#trope: fairy tale au

[laurasimonsdaughter]

I just noticed a recurring motif among these Sicilian fairy tales that is so incredibly well-suited for fanfic:

A princess sees a handsome young man (usually a prince in disguise) making eyes at her in the marketplace and begs her father the king to make him a royal servant, because he is so beautiful.

The king complies, because he's too fond of her to say no, and makes the hero a stable boy or gardener.

The princess now suddenly spends much more time out riding or requesting flowers, and then tells her father that the new servant is far too good for outside work and must become a servant in the castle.

The king complies, but soon enough the princess requests that the new manservant is made her personal page. By now the king is getting very nervous, but he still can't say no to his daughter.

The princess and the page manage to keep up the charade a little longer before the princess goes to the king and outright demands to let her marry her favourite.

The king gives the hero three "impossible tasks" that are meant to kill him, but naturally he accomplishes them all through trickery or supernatural intervention and the clandestine lovers get their way.

The pining, the flirting, the sneaking around, the devotion— do you see my vision?

[lipglossanon]

A dozen roses sent to me I cut myself to watch me bleed

You tell me that I’m so pretty You hold my face and kiss my cheek

But what the fucks that mean to me When beauty only feels skin deep No I will never love myself Like I love you

-A Dozen Roses

[senia-gaudete]

labyrinth corintheus au but it’s more like they wanted a quick role play before the work week but got caught up in the plot and have magic dance scene now

[thenicestthingiveseen]

FirstPrince + Accidentally Married + Fairy Tale AU!

Once upon a time in a land far, far away with a bit of magical realism, there lived two boys: Alex and Prince Henry, who have been best friends for as long as they can remember. Alex’s parents are members of the royal court and the two boys spent most of their childhood running throughout the castle playing games and exploring various parts of the castle.

At 18, Henry is told that he is to be married when he turns 21. His wife will be coming to the palace to meet him and then he and Alex will be shipped off to serve in the Queen’s army as is custom.

Alex is devastated. But he doesn’t know why exactly. He knows that it makes Henry unhappy and uncomfortable and he hates that, but something more about the arrangement bothers him. He ignores it and focuses on making sure Henry survives the next three years.

We flash forward two years and the boys are safe and not facing certain death (because this is a fairy tale, duh). Henry shares his concerns with Alex about his impending nuptials. He plays it off as anxiety and fear of tripping over his words.

So, Alex - the dutiful best friend that he is - takes Henry to a clearing a bit away from where they’ve set up camp and offers to walk him through the important part of the ceremony. They walk through the vow at least ten times to make sure that Henry feels comfortable saying the words. He does feel better even if he's a bit uneasy about the prospect of marrying someone he's only met once. Never mind the fact that he's meant to be marrying a woman.

Flash forward another year and it’s Henry’s wedding day and the man in charge of the marriage says he can’t marry these two as one of them is already married. He pulls out a book and shows that Alex and Henry were married almost a year ago to the day.

It’s absolute chaos and the boys are confused because it wasn’t real? And the bride’s father is beyond pissed and feels tricked.

The clearing had magical properties and realized the sacred bond between Henry and Alex is pure and true and therefore allowed the marriage to be legitimized in their world without the need for witnesses.

Send me two (2) tropes from this list + a ship and I’ll describe how I’d combine them in the same story. 

[untamedho]

the rivers start to sing by fruitys

Just when the sun has risen high enough to shine its weak rays through the little window, the man wakes up. Wei Wuxian is waiting for him, the iron cooking pan held tightly in one hand and Xiao Pingguo perched on his shoulder. Crows always look a little menacing, Wei Wuxian thinks — he hopes he cuts an intimidating figure now, with his crow and his cooking pan. He’s too skinny, not as strong as he used to be, and he doesn’t have a sword. But he has the Stygian Tiger Seal, tucked safely into one of his sleeves. He doesn’t need physical strength for that. Now he adjusts his grip on the pan. “Who are you?” he demands. The man blinks at him, runs his eyes up and down the length of Wei Wuxian’s body. They’re very pale, almost gold. “My name is Lan Wangji.”

Or: Wei Wuxian is locked in a tower. Lan Wangji finds him.

Read on AO3

[000marie198]

Are there any sonic au’s you would recommend? I am trying to find more to get into so would love to know if you have any favourites out there :D

Hello! Oh there are so many! :D I definitely have some favorites and some which aren't favs but are pretty great.

Putting these under the cut because there are so many! And there's definitely more cool AUs that I haven't seen or haven't saved.

Anyways, please enjoy my personal selection:

Seven Years Too Soon by NightFuchia. Basically what if a much younger Sonic accidentally set Shadow free from Prison Island. It has awesome characterization and happens to be one of my favorite stories. The rest of Team Sonic is also present

Brotherhood's Twist by @/drawloverlala even though I don't think it counts entirely as Au but it still sort of does. Unbreakable Bond ageswitch due to Zeti's meddling.

Passion's @sonic-tangled-au . I love it! So very much. The lore and backstories are so good.

Noonui's World Restored in Imbalanced Chaos au. Extremely engaging and good. Has a bunch of world building and fun concepts and lore.

Sonic's Super Totally Awesome Mixtape, though it seems to be discontinued, I'm not sure. It's pretty good so far! Takes place in the movie verse.

@brainworms-all-night-long is working on a Dreamtale Au which I'm hyped for. The tag in use is 'dreamtale and sonic tomfoolery'.

@/the-starlight-project comic is pretty good too. Mystery! And emotions. So many emotions ough.

And there's @the-emerald-isle-au by @0vergrowngraveyard . Very intriguing. 👀

Please do check out the Pandora Au by @/starrjoy. It's great!

The Fair Folk by Irritable_Fabulamancer, this fic is one of my favorites! Team Sonic as Fae my beloved! I love fae AUs.

On that note, if you're alright wanting to read a Fae!AU which is pretty much a sonadow fic, there is also I don't believe in fairy tales [but I believe in you and me]. Fantasy and Fae! Satbk inspired, another one that had me hooked.

My Arms Are Blue by thekyuubivixen and its unofficial, fan-continuation (My Arms Are Blue! Final Four Edition) by PlaystationPassenger. The story doesn't completely count as an AU but I'm recommending them anyway cuz they're really really good and has that watching your own show from different dimension trope. It's also hilarious and fun.

Burning Arrow, Wildfire Heart by Taranea is SatSR novelisation AU with Sonic's other friends present too, it's pretty fun. Not very accurate regarding the desert but it's a good read and I come back to reread it often. Must read in my opinion. Just don't dare use it as guide for desert travel or you'll be shriveled up in the sand somewhere

This fic. Read it, I will not elaborate this one. Just trust me :]

And don't miss out on @shadofiredragon's Legends Never Die fic. It's a future fic! And an awesome one. I won't spoil much but it is so good. She also has lots of fun AUs in the works.

Down the Foxhole series by MoonlitNightin. Sonic Prime AU series which is great! Tails' pov. The Shatterverses have their own Sonics. Engaging and great.

Feel free to check out @/Son1c's 10verse and other AUs. Those are some pretty great ones. Love the different lore and variants given to the Shatterverses in 10verse.

Spirit of the Wind by TrenchCoatGecko. Satbk inspired fantasy au. Sonamy, has focus on magic and lore and other characters as well.

If you'd like some Forces angst with Unbreakable Bond focus, please do read Illusionary are your arms around me by @nixoon-again. The feels will kill you /pos

Chaos Barren by but_why_not. I forgot to add this earlier (this is an edited addition). Takes place in the Blue Devils AU, great story!

Baby Tails shenanigans by @myymi . Tails got turned into itty bitty infant kit. (And also check @0vergrowngraveyard 'baby tails' tag for more little gremlin scenarios)

Myla is also working on @tails-and-the-ink-machine au

Feral au by Oneshot_bravo. Little short stories or drabbles taking place in Unleashed but the werehog is feral yet keeps his memories. Very lighthearted and fun and cute

Three or more foxes form a skulk by @/chiropter36 . Post Prime au fic, loved it! Go read.

Also, @donelywell 'roadtrip! sonic au' and 'Casino Nights Au'

Haven't yet started reading The Fox's Burrow by @/space-gutz but I'm planning to. Recommending it either way cuz I feel like it's gonna be good. Unbreakable Bond but ageswaped au.

@/sonicchaoscontrol comic. Another in-progress au which is also quite intriguing. Sonic jumps through a portal and exits in future where the planet is a mess. The mystery of what and how it all happened and what's going on slowly unfolds.

The Buzzsaw Dillemma by redpenship. I haven't personally read it myself but I've heard many good things about it, especially it's world building.

Incomplete and won't be updated anymore but if you haven't read them yet, DO NOT miss out on Ghosts of the Future and The Murder of Me fancomics by Evan Stanley (spiritsonic) and Gigi Deutrix (gigi-D) respectively. They're a must read. Both are available on DeviantArt.

The Heart of a Monster comic, @/the-heart-of-a-monster. It's in progress and updates regularly. Unleashed retelling, really really good with some extra lore and everyone involved.

Sometimes the Picket Fence isn’t Perfect and Sharp Edges (Sonic Prime AU) series by @/skimmingthesurfaces. I'm holding off the first one to read later, like that one book you've been saving so I'm not sure if it completely counts as an AU, still putting it in recs, and the second one is intriguing so far. I have heard a lot of good thing about the Picket Fence series.

Dark Boom by Smash50. The entirety of Team Dark in the Sonic Boom universe. Alongside it, there's also Boomtober by the same author.

It Always Snows by the 24th by Selendred had me hooked even though it's a oneshot. Great au and would love to see it explored more.

No One said I Wish by SylWritesStuff. One of my fav stories from the Sonic Platonic Fairytale Week event. It's really funny.

Sonic Phantom Forces (SPF) au comic. Sonic Forces au, blue boy gets taken away but not in the way you think, pretty cool story so far. It's in-progress and available on both Tumblr and DeviantArt. @/spfau

If Black Doom tried to be a better father by Tirainy. Don't take this one seriously. It's pure comedy and I love every second of it. Shadow is having a time for sure XD.

Silent Talkers by @brainworms-all-night-long. Takes place in the Prime Bros verse, feels intensified, all the good ones. A must read, trust me.

And speaking of the Prime Bros AU (in which all Shatterverse foxes also got adopted by Sonic and are now brothers), feel free to scroll through the 'prime bros' tag here. So many awesome posts for this particular au by everyone!

There's so many more, cool ones, epic ones. I haven't saved all and I'm probably forgetting some great ones too so I'm leaving this open for others to add. If y'all have more cool AUs, plz add to these (I wanna check em out too)

....

And now a few from the Fanfiction.net site because it doesn't have much audience compared to AO3 and there are some actual gems hidden there;

Premonition by thekiyuubivixen (not entirely an au but it feels like one due to the unique ability Sonic gains)

The Sonic Project by SconnieSA. Rated M but it's a pretty awesome AU and the rating is due to more serious themes and uncensored language in some parts. Highly recommending this one

Survivor's Resolve by DC111. Not entirely an AU but I must rec this fic it's so good and doea havs some AU vibes.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Attorney of Law by thedraconicwerewolf. Ace Attorney type AU with Sonic and Tails as main characters. Not too adventurous but very very fun and interesting and still managed to keep Sonic in character. Though it has a sequel started, I only rec the main story, not the sequal as it seems to be abandoned and isn't needed to be read like them cliffhanger stories.

beLIEve by Meow21. I have only read snippets from this, waiting for this story to continue but it seems to be discontinued. Felt like an epic story too and deserves to be recommended.

Sonic and the Golden Journey. Sonic gets thrown in another storybook, this time it's a children's classic fairytale. Short but very comedic and fun. Go read it.

Tales of a Samurai. I am begging you to read this one, please it's so good. Also by Taranea.

Wonderful and it's sequal Sanctuary by Inflamore for some Unbreakable Bond angst. (Kindly ignore the obliviousness of earlier ff.net for not knowing the meaning of certain symbols, there's nothing of the sort in story, trust me.)

Regrets by MazzyBooks. A high school au of sorts. Sonic centric with some heavy angst. I'm not kidding about the angst part, trust me. It had me hooked from the first chapter though and I believe it deserves a rec.

You need the cracks (to let the light shine through) by king.needlemouse. Istg this is the most underrated thing I've ever come across, it's one of my absolute favorite fics which I can never forget. Do read it.

Within this Nightmare by sonicfan1990. Sonic get transported to an alternate universe which has gone post apocalyptic and his counterpart in that universe has been dead. Pretty great story, lots of angst and everything.

And that's all I could remember and have saved for now. I'm leaving this open to more AU recs (yes even self plugs are welcome) so if you know any I missed, plz feel free to add. I hope you enjoy all these great AUs!

Thanks for the ask!

[swissmissficrecs]

A-Z Johnlock Tropes

This time it's all the tropes in my favorite fics! Limited to one fic per author, and I tried to include other authors than on my A-Z classics list.

A lternate Universe(s) - A Vintage Exceptionally to Your Liking by EmmyAngua (95K, E): A love story across alternate dimensions.

B DSM - Shames and Praises by s0mmerspr0ssen (51K, E): D/s AU with Dom!John / sub!Sherlock.

C rossover - More Things Than Are Dreamt Of by 1electricpirate (37K, M-E): HP crossover with Wizard!John / Muggle!Sherlock.

D omesticity - Where Else Would I Be? by cwb (34K, E): Retirement in Sussex with flashbacks.

E stablished Relationship - Breakable Not Broken by MissDavis (227K, E): Dealing with permanent injury together.

F uture - Software Malfunction by tiger_in_the_flightdeck (16K, E): Sherlock is a Companion android with a malfunction.

G en - The Green Blade by verityburns (72K, T): Serial killer casefic.

H istorical - The Beast of Baskerville by Mildredandbobbin (74K, E): 15th Century/fairy tale AU.

I llness - On Pins and Needles by 7PercentSolution, J_Baillier (588K, G-E): Sherlock contracts Guillain-Barré syndrome.

J ealousy - White Knight by DiscordantWords (69K, M): Sherlock fakes a relationship with Janine, to John's distress.

K idfic - Intentions by KeelieThompson1 (216K, G-M): Sherlock discovers he is the father of 10-year-old John.

L ongfic - Sketchy by serpentynka (876K, E): Johnlock and Mycroft/OMC slow-burn casefic(s).

M agical Realism - Shatter the Darkness (Let the Light In) by MojoFlower (109K, E): Sherlock is a djinn.

N SFW - The Great Sex Olympics of 221B by XistentialAngst (58K, E): Sherlock and John compete to see who's better at sex.

O megaverse - The Illusion of Control by starrysummernights (253K, E): Alpha!Sherlock / Omega!Johnwith mpreg.

P arentlock - The James Holmes Chronicles by prettyvk (338K, T-E): Sherlock and John raise Moriarty's son.

Q ueer Representation - The Adventure of the Consulting Woman by DancingGrimm (56K, E): Trans character assists in a case.

R etirement - Through the Clouds by Mazarin221b (20K, E): Sherlock and John retire to Sussex.

S oulmates - Colors by Quesarasara (140K, E): When you meet your soulmate, you finally see the world in color.

T eenlock - The Frost is All Over by Chryse (148K, E): 19th-century AU, Sherlock is an Earl's son and John is a commoner.

U ndercover - Corpus Hominis by mycapeisplaid (47K, E): Posing as a couple at a spa retreat.

V ampires - Bleed Me Out by antietamfalls (87K, E): Vampire!Sherlock with whump, hurt/comfort, and fluff.

W hump - All the Best and Brightest Creatures by wordstrings (188K, E): Moriarty is back and out for blood.

X enomorphism - Names for the Galaxy by evadne (191K, E): 22nd-century Alien!Sherlock.

Y enta* - May Your Heart Purr Like A Bumblebee by destinationtoast (14K, M): Harry helps Johnlock happen.

Z oomorphism** - The Horse and His Doctor by khorazir (128K, T): Vet!John and Horse!Sherlock.

*Used here to mean a female character playing matchmaker. Y-word tropes are hard, you guys!

**Not sure this is technically correct, but I'm using it here to mean fics in which a character has animal form. Z-word fanfic tropes are also hard and I already used zombies on my previous list!

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

Aug 26th

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1. hi, this is for itmf! pls rec me trans wangxian fics :3c no modern au tho pls, thank you!!

In Reflection, Truth by Shadaras (T, 55k, WangXian, WWX is summoned into a woman’s body, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-Typical Gore, this is a story about being transgender, Dysphoria, Misogynistic Slurs, Ableist Language, it’s not slow burn if it’s going to be faster than canon, Trans Male Character, Trans wish fulfillment, Canon Divergence - Yunmeng Brothers Have A Real Conversation) has wwx reincarnated as a women and trans!lwj if i remember correctly

You might be able to find a few in our Trans Wangxian Compilation

The waters and the wild by SecretStorm (T, 62k, WIP, WangXian, Alternate Universe, Fairy Tale Elements, Pied Piper WWX, Trans LWJ, Many juniors, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Fic, Sexual Tension) It's a wip that hasn't been updated in a few years, but really good! Trans LWJ in a canon-adjacent setting.

try author 🔒withbroombefore; they write a bunch of canon-era trans lan zhan and it's all *really good*

🔒 Water Sweeter by deliciousblizzardshark (E, 8k, WangXian, Historical, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Some kind of fairy or spirit or something LWJ, Intersex LWJ, Intersex Character, Fluff and Humor, Crack Treated Seriously, Thirst Trap WWX, Topping from the Bottom, WWX’s Canonical Cottage-core Fantasy, First Time, Domestic Fluff, Vaginal Sex)

hold her where you want her by damnslippyplanet (E, 6k, WangXian, Gender Changes, Trans Female LWJ, Female WWX, Burial Mounds Settlement Days)

scarcely trust my candid heart by Deastar (E, 6k, WangXian, A/B/O, Non-Traditional A/B/O Dynamics, Beta/Beta, Demisexual LWJ, Trans WWX, Fluff and Smut, Female WangXian, Partial Cisswap, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, poor LQR is just trying to be a supportive ace elder and doing a great job actually, too bad it goes right over his niece's head)

you can always find me here by ScarlettStorm (E, 15k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Getting Together, Genderswap, Cisswap, yes it's BOTH, trans woman LWJ, cis woman WWX, they're lesbians harold, the excuciating beauty of night hunting with your bestie, who you're very much in love with, and hoping they love you back, (spoiler: they do), First Time, Vaginal Fingering, Oral Sex, gratuitous descriptions of summer weather)

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2. Hi! This is for ITMF. I want a semi-serious (?) And slice-of-life fic. I dont know how to explain it. Just an example like WWX in his yiling laozu ers tells people in yiling that that person who sells talisman from yiling laozu is a fraud. And then it snowballed to people ask his service to banish monster or something and WWX reputation gets better. But the story focus on WWX everyday life like he make new inventation or trying to describe his cultivation. An example maybe something like Just as the Snow Melts by draechaeli or if a modern fic it is something like I Don't Want to Debut! By countingcr0ws or Anything For Wei Ying by panda_desu. Thanks! @idontknowwhattowriteforusername

Grave dirt by esama (T, 92k, WangXian, canon divergence, yiling wei sect au, demonic cultivation, farming, found family, pre-slash, politics, fix-it of sorts) is one that focuses on basically the life in burial mounds

🔒 the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break by RoseThorne (E, 93k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Soulmates, Self-Esteem Issues, Fix-It, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, PTSD, Handfasting, Panic Attacks, Getting Together, First Time, Aftercare, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, /Referenced Torture, Scars, Chronic Pain, Golden Core Reveal, First Time, Switching, sex-related injury, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, LSZ is a Wèi, Good Sibling JC, Dissociation, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Disability, Scheming NHS, Disabled Character)

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3. Hii!! for the next itmf can I please request some dark lwj?? sugar daddy vibes or just possessive lwj? i read a few mafia fics and I'm craving this trope a bit more now .thank you!!!

🔒 At heart by apathyinreverie (M, 36k, WangXian, WIP, Dark LWJ(Ish), Amnesia, WWX gets to be Not Okay after the BM, Hurt WWX, Recovery, Caring, Protective LWJ, Possessive LWJ, some definite manipulation, but not everything is as it seems, not nearly as dark as the tags make it sound, Canon Divergence, Golden Core Revea, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, kind of, Domestic WangXian, Fluff, WWX Goes to Gusu, Possessive WWX, WWX happily atticwifing away, Sunshot Campaign, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ)

🔒 As good as by apathyinreverie (T, 6k, WangXian, LQR & WWX, Fix-It, Canon Divergence, not a good uncle LQR story, but also not not?, Golden Core Reveal, Kind Of, Golden Core Fix-It, Also kind of, Addiction, Manipulation, not between wangxian, just...War politics, Sunshot Campaign, Not As Dark As The Tags Make It Sound, Possessive LWJ, Protective LWJ, Tired WWX, Genius WWX, Dual Cultivation, LQR is too old for teenage drama, Developing Relationship)

golden when the day met the night by glitteringmoonlight (Not rated, 95k, slow burn, sugar daddy LWJ, light, angst, fluff, developing relationship, eventual smut, WIP)

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4. Hi! For any future I'm In The Mood For, i'm looking for Wangxian fics that are cozy, like being wrapped up in a warm hug. @emrinalex

crystalized by gusuvibes (M, 25k, WangXian, Modern, Bakery, Pining, Getting Together, Baker LWJ, Nurse WWX, OYZZ in a STARRING ROLE, Bunnies With Bad Names, Elaborate Descriptions of Delicious Baked Goods, Frottage, Eventual Smut, Sexy, Baking, Time) is all cafe, cakes and kisses

🔒 and in the spring i shed my skin by wvlfqveen (T, 11k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Professors, Shapeshifter LWJ, Not Quite Necromancer WWX, Mutual Pining, WWX being an oblivious idiot, Fluff, Love Confessions, yunmeng trio, Family Feels, get JC therapy 2020, Kissing)

i’ll have you and you’ll have me by sundiscus (T, 5k, WangXian, Modern, Established Relationship, Marriage Proposal, fluff with a sprinkling of angst (for flavor), Podfic Available)

Love Cats by so_shhy series (T, 14k, WangXian, Modern, Meet-Cute, Fluff, WWX is wet and adorable in a tree, With a Cat, LWJ had no chance, Don't Try This At Home, First Dates, LWJ likes ducks, WWX does not like dogs, They just have a nice date, picnic dates, Falling In Love, LWJ is briefly less than graceful, there is a spider, but like barely there and totally harmless, LWJ Loves Rabbits, Office Party, LXC is a Good Big Brother, WWX is an excellent boyfriend, POV Outsider, they are in love the world is full of joy, Everything is Beautiful except for baby coots)

The Late Great Custody Debate by stiltonbasket (G, 9k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, LXC/NMJ, JC & WWX & JYL, modern, Domestic Fluff, baby a-yuan, Single Parent WWX, LWJ is a confused rabbit owner, nielan are married, nhs is: xoxo gossip girl, Custody Arrangements, engagement, Confused WWX, WWX voice: if i’m the one with the kid why are you suing ME for child support?, LWJ kills his own love life in the worst way, Happy Ending)

Pigtail Pulling by protos_metazu_ison (G, 3k, WangXian, Fluff and Humor, Crack Treated Seriously, Cloud Recesses Shenanigans)

Just Say Yes Series by edenwolfie (T/M, 338k, WangXian, Matchmaking, Pining, Getting Together, Canon Divergence, POV Alternating, Fluff, First Kiss, Declarations Of Love, Humor, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Good Uncle LQR, Engagement, Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It)

🔒 yearned for by spookykingdomstarlight (G, 3k, WangXian, LXC & LWJ, Future Fic, Pining, Rabbits, Fluff, Kissing, Family)

If your heart is in your dream (No request is too extreme) by Spodumene (G, 1k, WangXIan, LWJ's Birthday, Fluff, Modern Setting)

Oh, your love is sunlight by feyburner (M, 9k, WangXian, Drabble Collection, Tags specified in each chapter, But it's all pretty soft and goofy)

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5. I love your blog so much! It helps me find fics i sometimes unknowingly overlook, so...thank you so much! Itmf fics in Lan Wangji's POV, any AU works but if its canonverse, may I request it be novel or donghua canon please? Also have another request for wangxian recs...jealous Lan Wangji because Lan Xichen flirted with/dated/fucked Wei Wuxian in the past (could be a rumour but I'd prefer him to have heard/seen it happen and decide he wants Wei Wuxian for himself)...any AU!

🔒 The Price of Old Wishes by SoManyJacks (E, 67k, WangXian, Minor canon divergence, Angst, POV LWJ, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Slow Burn, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, semi-verbal!LWJ, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide) Retelling of the novel from LWJ's pov

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6. hii this is for itmf!! modern au or not but just anything where wwx gets pregnant with lwj's child and runs away for whatever reason without lwj knowing that they have a child together and then years after they will have a reunion and the big reveal. I just love tropes like this and idk what tags i have to place to get these results (so if anyone can kindly guide me on what tags are the best to look for these fics, i will be so grateful!!) Thank you!!!

The Winner Takes It All by YilingSani (M, 46k, WangXian, Modern AU, Single Parent WWX, Old Friends, One Night Stands, No Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Forgiveness, Second Chances, Inspired by Mamma Mia! (Movies) Teen Pregnancy, Mpreg, mention of miscarriage, Birth Trauma, amniotic fluid embolism) Both feature Wei Ying leaving because he's led to believe that Lan Zhan wants nothing to do with him.

All The Years Lost by UseMyMuse (T, 26k, WangXian, Teen Pregnancy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Single Parent AU, Forced misunderstandings, Forced miscommunication, Mpreg) Both feature Wei Ying leaving because he's led to believe that Lan Zhan wants nothing to do with him.

Family Pictures (Or: “Mark Rothko is very, very dead, Wei Ying.”) by belleweather (M, 37k, WangXian, Kid Fic, Post Mpreg, Modern AU, Cindarella Story, Mistaken Identity, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, art conservator lwj, idiot WWX, (he gets better slowly), shockingly little actual sex omg what happened to me, fake/mistaken cheating, no actual infidelity)

Nothing but your heart by airinshaw (E, 21k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O Dynamics, Implied Mpreg, First Time, Getting Together, Angst and Drama, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anal Sex, Whump, Breeding Kink)

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7. Hello, for itmf id like ask for work in modern premises where lxc and others accidentally or semi intentionally killed wwx and conspired to never talk about it. Lwj is relentless in searching for wwx. Canon period is ok if there is no canon conflict as the reason @best-before-end

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8. Hi! For the ITMF, I wanted to ask if there are any fics where WWX died at the end of the war? I don't know if it's hc or canon but I keep having the thought that he didn't expect to survive the war without a core. I was wondering how it would have been if WWX over did it or something and died. I'm looking specifically for him dying at the end when the sun shot campaign isn't hindered by it, I suppose. Thanks to everyone in advance! @hikato-chan

~*~

9. heyo! can you rec me a canon compliant/canon divergence wangxian fic that

A) has one of them explore his sexuality, identity, all that good stuff

B) has both of them explore the above together

basically i just want fics where wangxian explores and accepts their own queerness and sexualities and it's a verh lovely time, hehe

~*~

10. Itmf fics that highlight how sweet wen ning is, and his friendship with wwx. (Also any sweet-yet-badass wen ning stories, esp if wen ning gets the recognition he deserves, with a good title/respect etc.)

~*~

11. For the next imtf, can you recommend me some of your favorite non English FFs on Ao3

I’m sorry, Good bye by NHaraki (M, 35k, WWX/WRH, WIP, Jiang Family Bashing, Time Travel Fix-It, YZY Bashing) I translated it via Google Chrome and it was fine. It's an WWX/WRH fic where WWX returns to his childhood after the Siege. Stuff happens, YZY throws him into the burial mounts and WRH finds him. It's a lot of healing and hiding WWX. Found family. WC is raised better. It's adorable

~*~

12. I recently finished reading a wangxian fic told from Jingyi's POV and in that post-canon fic, everyone loves and lusts for wei wuxian to the point many believe its not even possible for his original body to have been better in terms of attractiveness. So itmf of wangxian fics with like...sorta similar premise in the way everyone loves/lusts for/is awed by wei wuxian to the point of hero-worshipping/using him as a standard for future spouse, etc. Lots of wei wuxian swooning and sighing about not finding someone better than him and so on please!

~*~

13. any truth spell/potion fics for itmf? as long as it’s not a sad ending i’m game for anything involving the truth being revealed in some manner like this!

🔒 in the shadow of moonlit flowers by Reverie (cl410) (T, 56k, wangxian, LXC/NMJ, Cloud Recesses, LWJ & NHS Friendship, Developing Relationship, POV LWJ, Minor Injuries, Autistic LWJ, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, aka the Madam Yu warning, Genius WWX, Light Angst And Hurt/Comfort, WWX Protection Squad, Gusu Lan Sect, Slow Burn, Protective LWJ, LWJ-centric) is not quite the ask but its about lwj who can tell lie apart from truth because of a spell his mother gave him

the breaking of your soul (upon my lips) by sunsandships (M, 40k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Mutual Pining, Golden Core Reveal, Happy Ending) Not sure if these fit for 13, but Wei Wing develops a talisman to trace curses back to their caster

The Fire Lapping Up the Creek by notevenyou (E, 66k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Injury, Injury Recovery, Blood, Respiratory Illness, Major Illness, Fever, Grief/Mourning, Burial Mounds, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hunger and food scarcity, Surgery, Fix-It of Sorts) Not sure if these fit for 13, but Wei Wing develops a talisman to trace curses back to their caster

when you’re doing all the leaving (then it’s never your love lost) by tardigradeschool (T, 26k, wangxian, canon divergence, hurt/comfort, canon-typical violence, sharing clothes, sharing a bed, fix-it, golden core transfer) Not sure if these fit for 13, but Wei Wing develops a talisman to trace curses back to their caster

All Things Belong by kuroi_atropos (M, 65k, WRH & WWX, wangxian, WN & WWX, Wen WWX, abuse, whipping, manipulations, smart WWX, possessive behavior, implied/Referenced rape/non-con, past rape/non-con, WIP) Wei Ying develops a way to show blood relations/family members

And Time Is But a Paper Moon by sami (M, 138k, WangXian, XiChengQing, Time Travel, Fix-It, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Healing, Mental Health Issues, PTSD, Hurt/Comfort, Depression, BAMF WWX, BAMF JC, BAMF LWJ, BAMF JYL, Getting Together) Wei Ying develops a way to show blood relations/family members

Debts of a Child Part 2 by Hauntcats (M, 111k, WangXian, YZY Bashing, Not Jiang Family Friendly, Angst and Feels, lots of anger, JC Bashing, not Jiang friendly, Angst with a Happy Ending, Content warning for icky spiders in later chapters., hurt no comfort for Jiang siblings.) Wei Ying develops a way to show blood relations/family members

🔒 this body yet survives by RoseThorne (T, 57k, WangXian, WIP, No War AU, Recovery, Trauma, Dissociation, Courtship, Courting Rituals, Near Death Experiences, Attempted Murder, Eventual Happy Ending, Panic Attacks, Vomiting, Siblings, Protective Siblings, Soup, Triggers, Protective LWJ, Protective LQR, Yúnmèng Siblings Dynamics, Bad Parent YZY, POV Third Person, POV LWJ, reference to poisoning, reference to assassination, Reference to chronic illness, reference to infanticide, Depression, Minor Injuries, Painting, Gift Giving, WWX Has a Fear of Dogs, Good Sibling JC, Good Sibling JYL, BAMF WWX,, Jealous SS, WWX Protection Squad) Wei Ying develops a way to show blood relations/family members

~*~

14. Looking for a fic where it’s like “we just did something super duper gay what happened”

~*~

15. I always see fics about people falling for lan wangji’s cold beauty but for the next itmf, do you have any fics for people are crushing on wei wuxian for his looks or charms? it can be existing characters or ocs, idm!

Endgame wangxian though, please!

~*~

16. Hello! ITMF Jin Guangshan surviving until Wei Wuxian comes back to life, so that Wei Wuxian can take revenge/get justice from Jin Guangshan himself. Thank you!

~*~

17. Based on one of Kay's commentaries on a fic rec, I was wondering if anyone had any fics that put Wei Wuxian through an "emotional blender" lmao.

Silenced by Tasharene (M, 63k, WangXian, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, PTSD, Temporary Blindness, Aversion to touch, Fear of crowds, Panic Attacks, Post-Canon, WWX Whump, Hurt WWX, Whump, Angst with a Happy Ending, world-class troll LXC, see the archive Warnings BEFORE you accuse me of not tagging things!!!) warning- ALOT of angst like alot lot but its a happy ending

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[thefallennightmare]

The Coyotes Cry: coming soon.

Centered on the story of a young bride whose fairy-tale vision of the Concrete Jungle is shattered when her father, part of the Irish Crime Family; McManus strikes a marital peace deal with the mafia head of OMNS, Noah Sebastian. Scarlett is faced with rage and conflict, as she is forced to work alongside her new husband in his tattoo shop that fronts for his mafia dealings. Devastating events leave Scarlett with the realization that there is more to Noah than meets the eye. "I would willingly, lay down my life for you if I had to." The power of love is thicker than blood.

[AU]TattooArtist!MafiaBoss!Noah Sebastian x OFC.

Tropes: Forced Proximity/Dark Romance/Mafia/Arranged Marriage/Tattoo Artist.

Tags will be open for this! Just let me know if you'd like to be tagged. It won't be posted for a while, still debating if I want a longer fic or make it a two-parter.

[inexplicifics]

ok so. I came here three and a half years ago to ask if the AWAU is based on The Singing Springing Lark, and you said no. Now I'm back, because - I know you've written intentional Beauty and the Beast AUs. But... is anything about Jaskier and Milena intentionally based on that? Not the Disney version, I mean, but the older ones.

Milena having two sisters who are much more comfortable at court than her... Jaskier being given to the Witchers by his father as a peace offering... and the "Witcher Catmint" repetition ("beauty, courage, and talent") vs beauty, virtue and wit as the three important values in the fairy tale.

I KNOW all of this could be coincidence but I am so curious!

The AWAU is not deliberately based on Beauty and the Beast, but I adore that fairy tale (I'm sure this comes as an enormous surprise to you XD) and therefore I expect a lot of that has...leaked in, is maybe the best way to phrase it.

Milena definitely has a lot of "youngest sister triumphs" going on, and Jaskier absolutely does the "sent off to a Beast who turns out to be a Prince in disguise" trope beautifully, but none of that was exactly on purpose. I just use a lot of fairy tale tropes.

[neocelticavalon]

⚔️ Sketch Log 2 - TMNT Fantasy AU ⚔️

Sharing my previous sketches and doodles! First, we got Tribunal Donatello got injured after the rough fight, April, she came to the rescue. Donnie said, "I knew I can rely on you..." ^^

And here's my appreciation doodles of April and Irma being a great BESTIES!!!! Gotta be my fav girlfriends EVEEERRR!!!!♡♡♡♡ April could use a lot more girl talk with her, taking a break from the tribunal turtle boys and all kicking-butts thing. To me, I've seen Irma as her support system, she radiates "Step to it, gurl!" vibes, gives a bombastic side eye energy, and they shared a lot of common interest. They can just chill and talk about normal things for awhile too.

Irma Langinstein here, a normal teenage villager girl, April's library bestie and she trusts April very much, she's not very fond of fairy tale-like creatures in the books, especially dragons. She told April that she don't believe such creatures exists. Irma also adds that dragons are such evil and crafty creatures ever walked on the earth, they're known to bring nothing but chaos upon the earth by using their bizzare powers and magic spells.

Irma believed that dragons are wiped out and long gone after the war broke. April often imagined the life outside the village and the kingdom. Her greatest wish is to go see the world, she long to explore the distance lands which holds a mystery and untold tales. I wrote this fantasy au Knightess April's first time meeting the tribunal turtlefolks, it's more like a heroine meeting strange creatures soon to be friends and an ally trope.

🌷͙֒✧BONUS Special sketches below! Enjoy!✧🌷

ƪ(•◡•ƪ) Please don't ask me about the last pic, the idea just popped out of nowhere *smirks Tribunal Donnie being territorial and protecting unconscious Knightess April.. something like that, happy?

💜Any support like reblogs, comments and likes are GREATLY APPRECIATED!!! Toodles, loves!💜⚔👑

[suzukiblu]

this is a question that is not meant to come off as judgemental, and if it does i apologise and you don’t have to answer

for you, or anyone out there in the world if they see this,

What is the appeal of (the?) Omegaverse?

Ive never quite gotten it? And it might be the big bold orange, blue and white letters spelling out aroace, or being european, younger than most people who are knowledgeable about that particular genre of content (still 18+) and while I did get on the internet at 11, I didn’t start reading fanfic until 14-15

this is a long and rambly ask so I just want to clarify, this is a genuine question I would like an answer to, no matter how short and sweet, or long and convoluted it may be

It's all good, I don't mind getting questions! And, like, I've written a LOT of omegaverse, so it's a thoroughly relevant question to this blog, haha.

. . . and this definitely wound up long and convoluted. So like, yeah, we are SO gonna need a read-more here, friend. 😅

Obviously everyone's gonna have their own reasons for liking the genre, but as another (much older, I'm assuming) aroace, for me the appeal is the opportunity to use the tag "Fantasy Gender Roles". Like, there's other stuff there, def, but "Fantasy Gender Roles" is my favorite part. Omegaverse is a game where the rules are made-up and the points don't matter, and you can interpret and re-interpret the involved sexes and genders however the heck you wanna, and in fact are ENCOURAGED to. I also really like certain tropes that are common to the genre, like pack dynamics and breeding kink and having babies and feral behavior and courting/courting rituals, I just really enjoy playing with and reading about all of those.

Also, the worldbuilding. I get to do ✨GENDER-BASED WORLDBUILDING✨.

And obvi, like, some people are just into omegaverse for the kink/porn factor, which is totally fair, but personally I am here for ✨GENDER-BASED WORLDBUILDING✨. And then also the kink/porn. Generally speaking a recurring comment I've gotten from a lot of readers is "I literally hate omegaverse but I love yours", so a lot of my stuff is allegedly a decent jumping-on point for the genre if you're looking for that. Like, I'm not the only person who writes omegaverse the way I do, obviously, just I'm a pretty accessible one who's written a LOT of it.

( and in the event you DO want any jumping-on omegaverse recs from my stuff, I'mma just pop a few of them from various fandoms here. no DC-related ones 'cuz I don't have any of those currently on AO3, only scattered in my WIP tags, but hopefully something helpful will be in here. )

original fic

to the victor go the spoils - human omega OMC/dragon [ GENDER NOT FOUND ] OMC; 16.7k; explicit Fantasy AU. This one includes porn but honestly the heart of it is just one of those fairy tales where the protagonist is somehow both incredibly genre-savvy in their story and yet still a total fucking idiot about other people's feelings, and especially considering it's original fic, it is honestly one of the most popular things I've ever posted, hah.

The dragon arrived early in the morning, and by noon the entire village was in a panic in the town hall. No one in the village knew anything about dragons, aside from what they’d heard in fairy tales and stories, and the plans for dealing with it were about that level of sophisticated.

“We’re not sacrificing a virgin to the dragon,” Viktor said in exasperation.

“Well what would YOU do?!” the mayor demanded.

“I’m going to go talk to it,” Viktor said reasonably, and got up from his seat and went to do just that.

.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

does the pain feel better when I'm around? - beta!Sokka/omega!Zuko, beta!Sokka/beta!Suki, past alpha!Mai/omega!Zuko, polyamory; 3k; teen Societal dynamics-focused fic. Zuko goes into heat at the Western Air Temple immediately after the Boiling Rock happens and goes off to den down alone and stay out of everyone's way without realizing that the local betas are gonna lose their ever-lovin' MINDS about that.

“Cool,” he says. “You realize we’ve been looking for you for, like, two HOURS, right?”

“Why?” Zuko asks, sounding confused, which is kind of sad.

“Because the world is full of people who wanna kill you and you didn’t bother telling anyone where you were going?” Sokka says. “Obviously?”

“Oh.” Zuko falls silent. Sokka glances moonwards in supplication. Yue save him from dumb, dumb firebenders.

every act of communication is a miracle of translation - alpha!Mai/omega!Zuko; 5.7k; teen Post-series fic where Mai and Zuko are about to spend their first cycle together and they're both really awkward about working out how it should go. Not actually a sequel to "does the pain feel better when I'm around?", but you could definitely draw a relationship between 'em.

They leave the office, Mai pretending that all her senses aren’t full of Zuko’s warm, spicy scent, and he keeps looking worried. She wonders if it’s THIS he’s worried about, now that she’s thinking about it. They agreed they’d share their next cycles together, but again, they haven’t really talked about it.

They can talk about it now, Mai thinks.

Unfortunately, that means now they actually have to talk about it.

.

Overwatch

even if I do I don't, even if I could I won't - omega!Genji/beta!the-character-who-was-at-the-time-I-wrote-this-fic-known-as-McCree; 5.1k; explicit Blackwatch-era fic where Genji did not fill out his heat partner designation forms and "Fuck or Suffer Unspecified Health Consequences" is gonna make that a problem. Worldbuilding, assisted negotiation, a touch of workplace-influenced pack dynamics, and porn.

“Yeah, you’re hilarious, kid,” Gabe says. “Get back to work. And Shimada, call your heat partner and we’ll see you next week.”

Shimada’s shoulders tense. Gabe . . . pauses.

“Shimada,” he says slowly. “PLEASE tell me you have a heat partner on base.”

“I have a heat partner on base,” Shimada lies. Gabe and Jesse both stare at him, then Gabe calls up his file, takes one look at it, and starts cursing.

don't, don't, don't let's start (I've got a weak heart) - alpha!Genji/omega!the-character-who-was-at-the-time-I-wrote-this-fic-known-as-McCree; 17.3k; explicit Blackwatch-era fic about Genji and the character formerly known as McCree dealing with their complicated feelings about each other and also the cybernetics and trauma and physical disabilities that are fucking up their sex life, including ED.

“You busy?” he asks. Genji stares at him in bemusement, which is fair. Genji’s only ever busy when they’re on a mission or he’s in the middle of an upgrade. “Dumb question. My heat’s coming on, wanna do me a favor?”

“What favor?” Genji asks, still looking mystified. Jesse tries not to laugh at him.

“The obvious one,” he says meaningfully, tipping his hat back and raising his eyebrows at him. Genji looks no less mystified for a moment, then startles. “THERE we go."

.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

come hang (let's go out with a bang) - omega!Darcy Lewis/omega!Johnny Storm; 5k; teen Darcy almost dies again, tries to figure out which omega buys the courting gifts in an omega/omega relationship, and has her first date with a super-hot superhero.

“Was there traffic?” Jane asks.

“I have a date with Johnny Storm,” Darcy says.

“What?” Jane says.

“Oh, and I almost died again,” Darcy says, pulling out Jane’s papers for her. “But that’s kind of secondary.”

“WHAT?!”

pack up, don't stray (oh say say say) - alpha!Natasha + polyamory; 3.4k; teen Natasha collects a harem pack and Captain America is fucking difficult about it.

Natasha is an alpha on a mission, and that mission is simple and clear.

I said you're holding back, she said shut up and dance with me - alpha!Peggy/omega!Steve/omega!Bucky; 10.3k; mature Alternate timeline where Steve and Bucky don't "die" and they all run away from the States to get married and start a family. Illegal adoption and biokids and lowkey pack dynamics involving figuring out how to fold pups into their lives, oh my!! And also, they all get to dance.

“One alpha mating two omegas? Really, Steve?” Peggy asks, mouth quirking wryly. “What WOULD the newsreels say?”

“We’ll go to France,” Steve says. “No one will care in France.”

“I do love France,” she muses.

oh don't you dare hold back, just keep your eyes on me - alpha!Darcy/omega!Bucky, polyamory; 187.4k; explicit MY MAGNUM OPUS, MY WHITE WHALE, THE LITERAL REASON OMEGAVERSE TOOK OVER HALF MY BLOG FOR HALF MY STINT IN MCU FANDOM. I wanted a goddamn female alpha and I wanted that female alpha to be Darcy Lewis, and Bucky was my fave blorbo at the time so the inevitable happened. The inevitable happened for three and a half years and 187,430 words, to be more precise.

Darcy is thirty feet out of Stark-cum-Avengers Tower when she starts craving cinnamon rolls--the sticky-sweet iced-up old-fashioned kind, yummy and messy and dripping gooshy icing all over your mouth and hands and down your yuuuup, yup, that is a super, super fertile omega that she is smelling, holy SHIT is it ever.

“Jesus Christ,” she groans in frustration, then follows her alpha instincts (and, more easily and importantly, her NOSE) to go track them down. They’re in the middle of New York City; middle of the day or not, not checking on somebody who smells like THAT is, like, the ultimate dick move.

.

OKAY SELF THAT'S ENOUGH LINKS, WE MOVE ON NOW, haha.

I will also say, if you're interested in, like, gender-exploratory AU concepts, apiary genders might be more your thing and more easily accessible for you? It's a MUCH newer thing than omegaverse and really only has a few fics around, some of which are linked in the "inspired by" of that AO3 primer linked above, but the concept is a bit more strongly "hive"-based than a lot of omegaverse is "pack"-based, and also there's no physical differences from baseline. I've got a WIP or two going about apiary myself, actually, but I haven't gotten too far into them yet, alas. The only one I've posted anything from is this one Superbat one.

[rwrbficrecs]

First monthly faves for 2024 !! ❤️

Leave a message by @sherryvalli (book-verse)

@dot524: In the mood for some cute, heart-melting fluff? This is a one-shot that recounts Alex’s voicemail messages over the years from those who care about him - including Henry.

would you be my love, my love? (would you be mine) by ohprongs (book-verse)

@wilmonsfolklore: a strictly come dancing AU with a lot of feelings that I've been thinking about ever since i read it!!!

even though we know it isn't true by @matherines (book-verse)

@wilmonsfolklore: for everyone struggling with academic pressure, or anyone, really. it's pretty sad but of course there's comfort personified in Henry!!

beyond infatuation, how obsessively i adore you by @waterloolovers (book-verse)

@wilmonsfolklore: a new fandom classic if you ask me. Henry works at the daycare Alex's daughter goes to and their relationship progresses really naturally. the kid content in this fic is some of the cutest i have ever read and this is the perfect fic to go on your reread list for comfort.

And They Were Roommates by @14carrotghoul (book-verse)

@na-dineee: Alex and Henry get to know themselves and each other after they move in together. This story is not sugarcoated at all, very realistic - just how life is, and so so sweet. Also, unfortunately, rather short, but still worth the read - as are many other stories by this author, such as the 'Las flores' series.

Spirit of the Season by @pridepages (book-verse)

@heybuddy-drabbles: A little late to the game but I finally read E.J's Christmas story. Her way of story telling doesn't disappoint in this shorter tale (by her standards). It's not lighthearted and it touches some difficult topics (mostly canon) but it's all worth it because of the way they fall in love through Christmas Eve/night. Can't recommend it enough!

Where There Are Octobers by @iboatedhere (book-verse)

@na-dineee: 31 short chapters that are just really fun to read! Some are post-canon or canon-compliant, others are AUs - but in all of them the characters are so beautifully drawn, true to how we know and love them! A vet AU, a hospital AU, major fluff, even an X-Files AU - and who knows, maybe one or two dribbles will turn into more?! Fingers crossed!

The Art of Losing by bigfishbigpond (book-verse)

@dot524: If you think the mid-story breakup should have been longer and more angsty, here’s the story for you. An interesting and heartfelt story of what Henry and Alex are like apart, and what pulls them back together.

I know that you hate me (Do you though?) by @arand0mdutchgirl (book-verse)

@magnificentandcoolfez: A bit of good ADHD angst (with some comfort ofc). I like the focus on how hard adhd can be and it's a short and good read for those who like comfort that comes in the shape of your crush holding you until you feel grounded again.

blushing ears and beating hearts by @kill8a (book-verse)

@na-dineee: This story is not just slow burn, it is glacial burn. It's an college AU, set in New York, and so slow, so tender, so fluffy - after reading it I was floating on cloud 9 for quite a while. I don't know if you feel the same way, but it's funny how changing one given variable somehow changes the whole dynamic between the two of them. Or is it just me?! Either way, it's so wholesome to tag along as their love blossoms, I still feel so hugged and cared for.

all so human with our guards down by @maxbegone (book-verse)

@myheartalivewrites: a post-apocalyptic story that is unlike any other. There are no zombies or gore, but instead it focuses on rebuilding and the softest love growing between Alex and Henry, surrounded by family and friends. I kinda wanted to live there by the end of it.

The Snow Prince by @orchidscript (book-verse)

@zwiazdziarka: several fairy tale tropes meet to create this absolutely amazing story. It has dreaminess of a fable, best kind of yearning of your favourite slow burn fics and a little bit of adventure of a fantasy novel.

but to say that I'm a rainbow, to tell me that I'm bright (when I'm so used to feeling wrong, well, it helps me feel alright.) by What_Is_A_Mild_Opinion (book-verse)

@zwiazdziarka: Fandom is really sleeping on this one! This story is a canon rewrite with characters reimagined as creatures with animal characteristics. The wordbuilding is so fantastic that even if you are not a fan of long fics following canon step by step, it's absolutely worth to check this even for a chapter or two and get to know these wonderful versions of Alex and Henry. (Alex is literally rainbow.)

safe with me / more than I ever (in a thousand years)by @indomitable-love (book-verse)

@na-dineee: I think the author is very well known among all rwrb fanfic readers. I really, really liked these two stories, like a lot: Two 5+1 fics, one from Pez's point of view, the other from Bea's - unfortunately both characters are given too little attention in the book imho. As expected, both narrators are sharply observing, protective of Henry, loving, honest, tender - and you end up loving Henry (and Alex) even more.

check out our past Monthly Faves here ❤️

[sanjoongie]

I can see you through a window (and tears stream down my face)

🏰title exchange collab, title given by @daemour (she wanted to know if I wanted an Ao3 type title and i thought why not meet a challenge 🤣)

↝Topaz to Flurry↝ Lace and Chains

↝Flurry to Isa↝ A Hundred No's

↝Isa to Dae↝ I wish you Roses

🏰Pairing: { Savior! Knight! Jeong Yunho x Cursed! Princess! Reader (f) } Editor! Yunho x Author! Reader ft {Bunny/Noble! Seonghwa and Dog/Guard! Yeosang} Publicist! Seonghwa and Agent! Yeosang ft ft Editor's Assistant! Wooyoung and Romance Novel Model! Hongjoong

🏰Au: Fantasy, Fairytale, Office, Publishing Company, Non-idol

🏰Trope: destined lovers, one-sided love, office romance

🏰Genre: fluff, romance, ANGST

🏰Warnings: mental cheating, betrayal, mentions of killing/murder

🏰Rating: 18+, MDNI (this piece has no smut or described violence)

🏰Word Count: 7,553 (apologies the fairy tale got away from me)

🏰Summary: You're in love with your editor, who is a married man and entertains, if not encourages, your adoration. But your heart can only take so much pining. So you decide your next book would help you work through some of your current to-date issues. Are you strong enough to break away or will your editor continue to lead you by your nose?

🏰Author's Note: this story is told by a back and forth method. The author and the editor are the real life part and the author is coming to terms with her situation and feelings through her writing. I hope I made it easy to follow 💞

🏰Beta readers: @downtoamagicalland

🏰divider by @cafekitsune

𝔒𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔘𝔭𝔬𝔫 𝔄 𝔗𝔦𝔪𝔢…

…there was a princess. She wasn't spoiled or rotten to the core. Bad things simply happen to good people. So she was cursed; cursed to live in a villa, away from her family and kingdom, away from everyone.

The princess didn't see it as a curse, however. She had her books and her loyal servants who raised her. She had a loyal hound and gentle bunny to keep her company.

But best of all, she had her imagination.

The bunny was her gentile courtier companion who danced with her and scolded her when she didn’t sit properly in her dress. Her hound was her steadfast knight who protected her while awake or sleeping. There were no bounds to her endless stories. She was content.

That was, until, an actual hero showed up.

🏰🏰🏰

“Princess!” One of the maid’s yelled, her skirts pulled high so she could run. “There is a visitor!”

Your head snapped upwards, in the middle of penning one of your daydreams. “What did you say?”

“A visitor!” The maid collapsed, hands braced on knees.

You eyed her suspiciously. “You can’t be serious.”

The maid gulped in air and sent you an incredulous look. “Do you really think… I’d run like that… for make believe?!”

She had a point.

You stood up and smoothed your skirts over your stomach subconsciously. You had never had to dress or prepare for a visitor before because there were never supposed to be any visitors.

“Does Cook know?” You asked.

The maid shook her head. “No, I came straight to you.”

You stepped quickly, gripping the maid’s arm. “Speak to cook. If it’s a visitor and from what I’ve learned about the lands around this villa, they’ll need good, hearty food. None of those frou-frou cucumber sandwiches she serves for late tea.”

The maid moved to run to the cook but you stopped her. “Then prepare the Ariel room to receive him. I’ll be there post-haste.”

The maid paused her panting, eying you up. “Where are you off to?”

“To appear as a princess,” You replied solidly.

You put on your dress that screamed princess to you. It was a lovely pastel color against your skin. It flowed around your hand-sewn pearl slippers. You felt… pretty. Isn’t that what the story books said all princesses were?

The visitor was sitting at one of the tables set by the tall windows in the Ariel room. One foot was cast outwards, as if he was lounging for a brief respite. The ray of sun hit him just perfectly so that you felt like you were the one stumbling upon the sleeping princess, instead of him.

“Sir…?” You coughed politely in order to draw his attention to yourself.

The visitor stood up. He was taller than his lanky form appeared sitting down. You curtsied nonetheless and he bowed deeply, sweeping an arm around his stomach. “Princess?”

You wanted to maintain decorum but your inquisitive mind got the better of you. “How did you get here? Is there an evil vine forest surrounding the grounds? Did you have to fight any goblins and/or ogres?”

The knight laughed, brightening up his face. “I can tell you all of my adventures. But first!” He stood up and shook his hair out of his face. “I need to do one thing.”

The visitor's long legs brought him quickly to your side and your heart picked up speed. “Kisses usually break the curse do they not?” He said in a low tone that made you feel light and heavy at the same time.

His hands crept along your jaw and cheeks, looking to hold you in place as his eyes became hooded. “May I bestow a kiss upon thy lips?” The knight asked.

“Should I not know your name first, kind knight?” You squeaked.

“Jeong Yunho, at your service, Princess.”

You swallowed loudly. Why did his polite words sound like there was another meaning under them?

“You may proceed,” You said with as much neutrality as you could muster.

You closed your eyes and parted your lips. How would your first kiss--

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The knight looked around, annoyed at the interruption. You stomped your foot in annoyance as well. “What is it, goddamn, how am I supposed to finish this book if I cannot have a moment's peace?!”

The beautiful scene from the lovely Ariel room melted away and you were back in your office. You slammed your laptop down in frustration.

“What is it, goddamn, how am I supposed to finish this book if I cannot have a moment's peace?!” You demanded.

The same face that the prince in your novel wore stuck itself between the door and the door frame. “It's just me, checking to see how you're doing.”

Having Yunho as your editor was a pain in your behind. Not only was he extremely attractive, his work ethic was only outshined by his kind heart. He was the epitome of lead by example. In a word: he was perfect.

And perfectly off the market too.

“I am fine. I'm in the middle of the prince about to sweep the princess in the curse breaking kiss,” You grumbled.

Yunho pushed his way into your office and sat down on the chair across from you. Just like the prince, his lanky form could barely fit in the cramped place. He picked up a book you had for research. “The round table huh?” He began to rifle through the pages. “I don't suppose there's any good smut in here, huh?”

“Yunho, you know how much I love you, but that's not helping,” You sighed.

“Oh, I know,” Yunho winked.

An ugly feeling in the pit of your stomach threatened to burst. He didn't really mean that. He was referring to how you were famously a prickly author and only Yunho had managed to soothe down your hissy cat mood swings and get you to write best sellers.

“Are you sure starting with a kiss straight out the gate is a good idea?” You ventured for a moment. “Don't people usually want a slow burn or a build up?”

Yunho pretended to think about it, putting your King Arthur book right where he had plucked it from your mess of a desk. “I think that it's a hook that will surprise people and leave them wanting more.”

You let out a sigh of relief and then made a shooing motion. “I'm in the zone. Get out of here so I can continue my money making work.”

“I was just about to head out with Ella for dinner. I just wanted to check in and make sure you were good for the night. Did you want me to get--”

You pasted on a tight smile. Perhaps if Mr. Perfect stopped acting like the nation's boyfriend, you could kill this crush and stop writing him as the main romance lead in all your books. “No more interruptions, please.”

Yunho sent you a jaunty salute and then stood up. “Remember to eat before it gets too late.”

When he was gone, you threw a pen across the room in a temporary tantrum. This was a nightmare. Sure, it fueled you creatively but you weren’t entirely sure how much longer you could do this mentally.

You turned your head so you could crack your neck and then you opened your laptop. Your book wasn’t going to write itself. Perhaps you could finish it and then consider your contract with Aurora Publishing.

Your office misted away until in your mind’s eye you pictured the Ariel room once more. The sun shined through and Yunho was cupping your face once again.

Except you couldn't deny the pang of one-sided love that echoed in your heart at that moment. You put a hand on Yunho’s chest and gently pushed him away. “No, sir knight, I’ve changed my mind. A kiss must always be earned. A pointless one with no meaning would simply be just a kiss.”

Yunho let go of you and scratched the back of his head. The tips of his ears became pink. “How right you are, Princess.”

You moved gracefully to the table where Yunho had previously been sitting and patted the chair beside you. “Would you still tell me of your travels? How did you come to hear of my curse in the first place? Why are you even here?!”

Yunho ducked his head graciously and sat back at the table beside you. “Your sister hired me. Everyone seems to have forgotten about you except for her. Even I must admit, I thought I was chasing a wild goose. I’m just as surprised as you are to be here.”

“My sister?” You brightened up.

Your younger sister had been the one companion you could never replace. You missed spinning tales for her to sigh happily about.

Yunho nodded eagerly. “She’s quite the sorceress now. Secretly, of course, considering magic is the reason you’re here now.”

The knight reached into a pouch at his waist and pulled out a ring, a lilac colored stone cut into the shape of a heart. “She gave me this. If you put it on, you should be able to follow me out of the villa.”

Your eyes widened and you reached out for the ring hesitantly. Leave behind your life behind these walls and go back to your old life? But what about the servants who had dedicated their lives to your wellbeing? Would they be stuck here no without a purpose?

“I…” You dropped your hand into your lap before you could touch the ring.

Yunho quickly tucked it back into the pouch he had pulled it from. “You need some time to think about changing your life. I understand completely.”

“Could you…” You hesitated but you couldn't deny what else your heart wanted. “Could you tell me about my home?”

Yunho nodded. “Of course, Your Highness.”

🏰🏰🏰

“I don’t know why you don’t just fuck someone else and get it out of your system,” One of your friends shrugged, popping a piece of donut in their mouth.

“I don’t want to fuck someone else,” You grumbled under your breath.

“Well maybe you should,” Your friend pushed. “What if it helps you see that you don’t really want Yunho, you’ve just allowed yourself to obsess over him?”

Your friend wasn’t exactly talking shit, even though on a surface level it sounded like she just wanted you to hook up and get over it.

You took a sip of your coffee and contemplated it. On the one hand, you appreciated Yunho being so hands on with you. It really showed that he gave a crap, and that was your problem with your last publishing house. But on the other hand, you had not drawn a line so you and Yunho were stuck in some kind of weird quicksand of grey area that sucked you in.

You sighed and slumped onto the table. “Maybe I should just leave. Cut ties from him completely.”

“Uhhh, maybe--”

“No, I think you’re right,” You cut your friend off. “I need to stop allowing myself to obsess over him. I’ve taken it too far. He can’t be blamed for just being himself. Maybe I’ll go back to being a freelancer. I’m popular enough I’d probably get a following publishing digitally on my own. Less stress, keep my own schedule--”

Your friend grabbed your shoulder and shook you aggressively. “Now is really not the time,” they hissed at you.

“Why not?” You shouted, sitting up and then it hit you.

There was Yunho, a tray of coffees in one hand and a handful of bags in another. With him was his assistant, Wooyoung. Yunho had a hesitant and awkward smile on his face. If looks could kill, the one Wooyoung was sending you right now would have lasered a hole in your head. Shit.

“Take this back to the office,” Yunho said resolutely, pushing everything into Wooyoung’s hands, despite the assistant opening and closing his mouth in protest.

“I’ll talk to you later.” Your friend stood up and dashed out of the coffee shop pretty quickly.

Wooyoung sent a hand gesture and mouthed “I’m watching you” but left with everything Yunho had handed you.

Yunho sat down, hands in his pockets casually. “Why didn’t you say something about wanting to leave?”

“I was just… thinking out loud.” You waved your hand in front of you like you were dismissing the words from the air. “It didn’t mean anything.”

Yunho pursed his lips to one side. “Also, who are you obsessed with that makes you want to leave?”

You shut down immediately. “None of your fucking business, Yunho.”

Yunho sat back as if you had physically slapped him. “Seriously? We’ve been friends for years. I’m more than your editor!” he protested.

“Maybe that’s a problem,” You grumbled under your breath.

Yunho pulled his hands from his pockets and shot across the table, taking yours into his own. “What’s wrong with you? Is it the book? I thought you were excited to start it? Do you need a break? I can pull up the contract, see what I can do before we get too far down the pipeline.”

You stared down at the hands that encompassed yours. There he was, doing it again. Were you making things to be more than they were because you felt some kind of way for Yunho? Or was he seriously acting more than just a friend?

You gently pulled your hands out of Yunho’s. “It's not the book,” and you left it at that.

Yunho still wasn’t going to give up, however. He moved his chair until he was beside you and not across from you. “Then how can I help?”

“I don’t--” You let out a little noise of frustration. “Yunho, I was just venting to a friend. If you had left with Wooyoung, that would have been amazing help.”

Yunho frowned at you. “I don’t understand.”

You began to rub your eyebrow, a tick of yours that you couldn't seem to ditch. “How about we just forget this whole thing happened. How about that?”

Yunho wiped a hand over his face. A very large hand. One that you had used in your stories time and time again-- you shook your head. This madness had to stop.

“Let's just go back to the office, yeah? Did you buy everyone drinks and snacks? What a nice man in power,” You simpered.

Yunho sent you a look that spoke of how he didn't believe your change of attitude but he was a good man--so he'd follow your lead.

Yunho got up from his chair and waved his arm out towards the door. “After you.”

🏰🏰🏰

“Oh, Your Highness.”

The maid you were speaking with had tears filling up her eyes. “We are here to serve you. If you have the chance to be free of this place, then you must take it. We are here because the crown has directed us to take care of you. But we are not trapped. You know this, otherwise how else would we be able to supply you with your clothes as you grew or baked cakes with sugar that we can’t grow here.”

You felt your own eyes fill with tears in response. You had accepted your curse long ago, when you had let go of any hope as a child of breaking it upon turning into an adult. The fact that this opportunity had stumbled its way into your life was beyond your wildest dreams. And it came with a knight to boot.

So you gathered your hound, and held your bunny on your lap and called Yunho to the Rapunzel room. You were ready to start your own adventure.

“Now, who are these fine fellows?” Yunho inquired, lifting his hand to pet your hound.

The dog raised his hackles, growling softly. He’d never snap but he was sure letting Yunho know that the pet was not appreciated.

You laughed softly. “His name is Yeosang. He is my fiercest protector. He’s not a lapdog like I have read other princesses are gifted with.”

You lifted up your bunny from under his front legs. “And this is Seonghwa. He is a noble within my court.”

Yunho bowed at the waist, acknowledging both of your companions. “Do you intend to take them both with us?”

“They would never forgive me if I let the servants take them,” You admitted.

Yunho nodded as if he completely understood. “Of course. I will look over them as if they were my own page and charge.”

Yunho explained to you about the perilous journey you two were about to make in order to get you home. He spoke of forests dark and deep, stretches of sands and dunes, and icy tundras. How were you supposed to pack for all of those climates? And what about food?

“It’s going to be hard, Princess,” Yunho admitted. “But if your heart is true, then, I believe we can make it. Together.”

Your heart fluttered and you pressed a hand to your chest. This was silly. You couldn't just fall in love with the first man you came across in your long, cursed life. You’d have a silly little crush and then you’d move on. You were a princess, after all! You were destined for someone of royal nature.

You bid all the staff farewell and made them promise to find you once they returned to the castle--to your home--and then began the trek with the knight, the bunny and the hound. Or rather, that’s what you imagined.

The second you passed through a door that was covered with vines, Seonghwa hopped out of the pouch you had wrapped him in. Yeosang began to bark and dove into a bush as well. You cried out in alarm, terrified that your only constant companions were fleeing you. But to your complete astonishment, they transformed into men.

“Good Morning, Princess,” a man with red-brown hair bowed to you. He had a sword strapped to his side.

You studied him, perplexed, sure that you didn’t have any guards in the villa because no one could actually come and go with the exception of the staff. But then you spotted a mark by his left eye, one that you used to kiss softly every night.

“Yeosang?!” You gasped.

“At your service,” He smiled serenely, standing up.

Another man, with long black hair, brushed leaves from his suit. “That’s my least favorite part,” he frowned.

“Seonghwa!” Yeosang scolded the other man. “Address the princess properly before you start pampering yourself.”

“Ah!” Seonghwa closed his eyes, making them scrunch up in embarrassment. “Your highness, my most humble apologies. Did you sleep well? You appear as a vision this fine morning.”

Your jaw dropped. Your hound and your bunny were actually… men!?

“What is going on here?” Yunho demanded, twisting in his horse's saddle to glare down at your comrades.

You slipped off your horse and bounded towards the two men, throwing an arm around each of them for a group hug. After you squealed in excitement, you pulled back, feeling tears in your eyes and your throat tightening. “How is this possible?”

Seonghwa teared up as well and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. “Please, Princess, don’t cry. Once you start I won’t be able to stop.”

Yeosang’s voice sounded gruff. “We were sent by a good sorceress who heard of your plight. We had to go undercover as animals of course, but did you really think that you would be banished without protectors?”

“Although I’m very happy to be accompanying you back to the castle, I will miss our make believe tea parties,” Seonghwa touched his handkerchief to his eyes, dabbing the tears away.

Yeosang laughed. “Don’t mind Seonghwa. He always gets emotional at the slightest things.”

Yunho was off his horse too now and coming closer with his face full of anger. “We did not plan for this! You’ll slow us down without horses, not to mention dwindle our small supplies!”

Seonghwa stood his full height, which wasn’t as tall as Yunho, but almost. “We can change back into our forms willingly now that we are outside of the villa’s magic. And you won’t be going anywhere with the princess without us.”

You put a hand on Yunho’s arm. “Yunho, remember your vow? You said you’d look over them.”

Yunho relented slowly, breathing in and out deeply. “I did. And I’m a man of my word. Very well. We shouldn’t let our first day be slow, however. Back to your other forms then.”

Seonghwa lifted his hand as if he was going to hit Yunho behind his back and you couldn't help but giggle. He was very much the sassy bunny you grew up with.

“I’ll maintain the rear. Nothing shall get past me, Princess,” Yeosang proclaimed, pulling at the ends of his gloves.

“Careful of my ears,” Seonghwa pouted slightly. “They’re very sensitive this time of year.”

“Oh, Seonghwa,” You smiled, happy to finally be able to speak with your friends.

🏰🏰🏰

“Ugh, I’m exhausted!” Seonghwa announced, falling over your desk and interrupting your writing.

“Awe, did your yapping zap all your energy?” You cooed mockingly at your publicist.

Seonghwa sat up, lips pressed into a thin line, clearly unimpressed by your response. “A thank you would be nice.”

You rolled your eyes. “What did you get done today?”

Seonghwa brightened, happy to be able to chatter away about his job. He was one of the two people you had taken over with you when you left your last publishing house and signed a contract with Yunho’s. He could be a pain in your butt sometimes but Seonghwa really knew how to sell your books.

“You’ll never guess who I convinced to be the model for the cover of this book!” Yeosang bursted into your office.

“Jesus, Yeosang,” You held your hand against your chest.

“Knocking would be a lot less heart-pumping!” Seonghwa scolded Yeosang as well.

Your publicist and your agent were long time friends, your power team who always supported you. They bickered but mostly they were joined together in supporting you.

“Guess!” Yeosang pushed, sweeping around your desk and crouched beside you, phone at the ready.

You blinked blankly and then it came to you. “No fucking way.”

“That’s right.” Yeosang stood up, unlocked his phone and showed you his email. “Kim fucking Hongjoong.”

“What?!” Seonghwa looked from you to Yeosang, eyes darting quickly. “How did that happen?”

“Well, our friend here said she wanted something different for this book…” Yeosang and Seonghwa exchanged a look of understanding. “So I thought, why not the biggest model for romance novels right now?”

You winced. This book was so fucking firmly Yunho in your mind, now that you’re halfway done, that you almost feel like you couldn't be happy that Yeosang had managed to snag you something so good.

But you pasted on a happy grin and hugged Yeosang. “You always fight hardest for me,” Your muffled thanks came out gruffly.

Seonghwa protested immediately. “Hey! I’m the one that’s made sure we have all the proper social media in place, including grabbing some big booktokers, but okay, let’s thank Yeosang with a hug because he got you a hot man on the front of your cover.”

You and Yeosang laughed under your breath but you released Yeosang and came over to hug Seonghwa. “Thank you, Hwa, you’re a lifesaver.”

Seonghwa’s eyes widened and then he embraced you. “I just want this to be the book that gets you over him.”

You jumped out of Seonghwa’s hug immediately. “The walls have ears, Seonghwa.”

Seonghwa blinked and when he looked at Yeosang for a clue, your agent shrugged his shoulders. You sighed, rubbing your eyebrow again. “Let’s just pretend that HE is always in the room and you can’t speak about him out loud, or he’ll hear.”

“Do I hear celebrating in here?” Yunho appeared in the open doorway, an inquiring smile on his lips.

“Ahhhhh,” Yeosang and Seonghwa chorused.

You put an arm around each of your team’s shoulders. “Seonghwa secured some big booktokers to review my book and Yeosang got Kim Hongjoong to model for the book cover.”

Yunho covered his mouth in shock. “Oh my god?”

If only he knew that he was the main character.

“I gotta text Ella, she’ll freak out!” Yunho shouted and then he was gone.

“Does he have your office bugged?” Yeosang said, eyes wide as he peered around said office.

“No, otherwise, he’d know everything by now,” You grumbled under your breath.

“So, how is it going?” Seonghwa inquired.

“Hmm, the book?” You tried to scrub the image of a happy Yunho from your mind. “The princess is starting to fall in love and her companions are trying to tell her that there’s something off about the knight.”

“Let me guess,” Yeosang’s tone got serious. “They’re going to tell her she needs to be careful and she’s going to tell them that they’re just jealous.”

“No.” You looked Yeosang right in the eye. “This princess is more perceptive than that. She also feels that there’s some darkness to the knight. She’s not a dumb-dumb princess. She’s read books all her life and has learned.”

“Not like some people,” Seonghwa muttered under his breath.

“There’s no saving me,” You whispered. “At least I can save her.”

🏰🏰🏰

“We’re almost there in your kingdom!” Yunho exclaimed.

The four of you stood on a high cliff that overlooked some rolling hills. Yunho pointed to the distance, where the horizon smudged into a bruised plum color.

A little thrill went through you. Would your parents cry when you returned? Would your sister still adore you as much as she had when she was a child? Would the kingdom throw a fete in your honor, that the cursed princess was back?

“You know,” Yunho pulled you in by the waist. “There’s still a chance that I could break your curse. The kiss has more meaning now.”

You pursed your lips. Yunho had been the very epitome of a gentleman. That was the problem. You may have lived a sheltered life but you knew that nothing was ever as cut and dry as a book. That’s why you liked to escape to them. There you couldn't get hurt. But here, with your life at stake! There was a huge chance that giving your heart to the knight that had rescued you could be the wrong choice.

You placed a hand on his chest and smiled. “Perhaps this fairy tale ends with the princess finally kissing her knight in shining armor,” you said instead.

Something flashed in Yunho’s eyes and it was something you had never seen there before, despite battling monsters and getting lost in the dunes. Yunho was afraid. But afraid of what? “That might be too late for you, Princess.”

Yeosang and Seonghwa interrupted with their bickering. They had been sent to get water. But they came back with a handful of flowers and berries instead.

“Really gentlemen,” You scoffed, breaking Yunho’s hold on you. “What happened to the water?”

Seonghwa smiled painfully. “We ran into some water sprites.”

Yeosang folded his arms across his chest. “Correction: YOU got distracted by a few water spirits, started flirting with them, and I had to save you.”

“Potato, potahto,” Seonghwa waved one of his hands. “We do have these though. You could make tea!”

“With what water, Seonghwa?” Yeosang deadpanned.

You fell into a fit of giggles. It was just like the time bunny Seonghwa had gotten scared of a bird landing on the iron table during a tea party, knocked over the hot tea pot, which scalded your lap, and Yeosang barked and chased Seonghwa around the garden until they both collapsed into an exhausted pile and you forgot about your pains.

“I will go and fetch us water,” Yunho grumbled, clearly unimpressed by your two favorite people in the world. “You two watch the princess, for what you’re worth.”

Seonghwa glared and Yeosang commented, “We’ve done a good job so far.”

“Yeah, behind a magical wall,” Yunho shot back, disappearing into the foliage.

“Princess,” Seonghwa began, rubbing his hands together anxiously.

“Don’t start, Seonghwa.” You put a hand up to halt whatever he was going to say. “We do need him to guide us back home. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

Yeosang’s face was grim. “I’m worried he’s leading us to a trap. He’s got my hackles raised.”

You felt a shiver travel along your spine in response to Yeosang’s words. “Me too, Yeosang, me too.”

“Well.” Seonghwa busied himself with attempting to start a fire. “We do need Yunho to guide us back to the kingdom and we need to be on our guard against any trickery. What’s left to do but get ready for some tea?”

Later, when the four of you were around the fire, you brought up your family.

“Can you tell me a little bit about my sister?” You asked eagerly.

Yunho flinched and dropped the tin cup he had been drinking out of. “Huh? Your sister? Why do you want to hear about her?”

“Well, she was so young when I left. Is she still into stories? No, she’s a grown woman now, perhaps she’s heir to the throne since I was cursed?” You wondered.

“Always with the questions,” Yunho smiled, but this was tight and withheld. “Your sister was devastated when you were cursed and set away. She’s become a strong capable woman but she will be more than delighted to find that you’re back amongst us once again,” Yunho provided.

Your heart hurt a little hearing that your sister was so cut up about your banishment but that only made you more eager to get home and fix everything.

“Once I get home, it’ll be better,” You announced.

“Yes,” Yunho said, licking his lips. “I’m sure it will.”

🏰🏰🏰

The launch party for your finished book was an extravagant affair. It was a black tie dress code. Aurora Publishing booked the ballroom of a fancy hotel and had an open bar. Champagne was flowing and everyone who was anyone in the industry was there.

This book was sold, thanks to Seonghwa, as your best book yet. A shift in tone, but a delight nonetheless. Everyone wanted to laud you with congratulations and hear what you had to say about the book from your mouth. You were spinning with the amount of conversations you had had and hadn't had a moment to yourself.

“There you are!” Yunho’s voice cut through the crowd.

Your editor was dressed in a tuxedo with a cute little bowtie. He looked dashing and the cut of his suit only emphasized his broad shoulders and long form. By the time he stood toe to toe with you, you had to crane your neck to keep eye contact with him.

“Here I am,” You said sarcastically.

“You look amazing,” Yunho said, his voice quiet in awe.

You sent him a warning look. “Careful.”

A small, teasing smile pulled at Yunho’s lips. “Or?”

“Or a girl would think you’re hitting on her,” You said sourly, downing a gulp of your champagne.

“I’m simply giving credit where credit is due,” Yunho denied.

Then he took a step even closer. He leaned into you, so that his lips were level with your ear. “Did I tell you that this might be some of your best work yet?”

You felt your face and neck warm up at the compliment. Why did he have to say it like that? “Thank you, Yunho.”

Yunho leaned back, a shit-eating grin on his face full blown. “I was hoping now that you’re done with your frantic writer moment that you’d let me book you a vacation. I was thinking somewhere warm, maybe southern France?”

You sent him an odd look. There he was again, taking care of you, thinking about your needs. Your heart burst but you attempted to suffocate it anyways. “I feel like I’m gaining momentum. Maybe an anthology of books that follow the same theme as the first. Fairy tales that aren’t happy endings.”

Yunho’s hand went up, almost boxing you into the wall of the ballroom. “Tahiti then? Maybe you could do a mix up of Ariel and Moana this time. The Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast mixture was oddly compelling.”

“Yunho…” You could feel the man’s heat emanating off of him, that’s how close he was.

“I could visit you, you know? Check in on you, make sure you’ve got plenty of inspiration.” Yunho’s voice was getting deeper and more intimate.

What the hell was going on right now?

“Yunho!” Wooyoung’s screech managed to jolt Yunho out of whatever he was attempting at this very moment. “Your wife is looking for you. The company’s newsletter wants a photo op.”

Yunho smiled boyishly. “Think about it.”

You wanted to collapse to the floor but you managed to simply let out a breath you didn’t realize you had been holding. The look on Wooyoung’s face basically screamed that you were a homewrecker. You needed some cold air.

In your rush to get outside, you passed where Yunho and his wife Ella were posing for photos. It was like staring at a car crash; you couldn't help yourself. Yunho was staring down at Ella like she was his whole world. They slowly waltzed, to seem as if they were dancing, and in their own world. His wife beamed up at him like Yunho made her unbelievably happy.

Your crush shattered into a million pieces.

You raised your skirts and began to run for the doors. Shameful tears made rivulets run down your face. You felt disgust at yourself. No matter what feelings you had for Yunho, he was married. He wasn’t yours. He could never be yours. You had deluded yourself for too long. And you let Yunho feed into those delusions. You were a fool.

It was time for you to take a page out of your own book and save yourself.

🏰🏰🏰

“The prodigal princess of Aurora returns,” Your sister announced with grandeur.

She threw open her arms wide above her head. Ella was at the top of the steps before the throne. You looked around, confused. There was no court. Your parent’s were nowhere to be seen. What was going on here?

“Ella?” You took a cautious step forward.

“Yes, it's your baby sister,” Ella smiled but it had a cruel edge to it. “Do you not recognize me? Do I seem different?” She casted her head back and cackled.

The air shimmered around her and her dress and image changed. Her entire wardrobe was black as night, with her hair twisted into two horns. She held a staff with a gem at the tip. “Take a guess as to what's different.”

You gasped, covering your mouth with both your hands. “You’re a sorceress now?”

Your sister smiled like she was the cat with the cream. “I’ve made a greater name for myself than my poor cursed sister. The entire kingdom fears me.”

You whipped around to look at Yunho. “Did you know about this?”

Ella made a happy, pleased noise. “Yes, Yunho, tell my dear sister what’s surpassed.”

Yunho’s face was cold and stoic. “Your sister sent me to get you.”

“I’m so confused,” You admitted.

Your thumb fiddled with the ring that kept your curse under wraps and had allowed you to leave the villa you were trapped in. You had to think quickly. Seonghwa and Yeosang were outside of the throne room, and had been ordered to remain there because this was family business. What could you do? You had no power or weapons. You had only your knowledge that you had absorbed while spending your life behind sheltered walls.

“Let me paint you a pretty picture,” Your sister said. “You see, when you were banished to the villa because you were cursed, I was so sad. So, secretly I found all the books I could on curses and magic. I was determined to break your curse and free you. But the more time I spent learning, the more I realized that I didn’t need you. I could amass enough power for myself and I could be the ruler. I found myself a prince charming to trick our parents into thinking i was being a filial daughter.”

Ella descended the stairs and started to curl her arms and body around Yunho like he was her possession. “Yunho’s a second son, just like I am a second daughter. We’re expendable and only there as a back up if the heir’s get killed. He decided to join my quest. I killed our parents once they realized I was planning all this treachery behind their backs. But then when the nobles wouldn’t recognize me as the true ruler, I realized I would have to kill you.”

Yunho took Ella’s hand and kissed the back. You felt a chill run down your spine. Everything Yunho had shown to you was a lie. He wasn’t the golden knight in shining armor, here to save you and steal your heart. He was a black piece on the board, meant to lure you from your safe space so that your sister could attain her dark ambitions. You felt betrayed, utterly and completely.

“I, of course, could not go myself. The villa is made to contain your blood curse, so that’s why our parents could never visit you, and I was sure it would trap me in there too. So I sent my prince charming to retrieve you. I wanted to kill you with my own hands of course. What better way to show the kingdom that I’m the queen they were meant to have than by killing you? The one that didn’t deserve her curse, the princess everyone always talked about.”

It was at that moment that you saw your little sister. The love of adoration had twisted into hatred because no one ever recognized her. You felt sadness seep through your heart. You never wanted anything but good things for your sister, no matter the fact that you were the one trapped and cursed.

Your sister saw your sadness and immediately boiled over like an angry cauldron. “Don't you dare pity me!” She screamed, pointing a finger at you. “I will kill you and be done with you.”

You sent one more look at Yunho, wondering if there was any truth to the good man who you had traveled with for weeks. Yunho couldn't meet your gaze. The coward.

It was in that moment that you decided that there was only one decision that you could make to finally be in control of your own destiny. You grabbed the ring that held back your curse and pulled it off.

“No, what are you doing?” Your sister shrieked. “Yunho, take your sword and kill her!”

The world seemed to freeze. Yunho was partway drawing his sword, your sister’s face red with anger and spewing spit. If she was so powerful, why would she be angry about you removing your ring? And why ordered Yunho to kill you when she was so excited to kill you herself?

Then it hit you.

Your curse was that you were magical. Magic was seen as a dark, twisted element in your kingdom. You had been sent to that villa because no one could bear to execute the beloved princess. You lived a normal life because magic was null on those grounds. The ring that Yunho had given you had suppressed your powers, because that was the only way your little sister could kill you. All the pieces fell into place.

You snapped your fingers and suddenly Yeosang and Seonghwa were there. The world around you three still moved slowly, simply because you wished it. Magic was evil, it was the people and their intent that dictated if it was good or evil. And you intended to do some good.

“You were my protectors from the beginning, weren’t you?”

Seonghwa’s eyes began to tear up. “Princess, you figured it out.”

“We were forced to take animal forms because of the enchantment around the villa. But we were placed in this kingdom to be your companions through your journey. You are the goddess reincarnate. Your parents feared the world would corrupt you and you would bring the end of the world. While being confined to the villa, you encountered nothing but love and you had all the time to learn and absorb stories and tales about good rulers,” Yeosang unloaded everything to you.

“You were never cursed, Princess,” Seonghwa took your hand and kissed the back of it, much like how Yunho did to your sister, but his was complete trust in that you were the right, good person in this world. “You were blessed.”

The world sped up suddenly. Your sister sent a wicked bolt of black energy at you but it glanced off a purple shield that came up in your defense. It covered both you and your companions. Yunho completed unsheathing his sword but looked hesitant. “Princess?”

You held up a hand and it began to glow with pure, golden light. “I banish thee, Ella the sorceress, and thee, Yunho the betrayer, to the villa where I grew up. No light will ever reach there, in a reflection of your dark hearts. You two deserve each other.”

“No!” screeched Ella but it was too late.

A popping noise echoed through the throne room and then they were gone.

“Now what?” Seonghwa blinked at you.

You breathed in and deeply sighed the air out. “First, see if any of my citizen’s are in the dungeons. I’m sure Ella took great pleasure in torturing the people that used to be in power. She wouldn’t have killed everyone, otherwise she wouldn’t have an audience.”

“At once, Your Majesty,” Yeosang saluted smartly, fist thumping against his chest and then he left the throne room.

“And what should I do, oh wise and beautiful Queen,” Seonghwa said with grandeur, falling to one knee.

You couldn't help but laugh through your new broken heart. Even in a serious setting, that one always found a way to make you laugh. “Why, Duke Park, I believe I need a coronation ceremony. Do you think you could find ways to get out a message that the cursed princess has reclaimed her queendom?”

Seonghwa cocked his head, a crooked smile pulling at his lips. “I can plan a coronation ceremony, but you are the goddess reincarnate; whatever you think can be made real.”

You closed your eyes and imagined a glorious flowing dress of gold and a crown of flowers on your head. You connected with anyone who had ever prayed for the world to get better while being under Ella’s rule and then you were.

“Ella the Sorceress has been banished, never to return. The cursed princess is now the Queen of Aurora. You need not bend the knee to her but she would enjoy your presence for her coronation. All are welcome, poor or noble blood. I wish to simply bask in the presence of my citizens that I have missed.”

You disconnected from all those consciences but you felt your heart fill with hope. The people had hope once again in their lives and that was because of you. You hadn't needed a knight in shining armor to save you. You had saved yourself.

🏰🏰🏰

“The view is wonderful!” Seonghwa said, hands on his hips and staring out through the ceiling to floor windows.

Yeosang sent a look of disgust at Seonghwa. “Of course it’s wonderful. She needed a new start and I found the best of the best for her.”

Seonghwa turned around and he looked unsure. “Is this really what’s best for you?”

You put down a box and dusted your clothes off. “Yes. I needed a clean cut from Yunho. I appreciate everything he’s done for me but that place was not what I needed.”

Yeosang grinned. “The royalties from The Cursed Princess are rolling in and it doesn’t look to be halting anytime soon.”

Seonghwa puffed out his chest. “I told you, I worked hard for this novel. The booktokers love it.”

Yeosang rolled his eyes. “They love it because of the esteemed author in the room, Seonghwa.”

Seonghwa pouted. “Yes, but I guided them to the great book. Come on, Yeosang, give me this at least.”

“I’ll give you something,” Yeosang grumbled and put Seonghwa in a headlock.

You could hear grunts under Yeosang’s breath about ‘entitled shit’ and Seonghwa whining about unfair arm strength advantage and you started to laugh.

Maybe you didn’t need a grand life to keep you inspired. Maybe you simply needed to live your life, free of anything holding you down or keeping you in one lane. Sure, having Seonghwa and Yeosang as your support was going to help, but at the end of the day, it was up to you to save yourself.

And you had managed just that. Everything was going just fine. You only had to put your mind to the task and it would get done.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕰𝖓𝖉

[sometimes-love-is-enough]

Every time you talk about giving yourself writing challenges, I think about how it would be fun to have a 'handicap bingo'- where you get a random writing 'handicap' like not being able to say any character's name, and have to write a full story with it. Idk. I think it would be fun

Min's Writing Challenge

Rules: Roll a d20, accept your fate, write a fic of your choosing and follow your fate to the letter. (Creative workarounds encouraged.)

Roll twice; you have to use both. If you roll another 1, the extra challenges compound accordingly.

Pick a single letter, A-Z. You're not allowed to use it for the entire fic. (Bonus challenge: E.)

Every sentence must be under ten words long. (Bonus challenge: five words.)

Pick a poetry/lyric style (sonnet, terza rima, ballad, etc). The whole fic must be written in that form. (Bonus challenge: keep it still obviously a normal fic, with appropriate tropes and narrative conventions.)

You must write in future tense.

You must write in first-person POV.

You must write in second-person POV.

Take your least favorite fanon concept/trope, and make it into something you want to write. (Bonus challenge: play the trope entirely straight - no subversions! - and make it enjoyable anyway.)

No character names allowed. (Bonus challenge: no dialogue tags either; you can't use descriptive phrases like 'the man in the prince costume' to work around it.)

No dialogue allowed. (Bonus challenge: no internal monologues allowed, either.)

Dialogue only - playscripts encouraged.

Epistolary fic - only letters, emails, notes, etc.

Write an AU, but the alternative universe is a profession!AU that you know nothing about. (Bonus challenge: no research allowed.)

Unreliable narrator. (Bonus challenge: the narrator is good at being unreliable, to the point that they might legitimately fool a reader.)

Whatever fic concept you have, you can only write the very ending of it. (Bonus challenge: you aren't allowed to use any exposition to explain how you got to that point.)

Write any AU of your choosing, but you must choose at least one major canonverse event/plot point and adapt it accordingly to your setting of choice. (Bonus challenge: Make the canonverse event and AU of choice absurdly incompatible.)

Must start in medias res, with a 'yep, that's me. Bet you're wondering how I got into this situation!' moment. (Bonus challenge: Don't plan what the in medias res situation is before you write it. Force yourself to resolve whatever bullshit you come up with on the spot. I've definitely never done this in my life, ever.)

You must write in outsider OC POV - no canon characters allowed. (Bonus challenge: No Sanders Shorts/related characters allowed.)

Pick a fairy tale, fable, or myth. The fic must be a retelling or reinterpretation of it. (Bonus challenge: you aren't allowed to reread or reference any version of it while you're writing - from memory only!)

Dealer's choice - pick from any of the above.

Good luck.

[untamedho]

inevitably, indubitably by friedkiki

"I mean, look at all this white!" the man says, gesturing at the banquet hall. "If I didn't know better, I'd think this was a funeral." "A good thing, then, that you do know better," Lan Wangji says curtly. The funeral comment has hit a nerve. "Who are you? Why are you here?" The man pouts. "So suspicious, dianxia. Can't I just be here to enjoy the festivities?" Lan Wangji fixes him with an unimpressed glare. The man holds up his hands. "Fine, fine," he sighs. "You've caught me. This humble one's name is Wei Wuxian, and I'm here to save your life."

For as long as he can remember, Lan Wangji has been cursed to die at the hands of someone who loves him. Enter Wei Wuxian, rogue sorcerer, who a desperate Lan Xichen has hired to save his brother.

Read on AO3