#((verse: modern magic au))

[more-than-a-princess]

Continued from here for @fallesto!

The peace of the kingdom, but at whose expense? Sonia rather wished the chatter, laughter, and cheers had continued: the soldiers had been welcomed home with beer and wine, and the added feast was, she'd hoped, enough to distract them from their exhaustion: physical, from the battle they'd just endured. Emotional, from the prevailing threat of the Witch Cult that hovered over Novoselic like a stubborn cloud. It was enough that for the first time in her nation's history, they'd needed to consult with outsiders who knew of magic and of witches: two things Novoselic was devoid of. It had always been that way and, if her family had it their way, always would.

Which brought her to her point as she set her helmet down on one of the tables, jostling the set plate and cutlery askew. Her crossbow followed suit as she gave Reinhard van Astrea a frown. She'd use his title aloud but in her mind, he hadn't earned it. Not when he was so reluctant to work as a team as opposed to a solitary knight. "And you think your sacrifice will uphold peace here in Novoselic?" She countered, unbuckling the gauntlets of her armor and removing her leather gloves. Most of the room, barring the serving staff that dashed to and from the kitchens, was dressed similarly, but Sonia was distinctive for two reasons: One, she was a woman and two, she was the Princess of Novoselic, two types of people no one expected nor wanted to don armor, take up weapons, and be the plan B of winning a battle against witches. She couldn't lead the Novosonian soldiers into battle so publicly, but then again, no one had expected the princess to keep to the shadows, stepping in only when needed either.

"Understand, Sir Reinhard," Sonia curled and flexed her fingers, pleased to be free of their confinements before rounding on him, the armor clanking with her movements, to cross her arms over her chest the best she could in spite of the shoulderplates and breastplate she wore. "That if you lost your life at the expense of defending my country? It would launch Novoselic into a war with your homeland that I doubt would benefit either of our nations. Especially with the Witch Cult still determined to bring Novoselic to its knees. Though it makes little logical sense: there is no magic here, thus why we asked for aid. Yours, and your cohorts'."

Goodness, was he amused by all of this? Was he smiling at the prospect of relying on someone else, working with others, as if it was a quaint fluke? "The greater good is our countries working together to stop the Witch Cult from infiltrating every nation on the planet and not insisting that a single person is responsible for that task. We do not need a hero or a martyr: we need a united front if we are ever going to put a stop to this deranged appetite for power and greed."

The last words spoken with disgust, Sonia's brows furrowing as she sat at the end of a long bench with no interest in the food or drink before her as she continued to divest herself of the other trinkets she'd carried on her: several vials of poison, a handful of explosives, and a dagger attached to a belt, careful to set them well away from the feast. Despite her years of mandatory military training, she'd never quite taken to swords. She much preferred things that shot, things that exploded, things that no one suspected a beautiful princess might slip into their drinks. It had been the latter that had freed Reinhard: even witches were susceptible to her smile, it seemed.

"Your Royal Highness!"

A smile she needed to utilize again, this time on her own servants: three maids and her father's personal butler had come dashing through the center of the Great Hall, horror written all over their faces: Princess Sonia of Novoselic, sweaty and still in her armor, one of the many looped braids she'd worn to keep her long hair hidden beneath her helmet succumbing to gravity as the pin used to secure it followed.

Hardly presentable for a feast.

"Please, Your Highness, we must leave the Great Hall immediately with you looking like this!" The man urged, two of the maids already pulling Sonia back up to her feet. "Your parents insist you must be cleaned up if you are to face the soldiers!"

"And if today I am one of them?" Sonia asked with a quizzical brow. "I will not have our citizens believe their royal family will not fight with and for them, sending my father is too risky, and my cousins are not yet ready. Why train your princess in modern warfare and military strategy if I am not to utilize it? Any prince would."

The word that made the butler flinch as she stared the man down. If she was a man, there would be no issue at hand. But it had been centuries since Novoselic had a female monarch, and with Princess Sonia unmarried and with little interest to change that in the near future, she had the expectation of both the heir to the throne and a woman in the aristocracy: lead a country and embody nothing that made her unsuitable for marriage and motherhood.

Blowing up one of the witches' safehouses upon their escape likely qualified for the 'unsuitable for marriage' category.

"Please, Your Highness," The bravest of the three maids coughed. Beyond the complaints regarding the patriarchy, the women eyed the returning soldiers and knights warily. Not all of them were particularly respectful towards women, especially those in service positions they deemed beneath them. "If not to get you clean and properly attired, we will need to examine you for any injuries and we cannot do so in the presence of gentlemen."

Sonia sighed, her expression softening as she looked at them. They simply wanted to help, to do their jobs, as safely as possible. She couldn't blame them for that. "Very well, let us be off then," She agreed, getting to her feet as the third maid rushed forward to gather Sonia's things: the armor she'd discarded and her weapons. Several soldiers looked on in remorse: if she'd left them behind and they weren't precious to the Royal Family, they could be distributed to the rest of them. And anything they could use to defend Novoselic was valuable indeed.

"Do enjoy the feast," She advised Reinhard before she was ushered out of the hall. "The drinks will keep flowing long after the meal, and I doubt the entertainment is far behind."

[anecdotist]

fun fact all your modern aus can fit nicely in with marble comics, because trust me, whatever thing you think up, captain america has seen weirder

[nightdaughtcr]

@cainevesson / cont. from here.

"Sure, you don't owe me an explanation, but you could indulge me in one. Right?" Lanfear hadn't been released from her prison for very long, but she had heard the stories about him. How he had gone against his own kind. She wanted to know how he had done it, how he had gotten away from his influence, if only because, in time, she wanted to get rid of Lucifer; she wanted to rule everything herself, have ultimate power. "How did you get out of his influence?"

[dreadbornesaint]

tag dump - verses

[song-linked-from-nine-verses]

The Mass Dreg Playlist

"Boonie, can we get a set of drums?" Pip asked, and per usual, I was supposed to say no.

I was going to say no.

I was a horrible big brother. Still am, but that's a different can of worms for another day.

Because otherwise our budget wouldn't allow it, he cracked open his own piggy bank, and bought himself all the things necessary. Pip got his set of drums, fit for a twelve year old, and put his own woobly cymbals on top (alongside some made by his grandpa.)

Then the kid brought friends. Turns out just buying drums wasn't bad enough, because nothing hurts more to hear three children barely able to play their instruments, all the while mixing together the most obnoxious things.

"Let him make memories," Grandpa assured me, but the only thing that would reassure me would be that the kid and his friends stop annoying me during my nap time. Not to mention neighbours' complaints.

Should have bought him electric drums.

But in the end, he reminds me of myself when I was still carefree.

— —

"And over here, we have another monster named Boons, a.k.a Pip's big brother," Ton whispers as if they're recording a wild animal, stepping on top of his friends so that he can properly point his camera to the window, "who's cleaning cups in a coffee shop, and he's also a Big Meanie. We are trying to steal the keys to his room because he never lets us play."

"He also didn't let me buy drums at first!" Pip says, who's on lookout duty, in case any of Boons' co-workers walk out. His green shirt, a hand-me-down too large for him, is covered in soot and dirt since he keeps being distracted with the grass to actually be on lookout duty.

"He also told me that my playing sucks!" Track chimes in. He's wearing a red hat, which is currently being squished by Ton from the top.

"Lan.. guage?" Ton lightly hits on Track's head, and as he does he almost loses his grip from sitting on Track's shoulders. "Hold on. Is 'suck' a bad word?"

"Don't lie Track! Big brother wouldn't say a bad word!"

"A. It's not a bad word but B. he did stare at me last time! It was scary!"

"But that doesn't mean my brother said that you suck!"

"Yes it does!" Track tries to throw his hands up in the air to show that he's right, but somehow that makes Ton lose balance.

".. My camera broke." Ton says. "It's your fault, Track."

"Why would it be my fault?"

"Your stupid hat made me slip!"

"Did not!"

"Hey, hey it's fine, it's fine." Pip tries to calm his friends down.

Despite being a horrible lookout, Pip has made sure the crew understands not to make any noise that would alert his brother. But arguing ensues right in front of the coffee shop. Regardless of his efforts, a wordsmithing battle quickly spirals. Before he successfully tunes his friends down, he hears a clunk of a cup then footsteps towards the door.

Knowing that Ton is trying his hardest to win an argument, and is too focused to care that their cover's about to be blown, Pip flips Track's hat off and starts running.

"PIP!"

"OI!"

Pip quickly runs as fast as he could, and when he finally stops to catch his breath, his brother is standing hands on hips at the coffee shop's door. He almost sees the face of disappointment coated with a smile on his brother's face. His friends are right behind him, confused and panting like crazy, but they follow Pip's gaze and quickly understand the problem.

"Now what? My camera's broken and your brother is probably on high alert." Ton says as he reviews the footage. The kids stuck their heads in to see a short video showing Pip making a crown out of grass, Track fixing the buttons on his navy blue shirt, and Ton's rubbing the dirt off the crustacean art on his cyan shirt after trying to use his Deku Leaf to catch up to Pip in a Roc's Cape. Not much footage of the person or thing that needs filming, but much footage of laughter and antics.

The kids sigh in defeat.

"Ground?"

"Ground." Pip nods. "Ton's house?"

— —

If it weren't for the fact that his drums aren't in his brother's room, Pip would love to practice at Ton's house. His grandma makes the best soup and his little sister is their biggest fan.

"This is the BEST thing I've ever heard!" Aryll says, as she always does after every single song.

"Thanks Aryll, but please. This is nothing. It would be even better with a bassist!" Ton says.

"I know a bassist! My brother-"

"Pip, your brother only counts if he'd actually play for us." Track rolls his eyes. "And I have tried to convince him to play twenty dindamned times!"

"Language!" Ton says. "Aryll, you're not allowed to say dindamn."

"You sound like my brother, why don't you be the bassist?

"I'm already the guitarist!"

"Just play both!"

"Track only uses his mouth, why can't he be the bassist?"

"We've been over this! I can't be the bassist because I can't play my flute and the bass at the same nayruined time!"

Despite all the bickering, no one actually tries to hurt the others' feelings, so Pip finds practice sessions to be quite fun and enjoyable. Aryll feels so as well, as she is smiling happily as the crew banters. However, someone has to make sure everyone is focused. 

Pip starts tapping his drumsticks on the ground, and once he gets his friends' attention, "what are we playing next?" 

Ton answers by moving his Wind Waker so the winds can play the bassline, and strums his guitar with a set of familiar chords - a fast, energetic beat - and Pip follows suit. Track continues the melody of, in the kids' words, "if a surfer'' by a band called Mass Dregs, not actually sure if a surfer could actually do something that warrants a song about them. The previously bickering children now play in harmony.

The only thing missing now is a real bassist.

— — —

It's late at night, or at the very least, later than when any sixteenager should be outside. Boons quietly tries to climb in through the window. He never told Grandpa Smith that he took up multiple jobs, and he's running out of excuses as to why he's always coming home late. He took one of Pip's caps earlier, and is currently using it to cover his multi-colored hair. It was dyed a while back, and for some reason it seems to be pretty noticeable even in the dark. To be extra safe, he changed into his mostly-green shirt before coming home, so no one can see him in his uniform.

He still fails to be detected, however. Pip, his little brother, sits cross-legged right beside the window.

Boons sends his worried-looking little brother a dry look, and mouths "shoo", but he was grateful that Pip was waiting for him. A cushion was placed where Boons will eventually make a "plunk" when he unceremoniously dives butt-first from the window. 

An exhale that almost turned into a chuckle left Pip's mouth, but he covers it and turns over to Grandpa's room. Both brothers let out a relieved exhale when they still hear snoring.

Boons puts a little pat on his little brother's head. It's really hard to be mad at a little brother going to bed late when said brother is helping you commit crimes. Pip returns with a bright smile, however, as sleepiness takes over, he falls asleep into his brother's arms. 

The house goes mostly quiet, save for the occasional snore, as Boons tip-toes to carry his brother to their room. A tender smile is shown on his face as he softly hums a lullaby. 

The song was one that was traditionally taught to brown hair (or brownish), left-handed and/or simply brave kids when they were young. Pip's a blondie, and as for Boons, underneath the rainbow colors, his hair roots are actually bright yellow. However, both brothers are born left-handed. The Song of the Connector (though, it goes by many names) is a simple melody, but as Boons hums, he incoporates his own bassline, quietly adding onto the song without noticing it.

"Sweet dreams Pip." Boons whispers when he tucks his brother into bed.

—     —     — CHAPTER BREAK

It's a beautiful summer afternoon, perfect day for three friends to take a very specific bus to a very specific place downtown.

"Just so we're clear, we are all going right?" Ton hurdles his friends inside his messy room. Pip nods and Track replies with an enthusiastic 'toot toot'.

"Pip, don't tell your brother we're going, or else he'll kick us out."

"Yes, captain!" Pip says loudly.

"Track, do not ask strangers to play bass for us, and do not blow your flute randomly at people."

Track answers by blowing loudly into his panflutes, which startles everyone in the room.

"Oi! What did I just say?"

"Yes, captain." Track laughs. "Promise."

"Aryll, you coming?" 

"Hmm… No- I want to play games today." Aryll says from the upper bunk bed.

"Okay! My Grandma closes the store at 5pm, and we can go then, but I have to ask first. Granny??"

His Grandma yells back an affirming "Hmm?"

"We're going to the coffee shop downtown later!"

Granny audibly nods, then yells using her granny chord, "Why are you going to the coffee shop?"

"Open mic! We're gonna play out!"

"Oh! Have fun! Be back before 8! And keep your phone on okay!"

— —

"Aren't you a little too old to be asking questions?" Boons squints with his bright blue eyes at the man towering over the coffee shop counter. 

"Look kiddo, you just seem like a liability."

"Well you seem like you're trying to steal money." Boons says, as he lifts the man's arm further from the cashier. "So how about this, I will do my job, and you tell me whether you want chocolate, or vanilla?"

The man squints back at him. 

"Chocolate."

Boons drops the previously aggressive face and gives the man one wide, over the top smile. "That is wonderful sir! Thank you for being our lovely patron!"

Once the man has turned away, Boons immediately drops the smile and points a rude gesture at him right behind the counter.

"My child, if that man turns around, I might have to fire you." says Mama, the manager of the cafe.

"It's not my fault- For some reason, this job brings out the worst in me." Boons says.

"He isn't wrong you know." she says, "you ARE a liability. You're working for who knows how long at a different place before coming here, then work another three hours here, the mayor will make me explain if she finds out, also, what would your father say-"

"Eughhhhhhhhhhh." 

"You're not supposed to be rude to me young man," Mama says calmly and gestures at Boons' backpack, "how about you go home early." 

"You're not going to slip in extra pay for me. Besides, you need me for the show later. I'm staying."

"You're going." Mama says, a bit more stern this time, and takes his backpack then pulls him out to the backdoor. "Shoo!"

"You're not my mom-" Boons says, but shakes his head from the thought. Walking out reluctantly, he checks what's in his bag. Everything is in there at least, his phone, pills, the charger, water bottle, his clothes... hold on-

Boons looks down and sees that he's still in his orange uniform. And his clothes aren't in his backpack.

"Mama! Can I at least-"

"No kid, go home."

"You don't understand! I-"

"Shoo!"

The door is locked. Boons tries to walk to the front but is met with Mama's angry eyes. A quiet sigh leaves his breath as he mentally groans. He does not want to go home in this set of clothes. 

– Pip? Where are you?

– y

– Hi Track. I need clothes.

– were at Tons house

– Can I come?

– need a bassidt

– For the last time, Track. No. 

– i can give you shirt if you help us play out for open mic 

– What?

– yes no its simple

– In exchange for a shirt??

– hiiiiiiiiiiiiii boonie!! please be our bassist! 

– Pip, no! It's a school night! Stay on the phone, I have multiple questions.

– pkease we will give you a shirt

– Track, hand the phone back to Pip.

(previous message deleted)

(previous message deleted)

(previous message deleted)

(previous message deleted)

(previous message deleted)

(previous message deleted)

– hi Boons, in case you don't know I am Ton - we are not going anywhere, nor are we doing anything that might worry you. ok bye

(pipsqueak is currently offline)

It's half past five. Standing under the bus stop roof, Boons looks up all the possible open mic shows in the area. 

"Why are these kids so.. courageous?" Boons mumbles. "The Two-M Bar is too far away, probably not that. Hateno F; wouldn't let these kids in. Mama's Cafe has a show in 30 minutes…"

Oh. No. Boons sprints back to his workplace.

— —

"Mama? Mama please let me in!" Boons yells as he knocks on the backdoor to no avail.  A quick look into the peephole shows that one of the delivery guys is within earshot.  Around his age, also a leftie AND has the same legal name as him, green uniform, and the guy's also currently wearing an old moon theme hoodie. He knows this particular delivery guy.

With his blue eyes Boons shots a death glare towards him. "Din-DAMMIT Snails you can *clearly* hear me from there!*

Snails, while putting food into his delivery bag, pretends to look up to the ceiling and loudly announces, "Huh, I heard someone call my not-name. Must've been the wind."

"Snails!!" 

"Oh hi Boons!" Snails turns to the door with the wildest grin.

"Let. Me. In. Please?"

"Uh.. I really can't. Mama says she doesn't want you to go in and tamper with her schedule again. I'd ask what happened but I'd rather not let you bite my head off right now."

Boons groans. "If I say this isn't work related would you let me in?"

Snails is this close to opening the door, but stops right before he touches the handle. "If it's not work related, why not use the front door?"

Three seconds of realization. Boons dashes towards the front door. Through the crowd, he sees Mama's sitting at the front desk, and the moment she sees him, she sends him a murderous look.

Boons runs back.

"Snails, I can't use the front door. What are you doing anyway?"

"Leftover cake. What about you?"

"My brother and his friends are trying to participate in the open mic show."

"And?"

"Well, I have to stop them!"

"Why?"

No one has asked him that before. Boons suddenly can't answer the simple question. He fidgets the purple strands of his hair, trying to find a logical answer to his actions. But the only thing that came out was jumbled up thoughts.

"Do they suck?" Snails asks, a bit more softly this time. 

"Well.. it's a school night!" Boons says, twirling the purple strands of his hair.

"Boons, it's currently summer vacation."

No. Really. Why did he react so strongly to them playing out? 

He keeps thinking, thinking, thinking, thinking. The purple strands get stuck to his hand as he keeps twirling them.

What is he feeling right now? Happy? Sad? Angry? No none of these are correct. Why can't they play? He played upstage at least a few times, so why can't the kids?

.

.

.

Why….?

.

.

.

Snails, after not hearing Boons for a while, opens the door to check on him. 

The sudden sound breaks his spiraling trail of thought, and Boons figures out what he was really feeling. "They remind me of myself when I still play out. I sucked. Th-The audience was mean. I don't want them to.."

Snails looks at Boons with eyes full of empathy. 

"I currently don't have the right words to describe my thoughts right now. But... I want them to play, but what if they fail, but it was my fault that *we* failed, but I also want to be there for them and…" Boons groans as tears pour down his face.  

"Backpat?" Snails shyly offers a hand.

Boons moves Snail's hand off. "Ew, no."

"Alright. But knowing the crowd that frequents this cafe, they wouldn't mind. Might even call it 'experimental' or something."

Boons wipes tears from his eyes and with that hand he rubs his head, making all the colors blend together. "Knowing that doesn't help. What am I going to do, Snails.. Just looking makes me nervous but not looking feels bad.." 

Boons turns and sees Snails shrugging. "Sorry I can't help you, Boons."

"Oh, sorry for crying in front of you." Boons tries his best to completely wipe his tears. "It's just that you happen to be here and-"

"No no- don't feel bad about it." Snails gives him a thumbs up. "I don't mind."

The moon shines bright, illuminating the dark dumpster alley behind the cafe. Music from the front echoes around them, as well as the muffled sounds from someone singing through a microphone. Boons can't hear any of the kid's voices, so it's probably not their turn yet.

Snails taps on Boons to draw his attention. "You know, there's a third option. Other than looking and not looking, why not just… play with them?"

Boons' heart skips a beat and his body feels like it's being squeezed. But… going out there means that he can help the kids, in a way… on the other hand-

"From that expression, I'm guessing stage fright." Snails offers out an arm so that Boons can steady himself. "Well, if you can't choose, can I  go out there and see? If anyone makes fun of your brother-"

"You said one time that you have a lot of instruments, right?" Boons asks as he combs back the green hair on his bangs. "Can I have your bass?"

— —

After clearing a few misunderstandings with Mama, Boons hides himself near the cashier which convieniently acts as a "backstage". He doesn't know what to say if he meets the kids directly. But once he catchest sight of them, they are having wide smiles, sitting near the stage, eagerly waiting for their turn.

It feels nostalgic, and part of him hates it, but another part of him misses it.

It took forever for the bass to come. Luckily, Snails gets back with the instrument right when the kids are introducing themselves. But he regrets asking for Snails' bass specifically.

"This is a left-handed bass." Boons says. "I can't-"

"Well, I only have one, and you're supposed to be left-handed anyways." Snails shrugs, wears the strap onto Boons, and before Boons could change which side the fretboard is, Snails pushes him onstage. "The bass is already tuned, do whatever! The world is yours."

"Bass!" Track cheers when the kid sees him. 

"Why?" Ton looks at him confused.

Boons awkwardly smiles, but he does not dare to face the crowd. He figures out where to plug the instrument in. "I.. come to help? What are you guys playing?" he mouths.

"Don't worry, you know this song." Pip whispers back. His little brother is barely reaching the drums.

Track yells into the microphone. "WE ARE TUNED DRINKS! WE'LL PLAY A COVER OF A SONG  FROM A BAND CALLED MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS." 

Pip hits the cymbals- 1! 2! 3! 4! - and Boons has to listen to what Ton plays to figure out what song it is.

Boons takes a second to realize that playing this bass is not that different from playing right-sided. No, it's actually better. Playing feels just like doing magic and you can write your own spells.

For once, plucking the strings doesn't feel like Boons is fighting his own fingers. Before that, playing the instrument wasn't necessarily hard, but it wasn't easy either. 

The left-handed bass is basically mirrored so the strings order stays the same, and has extra fret access if pressed with the right hand. He has to improvise a few parts since he isn't used to pressing the fretboard with his right. But as Boons plays, he thinks he's going to flip his own bass, and fret access be damned, he doesn't want to throw hands with his instrument any more.

Boons turns to look at his brother and the kid looks happy. His playing has improved since he was 12 years old and while occassionally he fumbles at the rhythm, his timekeeping is suprisingly well. Track plays the pan flute instead of singing at a few parts, and it gives the song a different flair than how other cover bands do it. Ton carries the melody perfectly, and just by listening to the kids Boons easily bounces off them to play the bassline. He used to be the best "bass guy, can play with any group"- person there was, after all.

Boons still isn't facing the general crowd, but he positioned himself just enough to see Snails behind the cashier. Boons gets distracted for a bit and muscle memory makes him move his left hand to press the notes, and he sees Snails chuckle.

Boons can't turn to the people watching him, but looking at the kids (and the new friend he probably just made), along with the freeing feeling the new bass feels, Boons forgets everything that made him nervous.

And like his hair, he's coloring the hopes he has for the future.

[simpofwaterdeep]

Nothing wrong with anyone's modern AU fics where there's no magic but y'all gotta remember something about Gale. This man's whole characteristic is that he is a big magic expert. He will tell you straight up you're not versed in magic because he's that sure of himself as a magic expert. You can all make him as sophisticated and bookworm and sexy and professor like as possible and give him something else he's an expert on all you want but you're missing an opportunity.

Make that man a closeted magic the gathering and d&d nerd who insists that wizards are the superior class. Make him get heated during a game. Make him so competitive and closeted about his passion for d&d and magic the gathering that he profusely struggles internally trying to keep his graceful composure professor persona in front of students arguing over the best spells and classes in D&D.

[aethon-recs]

This Week (x3) in Tomarrymort (22 April – 17 May 2025)

Some lovely fics completed over the last few weeks. Added some thoughts below on why I highly recommend checking them out! 

Splitting this post up into 2 parts because it got so long. Sorry, I know I said I would not let this get to 4 weeks again between posts (or 3.5 weeks in this case...), but I lagged for a bit, and the updates burning a hole in my inbox piled up 😭 So on the the one hand, I apologize that it's in 2 parts, but on the other hand, isn't it so amazing what our ship produced in just over 3 weeks? 🤗🥰🤍

*

Tomarrymort Completed Must Reads 

⭐ you speak of the devil (like he's not your friend) by @amuria (M, 137k, complete)

Harry finds a Horcrux the summer before his sixth year. A deal is struck. (Or, when Harry wakes a seventeen-year-old Tom Riddle from the Gaunt's Ring, it is to a world where his future self has achieved none of their goals except one. Harry is proof that he's a great wizard after all.)

Why you should read it: This is a snappy, fast-paced, and super fun longfic featuring Harry and one of the horcruxes (the Ring horcrux in this case) teaming up to hunt down the other horcruxes. Harry’s snark had me laughing out loud in literally every chapter, and I love fics featuring Tom in Harry’s time. I can definitely see this fic becoming one of the classics of the ship. 

⭐ paint your eyes with sunsets by @boyneptunee (T, 7k, complete)

Tom Riddle moves to a new building. Harry Potter is his new neighbour. That's it, that's the story. Or: Modern!Au where Tom moves to a new apartment building where he more or less gets himself a boyfriend and a family. Oh, and there's also a cat. OR: A stray cat gets adopted by an entire building. Chaos ensues.

Why you should read it: Humorous modern AU with adorable slice-of-life scenes between Harry and Tom and their adopted cat. 

⭐ Hogwarts Valley by @aitafrog @chaos-bear @cindle-writes @curioushabitforarivergod @known-concepts Lytri @take-the-unknow-road-now @toast-ranger-to-a-stranger @tommarvoloriddlesdiary @valkyrie-chemist (M, 17k, complete)

Hogwarts Valley— a cozy life-sim where players rebuild a magical village, befriend quirky townsfolk, and maybe even find true love. You’ve just started getting into the game, and like all hyper fixations, it’s taken you to tumblr dot com—but what’s this? A post catches your eye; you don’t remember a “forest beast” in your play-through… but now that they mention it, one of your favorite characters, Harry Potter, has been acting a little odd. Maybe you can figure out why?

Why you should read it: This is one of the most creative pieces of meta I’ve ever seen in the Tomarry ship. It’s less a traditional fic, per se, and more a social media commentary/collage, comprised of creatively formatted posts about a Hogwarts-meets-Stardew-Valley style game, with a Harrymort love story at its center 🤍 If you’ve ever played Stardew Valley or dreamed about romancing a farmer like Harry, you need to run to read this!

*

Tomarrymort One-Shot Must Reads 

One Shot | growing pains by @curioushabitforarivergod

One Shot | An Alley & Anal by @known-concepts

One Shot | The Thing Is by @chaos-bear

One Shot | A wild ride by @sri-verse

One Shot | boys will be boys by @cindle-writes

One Shot | anchor by @1300marshall

One Shot | ... I can explain by @l-archiduchesse

One Shot | Small white flowers by @chaos-bear

One Shot | with a slip of the moon in his hair (nerves) by @curioushabitforarivergod

One Shot | Die Alive by @katsitting

One Shot | wrong cauldron by @cindle-writes

One Shot | Love You to Death (Just Like a Fool) by @allthesmilesxo

*

(continued in Part 2...)

[nightdaughtcr]

Meet modern AU Lan.fear/Mierin. She often dresses like this or has her very long hair loose.

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

June 30th

~*~

1. Hi! I’m looking for a fic I read a long time ago. I don’t remember a lot, but WWX was badly injured by Madam Yu, and he ends up in the Cloud Recesses. (I think maybe he was arranged to be married to LWJ, but I might be getting mixed up with another story.) The bit I remember is the Wens attack but can’t get through the wards that WWX updated. There is fighting outside the gates and WWX, who is still not fully recovered, sees that LWJ is about to be hurt and jumps down from the wall or sends a talisman that kills everyone around him maybe? I can’t remember exactly, just that he freaks out and sees red and a bunch of Wens are slaughtered (pretty sure Wen Xu among them). Anyway, I hope that’s enough for someone to recognize the story. I’d love to read it again. Thanks for all your hard work!

FOUND? 🧡 To have and to hold by Moominmammashandbag (M, 78k, WangXian, JFM & YZY, JYL/NMJ, Canon Divergence, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Major character injury, CQL verse, Happy Ending) I agree, there's no arranged marriage but LWJ uses the cold pond incident from CQL to claim they are already married. This is the fic with the bad exploding talisman. // it isn't an arranged marriage it is that Lan Zhan married them in the cold spring

FOUND? so i cut the shackles and changed my name by MichelleFeather (T, 45k, WangXian, LQR & LWJ, LQR & CSSR, LQR & WWX, CSSR/WCZ, WWX & Lan Clan, WIP, WWX Leaves the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, WWX is a Lan, Good Uncle LQR, Supportive LQR, Protective LQR, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, JFM & YZY Bashing, Jiang Family Bashing, Abusive Jiang Family, Running Away, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Hurt WWX, Genius WWX, No Sunshot Campaign, Gusu Lan Sect Rules, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Cultivation Sect Politics, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Canon Divergence, Protective Gusu Lan Sect, WRH isn't a power hungry tyrant - mostly, BSSR is WWX's Grandparent, JGS Being JGS, Warning: JGS)

~*~

2. Hello! For fic finder please: it was an organised crime AU, modern day or 20th century, and LWJ was the enforcer for the Lans, hyper competent and cold

I think fairly long? The Jiangs were another crime family, Yanli was very highly respected but she never told her brothers what exactly she had done to earn her place @chalionkat

Thanks but I don't think so, it wasn't ABO

But thanks for trying!

NOT FOUND! haven't read this one but the description sounds like 🔒🧡 Rule Number One: Never get attached. by KizuKatana (E, 130k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O, Criminal underworld AU, Fluff and angst, Crime boss LWJ, Rouge criminal genius WWX, Explicit Sex)

FOUND? It's possible that #2 is Empire of Dirt by Fireawayy, but it is no longer up on AO3

FOUND?🔒Words are Gonna Bleed from Me by GravityWinsAgain (E, 183k, WIP, WangXian, SongXiao, 3Zun, XuanLi, QingMian, Triad AU, Blood and Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, i'm not going to tag all of the sex but there will be warnings in the notes, and all of it is skippable as needed, Modern with Magic, Dark Magic, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, Murder Husbands, POV WWX, Organized Crime, lovers to enemies to estranged lovers and back to lovers, Angst, BDSM Switch LWJ/BDSM Switch WWX, Ghosts, Body Horror, Temporary Character Death)

~*~

3. A modern fic where lwj got drunk and have sex with wwx but after the drunken night he starts avoiding wwx because he thought he takes advantage of him and wwx gets pregnant and Jiang got to know about this and threw him out of house, he goes to thinking this is the last time he will try to talk to him and to tell lwj that he is pregnant with his child but lwj doesn't listen and send his brother to lie for him that he is not well but wwx caught the lie and thought he is avoiding him so he leave t

FOUND?🔒 Unexpected (Found) Family by tired_laoshi (M, 18k, WIP, WangXian, LQR & WWX, Modern AU, Misunderstandings, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Rape/Non-con Elements, Mpreg, Underage Pregnancy, Single Parent WWX, Good Uncle LQR, Found Family, Jiang Family Bashing, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Canon-Typical Behavior, Protective LXC, Angst with a Happy Ending)

~*~

4. Hi wangxianficfinder !! I'm looking for a fic that had a very intricate system of folklore and Wei Ying was Finnish (?? I think) and he was taking care of Wen Yuan. Lan Wangji was sent by (i forgot who) to check on the dynamic of their house (??) and ends up staying for a long time and eventually battling some monster with Wei Ying, who uses his (LWJ) back as a guqin to win. Thankss <3 (I also remember something about catholicism being involved)

FOUND? Howling by MimiSpearmint (E, 40k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Mortal Instruments Fusion, Horror, Eldritch, Domestic Fluff, Single Parent WWX,   Witchcraft, Getting Together, shifter!lwj, yllz!wwx, Intercrural Sex, Hand Jobs, Angst with a Happy Ending, Switch WangXian, a bit of a degradation kink, anti-STI sex talismans, Anal Sex, Oral Sex) sounds vaguely like Howling which takes place in Ireland, though, instead of Finland.

~*~

5. Hi! For the fic finder, I read someone's comment on a tiktok just now that got me really interested!

It was a canon divergent I think, they only said that instead of WWX, JWY is the one thrown in the burial mounds without a core, but fails to cultivate resentfull energy and the ghost path, so WWX is still the main force in the war, just with tradicional cultivation.

~*~

6. hi!!! thank you guys so much for all you do! i was wondering if you could help me find a fic! it was a canon compliant fic of the sun shot campaign but wy was a mermaid. i think lz found out during the cold pool cave? if wy doesn’t transform every so often his scales start to push out of his skin which happened during the wen lecture (i think wq knew about wy)

~*~

7. hiii this is for fic finder. i found this ss in my gallery, all ik is thay wen wing says this about wwx, maaaybe to lwj

"In my defense, I was expecting someone much older and visibly demonic, not a friendly shop cat in human form metaphorically twining around my ankles." @bunnycoffeeumcat

~*~

8. Hi! Thanks for your help the last time. Now I'm looking again for a FanFiction. CQL POST CANON.

After Wei Ying's departure to travel the world, he and Lan Zhan maintained a correspondence through letters. One day, however, Lan Zhan received no letter, prompting him to embark on a search for Wei Ying. He found Wei Ying gravely injured and near death within a cave, the victim of an attack by a monstrous creature resembling a half-dog. Remarkably, Wei Ying had stitched his own wounds using the yarn Lan Zhan had provided. @lu-wanji

FOUND? the soft animal of your body by howodd5ever (M, 21k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Getting Together, Episode 50, CQL canon, WWX has feelings about having a body, sort of a case fic, a little bit of epistolary goodness, graphic descriptions of wounds, Feelings About Death, wwx gets seriously injured, Art Embedded, wound-tending as an act of love, Bathing/Washing, Sharing a Bed, Finding home)

~*~

9. Hi awesome mods, Looking for a fic inspired by a cobaltmoony art where there is a tentacle monster and Lan Wangji. Something about him being a sacrifice is all I remember

FOUND? Down there in Cold Pond Cave by cobaltmoony (E, 22, WangXian, Tentacle Monsters, Tentacle Sex, Tentacle Dick, Porn, Double Penetration, not that you can see if from this angle but Its implied, Bottom LWJ, Voyeurism, in this case its just an accident, Spitroasting, Stomach Bulge, Unrealistic Sex, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Fan Art)

~*~

10. Im looking for a fic on ao3 where cloud recesses arc Wei Wuxian somehow experienced lan Zhans incense burner dream which pushes him to realise his feelings much much quicker and get engaged to lan zhan, i think it had the supportive lan qiren tag on it but i dont remember much else

Thank you in advance! @eyalsfantasy

FOUND! 🧡 Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 947k, WangXian, WIP, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Getting Together, Supportive LQR, Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It of Sorts, Supportive LXC, Canon Divergence, Inventor WWX, Possessive LWJ, Cultivation Sect Politics, Pre-Sunshot Campaign, Fluff and Smut, Burning of the Cloud Recesses, Fall of Lotus Pier, Angst, Sunshot Campaign Not JFM Friendly)

~*~

11. for ff: I lost a modern era fic where immortal lwj and some others rescue a reincarnated wwx from a room/building he's been locked into by some well-meaning people; possibly they run the orphanage. wwx was trying to contact lwj and everyone thought he was crazy since he's just some random teen and hgj is a big deal cultivator. I don't remember anything else just a big dramatic scene and I think someone flew through a window at one point. thanks 💙

FOUND? find me in the future by antebunny (G, 7k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Soulmates, Immortality, Reincarnation, Found Family, vague historical descriptions, this is simultaneously, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Post-Canon)

~*~

12. i'd like to try looking again for a fic i couldn't find a few years ago 🙏🏽

it's a fic where lwj thinks that wwx’s prank with the porn book is specifically making fun of him for being a cutsleeve (wwx of course didn’t know)

i think lwj kicks wwx out from the library first and he deals with his hurt alone about being subject to homophobia, then the hurt carries for a while and during his confronting wwx about it…

(it's not 'don't close your eyes' by howodd5ever) thank you !!!

~*~

13. I need help to find a lost fic. in it the juniors used an array to make a portal through time to grab wwx as he fell from the cliff at nightless city. they succeed but wind up having to swim out of a lake because something about the array turned the mountaintop they were on into a lake. I think the plan was sizhui's idea.

FOUND? Would You Come Home? by s6115 (Not rated, 46k, WangXian, Junior Quartet Centric, Time Travel Fix-It, Canon Divergence, Junior Quartet Dynamics)

~*~

14. Hello and thank you for your hard work!!! I read this one a long time ago and I had searched my bookmarks but to no avail I couldn't find it. It's a Canon Divergence one, I don't remember if WWX separates from the Jiang Sect or if he didn't go there at all but the only thing I remember it's that later on a inn in Yiling or Qishan WWX finds a letter that his parents left for him that says that he shouldn't go to the Jiang Sect. That's all I remember, you'll have my thank if you could find it!!

NOT FOUND! so i cut the shackles and changed my name by MichelleFeather (T, 45k, WangXian, LQR & LWJ, LQR & CSSR, LQR & WWX, CSSR/WCZ, WWX & Lan Clan, WIP, WWX Leaves the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, WWX is a Lan, Good Uncle LQR, Supportive LQR, Protective LQR, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, JFM & YZY Bashing, Jiang Family Bashing, Abusive Jiang Family, Running Away, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Hurt WWX, Genius WWX, No Sunshot Campaign, Gusu Lan Sect Rules, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Cultivation Sect Politics, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Canon Divergence, Protective Gusu Lan Sect, WRH isn't a power hungry tyrant - mostly, BSSR is WWX's Grandparent, JGS Being JGS, Warning: JGS)

FOUND! Dispersing Clouds by dreamingofcake (E, 283k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Not Jiang Family Friendly, Abusive YZY, Canonical Child Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Eventual Sex, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm (Background Character), Background Character Deaths, child deaths, Canon JC, Good Uncle LQR, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Cultivation Sect Politics, Homophobia, Heteronormativity, Feelings Realization, WWX is Not Oblivious)

~*~

15. hi! not sure if my fic finder request ask got eaten by Tumblr but if so just wanted to send another one if that's ok! thank you!

I can't find this longer one shot (~20k words) I read a few years ago featuring wei ying, wen qing, and wen ning, and it was about wei ying running away and living alone feeling guilty with a leg injury after a car crash with him, jc, and yl inside a car. I remember he met wen qing at a supermarket where he worked and he and wen qing were arguing about him not getting physical therapy for his leg and the fic ended on a hopeful note where he was taking care of plants and thinking about contacting his siblings (and lan zhan)

FOUND?🔒take yourself home by ribena (M, 26k, WangXian, Modern AU, lwj hosts a radio show, wwx is a plant dad, Depression, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicidal Ideation, Friends to Lovers, Some pining, Taking the long way home, Happy Ending, Soft) is (I think!) ribena's fic that is back on Ao3!!

~*~

16. hi! I'm looking for two fics. I believe there is a time travel aspect for both. A) the first, wwx ends up making a deal with the emperor for land by his borders by repairing a barrier that WRH had found a hole in and was attacking them. He uses this land to create a village and sect that is protected. He even sections off a section in the mountain for him and lwj to have a home away from it all.

B) there is also another fic I’m trying to find where I think he finds ancient buildings in a different part of the burial mounds. I think it was like ancient pagodas with detailed markings. He raises the dead to keep creating more structures, tilling fields, etc. It had been cleansed by WWX and basically glowed. Wen Qing and Wen Ning are also there and scramble down with WWX to find the magistrate of Yiling and claim the Burial Mounds (now cleansed and immortal lands) for themselves before the sects notice. I remember there was an aspect where after the war, the Jin were slowly making it to where all trade would be forced to go through them with exorbitant costs to protect from “bandits.” WWX had protected the burial mounds territory and surrounding areas during the war, so he wasn't struggling financially. As such, he created a trade deal with QHN so they could use the routes and protections without the fees. @iznaluvr

16A)

FOUND! Chronicles of Sect Leader Wei Wuxian by Muggle_Diary (E, 114k,WangXian, XuanLi, JFM/YZY, CSSR/WCZ, LXC/LQY, NMJ/QS, WQ/OC, OFC/ OFC, JC/ OFC, Sect Leader WWX, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Different First Meeting, Canon Divergence, Minor Character Death, Anal Sex, Top LWJ/Bottom WWX, Sex Toys, Explicit Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Rough Sex, Child Abuse, Child Death, War Hero WWX, Sunshot Campaign, No Golden Core Transfer, WWX Leaves the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, Cultivation Sect Politics, Wen Remnants Live, Abusive YZY, Abusive Jiang Family, Bad Parents JFM and YZY, JC Bashing, JFM and YZY Bashing, Yunmeng Jiang Sect Bashing, JYL and JZX Live, Jiang Family Bashing) I think 16A might be Chronicles of Sect Leader Wei Wuxian, although it isn't a time travel story. // yes, i was thinking about that story too

NOT FOUND!🔒Building it back, stone by stone and seal by seal by KizuKatana (M, 134k, WangXian, WWX & Wen Remnants, WWX & Wen Siblings, canon-divergent, post cultivation war, nobody won, WWX starts out alone as a fugitive lone cultivator, then finds a home, then finds a family, not a reincarnation fic, just alternate reality where not everyone who was in original canon existed during the war, starting the cultivation world over from scratch, Found Family, Comfort fic, carving out a new safe home, First Time) although it's not time travel. It's also an OUTSTANDING story, so even if it's not the right one I highly recommend it.

16B)

FOUND!🔒From a Single Plank Bridge to Celestial Ascension: Immortal Wei Sanren by Loli (Lohi_loli) (E, 85k, WangXian, MM/WQ, WN & WQ, Jiang Family & OCs, Lan Family & WWX, WIP, Time Travel Fix-It, Rebirth, Immortality, Jiang Family Bashing, LXC BashingFix-It of SortsBottom Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Top Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian

~*~

17. hello! I want to find this one fic that's basically a butterfly effect(?). nhs fails in resurrecting wwx and mxy dies in vain. then sizhui and jingyi dies at the mo village arc bc wwx isn't there and lwj was too late to save them (i remember lwj also commits su*cide later after the events). jin ling also dies during the dafan mountain and jc apparently also died when wen ning rips out his golden core because wen ning's state of mind is still at that time where wwx was about to give his golden core to jc and wen ning didn't recognize jc during this part. after this, there were the other chapters where wwx basically didn't exist. jc has a second shidi in these chapters who died later on after the fall of lotus pier while he and jc were on the run and i think jc started victim-blaming his dead shidi. lwj and jzx were also beaten up at the xuanwu of slaughter cave here. then on the other chapters were from that second shidi's pov, he practically watches wwx's life story and stuff. i haven't finished the fic and i really wanted to read it again, if you could find it. thank you so much!

FOUND? If Wei Wuxian Did Not Exist by Anonymous (Not Rated, 191k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, what if, Character Death, KARMA and Retribution, Time Travel, Or actually Time Rewind?, Not for jc stans)

~*~

18. A) where lwj is an immortal in modern au waiting for his husband to reincarnate, then he finds him, as a camboy B) Where lwj is ceo/rich/sugar daddy to amnesiac wwx and wwx thinks he's only a replacement for someone else, not knowing that someone is himself C) wwx had been sugar baby to many men, till he meets lwj, and he worries about if he finds out about other sugar daddies which he only go out with no sex or anything, for money to help his siblings and pay the bills

18A)

FOUND? 🧡 All Old Things are New Again by The Feels Whale (miscellea) (M, 51k, WangXian, Reincarnation, Modern AU, canon still happened, extreme post canon, Sugar Daddy, Kink Negotiation, gentle dom!LWJ, canonical levels of consent play, Modern Cultivators, cultivators can recognize important people from previous lives, vaguely, this started out as a cute sugar fantasy and got just incredibly horny very fast, blame LWJ)

18B)

FOUND? 🔒 Snow by kuro (M, 38k, WangXian, Modern, Snow, Sick Character, Caretaking, Fluff, Sugar Daddy, only they’re like… bad at it, Angst, Rabbits, Food, Sexy Times, occasionally)

~*~

19. Hey! Thanks for all the wonderful work you do! I need some help looking for a fic which I read some time ago but now can't seem to find again. As far as I remember, the premise was that, after SSC, some Lan disciples overhear JC threatening WWX in some manner and that somehow turns into the rumor of JC abusing WWX and everyone getting quite protective of WWX by the end, most notably LWJ but I think NHS also got quite involved. I'd really appreciate the help finding this fic again! Thx!

FOUND? 🔒 chapter 15 from short prompts by Vrishchika

~*~

20. Hi there! I'm looking for a long(ish?) fic I read on AO3 probably over a year ago. It's a modern AU, and LWJ and WWX meet (or meet again?) and start hooking up, with WWX giving off 'wild, experienced, and carefree vibes' (possibly he was a virgin going into this, or at least very inexperienced and lying about it). After a few hot hookups, he gets an emergency call of some sort and has to come clean that he's actually an overworked single dad who doesn't have time for dating and can't keep up with the wild sex lifestyle no matter how much he wants to. LWJ ends up meeting A-Yuan and of course instantly is like "This is my future son, when can we get married?'... and then takes the rest of the fic to actually say that out loud. Can anyone help? I've been searching through my bookmarked fics for a few days and can't find it using the obvious tags and summary skimming. I hope it wasn't deleted! @alychelms

FOUND! Time Signature by lettered (E, 95k, WangXian, Pining while having sex, Protected Sex, Oral Sex, Anal Fingering, Feminizing Language, wwx uses slang for female anatomy to describe his own anatomy, Dirty Talk, Anal Sex, Frotting, over-stimulation, Modern AU, Unprotected Sex, Barebacking, Barebacking kink, Breeding Kink, WWX doesn't take safe words seriously, joking consensual non-consent, Come Swapping, Phone Sex, Virginity Kink, Creampie, Rimming, Felching, Under-negotiated Kink, Spanking, Masochism, Light Bondage, Gags, marriage kink, Kink Negotiation, Consensual Non-Consent, wwx refers to himself as a girl, does not explore wwx's gender issues, lwj states a preference for men, cuckolding fantasy without any cuckolding, Mention of Past Abuse, Sadism, Biting that draws blood, scratching that draws blood, brief internalized homophobia, 🔒[Podfic] "Time Signature" by lettered by raitala)

~*~

[writingsoftarnishedsilver]

Weaponized | Sebastian Sallow x Reader

Part One

Next Chapter →

As a Warden, you're one of Canada’s elite magical enforcers, sent to the British Ministry for tactical support. You were trained to be a weapon. Obedient, lethal, unfeeling. But from the moment you arrive, it’s clear you’re not welcome. Your squad resents you. Your every move is ridiculed and critiqued. And then there’s your lieutenant, Sebastian Sallow: arrogant, sharp-tongued, and annoyingly attractive for someone so insufferable.

He thinks you're dangerous. You think he's arrogant. And unfortunately, you're stuck working together.

But as a string of failed missions, smuggled artifacts, and suspiciously redacted files begin to point to a buried conspiracy within the Ministry itself, you realize your presence here was never about support. And somewhere between hostile standoffs, late-night confessions, and one very smuggled cat… something between you and Sebastian changes.

He wasn’t supposed to care. You weren’t supposed to let him in. But now you're both in too deep, and if the truth doesn’t destroy you, the feelings just might.

Tags/Warnings: Violence, Trauma, No Hogwarts House, Post Hogwarts, Auror!Sebastian, Auror!MC, Modern AU, Female Reader Insert, Enemies to Lovers, Slow Burn, Forced Proximity, Ancient Magic, Mutual Pining, Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Betrayal, Reconciliation, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Divergent

Beta: @dreamy-gal-30 <3<3<3

Auror Division Headquarters – London

The mess hall was subdued, the usual din of conversation dampened by the weight of what had happened last mission.

Sebastian Sallow sat at his usual spot, a half-eaten meal in front of him, his paperwork scattered across the table. He should have been focusing on his report, but the words blurred together, drowned out by the relentless pounding in his skull.

Across from him, Ominis Gaunt, the most skilled Cursebreaker stationed at the London Auror base, was eating methodically, his quill set neatly beside his own unfinished report. To his right, Garreth Weasley, one of Sebastian's fellow Auror Lieutenants, was shoving forkfuls of meat pie into his mouth.

Sebastian rubbed at his temple, jaw tight. It should have been a routine operation. A simple sweep. The kind of mission he could do in his sleep. Instead, his squad walked into a trap. The smugglers had been far more prepared than expected, and three of his teammates were in the infirmary. If the enemy had been any stronger, or if Sebastian and his team had been just a little slower, a little less lucky…

He exhaled sharply. No use in going down that road. The last thing they needed was to second-guess themselves. And yet—

“—getting a Warden?”

Sebastian’s head snapped up.

Across the mess hall, a group of Auror Officers sat hunched together, speaking in hushed but anxious voices.

Sebastian wasn’t the only one who noticed.

Ominis’s fork hovered mid-air, his brow furrowing slightly. Garreth set his meal aside.

The three men exchanged looks. Warden. That was not a word thrown around lightly.

Sebastian straightened slightly, listening.

“Everyone’s talking about it, it has to be true,” one of the Officers was saying.

“Do you really think it’s necessary?” another asked, sounding uneasy.

Sebastian exhaled sharply, turning back to his table. “Do either of you know what they’re on about?”

Garreth wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and snorted. “Come on, Sallow. Surely you know what Wardens are.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes. Of course he did.

In the 21st century, the British Ministry’s Auror Division had evolved into something more akin to a military force than the old detective-policing unit it had once been. Magic had advanced, the world had changed, and with the rise of more sophisticated magical threats, they changed too. As a Lieutenant, it was Sebastian’s responsibility to be well-versed in the different types of combat-trained magic operatives from around the world, both allies and enemies.

In France, the Défense Enchantée were masters of political warfare and subterfuge, blending into the highest echelons of society to eliminate threats.

In Norway, the Skyggevakter were feared for their ability to track and neutralize dark wizards using Norse runes and enchantments.

In New Zealand, the Ngā Kaitiaki drew on the wisdom of Māori tohunga, making them unparalleled in dealing with magical creatures and curses tied to the land itself.

And then there were the Canadian Wardens.

Canada’s vast, untamed land made centralized magical enforcement all but impossible, and in response they formed the Wardens: solitary survivalists, relentless hunters, and master trackers who operated alone for weeks, even months, with no reinforcements. To even be considered for the rank, candidates were left in the wilderness with nothing but their magic and their instincts, expected to survive twelve months without aid.

Sebastian turned his attention back to the Officers. “Oi. Who, exactly, is ‘getting’ a Warden?”

The table of recruits tensed. One of them, Officer Evans, fresh out of training and a new member of Sebastian's troop, swallowed hard before answering. 

“One of our squads, apparently. It’s all over base, sir.”

Sebastian exchanged a glance with Garreth before scoffing. “According to who?”

Evans hesitated. “No one official. Just… talk going around, sir.”

Garreth rolled his eyes. “Right. Because the best way to learn about major personnel decisions is from a bunch of underpaid field officers and not, you know, from our actual superiors.”

Sebastian sighed. Garreth was right. If it were true, if the Ministry was actually sending a Warden to their division, why the hell was he hearing about it for the first time from his subordinates?

“Bloody ridiculous,” Sebastian muttered, rubbing at his temple. “And we don’t even need a Warden.”

Garreth nodded in agreement. “Seriously. We’re the fucking Auror Division, not some second-rate security force. We’ve been handling the smuggling cases ourselves from day one. If the Ministry thinks we’re too incompetent to manage our own investigations and needs to bring in an outsider to clean it up, maybe they should be taking a hard look at their own bloody leadership instead.”

Sebastian didn’t disagree. The last mission had been a disaster, yes, but not because of them. The British Aurors were the best of the best. They trained harder, fought smarter, and had proven time and time again that they were world class soldiers.

But they had been sent in blind.

The enemy was stronger than expected, their magic more sophisticated. If the Ministry had actually listened to their own operatives, to Sebastian, in getting more intel, maybe his teammates wouldn’t be in the infirmary.

But what did the Ministry do now? Instead of fixing their own failures, they brought in a foreigner and expected the entire base to just accept it? Sebastian scoffed. Fuck that.

Ominis sighed heavily. “Before you two work yourselves into a rage spiral,” he said, “let’s consider the implications. If the Ministry really has called in a Warden, then this situation must be worse than we thought.”

Sebastian shot him a look. “Oh, come on. You’re on board with this?”

Ominis exhaled slowly. “I’m just acknowledging the reality of the situation. If the Canadian Ministry actually agreed to send one of their own, it means the higher-ups think whatever we’re dealing with is beyond standard Auror capabilities.”

Sebastian clenched his jaw. Beyond our capabilities? Fucking ridiculous.

“I still don’t buy it," Garreth countered. "Wardens do things their own way, on their own bloody terms. When has the Ministry ever willingly worked with someone like that?”

Ominis shook his head. “Not often. Which tells me they don’t have a choice.”

Garreth let out a harsh breath, arms crossed. “No choice, my arse. This is political. The Ministry wants to look like they’re doing something so they bring in a foreigner with a fancy title to make it seem like we’ve got things under control.”

Ominis took a sip of tea. “Even if that’s the case, dismissing a foreign recruit before they’ve even arrived won’t do us any favors. Anyone who survives Warden training is not to be underestimated.”

Sebastian pushed his tray aside, his patience already wearing thin.

“I don’t care how well trained they are,” he said. “They don’t know our people, our protocols, our tactics. How the hell are we supposed to work with someone who doesn’t even operate under the same chain of command? And more importantly, who the hell are they being assigned to?”

Garreth hesitated, panic flickering across his face before he shot to his feet, his chair scraping against the floor.

“It better not be my team,” he muttered, already moving.

Sebastian blinked. “Garreth—”

“I’m going to find out,” The redhead snapped, striding toward the door.

Sebastian wasn’t about to be left in the dark. Grabbing his wand, he followed, his boots striking hard against the floor as he kept pace with his fellow lieutenant.

The walk to their Captain’s office wasn’t far, yet it stretched endlessly. Garreth muttered curses under his breath the entire way.

“I swear to Merlin if they’re sticking me with some overhyped foreigner who doesn’t even know how we operate—”

He didn’t finish the thought. The moment they reached the office door, Garreth shoved it open without knocking.

Auror Captain Catherine Hale didn't even up look up from her desk, the surface of which was cluttered with mission reports, clearance requests, and maps covered with notes. Her expression remained impassive as if completely unsurprised by their abrupt entrance.

“Whatever this is,” she said flatly, “it had better be important.”

Garreth didn’t hesitate. “Tell me it’s not my team.”

That got her attention.

Hale’s quill stilled against the parchment. Her gaze flickered up and Sebastian didn’t miss the way her expression shifted.

Garreth saw it too, and his entire posture changed. He exhaled loudly. “Oh, thank fuck. ”

Sebastian turned to Hale. “So it’s true?”

The Captain tapped her quill against her desk. “Yes. The Canadian Ministry has sent us a Warden,” she said crisply. “Assigned to your unit, Sallow. Effective immediately.”

Sebastian gritted his teeth.

“Why me?” he demanded. “If not Weasley, there are ten other squads you could assign them to. Why mine?”

Hale sighed as flipped through paperwork. “Because your unit is the most experienced.”

Sebastian scoffed. “Bullshit. If this was about experience, you’d have sent them to Ashford’s team.”

“Fine,” Hale sighed. “If you’re going to make me say it, your squad is the best we have.”

Sebastian didn’t so much as blink. That wasn’t news to him. He knew his unit was the best. Highly trained, disciplined, efficient. They worked like a well-oiled machine, and that was because he kept a tight leash on them. He expected perfection, and for the most part, they delivered. 

Hale continued, ignoring the annoyed look Garreth was giving her from the corner of the room. “Frankly, in her own jurisdiction, this Warden outranks every Auror we have on the Smuggler Case. Putting her anywhere else would be a logistical nightmare. So unless you want her marching around giving orders to every unit on this base, she needs to be placed somewhere she’ll be kept in check.”

Sebastian’s brain caught on a single word.

Her.

Sebastian's entire squad was men. That alone would make things more complicated, not to mention the fact that she technically outranked them.

Sebastian exhaled sharply through his nose, jaw ticking. “You could have warned me."

Hale arched a brow. “And what? Given you time to throw a tantrum about it before she even got here?”

Garreth snorted. “Honestly, Cap, I would have paid to see that.”

Sebastian shot him a withering glare. “Get fucked, Weasley.”

Garreth grinned.

Sebastian turned back to Hale. “Put her on another team.”

The Captain sighed. “You’re acting like you have a choice, Lieutenant. Let me be clear: you don’t.  This decision was made above my pay grade. You don’t have to like it. You just have to deal with it. And frankly, I don’t have time for whatever territorial pissing contest you’re working yourself up to anyway.”

Sebastian’s hands curled into fists. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew how these things worked. Politics. Optics. Bureaucracy. But this? Dropping some foreigner into his unit, some Ministry-sponsored operative who hadn’t bled with them, hadn’t earned their trust? It was a slap in the face.

“Whoever this recruit is, they don’t know our people,” Sebastian insisted. “They don't know our methods. And now I’m expected to just trust them?”

Hale’s expression didn’t waver. “You're expected to act like a professional.”

Sebastian exhaled sharply through his nose. “Fine,” he bit out. “But if she slows us down—”

“She won’t,” Hale interrupted. “The Canadian Ministry doesn’t send us dead weight.”

Sebastian barely resisted the urge to scoff. We’ll see about that.

“Now,” Hale continued, voice growing sharper, “I assume I don’t need to explain to you two the importance of classified information, so tell me.” She leveled them both with a look. “How did you find out about this before the official announcement?”

Garreth snorted. “Oh, come on, Hale. This place leaks information faster than the bloody Prophet.”

Hale’s jaw tightened. She exhaled sharply before pinching the bridge of her nose. “I should’ve known."

Sebastian folded his arms over his chest. “So when is she getting here?”

“She’s already here.”

Both men froze. Hale didn’t bother hiding her smirk.

“She’s in the briefing room,” she said, nodding toward the hallway. “Major McDonald and Major Iverson are filling her in on our current operations.”

Sebastian’s stomach tightened. Already here. That meant she was already getting inside information.

Garreth let out a low exhale, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well shite.”

Hale gave him a flat look. “A very professional assessment, Weasley.”

Sebastian barely heard them. He was already calculating.

He didn’t know her name. Didn’t know her face. Didn’t know what the hell kind of person the Ministry had deemed fit to throw into his unit without so much as a discussion.

But he knew what she was.

A foreigner. A political pawn. A weapon, forged elsewhere and dropped into his hands without so much as a say in the matter.

Sebastian exhaled sharply. Fine. But if this Warden thought she could just waltz in here, sit at their tables, fight at their sides, and act like she was one of them, she had another thing coming.

Hale must have seen something in his expression because she sighed. “Don’t scare her off on the first day.”

Sebastian scoffed. “That depends on her, doesn’t it?”

Hale rolled her eyes, already dismissing them with a flick of her hand. “I’ll see you in the briefing room, Sallow. Ten minutes.”

Sebastian turned on his heel. Garreth let out another heavy sigh as he followed. Neither of them spoke until they were back in the hallway.

“This is going to be a nightmare,” Garreth muttered as the door shut behind them.

Sebastian couldn’t recall a time Garreth had ever been more right.

Auror Division Headquarters, Briefing Room – London

The room was sterile. Dim lighting, walls lined with pinned reports, maps still flickering with charms. The air carried the scent of parchment, ink, and stale coffee.

You sat near the far end of a long table, hands folded neatly in front of you. Across the room, Auror Majors Iverson and McDonald had been briefing you for the past fifteen minutes. Or rather, they had been talking at you.

They didn’t trust you. That much was obvious in the way McDonald’s gaze lingered too long, assessing you like an unproven recruit rather than a seasoned operative, and in the way Iverson’s voice carried just a touch too much neutrality, deliberately distant.

Foreign transfers were never welcomed warmly.

It was the same in every elite magical combat force across the world. From the British Aurors to the Japanese Heddohantā, the Mexican Cazadores de Sombras, to the Italian Custodes Noctis. Each division trained their own, built their own operatives from the ground up. The unspoken foundation of any elite unit was the belief that they were the best. That no one else was better suited to the job at hand. So unless it was wartime, to request outside help was to admit weakness.

No one liked that feeling. And you could already feel the resentment coiling beneath the surface.

McDonald flipped open a file, sliding a grainy photograph across the table.

“This was the site of the last attack,” he said, sliding a photograph toward you. “Dockyards in Southwark. What should have been a standard raid turned into a disaster when our Aurors encountered sigils and defensive wards far beyond what smugglers typically use.”

You picked up the photo, studying the scene. The markings on the ground were precise. Too precise for common criminals. The sigils were layered, woven together in a way that suggested intent, not the haphazard scrawling of desperate men.

“Blood magic?” you asked.

McDonald’s pause was almost imperceptible.

“We’re still analyzing,” he said smoothly, but you could hear the careful edge in his tone. He already knew the answer.

You tapped the edge of the photo. “That’s not an ordinary ritual circle. The sigil placement, the reinforcement layers… this was deliberate. Someone planned this carefully.”

“You’re familiar with these markings?” Iverson asked. 

“I’ve seen similar structuring before,” you confirmed. “Layered sigils like this are rare, at least outside of highly specialized magical sects. Smugglers don’t use these kinds of defenses. I’d say you’re dealing with professionals.”

The words settled heavily over the table. Even without looking up, you could feel the shift in the room, the way the tension coiled just a fraction tighter.

McDonald’s fingers tapped lightly against the edge of the folder in front of him. Iverson remained still, watching you with a gaze too level to be casual.

“You’re confident in that assessment?” McDonald asked.

You set the photo down and folded your hands. “I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t already suspect as much.”

McDonald’s lips pressed into a thin line. Iverson exhaled quietly through his nose. You leaned back, letting the silence stretch just long enough to see who would blink first.

It was McDonald.

He slid another file toward you. “We’ve had ten incidents over the last three months. All tied to underground magical trade routes. The threat of organized smuggling is rising.”

You flipped open the file, scanning the reports inside. At first glance, the incidents matched what you’d expect from illicit operations: illegal wand cores, rare and dangerous magical artifacts, contraband ingredients that could be used in restricted potioneering. But the deeper you read, the clearer it became that this was more than just standard black market dealings.

Incident #3 – East End Warehouse Raid 

Conducting Party: Ashford Squad

Initial Report: A suspected smuggling ring had been stockpiling illicit potions. Aurors sent in for a standard sweep and arrest.

Outcome: Two Aurors critically injured. One suffered temporary blindness, the other convulsions. Later examination revealed the storage area was lined with active sigils across the walls and floors. Several crates of confiscated goods vanished mid-transport before reaching the Ministry’s evidence vaults.

Incident #5 – Knockturn Alley Safehouse

Conducting Party: Weasley Squad

Initial Report: Routine surveillance of a suspected smuggler hideout. No signs of activity for weeks, then a sudden spike in magical energy readings. Aurors moved in.

Outcome: Four missing wizards, all known associates of the smuggling network, found inside. No signs of physical trauma. Cause of death unknown.

Incident #8 – Missing Transport Convoy

Conducting Party: Whittaker Squad

Initial Report: A Ministry convoy carrying confiscated dark artifacts went missing en route to a classified vault. The route was secure, the convoy heavily warded.

Outcome: The convoy’s last recorded location was on Ministry grounds. Security wards never detected a breach. No distress signals were sent.

Incident #10 – Southwark Dockyards

Conducting Party: Sallow Squad

Initial Report: Intelligence suggested a major drop off was planned at the docks. Aurors were deployed to intercept the shipment.

Outcome: Three officers went missing before reaching the docks. The missing Aurors were found hours later in different locations across the city, disoriented, drained of magic, completely unaware of how they got there.

A chill settled beneath your skin, but before you could say anything more, the door swung open.

Captain Hale entered first. Behind her, a group of Ministry officials followed, their robes pristine, expressions unreadable. Diplomats, most of them. High ranking representatives from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

And then there was him. Auror Lieutenant Sebastian Sallow.

The moment he stepped into the room, you knew exactly who he was: sharp-eyed, broad-shouldered, undeniably handsome, his presence cutting through the room like a blade.

You'd read about him on the plane.

A decorated Auror, his file had been far more extensive than that of a typical Lieutenant, filled with commendations and detailed reports of high-risk operations. Sallow was known for his sharp tactical mind, aggressive field strategies, and a tendency to solve problems in ways that often ignored standard procedure. He was resourceful, quick-thinking, and from what the report had mentioned, relentless when hunting a target. If it weren’t for the red tape of bureaucracy, you had no doubt he’d already hold a higher rank. On paper, he was exactly the kind of person you’d want to work with in the field. In person, he was looking at you like he already regretted breathing the same air as you.

Hale cleared her throat, cutting the tension before it could settle in too deeply.

“Lieutenant Sallow,” she said. “This is—”

“The Warden.”

He said it like an accusation. The Ministry officials exchanged glances. Hale sighed.

You tilted your head slightly. “I have a name.”

Sallow didn’t blink. “I’m sure you do.”

You swallowed down your response.

Hale moved to stand at the head of the table, eyes landing on you. "I understand that under the Warden ranks, you hold the title of Major,” she said, "However, as I’m sure you’re aware, our divisions operate differently and as such your rank will be adjusted accordingly. You will serve under Lieutenant Sallow’s command.”

Your jaw tightened slightly, but you kept your expression neutral. You had expected this. Your rank, your experience, it didn’t matter outside your own jurisdiction. The moment you stepped into another division, you were just the foreigner. A guest to be tolerated, an inconvenience to be managed.

You nodded. "Understood."

McDonald shifted slightly, as if relieved you hadn’t argued. Hale nodded. "Good."

One of the Ministry officials, a man with a sharp nose and the kind of practiced neutrality that reeked of bureaucracy, spoke next.

“We are very pleased that the Canadian Ministry agreed to this partnership,” he said smoothly. “Given the… unfortunate nature of our recent losses, your particular expertise will be invaluable.”

You resisted the urge to arch a brow. Unfortunate losses. A sanitized way of saying that people had been dying, and they didn’t know how to stop it.

“We’re all on the same side, after all,” he added, offering a diplomatic smile.

You nodded. Because despite their skepticism, despite the thinly veiled distrust, you were on their side. That was why you were here. You were willing to do whatever it took to help your allies, because once, not so long ago, they had done the same for you.

Early in your career, before you had even earned your Warden insignia, the Canadian Ministry had called in British Aurors to assist with a crisis along the northern border. You had seen firsthand how they operated: efficient, relentless, disciplined. They had saved lives, yours included. You had respected them ever since.

But the feeling clearly wasn’t mutual.

Even without looking, you could feel way Sallow’s stare lingered on you. He didn’t trust what he hadn’t built himself, and you, dropped into his hands like some foreign experiment, were an unwelcome disruption.

Not that you had much say in it either.

Ever since the day your ancient magic had surfaced, the Canadian Ministry had made you their first choice for foreign deployments. Their weapon, their super soldier, sent abroad when diplomacy required a show of strength. It wasn’t about you, not really. It was about what you represented, the undeniable proof of Canada's power, their superiority, the Warden they paraded when they needed to impress, to remind the world that their operatives were worth ten of anyone else’s.

You had never asked for that title. Never wanted to be their shining example. But that was the price of being useful. And right now, you had a job to do.

Next Chapter →

Banner Credit

[nightdaughtcr]

Agatha is a strong name for a lethal woman. The name didn't ring a bell for her, but she had been in a dreamless state for 3000 years, so she needed to catch up quickly with the world. Luckily, Lanfear is bright, so she knows she will be on track in no time. "Well, it is nice to meet you, Agatha." She did embrace Saidar, ready to react when and if the other woman decided to attack. "Did you expect me to appear as I did, or did you expect something else when you broke that seal?"

A little bit of everything sounded about right, given she had stolen all sorts of magic over the years. She could sense the other woman's curiosity and it set her slightly on edge. "Agatha," she answered, "Agatha Harkness." Would that name mean nothing to Lanfear, who didn't seem to be of this universe, or would it cause the same kind of reaction it usually did?

[uhuramonth]

OFFICIAL UHURAMONTH 2025 PROMPTS ARE HERE!

Check below the read more for the text versions of the prompts

For the prompts please keep in mind you can do fanfics, fanart, links to promo your own stuff or your fave fics/art recs that match that days prompts.

Please tag us at UHURAMONTH2025 or UHURAMONTH for reblogging purposes.

1. Captain Uhura

2. "Absolutely not my job but I'll do it anyway!"

3. Translation OR Tribbles!

4. Diplomacy OR mirror!verse (TOS)

5. Patience OR Fairytale AU

6. Culture OR coffee shop au

7. Crew OR Found family

8. Fave Uhura ot3 or polycule

9. Top 3 fave ships and why

10. Fave Uhura femslash OR fluffiness

11. Fave Uhura look in TOS

OR Angst

12. Fave Uhura look in SNW

OR Supernatural AU

13. Holiday cheer

14. Secret admirer

15. Top 5 Uhura Fic recs

16. Crossover day (Star Trek x ur other fave media)

17. Magical realism (or straight up Magic AU)

18. Culture clash (Earth Cultures vs Alien cultures)

19. Happy Birthday Uhura!

20. Technobabble (OR carnal pleasures)

21. Gays in Space!!! (OR Uhura as your flavor of LGBTQ+)

22. Time travel shenanigans (OR Uhura as a child)

23. Sports AU OR What sports does Uhura love?

24. Detective AU OR Space Noir

25. Modern AU

26. Free day!!!

27. Top 5 fave Uhura fanarts!  

28. Gender swap Uhura

29. Uhura as a Mom

30. Uhura & Friends (friends & besties)

31. Comment on 5 Uhura fics for a shiny badge!

[tsspromptmonth]

Cafe Menu Drop!

Hey Babes, we'll be hiring baristas next week starting on the 21st, so watch out for my truly insufferable number of posts about that. On that day we'll post a link so you can send in your application or like whatever.

Now since this is a cafe we figured y'all would want a menu, but like fanfic has so many options so this is just the basics, more will probably come.

Important Deet: Our baristas can't work for free and you pay in comments! Writers are needy bitches who need encouragement. Our hand-crafted stories will run you 1 comment per 100 words, so for a 500 word request, you'll 'pay' in 5 comments on any Sanders Sides story.

The Sleepy Bean Café serves up a range of story sizes: you get to request the size you're craving! The biggest size the machine can handle is a quintuple shot: 5000 words. (That's 50 comments for you big spenders out there!) Sometimes, our baristas are having such a blast mixing up your request that they add a little extra and go over the size of your original request. Consider that a bonus and the managers will look the other way.

Full text under 'read more'

Our baristas think they're creative and might add a little somethin extra from the menu, so if there's anything you just can't stand, better tell us up front.

And for all you barista hopefuls, six days til the hiring process begins. I'm gonna need a lot of bitches to make all these drinks.

~Remy XX

Sleepy Bean Fanfic Cafe Menu

More options available by request.

Drinks (Setting or AU)

Brewed Coffee = Canon Verse Steamed Milk = Soulmates Latte = Human AU Hot Chocolate = Parental AU Herbal Tea = Magic AU (Modern day or fantasy) Machiatto = Time Travel Cappuccino = Gods AU Green Tea = Merpeople

Milk (Tone)

Skim = Hurt/No comfort 2% Milk = Hurt/Comfort Heavy Cream = Fluff Oat Milk = Ambiguous ending Coconut = Crack taken seriously Olive Oil = Crack

Syrup (Characters)

Starfruit = Janus Loganberry = Logan Peach = Patton Kiwi = Remus Cherry = Roman Cranberry = Virgil

Toppings (Tropes)

Whipped cream = Only one Bed Caramel drizzle = Childhood Best Friends Chocolate sauce = Fake Dating/Marriage Chopped nuts = Arranged Marriage Burnt sugar = Time Loop Chocolate Shavings = Mutual Pining Honey = Sick Fic Cinnamon = Enemies to Lovers Nutmeg = Love after Loss Blended = Found Family

All drinks are 1 comment per 100 words with a 500 word minimum.

Specials

The Serpent God

A cappuccino with 2% milk, starfruit, and crushed raspberries. (Gods AU, hurt/comfort, featuring Janus, and hiding a fatal injury.)

Space Jam

A boba with starfruit, kiwi & Loganberry jellies, blended with honey. (Space AU with Janus, Remus, & Logan, found family sick fic.)

Peach Berry Sweet Treat

Peach/Loganberry Cobbler Latte, with ginger cookie crumbles. (Human AU, only one of them knows they are dating with romantic Logicality.)

Melting Clocks Crumble

A macchiato with burnt sugar topped with whipped cream. (A time travel AU with only one bed, time loops and a choice of characters.)

Lost in Space

Boba tea with steamed skim milk, kiwi/peach boba. (Soulmate Space AU, romantic Intruality, hurt no comfort.)

Winter's Comfort

A mocha with 2% milk, topped with caramel drizzle, nutmeg, and chocolate shavings, syrup to taste. (Parental human AU, hurt/comfort, childhood best friends, mutual pining, and love after loss, any characters.)

A Classic

Herbal tea, with 2% steamed milk. (Human magic AU, hurt/comfort, any characters.)

Cinnamon Sunrise

Steamed milk with cinnamon. (Human AU, with enemies to lovers. Your choice of characters, tone, and tropes.)

[ryin-silverfish]

Ask/Writing Masterlist (irregularly updating)

Ryin(阿璎), 24. She/They. First Gen Chinese student. Ryin_Silverfish on AO3. Currently hyperfixating on old Chinese novels. casual Zhiguai tales and LMK enjoyer.

Investiture of the Gods/FSYY:

Why are the Daoist immortals fighting?

Did Yuanshi Tianzun manipulate Shen Gongbao?

Chan, Jie, and possible prejudice against yaoguai

Azure Lion and the other Bodhisattvas' steeds in FSYY

Daji's fox form in FSYY Pinghua

The historical Su Daji

Is Shen Gongbao a yaoguai?

Are all yaoguai irredeemable monsters in FSYY?

Ao Bing and the dragons Nezha fought

Does deification wipe your memory and personality?

Bi Gan and the Great Fox Massacre

More discussion about prejudice against yaoguai

How old was Su Daji the human when she died?

Differences between FSYY novel and Pinghua

Musing on FSYY's view of fate and its possible effects on Yang Jian

Master Yuding

The messy marriages of FSYY

Is Daji a goddess in the novel?

Names of immortal masters in FSYY

Just for fun: the FSYY drinking game

Nezha's age in FSYY

Nezha's death and resurrection in FSYY

What happened to the original Daji?

Lady Shiji aka the Rock Demoness

Chinese Fox Spirits:

Auspicious/Demonic Foxes

More on fox spirits

The inner core of foxes

Foxes and their association with Fire

Notable fox spirits

The foxes of 狐狸缘全传

Has Daji ever been worshipped as a goddess?

Fox masks

The foxes of Liaozhai

Weaknesses and abilities of fox spirits

Three resource collections on Chinese fox spirits: 1, 2, 3

Human-fox hybrids

Can foxes and their descendents magically know if someone's telling the truth?

The magical properties of fox saliva

Fox exams and Heavenly Foxes

Are male foxes more malicious?

More on fox exams

Offerings to fox spirits

The "Lady Fox Immortal"

Chinese Mythos in General:

The Precious Scroll of Erlang

Into the Erlang-verse: Li, Zhao, Yang

Can immortal masters romance their students?

Why we don't power-rank characters in God-Demon novels

A brief overview of Chang'e

On Chinese Religion and "Respect"

The 28 Lunar Mansions

Can the Heavenly Emperor be replaced + a primer on dynastic successions

A Guide to the Chinese Underworld (and what it isn't)

Is Nüwa JE's daughter?

Weaver Girl

Can yaoguais a/o their descendents enter the Celestial Bureaucracy?

Queen Mother of the West and her husband(s)

Bixia Yuanjun, Lady of Mt. Tai

Erlang's dad

The story that gives us the name "Yang Jian"

On the transformation of Erlang's image (and his relationship with JE in JTTW)

Erlang's mom, Lotus Lantern, and a neat little discovery

Erlang cameos in other stories and Zajus

Erlang's mom-saving story in Chinese operas

Child Manjushri, or: the absurdity of pinning a definitive age on gods

The strange modern ship of Mengpo/Yuelao, and Mengpo's myths

The half-beast form of QMoW

Does Erlang have a wife/love interest?

Nezha's mom

A overview of Gonggong and his mythos

Some introductory sources on the Chinese Underworld

Mythos-inspired Worldbuilding:

Dragons of the Four Seas

LMK S5 and a possible "Celestial Council of Regents" AU

LMK S5 Fix-it: the Four Divine Beasts

Character/Story Analysis (JTTW + LMK)

Heart and Mind: Tripitaka

Local Lion Uncle enjoyer goes on a rant

On SWK and his fear of death

Why the Dead People Supreme Court?

No, seriously, why?

Chinese Underworld =/= Christian Hell

LMK S4, Havoc in Heaven, and revolutions

Why I dislike the "class warfare" reading of Havoc in Heaven

In Defence of Li Jing...ha, as fucking if

On Yin-Yang, Chaos/Order, and the Harbringer

JTTW's view on the Three Religions

Disjointed S5 Reactions

"Chaos doesn't work that way in traditional Chinese Cosmology"

Xiangliu, the Nine-headed Bird, and Jiutou Chong

Lotus Lantern: The Summaries

Part 1: Precious Scroll of Chenxiang

Part 2: The Epic of Prince Chenxiang

Part 3: Lotus Lantern 1.0 + 2.0

Part 4: Chenxiang and the Male-Female Swords

My Fanfics:

Climbing the Sky

The Wild Son

Bodhicitta

The Serpent and the Deluge

South Seas Sojourn

Journey of the Gods AU sideblog

Masterpost 2

[nightdaughtcr]

She looked at the book; the other had just closed. Edgar Allen Poe, yes. They said he was a classic, a must-read even. She sat down, making herself comfortable, her hand on her knee as she looked at her. "He is a classic writer, and I haven't read his work yet." Lanfear said, eyeing the girl curiously. There was something about her. Something she couldn't place. Not yet, at least. "I'm into the classics right now, but I quite enjoyed Oscar Wilde's work. I just returned it."

"Oh. I'm so sorry." She shuts the book and hands it over. "You read Edgar Allen Poe? He was a very strange man. Ah. Oh.. Um.. I mean if people enjoy his works. I highly recommend." She smiles to the woman. Maybe she was talking too much. But it's been so long since Death up and disappeared. She wonders if he was okay. He had been in pain before. But now.. "I was looking for some books to pick up. Try to catch up on reading a few different works. Do you have any suggestions?"

[nocompromise-noregrets]

likethenight's Barduil fic masterpost

It's been a long time coming (mainly because I've been putting it off because there's so damn much of it how is this even my life at this point) but here, have a masterpost of everything I've written about the bi widower dads!

the series

My Heart Is An Empty Vessel: canon-'verse, featuring the dads getting together in the aftermath of the Battle of the Five Armies and featuring side-fics, flashbacks to Thranduil's youth in Doriath and an entirely canon-mangling sequel set in Valinor. (62 stories so far)

All I Want Is You: modern AU in which Bard is working as a delivery driver who keeps having to make deliveries to the reclusive owner of Greenwood Hall (and then lockdown happens). Including the daft Christmas-movie fic that nobody wanted except me. (23 stories so far)

A Kiss in the Cold and Dark: modern AU in which Bard and Thranduil knew each other as teenagers but lost touch for 30-odd years before running into each other again at a Christmas market. (14 stories so far)

Dancing In The Dark: modern AU in which Bard and Thranduil had a not-quite-a-thing in the 90s when they were both singers for relatively successful rock bands, never sorted themselves out, and find themselves on the same festival bill 30 years later. (14 stories so far)

stained glass heart: There is a legend in Dale, that somewhere deep in the forest that borders the city lives the forest king, an ancient being with a special care for archers, and for all things that grow. Bard, camping in the woods after his finals, finds a place that isn't on any maps and begins to dream of something - someone - familiar; and years later, after the heaviest loss he has ever had to bear, he goes back out there again, hoping to find something that might help him recover. (5 stories so far)

Stars and Arrows: the Oxford-college-professors-with-different-names reincarnation story, featuring a mysterious illuminated manuscript and your humble author's 25 years of archival nerdery. (2 stories so far)

the oneshots: canon-'verse

Something Magical: Thranduil thinks about magic, and glamour, and illusion, and wonders if now he is under a different kind of enchantment.

Overrun by Halflings: a somewhat cracky fic in which Rosie persuades Sam to take her and the children to the Undying Lands, some of the Elves are somewhat less than pleased, and one of them (no prizes for guessing who) has Absolutely No Room To Comment At All.

A Little Less Than Safe: Thranduil takes Bard, Sigrid and Tilda for a picnic in the forest. The sorcerer of Dol Guldur sees an opportunity to have a little fun and teach the Elvenking a lesson.

Should All The Stars Shine In The Sky: the first Midwinter celebration in Dale after the Battle of the Five Armies. Bard and Thranduil are in the thick of the festivities, Sigrid and Tauriel are stargazing on the rooftops, and there are all kinds of magic abroad on this, the longest night of the year.

Caught Like Stars: another Midwinter-in-Dale fic - Thranduil has his reasons for accepting Bard's invitation to celebrate Midwinter in Dale, but he isn't quite expecting anything that happens after he arrives.

(Not) For You: They’re not for you, the Elves, not for the likes of you, and Bard has known this all his life. But he's always been a dreamer, and after the Battle of the Five Armies his whole world has been turned on its head, and the Elvenking is being oddly open with him.

fragile/uncanny: in which the Elvenking and the Dragonslayer find that they have more in common than they realise at first.

what dark paths brought me here: Riding into the darkness of the forest, Bard wonders why he was so insistent that he go alone to ask the Elvenking for help; but it takes his mind off wondering why he can't stop thinking about the time they spent together last autumn, at least.

unanticipated, unexpected: Sigrid never expected to be in a position to actually do something about the ridiculous crush on the Prince of the Woodland Realm that she picked up during the fall of Lake-town - so Tilda and Tauriel take matters into their own hands. Otherwise known as the Sigrid/Legolas fic I never thought I'd find myself writing - the dads are a background pairing in this one.

Very Nearly A Diplomatic Incident: Dáin thinks something's going on between Bard and Thranduil. He…isn't far wrong, but they're not telling him that.

and where they dwell now none can say: there is a tale that's seldom told about two kings in days of old… (in other words, your humble author accidentally commits poetry)

On the Steps: After the battle is over, Bard finds himself talking to the Elvenking - and tending a wound.

A Very Recent Development: When Thranduil's temper gets the better of him in conversation with Dáin, he has to ask Bard to help him salvage the alliance between their three kingdoms. Perhaps inevitably, it gets complicated.

Waylaid: After the battle, Legolas is determined to get as far away from Dale as fast as he can. But when he is delayed retrieving his horse, he finds himself lingering for Tauriel's sake, and beginning to forge friendships with Bard's children - and beginning to mend fences with his father at long last. (another one where the dads are more of a background pairing)

into the darkness: Bard had only ventured into the forest to try and find something for his children to eat. But the spiders - and the Elvenking - have other ideas.

someone else's life: Bard often thought, in the months following the battle, that the world had ended, for him, on the night the dragon had come swooping down from the mountain breathing fire and flame and burned Lake-town to ashes and cinders. His home was gone, his livelihood was gone, his whole life as it had been had stopped on that awful night, and now - now he felt as though he was living someone else’s life.

the greatest treasure you could ever hope to find: A couple of weeks after the battle, Sigrid has a conversation with the Elvenking, and both of them find themselves saying rather more than they'd intended.

red: Thranduil's cloak is lined with red, the colour of blood; he is all silver, silver and red, ice and blood and a love he can no longer bear to let himself feel.

the oneshots: (mostly) modern AUs

Three Things and One Step At A Time: in which teenage boyfriends Bard and Thranduil are split up by Thranduil's abusive father and run into each other years later. Inspired by 'To Be A Father' by the lovely @fox-deer.

On Arda Street (chapter one): a tiny tattoo artist/florist AU, part of a set of AUs also including a pet shop, a coffee shop and a high school featuring other characters from the legendarium.

Metallic Red and Deep Pink: two fics set in the incomparable @scary-grace's seeking a friend for the end of the world-'verse. In a ruined, deserted mall somewhere east of Wyoming, Bard discovers that Thranduil is perfectly capable of walking in (very) high heels - and, in an abandoned motel, Thranduil tries on lipstick for the first time in a very long time.

Tonight Is For Mysteries: the retelling of the Cinderella story in which Sigrid is not the only one who finds something special at the Woodland Realm's masked ball.

A Double-Booking in Room 305 and Another Night in Room 305: Bard, checking into a hotel for a conference, finds that someone else has already checked into his room.

Once In A Lifetime and Make This Work Somehow: Bard's taken his first away-from-home acting job since his wife died and it's a huge opportunity, with the most renowned costume designer in the business working on the film. It's also an adaptation of his kids' favourite book, so...no pressure. And no need to even think about how incredibly attractive the aforementioned costume designer is, because that's not even the slightest bit relevant...

Espresso: There's a reason Bard always gets his coffee from the Lonely Mountain Roastery, every single day…

paint the sky and burn the stars: The best birthday present Bard ever had was the treehouse his da built him for his eighth birthday. Over the years it brings him his best friend, his first love, the one that got away…and then, eventually, it brings his first love back to him again.

All The Ages Of The World Alone: Thranduil never leaves the Greenwood, after the end of the time of the Elves in Middle-Earth. Gradually he fades away, drifting between the trees as a spirit…until a little lad playing in the woods catches his attention, and later, a grieving man with three children who seems to know about events he could not possibly have experienced…

Court Etiquette: (only just not-canon-'verse, this one) Thranduil is very bored at the wedding of Thorin Oakenshield and Bilbo Baggins, but then he meets the new King of Dale, who has never been to one of these events before.

business class: Bard, on his first business trip abroad since his wife died, gets an upgrade to business class, where he finds himself sitting next to someone very intriguing indeed.

on first sight: Thranduil allows himself to be talked into a blind date.