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#you aka lup)
comixandco · 1 year
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ik that taako’s voice in the first episode was because justin was still figuring out his character but i like to imagine that before joining bob taako put on fake accents to avoid being recognised, since he was wanted for the whole poisoning incident, but also for the bit
and then kravitz changes accents mid-fight in crystal kingdom and then drops them during their date at the chug ‘n’ squeeze and taako’s like oh 😳 same hat 😳
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spkdnailbats · 1 year
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love is being bullied by the people who love you <3
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forbidden-sunlight · 6 months
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yandere! luo binghe with shixiong!male!reader headcanons
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Warnings: obsessive behavior, mentions of violence, physical abuse, and blood.
There may also be possible triggers in this story.
If you do not feel comfortable venturing any further, please hit the 'back' button on your device or computer and read something much more pleasant than a possible series of unfortunate events.
I would like to thank @berrypuddingpwease for helping me expand a concept to full-fledged headcanons featuring one of my favorite characters from MXTX's danmei series, Scum Villian's Self-Saving System, aka SVSSS. This is dedicated to you, my friend :)
So without being said, sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Luo Binghe had suffered one tragedy after another in his life, and being a disciple of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect with a scummy master would later serve as the foundation of his twisted personality in the future. You know it will happen because you have read it. This world you had woken up in, is none other than the famous stallion novel, Proud Immortal Demon Way. Your current incarnation wasn’t a member of Luo Binghe’s three digit harem nor the villain Shen Quingqui, but an extra, a senior disciple in Qing Ding Peak. 
Since you weren’t equipped with a system, at least that you were currently aware of at the moment, it wouldn’t be considered OOC for canon fodder to try and be a good mentor to the current white lotus that is Luo Binghe, or try to improve your own cultivation so there was a chance you would survive the sect’s demise when the protagonist emerged from the Endless Abyss as an awakened Heavenly Demon. 
It started off with the small things; greeting Luo Binghe  with a smile whenever you saw him, sneaking an extra bit of food or medicine into the woodshed when you were sure no one was watching you, especially Shen Qingqiu. He might be a good teacher, but his temper was a legend in this peak. 
The only way you could help Luo Binghe improve himself was to purposely compare your cultivation manual with the one he had, the false one written by the peak lord in an attempt to thwart the protagonist’s growth. By doing this, it would add another reason for Luo Binghe to hate his shizun. 
You allowed him to borrow your book to copy any information he needed, as long as he was discreet. Lup Binghe swore to take good care of the manual, holding it close to his chest with sparkling eyes as he stared at you with a smile. It was cute, this white lotus version of Binghe. 
Seeing positive changes in how behavior had been worth withstanding Shen Qingqiu’s anger, especially when he found out just the other day that you were the culprit who had been sneaking an extra portion of food to the protagonist. Good things the sleeves of the cultivation uniform were long enough to hide the bruises starting to form on your arms. There’s no doubt that the sect leader will start dishing out punishment to you from now on, even for the smallest mistake. 
Oh, well. You’ll just have to be more careful in behaving around the rest of the sect and Binghe from now on. Still, how could he continue to grow without triggering the events that would lead to his blackening?
As you contemplated these thoughts, you could not have realized nor believed just how much of your presence in this world the plot of Proud Immortal Demon Way in very unexpected ways until it was too late to revert the damage that had already been done. 
Luo Binghe is a  very sticky, lovesick puppy for the shixiong who has treated him with so much kindness and respect and it scares him. He’s afraid he’ll wake up one morning….and realize that it had been a sweet, sweet dream. But he wakes up early every morning, and he sees his shixiong teaching the others alongside Ming Fan….and when his shixiong sees him, he smiles. And it is a warm, friendly smile that Binghe secretly wishes would belong only to him and no one else. 
With his shixiong, Binghe’s life in the peak is so much better. He hasn’t been this happy in a long, long time…so why was his shizun continuing to punish his shixiong so unfairly? His shixiong didn’t do anything wrong! He is training him and the other disciples in preparation for the Immoral Alliance Conference, and doing more than his fair share of the chores around the peak! 
But no matter what his shixiong did or did not do, their shizun would pull him away from him or the others, and his shixiong would not return to the bamboo house until it was past dinner-time. 
Shixiong tried to brush off his concerns with a smile, but Binghe wasn’t blind! He sees the angry whip marks on his senior’s arms, his head and robes soaked with tea, the pained look in his eyes! Shixiong….Shixiong doesn’t deserve to be treated like this!
He needed to get stronger. Not just to protect himself but to make sure Shen Quingqui wouldn’t hurt his shixiong ever again! And if the sect didn’t accept them being together, then they will find happiness elsewhere. Rogue cultivators did exist beyond these mountains, although the other disciples believed they were wholly evil. But Binghe has come to realize that this world isn’t just black and white. 
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yourbelgianthings · 6 months
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aforementioned giant list of mountain goats songs for taz
sadly some characters i couldn’t find a song i thought fit for (i.e. angus) that doesn’t mean i don’t like them!!
Magnus- Against Pollution, Spent Gladiator 2, Training Montage, Billy the Kid’s Dream of Magic Shoes
Merle- Hebrews 11:40, Harlem Roulette, January 31 438, Noche Del Guajalote
Taako- Up the Wolves, Get Lonely, Get Famous
Barry- Blues in Dallas, Love Love Love
Johann- Your Belgian Things, Harlem Roulette
Lucretia- Old College Try, Heel Turn 2, Game Shows Touch Our Lives
Davenport- Idylls of the King, Maybe Sprout Wings
Hurley- Magpie, Love Love Love
Sloane- Dilaudid
Lucas- In Memory of Satan
Lup- Going Invisible 2
Taakitz- The Age of Kings, The Coroner’s Gambit
Blupjeans- Bluejays and Cardinals
Carey and Killian- Animal Mask, 1 Corinthians 13: 8-10
IPRE- High Hawk Season, Corsican Mastiff Stride, When A Powerful Animal Comes
Aubrey- There Will Be No Divorce, Dinu Lipatti’s Bones, Amy aka Spent Gladiator 1, Shadow Song, Song For An Old Friend
Duck- Midland, New Monster Avenue, In the Hidden Places, As Many Candles As Possible
Ned- Cotton, Wild Sage, Estate Sale Sign, Prowl Great Cain, The Mess Inside, Bleed Out, Going to Hungary
The Pine Guard- Fire Editorial
Pigeon- Jeff Davis County Blues
Mama- Midland, Bones Don’t Rust
Barclay- Color in Your Cheeks, If You See Light, Harbor Me
Minerva- The Young Thousands, Luna, Mobile, Clean Slate
Dani- Blueberry Frost
Keith- Alpha Rats Nest
Hollis- Alpha Rats Nest, Amy aka Spent Gladiator 1, Guys on Every Corner
Boyd- The House that Dripped Blood
Indrid- Alabama Nova
Thacker- Elijah, How to Embrace A Swamp Creature
Amber- The Recognition Scene, International Small Arms Traffic Blues, Oceanographer’s Choice, 1 John 4:16, Bones Don’t Rust, The Young Thousands, Family Happiness, Game Shows Touch Our Lives, Genesis 3:23
Devo- Cotton, Up the Wolves, Get Lonely, New Zion, Outer Scorpion Squadron, Hopeful Assassins of Zeno, Never Quite Free, Cry for Judas, Mark on You, Autoclave, Genesis 3:23
Zoox- Song for Lonely Giants, Incandescent Ruins, Autoclave
Oksana/Kodira- The Recognition Scene, Oceanographer’s Choice, Luna, Genesis 3:23
Orlean- Trick Mirror, New Zion, In Memory of Satan
The Curator- Deuteronomy 2:10
The Shoreside Community- Letter from Belgium, Going to Lebanon 2
The Coriolis Crew- Steal Smoked Fish
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noir-renard · 1 year
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@kiwwles you sent me an ask about fics I recommend, and I was trying to save the answer as a draft and the whole ask disappeared 🥲 I don't know if it got deleted or if I answered it privately, but since it appears all traces of it are gone, I will try to recreate it here, because I worked on it for a while and I don't know why tumblr is like this
AnYwAy, I chose two fics per category, from four categories: DPxDC, DP only, Batman (+ DC), and Other. I focused on DP/DC because I figure if you like IYGABAB, you might want to read more from those fandoms.
Here are my recs:
DPxDC
Vacation Crashers by @impyssadobsessions
Batman crashes in the wilderness following up a lead in a recent case.
Meanwhile the Fenton family was having a camping trip to celebrate Jazz's last year as a "kid", but considering who suggested the location, it spelt disaster.
Now Danny and Jazz have to survive an onslaught of ghosts, take care of an injured Batman, and while worrying about their parents.
This was the first DPxDC crossover fic I ever read; I saw Impy_'s art from this fic and I just had to know more, and now I'm happily tumbling down the rabbit hole into the wonderland that is the Danny Phantom/Batman crossover verse. Vacation Crashers is the first in a series, which is the best news ever ^w^ 10/10 recommendation!
Bat Ghost by @megaerakles
Bruce is attacked by the ghost of Batman from the future. To get to the bottom of it, he pays a visit to some prominent ghost hunters, and happens to encounter a teenaged half-ghost vigilante (?), who just *happens* to resemble Damian. A lot.
On an unrelated note, Tim Drake has done nothing wrong.
I love fics where the Batfam goes to Amity Park. It's always a good time to watch them out of their element and adapt accordingly. This is a particularly enjoyable rendition, and it's still updating, too!
DP only
Exhumed by Marsalias
AU where Danny left behind half his physical body when he half-died. (AKA Corpse AU.)
Marsalias is one of my favorite DP writers, hands down. I really love the Exhumed series in particular, though; the world-building is excellent, the OCs are wonderful, and the writing is skillful.
Trust Your Instincts by @peachdoxie
A new kind of danger threatens Amity Park. With no other leads, Maddie Fenton turns to the one individual that might be able to help: Danny Phantom. Meanwhile, after a near death experience, she begins to question everything she knows about ghosts.
Excellent Maddie-centric fic where a near-death experience forces her to confront her own prejudices and misconceptions around ghosts, as well as the failings of her own scientific hubris. Currently on hiatus, but this fic was my obsession this past spring. Features cool OCs, interesting ecto-science, and lots of heartfelt/heartwrenching conversations.
Batman only
Loading and Aspect Ratio by Jube514
A world where nobody has wings, but people think they do, and that changes everything. (A Batfam Wingfic with a twist)
An excellent twist on the wingfic trope that really suits Batman. Features a Good Dad!Bruce who leans into the misconception that Batman is a cryptid because a)it's funny and b) it's convenient.
Take It Back Now, Y'all by Timthetoaster
(In which Tim finds himself in the past, and tries to do the right thing. It's more complicated than he'd like.)
Tim Drake being a bad-ass, accidental time travel, attempted fix-it. What's not to love?
Other
TAZ(Balance): All The Things You Prayed For by @anonymousalchemist and @marywhal
Taako is The Winter Soldier and Lup is Captain America AU
This is one of the best stories I've ever read, hands down. I've read it about four times *at least*. Even if you are not familiar with The Adventure Zone or The Winter Soldier (MCU), it's written so well that you can enjoy it without context.
TMA: The Magnus Institute vs the 21st Century: a series of emails and IMs by @shinyopals
What happens if the Magnus Institute gets a Data Protection Officer? What's it like to work in Tech Support? How are employee reviews conducted when your manager is Peter Lukas? This series does its best to answers these sorts of hard-hitting questions about office life at the Institute.
If you aren't familiar with The Magnus Archives it might be a bit hard to follow, but this epistolary fic has some of the best CSS coding and humor I've ever seen.
Anyway picking just a few was really difficult because I read a lot! I think every fic I've ever read has affected me in some way. But these are some of the ones most special to me. I hope you enjoy them!
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dumbass-duo-showdown · 8 months
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DDS mod here with an update!!!!
So I was planning on doing a most submitted post. BUT I MADE THE LASAGNA SCALE! And here are the stats!
HERE IS THE FORM! TRIOS ARE OFFICIALLY ALLOWED BUT THEY NEED AT MINIMUM 6 SUBMISSIONS
LASAGNA STATS
Basically if you would trust your duo on making lasagna
With 33,1% of the submissions. 1/3 of the characters are probably banned from the kitchen. WITH A SIMPLE 0
After that with 17% of the votes. Comes duos with a 2 on the scale with 52 submissions.
Now our least voted options are 6,7,8,9 and 10 on the scale. Let’s reveal those characters
Now I won’t reveal how many submissions each got. Some got 4, some 3, some are just solo submissions
6 on the scale
We have
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The Dr & Donna from Dr Who
Porsche and Pete from Kinnporsche: The Series
Henchman 21 & Henchman 24 from The Venture Bros
Yor & Loid Forger from Spy x Family
Elder Price and Elder Cunningham from Book of Mormon
@gregorygerwitz & @kitthekazoo (yes I allowed real people and people submitted themselves)
Bill Preston & Ted Logan from Bill & Teds excellent adventure (this was the second highest score they got)
Walter White & Jessie Pinkman from breaking bad
Pete Wentz and Gabe Saporta from Bandom
Calvin & Hobbes from uhh… the comic of the same name
Now for our 7, where 11 duos landed
We have
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Bill Preston & Ted Logan, again!
Jack O'Neill & Daniel Jackson from Stargate SG-1
Mayday & Zuke aka Bunk bed junction from no straight roads
Laura Hollis & Carmilla Karnstein from Carmilla
Allison & Paige. I still need your URLs please DM me
Kotetsu T. Kaburagi & Barnaby Brooks Jr from Tiger and Bunny
Alec Hardison & Elliot Spencer from Leverage
Rean Schwarzer & Crow Armbrust from Trails/Kiseki series
Madoka Kaname & Sayaka Miki from Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Mayday & Zuke, again
Eustass "Captain" Kid, Trafalgar D. Water Law, Monkey D. Luffy from one piece (oh yeah about uhh Luffy is in another duo with like an equal amount of submissions and I won’t allow him to go in twice. Hes stupid but not a cheater)
7 duos have gotten an 8 on the save
We have!
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Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took from lord of the rings
Bobbi Morse and Lance Hunter from Agents of SHIELD
Jessie & James from Pokémon
Lup & Taako from the adventure zone (credit to @arojovela for the fanart!)
Nathan and Jacob from drawfree
Shadow/cid kagenou & beta from the eminence in shadow
Monkey D Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Sanji from one piece
Time for the 9s!
We have 6 characters here!
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Romana(dvoratrelundar) & Leela from Gallifrey (Doctor Who expanded universe)
The Bros from the bro duet
Mary Quinn & Sarah McCool from Derry Girls
Dana Scully & Fox Mulder from the X-files
Sokka & Zuko from Avatar: the last airbender
Someone’s mom and dad (they said I could draw stick figures)
Now for the 10s, let see who we can trust in the kitchen
Here. They. ARE!
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TK Strand and Evan "Buck" Buckley from 911/911 lone star (I know I make jokes about being followed by OP fans but buck has followed me more. I CANT escape him)
Lanz and Sena from Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (credit to Illius on pixiv for the fanart)
Spongebob & Patrick from SpongeBob SquarePants (they also got a 0)
Nozaki Umetarou & Mikoto Mikoshiba from Monthly Girls' Nozaki Kun
Billie and Thea from Bill & Ted Face the music
@mb-blue-roses & @sungsyc-amore
Rin Okumura & Kuro from Blue exorcist
kirika akatsuki & shirabe tsukuyomi from senki zesshou symphogear
Mario & Luigi
TK Strand and Evan 'Buck' Buckley, again
(Btw sup @tournamentdirectory)
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LINE UP AND SOME OTHER STUFF
Ok I’m just going to send this out. Instead of overthinking on the inclusion of some contestants. Thank you again to all who submitted in characters!
Anyways I decided matchups will be done pretty much at random. There is a total of 64 contestants though, and am releasing just the line up for now so you guys know who’s going to be in it. I don’t have matchups done yet so again, this is just the line up of characters.
Also feel free to drop suggestions in asks for any picture(s) you’d like me to use for visuals in polls when those get released! Looking for stuff in the characters official media source(s) as I don’t want to accidentally take fanart without permission (unless ofc, if anyone wants to submit in their own fanart for characters- I will credit you if I end up using it)
Fandom - Characters
1. Gravity Falls- Dipper and Mabel Pines
2. The Owl House- Edric and Emira Blight
3. Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- Leo and Donnie Hamato
4. The Adventure Zone- Lup and Taako
5. Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina- Vex and Vax
6. Sanders Sides- Roman and Remus Sanders
7. The Locked Tomb- Ianthe and Coronabeth Tridentarius
8. Genshin Impact- Lumine and Aether
9. Star Wars- Luke and Leia
10. The Parent Trap- Annie and Hallie
11. Greek Mythology- Apollo and Artemis
12. Black Butler- Ciel and “Ciel” Phantomhive
13. Bob’s Burgers- Andy and Ollie Pesto
14. Ouran High School Club- Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin
15. Steven Universe- The Rutile twins
16. Danganronpa- Junko Enoshima and Mukuro Ikusaba
17. Masters of the Universe- Adam and Adora
18. How To Train Your Dragon- Ruffnut and Tuffnut
19. Dungeons and Daddies- Lark and Sparrow Oak
20. Pokémon- Emmet and Ingo
21. Avatar the Last Airbender- Lo and Li
22. Twisted Wonderland- Jade and Floyd Leech
23. Final Fantasy XIV- Alphinaud and Alisaie Leveilleur
24. The Suite Life of Zack & Cody- Zack and Cody
25. Highschool Musical- Sharpay and Ryan Evans
26. Liv and Maddie- Liv and Maddie
27. Disney Fairies- Tinkerbell and Periwinkle
28. Archie Comics- Cheryl and Jason Blossom
29. Sky Children of the Light- The Valley Elders (aka Sah and Mek)
30. Lego Ninjago- Krux and Acronix (The Time Twins)
31. MCU- Wanda and Pietro Maximoff
32. IDOLiSH7- Nanase Riku and Kujo Tenn
33. Super Mario Bros- Mario and Luigi
34. Mother 3 (aka Earthbound)- Lucas and Claus
35. Devil May Cry- Dante and Vergil
36. Animal Crossing- Timmy and Tommy
37. Evillious Chronicles- Riliane Lucifen d'Autriche and Allen Avadonia
38. A Song of Ice and Fire- Jaime and Cersie Lannister
39. Honkai Impact 3rd- Liliya and Rozaliya Olenyeva
40. Red VS Blue- Agent North Dakota and Agent South Dakota
41. The Twelfth Night- Viola and Sebastian
42. The Simarillion- Amrod and Amras
43. Percy Jackson- Castor and Pollux
44. The Penumbra Podcast- Juno and Benzaiten Steel
45. Ace Attorney- Dahlia Hawthorne and Sister Iris
46. Dimension 20: A Crown if Candy- Jet and Ruby Rocks
47. Haikyuu- Osamu and Atsumu Miya
48. All For the Game- Andrew and Aaron Minyard
49. Trigun- Vash and Knives
50. Roman Mythology- Romulus and Remus
51. Blue Exorcist- Rin and Yukio Okumura
52. Transformers- Sunstreaker and Sideswipe
53. Legend of Korra- Eska and Desna
54. Mystic Messenger- 707 and Unknown (aka Saeyoung and Saeran Choi)
55. Ensemble Stars- Hinata and Yuta Aoi
56. Obey Me- Beelzebub and Belphegor
57. Happy Tree Friends- Shifty and Lifty
58. Rugrats- Phil and Lillian
59. Don’t Starve- Wendy and Abigail
60. Identity V- Joseph and Claude Desaulniers
61. Dragonlance- Caramon and Raistlin
62. Re: Zero- Rem and Ram
63. Cursed Princess Club- Gwen and Jamie
64. Ducktales (2017)- Della and Donald Duck
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tnt-tourney · 10 months
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hi, ihope i am not bothering you right now but could you maybe list all the characters who got 5+ submissions? (aka all the characters that qualified 100%)
you arent bothering me at all, dont worry !! :] im more than happy to list them all, its such a varied collection of characters which i genuinely think is so cool:
Team Rocket - Jessie + James + Meowth (Pokémon show)
Gomez Addams + Morticia Addams (The Addams Family)
The Mechanisms (The Mechanisms)
Rashmi Jamil + Amelie Macon + Loam Arnault (Entropic Float)
Lup + Barry Bluejeans (The Adventure Zone)
Huey Duck + B.O.Y.D. (Ducktales 2017)
Paul Matthews + Emma Perkins (Team Starkid's Hatchetfield series)
The Bad Kids - Adaine Abernant + Kristen Applebees + Fig Faeth + Riz Gukgak + Fabian Seacaster + Gorgug Thistlespring (Fantasy High)
Jay Ferin + Gillion Tidestrider + Chip (Just Roll With It: Riptide)
Shin + Noi (Dorohedoro)
Golf Ball + Tennis Ball (Battle For Dream Island)
Leonard Church + Agent Texas (Red vs. Blue)
Jonathan Sims + Martin Blackwood (The Magnus Archives)
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entguarde · 1 year
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OH FUCK IT, IM LISTING THE BIRDS
Magnus (And Julia): Golden eagle (i wanted to make most residents in Raven’s Roost based off birds that live in Yosemite, hence why both are eagles!)
Taako and Lup: Northern gannet (cmon. look at that bird and tell me it doesn’t look like the way the twins’ voices sound)
Merle (and his family): Floridian burrowing owl (YOU CANT TELL ME MERLE ISNT A FANTASY FLORIDA MAN I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL)
Klaarg: Argentavis (aka huge fucking vulture)
Barry (and i cant stress this enough) Bluejeans: BLUE FOOTED BOOBY
Magic Brian: European starling
Killian: Cinereous vulture
Carey: Peregrine falcon
Avi: Merlin
Johann: Lyrebird
Lucretia (beloved): Greater sooty owl
Davenport: Arctic tern (small? check. fearsome? double check!)
Angus (MY SON): Black billed magpie
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taakosleftshoe · 2 years
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Welcome to my big log.
About me:
My main blog is @moreclaypigeons
my art blog is @sierraveree-art
I run @tazsapphicweek
I have listened to all of the TAZ campaigns!
My favorite is probably Ethersea but like also Balance<3 and STEEPLECHASE!!!
I try to upkeep the wiki, and am an admin there. You can find that at adventurezonewiki.miraheze.org, and our blog is @adventurezonewiki , where you can send any and all questions!
I love to draw and write, but I definitely draw a lot more lol
AO3: Taakosleftshoe
My most grateful moments with the TAZ include going to the San Diego & San Jose liveshows, and having Justin and Griffin answer my questions in the Ethersea Wrap-up TTAZZ!
If you want me to tag anything just lmk!
Proudest posts:
Convincing Justin to GM
WIP I wanna sort this better and update my tags 😔😔
A look at my umbrastaff ft taako cosplay
Being a catalyst of the infamous pants post
beary bluejeans
nanofather essay
Tags:
[I’m still working on getting all of these applied to posts I made before having this kind of system. also this is like 100% for me lol]
#barry queuejeans - my queue tag! if i've queued a post, or more likely, a reblog, i will add that tag and u will know i was not online just then. it helps keep the ecosystem going.
#srb or #self reblog
#favs - my favs
#sierra speaks - me talking
#a sierra original - a post that’s mine!
#my art
#ask game - did an ask game :D
#fic ref - I’m saving for reference for a fic
#writing tag - my writing
#to id: I still need to add image ID's
#tbr to be read/come back to later
#ref - reference, use for later
#taz playlists - when i talk about playlists!!! i love them!
#other people's fics - i have on occasion mistagged these without the apostrophe. my bad
#friends art
#thank you for the ask! - if i've answered an ask, it should show up here!
#not taz - if im talking about something thats not taz, it ends up here. and you may think oh sierra this is a taz blog why would you-- i do what i want. jk it is probably smth about fandom or my time creating art for fandom or smth
#headcanons - dont use this tag enough so sorry guys
#discord??? i forget my tag tbh
#ttazz spoilers - im unhinged. if u didnt want the the adventure zone zone spoiled LMAO
Campaign specific tags (i don't often do character tags. but sometimes)
Steeplechase
#taz steeplechase
#taz steeplechase spoilers - SPOILER TAG block if u are not prepared
#steeplechase bingo - there is a steeplechase bingo card i am filling out as i listen. it SHOULD??? be tagged this?
Ethersea
#ethersea ref - see above
#ethersea environment ref
#the adventure zone ethersea - usually only on original posts. not consistent
#taz ethersea spoilers - I try to always mark ethersea spoilers with this. so filter it if you’re not caught up!
otherwise, spoilers in: #taz e spoilers
#taz ethersea - originals and reblogs will typically contain this one
#taz e - less common but will use if i’m rushing?
#amber gris
#devo la main
#zoox
#oksamber (aka bubbanana) amber and kodira (oksana)
Balance
#the adventure zone balance
#taz balance spoilers
#taz balance
#it's taako! you know! from tv! - my taako tag
#magnus burnsides
#merle highchurch - ok so i dont use it that much
#blupjeans - barry and lup
#taakitz - taako and kravitz
#magnulia - magnus and julia
#a taag if you will - taagnus tag (get it)
#lucretia and taako - they make me emotional. what can i say
i also have a tag for every arc, pretty much. theyre not consistently added cause i decided to do them later: #### #eleventh hour # #stolen century # #post story and song
Amnesty
Graduation
Dust
Design reference (aka when I see a design I like for a character) (WHY DO I HAVE SO MANY TAGS HERE) 
#design ref
Steeplechase
#montrose design
#emerich design
#beef design
Ethersea
#amber gris design
#amber design
#devo design
#zoox design
#oksana design
#urchin design
#blinkshark design
Balance
#taako design
#kravitz design
#merle design
#magnus design
#lucretia design
#lup design
#barry design
#voidfish design
#davenport design
#julia design
Amnesty
#aubrey design
#indrid design
Dust
#indrid design
#augustus parsons design
#callan design
#lulu design
Graduation
#argo design
#firbolg design
#fitz design
#rainer design
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Writing Masterpost
Hello!
I've finally gotten around to doing some blog maintenance and making a masterpost of all of the writing I've posted on here. If you've found my blog because of a fic post and want to know if there is more where that came from, you're in the right place!
I write mainly fic for The Magnus Archives and TAZ Balance, with a few original things thrown in for spice! Most links stay on Tumblr, but I've also got some of my longer pieces on AO3 linked here as well.
List is under the cut, and thanks for being here!
MAGNUS ARCHIVES FIC
One-shots & multi-chaps (links to AO3):
present tense - Safehouse-era love confessions, the world didn't end edition.
will you remember me - Somewhere Else coffee shop au! Martin is intrigued by an attractive stranger who comes into his coffee shop, especially when they have an intense reaction to seeing him.
why can't the words I need ever come to me  - Research-era Jon finds Tim crying in the bathroom. He tries to help.
slippage (4 chapters) - Jon starts to forget while he and Martin are still in Upton House. Martin has to try to get him out before he forgets everything.
something to hold onto - Tim & Jon s2 reconciliation, with background jondanny
a promise and a prayer - alternate ending to TheOestofOC's The Kindness of Strangers; or, what if Jon & Tim had reconciled before the Unknowing
these constellations will guide you back - What if Martin had been the one to find Jon trying to get his "anchor" for the coffin instead of Melanie?
Tumblr ficlets:
Somewhere Else coffee shop AU: snippet 1 (Martin) snippet 2 (Jon)
Tim & Jon's Excellent American Adventure: 1 (at the airport) 2 (there was only one bed (platonic) aka literal sleeping together) 3 (statement dependence)
Dad!Jon: Jon has always had trouble imagining the future They name her Sasha
yet broken, still you breathe - Jon & Martin listen to The Amazing Devil
life's but a walking shadow - Martin gets Jon to recite some poetry (aka Jon is a Shakespeare nerd)
i will bring you ruin - Jon Sees Jonah's plans before he goes into the Lonely
Other snippets:
Post-Circus Jon angst
JonTim Literal Sleeping Together: China Edition
Martin & Tim say goodbye before the Unknowing
Not-Sasha visits the Trophy Room
Martin can bake?! - s1 Archive gang fluff
Somewhere Else - an explorations of possiblities
Peter Lukas is having a marvelous time.
Message from Jon to Martin, several days after his return from the Buried.
TAZ FIC
One-shots (links go to AO3)
L-U-P (multi-chap, ongoing) - What if Lucretia saw Lup's name burned into the wall and figured out where Lup was? Lup gets out of the umbrella early, and she and Lucretia team up to save the world.
take me back to the start - The Chalice makes Lucretia an offer, and she has to decide what price she is willing to pay for a second chance.
without you - Magnus and Lucretia have only been together, really together, for a couple weeks. When a routine scouting mission goes wrong, he has to face to prospect of nearly a year without her. Magnus/Lucretia fic set during Stolen Century.
a recipe for home - Taako tries to cook for the first time since Glamour Springs. When it goes wrong, Lucretia is there to lend a hand. Set during between the second Lunar Interlude and Petals.
by means of heat and time - Taako gives Angus a cooking lesson (a lifetime ago, Taako gives Lucretia a cooking lesson) - TAZ November Celebration Day 23 - Cooking
how this grace thing works - Taako helps Lucretia with post S&S nightmares, and maybe, just maybe, something starts to heal.
Eventually - Kravitz told Magnus he and Julia would eventually have to re-join the rest of the souls in the astral sea. He never thought about what he would do when “eventually” finally came.
Tumblr ficlets
hold on tight - The Birds get together for a family dinner after Story and Song, and Magnus and Lucretia have a talk about what it means to deserve a happy ending.
"Today's gonna be the best!" - The Birds have a snow day.
Barry is falling. - The moment right after Barry falls from the Starblaster, when he realizes what Lucretia has done.
What if Barry found Lup in Wave Echo Cave? - Barry finds Lup, and has to find a way to hold himself together.
“Shh, they’ll hear us!” - Taako and Angus plan a surprise.
TAZ November Celebration Day 21 - Night - A lil quiet moment between Davenport & Lucretia during Stolen Century.
TAZ November Celebration Day 17 - Rest - The crew of the Starblaster take a much-needed pause.
TAZ November Celebration Day 3 - Warmth - Taakitz Modern AU ficlet. Fluff!
almost home - Magnus returns to Raven’s Roost. (and an answer to the question, how did Magnus get Julia’s ring back?)
Metas/snippets
The Director aways has music playing in her office.
Lucretia never met the Judges in Cycle 65.
The birds and hugs
What if Raven’s Roost never fell?
The Light of Creation isn’t sentient, exactly.
If Lucretia saw Lup’s name burned into the wall and figured out where Lup was
Lucretia doesn’t remember the first time the Bulwark Staff spoke to her.
Lucretia wakes up in a white space.
After Story and Song, Davenport leaves. Lucretia says goodbye.
ORIGINAL WORK Sometimes I post things on here that aren’t fic!
Macbeth in the living room - A short written at the beginning of quarantine, before we really understood anything about how the virus actually worked. The mechanics of distancing are So Wrong but the sentiment is there. It’s a time capsule of a moment.
The One Who Stays Behind (short story)
OTHER BITS AND BOBS
Thoughts on wonder
Babel by RF Kuang time-travel fix-it (ish)
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liltaz-asatreat · 2 years
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ooooh uh in the lively city or the taakitz library prompt (with like, the magic performance) OR a very important announcement (aka where you made me bawl like a little baby dbsbdjfjf /lh) !
ALL THREE!!!! ALL THREE!!!! ALL THREE!!!! :D
In the Lively City I think is one of my favorite semi early fics lol It was my first time writing Lup and Barry pining for each other, and as I was writing it, I was just going hehehe >:3 the whole time because I knew it was going to be a painfully read at the end of it lol It also pained me to write the ending of it, but sacrifices ya know? 🤷🏽‍♂️ lol
Also, when I got the prompt, it was right after I reblogged a different prompt list, but the person who sent it in had just liked Drinking Your Feelings on here, and they didn't specify what prompt list they got the prompt they wanted from, so I was originally going to write something else that still had to deal with Lup and Barry pining for each other, but that time, I think it was going to be a conversation between Barry and Taako?? I don't really remember what it was going to be because I never ended up writing it, and I deleted the notes I made for it after I wrote Into the Lively City because I didn't really feel like writing that story anymore. I know though that it was also either going to reference Taako getting on Barry's ass to make a move or it was going to be a conversation between the two of them where Taako gets on him to make a move lol Anyway, after I wrote the notes for that down, I realized that because the person had just read the other fic, they probably wanted the prompt from that list, so I DMed them to ask, and that's why this fic exists and not the other one lol
And Performing Distractions my beloved <3
This was the first AU I ever wrote, I think ever actually in all of the fanfiction I've ever written both in this fandom and for other things. Usually most of the stuff I write is canon compliant, and pretty much everything I wrote outside of this fandom takes place after the story. The reason why a good chunk of my writing for this fandom takes place in technically the middle of the story is because there's gaps of time between arcs that could be filled in, and the Stolen Century is basically a big 100 year void of stuff that can be filled in with literally anything lol Also, the stuff I wrote before this fandom were all multi chapter fics, so it's easier to write something in the middle of the story when it's only a scene or two lol
Anyway, it was a little weird at first branching out like that in my own writing, but I couldn't think of any way to make the prompt work while it still being canon compliant, so it took a bit to come up with the idea for it. Then when I decided that I wanted Kravitz and Taako and co. to have a showdown, I looked up violin music on YouTube, so that I could be able to describe the music Kravitz would be performing, and that's when I came across Lindsey Stirling's channel (I had no idea who she was or that she was a famous violinist), and her song Roundtable Rival which is one of the most kickass songs I've ever heard, so I decided to use that as Kravitz's song, and then afterward I binged listened to her music. Her music is great, but I still like Roundtable Rival the best lol
Also, I got so excited with writing everyone's performances that I felt really nervous before posting it that I didn't add any attraction in the beginning of the fic, and I had no idea how to go back and shoehorn it in, so I just added "beautiful" as a modifier to "male elf" when first introducing Taako to the story, and then I kinda crossed my fingers and hit post lol
And last but not least!! A Surprise Announcement my absolute BELOVED <3
Ise sent this one in and only put Magnus as the requested character, but I absolutely knew it was going to be a magnulia fic lol And it took a bit to figure out what I wanted it to be about, but then I realized I could write the fluffiest thing and still hurt everyone's feelings! My very favorite thing to do! >:3 lol /hj
I don't know if anyone noticed because not many people read Is It Worth It?, but I did add the characters either mentioned or were a part of that story as people Magnus brought up when he talks about who around Raven's Roost would be able to help them raise their child and added a couple more people I think. I also mentioned those same people in Was It Worth It? which was more of a direct-ish sequel to Is It Worth It? (Hence the naming sequence lol), but that's all to say because they're all connected and basically my head canonned OCs of people who lived in Raven's Roost. Everything canon compliant, as usual, which makes me so >:)
(Also, bonus since I brought it up, I originally had a debate on whether or not I wanted to end Is It Worth It? with a scene where Magnus finds Xalver and Loriza dead and has Xalver's words echo back to him, basically what happens at the end of Was It Worth It?, as a direct juxtaposition to Magnus convincing Xalver to help with the revolution but decided against it because I thought it would diminish the message and hope of the story. It bugged me on and off though for a long time until I made it to last year's taz November celebration prompt the semi-sequal is based off of, and I knew it was the right time to tell that story, and it was going to have a greater impact because A. I wasn't starting directly at the scene where Magnus is standing over the bodies, and B. I didn't spend the entire fic building up the fight for hope just to tear it down again. I was already starting from a place of hope and happiness, and the loss of it was its own message)
Thanks for sending this in!! :D If you would like to send in a fic that you associate with my username in exchange for a secret about it, feel free to send in an ask!
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fexalted · 2 years
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tagged a hot minute ago by @ancientouroboros ❤️ glad to hear from you friend
Three ships: barry/lup, phoenix/edgeworth, aziraphale/crowley
First ever ship: god it was probably ulrich/yumi from code lyoko. one of the few ships i've ever made content for and yet when i think back i can't recall actually having super strong feelings about it lmao
Last Song: song that might play when you fight sans in smash 64 (aka song that gives me energy to walk down to the mailbox and back)
Last Movie: nine to five 👌 an absolute classic
Currently reading: ......the same book the rest of this website is reading. you know the one
Currently watching: just finished good omens and am physically fighting the urge to immediately rewatch it (i will fail)
Currently consuming: ice pop that is either pineapple or mango flavored
Currently craving: star crunch my beloved 😭 it's all i've been craving for weeks and i can't find them anywhere dhfjsjfk
tagging: @ariasofelegance, @anistarrose, @fallen-gravity, @pinesbrosfalls, and @autisticmight!
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kbirbpods · 2 months
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Look below the cut for kbirb's @purimgifts 2024 letter (a little late, I'm sorry, it's been so hectic these past few days)
For reference, check out my "dear podficcer" letter from ITPE, which goes into more detail, as I know we want to keep these short and sweet! (It doesn't look short because bullet points but trust me... I tend to be wordier)
Hi! I'm kbirb on ao3 or Kaje to the wider internet/many of my IRL friends. I'm a nonbinary creator - typically podfics & graphics, though I do occasionally spill words onto a page and call it writing. I started podding in August 2022.
I think it's easiest to put it this way:
Triggers/Squicks/No-Thank-Yous:
Rape/non-con/dub con - with the caveat of rape recovery and abuse recovery being something I do enjoy in stories
Incest - I understand that to some portions of the fandom, clone shipping is called clonecest, but I do ship clones (with some caveats)
Underage/power dynamics - as a teacher, it's a major no from me
On-screen suicide/suicidal ideation - aka, if a character is recovering from suicidal ideation? That's fine. A character commits the act or seriously considers it? No thank you. It's easier to just say a blanket no to it
Cockroaches - idk I just hate them so much
Yes Please Times 1,000:
Slice of life
Modern AUs
Fluff in general
Hurt/comfort
Soulmate AUs (my faves)
Period piece AUs (especially regency era, oh my)
No Order 66
Crackfic
My favorite ships (applicable to this exchange, so focused on Jewish characters/women/Jewish women):
I tried to pick from all the fandoms I listed but I like a lot of gen fic in some of them. Especially ones like OFMD where there's not that many women in the first place, so I like fics that focus on women being power houses.
Star Wars [most of my SW ships are M/M so this is a little limited]: Ahsoka / any woman ever (well not ever but you get it), Kanin/Hera, Jyn/Cassian, Bail/Breha/Fox, Bly/Ayla
Ted Lasso: Keeley/Roy, Keeley/Roy/Jamie, Rebecca & Keeley, Rebecca & Ted
Batfam/DCU/Young Justice: Harley/Ivy, Kate Kane/any woman ever (again, not ever, but you get it), Jason/Kori/Roy, Artemis/Wally, Barbara/Dinah, Barbara/Kara, Barbara/Dick, Selina/Bruce, Selina/Harley/Ivy
The Locked Tomb: Gideon/Harrow, the fucked up polycule that created Gideon
The Adventure Zone: Lup/Lucretia, Lup/Lucretia/Barry, Aubrey/Dani
The Old Guard: Quynh/Andy
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow/Tara, Buffy/Spike, Buffy & Willow, Buffy & Tara
Six of Crows: Inej/Kaz, Inej/Nina, Nina/Mattias
The Good Place: Eleanor/Chidi, Eleanor/Tahani
My favorite canonically Jewish characters from my listed fandoms (tragically there is only a few due to the fantasy world element of many of my fandoms):
Harley Quinn (DC)
Kate Kane (DC)
[some versions of] Bruce Wayne (DC)
[some versions of] Barry Allen (DC)
Agnus McDonald (TAZ)
Willow Rosenburg (BtVS)
Also Roy Kent, my favorite character in all of media, is played by a Jewish actor.
I really like fics that portray Bruce as Jewish, due to Kate (his cousin) being Jewish, and especially ones that branch into exploring Judaism for the entirety of the Batfam. For example, I recently did a podfic of one for ITPE that was different Hanukkah stories!
Further, I love love love any fics surrounding trans women or really any fics that bring a new focus to a character that we haven't seen before!
Trans Clones!! My favorite thing ever in the SW universe. I have several of my own nonbinary/trans woman clone OCs. If you wish to make any characters trans, the only clone/clone ship I do not ship is Cody/Rex because they feel like siblings to me. My favorite clone/clone ships that could be made trans are: Rex/Bacara, Wooley/Longshot, Waxer/Boil, Hevy/Fives/Echo, Fox/Fives/Echo. My favorite clone/jedi ships that can be made trans are: trans!Bly/Ayla, Cody/Obi-Wan, Fox/Quinlan, Hevy/Jon Antilles, Fox/Jon Antilles, Fox/Quinlan/Jon Antilles
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me in an anonymous ask... or reach out to my best friend, FLOWERPARRISH, on discord if you know zir/on here and ze won't tell me who you are. Ze knows me very very well & might even be better to ask if you don't want to spoil a podfic or anything!!
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raineydaywrites · 4 months
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Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤️❤️❤️!!
Thank you!!! It was hard to make decisions on this because I kept going back over my fics and saying like "oh yeah! I love that one!" so thank you for the excuse to reread some of my favorite things I've written. Links at the bottom in order.
Still Much That Is Fair: Star Wars Prequels: Baby Obi-Wan tries to kill himself and ends up in the future instead. I LOVE angst and LOVE to write characters suicidal, but DON'T love major character death. So anytime I can find a way to "kill" a character and bring them back I'm into it.
The Parent Trap(pred in an Umbrella): TAZ Balance AU where Barry and Lup were dating Lucretia. Lucretia didn't know she was pregnant when she fed her journals to Fischer, but here we are now. Or, The Director of the Bureau of Balance and The Last of the Red Robes are co-parenting twins together. I adore kid fics, I adore Barry and Lucretia (individually and as members of the Blupcretia polycule), and I adore drama.
one more last try i'm gonna get the ending right: The Umbrella Academy: AU where Five has a kid during his (comics-canon) manslut days in the Commission. This changes some things. Again, I LOVE kidfics and I love Five, but also!! I love the idea of an abused kid growing up to be a lot like his father in a lot of ways but not being a terrible dad! It's parallels, baby.
Baby Bird Angus AKA Nesting and Taking Flight: TAZ Balance: I'm counting this as one story because it basically is. Taako is Angus' biological dad. He was carrying him when they left on the Starblaster. Angus grows up weird because I didn't want to make them all deal with late pregnancy, labor, and infant every year for 100 years.
when i'd fight you use to tell me I was brave: TAZ Balance: Kravitz has to prevent Lucretia from killing herself feat. weird time nonsense! I LOVE angst and suicidal characters, as stated before, and I LOVE convoluted time nonsense!!
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desiree-harding-fic · 4 years
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A TAZ Cinderella AU
You guessed it, folks, this is the full arc of what my Cinderella!au would have been for the Adventure Zone, if I had the time/inspiration to write the whole thing. Just imagine that all of this is paced out over a bunch of chapters of very pretty words, ok? ;)
That said, enjoy! I’m actually very proud of the thing I concocted in my my head for this!
To begin, a quick run-down of the situation as it stands at the beginning of the fic: Mostly Taakitz-centric, Blupjeans as a side plot. Kravitz is the Crown Prince of Faerun, his mother the Raven Queen current ruler of the kingdom, and him as her only son. Taako and Lup’s parents are both dead, and they live with their mother’s father: their grandfather Tostaada, along with the many aunts and uncles and cousins from Tostaada’s other children. 
Tostaada has a house, several days travel (at least) from Neverwinter, a typical country home for the well-to-do. He’s somewhere between gentry and nobility, but his wealth has been in decline, as is often the case in these stories. His mistreatment of Taako and Lup comes from a disdain for their father. And it provides a convenient excuse not to pay servants.
Summary of the arc proper under the cut:
So we begin with a prologue (posted here) in which we see Kravitz and Taako, around the early teenage years (14-ish) and just get a little taste of how different their lives are. 
Chapter one (also here) kicks off with Kravitz sneaking out of the castle in the early morning for a ride, musing at how busy he is and how stressful his life is trying to be in charge of a whole kingdom, etc. Upon his return, Barry, the royal head arcanist, and Kravitz’s friend, is waiting for him, and informs him that he has a meeting scheduled this morning with the Royal Council.
The Royal Council was originally meant to be a B plot in the story, something to help drive the thing forward, in part because I couldn’t think of a reason as to why the Raven Queen, who adores her son, would force him into marriage. There had to be an outside pressure. So the council was born.
The council was created during the reign of Kravitz’s grandfather, as a way of giving the people a say and lessening the power of absolute monarchy in Faerun, which was falling out of fashion. That was the intent, but, as we find out in the first chapter, the council is now filled with noblemen who haven’t really got the people’s best interests in mind, at least in Kravitz’s humble opinion, and get a good deal of say over what he does. There was never anything enacted that would allow Kravitz to either disband the council or enact term limits, and now, if he were to put such a thing to a vote, it would never go through.
The original council consisted of: Lord Sterling (Artemis’s father), Jenkins, Gundren & Jack (both recently deceased at the opening of the story), Governor Kalen, and Davenport. I promise this will be relevant later.
So in our first chapter the Raven Queen pulls Kravitz aside after his meeting and tells him, over a very tense tea, that he is turning 25 in a couple of months, and the council, as well as foreign powers, are getting nervous that he has no martial prospects yet, and as the Raven Queen has no other relations to carry on the monarchy in Kravitz’s stead, they kind of need to get a move on. Having it so that the Royal line could die out any minute isn’t great for cultivating confidence in the people of your kingdom.
Kravitz is understandably upset, being the romantic that he is (I love him), and he wants nothing less than to be married as the result of some political power play. And yet, there is low probability, at least in his mind, that anyone that will be “suitable” according to his mother, the council, and the people both in Faerun and abroad, will be anyone that he will even remotely like. But what can he do? He agrees to begin the process of finding a spouse at this year’s Harvest Ball, which will coincide closely with his 25th birthday.
Barry is actually the one that gives Kravitz the idea of throwing the doors open to the whole of Faerun, and Kravitz, seeing it as an opportunity to meet men who aren’t stuffy nobles he hates, strikes a bargain with his mother: a masked ball, three nights long. Kravitz will not know (in theory) who is wealthy and powerful and who is not, and will be able to choose at his discretion someone that he would like to pursue. Shockingly, the Queen agrees.
*~*~*~*~*
SMASHCUT to Tostaada’s country home. We see Lup and Taako going about their morning routine, making breakfast for the family, lighting the fires in the hearth, generally working their asses off. Mid-breakfast, there’s a knock at the door, one that Taako goes to answer. (This is a no-no. He’s meant to be more of a behind-the-scenes servant, Lup being the one who is seen. She’s slightly more favored by Tostaada. Taako is hated. But Lup is in the middle of something, so...) It’s a letter from the Raven Queen, an invitation actually, to the family Taaco, to come to Neverwinter for the three-night Harvest Ball. 
The Queen’s intentions of finding her son a husband are not directly stated, but Tostaada is a shrewd, terrible old man, and it does not take him a moment to catch on. The family packs up, Taako and Lup and all, and heads to Neverwinter, the ball two weeks away.
While they’re packing, Lup pulls Taako aside and tells him her plan. They’ll be in Neverwinter for almost two weeks, ball included. And the whole kingdom will be swarming to the city for this, it will be more crowded than ever, and therefore will give them the perfect opportunity to run away from Tostaada. He’ll be so preoccupied he’ll never be able to track them down in the chaos of this event. Taako hesitates for just a second before he’s on board. They’ll run away mid-ball, when the family is gone, and by the time Tostaada realizes anything, it’ll be too late.
*~*~*~*~*
SMASHCUT back to Krav, chilling in the palace, it’s now two weeks before the ball (around the same time that Taako and co. get the letter, actually,) and preparations are well underway. During another busy day of overseeing some of the prep for the upcoming Massive Festival (TM), Kravitz runs across Captain Davenport, just returned from a long stint at sea.
They have a conversation about the state of affairs in the kingdom, Kravitz expressing his frustration at not only the ineptitude but corruption on the council, and his worries about this marital plan. He knows that Lord Sterling is going to throw his son Artemis at him relentlessly, but he hates the kid, and wants nothing to do with him, etc.
Davenport merely expresses that he has faith in Kravitz’s ability to turn it all around and make for a good king. That the recent loss of Gundren and Jack and the dragging on of the council replacing them doesn’t bode well, but that he needs to see the thing through.
He unfortunately agrees with the rest of the council, however, that Kravitz needs to be married, and soon. There’s only so long they can go dragging this out. Kravitz sees the sense in this and agrees, albeit reluctantly. At least he has the opportunity to find someone he actually likes.
Meanwhile, Taako, Lup, Tostaada and the family have arrived in Neverwinter and will be staying in a fine manor house in the upscale residential part of the city, and the family immediately sets out to find tailors and seamstresses who can get them all dressed up for the inevitable ball. The house is in shambles on the inside, the only way Tostaada could get it cheap, and Lup and Taako spend the afternoon trying to fix it up to live-able standards and clean it enough so that should the family be called upon, they’ll at least look respectable.
In the meantime, no one is home, and they begin to plan their escape.
They plan it for the third night of the ball. Tostaada will be furious if they leave sooner, being left with no servants to assist any upcoming nights. The third night, once the family leaves for the party, they’ll be in the clear. If Tostaada manages an advantageous match for any one of the cousins, he won’t bother with Taako and Lup anymore, and get better servants. It’s highly likely that in the next two weeks he’ll make several matches, so after the party is done they should be as safe as possible given their plan.
*~*~*~*~*
Everyone spends a week getting ready.
Istus, friend of the Raven Queen from a neighboring kingdom, arrives to the palace. She will be staying for the celebration, and for a while on either end. She and the Raven Queen have a conversation, in which the Raven Queen expresses her anxiety about the upcoming matchmaking process for her son. She does not want his marriage to end up like hers (loveless, purely political). She asks Istus if she will use some of her divination skills to look into the future. Istus agrees, and it is clear that she sees something very intriguing in Kravitz’s future. She does not say what it is, but she assures her Majesty not to worry.
The day of the ball arrives.
Now by some trick of fate, one of the cousins has received the wrong suit by accident, and Lup simply must go to the tailor and send it back, and retrieve the one he was supposed to receive at any cost. So Lup goes, and Taako doesn’t think much of it until she bursts back into the attic that evening, two garment bags in her hands. She says that there was a mistake, and that a noble man and woman didn’t pick up their garments for whatever reason; the week has been so chaotic anyway, and there was talk of them falling ill and being unable to attend the ball tonight, and the woman at the tailor shop felt so bad about the mistaken order she offered to alter them to fit Tostaada’s family for free, as a sort of “so sorry about the mistake” thing, and Lup said she would just take them, and isn’t it exciting Taako, we can use these and go to the ball tonight! 
Taako is reluctant to accept this plan, but Lup says they’ll only go one night, just to see the spectacle, and then they can be home for the other two and prepare to run away, and besides, they’re starting a new life and this will be a fun way to kick it off, and the outfits even come with masks, Taako, please?
Taako finally relents, and they spend the rest of the afternoon getting the cousins ready to go to the ball themselves, along with the aunts and uncles and Tostaada himself, who is in one of his moods. It’s awful, but they finally get a moment away, and they sneak up to the attic to pull out their garments...
And they get caught. Tostaada never comes upstairs, but he was calling for them, one of the cousins having forgotten a brooch or something, they weren’t answering, and when he comes upstairs and sees them, he takes the garments, drags the twins downstairs, and lets the cousins laugh at them until they’re in tears, and the family rip the dress and the suit to shreds.
The thought that they would even show themselves is so repulsive to Tostaada, and he gets angry at the presumption of it all, and he locks them downstairs in the kitchen for the duration of the evening, the door swinging shut behind him with a heavy clang.
Lup is furious, Taako more resigned, as the house quiets with the eventual departure of the family.
An hour passes with them sitting in the kitchen under the house, Lup cursing her luck. If not for her stupid idea to go, they wouldn’t be in here, locked in, and they could work on their preparations to leave two nights hence. But now they’re completely useless.
The latch on the door to the outside of the house, the small yard in the back with the meager kitchen garden, comes undone, and swings open of its own accord.
A woman is there. Or at least it looks like a woman; she is cloaked, head to toe, even her face obscured, but there’s a shimmer in the air around her that they recognize immediately as magic.
Taako and Lup have been learning magic, little by little. Taako stole a book from the village a little over a year ago, but it’s slow going, especially with Tostaada always trying to catch them doing something “indecent.”
They’ve never seen anything like this. 
The mysterious woman tells them she heard Lup’s frustrated shouting while walking by and wanted to see if they needed any help. Once they thank her for letting them out, she asks them why they haven’t decided to go to the ball; two young people like them at home on a night like this seems strange. Lup scoffs, says they thought about going for a moment, but they have nothing to wear.
Istus (for by now the reader surely knows it is Istus) cocks her head and says that that won’t do, will it? And raises her hands.
And in a moment their clothes are transformed, and Lup is dressed in a gorgeous gown in reds and golds, and feathered mask is on her face, and Taako’s in a finely made suit, his mask vaguely rodential. And the woman says that now they are well-suited for a ball. Taako and Lup are just gaping at her, but she shoos them along. Go, she says, and Taako feels a peculiar prickle up his spine when she tells them, when she tells him, it feels like, to amuse himself, to have a good time, to meet new people.
She warns them that while her magic is powerful, which is evident, it is sensitive to time. Wherever they are, at the stroke of midnight, the magic will fade, and their appearances will revert to what they were before.
Lup and Taako, wanting to go only for a few laughs and to spite Tostaada, say that this is more than enough time.
And they go.
When they arrive at the palace, it’s positively swarmed with people. They agree to meet by the front doors at a half hour before midnight, giving them plenty of time to get out without being seen.
And they go in.
They’re being jostled on all sides, and well, as much as they’d like to stick together it doesn’t really work out that way, and before he knows it, Taako is in the midst of a ballroom looking for Lup, and following the flow of the crowd - 
And suddenly he’s face-to-face (or, well, mask-to-mask) with a very handsomely dressed man with a skull for a face.
A skull mask, to be exact, all silver and gold filigree and done up with rubies and diamonds, and his suit is fine, dark velvet in rich blacks and deep, deep reds, and he bows and Taako does, too, because he feels as though it’s the thing to do, and when the man straightens up he and Taako trade the typical small-talk befitting a prince and his guest (because, Taako realizes, with as many people seem to be looking at them, that is surely who this must be), and Taako says something witty that makes Kravitz laugh which I will not write here, because this is a summary, which means all I have to do is say when the jokes happen; I don’t actually have to write them.
Long story short, Kravitz pulls off his mask, and he asks Taako to dance.
The anonymity Kravitz was hoping to be afforded by throwing a masked ball has not really panned out. Everyone can tell exactly which mask the prince is behind, and once the receiving line began to form, there was really nothing for it. He likes the Mongoose-masked stranger, though, and would very much like to know him better. And so what if he’s abandoning the rest of the line? He’s the prince, thank you very much, and he can do what he likes.
Taako is sold the moment the prince pulls his mask off, because the prince is hot, and Taako feels rather gorgeous himself, and maybe this is the first night in a while that he’s had any kind of serious fun and he’s feeling a bit reckless, so he pulls his mask off too and they have a dance.
Or two.
Or three, talking all the while.
After the third, the prince bows respectfully and says he must see to his other guests, but that he hopes to see Taako again, and Taako, maybe just a little flustered, wanders over to the food.
Meanwhile, Lup entered the ballroom, having gotten a bit lost on the way in, shortly after the fateful meeting itself and what does she see but her brother, unmasked, dancing with a man who is most unmistakably the prince.
Which is really just perfect, isn’t it?
She pouts for a minute because one beautiful elf will hardly draw any attention in this crowd, except Taako’s dancing with the crown prince, so every eye in the assembly is fixed upon him, and seeing an identical twin will definitely lead to some word getting around. So Lup is confined to remaining masked for the duration of the ball.
Which isn’t so bad, since she was expecting that, after all, but neither is she looking forward to it.
She skirts the edge of the ballroom, finds her way to some refreshment tables, and she’s lucky her mask leaves most of the bottom half of her face free as she nibbles on the hors d’oeuvres set out and generally enjoys the spectacle. She is propositioned to dance a few times but after the prince removes his mask a large portion of the assembly does as well, and Lup rather sticks out for keeping hers on.
She isn’t given much more attention, then, as all of the other people around seem to write off the mask as a wish to stay hidden and therefore ignored, and while they aren’t wrong, Lup isn’t enjoying the ball half as much as she thought.
And then things go from bad to worse.
Some moron completely knocks into her and sends her drink, a strong red wine, all down the front of her, granted, magical and temporary, but very nice dress.
Lup’s going to be mad, but the man is so sweet about it, stammering his apologies, and completely red in the face and, frankly, such a dork that she really can’t be mad, and he does about some ridiculous business about trying mop up the wine and it’s completely hopeless, and Lup is bored - 
So she tries casting prestidigitation on the stain.
And, somewhat to her surprise, it works.
This catches the man’s attention, who immediately straightens up and starts asking her questions about where she’s learned magic, and what other spells she knows, and what her name is. Lup, in a moment of impulse, introduces herself as Lady Lulu, which she cringes at immediately but sticks with. And the man is nice to talk to, and interesting, and apparently an expert in the arcane, which Lup is thrilled about. Out of all these people she ran into someone actually interesting.
At one point, she invites the man to dance, but he refuses, a bit awkwardly. He says he’s not very coordinated, but he wouldn’t mind taking a walk, if she wouldn’t mind either? Lup is going to say yes, but upon glancing at the clock, sees that it’s almost eleven-thirty, and tells him she has to go.
Taako, meanwhile, has danced with Kravitz twice more, and chatted a bit, and when he tries to extricate himself from his Highness’s presence Kravitz seems genuinely disappointed to see him go, and asks him if he’ll be back tomorrow night.
Taako, suddenly overcome with something that makes him want to make this man smile, says yes.
And then he goes to meet Lup at the front.
They head home, making their way through the streets which are not quite as crowded as the palace was, but are still significantly busy, as those who felt they would not be at home in the palace have taken to celebrating the harvest ball in the streets. Lup and Taako make it home unnoticed, and they chat a little bit about what they saw and what they did, and when Lup teases Taako about the prince, he’s unusually quiet. This worries Lup a bit, but she doesn’t press further.
Their clothes transform when they’re about 3/4 of the way home. When they arrive, they figure they have a few hours until the family gets home to begin making preparations for their escape. Around three, they shut themselves back up in the kitchen. Lup manages to find, from the outside, a way around the locked door that i haven’t decided on yet, because this is just a summary.
Wash, rinse, repeat. The twins are on their best behavior the next day as Tostaada and co. sleep through the morning, having been up late the night before, and while no one comes to call that afternoon, Tostaada still has high hopes for a match. Lup and Taako are locked in the kitchen, manage to get out -
And now, Taako has been nervous all day having promised the prince he would be back, and surprisingly, quite wanting to see him again. He’s pacing the floor when Istus arrives, transforms their clothes, and sends them off.
Lup is more than a little skeptical about this magic woman, but Taako wants to go, so she goes, and tries to put the bizarre-ness of it out of her mind.
Taako goes to the ball, meets up with Kravitz, and this time Kravitz doesn’t leave his side all night. Lup wanders around, still masked, until she runs into Barry again (not literally this time) and makes good on that walk in the gardens he asked her for last night. They both make it to the gates again by eleven-thirty, and make it home.
This night, however, something tips Tostaada off. Maybe it’s the way Taako moves, or maybe it’s his own paranoia, but something happens at the ball that makes him suspicious. I will not hash out what it is at this time because, again: Summary.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
Istus, on the third night, gives Taako his most fabulous ensemble yet, a beautiful thing in deep blue and silver and gives him jewelry set in sapphires and, you guessed it, pink tourmaline (because I’m predictable). Including, most importantly, a pair of bracelets. As Lup is locking up the kitchen to go, Istus pulls Taako aside and hands him the bracelets, and tells him that they will not dissipate at midnight. She hints vaguely at Taako and Lup’s plans to go away after the ball is over, tells him to consider the bracelets a gift. They are two of a kind, she tells him, and perhaps they will fetch a price.
Taako does not know why this woman knows so much about their life, but he’s eager to get to the party, accepts the bracelets, and before he can ask her more, she’s gone.
They head out to the ball for the third time.
It is this night that we get the majority of the material between Taako and Kravitz. Kravitz, this time, is waiting right inside the door to the ballroom, and when Taako arrives he is immediately swept up by the prince into a dance. Although, after a few hours of dancing and eating and generally enjoying themselves in the ballroom, they take a walk in the gardens.
Meanwhile, it is at this time that we get the scene where Barry has been chatting Lup up, quite obliviously, and finally he asks her if she’d like to see his lab, unable to take it anymore, he’s so excited that someone’s interested in his work. Lup, of course, thinks it’s a come-on, as discussed here, but upon going up to Barry’s tower lab she realizes that he actually, genuinely was inviting her up to look at his research which is just... too cute.
Meanwhile, Taako and Kravitz are taking a stroll through the extensive terraced palace gardens, talking all the while and the both of them are just... enamored. Taako feels beautiful and important for the first time in a long time and it’s wonderful. Kravitz has found someone interesting and gorgeous and wonderful, and it’s just... too much. It’s hard to write in short form here that they’re in love, but they like... are. Just trust me. Not fully, because it’s only been a few meetings, a few nights, but there’s something there. There’s a pull that they haven’t felt before, and feels somehow beyond them.
They wander, and the gardens are beautiful, and the moonlight is beautiful, and they end up on a sort of terrace, secluded by trees, and the sea is down below them and they dance again, just the two of them, and then there’s kissing and it’s all very romantic, I promise. There’s a scene from it here.
Then the clock strikes midnight.
And Taako panics.
The time got away from him, he got distracted, and he tries to run, but Kravitz catches his hand and he’s begging Taako to stay but Taako can’t, because Kravitz doesn’t know what’s going on here.
He thinks fast. He unclasps one of the bracelets and places it in Kravitz’s hand and says so fast that if Kravitz wants to see him again he can look for him and Taako will have the other bracelet ok bye and then he runs. 
He barely makes it out of the palace in time.
But of course, by this time, Lup is not at the front gates. They planned out a fallback location, less conspicuous, if one of them got held up, and Taako is already late, and he gets there as fast as he can, and Lup is pissed.
(she’s mostly just worried).
She kind of goes at him for being late but Taako just says he lost track of time, and whatever that feeling is in his voice makes Lup back off. She’s never heard Taako sound like that before. She lets it go, but she’s more worried than before.
They make their way home, ready to pick up their packs and run like they were planning. But they open the door to the kitchen, and there’s a thud, and a candle lights, and Tostaada is there, the contents of their packs spread out before him, and absolute fury in his eyes.
It’s awful. After his suspicion, he saw Taako enter the ball tonight. And knew it was him. And he was furious. He came home, headed them off, and yells at them something fierce, locking them in separate closets to deal with them, because they can’t be trusted to be together, they’ll scheme. (Some of the cousins, by the way, are here for this, because fuck the cousins). 
They try desperately to break out. Banging on the door, trying to bust out the doorknob, to cast something on the door to unlock it, but they’ve been going three days only getting a couple hours of sleep a night. It finally hits them how exhausted they are. After a while, there’s nothing they can do.
Now you may say to yourself “this is awfully convenient.” And you would be right. But it’s also a fairytale, and this is a summary of a fairytale, so there.
Tostaada, because he fucking sucks, finds some way to separate the twins. Probably something along the lines of dragging Taako out of his “cell” and being like guess what I’ve always hated you and I’m a real bastard so you’re working for this shady caravan now, have a good time. Taako is Not Down to be separated from his sister but he’s also like hey fuck you to Tostaada and is going to dip from that caravan in about 30 seconds so he’s like yeah have a nice life, too, dickweed.
He slips away from the caravan in like... a day. Fuck those guys. He’s gonna go back and get Lup.
And just a bit later, Lup gets let out of the closet, and finds out that Taako’s gone. And she goes fucking berserk. She casts her first fireball (yes I know that’s now how it works in DnD but shhhhhhh it’s fine).
She burns Tostaada’s fucking dumbass city house to the ground. And Tostaada and the cousins are panicking but Lup is honestly like fuck the cousins, and she slips away in the chaos. Fuck Tostaada. Fuck the family. Lup’s going to go find her fucking brother.
*~*~*~*~*
We haven’t checked in on Kravitz in a hot minute, but he’s been completely smitten with Taako from the moment he met him, and has been saying as much to Mama Bird herself, the Raven Queen, who has been... a little less than stoked. She is skeptical because this isn’t going exactly as planned, and on top of that, Kravitz hasn’t even learned this man’s name. He’s an absolute enigma, and Raven worries not only that this man will potentially not be a good asset to the kingdom, but he also might not turn up and completely break Kravitz’s heart.
But Kravitz stands firm. The Queen said he could make his choice, well, he’s going to. He’s going to go after this guy.
...Or so he thinks. See, the Royal Council, as in all things, gets their say. And they’re not happy with this. Generally disapproving when Kravitz tries to make his own decisions, they say absolutely not to his wish to search for Taako. Raven tries to help by talking them down from letting them handle the search and keeping Kravitz in the capital to letting Kravitz go himself but only giving him a few months time. If he hasn’t found Taako by then, he’s going to have to call off the search altogether and look for another match.
It’s not good, but it’s something. Kravitz takes his bracelet and begins seeking out every elf in the land who even vaguely matches Taako’s description.
*~*~*~*~*
The elf in question is, at this point, on his own. Meeting up with your sister when you have no idea where she is and she has no idea where you are, and you’re running back and forth and missing each other, well. It’s difficult. 
It takes them a little while to get back together, and I’m sure there are plenty of minor trials and tribulations along the way. I won’t go into them all here, because this is a summary.
*~*~*~*~*
Kravitz is on the move, looking for Taako. He searches and searches and comes up with nothing. It’s been two months. It’s almost the height of winter. He’s running out of his allotted time for his search. And that’s when it happens.
He’s riding through this one town, a ways from the capital, when he sees, there, out of the corner of his eye, a flash of silver and blue and maybe some pink, and he turns his head, and there’s the bracelet. The one Taako gave him.
But it’s not on Taako’s wrist.
Kravitz calls for the guards travelling with him and they stop the woman and they question her as to where she got that bracelet. She says that she bought it off a travelling salesman, and seems rather embarrassed about it. She’s reluctant to give it up, having bought it fair and square, but Kravitz pays her, and gets it back.
Kravitz is, of course, heartbroken. Taako said he would have the other bracelet. He told Kravitz to look for him. He said to look for him. If he gave it up, if he sold it, does it mean he doesn’t want to see Kravitz again after all?
Kravitz wants answers for a minute. But then he listens to reason. Or so he thinks. Discouraged, he returns to the capital, as per Lord Sterling’s suggestion.
Many people and things are trying to keep these two apart. It is at this point that these forces begin to win.
So he goes home, in time for the first snow to cover Neverwinter.
*~*~*~*~*
What Taako and Lup are up to in the meantime:
It’s pretty close to canon in that they mostly hop from job to job, and caravan to caravan, taking odd jobs and cooking and making their way. And it’s hard. It’s really hard. But something about it is good. This is the first time they’ve had, maybe in their whole lives, to just be in charge of themselves. They’re deciding their own destiny now.
Lup can see that Taako is different. Something has changed. The news that the prince is looking for him isn’t a secret at all, so she keeps a careful eye on him for how he feels about that. She brings it up a few times that maybe they could come forward in their own way, maybe let people know that he’s out there, but Taako keeps shutting her down before she can really talk about it.
As for Taako, he’s more than thrilled to finally be free of Tostaada, and to have his sister back after a few months of absence. But the whole thing at the ball and with Kravitz is... weighing on his mind.
I should explain the bracelet fiasco.
See, Taako and Lup returned from the ball, and the whole thing with Tostaada went down. Of course, while he was deciding what to do with Taako he confiscated the bracelet, and sold it off a bit later for whatever he could get. This is how it was able to travel so far from where Taako actually is; the jewelry seller went one way, Taako another, and Tostaada and the family, when they finally left Neverwinter, a third.
This is all running through Taako’s mind of course. It would be nice for Kravitz to find him, sure, but Taako was the one who set up the system of verification through the bracelet. Without it, what credibility does he have? And sure, maybe Kravitz will recognize him, but what if he doesn’t? It was dark, and it was only a few nights, and - 
Anyway, Taako’s not going to worry about it. He’s fine, really, and it was only a few nights anyway, and what does he care about the dumb old prince. It’s not like Kravitz said he wanted to marry him. He just said he wanted to see him again. What the hell does that mean? And it’s not like Taako was the only one he spent time with at the ball.
Basically our sweet boy is snackin’ on a big slice of denial pie and it’s very sad.
Taako is saying that he doesn’t care whether he sees Kravitz again or not, but Lup can tell something is wrong. She suggests that they stick around in Faerun, work for the winter, and come spring, they’ll head out. They’ll hitch their way with the caravans, and work their way over the border. New country, new life. Leave all that Tostaada shit and everything behind.
Taako’s on board. They find themselves a job cooking and occasionally tending the bar at an inn, not a gross one but not the fanciest either. They’re going to work up some money, and they’re going to hit the road.
But back to Kravitz.
*~*~*~*~*
Kravitz is back home at the palace in Neverwinter. The first snow on the not-very-aptly named city makes traveling difficult. If Kravitz hadn’t already given up the dream of Taako, it would well and truly be impossible to find him now. No one in their right mind would send a search party out in the winter months.
So he’s essentially on house arrest.
And so begins the parade of potential partners. Everyone knows about the ball. Everyone knows now that the plan of having the prince find a partner there was a colossal failure. Every young and eligible nobleman in the capital who is even remotely interested in men gets thrown at this boy. Artemis Sterling most of all, a spoiled brat of a boy, who, when he’s not being absolutely appalling to people is boring them to death.
Kravitz is fucking miserable.
Does this make him think of Taako? Yes. Does he miss him? Absolutely. Does it only twist the knife of heartbreak in this boy who thought he had found someone good and then that person gave him up? 100 percent.
Kravitz is ready to jump off the cliffs out back the palace into the Stillwater Sea and swim to a new country when the word from Raven’s Roost comes.
Rebellion! Against Kalen, of all people! How could it be?
(Kravitz has hated Kalen for a while, but this certainly is a pickle).
Kalen is ousted, arrives in Neverwinter half-frozen and fuming, a few cronies on his tail, and chaos in the palace ensues. Who to believe? Kalen, who claims he has been unfairly attacked, or the people, claiming Kalen’s long-term abuse.
It all shakes out somehow. This is a summary, though, so I don’t have to say. Julia does something badass. Also she’s not dead. She and Magnus show up in the capital and there’s the whole them vs Kalen before the Raven Queen fiasco and finally she chooses the good people as the correct ones and Kalen is thrown in prison or banished or something lol idk.
And now there are... 3 positions on the royal council empty and it is essentially non-functioning. The kingdom is in governmental crisis. Magnus and Julia are at the palace. This whole rebellion/trial thing has taken most of the winter months.
Barry and Magnus become fast friends, which of course puts Magnus into Kravitz’s orbit more than the Kalen ordeal already has. And they begin talking. And at the prompting of Magnus and Julia being so in love, Taako of course comes up.
Magnus is all omg wow buddy that’s true love u gotta pursue that, and Kravitz is like ok but also consider he probably doesn’t even like me, and also it’s impossible, and also I can’t. To which Magnus says umm how do you know, and also bullshit, and also why not?
And why not indeed?
Well, Barry says, perhaps because the government is in shambles and to abandon everything now would almost certainly trigger all kinds of issues amongst the aristocracy, upon whom your hold is currently tenuous at best.
Kravitz says >:((
And then along comes Merle.
Merle comes moseying up the palace one day like hey guys how’s it goin’ I’m Merle, and the [PLACE WHERE GUNDREN WAS FROM] sent me here to be Gundren’s replacement on the Royal Council, after all I am his cousin, don’t’cha know, and sorry it took us so long, we had some issues to work through. He does not explain what these were, nor does he have to, for this is a summary.
Merle’s addition is a real gamechanger, because not only is he miraculously able to neutralize the more antagonistic personalities on the council (usually through saying something Kravitz can’t decide is crazy or profound), but also he’s a big advocate for let’s get things up and running again, starting with just replacing Kalen with one of these two nice people who Raven’s Roost seems to have elected to represent them.
Magnus goes “oh well I don’t know this is a lot of responsibility-” and before he’s even done talking Julia’s like “I’ll fuckin’ do it.”
This, of course, gets the council running, and, importantly to our plot, creates a majority of people who Want kravitz to Go After A Boy. They work on cleaning up the mess in Raven’s Roost, finally find a replacement for Jack (it’s Cassidy, also by election, which is a shiny new toy for these people) and they iron all of it out by the time Spring has sprung.
Kravitz says now can I go Find A Boy PLEEEAAAAASE I did the governing thing and everything. And most people’s reactions are omg I can’t believe you’re still talking about that but Fine. Take some friends. Kravitz takes Barry and Magnus and (mumble mumble some others idk like avi or someone don’t @ me) and is like BYE MY CONFIDENCE IS RESTORED AND I’M GONNA FIND A BOY.
*~*~*~*~*
So Spring Has Sprung. 
Which means Lup and Taako are back on the move. Continuing their slow journey out of Faerun, working on their way (it’s nice to have money saved up, they find, but it’s not A Lot, and they don’t want to totally deplete it.) They usually stop for a week in a town, do some odd jobs, travel, stop for a week. It’s nice. 
But they’re on the way OUT OF THE COUNTRY *cue dramatic music*
Will Kravitz Reach Them In Time? If he does, will Taako even Want To Go Back? All these questions and more exist at this point in the narrative.
*~*~*~*~*
Kravitz follows the lead of the bracelet. He does not stop for a week in towns. In fact, he’s pushing pretty hard. He tracks down the woman who points him to the seller who points him to Another travelling seller who points him to a jeweler in town who looks at the bracelet and says oh yeah, I got that from Old Man Tostaada, outside of town, he’s a proud type, but you should ask him.
Well. Kravitz certainly does.
In the nearly six months since Taako and Lup slunk and exploded out of his life, respectively, Tostaada has become an even crochetier, nastier, meaner old man than ever. He has no servants now. The cousins have to do chores, oh the horror. He’s propping his appearance of nobility up on pride alone. The house is in Shambles. It’s a whole Thing™️.
But one fateful springy day, one of the cousins looks out the window…
And Sees An Entire Royal-insignia’d Party Riding Up The Lane. 
And promptly Panics.
Well Kravitz and co are ushered into the house with all kinds of Ceremony, and Tostaada is acting very proud, and Kravitz says excuse me sir, I was wondering if you might remember being in possession of this bracelet.
This is Bad News to Tostaada. 
I may recall, sir, he says. 
There’s a terribly polite and tense conversation after that. Tostaada refuses to say where he got the bracelet, even to royalty, being as old and spiteful as he is, and Kravitz is just about to threaten him with something terrible when one of the cousins breaks, and spills the whole story tearfully, about Taako and Lup and how they were treated and where Tostaada got the bracelet and “we didn’t know you wanted it, we didn’t know it was important, we swear,” and the only thing that keeps Kravitz from Severely Punishing them is that he refuses to waste any time getting to Taako, who he’s very keen to find now. Tostaada has no idea where Taako and Lup are now, though, so he wasn’t helpful in that sense. Only now Kravitz knows that they’ve Been The Fuck Through It, and that Taako didn’t give up the bracelet of his own accord, and so it’s possible that The Boy Still Likes Him. 
And with renewed energy, off they go.
Tostaada gets stripped of whatever title he has left, or something, because FUCK him.
Kravitz and the gang are putting out the word that hey, we’re still looking for this elf, if anyone’s seen him, that would be great.
The thing is, this time, they’re getting leads, on account of Lup and Taako sticking around in places long enough to make a friend or two.
*~*~*~*~*
It’s later, and almost Summertime, baby, when Lup and Taako finally hear the news. 
The prince is still looking for Taako? Damn. Boy’s serious.
Lup watches Taako’s face carefully when they hear this news. They’re leaving town. They only have one more before they reach the border and slip away. Lup says hey. Are you sure you don’t wanna come forward and say something?
Taako’s like no of course we shouldn’t do that don’t be silly it’s FINE. (It’s not fine, Lup can tell, but she’s not gonna push. This is Taako’s decision to make. They’re gonna make a fresh start in a new place. It’ll be great. 
They start hiking to the next town, hobbit style. They make it out into ye woods and find a nice spot to settle down and camp. Make up a fire, get cozy, cook a little dinner, the whole shindig. They settle down to sleep. 
Taako wakes up. In the middle of the night. The full moon is shining brightly down into the clearing they’re sleeping in and the fire is no longer the softly smoldering embers it was when he fell asleep. It’s nice crackling along. And sitting there, tending it, is a lady. 
Lady is the only way to describe her. She’s in a gown of silvery thread with silvery hair tumbling down her back. She asks Taako if he’d like some tea. He can’t tell if the light in the clearing is from the moon, or the fire, or just from her. She speaks with a voice that just sounds so familiar, but that he doesn’t quite place. 
She hands Taako a cup of tea. It’s floral and fragrant and lovely. She asks him what he’s running from. He says she sounds awfully condescending talking like that, and if she knew what he’d been through she wouldn’t act like leaving it all behind was such a bad decision. She says she never said it was a bad decision, she just wonders how much he’s thought about it, is all. There’s a quiet moment, as she sips her tea. She says, quietly, that perhaps Taako ought to be careful, not to run too far too fast. 
And taako wakes up again. There’s a teacup sitting beside him. Empty. Clean. There’s no sign that there was any visitor in the night. 
To Lup, Taako is acting weird the next day. He seems jumpy. He seems distant. She keeps worrying they’re gonna get jumped on the road, from the way he’s not paying attention to his surroundings. He’s in his head, even more than usual. But they manage to arrive to the next town without incident. 
And Taako’s weird over the next few days. And Lup suggests on the fourth that they get a move on. There’s a caravan headed across the border tomorrow, we can go with them. 
Taako looks at the drink in his hand for a long moment, not there with her, and she’s about to ask again when he says “maybe just a few more days.” 
Taako doesn’t ask her for much. Taako seems very serious, and it’s kind of scaring Lup. But she agrees. A few more days is fine. Then they’ll go.
And a few days pass. And Taako’s weird. He keeps looking around corners like he’s expecting something to jump out from around them. He keeps looking down the street like he expects something to come barreling into town. But nothing ever seems to. 
Come on, Taako, Lup says, three days later, while Taako’s dropped over a cup of wine in the local inn. Tomorrow some more people are leaving, mid-afternoon, they said, let’s go. Just over those hills and we can start everything over, make a name for ourselves. What do you say?
And Taako agrees. 
They go to bed.
And, in the bright-mid morning the next day, Kravitz and the gang come riding into town, Raven Queen standard flying high over their heads, dressed in shining silver on black. Lup’s out on the street, collecting some last-minute supplies when she sees them. 
Holy shit, Lup says. 
She recognizes the Prince. She recognizes BARRY. And after her moment of gawking in surprise, the prince glances her way, and does a frankly comedic wide-eyed double take. 
She does, after all, have Taako’s face.
He hops off his horse and very politely comes over and introduces himself, and identifies her by name (he met her grandfather) and asks, very kindly, if she might know where he can find her brother.
Lup does some quick mental calculus and says “yeah, I can show you where he is.”
That scene can be found HERE. (I truly can’t shortly summarize this one better than I wrote it so yikes secret few thousand words nested in this already monstrous summary, I’m sorry but not really I am sorry that it switches tense like three times, I do not have the energy to correct it).
Needless to say, they are reunited.
But it’s a lot to put on someone, the entire “come home with me I think you’re the love of my life even though we kind of only know each other a little, also if you say yes you might be responsible for governing a whole people” so Taako needs some time to think.
Kravitz leaves him some. 
And then Taako and Lup have a long conversation, where Taako makes lots of excuses as to why he shouldn’t go with Kravitz, and Lup listens very patiently and nods and hums along, and then finally asks him if he thinks Kravitz will make him happy. 
This stumps Taako for a good long time, standing stock still, looking terrified, before he nods. 
Well, Lup says, I think you know what you need to do. 
And Taako goes, the evening, as it’s getting late (which is about when he and Lup finished hashing it all out and he got his courage up) to Kravitz’s room in the inn, and Kravitz’s guards let him in, and oh. Oh Kravitz looks lovely, standing there, dressed down, comfortable in his own space. And Kravitz gets up and looks at Taako with wide eyes and Taako says, “I thought about what you said.”
“Yes?” Kravitz says. He might be crying. Taako can’t tell. He looks terrified.
“I think…” Taako says. “I think I want to go with you.”
Kravitz becomes a human embodiment of heart eyes and says “really?”
And Taako says oh my god yes but you have to not be weird.
“I’m not being weird,” says Kravitz, still heart eyes-ing, “I’m so not weird. I’m so normal, see?”
And they KISS.
*~*~*~*~*
Everybody packs up the next morning to head on their merry way home. Kravitz is over the moon. Taako is, kind of, too, but is trying to be chill about it. Lup tells Barry as they leave that she was the one he was hanging with at the ball that one time, good to see him again, and Barry becomes human heart eyes for approximately four seconds before he reigns it in and he’s like oh cool nice to officially meet you, and the two of them spend the rest of the trip circling each other trying not to act in love because like there’s a lot going on and Taako needs lup and all, and Taako and Kravitz are very amused by this. 
Taako and Magnus become fast friends. And, he and Kravitz get time to properly get to know each other during all that travel together, and the scary thing is they fit better than they ever thought they would, they really do. Taako likes the boy more by the day. Kravitz is so smitten it’s revolting. 
When they get back to Neverwinter, there’s a fair bit of fanfare and the Raven Queen makes a big stink about Kravitz shirking his duties and being irresponsible and whatnot, but he can tell she’s secretly pleased. She comes to like Taako very much. 
And well… you know what’s next. After a bit, Taako and Kravitz get married.
*~*~*~*~*
EPILOGUE:
The marriage of King Kravitz to Prince Taako is known as one of the more fortuitous in the history of the nation.
Prince Taako, after his history as one of the working common folk of Faerun, went on to use his new seat on the royal council to champion reforms that changed the lives of working people everywhere. The laws he helped draft that established basic working condition requirements for those in domestic services helped launch a new era of equal pay and treatment for the working classes of Faerun, and a culling of the power of the wealthy. 
He helped establish a new nation-wide system of government, based on regional elections, and with King Kravitz, gradually placed more political power in the hands of the people. The minimum requirements for the royal council to balance the number of aristocratic members with those without titles stands to this day.
Prince Taako was known, also, for his aptitude for the arcane. Though never did he manage to surpass his sister and brother-in-law in his lifetime, he is revered as one of the more powerful and skilled mages in Faerun’s history. Though perhaps more famous is his legacy as a great instructor in the arcane sciences, known especially for training Grand Archmage Angus McDonald in his early years. 
Though perhaps chief among his achievements was his role in the war against the Hunger in the twenty-third year of King Kravitz’s reign. He was among those who formulated the plan to infiltrate the Hunger’s forces and carry out the assassination of John the Devourer. And when King Kravitz was injured in the final battle against the Hunger’s armies, it was Prince Taako who held the line, and was unmoved in the face of their power. For this, he became known during his reign as Prince Taako the Steadfast, though over the years his long-time connection with Lady Istus was cited as evidence to his improbable marriage and ascension to the throne being an act of Providence, and in many secret circles he was referred to as Prince Taako the Blessed.
Upon his abdication from the throne in the thirtieth year of his reign, Prince Taako and King Kravitz were succeeded by the former’s sister, Queen Lup and Prince Barold, whose daughter, Queen Lilliana, finally dissolved the monarchy in the twelfth year of her reign, thus ending the Faerun’s royal line forever, and ushering the world into a new era of peace and equality. 
From:  Faerun: A History by Lucretia Moreau, published 538 T.E.
*~*~*~*~*
BIG Thank you to @fandomsnstuff and @her-biness who helped me with this for a Long Time. The little cameo of the blupjeans baby belongs to @lillianabluejeans, and the last name from Lucretia is taken from one of my favorite fics, Bureau of Badass on ao3, by Chemicallywrit and miceenscene.
Bonus points will be given to those who notice the 500 references in here to various adaptations of the cinderella story :)
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