#alternate world

[doubtspirit]

Utropiia is a sprawling retro-futuristic city set in a alternate 1920s world of gargantuan art deco skyscrapers and artificially intelligent automata. 

[cullynite]

Fenris in Veilguard. I have my Warden and Zevran, too. Will make my Hawke. Recording scenes for an alternate reality, where Fenris is the one in a barfight with Varric. Just like old times.

[bluemoon1331]

Chapter 2 is here!

The Path That Bends

Enjoy, y'all!

[ofjonsafame]

Does anyone else still think of them?

[darkfluff23]

Two For One by Ourliazo

Found on Archive of Our Own

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10567863/chapters/23349102

(A snippet of chapter 9)

"We're hungry," a high pitch voice complains and tiny hands tug on Harry's clothes.

He blinks blearily up at two adorable faces. Harry calmly reaches up and grabs their heads; shoving them away from him and sitting up on the couch downstairs. The two kids flop backwards onto Harry's legs from the gentle but insistent shoving to their faces and then scramble off the couch. Gellert smiles sweetly and Tom gives a cute little pout that he probably intended to be a scowl.

Did Harry fall asleep even though a Dark Lord has a knife and is in the house with him? Tom doesn't look very murderous though, more grumpy than anything. He probably calmed down since Harry didn't storm the room and drag him away.

At least he isn't stabbing anyone.

Harry blinks. "Um, yeah, okay. Did you want anything to eat in particular?"

Gellert says something in German.

"Um…" Harry trails off. "Toast it is."

He makes them eggs and toast with strawberry jam. Not normal strawberries, because Harry buys all the groceries from the magical side since this time period isn't exactly the best for the muggles. It tastes strangely like pear and Harry's not sure if he likes it.

Gellert seems to love it though.

The newspaper is delivered via owl. Harry flips through lazily for a bit, skim reading. Something about Dark Lord Dumbledore, and an increase of attacks in Europe but not connected to the muggle war, and the British Ministry is reacting by doing essentially nothing - but in more flowery words.

Harry folds the newspaper up, lays it on the table and then sets it on fire.

No thank you, not dealing with that. Harry has a more immediate problem. More like problems, plural, sitting across the table in front of him. Besides, Dumbledore can't be a Dark Lord, that's ridiculous because what could possibly make a man like him change so much?

Not that Harry knows anything about this world -should really get on that- but some things must be very distorted to create this timeline. Harry is going to concentrate on one problem at a time though. After he returns the children, he can then focus on the supposed Dumbledore issue.

Yes, Harry is thinking about returning them, because he doesn't want to deal with children. Is that a bad thing? He just doesn't think he can handle that much responsibility by himself.

And it will be all by himself because he doesn't like the thought of slavery with house elves (he's never going to be able to find one that will accept receiving payment or even barter). He highly doubts he'll find anyone else who is willing to put up with him and two young Dark Lord kids either.

Harry knows it's selfish but he's just so worried that he'll do something and irreversibly damage Tom or Gellert in some way. He has no idea how new parents can handle this because they don't get a chance to skip that part of their child's life - where the kids are so vulnerable and so many things can go wrong.

Harry isn't sure about Gellert but Tom is healthy when he arrives at Hogwarts…not exactly well adjusted but better than Harry thinks he could do for the child. Maybe it would be best to give them to an orphanage? Not Tom's orphanage? They'd have each other, Harry would visit…

But then Harry remembers the knife and the barricade and thinks that maybe the orphanage already has done damage, just not the kind most people can see.

Damn it. Keeping them it is then.

Gellert says something in German and Harry vanishes the ashes that were once a newspaper before putting down his wand to wipe the boy's face free from jam. Gellert is so cute, it's hard to believe he's a mass murderer.

Might possibly be a mass murderer in the future, actually, an important distinction that Harry needs to keep in mind.

"Come on," Harry says. "I guess we should get around to that language barrier issue."

Gellert says something else and pulls out the Elder wand. Oh, oops, Harry completely forgot about that. It's fine, not like a little child knows any dangerous spells.

Gellert sets the entire table on fire with sheer willpower and Harry quickly puts it out before he confiscates the wand, but loses his Holly one to Tom in the confusion, leaving Gellert wielding a knife.

"Let's..." Harry begins cautiously. "Let's switch back."

Because this just seems more dangerous to him.

It doesn't even occur to Harry that he could take the weapons from the two small children. It's difficult to not see them as shrunken adult versions, and he's hardly going to snatch a wand off a wizard, right?

[midnightfire1222]

Seeing some people sharing fan kids recently so I thought I'd share a sonamy one that @dreamverie and I made for our WotH AU.

She's been introduced before (these pics are a few years old now) though isn't officially in the story. Her name is Oriana Rose. She's a werebeast like her daddy and almost as reckless. She's got her mama's strength during the daytime and her weapon as an adult is a morning star, which doesn't have a name like her parents' weapons just yet.

[book-challenger]

Travel Destination: Puerto Rico

A Fierce and Subtle Poison by Samantha Mabry

Everyone knows the legends about the cursed girl; Isabel, the one the senoras whisper about. They say she has green skin and grass for hair, and she feeds on the poisonous plants that fill her family's Caribbean island garden. Some say she can grant wishes; some say her touch can kill.

17 year old Lucas lives on the mainland most of the year but spends summers with his hotel-developer father in Puerto Rico. He's grown up hearing stories about the cursed girl, and he wants to believe in Isabel and her magic. When letters from Isabel begin mysteriously appearing in his room the same day his new girlfriend disappears, Lucas turns to Isabel for answers and finds himself lured into her strange and enchanted world. But time is running out for the girl filled with poison, and the more entangled Lucas becomes with Isabel, the less certain he is of escaping with his own life.

House of Bones and Rain by Gabino Iglesias

For childhood friends Gabe, Xavier, Tavo, Paul, and Bimbo, death has always been close. Hurricanes. Car accidents. Gang violence. Suicide. Estamos rodeados de fantasmas was Gabe’s grandmother’s refrain. We are surrounded by ghosts. But this time is different. Bimbo's mom has been shot dead. We’re gonna kill the guys who killed her Bimbo swears. And they all agree.

Feral with grief, Bimbo has become unrecognizable, taking no prisoners in his search for names. Soon, they learn Maria was gunned down by guys working for the drug kingpin of Puerto Rico. No one has ever gone up against him and survived. As the boys strategize, a storm gathers far from the coast. Hurricanes are known to carry evil spirits in their currents and bring them ashore, spirits which impose their own order.

Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz

Lana Torres has always preferred dragons to people. In a few weeks, sixteen countries will compete in the Blazewrath World Cup, a tournament where dragons and their riders fight for glory in a dangerous relay. Lana longs to represent her native Puerto Rico in their first ever World Cup appearance, and when Puerto Rico's Runner–the only player without a dragon steed is kicked off the team, she's given the chance.

But when she discovers that a former Blazewrath superstar has teamed up with the Sire, a legendary dragon who's cursed into human form the safety of the Cup is jeopardized. The pair are burning down dragon sanctuaries around the world and refuse to stop unless the Cup gets cancelled. All Lana wanted was to represent her country. Now, to do that, she'll have to navigate an international conspiracy that's deadlier than her beloved sport.

Simone by Eduardo Lalo

A tale of alienation, love, suspense, imagination, and literature set on the streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Simone tells the story of a self-educated Chinese immigrant student courting (and stalking) a disillusioned, unnamed writer who is struggling to make a name for himself in a place that is not exactly a hotbed of literary fame.

Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya

Marcus Vega is six feet tall, 180 pounds, and the owner of a premature mustache. When you look like this and you're only in the eighth grade, you're both a threat and a target. Marcus knows what classmates and teachers see when they look at him: a monster.

But appearances are deceiving. At home, Marcus is a devoted brother. And he finds ways to earn cash to contribute to his family’s rainy day fund. His mom works long hours and his dad walked out ten years ago—someone has to pick up the slack.

After a fight at school leaves him facing suspension, Marcus and his family decide to hit the reset button and regroup for a week in Puerto Rico. Marcus is more interested in finding his father, though, who is somewhere on the island. Through a series of misadventures that take Marcus all over Puerto Rico in search of the elusive Mr. Vega.