When Shane opened his eyes, wonder stole the breath from his lungs.
Ilya was… glowing.
It began softly, like moonlight caught in mist, then brightened until his curls glistened, a faint halo forming around his head. Light spilled from him in gentle waves, warm and alive, casting gold streaks across the deck.
“What?” Ilya asked, uncertainty creeping into his voice as he noticed the sudden stillness around them. “Why is everyone looking at me?”
“You’re-” Shane swallowed, barely trusting his own voice. “You’re shining.”
He reached out without thinking, cupping Ilya’s face, fingers brushing his luminous hair in disbelief. There was no way this was real, right?
“I-” Ilya faltered, glancing down at himself. His skin glowed now, bright enough to illuminate the entire ship, sails bathed in starlight.
“Holy shit,” Shane breathed.
The music had faded. No one spoke. The crew stared in reverent silence as the truth settled, undeniable and breathtaking.
A fallen star.
Notes:
These characters have consumed me so much that they have brought me out of my fanfic writing retirement. Inspired by the movie Stardust, Ilya is a literal fallen star, and Shane has fallen in love.
Rated T Read on AO3
When Captain Shane Hollander set out on a voyage to retrieve a fallen star for the king, he never imagined that fallen star would turn out to be a man.
Legends claimed that fallen stars possessed immense power, and there was no doubt the king intended to claim it for himself. He was paying Shane handsomely. Riches beyond imagination for both captain and crew were promised, and of course the realm’s finest ship and the world’s best sailors would take such a job without hesitation.
They braved waves that rose like mountains as they followed the X marked on their map. This part of the ocean was dark and dangerous, yet Shane thrilled at the adrenaline rushing through his veins. When they finally reached a small island, they were greeted by darting lizards, squawking tropical birds, and sand beetles scattering beneath their boots as they rowed ashore. Hours passed as they hacked their way through the dense jungle, until at last the trees gave way to a massive crater carved into the earth.
At its center was… a man.
Shane rubbed his eyes. After endless nights without sleep and relentless tempests at sea, exhaustion had taken its toll, but no amount of fatigue could explain what he was seeing. A man lay in the heart of the crater, golden curls matted with dirt, arms strong despite his stillness, fear unmistakable in his wide eyes. Shane stared, stunned, struggling to accept that this was what the king had sent him across the world to find.
The man was undeniably handsome…and entirely unclothed.
Heat rushed to Shane’s face as he hurried to the edge of the crater and climbed down, boots sliding against loose stone as he descended nearly fifteen feet. He used his sword to brace himself as he slid the last few feet.
“H-hello?” he called, his voice tentative, as he caught himself staring.
The man startled and looked up. “Please,” he said, desperation clear in his eyes. “Help me.” His voice carried a thick accent Shane couldn’t quite place, unfamiliar and strangely captivating all the same.
Without thinking, Shane shrugged out of his navy blazer and draped it around the man’s shivering shoulders. He offered his hand, steadying him as he carefully pulled him to his feet.
“Who are you?” Shane asked, still trying to reconcile the man before him with the legends he’d grown up hearing. There was no way this was a fallen star.
“I am called Ilya,” the blond man said softly. “Thank you for saving me.”
“Captain Shane Hollander,” Shane said.
“Hollander,” Ilya said, testing the name on his lips.
Shane didn’t even correct him that his proper title was Captain, or Captain Shane Hollander.
----
Days passed, and still Shane couldn’t quite accept it. The king was paying him a small fortune to retrieve a man. Not a relic, not a weapon, but just Ilya. No matter how many times Shane turned it over in his mind, it refused to make sense. Judging by the uneasy glances and whispered conversations among the crew, he wasn’t alone in that confusion.
Ilya stood near the rail that night, dressed in a borrowed pair of trousers and one of Shane’s collared shirts, its sleeves rolled back at the wrists. He gazed up at the sky with open wonder, as if he were seeing it for the first time from this side of the world. Shane felt something unfamiliar twist in his chest at the sight of him. It was something warm, possessive, and quietly dangerous. Seeing Ilya wrapped in his clothes stirred an instinct he didn’t bother trying to name.
“What do you think the king’s going to do with him?” Hayden murmured, nodding subtly in Ilya’s direction.
Shane didn’t look away. “No idea,” he said. “And that’s what scares me.”
Hayden studied him for a long moment. “So what’s your plan, Captain?”
“I’m working on it,” Shane replied, though the words felt thinner than he liked.
As the night deepened, one by one the crew retired to their cabins, leaving the deck hushed save for the creak of wood and the gentle rush of waves. Still, Ilya remained where he was, eyes fixed on the moon as it climbed higher into the sky.
Shane joined him at the rail. “One of the perks of being a sailor,” he said quietly. “You get views like this.”
Ilya smiled faintly. “I suppose the perk of being a star,” he said, “is seeing the world from very far away.”
He swallowed, the glow of the moon catching in his eyes. “But it is terribly lonely up there,” he added softly. “I much prefer looking at it from down here. With you, Hollander.”
Shane’s breath caught before he could stop it.
----
The storm this evening was ruthless.
Shane’s hands burned as he fought the wheel, muscles screaming while the ship bucked beneath him. Rain pummeled his face in stinging sheets, salt and wind stealing the breath from his lungs as thunder cracked overhead, rattling his bones.
“TIE DOWN THE STARBOARD ROPES!” he bellowed, his voice nearly swallowed by the wind.
A crewman fumbled with the wrong sail, fingers slick and shaking as the canvas snapped violently, threatening to tear itself free. Another wave slammed into the hull, sending the ship pitching hard to port. Shane dug in his boots and wrenched the wheel back, shoulders straining as the mast groaned in protest.
The deck was chaos. Ropes were thrashing, men were shouting swears that vanished into the night, water was pooling everywhere. The ship creaked and groaned beneath the onslaught, every timber protesting as if the ship were going to split in two.
Shane didn’t dare look below deck.
He sent up a silent prayer instead, thanking the gods that Ilya was safe in the cabins below. His cabin, Shane corrected with a grim, fleeting smile. It was the most reinforced space on the ship, designed to survive the worst the sea could throw at them.
If the storm meant to take anything tonight, Shane would be damned if it took him. He threw in an extra prayer to whatever god might be listening that this storm would let up soon.
----
Shane wasn’t sure how long he was fighting with the wheel but some time later, almost imperceptibly at first, the storm began to falter.
The wind let up, no longer howling but fizzling out in weaker gusts. The rain softened from punishing sheets to a steady drizzle, and the waves lost some of their savage height. The ship continued to creak and sway, but the violent lurches eased into something survivable.
“Steady!” Shane yelled out, his voice hoarse now, his hands icy and numb on the wheel.
Gradually, the darkness thinned. A break in the dark clouds above revealed a sliver of moonlight. Holy shit, they might actually make it. The moonlight spilled across the deck, glinting off soaked planks and tangled ropes, illuminating the crew as they stood braced and breathing, barely believing they were still alive.
Shane sagged against the wheel as the worst of it passed, his pulse still roaring in his ears. The sea hadn’t beaten them, and Shane thanked the gods. The ship was worse for wear, but they were alive.
Only when the sails were secured and the ship limped onward did Shane finally allow himself to look below deck.
Ilya would be waiting. He always was.
----
“Hollander,” Ilya breathed when the shadow of Shane crossed the threshold. Relief was on his face as he saw Shane standing there, wet, cold, but alive. He was laying in Shane’s bed, shoes off, and pillows askew.
“Ilya,” Shane murmured, pausing and flexing his hands to try to get the feeling to return to them. They were still icy, but the warmth from this room, or was it Ilya? was reaching him.
Shane stood there for several beats, unsure what to do. Part of him wanted to rush into Ilya’s embrace and hold him forever and never let go. The other part just stood there frozen in disbelief, as if none of this were real, and he would soon wake up back on land having never met the fallen star.
“It’s stopped,” Shane said at least, running his hands through his dark, saltwater-soaked hair. “Some of the crew are upstairs having some rum.” He hesitated again. “I was wondering if you might want some.”
“Rum?” Ilya echoed.
Shane let out a soft, self-conscious laugh. “I can’t stand the stuff,” he admitted, unsure how to explain alcohol to someone who’d fallen from the sky. “But they swear it tastes good. You don’t have to, of course. I just thought… maybe you’d like to join us.”
A smile reached Ilya’s mouth. “Okay,” Ilya said, his accent curling around the word.
Shane’s heart swooped, his chest feeling light. They were okay.
---
Up top, the deck was alive with song, laughter, and the sharp tang of alcohol. The crew had shaken loose the fear of the storm and now moved with easy joy, celebrating survival the way sailors always did. They celebrated loudly, together, and without restraint.
Ilya reached for Shane’s hand as Shane guided him into the gathering. Shane glanced down in surprise, uncertainty flickering through him until Ilya smiled.
“This is okay, yes?” Ilya asked, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.
Shane nodded, words catching in his throat. More than okay. Don’t ever let go. “Y—” he began, only to be cut off by a very enthusiastic voice.
“HEY! IT’S THE CAPTAIN AND THE STAR!” Cliff sloshed toward them, a brown bottle of rum raised high. “Here’s to surviving the end of the world!” he declared, punctuating it with a hiccup.
Shane laughed. “Maybe take it easy on the rum, Cliff.”
He accepted a bottle from Hayden and added dryly, “I need my crew in tip-top shape.” Shane took a swig and grimaced. He didn’t know how his crew drank the stuff as often as they did. He preferred ginger tea.
“Eh?” Cliff grinned. “Loosen up, Cap’.” He staggered back toward the others, already mid-laugh.
Shane offered the bottle to Ilya, only mildly disappointed when Ilya released his grip.
Ilya took the bottle with both hands and sniffed it, brow furrowing. Then, with a decisive shrug, he took a swig and immediately coughed as the burn tore its way down his throat.
“You don’t have to drink it,” Shane said, laughing as he reached for the bottle. “I know it’s awful.”
“Nonsense,” Ilya replied, waving him off and taking another swallow. “Now I am used to it, yes? I will drink.”
Shane watched him, unable to hide the grin on his face.
Ilya chugged the bottle right in front of him and Shane was both impressed and terrified of what this man was doing to him.
“I like that rum drink,” Ilya punctuated, slamming the bottle down on the nearest table dramatically to cheers from the crew
Another crew member pulled out a lute, plucking the strings carefully in the cold night air. They began singing.
Give me your eyes
I need sunshine
Give me your eyes
I need sunshine
Your blood
Your bones
Your voice
And your ghost
Shane took a moment to look around at his crew bobbing and swaying to the music, faces flushed with drink and laughter. For the first time in a long while, he felt something close to happiness settle in his chest.
Before he could overthink it, he turned back to Ilya and held out his hand. “Dance with me,” he said, already tugging him toward the center of the circle the crew had formed.
Maybe it was the lingering burn of alcohol on Ilya’s tongue, or maybe it was the cool night air brushing against his skin, but he didn’t hesitate. He wasn’t afraid of the man in front of him. Falling from the sky was terrifying and painful, but perhaps it was worth it to meet Captain Shane Hollander.
They swayed and danced with the music, the sky clear and the moon full. Shane held Ilya close, closing his eyes enjoying the moment. Then, all of a sudden, he felt a warmth emanating from Ilya.
When Shane opened his eyes, wonder stole the breath from his lungs.
Ilya was… glowing.
It began softly, like moonlight caught in mist, then brightened until his curls glistened, a faint halo forming around his head. Light spilled from him in gentle waves, warm and alive, casting gold streaks across the deck.
“What?” Ilya asked, uncertainty creeping into his voice as he noticed the sudden stillness around them. “Why is everyone looking at me?”
“You’re-” Shane swallowed, barely trusting his own voice. “You’re shining.”
He reached out without thinking, cupping Ilya’s face, fingers brushing his luminous hair in disbelief. There was no way this was real, right?
“I-” Ilya faltered, glancing down at himself. His skin glowed now, bright enough to illuminate the entire ship, sails bathed in starlight.
“Holy shit,” Shane breathed.
The music had faded. No one spoke. The crew stared in reverent silence as the truth settled, undeniable and breathtaking.
A fallen star.
Shining. Shimmering. Splendid.
Shane knew, with a clarity sharper than fear, that he could never hand Ilya over to the king. No crown, no gold, no threat of exile could outweigh what stood before him now. He would find another way to repay his crew even if he had to sail for years on end.
If this was the price of defiance, Shane would pay it gladly.
Ilya was worth a lifetime at sea.
“You’re beautiful,” Shane breathed, never having seen anything shine so brightly in his life.
Ilya leaned in until their foreheads touched, light humming softly beneath his skin.
“Shane,” Ilya said his first name, spoken for the first time, careful and reverent.
Shane didn’t even have time to feel what that did to him before reality crashed back in. The ship had become a beacon in the dark. A fallen star screaming its location to the entire ocean. Neon-bright. Impossible to miss. Hayden’s eyes were wide as saucers as he watched the realization dawn on Shane’s face.
“The most sober crew member,” Shane said sharply, already moving, “will be sailing us through the night.”
He didn’t wait for a response. There was no time. Shane grabbed Ilya’s hand and pulled him toward the stairs, fear and possession twisting together in his gut. He grabbed his sword with his other hand instinctually. He didn’t want to wait and find out what kinds of things hunted fallen stars. He couldn’t wait to see what monsters had just felt that flare of light and turned their heads.
He just knew one thing: Ilya had to be hidden. Now.
“Shane,” Ilya said as they reached the captain’s quarters. He was still glowing, a bit more muted now, but unmistakable.
“I can’t lose you,” Shane said, voice rough. “Monsters are after you. We have to move. We have to-”
“Shane.”
This time, Ilya stopped him. A hand pressed flat against Shane’s chest, steady and warm, anchoring him back into his own body.
“This is a big moment for me,” Ilya said softly, tugging him down until they were sitting side by side on the edge of the bed. “Do you know what this means?”
Shane swallowed. His mind filled with panic instead of wonder.
We’re all going to die. You’re going to leave me. I can’t protect you.
“I love you,” Ilya said simply.
Shane froze.
That was… not what he’d been bracing for.
“I’m glowing,” Ilya continued, almost sheepish, “because I’m in love.”
He said it like it was obvious. Like it explained everything.
Shane laughed, a shaky, disbelieving sound that turned into a breathless exhale. “Holy shit,” he said, for the second time that night. Then, he said “I love you too. So much.”
Their lips crashed together, hunger and want pooling in their chests. Hands explored every inch of each other, Ilya’s blond curls illuminating the entire room.
“It is a funny feeling,” Ilya said, humming against Shane’s ear. “But I do not ever want it to ever go away.”
“Me either,” Shane said, inhaling deeply.
For this moment, the two men knew they were safe and could take on the world as long as they were together.
Shane couldn’t believe it. A fallen star. Had fallen in love. With him.
Shane smiled, heart full to the point of ache. He tightened his arms around him, grounding, human, real. “We’ll figure out the rest.” Nothing would stop them.
Ilya raked his hands through Shane’s hair.
“Shane,” Ilya said. “I like saying your name.”
“I like hearing it.”
Ilya pushed Shane back into the mattress, beaming as he snuggled on top of him, close, safe, and home.
also for normelodie so beware the oc x canon ahead lmao.
yeah yeah another AU for outlet. lmao. anyways. this one's different because it came to me in a dream! literally! it was pretty cool since i have very movie-like dreams. but, while the concept was from my dreams, a lot of this has been expanded upon after weeks.
long post ahead! sorry! it's me again!
for the setting: we start off in a currently unnamed kingdom, led by king henry maclean. it is also important to note that this setting is full of magic! there's a bunch of magical elements to the buildings, i'm leaning towards piltover vibes from arcane. overall, a very picturesque and glimmering kingdom filled with bountiful crops and magical technologies.
magic in this setting is interesting. people have a latent ability to perform magic, but it's limited to simple tasks like lighting flames and cleaning up small messes. like the prestidigitation cantrip in dnd! some people, though, have highly potent magical potential. i treat it like a gene that can be inherited, tbh. everyone has a gene for magic, but some express more and more potent versions of the gene, and can therefore withstand more magic. the royal family is known to be very proficient mages, and many members of the aristocracy also have the 'gift.'
i will note though, the kingdom is largely egalitarian and almost a 'utopia', per-se. the vaults themselves are these little enclaves within a greater world, and so i see this small kingdom, similar to the size of many micronations today. small, self-sustaining, and incredibly wealthy. magical prowess doesn't mean much to a layperson, since they can get by quite well. the king, though, seems very interested in it...
overall, the kingdom's social rules are similar to victorian england, but a bit more... open? for example, finding any two of-age individuals alone together, especially if they are touching, will raise suspicion. if they are walking around, it's not as bad. but together, alone? oh, they better be ready for rumors to fly.
for our characters: hank maclean is, of course, the king. he is known to be benevolent and caring, and, despite being the head of the kingdom's military, he's been said to 'never be able to hurt a fly'. he is a skilled mage as well, using his magic for many tricks during speeches and official events.
he has two children, the princess, and heir to the throne, lucy, and the prince, norman. not many people care about norm, since he's not the direct heir, but a lot of people fawn over him/see him as the way to get into the royal family. he doesn't care about any of this, since he knows his sister is going to end up leading the country anyways. their mother died tragically when they were younger, and there's a day of remembrance for her. one of the royal gardens is specifically in her honor.
finally, we have elodie, the daughter of the royal mage. she currently works as the official arcane gardener, and her duties include blessing farmland for the harvest (which is year-round, thanks to magic!), and tending to the royal family's personal gardens.
she, and other mages, are always covering their skin, because, secret secret, a little-known way to increase one's magical potential is through arcane tattoos along specific paths of one's body. it is therefore uncommon to see mages with their body parts, such as arms, exposed. an exception is balls and parties within the aristocracy, since it's seen as a 'flex.' the tattoos are done with a light-colored ink, and take on the color of the person's magic. elodie's tattoos are light, mainly gold and slightly green.
for the story/how the characters interact: elodie is a member of the aristocracy, and therefore finds herself at plenty of royal balls. she doesn't really enjoy them, given that people always gawk at her arms. she slinks away into the gardens at one of the balls, and finds herself in the presence of the crown prince. she apologizes profusely, backing away until he calms her and says her name. not 'lady brooks', or 'mage brooks'. elodie.
they've known each other since they were little, but never really had much chance to talk. hell, they had the same tutors (with different sessions), danced together at balls, and have had numerous dinners together. but, despite this, they've never truly talked. and so, they chat about how much they despise all of this, with norm mentioning how tired he is of finding a suitable marriage partner, and elodie complaining about how much she hates all these rigid social rules that she never quite understood.
they start getting more comfortable, and have this same pattern of meeting in secret for a few more galas. they plan to meet again, but, during the next gala, things go awry. the visiting guests from a friendly kingdom look ragged, and elodie can tell that something feels off. she meets norm in the gardens, but before they can settle down, shouting erupts from the palace above. they hear magic, the sound of fighting, and suddenly, everyone is fleeing.
there's even people in the gardens with them, who they run into. elodie manages to fend them off, ushering him to safety. lucy eventually finds him, and orders two guards to bring him to safety. completely shocked, he goes willingly. elodie refuses, fighting alongside lucy. this is when hank is captured by one of the raiders, and, with a knife to his throat, vanishes.
the king has been abducted.
the kingdom is in shambles. elodie's own father is missing, her sister was killed, and nearly a hundred others have been slaughtered. the council / aristocracy meets, and decide that the gates must be kept closed as they heal. lucy opposes this, and, despite being the crown princess, smuggles herself out of the kingdom (with the help of chet, who is a magical gate-guard and specializes in abjuration).
everyone is panicked about her going missing, until they find a letter she left, stating that she'll find her dad and return. in the meantime, norm is then the ruler of the kingdom. he's VERY unhappy about this, and storms out of the meeting to 'contemplate in private'. there's no way out, though, since he's the heir apparent. there's no one else to take the throne, he has to.
it's on a balcony of the palace that he runs into elodie, who is similarly upset. she's the new royal mage, and her dad is literally presumed dead. they try to comfort each other as best as they can, but, it's still awkward. it always is.
it gets even more awkward when councilmembers find the young prince, since they have urgent affairs he must sign off on. they find him with elodie, alone, and without an escort. and... are they holding hands? gasp! what!
and so, to avoid further scandal, they are betrothed and set to be wed once his coronation has settled. surely, a large event of happiness (a new king and his queen!) will tide people over. it kinda works.
from here things get hazy. elodie has to perform a magic compatibility test to fully qualify her as a candidate for norm's partner. it's a leftover process from a long-dead king, and is important due to the royal bloodline possessing immensely strong magic. this is a secret reason norm has never wanted to marry, and why lucy was set to be married off. it's a process he never wanted someone to go through. nonetheless, elodie has to. she's drained from the gala, and passes out the first time. norm insists they let her rest and try again. by the skin of her teeth, she succeeds. and then passes out five seconds later.
at first, they also kinda hate being married. they're stressed and ignore each other a lot of the time. elodie's unhappy in such a forward-facing position, and norm feels IMMENSELY guilty for pulling her into this life. they don't even consummate the marriage at first because they never wanted to rush into anything. they slowly learn more about each other by sheer proximity, and eventually rekindle whatever sparks they felt during their garden meetings. hell, i can imagine it happening in the gardens again, the one place they feel comfortable.
i also had the vague idea of hank, and therefore lucy/norm, being a dragon. all the members of 31 = secret dragons manipulating kingdoms. norm himself has dragon blood and doesn't even realize it, until... maybe his emotions run high, or his dad's distance lowers the block on his own magic. he locks himself away when he realizes something is terribly wrong. scales, a tail, wings, they all pop up and make him feel crazy. by the end of the hour, he's transformed. elodie gets concerned, knocks on his door. can sense some sort of draconic magic. she finds him cowered in the corner of his high-vaulted room, terrified.
that's why they had the test of her magic! high mana interested hank because it meant they could possibly handle the magic of a dragon's spawn. since. yeah. it's all about progeny. smth smth the dragons want to reproduce smth smth. i think being a dragon could be a good fill-in for the horror of being in a breeding experiment.
as you can see, there are many kinks to be worked out. i'm still working on them, but any feedback on this AU is appreciated regardless! ty for reading!!
Curious Enough to Take It Apart by CrouchingTiger28
Summary:
Her first, stunned impression was ‘big’. It certainly was big. Maybe three times the height of a landwalker, it loomed immensely over her two-story house-and-shop like a skyscraper dropped in the suburbs.
Her second thought was concern for her house. Landwalkers trampling over her property were bad enough, this thing looked like it could crush her house in one oversized step. Her third thought was an abrupt realization that the huge, clawed foot was not settling on top of her house, but was reaching directly for her.
Her fourth thought was unprintable.
Or: Niki is a landwalker mechanic minding her own business making big bucks from rich people when she gets kidnapped for her mechanic skills.
Word Count: 4,038
Curious Enough to Take It Apart is a fic with steampunk and fantasy setting where Niki is a steampunk mechanic and Technoblade is a dragon cyborg. It's a cute fic with sunrise duo, and an alternate universe that is definitely unique.
Rating: T | Category: F/M, Gen | Relationship: Lockwood/Lucy
The servants were serving another man, the Earl of Lockwood, who was leaning against a long table at the other end of the now open hall, next to the small but conspicuous and ornate chair that was placed at the end. He had his dark hair down and was staring at the wood in front of him as if it held some important message and solution to what had plagued them for so long. But when he heard the sound of the man entering, he looked up. Though his stature and bearing belied his youth, it marked him at the same time, for dark shadows formed under his eyes and the threat he faced almost alone was evident in his expression.
Imagine Lockwood, Lucy and George living in a version of 13th century Middle Ages and the world of Merlin (TV). Anthony, Earl of Lockwood is the son of a king, but tries to live his life as an independent lord. As the Problem, the plague, haunts the people and Lord Lockwood's father, the King, refuses to take decisive action to protect the people, Lockwood fights his own battles, fighting ghosts in secret. George de Clarim, supports him but hides his own secrets. When they get close to capturing a thief in a strive for distraction, our story sets in...
title: before the sun is rising up
author: asmallstarfish
rating: general
wordcount: 74206
pairing: choi san/jung yunho
summary:
Choi San is dead.
Until he wakes up in the body of notorious, despised villain Park San, and realizes he's fated to die. Again. Now the only option he has is to undo all the evil Park San has done, turn the hate of the people around him to at least acceptance, and, more than anything, avoid his impending death.
Somehow, along the way, he finds love.
