#has anyone written this au?

[mollywog]

Almost nothing remains of District 12. A month ago, the Capitol’s firebombs obliterated the poor coal miners’ houses in the Seam, the shops in the town, even the Justice Building. The only area that escaped incineration was the Victor’s Village.

I’m convinced that had Snow not captured Peeta, he was going for Prim

[tenowls]

teacher getou au...... wauh

[moongothic]

Crocodad AU where immidiately after having left Dragon and his baby boy Crocodile finds an 11 year old Robin. And while he's 100% only recruiting her so they can make a beeline for the Poneglyph and Pluton in Alabasta by the two of them... Crocodile accidentally sorta kinda adopts Robin.

At this point Robin's been running for her life from the Government for three years so her deep trust issues and fear of betrayal are starting to take root in her little heart. Like perhaps they haven't taken fully over yet, and being still a child I'm sure Robin might've still had that genuine hope that she could find a safe place to stay in. But I'm sure the though of "what'll he'll do with me once he gets what he wants?" would be nagging at her at the back of her mind. Meanwhile Crocodile's struggling between the pain and hurt he's already gone through and given him his trademark trust issues, as well as the aftermath of The Dragodile Divorce. But he also has his Fresh Paternal Instincts and probably misses his baby. So when given a small, scared child who is running for her life, being chased by the very same Government that'll want his son dead if they ever find out about him... Yeah that might fuck with your brain a little

You know this post was supposed to be just that first paragraph and just a few footnotes from the following two paragraphs. And then I kept on Having Thoughts. And I kept on writing them down. And oh no what happened when did this post get so long (Look I was going to either kept on writing my Additional Thoughts in the tags or I just put them in the actual fucking post)

Like considder this: based on this one SBS, we can kinda tell that if Crocodile was given a chance to raise a child, that child would be a spoiled little shit, right

So in this scenario, where Crocodile's looking after lil Robin, would he be kind of torn? Unsure how to feel about her?

Because on one hand, this strange child would have the potential to not only ruin his plans, strip him of his Shichibukai Privileges by outing him and his plans to the World Government, but also put his son in grave danger by extension (if she found out about him having been involved with the Revolutionaries and/or having a child). But on the other hand, his paternal instincts could make him want to spoil this poor little girl rotten. But only because he needs to (perhaps literally) buy her trust so she'll behave. No other reason, he doesn't feel sorry for her one bit, no sirree. (But maybe he did feel sorry for her, since his son could very well end up exactly like her. Poor little thing) (Which is why he needs to nuke Marijoa out of orbit as soon as possible, no matter the cost, and this child can't get in the way of Crocodile protecting his son) (But also this is a child. Like how bad could she be. Besides all he really needs to do to win her trust is be nice and make her feel safe, right?)

Of course, while I'm suggesting Crocodile could have some parental instincts, realistically, he hasn't actually spent any time being, you know, a father to a child (looking after his newborn for an unknown though short amount of time aside), so it's possible he wouldn't even know how to parent Robin even if he wanted to, would he? (Like taking care of a newborn and an 11 year old kid aren't the same either) So if he was kind of just emotionally flipflopping between No Trusting Ever and It's Just A Kid for God's Sake, Crocodile trying to be nice to Robin to make her feel safe and then telling himself to stop being so soft and vunerable... Yeah that would make for an absolute mess of a relationship. (Not to mention, let's be real, dude's a scary motherfucker too, and a bloody giant compared to itty bitty baby Robin. He could keep on accidentally scaring the shit out of Robin (who would be On Fucking Edge To Begin With) by just Being Himself. Like for example, can you fucking imagine if he caught Robin trying to cheer herself up with a little "dereshishishi" only to tell her to stop because "it was stupid"? 'Cause I can imagine him doing that, and boy howdy would that make Robin feel bad)

Or who knows, maybe Crocodile was just Born To Be A Dad, maybe he just Fucking Gets It. Like Crocodile is canonically pretty good at manipulating people to do what he wants them to do (see: how he played Vivi like a fiddle), so knowing Robin's position and understanding how she feels, maybe he COULD completely nail how she needed to be treated. Not being too familiar but still making her feel safe and happy, knowing exactly when to be stern and when to spoil her, etc. Dude just goes off and wins the Dad of the Year Award while being a deadbeat dad himself. The only thing Crocodile would have to worry about then would be making sure HE doesn't get too fond of her. And certainly that could never happen, he's so in-touch with his own feelings and so grounded, he's not a softie, get outta here. Or maybe he does but never realizes until it's too late and good luck backpedalling on those emotions now dumbass

Alright so, the reason I went on that whole rmble is just that like. I'm so interested in the relationship Robin and Crocodile already have in canon. I'm so facinated and curious about how the two feel about each other, considdering they did spend 4 whole years of their lives together as criminal business partners, though neither ever trusted the other. A partnership that was only ended because Robin betrayed Crocodile, out of her own trauma. (God, I want to see these two "reunite" so bad, I want to know how they feel about each other now after the timeskip and Robin joining the idiot in flipflops who foiled Croc's plans)

My question here is just that... if they had met 13 years earlier, would things have been different? Especially if Crocodad Real? Because as I mentioned in the begining, Robin would've been on the run for only 3 years by this point, as opposed to 16 years before running into Crocodile. Simultaneously, this would be before Crocodile went onto spend an entire decade all alone, slowly losing his marbles in his emotional solitude. They'd both be emotionally traumatized, yes, but would it have been as bad in this scenario? Like I did start this post kind of joking about Crocodile adopting Robin, and for clarity's sake I don't think they'd have like a father-daughter relationship nececarily. But it would be a strange relationship still, because we'd have two broken people, both struggling to trust anyone. One who had lost her mother and her only friends, leaving her all alone and afraid while running for her life. The other a father who had just given up his son whom he probably missed dearly. Both having these holes in their hearts from loss of family, holes that could not be filled with replacements. But could they find comfort in each other anyway, because they still as people occupy similar roles to their respective loved ones? If they both could just get over those trust issues?

Okay I've been going off on the Emotional Side Of Things for this AU Concept, THERE'S PLOT TOO

So if Crocodile did pick Robin up like 19 years ago, that should be before he set up base in Alabasta, long before he had built is homebase and financial empire etc.

Now the thing is, while we don't know when, where and how Crocodile learned about the Ancient Weapons, Pluton specifically and how the lead on it would be in Alabasta... Considdering Crocodile did once upon a time aim to become Pirate King, it would make perfect sense if he had learned about Poneglyphs during his past adventures, as he would have needed to get the Road Poneglyphs to find One Piece. And while the World Government did bury the truth about why Ohara had been burned down and why Robin had been given her bounty (remember, the WG claimed it was because she had sunken a fleet of battleships, which she had not, it was because she could read the Poneglyphs), considdering this is a Crocodad AU specifically, you could totally make an argument Crocodile could've learned about what actually happened to Ohara from Dragon and co. So, just to make this AU work, you could just assume Crocodile learned about the concept of the Ancient Weapons from Dragon. And who knows, maybe he overheard the truth about why Robin had been given her bounty from Dragon too (maybe Dragon was able to get intel from Garp in secret) or while going to Marijoa himself to attend a Shichibukai meeting or something IDK.

Maybe he learned about Pluton being in Alabasta before finding Robin by accident, and maybe they made a beeline for Alabasta the second Croc recruited Robin. Travelling takes time and the guy would've most likely had to find an Eternal Pose to Alabasta just to get there (also canonically Robin didn't enter the Grand Line until her 20s so they should've met in West Blue probably, since that's where Ohara was) Or maybe Crocodile had to haul Robin around for a few months while looking for That Missing Piece of Information that would lead him to Alabasta. (Imagine the two travelling from like island to island, library to library, Crocodile trying to find that leads while Robin's just so excited about ALL THESE BOOKS (she's helping too with the research) (but to her, research is playtime, so she's just having the time of her life) (Also, notice how Crocodile's Theoretical Child is a fucking loser ass nerd? Yeah Crocodile would encourage Robin reading and studying, surely. And that would be fucking cute))

But like, once they set sail to Alabasta...

Sure, Crocodile could try to do it The Slow Way that we know he tried in canon, building trust and creating his little empire etc. But also, in canon, Crocodile couldn't have jumped into action head first because without Robin, even if he had found the Poneglyph he couldn't have read it and found the location of Pluton. Crocodile choosing to do it the slow way may have been partially because he didn't have much of a choise and it could've felt like the smarter move long-term.

But in this scenario, he already has Robin. Yes, he could do it the slow, secure way.

But what'd be there stopping him from infiltrating Cobra's palace and kidnapping him (in the night, when nobody suspects a thing), demanding Cobra to spill the beans lest Crocodile kills him and/or his pregnant wife* (*Vivi was born 10 months after Luffy so depending on how long it's been between Crocodad leaving Luffy behind and this scenario... Yeah either the wife is there, still pregnant, or there's a newborn Baby Vivi)

Like it'd be a risky move but depending on how ballsy Croc's feeling and how confident he feels in being able to kidnap the king without being noticed... Yeah he could probably do it. And I'm sure he'd have no problem killing Cobra either, if anything it'd be required if he didn't want the Government to find out he was out to find Pluton, and god knows Cobra would tell on Crocodile if left alive. I could see Crocodad being maybe a little iffy about killing Baby Vivi though (it's not like the newborn baby could report him to the WG anyways), but if nothing else, he just needs to be able to pull off the bluff of his life to convince Cobra to do as he's told. And we all know Crocodile's good at convincing people.

The only question is, how would Robin take that?

Watching Crocodile go into Full Murder Mode, hearing him say he'd kill a pregnant woman/a newborn baby if he didn't get what he wanted? Like yeah, I'm sure 11 year old Robin would be fine with that, that wouldn't make any alarm bells go off in her head at all, it'd be fiiiine. IT WOULD NOT BE FINE, SHE'D BE SCARED SHITLESS. That fear of "what will he do with me when he gets what he wants"? Well, Robin may not have found the answer to that question in particular, but she certainly found the answer to the opposite question, and it's not good

So say Cobra, kidnapped (perhaps with Baby Vivi) by Crocodile in the night, guides the two to the Poneglyph under the tombs. Crocodile puts Cobra out of his misery because he's not needed anymore. And he asks Robin to read the Poneglyph for him.

Robin, who has spent the last little while, be it weeks or months with Crocodile, him having become her "guardian", the thing keeping her safe. Crocodile, who has now shown how cold blooded and cruel he can be. Robin, who might be scared out of her mind. Of him.

And the Poneglyph says Pluton, the thing Crocodile wants, isn't there. It's in Wano.

What's she going to do?

EDIT: I wrote a sequel post, enjoy

[drgnflyteabox]

mdni 18+ // noncon

Hrmm scratching my chin... thinking about medieval fantasy... thinking about unicorn!reader, so soft living in her flower meadow :') thinking about big, mean, spiky knight ghost... hired as a mercenary by the king to find her and steal her :')

Thinking about poor soft unicorn!reader making a deal with a horrible man to stay in her little slice of paradise... </3

Yes, you'll take him as a husband. Yes, you'll spread your legs and let him bully his fat cock into your sensitive cunt :') his battleworn hands holding your thighs open, squeezing and rubbing your downy soft skin :) breeding a baby into you, moving into your little cottage, trampling your flowers. They say unicorn tears are life giving, so he licks those off your cheeks when he fucks you :'(

[creative-clawmarks]

I have decided that Brian is a ghost in this AU.

Because I know it will make people sad.

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

COMMISSIONS

[old-danmei-fan]

PIDW au where instead of Shen Jiu abusing Luo Binghe, he isn't exactly nice to him, but almost reluctantly takes him under his wing and teaches him how cruel the world is and how the people you trust most will end up letting you down. He doesn't give him the fake cultivation manual and Binghe never has to sleep in the woodshed.

Well Shen Jiu never ends up letting Binghe down in Bingge's eyes so he becomes 100% loyal to his Shizun and is the only person he trusts.

When the immortal alliance conference rolls around, we get a similar scenario to scum villain in that Binghe is begging Shen Jiu not to make him go into the abyss and says something about how Shizun is the only person he has trusted besides his mother. (I also believe that Shen Jiu wasn't positive, but had an idea about Binghe being a half demon)

She Jiu has the realisation that if he pushes Binghe in, he will be just as bad as all the people that abandoned him. So instead he jumps down with Binghe.

They spend the time in the endless abyss fighting off demons obviously. But Binghe talks about his life pre Cang Qiong whether Shen Jiu wants to hear what he's saying or not. So it slowly dawns on him that Luo Binghe and himself are not so different. He also notices how fucking strong and powerful Binghe is becoming.

By the time Binghe has claimed Xin Mo, Shen Jiu has decided that he will stick with Binghe and dedicate himself to being his right hand man and counselor as he takes over the demon realm since the sect never felt like home and all his martial brothers and sisters hated him.

Luo Binghe and Shen Jiu end up becoming a terrifying duo. No one knows for sure if they are just master and disciple, lovers, ect, but they are scary as fuck together. Binghe still takes over Hua Huan because he eventually finds out what happened to his birth parents, Shen Jiu is never put in the water prison, and finally when it comes to Cang Qiong, Shen Jiu doesnt give a single fuck and tells Binghe he can do as he pleases with it.

Luo Binghe meets with all the peak Lord's and he pretty much tells them he's willing to leave them be as long as they don't fuck with him or Shen Jiu. They don't believe that Shen Jiu is with Binghe willingly so they get invited back to Hua Huan Palace to see for themselves.

When they arrive, Shen Jiu is seated on a throne that is equal in size and on the same level of the dias as Binghe's. Shen Jiu is not happy that they all showed up even though he expected it, and he essentially tells them all he is happier than he has ever been and they can all fuck off back to their mountain and leave him be and he stands up and turns to walk out of the room leaving them all standing with Binghe.

Binghe laughs at them all as he says "I told you so"

That's all I got so far. I just think OG LBH and Shen Jiu would have been such a freaking power couple, whether platonic or not, if Shen Jiu hadn't abused Binghe.

[cinnamontoastcrunch-15]

Today's @wolfstarmicrofic prompt is Awful First Meeting!

Have a PTA AU xoxo

(521 words.)

Remus is running.

He seems to find himself sprinting to the school a lot, at the moment. Staying later and later to finish his fucking project at work. He's never picked Teddy up late, though. That much he can be proud of.

This bake sale, however?

Remus fails to see why he should give a shit. A bunch of catty parents are going to have plated up tiny Tesco brownies, claiming that they baked them and shooting Remus glares when he walks past with his kid. It's really not that important. He's been avoiding every PTA event for a reason.

Still, Teddy's desperate for him to go to this one and meet his best friend. As much as Remus tries to put his foot down, he's not going to be a shitty dad. He can't say no to that kid, not really.

So here he is, making it to the bake sale just on time. Teddy runs from his teacher and straight over to him, squealing with delight when Remus picks him up and spins him around.

"Hey, Ted! How was school?"

As Teddy chatters on about his day, Remus shifts his weight until his kid is on his hip. He doesn't even notice someone approaching until a voice sounds.

"You must be Remus Lupin?" A man says, and Remus turns his head.

The first thing he thinks is that this man is absolutely gorgeous.

His long black hair falls down to his shoulders in a way that almost makes it indistinguishable from water. Remus has to stop himself from raking his eyes up and down him, landing on meeting his eyes. There's a flash of something in them that unsettles Remus, slightly. Some sense of... irritation?

"Yeah, yeah, that's me," Remus says, setting Teddy down and letting him run over to a group of kids.

"I'm Sirius," He introduces himself, and-

Ah.

Sirius.

Head of the PTA.

"It's good to finally meet you. Giving the PTA a try?" He asks, and if he thinks Remus can't hear the attempt to mask his sarcasm, then he must think Remus is an idiot.

"Well, Teddy wanted me here, so I got the day off work."

Sirius nods once, slowly, and it does nothing but frustrate Remus.

"So, what did you bring?" Sirius asks casually.

Remus reaches in his bag, trying to grab the brownies he and Teddy has made.

"I've got- they're just... christ, I forgot to bring them. Sorry."

"You can just say you didn't make anything," Sirius says calmly, and his incredulous tone makes Remus want to scream. What the fuck does he know about being a single dad? About working three jobs to make sure your son doesn't notice how they're struggling?

"Maybe I won't come to another PTA event," Remus says sharply, looking Sirius up and down before getting closer to his son.

"Harry!" Teddy calls, as a young boy with wild hair gets closer. Sirius walks over and ruffles the boy's hair before he makes his way over to Teddy, sending a realisation through Remus.

Fuck.

His son's best friend is related to that pompous fucking dad.

[varpusvaras]

Fox was having a very normal day.

It was lunchtime and he had an extra hour before he needed to get to a meeting with his next client, so it meant that he could take a longer lunch break and actually properly sit down to eat. Maybe get some coffee. Which he did, actually, and he had even went to an actual coffee shop to get it and not just got a cup from the self-service line at the store. The air was warm, even if the sky was a bit overcast, which was also perfectly normal was this time of the year.

So, Fox was having a very normal day. A very normal day that was a pretty good day, on top of it.

He took the coffee to go, because the weather was quite nice, and he walked out of the coffee shop and crossed the street to the park avenue between the shopping center and the business center where his office was. He usually got to take a short walk around like this maybe once or twice a week, so this was perfectly normal.

So, just as a reminder, Fox was having a very normal day.

And then something collided with the back of his knees and sent him stumbling.

He tried to correct himself in order to prevent himself from falling on to his face, which ended up him swinging his upper body backwards, which, in turn, ended up with his hand, that was currently occupied with holding the coffee, to also swing back.

Which ended up him staying upright and with a warm, quickly spreading stain right at the front of his white shirt.

Something was still touching his legs, squeezing them rather tightly, and Fox twisted his head around and looked down, and what he saw was the top of the head of a toddler.

A toddler, that had latched themselves onto Fox's legs, and was hugging them with both of their arms like their life dependent on it.

Now, Fox liked kids. Most of the time. He had more patience for them than many other people he met on a daily basis, at the very least. Kids were just kids. They had been alive just for a couple of years and had no idea what was going on, which was a lot better of an excuse than anything all the shitty adults Fox had the displeasure of dealing with could ever come up with.

Still, Fox could not say that he was exceptionally good with kids. He tried to be nice to them, because, again, they had no idea what was going on, and, quite frankly, neither had Fox, at the moment.

First course of action.

"Hello?" He called, trying his best to ignore the feeling of the coffee spreading more and more onto his shirt.

The kid did lift their head up at his voice, and Fox found himself being stared at by a pair of very big brown eyes.

Very big and very brown, and they were staring at him like Fox was the best thing they had seen the whole day.

Fox found himself feeling a bit off-kilter, all of a sudden.

It was cute kid. Very cute. She was wearing a very nice and very expensive looking dress, that was currently being smushed against the back of Fox's pants, and she had a little hair clip keeping her bangs away from her eyes that were still glued on Fox.

It was...strange. Fox knew that he looked probably really weird, just staring back at this kid, his neck craned rather uncomfortably, but he just couldn't stop looking all of a sudden.

It was like the longer Fox looked at her, the more familiar she looked, and suddenly he just needed to know why.

The girl blinked, and her little mouth turned up into a wide, elated smile.

"Buir", she said, her little voice singing the word. Fox had no idea what it meant, but some part of his brain pinged the word as familiar as well.

Fox opened his mouth again, to say something, when he noticed something approaching them very quickly.

He lifted his eyes away from the girl, just to see a very tall man running towards them.

"Leia!" The man called. He came to a halting stop just behind Fox, and crouched down. "Why did you run off like that? You scared us-"

The girl - Leia - grabbed onto Fox's pants even harder at that point, and latched herself to his legs like she was trying to hide into them.

"Leia", the man said, a little exasperated, and he looked up at Fox. "I am very sorry, she does not usually do anything like this-"

Fox blinked.

"Oh", he managed to say. "It's okay. Kids. Are sometimes like that?"

He tried to tell himself that he was stumbling over his words because he was still reeling a bit from the strange feeling that had come over him, and not from the fact that the man who was crouching down behind him and was looking up right at his face was really handsome. Absolutely not.

The man was really handsome, though. Tall, with slightly tanned skin and chiseled jaw and dark hair and dark eyes with a couple of laugh lines around them. Fox had not thought that he was into slightly older men, in particular, but apparently he had thought wrong, since-

-the man looked really familiar, all of a sudden.

The strange feeling was very much back. Had Fox came across some celebrity that he just couldn't properly place? No, that didn't feel right, it was something entirely else, and Fox didn't know what it was.

He just knew that he had seen the man before. Somewhere.

Fox just didn't know where or when.

He blinked again and realised that the man was just looking at him, not saying a word.

Fox felt a little rude as he cleared his throat. He did not want to be rude to the man. He looked very kind and nice, and Fox knew him from somewhere and he needed to know where.

The man seemed to start a little, and he blinked a few times very rapidly as well.

"Yes, right", he said. "Sometimes they are like that. I've gotten to notice. Leia."

Leia didn't move to let go. Her little hands were still squeezing the fabric of Fox's pants tightly, her face pressed again against the back of Fox's legs.

"Having problems?" Fox raised his head to look towards the new voice.

A woman was walking up to them, her brow raised as she looked at Leia and the man crouched down. She looked at least slightly amused at the situation in front of her, with one corner of her mouth also quirked up. She stood out a little bit from the rest of the people around them, with her nice looking-long dress and the way her dark hair braided was braided to the top of her head like a crown. She looked almost royal, Fox's mind decided as he watched her walk towards them, with her rounded and youthful face and golden skin and midnight eyes.

Then she stepped close enough to them, and she looked up at Fox, and all of a sudden it was like she had walked into the same circle of the strange feeling as the rest of them. Her steps slowed and the amusement faded away from her as she now just looked.

Fox looked back. It didn't surprise him anymore that she looked familiar now, too, standing next to them, and it was like she thought the same. She kept looking, her eyes searching him carefully, like she was trying to place Fox's features to some other point in time of her life.

Fox didn't know where to look anymore, but he couldn't look away, either.

Then Leia moved, and Fox turned to look into her eyes again, which seemed to know exactly what they were looking at.

"Buir", she said, again, happy and certain.

Fox didn't know that to say.

His phone vibrated in his pocket then, and Fox very quickly remembered that he had a client waiting for him.

"I'm sorry", he managed to say without tripping over any syllables this time. "I need to-"

"Oh, no, I'm very sorry", the man said. He put his hands around Leia and started to pry her off of Fox. "Leia, you need to let go, okay?"

Leia dug her little fingers into the fabric and made a noise that very much said no without actually saying the word.

"Leia, now", the woman said. She looked at Fox again, and Fox guessed that he was twisted around enough for her to see the now giant stain on Fox's shirt, because her mouth twitched unhappily. "I am very sorry, Sir, I can pay for that shirt-"

"It's okay-" Fox's phone vibrated again, and he went to fish it out from his pocket. "I have another one in my office-"

"Still, I insist that I-" She paused to look at Leia again. "Leia, let go of the nice man."

"Buir!" Leia protested, and what Fox could now describe as the world's strongest case of déjà-vu returned once again, though this time with instructions, and said instructions were to placate.

"If you have a business card or anything like that, I could take it", he hurried to say. "So we can discuss this later."

"Oh, yes, I do, just a moment", the woman reached into her bag and with an almost practised movement pulled out a very fancy looking card. "Here. Once again, I am very sorry about all of this-"

"It's fine." Fox took the card. "Kids will be kids."

He looked down at Leia, and despite feeling a little stupid, he showed the card to her, like she would understand what it was. She was what, two? Two-year-olds didn't usually know what business cards even were, but Fox showed it to her anyway.

Leia looked at Fox, and then at the card, and then, very slowly, she let go.

The man took the opportunity and immediately scooped her up to his arms. He straightened up, and Fox was reminded of the fact that he was, in fact, very tall. Fox was pretty tall himself, and he still had to look slightly up.

The man was smiling now, maybe a bit flustered, but it was a very nice smile anyway.

"I apologise for this", he said. "She does not usually go around grabbing people."

"It's okay", Fox said, once again. His phone vibrated in his hand. "I will contact you later-"

He glanced down at the card in his other hand.

"Mrs. and Mr. Organa?"

The name felt familiar when Fox spoke it. Warm. Like he had said it before, more than once-

(He looked up at them. Leia was looking at him, like she knew him already. Like she had known him all this time.)

-a long time ago, somewhere far, far away.

[novuit]

I'm grieving so badly over the quotes I remember that I never got to write down, so I'm going to draw a bunch of doodles with the quotes I still remember before I thankfully forget it forever. And to the people doing gcses right now, let's celebrate the end of having to memorise quotes from british plays by getting sloshed over champers and then drink more seeing as we have more exams this week!!! :D

(Edexcel gave us easier questions than I thought, I don't know what I was so worried about, hahah...)

[reds-skull]

I'm researching Scottish mythology for the Cyberknights AU, and I was skimming through the wiki entry for the Glenmasan manuscript (I'd tell you what it is, but I haven't actually finished reading yet), when I read this sentence

Like what are the fucking chances

[wilwarin-wilwa]

a relationship that i don’t contemplate enough is the one between Maedhros and Manwe

does Maedhros feel indebted to Manwe for saving him? or does he hate him for keeping him alive when he had begged to die? when he looks at Eonwe, does he remember that debt? does he relive that moment—Fingon’s desperate prayer and the immediate, unexpected swoop of the eagle?

and why does Manwe interfere to save Maedhros in the first place? is it for Fingon’s sake or out of pity for Maedhros? is it because he sees something in him—some kind of virtue or potential? does Manwe ever regret giving Maedhros a second chance?

[spotaus]

New Age AU (Obtaining Killer)

Hey guys! Through with a bot of stuff for the day and I have a sneaking suspicion that this stress headache will not leave me until I finish some projects for work, so I *may* be m.i.a. for a hot second until they stop.

In the meantime, I want to drop this! (Unedited, unrefined, raw off the slab style)

Andddd @ancha-aus and @papiliovolens ! Hello! (Mutzelputz if u see this, the tags weren't working for some reason, I apologize.)

Hope y'all enjoy!

Ccino had convinced him to leave the castle. After nearly a year had passed since his last true public appearance. Since he'd stolen the apple from his brother. Nine months had passed since he'd sent Dream away. He tried not to think about it.

Nightmare had been finding out a lot about his magic. How it made him jittery, and how he felt like he understood so much more. How it made him deeply paranoid, quick to react.

How it made people listen to him.

He figured it was because he was scary now. The negative magic condensed over every inch of his bone wasn't exactly appealing, and the extra limbs which had sprouted from his spine now acted like his own personal weapons. If someone didn't listen, didn't give him an answer he liked, the limbs moved without him even thinking.

It had taken time to learn to better control them. Even now, they writhed in his wake. His nerves expressed through their lashing and twitching as they hovered just above the ground.

The streets weren't exactly crowded.

Upon word of the King's arrival to this small providence, Nightmare had found that many people fled from his path. His travel party of several soldiers, and himself on horseback. He'd always wanted to ride horses. The traitor twin was someone that every citizen wished to avoid.

Ccino had coaxed him outside with promises of fresh air. Apparently there were promising young members of the city guard that Ccino swore would be wonderful future knights. Young warriors for him to bring up loyally under his name, no fear of betrayal.

It had made sense, at the time, but Nightmare hadn't chosen to recruit any of them.

It wasn't to say he didn't want to. Several of the humans and monsters were very talented, and he did his best to give them praise, but he could tell. None of them wanted to work under him. They didn't like him. Rejection and hatred that had pierced him immediately, he could practically taste it.

Ultimately, they would do better here in their hometown. A place they were passionate about protecting, and with people they cared for. Night would not try to mold promising soldiers into his perfect guard. No matter how smart of an idea it may have been.

And so he'd moved on.

Night had visited several smaller shops, onces which couldn't afford to refuse him, and he bought some fabrics, a trinket, some small thing from each place he stopped by. He payed exactly the price he needed for each thing. He wouldn't bribe his people, either. The best he could do would be to remain neutral.

He did discover, against all odds, that he was enjoying this day out. Ccino was, in fact, usually correct about this sort of thing.

The travel had been enriching. Almost exciting. He'd never gotten out of the castle much at all, this was all new and excitingly mundane.

Good things do not last forever.

It was almost sunset when he noticed it. Torches being set up, a platform prepared. A crowd gathering.

An execution, came the mutter from one of his soldiers. Though he recognized the set-up, Night had never been in attendance to an execution. He was morbidly curious. The crowd held such a contempt. A broiling hunger for blood.

He wished he'd wheeled his horse away when a few people were ushered out of a nearby building.

The prison, maybe?

There weren't many of them. Nightmare dismounted his steed, and much to the dismay of the soldiers at his side, he found himself sinking. Into the growing shadows cast by the dying sun.

He re-emerged beside the stage, where the few people were lined up. Ready for death by hanging.

That trick wasn't one that Nightmare quite understood yet, but he was always drawn to feelings of intense negativity. He knew that, now. Something about these prisoners were bothering him, even at a distance, and he found himself more curious as he stood before them.

His guards, at the back of the crowd, hadn't seemed to figure out where he had gone. He had the time, now, to loom over the small group of prisoners.

The city guards, the trained ones, had likely seen him earlier at their headquarters. They did not speak even a word against him as he stared.

Nightmare stared at these faces.

A dog monster, scrappy and scarred, black fur clashing against a few patches of white. One of her ears was missing.

A pair of humans, both men, one with long, curly red hair and another with short-cropped red hair and the beginnings of a beard. Maybe they were brothers?

A skeleton. His sockets dripped with black magic, and his soul was a piercing crimson, just infront of his chest.

A flame monster, small and stout. Their flames a flickering green and purple. One of their eyes had a patch over it.

Nightmare was not great at determining emotions yet. He was hardly versed in his own feelings, but there had been improvement recently. Understanding new emotions had been coming more naturally to him.

Sometimes it hurt, but he was learning.

Now, past the blossoms of a headache, he felt a bit baffled as he subconsciously picked through the negativity these monsters exuded. Their fear. Their pain. Their loss, and their anger.

Oh.

"Only one of you is guilty."

He'd said it without thinking, practically announcing it with a voice that still felt unnaturally deep. A voice which rattled his ribcage and seemed to force past the barrier of darkness around him.

The group before him seemed startled. Confused.

Well, all but the skeleton, who seemed to only raise his skull slightly. As though just noticing Nightmare was there.

"How could you have possibly been jailed in the first place?" He muttered a bit quieter to himself.

He knew, deep down, that there were many, many rules in place for situations like this. Laws which he could challenge. People he could speak to. He could appoint members of his court to each of these people and try to earn their innocence through the rites of the law.

Then again, he remembered the rage of the crowd. The frustration of the people waiting to see these killings take place.

He didn't know what to do.

Now the prisoners, especially the two humans, were staring at him hopefully. He'd managed to shatter the negativity a bit. He believed them. He knew this was wrong.

"I don't know..."

The mutter came again unprompted.

These people would not have the means to repay him for his help. He couldn't just waive fees, or risk his court turning against him. He couldn't afford enemies being made so close to his inner circle.

He couldn't just leave them, though. Not after he'd seen the injustice of it all.

Stuck in his own thoughts, he was drawn out of it by a snickering laugh.

"Just set them free." A voice followed, "You are our King, aren't you?"

Nightmare then found his eyes drawn to the skeleton.

The others had eased themselves away from him. He stood, now, almost alone. He seemed unbothered by speaking up, his sockets held in an almost lazy posture. Tension going completely un-held.

He grinned up as the King, and seemed to watch contentedly as the thought settled in Nightmare's skull.

He could do that. Simply waive their charges. Pardon them. He could do that, surely. Many royals had done it before him for less certain terms. His mother had plenty of times.

"And you are guilty. You'll still be hanged. You know this, don't you?" Nightmare asked.

That was when the Skeleton's lazy sockets seemed to tighten with a sort of glee. Some hidden joke Nightmare wasn't privy to.

"Hmm." This was a poor choice. This was a bad decision. "Tell me, quickly, how you came to be here. Before I proceed?"

Nightmare didn't know why he was asking. He was... curious. Just like he had always been.

Very few people would ever speak straight to his face. Ccino, that was the only one who'd done it since his change. Since the prophecy. This skeleton had done it. He'd spoken when no one else could muster even a plea.

The silence he seemed to bring to every room. Broken, just briefly.

The skeleton stared at him a moment.

"Name's Killer, your majesty." The tone was mocking. "A while back a buddy of mine got into hot water, and I decided to help them out. Now, plenty of bodies later, I'm the one stuck on death row."

Simple. An admission of guilt.

Nightmare stared at him some more.

Finally, it seemed his frantic guards had noticed him. Found him. They rushed to his side, though not as fast as he would've liked. He could feel the frustration seeping from each armored body around him.

"You don't have an aversion to it," Nightmare voiced, "Killing, I mean."

Killer nodded. Unashamed.

It felt strangely calm, still. Perhaps it was because the crowd was still chattering. They likely hadn't noticed Nightmare at all.

The king turned to the city guard, still stood on the steps. "Free these four people. My judgement decrees them as not-guilty."

And, before any time could pass in the slightest. "Killer, I would like you to accompany me, before you abscond."

He'd noticed it. Killer had undone his cuffs before their conversation. Completely freeing himself from his weak imprisonment.

Killer seemed amused at the concept of sticking around to chat.

"If you would, I would like to recruit your services at my castle. I need a man who is willing to kill. And kill swiftly." Ccino said to establish an image. It was obvious now that his reputation would remain in the gutter, no matter what choices he made. He was not Dream.

Killer's sockets narrowed.

"And what would I get for being your little hunting dog?" Again, it was bold. It was new.

Nightmare was sure his expression hadn't changed since he'd come before the group. That same angry glare that sat permanently along his skull. The magic had an image to project.

His tendrils flicked, slightly.

"Payment, room, Fresh meals, and any other amenities you may like, so long as it does not break our treasury." He replied, "All I ask is that you simply obey me. And Me alone."

Not true. He'd probably ask for him to listen to Ccino as well. Once he knew for certain he'd stay.

Killer seemed to be thinking. He eyed they king, up and down. He looked to each of the guard around the king. The ones who were back in position now, though Nightmare could feel their annoyance. Their confusion.

Then Killer turned.

Then he turned back.

"Mm. Can't be worse than the ol' noose." Killer replied. "Funny way to run a country, my king. Hiring the first murderer you spot?"

Nightmare didn't humor that with a response. He was honestly shocked the skeleton had even agreed.

Though, all of that negativity had been swapped out for a glee. Something deep in Killer had changed during their brief interaction. A hope. Night could barely grasp the edges of its existence with his subconscious. But it was there.

.

He ignored the crowds as they grew confused. He ignored the worry pouring from the criminals as he had them released and informed them of their pardon.

He did not ignore when his guards told someone to keep their distance. He glanced up. Killer was standing beyond the guards, looking bored.

Nightmare, trusting fool he was, didn't even ask a guard to watch him to ensure he stayed put.

"Stand down." He ordered the guard, who begrudgingly allowed the skeleton to smugly slip past.

His tendrils kept the monster at a distance Night preferred all on their own. He seemed to take the hint.

"They're all gonna be dead by morning, you know." Killer voiced easily.

Nightmare turned to him, confused. What did he mean by that? He'd pardoned them?

"Are you deaf? The crowd wanted us dead, especially me." He chuckled, "Leaving them here is definitely going to get them killed. If the crowd doesn't rip them apart the second you leave, then it'll happen at night. There will be no witnesses."

Oh... Night hadn't fathomed that these people could turn on the innocent once declared. It hadn't even crossed his mind. Did they have a home to return to? A family they put at risk?

The noose was a fast death, but being murdered? That would've been so much worse.

He could tell, by the way they evaded looking at Killer, that he was right. Nightmare would be sentencing them to a new sort of death if he did it like this.

But he didn't have time for a trial. Or several. The sun was going down, abd Ccino expected him back. The castle needed him present, or they might revolt.

Someone might hurt Ccino.

Oh, he was such a poor ruler. He did not know his people well enough. How he lamented the lessons Dream had taken about crowds and current issues abd how to be likeable.

Night didn't know how to handle this. He was still learning!

A trembled in his hand. He tucked the limb quickly away from where it had been lightly clutching his tunics thick fabric, now hiding it beneath his cloak.

"Killer is right. It won't be safe here, for any of you." He spoke. Thank the gods it didn't sound as shaken as he felt. "I extend an offer to you all. You may stay here, or you may come take up positions among my staff back at the castle. Unlike Killer, I do not expect any crime from you, but you will be paid and housed."

The offer was met with a roar of frustration from the crowd, Nightmare chose to allow his guards to handle it. He watched, carefully, as the four looked between eachother.

The brothers agreed first. (They introduced themselves as brothers as they knelt in thanks.) Then the Dog. She said she had no family left to watch over, starting a new life would be for the best.

The flame refused, saying they would leave town by morning, and try to stay safe.

And so, Nightmare left the town with four new party members. Each had been provided a horse, each tied to one of the guards. Aside from Killer, whose steed was held personally by Nightmare.

He figured Ccino would chew him out for this, for bringing criminals into the castle when he was sent to collect soldiers, but Nightmare had a good feeling about these ones.

They did not hate him. Or fear him. He was helping them. And it felt good.

[watchingyoufromthestars]

Now that I'm caught up with both tma and tmagp, it's time to lose myself in the sea of fanfic. As there are over 26k fics on ao3 for magnus archives, there is no feasible way for me to go through every single one of them to see which ones I'd want to read. Because of that, I'm holding out a giant basket (this post) and asking y'all to drop your faves into it. Bonus points if it's a time travel rewrite fic, something from the scotland safehouse, or cool AUs.

[askcrkau]

What was it that got Vanilla to agree to free the Beasts? And what happened to get you two on such.. good terms with each other?

Pv: …

SM: Well! There were some… terms to this agreement. None of us beasts would hurt his friends, in exchange for our freedom and our kingdoms back.

PV: y-yep!

SM: we are two sides of the same coin, which makes it easier to get along, in a way~ there’s not particularly a reason to be a nuisance, either. I’ve gotten what i wanted, haven’t i~?

[tenwhiteandalusians]

so no one was going to tell me if i got literally one episode further tenax drops that he’s the one who saved scorpus from his mom’s pimp AND that he’s intimately familiar with scorpus’ dick when he was younger. guys. guys.

[apothecrowley]

trent banging out the tunes or however it goes