#this is so dark academia beauty is terror you know

[edensliterarydiaries]

The Secret History by Donna Tartt. The dangerous pursuit of climbing the social ladder.

The Secret History (SH) is an account of a murder in Hampden College, New England, through the eyes of outsider Richard Papen. A academic life that is similar to Tartt’s own, this novel artistically blends the rational with romantic ideals. However, after reading this stunning narrative, I have to address the title, so many say, it ‘truly deserves’: A Modern Classic. SH can plausibly be classified as a psychological crime novel that is derivative of other writings before it. From Crime and Punishment to Sigmund Freud’s essays, Tartt transforms the ideals of college life and academic study into one of morose horror. The knowledge of characters is greatly outweighed by the clear obsession with academia. From a first person account, we never get to know Papen’s fellow classmates, or the teacher Julian Morrow, on any other level beyond physical appearance. Instead, we become familiar with their love of Greek stories and rituals (only to kill a local man in the process, oops 😬😯).

SH is ‘devoid of character but has plenty of personality… there is nothing good beneath the heavy surface of academia’. -J.Wary, Michigan Daily

The influences of psychology in SH are evident in the difficulty these characters face outside the walls of academia. Papen, seeing hope for a better life in attending Hampden, only comes to observe that his ‘existence was tainted’ in the process and after. Yes, the death of his friend Bunny may have been the catalyst for such a perspective to be drawn. But, can the fact that Morrow insisted that his students have him as their only teacher be the cause for such an outlook too? (You had it coming as soon as you switched your tutor to Morrow as well Papen, we all saw it coming!)

We can see that his ‘morbid longing for the picturesque’ (NY Times) is a parallel to how private colleges are perceived by the common folk. As a ‘idyllic’ as it was on the brochure As the outsider, Papen’s, opportunity to escape the dull reality of Californian life is only met by the Dickensian tradition of financial and societal desperation; a long way from the better life he once dreamed of when coming to Hampden.

The opportunity to entrench yourself in the worlds created by classic literature is something our original five Greek students do persistently. With lots of money behind them, it is easy to get captivated by the romantic fantasy without feeling the consequence. The richest of the five, Henry, states that ‘Death is the mother of beauty… and what is beauty (without) Terror?’. The ideas behind Henry’s speech links back to the passage read by Camilla in the first class together.

In a ‘harsh and low and lovely’ voice, she reads about the ‘dark red and violent-driven rain of bitter savoured blood (that makes the character) glad’.

The repetition of ‘and’ both lengthens the sentence and makes Camilla’s speech creepily seductive. Yet, finishing the passage with a character that is ‘glad’ could be Tartt alluding to the murder later on in the novel. In the mean time, the excitement and vigour stemming from both Henry and Camilla’s imagery is plausibly seen as escapism away from the ‘monkish bare’ windows and ‘whitewashed walls’ of Hampden.

As a former student of the said ‘elite’ school life, time between those tall walls can be reminiscent of prison. Pursuing the idea rehabilitation was in the form of etiquette (often indirectly) and hazing Saturday matches and army training. All of which spat you out into the world with your school plastered on your psyche.

To be a Modern Classic, SH had to focus individuals personal morals and ethical behaviours both in their daily lives and in unusual situations (such as a murder). As a first person account, Tartt avoids this. She only lets us know Papen’s opinion on their physical appearance and any actions they commit. This alone, speeds up the pace of the novel. As Tartt does not stop to give us any background information of these students, especially Henry and Bunny, whose interaction is quite intriguing to Papen.

In contrast to the world of Greek literature, Papen’s description of his fellow students is reminiscent of the contents of a photo album. We see the images of people and know about what they did in life. But, we don’t know them beyond their physical appearance, what they like and dislike for instance.

The replacement of character development with the obsession with Dionysian madness, distances Papen (us as readers), from the original five Greek students. Under the spell of Dionysus’ words, it is plausibly easy for the students to be captivated by the colourful imagery displayed in such books. Especially in the black and white surroundings of Hampden, the classical world created connotes a Baroque undertone that is both captivating and sinister; the latter is more prominent to us than the former.

Can we plausibly see that Tartt is suggesting that literature was a way to escape the daily grind of academic life?

In the end though, it is difficult to see how SH can be a Modern Classic. Yes, Greek literature and elite university settings are visuals that are associated with the adjective ‘classic’. But, the limited character development does make Papen’s account of the events ,leading up to the murder, dry; no conflicting emotions or true feelings about certain events (beyond Papen) revealed in any way. Furthermore, being publishing in the early 90s, SH was released into a world that was in love with murder mysteries and psychological thrillers both in the book and on screen.

It is a product of its time, not a Modern Classic. The latter is used on a piece of work that is going to last and resonate with everyone over centuries. To state it’s a modern Classic would be to compare it against the works of authors from the early to mid 20th century.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1928), for instance, uses letter writing and indirect and direct dialogues to convey Constance’s character development to us. Through letter writing and talking to specific ‘trusted friends’, we know how difficult her life was becoming with Clifford (the plausible predecessor of Richard Papen!). The main point to take away is that the character development aided the progression of the narrative. It did not lead the reader to express doubts or question anyone’s motives and inner beliefs and it certainly did not leave us to speculate what lead up to certain events.

Anyway, coming back to SH, I can say that it is a psychological crime novel. Tartt does suggest to us that there is more that meets the eye when it comes to elite colleges and the academic world. She also draws a dark shadow over feelings of temptation and ambition, especially in the case of outsiders like Papen.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone seeking something to read under the bed covers this autumn. If you grow to love it and form opinions about it (like I have) and fancy something more- then watch some crime movies from the 90s! (A good place to start would be The Good Shepherd (2006) and The Skulls 3 (2004).

Hoped you enjoyed this post as much as I did writing it!

See you in the next one!

Yours sincerely,

Eden xxx

#september #september 2023 #the secret history #donna tartt #secret society #dark academia #light academia #greek mythology #greek literature #literature review #english literature #writing #writing reviews

[rusalkaandtheshepherdgirl]

What Your Favorite Ghostwatching Song Says About You

Ghostwatching- You're probably the chill kind of history nerd. You fall down Wikipedia rabbit holes a bit too often. You wear the same jewelry every day.

Unconventional- Hey, are you a Forgetmenauts fan? Me too. Anyways, how's constantly trying to reinvent yourself going? Have you let go of the idea that you can save people from themselves yet?

Life After Aftelife- Autumn is your favorite season. If you read Narnia, you got very attached to Aslan. You really wish that you could get closure. You want to be seen as an easygoing type of person.

Angels Have a Thousand Eyes- You're obsessed with the title of this one. The weight of expectations is crushing. You'd rather set the world on fire than fail. You also have at least a passing interest in linguistics.

Monday Morning- You're a morning person. You get into your own head a lot. You vibe with dark academia but end up procrastinating your essays until 2am. You do not dream of labor.

Broken Spoke- You try so hard to see the beauty and potential in small things. You absolutely believe in love at first sight, but what you care about most is your friends. You don't tend to give up.

Too Late Turning- You really miss your childhood friends. Sometimes you feel like you're stuck in a hamster wheel. You know exactly how to filter AO3 so you get the fics you want.

Context- Introvert. You don't actually like travel. TBI is your favorite Mechanisms album. Introducing yourself is the bane of your existence.

The Hill- You're have a favorite genre of memes. You flirt by being mean. Sometimes you do get into online arguments, but you stay pretty clear-headed about it.

This Is Not A Place Of Honour- Your other favorite Jessica Law song is the Crew of the HMS Terror. You're alternatively in love with an terrified by the butterfly effect. You're so here for overlapping voices in song.

Give Us Time- You've actually given this album's Overarching Story some thought. Someone has called you an "old soul" before. You work too hard.

No Such Thing As Magic- Your ex is literally the worst. You like math and science, but art really has your heart. You think sunny weather is best.

(this is just for fun obvs and please feel free to agree or disagree with me!)

#love every now and then trying to vibe check pretty niche albums #speaking of which if you haven't you should check out my dr carmilla one of these #anyways why isn't it friday yet #rio remarks #rio rates #jessica law #ghostwatching

[sarinatales]

The Secret History - Donna Tartt

“Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it."

Written in 1992, this book has all the Bennington College (Vermont) vibes, and of course is one of the most quotes books when we talk about the dark academia aesthetic, but it is also much more than this.

I believe is a great book because it reminds me of gothic terror, the one of the greek tragedy like Edipo where you can feel the visceral horror derived from ambiguity in identity and relationships.

The plot is more about the who than the why, we already know in the first chapter the main event, and that was so interesting and challenging.

We always have the protagonist, Richard, pov and he is a true liar. You can't trust any of the characters even though you will end up falling in love with each of them. All the important facts happen off-screen, we will never know what really happened and that is why the title The Secret History is perfect (more than the italian versione "God of Illusions"), but till the end I hoped to find the truth.

At some point everything becomes the exact opposite, revealing the ambiguity of human nature: the terror, by which we are all secretly attracted, becomes horror and then we try to escape. The obscurity of this story is what makes it so memorable, and is a story about beauty, love and terror, the perfect triad.

#dark academia #books #bookblr #quotes #frasi #book review #book analysis

[drunk-poets-society]

But our rotting corpses lying there soon began to leak, and grow these lesions that all smelled just like a rose; And all the blood and guts inside us germinated into timeless pages stained with lines of lovely prose.

— Medicines, The Taxpayers

#this is one of those songs that sound very upbeat but these lyrics are something you least expect from it. #and if you're not paying attention you will not even notice it. #this song is what a minute long ? and this is the last part and I love it so much #this is so dark academia beauty is terror you know ? #and these are such lovely lines #text #songs #lyrics #song lyrics #quotes #dark academia #light academia #beauty is terror #the taxpayers

[deanmarywinchester]

my best sf/f/horror read in 2021!

top 5:

The Xenogenesis/Lilith’s Brood trilogy: an alien race saves the last of humanity but also links itself irrevocably to humans’ families, lineage, and culture. themes of love/coercion, paternalism, the lines that humanity in general and men specifically won’t cross. the second book UNZIPPED me.

the sparrow: what if jesuit priests made first contact with an alien species and delighted in the gift of being able to meet god’s other children. what if that mission ended with its sole survivor mutilated and psychologically broken. how did he get that way? where can he go from here? themes of communication, god/fate, purpose, loneliness

ring shout: I’ve rec’ed this approximately ten times already but READ THIS. a group of female vigilantes fight demons who are in league with the KKK. NOT anywhere near as campy as it sounds. themes of anger and who it serves, community, what is a monster

harrow the ninth: what if you were a baby immortal who ascended to immortality to serve the undying space emperor, your God? what if something was fucking with your memory and your brain might be haunted by more than just the beautiful corpse you’re in love with (that part you already knew)? what if the line “hi not fucking dead, I’m dad”? what then. NO themes JUST vibes, insane lesbian wizards, and bones <3

the three-body problem: hey guys? you’ve never heard of this one, right? Obama himself doesn’t have a blurb on the back, right? anyway. read for aliens, what humanity will do in the face of a world-ending threat, and surprisingly well-drawn character moments for a book on such a huge scale. it’s like 500 pages and I finished it in two days

honorable mentions below the cut

honorable mentions:

my heart is a chainsaw and the only good indians: supernatural horror is stephen graham jones’ world and we’re just living in it. the first is about a teenage girl mapping her life onto the slasher movies she’s obsessed with to cope—she thinks a final girl has come to her town, so that must mean it’s about to get bloody. the second is about a group of men being stalked by the ghost of what they did together as teenagers.

the once and future witches: I thought this book would be very hashtag girl power but it’s actually great. a sweepingly large-scale story of witches during the american women’s suffrage movement, by the author of the ten thousand doors of january (also a winner)

the chosen and the beautiful: the Gatsby retelling everyone’s talking about—what if Gatsby were about jordan baker, a vietnamese adoptee and casual practitioner of magic? i’d call the vibe dark academia except that it doesn’t suck and there’s no academia, but you know what I mean.

the ballad of black tom: novella about a street musician who gets caught up in a rich man’s plot to raise a lovecraftian horror. cosmic horror with a narrow focus.

black sun: in a precolumbian-inspired high fantasy world, a strangely ritually-injured man must be conveyed across the sea by a dashing sea captain (xiala my absolute beloved) before a deadline she knows nothing about. across the sea, nobles and religious figures plot. first in a forthcoming series

sorrowland: hello????? hello??? rivers solomon you are kissing me on the forehead with this book. a very human version of gothic horror tinged with folklore with a dash of dystopia and octavia butler — it’s got Parable-slash-Fledgeling vibes. about a girl running away from a cult with her two infants and developing her own life with them. great but Unkindness of Ghosts is still my favorite Solomon.

the terror: is this a “good” “book”? yes and no. do I recommend it if you’ve already seen the tv show? not unless you can erase it from your brain. was it so intense that it boiled my brain and gave me physical symptoms that made me afraid I had covid? absolutely. read this for (relatively clumsy) anticolonial period horror and to feel like you’re there with them, counting out the cans that are left for your desperate journey home as you’re dying of disease and starvation and cold and a monster polar bear. yay

paul takes the form of a mortal girl: a college student uses his newfound ability to shapeshift to take on different genders and identities. irreverent, funny, and with deeply believable characters and thoughts on gender

the devourers: a scholar is approached at a party by a man claiming to be half werewolf, And You Won’t Believe What Happens Next. dark and atmospheric mythology/urban fantasy if the “urban” in question was the seventeenth century and also modern kolkata. love, family, desire, monstrousness, werewolf romance, and eating human souls. what else do you want

the space between worlds: thought this would be another hunger games-esque New Adulty ripoff but it actually Slaps. one of the few people who can step between dimensions leverages this skill to earn her keep in the only wealthy city in a desert wasteland run by crime lords and plagued by hunger

runners up:

machinehood: robot rights activists, gig economy bodyguards, and world governments battle it out in a techno-future. sci-fi action

the patternist novels: in an interconnected but discrete series of novels, one man weaves a “pattern” in thought that keeps the world in order, and others aren’t huge fans of his order. spans modern character-driven novels and futuristic more action-based ones

the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home: a night vale novel about how the faceless woman came to be, feat. revenge, pirates, secret societies, and a man named craig. the genre is “if asoue were for adults”

a master of djinn, the haunting of tram car 015, and the black god’s drums: a novel and two novellas set in p. djeli clark’s djinn-powered historical fantasy world. the first two are mystery set in egypt, the last mystery-action set in new orleans

split tooth: one woman’s early life is mythologized in a book I can’t describe well at all. folklore/myth set in the modern world.

the invisible life of addie larue: a woman who is cursed to be forgotten every time people look away from her navigates centuries. character-driven historical/romance/fantasy

moon of the crusted snow: in a small anishaabe community, the power goes out and the outside world is in chaos. small-scale community-focused apocalypse fiction.

mexican gothic: haunting of hill house-esque gothic horror with a sci-fi twist set in an isolated manor in the countryside

famous men who never lived: refugees from a dimension largely like our own make sense of their new home. litfic with a sci-fi premise.

sorcerer to the crown and the true queen: regency england’s sorcerer-in-chief must restore magic to england with the help of an unlikely ally. sequel set in the same world is about two malaysian sisters who have to find out why they lost their memory and what magic has to do with it. historical fantasy with the feel of YA (affectionate)

the rosewater trilogy: a sentient alien ship lands outside of Lagos and a town springs up around it because of its power to heal. sci-fi action.

tender is the flesh: a supplier of human meat to the rich has qualms. small-scale dystopia.

the house in the cerulean sea: adorable romance set at a group home for young magical creatures. somehow like if asoue were happy and if good omens didn’t have the apocalypse in it

the night tiger: a dance hall worker in 30’s malaysia finds a finger in a box as a weretiger is said to be on the loose. lush historical fantasy

@narrative-causality your post has arrived!

#my posts #reading tag #NOBODY look at this list and go ‘wow I barely read anything this year’ pls remember I was underemployed and quarantined for much of the year #it’s for you to find good books!!! i would recommend everything here #please feel free to ask any questions or tell me what you think of them! #yearly book roundup

[lilac-liliales]

Rowal Duval

[Picrew I used. I really like its artstyle! It has a homely, yet solemn feeling!]

He goes by He/Him, has a fair complexion, and wavy dark hair like his mother. 

He’s named Rowan because he has distinctive red eyes and because I relate him to the rowan tree (both symbolically and aesthetically), His surname, Duval (”from the valley”) suits him like a glove, because I wanted him to blend in with the ‘valley’ of his higher-class peers. 

He likes to eat the apple rock cakes his mom makes - because of course I searched for a recipe - and he’s good at cooking pastries and other sweets, such as this Chocolate Mousse in a cup. He doesn’t like under-cooked food in the same way he doesn’t like unprepared people. 

Rowan wears a fitting ivory shirt, a layered gray coat, wide legged trousers, and a grey checkered blazer. This last one wasn’t an option, but still. I think he also wars stylish accessories to complete the outfit. 

These are some songs/posts/stuff I relate to him:

Dark Academia on a Budget by urnihilistrants - this is how he managed to study. Love the resilience driven by spite!

some dark academia things on my messy desk. I don’t know who posted this, but if I find out I’ll update it.

trinitysbooks’ post about dark academia

darkwelsh - dark academy but you live in the countryside

“Beauty is Terror” by rosejellybean

The Blasting Company - Into The Unknown - a dark, mysterious and classy theme from Over The Garden Wall just suits him so well.

you're following the mysterious student who is sneaking out of the dormitories (dark academia)

#choice of games #créme de la créme #cdlc #rowan duval

[intheticklecloset]

Circuit Breaker (My Hero Academia)

Primary Universe

@veryblushyswitch​ Sounds like a perfect opportunity to combine a couple of requests if you ask me! Also a beautiful excuse to write some KamiJirou! I love these two together and thanks to both of these prompts I was able to write a fic that featured this couple! Hope you like it!

~

“Kaminari!”

“Whaaaaat?”

“You can’t just sneak up on me like that!” Kirishima tried to sound indignant, but it was difficult when he was grinning so big. He had his arms wrapped protectively around his torso after his friend had surprised him with extremely ticklish electric shocks to his ribcage.

Kaminari smirked. “I can, I did, and I’m definitely going to again. Can’t stop me, Kiri.”

Kirishima scoffed and turned his back, waving a hand. “Yeah, yeah – AIEEE!!” He shrieked and wrenched himself out of Kami’s radius, stumbling back with an even wider smile now. “Again?!”

“You turned your back!” Kaminari laughed, wiggling his fingers with tiny sparks of electricity shooting from them. “I can’t help it if you’re really that naïve.”

“Go pick on someone else,” Kirishima laughed, backing up with his eyes still on Kami this time. “Try out your ticklish shockwaves on Midoriya; I’m sure he’d love that.”

Denki chuckled, letting his friend get away for the moment, glancing around the dorm. Midoriya, huh? It would be fun to try it on him…but it would be even more fun to try it on a lot of people!

Thus the electric hero’s tirade began. As suggested by Kiri, he started with Deku, sneaking up behind him and graciously waiting for the boy to set down his stack of heavy books before grabbing onto his sides and igniting his quirk just the tiniest bit – enough to send a strong, ticklish jolt through him and make him shriek just as Kiri had.

“K-Kaminari?!” he cried once he’d turned around, covering his mouth, looking surprised and embarrassed by how loud he’d just been. “What was that?”

“Just trying out a new use for my power,” Denki replied with a confident grin. He wiggled his fingers. “Turns out the tiniest bit of electricity can be really ticklish if activated in the right spots. Want to see?”

“I-I-! N-No, thank you, I’m – I’m good!” Deku stammered and blushed, nearly tripping over himself in an effort to back up. “M-Maybe…some other time?”

Kaminari smirked. “I’ll hold you to that, Midoriya.”

After that, he started trying it on anyone he came into contact with on a regular basis. Sero, Mina, Ojiro…he even got lucky and was able to try it on Bakugou once. The blonde had shouted and cursed, but with determination Denki was able to wrestle him into a kind of bear hug and ignite the ticklish sparks on his stomach, forcing his angry friend to laugh for a few seconds before he broke the hold and then yelled at him for a solid minute.

Tokoyami was an interesting subject. He actually wasn’t intending to try it on him, but then curiosity killed the cat and he was able to manage a poke – just a poke – to the teen’s side. Tokoyami hadn’t made a loud noise like the others, but he had jumped out of his chair and whipped around to glare at him. That was an interesting note for later, Kami thought.

Finally, however, he decided he had to try it on the girl that – as it turned out – would bring about the end of his reign of ticklish terror and take the throne for herself.

Jirou was sitting outside, flipping through a notebook and jotting things down when Denki passed by the back doors and saw her out there. He glanced around to see if any others were about. When the coast seemed clear, he smirked and joined her, plopping down beside her.

“Hey, rockstar,” he said. “What are you working on?”

Jirou blinked at him in surprise. “Um…just jotting down some lyrics.”

“Writing another song?”

“Well, yes,” she replied hesitantly, closing her notebook. “But I don’t think I’ll perform this one.”

“Oh?”

“It’s just for me.”

He smiled at her. “What’s it about?”

Jirou gave him a withering look. “It’s just for me, Denki.”

“Aw, come on,” he whined, though internally he was elated. She’d walked right into this; he didn’t even have to be random about it this time. “You can tell me.”

“I don’t want to – hey!” Jirou yelped when he reached for her sides. “What do you t-thihink you’re dohohoing?!”

“Pleeeeeease tell me?” he begged, not using his quirk just yet. It was satisfying enough to tickle her normally for the moment. “Pleeeeease, Jirou?”

“You mohohohoron!” she laughed, though it seemed only half-forced. “Stohohohop!”

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll tickle it out of you~” he teased. Then – to his surprise – he felt fingers tickling him instead, making him spurt out a giggle. “Gah! Whahahat the--?”

Jirou smirked, shoving him away from her, digging into his sides and ribs. “Two can play at that game, you know.”

“H-Hehehehehey!” Kaminari found himself quickly losing composure as she pushed him back, now looming over him with her fingers still attacking him. “Dohohohohon’t! Plehehease, I’m reheheheally ticklish!”

“Should have thought of that before you tried to tickle me.” Jirou smiled down at him, moving her hands up into his underarms. “Besides, I know you’ve been trying out your quirk on people the last couple of days, and I am not about to be your latest experiment.”

“Whahahahahat? Whohohoho told you thahahahahat?”

“Don’t know if I should say. You might just seek revenge on them for it.”

“Y-Yohohohohou behehehet I am!” Denki squealed when one hand traveled down to squeeze at his hip. “Gahahahahaha, please, stohohohohohop!”

“Nope.” Jirou grabbed at one of his knees when it came up to kick the air. “You started—”

“NOHOHOHOHO!!” Kaminari suddenly exploded with laughter, his legs kicking more frantically now, pulling his knee from her grip. “Nohohohohot thehehehere, please, I’ll dohohohoho anythihihihing!”

Jirou stared at him incredulously, then grinned and quickly straddled his calves, effectively pinning him in place while she reached forward to squeeze at his knees again. When he tossed his head back and let out a loud scream of laughter, she laughed along with him. “Well that didn’t take much, did it, sparky?”

“PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE JIROU!!” He begged, flopping around helplessly as she kneaded into the sides of his knees. “STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP I’M SORRYEHEHEHEHEHE!!”

She tilted her head. “Hmm…are you, really?” Her voice was contemplative and teasing. “I don’t know, Denki. How do I know you aren’t just saying that?”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! FINE, I’M NOHOHOHOHOHOT SOHOHOHOHORRY!!” Kami admitted, his face turning from pink to red the longer she focused on that spot. “BUT I P-PROHOMISE I WOHOHOHOHON’T TIHICKLE YOU IF YOU LEHEHEHEHEHET ME GO!!”

“Ha! Bargaining now, are we?” Jirou laughed, sliding her fingers to his knee pits and digging in there.

“NO – CRAP – OH GOHOHOHOD NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!” Kaminari laughed so hard and so loud it sounded more like was being murdered than tickled. He tried to push himself up to shove her away but was too weakened by his own hysterics to do anything more than squirm. “NOT THEHEHEHEHEHERE JIROU PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE!! I’M SEHEHEHEHEHERIOUS!! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!!”

“You sound serious,” she teased, though she did notice the air around him beginning to spark a little.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!” The more she tickled, the more Kami laughed, and the more he laughed, the more he felt himself losing control of his quirk. “PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE I’M G-GOHOHOHOHOHONNA BLOW A FUHUHUHUHUHUSE!! JIROU!!”

Noticing the air around him growing more and more charged with each shrieking laugh she forced from him, Jirou finally stopped and allowed him to catch his breath. Denki gasped and let out some leftover giggles, his face dark red and eyes bright with unshed mirthful tears. “Th-Thank you…”

“Don’t relax just yet,” Jirou warned, smirking when she saw him look at her with horror. “I never said I’d let you go.”

“B-But…if you tickle me too much I’ll—”

“You’ll blow a fuse. I saw.”

He stared at her, eyes widening when she slid her hands beneath the legs of his sweatpants to make direct contact with the skin of his knee pits and scribble there lightly. Instantly he dissolved into hysterical giggles, falling back and clenching his teeth in a bright smile.

“But that doesn’t mean I can’t still tickle you. I’ll just have to go about it differently.”

“Jihihihirou,” Denki whined through his laughter. “Why?”

“Because you deserve it for being such a punk.” Jirou smiled at winked at him. “And because you’re totally adorable like this.”

Kaminari felt himself blush so hard the heat of it reached the tips of his ears, and between how flustered he was and the gentle, unbearable tickling, he found he could do nothing at this point except lay there and giggle and hope she’d have mercy on him soon.

Jirou’s smile widened. Denki may have been annoying at times and was definitely one to push buttons, but he’d also been the one to help her come out of her shell and follow her second passion for singing all the way to the stage during the festival. Between that and having him like this – giggly and blushy and begging her to tickle him anywhere else but there – she felt that her heart was full, and she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to stop making him smile like this.

Meanwhile, Denki Kaminari swore he’d never try to tickle her again.

Well…unless he really, really wanted to. Which he knew he did. So basically, he was doomed to constantly be at her mercy.

But he could live with that.

#fanfiction #tickle fic #boku no hero #my hero academia #bnha #mha #denki #kaminari #jirou #deku #bakugou #circuit breaker #tickling #ticklish #tickle #kamijirou

[a--knightinsourarmor]

the questions

Name/Alias: Mary

Birthday: April

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Height: 162-165cm (I am not certain)

Hobbies: Writing, listening music, reading, watching TV shows/movies/anime

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Book: I don’t have a favorite book for the simple reason I haven’t read many those last years. ‘The Great Gatsby’ used to be one of my favorites but I am not sure anymore.

Last Song: The Search by NF

Last Film/Show: Anon (2018)/ Boku No Hero Academia

Inspiration: My biggest inspiration is BNHA and Deku. Then comes music and AMVs. 

Story Behind URL: Okay, this is going to be long. Once, I was scrolling on pinterest and found a gif for Mikaela Hyakuya from Owari No Seraph. This gif: (sadly I don’t know the creator of this gif and can’t credit them)

This had been one of the most beautiful character descriptions I’ve read and had it on my mind for a long time. After searching the term ‘Knight In Sour Armor’, except lemon jokes, I found a Wiki page for TV tropes describing what those characters act like and found examples like Castiel from Supernatural or Gatsby from ‘The Great Gatsby’ which always had been characters I loved. So I replaced my former ‘castiellover’ and ‘tenshilover’ usernames to this one.

When I decided to turn this blog to a multimuse roleplay blog, I decided on keeping that username for the reason most characters I roleplay (or plan to roleplay) match that description.

A few info from that wiki are here: 

The world is filled with Wide Eyed Idealists who believe in truth and justice and devote their lives to fighting for it. And then the dark, cruel and brutal world keeps letting them down. For them, Being Good Sucks. But rather than giving up on their goals, they choose to fight not because they believe they will truly make a difference, but because it's the right thing to do.

More often than not these characters are in settings that feature Black-and-Gray Morality. They're usually survivors who have largely given up on believing in Honor Before Reason, but still strive to be Lawful Good or as close to it as reality allows them to be. They are willing to bend the rules to save them.

You really have to be a good guy to believe that Humans Are Bastards and care about them anyway. Such characters can also be The Fettered; their cynical outlook tells them they could probably get away with all kinds of things that they don't do because that would be wrong, and just because the world sucks doesn't mean you need to make it worse.

They are former Wide Eyed Idealists who have come to accept that their world is on the low end of the Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism, but who still find something beautiful in their former ideals that they want to hold on to. These people tend to have gone through (often painful) Character Development in their past.

Despite their cynicism, they behave like The Anti-Nihilist.

Tagged by: @collidingxworlds (thank you so so much!)

Tagging: @dekiruherodeku @reflectionbound @youngestofendeavor @sunshiinepower @cremationtm @azurewildfire @symbol-of-terror @tximidity @txnatiuh @awaywardboy-andhisangel @takemetochrch @universi-venatores @florablooms @kvngexplosionmvrder @greeneyesleatherjacket @eijiishima @kibouhero @rainydayhxro @biggergiants @explosiveheroics @historias-multorum @freckledfanboy @tenacityblitz and many many more I couldn't remember to tag...

#|| dashboard games || #|| ooc | dashboard games || #|| ooc | moonstuff || #|| queue ||

[indecvnt]

                 THIS IS A STORY OF LOVE & REVENGE.

This is an interest check in a small roleplay about a group of polyamorous classmates returning to the school that ruined their lives one semester ago! For the full plot, please look under the read more! Don’t forget to give this a like if you are interested!

WARNING:THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS MENTIONS OF HEAVY BULLYING,MURDER,AND VIOLENCE. PLEASE USE YOUR DISCRETION.

ACT ONE

You’ll never forget the moment you were accepted into St. Catherine’s University.

The crisp envelope,the hunter green wax seal like something out of a movie,your name in that perfect font, the soaring feeling in your heart that you , ordinary little you, got into the college of your dreams. Nothing else mattered in your life now that you were to become a St. Catherine’s scholar.

Just when you thought you would become someone new, the dreams of tea by the roaring library fireplace and intense studying in the stacks were crushed on your very first day by them. In their pearls and crisp shirts,they introduced themselves by throwing your ratty luggage into the fountain.

They called themselves The Blackwood Circle,  untouchable legacy students whose  sole purpose in existence was to rid St Catherine’s of filthy little scholarship students like yourself. There were forty scholarship students in your freshmen year but by Christmas, there was only twenty remaining.

Perhaps out of defiance and fear,six of them in your poetry class became your best friends, the comfort you needed to survive The Blackwood Circle and the rigors of academia. When a Blackwood spilled water on your laptop, they let you borrow their laptop, and when a Blackwood  left one of your friends in tears you were there with tissues and boxed wine.

ACT TWO.

You survived your first year and returned for your second year because of them and in the midst of all the pain The Blackwood Circle tried and failed to drown you in, you all built a safe little world of your own.  You don’t know when exactly the friendship turned into something more, when the fact that you shared a common monster transitioned into the seven of your stealing kisses in dorm rooms, clasping hands in the dark of a lecture hall, sharing your post-college dreams in the quiet twilight hours.  Love was the one thing a secret society of  privileged college students couldn’t steal from you.

Until you made a discovery.  

You caught a Blackwood, the leader of The Blackwood Circle in fact, cheating on your Latin exam and went to Academic Affairs with evidence,and a tiny bit of hope that all your little world had suffered would finally end.  Their reign of terror was finally over when no amount of money could stop them being expelled at the end of your second year. The sky seemed brighter, and St. Catherine’s finally felt like home.

ACT THREE.

Your fall semester of your junior year was a thing of beauty. Your classes were challenging and engaging,and your little world’s love had only grown stronger. Without their leader,The Blackwood Circle was scattered to the wind, no luggage thrown in the fountain, no tears to be shed, and you finally got your tea by the library fireplace.

Their retribution was swift in a particularly brutal winter in February. You remember it so vividly: all of your little world piling into a rental car after a drink at the pub, the  Lamborghini that wouldn’t stop tailgating you, the screech of metal hitting a frozen lake, your hoarse voice begging for Alice, the sweetest and quietest out of all of you, to open her eyes.

The President called it a tragic accident, the police said it was your reckless driving, but you know the truth. A group of rich kids ran you off the road and killed your love because you made the mistake of doing the right thing, the honorable academic thing.

ACT FOUR.

Seven complete strangers came together and now six of you remain. You should have kept your mouth shut, you should have transferred when your lover was murdered, but you’re back and together you will finish what you started three years ago.

The Deadly Verses is a small dark academia roleplay about  college students in their final year of a New England university in the wake of a terrible tragedy.

#lsrp #new rp #dark academia rp #rpg

[swordatsunset]

I realize I talk about this constantly but can we talk about dark academia? I just cannot get over how people on here are so enthralled with having a flimsy excuse for racism and classism by way of ‘dark academia’ they just completely ignore metaphors or clear textual evidence of these books being satirical (the biggest example being, of course, The Secret History by Donna Tartt).

Take Maurice by EM Forster— do you know how often I’ve seen people call it ‘dark academia’ as if the portions of it set at college aren’t extremely sparse, and as if the text isn’t very explicitly a commentary on classism. It isn’t a coincidence that Clive espouses the white supremacist and classist ideals so common in this era, and it isn’t a coincidence that Clive leaves Maurice because of these ideas, and it isn’t a coincidence that Alec is the person that Maurice ends up with, and it isn’t a coincidence that Alec is not rich.

And yet! How rarely do I see people obsessed with dark academia talk about anything except Clive and Maurice! How often do I see people talk about the ‘hair stroking scene’ on end as if Clive isn’t written to be irredeemable because of so many of these values he holds, values aligned with so many of the values (satirical) novels in the dark academia ‘canon’ expound on, and values that so many people without a modicum of reading comprehension take to be admirable.

There is a huge amount of racism surrounding dark academia, from the satirized explorations of white upper class society to arguably unconscious racism on part of many authors in this genre, as well as readers. And I’m not just talking about the moodboards, and the edits and what have you, though it is clear what so many of the people creating these edits think about beauty and who belongs in academic spaces— take a search through the dark academia tumblr. How many of these edits have a single person of color in them, how many of these edits are about beauty and terror? How much do you want to bet people consciously see people of color as unfitting for (dark) academia, or are they just unconsciously racist in a space that doesn’t explore and analyze why dark academia is as white as it is, and why we associate whiteness with beauty so easily?

All of this is true and infuriating, don’t get me wrong. But what I want to talk about when I talk about racism (and classism, to an extent) is the unconscious values eagerly thrown around without thought or analysis.

People are desperate to be like the main characters of The Secret History (a satire, may I add! I’ve said this three times but The Secret History is a satire! It is not serious! Why do so few people know that!) without any thought as to these characters’ values. Studying the classics without critique or self-awareness isn’t something to aspire to, nor is being classist and racist and holier-than-thou. To worship dark academia— the classics, ancient Greece and Rome, the canon of white male authors from England and France and the United States— is to adhere to racist morality.

Dark academia is by definition a cautionary tale- why is it that these protagonists or their friends always seem to end up bringing about their own downfall, dying or ending up miserable by the end of the tale? Why is it that not one self-absorbed, ‘eurocentric upper class’ literature obsessed protagonist doesn’t have a happy ending? It certainly isn’t because the narrow and often racist teachings they adhere to taught them well.

And yet we still worship these protagonists. We still obsess over the ideas of the Greeks and Romans, the painfully white and painfully male Western literary canon, without any sort of critical thinking. I’m not here to say you’re a bad person for enjoying the classics, I’m not here to say you can’t enjoy the classics- I enjoy the classics! I am saying that you cannot enjoy these things without thinking critically about why they are so popular, why you immediately gravitate to the idea of wealth and whiteness, and why you take certain aspects of dark academia— the aesthetics, the education, the Ivy League certainty and ego— without thinking about any of the rest of it, such as the cautionary tales weaved into almost every story in this genre.

#dark academia #my post #dark academia aesthetic #donna tartt #the secret history #maurice

[wr173r-8l0ck]

What if My Hero Academia Characters were in the Riordanverse pt. 1: Students

Yeah, yeah, this is just MHA students for now, I’ll have other characters soon, okay! Anyway, here’s MHA students of 1A and 1B (including Shinso) as demigods in the Riordanverse!

Yuga Aoyama: Son of Aphrodite. Not even a good one, unless you need someone blinded by his glitter-gun. Oh yeah, he has a glitter gun with lasers for maximum flare. Is he completely over-the-top? Absolutely. But is he good in a fight? Surprisingly, yes, kind of very, turns out glitter confuses monsters very well.

Mina Ashido: Daughter of Hermes and legacy of Hecate, capable of inhuman movements and can produce a slime that magically dissolves anything. She also tattooed her eyes black and yellow for some weird masochistic reason that no one, including herself, doesn’t understand. She’s still neat though.

Tsuyu Asui: She’s a frog-turned-human by Ochako. She still has her tongue, leaps, hops, camouflage, a reversible stomach and poison that can kill a group of whales. And he can still inflate her throat like a balloon, which makes for good scares. Very good scares…

Tenya Iida: Son of Mercury, he never skips leg day. Never. Seriously, have you seen those legs? He could crush a car with those puppies! Or crush monster heads with those thunder thighs! Which he actually does quite often. He doesn’t skimp out on upper body exercises either, but LOOK AT THOSE LEGS OF THUNDER!

Ochako Uraraka: Daughter of Hecate, she specializes in a set of spells that manipulate an individual object’s or being’s gravitational pull. It’s gotten to the point where she makes anything she touches with five fingers on one hand, it will float, no matter what, which is why she wears gloves all the time. She likes floating whoever she finds particularly annoying way up into the sky.

Mashirao Ojiro: Son of Mars, he’s an expert martial artist and very, very good at multiple of them. He’s lost multiple sparring partners because of his profinity with a number of weapons, and his lethality without any weapons. Seriously, he once defeated a Drakon with his bare hands! And another dead drakon’s teeth!

Denki Kaminari: Legacy of Zeus and Apollo, each by about 50 generations. About as bright as his godly ancestors (not very), but he still makes one Hel of a lightning bolt, and he’s also pretty good with a guitar and lyre. And classical literature and culture, like Apollo’s Kettle, who taught him all that?!

Eijiro Kirishima: Son/creation of Vulcan, his blood and skin are pure liquid gold, bronze and diamond he can infinitely harden for a period of time. It also obtains unnaturally sharp edges, and given his tendency to go hard when excited, he has made his friends frequent the infirmary for cuts and broken ribs.

Koji Koda: Son of Actaedon, he can talk with wildlife. He’s also a Legacy of Heracles, hence his size. His hugs are nice, war and gentle. Unless you’re an enemy, his bear hugs can break spines and it’s fucking terrifying.

Rikido Sato: Son of Mars, this guy has a serious sweet tooth. He’s also surprisingly gentle for a guy that can decimate an opponent with a single hit. Oh yeah, he can one-shot a hellhound with one punch (que the epic op) to the head.

Mezo Shoji: Son of Ares, he’s surprisingly level-headed. And malicious. Seriously, this guy always has at least ten different weapons on him, on top of him knowing a variety of potentially lethal moves. His arms are known as the Anacondas for a reason. Well, he lost his two precious anacondas in battle, but now he has six bronze automaton anacondas, fuly articulated and loaded up with all kinds of weapons for maximum effectiveness in battle! Actually fuck that, he’s way more terrifying now, who let him get all that stuff?!

Kyoka Jiro: Daughter of Apollo, she’s a top-tier musician, singer and is moderate with a bow and arrow. She can whistle in the ultrasonic range, clap like thunder, sing and play like either a sweet little bird or a whole-ass heavy metal choir without ruining her vocal cords, and she gives the opposite amount of fucks that Zeus does (ie. zero).

Hanta Sero: Son of Hermes, he inherited a pair of magical tape dispensers that can dispense any tape in any amount of any properties he chooses. He uses them to swing around like Spider-Man, which made him a regular visitor of the infirmary until Momo made him a special harness to keep his joints from dislocating. Somehow, he still gets his shoulders dislocated.

Fumikage Tokoyami: Son of Erebos, he suffers from split-personality disorder, but it’s fixed nicely by his inner demon incarnate made of pure darkness he calls Dark Shadow. They have a strangely healthy and wholesome relationship for a boy and his literal inner demon, and they even help each other (or embarass, take your pick) in social interactions.

Shoto Todoroki: A Legacy, descendant of Hel and Surtr, capable of making ice that freezes fire, and fire that burns ice. He gives so little shit he’s actually oblivious to social cues, which makes for more than a few funny moments on quests with him.

Toru Hagakure: Legacy of Iris, she can manipulate light around her to turn invisible or project bright flashes. Campers often say hi to her even if she’s not there just in case.

Katsuki Bakugou: Son of Ares, with rage and instincts of combat so strong and powerful he can convert his sheer rage and passion into explosions in the palms of his hands. He generated more than one explosion with the explosive yield of a nuclear weapon in his life. How he hasn’t gone deaf yet is beyond most people, though he does still know a variety of sign languages in case he does go deaf.

Izuku Midoriya: Son of Athena that was gifted the Spartan Spirit, a powerful enchantment formed by Kratos, Nike, Bia and Zelus, to protect humanity in its greatest times of need, and bestowed upon the most well-meaning and kind-hearted individuals of an era. He ends up breaking his bones an absolute shitton, and is a regular at the infirmary. The healers and smiths absolutely loathe him by now.

Minoru Mineta: Died on a quest. His quest-mates say ‘by accident’. Everyone knows it was very deliberate, but then again, everyone hated him and is fine with him dead. Some people wanted to be the ones to kill him though.

Momo Yaoyorozu: A Legacy, granddaughter of Hephaestus and Athena, capable of making virtually any machine. She’s also very fidgety, and once made an entire army of fully autonomous grass soldiers that went on to terrorize the other campers for a bit. In thirty minutes.

Yosetsu Awase: Son of Hephaestus, he also likes to make stuff. Though mostly he combines already existing tools, gadgets and machines, and makes weird amalgamations. He once fused an automaton bull, an automaton dragon and a school bus, and it actually, somehow, despite all logic and reason, fucking works.

Sen Kaibara: Son of Ares, he’s pretty chill compared to his kin (especially Katsuki and Setsuna), mainly due to him bottling up his anger. Which he can unleash as tornadoes around his limbs, which he can use to drill through walls. Thank gods he doesn’t lose it too often.

Togaru Kamakiri: Son of Ceres, he likes farming tools. Especially ones with blades. That’s lead to him using all kinds of sickles, scythes (both farming tools and war scythes) in combat, and even axes, shovels, various lawn mowers...

Shihai Kuroiro: Son of Nyx, him and Tokoyami get along exceptionally well. Given his ability to shadow-travel and use shadows and darkness as materials to make some pretty nifty weapons only he can use, he’s strangely bright and like a Sun. At least among the two stepbrothers of darkness, and the bar for eing the sunny one is set very low.

Itsuka Kendo: Daughter of Athena, she excels in critical thinking and a variety of martial arts. And knocking out her piers with precise attacks when they start to get exceptionally annoying. Mostly Monoma. Scratch that, especially Monoma. Okay, nevermind, only Monoma.

Yui Kodai: Daughter of Trivia. She excels in potions and spells that manipulate the size of objects, so much so that she has to resort to gloves because she now naturally makes things smaller with her left hand, or bigger with her right hand. She’s the calm one of the 20 people here.

Kinoko Komori: Daughter of Demeter, she has a soft spot for fungi and mushrooms. Which she can make grow rapidly. Very rapidly. She’s fun at parties.

Ibara Shiozaki: Daughter of Demeter, she dyes her hair green with actual chlorophyll for some reason (“To feel one with the beautiful plants,” she says), but she can also grow and manipulate vines and other vine-like plants, along with trees, quite effectively, and she has some rose and poison oak (she’s immune to it) seeds in her hair. Don’t ask, her answers are just as ridiculous as the chlorophyll-dyed hair.

Jurota Shishida: Son of Mars, he’s been cursed by most likely Hera to be a humanoid boar/dog thing. He’s especially good at wrestling, and is very diplomatic in his approach. Until he gets pissed, then he charges like a boar and yes, he keeps those tusks of his sharp.

Niregeki Shoda: Legacy of Hermes, son of Hephaestus, he likes to make explosives and plant them everywhere. More than a few campers were scared. Except Katsuki, who tried to outdo the ground (Niregeki’s mine) in explosive yield and put skylight access in the roof of Bunker 9. Niregeki had to repair it.

Pony Tsunotori: Legacy of Poseidon, she can shapeshift. She likes to shapeshift into horses, bulls, deer and goats (including mooses and buffalo), and she has a nifty gadget from the Hephaestus and Vulcan campers in the shape of horns that transform with her, giving her detachable remote-control horns. 

Kosei Tsuburaba: Legacy of Jupiter, son of Ares, he’s competitive and can make walls and blades out of air. Especially annoying for monsters because they can’t get to him, period, and every time they try, they don’t get past his walls of air for a whole minute before someone either cuts/hacks/slices them to bits, freezes/burns them alive, blows them up with their fists/explosives/expanding stones they previously ingested or some other way of disposing of a monster.

Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu: Son of Vulcan, capable of turning to pure steel over his entire body, also increasing his strength. Because of this, and his tendency to go hard whenever he’s excited, he’s made his friends frequent the infirmary for bruises and broken ribs. Except Kirishima.

Setsuna Tokage: Daughter of Ares, she’s actually been hurt pretty badly in one of her fights (she went on a Quest with Katsuki, and no, it wasn’t him who hurt her, and yes, no one really believes that story either) and had to have automaton grafts to replace her limbs, a part of her lower jaw, her eyes and the muscles around her spine, along with parts of the vertebrae. Which she asked to be detachable and splittable in as many pieces as possible, which she can control telepathically and uses to troll other campers. A lot. Especially two certain sons of Vulcan and her half-siblings.

Manga Fukidashi: No one knows what he is, they just know his head is a speech bubble and he can make anything he writes real.

Juzo Honenuki: Legacy of Gaia, he can virtually liquify the ground (does not work on metal or wooden floors). He trolls a lot with this ability. And I do mean a lot.

Kojiro Bondo: A golem? A person? His head makes it hard to tell whether he’s a demigod or a monster to be honest. And his glue-like spit doesn’t help much either.

Neito Monoma: Legacy of, you guessed it, Zeus! He has a superiority complex because of this, and he frequents the infirmary on the basis of Itsuka or whoever he was annoying KOing him constantly. All that brain damage probably isn’t helping his mental issues…

Reiko Yanagi: Daughter of Hecate she can make things she touches float and fly around using some sort of incantation. The biggest she can do is double her own body weight, but that doesn’t stop her from delivering high-speed flying punches and scaring other campers.

Hiryu Rin: Son of Mars and Legacy of Poseidon, he can shapeshift into various animals. Most notably a mix of human, hedgehog and a lizard. Sharp, painful and deadly precise. And also meditating. And a lot of it.

#mha #my hero academia #boku no academia #boku no hero academia #bnha #pjo #percy jackson #pjo/hoo #hoo #heroes of olympus #toa #trials of apollo #tkc #the kane chronicles #mcatgoa #magnus chase #magnus chase and the gods of asgard #izuku midoriya #katsuki bakugou #shoto todoroki #tokoyami fumigake #momo yaoyorozu #bnha setsuno

[lockdownfest]

Lock Down Fest Masterpost PART I (20-30 March)

1917

feed me just enough that i’ll never need a cage by Cunninglinguist. (E) 7.4k,  Tom Blake/William Schofield. “Come on.” Sco stops walking, runs a hand over the faintest marking on a tree trunk. “It’s just a little farther now.” “I’m coming.” Tom huffs a sigh, yanking his shotgun strap over his shoulder so the barrel lands in his hands. They’ve been on the road for nearly a week now, an unfortunate consequence of their last shelter getting swarmed by an army of dead ones. Though skinning rabbits to eat over hastily made fires and taking turns sleeping against trees, spending the days and nights consumed with fear, and jumping each time a stick cracked were hardly desirable circumstances, it certainly wasn’t their longest or harshest stint on the run. They had endured worse, by far, and Tom had no doubt that this particular stretch of time would come to an end when Sco said it would. He knows the way, he always knows the way. Plus, Tom wouldn’t want to spend this time with anyone else in the entire world.

If The World Was Ending by RisingShadows. (not rated) 3.7k, Tom Blake/William Schofield.  When a dangerous virus begins spreading across the country William Schofield and Tom Blake quickly find themselves the last two standing of the team working in their lab.

AKB48

#unmeida by summoninglupine. (G), 788 words. Sashihara Rino/Watanabe Mayu, Kashiwagi Yuki/Watanabe Mayu.  Ready for an all-girl vacation in Okinawa, Watanabe Mayu doesn't see why she has to be the one to nursemaid their sick tour guide. Things would be different, she is sure, if Yuki was there!

ALL FOR THE GAME

I see truth somewhere in your eyes by DeyaAmaya. (M) 2.8k, Kevin Day/Thea Muldani, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, other background relationships. In a moment of insanity, Kevin decides to check Instagram. In the multitude of inane celebrity posts telling the mass people to stay home, he finds a lovely, recent photography of Thea. Someone from their College took it. The lighting perfectly captured the dried tear tracks down her unmoving face. Kevin disregards the emotional caption and instead checks the date. 18 March, the night he-  (The night he thought he had a hallucination.)

Quarantine and exy by Fornavn.  FANART. (G) 116 words, Andrew/Neil.  The monsters is stuck at home while coved-19 is terrorizing the world. They are bored.

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

Alone and in a Circumstance by middlemarch. (T) 700 words, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley, Marilla Cuthbert & Anne Shirley, Diana Barry & Anne Shirley. Anne had a key, so she let herself in, quiet as a mouse, arms laden with bags from the market. Her sophomore class's papers on A Tale of Two Cities were poking out almost jauntily from the quilted bag Diana got her for her birthday.

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE

Worry by Neverever. (T) 2.4k, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark.  During the pandemic, Steve wants help the best he can but immuno-compromised Tony worries about his company and his health.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Poetry and Plants by the_many_splendored. (T) 1.9k, Adam/Belle. It's amazing how much you can open up to a person when you're locked in a bookstore reading together.

BELLEVUE

Knives and Lighters by goreds. (M) 2.1k, Annie Ryder/Peter Welland.  Annie Ryder finds herself in Bellevue's psychiatric hospital. She pretends to tolerate the whole experience, even if she really hates it. When a new, quiet guy comes to the ward, though, she finds herself intrigued.

BLACK SAILS

If this is Our Last Night by remuirius. (E) 2.3k, Captain Flint/John Silver. Silver and Flint are locked up together on the Walrus. Certain of their looming death at an enraged crew’s hands, Silver finds the courage to do things he’d only dreamed of until now.

BLACKKKLANSMAN

Someone Like Him by cowboykylux. (M) 2.2k, Flip Zimmerman/Reader. 'If there was one thing true more than anything else about all the reasons you loved him, it was that once your husband had his heart set on something, he was going to accomplish it.' Or, a sudden snow-storm cancels your plans for a date, and Flip Zimmerman decides that nothing, not even snow, will get in the way of treating you to something special.

BOKU NO HERO ACADEMIA

Tell me it won’t always be this hard by Graendal. (T) 4.3k, Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto. He’d met Midoriya a few months ago during a field trip to the library. The kids had adored him, of course, even the ones who were usually shy about participating in new activities. Midoriya had a way of projecting a sense of all-encompassing safety and comfort with just his smile.Shouto had adored him too, maybe, even back then. A silly crush that had only grown during every subsequent field trip — which is truly absurd, considering the vast majority of their interactions at the time consisted of occasional eye contact while singing children’s songs.But now that they’ve spent hours talking almost every day for the past few weeks… calling it a silly crush might be an understatement. The idea that he’s actually been able to help Midoriya through this is inordinately pleasing.If there’s a silver lining to this at all — for him personally, at least — it’s that he’d seen Midoriya’s post requesting a virtual board game buddy. And that Midoriya is a patient enough person to teach Shouto how to play everything from scratch. He’d actually seemed excited at the opportunity.Maybe the opportunity for any sort of ongoing social interaction is worthy of excitement. These are strange times.

CALL THE MIDWIFE

Sanctuary (In Each Other) by WednesdayGilfillian. (T) 2.6k, Bernadette-Shelagh Turner/Patrick Turner. Set during the Christmas Special in S2. Specifically, during the unsettled night that Shelagh turned up on Patrick's doorstep.

CAPTIVE PRINCE

When We Went from Strangers to This by Aerica_Menai. (T) 3.5k, Damen/Laurent. Laurent is really sick, and decides to shut himself in his apartment and deal with it alone. His downstairs neighbor, Damen, gets worried enough to check on him, which went just fine - and then Damen got himself locked in. Featuring Star Trek TOS, coming outs both accidental and intentional, and Damen being his usual sunshine puppy self.

DCU

would you lie with me by Glove23. (G) 660 words, Diana (Wonder Woman)/Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne. Bruce catches a virus, and Diana and Clark come to help him.

DEADPOOL/SPIDERMAN

Avengers Monopoly by MsCaptainWinchester. (E) 1.4k, PeterParker/Wade Wilson, James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers. The Avengers are quarantined in Avengers Tower, and Peter and Wade see this as the perfect opportunity to try the new Avengers Monopoly set. They have their own house rules for property negotiation. No one told Tony. Oops?

omg they were quarantined by Jdragon122, LunaStories. (M) 2.6k, Peter Parker/Wade Wilson. Spidey has a cold and Deadpool, being the sexy boyfriend he is, goes to take care of his baby boy. But they're under quarantine and oh no, there's no more lube? What should they do?

Superheroes Don’t Get Scared by DefendersofMCUniverse. (T) 3.6k,  Peter Parker/Wade Wilson. Peter, fresh out of college, gets invited to the tower to stay in one of the guest floors that has been left unoccupied for some time since the previous tenant ‘hero’ decided to leave for unknown reasons. Of course, a few weeks into living there and getting into a routine, the last hero pops onto his balcony. Peter offers for him to stay on his old floor because the dude looks like he could use a familiar place, and also dude is kinda terrifying, and like hell he is gonna admit that to the other heroes in the tower.

DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN

Games. Family. Love. by heizl, NickEllis1314. (G) 1.8k, Carl Manfred & Markus. Because of some rebellious protesters, Androids, and owners of said Androids, were ordered to stay inside. It'd been a long day of restlessness, and boredom, and Markus was almost genuinely excited to get Carl to bed so it could all finally be over. Carl wasn't exactly tired yet though, so they reminiscence for awhile.

DOCTOR WHO

What We Did During Our Quarantine by badxwolfxrising. (M) 4.6k WIP, Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler. Rose and the Metacrisis Doctor return to Torchwood from Bad Wolf Bay and are placed in a mandatory 72 hour quarantine. However will they pass the time? }:-)

DRAGON AGE II

shaking fingers, open palms by asexualf. (T) 2.4k, Fenris/Merrill. Kirkwall has issued her people remain in their homes until the sickness overtaking the city is gone. As always, the Alienage suffers the most under this new rule - and those who enforce it.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Three in a room by Tagus Knoll. (T, Underage) 4.6k, Kazuto/Darius Maynor/Chester Hayes. When Kazuto finds out they all have to be in the same room, he didn't expect that Chester, Darius and him end up dating.

FALL OUT BOY

‘Cause Everything Else is a Substitute for your Love by PadawanRyan. (G) 1.9k, Patrick Stump/Pete Wentz.  Patrick and Pete are each self-isolating with their kids during the coronavirus pandemic but well, Patrick’s in Chicago and Pete’s in LA.

quarantine, or: how to land a boyfriend in 14 days by TooRational. (T) 6k, Patrick Stump/Pete Wentz.  Patrick turns his head in Pete's direction and sees him, Patrick sees him, and his frown goes up a notch, and a fisted hand settles on one hip in that typical Patrick-is-a-grandma-pose, and Pete grins and runs full-tilt into Patrick's arms, disbalancing them both until they slam into the side of the house, tangled and half-frozen and definitely soon-to-be-bruised. He interrupts whatever rant Patrick had prepared that starts with 'you idiot' by tucking his frozen nose into Patrick's neck and sucking the warm air coming from Patrick's skin into greedy lungs, and grins even wider when Patrick yelps, offended as he always is by a breach of his personal space.

FIRE EMBLEM SERIES

Shelter from the Storm by Dameceles. (T) 4k, Elincia Ridell Crimea/Tibarn.  It's a dark and stormy night when Elincia lends aid to Tibarn. He wants to return the favor, but she doesn’t have wings.

FRONTIER

Fever 1793 by goreds. (M, MCD) 2k, Samuel Grant, Cobb Ponds. Cobbs Pond and Samuel Grant experience the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia, 1793. One of them gets better.

FROZEN

It all comes out in the wash by middlemarch. (G) 1.1k, Anna/Kristoff.  She'd knocked. Really, she had. It was their en suite bathroom, the room he said was over-the-top and extravagant and aggressively tiled, so it wasn't exactly her fault that she'd effectively barged in on him.

GAME OF THRONES

The Luckiest Man in the Whole F***ing World by OrangeTabby. (M) 7.2k, Sandor Clegane/Sansa Stark. Sandor Clegane is in isolation at home after picking up the virus in the line of duty. Luckily, he’s got his cat for company and plenty of rubbish TV to stream. Then Stranger decided to go next door for a visit…. A story about friendship, food, romance and dubious television. And a pandemic.

GARGOYLES

Cabin Holiday by Isimile. (M) 1.2k, David Xanatos/Janine “Fox” Xanatos, Owen Burnett/ David Xanatos/Janine “Fox” Xanatos.  After everything that happened, they decide to spend a week away in a cabin, to relax and to perhaps talk about their relationship. They're unexpectedly snowed in, which triggers memories of the Unseelie War.

GILMORE GIRLS

How dare the robins sing by middlemarch. (T) 900 words, Rory Gilmore/Jess Mariano, Dean Forester/Rory Gilmore, Dean Forester & Jess Mariano, Luke Danes & Jess Mariano. The two of them, the diner, for how long? At least the coffee shipment had made it in time. What he wouldn't have given for a fifth of Jack-- or anyone else. Literally, anyone.

HAIKYUU!!

Anchor by farfetched. (G) 5.3k, Semi Eita/Tendou Satori. Spreading their arms out either side of them, they stare at the ceiling. This is pulling on them in so many ways they didn't expect; laying here, on Tendou's floor, in Tendou's clothes, right down to their underwear because who expects a lockdown to get enforced overnight? They didn't bring anything much. They should have. They ought to chance going home. But they can't, so they don't. Home is an empty place right now anyway, and here there is food and laughter and music and in between all that is their realisation that they're not so over this Tendou thing after all.

Lockdown by needles. (T) 1.5k, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru.  You never know what will escape from a box when you open it, just ask Pandora. For some it may be a disaster, for Iwaizumi could it be a golden opportunity?

Lockdown With A Fox by runningfromrealitytoanime. (T) 4.1k, Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi.  Sakusa Kiyomi was a very careful person when it came to cleanliness so what happens if a certain setter with no sense of hygiene crashes at his place when Japan goes under a 2 week lockdown period?

HANNIBAL

Crumbles of unfulfilled expectations by Cinnamaldeide. (M) 11.9k, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter and other multi. Collection of ficlets of the length of a tweet or two ❀

Professor Graham’s Cheekbones Hotty & Extraordinary Foodie Husband by TheSilverQueen. (T) 3.3k,  Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter. Online classes due to the quarantine are Professor Graham's students learn that: 1) Professor Graham has a cute dog; 2) Professor Graham is married; and 3) Professor Graham's husband is smoking hot.

HARRY POTTER

A Long Night on The Bus by CuriousEmWanders. (E) 3.5k, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter. In which Draco & Harry are Auror partners stuck on a bus overnight. Draco has some memories that cause him to make some choices. Smut ensues, obviously.

A Pandemic by Theodore_Writes. (T) 611 words WIP, Luna Lovegood & Weasley Family. A new strain of Dragon Pox breaks out becoming a global pandemic. Many were unaware due to Fudge covering it up in an attempt to look better as a minister but when Xenophilius Malfoy/Lovegood reveals to his long time friend Arthur Weasley about what is happening around the world the entire Weasley family is horrified and takes immediate action. This is the story of what happens when a pandemic hits the Magical and Muggle world's.

A Welcome Distraction by MaesterChill. (E) 2.9k, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter.  Draco and Harry get trapped in a Ministry lift. Whatever shall they do to distract themselves?

An Intangible Embrace by Drarrelie. (G) 365 words, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter.  Harry is bored. Thank Merlin his husband had finally agreed to start using Muggle mobiles after Score was born, or he would've surely gone mad now.

And on the Seventh Day... by slytherco. FANART. (T) 0 words,  During an Auror raid, Harry and Draco are separated from their partners and end up being hunted by the wrong people. Desperate times require desperate measures, so both men are sent to an unmarked location where a temporary safe house was set up for them. Stuck for Merlin knows how long, they have plenty of time to examine their turbulent relationship.

“Are you sure you know how to play that?” by julchen_in_red. FANART. (G) 0 words, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter. Harry and Draco offer comfort and entertainment to their neighborhood under lockdown by performing a traditional wizards' evening ballad on their balcony.

Better Side of the Bed by gnarf. (T) 2k, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter.  It was all Malfoy's fault. Harry could be at the Burrow right now, but instead he was trapped in Malfoy's tiny flat. All because that dick couldn't stop bothering him about a stupid life debt he didn't even care about.

Breaking Point by Drarrelie. (T) 365 words, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter.  After almost two years as Auror partners, they've learned to function quite well together most of the time. Right now, though, Malfoy seems to be more on edge than ever.

Civil Hands (Unclean) by p1013. (E) 8.5k, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter. While he and Malfoy reached something like a truce in the years between the end of the War and now, their Quidditch rivalry has only grown. And with it, a simmering tension that is absolutely not sexual, no matter how many times Hermione raises her eyebrow when Harry's drinking at her and Ron's house. Not even when his head is resting on the kitchen table next to his empty glass, and he's moaning about Draco bloody Malfoy, and his bloody perfect seat on a broom, and his bloody perfect technique.But as Harry stares over his teammates heads towards the Puddlemere United bench, he catches a flash of wet white-blond hair and flashing grey eyes, and he thinks that Hermione's eyebrow might have a point.

Conservation for Beginners by Aneiria. (E) 4.6k, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy. Hermione Granger didn't think twice about taking guardianship of Hoddholm Island for the summer. A deserted, peaceful island among the endangered Golden Snidgets is just what she needs to escape the anxieties that the end of the war brought with it. When Draco Malfoy arrives as the other guardian and they are left to themselves for a month, they both seem to be struggling in their own ways. Can they be there for each other when they most need it?

Exposure by Bridgette_Hayden. (M) 2.6k, Harry Potter/Severus Snape.  Snape and Harry volunteer to quarantine themselves for charity, and to comfort the world. Isolation leaves them feeling exposed. 

Flames by Aneiria. (E) 3.9k, Hermione Granger/Theodore Nott, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy/Theodore Nott, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy/Theodore Nott.  The whole of the Ministry of Magic and its workers are forced into an in-place lockdown quarantine following a magical accident at the DMLE. When Hermione Granger and Theo Nott are put into isolation away from their boyfriend, Draco Malfoy, how will the triad cope?

G Guess I'm Stuck With You by LittleSixx. (T) 4k, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy.  Draco and Hermione are stuck in a Ministry lift on New Year's Eve.

In a Week by Suchsmallhands. (M, MCD) 12.4k, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin.  Sirius goes under quarantine in his flat, but fortunately he was able to get some reading material and a friend to keep him occupied during isolation.

Into the Wine Cellar by vivi1138. (E) 2.5k, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter.  Harry should know better than to touch random objects that do not belong to him. Getting stuck in a cellar with Malfoy, of all people, leads to an interesting development.

Lockdown with the Malfoys by a_reader_and_writer. (G) 1.2k, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy. Dracos's parents are just visiting Harry and Draco for their weekly dinner when the Ministry of Magic announces a total lockdown. Awkward situations happen.

Lockdown Husband by Houseofmalfoy. (T) 4.7k,  Rodolphus Lestrange/Augustus Rookwood. "Got ready to leave after a hook-up for the guy to break the news that we’re on lockdown. We’re stuck together. this is the start of my bad rom-com."

Risk and Reward by nagemeikenu. (G) 2.6k, Rodolphus Lestrange/Augustus Rookwood. Augustus (Gus) Rookwood manages to survive completely alone in a burned down cabin for nearly three weeks. He's rescued by a gorgeous state trooper. Fluff ensues.

She’s A Rainbow by Ladderofyears. (M) 4.8k, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter.  Draco never dreamt that he'd have to give birth without Harry, but when his beloved husband is put under MACUSA quarantine, he finds that he doesn't have a choice. With all the bravery he can muster, the best friend in the whole world and a pilfered magic mirror, Draco discovers that hope can be found even when you least expect it.

Stay with me through the storm by Pinkelephant42. FANART. (NR) 23 words, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter.  Dragon Keeper Draco finds ways to keep his boyfriend Harry on the dragon retreat longer. Harry probably doesn’t mind.

Ten below and falling by agentmoppet. (E) 8.6k, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter.  In which a pandemic results in Harry being locked in the Astronomy tower with Malfoy while they struggle to find the cure.

The Question of When by Misdemeanor1331. (G) 5.3k, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy.  When a global pandemic emerges, Draco and Hermione are once again called upon to discover a vaccine.

Unlikely Quarantine fellows by Isimile. (T) 861 words, Neville Longbottom & Blaise Zabini.  Neville and Blaise are quarantined together following an accident in their potions class and they get talking.

HAWAII FIVE-O

Spring Break by stephmex. (T) 3.5k, Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams.  Danny had been looking forward to this trip for weeks, ever since the Christmas holidays when he had planned the Spring Break vacation together with Grace. But as much as he’d been looking forward to it, boarding the plane with Charlie's small hand grasped tightly in his own feels slightly off. One thing feeling off is this stupid new virus that you just can’t ignore because the news coverage is all over the place. The other thing feeling off goes by the name of Steve—and Danny is leaving him behind with insomnia and a concussion and the sure knowledge that there is something that Steve is not telling him.

HOUSE OF CARDS

Skilled Hands and Talented Tongues by goreds. (M) 1.2k, Remy Danton/Jackie Sharp/Alan Cooke. Frank Underwood's made enemies, so it's no surprise that Jackie Sharp and Remy Danton get locked down due to a threat during one of their meetings at the White House. But Alan Cooke's there too, which just creates a brand new dynamic.

IT

Isolated by Slashaddict96. (T) 1.3k, Connor Bowers/Richie Tozier.  Richie and his parents get stuck isolated at the hospital when a dangerous outbreak occurs. What's worse it's with his least favorite person

IWATOBI SWIM CLUB (MAZE RUNNER CROSSOVER)

Free from the Maze by runningfromrealitytoanime. (Graphic Depictions of Violence, MCD). 33k, WIP, Gen.  Haru finds himself without his memories except for his name before he was chucked into the Glade populated entirely by boys. As he tries to make sense of his new life amongst the Gladers, Haru realizes there is only one goal in mind: to run and escape the Maze.

KINGSMAN

Rarely Pure and Never Simple by andthenshesaid-write. (T) 2.3k, Harry Hart/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin.  Eggsy and Harry get stuck in a train. Some important things need to be said.

LITTLE WOMEN

a party hardly ever goes the way it is planned by middlemarch. (G) 900 words, Theodore Laurence/Amy March, Friedrich Bhaer/Josephine March.  Teddy had written she must come. He had run out of arguments.

Distances by MercuryGray. (G) 1.5k WIP, John Brooke/Margaret March.  A Modern March AU - In the midst of global pandemic, the March and Brooke families are trying hold it together.

MCU

Bracing by babywarg. (G) 2.5k, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange. In which Tony Stark makes a few declarations in response to a disease outbreak, and brooks no dissent.

Must Love Dogs (Right Here at the End of the Line) by bookjunkiecat. (G) 2.3k, Bucky & PTSD, Bucky & Pal (dog), Bucky & Steve.  During the virus pandemic, an already fragile Bucky has to venture out to pick up more of his very necessary meds. Returning home, he has a panic attack and retreats into an alley. While there he rescues a dog...or rather, the dog rescues him. Once he calms down, Bucky calls a veternarian's office, and reaches a warm, calm man named Steve.

Take Two by heyjupiter. (T) 14.1k, Bruce Banner/Tony Stark. When Tony Stark is injured in Afghanistan, he wakes up in captivity to find that a mysterious American doctor has plugged his heart into a car battery and saved his life. Tony is determined to repay the favor; when he escapes from the Ten Rings, he's taking Bruce Banner with him.

MERCY STREET

I took my Power in my hand by middlemarch. (G) 1.9k, Jedediah Foster/Mary Phinney.  It wouldn't do to consider just what it was that had spilled. It was war, it was a kitchen with a corrupt steward, it was a rapidly warming April in Virginia and the man she wasn't supposed to have any finer feelings for was looking at her quizzically.

MERLIN

Merlin Versus Quarantine by coconutknightshade. (T) 1.3k WIP, Merlin/Arthur Pendragon, Leon/Morgana. Merlin isn't quite 50 Shades of Done with Quarantine, but he and Arthur do have dry-erase "Day's Since Last Meltdown" boards mounted in the kitchen.

The Night Is So Long When Everything’s Wrong by Hum My Name. (G) 4.2k, Merlin & Arthur Pendragon. One month after banishing Merlin, Arthur's given a message in the form of a dirty red neckerchief. His ex-manservant's been captured and the captors want the king to pay the ransom.Going after Merlin is the easy part. Spending a long night in a small cell with no one but Merlin with him is a bit more difficult.

MIRACULOUS LADYBUG

Love Bug by onetruthree. (T) 3.3k, Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng.  Marinette feels the safest with her friends by her side. But when the dead come back to life, that safety is tested.

Quiet by BookGirlFan. (G) 669 words, Chat Noir & Ladybug. Ladybug and Chat Noir sit on a rooftop in an empty Paris.

MIRAGE

Murder Scarecrow and His Pissed-Off Handler by goreds. (M) 1.7k, Gabriel Taylor/Doug Marsh. Gabriel screwed up a fairly simple mission, and now he and Doug are trapped in a tiny safe house somewhere in Eastern Europe. Sort-of romance ensues.

NCT

I Go Where You Go by CocoaBop. (T) 5k, Dong Si Cheng/Lee Taeyong. Taeyong thought he was prepared for another global pandemic. But this pandemic was different. In just a few weeks of isolation, Sicheng went from the shy, awkward roommate Taeyong rarely saw to his only anchor to the outside world.

OCEAN’S 8

Every Princess Needs a Castle by ShadowHaloedAngel. (T) 1.3k, Lou Miller/Debbie Ocean. Being stuck inside is sending Debbie a little bit crazy, even though she knows it's for a good reason. Fortunately she has Lou and a foster dog to help keep her sane.

Your Princess Is In Another Castle by ShadowHaloedAngel. (T) 3.3k, Nine Ball/Tammy. Nine Ball decides if she's going to be locked down, she'd rather it was with Tammy and her kids.

ONE DIRECTION

and the sun will shine by leighbot. (G) 5.1k, Zayn Malik/Harry Styles. They're practicing self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two little boys shouldn't be too hard to entertain, right?

PITCH PERFECT

Basic Sickness by CamGray. (M), 1.3k, Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell. Chloe snaps the mask over her face and replies, “I was always smart, you just weren’t paying attention.  Vet school didn’t hurt either.  Now come on.  I’m going to rest, why don’t you go get some work done.  You can’t nanny me all day.  You’ve got more important things to do.” Beca shakes her head.  “What could be more important than this?”  She says, stressing each syllable.

Dry Spell by aliciameade. (E) 2.7k, Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell. Tumblr prompt: Just imagine Beca and Chloe casually watching a porno together and when I say “casually” I mean “getting horny and ending up doing it right there.”

High-Speed Connection by aliciameade. (E) 4.1k, Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell, Chloe Beale/Aubrey Posen, Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell/Aubrey Posen. So Beca is a bit of an exhibitionist. So what? What could possibly happen when she decides to play with Chloe while she Skypes with Aubrey?Sin. Sin is what happens.

Ready Or Not by aliciameade. (E) 4.6k, Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell. In a time of social-distancing, Beca and Chloe finally find a way to pass the time.

She’s Such a Bad Girl by CamGray. (E) 711 words, Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell. “Chloe!” Chloe pauses her singing to call back to Beca. “Yes, love of my life?” Beca rounds the corner. “You’ve sung ‘Work From Home’ every day for the past 128 days. You know I love your singing voice, but can you please, for the love of the Carona gods, do something else.” Chloe pouts. “Well what should I do?”“I don’t know. I’m about to clean the house.” Chloe flips her hair flirtatiously and rests her arms loosely on Beca’s shoulders before saying, “You do too much. You’re not Superman you know.”

Watch Our Bodies Intertwine by tmylm. (E) 7.2k,  Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell.  Beca and Chloe are quarantined (yes, another "and they were quarantined!" fic) in Beca's Los Angeles home. Beca has managed to push away the feelings she harbored for Chloe back in college—they're adults now, she can behave herself. Or so she thinks.

you are my favorite thing by iPhone. (M) 3.2k. Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell.  Beca and Chloe find themselves alone in their apartment after the instruction comes to self-isolate. Set pre-PP3. Just pretend PP3 doesn’t exist.

POLDARK

Tenderness is not like money by middlemarch. (T) 599 words, Demelza Carne/Ross Poldark, Demelza Carne & Dwight Enys.  What was the real crime?

QUEEN

Stay Right Where You Are by Stormtrooperinclogs. (T) 2k, John Deacon/Brian May, Freddie Mercury/Roger Taylor.  Brian and John are under government-mandated quarantine because of the virus. What are they gonna do???

RED WHITE & ROYAL BLUE

bend the rules by perfect-porcelain. (E) 6.8k,  Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor.  Alex is stuck inside with his roommate Liam and Liam's boyfriend Spencer and he thinks he's going to go insane but when his neighbor in the alleyway across from his window moves in he supposes that the quarantine won't be so bad after all.

Just Checking In by JessJesstheBest. (G) 1k, Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor.  In an au where COVID-19 happens to Henry and Alex, they try and stay connected through self-isolation.

SHADOWHUNTERS

Malec Malaise by Fluxx. (G) 2.9k, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood.  Magnus has a cold! In the absence of his magic, it seems he managed to catch some common Mundane bug. Well, that should be fine. Nothing a little rest and tea can't take care of... right?

SHERLOCK

Going Viral by trillian_jdc. (G) 1.1k WIP, Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade.  Mycroft Holmes has been exposed to the coronavirus and prepares to self-quarantine, which he's very used to. His isolation is accidentally interrupted by Greg Lestrade, who winds up sheltering in place with him.

Thank You John by AnAnYaH. (G), 352 words, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson.  Quarantine day fic.

SHETLAND

Remote Communities by aurorlaura. (T) 3.4k, Duncan Hunter/Jimmy Perez.  Jimmy Perez, Duncan Hunter and their daughter Cassie experience the Covid-19 lockdown in Shetland.

STAR TREK: PICARD

Of Malady and Mother by Boldlynyooming. (G) 4.1k, Elnor & Zani. There was an outbreak of Beluxian flu on Vashti, and Elnor was not allowed to go out.

STAR TREK: VOYAGER

Confined To Quarters by ShayneyL. (E) 1.6k, Harry Kim/Tom Paris. Tom and Harry are in trouble again. Will they find a way to entertain themselves while confined to quarters? (Spoiler: yes.)

Social Distance by MiaCooper. (T) 1.2k, Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway. The terrible trials of a captain in quarantine.

STAR WARS

Fever of Love by ladyofreylo. (E) 8.1k, Rey/Flip Zimmerman.  Rey and Flip shelter in the library overnight during a flu epidemic. Rey believes Flip is part of a racist group, and Flip can't tell Rey he's undercover because it jeopardizes his investigation. He asks her to trust him. Will she? And will she allow him to help her friend's brain-damaged brother escape the clutches of the evil organization?

I Know You by Idrilhadhafang. (M) 739 words, WIP, Poe Dameron/Kylo Ren.  After a dogfight outside the Raddus, Poe Dameron and Kylo Ren are trapped on a planet below, with no memories for either of them and only being able to rely on each other.

Please don’t take him just because you can by middlemarch. (T), 911 words, Finn & Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Finn & Rey & Rose Tico. It wasn't a terrible job, it was the pandemic. Rey kept telling herself that, hoping she'd believe it. Or that it would all turn out to be a bad dream caused by eating government cheese before bed. Still, there were bright spots.

Something To Look Forward To by spacewitchqueen. (G) 1k, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren.  While self-isolating, Kylo manages to make a new acquaintance. Perhaps even a new friend? Perhaps in time something more.

There’s been a Death, in the opposite house by middlemarch.  (G) 100 words, Kylo Ren/Rey.  Crisis was supposed to bring out the best in people. That was the silver lining, Rey was pretty sure that was the line anyway.

STAR WARS LEGENDS

Cabin Fever by Keldae. (G) 1k, Gen. Theron hates being locked down in one location on the best of days. Being isolated with only a Sith Lord, an irate Wookiee, and (the head of) a protocol droid that won't shut up for company? He's pretty sure he's in at least the second Corellian hell.

Pinned Down by Keldae. (T) 696 words, Female Jedi Knight/Theron Shan.  The only option is to stay hidden inside and hope for a rescue.

The Waiting Game by Greyias. (T) 4.4k, Female Jedi Knight/Theron Shan, Satele Shan & Theron Shan. The worst part about all of this was the waiting. Theron hated standing on the sidelines as everyone else risked their lives. He needed something to do. Anything to keep him distracted from his own thoughts.

SUPERGIRL

Darkest Before The Dawn by Val_Creative. (T) 1.4k, Kara Danvers/Lena Luther.  Lena ends up diagnosed with a serious virus. Kara gets a little panicky about this and worries enough to visit her.

SUPERNATURAL

Fourteen Days and Four Dozen Eggs by Mandala Rose. (E) 5.6k, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester.  As the Milton-Winchester household prepare to hunker down and #flattenthecurve, Dean makes a trip to the grocery store, for what was supposed to be their normal weekly grocery run. After all, they aren't the kind of people to panic and over-buy, right?

Hickory Dickory Dean by Carrieosity. (M) 2k,  Castiel/Dean Winchester.  When Castiel's library has to close because of the coronavirus pandemic, the librarians need to get a little creative in order to keep serving the community. Castiel has no problem recording virtual storytimes, but when it comes to adding in songs and things, he needs to call in a little extra help.

Knock by hit_the_books. (E) 2.5k, Castiel/Dean Winchester, past Dean Winchester/Lisa Braeden. Dean and Cas have been living together as roommates for about a year when the COVID-19 pandemic forces Douglas County health officials to issue a "stay at home" order. With Dean working from home and Cas trapped there with him, Dean starts to realize that he doesn't really know much about the younger man he's living with. And then he knocks on and opens up Cas's bedroom door one day and discovers far more than he was expecting.

It'll Be Fine. by ChloeDarling. (G) 1.4k,  Castiel/Dean Winchester.  Forced to self-isolate, Castiel finds himself succumbing to the boredom as he runs out of ways to keep himself entertained. Luckily, Dean Winchester has a plan to save the day.

Next Time, I Choose Death by CeliPuff, Winchesterlovr0508. (M) 1.2k,  Castiel/Dean Winchester.  In light of this pandemic, I decided to write some daily journal entries on how we survived the 14 day quarantine. It’s me, my brother and my best friend, what can go wrong?

No Dent by spnsmile. FANFIC AND FANART (E) 7k, Castiel/Dean Winchester. Because the Impala is the best place to lock Dean and Castiel away when in the middle of another fight. They really need to talk and close the distance created by their stubborn heads. At least, Jack thought so.

Throw Away the Key by CeliPuff, Ketch22. (E) 2.1k WIP,  Castiel/Dean Winchester. multiple other relationships. After his father dies and leaves him nothing but the coolest car ever manufactured, the whole world turns to shit. Caught in the middle of a pandemic while attending the funeral, Dean is told he can’t return home and has to find somewhere else to ride out the mandatory month-long quarantine. Out of options, he calls his best friend Benny.Cas has lived with Benny for awhile - the bed was comfy, rent was cheap... the orgies were just a bonus. It wasn’t a half-bad place to live out a permanent bachelor lifestyle, or an irritating lockdown - but he’s about to get more than he bargained for when Benny takes in a stray.

Outbreak 2019 by spnsmile. FANFIC AND FANART (T) 1.7k, Castiel/Dean Winchester.  There's a spreading virus around and against it the medical staff are in the front lines. Castiel is a doctor and he just texted his husband he's positive of the virus.He awaits his fate in silence thinking of Dean.

THE 100

In Fair Corona by eternaleponine. (M) 8.3k, Clarke Griffin/Lexa. While returning from a service trip abroad, Lexa volunteers to take another flight when theirs is overbooked, and Clarke is forced to accompany her. When someone on the flight gets sick, they find themselves quarantined far from home with only each other for company. Can they overcome their differences and realize that they're in this together?

THE AVENGERS/MASS EFFECT TRILOGY

Stuck with You by sgteam14283. (G) 3.3k WIP, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, Female Ryder/James Vega, Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard. Adults can handle being stuck somewhere for a long period of time. For the most part.

THE EXPANSE

How to Have Fun in Quarantine at the UN by goreds. (M) 1.4k, Chrisjen Avasarala/Sadavir Errinwright, Arjun/Chrisjen Avasarala.  Chrisjen Avasarala and the whole of the United Nations, including Sadavir Errinwright, are on lockdown during a pandemic. Mild non-social distancing ensues.

THE FLASH

Between Hope and Fear by Purpleyin. (T) 4.1k, Cisco Ramon/Hartley Rathaway.  During the pandemic, Hartley tries to help. He tries to keep going and do whatever he can, from a distance. Everything is going as well as can be expected, until his world comes crashing down with one phone call from Caitlin Snow.

THE GRISHA TRILOGY

watch the world go by by JemDoe. (T) 823 words, Aleksander Morozova/Alina Starkov. “The plague of 758 was a very serious issue, made worse by the Fold, Alina. Supplies were so hard to reach to the other side of the country…” “Wipe that smile off your face before talking about a plague that was made worse by your actions, then."

THE HOBBIT

Cave in by Isimile. (T) 1k, Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield. Of course the cave in has to happen just when Bilbo is accompanying Thorin to a visit of the newly re-opened mines. Thorin just have the worst luck.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS

Nowhere else by Roselightfairy. (T) 1.2k, Gimli/Legolas Greenleaf. In preparation of an anticipated attack from nearby Dunland, Éomer has ordered that Aglarond go into lockdown.At least Legolas and Gimli are together.

THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES

a melody played in a penny arcade by aguntoaknifefight. (T) 2.7k, Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims, Elias Bouchard/Peter Lukas. Jon is trapped in the Institute. Things change.Or: Peter Lukas’s post-divorce pettiness inadvertently saves the world.

THE SIMARILLION AND OTHER HISTORIES OF MIDDLE-EARTH

A WORLD WITHOUT GRANDPARENTS by bluehair. (G) 1k, Maglor & Finwe.  I really didn't plan this. But it wanted to be written.

THE SOFT DOCTRINE OF IMAGINOS

On the Wrong SIde of the Mirror by Imaginos_Buzzardo_Desdinova. (M) 2.1k, Gen.  Trapped on the wrong side of mirror, Imaginos must find his way back to stop the evil Desdinova. He finds only one other person who also was tricked into the mirror.

THE TERROR

Lift Fire by Gigi_Sinclair. (G) 2.5k, Thomas Jopson/Lt Edward Little.  "Tom doesn't speak, either, until there's a strange grinding groan, the lights flicker, and the lift shudders to an unexpected stop.Oh, you have to be joking, Edward thinks, as Tom says, 'I'd heard they'd been having some problems with this one.'"

Look for the Helpers by goreds. (T) 1.2k, Captain Francis Crozier/Commander James Fitzjames.  Dr. Francis Crozier, stuck at home, lends a hand to his sick next-door neighbor, James Fitzjames.

THE TRANSFORMERS

Maybe it’s enough by choomchoom. (T) 2.8k, Drift/Rodimus, Prowl/Starscream. The boys deal with the pandemic.

Quarantined by pipermca. (G) 2.7k, Gen. Even when the Decepticons are forced into quarantine to stop the spread of a deadly disease, Soundwave still has work to do. If only his cassettes would keep it down...

THE UNTAMED

The Usefulness of Bunnies as Messengers is Strictly Dependant on the Bunny In Question by theskyandsea. (G) 2.8k, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian is quarantined in an apartment with Jiang Cheng and it's going about as well as one would expect. Which is to say, the second Wei Wuxian discovers just how hot his across-the-street neighbour is he jumps at the opportunity to talk to someone else.Even if that talking is through the medium of messenger bunnies.

We’re on a boat and... by chatcolat. (T) 1.4k, Gen. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian get stuck on a boat and accidentally end up talking to each other for five minutes while they wait for rescue.

THE WITCHER

Carefully We Gather by tackytiger. (M) 2.4k,  Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier. They've been snowed in at the inn for six days now, and Jaskier still isn't speaking to Geralt.It's just, killing monsters is what Geralt does. Just because this one came a little bit too close to killing him first, doesn't mean that Jaskier has to get in a sulk about it. And why does he care so much, anyway?

Distanced Dears by jaskiersvalley. (T) 2.2k, Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier, Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach/Geralt of Rivia, Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer z Vengerbergu, Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach/Jaskier, Geralt/Jaskier/Yennefer/Cahir.  Given the fact Geralt worked in the Accident and Emergency department, it was highly likely he would catch the virus, even with every precaution. Not wanting to put his whole family at risk, he and Cahir move into Cahir's old flat and they try to weather the storm by themselves when Geralt does get infected.

No More Water, but Fire Next Time by ladivvinatravestia. (T) 7.7k, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Jaskier, Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier.  Jaskier and Ciri take shelter at a refugee camp following the fall of Cintra, where they find that Pestilence and War often ride together.

oh my god they were plague-mates by wombatpop. (T) 4.3k, Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier. “They’ve closed the streets, Geralt. We’re stuck in here.” Jaskier and Geralt stuck in an inn together. What could go wrong?

The Fortnight by Elizabeth. (E) 7.5k, Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier.  A plague is ravaging the Northern Kingdoms. First Oxenfurt is locked down, and then Novigrad. Geralt is immune, but Jaskier isn't. Rosemary and Thyme is a pretty nice place to spend a fortnight, but it's still a long time to spend with just one person--even if that person is your best friend.A lot can happen in two weeks.

Trouble In Here by Val_Creative. (M) 2.5k,  Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier. Jaskier accidentally barricades himself into Geralt’s room when he’s been cursed, forcing them to isolate together.

YU-GI-OH! DUEL MONSTERS

And they were quarantine-mates by Alecto. (T) 4.8k, Jounouchi Katsuya/Kaiba Seto. The order came down while they slept. Now Kaiba was stranded at Joey's place for the foreseeable future.

YUYU HAKUSHO: GHOST FILES

Six Feet Apart by Penguiduck. (G) 2.4k, Kurama/Reader.  You've only been living in your condo for two months, but you have yet to meet your neighbor. When you're sentenced to working from home due to the recent COVID-19 virus, you step onto your shared balcony for the first time. You meet Shuichi and really like him. The only problem? You have to stay six feet apart.

#lockdownfest #lockdown fest #Masterpost #Week 1 #fanfic #fanart #fanfest #multifandom event #multifandom #multiship #cw: coronavirus #cw:quarantine #long post

[creation-is-chaos]

There was nothing in the night save for sighs. Gasping and clutching him closer numbed the atmosphere of much thought. Precision is an attentive lover all of its own. Corvus’ focus becomes her thighs wrapped around his torso, gripping tightly to the warm flesh with his fingers. He marked her there. Leaving imprints of his digits, his lips devoured her throat, tickling the soft skin with each suck. 

His hair was unruly when he lifted his head. Following the swipe of her fingers along his jaw, he allowed her to savor the texture of his goatee as she often does. 

Corvus shifts aside. Stroking fingers along hers is brief. He lets her touch fall away. Quick he is to settle. Harsh breath stirs him out of his highest peak. There is thrill in release. It transforms him to a different kind of terror. Carnality sates his thirst in the physical form. Yet bloodlust remains if the evening calls for such an outing. 

Tonight calls for something else entirely as the midnight hour surpasses itself. A single light follows him glowing with the flicker of a lighter. Exiting the bedroom after fixing his state of dress, Corvus moves to a sitting room. 

He stands near the window. Overlooking an expanse of property Villa Rosa sits majestically. An expensive spot away from inner city. Detroit itself is full of curiosities. There are people who belong to bustling streets. Then there are those weak, uncultured with the life of sleepless cities. Corvus can say he falls in neither category. Though he leans more towards belonging to the smoky underside of it all. That much is true. 

The man inhales smoke. Blowing it slowly through his lips casts fog onto the pane. He stares at the spot. Dark eyes pierce it looking beyond as thoughts come to fruition. 

He does not even hear her enter. Nor does he flinch with her hand sliding up middle of his back. Far more slippery than most she is. Dainty on feet. Yet it is all part of her talents most are none the wiser to discover. That is the difference. Corvus knows most. Perhaps not all but most will have to do. 

“Are you having a moment?” She wondered where his mind veered lately. 

“....you know I enjoy my solitude.” 

“Is it always so bleak?” Her question came rhetorically as she knows the answer. At least it is clear Corvus DeVille is no ordinary man. He is dangerous. Then she has known dangerous up close. “My beautiful moon,” she whispers, pressing a palm to his chest, fingers smoothed against the black fabric. “You perfect how unreadable you are as a person. But even someone who is around you for a long time may see the storm brewing.” 

“Astute, Stefani.” He does commend her observational skills. “I am aware of the tension of the city.” His fingers ghost along her jaw. Placing the cigarette between his lips again, he glances at the window. 

“You are aware of Elijah Kamski.” Stefani states the obvious. While he may not say it she understands how it ripped through him. Corvus is a man of secrets. A walking enigma. Even when she sleeps in his bed, knows him outside the shell of the poised gentleman he still exudes mystery. She is well aware of how fierce he can. He did leave her a trembling mess tonight. That is no different from any other.

When he turned back to gaze down at her, she slipped a hand up to pull the cigarette from his mouth. Her lips pressed up to his. Tasting everything in him left no other richness on her tongue. He is smoky. Wicked and true. “It is alright to say you miss him.”

“I miss no one,” Corvus made clear, gripping tightly to her hip. 

A huff left her as he pulled her close. That motion can damn a thousand others. But she? She craves those hands squeezing her breathless. “Would you miss me my moon?”

His lip curls. Releasing her from the hold, he takes the cigarette out of her hand and smashes it down into a marble ashtray. “Elijah Kamski betrayed everything I gave to him. We were teenagers. He younger. Thrust into a world of academia he had not physically reached but mentally. Others did not understand. Just as they do not understand me.” 

Stefani shifted towards him as he sat behind his desk. She chose to perch upon the edge and adjusted her satin robe for comfort. “You think I do not understand you?” 

He leaned forward. “Would you betray me?”

Oh he counters with weight. Stefani shook her head. “Why should I betray what makes me ignite? You are a hard man to slip into Corvus DeVille. An even harder man to let go.” 

Corvus watched her lips move with the words. An oath. A dedication. He knew it from Elijah. They were dedicated. No one else could obtain what they had together as confidantes. Partners. Soulmates. Loyalty or lack thereof made it crumble down. “I abide by loyalty above all else. When it is broken you are dead to me.” 

Stefani realized only bits and pieces of his relationship with Mr. Kamski. Corvus had mentioned only enough. He never opens up completely. Total vulnerability could never be him but even if he had a moment of weakness she would still love him. It is only a way to show he is human. Yet that is a tall order to expect from a man who is so emotionally closed. He does not speak words of love. He needs not to frankly. Stefani just knows. She also knows hurt hidden in the face of terror. 

“Listen darling,” she encouraged it with a lean, hands cupping his face. Her head dipped to meet his dark eyes. “There is nothing you can do about him.” 

“I may kill him.” 

“Is that what you want?” Oh no she doesn’t think so but it seems that is his deflection for most things. Murder. Death for punishment. Yes he is vicious. She knows being with him puts her in a whole other world of disaster. Then she isn’t an innocent herself.

Corvus says nothing. Their silent eye contact shatters with an abrupt knock at the door. 

“Mr. DeVille! You should see this!” 

Stefani pulls away, curiously but her lover is already up from his seat. There is something frantic about his security’s tone. 

“Remain here.” Corvus instructs her out of caution. 

“....C-Corvus....Deville...” 

The strangled words of the man in the foyer give no answers to his state when Corvus arrives. Blood leaves a trail on his floor. Several people are already around the man. Security of course but one of the house staff cradles the man’s head. Incoherent words spill form his lips as he fades in and out. 

“Where did he come from?”��

“He was dumped over the line, Mr. DeVille.” 

Nodding his head, he steps over. Over the line from Kamski territory. Yes, it seems to be a message but not a very discreet one. Sloppy these days, Elijah? Or simply uncaring in your missteps? “Good, Sterling.” Corvus understood they brought him here for a purpose. “What has he said?”

“Kamski’s name. Regards.” The man simply known as Sterling answered with a dead stare down at the man bleeding. He stepped over and reached down, feeling for the knife still lodged deeply. A groan of pain rippled up the stranger’s throat when it was removed. 

Corvus took it out of Sterling’s hand. Flipping it over, he sniffed the air briefly recognizing the blade. “Calling cards can be subtle if no immediate mark is viable. However there is something about the particular model of a knife that tells a story.” Smearing the blood off the side of the carbon steel painted his index finger. Elijah. “A random man sent to stir me. Out of character or paranoia. Get rid of him if he has nothing else to give.” 

Taking the knife with him, Corvus pauses, gaze resting on Stefani’s appearance. She looked at the man they were now carrying off. A quick look but then she met his eyes. 

“You never do listen my ivy.” 

“Corvus, who-?”

“I will be in bed shortly.” He interrupts her chance to ask him any further questions. This knife will be kept in his private collection. Awaiting its owner....

feat. muses: @st300x​ @cyberneticxcollective​

in response to @creatorofclay​ | here

#[V. Give Me All Of That Ultraviolence] #[Killer!Corvus AU] #[He's Got His Gun He's Got His Suit On >> Human AU] #[We're Gods At Odds In The War Torn Cityscape > Killer AU Alt Vers] #{Corvus x Stefani; Let Us Be Wicked And True} #st300x #[poison ivy in my veins] >> [st300x] #[My Body Is A Cage Devils Diary > Drabbles] #[data core: long post] #tw: blood #tw: suggestive

[thedevourers]

THE DEVOURERS - a reader’s choice web novel

The Devourers is a web novel led by you, the readers. Every Thursday I will post a chapter and at the end I’ll give you a choice. The choice with the highest votes wins, and dictates how the story moves forward. What kind of story is it? It has a little bit of eldritch horror meets dark academia meets magic school with a bit of tragic romance thrown in for flavor.

VOTE HERE OR ON PATREON (you get an extra vote if you vote both places!) but PLEASE VOTE. It only works if people vote! Voting closes on SUNDAY AT MIDNIGHT.

FROM DARKNESS WE RISE.

For nearly one thousand years the Commonwealth has stood as a bastion of light in the midst of great darkness. Beyond the edges of the map lie tempestuous seas boiling with unimaginable horrors, vast reaches of ash-covered lands lost to wars whose ghosts still linger in the shadows, forests so twisted with dark magic that none dare approach for fear of going mad. Within its borders, however, those who call the Commonwealth home do so with pride, for they are the last of this broken world to stand defiant, to weather the chaos and destruction which has long since wiped out all other civilizations. 

Led by a council of powerful mages known as Brightspires, the Commonwealth upholds justice and civility and derives its success from the values it was founded upon; Enlightenment, Civility, Truth, Equality, and Beauty. These virtues are exemplified in the capital city of Aurilaco, a crowning achievement of architecture and arcana, a city of marvels and delights, of knowledge and history, of democratic values and the opportunity for a better life. Even those who live on the edges of the Commonwealth know its promise—Des Tenretuic Ne Vonsdi. From Darkness We Rise.

All who live within the capital know of the mages’ might, those higher beings whose minds shape reality and protect those who look up toward the floating tower of Cheredeme. The Cincelion Council rules with a gentle hand, and it is they who lead the armies at the edge of the world, they who craft benevolent laws so that all citizens of the Commonwealth live in peace. Some believe them to be gods while others simply thank them for their apparent goodwill and generosity. No one would dare question them, not in public, at least, for rumors that some have the ability to read minds have made all thought of defiance obsolete. They are eternal and detached, unreachable and perfect, like the floating Spire atop the clouds they live in.

They have not always been so, however. The Commonwealth was founded by five mages, but over the years others have been chosen to rise from the masses, to ascend to the heavens and take their place amongst the Brightspires. No one knows how and why these few individuals were uplifted, but the idea that anyone might one day become a Brightspire and serve under the council is a tempting dream. But the Spire has not been opened to anyone for nearly three hundred years. Whispers fly that something is wrong, that Brightspires have been seen more often of late, traveling the Commonwealth and mingling amongst the people. A sight which would have once been nearly unthinkable, extraordinary for its rarity, is now a cause for worry. Because stories enter the capital every day from the edges of the world—stories of monsters boiling up from the southern seas and hordes of undead massing at the northern warfront, of hysteria and madness in the fledgling provinces beneath the vast forest to the west. Of nightmares made flesh seeping out into the very center of the Commonwealth itself.

Annihilation blows through the winds that come down from the Spire of Cheredeme, winds of change and circumstance. Something lurks beneath the streets of Aurilaco, the Jewel of the Commonwealth--creeps into the dreams of those sleepers who stray too far from the lights of their protectors, awakens old enemies and unravels old secrets which were never meant to be shared.

A new generation of mages is set to rise from the growing chaos. 

Five unremarkable people from across the realm. Five destinies intertwined and bound together. Five young souls who will decide once and for all if the Commonwealth lives on in light, or is devoured by darkness.

Who you are, how you rule--is your choice.

CHOOSE YOUR PAST.

Are you a criminal, born on the streets of the capital with dirty hands and a dirtier mouth, the best thief in the whole bloody Commonwealth, hungry to make something of yourself and ready to cut down anyone who gets in your way?

Are you a loyal soldier of the Commonwealth’s army, fighting on the front lines of a war that grows more twisted every day, fighting for the good of every citizen who lives far from the horrors you face?

Are you a sailor of the southern ice flows, a wanderer working whaling boats and ice miners at the edge of the world with nothing but the clothes on your back and the drive to find somewhere you belong, even with one eye always on the horizon?

Are you a conman, a charlatan, a rogue and a rake with a honeyed tongue and a smile that could melt even the coldest heart, a careful ruse you’ve built for yourself after years of loss and heartbreak, that lovely exterior nothing more than a pretty mask?

Are you a member of that highest class of citizen, a noble with a long line of ancestors that stretches back to the earliest days of the Commonwealth, determined to ensure the family legacy will continue long after you’ve made your mark on the world?

CHOOSE WHAT HAUNTS YOU.

When you were a child you had a nightmare which plagues you to this day.

The deep. You are fighting against dark waters, heavy clothes dragging you under the waves again and again with only a glimpse of the sky above you—yellow clouds churning with wind. Far off in the distance you think you see a house standing on a tall cliff of white stone, where someone watches as you drown.

The other. You are held tight in the arms of someone you love. It begins as a warm embrace until it slowly grows choking, an arm around your shoulders and your waist, another crushing you to their chest, and you realize that something else holds you. A voice in your ear sounds like the dying of souls, and you go mad with it.

The endless. You find a box in a darkened room. Light shines through the groove in the wood and you approach, heart pounding. Inside you hear every secret hope you whispered to the night when you thought no one was listening. The latch flicks open. The room is swarmed with winged terrors who want nothing more than to feast on your dreams.

The futility. You wait at the edge of a vast field of swaying purple grass. From utter silence a massive shape rises before you. It is a woman, taller than mountains, fiercer than a tempest. Tears roll down your face as she looks down at you, indifference in her gaze. You are nothing. You are small. And you will be consumed by the end of eternity just like everyone else.

The violence. You stand in a quiet forest. The trees sway around you, whispering a language you no longer remember. At your feet lies a child. At first, you think they are sleeping, but then you feel the warm steel in your hand, see the black ichor leaking from their eyes. They are dead and you hold the dagger. The whispers name you murderer.

CHOOSE WHAT DRIVES YOU.

Freedom. You want to live on your own terms, to forge your own path, to cut ties and fly as far and as fast as you can.

Power. You want to shape the world, to choose where the threads of history intertwine and weave it for yourself.

Adoration. You want love and devotion, to walk into a room knowing all eyes follow you, to be the light others turn themselves toward.

Knowledge. You want nothing less than to uncover the secrets of the world, to delve deep into the annals of time and consume all you can.

Vengeance. You want blood, you crave it, the reminder of loss a knife in your heart that you feel every time you draw breath.

So for this first post as we’re still figuring out logistics, I’d like people to vote by replying with the bolded word for each of your choices (total of 3). Voting will end on Sunday at midnight.

You can vote by replying to this post and going to my Patreon (if you do both you get two votes ooooo) so go nuts <3

#I have no idea how to tag this #web novel #choose your own story #authors on tumblr #writers on tumblr #dark fantasy #cosmic horror #romance