?! Count me IN dude I am hyped!"

"Traveling. And traveling. And traveling some more. Gods, does this goddamn road ever end -? Oh, and we're there."

"Two unsupervised teenage girls explore an unknown city and shenanigans ensue. Also, meet this suspicious royal High Sorcerer dude who will mentor their older brother and is totally not gonna betray him at all. Trust me."

"Things are looking great! I'm having fun, this is nice!"

"OBLIGATORY ONE-YEAR TIME SKIP"

"I have the feeling some sus bullshit is afoot but I don't know why. And I don't know if I wanna know. Everything's fine! Right?... right?"

"BREAKING NEWS: Watch how an entire kingdom tries to gaslight a teenager!"

"...Why are there bloodstains in the castle? What are those gooey-looking branches? Oh, hell to the nah~"

"So apparently I've been arrested. That's new. They have yet to read me my rights."

"So either I'm gonna be executed or have my mind erased. That's new. How about neither? No? This is not how I saw my weekend going."

"Breaking out with the prince. I don't know which of us is more confused. We're totally not gonna die in like two days at this rate."

"Getting lost in a very cursed-looking forest and finding out that the kingdom is slowly dying. At least that druid looks friendly - if she doesn't try to kill us. Yet again."

"Meet this 100-year-old lady who looks 30. She's nice. A bit crazy though, I think, but nice? Real talk, I'm not sure if this is tea or poison, or if she knows, but I'm too concerned to ask."

"So your insane family has sent assassins to kill us? Neat. And you didn't think that was a priority to mention, why exactly..? OF COURSE IT WAS A PRIORITY YOU GILDED DIMWIT!"

"This goth mercenary guy did just try to rob me, but he did save my life, so. Plus he does look handsome in this light, ngl. Why does he look so cute, tf is wrong with me?"

"🎶And I'm never gonna sleep again, sleep again, lalala, what the eldritch hell did I just see -🎶

"Rival civilization! Finally! Pls tell me there's not an insane guild of blood sorcerers in this town my dude. I need a break desperately and I'm not sure if my sanity can handle any more - Oh thank goodness. It's just horrifying monsters beyond my wildest dreams then. I'd take that any day. How much does an inn cost here?"

"Group of dumbasses tries to pull off complicated plan. Proceeds to forget said plan halfway through and ends up improvising an entire heist. Also, that's a talking cat. Why is there a talking cat."

"Finding out your prince best friend has been in love with your older brother since they met. Pt 1"

"Not-so-Evil (actually the nicest) Stepmother jumpscares teenagers and feels bad about it. She has cookies though so that's okay though."

"The King throws a massive hissy fit, Special Edition (:"

"So. This is bad. This is bad. Thisissobad. I'm traumatized. I regret all my life choices and I think I'm going to throw up. This is so bad."

"We need a plan. A better one to be exact."

"Absolutely not! We are not breaking into that place, oh Hells no! No. Absolutely not-" (shift scenes, deadpan tone) "We broke into that place and I regret everything."

That's it so far! I'm still workshopping the ending from here (:

Playlist

Runaway - AURORA

Only Teardrops - Emmelie De Forest

Shadow - Livingston

Elan - Nightwish

Bad Feeling - Jaguar Twain

Tagging (gently, no pressure!) @kaylinalexanderbooks @littleladymab @cabbojage @lassiesandiego @little-peril-stories @oh-no-another-idea @thepeculiarbird @rickie-the-storyteller @crowandmoonwriting @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @gummybugg @forthesanityofstorytellers @doublegoblin @aalinaaaaaa @starlit-hopes-and-dreams @elshells @illarian-rambling @clairelsonao3 @conkers-thecosy @anyablackwood @diabolical-blue @cowboybrunch and OPEN TAG for anyone else who wants to do their own spin in this challenge!

#wip intro #wip in progress #writers on tumblr #writerblr #writers #my wips #character writing #writeblr #writing #my characters #my writing #wip song of thorns

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the-journey-was-the-point · 21 days

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4 Times Calarphain Forgot His Brother + 1 Time He Didn’t

Had this sitting in my WIPs for a while, decided to share it for @tolkienocweek Day 7: Freeform!

Summary: Like it says in the title, a collection of times Calarphain forgot his brother, and one time he didn't. You can read this other fic for more context, but the gist is that they grew up away from each other with no contact and now have opposing personalities! Relationships: Callonduin & Calarphain Warnings: Referenced character death, hurt/comfort some angst

Letters

It was all very hazy for Calarphain. The elfling woke up to see his father (looking so worried) and Lady Galadriel (she was so radiant and kind), sitting by his bedside. He couldn’t recall much before that.

He took one step, then another; a healer came in every day to check his progress. He was slowly getting better, well enough to take short walks.

He huffed one more time, finally reaching the end of the hall. That was enough for his daily walk. Now it was time to return to his bedchamber and– what was it father said? Write a letter to his twin brother? It was a little strange for Calarphain to imagine that somewhere out there was an elfling who looked exactly like him.

Before he could turn, he caught sight of the Lady of Lórien entering the courtyard. He was immediately excited. He liked Galadriel, she was so kind and beautiful, and even better, she was to mentor him soon!

He called out to her. “Lady Galadriel!!”

The Lady’s serene face turned into a fond smile. She met him halfway, and the two of them spent the rest of the day sitting under the eaves as she told him tales of her youth.

2. Birthdays

It was a time of feast in Lothlórien. Tonight, they celebrated Calarphain’s coming of age. There was dancing, and cakes, and all of his friends were here. His father made sure the wine was sweet, just like Calarphain liked it. Galadriel gave the toast, recounting the fateful day her apprentice arrived in their realm. Mithrandir brought his best fireworks and promised Calarphain he’d one day instruct him in magic. Calarphain was excited, he wanted to have a staff like Mithrandir’s one day!

As he giddily downed another glass of wine, he overheard a conversation over the sound of the music.

“My parents always said it would be like this. You blink, then suddenly they’re grown."

It was Celebrían, Galadriel’s daughter who was visiting from Rivendell. Calarphain always enjoyed her company and was delighted she could be here for the celebration.

“I often feared he wouldn’t live to come of age.” It was his father speaking. He sounded sad and a little sloshed. Calarphain shook his head fondly. His ada was always so sentimental!

“I’ve enjoyed watching them grow. They’re both doing very well, both highly praised in Lothlórien and Imladris.

Both? Who’s both?

Mithrandir lit up another rocket, sending a kaleidoscope into the sky. Calarphain joined the crowd in applause. He figured Celebrían was talking about her own twin sons.

3. Diet

Calarphain stoked the campfire, focusing on making a bigger flame. He could use magic to speed up the process, but he was trying to distract himself from the sound of Kíli skinning and gutting a rabbit.

“That looks good,” he heard Fíli say. “What will we have it with?”

“There’s some spices here that Bombur packed for us,” Kíli replied.

“Callonduin’s been gone for a while now,” Tauriel stated as she paced the camp, ever vigilant. “He took Linnéa with him.”

“Yeah, I needed a second pair of eyes.” Everyone turned to the ellon in question as he dropped down from the branches above, bearing with him a heavy sack. Shortly after, Linnéa emerged from the treeline, carrying an assortment of herbs. “Just to make sure I don’t accidentally kill us,” the ellon continued with a cheeky smile. “Oh! A fire!”

Calarphain had been trying to avoid his brother so far. Ever since they set out, it was like every interaction they had turned into an argument. Actually, they’d argued even before leaving Erebor. It was awkward to say the least, so Calarphain tried to keep his distance.

It seemed Callonduin didn’t have such reservations as he spiritedly plopped down next to his brother. “Yes! Get it nice and hot! Then we can roast the nuts.”

“The nuts?”

“Ah yeah, I went foraging.” Callonduin reached into his sack, producing an assortment of fruits, berries, and nuts. “Figured you could use some extra, especially since you don’t like eating animals.”

Calarphain murmured his thanks, taken aback by such a nice gesture coming from his brother. “This is very thoughtful of you.”

Callonduin waved off the compliment with a lopsided grin. “Do you still like chestnuts? I remember how we used to pick them all the time in Rivendell.”

Calarphain loved chestnuts, but he didn’t remember Rivendell.

4. Song

That last battle hadn’t gone well. They nearly got overpowered by the swarm of goblins, only making it out of the lair by the skin of their teeth. The stormy weather wasn’t helping. It was a good thing a kind farmer let them sleep in his barn.

Calarphain winced. The cut on his arm was beginning to hurt. He’ll ask Linnéa for pain medicine tomorrow; he didn’t want to wake his tired friend just yet.

In the darkness, someone began to sing. It was low and melodious, its words in Sindarin. He got up and walked to its source.

He found Callonduin sitting where Fíli lay nestled in blankets. The dwarf prince had contracted a fever and tossed fitfully in his sleep. The ellon paused his singing when he saw this twin approach.

“I guess I woke you.”

Calarphain shook his head and whispered, so as not to wake their friends. “That sounded beautiful.”

“It’s a song of healing,” Callonduin shrugged. “Or, it’s supposed to be. I don’t know if it’s working.”

“Well, I liked it.” Calarphain took a seat next to his brother. “It sounded familiar. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it in Lothlórien before.”

“That’s ‘cus this is native to the healers of Rivendell,” Callonduin explained, his smile faltering slightly. “I used to sing it for you when we were little.”

“Oh…” Calarphain felt a pit in his stomach. “I’m afraid those days are hazy to me. Probably why I don’t remember the song.”

Callonduin nodded, aware of his brother’s condition. Calarphain felt his twin’s solemn look didn’t suit him. That face was made for smiling.

“Teach it to me anyway? Maybe it’ll work with two of us.”

(Interlude)

“I don’t know if this is the right thing to say, but I felt you deserved to know.” Calarphain wrung his hands, eyes fixed on the river infront of him. He had called his brother to the outskirts of town in order to talk. He had to come clean, this couldn’t go on any longer.

“That’s never a good start.” Though Callonduin replied with an easy tone, Calarphain knew of his brother’s tendency to use humor to avoid difficult conversations.

The light-haired twin sighed. Callonduin got the message and sat next to him.

“What’s up?”

“My earliest memory is waking up in Lothlórien with father and Lady Galadriel watching over me. Everything before that was lost to the haze of sickness.”

Callonduin nodded, prompting his brother to continue.

“You resent that I never visited you all these years, that I barely wrote.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. You were sick, I get it–”

“No,” Calarphain quickly interrupted, “you need to know why. You need to know, when I woke up, it was like I was given a new lease on life. I had a new home, new friends, powers I didn’t understand. Galadriel herself offered to mentor me. I had a new life, and the world seemed so big, so limitless, I–” he choked midway through his sentence. Callonduin placed a hand on his shoulder, concerned for the younger twin.

“I knew you existed,” Calarphain continued, “father told me about you. But in light of my new life, I suppose I wasn’t… interested in what I had before. Everything else seemed new and exciting. I was so preoccupied with it that I suppose I… forgot about you.” And there it was, finally out in the open.

There was a second of silence, followed by several more. Neither twin said anything until Callonduin finally smacked his lips together.

“Well,” he said once more with the casual tone he was known for. “Thanks for telling me this. Good talk. I’ll go now.” He moved to stand, but Calarphain grabbed his sleeve.

“Callonduin, wait!”

“No, I get it.” Though Callonduin shrugged off his twin’s protests, he avoided his gaze, and Calarphain knew his brother was ready to break. “Everything else was more exciting– I mean you had Galadriel as a mentor. Why bother with me–”

“Callonduin– no! Look at me, please!” Calarphain gripped his brother’s shoulders and forced the older twin to face him. Callonduin met his gaze, identical blue eyes boring into his own.

“What I’m trying to say is, it wasn’t your fault. I knew you existed, but didn’t make the effort to reach out. Even when I was well enough to, I didn’t visit simply because I wanted to do other things. I knew father and I left you to grow up alone, but I never cared to do anything about it. Do you understand what I’m saying? You weren’t lacking, Callonduin. I just wasn’t considerate enough to think about you. I took you for granted. I still sometimes do. I’m sorry.”

Calarphain brought his hands back down to his sides. Now it was his turn to look away. “That’s all. I wanted you to know it wasn’t your fault.”

Callonduin stood still the whole while, taking in his brother’s confession. Tears glistened in his eyes and he swallowed a number of times, throat tight.

When he spoke, his voice was raw and soft. “Wish I could turn back time. Make it right somehow.”

Calarphain shook his head. “I wouldn’t put that on you.” What’s done is done. Callonduin was neglected, and nothing would change that. “For what it’s worth, I’ve been enjoying our time together. I’m glad I went on this journey and got to know you. It makes me wish I had you around growing up.”

“Yeah?” Callonduin sniffled, rubbing at his eyes before tears could fall. “Well, I’m here now!”

“You are,” Calarphain laughed, looking back at his twin, “and I’d like to make more memories, if you’re up for it. To replace what we lost.”

“Oh! We can go to Rivendell, if you like. We could stay in father’s house, I’ll show you around. My favorite spots– ah!-- the minstrels play some really good songs…”

Calarphain smiled, excited at the prospect of returning to his birthplace with his brother. “I’d like that very much.”

He never made it to Rivendell.

+ One time he didn’t

When Calarphain woke up after being re-embodied, he found himself in the blessed land of Valinor. Just like before, his father was by his bedside. The two of them shared a tearful reunion…

… Until Calarphain found out that shortly after he died, his father sailed, leaving Callonduin alone in Middle Earth.

“How could you do that?!” he cried, tearful Sindarin pouring out of his lips. “How could you leave him alone?!”

The good thing about being re-embodied? The Valar saw it fit to grant him a healthy fëa and hröa, meaning Calarphain had a much stronger body than before.

He hurled a pillow at his father, missing, and breaking a vase in the process. Concerned healers slowly trickled into the room.

“Did you forget about him?! Did you forget that he needs you too?!”

#my fics #oc stuff #callonduin (oc)#calarphain (oc)#tolkien ocs #lotr ocs #tolkienocweek #tolkienocweek2024

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booburry · 8 months

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Madison's Folly// Part 1 // a Gale Dekarios Fic // WC 3.9k // Part 2 / Part 3 / Series Complete

Summary: Madison did not have a life of substance nor a life that invoked jealousy of the passing mind, but the few good things she had, she held dear. So when the man she loved unequivocally was left heartbroken by a goddess and a magical curse within his body, Madi found herself searching for any means to rid him of his life threatening burden, no matter the personal cost. For all magic, no matter the greatness, comes with a cost to match.

AKA Madison does something foolish to prove her love for Gale without seeing the stark irony of the situation until it's far too late to step back.

A/N: This should be a 3 part series, to keep me from the never-ending WIP list but god knows my mind is obsessed with this man rn.

Tags: Angsty, Emotions, Unrequited Love, Established Friendship/Connection, Dialogue Heavy, Mentions of Death, OC is an Orphan

Gale groaned as Tav joined Elminster in his false claim he had lost all of his decorum. If only Elminster knew the company he kept, then he would know Gale held all of the decorum—apart from Wyll who upheld his own most of the time.

The groan, in truth, was because Gale knew his response had been rude but the cryptic man said ‘she’ sent him, which could mean two different women—the prospect that either of them sending Elminster to find Gale left him with equal amounts of dread. Elminster now demanding food and drink before telling Gale this information only goaded him into further ill temperament.

“If it helps any, my dear boy, the query to your conundrum will be quickly answered.”

“Oh for the love of—” Gale managed to stop himself before cussing at the man who was not only a wizard he greatly respected but was also the closest embodiment to a father figure he had. Normally Elminster’s colourful cadence was something Gale found amusing, and often played into, but there seemingly was a time and place, neither of which was now! With another sigh, Gale pleaded with Elminster for a straight answer, “Just tell me if it was—”

A puff of pale green smoke appeared behind Elminster and out walked a woman Gale was not prepared to face. All of his anger and impatience melted as the heavy guilt and shame of his past actions crashed into him. Memories of the numerous times she had called upon him when he had locked himself away in his tower, the countless times she had cried out to and for him, and how he ignored every single one until it had been too late and he had been taken by the mind flayers.

Gods, he would gladly face the wrath of Mystra ten times over than have this ill-prepared meeting right now.

“Madison?” Gale called out, immediately recoiling as he saw her expression twist at his use of her full name, something he hadn’t called her since they were kids. He didn't even know why he called her by her full name, it just slipped out and unfortunately became another mistake he couldn't take back.

“Dekarios.” She muttered, arms immediately crossing over her chest, hitting him with an equally unnerving name choice.

He really wasn’t prepared for this.

~X~

Stupid Gale finally decides to leave his tower…Madi grumbled to herself for the nth time along this journey to find the man she unrequitedly loved, the man whom she continued to sacrifice everything for, the man who had shunned every attempt at connecting after being dramatically dumped by a goddess.

She hadn’t always been stupidly in love with him, a point she had continued to make and remind Elminster as they had gone from Waterdeep to Baldur’s Gate and even through the Under Dark to where they stood now. For the longest time, Gale had been family, the only family Madi had besides Elminster. The famed wizard had taken her on as an apprentice when she was six after blowing up the bunk beds in the orphanage she had been in. Thankfully none were hurt, but the adults felt it was best for Madi to be with ‘her kind’.

It hadn’t been an easy life, especially at the start not knowing how to read or write yet having a higher natural talent for magic than her peers. It was a well-written recipe for potent ridicule and ostracization. Gale was the only one who didn’t treat her differently and was most enthusiastic about teaching her to be able to enjoy literature of all kinds. It was almost instant from that moment their inseparable bond—until Mystra weaved her way between them.

It was a conflicting feeling, for a long time, to have a visceral hatred and jealousy towards the goddess that was the source of magic, constantly surrounded by her presence, her eyes knowingly on any that called upon the Weave for spellcasting. It had always made Madi uncomfortable, the only times it left her feeling violently sick came in the later years of life once she knew how…deep Gale’s intimacy was with the goddess of magic.

That conflict made it easy for her discontent to turn into hatred the moment Gale started to choose Mystra over her, choosing to be blind to the goddess's influence and manipulation. The day Madi claimed that he had been groomed by the goddess had been the final wedge between them and it had been the last conversation between the two.

Had words been exchanged since? Of course, but always one-sided. Always Madi leaning against his wooden door, begging for him to talk to her, begging for his forgiveness, begging him to let her help. Silence was the only thing that was ever returned to her until the time Tara told Madi that Gale wasn’t there. Tara had ‘finally convinced him to get out’ and apparently Gale had left his tower to find Madi. So she waited for him in his tower, with Tara, but he didn’t return.

Then Madi found that he never went to her residence.

So she went to Elminster, in hopes Gale went there, but he hadn’t been seen.

From there her search for Gale spiralled into this journey that now had Madi looking at some old Monk temple nestled within this mountain pass that now housed many Gythyanki with another astute observer nearby who only wished to obtain one of their children.

And, yet again, no sign of Gale.

What a miserable fucking place, Madi grumbled to herself before letting out a deep sigh at the realization she hit another dead end. Silently she begged that she find Gale soon otherwise everything she had sacrificed…this pact she made, would be for not.

Another sigh before she waved her hands, speaking the short incantation before evaporating into smoke and reappearing next to where she last left Elminster.

“Madison?” His voice was the first she heard and it felt like her heart stopped beating and was sucked up into her lungs, preventing her from breathing, until it set in that he did not call her Madi, or Mads, or even Addy but Madison…like she was a former colleague or acquaintance.

It hurt, probably more than it should have, but the name was like daggers of ice to her chest and she could see by how Gale sunk into himself that he knew the pain he caused, yet he did not show her if it was a mistake he meant.

“Dekarios.” She spat the name as if she were casting vicious mockery, her body language closing itself off despite how desperately Madi wanted to just hug him. Instead, she would suffice on taking him in from afar while his companions and Elminster just watched the two of them stare at each other.

In all honestly, Madi was expecting him to look worse based on how Tara described him. Sure, his frame was smaller, less muscle, frailer, but his beard was not unruly and unbecoming, his hair, although adorned with more visible gray, looked good at the new length and half tied up in a bun. Madi would have happily lingered looking at his breathtaking features but she felt pulled to stare at the markings visible on his chest, neck and even just below his eye.

Elminster had told her of the orb and the magic that lived within Gale, even though she had already heard much of these facts from other wizards within their community—too many are always eager to sing songs of the fall of Mystra’s chosen. The gravity of Gale’s situation was the reason Madi had sat outside his tower door for countless nights, why she had cried and begged him to let her help and why, at the end of it all, she had looked for a way to rid him of that orb without his permission or participation.

Gale immediately reacted to her attention, pulling his vestments closed and turning his body away to show the side of him without the markings.

That reaction broke their silent connection, Madi turning away to look at Elminster who watched her with a sadness she did not often see him look at her with. Her jaw clenched as she quickly looked towards the ground.

“You tell him?” Madi asked through gritted teeth, desperate to get out of here, mad at herself for wanting to leave, furious that it seemed her sacrifices were for not while still having that stupid glimmer inside of her convincing herself that the idiot cared about her as she did him, he just didn’t know how to say it or act upon it. The grief with which Elminster shared with her immediately twisted into disappointment.

“Did I not teach either of you to be better mannered?” Madi sighed.

“I take it that we are having lunch first, then?”

~X~

Madi stayed silent for the majority of the meal, catching glances from Gale and a few of his companions. The pale elf sitting to her left, whom Madi quickly clocked as a vampire spawn by the markings on his neck, paid astute attention to her.

“So,” he began, his tone haughty and akin to those of high society, “your Gale’s little childhood buddy he keeps talking about, hmn?”

“Uh, maybe? Gale had a few friends growing up, not just one.” Madi awkwardly replied, caught off guard by this elf’s attention and finding his striking beauty to be unnerving. Her response seemed to displease him, as he sunk into his seated posture with slight defeat.

“tch—Really? He always seemed like the type of person everyone would find insufferable.” Madi snorted her wine back into her goblet, taking a moment to compose herself before turning to her dinner companion with a smile.

“Most do, they just…well,” Madi’s smile faltered as she glanced over at Gale, who had been watching her with an expression she couldn’t understand before he quickly looked away from her gaze, “they take advantage of his willingness to teach and to share the ‘wonders of the weave’.” She gave her best Gale impression as she quoted the very words she had heard him say numerous times.

“I’m Astarion, by the way,” the pale elf introduced himself after he recovered from the laughter at Madi’s impression, “and you do a great Gale.” He told her with a smile, his attention drifting to her again, his red eyes watching her with delight. “I must say, if Gale had told me how beautiful you are I would have asked him to tell me more about you.”

Madi felt her face go crimson at the compliment, not being able to recall the last time she had authentically been complimented for her appearance—beautiful never being a word she had ever or would ever use to describe herself. The shock and embarrassment to which she reacted seemed to catch Astarion off guard.

“Oh I assure you he has told me nothing embarrassing about you—”

“No,” Madi found herself immediately correcting, mostly due to not wanting to hear what would be the closest thing Gale had said about her that could be described as ‘embarrassing’. “It’s that I, well…” Madi’s cheeks grew crimson as she grew too shy to admit she didn’t know how to respond to his compliment.

“You act as if nobody has ever called you beautiful before.” Astarion laughed as if the proposition was hilariously impossible until he did a double take at Madi’s blank expression and gasped. Although, his shock wasn’t directed at her. “Gale, are you telling me you never complimented this woman on her beauty?”

Astarion’s question silenced the group, his action of standing up and pointing both hands at Madi in shock solidifying the attention he held. Gale stammered in shock, his eyes going wide before flicking to Madi who just winced, dreading that the first time he gave such a compliment came now.

“What? But she’s hot—wait is this Madi?” The tiefling bellowed the question to Gale, who became further flustered at the onslaught of questions he was not prepared to answer. “Are you Madi?” The tiefling turned her attention to her when Gale seemed unable to form a response.

“That…is my name.” Madi hesitantly confirmed, her stomach twisting as she continued to watch Gale flip through constant emotions that seemed more volatile as the moment went on. His companions seemed to know her as Madi and seemed to know of her, which meant he had to have talked about her. But if he never described her then…what did he say? How could it be so significant to garner such a reaction from the Tiefling, or for Astarion to be so offended that Gale had never complimented her?

And if his words were to be believed, whatever it was that Gale had told them wasn’t embarrassing in the slightest…it left little else to be the probable point of topic when taking all accounts into hand.

“It’s a shame you missed that one, soldier.” Madi heard the tiefling mutter into Gale’s ear, evidently not realizing how loud she was speaking, Gale’s complexion turning pale as he watched Mira’s confusion become visible in her expression at what she heard.

Was he really telling people she didn’t care about him? That he lost his chance? The chance she threw at him countless times? That he always refused? Was he really garnering their pity over breaking her heart?

The meal she ate could have turned to ash in her mouth by that way her expression twisted into disgust and hatred towards Gale, Madi found herself quickly standing up wishing to excuse herself with any reason she could think of, so she said the first that came to mind.

“I don’t wish to detract from the matter of which Elminster sought you out. Besides, I have found to have lost my appetite.” Madi did not wait for another word, did not look back to peak from her peripheral as she walked away from the campsite and towards a space where she could sit in peace.

~X~

It was some time before she heard Elminster’s voice in her mind ‘It is done, I have arranged for us to leave in the morning, should you wish to return in company.’ Madi was always appreciative of the sending spell for its limited length, it always forced Elminster to be more concise than he normally spoke.

She was on her way back to the camp, able to hear some chatter, when she received another message. ‘Be warned, he will come searching for you if you do not return, you can’t avoid this encounter, my dear, and for your sake: don’t.’

“Hello…” Gale’s hesitantly chirpy greeting came behind her and immediately she knew that Elminster delayed his sending message to ensure she was here for when Gale arrived—can’t avoid this encounter…Madi internally grumbled at the words Elminster told her.

“Hi.” Madi returned, immediately sitting down where she stood, finding herself looking towards some of the lands covered by the Shadow Curse.

“Eerie, isn’t it?” He asked her as he slowly sat beside her on the grass. Madi looked at the lands ahead of her, dreading what she planned and not wanting to discuss it in the slightest—not yet at least.

“Did he tell you?” Madi asked, pivoting the conversation to Elminster and the message he brought.

“Yes.” The gravity of Gale’s tone returned, his head dipping with the heaviness of the conversation. Madi didn’t hesitate to respond.

“You can’t blow yourself up, Gale!” She told him, already knowing he would have a hard time convincing himself he had any other option.

“I…we don’t know what’s to come.” He softly advised her, delicately avoiding the two ‘hot’ topics attached to this issue of his—this ‘Absolute’ they had to kill and Mystra—while also not promising he wouldn’t take the sacrificial act.

Silence hung in the air around them, the tension growing with every held breath.

“I still wonder how Mystra got Elminster to walk the entire way though.” Gale chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood between the two, while unintentionally strolling right into the conversation Madi was trying desperately to avoid.

“It was a punishment for my actions.” Madi immediately admitted, her mouth salivating, threatening to purge the meal they had just finished consuming, immediately sick at the memories of Elminster’s shame at her betrayal, the guilt that she had not thought of how her actions would affect the man she considered her father, the fear of how Gale may hate her for it all.

Yet he just laughed, confused by her response, his light-hearted mannerisms remaining in his animated reaction, evidently not believing a single thing she said.

“Nonsense!” He claimed, giving her a light and playful push to her arm. “You made me look like a rebellious kid—”

“You were reckless at times.” Madi quickly interjected, the dread of the moment momentarily lifting from her chest, replaced by the flutter of a blooming connection—one her heart had been desperately longing to have for far too long.

“My point exactly.” Gale softly advised, the shift in his tone drawing Madi to look away from the campfire and towards him. But it was a mistake. A mistake to see how softly he watched her, how deep his eyebrows creased with anticipation and unspoken desires, how trepid he swallowed as his lips twitched with what he wished to continue to say.

It was a mistake because she couldn’t have it, she couldn’t have that confession of being missed, the apology for being pushed away, for being wronged by him for, in all of its great irony, she saw her actions mirrored in the man she loved. Where he betrayed his goddess to prove his love, she betrayed him to do the same.

‘If a sparrow and a dove sing the same song of longing and devotion, will the other hear it and return its call?’ Elminster had mused at her once, during a night of her spiralling into why she had turned away from Mystra, why she had betrayed her by turning away from her teachings and rules. It sounded like one of his trivial comments that was meant for nothing but whimsy and wisdom, but now those words rang through her mind as they connected to what she saw and what she reflected upon.

Sadly, there was no turning back now…no hiding from the truth.

“I…no longer use Mystra’s Weave for my magic, Gale.”

“You...what?” He didn’t even need to say more, Madi expected his quick mind to immediately connect that she called upon the Shadow Weave. All Madi could do was dip her head to rest upon her quickly drawn knees, ashamed under Gale’s judgement of her actions and depressed to know that he would be too bullheaded to be able to think of the reasons why she did it without her having to argue it with him. “Why!?”

And so it began…

Madi took a deep breath, steeling her nerves for the tongue-lashing she was anticipating from Gale while praying to whatever god of mercy there was to bestow upon him the grace to be patient and listen to her reason—but it was more likely for Mystra to intervene at this moment than for Gale to be given the ability of patience.

“How…I—” Madi found herself faltering, hesitating as she seemed to be making every wrong decision in this encounter. She knew she only had the option to be brutally honest, but it wasn’t what she wanted.

“Well?!” Gale impatiently tried to push the conversation forward, drawing an angry huff from Madi, sparking within her what she needed to lash out with the honesty she required at this moment.

“How was I to respect anything, goddess or mortal, that hurt you the way she did?” Madi asked, her breath shaken as she saw the anger twist behind Gale’s face, revolted by the idea Madi would turn against the Goddess of Magic for him and his pain. “She took everything from me, Gale!” Madi yelled, panicked as she watched the man she loved start to hate her, start to choose his past lover over her again.

“What could she have taken to cause you to do something so stupid!” Gale matched her energy, the both of them shooting to their feet, arms to their side, hands balled into fists until Madi gasped and fell back onto flat feet.

“You…you really don’t see it, do you?”

“See what? That you gathered the spite of a goddess for no reason? That you—”

“No reason, Gale?!” Madi yelled, a silence immediately falling to the rest of the camp as all chatter that had tried to remain while Madi and Gale argued died at the woman’s fury. “She is the mother of all magic, right?” Madi waited, huffing in fury as Gale’s eyes widened in confusion and, quite frankly, terror. “Right?!” Madi yelled, demanding Gale to respond. He jumped, shocked at the person he watched Madi twist into in front of him, before sharply nodding.

“Yes it is—”

“So then who else is to blame that I burnt my home to the ground before I was two? Who is to blame that my parents died at my hand? Who is the blame that the man I wanted to be my father could not?” Madi shot out an arm to point towards Elminster, the wizard dropping his head, his face hidden behind the brim of his hat to avoid the fact that it was Mystra who forbade him to adopt her as it would alter his ‘dedication to Mystra and keeping the realm in balance’.

“Surely she wouldn’t…” Gale tried to counter but his words failed him when his eyes reconnected to Madi’s to, no doubt, see the unbearable pain they held.

“She took everything and everyone I loved Gale, and when she took you I...” Madi’s words failed her as she watched Gale didn’t even flinch at her confession, “I was foolish, evidently, but I can’t take back my actions.”

“Madi…I—”

“No, Gale, just let me finish. It’ll be quick.” She promised, pausing for a moment only to confirm he would give her what she asked, a small nod was the only confirmation she got. Madi’s lip immediately quivered. “I understand a mortal could never compare but I just wanted to love you…I stupidly still do, and I have to accept it’s not what you want or how you see me just…don’t blow yourself up, Gale. Please. You are worth more than to be seen as a tool or to be loved solely for your magic.”

Madi turned around, Gale’s voice only beginning to travel to her ear before she shrouded the entire camp in shadow that drowned out all sounds and sights.

Her promise was done, she ventured with Elminster, she found Gale and now all that was left was to wait for them to reach the Nightsong.

Hopefully, by then, she’ll have thought of a way to convince Gale to go along with her plan and that Elminster wasn’t present to stop her either.

The darkness that shrouded the camp turned pale green before being sucked up into Madi like a vortex. As quick as the darkness came, it vanished from the camp, along with Madi, Gale’s voice being the only sound carried on the wind.

“I love you—”

@fangbangerghoul; - as promised ♥; @bearlytolerant - I thought you may wish to read as well ♥♥

#gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #gale x oc #gale bg3 #gale romance #baldurs gate 3 #gale fanfic #gale dekarios fanfic #astarion ancunin #karlach cliffgate #booburry writes

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bardic-tales · 1 year

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SWTOR Rambles. Cynthia Prescost, Elias Grey, and Darth Jadus.

Please remember this is canon divergent.

Once Imperial Intelligence and the Dark Council extracted Cynthia from Apprentice Adaki Arturis' household, Imperial Intelligence and Farina -- Adaki's ex-wife -- would wipe Cynthia's mind, removing all traces of Adaki and overlaying it was a relationship with an Imperial Agent named Elias Grey. Elias is loyal to the Dark Council.

Adaki would search the entire galaxy for Cynthia and would even create the alias Darth Jadus to take over Imperial Intelligence. He never stopped looking for her.

Once he found her, Elias went into hiding from the Sith as Elias knew that his punishment would be severe. Two months before Darth Jadus gave Cynthia a strange proposal, she thought her husband had died.

As Darth Jadus, he gave her a dark side blessing, but it was under false pretenses. He probed her mind to see how elaborate the brainwashing was. This is where he found out if he simply told her the truth that it would tear her mind apart.

#nl talks #oc: cynthia prescost #darth jadus #oc: elias grey #wip: death of an apprentice #swtor #fd: star wars #swtor character

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the-owl-tree · 1 year

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Honey's Horrible No Good Time in Warriors - A Masterlist

-(Previously named wc isekai au, now just HHT/Honey's Horrible Time for short)

Last Updated: 2023-09-07

Honey's Horrible Time is a warrior cats inspired story inspired by the isekai genre: stories in which someone dies and is reincarnated into another world. This post is to help wrangle all my posts as tumblr tags are rather inconsistent in trying to manage everything.

The story revolves around the death of a human after being hit by a car and is reincarnated into a fake Warriors arc. She is sent into the body of Honeypaw, the half-sister and bully of the arc's protagonist, Frostblaze. With the spirit of Honeypaw and a strange "Guide" from StarClan accompanying her, the former human-turned-cat, who names her Honey, must figure out how to navigate this new world...and survive her impending death.

Some key information:

Not all information will be explicitly told. Some of it will be told through puzzles or can be extrapolated through other information.

This is a work in progress! Plot points are subject to change and the story is still being developed.

There won't be any official comic or story written. I'll do mini comics and maybe some short stories but there are no plans to make it an official thang as of now.

All posts will be tagged under #honey's horrible time now

Currently WIPs & Ideas

Overview of this world's StarClan

What are Guides?

Possession and all that fun stuff

anyone in the allegiance list without an asterik

The Cast

The WolfClan Allegiances (Text post with links to refs of bg characters)

Honey, Honeypaw, and Guide's Refs + Short Comic (Art)

Frostblaze + Splashpaw (Art)

Owlstar, Beesnap, and Eaglepaw (Art)

The guy who keeps inexplicably coming back to life (Ask + Art)

Fun facts about some of the cats in the allegiances (Ask)

The existential horror of being a child in the body of a battle cat (Text post + Art)

Inspiration for Maggotstar + Design Notes

Story Related

A short overview of the characters & plot (Ask)

Inspirations & longer overview of the plot (Ask)

How does Honey know what's going to happen? (Ask)

What is Honeypaw's relationship with her parents like? How do they react to her strange behavior? (Ask)

Honey's body can shift (Ask)

Honey's warrior ceremony & Honeypaw's reaction (Ask)

Does Honeypaw find out she's supposed to die? (Ask)

The Buzz about Beesnap Does Beesnap ever find out her daughter isn't her daughter? (Ask)

Why does Owlstar give Frostblaze preferential treatment? + Owlstar's relationship with Beesnap and Duskflower (Ask) [OUTDATED INFORMATION! Frostblaze being his daughter is no longer a secret]

Honeypaw and Frostblaze being half-sisters is no longer a secret (Text post)

Why does Frostblaze have a warrior name and the other apprentices don't? (Ask)

Tidbit of information about this world's StarClan (Ask)

More buzz on Beesnap's thoughts on her daughter's body getting yoinked (Ask)

How many people have been isekai'd? (Ask)

What made Honey and Honeypaw decide to work together? (Ask)

Miscellaneous Art & Posts

Honey struggles with cat body language (comic)

Honey's warrior name (Ask)

wait what was that about honey's anatomy (Ask)

Background lesbian cats :) (Ask)

Will this be an official story? (Ask)

Honey Haymaker (Ask)

A glimpse into Frost and Frostblaze's relationship (Art)

Harefoot saw WHAT (Ask)

Lynxstrike and Beesnap's very not mentioned flirting (Text post)

Sillaaayy art of Lynxstrike & Frost with her Guide (Art)

What would it be like if Frost and Honey swapped hosts? (Ask)

Who would down 12 mints and then try to chug ice water? (Ask)

What if the books were set in the canon book lines (Text post)

Beesnap and Honeypaw's Post-Death Relationship (Text Post)

#long post #honey's horrible time #<- will now get to work replacing the posts with that tag #and here is every relevant ask towards the story now put in a block of text

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dramioneasks · 1 month

Note

Do you know any fics where Hermione or Draco interact with the muggle prime minister? Thanks!

Dark Figure by SpuffyCarrie - M, 22 chapters - Draco Malfoy has been used as a scapegoat by the Ministry. The muggle Prime Minister insisted he is sent, wandless, into muggle London to carry out community service to make up for the damage caused by the Death Eaters during the Wizarding War. Thinking he will be there for some time, Draco eventually settles in and begins to cover his body in tattoos to hide his dark mark. He becomes addicted to the rush, meets a good friend and learns a lot about growing up from muggles. Hermione is an apprentice to Kingsley, the Minister for Magic - also living in muggle London. A year after the end of the war a memo arrives on her desk regarding a letter the Ministry has received from Narcissa Malfoy, who is under house arrest. She hasn’t seen her son in over a year and is worried for his safety. Hermione realises, even though Harry helped acquit Draco at the Wizangamot after the war, Draco hasn’t been seen since and nobody seems to care. Subsequent to realising Draco is missing, Hermione is now being followed by a sinister hooded figure. Who could it be? A ten chapter story written in Draco and Hermione POV, beta’d by the fabulous @badwolfjedi I’ll post every Thursday on Ao3 (with update posts on Tumblr)

Charmed to You By: CJRed - M, 36 chapters, Words: 102,463 - Hermione comes up with a charm that allows ‘bonded soul’ matches, something that has been unheard of for generations. What will Hermione do when her own magic matches her with Draco Malfoy? Unique pairings. This Hermione is a scarred war hero in a political job. She is not going to act like a brash teen and starts out in shock and reserved. Not for all readers.

The Algorithm by SamadiW - E, WIP - The first week, she had gotten horribly drunk every night, crawled in between the cotton sheets and slept. Week two and three followed the same way, except the drinking binges stopped after Harry and Ginny staged an intervention. Harry shot out in concern, “You have more vodka in your veins than blood.” Hermione tried to take the bottle from his hand and hissed, “Malfoy! Harry, I got fucking Malfoy.” Harry nodded in understanding and took a long swig from the bottle firmly in his grasp, “I know it’s disturbing. “ Ginny rolled her eyes and asked the group, “No one’s seen him in years. Where do you reckon he is?” Ron placed the bags of Chinese takeout on the counter and glared, “Yeah, saves me from having to murder the bastard.” He added knowingly, “I heard he’s living as a Muggle in Russia.” Harry let out a short laugh, “Probably the most farfetched theory is that he’s Polyjuiced himself to look like the Muggle Prime Minister.” Hermione groaned, “For Merlin’s sake, Skeeter hasn’t lost her idiotic touch then.” None of the theories mattered. She would not be forced into any sort of union with Malfoy. The very notion was vile and disturbing, to say the least.

-Lisa

#anonymous #ministry and politics #muggle life

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sethnakht · 2 years

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fic recs feat. darth vader

Back in the day, I posted a list of fics (centered on the character of Darth Vader, in relation to Leia in particular) that left a strong impression on me as a reader. As part of a 2023 resolution to ease back into active reading, I wanted to shout out some newer stories that have equally grabbed my imagination. Like the original list, these stories are focused on Vader, especially if not exclusively in dialogue with Leia.

For context, I look for stories that grapple with the suit, with its effects, so you can expect medical and psychological horror as a theme. I also really like the kinds of horror stories you can tell with a character like Vader: I'm drawn to stories abounding with ghosts and gore. tl;dr - you can expect graphic depictions of violence and body horror, and please heed the tags on the fics themselves.

✦ appenza, multi-chapter wip by zinoviev, darth vader & leia organa, leia organa & luke skywalker

As a girl, Leia always dreamed of the stars. She had two passions: to become a pilot and to make the galaxy a better place. On her sixteenth birthday, she ran away from home to do what she thought was right. Two years later, she is a stellar recruit at an Imperial flight academy when an unwanted foe takes interest in her: Darth Vader.

Leia's characterization takes a stark departure here from the norm - she's alienated from her family and role on Alderaan, and has run away to become a pilot - offering a fresh and bold perspective on the AU scenario where Vader discovers her before Luke.

✦ divine comedy, multi-chapter wip by frodogenic, darth sidious & ghost!padmé amidala

Palpatine knows exactly how Padme Amidala died-trying to save her fool of a husband. What he can't understand is why she won't stop trying... Canon-compliant multi-chapter fic, spanning ROTS to ROTJ.

Padmé lives on a ghost, but only Palpatine can see her. Banger of a set up, and I love how this story is told from his perspective, slippery and odious; the cunning displayed by both as they make competing bets on Anakin’s fate.

✦ greater intrepidity than I could behold myself, orphaned oneshot, leia organa & darth vader

A towering, sinister shape in all black trudges into view. The sight of it is a confusing clash of associations as she and the creature try to identify it, an amalgamation of man-machine-beast. Its loud respiration cycles send chills down her spine. It is the center of the abnormality, she realizes.

In a dream that is also an allegory, Leia enters the mind of a red-eyed animal drawn by gnawing hunger into Vader’s presence. Sharp, visceral writing.

✦ heartstrings, completed multi-chapter genfic by severnlight, darth vader & leia organa

Forced to deliver a mysterious message, Princess Leia suddenly finds herself on a quest to chase ephemera alongside Darth Vader. Things wouldn't be so bad if he only acted like himself.

Fantastical, atmospheric variation on the AU scenario where Leia’s parentage is revealed to Vader before their relationship is irretrievably soured on the Death Star.

✦ in the deep and perfect dark, completed multi-chapter slashfic by qqueenofhades, darth vader/obi-wan kenobi

Obi-Wan considers cursing at it, or shouting at it, neither of which would do the least amount of good. Droids are nothing more than the reflection of their makers’ wishes and intentions; if this one has been designed to sit back and watch him suffer, that is not its fault but those who ordered it to do so. No machine can replicate the simple, spontaneous hatred and cruelty of an organic being ...

AU from the Kenobi show. I came to this by chance and am glad I took the plunge; there are scenes that continue to present themselves to me vividly weeks later, thanks to evocative writing.

✦ madhouse promenade, multi-chapter wip by husborth, darth vader/ghost!padmé amidala

In a bid to save his new apprentice's life, Darth Sidious siphoned the life force from Padmé Amidala, ultimately killing her. Ten years later, after finding out the truth, Darth Vader finds himself haunted by her ghost, and Padmé finds herself face-to-face with what her husband has become.

It's a thankless task to try and explain why this hits so hard, in multiple registers; the premise is gruesome, hilarious, the scene gothic-romantic and post-apocalyptic, the characters melancholy, bitter, unleashed, and cruel, somehow also at their best.

✦ more to me, and more in my mediations, multi-chapter wip by whetstonefires (Kieron_ODuibhir on AO3), darth vader & leia organa, darth vader & luke skywalker

The threads of life he’d felt slipping away were clutched fiercely now, as though for the first time since the Emperor’s death—for the first time in Luke’s lifetime possibly—his father had a reason to survive.

It's never explicitly established in ROTJ whether Vader picked up that Luke's sister was Leia or merely called the word, the feeling from his mind; this story launches from the premise that he was going to die in ignorance, and that learning Leia is his daughter gives him a reason to hold on, to actively atone. There's tremendous humor and sadness and discomfort here; Vader is at once pitiable and impossible to pity, and Leia's perspective gives room for many shades of ambivalence to fester and bloom.

✦ mythology, multi-story series by husborth, darth vader & leia organa, darth vader & luke skywalker, darth vader & obi-wan kenobi

In a universe where Darth Vader uncovered his lost twins and raised them in the heart of the Empire, Luke more-or-less accidentally instigates the most painful family reunion the galaxy has ever seen.

I'm desperate for this series to continue, for more of this particular Vader, this Leia, this Luke, and this Obi-Wan - all flawed, all hurting, all slowly beginning to heal.

✦ nameless, on the edge of nowhere, multi-chapter wip by ambivalent-cosmos (Taxonamie on AO3), darth vader & leia organa

Commander Luke Skywalker is MIA. Darth Vader is MIA. Rebel command has hopes, and they have fears, and the wrong ones will come true. Alone in a big bad galaxy, what will Anakin Skywalker do to find his son? Whatever he has to, including walk the razor's edge of tentative alliance with the Rebels who would be happy to spit on his corpse. Free from all Masters, can Anakin learn who he wants to be, at last?

Vader survives the second Death Star with no inkling that his daughter is Leia; separated from Luke during a hurried last-second escape, he ends up having to fend for himself, half-dead and without his suit, to the point of negotiating with the Alliance on his own. There's splendid tension here from the fact that Leia knows more than he does; even exposed as an invalid, on hunger strike, and at a knowledge disadvantage, Vader remains palpably dangerous, volatile, compelling.

✦ notes from the dark side of the moon, completed one-shot by amylion, darth vader & leia organa, darth vader & luke skywalker

When suddenly some of the rich and powerful of the galaxy begin to disappear and later turn up dead on a consistent basis, it worries both the Empire and the Alliance enough to open up an investigation. Only half-heartedly though, because there's also the matter of the war to distract them. That is, until Darth Vader disappears...

I love this set-up: Vader, deprived of his mask and further neutralized with Force binders, ends up shut up in a prison cell with Leia, and she can't begin to guess as to why.

✦ order carnivora, multi-chapter wip by husborth, darth vader & leia organa

In a universe where Leia is told the truth of her biological parentage as a child, she makes a deal to save the galaxy from certain destruction; she'll surrender herself to Vader if he'll destroy the Death Star. Between the galaxy and what he wants, there's only one choice Vader always makes.

Leia saves herself from torture on the Death Star by revealing her parentage to Vader - the trope feels fresh in this giddy, wild ride of a take. Vader is as insane, Leia as exasperated, foul-mouthed, and unpredictable as one might hope.

✦ red meat, short stories by husborth, darth vader & darth sidious

A collection of short stories about Darth Vader and the Emperor, and the absolute vile nonsense evil wizards do in their spare time.

It feels pointless to try and describe what is best experienced for oneself - the superlative character study, more wickedly imaginative and gloriously unhinged than anything the official canon-makers could even dream of producing. NB. - dead dove, do not eat

✦ the good he seeks, multi-chapter wip by husborth, darth vader & luke skywalker

After killing the Emperor, Darth Vader agreed to serve the fledgling New Republic and destroy the last true-believers of the Empire he had once helped create. But he's living on borrowed time.

Images from this story haunt my waking hours; husborth's command of language and gift for building scenes of ruin and devastation into which love and humor nevertheless shine - leave me speechless. One of my absolute favorites.

✦ this place loves what it eats, multi-chapter wip by roadtripexpert, darth vader & leia organa

What could be called but isn’t death, or Leia Organa doesn't kill the man formerly known as Anakin Skywalker.

Leia, not Palpatine, is the one who retrieves Vader from the banks of Mustafar, in this feverish, lyrical, astonishing time-travel AU.

✦ twin suns at the door of night, multi-chapter wip by achrmy, darth vader & leia organa, darth vader & luke skywalker

In the ruins of Polis Massa Medical Facility Vader finds the memory bank of a midwife droid, and within…multiple revelations. Luke Skywalker has a vision of Vader in an unimaginable state, engulfed in flames, hunted…and vulnerable. An alternate universe story, beginning from Darth Vader 2020 #5

AU of the ongoing comic series, set after Vader is brutally punished by the Emperor for failing to capture Luke at Bespin. Enjoyed this both as a commentary on the comic and as a standalone adventure story.

✦ wastelands, completed multi-chapter genfic by mistress_siana, ghost!darth vader & leia organa

When Leia’s ship crashes, she’s faced with a choice: die, or accept help from a Force ghost who used to be good at fixing things.

Vivid reimagining of the trope where Anakin's ghost helps Leia survive a crash. There's a toxic cloud, "pulsating green" on the horizon, that I've not been able to forget months after first reading this.

✦ white orchid, multi-chapter, multi-fic wip by husborth and whetstonefires (Kieron_ODuibhir on AO3), darth vader & leia organa

Emperor Palpatine dies unexpectedly a year before the Death Star would be deemed operational. His heir apparent, Darth Vader, startles the galaxy by passing up the throne, and then passing it on to the newly-elected Senator of Alderaan, Leia Organa, after the Force leads him to directly to her. The new Empress inherits a terrorized galaxy, a broken Empire to tear down from the inside, and the weirdest second-in-command anyone can imagine.

See also this glorious illustration by symeona. The story that got me to start reading here again, replete with ironies and delights like a murderous garden and a palace designed to be impassable.

#fic recs #darth vader #anakin skywalker #leia organa #genfic recs #long post

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legobiwan · 1 year

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May I ask about your Star Wars fanfics? I wanted you to know I really enjoy them to read on my off time!

May we know your opinions/ headcannons on Dooku and Qui gon's relationship?

How was there dynamic during there early years?

Do you think deep down in when dooku is alone in Sereno, asleep he dreams of seeing his old padawan one last time?

This lyric comes to mind I added on to it.

"Alone and forgotten, i never thought he'd look at me again, but he smiled at me, and I held him.. just like I used to do. Like I used to when he was scarred as a child. Or maybe he was holding me?

Holding me to the light as he used to hold me and look at me, those eyes so full of hope and admiration"

You may absolutely ask me about my Star Wars fics! Thank you for reading my stories! (I swear one day I'm going to finish off those WIPs, aaaaaaaaaa).

Caveat that I'm not as active in the fandom these days (on a bit of Star Wars sabbatical), but I do feel (and I'm someone who melds Master & Apprentice, Jedi Lost, and Dark Rendezvous into canon as I see fit) that in contrast to Dooku's relationship with Rael (which was surprisingly casual, especially as Rael aged. This, if I may be allowed a small tangent, is probably a combination of Rael's aggressive form of charm and Dooku's inexperience and youth)

...but anyway, in comparison to Dooku and Rael, there's this...distance, on the surface, that Dooku keeps from Qui-gon. Their relationship, at least the trappings of it, is more formal, their roles more defined. (This being said, anytime Rael pops by and the three of them are together, those neatly constructed walls start to crumble). This doesn't mean Dooku doesn't care about Qui-gon. He cares, deeply. But as we see in Tales of the Jedi, Qui-gon's apprenticeship years mark the true beginnings of Dooku's disillusionment with the Jedi Order and his slow fall to the Dark Side. And I think part of this detachment from Qui-gon (even as he shows a ferocious protectiveness over him) is, in part, Dooku trying to shield Qui-gon from his more insidious desires and actions. (This backfires, on more than one occasion, when Dooku chokes the crap/lightening attacks/otherwise manhandles out of various enemies who were either threatening his Padawan or were obviously part of the bloating corruption that was metastasizing across the entire Republic).

And to get back to their relationship, we have Dooku being a little more standoff-ish. A little older, a bit more bitter, in general. And young Qui-gon is less outwardly brash than Dooku (at least when he was younger) and Qui-gon is definitely intimidated his new Master. (Although he respects him as a teacher and while Dooku is an exacting, demanding instructor he is also always fair. Whatever his personal troubles are, Dooku is never anything less than a damn fine teacher).

So yes, Dooku cares. Qui-gon's death had no small part in his eventual choice to join the Sith and I have no doubts whatsoever that he dreams both of Qui-gon and Rael regularly as he lies alone in that gigantic, empty bed on Serenno. (I think Dooku, as much as he was trying to manipulate Obi-wan in AotC by bringing up Qui-gon's name, was also being completely honest with Obi-wan in that moment. Actually, he was wholly honest with Obi-wan that entire scene and got shot down due to - at least as Dooku would have seen it - Jedi indoctrination).

And it's this caring that helps to bury Dooku in the end. Caring about his Padawans. Caring about the Republic. About Serenno. About the Jedi. For a man that is so stoic and proper, he is passionate and invested in the future of all the different organizations and governments and societies he's tasked with defending (to the point he'd rather burn them down than allow them to continue to fester). But more than any of that - the Jedi, the Republic, Serenno - Dooku is a teacher. A teacher who is instructing in an intense, one-on-one relationship that puts him in the position of half-mentor/half-parent. We see it when he and Rael embrace after meeting again years later; we see it when Dooku asks an adult Qui-gon for information about this Sith, to protect Qui-gon; we see it when Dooku is forced to turn on Ventress; we see it when he tries to recruit Obi-wan again and again (and, for the record, does not kill him in the bridge scene in RotS when he easily could have crushed Obi-wan with that platform).

This is all to say Dooku cares. And that, to some degree, was exactly the problem.

#hello there #ask legobiwan #count dooku #qui gon jinn #rael averross #obi wan kenobi #good gods i haven't written star wars meta in half a century #i actually am very interested in revisiting these stories as im a few years older and definitely ensconced in teaching #anyway yes i still go here despite all the evidence to contrary on my blog :D

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