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the-panmixxia · 10 months

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Pound of Prevention (and an ounce of cure) Chapter 1

Before we begin the fic, I would like to preface this by saying - this is my continuation of the 'A Black Cat For (un)Luck' and is also my big bang for this year! I was lucky enough to be paired up with @im-an-anxious-wreck to create some incredible art. I hope you check them out and stay tuned for the master post! (I no longer have a pc, so I'm doing all this on mobile,,, please be kind lmao)

"Oh em gee. What's a lil cutie like you doing in here?"

Virgil froze, fur standing on edge as spook quietly tilted spooks head. In the darkness of the apartment, spooks vampire roommate lurked rather ominously. The vampire that was supposed to be at work right now, shit. Had Virgil forgotten a day off, holiday of some kind? Why the fuck was Remy here!

"An itty bitty kitty~" They purred, and faster than Virgil could blink, spook was lifted by the scruff. "Where the heck did you come from? How'd you even get in? I bet Virgil let you in, knew that little shit was keeping a secret. Honestly thought spook just had a boyfriend or some shit like that. I prefer this though."

Virgil yowled in mild irritation, willing spooks body to move so spook could get out of this embarrassing hold. Remy simply smiled, showing off a row of pearly whites, along with an intimidating set of fangs. Virgil would've been intimated if it wasn't Remy.

"Spicy lil' cayenne coffee, huh? What do you want, babes?"

'let me down!' Virgil internally roared. It came out as a fierce sounding hiss, but Remy simply cooed in spooks face. Humiliating.

"Oohhh I'm keeping you. Don't care what Virgie says. You snooze, you lose. C'mon, there's some chicken in the fridge, it's time to totally manipulate your affection and make me your fave owner. Yeah. Bet cranky lil Virge never gives you chicken, huh? Criminal. Absolutely criminal."

Virgil was plonked down on the cabinets, gentle claws scratching spooks ears before wandering off towards the fridge. Spook meowed imploringly, but was ultimately ignored. Bummer. The kitten looked around, sniffing the outlet and cringing at how filthy it was. Spook should probably clean the kitchen properly in the morning, the landlord would probably blow up and evict them both if they reported another ant infestation.

Spook peered over the edge of the cabinet as Remy was preoccupied googling what cats could eat. The answer was no they can not eat fruit loaf Remy you idiot -

Hmm. The ledge was too tall for Virgil to safely launch spookself off. In human form, spook had a reputation as the perfect blend of cat and cryptid due to the uncanny ability to appear on random surfaces and within impossible crevices - though it seemed in actual cat form, Virgil was lacking.

This called for one thing. It was time to meow frantically until everyone caved to spooks needs.

Meows began, slipping out the kitten's body with ease, practically screaming with urgency. Lemme down! Lemme down, I want down!

It was effective, Remy whipping around and staring at Virgil as if the kitten had burst into song or something as equally baffling. After a second, Remy shook their head and stood up, shushing loudly.

"Shhh, no, shhh! You're gonna wake Virgil up! That little goth is deprived of sleep as it, we can't be waking spook up."

Aw. Well, that was almost cute.

"Plus, spooks such a stress head, I know if spook wakes up I'll just get chewed out for calling in sick today."

So that's why Remy was still here? Virgil hadn't forgotten their shifts. Little shit. Spook yowled in the utmost distaste, and Remy just narrowed his eyes, hands on hips.

"Don't give me that look, you crusty little feline. You gotta take a day off every once in a while, keep your boss on their toes."

Crusty? How could anyone be so cruel to a little kitten? Virgil hissed in offense, swiping tiny claws towards spooks roommate.

Remy seemed to interpret the dangerous display as an urge to be picked up, as Virgil was once again in spooks roommate's arms - thankfully the hold was no longer on Virgil's scruff and instead cradled in Remy's arms, the gentle kiss to spooks head was vastly different to Remy's usual casual affection.

"C'mon, hissy-boy, let's grab you something to eat. I'll just give ya, yup, there it is. Eat this, babes, hear cats go nuts over this stuff."

Four paws landed on a cheap laminate floor, as Remy placed both the cat and a take-away container of dry chicken down. Huh. At least it was human food? Yeah, it was certainly more appealing than the strange oat food that Virgil was fed the last time a person found spook in kitten form.

"Alright, babes! I think we just became besties, huh? Are you my best friend? I'm gonna tell Virgil I've ditched spook for you. I'm sure I'll be forgiven."

Well, at least that much was true. If Remy had brought home another cat Virgil would have been more than happy to house the little thing, but that wasn't the point! There was no way Virgil would tell Remy about this predicament either, they'd never let spook live it down. Virgil bumps spooks head against Remy's leg gently, to signal spook was finished eating.

"Aw. I guess I'll let you mooch around. Gotta get out of these day clothes," Remy tugged on their pajamas "and into something stylish. B-R-B, kitty cat."

This gave Virgil some time on spooks own, mooching around the apartment - spook never normally left spooks room during these nightly spells, but Virgil didn't realize how different everything would look from down here. Even the chipped coffee table looked like some sort of landmark.

The shower kicked in a few moments later, while Virgil was trying to scale the couch, and spook was quietly happy that spook wasn't sleeping - Remy didn't have a great gauge of how much noise they were making, and had woken Virgil up on multiple occasions.

The time alone have Virgil time to ponder spooks predicament for the millionth time. As inconvenient as this curse is, Janus really could've hit spook with something a lot more deadly - Virgil is thankful for that, at least, but really how long can the bitter mage keep this going? There is a time limit, surely. Virgil can't spend spooks entire life turning into a kitten every night like some mockery of Princess Fiona. Maybe, just maybe, Virgil should speak to Janus again. Not to forgive him. To stop this. Yeah, that was it.

It's Janus that should be asking for Virgil's forgiveness, anyway. It's totally immoral to curse your former best friend and roommate. Probably. In fact, the mage was so far up his own ass with all that philosophy crap, he'd probably go on a long monologue on how perfectly moral this whole situation is while also dressing down the idea of morality or… Something. Virgil kind of tuned out of those debates.

Yeah, no, contacting Janus would be spooks last choice. Virgil was not interested in trying to appeal to their ego again, especially not with Remus around, being a little shit and stoking the flame.

Virgil huffed and tried to find a position that was comfortable to curl up on. Being much smaller only seemed to magnify the lumps and bumps in the old piece of furniture, the stuffing underneath the fake leather was compressed into a texture resembling porridge, and still smelt like the sidewalk spook and Remy dragged it from. Vampires had advanced senses of smell, so could Remy smell this shit all the time? Are they used to it? It was so gross. No wonder Virgil burst out in pimples whenever spook crashed on the couch.

A curt knock rapped on the apartment door. Virgil froze on the couch and tilted spooks head. They weren't expecting anyone, unless Remy decided to pull a 'roommate mega dick move' and invite friends over, in the middle of the night, without telling Virgil.

The mystery person knocked again, but the shower kept running and there were no other indications that Remy heard the door. Virgil tediously jumped down, trying to utilize the powers of this strange body spook was inhabiting to listen in on clues of who this may be-

"Hey, Microsoft-nerd, we aren't knocking on doors! Waking up the neighbours is not the way to get help in feline forage!"

The voice was unfamiliar to Virgil, as was the answering voice, much closer to the door.

"I am aware of the standard procedure, Roman. However, on this occasion, I can sense a fellow vampire is inside and thus there is a high chance they'll answer the door. Though that does not seem to be the case right now…"

"Shoot, can't you use your magic vampire brain to communicate?"

"No, Roman, that only works with fellow coven members. And even then it takes an especially large bond to send comments or instructions. It's mostly feelings of visions of something - like sending the sense of danger out to alert the whole coven to a hostility."

"Ugh,whatever - just post the flyer. Patton is awaiting our return. He's cooking Madras! With venison."

"Roman we have several more apartments to visit -"

Virgil jumped back with a slight squeak, as a menacing object floated from the letter box to where spook was just standing. Once it had landed, Virgil could properly inspect it. It seemed to be a lost poster, with the words MISSING KITTEN in a bold, red font. A stock image of a black kitten graced the front, watermark pasted all over, with an arrow labeling it 'KITTEN LOOKS LIKE THIS' as well as a few paragraphs of text all around, explaining that this kitten had somehow got out of the apartment, that they were a rescue and not at an adoptable age, that they'll seek out warm small areas to keep warm and safe, and very kindly asking residents to keep an eye out. There was a whole $800 listed as reward money.

Virgil's first thought was pity, some poor person had lost a cat they'd tried to rescue, and was clearly trying their best to find the lil thing. Hell, Virgil should probably help look for it tomorrow, eight hundred could really help spook and Remy out this month.

Virgil's second thought, after briefly skimming contact information, was 'oh shit'. 'Please Contact Patton,' was at the bottom, with a telephone number, and beneath that was the apartment number. The apartment that Virgil had crawled out of when snatched by a werewolf.

Patton, that was the werewolf's name. Spook remembers the uncomfortable elevator ride where Patton introduced faemself, there's absolutely no mistaking it, Patton wasn't exactly a super common name. The two at the door were talking about a Patton as well, weren't they? One was a vampire, which didn't make sense, but was the other part of Patton's pack?

This was a lot of trouble to go through for one scrappy kitten, if Remy's theory was true.

Would Patton eat a kitten?

It's not like Virgil knows the were properly, but spook did spend a night with Patton, a night where Patton thought fae was interacting with a real kitten and therefore had no reason to be fake nice to spook. Shit, had Virgil just judged this were on event that even spook didn't think happened?

"Ooh, what'cha got, gurl? You gonna bring me my mail like a lil puppy?" A voice coos, Virgil snapping out of spooks character development to look up at an amused Remy who was perched on the arm of the stinky ass couch.

The vamp was dressed down in lounge wear, though it was glaringly obviously the 'Falling In Reverse' band shirt was Virgil's and not Remy's. Virgil stared distastefully at spooks roommate, grumpy sounds leaving the kittens tiny body. Remy glowered right back, pointing at the creature.

"Oh, you must be Virgil's pet. No one else can embody that much grumpy emo vibes. Spook has a billion tees, I'm just wearing it this once."

That was such a Remy response. Unable to roll spooks eyes at the vampire, Virgil opted to turn back around and paw the flyer once more. Over here, idiot, come read this.

Remy, for once, didn't use his vampire powers to teleport across the room, and instead took a rather leisurely stroll across the room, crouching down to read.

"Hmmm, missing cat… Is that you? Did Virgie steal someone's pet, huh?" They lifted the page closer, inspecting it with pursed lips. Remy's eyes were a very pleasing shade of red behind those shades, it was quite nice to see. Virgil moved closer, seating spookself on Remy's socked foot, and as planned, receiving a pleasant head scratch.

"Wait. Hold the fucking phone, I know that apartment, that's fucking Wolfie's apartment. Holy crap, what a psycho, he's actually putting out lost posters? Did you manage to escape his dinner plate or something?"

Remy scooped the kitten up, holding Virgil close with a protective grumble. Like a feral wolf was going to burst through the door and gobble spook up. Virgil made sure to warble out a disgruntled noise at the vampire.

"Hold your horses, puss-puss, it says here you went missing last Wednesday and that's when Virgil crawled through my window like a creep," Remy held the little body up to eye level, staring so intensely, and for a second was sure Remy was a gorgon with how still spook got. Did they figure it out? How?

"That must've been what spook was doing, rescuing you! Honestly, I didn't think Virge had enough courage to break into a were's house to steal something. Spook can't even say spooks order at the drive thru, so I'm thoroughly impressed."

Well that was both rude and awfully convenient, as much as Virgil trusted spooks roommate on matters of life and death… Honestly, Remy likely wouldn't let Virgil live it down if they found out that spook turned into a tiny kitten each night. Virgil would rather not deal with the embarrassment.

"Come on, you. I wanna watch Grey's Anatomy and I'm not letting you wander round the apartment. You'd probably piss on something."

That was rude. Virgil had excellent control of spooks bladder, thank you very much. Still, this was at least a way to watch the soap without pretending it was cringey, spook supposed. Remy draped across the god awful sofa, falling into a position Virgil had seen spooks roommate in many times, and settled the tiny body of Virgil on his chest. Since Remy didn't have body heat, it was rather like laying on a tiled floor - or having the pillow be permanently cold. Virgil decided spook liked it that way, and a gentle purr started up.

Remy's expression, still trained on the television as they searched for the show, turned down right gooey.

"You cute little thing. You're gonna love watching this, look, Meredith has just gone seeing her dad and Thatcher is there. Not British Thatcher, this one's a dude. Was in Prison Break as well, we can watch that one later."

Maybe this is why Latte ran away. Contrary to what Remy believes, most cats aren't down to sit still and watch endless sitcoms.

As the hours ticked on, Virgil tried many times to sneak away. It seemed Remy was adamant to stay on the couch all night and to keep spook right next to them. Rigorous squirming landed Virgil to be sat in a shoebox full of newspaper - something spook hadn't noticed Remy making before all this - then listening to the vampire repeat a 'potty' command repeatedly. Embarrassingly, Virgil had used it, but only once. Spooks dumbass roommate hadn't given Virgil a single drop of water.

Still pressed against Remy's cold chest, Virgil could barely make out the busted kitchen clock as it struggled its way towards half nine. Shit. Shit, Virgil was screwed.

Hissing and yowling had not worked all night, though Virgil was currently weighing the pros and cons to scratching Remy's eyes out. The vampire in question sighed at spooks dramatics, scooping the kitten up and plonking it back into the DIY litter tray. This time, Remy stood up, stretching long limbs and teasing their curls into an effortless, glamorous bedhead. Red eyes stared into green for a moment before Remy let out a loud yawn.

"You stay there, puss. I need a leak, then I'm gonna cook Virge some breakfast. Try and sweeten spook up before I ask for a feeding, heh."

Aw, that was almost sweet. In a way. Virgil was gonna enjoy that breakfast, if spook could just escape this darn box while Remy was out of the room. Huzzah! Freedom.

The box tilted over, freeing the black kitten, as spook made a mad dash for spooks bedroom, luckily it always had a jar open.

At that moment, the magic began to tingle, signaling to Virgil that time was up, but spook was nearly to the bedroom. Unfortunately, a loud 'hey!' distracted spook, turning to look at the vampire that seemed rather peeved about the cat escaping. A stagger on an uneven rug had Virgil tripping up, unfortunately the transformation completed itself at that moment, meaning Virgil's human body grew itself big enough to smack full force into the door, leaving the emo flat on the floor with a light groan.

The door was pushed with quite some force, hitting the doorstop and coming back to bap Virgil a second time. Brilliant.

Virgil sighed into the cheap olefin carpet, hearing hesitant feet shuffle around to get a better look. Spook bent spooks neck awkwardly, looking at Remy with squinting eyes. The vampire looked completely befuddled, before lips began to curve upwards into a big smile. A big, overly smug smile.

"Oh, babes. You've got some tea to spill!"

#logan sanders #sanders sides #sleep sanders #fanfic #tss fanfiction #chapter 1 #cat virgil #virgil sanders #ts virgil #big bang #writing

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blingblandfanfic · 9 months

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Lup and Barry clone Taako

i've been dabbling in taz fic lately, and i started this and realised i only wanted to write this scene, and thus didn't want to flesh it out further LMAO

one scene isn't enough to post on ao3, but it is enough to post on tumblr ;)

It starts with Lup’s hovering.

Her metaphorical hovering, that is, not her literal hovering. It’s been a month, maybe a bit more since they’ve defeated the Hunger, and on account of being a lich with no legs, she’d have to drift from place to place for all that time.

Taako doesn’t know why she and Barry haven’t made her a new body, but whatever.

To be honest, it takes a while for Taako to even notice her metaphorical hovering, let alone be bothered by it. There’s something about being separated for over a decade that’s made it so that neither of them can be apart for too long without getting panicky about it. But as Taako soaks up sister time, his Lup quota fills up a little bit faster every day until it’s almost back to pre disappearance levels.

He’d expected it to be the same for Lup, but she’s still clingy. Still hovering. Metaphorically. It’s obvious that there's something she wants to tell him, and he’s never known her to be shy about anything, so he’s waiting for her to spit it out herself.

One night, when she’s decided to ‘sleep’ in Taako’s bed instead of Barry's, she finally plucks up the courage to ask whatever she wants to ask him.

“Taako. How much do you love me?”

“What do you want?” his eyes are closed, but if they weren’t, they’d be squinting suspiciously.

“Seriously, babe, just answer the question.”

“You’re my heart, duh,” if this is what she’s been worried about the whole time, then Taako’s gonna be pissed.

“How would you like to make that literal?”

He finally pulls open an eye to see his sister, floating ominously above him, “and what the fuck do you mean by that?”

If Lup had a face, she would use it to give him a bashful smile.

“Well… we need like, a lot of DNA samples in order to create a clone, and it was easy for Barry because he always had access to his body but–”

“But your body is dust,” Taako closes his eyes.

“Hey, we’re already technically clones of each other! We just need to do it manually this time!”

“It’s still fucking freaky, though!” he sits up on his elbows, “I don’t wanna go about my day knowing there’s a version of me growing in a test tube!”

“Then don’t think of the clone as you, dummy, it’ll be my body, I just… won’t be in it, for a while.”

“Oh my god,” he slumps back onto the mattress, “when the fuck did this become our life?”

“I think we were pretty much locked in the moment we got the IPRE acceptance letters,” she floats down to lie on Taako’s body, her not-face propped up by her hands. “Seriously, though, if you really don’t wanna do this, then it’s fine. We’ll figure something else out.”

“Oh yeah, like what? Possess some poor schmuck and spend the rest of your days running from Kravitz? No way, this is the easier option.”

“I have a feeling you’re not fully 100 percent on board with this.”

“Yeah, of course I'm not! Who wants to be cloned? But I’m doing it anyway because you’re my sister, and I want to fucking hug you.”

“God, same,” Lup sighs, “and I want to bang my husband,” she ignores Taako’s retching, “it’s just that we have to be really careful about this, now that me and Barry are working for the Raven Queen and all, we have to make sure this is super duper ethical. Cloning is super light necromancy, and she’s barely willing to let us do it.”

“Fine,” Taako raises his hand, “you have my full unequivocal consent to clone my body and bang your husband with it. I just don’t want to see the fucking thing until you’re in it. Do you need that in writing or what?”

“Actually, yeah. Like I said, the Raven Queen is being super strict about it. Kravitz says we’re lucky she’s letting us do this at all. I guess being the saviors of the universe helped us out there.”

“She also has a big soft spot for Kravitz. She’s like his Mom.”

“Aww, really?”

“He can deny it all he wants, but I know the truth. He blushes like a motherfucker when I bring it up.”

“Ha!” She barks out a laugh and sits up, “I'm definitely gonna bring that up the next time I see him,” she floats off him and makes for the wall– doors are obsolete to a lich– but she pauses, turning back to face him. He can almost imagine her face in the empty darkness that is her hood, a reflection of his own, but far more open and gentle than he’s ever allowed himself to be. “Seriously–”

“Seriously,” he raises his hand, “I'm cool with it. Now can I go the fuck back to sleep?”

“Yeah,” she says, soft, with a hint of a smile, “you can.”

#Taz #the adventure zone #lup #Taako #exclusive content #snippet #taz balance

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late-to-the-magnus-archives · 8 months

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Cloud City - a fic for the Malevolent Big Bang, 2023

[Image ID: Dark silhouettes of skyscrapers stand tall and ominous against a shaded yellow sky. The words CLOUD CITY: A Malevolent fic by SSJTrinity” sit in the center.

End ID /]

Warning: Major character death. The sun never rises in Cloud City. Owned by distant gods, the world creaks along in techno-magical paralysis, making Contracts with spirits, and limping along in isolated enclaves while monsters run wild in the Wastes.

Five years ago, Arthur Lester, a private investigator, made a Contract with a Summon called Hastur. The deal? His soul in exchange for the identity of his daughter's murderer. Until the time Arthur's soul is ripe for harvesting, Hastur will give him power, and eventually must find Faroe's killer. If he doesn't, they both die, so failure is not an option.

Hastur, however, is not a normal Summon… and it turns out he's come here and chosen Arthur in order to stop a threat that will destroy the entire universe if it succeeds.

Unfortunately, humans aren't meant to channel power like Hastur's, and Arthur's body is beginning to break down. It's a race against time to solve Faroe's murder and stop the incoming threat before he simply drops dead.

Written for the Malevolent Big Bang 2023, run by @malevolentbigbang. Incredible art from @iconiccookie and @luneatic-art. I am absolutely blown away. <3 <3 <3

Wonderful beta-reading by Scrimshaw on Discord. Thank you!

AO3

Chapter Index

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Artwork for this fic (spoiler heavy)

Playlist:

#Spotify

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sunshine304 · 2 years

Photo

This might’ve been the very first fic I’ve typeset but it took me a bit longer to actually bind the books. “And I will call you home” by @spodumene is one of my favourite WangXian fics (link in notes) and now that the gift copy has reached spodumene I can finally post about it here! :D

I love how the design worked out. The silver parts on the title label I've retraced with acrylics which gives it a nice shine! I decided on the wave pattern and dark blue as complementary colours to fit the theme and mood of the story, which has a rather ominous setting with a haunted tower next to the ocean during winter.

The fic was written for a Big Bang and @/leafgreenizzy on twitter not only was quick to give me permission to include her wonderful art, but also went above and beyond and even re-drew one of the pieces!

More behind the cut!

I also really love the endpapers! I’d bought them for a future fanbinding project, assuming the colour would be lighter, like a mid-blue, from how it looked on the screen. But when the paper arrived, it was super dark blue, almost black depending on the light. Which... is in itself very cool, but did not fit the planned project! XD

But then I thought that it would actually fit this book very well!

I used coloured thread again as I had a dark blue thread that fit the linen and the bookmark ribbon perfectly. And yes, spodumene got the nice label where I made fewer mistakes while tracing. XD I had some problems with that outer frame which got a bit splotchy on the first try...

Here are two pictures of the unfinished books. I did not take many pictures of the process, I usually forget about it. XD

But overall it worked very well. There are again some nitpicks I’d like to improve on the next time (I often have air bubbles close to the spine on the endpapers because it seems I don’t catch that particular part well on the first press run I think; it might also be because I didn’t put enough glue on that part because of the cloth...) but all in all I’m very pleased with how it turned out!

And uhhh yes, I actually glue the label on when the whole book is done. Because I love living on the edge or something. XD

#fanbinding #bookbinding #wangxian #arts and crafts #my fanbinding #my posts

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serenlyss · 2 years

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Meet Me Where the Fallen Stars Live

Fandom: Genshin Impact Rating: Teen (temporary MCD, grief & mourning, mild injury) Relationships: Xiao/Aether, Aether&Lumine, Xiao&Zhongli&Ganyu Word Count: 63,217 (13 chapters, finished) Read it on AO3: Meet Me Where the Fallen Stars Live

Xiao had made peace with the end of his role as an adeptus. He’d been prepared to move on, to build a new life with Aether in the peaceful world they’d worked toward, but when the final battle leads to the deaths of both twins, he’s forced to confront what his life is without Aether and without the need for him to protect Liyue anymore. Two thousand years later, he’s still trying to figure things out when he meets Aether’s reincarnation—a Liyuen mortal with no memory of his past life.

Aether is just a college student, trying his best to work towards his graduation alongside his sister, when strange and ominous dreams start to haunt him. These foreboding feelings are only made worse when he meets a strange man at a history museum, visiting the same exhibit as him: one dedicated to the gods and adepti of years long past. The sense of familiarity he feels from the stranger leads him to seek out the meaning behind his dreams and the secrets hidden beneath them.

______________________________________________________________

I finished this 60k+ longfic earlier this year after working on it for over 6 months, so I wanted to share it now that I'm using tumblr again! Since posting it, it's become my most popular fic on AO3, and even though it's finished, it's kind of like my baby hahaha.

I originally wrote this fic for the Genshin Big Bang on twitter, and chose to do a reincarnation AU since I had never written one before, but has always kind of wanted to. It immediately spiraled out of control and into a much longer, much more involved project, but I enjoyed writing ever word of it. I hope you all enjoy it as well!

#genshin impact #xiaoaether #xiaother #xiaoae #aexiao #serendipitousfics #temporary character death #reincarnation au #grief #mourning #modern setting #its time to share my top hits ahspiahsodifs #ill probably just share a few of my more well loved fics over the next week or so!#and new stuff as it comes out

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tm-trx · 1 year

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currents.05

weekly round-up in media [29 jan-4 feb 2023]

~ sp*ilers for 609 Bedtime Story, A League of Nobleman, The New Employee, and Never Let Me Go ~

[listening]

Monsta X’s “The Dreaming” album - new discovery and I’ve had it on repeat

[reading]

Imago series by NR Walker - short and sweet adult contemporary mlm romance set in Australia; come for the romance, stay for the butterfly conservation and near-death experiences - reread

Pocketful of Soul by @jenroses - Mo Xuanyu-centric MDZS time travel fix-it and one of my 2022 favorites - reread

Dawn Will Break by ca_pierson and darkmoore - Stargate Atlantis AU - Written for the 2010 Big Bang, this is one of my favorites. A bare bones summary: After dying, John Sheppard dimension hops into multiple versions of himself to fix whatever is wrong there, at the behest of the Ancients. - reread

[watching]

609 Bedtime Story - Well that was a way to end it I guess. I did like how they resolved things with Mint, but I was hoping she’d figured out the connection between Mum and Dew. But that would mean talking about the parallel world again and they apparently decided that the entire conceit of the show didn’t matter anymore after ep 9. I’m so annoyed. (Edit: I just found out there is an alternate ending airing next week; most likely an ‘unhappy’ ending. What are you doing, show? I’m not even mad about it, just more confused.)

A League of Nobleman - The show I’m enjoying the most this week. I didn’t expect such gorgeous visuals in a historical mystery that isn’t a fantasy. There’ve been two mysteries so far and the second one involved a serial killer. I enjoyed the heck out of that arc. I have affectionately nicknamed Zhang Ping ‘Eyebrows’ in my head because those are some fantastic ones he’s sporting. Kudos to the makeup team.

The Lost Tomb (2015) - Binged most of season one last night and I’m hooked. This is amazing. Also, surprise Yang Yang! (I’d forgotten why it was on my watchlist, so he must be why.) The quality level is about late 90s/early 2000s but that was early fandom in my life, so nostalgia is hitting me hard. I’m having a great time with this one.

The New Employee - Seven episodes feels like a weird episode count for a series, but okay - I watched the last two episodes back to back and loved how they ended it. I do find it interesting however, that we never saw the ex/crush again after he was the trigger for the main relationship blip. It felt like they were going to take that further. I probably should have waited to binge this in one go, because I had completely forgotten that there was a manager who could cause trouble until he caused trouble. These short form dramas are generally pretty frustrating to watch because I can clearly see a longer (usually better) show around them. This one did feel complete, but I’m hoping they release a movie version.

[anticipating]

SHINee - Key’s album repackage is this month! Onew finished recording something! Minho is too tall! Taemin D-57!

[random notes from my tv journal]

609 Bedtime Story, ep 11 - “The kissing sounds don’t match the video?!” (This show botched the ending so bad, in multiple ways. This particular way made me laugh though.)

A League of Nobleman, ep 6 - “Surprise serial killer! Neat!”

My School President, ep 9 - “Gun and Tinn’s little scene on the beach while spying on Sound gave me major ‘future old married couple’ feelings.” (And now I want to read that future fic where Gun is home on break from touring and teasing his doctor husband into relaxing after a stressful shift.)

Never Let Me Go, ep 8 - “That was an extremely ominous music cue to tag the bathroom confrontation scene with.” (Up until that last moment it felt like any other scene in this show, but the music change elevated it and made it seem like Ben was going to come back and murder the kid. It threw me out of the scene it was such a jarring escalation. I may go back and watch it again, to see how it feels on rewatch.)

previous Currents posts

#the new employee #609 bedtime story #fic rec #never let me go #my school president #currently #tmtrx watches dramas #tmtrx og

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neoninky · 1 year

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TWST Fic 'Her Ivory Crown': Chapter 5

Ch. 5: One Slip Down the Rabbithole

Day 2 of the Festival was in full swing for the Magift match and Malleus was nowhere to be found. Again. The Night Raven dorm leaders that made up the team stood in a circle in the arena corridor, trying to all get on the same page before the game started but with all those personalities on one team...beating Royal Sword's team wasn't their only challenge.

"Well where is he??" Vil huffed at the smiling, ancient fae standing in Malleus' place.

"He wasn't in his room this morning, unfortunately," Lilia said with a calm smile, "he may have gotten cold feet...or just forgot that today was game day and not another day fufufu~"

Leona's tail whacked the ground as he crossed his arms, "Tch, like we need that bastard's help..."

"We kinda do though..." Idia, actually there in person, muttered, still trembling all over and feeling exposed. He wanted to be angry at Ortho for making him show up but he knew it was impossible.

Lilia remained unphased, "Don't worry, I'll happily take his place today. So let's do our best, ok?"

Riddle just sighed and grabbed his broom as his teammates all gave a half-baked chant in varying degrees of enthusiasm, or lack thereof. This was going to be a disaster. The boys' nerves peaked as they heard more and more voices and sounds of a gathering audience grow outside in the stands. The game wouldn't start for another twenty minutes at least but it wasn't every day that Night Raven College and Royal Sword Academy squared off on the field. If you wanted a good seat for such a show, you needed to be there early. They all entered their corner of the field to finish getting ready as the Royal Sword team did the same on the other side. Riddle could feel someone staring a hole into his back and judging from the smirk on Leona's face, he wasn't imagining it.

"Geez, the look on that one's face already..."

Riddle turned around and saw the icy stare directed at him, coming from Zehn across the field. Riddle's brow scrunched into a slight scowl as he returned the favor. Leona just chuckled bitterly as his tail flicked back and forth, "You do something to piss him off, little prince? Good. This will make it more interesting."

"Agreed..." Riddle's ominous tone didn't go unnoticed by his teammates as they also stared down the rivals across the way. It wasn't until Zehn looked towards the stands and did a wide-eyed doubletake that the tension ceased. "Heeey! Night Ravens! Good luck today!"

The seven NRC dorm leaders turned to the familiar voice in the stands and quickly mirrored Zehn's look of shock. There in the very front row stood Sacred Crown Hall's dorm prefects in their powder blue classroom uniforms that matched their Headmistress' staple color scheme. They each had a handmade brooch on their blazers that sported their brother school's colors but the small accessories were completely overshadowed by the multiple ribbons and added decorations each one had, clearly inspired by each of the Night Raven College dorms. Manari, who had shouted to them a moment ago, waved to them with a big smile with Scarabia colored ribbons intricately tied into her high ponytail and an elaborate headscarf in the same colors that looked a lot like Kalim's with the gold beads and everything. Elise wore the same seashell hairpin she got from the Octavinelle boys in her side-swept bangs and tied her hair back with a large silver and lavender hair bow that matched the ribbon choker she also wore. And between the two smiling girls was Rosabyrine's queen, her usual white roses in her long braided hair replaced with brilliant red ones and black and red ribbons weaved in to match. Reine waved to a stunned Riddle and mouthed the words 'good luck' before sitting down with the rest of her girls, who also adopted the red and black additions.

"W-wait...we have GIRLS rooting for us now?!" Idia's brain broke for a solid minute of introverted panic when he saw Hebe and her dorm sporting Ignihyde's black and blue colors unironically.

"Oh ho~ It would seem so. Such pretty little supporters, what a nice change!" Lilia just laughed mirthfully, admiring Petra's familiar green and black add ons in particular. He would definitely need to get a picture with her later on.

"Oi oi, things are definitely getting more interesting now..." Leona's eyes were back to the end field where Zehn went from looking cold and distant to outright pissed in mere seconds. The dorm leaders of NRC couldn't say that they were all in complete agreement about anything as long as they had known each other. But there was a first time for everything and today was that day. The boys said nothing but gave each other a look that told each of them the same thing: win or lose, they weren't about to just let these Royal Sword bastards come on their turf and make fools of them. Especially not in front of this particular crowd. Even the most composed of them felt their competitive streaks spike in their blood as the seconds to the game's start ticked down. When it was finally time, Vargas entered the field with the disc and met the eager teams in the middle.

"Alright boys, you all know the rules - magic is be used ONLY for taking the disc and shooting it into the other team's goal! No attacking the other team directly, no excessive roughhousing of any sort!! This is to be a good, clean game!!" He said all of these things to both teams and the crowd but wasn't subtle about giving his home team a confident smirk.

The crowd was already cheering on their favorites as the two teams met in the middle, poised and ready to snatch the disc as soon as Vargas let it fly. Leona was front and center, flanked by Lilia and Vil. Kalim, Azul, and Riddle positioned in the middle ready to defend. And Idia was as far back as he could possibly get while still being in the position to defend the goal since this required the least amount of running or flying. The look of terror on his face didn't give the rest of his team much confidence but there really wasn't a better spot for him. Leona didn't exactly care; he was too focused on snarling at Zehn and the two boys flanking him. The lion's growl deepened when the golden-eyed boy didn't even bother to look at him, "Don't ignore me, damn it..." Vargas' whistle sounded and the game began in a storm of flashes. Half of the crowd erupted into cheers as Leona bolted down the field, Vil and Lilia close behind, in possession of the disc. He was incredibly fast but the speed and precision of the Royal Sword boys were nothing to sneeze at either. The girls of Sacred Crown were in a mixed state of shock as the first point of the game was scored so quickly. The lion had the biggest smirk on his face the school had ever seen.

"Night Raven takes a swift lead!!"

The crowd was split in two: half cheers of victory and half cries of outrage. But their small victory was short-lived as RSA quickly recovered with a goal on their end. The tide fiercely turned back and forth for several minutes. The boys on both sides were moving so quickly that it almost gave the girls whiplash.

"I knew their rivalry was intense but this is ridiculous!" Manari yelled to her two friends over all the excitement before quickly getting distracted and joining in herself once Kalim managed to steal the disc for his team, "YEAH KALIIIM! WHOO!!" Jamil heard her from a few seats back and shook his head, trying to hide his small proud smile. These girls were nuts...

On the field, the boys on either side were fiercely zipping back and forth, focused only on what or who was in front of them. Riddle swerved to the side on his broom just in time to dodge a blast from the other team. He didn't see where it came from but catching a glimpse at Zehn's face as he ran by with the disc gave him an idea. He was RSA's captain for a reason: he was fast on his feet and his magical shots were even more so, but his main strength was how almost flawlessly his teammates maneuvered around him like a small army. Every once in a while one of the faster Night Raven's could break their formation just enough to allow their teammate to snatch the disc away from them but it never lasted long. It was quickly turning into a dead heat game of endurance.

A time-out was called just in the nick of time, giving the boys a moment to breathe. Zehn's team looked just as tired as NRC's but they huddled around each other like a pack of gladiators while the others were sprawled out and tiredly bickering amongst themselves. They managed to stay tied for several turns but now NRC was a point behind. It didn't help that Leona or Vil's tempers kept flaring either. Both wanted to win but neither was fully ready to bend to the other apparently. Lilia just sighed and took a moment to hover in midair while Kalim and Azul were breathing heavily on the ground. Riddle was just irritated and embarrassed by all this ruckus.

"You do realize that we still have an audience watching us? And yet here you are bickering like bratty children."

Leona just huffed at the crimson-haired boy and flicked some dust his way with his tail, "You're one to talk, you tiny fire ant. You blow up at the stupidest things..."

Riddle only proved his point by immediately gnashing his teeth and turning bright red, "HOW DARE YOU!"

Kalim jumped up and tried to pry them apart to no avail. Lilia hovered back down between the testy lot, smiling mischievously, "Your passion is admirable, boys, but save it for the next round. Besides, this is probably the best we've done against that princely school in ages don't you agree? Fufu~"

They all snapped out of their tantrums at the senior's words. He wasn't wrong. Normally the game would have been leagues out of their reach by now. Leona and Riddle grumbled and calmed down which Lilia took as a truce of some sort. Lilia's smile broadened but his eyes had a cunning look to them, "Now...surely you have noticed a pattern to the other team's movements?"

"Hmm. Whenever they gain possession of the disc, they pass it to their captain and then position themselves around him like a wall," Azul mused, "Their shots and defenses are almost perfect."

"Indeed. But their movements have become predictable. If we can throw them off, then we can catch them up."

Vil had already collected himself and was more than ready, game face perfectly in place, "There isn't much time left. Let's make it count. Let's get the disc and rotate it between us. That way they will have to break formation to get it back into their hands. Once that happens, we can break through. One last push is what we need to stay focused and don't make your passes sloppy!"

The boys turned their attention to the girls in the stands once again as they shouted out encouragement to them and they finally all seemed on the same page. Idia had no idea what was going on but didn't bother leaving his spot right by the goal to find out at this point. The game resumed with a whistle blow and the boys set their plan in motion. Riddle and Azul mounted their brooms once again while Kalim fell back, closer to the goals to support Idia. Leona switched places with Lilia, putting him in the middle. Once the disc was thrown back into play, Lilia charged forward at lightspeed and snatched it away from the other team before they could even blink. Just as they discussed, he passed it to Vil who passed it to Leona and the disc kept moving about throughout the team's formation, pulling Zehn's teammates one direction after the next. Zehn, however, didn't falter and kept charging forward, his eyes glued on the disc. He raised his magic pen to counter Lilia right as the Diasomnia vice took possession of the disc but faster than he could catch, Lilia sent the disc flying to Riddle who caught it and sent it flying straight into the opposing goal, evening out their scores. The poor goalie never stood a chance. The crowd was on their feet in seconds, cheering as loud as rolling thunder. Elise threw her arms around Reine as they both celebrated just as loudly.

"They're amazing!!" Elise was practically singing she was so ecstatic. The girls were so into what was actually happening, they completely forgot which team they were technically supposed to be supporting. However, their cheers quickly turned into screams in a matter of seconds. It happened so quickly that all Reine remembered was hearing someone yell before her hand went instinctively to her magic pen...

Riddle's adrenaline was pumping at a blinding speed after making the goal but he almost didn't hear Kalim yell, "RIDDLE, LOOK OUT!"

A blast of magic hit his broom like lightning with such force that he was sent flying through the air and plummeting to the ground. His breath hitched his throat as every muscle stiffened, awaiting impact. Instead, he felt something cushion his fall as a loud voice rang out from the crowd.

"BOW TO THE QUEEN!!"

A bright flash surrounded him as dark branches sprang up from the ground and formed a woven sphere around him and his broom, catching him and slowly lowering him to the ground in the process. Riddle shuffled carefully within the woven cage and peered through the wooden tendrils to see Reine standing up from her seat. Her magic pen extended out to where he was. She looked pale as she muttered something he couldn't hear, making the branches release him. Was this her magic? She fell back into her seat breathing heavily as the rest of the team ran up to Riddle.

"Riddle! Are you alright?!"

His head was spinning but otherwise, he seemed unharmed, "W-What happened?!"

The game had come to a chaotic standstill. Vargas seemed to be yelling at one of the boys on Royal Sword's team while Zehn and the others seemed to be arguing. Azul and Kalim helped Riddle back on his feet and pointed out the scorch mark on his broom.

"After you scored, one of the RSA players grabbed the disc and shot it too aggressively!" Kalim hastily explained, "He must not have been paying attention because it flew right into your broom!"

"He probably did it on purpose," Leona growled, his ears flattening on his head, "the bastard...they're over there right now, whining about it being an 'accident'. Tch."

"Are you hurt at all, Riddle??" Lilia looked him up and down curiously, "Doesn't look like there's a scratch on you. Whoever caught you certainly has sharp reflexes."

The redhead turned back to the stands to look for Reine. Her seat was empty.

The restroom was thankfully empty as Reine coughed roughly into the sink. She reacted so quickly with her unique magic that the after-effects hit her hard. Once Riddle was safely put on the ground, she quickly excused herself from the crowd and ran to the arena's bathroom, her head foggy the entire way there. She froze as she saw the dark liquid ooze in the sink beneath her. Reine quickly turned on the water with shakey hands and washed it down the drain. Everything is fine. You're just tired. A knock came from the other side of the door as the princess splashed the cool water on her face and washed her hands in a hurry.

"Reine? Is everything ok??" It was Manari's voice.

"Yes! Just a second!" She sighed in relief once the black substance had been cleared away and turned off the running water.

Manari looked at her friend with concern as she exited the bathroom, "Hey...are you alright? You ran off so quickly after everything happened."

"Yes, I'm ok. I'm sorry I scared you," Reine hummed softly, "I think the adrenaline just really threw me for a loop there. But more importantly, is Riddle ok?"

Manari's expression lightened, "Yeah! Thanks to you and your magic! I don't think I've ever seen you move that quickly before!"

Reine heaved a big sigh of relief making her friend chuckle, "Easy there. Everything's alright. Come on, let's hurry back - I gotta see what happens next!!"

The excited girl grabbed Reine's arm and lead her back to their seats, her little episode completely forgotten. Thank goodness.

The game had continued without any other hiccups but the end result was, unfortunately, the same as always: in spite of the boys' vigorous efforts, Royal Sword Academy ended up winning the day yet again. The girls would be bold-faced liars if they said that they weren't disappointed but they hid it behind a polite round of applause for their brother school's victory. The Night Ravens weren't so classy about it.

"UWAAAHHHHHHDaaamniiiit..." Kalim sobbed so loudly that there was no doubt everyone could still hear him over RSA's boisterous cheering. Azul gently patted him on the shoulder, sighing in disappointment much more refinedly. Vil wasn't so gentle.

"Kalim! Get a hold of yourself! Straighten up and clap for our rivals' victory. Honestly, do you think our fellow students want to see their team show such a pitiful face?"

Kalim shut his mouth and clapped as best he could along with his teammates even with fat tears still prickling in his eyes. Leona did the same though his ears had never been flatter. Riddle was too distracted to care. His eyes kept searching the audience until he spotted the girls, looking about as happy with the result as they were. Reine caught his gaze and gave him a shrug and a sad grin. He relaxed seeing her back to normal and returned the gesture. At the very least, she seemed alright.

A loud crack sounded as Leona's tail whacked against the bleachers in annoyance. The girls felt bad for him as he shuffled grumpily by without a word or a glance their way after the two teams cleared the field. The female dorm leaders managed to sneak their way onto the field to get a moment to chat with the boys. Leona wasn't interested apparently. Neither was Idia who swiftly disappeared as soon as they were done. But this didn't dampen the girls' spirits at all. Elise offered the lion a sweet smile, "It's alright, Leona, you were amazing out there today!" He said nothing but gave the girl a calculating look as if he were trying to decipher her true meaning.

Vil just rolled his eyes at his classmate's rude behavior, "Do not mind that brute, ladies, he's just angry that he missed out on his third afternoon nap today."

The grumpy lion whipped his head around to snap at the blonde but was interrupted by an eager surprise attack on his leg.

"Leona-Ojiiii! I found you!" called a small and very adorable voice. A tiny little lion cub child brightly smiled up at his uncle. A resounding chorus of enamored awww's came from the girls as their hearts melted at the sight all at once. Leona had never wanted to crawl into a hole so badly.

"Oh my goodness! He is SO CUUUUUTE!"

"Leona has a precious angel as his nephew? Awwwww~!"

Cheka turned his wide eyes towards all the girls and smiled happily at each of them, "Oooh Leona-Oji knows so many pretty girls!" Leona's ears plastered themselves onto his scalp as the girls all giggled at his nephew's adorable line.

"Ne, ne are one of you his girlfriend???"

Leona's eyes nearly popped out of his head and the rest of the boys were dying on the inside from trying not to fall down laughing, "O-OI! Cheka! Don't ask those kinds of questions!"

Manari was laughing so much she had tears in her eyes, "He is the most adorable thing I have ever seeeen. Hey Cheka! Wanna take a picture with us? You can be our little prince~<3"

The cub's eyes sparkled as he immediately lept in the middle of the group of older girls, happily letting them take selfies with him. Leona just let out an exasperated groan, waiting for his nephew's bodyguard to show up. The other boys silently admitted to themselves just how envious of the lion cub they suddenly felt and then just as quickly buried the feeling.

"You smell pretty!" Cheka giggled cutely as Reine held him in her arms as they took the last picture together. Reine's heart had never felt lighter. The mood suddenly left when she saw Cheka's face shift from happiness to a worried look over her shoulder. When she turned around, Zehn was approaching with a stoic expression on his face.

"Lady Reine. Might I have a word?"

Reine kept her voice light as she gently put Cheka back down and guided him back towards Leona, "Of course Zehn, I'll be just a moment."

Any levity leftover from the moments before quickly evaporated as Reine asked the girls to head back without her. The boys didn't need to be asked and promptly left the arena with the girls and Cheka. Riddle fought the urge to look back and make sure that Reine was actually ok being alone with the cold boy. Elise was feeling the same and offered to wait for her at the gate, much to Riddle's relief.

The air between her and Zehn felt a bit too heavy and alien for her tastes, but she held her composure as she sat back down on the bleachers and invited him to do the same. He did and stared at the red flowers in her hair.

"You seem to be having fun here..." his tone sounded kind but his face was unamused.

"I am enjoying my time here. It's a nice change of pace....but that's not what you want to talk about is it, Zehn?" She felt that same tremble in her hands as he scooted a bit closer to her.

"No Lady Reine, it isn't...I want to talk about our possible future together," the boy's touch was delicate as he took her smaller hand in his, "I am glad you are enjoying this reprieve now. Soon you'll be entering your final year at Sacred Crown and after that....well..."

Reine was painfully aware of what came next. Though she wouldn't ascend the throne right after she graduated, the process would be quick. She had been working, studying, and molding herself for this as long as she had understood what it all meant. Part of that was finding a suitable partner that would support and elevate her every step of the way. That was the part Zehn was referring to, specifically. It made her heart speed up. Reine never once felt reluctant to take on a suitor and, eventually, a husband. She was actually looking forward to it very much...so why was she so afraid? Reine took a breath, gripping tightly on every thread of determination she had within her.

"Zehn...I know what you want to ask me. I've known for a while now. And I need you to know this...I will be the next Queen. As Queen, I need a strong King by my side."

The boy's eyes lit up, "Naturally, my lady. No one would expect any less nor should they."

"Yes. But. I expect more than just that...strength is one thing but I also need a King who understands where I want to take the Rose Queendom in the future."

Zehn frowned. He was quite familiar with Reine's desires, at least in this regard. The entire court was. She would make a beautiful queen. She would be perfect for the future of the White Queen's legacy...but...

"Lady Reine, as my future queen, I feel the deepest love and respect for you. You will be a magnificent queen and in time, all of our people will understand the ways of the White Queen and leave the archaic ways of the Red Court behind. You will help them realize this, as will your daughters, and theirs. Just as your mother, our beloved White Queen has in her time."

Reine's heart sank a bit at his words. His very kind words that somehow held such a heaviness in them.

"I want to understand our people as they are, Zehn. As they shall be. I want to build a place where we both can be as we are, peacefully, not bound to one set of ideals or the other. That is what I need my future King to understand, what I need you to understand."

The boys clasped both of her hands in his a bit too tightly as he gazed into her dark eyes, "Your dreams are beautiful, Lady Reine...but they are just that. Dreams. Enjoy your fun now, while it lasts but realize now that this is all it is. Please know that I say this out of love and compassion for you, my princess...my queen. In the future, you will rule with the highest authority, you will be the face, the heart, the soul of our homeland. Our people will need you in the present with the future held tightly in your hands. A future that can actually come true without ruining yourself and the legacy queens laid down before you..."

Reine's heart pounded in her chest like a deer on the run as his eyes pierced into her with every word. She wanted to take her hands away from his lips as he pressed them gently to her knuckles. She wanted to run, to disappear. Reine said nothing. She couldn't speak or move at all. All she could do was cling to her resolve as it broke apart and slipped through her fingers at every syllable that left his lips. Her throat burned as all she could say was his name. His gaze softened at the sound of his name, "Lady Reine...please...please choose me. I will protect you and the Queendom we build together until the end of our days. That I can promise you."

"Zehn....I...I need time to think. This is a lot to decide right this second."

He felt a sharp sting at her words. He understood and respected her desire for time. He would give her all the time in the world if that's what she wished...however...if not him, then who? What possible debate could there be?? He felt a wave of coldness wash over him when she finally pulled her hands away and stood up to leave.

"I will consider it and give you my answer, Zehn. That I can promise."

He stood up and bowed to her, silently accepting her decision. Before he could offer to walk her back to her dorm, her eyes changed ever so slightly to a questioning look.

"There is one more thing I must ask, Zehn."

"Yes, Lady Reine. Anything."

"Did you tell your teammate to shoot the disc at Riddle during today's match? Or was it really an accident?"

His blood froze as the words left her mouth so effortlessly. Her gaze was calm, undoubtedly patient as if she had her finger on a trigger that she could wait for ages to pull if need be.

"It was an accident, I assure you, my princess. What would make you think otherwise?"

Reine merely hummed softly in her answer before turning and leaving him behind, "I can see myself back to my dorm. Congratulations again on winning the match, Zehn."

The chill under his skin quickly left along with her as Zehn felt his temper start to boil. All because of one crimson runt that somehow caught his beloved's attention so effortlessly. Still, he meant what he said before: the princess could have her fun for the time being.

Reine sat alone in her dorm room, staring into the mirror above the fireplace. Elise had been waiting for her as promised at the arena's gate and they had walked back together. The booths from Day 1 were still open and would be throughout the week, still, Reine encouraged her friend to go enjoy the rest of the day with the others at the Monstro Lounge, knowing it had become Elise's favorite spot. So here she was, alone with her thoughts as she gently plucked the red roses from her hair and placed each one on the fireplace mantel. Her head still throbbed a bit from earlier so much that even sitting on the bed made her feel a bit dizzy still. This was all too much...she needed to do something. Reine looked over at her phone and looked over the photos she had taken with Cheka and everyone after the game, bringing back some semblance of a smile to her face. She nearly dropped her phone as it started to ring. Her eyes widened as she saw the number and quickly answered it.

"Mother??"

"Hello, my darling."

Her mother's velveteen voice cascaded through the other side of the phone. It was such a rare occasion that her mother took the time to actually call her that for a moment, Reine thought she was dreaming again.

"I wanted to check in with you and see how you doing. Are you enjoying the festival with Mr. Cavalier? He speaks fondly of you always."

Reine jolted with surprise. Zehn spoke to her mother about her?? She shook it off and took the opportunity to speak her mind.

"About that, Mother...Zehn and I actually did have a talk today. He made a proper proposal of courtship..."

"Wonderful! I'm so happy for you, my dear girl. I shall send you the rings immediately so you can make it official."

Reine's stomach lurched at the mention of the matching rings. Every young queen-to-be was given a pair of magic rings for her and her chosen suitor, to bind them into an official courtship. It was like a pre-marriage of sorts. Signaling to everyone that they were bound to one another and intended to marry in the future. The bond could be broken by the princess's decision but it rarely happened.

"M-Mother, I don't think it's time for that....I...haven't....exactly given him my approval yet."

"Oh...? Well, the answer is clear is it not? Zehn Cavalier is the finest young man a future queen could ask for, my dear. You are more fortunate than you realize."

Reine felt that same sensation she always felt when she and her mother found themselves in these sorts of conversations. As always, she took a deep breath and got ready to jump.

"Mother. Zehn is a very....promising...suitor, I'm sure. But...I'm not sure at the same time. I don't think he is the one that I want to marry, Mother. I do want to marry but not him. I just want something, someone else to be in my life when I take your place-"

"Reine....how many times must we talk about this, my flower?" the Queen's prior sweetness completely left her tone and all that was left was the voice of someone who had had enough, "I've humored you and listened to your daydreams of recreating our homeland to be this perfect little wonderland that no longer exists in reality. We are Queens of the White Court, our ways are ways that have carried a glorious legacy for generations. You need to understand this and your King needs to as well. I wanted to give the freedom to at least choose your fiancee because I thought you could handle that properly, at the very least...perhaps I have given you too much freedom."

Reine's throat tightened, "M-Mother, please. Don't-"

"Reine, enough. You are my heir, my Queendom's future ruler, and you are acting like a child. Zehn will make a perfect King to rule by your side. He is the perfect candidate to carry you and your queendom to its proper place....take your time if you must, but I will have your rings sent to you. And then, we can put all this nonsense to rest once and for all, hmm?"

"...Yes Mother," Reine refused to let her mother know of the hot tears running down her face, "of course."

"That's my darling rosebud. I love you, my dear. Be sure to give your other friends my regards."

With that, the call was cut short and the room fell silent, save for Reine's occasional sniffle. She placed her phone on the nightstand as her heart pounded in her ears. She opened her mouth to exhale but her breath came out too short, too quickly, choked out by the ragged sobs that were expelled from her sore throat. She tried to stand but the world shifted too quickly and Reine soon fell into pitch black.

Elise couldn't believe that she left her phone behind after changing her clothes earlier. She had been in such a rush to join the others at Azul's booth that she completely forgot to put it back in her satchel. The marine princess sighed and greeted the ghosts as she walked through the dorm's front door and headed straight to her room. Sure enough, there was her phone just laying on the bed. How she missed it with its bright turquoise case, she'll never know. Just as she turned to leave a second time, a loud thud came from the ceiling above her, from Reine's room.

Elise felt a chill of panic rip through her as she sprinted up the stairs and burst into her friend's room without knocking. She shrieked when she found the white-blonde collapsed on the floor like a lifeless doll.

"REINE?!"

--------------------------------------------

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sleepless-in-southlands · 2 years

Text

Something Somewhere had to Die

Ao3

Chapter three of This Predacious Song, my multidimensional big bang fic! It’s a Mumbo-centric Hermitcraft/Last Life fic heavily featuring violence, blood, trauma, and horror-like themes. It is hurt/comfort with a happy ending. Please follow the embedded title link or the ao3 link for a complete summary and list of warnings for the story as a whole

Chapter three’s title from dvoyd The artwork done by my artist, Yeti, for the event pairs with this chapter! You can find it here

Mumbo wasn’t sure how long he stared at his hand until he moved again. Watching the blood slowly take over his hand, following the creases in his palm like water in a trough, was equal parts fascinating and horrific.

It wasn’t as though he had never seen it before, but that had only been in Last Life’s server, the only one he had ever been to that had a blood mod. Blood was messy and added complications to heart and respawn mechanics that servers usually didn’t want to mess with. In Last Life, it had been used in conjunction with an increased pain mod for largely aesthetic reasons- death games were meant to be painful and bloody, after all.

But Hermitcraft wasn’t meant to be. Hermitcraft didn’t have a blood mod.

The fact that Hermitcraft didn’t have much of a pain allowance either was back on Mumbo’s mind as well, and before he could think it through at all, he was pressing a finger directly against the cut on his hand.

More blood gushed from the wound as the pain in it seemed to flare up, Mumbo biting his lip to stop from making a sound and regretting that too when his lip began to hurt as well. Pain limits were a hard thing to gauge, but Mumbo had a sneaking suspicion that he had passed right by Hermitcraft’s.

Mumbo took a shaky breath. Somehow, both Last Life’s blood and pain mods had followed him into Hermitcraft. None of the other lifers had reported having any similar issues, as far as Mumbo knew, and he hadn’t seen anyone else bleeding, so it seemed he was the only one affected. It wasn’t unheard of for something like that to happen, a minor glitch in the code accidentally binding mods directly to a player rather than a server. And it wasn’t that hard to fix- any admin could remove mod-code, granted that they were able to find it. All he had to do was ask Xisuma to clear it out for him.

But even just thinking through his plan, Mumbo hesitated. Xisuma could only remove the code if it was actually there. Which, logically, it had to be. He couldn’t be bleeding without it, nor hurting this much.

He curled his injured hand into a fist, watching as the blood he had let gather in his palm rushed out, dripping onto the floor and tracing lines down his wrist. His thoughts drifted back to Last Life.

Mumbo had never seen blood before then. He knew what it was- red, liquid, found within players like redstone was found in rock- but there was a difference in understanding the concept of it and actually seeing it. In theory, blood was a hassle, something hard to clean up and annoyingly vital, that made a player’s actual heart more important than ten of health. But in reality-

Mumbo’s fingers pressed harder against his palm, tightening his fist, the pain momentarily a positive as he forced himself to focus on it rather than his thoughts- the blood staining his friends-turned-foes’ armor and skin, how bright the red looked against the flesh it escaped from, how dark it looked when stained on ground and walls as an ominous reminder of what had been shed, how it seemed to burn when Bdubs’s hit his cheek after Mumbo had razed him with an end crystal, killed in a puff of rusty smoke.

But the pain turned against him, and Mumbo gasped at the memories of lava burning through his skin, through his muscle, through his bone; the way his body had felt like torn paper when he was attacked with axe and sword; his own blood, his life, hot as the sun as he desperately tried to keep it in, still swinging his own blade as Grian cut through him like he was a zombie, like he was the monster, and Grian was merely protecting himself like every sane player.

Blood wasn’t something logical, or defined, or cold. It was more life to a player than code, the foundations of every breathing thing, was. Even now, he could hear it roaring in his ears as he opened his fist, making a further mess of his floor as it fled from him.

What if Xisuma looked in his code and couldn’t find a mod for the blood, for the pain? What if everything was the same, what if Mumbo was the same, bloody and tortured and foul but still just Mumbo Jumbo?

Last Life was a game. Nothing serious, nothing real. That’s why it hadn’t affected Mumbo. That’s why he was okay. That’s what he told everyone who asked. He was fine, because he knew it was all just a game.

He couldn’t let them know the truth. That, enthralled by the ringing echo of Last Life’s madness, gripped in the rush of blood, the power of being the boogeyman, the allure of being a red life, it hadn’t felt like a game at all. How, at times, everything wrong about the server only felt right. His heart, pounding with blood, had felt no remorse at Bdubs’s slaughter, no anguish in betraying the Southlands. He had been dying on his final life and he had still turned back to kill.

How would the other lifers- how would all of Hermitcraft react if they knew that it wasn’t an act? That what Mumbo had become wasn’t for the fun of the game? That even now that Last Life was over, it still lived within him, staining him?

People suddenly started talking somewhere outside of his house and Mumbo nearly tripped over himself in his rush, his need, to retreat back deeper in Treesa. He couldn’t let them see the blood, on himself or otherwise.

Not wanting to risk going back to the bus for the health potion he had left there- there were too many windows, it was too exposed- Mumbo pulled another from his chest, hastily pouring it onto his hand without even trying to clean up the blood over the wound first. Where the blood and the health potion met, froth and bubbles formed, red fighting red as his hand seemed to get cleaner. By the time the potion closed his cut, it had cleaned up most of the blood as well, the potion apparently having taken care of it all.

Using potions of health to clean his floors was probably a waste, but it was easier and faster than water, and Mumbo needed the blood gone before anyone else came for a visit like Scar had. For that same reason, he also ditched the suit jacket he had been wearing, shoving it in the corner of one of his less-used chests along with his one glove. The stain on its sleeve was a mix of blood and redstone, and he wasn’t sure the potion could get that out- it wasn’t like he didn’t have other suit jackets, anyways.

Only once Treesa was free of blood did Mumbo stop working, having again moved within the tree itself after cleaning out the bus. His starter base now smelled almost overwhelmingly of melon, but it was a small price to pay.

The longer he could keep the blood a secret from the rest of Hermitcraft, the longer he could stay. He wasn’t sure what they would do if they figured it out- not just the blood part, but what it meant, what he was- but he doubted it ended with him still being a hermit. And despite how he had acted in Last Life, these players were his friends. He didn’t know where he would go if he was kicked out. Didn’t know if he really had another place to go.

So he would keep it a secret. What they didn’t know couldn’t hurt him.

#hermitcraft #last life #mdbb fic #m.y funky words #mfw: this predacious song #chap3: this man has every mental illness;

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muffindaddystyles · 3 years

Text

YOU DO MR. CHEWY

A/N: Here's my little participation to @oh-honey-styles FIC SLAM 2. Just a floofy blurb of Harry and bubba, dadrry in particular, reblog as much as you can —- loads of love!!

Summary: Where bubs losts her first ever pet and Harry's there for the heartbreak.

Tip-tap, tip-tap, tip-tap the water runs inside the bathroom, teetering of crickets hidden somewhere in the flower beds hues with the buzz of air conditioner. It prickles goosebumps on their skin every other second and the cool sheet rustles from their commotion.

Harry has his calf sneaked out from under the sheets because his lovie’s warmth drowns him in the wee of night, he’s all snuggled up into her, nose tucked between her soft tits and their palms inclined.

There’s peace. Nope. Scratch that. There’s serenity his lovie likes to describe it that way –-- her profound vocabulary full of beautiful words.

But, married couples aren’t that lucky are they?

Ominous thuds prattles in the result of hasty feetsies hitting the hardcore floor in rush accompanied by panicked shrieks. Everything creaks stirring him in his sleepy state.

It’s like Harry’s senses heightened incredibly from past one year –- it’s god gifted, truly.

He feels like he got another pair of eyes behind his head too, four hands and many many feet.

A tantrum nearing? He’s on alert and saving themselves from the assault.

A painful fall? ‐--- well what his big hands are for?

Rice puree everywhere.....sighs he's very good at moping and cleansing.

This time though he chooses to ignore whatever his toddler is up to, snores lightly into his wife’s neck and hugs himself into his darling.

He just can’t --- he really really can’t.

Not after their sexy time. When he fucked her face first into mattress till she was crying and begging mess for him.

They’re just heaps of wool piled on top of eachother from their last night rough activities.

He groans tiredly counting under his breath, the moment his baby barges in and raids their sleepy states as he hears her scream a loud, “Pupssss!!!” from outside and far.

Bab picked it from her mommy. Since, Y/N calls Harry puppy all the time. His little bun all could babble was, “pups.” thinking his name's that.

Harry wasn’t dissapointed at all when she blinked up at him with big innocent dove eyes, thick lashes resting on her peachy cheeks, mouth guppy and she drived into fits of squeals when Harry picked her up in air -- blowing raspberries at her tummy.

“Yeah, bubba, pups...say it one mor’ time —--” Next thing Y/N found him melted into a puddle of floss.

Harry was over the moon!

No! He galloped from one star to another and never landed back on planet earth, he was that happy -– if you ask so.

He jerks up. Then flumps backs. Jerks up again as the door banged against the wall revealing his dishelved bab, her plum cheeks soaky with tears, eyes swollen, button blushed nose runny, lips trembly, her goldenish hickory curls bouncing atop of her head like springs dancing in different directions. The tabs of her nappy loose on her hips and her gait wobbly,

Indicating, she just woke up to find out the disaster.

he’s thankful to heavens above that he had enough muscles last night to cover his bum with clads.

Harry let a gag emit waking Y/N up and she knuckles the sleepiness away, gasping at the sight of her hamster pet in her grasp.

“Oh me sweet bunny, c'mere.” Harry mumbles for his bub. Sitting up. His tummy rolling, his shoulders slumpy and his curls akin to her daughter dropping infront of his puffy eyes.

Bub climbs up the huge bed pressing her smol feet into mattress for the right footing and with the help of her mother and Harry tries not to squeak when she put her ---- unconscious hamster on the sheet as if it’s the most fragile thing in the world.

Precious little thing.

Though, her world is small. It starts from her colourful cubby and ends at her, “pups.” “mama.” And her pet hamster “Mr. Chewy.”

Harry slides his palm under her bum – scoops her up and cradles her into his lap, rubbing his hand in soothing circles at her back to calm his frenzied baby down and to stop her from crying and turning herself into a blueberry.

“What happened little bun? Hmm? Don’t like when ye' cry, button.” He tries not to wince, lips twitching into grimace and expressions freaking out as the rotten leg of Mr. Chewy touches his chest.

Harry’s a menace. He very well knows what happened --- he just rubbed salt on his bub's very first wound.

She cries without a breather, raising her injured hamster in air like Simba from Lion King.

“He..-‐ chew—..” Hiccups, “Pups c-..he —-" Sniffles, “Mr chew-y..---y.” Harry’s heartbreaks when she sobs sadly and he pushes her sweaty curls back, kissing her temple humming to let her know he’s listening.

“...he a—- ate, h-his arm.” She’s full on sobbing now.

She’s learning body parts and maybe a tad progressing?

Harry wastes first few seconds pondering in confusion is it arms? Or legs? If not arm then why not leg? Leg why not arm .... fuck it. Let it be limbs of minikin hamster.

He glances back at his wife crying in a silent plead for his wife to guide him for a comeback, but she clutches the sheet over her eyes grossed out and hides away, “don’t look at me like that!” so Harry grumps -- turns his attention down towards his soft hearted bun.

He stammers to tell her truth in less painful way to upset his baby more, “Bunny ... erm' —- I think so...,” He wheezes, “–- what I think that is ..... umm mr. chewy is very sleepy?” He's very unsure how to tell her that her loving pet found his own leg very yummy and dragged himself to his own death.

How he's gonna tell her that she has a funeral soon to attend.

He squawks when she shoves Mr. Chewy to his chin shaking her head vigorously and wails, “No! Pups do!!” Harry doubles back in confusion frowns asking her in his sweetest voice.

“Do what, buns?”

Her answer leaves him flabbergasted and her mommy laughing at the top of lungs, so hard, she tumbles down the bed.

“Do Mr. Chewy!” If anything else didn’t make Harry gag loudly and dramatically this sure did as he glares Y/N who's cooking up the dirty scenario in her head.

He sighs wetly, rocking her on his thigh and takes Mr. Chewy in his hands with his internal organs knocking into eachother and screaming, “Can’t do much baby ... he’s not anymore with us, came last night to me and said he doesn’t like with us anymore.” He shrugs staring funnily at the hamster whose leg is dangling from Harry’s palm and his lil tongue poking out like in cartoons.

“Noooo, you do mr. chewy, pups.” She sniffles dolefully.

He wipes her fat tears away as she looks up at him with an angry pout whispering, “Stop him.” Don’t worry I’m her personal translator. All she’s trying to say that,

She’s minutes away from holding a grudge with her daddy as to why he didn’t stop Mr. Chewy from leaving last night.

“Bub. Mr. Chewy would be sad watching you cry ... how bout we make him a bed in our garden so he could sleep peacefully from now on?” Y/N tries to reason .. glancing up at her husband who's really about to pass out.

After so much consolation from both of her parents and sweet talk of her pups, bubby agrees grappling at Harry’s shoulders.

He whisper yells at his wife who’s giggling and giggling, doing nothing but giggling her ass off, “You’re such a little shit!” She seems unfazed though and pinches the dimple at his back making him more grumpy.

The dramatics are real intense as Harry lays Mr. Chewy into the dig with his bunny standing beside him with her squaby hand put on his squatted knee, gazing with teary eyes and wobbly bottom lip.

He even wrote a devoted Mr. Chewy on a small brick with a sharpie she fetched him from her play books and plants it at Mr. Chewy's grave.

Y/N smiles with warm chest watching them from the window.

“Bye-bye Mr. Chewy ......” Harry holds back from cooing awfully in love with her when she whimpers waving and bidding good-bye to her pet.

He sits her on his hip and walks them inside as she cries softly into his neck. Bunches onto sofa comfortably and squeezes her closer to his heart, bringing her strawberry smelling head under his chin and murmurs sweetly to her while Y/N makes them scrambled eggs and French-toasts they ever like so much.

Like daddy, like daughter.

“Shhhh. Bubba. Mr. Chewy's in hamster heaven now and very happy.” He pecks her hairline --- trails it down her cushiony skin and keeps her cocooned in his arms, “G'na fill ye tummy with mummy’s french toast ‘n take a nap after that, yeh sweet tooth?” He strokes the apple of her cheeks tenderly as she knuckles at her eyes exhausted from crying so much.

“Heyy, now sleepy button ... c'mon don’t want ya napping all empty belly and hungry.” He pokes her milky dimples deeper than his's when her head lolls against his chest and her bubbly face squished, with drool making a map on his shirt.

He doesn’t budge even a little to not to wake his bubby when Y/N comes back holding the plates and he pecks her lips, thanks her and takes it from her.

“Can't ‘ave her another pet, my bunny gets too emotionally attached to anyone and anythin' --- not good for her.” He pouts gazing down at her softly and sadly.

Y/N gives a squeeze to his shoulder and teases him to lighten up the mood. She moans with belly ache cackles, “dooo Mr. Chewy Harry!” When he tries to push himself away from her she giggles grabbing him from neck and kisses his lips grinning against them.

“You’re never going to let that, go, are you?” He muses astonishingly and bites on her lower lip making her gasp and quip.

“Nope.” He just sighs comically, slip shutting his eyes with a benevolent grin at his lovie's silliness and his chest puffs larger in size.

He'd have gone nuts until now without her and he's very glad that she's the back of his hand, an invisible support and his strength.

MASTERLIST

#hope yall like it!!!!#daddy harry is that yoy #dadharrynation #dadrry #harry styles fluffy duffy #harry styles fluff imagine #cute harry #harry styles blurb #harry styles #harry smut #harry styles smut #harry styles fanfiction #fluff #harry angst #hsh #dom harry #daddy!harry #dadnation #dad harry styles

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aftgficrec · 3 years

Note

You know what i could really go for rn and like all the time? Andrew povs where he’s so GONE for neil like completely enamored and Neil has no idea I know there’s a lot of fics like that where it’s neil thats in love like thatt but come on andrew started crushing on neil from day two where’s the yearning fics

Oh, Andrew does plenty of pining! Apart from the fics in this post, check out our previous recs as well, you’ll find some real gems in there. Enjoy the yearning! - S

From previous posts:

Andrew Minyard, hopeless gay disaster here

Pining Andrew here

Teenage Andrew with a crush on Neil here

‘dating & other disasters’ here

‘sixth magnitude stars’ here

‘Andrew Minyard: Tiny Gay Disaster’ here

‘Do I Wanna Know?’, ‘Vintage Inspired’ and ‘all i want (is love that lasts)’ here

‘Surreal But Nice’ here

‘i think i'm falling, i'm falling for you’ here

‘The Art Of Speaking In Flower’ here

‘Not Another Highschool AU’ and ‘full offense but that is the stupidest thing’ here

‘always you’ here

‘this is me trying.’ here

‘wreck my plans’ and ‘Andrew Minyard's Diary’ here

‘Secrets & Santas’ here

‘not jealous’ here

‘do you like scary movies?’ here

‘Hold on to let go’ here

‘Free Cigarettes’ and ‘The New Normal’ here

‘venus as a boy’ (now complete) here

‘Life's a Beach’ here

‘i wouldn't leave you if you'd let me’ here

‘Light Me Up’ here

‘All I really wanna do is love you’ here

‘let the bells ring on a fool's holiday’ here

‘heaven and hell (were words to me)’ here

‘it suits you’ here

‘Just Another Typical Ranch AU’ here

‘falling’ here

Finding You by Willow_bird [Rated T, 16654 words, incomplete, last updated June 2021]

Andrew huffed in amusement and looked back down at the boy, nudging him with his shoe.

"Better luck next time," he offered, not insincerely.

"Fuck you," the boy shot back, still breathless from the hit. He looked right up at Andrew when he said it, too, expression tight with pain and rage and -- oh no.

Fuck he was pretty. Shit. Fuck. Shit fuck shit no. This wasn't fucking fair.

---

It's 'The Foxhole Court', from Andrew's POV, where everyone has daemons, and Andrew is a bit of a disaster gay.

tw: violence, tw: implied/referenced abuse

splish splash by Ominous [Rated T, 7330 words, complete, 2021]

Andrew hates waterparks, so there’s no real reason he should be climbing up this hill to ride one of the poorly built waterslides on a scorching hot day.

Somewhere from above, he hears the shrill noise of a lifeguard whistle, and a shiver runs down his spine that has nothing to do with the water dripping off of him. His grip tightens around the inner tube he has slung over his shoulder, the sticky latex trying to become one with his sunburnt skin.

There just had to be a cute lifeguard…

the passenger by scribbleb_red [Rated T, 6520 words, complete, 2021]

He's back again.

The man with the scars in his eyes.

Andrew watches as he gets into the nearly empty carriage, all coiled muscle and too sharp gaze. He clocks Andrew quickly, mouth tightening into what could have been a smile or a grimace.

AKA: The Morning AU where there's a stranger on the same train as Andrew Minyard, crime correspondent for the NYT, and he's pretty sure that there's a story to unearth. He just doesn't know if he should tell it.

tw: implied/referenced torture

foul play by Stjosten [Rated T, 4207 words, complete, 2021]

Andrew's roommates play D&D. Neil is just a surprising side benefit.

Blue Eyes, Pipe Dreams by Shklance_Beef_Sandwich [Rated M, 18250 words, complete, Aftg Reverse Big Bang 2021]

Andrew doesn’t do crushes, never has, never will. What he does is the odd hookup when he’s feeling pent-up, preferably in a nightclub bathroom with as much anonymity as he can get.

So why is he so hung up on those blue eyes and that auburn hair he’s only been able to see from a distance? Why is he feeling almost desperate to be able to talk to this figure skating mystery man?

tw: implied/referenced abuse

NB: find art for this fic by @neptuneglowz here and here

so maybe tonight I'll be the libertine by foxyexy [Rated M, 10807 words, complete, Aftg Big Bang 2020]

Neil Josten and Andrew Minyard have been best friends since they were small. But attending college halfway across the country from each other has strained their relationship, and Andrew won’t take it anymore — as soon as term is over, they’re going on the road trip of a lifetime.

Andrew can absolutely handle spending the entire summer with Neil in the passenger’s seat, sharing hotel rooms and cigarettes and diner booths. Because he’s definitely not in love with him.

It’ll be fine.

tw: self harm, tw: vomit, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: implied/referenced csa, tw: scars, tw: anxiety

NB: find art for this fic by @n0ahdraws here

The Deep & Dying Breath of You by TheBashfulPoet [Rated M, 22874 words, complete, Aftg Reverse Big Bang 2019]

When he sees the ad, Andrew decides that he has nothing better to do so he might as well spend the summer in isolation. He thought it would be almost peaceful, no nagging boss or coworkers that don't understand personal space, just him his typewriter and miles of forest he was expected to keep from burning down. What he doesn't expect is the surly voice that floats over the radio and turns his world upside down. He doesn't expect to find himself waiting for another kind of fire instead (one that just may eat him alive if he's not careful).

tw: nightmares, tw: panic attacks, tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: violence, tw: implied/referenced torture

NB: find art for this fic by @requiemofkings here

Like A Hazy Summer Morning by shadowdreams [Rated G, 7402 words, complete, 2019]

Andrew falls for a YouTuber. Neil falls for a guy in his local café.

That's the story.

Like a River by moonix [Rated T, 65259 words, complete, 2017]

Andrew was a statistical anomaly. He was both a Seer and a Squib, an unfortunate combination of genetic traits that still somehow got him into Hogwarts. He had both hands full babysitting Kevin Day, resident Quidditch prodigy, after the drama with Riko Moriyama in fifth year, and making sure his brother finished his last year of education after the death of their mother. What he did not need was another stray to take in – Neil Hatford, formerly Nathaniel Wesninski, prominent guest in Andrew's prophetic dreams with his blue, blue eyes and death omens flocking to him wherever he went. What he needed even less was to start pretending they were in a relationship, but then, Andrew never had been very interested in doing what was good for him.

tw: scars; tw: violence; tw: implied/referenced past abuse; tw: panic attacks; tw: homophobic language

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