#atlas haunted friendships

[haunted-friendships]

"ℍ𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕠!!"

𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘼𝙩𝙡𝙖𝙨

Althea: “oh look gay man, you two have the same name!”

Atlas: “shut the fuck up!”

Chiffon: “hello!”

Ooc: I almost forgot to answer this ANDDD the fact your oc’s name is already Atlas (IM SO SORRY BRO😭🙏)

[thatbookgirl1118]

I cannot for the life of me find the original post (tumblr is a hellsite) but this was sent in an atla gc:

@the-badger-mole

and tbh i always kinda felt like kataang was weird exactly because of that one-sidedness??? like there's one episode of katara maybe sort-of seeing aang as a love interest (when the fortune teller tells her she'll marry a powerful bender), but then the rest of the show is her being passive in the relationship or actively pushing aang away (like their second kiss). and then at the end she just randomly decided "okay i like you i guess."

whereas aang got a bunch of pining moments and you actually believed he was in love with katara.

and most of their relationship was about how she helped aang - he did contribute to her character development over the course of the series especially as a bender of course but it didn't feel as emotionally/spiritually deep as katara's literal one episode sidequest with zuko.

but then someone else wrote "I would argue the opposite? Kataang is where Katara choose the peaceful nomad which subverts the trope presented where zutara is where she chooses the strong protector/combatant. Aang as a character is a subversion of the typical hero while zutara is like,,, coloniser romance idk"

and honestly... i kinda get that. aang was problematic in a lot of ways, but he was definitely a subversive protagonist, and i can see the power of allowing the woman to choose the pacifist vegetarian over the extremely obviously hot jock badboy. this is an incredible oversimplification of their characters of course, but the point stands.

Basically, Kataang is the ship we all logically want - the sweet, friendship-based, seemingly subversive one. But Zutara is the one that actually makes sense in the story, with these characters, not their tropes. Aang is subversive, but he and Katara are also kind of terrible for each other - he isn't mature or selfless enough for Katara, who needs someone to force her to take care of herself because she's always the one taking care of everyone else (wonder what that's like). That's why she and Zuko are so perfect, because he not only takes care of her, he makes HER prioritize herself. Aang... does not. He's pretty selfish, which yes is partially due to his immaturity (I personally don't count Korra as canon because it treated ALL the og characters terribly so I'm speaking purely from his 12 yo self), but it's also just a basic incompatibility thing. And Katara is actually equally bad for Aang - she enables him waaay too much, and he needs someone who doesn't. Who forces him to stand up on his own two feet and take responsibility. She's too much of a mother, and her relationship with Aang is too mother/older sister-ish.

With Zuko, on the other hand? Katara started out HATING him, forcing him to prove himself to her instead of handing him everything she had like she tended to do with Aang and Sokka. He had to earn her care, and as a result he appreciates it way more and demands way less of it. He's a far less selfish character generally for the same reasons, and is much more mature/has a better understanding of life and gray areas. Southern Raiders is a great example of this - he's down for whatever Katara decides because he understands that there's no one right answer, unlike Aang who simply preaches forgiveness. I'm not necessarily attacking Aang about that either - I do believe that grudges eat away at a person, and taking a life does haunt you, so forgiveness isn't necessarily bad advice. But it's not what Katara needed. Aang is great as a friend, but I don't think he's what Katara needs from a romantic partner. Zuko just... is.

[michele-apricity]

𝓭𝓪𝓻𝓴 𝓪𝓬𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓶𝓲𝓪 ˙⟡🪶─

𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔

Dark academia is rooted in a love for philosophy, history and literature... so here are some recommendations for books that fit the dark academia aesthetic and you should definitely read

𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒔

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

The cornerstone of dark academia literature. A group of elite classics students is drawn into a web of obsession, betrayal, and murder.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

A dark exploration of beauty, morality, and corruption in Victorian England.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

A Gothic classic delving into the pursuit of forbidden knowledge, ambition, and the consequences of creation.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

A story of love, mystery, and self-discovery, set against the brooding backdrop of Thornfield Hall.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

A Gothic masterpiece full of eerie atmospheres, academic investigation, and the dark allure of the unknown.

𝒎𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒔

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

A Shakespearean tragedy set in an elite performing arts college, where students’ lives unravel after a murder.

Vita Nostra by Marina & Sergey Dyachenko

A surreal and unsettling novel about a young woman attending a mysterious school where reality bends under the weight of knowledge.

Bunny by Mona Awad

A darkly humorous and sinister look at creativity, academia, and a cult-like clique in a prestigious MFA program.

The Atlas Six trilogy by Olivie Blake

A magical dark academia tale about six exceptionally talented magicians competing for a place in a secret society that guards knowledge.

In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

A memoir with Gothic undertones that explores trauma, storytelling, and academic reflection.

𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒚/𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒔

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

A mysterious and haunting tale of a young boy discovering a forgotten book and its dark history.

The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

A supernatural dark academia story set in Yale’s secret societies, where magic and danger collide.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

A chilling Gothic mystery set in a decaying mansion, with a protagonist investigating her cousin's eerie marriage.

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

A tale of friendship, deceit, and secrets in the shadow of a Gothic boarding school.

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

A queer, layered story blending Gothic horror and academic intrigue across timelines.

𝒑𝒐𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒚 & 𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔

The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson

Dickinson’s introspective and haunting poetry complements the aesthetic’s love of literature and existential reflection.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

For the intellectual side of dark academia, this stoic philosophical work is a guide to self-reflection and understanding.

Paradise Lost by John Milton

An epic poem exploring rebellion, ambition, and the fall from grace, perfect for the themes of the aesthetic.

Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake

Poetry reflecting duality, beauty, and the darker aspects of human nature.

𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒕

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

A magical school where survival is key, blending dark academia with fantasy and wit.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Noell by Susanna Clarke

A dense, Gothic tale of magic, rivalry, and ambition in 19th-century England.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

A modern, darker take on a magical academy, filled with existential musings and flawed characters.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A historical and fantastical romance steeped in academia, libraries, and ancient mysteries.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

A haunting, introspective story set in an otherworldly labyrinth that plays with memory, knowledge, and solitude.

𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒕

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

A suspenseful story of privilege, power, and systemic secrets in an elite private school.

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

A slow-burning, atmospheric novel about an experimental university and the price of knowledge.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

A tale of mystery, tragedy, and privilege among a wealthy, secluded family.

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

A series rich with mysticism, academic undertones, and a search for ancient knowledge.

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

A romantic and artistic dark fantasy set in a world of fae and forbidden craft.

Did you read any of the books mentioned here? And if so what was your favorite/your opinion on them?

I personally read most of the books here and loved every single one.

-michala♡

[skvaderarts]

After several delays (sorry, everyone) chapter one of Various Storms and Saints is done!

AKA the "Jayce accidentally ends up in a good timeline where he and Viktor are together" fic I said I would write.

Summary: Word count 4.7k

After meeting Wizard Viktor and the bad timeline, Jayce takes up the grim task of heading back to his own timeline and setting things right the only way he knows how. But along the way, something goes awry and he ends up in an alternate version of Piltover and Zaun where things appear to have gone very differently, especially between him and Viktor. But after experiencing firsthand the life that could have been between him and Viktor, will he be able to go back and fulfill his promise? After knowing the love that could still be there can he bring himself to destroy it forever?

(If there is smut later, it will be in stand-alone skippable chapters in case that's not your thing. Tags will be periodically updated to reflect the plot.)

A03 Link

Chapter 1: St. Jude

Notes: Hi, everyone! Thanks for checking this out! I hope you enjoy it!

—

“St Jude, the patron saint of the lost causes.

St Jude, we were lost before she started.

St Jude, we lay in bed as she whipped around us.

St Jude, maybe I've always been more comfortable in chaos.”

—

In truth, he’d started to think he’d go mad down there.

The top of the Hexgate loomed over the wasteland that had once been Piltover and Zaun like a lighthouse in a storm, as tantalizing as food to the starving; like a distant thunderstorm in the scorching heat. He had simply known that he needed to scale it. To stand at its zenith and behold the ruined world below him. 

A world ruined by Hextech. By his dream. The culmination of their dream.

The culmination of his obsession and love for magic and his desire to better the world with it. The end of their shared brilliance and friendship. The fallible flame of Prometheus passed to him by the man cloaked in frozen, biting winds that had burned him nonetheless.

He’d been as compelled to climb up there as he had been to escape that forsaken cave. That pit where every ounce of despair held deep within him had manifested. That interminable oubliette composed entirely from his nightmares and the hell of his physical reality. As inescapable as the truth.

He’d crawled from the lowest pits of the Undercity to the very tallest structure to ever stand in the clouds of Piltover, a metaphorical journey that he wasn’t the first to make. But it had given him a sense of understanding he’d only once thought he possessed and a clarity only bitter suffering could provide. 

They’d both been through so much. And it had created this.

How fitting that it should mark the spot of their shared grave. The Hexgate. A monument to what they could achieve together standing as the last bastion in a dead world. The only life left within it sequestered atop its one gleaming crest. Everything else scurried below, barely alive anymore. Mutated beyond recognition. Nothing untouched by the corruption of the Arcane. 

They were both still living in a way, but equality dead all the same. One motionless in solitude, the other rooted to the spot, physically able to leave but unwilling to, trapped in their perpetual state of mourning A terminus of boundless misery, both forever alone despite being so close that the flowers that adorned one had started to spread across the clothing worn by the other as they remained by their side.

How did it come to this? It was unfathomable.

But as he stood there and took in the words that this version of Viktor had told him, he knew it to be the truth. He could not run from it even if he’d had the will to. He’d delivered the weight of Atlas to his shoulders so gently, so knowingly, and yet with such haunting regret. With such a look of profound knowing in his time-worn eyes.

He’d always known Viktor. He just hadn’t known it until that moment. From the first spark of magic to the birth of Hextech. The man who had saved the lives of his mother and himself. He’d once told Viktor he knew that he had no idea how beautiful magic was when he’d been the very one to bestow it upon him. Oh, how little they’d both know at the time. How small the universe had been despite how open they were to all it had to offer.

“We lost ourselves. Lost our dream. In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good. We have to make it right.”

Viktor’s words that day scraped across his frontal lobe like a razor's edge. He was right. He’d been right all along, in fact. He’d said then that the Hexcore needed to be destroyed. Once upon a time, so had their mentor. It was clearer now than ever that for the sake of everyone and everything there was only one course of action to take. One path to walk that only he could tread.

But how could he bear that weight? How could he pick up that hammer? Knowing what he was destined to do with it. When the time came would his conviction alone be enough to make him go through with it? He had never been more sure and uncertain about anything. Sure in the steadfast nature of his promise and uncertain as to whether or not that would be enough. If his will alone would be enough.

Even knowing this he took a breath and looked the man who had saved him as a child in the eye. Perhaps not even a man now. More of a divine being of such terrible power that he knew not what to call him. Not what to make of him. But regardless, as he kneeled there, his resolve strengthened even as pained reality set in. This was the only way. In his heart, he knew it to be the only truth available to him.

“Send me back.”

A hand once obscured by the fabric of the older mage’s robe lowered itself to the skeletal structure that kneeled before it, barely grazing the surface that was as much petal and moss now as it was metal, the cosmos eternally entangled with it. The silence from it was absolute all but for the brief movement of its vacant eyes. His own looking back at him for a place beyond his comprehension. What remained of himself uncurled its fingers, some of them breaking apart at the tips and remaining on the handle. There was no blood. It had been subsumed long ago. But the handle was as much a part of it as the warped base of the hammer it clutched was the structure they stood upon. A limb more than a weapon.

Jayce was as entranced as he was utterly disquieted, the fleeting thought of what it must be like to be this version of himself fluttering through his subconscious for all but a moment before he leaned forward and gripped the handle. Resolute, he met the eyes of this version of Viktor one last time before readying himself.

For all their sakes, he could never find out.

“I won’t fail.”

He felt the band he'd worn upon his wrist for what felt like a lifetime change, disappearing in a flash of light. The rune that had started all of this embedded itself into his very flesh and marked it with the permeance of a brand. A vow. Prof of the unshakable commitment he now carried by his own volition. 

He'd escaped the very depths of hell crawling on a broken leg, and yet he knew with unyielding certainty that this would be the hardest thing that he would ever do.

He had to stop Viktor. And every aching fiber of his broken being knew what that meant. 

And he hated it. Like nothing he'd ever felt before. So much that it frightened him.

It seethed within him like rolling magma from the depths of Tartarus, ready to erupt and disfigure the bedrock itself. To tear the earth asunder beneath him. Not a hate towards him but a hate for him. On his behalf. For everything that he meant and had become. Because of them both. Because of him. For everything he meant and had always meant to Jayce and the brilliance that would be snuffed out when he watched the light leave his eyes. For everything that he'd done to him even though he'd never meant to hurt him. Every wound he'd inflicted had been out of nothing but love. And that was why it was so corrosive; so volatile. 

The worst thing a person could do to someone was love them the way he loved Viktor. 

And yet, even knowing that, even as that truth gripped him, some part of him that he despised knew he'd still do it again because he couldn't do nothing when the life of someone he cared about was at stake. That was his foil. The chink in his armor. He saw that now. If only he’d seen it before it had led him down this path. The path, it seemed, that he was always destined to follow.

He would be saved as a child. He would meet Viktor. And they would destroy the world together.

The depths of such betrayal. It wouldn’t be the first time he'd betrayed someone he loved, but it would be the first time he did it on purpose. With the explicit purpose of harming them. That just wasn’t who he was. It went against every atom of his being; against his unfalteringly loyal spirit. 

He couldn't hate Viktor for what he’d become. He didn’t want to. But he could hate himself for what he’d done to him. What he was about to do to him. Later. 

“I swear it.”

The anomaly reappeared and engulfed them. A fleshy, almost tendon-like conglomeration of round inorganic shapes with little rhyme or reason to them. Visually little more than a mass of shifting rainbow hews and refracting circular portholes punctuated only by its webbed internal structure. Its surface structured and rigid despite its ever-rippling nature. It warped and sputtered, swelling and expanding before contracting and shrinking in pulses and variable waves. It seemed unstable to Jayce, but it was impossible to tell. The amalgamation was as unknowable to him as the depths of the ocean. He would not question how it worked. He knew its purpose. It would send him back.

And then he would set about his grim task.

Jayce shared one final parting glance with the older version of the man he’d once called his closest friend before he felt himself pulled backward, tumbling through the depths of the Arcane. It was a blinding and disorienting experience, channels of light to either side of him rippling through dark, cool hues punctuated by the occasional reds and golds as runic symbols blazed past him at light speed. What appeared to be the night sky loomed over him, stars sparkling in distant, vacant galaxies in the far-off cosmos he was sent along the path that had been purpose-carved explicitly for him. It was beautiful in a frightening way.

Gripping the handle of the Mercury Hammer tightly, he felt himself speed up, approaching velocities that he dared not consider. The implications of how hard his upcoming landing would be would start to eat away at his already raw nerves. He didn’t need that.

His head cascaded through memories and fractured visions, threatening to tear his mind apart. He presumed that he was nearly there. He would hold together for as long as it took. He would finish the job and then his mind could unravel. Perhaps that would spare him some of the inevitable guilt. Some merciful madness to provide him with a thoughtless reprieve.

But as he approached the end of the path, a thought occurred to him. The Arcane. He’d touched it back at the base of the Hexgate and it had felt strange. Alien. Unpleasant. But this was another facet of it. More focused and less untamed. It looked like he could reach out and touch it, skim over its surface just like a hand skimming through silent waters. He’d wanted to do as much during his childhood in the moment that he’d been whisked away to safety. Perhaps a bit of harmless indulgence amidst the madness of it all?

Cautiously, he reached out his hand, extending just his middle, ring, and index fingers. That would be all he needed to-.

He saw his body go one way as he went the other as if he had been snatched from it. It passed him as he lingered behind, time almost seeming to stand still as his mind failed to process the level of horror that he should be experiencing upon seeing something of that nature. And then he was yanked sideways, wrenched through the walls of the Arcane itself.

A fractal, almost psychedelic series of refracting reflections of his own body and mind encircling him and then spreading out in long waves, sending his body through a void of bright white light. He saw the back of himself, row after row repeating the same motions in a slightly delayed sequence as he closed his eyes, only to find that doing so did nothing to stop him from seeing. He felt his heart leap in his chest, his blood pounding as he tried to steady himself.

Curse his foolish curiosity. If he’d only kept his hands to himself…

Suddenly, he felt his body drop. Slamming downward as everything around him went completely white save for the infinite rows of rainbow light that encircled the black, bottomless cosmic hole that he now found himself plummeting into. He opened his mouth to cry out in fear but found that little more than a frightened yelp escaped his parted lips as he plunged into the depths. Jayce closed his eyes, unwilling to look. If this was to be his end then he didn’t want to see what would take him from existence.

Jayce felt his knees buckle and slam downward as his hands caught him and he came to a sudden, bone-crunching stop. He gritted his teeth from sheer instinct, waiting with dread for the inevitable pain that would make its unwelcome appearance in his left leg. But as he opened his eyes he was met with confusion as nothing happened, the only discomfort coming from his palms making contact with the ground beneath him, and even that was nominal at best. His knees tingled a bit, but hardly in a way that he’d consider painful. Slowly his eyes began to adjust.

Light flooded through the trees around him. The smell of crisp waterside air and the gentle flutter of the wings of birds as they soared from the treetops overhead, startled by his sudden stop. The feeling of a comfortingly cool breeze grasping at the fabric that he wore, ghosting over his skin with all the gentleness of a kiss. The sun shone overhead in a bright blue sky barely touched by the paltry smattering of clouds that dared try to impede the light from above, warm but not stifling as leaves blew past him on the paved path that he occupied. 

He was looking down at the pavement. There was pavement.

Startled, he scrambled backward onto his feet, instantly thrown off by how unburdened his movement was. He ran a hand over his visibly shocked face, shaking his head back and forth a few times as his palm made contact with the top of his head. There was no hair to brush out of his eyes. It was shorter. He had no beard. No stubble, even.

He looked down and, to his further confusion, he wore something completely different than what he’d just had on. Gone were the muddied and soiled whites and golds that he’d once worn and in their stead was a much more approachable set of clothing. He wore dark pants with a vest and a long-sleeved shirt underneath, the sleeves neatly rolled up to just over the elbow. The garments were complimenting shades of dark blue and that shade of Talis red that he was oh so accustomed to. Familiar but something he was almost certain he couldn’t remember ever wearing before. And yet, something he felt like he would’ve picked out in another lifetime. Certainly inoffensive to his personal tastes.

Taking a second to orient himself, he concluded that he was in a park or plaza of some sort. It had recently established trees. There were benches and what seemed to be a fountain of some sort a short distance away. Nothing noteworthy but it still felt that way.

The place was alive. So unlike what the place he’d just left had been like.

“Excuse me. Sir? You dropped these.”

Jayce turned in alarm towards the individual who had just approached him. An enforcer carrying what appeared to be a clipboard with several documents on it. There was a cover sheet covering the stack bearing a house single that looked reminiscent of his own, only with two hammers instead of the single one he was accustomed to. Everything else was the same from the style to the colors, aside from that notable difference. Odd.

The enforcer handed over the documents, stopping to adjust his uniform. It had probably shifted when he’d reached over to pick up the documents off of the ground.

“T-thank you.” It took Jayce a moment to speak, his mouth and mind not quite in alignment just yet. He wasn’t sure why that had been so hard. What about it had felt so foreign to him? Perhaps spending an extended period in a realm nearly devoid of conversation partners had made him accustomed to other people just existing around him? There hadn’t been anyone to talk to down in that hole except for himself and the vaguely amphibious creatures he’d been feasting on. It was a humbling thought, one that made him uneasy. “Sorry for the trouble.”

The enforcer nodded cooperatively, seemingly taking notice of how off-kilter Jayce seemed. There was just something a bit off about him. Oh, if the man only knew. And yet, he seemed familiar. Like Jayce had seen him before…

It hit him like a bolt from the blue. He looked like that sheriff who had died on the bridge during that attack a while back, only slightly younger. Less hardened. What had his name been? Something with an M. Ah, that was right. Marcus. The same man who’d brought him the documents he’d requested during his second day as a Counselor. The day that they’d gone to check on the Hexgates.

Wait.

Oh no. He’d gone off course. Surely. It should have been obvious at first glance and yet… Was he in the past? Was this another timeline? He needed to find out. Fast.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” It was so strange, speaking to a man he knew to be dead. Or who would die? He didn’t have the foggiest idea just yet, but still. He hadn’t known him but he still felt a small pang of sadness remembering the sight of him laying there when he’d visited the bridge that day with Mel. It almost made him feel queasy again.

“Of course. How can I help?”

“I… “ He flipped through the documentation on the clipboard, looking for something to go off of. A starting place for his investigations. And then he found it: a set of addresses. One was listed as a professional address, a tempting lead to be sure, but the other caught his eye. It was a home address. Apparently, his personal address since it was listed under his house name. But it was not the one he was familiar with. “Could you point me in the right direction?”

Marcus leaned over to read the address and then eyed him questioningly, seemingly wondering something but not saying it. “That’s just a few blocks short of a mile from here. Across the bridge in Central Zaun. Near The Last Drop. Go straight. You won’t miss it.”

The notion that the address was not in Piltover didn’t surprise him. He’d never seen a street by that name there. But Zaun? Was that what the Undercity was called in this universe? Had something disastrous happened in his personal life to cause him to have to move there? Maybe he hadn’t gone back in time, then. This might be more complicated than he’d first imagined. Fantastic.

He thanked Markus and bid him farewell. At least now he had a lead to work with. To Zaun, then. He’d been to the center of the Undercity before. It felt like a lifetime ago now, but he was certain that he could find his way down to the bottom again.

Making his way through town, Jayce couldn’t hope but notice that things felt different. Everything felt brighter; warmer and more optimistic. There were balloons on the street poles and banners over roads. Street service workers were in the process of replacing the standard lights with colored ones and an electric sense of optimism and excitement seemed to flow from everyone he passed. They were all looking forward to something, that much was clear.

And then he reached the bridge.

The structure that once served as a point of separation between the two cities gleamed under the bright sky, bustling with activity and purpose. Children played and vendors showcased different products and purchasable, perishable, or otherwise. People talked and laughed together from all walks of life. There were no blockades. Only traces of where they’d once been. Everything was clean and well-kept. People were enjoying themselves in an environment devoid of tension.

It all felt like a surreal fever dream. A beautiful one.

In truth, it stole his breath away.

He’d always hoped that Hextech could pave the way to a better tomorrow for them all, but to see the Undercity flourishing, even at just the surface level? This place was everything he’d ever hoped it could be. Everything that they’d championed for, especially Viktor. So tirelessly, even at the expense of his own well-being. To see the home that his partner had hailed from brimming with hope and beauty seized him in a way that he struggled to shake as he moved through the streets toward his destination. He wished he could show Viktor this version of his home. He wished he’d had the chance to grow up in this version of his home. No polluted water and acidic air, no downtrodden infrastructure or blackened skies heavy with soot and brimstone from the factories and mines. Just fresh air, daylight, and opportunity around every corner. What they’d all disserved from the very start. What they’d been deprived of by the simple virtue of being born on the wrong side of the bridge.

Genuine tangible irrefutable progress. He wanted this for his Piltover. For their Piltover.

He hurried along, checking the addresses as he passed by what was undeniably the center of town. Past The Last Drop and down its open, winding roads that had once been so narrow and stifling. Down to a quiet but still active zone filled with a mixture of residences and small shops. Colorful, bright, and full of greenery, something unfamiliar to him in this place save for the smog. He rounded a corner and then stopped, suddenly hit by the realization that something just felt off all of a sudden.

It started as simple blurred vision, Jayce shaking his head as he ducked further back away from the street. But then his head shuttered and his legs nearly buckled, his chest heaving as he used one hand to steady himself against the brick wall of one of the shops and the other to grip his throbbing head. He saw colors and shapes in flashes too fast and aggressively to make out clearly. And then he felt his stomach knot and churn before he found himself on his knees for the second time since he’d arrived, emptying the contents of his stomach into a nearby bush.

Panting as the clarity returned to his watering eyes and the breath in his lungs was restored, he stood shakily, steadying himself. He wasn’t a fan of whatever that had been. But it was over. He would continue.

Stepping back out onto the main path he did a double take. He’d found the address. In his stupor, he’d nearly walked right past it.

It didn’t stand out from the other buildings it was attached to, a little two-story thing with a raised stoop that made it apparent that it had a basement with a window well. At the top of the eves was a round window that hinted at the possibility of an attic, but it was hard to be sure from the exterior. The roof was a tarnished copper like many of the others on the road, but in a way that was ornamental instead of the result of a lack of upkeep. The verdigris contrasted the rest of the structure in a way that almost seemed deliberate, with red brick and metal ornamentation that almost reminded him of what one would expect in the more common districts of Piltover but with a slightly different flare. It was… Nice. Easily one of the coziest-looking buildings on the lane. Strange. It even felt like home.

Jayce wasn’t sure what he’d expected to find when he’d imagined where he’d choose to live in the Undercity, but this was a far cry better than what he’d had in mind. Nothing opulent, but to be fair, that had never been the case for any place he’d lived aside from the Kiramman Penthouse during his studies. He dug through his waistcoat pocket and produced a set of keys as he approached the door. There were a few on the ring, in fact. Something else to look into later. If he was there that long.

It took a few keys before he found the right one, but eventually, the door opened and he stepped across the threshold, immediately hit by the comforting warmth of the space. If the outside had been quaint and cozy, then the inside was nothing short of welcoming. Instantly, it felt like a place he’d like to stay in. An archway made in the same art nouveau style with just a sprinkle of art deco that the rest of the building’s exterior had been crafted in opened up into what seemed to be a living area of some sort. Just ahead of him was a staircase leading to the upper level. 

Even with the curtains partially drawn across the back window, he could see the wealth of plants in the back conservatory off to the side of the back of the building, accessible via the hallway that ran down past the staircase. An interesting choice. He’d never been the best at keeping those alive despite his best attempts. Perhaps they were specimens for some sort of study.

But as he considered this the same pain he’d felt in his skull returned from nowhere, only with no warning or build-up and with the vengeful spite of a curse set upon him by a wrathful god. He bumped into the wall as he dropped the papers he still carried onto a side table, nearly stumbling over it in the process as he reeled back and used both hands to clutch his aching head, digging his fingers into his scalp as though gouging through his flesh and excavating all the gray matter from his body was the only recourse from which he could hope to derive release.

Gasping soundlessly save for the sound of air parting ways with his lungs, he grounded himself as he clenched his eyes shut. It would pass. It had to. His worst moments always did for they were merely that: moments. He groaned shakily, panting like a shaking animal as his ears wrang, seeing only the flashes of color and fractal nonsense that were the hallmarks of the Arcane anomaly. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears and head as the ceaseless agony slowly subsided, pushing and pulling in tormenting waves until it became vaguely bearable again, coherence no longer simply a product of wishful yearning.

He didn’t hear the handle turn; he didn’t register the door swing open or the silence as it returned to the room. Jayce didn’t feel the presence of another person in the room with him whatsoever, so overtaken was he by the ordeal he’d just experienced. His ears felt like they’d never be useful again. And then he heard a voice. As clear as crystal. Like a chime ringing out in the utterly consuming darkness. He didn’t currently possess the faculties necessary to discern the topic of conversation, but he knew that voice anywhere.

Viktor.

(-~-)

After SEVERAL delays (sorry, everyone) chapter one is FINALLY out and I am over the moon. Seriously, I have so much that I want to do with this AU and so many little stories that I want to tell within it, so bear with me. Sometimes my brain just doesn't cooperate with my writing schedule, but the excitement is there, I promise. I want to know what you guys think! It’s been so long since I’ve started something like this. Was the writing okay?

I have a one-shot to write and then I’m going to start chapter two immediately so the plan is to get it out within the next day or two, if not sooner. Fingers crossed. Thanks again for checking this out! If you want to hear more I have info for the AU on my Bluesky and my Tumblr and they are both linked in my bio. I can provide links if you’d like them. Just let me know. I’d really like to know what you think of this so far. Do you want this to go in a more spicy direction in the future? Is that a no-go for you? I’m itching to hear your feedback. And I hope to see you in chapter 2. Take care and I’ll see you soon. Bye!

[evilkitten3]

tbh i think azula would do it on purpose to get back at zuko for doing it on accident XD

but yeah. realistically they probably wouldn't go with the gaang but nothing about this au involves realism so if they did they'd probably be astonished to discovery that useful items do not in fact just show up out of nowhere.

sokka: ok we need to find some food anyone have any experience hunting in this kind of environment

azula: no but we'll probably all figure it out within a week or two

katara: that's very nice but if we run out of food we'll all be dead within a week or two

zuko: it's ok, some will show up once it's clear that we need it

aang: what, like.... a friendly spirit brings it to you?

azula: don't be ridiculous, of course not. it just shows up

katara: why would it do that?

zuko: bc we need it?????

sokka: ...hey random question did my dad actually tell you guys that we were leaving things for you?

zuko & azula: *identical surprised pikachu faces*

atla crack au where zuko and azula burn the palace down as kids (like 12 and 10, respectively, pre-banishment but post-grandpacide), run away to avoid consequences, and somehow end up "discreetly" living in the abandoned fire nation ship in the south pole ("discreetly" is a word which here means "all the adults know they're there bc they have massive arguments every other day, and when hakoda's nearby he "drops" things that might be useful")

ozai ends up blaming the palace fire on iroh and banishes him. he must capture the children to regain his honor (translator's note: this is adult speak for "get their asses back here so i can ground them for the rest of their lives")

[tequiilasunriise]

I am so in love with this volume because I am so in love with the way Blake Belladonna is finally allowing herself to love Yang, you feel me?

Blake has always had this love fer Yang, we all watched their slowburn unfold over several volumes, but she kept this love close to her heart and only let that affection slip through cracks of her walls and/or during dire life or death situations. The simple, domestic, everyday ways to express love? Holding hands just because and softer words spoken freely and casually? Blake couldn’t do it because she was still afraid.

Afraid to hurt Yang and scare her away with her affections, because she had hurt Yang so much already and couldn’t bear to risk burdening her even more. She had left, she had abandoned the one person who she trusted most, and she had to prove she was staying for good this time. They still had to repair their friendship first and foremost.

Afraid to be the one hurting for exposing herself, because love had burned her once so throughly before. She trusts Yang with her life, but that haunting nightmare that is Adam makes it hard fer her to trust the brightest thing in her life with her heart. Blake had to overcome the bullish knife hanging over her head before she could be in another relationship.

And then when these issues were slowly getting resolved, Blake still held back. Sure, there were more tender moments between them, but they were more brief and far between. Blake was still holding back because this slowburn slowdance was all she knew when it came to Yang. They had to focus on the threat of Salem, of Atlas falling, of all that. It was better to play it safe, now was still not the right time.

But then? But then Blake watched Yang die, and suddenly all those cautious moments of ‘playing it safe’ racked up to an indescribable amount of missed opportunities and regret. Suddenly waiting all this time for the ‘right’ time didnt matter at all anymore because Blake completely ran out of any time.

Blake isn’t going to hold back anymore, she’s finally comfortable enough to be who she always was deep down under those trauma walls, this openly affectionate silly goofy little book nerd who just wants to make her beloved smile, and she’s going to absolutely s h o w e r Yang with flirty tones and dumb jokes and longing touches and be such a dorky romantic because she doesn’t want to waste anymore time. As Weiss spoke fer all of us, it’s, “About time”. The ‘right’ time is right the fuck now screw that ‘not concerned with sands of time’ bullshit she wants to kiss this stupid pretty face and she WILL let Yang know. I think about Blake this volume and I’m just SO PROUD OF HER. Nothing like a little taste of death to push a slowburn along, huh? Seriously though, witnessing Blake’s arc come full circle to open up and be the person she once was before Adam crushed her into taking up as little space as possible, before she deemed herself as nothing but a coward and a fool, seeing her laugh and smile openly and shoot every damn shot she can- it’s so, so damn good.

Anyways, I am also in love with Yang Xiao Long having no idea how to handle Blake being incredibly openly in love with her. 10/10 watching experience, truly.

[monster-disaster]

Ironridge Masterlist

[orc] Zorag - You and Zorag drive each other insane, especially on a rainy day when both of you have to work together. Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 (You can read the updated version on my Patreon.) Patreon/[orc] Zorag +1 - Your little family goes trick-or-treating. Patreon/[orc] Zorag + 1 - Zorag comes home to a sick little toddler.

[orc] Rakar - You move back to Ironridge, and your friendship with Rakar takes a turn. Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 (You can read the updated version on my Patreon.) Patreon/[orc] Rakar Iron + 1 - Rakar is ready to have a family with you.

[orc & bear shifter] Thrak & Rowan - A night with your boyfriends. (You can read the updated version on my Patreon.) Patreon/[orc & bear shifter] Thrak & Rowan +1 - You are ready to take a nap with your lovers.

[bear shifter] Willow - Your girlfriend takes you to Ironridge for a weekend getaway. Part 1 // Part 2

[elf] Everen - Your boss demands you to follow him to Ironridge.

Patreon/[minotaur] Atlas - You go home to get yourself a cowboy. + moldboard + an extra chapter

Patreon/[orc] Garek - On your fifth date, Garek takes you camping in the forest. + moodboard Patreon/[orc] Garek +1 - Garek takes you back to the woods again.

Patreon/[dragon] Athos - You try to steal from a dragon and pay the price for it. + illustration

Patreon/[merman] Tion - You take your class on a camping trip to the sea, and you find more than a few sandcastles. Part 1 // Part 2

Patreon/[orc] Shelby - Your crush on Shelby gets more serious after she helps you in the store. Part 1 // Part 2

Patreon/[minotaur] Fen - Your best friend visits you in the middle of the night, and he is drunk.

[wolf-shifter] Oliver - You are worried about your friend so you visit him.

Patreon/[orc] Genevieve - You work in a haunted house and freak out everyone. Well, almost everyone.

Patreon/[chimera] Grin - It's Grin's wedding day but he isn't sure about the future. Patreon/[chimeras] Grin & Nelnir - Your night is saved by the twins. Patreon/[chimeras] Grin & Nelnir + a morning - A lazy morning with the twins.

Patreon/[naga] Eshra - Eshra gets a surprise when he wakes up.

Patreon/[naga] Selgon - At the end of a horrible week, you meet Selgon, the ice cream thief.

[bluespiritshonour]

I’m so curious what’s going on in the Revenant au!

Thanku for the ask 😊

At first I thought it would be the Blue Spirit haunting Zuko—but in true horror fashion you won't be able to get “rid of him”—anymore than you can get rid of Tui and La (we all know how that went down) or, say, Koh. They're kinda like, idk, nature spirits? Not all of them, but you get the point?

And I drew Zuko getting shot at and I put him in white so I decided I'd just kill off Ozai and he's exactly the kind of bitch that would come back to haunt his kids.

He just wants to erase his bloodline at this point and neither Zuko nor Azula have any kids so it's just the two of them. He starts with Zuko either because he's the firstborn or because he hates him that much—like, he definitely doesn't care for Azula, but he doesn't love her either and would definitely try to kill her too—but Zuko needs to be out of the way first.

And Zuko's like “this fucker can't leave well enough alone even in death.” And he knows the moment he's dead, it's Azula's turn. So he sort of—holds onto Ozai like “It can work both ways, old man.”

And he just has the sort of willpower to pull it off. He just... refuses to bite it. Despite ghost!Ozai’s best attempts. And now he can't redirect his attention to Azula either because Zuko just won't let him go.

I thought about this especially because Azula has moments when she seems to care about Zuko in the show, but Zuko reciprocating it? Not so much. So, let him be a good brother for once.

As for Mai, she's gifted in that she's always been able to see spirits and ghosts and all the other stuff. But her parents hated that and tried to hide it so she never talked to anyone about it. She's gotten used to it at this point, as if ghosts and the rest are fixtures; part of the landscape.

And then Ozai starts haunting Zuko and she's like “yeah, I can see this bitch buzzing around like flies.”

Piandao is also someone who can see the otherworldly stuff and he's just... So much better adjusted than either Zuko or Mai. Anyways, he suggests that Mai should help him help Zuko. And it's Zuko so of course Mai agrees.

And in the course of it she and Piandao strike a friendship and it's lovely. And with the war over and her parents off her back she realises that she actually enjoys this stuff and soon enough she's shaking down every non-corporeal being in existence and they hate her. She discovers Koh and it's like she's found a new hobby.

I might just give her a guardian spirit for safety reasons. I haven't thought of it yet.

She and Piandao would make for a real good pair in that they'd flip the dynamic where the apprentice is taciturn and the master is... not exactly cheerful, but Piandao strikes me as a very normal™ man. Y'know?

(I'm kinda trying to project them into Sanyeong and Prof. Yeom from Revenant; except that here, Mai's not the one who has ghost problems, Zuko is).

There's so much potential to the spirits in ATLA. I'm kinda sad I couldn't work the Blue Spirit into it; Ozai just fits better. I might try to shoe-horn him in though. Idk. I love to force things.

But I'd have loved more spirit world stuff. Aang facing Koh is one of my favourite episodes. The execution was GREAT!

P.S. I actually had the Blue Spirit’s silhouette behind Zuko and it was kinda lame. I don't like to think the dark water spirit is humanoid but I'm not creative enough for anything else so it was just... Zuko in the theatre mask. 🥴 Ozai even looks better/more sinister.

[bizarrebazaar13]

Aria Carmichael

Aria Carmichael (she/her) is a 24-year-old former astronomer who studies the stars, the Correspondence, and poisons. She does not have many friends, but she enjoys the company of a few tomb-colonists, including Lettice the Mercy. She is most often found either in Watchmaker’s Hill or the University.

Her study of poisons is mainly focused on Prisoner’s Honey and its more potent varieties. Her preferred method of murder in Hearts’ Game is poisoning the air with Correspondence sigils and lead fumes, but poison-tainted honey works just as well.

Aria is a skilled writer, but she rarely publishes the results of her studies. The University tolerates her presence, but she is not allowed to teach classes, and the students in her lab often go there as a last resort. Many faculty members wonder why she is even allowed to have a lab- rumor has it the Provost is too afraid of her to take it away.

Aria Rose Carmichael was born on June 20, 1876, in Oxford, England. Her mother, Martha, died when she was only four, and her father, Laurence Carmichael, married Edith Burton a year later.

Laurence was a bookbinder, and his passion for books was passed on to his daughter. It was a star atlas in his bookshop that sparked Aria’s lifelong love of astronomy, which was encouraged by Edith. Edith and Aria were close throughout Aria’s childhood, and Edith was the one who taught Aria to play the violin.

Aria entered university at the age of seventeen, to study astronomy. Laurence and Edith both believed she would return home and marry soon after finishing her studies, but Aria never did. She got a taste of knowledge beyond what her father’s books could offer her, and she knew she could never be satisfied with anything less ever again.

She kept to herself for the most part, and though she took an assistant teaching position after finishing her degree, she had no real friendships among the faculty or her students. Teaching was simply what allowed her to live on the university premises and saved her from marriage, it was never her real calling.

When Aria was twenty, she met an Italian physics professor named Elisa di Bartolomeo. At first, Aria’s attention was drawn to Elisa because she was one of very few other women at the university, but the two of them soon developed a close friendship. Elisa seemed to genuinely enjoy Aria’s company, and the feeling, Aria was surprised to find, was mutual.

They became lovers five months after their first meeting. Their relationship had to remain a secret, but it was the happiest Aria could ever remember being.

Elisa was murdered on August 17, 1898.

Aria was immediately intrigued by the Correspondence, and she was undeterred by the University’s resistance to teach the subject. The murder of the Senior Reader was more of an inconvenience to her than anything else, and when she realized she would need a laboratory to help find Elisa’s killer, the decision to frame the Cryptozoologist to save her career was an easy one. The Provost doesn’t openly acknowledge what she did for him, but there is an understanding between them. And he is, rightfully, afraid of her.

She is intrigued by the Dawn Machine, and is trying to track down the woman who designed it. All she has is an alias: June. But she found Scathewick from some flower petals.

She is an Extraordinary Mind.

Aria’s ambition was Nemesis. Elisa was killed after Aria couldn’t afford to pay an anonymous blackmailer who threatened to expose their relationship. Aria began her search for the murderer almost immediately afterwards, and came to the Neath in early 1899.

She killed Scathewick in the Iron Republic, and the experience still haunts her and influences her attitude towards Hell. She also killed the shade of Mr. Mirrors, and killed Mr. Cups in March 1902.

She left a story of loss behind on the Bazaar.

Since Elisa’s death, Aria carries a knife almost everywhere, but she has an aversion to ones made of skyglass.

Aria is an avid player of Hearts’ Game, and has been a frequent sight in the Bone Market ever since beginning work on the Great Hellbound Railway.

Her railway board consists of the Jovial Contrarian, the Implacable Detective, Furnace Ancona, the Dean of Xenotheology, and the Bishop of Southwark. Her railway has reached Jericho Locks, and she supports the Prehistoricists.

Library (in chronological order)

Am I Home?

the color of forgetting

ride out the blackout

Adagio con amore by the wonderful @lord-emerson

Gallery (newest to oldest)

this one by the lovely @neathyingenue

[lover-also-fighter-also]

Uncommon Character Asks: 1, 5, 14, 40, 43, A, G, H, J

For both Anitha and Ria

Ask list here

1. What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

Anitha: Not more than 10 seconds. She needs to do something or she will explode with boredom

Ria: Maybe an hour or so? She is a person whose social battery gets exhausted easily, and recharges after some alone time.

5. How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

Anitha:

Anitha is more optimistic and she is all about giving second chances. But if they misuse that second chance, nobody in the world can convince her to trust them again.

Ria:

Ria is much more conscious and sensitive about trust. After being a social outcast for years, it is much more easier for her to mistrust people.

14. What animal do they fear most?

Anitha:

Its gonna sound a little silly, but Anitha is not a fan of monkeys, particularly because when a monkey took her snacks from her during a school trip to a wildlife sanctuary. Since then, she remembers to keep her food close to her whenever she goes for a nature hike.

Ria:

Ria has a hell of a fear for lizards, after a fake one was thrown on her as a prank. Show her a lizard and she will run away from there.

40. How sensitive are they to their own flaws?

Anitha:

Anitha is more accepting of her flaws. She knows that she isn't perfect, but she makes it a point to not let her flaws define who she is.

Ria:

Ria is highly sensitive to her flaws because she feels that it makes her less and unworthy of anyone's friendship or love. It took her a much longer time to realize that those flaws are a part of her, and its what makes her.

43. If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so?

Anitha:

Guys, girls, it doesn't matter. I'm attracted to all of them.

Ria:

I'm only into girls, Brian!

A. Why are you excited about this character?

Anitha:

Anitha was the first choices MC character that I have created. As a huge Harry Potter fan, I've always loved The Elementalists, and after creating her, it feels like a part of me exists in the magickal world. She is everything that I wish that I was a couple of years ago. Confident, Athletic, open and a real flirt.

Ria:

Considering that OG: HSS was one of the first choices books that I have played, it made me excited to create a character with a solid backstory of my own, and have so many headcanons as to what Ria is like, her interests, romance, career and future.

G. What trait of theirs bothers you the most?

Anitha:

Maybe that Anitha is sometimes overly-confident and rushes, before thinking of what the consequences to her actions might be.

Ria:

Ria is constantly haunted with self-doubt on whether she is good enough for people to like or not.

H. What trait do you admire most?

Anitha:

Anitha is never scared about what is going to happen to her. She is willing to do whatever it takes to protect her loved ones.

Ria:

Ria is resilient. She never goes down without a fight, and whatever she does, she gives her 100 % effort into it.

J. Did you have to manipulate or exclude canon factors to allow them to create their character?

For both Anitha and Ria, the backstories were my own because canonically nothing was shown about their lives before Penderghast/Berry High. In the story, there are some canon traits that I want to exclude like for Ria, she had no interest in running for Prom Queen, yet it seemed like she was pushed into the role. And for Anitha, in TE book 2, she would feel much more horrible after attacking Atlas with blood magick that it might take more than 2 chapters for them to reconcile.

[haunted-friendships]

CHAPTER 3: Setting the Soul free?..

An: Yippee! I was able to get this friday off to make this chapter come out early! So yeah!!!

Friday, August 27 [xxxx], 09:37pm

Everyone met up at the same bus stop near their school and made sure to do a head count and quick check on their equipment. “Okay so we have everything and everyone here… lets go.” Rey said as she led them back to the abandoned building. Althea held the thermometer and had Penny carried on her back, Chiffon had the EMF reader in hand and a crucifix in her pocket, and Atlas carried the notebooks, cameras, and the Ouija Board. Once they set up their equipment and some cameras they started roaming around the building, each of them having their own floor and notebook to investigate. With Penny and Althea investigating the first floor just to make sure it’s safe, Chiffon on the second floor, Atlas on the third and Rey on the forth.

Friday, August 27 [xxxx], 11:04pm

They proceeded with their investigation until 11pm when they all met up outside the building and collected all the data they wrote. In Althea and Penny’s notebook it said that they would hear a subtle foot tapping like a walk on their floor and not upstairs, and the sounds of echoing whispers nearby, like souls getting tortured and burned in hell. Meanwhile in Chiffon’s notebook she mentioned how whenever she returns to a certain spot an object would either appear or go missing, and the EMF reader would slowly get close to level 4 or 5 with each ticking second. In Atlas’ end, he noted how there would be deep and loud whispers from a female voice, telling him scrambled words or a different language that he couldn’t understand. As for Rey, she noted down how she had a feeling like there was someone or something behind her but whenever she looked back, all she saw was nothing. So they had to end up using the Ouija board. They made sure Penny was somewhere in a safe distance away as they set it up.

Friday, August 27 [xxxx], 11:23pm

They all placed their hands on the planchette, they proceeded by asking the basic questions. “Ms. Marian dela Cruz, are you here with us now?” Rey asked as the planchette slowly moved towards the yes. “Oh ms. dela Cruz, are you here to cause us harm?” Chiffon asked. The planchette stayed on the answer yes which made them worried a bit, giving Atlas some goosebumps. “Ms. Marian, may we ask if you can show yourself to us?…” the planchette then started moving towards different letters, they were all being noted down by Atlas and as they read what it spelt it said ‘respice post te.’ “What?…” Atlas said confused and pissed. Chiffon’s eyes widened as she read it, she quickly told Rey “whatever you do, make sure to not make any sudden movements, and make sure to turn your head slowly, Rey.” She looked at Chiffon confused and slowly turned her head, thats when she saw the ‘figure’ that they saw in the recorded video from a few days ago, it was right there, staring at her. Rey slowly took out her flashlight, ready to flash it at the figure if it plans to charge at them. Atlas slowly moves behind Rey, with Althea slowly pulling Penny next to her. “What do we do..” Althea whispers to Rey. “We slowly stand up, you all stay behind me and gently walk out to the exit. Leave the other replaceable things behind and make sure Penny sticks with atleast one of you.” Rey responded as she slowly stood up with the others and slowly backed away as Rey pointed the not yet lit flashlight at the figure.

Friday, August 27 [xxxx], 11:28pm

Rey and Atlas goes back to the building but doesnt enter just yet, they checked the surroundings and turned on Rey’s flashlight. “Thats odd…” Rey says “whats wrong?” Atlas asks as he looked at Rey. “I can’t find a single trace on where the figure wouldve went, no signs, no more eerie sounds, no nothing. Do you think it was able to free itself?..”, “Maybe, we’ll never know unless we see it ourselves. Well i’ll be going now since I guess my job here is done.” Atlas responds as he carries his bag and walks away, planning to stay the night at Ellis’ apartment.

[teashoptiramisu]

Fluffy fanfic rec list

On one of my Discord servers people were talking about how people seem more likely to recommend angsty fic, so I decided to put together a fluff rec list, just for fun! This is gonna be a variety of fandoms, wordcount length, genres, etc. -- the common factor is I like ‘em and they turned up when I search “fluff” in my bookmarks. I’ll point out if any are nsfw

ATLA

see your son rising at last by aloneintherain --  ATLA -- 6.5k words -- Iroh & Zuko 5+1 things fic  

North by ryfkah -- ATLA -- 300 words -- short & sweet Appa POV fic

definitely not suspicious at all in the least by presumenothing -- ATLA -- 1k words -- post-canon Gaang shenanigans

All The Gentle Creatures by Haicrescendo -- ATLA -- 10k words -- animals love Zuko, he’s basically a Disney Princess

Yuri!!! On Ice

see you next level by verity -- YoI -- 1.5k words -- Yuuri, Viktor & Phichit get drunk & watch TV, Yuuri & Viktor continue to be the most adorably sappy couple

Friendship!!! Is Magic by afrai -- YoI & OHSHC -- 10k words -- Yuuri & Haurhi meet at a conference and become friends. Viktor & Tamaki make fools of themselves (but what else is new)

Howl’s Moving Castle (mostly bookverse)

Second Time Lucky by labellementeuse -- HMC -- 5.5k words -- Howl & Sophie plan their wedding (lol i spelled that “weeding” on the first try... also accurate). As you might expect for these two it doesn’t go without some hiccups.

Could it be magic? by SpiritedYoungLady -- HMC -- 500 words -- Howls comes back from night with the rugby club, and Sophie is unamused

Fulllmetal Alchemist (mostly bhood/manga)

All That Describes a Joyful Heart by anthrop  -- FMA -- 3k words -- Hohenheim & Trisha cook together during a winter storm & they are simply TOO ADORABLE. Features some Xerxian cultural headcanons inspired by Nowruz (Persian New Year) traditions!

And They Were ROOMMATES by Turbulent_Muse -- FMA -- 30k words -- Modern AU in which college student!Ling moves into a haunted house, but since the rent is too good to pass up, he decides to try and befriend the demon. Greedling friendship & adventure fic.

Science for People Who Hate Science by Tierfal -- FMA -- 66k words -- Royed Modern AU, but even if you dislike that ship you might want to give this one a chance; it’s really more of an origfic about two characters losely inspired by Roy & Ed. They run a goofy educational youtube channel and are two dorks in love. Al shows up to make fun of them sometimes. It’s a good time!

The Sleeping Horror of Whiskerford by Eltea -- FMA -- 3.5k words -- another modern AU, in which the gang (Ed, Al, Winry, Riza, Roy, Hughes) plays D&D. Worth it for Ed’s character sheet alone, but overall just a hilarious & fun time.

A Clowder of Cats by Batsutousai -- FMA -- 4k words -- post-canon (a more-or-less canon universe fic for once!), Al settles down and adopts a bunch of cats (AS HE DESERVES)

Teen Wolf

the butt is a gift by lazulisong -- Teen Wolf -- 1.5k words -- Stiles is pinned to the couch by cats. I think this is part of a larger AU but tbh I don’t care: Stiles, cats, relatable dilemmas, what more do I need?

When the Bough Breaks by The Feels Whale (miscellea) -- Teen Wolf -- 12k words -- A bit of a weird one, but sometimes I like my TW fic weird. post-canon-ish/canon-divergence with endgame Sterek; Stiles is on the outs with Derek’s pack until they learn that he’s adopted a baby, and then they’re suddenly all over to dote on her. I actually really mostly liked this for Stiles’ single parent struggles and (platonic) relationship with the baby’s birth mother, the werewolf stuff & romance was cute but mostly incidental.

Misc fandoms

it's a new craze by attheborder -- Good Omens -- 5k words -- Crowley & Aziraphale start an advice podcast

Hot Springs and New Beginnings by CorundumBleu -- Hollow Knight -- 3k words -- in a good ending universe, Quirrel, the Knight, and The Last Stag relax at a hot springs and discuss hopes for the future. I recommend looking through CorundumBleu’s other HK fics as well -- there’s a couple other good fluff fics in there and some most angsty but still amazing stories! (I’m biased: CB is my sister & I helped edit these, but still, I think they’re great!)

Sufficient by atheilen -- The Goblin Emperor -- 2k words -- deaged!Maia; in which everyone and particularly Beshelar shows how much they care for and cherish Maia.

Sick Day by avg (AnxiousEspada) -- The Murderbot Diaries -- 4k words -- Overse & Arada are sick; Ratthi and later Murderbot visit to help them out. “To everyone’s surprise, a feverish Overse is SecUnit approved humor-fuel.” (P.S. if you like this fic consider checking out my sequel to it!)

Thrilling Night! Romantic Adventure at the Video Rental Store! by Masu_Trout --  Undertale -- 2.5k words -- wonderful Outsider POV of an employee at a video rental store who gets the admittedly uncertain priviledge of helping Alphys and Undyne pick out a movie to rent for their date night. I’m still not over the movie they end up picking, OMG.

Gonna add a reblog with BNHA, Natsuyu, Gravity Falls, and maybe some HP recs tomorrow.

Also, if you like these fics and know of more like them, feel free to let me know! I’m always taking fic recs (I’m slow to get around to them but I WILL save your recs for later) :P

[usagiauro]

Before Yui was found by Richter, how did Atlas and Niko die? (Sorry, if i'm wanna to say this give me a clue about love story of them in Vermicilus story was before them died?)

I want to give some context first so that everyone here will understand (I'll reply right away).

Vermiculus is the prequel of DL, so before Yui.

Niko and Atlas are going to be the main couple who will be focused on and they would get Yui as their second child.

Atlas and Niko fell in love at first sight and their friendship was a perfect click.

But because of some 'events' it was hard to get together. Atlas was supposed to manupilate Niko to bring her to Remus and he didn't do that.. But he couldn't protect her from Hayatori, the rival of Remus.

Bad things things happened and the relationship was like a roller-coaster of emotions.

I will give more details about their relationship in their future wiki's but this is all of it that I can reveal for now ! 🐰

Cause of 'death':

In the revealed part of the story in DL (haunted bridal), we don't know where Yui's real parents went or what they originally were.. We assume they died.

But it isn't actually the case and it is complicated.

Let's get deep !

Niko

Niko might be a human but she is a flower girl (human blessed by God), which makes her have a privilege on a second life (not reincarnation).

In her early 30's, when she gave birth to Yui, some say she died of childbirth because her body was weak due to trauma's.

But Atlas knew this wasn't the case, he grew up with all the information there was to know about the 'pure ones'.

Niko actually became a guide in the dream realm.

To give a perfect example of how that's like-

Remember a scene in the anime that Yui could see the past of the Sakamaki, the illusions?

Niko was taking care of that, she wanted to tell something to her daughter about this family but because Cordelia was taking over, her time was limited.

Atlas

What happens with Atlas as soon that Niko is 'gone'?

He knew the dangers that were up ahead because Yui was the child of a flower girl.

Someone bad would most likely take advantage and he knew that Yui would be in real danger if he would keep her with him.

Atlas needed to run for the rest of his life, there were no moments of peace because the descendance of the serpents were after him.

So he gave Yui to his younger brother, Seiji komori.

Atlas didn't know what was going to happen to Yui in the future and if he knew who was going to come after his daughter, he would most likely regret his decision.

[nobodieshero-main]

nobodies hero: a haunting (book two)

Following the events of the first book, Atlas finds himself recovering in his childhood home. 

The wounds he received in the mountains were almost fatal, if it hadn’t been for the quick thinking and determination of his friends. The flesh wounds were just that: flesh wounds. It was the grief that kept him chained to his bed.

Blaming himself for Keika’s disappearance-slash-presumed-death, Atlas finds himself unable to stay at his family's estate. He can still see the after-images of Keika in his bed, walking with Mordred past the hall windows, wrinkling his nose at the amount of cutlery on the dining table. Keika haunts him in every breath and beat of his heart, and Atlas cannot stay.

(Mordred watches from his bedroom window as his brother leaves him behind, again.)

He ends up moving across the country to take up the teaching position at the University of Vinés, which he was offered after graduation but never wanted. He takes Guppy, Keika’s beloved companion — let them grieve in an unfamiliar city together.

The grief is bearable in Vinés because Keika was never there; but it still seems to cling to him like a second skin. Atlas doesn’t recognise the man in the mirror anymore. He turns away Cecily’s letters, her attempts to coax him back to adventure, her silent pleas for her friend to come back from a war he doesn’t fight alone. 

In another city, a man wakes up with no memory and throws up all over the princess of Miednic. She calls him Ihongaro, ‘lost soul’ and refuses to talk to him for longer than she has to - instead, Iho finds comfort in the queen herself: Nhaev Miednic, Lynx Mother and Condor of the West. They become friends, somehow, and he proves himself witty and intelligent with a sharp tongue and sharper glare. His memories come back at odd times, about odd things, but never about himself. 

He grieves when birds fly past, and wakes from nightmares clutching at his heart as though it had been torn from his chest. He mourns, but doesn’t know why. He is a haunted house in the shape of a man and it frustrates him to no end, so Nhaev sends him away to get help. 

In the far West, across the ocean, there is a small island made of mushrooms, called Priah. It is a home of witches: humans without casting abilities, who use natural resources to heal and mend. They promise to help him, and while he’s there he meets someone named Mattie. They become fast friends, close to inseparable, and eventually– Keika comes back to himself, in bits and pieces and then all at once. 

Everything comes back, and with the knowledge gained from being in close contact with the Queen of Miednic and her family's library, he now knows who’s truly to blame: Prince Sasha, crowned ruler of Omos.

On a mission now, to take revenge against the Prince, and with his memory restored, Keika ends up sort-of befriending the woman he threw up on: Atara Miednic. It’s probably the strangest friendship he’s ever had, with her seeming to hate his guts but also allowing him to accompany her to the city of Vinés, Nevmones’ Capital, when she goes to visit her wife. 

The University there is meant to have the best library on the known continent.

He finds the library, and then he finds Atlas. He’s dragged into an office and they argue, unprepared for the discovery that they’re both alive when they thought the other was dead, caught in a cycle of self-blame and seeking closure that the other can’t give. They love each other. That never changed. The argument boils over into something else, and they end up sleeping together and it’s awful and tender and everything both of them had needed since they lost each other. 

It could, finally, be the thing to let them heal. 

It’s not.

Keika wakes up and realises he’s not the man Atlas fell in love with, not anymore. And he runs. He leaves his keys and his heart behind, and goes back to Miednic. 

He has things to do.  When Atlas wakes up to an empty bed it doesn’t break him, instead it relights the fire in him. Keika was alive and Atlas didn’t plan to let him disappear again. He finds Cecily’s letters, he packs his things, and he heads for Prota.

[ao3feed-zukka]

The Star and The Sun

Read now on Ao3 at https://ift.tt/S4gbUm0 by starsforreg Haunted by nightmares, fifteen-year-old Sokka refuses to leave his home. But one day, after being convinced to go out with his sister on a short fishing trip, his life changes. He must travel together with the Avatar in effort to end the 100-year-old war but as time goes by, the nightmares worsen. He must save himself from the nightly terrors but in order to do that he must learn again how to live, but such a task cannot be done so easy. — An ATLA rewrite in Sokka’s POV!! Words: 1280, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/M, M/M Characters: Sokka (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), The Gaang (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Iroh (Avatar), Momo (Avatar), Appa (Avatar) Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Aang & Sokka (Avatar) Additional Tags: will update tags as I go, no beta we die like the gaang, Graphic Description, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Gay Zuko (Avatar), Sokka-centric (Avatar), Canon Rewrite, The Gaang as Family (Avatar), Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt No Comfort, Eventual Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Hurt Sokka (Avatar), POV Sokka (Avatar), i hate my life, Why am i writing sukka fanfiction, i don't do summaries, read it to understand, please, The Gaang Friendship (Avatar), love is dumb, People are Dumb, everything is dumb, Fear of fire, Slow Updates, Cuz i can, if you read this, seek help, like actually, Y’all worrisome, Obliviously in love, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Siblings, Big Brother Sokka (Avatar), Protective Sokka (Avatar), Protective Katara (Avatar) Read it on Ao3 at https://ift.tt/S4gbUm0

[zypria]

Been rewatching atla and some new conclusions came about?

Anyway. Season 3 ep 16 aka The Southern Raiders kinda sucks actually:

I'm a fan of life-changing field trips with Zuko, however. Unlike other instances where he helps the traveler and makes them somehow better, more at peace, more accomplished this time he's simply helping redirect Katara's (rightful) anger. She won't return happy, stronger, at peace. Chances were she would've returned sad, haunted, broken, etc, etc but hey, she won't be mad at him at least

Also connecting the raid to Zuko is just nonsensical. He has done plenty on his own to be blamed for. Katara for one never stitched wrongdoings to first fire nation face. Heck, 10 episodes ago she was helping these people. Why is he not responding to his actual mistakes? Why is he not held accountable for his own actions?

Also also. One gaang member is not thoroughly appreciating his presence and he has the audacity to complain. You don't get to decide when you've redeemed yourself my guy, people you've hurt decide on that. If they say never you have to live with that I'm afraid

And how exactly is Zuko redeeming himself here, he's just a talking map and possibly an instigator of a terrible decision??? How did we go from "forgive me" to "I know what you need let's go"? How can he possibly know? He's still on the fence of friendship dammit

They are just absolutely horrible to Aang and Sokka. Who are absolutely right. And have suffered too. "Air temple preschool" comment is really unfortunate here. "Maybe you didn't love her as much as I did" is big oof. They never apologize either

No Toph. -100/10

Something that never sat right with me- we opened with Azula and Zuko both being dissappointed that they didn't just become an only child. T'was unnecessary. *ugh my sister survived, pity* tf was that about???