#(but not in this chapter for full disclosure)

[goforth-ladymidnight]

For @achaotichuman, from me! 🎅Happy @acotargiftexchange!

You asked for:

Canon-compliant (ish) post-ACOFAS/ACOSF

Tamcien

Angst

Mutual Pining

Hurt/Comfort

I hope I delivered! ✨🎁

Full disclosure: This was supposed to be a one-shot, but, uh... I got carried away. 😅At this point, I just know it's going to be multiple chapters. So, um... Merry Christmas to you!! 🎄

Thank you for giving me so much freedom with this story! While it's not specifically a holiday fic, I did give it a Winter Solstice setting. (Happy Solstice, by the way!) And thank you for your patience for this very last-minute reveal.

I hope you enjoy!

THE WOLF AND THE FOX

Ch. 1/?

Pairing: Tamlin x Lucien

Wordcount: 2.1k

Summary: It's the day of Winter Solstice, and while Lucien has an obligation to visit the Night Court, he decides to visit Tamlin in the Spring Court first to deliver a very important message.

The first chapter is available to read on AO3 now, or you can read it here below the cut:

Part 1: Winter

* * *

It was the beginning of winter when the fox approached the wolf’s den.

* * *

The vines were new.

The last time Lucien had visited the Spring Court manor, the claw marks in the door were the first thing anyone saw. A warning, perhaps, of what could happen if anyone dared to knock. Now, however, tangled vines grew, hiding the gouges—and the door knockers—from view. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought the vines meant that nature was healing the broken manor. But he did know better. Nature was taking over.

Lucien pushed on one of the doors, and it creaked where he pressed, straining against the green vines that clung to it.

“Tam?” he called through the narrow opening. “Tam, are you in there?”

Silence.

He pushed harder, and the vines snapped and snarled as they fell, releasing their hold on the door before falling into a rustling heap at his feet. It even seemed as though they sighed, but he could have been imagining it. The door swung slowly open, so Lucien took a deep breath and tugged at the hem of his embroidered jacket before stepping across the broken threshold.

His golden eye whirred against the dim light, but he didn’t need it to see. He knew the room very well. Or, at least, he used to.

Here was the black-and-white marble floor, once shining, now covered in dust and debris. There was the winding staircase with the oak banister that seemed to be held aloft by delicate vines made of brass, now badly in need of a polish. And there, there used to be a table that held enormous vases of freshly plucked flowers from the garden: hydrangeas, peonies, tulips, roses… The Lady of Spring’s roses.

But that table was broken now. It had been whole once, strong enough to hold a broken body… a winged faerie with no wings…

Lucien shivered at the memory and turned away.

Rosehall Manor was empty, yet full of so many memories… Memories, and ghosts.

Lucien squared his shoulders and looked around for the one that was neither man nor ghost. He was looking for a beast.

“Tam?” he called out again, and his voice echoed. “Tamlin Hawthorn, High Lord of Spring, I seek an audience with you.”

“An audience,” a familiar voice echoed, drifting from the top of the stairs. “How formal of you.”

Lucien lifted his head, but saw no one. His metal eye could see through glamours, but the owner of that deep, growling voice didn’t need one. Not when the manor was filled with so many shadows.

“Tell me: What is the occasion?” the voice went on, though it rasped a bit, as if it hadn’t been used in a while. “I need to know if I should serve wine or whiskey to my guest.”

Lucien swallowed. “It’s Solstice, Tam,” he managed.

“Summer, or Winter?”

Lucien’s shoulders sagged a bit. “It’s Winter, Tam.”

“Ah. Winter,” Tamlin mused distantly. “Whiskey, it is, then.”

Before Lucien could respond, Tamlin called out, “Alis? A glass of my finest whiskey for the Night Court’s finest emissary… What’s that? You say you’ve returned to the Summer Court? As has everyone else in the manor? Oh, yes. Yes, I see.”

Lucien rolled his good eye, but his host didn’t seem to notice.

“It would seem that I have no servants left to serve you,” Tamlin said dryly. “Or whiskey to serve. Or glasses to serve it in, for that matter.”

It seemed to Lucien that the dark shape at the top of the stairs sank down like a cat and crossed its massive paws.

“So, in light of the circumstances, perhaps we should dispense with the formalities, so that you may be on your way… to enjoy the rest of the Night Court’s most auspicious holiday.”

“Tam, this is serious,” Lucien chided. “I need to speak with you.”

“And I need to finish my nap before I go hunting tonight, so make it quick.”

Lucien took a deep, albeit exasperated, breath and shook his head in resignation. “Fine. It’s about Feyre.”

Any amusement in the beast’s voice, however mild, vanished in an instant. “What about Feyre?”

“You haven’t heard?”

“You haven’t told me.”

Lucien spread his fingers wide. “Before I tell you, you should know—”

“Is she dead?”

Lucien sighed. “She’s with child.”

A long pause. “I see.”

“I just…” Lucien lifted his hands, then let them fall. “I thought it would be better if you heard it from me.”

“And I suppose you thought I would be grateful.” There was a sneer in Tamlin’s tone, but it softened when he asked, “Is she happy?”

“I would assume so.”

“And her mate?”

“You already know the answer to that question.”

“Yes,” Tamlin mused quietly. “I am surprised that he didn’t come down here himself to gloat.”

“Rumor has it he was too busy doing just that in the Hewn City last night,” Lucien said wryly, then cleared his throat. “But I wouldn’t know. I wasn’t invited.”

“What a coincidence. Neither was I.”

Lucien’s lips twitched into a smile. For a moment, it was like old times… but his smile faded as he remembered the other reason he had come. “I have business in the Night Court tonight. Are there any messages you wish to convey?”

“If you expect me to offer up my congratulations, you can piss off,” Tamlin snarled, all traces of friendliness gone. “I have nothing more to say; to you, or to them.” The beastly shape rose to its feet. “Now get out, and take your formalities with you.”

“Tam, wait,” Lucien said, starting for the stairs.

A sharp growl stopped him short. “It may be Solstice, but that does not mean you can enter my home uninvited. Do so again, and you will find thorns in your boots. I still have that much power, I can assure you.”

Lucien’s toes curled at the thought, but he reached into his jacket pocket anyway. “It’s just—I have something for you.”

“If this is another message from Night—”

Lucien pulled a small envelope out of his pocket. “It’s an invitation.”

“To what.”

“To a party,” Lucien said simply. “With the Band of Exiles,” he added, and held it out.

There was a long, long pause. “Why,” was all the beast said.

“Because it’s Solstice,” Lucien said gently. “And you’re my friend.”

When Tamlin remained still, and silent, Lucien stepped forward—slowly—and carefully placed the envelope on top of the flat swirled handrail at the bottom of the stairs.

As he stepped back, he continued, “I know I should have given it to you sooner, but… I had hoped…” He shrugged, struggling to find the words. “I thought you might invite me here like you did last year,” he admitted at last.

Now that his good eye was fully adjusted to the dim light, he could see the gleam of the beast’s green gaze as it fell on the creamy envelope.

“To do what, exactly,” Tamlin said flatly.

Lucien shrugged again. “To celebrate. To be together.”

“As we once were?” Tamlin finished mockingly.

Lucien’s face flushed.

“Those days are over,” Tamlin said coolly. “You know that. You’ve known that ever since the night of the Masquerade Ball.”

Lucien took a step forward. “Tam…”

“Don’t.” He said it so sharply that Lucien actually fell back a step. “I am still High Lord, and you do not have my permission to approach.”

Lucien’s jaw tightened. “I thought you hated formalities.”

“And I thought you had business to attend to… at the Night Court.”

Lucien snorted in disgust and looked away. “Very well, if you must know, Feyre invited me to spend the evening with her and her family… for Solstice.”

“Is that right.”

Lucien looked to the top of the stairs, but the rest of Tamlin’s beastly expression was still well-hidden by shadow. “My mate is going to be there,” he said flatly. “I have to go. If there is a chance that someone out there wants me…”

“I never said I didn’t want you.”

Lucien blinked against the sudden blurriness in his right eye. His left eye was always clear. Clear and cold and mechanical. Pity that his heart couldn’t be the same.

Tamlin continued, “I only said it would be best if we… remained friends.”

Lucien swiped away a stray tear from his cheek with his thumb. “Is that all we were?” he asked evenly. “Friends?”

Several—painful—heartbeats passed before Tamlin answered. “The Cauldron has finally blessed you with a mate,” he said quietly. “After everything you’ve been through… You deserve it. It’s what you’ve always wanted—”

“Not always.”

In that moment, the golden thread of fate that bound him to someone else seemed to grow slack. He took a tentative step forward, and Tamlin did not rebuke him.

Lucien reached out and laid his hand on the banister, next to the unopened invitation. “The party is tomorrow night, at Northwall Manor,” he said gently. “It’s just going to be me, and Jurian, and Vassa… Will you come?”

Lucien’s heart rose as Tamlin seemed to be considering it… but it fell when Tamlin finally answered.

“The Spring Court cannot withstand another attack from another Archeron sister,” he said flatly. “Elain is bound to you, just as Feyre is bound to Rhys.”

Lucien shook his head. “Tam…”

“You saw what Feyre did when I tried to sever her bond,” Tamlin snapped. “To get closer to your mate, you helped her. You chose her over me. You chose them both over me.”

Lucien’s chest grew tight. “As if you didn’t choose Ianthe over me.”

Tamlin growled. “I did what I thought was right… for Feyre.”

“So did I.”

Tamlin’s green-eyed glare seemed to glow in the dim light… but even so, he was the first to look away.

“Go away,” the High Lord said quietly.

Lucien blinked in surprise. “What?”

“I said: Go. Away,” Tamlin repeated emphatically. “Go. Enjoy your party. Enjoy what’s left of Solstice.”

Lucien watched in dismay as his shaggy form turned away from the landing. “Tam, wait…”

“What?” the beast snarled. “What do you want from me? A gift? An apology? Fine.”

His heavy paw touched the top of the stairs.

“I’m sorry I listened to the words of a High Priestess that I trusted for centuries,” he snarled, then took another step. “I’m sorry I tried to save the woman I loved from my worst enemy.” With each step, he got closer, and angrier. “I’m sorry I allowed Hybern onto my lands instead of waiting for them to invade. I’m sorry I sent my men across the Wall to be butchered like cattle. And I’m sorry I was a coward and sent you Under the Mountain in my place. If I had just let Amarantha have her way with me at the High Lords’ Ball that night, none of this would have happened.”

Lucien slowly shook his head in disbelief. “You don’t mean that,” he said distantly.

Tamlin’s beastly green eyes stared directly into his own. “Yes I do,” he said quietly.

Tamlin was in even worse shape than Eris said. Gone was his shining golden mane, replaced by matted fur as dull as dirt. His bone-white antlers were cracked and crusted with dried blood from the long thorns sprouting there. He was much thinner, too; his under-eyes and cheeks were hollow, even with the fur.

Lucien slowly reached out a hand to touch Tamlin’s furred cheek. “What happened to you,” he murmured.

Tamlin’s lip curled, revealing his long, yellow fangs, and he snapped, barely missing Lucien’s fingers.

Lucien instinctively jerked away and flexed his fingers, but he knew—deep down—that Tamlin didn’t want to bite him. “I was trying to say that what happened to you is not your fault.”

Tamlin growled at him. “I don’t want your damn pity,” he muttered, then turned away.

Lucien huffed in aggravation. “Then what do you want?” he called out as the beast took the stairs two at a time.

Tamlin was already at the top when he called back, “I want to be left alone, and you can tell your masters that I said so.”

“They’re not—” Lucien faltered, because that’s exactly what they were. As long as Elain dwelled in the Night Court, they could make Lucien do whatever they wanted, like a puppet on a string. That same string—that golden thread—tightened around his ribs, and Lucien let out a tired, resigned sigh.

“Happy Solstice, Tam,” he managed, then gave a slight bow before turning away toward the sliver of fading sunlight still visible through the open doorway.

He might have been imagining it, but he thought he heard something sigh: “Happy Solstice,” before he stepped across the threshold and winnowed away to the realm of the Night Court.

* * *

At his approach, the wolf growled a warning growl, so the fox retreated into the safety of the shadows.

* * *

[doodleswithangie]

@reddieweek day 1: mythical creatures

I started this on actual Day 1, and as usual it spiraled into something much bigger than the simple doodle I started with, but I definitely enjoyed thinking it through and finding my take on the concept!

[Image description: A Werewolf/Vampire AU featuring Richie Tozier and Eddie Kaspbrak from the "IT" movies. The AU is detailed with handwritten notes and captioned vignettes. Alt text is provided, and copied and reformatted for easier reading under the cut.]

Copied Alt Text, reformatted for easier reading

Image one:

Young half-shifted werewolf Richie and vampire Eddie pose for the camera. Bulleted notes read:

Derry 1.0

The Losers are all some sort of mythological creature (which isn't that weird in this Derry).

Richie is a werewolf who stays half-shifted around his friends (but hides on the full moon).

Eddie is a vampire who carries blood bags from the pharmacy in his fanny pack (less messy that way).

Richie mimes Eddie's fangs and taunts him with puns as Eddie pulls out a medical blood bag. The dialogue reads:

"Stopping for a quick bite?" "You know I- hey wait-" "Kinda sucks to be you." "You suck! And you already have fangs! Quit that!" "Fangs for noticing!" "HISS!"

Image two:

Portraits of Richie and Eddie as unhappy adults in their human and creature forms. Bulleted notes read:

Derry 2.0

Richie

Intensely guards/hides werewolf side

Very hairy even as a human

High stress situations or the full moon will involuntarily shift him

Eddie

High neck suit collar to hide the bite

Strict diet for basic nutrients

Ironically more vampiric the more he suppresses the urge to feed.

Black ink seeps up the page, with the caption, "Pennywise forces them to reckon with the parts of themselves they've hidden away…"

Image three:

Set against an inky background are scenes of a bloodstained full vampire Eddie, full wolf Richie in the Deadlights, and wolf Richie hunching protectively over Eddie. They are captioned, "Eddie kills and drains the Leper. Richie fully shifts in the deadlights. Eddie saves Richie, and in turn Richie saves Eddie."

Set against a bright background are scenes of after the fight: wolf Richie sleeps as Eddie waits with Richie's folded clothes, and of them recreating their pose from the first image, touching foreheads. They are captioned, "Post-battle nap and swim in the quarry before hightailing it out of Derry."

Image four:

Richie's clawed hand scratches out "R + E." It is captioned, "With one final stop on the way."

End Copied Alt Text.

[obstinaterixatrix]

Sherbet knows she might run into pirates or sea monsters on her voyage, but what spooks her most is the ghost ship rumored to kidnap people. Although she’s relieved to hear that it only takes them for a special reason, she soon wakes up on the infamous vessel without any clue why! Despite her initial despair, however, Sherbet is delighted to find the grumpy but hot pirate, Granita, on board with her. On the other hand, Granita finds hell in the form of the bubbly little terror who can’t seem to keep her hands and innuendos to herself...

here’s an ongoing f/f webtoon that is. hysterical, unhinged, and dumb as hell (affectionate)

sherbet is a young aristocratic lady and huge lesbian on her unenthusiastic way to an arranged marriage, granita is a ruthless pirate captain, they’re stuck on a ghost ship together

the art is really good and the writing is SO funny. like, here’s something from chapter 3

and here’s a follow-up from chapter 4

anyway, it’s primarily comedic with some drama and pathos thrown in for spice, and the tonal shifts can be wild—There’s Definitely Something Deeper Going On and I love the looming threat of plot and sincerity. good for folks who want high energy comedy between two adult women who each think they’re in vastly different genres

[burnthatbridge]

illicit affairs

buddie | E | chapter 1 of 8(ish) | 3k | just a boy helping his boy bestie figure out gay sex, with a side of infidelity This is how it starts: Buck goes on a date with Tommy. How it goes from there, Eddie can't even begin to explain.

Chapter 1: born from just one single glance

It’s in the aftermath, when Bobby and Athena are safe and being checked over and the 118 plus family and friends is piled in the waiting room as usual — they all have their preferred chairs with how often they’re here — that Eddie’s unfocused mild interest in this new guy who his friends trust, turns to sharp notice. 

Eddie has to step away to call Carla, to let her know they got Athena and Bobby, to assure her that he’s fine, Buck’s fine, they’re all fine. And then he spares an extra moment to text Marisol because he knows she’ll see the news soon, if she hasn’t already, and will worry.

After, when he returns to the waiting room, Tommy’s in his seat. Eddie doesn’t really have a specific one he favors so much as he always takes one next to Buck. So, it follows that, Tommy is now sitting beside Buck. 

When Eddie left, Buck’d been pale-faced, and shaky in a way he wasn’t when Bobby was missing and he had a goal to focus on. Eddie hadn’t wanted to leave him, but it was Buck who’d said didn’t he need to call Carla? Let Chris know they’re okay?

Eddie pauses across the room and regards the scene before him. Tommy is leaned in, chatting to Buck, making wide, expressive gestures with his hands as he does. Buck’s still more grey than pink in the cheeks and one hand is clutching the arm of his chair, but he’s stopped picking at the patch of peeling paint he’s about tripled in size over their past handful of waiting room residences and there’s a hint of a smile curling the side of his mouth, which had been a grim line before, waiting for the doctor to report back on Bobby and Athena, waiting to be allowed to see them. 

“He’s in good hands.”

Eddie starts at Hen’s words. She appears from behind him carrying two paper cups of what Eddie understands from experience is the worst coffee known to man. He used to force it down because caffeine is caffeine, but he can’t anymore. It reminds him too much of the three minutes and seventeen seconds that were some of the worst of his life.

read on ao3

[mistystarshine]

Your Love Is A Ghost

Lucifer Morningstar was the most dangerous vampire in the world.

And then he wasn't.

Charlie never let her father's past bother her. However, when her blossoming interest in Vaggie takes a dangerous turn, she finds that there is no escaping family history.

[kalashnikovlobotomy]

opened the draft for chapter 4 of my rusame fanfic sighed and closed it brothers it's looking Rough

[queenofbaws]

there are already roughly a million posts like this already circulating, but man. just. sometimes you really do have to step away from something you're working on and come back to it later.

creative buds, please. please. no one is worse at taking my advice than i am, believe me, but seriously, if you've been feeling down or frustrated or stumped with something you've been working on lately, take this as your sign to maybe take a little break. a week, a month, whatever. you've been looking at it too long, you've read it too many times, you've erased that same line so many times you've lost count - you need to come back to it with a rested brain and fresh eyes.

however rough it feels to you now, i promise, promise, promise that it'll feel so much better after a little distance. <3

[terresdebrume]

Sometimes you read a fic that's like

I can't genuinely say it's not a possible way this character (or these characters) would act but I don't think it's very likely and also I really really really don't like it

Like yes your characterization makes sense, internally, but admitting it makes my teeth ache

[howdyboh]

he should have been evil. just a little. as a threat

[maxwell-mtv]

Yo, if anyone wants to check out my FNAF fanfic that has all your cult favorites like: Daycare Boy and LARGE MUSICAL SPIDER MAN!! The first two chapters have been published.

I’ll be working on it more as time goes on, but for now I’m ahead by 2 chapters and intend on keeping that as a pattern. I promise it gets better as you read more, so please forgive the eh beginning lol

[misscammiedawn]

My, my it has been quite some time since we updated our romantic little series of Madison and Belladonna hypnosis stories.

I just posted Chapter 9 and Chapter 10.

CW: From here on out there shall be Flashback chapters which are intended to provide context as to why the characters are as they are and why they hold their beliefs.

The broader story is about exploring a hypnotic romance with an emphasis on making mistakes, communicating and growing to overcome obstacles.

Flashback chapters inform why those obstacles are there in the first place and though I feel they are important for telling the broader story, I do encourage anyone reading for the romance to think about skipping flashbacks if they are here for the low-stakes fluff.

With that all said, here's the quick synopsis for Chapters 9 and 10:

Bella is Infatuated: Madison makes some plans. The couple discuss hypnosis scenes in media and Bella gets a new trigger.

Flashback: Aqua's First Hypnosis Session: It's 2003 and Ben's hypnotist likes to turn him into his RP character, Aqua, and have her do recruitment for him.

[good--merits-accumulated]

it's MY fic and I call the shots (eg: move aside pseudo-medieval gay romance. no more romance. Time For Brothers Who Kill Each Other Now)

[theyonapodcast]

We’re back with more Palace Arc this week on The Yona Podcast!

We cover Yon-Hi’s diary and all the sad, poor decisions Yona and Soo-Won’s parents made. Then, in the present, we get to see Yona act as a badass politician while Soo-Won gets sicker and Hak gets thrown in jail. It’s a great time. 

Please check us out on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have a Twitter, you can find us over there, too!

[k1d1c4rus]

can you talk more about joe's past in the industry and his early days with clan?

omg omg okay so. we get a little bit of this in joe's monologue in ch2 but lets expand

(cw/ underage, dubcon and SPOILERS)

joe moves out at 17 and moves to LA with a half baked idea of being a filmmaker, but in reality he just wants to be out of his parents' house. he lives off his bar mitzvah savings and working night pot washing shifts and applying for a million and one unpaid runner jobs, all the while lying about being over 18 (because who's going to hire a kid, right?). one job comes up to be a camera assistant, so he takes it. he arrives, realises this is a... Uh... Certain Kind of Movie. before he knows it he's assisting on a porn set.

but, like, its paid, and they dont care that he hasnt got, like, any experience. at all. and before long someone asks if he's considered being in front of the camera. he kind of realises (mostly cause it's a middle aged dude that's asked him) that it would be for Gay Porn, but he's also always been kind of a fag (which has always been kind of a problem) and now someone's saying he could earn a pretty decent cheque for exploring that, so like, why the fuck not? they think he's good enough, and it's pretty rare that anyone thinks he's good enough to do anything, so that feels pretty good.

(he's got a killer fake ID, and no-one seems that bothered that his stories and math don't quite check out. he's kind of good at something, for once, and he's getting paid for it, but it's barely safe or sane, and consensual only to an obvious point)

the story he tells patrick of how he meets pete is true, and the two decide to form clandestine to get some control back over their careers - joe bc he's stuck in a rut of filming artistically dogshit pornos with skeezy perverts and pete because he’s been boxed into his niche. joe (now 19) puts the last of his savings into it and pete (who has the clout and reputation) sells the damn thing. they are cofounders, but joe's more than happy for pete to be the face of it all.

joe meets andy when pete brings him on board, and things............ Happen. andy has his life together and knows what he wants (or at least, that's what it looks like) and joe is 19 and a little fucked up and thus kind of really likes being hardcore dominated (realy healthy huh), you can see where this is going. they scene together but they also just regular fuck and they also shoot, which is ofc predictably messy. andy tells joe he doesn't think bdsm is an appropriate alternative to the therapy he probably (definitely) needs. they try and make it work, it doesnt. they break up.

that's pretty much the breakdown of what I have. the trohley is like. percolating REAL hard in my brain and will come out more as the fic progresses.

thank u for ur ask !!!! I <3 getting a chance to continuously flesh out these characters!!

[gorbo-longstocking]

that epic moment when youre actively being stalked but also you couldnt give less of a shit

[cilil]

The more Dior in Dior art and jokes I see, the more I feel inclined to write modern AU shenanigans of him running the brand once Dead Heart is concludes...