#of course i WILL go through the tag

[lenathesingingcat]

So it’s the anniversary of That Scene, and obviously I’m sad! And I know I won’t be the only one, so here’s a cute crossover fic to ease our pain.

Canon compliant, afterlife, pre- Enjoltaire and Dasil (if people like this then I’ll write a part 2 where they talk to each other). Oh, and all my afterlife fics are set in the Ancient Greek Underworld, because that’s what I believe in and also why not?

Warnings: discussion of past character deaths (in the context of being in the afterlife), major spoilers for both Les Misérables and The Picture Of Dorian Gray. Seriously, if you haven’t read these books (or at least seen adaptations) then please come back and read this when you have! Major spoilers ahead, you have been warned!

Despite what people might think, Grantaire hadn’t immediately joined Les Amis again after dying hand in hand with Enjolras. He still undervalued himself, and didn’t feel that he should get to spend eternity with those brave revolutionaries. They’re probably already planning to go back and start a ghost revolution, he thought, and what do I have to offer them in that?

And he was a little scared, too. He didn’t know what he’d say if Enjolras wanted to talk about their last moments together, about what it had meant.

He didn’t think he could take it if Enjolras rejected him again.

He had no idea that Enjolras wanted him to come back, but didn’t look for him because he thought Grantaire held it against him how things ended.

So as soon as he found himself in the Underworld, which he was about as familiar with as a newly dead mortal could be from all the classics he’d read in life, he spoke to Hades, who was more than willing to help a mortal who would be spending eternity in his domain.

“Can I help you, young man?”

“…Actually… I was wondering if I could help you. Must be busy having to welcome everyone who dies around the world. Especially when most of the people who could help don’t seem to care…”

And a busy god isn’t going to turn down genuine help. So Grantaire got the job of helping to welcome souls to the Underworld, helping them to settle in and make peace with their lives.

Grantaire, as well as Les Amis, had died at the beginning of June. In the time Hades saved by letting Grantaire help him, he was able to plant a flower garden as a surprise for when Persephone returned. Now Grantaire was known as a friend to both of them.

***

It had been several decades since the revolution, Grantaire wasn’t keeping count. He had met many people who had died, some more tragically than others, and helped them to make peace with their lives and their deaths so they could be happy in the Underworld.

He tried not to think about whether he was happy.

He couldn’t, not when there were others who needed his help. Like the man in front of him, with hair as dark as his own and an expression somewhere between shock, pain, and absolute heartbreak.

“Hello, welcome to the Underworld. Please don’t panic, that’s Underworld in the Ancient Greek sense, everyone ends up here.” he said, his usual greeting. “Can you tell me your name?”

He gave a smile that Grantaire could tell wasn’t entirely genuine - not unusual for new arrivals whose last moments alive hadn’t been happy ones - and answered, “My name’s Basil. What’s yours?”

“Grantaire, also known as Capital R, although I realise that doesn’t really make sense if you don’t speak French. Everyone can understand each other here because… Underworld magic, I don’t really understand, you’d have to ask Hades about that…”

“Grantaire? The Grantaire, from Les Misérables? I’m sorry, I don’t know your first name…”

“What? I mean, I have been known to be quite miserable, but - ”

“No, I mean the book! Victor Hugo, the author, wrote a book about the revolution. Has no-one told you about it yet?”

“This is the first I’ve heard of it. But if it’s about the revolution, I doubt I come out particularly well in it…”

“Don’t say that! You do!” Basil said quickly, his smile looking far more real now, as if Grantaire’s story distracted him from his own. “You rose up for a revolution you hadn’t believed in until that moment, for love as well as freedom! And I found I could relate to you, because… well, you mentioned one time in the book that you used to paint, and I paint too, and…” his expression became more serious again, but hopeful. “Enjolras. If you’re real, he must be real too. Are you together now?”

Grantaire tried to ignore the longing in his heart at the mention of the revolutionary. He put on a knowing smile and deflected. “I think there’s a reason why you mentioned him while talking about how you could relate to me. Tell me, do you have an Enjolras of your own?”

Grantaire couldn’t have known the weight of that question.

Basil sighed deeply, and Grantaire could see the pain in his eyes. After a few moments, he shook his head sadly and said “…I thought I did…”

***

Sometimes, in cases with particularly tragic deaths, it took a while for souls to settle in. After hearing Basil’s full story, Grantaire had decided it would be best to make sure he didn’t have to be alone for a while.

So he had befriended him. Basil already knew a lot of Grantaire’s story from the book, but Grantaire still found a few things to tell him that Victor Hugo hadn’t included, and he learned a lot about his new friend.

Before long, they were both welcoming newly dead souls together.

***

Where was he?

He’d destroyed it, destroyed the thing that had changed the trajectory of his life so dramatically all those years ago. He’d destroyed it, so everything should be alright now, but where was he?

He was on a boat. On a boat crossing a river. How had he been moved, without his knowledge, from his attic to a boat crossing a river?

Where was he?

There were people near the riverbank, and the boat was almost there. He could ask them, then he’d have answers.

A voice. He heard a voice coming from near the riverbank, a voice he knew. “I need to know: are the punishments here eternal, or can people be forgiven?”

And he knew that voice, he knew that voice, and he knew it was about him, he wouldn’t be asking such a question for himself who had always done good and kind things, and suddenly he was consumed by a feeling of regret, regret for what he had done, regret for ever hurting him, a feeling so strong he almost fell to his knees.

He listened.

***

“How did Victor Hugo even know half of that?” Grantaire laughed because he thought he might cry otherwise. Basil had managed to find a copy of this The Miserables book he’d told Grantaire about, and wanted to read it with him so Grantaire could hear the many stories that were linked with his own. He’d agreed to hear it because his friend had wanted to, but he didn’t know how much more one-sided romantic tension between him and Enjolras he could take hearing about.

“I don’t know, he must have done a lot of research, I imagine…” Basil answered, but he was clearly distracted. He had the same wistful look in his eyes that he’d had when he first mentioned that he felt he and Grantaire were similar, and often had when one of them mentioned Enjolras. He’s thinking about Dorian again, Grantaire realised.

“Are you alright?”

“Something’s been bothering me recently… I think I need to ask Hades something…”

It wasn’t far to the riverbank. Hades stayed near the river Styx in case any newly arrived souls needed help after crossing the river to the Underworld. Charon’s boat hadn’t come in with the newest souls yet, so Grantaire was able to get his attention easily and explain that his friend had a question.

“I need to know: are the punishments here eternal, or can people be forgiven?”

That made sense. Grantaire had guessed it would be something to do with Dorian.

“It depends if they truly regret hurting others. If they do, they can be forgiven, and get to be with the people they love, if those people forgive them. But I think I know why you’re asking me this…”

“I forgive him. I don’t know what difference that makes, but I forgive him.”

“You would forgive him so easily?” Grantaire asked, surprised.

“Why are you surprised that I forgive him, Grantaire? You forgive Enjolras, don’t you?”

“That’s different.” Grantaire suddenly felt the need to defend Enjolras from this comparison. “Enjolras did everything he did for the good of France, for freedom for the people. …Enjolras didn’t kill me!”

“Would you feel differently if he had?”

Grantaire was about to answer, but stopped short. Would he?

Basil continued. “I’ve noticed many ways we’re alike, and this is one of them. Reading the book I could tell you were in love, maybe even too in love, devoted to the point of self detriment, sometimes.” He sighed. “So am I. Of course I forgive him. I’d already forgiven him before I stepped off the boat.”

A cry of… something (Joy? Relief? Regret? All three?) caught their attention, and Grantaire did a double take because he could have sworn he saw Enjolras among the souls who had just stepped off Charon’s boat. No, it couldn’t be Enjolras because Enjolras had died at the same time as Grantaire, he wouldn’t be with the new arrivals. One of them looked a lot like him, that was all.

Not-Enjolras was moved to tears by Basil’s passionate declaration of love. He spoke, barely above a whisper, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d heard,

“Do you mean that? After everything, you forgive me?”

***

To be continued!!

Now Dorian has arrived, will he get to be reunited with Basil? Will the two of them get Enjolras and Grantaire back together? (You know it’s yes to both, I need them all to be happy! But how?) Let me know if you liked this/if you want a part 2!

Edit: Part 2 is here!!

[ikeasharksss]

hey im curious

feel free to rb & explain your answer in the tags!

[starrysharks]

hotel manager

[ryssbelle]

Poppy for N2 au, it took me so long to make her design cuz I didn't really know what I wanted to do only because I feel like her design is pretty perfect.

But then I just thought about fun outfits to give her or outfits that I would find comfortable if I was wearing them and it all came together.

Poppy here is pretty much the same as here movie counterpart, as nothing really changes on her end of things other than having more insight on Branch through his brothers, and through Lief. Shes also a bit more understanding a bit earlier on because of it but it doesnt do much to change her own character arc I would say.

Bonus

Part of Poppys design was based off a design I had made for previous rulers of Troll Village/Tree

Namely Queen Protea who I designed as Poppys grandmother

Named after the Protea flower which part of her design is based off :D

In the context of this Au Protea was the one who conceptualized the tunnels while her son, King Peppy, was the one to follow through after her death

[thatonegeekygirl]

Murder On the Puppet History Set

or

Ryan Tries to Solve a Confounding Crime While Estranged Producer Shane Madej and The Prof Hang Out and Are Entirely Unhelpful

[unproduciblesmackdown]

the interlude in rotk of frodo exerting all effort against the strains of woodwinds to drag himself a meter or so further up mount doom

[tennessoui]

it’s like baby gorl there’s no way I, the author who wrote the fic you’re commenting on and who is the intended audience for this comment, am gonna agree with you 😿🙏 some things can just stay on your chest 🙏

[todayisafridaynight]

journalists underestimate the magnitude of my addiction and how far i'll go for the bit

[scorpiusmalfoylovesoscarwilde]

I've said it before, I'll say it again, and I'm sure it won't be the last time. I AM SICK AND BLOODY TIRED OF THESE MFS, HALF OF WHO DONT EVEN CARE ABOUT CURSED CHILD, BITCHING AND MOANING ABOUT AN ANGSTY TEEN DARING TO BE AN ANGSTY TEEN, I WILL FIGHT THE LOT OF YOU

(this is gonna be a bit long and probably incoherent so sit down and fucking listen to me 🔫 stick with me because I'm not just complaining about albus haters)

eVERYBODY wants cOoMmpllEeXx relatable HUMAN characters - and then SHIT themselves when the flaws a CHILD has isn't just 🥺 uwu im socially awkward and traumatised 🥺. that's why scorpius doesn't get this fuckass treatment, because his terrible human flaw is that he's a bit shit at conversation and gets sad about his dead mum (generalised understatement, but this post isnt about him. dont come for me i love him 🫶🏻)

god forbid albus, who feels unloved and unwanted (with valid evidence for a teenager), albus who feels completely out of place and outcast from his entire famously-close-knit family, ablus who is well known by the world by default via Harry and hates the attention and high expectations, albus who then gets targeted and bullied by his peers because he's not as perfect and brilliant as his father, albus who is then isolated from his one friend because Harry is making irrational ptsd fueled decisions, albus who tells Harry completely sincerely that he knows he's unlikeable but he'll try and change himself and be more like his siblings because he genuinely believes that's what Harry and everyone else whos had the misfortune of meeting him wants, albus who spends the entire play trying to prove himself and fix things via idiotic childish decisions BECAUSE HES A WHOLE UNSTABLE CHILD

god forbid that CHILD doesn't react like a patient, supported, well adjusted, level headed adult. god forbid he reacts outwardly. god forbid he reacts at all, my bad. clearly he should just sniffle a bit as if he doesn't feel suffocated and helpless by everything in his life, because obviously hes just a spoiled brat who doesn't know what real suffering is. god forbid he complains or feels anything negatively, or doesn't quite grasp that other people are struggling too because he is too busy trying so hard to deal with himself and his declining mental health the best he can with basically no support or understanding. god forbid he isn't completely perfect.

you all sound like some fucking boomer telling teenagers they don't know what real struggling is, they aren't mentally ill, they dont have any problems because they have a roof over their head, they should all go to war kids are too soft these days 😫😖😱 fUCKING‼️SHUT UP‼️

he does things wrong but he knows he does and he does everything he can to fix it! and he is fourteen!!! do none of you remember what being fourteen is like 😭😭 I swear half of you have got to be basically fourteen yourselves cmon man

cause I'm seeing this fucking pattern a lot recently. not just for albus, not just in this fandom, everywhere. ‼️ no one can fucking handle flawed characters anymore ‼️ the only thing any character is allowed to have wrong with them is trauma apparently, otherwise they have to be perfect, and I'm getting sick of it. characters and stories are meant to reflect real life, they're meant to help shape our world view, why are you expecting everyone to be fucking perfect??? what happened to nuance? what happened to understanding character development? you are all acting like characters and people are so black and white. either they're perfect or they're insufferable and evil. I won't lie, the most common victims i've noticed of this are women. but the flawed women are typically demonised, whereas the men are typically turned into uwu baby boys who actually aren't capable of doing anything wrong and then fanon goes nuts making them into ittle wittle victims. and I'm so fucking sick of all of it, I hate this. (obviously this is not a strict rule. Albus Potter, and also Albus Dumbledore now I mention it, are demonised beyond belief)

BRING BACK FLAWS AND BRING BACK NOT COMPLETELY WRITING OFF A CHARACTER BECAUSE THEY DARE TO BE HUMAN

I AM FED UP, ALBUS POTTER GET BEHIND ME

[thebearme]

I got mad so I projected on to Mike

I FUCKING HATE SCAMMERS

[franollie]

stars and scars

[total-drama-brainrot]

World Tour Assistant Noah AU (where he is always an assistant):

After the gross kiss failed to stop Alejandro's flirting... Noah begs Duncan to convince Alejandro, that Noah is too dorky to date... but Duncan has an even better idea; make Alejandro jealous for fun!

(In this AU, Duncan and Courtney had broken up before Season 3, so Duncan isn't a cheater!)

Duncan: "Thanks for letting me return to the show, handsome.~" 😘

(Duncan kisses Assistant Noah's cheek.)

Alejandro: "Duncan, I will DESTROY you!" 😡

Noah: "I just want to be left alone!" 🙄

Wait hold on... hold on... this is just the premise of my favourite Dunnoah fic series but with an assistant Noah twist. And extra Alenoah flavouring. That's not to say I'm against the idea.

Though I can't really imagine Duncan ever committing himself to flirting with Noah unless the two had struck up a deal prior- Duncan's that specific brand of 2000s era bigoted where being seen as anything but straight is a social crime (despite the fact that Duncan is definitely a boykisser, just in denial), but he's also aware of just how much of a threat Alejandro is in the competition and the latino's huge obvious crush on Chris' personal assistant, so I think Duncan could push aside his own internal biases to at the very least propose a similar idea to Noah.

Really, it'd be beneficial for the both of them; Noah gets to subtly-not-so-subtly tell Alejandro to back off by responding to Duncan's advances but not his, and Duncan gets to rile up Alejandro enough to redivert his attention away from the competition itself thus increasing his own chances of winning. It's strategic, really, nothing more.

It's that line of logic that has Noah eventually conceding that, for all intents and purposes, it's a good plan. So he deigns to play along, at least for a little bit, just to get Alejandro off of his back.

And, canonically, they're both shown to be at least half-decent at flirting, so whatever displays they have planned to annoy Alejandro would be just convincing enough to really get under his skin. Especially since Alejandro's shown in canon to be the protective/possessive type (mostly in All-Stars, in how he reacts to José insulting Heather) and likely wouldn't take too kindly to Duncan swooping in on "his amor" or whatever Spanish nickname he'd substitute it with.

Which all eventually leads to the scenario you proposed; Duncan plants a wet one on Noah's cheek and Alejandro sees red.

Noah's already exhausted by default, but feels weariness seep into the marrow of his bones as a seething Alejandro glares poisonous daggers towards Duncan, who's committed enough to their little ruse to in turn shoot a wink and a pair of finger guns towards the assistant. Deciding that he isn't paid nearly enough to deal with the inevitable confrontation between the two idiots who've apparently taken an interest in him (Duncan's, of course, being a known ruse), Noah leaves to go and do his actual job.

...

And then, Alejandro confronts Duncan directly in the Economy cabin, claiming that he doesn't deserve to so much as look at Noah, and that he (Alejandro) was the one Noah kissed and therefore the object of his attraction so Duncan better lay off. This is news to the punk, and adds a whole new layer of complexity to their plan. And perhaps something he can later exploit to give himself a leg up in the competition.

But why does the idea of Noah kissing Alejandro make his chest tighten up with envy?

And then maybe Duncan finds the untamed passion of Alejandro's genuine fury kind of hot and he too enters the metaphorical boxing ring of feelings? Aledunnoah endgame? The intern server has been posting a lot of Aleduncan lately so letting those two get together (and with Noah in there too, as a bonus) just seems natural to my brain at this point.

[jzargo]

i just want to see these two old men fight (fane would win)

[aquaregiaart]

Maglor (+ closeup of alternate version,) a gift for dear @samarqqand.

[cheeto-flavoured-pasta]

[thegreatyin]

this nemesis ambition started out a little slow but I am getting closer to finding that bastard who killed my wife, and I’ll not rest a minute now that im far closer to on his trail

sorry got in character for a second

Anyways fun ambition so far very fucked up though

congratulations on joining the murder club anon!!!! depending on who you ask the name refers to either people who have murdered or people who have witnessed murder. usually both. actually extremely often both. it's a swell time you'll feel right at home (don't mind our collective skyglass knife collection in the back)