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Viktor

Paradox Series Masterlist | soft, blue

[Preview]

Reader receives the shock of their life when Viktor essentially materializes into their world, forever altering their version of reality.

They/Them pronouns reader, No use of Y/N, Alternative Universe fic taking place after S2 Pt. 2

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ B A L D U R ‘ S G A T E 3 ˖ ݁ 𖥔.

Astarion

A Spark Struck Thrice | soft, spicy

OC main character (Estelle She/Her), Alternative Universe fic set in Baldur’s Gate where everything is fine and the new bar in town might just be the best place to go for finding a new love interest.

★ ݁ ˖ S T A R D E W V A L L E Y ˖ ݁ ★

Sam

Clearer Skies and Sea-foam Eyes Prologue (AO3 Link) | soft, spicy, blue

Series Masterlist Part 1/? Released.

OC main character (May She/Her). Is it possible to miss someone you’ve never met? And will pining after a kindhearted yet incredibly rebellious guy be a distraction from the mission May initially set out on?

Magic in the Valley | soft

Series Masterlist CH. 1/? Released.

OC main character July (She/Her). It starts with a tap on his window, and may very well end in a mess of feelings.

Tag Lists Here (Send an ask to be added)

PFP by Maddel_art on Picrew!

It was oddly fitting that magic swirled through the crevices of the old community center in the form of apple shaped critters. At first, July had been absolutely terrified. Seeing a creature one could never even comprehend existing in front of her was like witnessing a chair run across the room. Completely improbable. Slightly disturbing. And among all, demanding of investigation for a curiosity beyond peaked.

It had only been a week, maybe a few days more, since July’s life had taken a sudden turn. Again. The last incident having been moving to her grandfather’s rundown farm in the quaint —but charming— Pelican Town. Now, she was acquainted with an actual Wizard that resided deep within the woods, and she had a secret to keep. Knowledge that would surely melt the mind of anyone in town.

All she wanted to do was talk about the creatures —which she had found out were called Junimos— but the Wizard had no interest in listening to her rambling and questions. How could she have kept this to herself? It was frankly insane.

One night, July was up late trying to complete a bundle of goods for the Junimos and got the fervent urge to just tell someone; to show them what she’d discovered and feel a little less alone. It was a part of her life that she hadn’t shared with her friends, and it felt like the whole thing was pushing her away from the people she’d come to trust. But who would believe her? She ran through all of the people she knew well.

Seb? No, he would probably laugh in her face or roll his eyes at her.

Abby? She might have believed her, but the purple haired rebel liked slaying monsters a little too much… July worried she might try to kill the sweet little things.

Sam? He believed in aliens and had told her on multiple occasions how he felt there was something strange in this town. He would hear her out her without a doubt.

July felt silly, like a teenager sneaking over to Sam’s window in the middle of the night, but he hadn’t answered her texts. She knew he was a heavy sleeper and calling might wake up just about everyone in the house but him. That’s how she wound up tapping on his window, head whipping over her shoulder every few moments. Finally, she heard rustling inside and the window slid up.

The freckled man peered out into the darkness, hair sticking up in all directions and eyes squinted to fight off the bleariness of sleep. Then he looked down and let out a breathy laugh.

“What the hell are you doing?” He was smiling, immediately amused by the situation.

“Sam, remember when you told me you’d believe me if I had a groundhog day situation?”

His eyes immediately lit up. “Oh shit, it’s happening!” He exclaimed, just a little too loud.

July shushed him and glanced around again before continuing. “It’s not that, but I need to know you’ll believe what I’m about to tell you.” He frowned a little, yet that sparkle of interest still remained in his slightly-more-awake eyes. “You trust me right?”

“Absolutely.” His earnest tone made her heart flip and she sucked in a breath.

“Okay, let’s go. I don’t want to wake your mom up.”

Sam began climbing out the window when July realized he was shirtless.

“Put on some clothes first!” She hissed, face warming at the sight of him without a shirt, hair messy, looking like a softened version of his regular self.

He chuckled and looked down at himself. “Shit, gimme a sec.”

—

“Do you always sleep naked?” July dared to ask once they got far enough from the houses to speak at a normal volume.

“I don’t sleep naked!” Sam defended, voice coming out squeaky. “I wear underwear.”

“That’s basically the same thing.” She deadpanned at him.

“Whatever. It just happens. I go to sleep with pajamas on and wake up with them off… That’s why Seb doesn’t let me sleep over anymore.”

July snickered and shook her head, imagining their friend’s absolute horror upon finding an almost-naked Sam on his couch upon waking up.

“His loss, I guess.”

“Where are we going, anyway? You’re killing me, making me wait,” Sam whined as they hiked up the hill leading toward the community center. “Wait, are you gonna kill me? Be honest.”

“I am not going to kill you,” She groaned. “We’re almost there.”

“Then you’re bringing me to an abandoned old building for what?”

July leaned her bodyweight into the heavy oak door as she pushed it open to reveal utter darkness. She flicked on the lights and followed Sam into the middle of the main room. She had to admit, this looked extremely shady.

“Because…” She searched the floors for signs of the apple-shaped creatures, peeking under debris and lifting loose floorboards. “Because, just trust me, Sammy.”

He giggled but said nothing else, choosing to stay silent as he followed her through dilapidated rooms. Sam was amused by how out of character July was acting. She often come off in a bubbly but slightly reserved manner. She could become a bit neurotic when it came to the condition of her crops, but never frantic. It hadn’t been long enough to truly get to know her though, and if this was important to her, then he would most definitely entertain her. He had developed a soft spot for her almost as soon as they met.

July reached the boiler room and punched her fists into the fat above where her waist met her hips. “It’s gotta be around here somewhere,” she murmured quietly. Sweat began to develop on her upper lip. She wasn’t sure if it was a product of her quick steps or her growing anxiety. She wanted— Needed Sam to believe her.

When she peeked into the rusted furnace, her bag slipped off one shoulder and a jagged gem fell out. It rolled across rough floor boards and stopped in the center of the room, where the grocery list of items she needed was stuck to the ground in the form of a plaque. She had forgotten she brought the last piece to one of the bundles, and excitement bloomed when the plaque lit up.

Sam immediately stepped back, caught off guard by the sudden burst of light. He hadn’t even noticed the little square that had what looked like scribbles separated into neat lines etched into it. Chirping came from an unknown location, growing louder until one of the Junimos appeared out of thin air and picked up the gem.

The little creature was green in color, and its little stick arms held the heavy object with ease. It jumped once, as if showing off its strength, before slowly walking toward the door to the room.

Sam was speechless, caught between looking at his friend and the Junimo, his eyes nearly crossing in his disbelief. “That was a— Wait, what… And the,” he sputtered, wildly gesturing at the door until the Junimo rounded the corner. “Where’s it going?!”

“Let’s go find out.” July grinned as she grabbed Sam’s hand, tugging him behind her as she chased the creature.

His hand was rougher than hers, the pads of his fingers calloused from endless hours spent strumming away at his guitar. July wondered if the softness of her fingertips would slowly wane the more she handled heavy tools and helped Robin renovate the house and build farm structures.

July was still so new to this town, and she wanted to do good. Not only for her late grandfather, but for herself too. That’s the whole reason she moved here, wasn’t it? To start a new life and find herself— whatever that meant. She wanted community, friends, love, human connection… It had been so long since she had hugged another person that when she came to town and was embraced, literally and figuratively, by everyone, she felt frankly unnerved.

Even when Granny Evelyn covered her hands with dainty fingers, July itched to detach herself. So, why did it feel so natural to have Sam’s hand in hers? The thought was fleeting because the man in question demanded attention as his whole world imploded.

The Junimo they had been trailing danced into a little hut that had leaves sprouting from the top, and then it appeared again with a star in its grasp. The golden shape rose into the air and daintily floated into place on the wall, filling one of five indented stars. And then it was gone as soon as it appeared.

“This is freaking crazy,” Sam breathed, squatting with his head in his hands.

July’s eyes widened and she worried that she broke him. She quietly crouched down next to him and placed a hand on his back. “You good?”

He turned to her with an unexpected megawatt grin. “No, I’m amazing! Do you know what this means? Those little things are, like, aliens and they’re communicating. You have to tell me everything, pleeeeeease.”

Sam shifted into his knees and grasped July’s shoulders as he begged for more information. Initially, she thought that bringing him here would simply give her the comfort of somebody else knowing about the existence of magic in the valley, but she didn’t expect for Sam to want to go all in.

That night, they ended up at the farm, sitting on the living room floor as July explained everything from the beginning. Sam had moved her shabby coffee table to the edge of the room so there was room for multiple pieces of paper illustrated with maps and lists of items. It was the quietest she had ever seen him, when she spoke about the Wizard and the Junimos.

He sat criss-cross with his fists tucked beneath his chin, focused so intensely that July felt like she had a spotlight on her. But then when she would finish speaking and he would jump in with a million questions and thoughts, that tension would ease from her. There was a lot of playful banter and laughter, the late night air carrying the scent of humor and a hint of delirium.

It felt like a childhood sleepover, when the parents would finally go to bed and the children would try their best to be quiet and fail miserably. The night desolated into giggles around mouthfuls of snacks, and on Sam’s part, choking with laughter and the unsettling Joja Cola July fished up from the lake.

When the sun began to peek through her windows, the two of them realized that they’d spent all night talking. Sam was a bit embarrassed, spitting out apologies about taking up her time with reddened cheeks. July was all smiles, swatting them away and thanking him for being open and listening to her.

“I’ll always hear you out, I hope you know that,” he told her, voice soft and tired. “But I am kinda confused on why you came to me. Why not Abby or Seb?”

“I guess I just thought I could trust you. You’re always talking about fantastical things and telling me you heard someone say they saw bigfoot or a monster in the woods. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think you were looking for something like this.”

Sam nodded thoughtfully. “I guess I was. Thank you again— for trusting me. I hope you know though, that I’m all in on this now. I want to help you finish your quests for the Junimos and figure out the rest of the mysteries here. I would die if I couldn’t help you figure everything out.” He paused. “Or, maybe I’m not good at puzzles, but I’ll stick by your side. It’s probably scary running around at night with all of the unknowns here. It would be nice to have a partner in crime, right?”

July smirked. “No crime, but yes. If you’re really that interested, I’d love to do this again. You’re really easy to talk to, y’know.”

The man slid his palm behind his neck and grinned bashfulky. “You too. Anyway, I gotta sneak back into my room before my mom realizes I’m gone and freaks out,” he says as he shucks his feet into his sneakers. “You can knock on my window anytime, though.”

“Will do. Have a good day, Sammy. I’ll see you soon,” July promises.

She sits on her porch steps as she watches him go, and then she enjoys an old cup of cold coffee from the day before as she watches the sun rise. Her heart is flutter with excitement at the strengthened bond she’s gained with Sam. But something else lingers beneath all that, a fondness that if she’s not careful, may turn into something deeper.

That slow drizzle of dread had filled her bucket to the brim on that fateful winter day. What made the surface tension finally break and spill over came in the form of her manager— Jolene: a woman in her mid-thirties that took her job far too seriously, and the cruelest person May had had the misfortune of meeting— dropping a stack of paperwork onto the overworked girl's desk just twenty minutes before her shift was supposed to be over.

With a false smile, Jolene let May know that she needed to have the extra work finished before she clocked out for the day.

”But it’s the end of the day,” May croaked, exhausted. “It’s impossible for me to finish all of this without staying late for hours.”

Jolene feigned a sympathetic expression. “Well then you’d better get started, hm?”

First, came sobs muffled into her hands as she sat on the bathroom floor. Then, came rage. It wasn't fair. May had been told by her professors that she had a promising future ahead of her, but they were all liars. She had ended up with a job that sucked any and all ambition out of her. The world had turned against her, and it felt like her ribs were being broken apart by her racing heart.

How embarrassing, she thought, to be found with tear stained cheeks, curled up on the grimy bathroom floor by a poor custodian. Or worse, her demon of a manager. She had to pick herself up, but she wouldn't return to her desk. May knew that sitting in that chair one more time would lead to her falling into true despair. She wouldn't be able to crawl out of that hole this time. She had no motivation left in her.

All May could think of at the time was her granddad: the one and only presence in her life that stayed steady as a stone. But he was gone, and she didn't know what to do without his guidance. Should she have quit her job and scrambled to find something that wouldn't cause her to fall behind on rent? Should she have gone crawling back to her parents with a one-way ticket to the other side of the country? And if she chose the latter, would they be ashamed of her?

Her granddad's last letter to her that she had been too scared to open was the only thing on her mind, and breaking that intricate wax seal felt like a point of no return. The sight of his eccentric font was enough to make her hiccup. Her fingers trailed over the paper as if she could find his voice through the indents of his words. The contents of that letter caused her to fully break.

His final wish was to have her care for his farm in the valley she practically grew up in. Every summer was spent there from the time she could run, until she became a tween. Regret filled her throat as she thought about how long it had been since that farm had been left to the whims of nature.

For hours, May stewed in this complicated concoction of emotion, and slowly, her resolve steeled. This could be the answer to her pleas to the universe for something, anything else than the purgatory she was due to return to in less than five hours at that point.

She made the decision to accept her granddad's wishes and move to Pelican Town before she had the time to back out. She had developed the habit of second guessing most of her decisions, afraid of what the consequences would be. But she had to do this for herself more than anyone else.

As soon as the sun rose, May called the office and abruptly quit her job. No two week notice, no regrets. Her heart was aflutter with relief and a bit of adrenaline. If she wasn't so overwhelmed and sleep deprived, she would have laughed at how pissed off Jolene sounded. Hanging up on her was the second act of reclaiming her autonomy, and it was deliciously euphoric.

Riding on that feeling, May dialed the number her granddad scribbled at the bottom of his letter. She hadn't seen Mayor Lewis in over a decade, but the sound of his voice was the same, as far as she could remember. Warm and a tad gravelly. He was more than happy to welcome her back, sounding relieved under all of his joviality. She wondered what he would look like now, comparing the blurry images of a man with sandy blond hair and the beginnings of grey threading through a thick mustache.