Characters
Tormund Giantsbane, Jon Snow, Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s), Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Luka Couffaine, Emilie Agreste, Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Tom Riddle/Original Female Character(s), Albus Dumbledore, Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Emma Swan, Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Tissaia de Vries, Alya Césaire, Flora (Winx Club), Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard, Prince Charming | David Nolan, Captain Hook | Killian Jones, Keith (Voltron), Tissaia de Vries & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Jack Harkness, Septima Vector, Kagami Tsurugi, Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Remy "Thirteen" Hadley, Robert Chase, Chris Taub, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Isabelle Lightwood, Alec Lightwood, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Lance (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Allura (Voltron), Coran (Voltron), Lotor (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Angel (BtVS), Clara Oswin Oswald, Josephine Montilyet, Varric Tethras, Prince Charming | David Nolan/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard, Female Lavellan (Dragon Age), Female Amell (Dragon Age), Chloe Decker, Marc Anciel, Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug), Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Tikki, Female Hawke (Dragon Age), Gwen Cooper, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Kagami Tsurugi, Female Amell/Cullen Rutherford, Zevran Arainai, Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey's Mother, Elizabeth Burke (White Collar), Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Allura/Lotor (Voltron), Fen'Harel | Solas, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Greg House, Félix Graham de Vanily, Eleventh Doctor, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Félix Graham de Vanily, Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Fenris (Dragon Age), Female Lavellan/Solas, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier | Dandelion, Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan, Jon Snow/Ygritte, Anders (Dragon Age), Twelfth Doctor, Temperance Brennan, Isabelle Lightwood/Meliorn, Sebastian Vael, Anders/Female Hawke, Sookie Stackhouse, Jason Stackhouse, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Seeley Booth, Adele Hale Stackhouse, Meliorn (Shadowhunter Chronicles), Emilie Agreste/Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Tormund Giantsbane & Jon Snow, Marc Anciel & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Female Hawke/Sebastian Vael, Female Hawke & Varric Tethras, Female Lavellan & Varric Tethras, Female Amell & Varric Tethras, Cesare Borgia/Lucrezia Borgia, Hunk & Lotor (Voltron), Hunk & Keith (Voltron), Robert Chase/Original Female Character(s), one-sided Chloe Decker/Michael, Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold & Emma Swan, Seeley Booth/Temperance Brennan, Angel (BtVS)/Temperance Brennan, Lucrezia Borgia & Micheletto Corella, Fenris/Female Hawke, Anders/Fenris/Female Hawke/Sebastian Vael, Zevran Arainai/Josephine Montilyet, Kova & Lotor (Voltron), Tom Riddle/Septima Vector, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Jaskier | Dandelion, Jaskier | Dandelion & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Flora/Helia (Winx Club), Neal Caffrey/Original Female Character(s), Elizabeth Burke & Neal Caffrey, Elizabeth Burke & Mozzie (White Collar), Gwen Cooper/Jack Harkness, Cesare Borgia, Lucrezia Borgia, Cardinal Ascanio Sforza, Michael (Lucifer TV), Micheletto Corella, Rodrigo Borgia | Pope Alexander VI, Helia (Winx Club), Mozzie (White Collar), Diana Berrigan, Clinton Jones, Gwyneth (Doctor Who)
Tags
Fluff
Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Friends to Lovers
Polygamy
Betrayal
Desperation
Magic
Love Confessions
Not Canon Compliant
Character Death
Jon Snow is a Targaryen
Murder
Families of Choice
Headcanon
Bullying
Time Travel
Identity Reveal
Secret Identity
Polyamory
Politics
Canon Compliant
Happy Ending
Sibling Incest
One-Sided Attraction
Devotion
Heartbreak
Death
Love Letters
Late Night Conversations
Second Chances
Love
Fate
Hogwarts
Sort Of
Break Up
Aged-Up Character(s)
Age Regression/De-Aging
Acceptance
Singing
Marriage
Post-Canon
Prison
Feels
Future
Ghosts
Loss
Butterfly Effect
Insomnia
Time Travel Fix-It
Necromancy
Angels
Homecoming
Sacrifice
Alya Césaire Bashing
Pen Pals
Beauty and the Beast Elements
Orphans
Tragedy
Courting Rituals
Character Analysis
Hunk (Voltron) is a Good Friend
Heroes & Heroines
Christmas
Italy
Supportive Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug)
Spell Failure
Italian Mafia
Lila Rossi Lies
Home for Christmas
Inspired by A Christmas Carol
Post-Season/Series 03
high society - Freeform
Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure
Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Has a Crush on Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Marinette Dupain-Cheng Is Not Ladybug
At least not as much
Animal Transformation
Nature
Nature Magic
Old Age
Death from Old Age
Snake Luka Couffaine | Viperion
Mishaps
Undead
Zombie
Young Tom Riddle
Wooing
Inspired by Eros and Psyche (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)
Established Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar
Storybrooke (Once Upon a Time)
Wildling Culture & Customs
Wildlings - Freeform
The South is not good for Jon
I don't think she has even one line in this but it's a fact of life
sometimes you have to be honest with yourself and cut your losses
Solas is Fen'Harel (Dragon Age)
Pregnant Lavellan (Dragon Age)
Why is everyone an idiot?
Sebastian is one
Cullen is one
Everyone and their dog know Solas is the biggest idiot of all
unfortunately not of the fluffy kind
Cesare Borgia is Pope
Cesare Borgia loves Lucrezia Borgia
Ascanio Sforza is So Done
Ascanio Sforza is getting too old for this shit
Caught between a rock and a hard place
Vatican
Hunk is a gift
Emperor Lotor (Voltron)
Lotor needs a hug
Or Therapy
Insomniac Keith (Voltron)
Rant repurposing
Hunk is the closest thing this team has to a therapist
slight salt
Meet-Cute (sort-of)
Changeling Robert Chase (alluded to)
Episode: s05e02 Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer!
Lucifer can create stars
Michael can create diamonds
Fairy Godfather
During Evil Queen | Regina Mills's First Dark Curse
Episode: s01e01 Pilot
Seeley Booth is Angel
Vampire Seeley Booth
Protective Angel
Protective Seeley Booth
The Count of Monte Christo Elements
Not All Tags Apply to All Chapters
Tags Updated Every 5 Days
Library of Alexandria
Trying to assign sense and reason to a non-sensical plot decision of the show
apotheosis
Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan Fluff
Captain Hook | Killian Jones In Love
Monster of the Week
Magical Emilie Agreste
POV Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth
Empath Gabriel Agreste
Mort-Vivant
which is a more appropriate term in this context than
Mentions of Miraculouses
Miracouli? - What IS the plural of miraculous?
Episode: s01e01 Strange Love
Alternate Season/Series 01
i think. I always confuse the terms.
POV Josephine Montilyet
Josephine isn't paid nearly enough for this
Solas is NOT an idiot in this
post-identity reveal
Lavellan knows Solas is Fen'Harel
Varric lies
Varric Tethras is a Good Friend
Lotor knew Allura before the desctruction of Altea
Episode: s01e01 The Rise of Voltron
Galra Can Purr
Purring Lotor
Purring
Yennefer loses her magic face
Geralt gets turned into a wolf (briefly)
Dragon Jaskier | Dandelion
Parent Tissaia de Vries
Peacock Marinette Dupain-Cheng
well technically it's Poussin Paon...
I blame the Netflix reboot trailer
Episode: s02e10 By the Light of Dawn
Angel Meliorn
Blessings
Baby Emma Swan
Neal Caffrey lies
Neal Caffrey's Tracking Anklet
Alien Jack Harkness
Post-Series 04: Miracle Day
Summary
What it says on the tin. An advent calendar with one-shots from many different fandoms. Not all tags apply to all one-shots.Some of these are new, some never before published.
Note
Beta-read and critiqued by the wonderful @poorrichardslegacy
Heroes are for Tragedies - DA
April 30, 2025 at 06:25 AM
It's a cruel fate, that of heroes. Varric has written enough stories to know that.
She's not wearing her fancy armor when he meets her. She doesn't look like the statues and pictures and stories would make her out to be. Her face is gaunt, she cut and dyed her moonlight tresses. He recognises her anyway. It's her eyes. He's seen that look in the Inquisitor's eyes, in Hawke's. That bone deep weariness that you'd see in the eyes of veterans. So he doesn't say much, doesn't ask questions even though he is curious and just buys her a drink. He listens to her stories and tells his in return and for a couple of nights, neither has to feel alone.
You don't get to be a hero and come out undamaged. Any hero's tale is also a tragedy. They're all broken, each in their own way.
Like Maria, who slept in too big, cold beds every night, yearning for a certain pair of arms around her, arms whose owner had marched on her city for one impossible decision.
Like Evune, who could never go back to her clan after all she discovered and who was with child and whose lover was bent on destroying the world.
And like Ana, who could not forgive herself for all she did during the blight and who wished for a man whose heart she'd once held and who she knew could never accept her now.
No, a hero's fate is not a desirable one. Varric is grateful to whatever higher power might or might not be out there that that is a cup that had passed him by.