#task xiv

[of-the-eventide]

...who else could I love but you, my brave little spark...?

auraugust 2024 - myth truth

[zylphiacrowley]

"Something I could never find, so long as I clung to the familiar."

<previous - next>

[lufdraws]

a bard and their knight 🎻⚔️

[alackofghosts]

behold! a guy!!!

[eva-cybele]

I am powerful and I can do anything.

[abimee]

because my SAI is just wack in general and if i open a PSD in it itll hold all my currently open projects hostage i have to be veerrrryyyy careful whenever i go opening up other drawings for refference and its comical that i live in a minefield of my own art

[alloronansamusement]

Interplanar airtasker

[nova-moon13]

[darlingsblackbook]

Zayne × Nurse!Reader - Part Six

The breaking point

Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five

Love & Deepspace Masterlist

I | I was already tired, not just the kind of tired after a long shift, but the kind that’s been weighing down on your chest for weeks. The kind you try to ignore by staying busy.

II | I had a stack of paperwork in my arms, folders that needed filing, numbers- just, paperwork. It was not my favourite task to do, but gave me something to do. Something that I could distract myself with.

III | I walk behind the cardiology reception desk with my eyes low, just to pick up the rest of the papers I need to continue. Pretending I do not hear the familiar whispering tones that always seemed to settle when I was nearby. I’ve gotten good at pretending. I pretend a lot lately.

IV | “She’s acting weird,” one of them said. Her voice had that hushed excitement people use when talking about someone just out of earshot. "Don't you think?”

V | "Acting?” The other voice followed like venom wrapped in silk. “She’s always been weird. You remember how she used to stutter around Doctor Zayne? Now suddenly she’s pretending he doesn’t exist? Please.”

VI | I gripped the folders tighter, like holding onto them would anchor me to something solid. My cheeks burned. I knew people noticed, but I didn’t think… I didn’t think it had gotten this bad.

VII | “Maybe she figured out he’s way out of her league,” The same voice said, not even trying to lower her voice anymore. “Smart girl, even if it took her long enough.”

VIII | I didn’t look at them, just took what I needed and left to continue with my work. Or I tried to, but one of them- the one with the snake venom voice, stepped just slightly into my path. Her shoulder knocking into mine, sending every single piece of paper flying out of my arms like leaves caught in wind.

IX | The sound of paper hitting the floor echoed down the hall. My stomach dropped along with it.

X | “Oops,” She said, far too sweet.“You alright? You’re almost shaking. It can't be because of nerves, though. I mean, Doctor Zayne isn’t even around right now."

XI | I just stared at her. For the first time, not with fear. Not even with sadness. Just... disbelief. “What did you say?”

XII | Before she could open her mouth again, another voice cut through - calm, cold, and unmistakably unimpressed. "That is enough."

XIII | I felt a shock, like a lightning bolt struck me, at the sound of that voice. Zayne... I could hear his footsteps as he approached, yet did not dare to turn to face him. He wasn’t rushing at all, but something in his aura made the air shift. The same way it does right before a thunderstorm.

XIV | The nurse paled. “Doctor Zayne- I was just-"

“If I were in your place, I'd be very careful about my next words” Zayne interrupted, his eyes hard. “Do you even get any work done, or do you just sit around and whisper to each other all day?”

XV | She stumbled for a response, but he did not give her a chance to come up with any excuse. "Pick the papers up."

XVI | She blinked, as if she could not believe what she was hearing. How he was talking to her. Ironic, seeing how she had been talking to me. It's not funny anymore when you become the target. "D-doctor Za-"

XVII | "Did you not hear what I said? Pick. Them. Up." Zayne demanded, voice just as cold as the evol he wielded.

XVIII | Everyone was quiet. The kind of silence that buzzes behind your ears. She bent down with shaking hands, gathering papers like her life - or job - depended on it. Maybe, in that moment, it did. When she had gathered them all, she stood up but kept her head down, avoiding everyone's gaze. Then, she tried to hand the papers over to Zayne.

XIX | His eyes didn’t even flicker toward her. “Not to me,” he said, then nodded his head my way. “Her.”

She turned toward me like I was a executioner. She shoved them into my arms with a scowl but I could see her hands trembling.

XX | “Now apologize,” Zayne said, voice still flat. “Like a professional. Not like a child forced to say ‘sorry’ at recess.”

XXI | Again, the bitch started blinking as if they were as dry as a desert. “Doctor Zayne-”

XXII | “Apologize,” Zayne snapped. “Or you will not have a place in this team anymore.”

XXIII | The silence turned deadly. Her mouth twitched. Then, finally, through gritted teeth, she forced out, “I’m sorry.”

XXIV | “For what?” Zayne pushed for more.

XXV | Her eye actually twitched at that. “For- knocking into you. And being… unprofessional.”

XXVI | “There we go,” Zayne said, in a mocking tone as if he was speaking to a child. “Now go back to your desk and do your actual job instead of treating this hospital like a playground.”

XXVII | At that, she fled. And just like that, I was left alone with him.

XXVIII | Zayne looked at me. And the ice in his face shifted, melted. The voice I adored so much lowered. “Are you alright?”

XXIX | I turned and ran. Bolted down the hall, because at that question, with that tone- coming from him - something in me had snapped loose. I couldn’t let him see it, the tears, the pain, the way his concern gutted me wide open - the shame. All kinds of things raced through my mind, but there was one dominant thought- He had heard what she said.

XXX | I flung the stairwell door open and collapsed on the cold steps, pressing my palms to my face. I didn’t want him to follow, but I knew he would.

I felt it the door open. That sudden shift of air pressure. The soft click of a handle that carried more weight than any shout ever could. His footsteps were not rushed, they were decisive. Heavy with something that made my breath catch.

I didn’t lift my head. I couldn’t. I stayed seated on the second step from the bottom, but wrapped my arms around my knees like that could hold me together.

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” Zayne said. His voice was low again, no ice.

I shook my head, to disagree and because I didn’t know what to say. Because my throat was too tight to let anything out. He thought I ran away because he scared me?

He didn’t sit next to me, not at first. He stayed a few steps above me, towering, but at a respectful distance. Like he knew I was splintering and didn’t want to push.

“This isn’t the first time, is it?” Zayne asked. “The way she treated you. The way she talked. She's probably not the only one either, is she?"

My lips parted, but nothing came out.

“It’s been going on for a while,” Zayne answered his own question. “And I did not see it."

I finally looked up at him. My vision was blurry, lashes wet, and cheeks flushed from the pressure in my chest. “It’s not your fault.”

Zayne flinched. Literally. Like I had hit him.

"You didn’t know,” I whispered. “How could you? You’re not… you’re not supposed to know everything happening in every hallway.”

“But I should’ve seen you,” he said. “You pulled away. You barely even looked at me the last few weeks. I noticed, and I still didn’t-”

“Because I had to,” I interrupted. My voice cracked. “Do you know what they were saying about me, Doctor Zayne?”

He didn’t answer, because he couldn't.

“They said that I was throwing myself at you. That I didn’t deserve to be here, that I was just some pathetic little nurse with a crush who thought smiling at a doctor meant I had a future.”

I saw the way his face twisted, something between rage and heartbreak. It hurt to see that expression on his face, it made me want to scream.

“So, I kept my distance, I stopped speaking unless I had to. I became so fucking small just so I had no way of giving them something to talk about anymore.” I said, my voice breaking.

“They don’t get to talk about you like that,” Zayne said, after a moment silence. “They don’t get to decide your worth. And I don’t give a damn if you were smiling at me or the walls. You earned your place in this department. Every day.".

My eyes welled up again. “You really didn’t know?”

“No,” he said, firmly. “And I hate myself for that. I saw something was off with you but I thought something might've happend in private and I did not want to intrude- I still should’ve asked. I just wanted to give you space- time- to come back to yourself again-"

Zayne took a step closer, slow not pushing. "I sincerely apologize, I can't take back what happened to you but I can make sure that you'll never have to experience anything like this ever again."

AND THEY LIVED A HAPPILY EVER AFTER. Yo, I am no good in romantic scenes, I can't help but cringe at every sentence- angst is my speciality- BUT I tried my best okay. 😗🙂‍↕️ I finished this while listening to gummy bear and ppap to keep myself awake lmao.

Taglist : @sylusgirlie7 @jeonjenny @notsurewhattocallthisblog8888 @draftbeerbibi @weebinator01 @satorustorm @asilaydead @ninaandtuna @gremlinartstudio @keyiswatching @dreamlesssleepsaga @eurynam @amerti @neobitch127 @m30wk1ttycat @yuurisfavblog @dysphxriaii @zainaaryam @floofycookie @beesin03 @thatpersonnamedrook @chiikasevennn @ollie-the-fae @dramaticalsachan @babylilxc @minsified @destinysrequiem @xsammijoanneex @hirostrvw @pepperushia @starllight613 @seris-the-amious @moonlight-inthe-sea @luvvhue @gojosballsack69 @ellarchives @xinnn6 @marmandarina @kithyyy @aixyraus @marmandarina @goomimii @evadnesworld @reirakurenai @estiesbestiesworld @albenyx @asgwendollie @avis-writeshq @sohhzzy @elizabeth-von-winken-universe @bitchynightmarepost @treeteaofversailles @mwritin6s @happygalaxymilkshake @dprweganggang03 @nommingonfood @cadesthings @insidious-innocence @sharieb @pinksaiyans @needvbunni @gawa-ng-gabi @craic-on-a-cracker @canthavetoomuchchaos @neobitch127 @edens-melodies @sanzy4 @betsybetts @animegamerfox @lemonn015 @astudyoftimeywimeystuff @sunnyilis @safeinyourheart @bluelilyofthevalley @vintag3u @jlynns-posts @69-gojos-wife-69 @burn-it-all-for-your-love @whimsicalcup @blitziwitch @roschea-arts @seung185 @lalaluch @jadeymeciela @everywherestrs @mrwind-upbird

[tulippanes]

𝐍𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐆

hajime i. x f!reader

▼• ᴥ •▼ 𝗦𝗬𝗡𝗢𝗣𝗦𝗜𝗦

. . ↷ He's an athletic trainer and she works at a doggie daycare. By coincidence, an escaped dog ran up and jumped on him while he was leaving his gym. Maybe it was fate, but he just so happened to have taken interest in her at first glance. While she's getting over a rough breakup, he wants to be the one to mend her heart. His mind is always wandering whenever he's around her though, and it's certainly not helping with anything.

╭ ܀ ✧ WARNINGS

language, suggestive content, kms/kys jokes, FLUFF FLUFF FLUFF, humor hopefully, mentions of emotional manipulation and cheating, a drop of angst, MAYBE 2nd hand embarrassment, horrible flirting, lots of cuteness tho, HAJIME IWAIZUMI.

╭ ܀ ✧ DYNAMICS

Blended SMAU, Strangers to friends to lovers, Hurt/Comfort but make it more comfort, Healing, Romance, Love at First Sight, Slight Slow Burn

status ➺ ongoing

taglist ➺ open

✼ PROFILES

dog whisperers | the 3 musketeers + gym rat

✼ NOTES

(🦴) means there's a written portion!

✼ PLAYLIST

here!

𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐃𝐎𝐆𝐒!

𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗜 — The Runaway

i. catch that dog! (🦴)

ii. it was just a coincidence. nothing more.

iii. hey. again. I guess? (🦴)

iv. thoughts of a stranger

v. catch that dog.. again! (🦴)

vi. introductions, finally (🦴)

vii. planning

viii. operation: get her number

ix. oh he's wimping out

x. operation maybe failed

xi. operation failed (🦴)

xii. plan b?

xiii. you can do it, hajime!

xiv. task failed successfully (🦴)

xv. the first message of a blooming friendship (or love)

𝗣𝗢𝗢𝗗𝗟𝗘 — The Know-It-All

xvi. suspicion

xvii. thoughts of the well-known (🦴)

TBA...

𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 – The Affectionate

TBA...

𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄

Can a dog say "I love you"?

a/n ok i'm js flowing w ideas mbmb LMFAOO this one was itching my brain I had to get it out plus I think it's a cute concept but I rlly need to stop tho b4 I over exert myself w all the series I have

[couch-potato28]

Imagine being a Blue Lock manager! ⚽️

VERSION XIV.

(a/n: since uh when did this man become so relatable ☝️jk he always was, one of my fav cutie pies. tyy and enjoy 🫶)

Warning-none

wc: 0,9k

also: @ttheggrimrreaper @irethepotato @ohagiyo ❤️

——————

FROM THE PROLOGUE:

"Congratulations L/N Y/N! Based on your results, you've earned your place in Blue Lock as the manager of player number...

...96, Kurona Ranze.”

Looking at his profile from the screens above made you release a sigh. He looked gentle enough with that cute hairstyle, immediately making you think that he has to be a nice person, or at least someone who won’t scream your head off for being his incompetent manager.

You, filled with hope, calmly walked towards the managers’ room, collecting your things from Anri as she bid you good luck, giving instructions on how to find the player on your own.

On the way to the field, you quickly scanned through his profile, finding nothing worthy enough to worry about, a state of peace slowly washing over you.

Imagine being Kurona Ranze’s manager.

——————

Kurona Ranze who you spot on a nearby bench, playing with the bangs that cover his dark pink eyes. You quietly contemplate on how you should greet him, talking to yourself without realizing it—until he slowly turns around to see you intensely watching him while muttering. Embarrassed, he quickly looks away, causing you to snap back to reality.

Great, did you scare him? Walking to the bench he was sitting on, you gave him a 90-degree bow before apologizing for your obvious staring by telling your name along with your mission of being his manager. He nods twice, reluctantly giving you his hand while introducing himself as well.

Your thoughts of getting a scary player vanished after this interaction, relived that you somehow ended up with a very introverted softie.

——————

•Kurona who you think is genuinely talented for the amount of hours he can go without saying a word—spending the first few days with him in complete silence, only you talking and asking questions every two minutes to check if a certain task is alright with him or not in hopes of breaking the awkward silence.

•Slowly, I mean very slowly he’ll open up to you, thanks to your patience being an everlasting ocean, waiting for him to talk to you first. And when he finally does, you learn how he tends to repeat some words twice, clearly self-conscious of this habit, but when you reassure him that it’s really cute, something in his chest blooms.

•You two begin to socialize more, conversations going easier than before and during casual talks, he makes you realize just how many common things you share with him. Super relatable and he absolutely looooves sharks.

•You always make sure Kurona never arrives late for practice, and he swear he tries but—mornings are just not for him. Needs at least 5 alarm clocks and an additional 10 minutes of him being able to stare into nothing while pacing out at 7 am.

•Quite organized which makes you happy, and his habit of making his bed before the first match of the day always earns him a thumbs up from you.

•BRAIDS BRAIDS BRAIDS. You always complimented his side braid, and after getting closer to him, Kurona offered to do your hair as well.

•While braiding his own in the morning, he’ll carefully do yours too on the way to practice so you two can match every day. People give you ‘the ones with the braids’ title, and he wears it like a badge of honor—absolutely loves this nickname.

•Training usually goes normally, with him effortlessly doing the drills, always training his skills more than necessary, and sometimes even rolling his eyes in secret when others are slacking off.

——————

AFTER THE U20 MATCH…

•Since Kurona was observing from the sidelines, studying each of the players’ moves with precision, he learned quite a lot even without playing on the field.

•Probably chose the best team for himself since meeting with Isagi had a great impact on his overall performance, and played a big role in his improvement as well, making you thank the other boy for his unintentional help.

•He likes to train even more than before now. New players? Being a duo with Isagi? Getting to play under the watchful eyes of Noel Noa? He doesn’t disappoint, and when you get his weekly results back, you two celebrate by eating ice cream on the field. (in secret ofc so sssshhh)

•His favorite thing in the world is when you give him head pats after an exhausting match causing a shy smile to appear on his face at your act of affection that boosts his confidence a lot.

•Yet, when you scold him for something, his usual smile turns upside down, eyes looking at you like guilty goldfish. (what’s wrong with my writing help)

•Loves to yap about sharks to you—sharing his fascination with the animal—and will randomly tell you facts about them during mealtime or night practices. Has a bunch of shark-themed things and gives you one as a gift as well.

•Tutoring Kurona is funny because he refuses to touch a single textbook, and will disgustingly glare at the ones in front of him for minutes, keeping a clear distance, showing you just how much he actually hates studying.

•Only enjoys it when you use football terms, or watch Gurdians of the Galaxy in different languages with him.

•Monitors himself very strictly, and takes a big part in analyzing his plays in previous matches.

•However, on some days all he does is make you wear his sweaters as he lazily lays on your lap, letting you play with his hair while explaining that day’s overall performance.

•Bonus—tells you stories about his pet hedgehogs and promises to show you Pocari one day. (Pocari is the second hedgehog that’s alive if I’m correct)

[elusivee-phantom]

please read before following!

this blog is strictly 18+ and if you don’t have your age listed in your bio or pinned, you will be blocked.

I have a spinal cord injury that affects certain aspects of my life, and am a full time wheelchair user due to the paralysis that accompanies my injury, so if you ever see me complaining about basic tasks, it’s probably related. Also undiagnosed but possible AuDHD (I’m not getting diagnosed in this political climate though no thank you).

some favorites:

color - orange

animal - cats

movie - scream, but I’m begging for people to ask me about other horror films I enjoy because there are way better movies - scream is just the first horror movie I ever watched, and solidified my love for the genre

tv show - criminal minds

music - I enjoy a wide range of music, but badflower is probably my favorite

video game - final fantasy xiv, baldur’s gate 3 is a close second

also since the text in my bio doesn’t seem to help: I have a boyfriend, so while I’m not uncomfortable with compliments or anything, please do try not to cross certain boundaries. I will block.

other socials:

bluesky | neptune (still in beta - I’ll add a link when it goes live in a few days) | neocities

[grabyourpillow]

My favorite Conclave fanfics (so far)

in no particular order

Encounters with Turtles - MostRemote ( @mostremote )

Under the pontificate of Innocent XIV, Thomas Lawrence attempts to further social reform while navigating a web of personal struggles. Caught between his troubling feelings about Vincent and a crisis besetting Aldo, Thomas is forced to reckon with the boundaries of friendship, love, and sexuality.

Wonderfully written, very credible and sensible. Love the insight in how the reform process would actually go, how Vincent would try bringing about change, how queer people perceive their place in the church. Bellini is just mwah chef's kiss in this, I can actually hear Stanley Tucci. Ongoing

And This Shall Be A Sign Unto You - Roguekaiju ( @roguekaiju )

He had hoped to see how Vincent was handling the rush of a Vatican Christmas, had hoped to offer some encouraging words ahead of the next few busy days, to tell him, truthfully, that he was excelling.

Lovely lovely fic that feels intimate and warm. Explores the things that hold meaning to Vincent, as he accommodates his new life in the Vatican. There's baking. Complete

Canticle - Marie ( @dagensdatter )

“Do you know some people say you are as John the Baptist to him? Make straight the way of the Lord.”

I don't know how to describe this fic, other than it fulfilled all my wishes in terms of how Vincent and Thomas would navigate what it is between them after the conclave; and how Thomas examines his faith. The writing is incredible and gripping, and incredibly fine-tuned on all that is faith. Introspective. Utterly DEVASTATING, in a good way. Complete

Oh, Sister - Veganthranduil ( @veganthranduil )

The first year of Pope Innocent XIV’s papacy, through the eyes of Sister Agnes.

Brilliant brilliant fic, told though the unyielding, perceptive, hard-working eyes of sister Agnes. It brilliantly explores, the dynamics with Vincent, Lawrence and co intertwined with the daily life of the sisters and also how enforcing systemic change would actually work, with attempts and mishaps. It's so clever to go with Agnes's point of view and hardly anyone wrote it when it makes SO MUCH SENSE. My description doesn't do it justice so... just give it a shot. Complete

No Small Consolation - searchingforserendipity ( @searchingforserendipity25 )

“Do you think our saintly dead come to us to remind us of our tasks?”

He seemed surprised, to have said it at all. But that happened often, when people spoke to Vincent; all his life, it had been so.

Listen, i can't get enough of the scenes between Vincent and Lawrence, and there were so precious few in the movie. This fic feels seamlessly like one of them. Love it. Complete

the very hairs on your head are all numbered - Ruthvsreality

Pope Innocent XIV has long hair. For some reason unknown to him, this is an issue.

This is such a fun one. It's difficult to make a fun yet credible one in the Conclave universe and yet this fic manages it! It's an entirely plausible discussion that Vincent might be subjected to. made super fun because... Well. Ray. Bellini. Vs Vincent being just "???" Complete, very short

[dreamingbrownie]

Conclave fic rec post oneshot edition

Seeing as this fandom still has me in its grips, but I'm still writing my MA thesis, I haven't had much time or mental wherewithal recently for long fics. So, I read oneshots. Lawrítez, Lawrellini, character studies, incredibly heart wrenching stories and funny little gems. Some of these changed my damn brain chemistry. These are the stories that really struck and stayed with me. More or less shortest to longest, do give all of these a read if you need something short that nonetheless feels like a lot more. I don't know any of the authors here on tumblr if I don't tag them here, so do let me know their tags if they wish to be poked and give these incredible writers some love in the comments!

Fire burning on the dance floor

A late night fire emergency is not Thomas’s idea of a good time. Aldo and Vincent seem amused, though.

888 words, G. Aldo and Pope Vincent have been recreationally doing pot and accidentally set off the fire alarm. Short and sweet, poor Thomas has his hens alllll in a basket.

I wasn't gonna run from the cops

The Cardinal Archbishop of Los Angles is visiting. He's such a good baker, Vincent helps himself to some brownies.

1,6k, G. Pope Vincent accidentally gets to chill out for the first time in his papacy. Thomas, once again, needs to have all his hens in a basket and cluck some over them. The casual mention of Vincent in chronic pain made this into a story that stuck with me.

God, I beg you

Aldo's point of view of the explosion at the Sistine chapel.

1,2k, G, missing movie scene, tagged Aldo/Thomas. I was waiting for something exactly like this for so long now I was overjoyed to find this.

Sweet Soul

Janusz is nursing a sgroppino, a terrible venetian speciality, lost somewhere on the spectrum stretching uneasily between desserts and cocktails. It isn't worth the vodka it is made with, which is exactly why he picked it: to be sure he doesn't drink himself under the table before the day's voting ends.

1,5k, G, but this is heavier stuff. This moment of the white smoke from Janusz' perspective in a Roman bar deals with his grief-fuelled alcoholism that feels sadly realistic and very immersive.

Sede Vacante

Aldo is tasked with organising the conclave, while grieving for Vincent.

2.2k, T, major character death. Holy Trinity fic (Aldo/Thomas/Vincent) in which Pope Vincent has just died of ovarian cancer a couple years into his papacy. This fic is going to reach into your belly, squeeze and twist. It's brutally soft and beautiful in a very realistic way of dealing with grief.

Memento mori

Vincent coughs again, then rests back, winded. His hand drifts toward the apple plate on the bedside table. Thomas steadies it. Helps him take a slice. It trembles on the way to his mouth. “They used to say I would fracture the Church,” Vincent murmurs. “Let in rot. Invite sin with open hands. All because I believed the ones furthest from the altar were often the ones carrying the most grace.” Thomas doesn’t speak. He doesn’t need to. He’s heard this pain before — in meetings, in private, in exile. “They wanted Peter’s fire,” Vincent says. “But I gave them Joseph’s silence. That wasn’t enough.” He pauses. The slice of apple, half-eaten, sits in his palm like a relic. (Or, ten years after the conclave that elected Pope Innocent XIV, it seems that Cardinal Lawrence will need to organize yet another one in this lifetime.)

3,5k, T. Lawrítez (Thomas/Vincent), major character death, what it says on the tin. This fic faces you by the throat and shoves your whole face into the crook of its neck so you can sob for a solid hour or seven about this. This seriously is one of the most empathetic, soft, beautiful, devastating stories about an utterly predictable death of old age(-ish) and a long, enduring love that dare not speak its name which I have ever read.

Autopsy on the body of Christ

In the Congo, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, Benítez is plagued by nightmares. In Rome, he meets Lawrence, and the nightmare ends.

4,4k, M, Lawritez with a happy ending, but it's a long, bloody way out of a dozen war zones, body horror of the Christ-related kind, dysphoria and Vincent coming to terms with his intersexuality. This feels a lot longer than it is in the best way. I love this especially because of its gritty, bloody, utterly unobscuring realism blended with more dreams than reality.

Gloriosum est iniurias oblivisci by @rodamned

Cardinals Giulio Sabbadin and Aldo Bellini share a quiet evening in Milano—a Valentine’s Day date almost—marked by wine, humor, and the unspoken weight of years behind them and the challenges yet to come.

6k, M, focuses on Aldo Bellini & Giulio Sabbadin and their complicated friendship with a side of Aldo carrying a torch for Thomas. This is such a refreshing take on love in variations and Sabbadin comes across simultaneously as joyous and jaded, the smoking Milano monk-politician. Aldo needs a hug in this, but it feels very freeing in a way. Also Tez' works are all masterpieces, go check out her entire catalogue!

Nomine Paulo by @rodamned

Cardinal Aldo Bellini is elected pope, as his campaign manager, Cardinale Giulio Sabbadin, is experiencing his first mental breakdown ever.

10k, not rated, Lawrellini (Thomas/Aldo). I reiterate my statement, and this is one of Tez' masterpieces. Tez has such a way with internal monologue, emotions, repression, queerness, love, obsession, duty and the golden cage, and this particular story has stuck with me ever since I read it weeks ago. Really, this is about regret, Thomas and Aldo's doomed love, growing old together while not being allowed to grow old together. This is about grieving before death and about grieving a death - two deaths - before their inevitable arrival, inevitably apart. Really, this is about the brutality, isolation and horror of the papacy. You will need tissues for this one.

And two longer fics:

Commentaries on the book of Ruth

“You speak about the announcement as if it were your execution,” Vincent jokes, though there is no malice or reproach in his voice. Just compassion. “Perhaps,” Thomas confesses, so low Vincent can barely make it out, “Perhaps it is.” --- Dean Thomas Lawrence becomes Pope John XXIV.

18k over four chapters, finished, one story of a series of two, Lawritez. What it says on the tin: Thomas becomes Pope and Vincent returns to Kabul. Somehow, they still grow together. This story is a slow build-up of such a precious relationship, a love that starts as the only outlet for two men in two impossible situations and grows into first a magnet, then a stronghold. The visuals, the symbolism, the internal perspective of Vincent only getting to talk to Thomas occasionally while not really getting the news from the Vatican is a strikingly effective method of writing one side of a developing relationship while missing a lot of the other until they finally get to see each other again. The continuation of this also looks very promising.

Cardinal virtues

Aldo Bellini is still going through it. Somehow it is worse? This is a much longer fic about going on a journey with the man you love who you think is in love with someone else and you keep dreaming about the dead pope. God is still there.

37k, Lawrellini, a heart-wrenching, beautiful slow burn pining and getting together travel story with a happy ending. Thomas and Aldo are tired old servants who've been talking past each other for a solid few decades, and it's unravelling their relationship until they finally start speaking with words instead of gestures and glances. This is a masterclass in writing the emotional impact of a misunderstanding, the devastation of fighting jealously because Aldo wants Thomas to be happy, and the aching, unspoken what-could-have-beens. But the happy ending is so worth the slow burn. The other characters in this make this world feel so real and the journey isn't only metaphorical.

[dreamer-journal-readings]

Pick A Card

"What is the message for you right now?"

✨ Choose whichever image resonates with you. If a reading doesn't resonate with you, that's all right; ignore what doesn't fit your situation.✨

~~~

Group 1: VIII of Swords reversed

Self acceptance is a powerful moment. Today passion shifts to something more open than before. You know who you are. Accepting every or most of yourself can be a challenge. Yet it opens up your view like no other. How does your self acceptance change your perspective of your surroundings? Your situation? Your options you lay ahead for yourself?

~~~

Group 2: II of Wands reversed

Fear is natural, but fear of change might be holding you back from something wonderful. Whether that change is choosing a different book club, moving to another town, meeting new people, using a new medium for art, learning something new, starting a new job, or doing a task all on your own. If you need to, find support through words, song, a plushie, or a friend to help you through the first steps into change. How will you conquer your fear of change?

~~~

Group 3: XIV Temperance upright

Today may look like any day, be tiring, or odd. No matter how others act or how the weather changes, you have the patience. On a phone call that could have ended on thirty seconds and is still going? You can keep your cool. Did your vehicle get pooped on be a number of birds? You can find some kind of meaning. Did you return home to a mess? You have the ability to hold on to patience. How are you able to have patience today and apparently make it look like a superpower today?

~~~

Disclaimer: Tarot and Oracle readings are for entertainment purposes only.

[catofadifferentcolor]

Terrible Fic Idea #100: Harry Potter, but make it Conclave

While driving somewhere for work the other day, I was struck by the most perfect, most terrible crossover for this, my 100th Terrible Fic Idea. Because at some point during that drive my mind went: Ralph Fiennes played a character named Tom in Harry Potter; he also played a character named Thomas in Conclave (2024). The rest, as they say, is history.

Or: What if, after dying in the Forbidden Forrest, Death sent Harry Potter to a universe where Tom Riddle was adopted by the Lawrence family as a child?

aka the keep the earth below my feet fic

Just Imagine It:

When Harry dies at the end of DH, instead of meeting Dumbledore in King's Cross, he encounters (the Angel of) Death, who grants him a boon for collecting their missing personal effects: Harry can either return to his old life, where it's very likely he'll die again in the battle now raging around him, or go on to his reward.

Now, Harry is in a pretty dark place at that moment. He has, after all, just committed suicide by Dark Lord. The idea of going straight back into a war that has cost him everything is so anathema to him that he decides to go to his reward. Naturally, he assumes this to be some sort of afterlife where he can meet his parents and see Sirius, Remus, &c again-

-but instead he's dropped into a fairly ordinary muggle living room somewhere in the near vicinity of Guildford, where an old man in clerical clothing is putting things into boxes.

Meanwhile, four months after the events of the conclave, things are running smoothly in Pope Innocent XIV's Vatican.

Joseph Tremblay has been publicly defrocked for simony but not excommunicated from the Church; Aldo Bellini has replaced him as camerlengo and been given the instruction to root out corruption wherever he finds it - a task for which Goffredo Tedesco is an unexpected ally more often than not, though there's serious talk of soundproofing whatever office the pair happen to find themselves in. The former dean Thomas Lawrence has been invested as Secretary of State and has become Vincent's closest friend and advisor.

Then, shortly after Easter, Thomas receives word that the last of his siblings has died and left her home in Guildford to him.

This is somewhat of surprise, but not how one might think. The Lawrence family had adopted twelve children from orphanages around London over the years; Thomas had merely been the last and youngest of these. The real surprise is that Iris Evans née Lawrence had outlived all her children and grandchildren so that her estate might fall to him.

Thomas takes a sabbatical to handle the arrangements and is in the middle of packing up her things when a young man in bloody, threadbare, dirt-stained clothing appears in the middle of his sister's living room.

The situation is tense at first, but a kindly old man offering Harry food, tea, and a place to rest breaks down a lot of barriers, and this and the stress of having recently been dead causes the truth to spill out.

Thomas takes the knowledge his houseguest is an unwitting wizarding refugee from a war in another universe much better than one might expect a priest should, in part because before his adoption his name had been Tom Marvolo Riddle and he'd attended Hogwarts before seminary. (Not, of course, that he's ever thought of himself as Tom Riddle. He's been Thomas Lawrence since he was fifteen months old and has lived his life as such. He's never had the slightest interest in tracking down who his biological family might be.)

After much arguing - and many cups of tea - they agree to pass Harry off as Thomas' sister's great-grandson, whose care has fallen to Thomas for lack of other options. Harry's hesitant to accept at first - hell, Harry can barely allow himself to accept a change of clothes - but he's got nothing and no one in this universe. Not to mention that he looks closer to 14 than 17 after his encounter with Death.

(Besides, from what Thomas knows of his eldest sister's family, it's possible that Harry might actually have been her great-grandson in another universe. And even if he wasn't, Thomas is unwilling to abandon a child in need.)

And so Thomas ends up bringing Harry back to the Vatican with him.

This is naturally a surprise and sets the Curia gossip mill running. Those who’d known Thomas as a young man are especially confused. ("Thomas, you’re the most repressed man I’ve ever met. How is it there’s someone who looks just like you forty years ago running around?" "Your memory must be failing, Aldo, if you think I ever had that much energy. Or that much hair.")

But the real bulk of the fic is what comes after - about how a child groomed to fight other people's battles all his life finds closure when the war is finally over and there's not even anyone to bury because even that has been taken from him - about how a child who was never allowed to live for himself learns how to exist without the weight of expectation on his shoulders - about how, "What had the most profound impact on me [...] was the moment when someone reached down to take my hand, drew me up by their side, and called me their friend. Not for gain, not for prominence or wealth, but because that man saw a small child who needed help, and he provided it [x]". This he does surrounded by those who only want the best for him and how have no expectations other than he grows into a happy, healthy adult.

It's all very pastoral and at least partially religious (dealer's choice on how much of it is finding peace and how much is finding god) given the setting, but at the end of the day the fic should be about how healing sometimes can only come after someone reaches out and says let me help.

I have very little plot for all of this, mostly vibes:

Thomas eventually finds out that he was a genocidal would-be dictator in another universe and feels immense guilt over it, especially since he and Voldemort share more than just an origin story - parseltongue, wandless magic, and the like. Again, it should be the realization that it was the hand freely offered by the Lawrences that kept him from going down that path. This doesn't stop him from wanting to help Harry, but does confuse the matter for a bit.

Vincent, of course, has a lot of experience helping former child soldiers and victims of genocidal warfare, he just hadn't expected to need those skills in the Vatican. Or for a child who is nominally his best friend's nephew. The truth comes out eventually, but even before that he's Harry's favorite person to talk to. (Thomas doesn't mind; Vincent is his favorite person too and he's just glad Harry has someone he trusts.)

Aldo too eventually learns about the Wizarding World (perhaps Harry has very violent, very magical nightmares), but has parallel arcs of 1) being angry his friend of forty years never confided in him that he had magic, 2) having extreme difficulty coming to terms with the existence of magic, even after it's repeatedly proven to him; and 3) fretting that there's a whole community that the Church is not engaging with and has no formal representation at the Vatican. Oddly enough, it should be Tedesco who helps the most with each of these, being the only other Wizard in the College of Cardinals.

Harry's journey is slow, but by the time he graduates he's in a much better place then when he first arrived in this universe and should vaguely encompass Éowyn's lines, "I will be a shieldmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren." Maybe he decides to become a healer or aid worker or follow in Vincent's footsteps as a missionary in underserved parts of the world, but whatever he decides, he always knows he has a family and a home to come back home to.

Bonuses include:

Harry never being quite certain what's going on between Thomas and Vincent. Maybe they're codependent platonic soulmates like he and Ron and Hermione once were, maybe they're carrying out an affair behind closed doors, maybe it's something complicated in between - Harry doesn't know and never asks. All he knows is it works for them and he'd never begrudge the adults who've done so much for him their happiness.

Harry never being quite certain what's going on between Aldo and Tedesco either. Are they each other's nemeses? Are they enemies with benefits? Are they even really enemies and not just antagonistic life partners for whom arguing is foreplay? Or is the arguing merely pulling each other's pigtails because they're both too repressed to realize they're attracted to each other? They agree on more points than they disagree, but invite schism every time they fight on the minutest points of doctrine - yet always seek each other out to argue with and never seem to tire of it. In the end Harry decides he simply doesn't want to know. There are some things in life he's better not knowing.

Multiple references to Sylvester II being the first - and so far only - Wizarding pope.

At least three jokes about cardinal-nephews, the first arising from the American media seizing on a poor translation of some international news article referring to Harry as the cardinal's nephew; and

Vatican City being a character as much as Hogwarts is in canon.

And that's it. That's all I have. As always, feel free to adopt this bun, just link back if you ever do anything with it. (And look forward to a spam of 100th Terrible Fic Idea celebration posts in the coming days.)

More HP Ideas | More MISC Ideas | More Terrible Fic Ideas