#coven bakery

[yeol-exe]

... just tea for two and two for tea 🍰

#I can't stop with editing her pics #bakery witch🎂 #ts4 edits #my sims #silvermooncoven22 #silven moon coven challenge

[freakystrashdump]

Making a playlist for Belos/Selena for when I write is proving to be a massive pain in my ass because I keep reverting back to the Priest/Salem mindset constantly. They're very close in feel (the reason I imprinted on Belos as much as I did was because he has so much in common with Priest), but still incredibly different. And Priest/Salem came first so I automatically go back to them.

Belos/Selena is much softer and coquettish

Priest/Salem is "love me dead" the song personified.

#the coven #the oracle bakery #also i finished the newest chapter just gotta review it a bit more #a lot of hadestown songs are making it in to the list tho #both Eurydice/Orpheus songs and Persephone/Hades songs fit them #depending on the timeline #priest salem is the anger and blood of /love me dead/ and belos selena is the tender unease of /horror of our love/ #trash text

[smallpapers]

The Owl House + Lumity + Hunger Games AU??? Idk LMAO I’m still on a THG kick after rereading/watching the whole trilogy!!

Some thoughts on the AU under the cut

Okay so this is a stupid idea but I’m just having fun with it. Obviously it won’t follow the hunger games directly because the situation and characters are different, but some stuff kinda connects!!

Katniss and Peeta= Luz and Amity

Prim & Ms Everdeen & buttercup = Vee and Camilla and King

The Mellarks = Odalia (fitting!), Alador, and Ed + Em (fits since both Peet and Ami have two older siblings). I don’t think they’d run a bakery though, but something abomination related that fits here.

Haymitch = Eda

Madge = Gus??

Gale = I’m afraid there’s no Gale equivalent here because it doesn’t make sense in this AU, and I’m not a fan of love triangles anyway.

Effie = Hooty. This is funny to me. the peak of my fanart career

Cinna and Portia = Darius and Eberwolf

Senecca Crane = Kiki

Snow = Belos obviously

Ceasar = Adrian

Plutarch = Raine

Finnick = Hunter

Annie or Johanna ish situation = Willow??

Coin = ummm either Lilith or Collector hm

Anyways I kept the human and witch ears because I thought that could be an interesting tie with the Merchants vs Seam. And Amity’s hair is fully green in the interview scene because she got her grown roots dyed during the makeover! In this scenario I imagine Odalia would make her children dye funky hair colours in hopes of getting into the ‘capitol’ equivalent, which I guess is the Emperors Coven.

Also instead of girl on fire, Luz would have some ‘light’ related title.

#the owl house #the hunger games #lumity #luz noceda #amity blight #vee noceda #eda clawthorne #edalyn clawthorne #adrian graye #Toh au #Toh fanart #Toh luz #Toh amity #Toh eda #Toh Vee #myart #Toh hooty #luz x amity #I’ve literally gone insane you guys #anyways if anyone has good canon au ever lark fics please recommend them to me!

[fandoms-writings]

In My Dreams • 3

Pairing: Post-Engame!Bucky Barnes x DreamWitch!Reader

Word Count: 3K

Summary: Looking for something to aide his sleepless nights, Bucky searches for you, the dream witch of New York. You're known for helping vets with PTSD have terrorless nights and being a home to the gifted mutants of the city. What Bucky didn't expect, was for you to be so captivating, or for him to open up to easily around you. But to have the powers you do, you've got to be more than just a mutant, right?

Warnings: Not much for this chapter, some anxiety, mentions of traumatic pasts (not very detailed though), bucky is soft in this

Series Masterlist || Bucky Masterlist || Main Masterpost

Bucky hadn't been back to see you in a few weeks. It wasn't like he didn't want to, he did - he missed you. But he didn't know what to say. 

He felt like a coward for the way he'd left. He knew that you meant no harm, that you weren't offering this dream walking solution to use what you'd find in his head against him. He understood that you were just trying to help, that his options were limited. But the thought of someone else rummaging around in his head again let loose the anxiety he'd just recently gotten a hold of and it gripped him by the throat, making it hard to breathe and hard to think. 

All he could focus on was getting himself back home where he could wallow in his anxiety as it settled back in his chest and overthink every possible scenario. None of the scenarios where you intended any harm sat right with him. They felt wrong. Not just because it would be a horrible thing for you to do, but because he knew you wouldn't do that. 

He knew you better than that.

And he knew he needed to apologize.

Which was why he was standing outside your warehouse, a box of fresh beignets from your favorite bakery in hand. 

He hadn't gone inside yet, something felt off and he'd started to think that maybe he should've called ahead of time. But he'd never done that before, and if you were busy he could leave the baked goods with Tori and she'd take them to you. 

He brushed off the weird feeling that was crawling up his neck as he opened the door and walked down the hall to that familiar door that thrummed with magic. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open, ready to face the other patrons and the music. 

But there was no music.

And the space was empty. 

Empty save for the people who worked directly under you. They were tidying up in silence, looking as if they spoke they'd be reprimanded. 

Bucky swallowed once, his anxiety suddenly pricking at every nerve in his body,  before shuffling his way to the bar, where he usually sat and waited for you. He caught the attention of Alec, the young lanky man behind the bar, whose eyes widened when they landed on Bucky. 

Alec rushed around the bar, holding his finger over his lips in a shushing manner when Bucky opened his own to ask what was going on. As he quickly walked over, he gestured towards a closed off sitting room, and Bucky followed the silent suggestion, stepping into the familiar room and turning towards the young man who carefully shut the glass door. 

Bucky didn't dare speak first. He didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was, he didn't like how cold it made your safe haven seem. How the hairs on his arm and the back of his neck wouldn't go down.

"You shouldn't be here." Alec whispered, barely audible over the heavy silence. 

"What's going on?" 

Alec looked through the door, fidgeting with his fingers, "The coven is here."

"The coven?" Bucky had never heard of a coven. He knew now you weren't just a regular mutant, but for some reason he thought you were the only one. He hadn't considered the fact that you might have some sort of magical family - you never spoke about them. "Is that a bad thing?" 

Alec looked to the floor before he raised his gaze back up to Bucky's, his eyes sorrowful, nervous. "It is when she's an outcast." Bucky went to ask what happened, but Alec shook his head, as if to tell him he'd have to ask you directly. "The last time the coven showed up. . . it didn't go very well." 

Bucky's blood ran cold with that familiar calculating stillness. "What did they do?" 

Alec shook his head, "All I can say is they took something from her. They took something and left. And she didn't come down from her rooms for three days." 

He would've asked what they took, but he knew Alec wouldn't tell him. He released a long breath through his nose. "When will they leave?" 

Alec took his eyes off the door, "They're usually only here for a few hours when they visit. They should be gone by dusk at the latest." 

Bucky looked at his watch - dusk was two hours away. He glanced to his usual seat, where he'd sit and tell you about the dreams he'd had, the good memories that your help brought back to him, and he sat. He had nowhere more important to be. "I'll wait." 

~~~

You held your head high as you escorted your "sisters" to the main lobby. They're random check-ins always wore you down, making it an effort just to keep your back straight, to not let them see the way they stole all of your energy. Their snide remarks and not so subtle glares of disgust at your home. The way they spoke to you as if you were still a child. The way they talked of you redeeming yourself in their eyes when you knew they'd never let you back in. 

It was exhausting. 

But as you led them down the stairs, a certain leather jacket behind a closed glass door caught your attention and your breath caught in your throat. It took every ounce of concentration to stay leading the women out of your home, to not run to see his face. You hadn't seen or heard from him in weeks and you were dying to know how he was holding up. You would've checked in, but you didn't want to impose where you might not have been wanted. He needed time and you gave it to him. 

Your pace slightly quickened at the sight of the front door and you pulled it open, revealing the dark warehouse tunnel on the other side. 

"Travel safely," You stiffly said as the five women barely nodded before leaving. Barely acknowledging you as they peered down their noses at you. The five matrons never liked you, so it was something you were used to, but it still stung. 

The last one, Lady Gianna, paused at the threshold, turning to you with eyes of steel. She was a beautiful woman in her mid fifties, but she was cutthroat, ruthless. She demanded respect that you willingly offered her with a bow of your head and a slight bend in your knees. 

You stiffened as her voice reached your ears, a low whisper meant only for you. "Something is coming, protect yourself." You looked up to see her not even looking at you anymore, her gaze down the hall. "Do not do anything brash. I do not wish to punish you a second time. It will be the last." 

With that, she stepped into the hall, swiftly joining the other matrons in the shadows of the warehouse, but you didn't wait to watch them leave before quickly shutting the door, turning the lock with shaky fingers. 

What in the hell did that mean? You pondered the words of Lady Gianna for a moment, your forehead pressed to the humming wood of the door. She'd never warned you before, and to admit she didn't want to punish you was odd. Last time, it felt as if she found the most joy out of watching you suffer. 

A door opening behind you had you tucking her words away for later, not to be forgotten, as you turned to meet those baby blues you'd missed so much. 

Your lips hesitantly drew up in the corners, as you slowly stepped towards him. "James." 

He gave you a grin full of sorrow as his name fell from your lips. He looked well enough, though his cheeks were just a bit more hollow and the area around his eyes seemed dark. You supposed he wasn't getting enough sleep in the past few weeks. You knew he ran out of your spells a day or two after you'd last seen him. 

You stopped just a couple feet away from him, fighting your itching fingers to reach out and touch him, to embrace him, to squeeze his hand, anything. "I was wondering when I'd see you again." 

He took a step forward, gently reaching for your hands and holding them in his own. "I'm so sorry," He breathed, "I'm sorry for running off the way I did and for not reaching out. I just didn't know what to do." 

A breathy chuckle broke past your lips as you smiled, squeezing his hands, "You don't need to apologize, James. I'm just glad to see you're alright." 

He offered a soft smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes as his worried gaze remained on you, "Are you okay?"

You cocked your eyebrow, "What are you talking about?" 

"Alec said your coven was visiting," he muttered, as if the words themselves would hurt you, "He also told me that things don't really go well when they visit." 

Your small smile faltered as you struggled to keep it up, glancing down to your entangled fingers. "What else did he tell you?"  

His fingers squeezed yours, "That they took something from you. He didn't say what, or why, and you don't have to tell me either. But I just want to make sure you're okay." 

Your vision was blurry when you looked up at him again, the moisture in your eyes distorting your view of him. "I'll be okay," You hated how your voice trembled over the words, "I promise." 

He nodded, his lips now a thin line as he hesitated, but ended up letting go of your hands, your fingers instantly cold in his absence. But it didn't last long as he reached around your shoulders and pulled you in, holding you close. 

You tried to fight it, to reign in the way your body reacted to him, but it instinctively melted against his as your arms wrapped around his middle and your nose buried into his chest inhaling the smell of him. Pressing your eyes closed, trying not to let the tears slip, you tried to focus on just him. Hints of mahogany, cedar, and leather flooded your senses and you sighed as his hand wrapped around the back of your neck, holding you to him while he traced gentle lines across your skin. 

You could've stood there in his arms forever if he let you. There was something about him that lured you in, that comforted you and made you feel light. Something about him that made you happy. 

He held you for a long few minutes before his lips brushed your ear in a whisper, "I brought you something." 

Pulling out of his hold, you wiped at the few tears that had slipped through your lashes, "You brought me something?" 

"I did," He turned back to the room he'd been waiting for you in, leading you inside where a box sat on the little coffee table. 

"What is this?" You smiled as he gestured to the box, silently telling you to open it. 

"It was my peace offering," He stated as you lifted the lid, beignets filling the box."I thought maybe you'd be mad at how I left." 

"So you were going to bribe me with beignets?" You asked, a brow raised in mock suspicion and he chuckled. 

"I was going to try," He looked at you, "I don't know what I'd do if you stayed mad at me, I had to do what I could." 

"I wasn't mad, or upset," You closed the box before laying one of your hands on his chest. "I was just worried." 

"I didn't mean to worry you," He muttered, grabbing your hand with his own. 

"I know," You sighed, wanting to start feeling better and looked back to the box of desserts before a grin took over your lips. "I have something I want to show you." 

~~~

You lead him up the stairs to the second level where your office was. But you kept walking down the hall, passing the large oak doors and the various hallways before coming to a set of small hidden metal spiral stairs. He followed you up, though when you looked back at him, he was climbing the stairs at an angle between the center pole and the railing, causing a giggle to tumble from your lips. His shoulders were a bit too broad to fit. 

When  you reached the top, you unlocked and pushed open the hatch, climbed out and took the box of beignets from him to let him join you. 

"What is this?" He asked, his eyes roaming the space. 

"This," You stepped around him, closing the hatch with a soft thud, "is where I come to hide from my life, sometimes." You watched as he walked around the small area, the plants hanging from the trellis brushing his shoulders as he passed under them. You watched him run his fingers along the back of the outdoor couch, the cushions a dark brown to match the small table that was lined with books in front of it. 

"It was freezing out today," He turned to you and you walked around the couch, taking a seat and placing the box on the table. "How do you keep it warm up here? It's perfect." 

You flashed a smile, "Take a wild guess." 

He scoffed with a smile before sitting next to you, "I know it's magic, but," He paused, as if he shouldn't even be asking. 

"You want to know how it's done." 

He looked over to you with a nod but was sure to quickly add, "You don't have to tell me." 

Tucking your feet under you and grabbing a beignet, you leaned back, savoring that first bite before you sighed. "It's an almost constantly running sort of shield," You explained. You reached for a pebble from the ground, tossing it at the edge of the roof. It bounced off of what seemed to be just air, but upon contact left a gold ripple that traveled over the expanse of the dome surrounding your little roof. 

"Wow," He turned to you, "Could I. . . ?" He gestured to the same pebble that landed at his feet, and you nodded, watching him toss it in the same spot. He tracked the ripples, tipping his head back as far as he could to watch it go down the other side. When the wall stopped shimmering and was back to being invisible, he turned to you again, "Doesn't keeping this up all the time wear you out?" 

"Truthfully, no." You shrugged, taking another bite of your treat before explaining further, "Sure, it does drain from my magic, but in the grand scheme of everything else I'm doing at all times, this is just a splinter in the whole tree." 

"That's incredible," Bucky muttered, turning to look at you, "You're incredible." 

There was a sudden lightness in your chest as you fought to not smile too broadly, to not allow yourself to become too flustered. "Why do you say that?" 

"You're protecting so many people, and helping so many more. You've got this place under lock and key hidden in plain sight with a constantly running magical security system. You've got half the city protecting you because they want to," He sighed, "And you don't have to do any of this stuff. You could take your magic and run away. You could be selfish, and only help yourself. You could leave the rest of us to struggle while you climbed your way up. But you don't leave anyone you can help behind." He reached over, gently swiping his thumb across the tip of your nose, the surface coming away with powdered sugar as he chuckled. "I've only really known one other person who was like that." 

You instantly knew who he was talking about. It wasn't a secret that his best friend was the Steve Rogers. The whole damn world knew. But what the world didn't know was how Steve left. 

It didn't know how Steve left to return to the past and his friend had left behind. How he left his friend heartbroken and alone. Lost in a world he didn't know. 

The world didn't know that, but you did. Bucky had told you. He'd told you of the memory he dreamed about with Steve. The one where they were just teen boys going to Coney Island. Where he saw his friend in a different light for the first time. 

He'd told you about the emotions he remembered struggling with in a time where those sorts of feelings between the two of them wouldn't have been accepted. You knew about him trying to move on, dating girls around town. And how he had written to Steve when he was shipped off to the war. How Steve never responded and it hurt but it helped bury those feelings he harbored. But then his friend showed up to rescue him from a scientist, and all of those emotions flooded back. 

Then he told you about how after Thanos, Steve told him he was going to stay in the past after returning the infinity stones. He was going to leave the shield to Sam and go find Peggy Carter for that dance. Bucky told you how, even though he was heartbroken once again, he hugged his friend and told him he'd earned that dance. 

He let him go. 

You wanted to curse Steve Rogers. For leaving behind this gentle man before you. For not keeping true to his end of the line promise. 

You wanted to curse him for breaking James's heart. 

But you hardly imagined that Bucky would so easily forgive you for digging up his friend's bones and cursing his soul, so you left it alone. 

You sighed and finished the beignet in your hand before making Bucky take one. As he took a bite, you reached for another one, smiling at him as you snuggled into his side, watching the city as you made a silent promise that you weren't going anywhere. 

That you would never leave him behind.

As always, thank you for reading! Comments, reblogs, and likes are all very much appreciated.

If you'd like to be notified when I post a new story, follow my library blog @remis-library and turn on notifications 💜

If you liked the story, please consider checking out my Ko-Fi

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #dream witch! reader #bucky x you #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes x f!reader #bucky x female reader #bucky x f!reader #bucky barnes series #bucky barnes fanfiction #in my dreams series #bucky x witch!reader #fandoms-writings

[rere-the-writer]

Hello! Ive really been liking your mikaelson works. I was wondering if you'd be willing to do a continuation of the kol and finn sharing a gf headcanons? Maybe their gf is a werewolf and how their siblings react to finn and kol dating the same person. Sorry if youre not taking requests at the moment feel free to disregard this. Thank you for doing our requests and sharing your writing with us!

Let's do more headcannons

Warnings: Fluff, Protective Finn and Kol, Klaus being Klaus

Soft shy werewolf with two powerful dangerous vampires

You are the softest wolf out of Hayley's pack, to the point where she keeps out of pack meetings

Finn and Kol make it a point that they hate how Hayley treats you like a child

Finn bought you an apartment since you aren't welcomed in the pack

Elijah is the first to notice how Finn and Kol would leave the Mikaelson home

"What are you two up to?" "Don't worry about it 'Lijah."

Elijah followed the two to your apartment and was surprised

You are too sweet for this world making Elijah want to protect you

"I am keeping your relationship a secret from Niklaus." "Why?" "That wolf is too sweet."

It was a pure accident that you met Rebekah

You were working at a bakery when Rebekah came in

The blonde becomes your best friend and steal you away from your lovers all the time

"Rebekah give back our wolf." "Sorry Kol she needs a girl day."

Freya met you when she was looking for Finn

Freya is the most confused out of the siblings and questions Elijah

"She is not the first lover to be shared between two Originals." "What?!"

Freya helping Finn find you in the morning after your full moon

Freya is often covering for Kol and Finn when Klaus is looking for them

Freya and Rebekah taking you out for girls night

Klaus learning about you after a full moon

This man is angry and Elijah is stepping in to protect you and his brothers

"Choosing a wolf over family." "Funny, Kol and I was never treated like family."

Kol and Finn are hiding out at your apartment after the big fight with Klaus

You feel guilty about it all but your lovers are quick to make you feel better

Klaus apologized after awhile because Rebekah and Freya made him feel guilty

You moved into the Abattoir after being attacked by a coven of witches

It was Klaus's idea for you to move in

Klaus teaching you to paint so you could make Kol and Finn a painting

Elijah reading with you and Finn

Rebekah joking that the family would have to invest in ear plugs

Finn and Kol has you sleeping between them or else they fight over who sleeps in your bed

Elijah and Freya teaching you to cook Finn's and Kol's favorite childhood dishes

#rere's stories #finn mikaelson fluff #kol mikaelson imagine #finn mikaelson x reader #kol mikaelson fluff #the originals imagines

[destieltaggedfic]

Retired Dean - Part 6

So, I didn't post on Friday as I was away in the bush and had no reception.

there is rest for the wicked – fleeceframe   Ao3

15x20 didn’t happen AU.  They stopped the end of the world for the last time and now Cas and Jack are back.  With everyone safe, Dean starts relaxing enough that his body starts making up for all the sleep he has missed his whole life.  He may even relax enough to let the words out he wants to say to Cas.

Word Count: 15k                              No Sex

The Life I Want – Areiton   Ao3

Nonspecific timeframe.  After a hard case, Dean asks Cas what he’d want in his life if they retired.  Cas keeps accidentally saying We and Dean’s on board with that too.

Word Count: 2k                                 Graphic Sexual Acts

Singer Salvage, Dean Campbell Speaking - soft_pine   Ao3

15x20 didn’t happen AU.  Life is good.  Dean and Cas have retired to rebuild Bobby’s house and business.  Sam is finding new, gentler ways to hunt but every now and then Dean feels guilty that he isn’t out there on the front lines anymore.

Word Count: 6k                                 No Sex

Just Your Heart, In Exchange For Mine – noxsoulmate   Ao3

Canon AU.  After getting an injury saving Charlie from the Stynes, Dean started having seizures and so couldn’t hunt anymore.  So instead he opened a bakery where he met Latin professor Castiel.  But what Dean doesn’t know is that Cas is actually a witch and for his protection he accidentally gets spelled into cat form by his coven until a witch killer can be found.

Word Count: 47k                              Graphic Sexual Acts

The Gambler – insominia   Ao3

Nonspecific timeframe.  It was a random ghost hunt that made Dean retire.  So random that Sam didn’t believe Dean was actually serious until he was moving out.  He didn’t really understand why Cas was going with him though.

Word Count: 4k                                 No Sex

#destiel #fic recs #retired dean

[morganas-pendragons]

dear, sweet elijah | e.m.

You are a witch who was adopted by the Mikaelsons when your parents died in the village. Barely a child yourself, Esther Mikaelson fulfilled your mother’s dying wish and took you in as her own. 

That’s why, besides Freya, the two of you are the most powerful and the oldest witches alive. 

When Elijah flees the country to head to Paris - thus separating himself from his siblings and the Hollow - he eventually returns and regains his memories. 

This is what happens for both of you during that time. 

Set during the originals season 5 

***

Their curse is always and forever. A pact made in the aftermath of blood and pain and anguish over their new reality, confined to an immortal life and watching the ones they love die. 

But not them. Not the Mikaelsons. They’ve seen empires rise and fall, they’ve seen their siblings kill the ones who dare to love them, they’ve fled for their lives in fear of their mother, their father, their aunt. 

You parted from them in 1919 when Rebekah called Mikael to New Orleans. With a final kiss to Klaus’ forehead - as he was the closest to your heart, though Elijah had always had it - and a longing look to the man you’ve always loved, you fled back in the direction of the burning opera house. 

The Mikaelsons never saw you again. They believed you to be dead. 

Rebekah would never forget the way Niklaus screamed. 

One hundred years later, the trio reunited with you when they returned to New Orleans and Klaus was told that a werewolf named Hayley Marshall was carrying his child. Rebekah hadn’t known it was you until she saw your eyes. Everything about you was different. 

Your hair, your clothes, even your name. 

But someone who had spent a thousand years with you would never forget those eyes. So old... and just so sad. 

Rebekah and Klaus would come to learn that you had alienated yourself from everyone during the hundred years of being in New Orleans alone. You’d fallen in love with a vampire named Jean, one of the eldest ones in the city, and Marcel had killed him for associating with a witch. 

A witch who had no coven. An independent witch who everyone else feared. 

When Marcel had killed your significant other, you’d burned over two dozen vampires in retaliation. He’d never tried to cross you again. The vampires knew better. The witches knew better. The wolves... they had no say. They’d never been able to have a say in the matters of the Quarter. 

You remember the first time you saw Niklaus strolling down the streets of the quarters towards the most well known bakery in town. You knew exactly why he was going there. 

Beignets. 

  “Good morning! What can I help you with today?” 

Klaus smiled at the young cashier and lifted his eyes to the menu, preparing to remove a wad of bills and slide them across the counter. “I will take-” 

  “Mr. Mikaelson will take as many beignets as you are willing to give him, Anna,” Klaus froze as a familiar voice drifted through the sun-lit open front doors to the cafe. He hadn’t heard that voice in a hundred years. “And he’ll take them to go.” 

  “Right away!” 

Niklaus Mikaelson wasn’t one privy to the feelings that come with shock, or being caught off guard. He was the strongest and the most feared monster to live on this earth. He was hated. He was okay with being hated. 

But the one person who had loved him in spite of all of that was you, and you were standing in front of him for the first time in a hundred years. 

  “Y/N?” 

  “My dear, sweet Niklaus... did you miss me?” 

So much had happened since then. Dahlia, Marcel, the war between the witches and the vampires, nearly losing four of the Mikaelson siblings in one swift go... That nearly ended you. You might despise Elijah for the things he makes you feel - and the things he has chosen to so blatantly ignore when Hayley is within his grasps - but you still love him. You don’t think you can stop loving him. 

And that’s why you hate that you still choose to stay with Hayley to find the cure. You tell her, once they’re all coffined and safe in the back of the truck, that you’re staying to help her find the cure and protect Hope. 

You’re really staying because of the promise you made to Klaus. The promise you made to Elijah when you held him, trembling and weak, in your arms as the venom from Marcel’s bite worked its way through his blood. 

  “Y/N, I know you owe me nothing, but I have one last thing to ask-” 

Hayley is in the other room tending to the other three Mikaelsons while you tend to Elijah. Freya had been the one who suggested it. Said that he would be better off to have the comforting hands of someone he knew taking care of him in his most vulnerable state. 

You argued Hayley could do it. Freya denied you. Said it had to be you. 

So here you are. 

  “Sh... sweet Elijah,” You murmur, raking your fingers through sweat slick hair as he scrambles for purchase in the worn fabric of your jacket. Hayley may be new, she may have his heart and he may have fallen in love with her, but you are familiar and safe. You remind him of a time where he considered himself to be good. “You’re not making any dying promises to me.” 

He’d only asked you one simple thing, which you ended up doing anyway. Protect Hayley and Hope. Nothing about yourself. Nothing about how you felt. 

When everyone had been cursed and their ailments lifted, you quietly disclosed to Niklaus you were intending on leaving and finally told him why: You were tired of being hurt by the fact that you’d given so much of yourself to the family, to Elijah, only for those efforts to not be recognized or reciprocated. 

  “You act as if we have not all recognized your affections for my brother, Y/N,” Niklaus remarked from your hidden spot in the barn where no one would come to bother you. You had wanted to tell him first of your intentions to leave and make your own way. To find love. To find peace. To find the things that, being the anchor of the Mikaelsons, you had never been able to find. “And as for Elijah, I believe it simply comes down to one thing. You were, even after we were turned, always so good. And goodness is always tainted in our presence. He doesn’t believe himself worthy of someone good. Goodness is taken away and replaced by something-” 

  “Evil?” When Klaus didn’t reply, you nodded your assent and continued braiding the wildflowers you had picked from the field outside while looking for him. “I’ve never seen you as you all see yourselves. Especially you, Niklaus. You should know that given how many times I saved you from Mikael.” 

And he’d never forget one moment of them. Not one from childhood, and not one now. 

  “I grant you a mercy that you deserve,” He’d cradled your face then, ever the gentle, and kissed your forehead as he whispered, “You are free from us.” 

But you weren’t. Hope got sick, the Hollow emerged, and everything went to Hell again. 

You disappeared to Mystic Falls during the core years of Hope Mikaelson’s life where she needed a teacher to learn how to control her abilities. You had bid your goodbyes before they were taken from you. Had told them you’d always be a call away.

All of them except Elijah. After his blatant denial of your affections, you decided he did not deserve it. Nothing else from you. 

So for several years, you lived in Mystic Falls. You made a life for yourself as a witch in the community who often convened with Bonnie Bennett, a younger witch from the Bennet line who was remarkably powerful and looking for community with other powerful witches she could learn from. 

The Salvatore brothers respected you. Elena tolerated you. That was okay. 

You had peace. 

Until you didn’t. 

Until Elijah gained his memories back, and Klaus called you frantic and desperate for someone to be there for him that he knew. Someone who understood his vulnerabilities and what it was like to lose the love of your life. When he’d told you Hayley had died saving Hope, you had released such a powerful magical response that Bonnie had felt it clear across town and had come to make sure you were okay. 

She said you were crying when she found you. You didn’t realize it until you lifted your fingertips to your cheeks, and they came back wet. 

Because of course your heart would do this to you. Of course you would come running back to New Orleans to aid the Mikaelson’s during their most painful days.

Always and forever was your curse.

And loving Elijah Mikaelson, you believed, would be your downfall. You believed that until he turned around from where he was bent over the church pew, his siblings presences scattered about the room, and gazed upon you like you were the clearest and brightest thing he’d seen in centuries. 

Like you were the light able to pull him out of the proverbial darkness. 

  “Y/N?” 

part two has been posted!

#Elijah Mikaelson #Elijah Mikaelson x Reader #The Originals #The Originals x Reader #The Original fanfiction #The Originals fanfic

[amethystfairy1]

Teensy question if you were in your 2 (amazing and wonderful) aus what would you be in the story? Like what job or activities would you be doing and if you were a hybrid what type would you be?

Ttsbc. Me personally would've liked being a human living in the under city and being a rival bakery of Lizzies and Joels Cafe. And for the fun of it I would just like to spy on random people walking by.(like what old people do when they're bored)

TT. A blaze 100% I would join an anachry group and destroy the places selling the poor hybrids. I would be kinda chaotic lawful and for fun I would just scare the evil people with a jack-o pumpkin over my head and look like the headless horseman.( my horses name would definitely be Pumpkin)

<3

Oooo, this is such a fun question!

I think in TTSBC I'd be one of the reporters in Scott and Jimmy's agency, and I'd be a cat hybrid glamoring over to hide in the over-city...I would also be extremely irritated with Scott and Jimmy taking so long to finally get together, and would be that one person who whistles very loudly when the news comes out that they're finally dating.

As for TT I think I would be a witch! Probably a member of one of the city covens, who takes in injured hybrids and befriends them, then we'd all run my cute little potions shop together!

I love your ideas too! The rival bakery to Joel and Lizzie's place sounds like tons of fun!!!

AND PUMPKIN THE HORSE!!!

#fanfic #ao3 fanfic #through the sky blue cracks #traveling thieves au

[thenightfolknetwork]

So I know you don’t answer many questions from- across the pond, as it were, but I don’t need any legal advice, and I’m at my wit’s end. I’m hoping you can help.

So my genus is very small. In point of fact it’s just my family, as far as I know, and it’s only ever one creature active at a time- bunch of sapios doing sapio things, then the previous Creature dies or sees the Signs and boom! One of us Wakes and hey look at that, new Hierophant! And as the current Hierophant I Speak and Am Heard- part of the reason I’m writing to you.

A part of my genus is acting as the mouthpiece for a portent of the apocalypse. That's not a secret- hell, its why the town has the name it does and why the family name's on the radio station. Predictably, I am the foremost DJ on 226.5, the Voice of Birch.

It’s not a bad gig, per say. I go to work and between the traffic reports and the local top forty I give an update on the eventual Coming of The Burned Birch. It never lasts long and my local community really likes it. The Birch sort of became a touristy thing, you see- awesome in the autumn, all its leaves yellow and glowing with ghostfire.

Well, so they tell me. I can't actually LOOK at the Birch-if I do, I'll go by way of great uncle Milton and turn into salt. Thank goodness pictures and art don't count or we'd have to move the station and the whole family into the old mica mine.

The Birch likes being appreciated and turned into post cards and calanders, though. It’s a bit of a show off, really. I guess I’d be showing off if I were a tree that could move around at will.

The problem is that lately, the Birch has been sending me updates at the most inconvenient times. It's generally a twice a day thing, but now I’ll be brushing my teeth at five AM and the whole town hears me ominously spouting coordinates and warning of the cracking of the earth and rising of the dead. The Birch can’t even make the dead rise, there’s been wards on the local cemetery for a century!

Or I’ll be making an order at my coffee shop and suddenly I’m telling poor Taylor the barista that the trees come down the mountain to open their fiery branches to the burnished sky.  

The worst of it is at ten or eleven at night when I’m trying to settle into bed. My hometown is very small and quiet, so most folks are in bed early unless they’re nocturnal like the coven that runs the night shift at the bakery. I’ll be drowsing, mind floating off to dreamland, and all of a sudden I’m bolt upright in bed declaring that West Street’s pavement is going to shatter with the feet of elder gods, flee the Burned Birch, flee! People are losing sleep.

It's getting out of hand. I’m not in danger of losing my job or anything (not even sure I can be fired, to be honest) but when you live in a town with less than two thousand people and everyone knows you’re the Hierophant of the Burned Birch, well. That's me avoiding the next St. Mary's rummage sale.

I know you always say communication is key and I’ve tried, believe me. All the old methods- blood rituals under the full moon, a cracked labradorite under my pillow, whispering to the moths- it hasn’t worked.

There's nothing in the family archives about the Burned Birch acting like this and frankly, I’m worried. Is there something wrong? Some rot or fungus that infects only apocalyptic omen trees? Is it trying to reach out to me for help? I can't go look at it and my friends tell me it looks fine. They show me pictures and my omen looks fine! How do I tell if it’s being needy or if it’s being obnoxious? and how do I hang on to my declarations without a three hour nosebleed?

Literally anything you've got will help, at this point. Thanks in advance!

-Fat Ricki, The Voice Of Birch

First of all, may I say how lovely it is to hear from another radio professional? Liminal broadcasting is a topic close to my heart, and it's always nice to hear from others in the field.

To your question, I think your first job is to absolutely rule out the possibility of any physical or magical ailment your tree might be suffering.

You said you've had friends inspect the tree, and have looked at photos to assess the situation yourself. But tree diseases are not always easy to spot with the naked eye, especially to the untrained. This is doubly true for thaumaturgically active trees, which may be susceptible to infections, infestations and diseases on several planes of reality.

I recommend investing in the services of a trained arboreal arcanist. In the United Kingdom, customers can find specialists through the Arcane Arboricultural Society, whose members must meet the societies standards of professionalism and training. If such an organisation exists in your area, all to the good.

If not, take some time to read up on professional qualifications available to tradespeople in your state. You want someone qualified in thaumaturgic horticulture, and preferably with the ability to perceive reality on at least three additional planes, if not more.

There are several pests and diseases that might be causing your tree's distress, from spectral bacteria to ether flux. Better to invest a little time and money in ruling those out than risk leaving them untreated.

I think it's safe to say your tree is trying to get your attention for some reason. Once you've ruled out disease or discomfort as the possible reason, consider what else might have changed since this behaviour began. Has it been receiving fewer visitors than usual, or perhaps been the subject of a less-than-flattering news article?

Many apocalyptic trees, shrubs and bushes have a tendency to fussiness and egotism. It's very possible that your tree wants nothing more than to be the subject of a bit of ego-stroking fuss. You might try drumming up a few more visitors and acolytes, or performing a ritual of appeasement that recognises its great and terrible power.

The phrase “attention-seeking” carries with it a host of negative connotations. Instead, think of this as “support-seeking” behaviour. There is a need your tree feels is unmet, and as its Hierophant, it's up to you to meet it. With a bit of reassurance and attention, I think your tree should settle down into its usual ways in no time.

#answered #the nightfolk network #monstrous agonies

[rucbarthatbowtiesarecooldw]

Saturday Afternoon Session

O Thou Rock of Our Salvation

Conducting Dallin H. Oaks

Henry B Eyring

Sustaining votes

Jesus Once of Humble Birth

Niel L. Andersen

Venezuela story about a bakery being saved in natural disasters

Tithing can sometimes bring miracles.

Put others first and

trust in the Lord – the blessings of Heaven will follow

My time is not mine – it is the Lord’s to whom I have consecrated it

Tithing is not measured by the amount you contribute – the power comes from placing trust in the Lord

Jan E. Newman 2nd counselor Sunday school

Jesus commanding the little children to come up to Him one by one

Help children find the Savior in the scriptures and build their foundation on Him

When we dig we have to dig deep – remember to dig as if for placing cement in the ground, because if you just dig normally and the ground is smooth at the bottom the cement will not adhere properly and the foundation will become unstable. You have to hit the jagged bedrock to have a fully set foundation

Folow the example of Nephi

Talk of Christ, Rejoice in Christ etc

What does this look like? Whatever looks best for you

You may feel inaudequate, but you should never feel alone

Joaquin E. Costa 70

The source of that strength is Jesus Christ

How do you show and exercise faith every day?

Keeping covenants and following commandments are not transactional, they are transformational

Come to Jesus to fix your life, don’t wait until your life is fixed to seek Him

We don’t come to Jesus because we are perfect, we come to Him because we are flawed

There is Sunshine in My Soul today

Gary E Stevenson

God given gifts – spiritual and otherwise

Holy ghost, heal and be healed, miracles, wisdom, knowledge

Sports/athleticism, art, photography, music etc

Seek spiritual gifts to share with others

There is a learning curve to spiritual gifts; keeping commandments, taking the sacrament, scripture study, prayer

Stand in Holy Places

Stand with holy people

Testify of Holy Truths

Listen to the Holy Spirit

If you hope to feel the spirit, be with people whom the spirit may freely dwell

Spiritual matters cannot be forced and you cannot dictate that for other people or yourself – they are not given for you to counsel others (unless you are a patriarch set apart by proper authority).

Reminder that once you move out of your parents house they no longer have full impressions for you. They can still feel some for you as your parents, however after you move out YOU are the head of your household so they

Yoon Hwan Choi 70

1 Do you want to be happy?

Sacred covenants that connect us fully to Heavenly Father help us be happy

2 are you on the covenant path?

3 how can keeping covenants with God keep you happy?

Alan T. Phillips 70

Don’t leave your kids at service stations

Lost sheep, lost coin, lost son

Do not misunderstand or devalue how much meaning your life has to your Father in Heaven.

True religion is the tie that binds us to God and to each other

Our journey to God is often found together

1 (no idea, had a hard time focusing this afternoon!)

2 the redemptive power of Jesus Christ

Make no mistake Christ is our rescuer and the healer of our souls

The Savior is beckoning us to rely upon and call upon Him

Heavenly Father’s love - perfect, glorified love for each one of us

You do not have to do this alone. He can provide the strength and healing needed to face the road ahead. He will provide the shelter from the storm

God’s plan of happiness is all about you, you are His child of great worth and He loves you

Ronald A. Rasband

Nothing else compares in majesty or magnitude – the gathering of israel

Always ask the Lord if the time is right to serve a mission – going on a mission, weather single or as a couple, if you are being forced into the decision, is never a good idea.

The field is the world

Senior missionaries change the very landscape with their testimonies of the Savior

Take your knowhow plus your time honored testimonies

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

#genconf #tumblrstake #ldsconf #general conference #church of jesus christ of latter day saints #saturday afternoon session

[pelleas-at-castle-nox]

Witch's Brew/Baker's Delight

Udon was a ferret who ran a rather successful Bakery on the campus of a magical institution, a rather upstanding member of his community, even if he did happen to moonlight as a witch with the local coven. It was after hours, his store front converted into a temporary venue as the tables were all decorated with fancy table clothes to host a little tea party. Guests weren't scheduled to arrive for another few hours, but being the perfectionist he was, all the work had been finished already, and he didn't have much else to do but sit there and scroll his phone hoping someone would show up early.

Soft clinking of metal heralded the arrival of a feline knight, a resplendent suit of silver inlaid mythril armor accenting a slim fighter's figure. Her paws, both hand and feet, were uncovered, though a discerning eye would see that the magical protection offered by the armor extended even to those extremities, even her cute long tail that marked her not as a pure cat, but a feline vulpine hybrid. Atop it all was a hat, a large ostentatious hat more logically associated with a wizard than a knight, but which also seemed inlaid with magical protection.

She was also overbearingly nervous, paw continuously trying to obviously reach for a sword which seemed to be conspicuously missing from her ensemble. She sat down at the opposite end of the table armor clattering audibly. If she had hoped to be stealthy, she had failed miserably.

The red and pink ferret was firmly juxtaposed off the small knight, possessing a welcoming and inviting chubby figure, complete with a heart printed yellow apron. He didn't know exactly why this jittery knight had sat down at his table, but he had nothing better to do so he quietly slid a plate of cookies closer. "Hey, you want some tea? Or a biscuit or something?" Despite his best efforts, some concern did bleed through his voice.

The comforting tones of the ferret seemed completely lost on the cat who looked like she'd have jumped out of her skin from the jolt she gave, and probably would have if not for her armor. "T-Tis I! Um, I mean, I'm Conrad, agent to His Imperial Majesty Glenn, responsible for the deaths of between 230 and 400 people in the 17th age of the Demesne." Her feline eyes vibrated with intensity as she looked down at the plate of cookies, paw twitching as she resisted the urge to take one. "Excuse me, sir. Are you by any chance... a witch?"

Udon had started tuning the knight out when it became apparent that she wasn't really going to be a good conversational partner, mentally going over his checklist one more time as he nodded along. "A witch? Yeah yeah..." He was technically a part time witch, but he was licensed and all, so he hardly saw how it mattered. Reaching over and grabbing a lovely tea pot, an equally lovely tea cup was filled. He took a moment to let it cool before taking a sip, frowning at the surprisingly bitter taste. No comment was made on the way his body seemed to visibly swell from just one taste. He reached over to a small ceramic jar and removed the lid, sighing as he saw its empty nature. "This shit has no sugar, and Sparky ate all the sugar cubes, is that cool with you?"

Conrad recoiled in fear and disgust, for this is truly...

Steeling her composure as best she could, the anxious knight nodded as another teacup began to be filled. "Y-yes, that will be fine.  As a Knight, if I take tea at all, it is without sugar…" Relaxing just a bit as she realized she'd not alerted the witch into defensive action, she chose to take a subtle approach and coax the damning information out of her. She knew she'd have absolutely no choice to partake of this devil's fair, really there was simply no way to avoid eating some of these cursed food items, none at all if she were to complete her mission. "Ahem... Now, pardon me for asking, but do you regularly hold council with imps and other such demons, perhaps meeting for tea and to practice illegal dark magic?"

Something within the kind and patient ferret snapped at the question, and in that moment his patience was lost. "Look dude, do you want a biscuit or not?" He'd put in all this effort to lay out a fine spread for anybody looking to unwind after a hard day, and here this cat was harshing the vibe so spectacularly!

Conrad's eyes darken in fear, and her ears pin back in shame.  The Emperor's most trusted agent has found a witch for whom she is no match. He evades even her most cunning inquiries with ease, and the brazen air with which she admits her heresy shows she fears neither man nor God. She cannot win, and defeated, she relents. "A... biscuit would be lovely, thank you."

A smile finally crossed the Ferret's face once again as he picked up a cookie and threw it across the table, effortlessly landing it right on the knight's waiting tongue. "Bitchin~" Horrified by the sudden display of perceived violence, her first instinct was to remove the cookie from her mouth, and yet she found such instincts overridden as her jaws slowly worked to mash up the buttery delight, delicious cream spilling out from between two layers of baked goodness. The flavor was more than she could handle, and like a starving beast, she let instincts truly take over, her paws shoveling the full plate of biscuits into her muzzle, washed down with the tea when she began to struggle to get it down.

Udon's brow raised, but he made no moves to stop the hungry knight, and even poured her an extra cup of tea to follow the first as he watched her face and hands begin to soften rapidly. "You sure you don't wanna take that pretty armor off? Are you on duty? Probably shouldn't be partaking of a witch's brew on duty."

The casual taunt forced an extravagant moan from the cat, who shook her head languidly. "N-never fear good sir, this armor's designed to withstand any manner of barrages, from within or without. It would take a truly catastrophic occurrence to wrench it from my b-uuuurrrrff... BAH!" Her protests were interrupted by a rumbling belch, and all at once the breastplate of her full mail burst off, a cascading gut bouncing free. A horrified meow reverberated, and Udon reached one thick paw up into the air, catching the sailing breastplate before it could fly off into the distance and wreck even a piece of his carefully planned Decor. He smiled brightly as he watched his handiwork, coming around behind the cat and beginning to fiddle with the straps on the rest of her armor. "I was just lamenting the lack of a center piece, I think you'll do nicely~" The tea pot was hefted up off the table, and after an experimental testing of the heat, which was indeed cool enough to drink from, the spout of the pot was placed in the knight's lips, tipped back, and poured freely into the dazed knight, who only grew larger.

Today's entry was based off the legendary OPEN RP between tumblr users slappycat and kirkegarde, neither of whom I will be tagging but I will put a link to said legendary text post because I think it's really funny and everybody should see it at least once.

#feedist kinktober #weight gain #magic weight gain #Ferret #catfox #clothes bursting #fat furry #conrad #udon

[yeol-exe]

🌙 LUCKY 13 WITCHES' CHALLENGE 🌙

🧁 BAKERY WITCH & RUBY SLIPPERS

{ LOOKBOOK }

#i didn't like the story I wrote T^T #also #I hate film the Wizard of Oz #but love books series #Bakery witch #ruby slippers #silven moon coven challenge #silvermooncoven22 #lucky 13 witches challenge #cas challenge #wcif friendly #show us your sims #ts4 edits #my sims #ts4 simblr #ts4 challenge #maxis mix #wizard of oz #glimmerbrook #realm of magic

[freakystrashdump]

🔮The Oracle Bakery🔮

Emperor Belos|Phillip Wittebane/OC

Slow burn, enemies to lovers, Belos is a content warning by himself

Read on AO3

previous chapter | START | next chapter

Chapter 15: Daily Potions

Something was amiss.

Belos stirred in his sleep, groaning at the way his back cracked. The sofa in his sitting room, as comfortable as it was, was not made for spending the night on. And he was far too old not to feel the consequences of being cramped in one position on a sofa, caught in some form of half-sleep as he stayed on high alert if his guest needed him in any way.

Magic could only do so much in chasing away the side effects of age.

He sat up, arching his back and feeling (and hearing) it pop back into place, which in return brought a groan to his lips. He rubbed his neck and shoulders, trying to alleviate the tension in his muscles, ice blue eyes squinting as they struggled to adjust to the darkness of the room. He found the longcase clock in the darkness and could just make out the time - twenty minutes to five in the morning.

Something woke him up.

Belos ran a hand through his hair and leaned back, looking and listening. What was it? He thought through the haze of his sleep-ridden brain. His eyes were glazed over as he stared out the window, catching a glimpse of the moon's light from behind the clouds. He exhaled a deep, long sigh as a feeling of fondness washed over him.

The moon brought comfort, even if it wasn’t his moon. It wasn’t the moon he knew. And yet still…

He wondered briefly if Magnus was still waiting outside the doors. He managed to talk Hunter out of pacing a hole in the carpet outside with how he nervously walked in circles, waiting for any news about the Oracle - the teen looked absolutely stricken with guilt and it made his worry all the more intense. 

But the older Fortuna was not that easy to chase off.

~*~*~*~*~*~

  “I can assure you, Fortuna, your niece is receiving the best care in the Boiling Isles.” Belos asserted, patience slowly wearing thin as he felt like he was speaking to a wall at this point. 

He came out to greet Magnus, the Fortuna prodigy and next in line for Coven Head of the Oracle Coven, assure him that Selena was doing alright and was on her way to recovery, and hopefully get him to leave . Belos didn’t like  knowing that someone was waiting in front of his chambers, alert and on guard and probably holding a grudge towards him at the moment, the thought filling him with unease.

Magnus, however, didn’t move from his place as he listened to the Emperor. A purple magic construct serving as a place to sit, he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, a scowl ever present on his face. 

And you didn’t have to be an Oracle to feel the grim, oppressing aura emanating from him. It made Belos’ hair stand on end.

The oracle prodigy rolled his shoulders, the scowl never leaving him “I have no doubts she is, Emperor Belos.” he proceeded in an even, cold tone “There is no safer place than the palace - even if it is where she got hurt.” Belos clenched his teeth at that remark “But I’ll leave after I personally have made sure she is safe.”

Damned be the stubbornness of the Fortunas…

“I can’t let you see her, Selena is resting. And it is of critical importance that she is not disturbed.” Belos tried not to let his irritation show “Her recovery depends on it. I’m sure you understand.”

“Then I’ll wait.” Magnus shot back, the bark in his voice letting the Emperor know this conversation was over and that he wasn’t moving on his own free will no matter how many sweet words and reassurance he had to offer him.

Belos clenched his fists, eyes narrowing behind the mask “ Fine . Wait, then.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Damned be the stubbornness of the Fortunas indeed. Like a pack of wild cats, never letting themselves be tamed, always hissing and spitting at anyone trying to control them. He spent years herding them in, keeping them in check, earning their trust, and still they barred their teeth. They were too influential, too annoyingly powerful to be left unleashed.

Selena was much tamer than the rest of her kin, but the teeth were still there, still sharp. She still bristled like a feral kitten away from its mother at his hands as he tried to capture her, spitting as he got closer.

A foolish endeavour from her part. She’ll appreciate him caging her in the end.

Lost in thought - that's when he finally heard it. 

The thing that woke him up.

He left the door to his bedchamber ajar, so he could hear if the girl inside needed anything throughout the night. And while he had no real intention of sleeping, he had turned the lights off, not wanting them to seep through the door and disturb her rest. At some point he had lied down for a second, just to rest his body, and the next thing he knew, he was out like a light. And now, through the door, he heard a faint whimper. 

Belos was on his feet in seconds, grabbing at the mask he left on the tea table before lying down hours before, and put it on in a haste, letting out a low hiss when he accidentally put it on too fast and too hard, the action giving his nose a knock with the metal. Despite that, he rushed to his bedchambers.

"Selena?" He called out as soon as he opened the door. She was there, sitting on the bed and hugging her knees. Her head snapped to face him as soon as she heard him intrude, a gasp escaping her lips.

Crying. She was crying.

"I…I'm sorry, I just…" she immediately started apologising, wiping her face to hide any evidence of her tears.

Belos was immediately at her side "Hush, hush now." He whispered, trying to soothe her.

"I- I woke you up, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry, it's okay." Belos whispered "Are you alright?" She lowered her head, not wanting to look at him, but he was having none of it. He bent over slightly, trying to catch her eyes "Hmm?" He coaxed further.

"I just…" Selena let out a little sniffle "It's a lot."

"It is, isn't it?" Belos sighed, leaning back on his arms.

"I do nothing but cause trouble." He heard her mutter into her knees.

"No, you don't."

"Yes I do!" Selena snapped around to face him, hair flying around her face with a life of its own "This whole fia sco would have never happened if I wasn't so… so careless!" She frowned in frustration and continued "And even then, maybe if we never fought, I wouldn't have been so absentminded to the point of carelessness!" Her clenched fist hit the mattress, the bubbling anger more than apparent "And that never would have happened in the first place if I hadn't attempted to bond with your nephew - all that accomplished was you being angry at me and your nephew now hates me, too!" She buried her head once again in her knees.

Belos watched her, unsure of which part of her breakdown to address first. He hesitated, lips opening and closing as he did, before settling on one "Hunter doesn't hate you."

Probably the wrong thing to say, he thought, as Selena's head whipped to him, fury etched on her face “Do not try and spare my feelings.” she hissed through sobs “You were right, my token of kindness was unneeded and a burden. He hates it!” she had to laugh at herself as the annoyance came back full swing, and she furiously blinked back the tears “He…hates it.” she shook her head and looked away as her anger once more subsided into desperation, hiding her face from him again. She covered her head with her arms as she did, wanting nothing more than to curl up into a tiny, inconspicuous ball.

This…

This was not what he had anticipated.

At least, not in such abundance. Belos knew she would react badly as he let the inevitable blow-up from Hunter play out. The boy was primed to be untrustworthy of her from the start, and him reacting in anger was not something he had to influence him to do. So he let it play out, keeping her on ice until it did, just to make sure it hits her hard, as penance for going behind his back. But this much guilt and anger which choked up in her throat, it wasn’t in his plan.  Her face flushed with embarrassment, eyes reddened with tears as she continued to curse herself, it was as heart wrenching of a sight as it was intoxicating.

Perhaps the near death experience amplified her emotions.

Her reacting so strongly was not part of his plan. Admittedly, her starting this entire little endeavour behind his back wasn’t what he had expected in the first place , either, but she had started making it a habit of taking him by surprise.

Selena doing something secretive, and with Hunter - it was like a trigger being pulled, left over sensitive and raw by having to watch way too many grimwalkers, sooner or later, go behind his back over one thing or another. A betrayal, after betrayal, after betrayal , just like-

And Hunter… Hunter was so much like him . Despite everything, he didn't want to replace him, not so soon. Not ever , if he could help it.

Lord, give him just this one

So his temper flared - he wished it hadn’t. Not in front of her. Not when she was opening up to him. It was a miscalculation, a misstep, a pesky emotional reaction he never should have let surface. But it had, and now the spiralling consequences caught up, always spiralling consequences, which he struggled so hard to control. He had to have control, if he didn’t, then he loses , and he can’t bare to lose-

Belos could feel himself spiralling, slowly but surely, the stress from the day prior creeping up in the dead of the night, making his throat clench and breathing pick up. The woman next to him continuing her rant, however, was more than enough to drag him back before his thoughts ventured further.

"And I missed the stupid… Blight sale, too!" Her temper flared, open palm hitting the mattress out of frustration "I promised to be there, and I wasn't!" She pressed her knuckles to her forehead as she pouted "And I didn't get to see Odalia's face turn red with anger at that letter I was gonna give her, either!"

It served well enough. Dragging him back from the edge. The childishly petty comment Selena made at the end was more than enough to lift his spirits.

"I'm sure Hunter would be more than happy to tell you all about how madam Blight reacted to the letter you intended for her." Belos said coolly, satisfied when he got the dumbfounded reaction he wanted to see. Feeling smug, he further elaborated "Hunter volunteered to go in your stead. With how worried he seemed for your wellbeing, I couldn't refuse such a request."

He saw how the cogs turned in her head, trying to make sense of things "He was…worried?" She asked softly, bewildered.

Belos nodded "He seemed very eager, as well." He raised his hand and placed it on top of her head. "I do not know what transpired between you two, but I can tell you with certainty that Hunter felt incredibly guilty because of it." He chuckled as he continued "He had been patrolling outside my chambers ever since you were brought here, hoping I'd invite him in to see you. It took quite a bit of convincing on my part before he left to get some rest."

Hearing this seemed to have finally placated the oracle. Not fully, mind you, but enough that her chest stopped shaking with sobs and her eyes became a little less dull. Still, Selena stayed silent and withdrawn, her mind running a thousand miles an hour. Knowing it would take a little more coaxing before she let him charm her back to sleep, Belos stretched his arm out towards the door, the red glow of his magic more than noticeable in the darkness of the night.

"How about some warm soup?" He offered as a full bowl floated into the room, into his awaiting hand. "There was still some mist coming from your lips when you were sobbing, Hettie said it would help."

Selena peeked from where she sat as he offered it to her "That doesn't look very warm to me."

Belos raised an eyebrow behind his mask. With his other hand, he spun his finger above the soup, once, twice, and in seconds hot steam rose above the bowl, which he then offered once more to the girl. She gave it a distrusting look, eyes fleeting up to him for a second (forgetting in her exhausted state that she could not get a read on his expression, as he was still very much hidden behind a mask), before gingerly reaching out and accepting the bowl into her hold. Selena readjusted herself on the bed, sitting with her back propped up against the numerous pillows and headboard, she cradled the soup between her chest and her knees.

Abandoning the spoon completely, she brought the bowl to her lips, taking a tentative gulp "It's…very nice." Selena muttered, the edge of the bowl resting on her bottom lip. "Thank you, Emperor."

"You're welcome." Belos returned just as politely "Now make sure to finish the entire thing, the warmth should help chase the frostmist clear out of your lungs."

Selena noded, taking another sip. It was easy to eat it that way, as it was a clear soup, no noodles and just the occasional chopped veggie. She definitely could feel the warmth spreading from the inside with every single gulp, reminding her of the way hot cocoa felt so amazing after coming inside the winter cabin they would rent at the Knee. It felt nostalgic, somehow.

The two settled into a somewhat comfortable silence, or the closest thing to it. The emperor was even being polite enough not to stare insistently, as he so usually did, instead his gaze transfixed on to the window across the room from them.

"Have you calmed down a little?"

Selena didn't look at him, opting to stare ahead as well "...a little."

There was a deep hum from Belos, acknowledging her answer. They stayed like that for a moment or two longer. Both choosing to remain silent on the dark thoughts that loomed over their heads, like a gloom cloud threatening to brim over with boiling rain, leaving burn marks everywhere in its wake.

"Perhaps-" Belos started slowly "-we should try bringing your thoughts away from…such a dark place." His head tilted slightly towards her "How about you tell me all about when you started being so interested in humans?"

There was a loud sigh which could have passed as a groan coming from the Oracle "Oh Titan…I don't think I can say it." She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes "It's embarrassing. You'll just laugh at me."

"I promise I won't."

Selena now let out an actual groan "No, you totally will! Believe me!" When he chuckled, she pointed at him accusingly "There, you already started!"

"Selena." The man pleaded, and Selena could imagine the puppy dog eyes he must have been pulling behind the mask "I promise. Please?"

Hearing him say please so sweetly (well, hearing him say please at all), it gave her goosebumps and made her head feel light. And it definitely cracked her resolve like a griffin egg, all the way through.

Well, it couldn't hurt, she reasoned with herself. It was just a super embarrassing story from her youth she was about to tell to the Emperor of the Isles, no big deal.

Sighing really, really deeply, she started her story "When I was younger. And dumber ." She handed him the almost finished bowl of soup, and Belos placed it on the night table "I already heard stories about humans, right? How they come from another realm, weird, with no magic, kind of high-strung. It’s rumoured that, sometimes… they're witch hunters, too." She grimaced at that, not noticing how Belos turned his head away at that statement. "Well, when I was about… maybe eleven? Or was it twelve? It was a while ago, I can't remember precisely. Either way, we were supposed to write an essay for school. It was all about how well we could do research, so we were free to choose any subject, and I decided that the human realm should be an easy thing to write about."

Still staring into the distance, Belos interjected "And was it? Easy to write about?"

Selena let out a little huff through her nose instead of laughing fully "Surprisingly, it really wasn't." She responded with a small smile as she sank further into the many pillows behind her "The available literature was limited, and it seemed…very badly researched." She scrunched up her nose disapprovingly "If I could notice that at my age, you could only imagine what it was like." Belos let out a small laugh under his breath at that assessment, and she joined him as she remembered further "I was so upset, you wouldn't believe it." Selena snickered "Here was an assignment I thought would be effortless on my part, and it was giving me such a headache. I complained loudly to my parents about it, how all the literature was trash, and how was it possible the library didn't have better books on humans? And they, in return, told my grandparents and uncle about how cute I was, all outraged and stomping my feet over unprofessional scientific papers at the age of, like, twelve."

"I don't blame them." Belos added, mirth obvious in his voice "You probably were very cute."

Thank the Titan for the shroud of the night, because Selena felt her cheeks flushing at that comment.

"A-anyway-" she stuttered slightly "-it was my uncle who came to the rescue. He persuaded master librarian Malphas to let us into the Forbidden Stacks. It wasn't that hard - apparently he was indebted to my grandmother after she predicted a devastating fire in the library, that they were then able to stop before it destroyed everything. So, Magnus took me to the off-limits wing, where there were more obscure books about humans and their realm. I think running through the Forbidden Stacks and climbing the bookshelves as high as the ceiling has to be one of my fondest memories." She smiled softly to herself as she remembered "But none of the books there came close to this one journal I found, hidden away."

She failed to hear how Belos' breath hitched in his lungs "A journal, you say?"

"The personal journal of a human called Philip Wittebane.” she smiled fondly ”A long time ago, he explored the Demon Realm. Humans used to come here, can you believe it?" Selena sighed dreamily, and then hid her face behind her hands "Goodness, it's so embarrassing just thinking about it!" She giggled nervously behind her hands "But the way he wrote, oh! It captivated me, every part of me! I read the journal over and over, cover to cover, like such a little lovestruck weirdo. I started imagining what it would be like, meeting this human from centuries ago. Then I started writing about it in my own journal, too - Make believe stories where we meet and he whisks me away to the human realm."

It was all too much - Belos couldn't stop himself. His shoulders were shaking as he did his best to stifle the laugh, his hand flying under the mask to cover his mouth and muffle any sound threatening to escape. Seeing this, the oracle gasped in outrage.

"Emperor!" Selena whined, hiding behind her fingers once more "You promised!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" As soon as he opened his mouth to apologise, a louder laugh escaped him "I simply couldn't help myself!"

The oracle groaned, sliding down on the bed till she was barely visible from the cushions and covers surrounding her "I knew it, I told you so!" She despaired loudly, which only served to fuel the fire behind Belos' laugh more.

"Come on now, don't be like that, it's sweet!" Belos tried reassuring her "It's very sweet, really it is!"

"You can't even say that with a straight face!"

With lungs still filled with laughter, Belos reached for her, taking the wrist closest to him and pulling that hand away from her face, exposing her while she tried to hide. "I mean it - it's a type of innocent wonder only a child could hold. Thank you for sharing that story with me, I very much enjoyed it." he tilted his head to the side “A little crush on a human, how quaint .”

Selena struggled to hide her entire face with only one hand, so unfortunately one eye was peeking out through her fanned out fingers, forced to face Belos "I'm glad someone at least enjoyed it, because I for one am mortified." Her complaining only made him snicker again, very obviously enjoying the torment she was being put through "You should have let the black ice take me."

This earned her a laugh from the emperor "Unfortunately -" he started cheekily, releasing her wrist from his grip "- it would seem that Lady Luck decided not to let the ice take you. Or, in layman's terms: You're stuck with me, my dear."

"It would seem so." Selena muttered, unconsciously placing the hand that he let her take back gingerly against her cheek. Thanks to the frostmist that still lingered in her body, It felt noticeably warmer from his touch. "Well, for better or for worse it is, then, that we're stuck together." She half-joked, a dry chuckle escaping her.

"For better or for worse." Belos echoed, decidedly, as if putting a dot at the end of that conversation "I do wonder, though, whatever happened to the journal?" He changed the subject, catching her by surprise.

"Oh, hmm." Selena thought about it "I tried sneaking it back home, but I was caught and forced to return it. It's probably still in the forbidden stacks." Selena moved around, pushing the pillows around and getting more comfy on the bed. "Probably for the worse, the stacks were not in the best of shape when I was last there, there were way too many echo mice in there for comfort." Crossing her arms, her brows knitted together in thought "I remember copying parts of it by hand to bring home, not much of it because I was still writing an essay but… I wonder if any of that survived the last move, it was stacked in a box somewhere in the old house's attic I think…"

Letting out a deep, forlorn sigh, Selena finally seemed to have nestled fully in the bed. "I don't know… call it a weird oracle sixth sense or whatever you wish, but I feel like the journal probably got damaged beyond repair through the years." The way she pursued her lips and her eyes squinted, it was obvious she believed that truly and that it made her heart ache. 

“That is very defeatist of you.”

“Unfortunately, I’m rarely wrong on such matters.” she said, more decidedly, a certainty in her voice as she defended her forementioned sixth sense she spoke of earlier. "It breaks my heart to think about it, but the Stacks really are a place books go to die.” She turned to lie on her side, pulling the covers tightly under her arms, eyes at half-mast as they gazed sleepily up at the man sitting at the edge of the bed “Some of it still remains, though, up here.” her fingers gently rapped against her forehead to further illustrate her point “Shame that memories tend to be so fickle, though.”

Belos scooched slightly closer, leaning over the girl's form as he watched her let out a tiny yawn “Memories are all we have sometimes, and are more precious than any books lost to time.” he said as his hand slowly raised, pressing the tips of his middle and index finger to her forehead "Now, get some rest, Lena."

With a soft exhale, the magic washed over her and Selena was out like a light.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next time Selena awoke, the room was bright, washed in the warm rays of the sun. She hailed the morning, after a night that seemed to have lasted far too long. It almost felt like a dream, a hallucination, as bits and pieces came together the more her brain awoke, forming into one coherent story.

Her thoughts wandered back, as she puzzled together the pieces of the dream that plagued her after her waltz with death, but it felt useless as her mind would default back again and again to the late night conversations with the Emperor. To how he made sure she was taken care of, and that she would recover no matter the cost.

To how she was in the Emperor's most private chambers, occupying his bed, wearing a man's button up blouse that hung loosely over her hands and down to her thighs. It didn't take a genius to connect whose blouse it was.

Who changed her, anyway?!

So the dream (if she could even really call it one because there was a nagging feeling in the back of her head that it may have been a bit too real to be either a dream or a premonition or omen), while she could recall it perfectly, lay forgotten in lieu of more…pressing issues.

However, she didn't get much time to herself (or her thoughts) - mere minutes after she opened her eyes, the room was crowded by Emperor Belos and coven head Hettie.

"Perfect!" Hettie cooed as she checked her vitals "You are recovering just perfectly, my Lady! At this rate, I feel confident in dismissing you by this afternoon!" She turned to Selena, who was trying not to stare too long at either her or Belos (who loomed behind the healer, watching her work), feeling too self-conscious now when she wasn’t hidden away by the shroud of night "Alright, my Lady, head and back straight, look directly up and take in the deepest breath you can-" Selena did exactly as she ordered, lying on her back straight as a plank "-aaaand exhale all the way out, let all the air out of your lungs…there we go! Good, good " she muttered to herself, taking out a little vial from her belt "There is barely any frostmyst left, just some bubbling over your lips before it completely dissipates. Here, you should take one last dose of Vitimir's potion, just as a safety precaution."

Belos reached over and took the vial from her before she could offer it to Selena "I'll make sure she drinks it, thank you Hettie."

If she found it weird, Hettie didn't show it. Just lifted the edge of her lips slightly, a hint of a smirk "Of course, Emperor. I trust you will." She replied and stood up from where she sat on the edge of the bed 

"...I can drink it by myself…" Selena let out childishly, but her objection was received to deaf ears.

"Now my lady, I trust you to be a good girl and listen to our Emperor. He only has your best interest in mind - you won't get better care anywhere else on the Isles!" Hettie chastised cheerfully "And make sure to finish your soup, too!" She added at the end, pleased as pudding when she got an obedient "Yes, ma'am" from her patient. She made her way to the door, more than happy to entrust her care into the Emperor's capable (and awaiting) hands.

Following her to the door, Belos addressed her in a hushed tone "Is Magnus still outside?"

"I don't think he ever left, my Lord." Hettie answered "Should I let him in?"

Belos shook his head “No, I’ll call for him myself. Just tell him she's doing alright.” He put a hand to her shoulder, leaning in slightly  "If it is not too much trouble, can you send for the Golden Guard? The boy was very troubled last night, I'd like to ease his worries as well."

"Of course, Emperor Belos. It will pose no trouble at all."

And just like that, with a bow and a smile, Hettie was gone. Leaving only Belos and Selena in his royal bedchambers once more. He stood by the door, looking out and waiting for Hettie to leave his sitting room, then quietly closing the door.

"Busy, busy." Selena heard him sigh, his back still turned to her "At least you are well on the road to recovery." He looked at her over his shoulder "But how are you feeling, Selena?"

“As well as I could, Emperor.” The woman sat up in bed, making sure to keep the (now substantially less of them) covers up to her waist. The mens button-up she wore covered down to the middle of her thighs, but she wasn’t taking any chances. With a dry chuckle, she added “All things considered”

“All things considered indeed .” he repeated as he made his way back to her, taking up the spot on the edge of the bed once more as he had numerous times before. “Perhaps this could be a learning moment for you, then, about the dangers of fraternising with wild witches.” Selena groaned, throwing her head back and sinking back into the pillows “Don’t groan at me." He chastised her, in a very parental manner "I did warn you, but I suppose you just have too soft of a heart." He did sound earnest, but the oracle could hear his words as nothing more than mocking.

“Oh come now, Emperor Belos, and we were having such a wonderful time together.” she snapped back “Don’t ruin it.”

“These wild witches, these untrustworthy hexen , they are dangerous-”

“No more dangerous than any witch in a coven!”

“I was terrified!” he raised his voice, the tone making Selena flinch, the worry in his words coiling tightly around her heart “Your skin was blue, it was cold as ice to the touch, I was convinced you met your death!” he turned away from her, focusing instead on his open palm. “I held you in my arms and could not feel your heartbeat, could not hear you breathing-” his voice cut off, trembling, like it could not go further as the memories swarmed him.

He… was the one who held her? 

All the anger she held when he started to push his crusader agenda dissipated in seconds, replaced instead by guilt. Guilt that she made him worry this much. The hurt in his voice was like a vice in her chest, constricting and painful. Without thinking, she reached for him, wanting nothing more than to offer comfort. Against her better judgement, shaking hands found his arm, resting on his back and bicep, tugging him just a sliver closer to her as she leaned towards him, letting her forehead press against his shoulder.

“I’m sorry.” Selena let out, just above a whisper “I’m sorry to have made you worry.”

She knew she crossed boundaries that never should be crossed, coming so close to the ruler of the Isles; her heart fluttered in fear at the thought. But as she heard his erratic breathing hitch in his throat, as if he forgot how to breathe for a moment, before he let out a long, shaky breath, one she felt under her skin, feeling how he calmed down at her touch, she let those worries go to the back of her mind. If he minded it, he didn’t word it out loud.

Perhaps the Emperor was right. Perhaps she did have too soft of a heart.

Afterall, here she was, comforting the man she considered her enemy. If that wasn’t a sign of weakness, too caring, too soft and easily manipulated, then nothing was. So much of a bleeding heart that all the disgust and fear she would feel at his touch was long forgotten. All it took was him showing a glimmer of genuine emotion. She didn’t even flinch when his hand covered the one she had placed on his arm, letting him do so and find comfort.

“I’m fine now.” she reassured him “So you don’t need to worry anymore.” she gave his arm a squeeze, one last offer of comfort, and pulled away. His hand lingered where it was, where it held hers, for a moment longer. As if savouring the touch.

Belos let out a long, heavy sigh “You’re fine now.” he muttered low and under his breath, the only reason Selena heard him was because it was the only sound in the tranquillity of the bedchambers. And, despite it only lasting seconds, to Selena it felt like they hadn’t moved for painstakingly long minutes. She memorised every single speckle on the back of her hands as she held them in her lap where she sat, feeling too awkward to look anywhere else.

Finally, finally , she heard the Emperor clear his throat and straightened his back, gathering up the last of his dignity that he let crumble for a moment, putting back the facade. Just the little change in his posture felt like it changed his entire demeanour, like it erased completely what transpired just moments before.

The way he controlled the room was nothing short of both astounding and terrifying.

He turned back around, facing her once more and beckoning her closer “Come, I need to administer the last potion to you.”

Vaguely, Selena remembered mentions of a potion, one that Hettie wanted to give her but that Belos snatched away before she could “I can drink it by myself.” The protest was weak on her lips and they both knew it.

“Now now.” he tutted and examined the vial he held up in the air. It was gold in colour, warm and glowing (which made sense as it was meant to chase away the cold) “What did dear Hettie say to you before she left?”

It took a second for Selena to snap her attention away from the glowing gold in the vial, images of golden moths dancing in the back of her mind “Uhh… to be good and listen to the Emperor?”

“That’s right, good job.” Selena felt her entire body bristle at the dripping condescension “To be a good girl and listen to your Emperor, if we want to be more precise.” he turned to her, and this time, his eyes were glowing behind the mask “Now, be a good girl for me and come here.”

Whatever sympathy, whatever grace there was, it burned up, eaten by the blue blaze that lay dormant in her chest where Belos had lit it the first time he dared call her that. It overpowered everything else in an instant, swallowed it whole, until she felt nothing but the fire and the smoke, burning up from the inside. She told herself it was anger, even though anger ran red, not ice blue (just like his eyes). And now after she had felt the biting cold of the black ice, feeling this again made her head spin .

Every time he called her that she made a mental note to beat up and traumatise more of his precious little scouts.

"Come, Selena, I don't have all day." Belos gripped her wrist, giving an insistent tug. Which, taken aback and overwhelmed as she was, didn't register fully with her, so her body instinctively scooched over.

Way too close.

"Your uncle has been waiting outside, by the way." Belos mentioned offhandedly, letting go of her wrist once he was satisfied with how close she was. "As soon as we are done with your medicine, I'll let him in to see you."

"My- Magnus?" His spell on her seemed to break on her momentarily "How- how long has he been waiting?"

Belos didn't answer right away, instead turning the vial in his hand, then removing the cork at the top with a surprisingly loud 'pop' "Oh, I'd say he had been patrolling outside my room the entire night, like a caged animal." His hand, surprisingly casually as if he's done this a hundred times before, loosely gripped her jaw "Now, the potion is apparently hot going down, so try not to jerk away until you've drunk it all."

"I, uh, I guess I'll try?" Selena let out nervously, eyes bouncing between the potion in his other hand and his mask, not quite sure where to even look and not feel like dying of embarrassment.

She heard him let out a loud breath through his nose, a hint of a chuckle "Good girl."

Titan damn him, why does he have to do that-

Belos pressed the vial to her parted lips, the fingers gripping her jaw tilting her head back as he did. The liquid hit her tongue, and it tasted… sparkly. Is that even a taste? Either way, it was the closest word she could use to describe it. Selena quickly swallowed, and it felt swelteringly hot as it went down her throat. A jarring opposite to how the frostmist felt when it started taking over her lungs. Selena shuddered as her entire body flushed with heat. It was as if she took a full gulp from the boiling sea itself.

It didn't hurt, at least not in the way one would expect burning to hurt, but Titan it felt bad .

Selena jerked away fast, despite the emperor's prior warnings, but the hand on her jaw kept her static as the last of the potion drained from the vial. Belos tsk'd loudly, removing the vial away from her lips and tugging her closer to him, his mask uncomfortably close "Selena, I told you Not. To. Move." He warned, enunciating his point by jolting her head to the beat of his last three words.

He watched as the witches entire face scrunched up and turned red - he could feel it grow hot where he held her - eyes closed and lips pursed shut as she tried to shake his hold off of her "Did you swallow all of it?" Feverishly, she nodded, and he let go of her jaw "Good."

Selena instantly jumped back, decorum and modesty be damned as she landed on her bum, covers gone and forgotten. She clutched at her chest as the heat burned all the way down, spreading through her veins like liquid metal. It felt horrid, absolutely horrid (especially for her, who never was a fan of the sweltering weather of the Isles, this was torture) . Selena doubled over, feeling something bubble in her chest and rise up the same path that the accursed potion just went down through.

A gentle hand landed on top of her head, running through her hair "Breathe, Selena."

Such a strong sense of deja vu.

The oracle exhaled deeply, letting out the air that was trapped in her lungs before she started convulsing. And while she couldn't see it, on account of her eyes being screwed shut, she could feel it - feel it move up her windpipe, push up her throat, and bubble at her mouth, leaving her lips and caressing her cheeks as it spiralled up and above into the air.

"There we go." She heard Belos hum above her.

His fingers detangling her hair felt strangely soothing.

When it (she assumed it was a lingering bubble of frostmist still lodged in her lungs) was out, the sweltering heat started to subside. She had to concentrate on her breathing, feeling like she ran a mile, having to manually force herself not to gulp it down greedily like she just came up for air. And, worst of all, Selena felt super gross. Now that the overwhelming feeling of flames had been snuffed out just as fast as it came, she realised just how clammy and sweaty her skin had become. 

"That was…" a pathetic whine left her, which she tried her best to mask as annoyance "...that was the absolute worst."

She heard Belos chuckle above her, giving her a little pat. "You're far too old to act like a baby about taking your medicine."

The oracle scoffed loudly. Becoming aware that the sheets - that were so pleasantly cold before - had become disgustingly warm, she straightened up, doing her best to push down the button up blouse down her thighs as she did. "Yeah, I'd like to see how you'd handle that." She ran her hand through her hair and grimaced - her scalp was uncomfortably hot, and the base of her hair was covered in sweat. 

Gross.

"I wasn't the one who almost died."

"No, but if it weren't for me, you would have been dead."

She saw his glowing eyes narrow in annoyance "Touche."

Gods, she hated feeling this warm. She was actually yearning for the cold that rattled her bones whilst she was buried under piles of blankets. Forming a spell circle, Selena lifted it up to her face, the glowing ring blowing air into her face like a fan. She let out a content sigh. It felt like heaven on her flushed skin.

"That should have been the last of the frostmist, according to Hettie." Belos explained, slowly getting to his feet "So you should be clear to leave later today."

Selena was in too much bliss to look at him, eyelids fluttering shut at the pleasant breeze "What time is it?"

"Seven forty five in the morning." Belos quickly answered, heading for the door "I'll call for Magnus, but before I do-" he paused once he reached the door, opening it and looking back at her. Hearing him trail off like that, Selena cracked one eye open, and saw his glowing eyes move over her, starting from her face and slowly (uncomfortably so) moving all the way down "-perhaps you should make yourself more… presentable?"

Her eyebrows arched up in confusion, craning her neck down to follow his gaze -

The magic fan ring was all in vain as her face flushed hot once again. To her absolute horror, most of the buttons on the blouse had come undone without her noticing, revealing way too much of her thighs than any self respecting lady of her stature would be comfortable showing a man. With a loud squeak, she scrambled for one of the covers, struggling to untangle it from under her. 

She heard doors open and close, but not before the now unmistakable sound of the Emperor's deep, satisfied chuckle.

She cursed him internally just as she accidentally fell over unceremoniously after she pulled on the cover under her too hard.

Oh, Midnight was gonna have a blast taking out all these anger issues stacking on top of each other like a game of jenga as soon as she was out of the palace.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Just like he promised, Emperor Belos had let her uncle come into his private abode, to visit her and make sure she was safe. Magnus, ever the stoic, intimidating figure, walked in with a familiar scowl on his face, an aura of doom and gloom entering before even he did.

The oppressive aura lifted the moment he saw her.

Before she could even greet him properly, he power walked to her and enveloped her in a spine-breaking embrace, almost knocking her completely over.

"Thank the Titan you're okay." Magnus muttered into her hair, hanging on to her even tighter, her much smaller frame completely engulfed and hidden from sight by him.

"I'm fine, uncle, I'm fine." Selena managed to wheeze out, patting his back in an attempt to get him to lessen his grip "Don't worry, I'm fine."

"I was worried sick!" Magnus gave one last squeeze, making Selena let out a breathless squeak of pain, and released her. Holding her by the shoulders, his eyes moved erratically over her face, checking to see if anything was amiss. "The moment I heard the news spread through the palace, that someone was hurt, I knew it was you."

Yeah, the Oracle senses sometimes really sucked. The feeling of dread in one's gut that something bad happened tends to be correct nine times out of ten.

Magnus' eyes softened when he saw no injury on her, and he took her face into his hands, sighing as he felt his heart fill with ease. She was there. She wasn't dead. Selena, seeing his worry, put her hands over his.

"I was careless." She said quietly "And I got hurt trying to fix it. But I'm alright now." She looked behind Magnus at Belos, who stood by the door with his arms crossed while he observed them, like a fly on the wall. "Emperor Belos, in all his grace, made sure I was given the best of care."

"It was the least I could do to thank you for saving my life." At the sound of Belos' voice, she saw Magnus' scowl deepen.

Magnus was, according to her mom and gran, a tightly woven bundle of anger,  bubbling under the very thin surface. Not that Selena ever saw that anger come out except for a specifically scathing remark, or in the constant scowl he wore. Not to say Ursula and Isabella weren't known for being spitfires themselves. However, the two of them didn’t try to hide it or internalise it, like Magnus did. It’s… hereditary , to say the least.

Magnus, however, never let it show, at least not in front of her nor her siblings. Which didn’t mean she didn’t know it was there, oh no. She knew, and right now, she saw it in that scowl and the ugly downturn of his lips. And knowing the possibility of his horrid temper rearing its ugly head, already showing in how his lips snarled, and knowing how absolutely unhinged Emperor Belos could be, Selena panicked internally once the realisation hit that if there was a clash, it would leave no prisoners. In this room - nor in the Palace for that matter.

Titan, how could he torture her like this, forcing her in to the position where she was forced to walk the tightrope as she was thrust in to the position of peacemaker to these two fully grown men.

Selena gripped her uncle's hands harshly, nails digging in, forcing his attention back to her. She frowned at him, giving a decisive glare from under her brows, and gave him a very miniscule shake of her head.

“The Emperor has been very kind to me, staying by my bedside vigilantly.” she asserted, glowering daggers into his eyes “I could not have asked for better company.”

“Don’t start anything, damn you.” She forced her way into his mind, opening a telepathic connection just to deliver the warning, cutting it off cold turkey as soon as she had her say. The message was simple - she wasn’t taking any objections.

Magnus, taken aback by how quickly her presence came and left his mind, seemed dumbfounded for a second, eyes widening and eyebrows arching up. But he quickly shook it off, his trademark glare returning along with a grimace as he bared his teeth in annoyance. He rolled his eyes dramatically and pulled his hands away from her face, the irritated expression clearly saying “Fine. But I do not have to like it.”

The older Fortuna decided to stop crowding her and moved to the edge of the bed, opting to just pretend Belos wasn’t there. “When will you be let out?” 

“Later today.” Selena smiled when she saw him relax his face, forcing himself to calm down “I was given potions by coven head Vitimir that helped remove the curse, and they worked so well that coven head Hettie cleared me earlier this morning.”

“I’ll be there to take you.” Magnus quickly answered, not leaving her room for arguments as he cast a spell circle, summoning his personal crystal ball to him. It landed heavily in his hand. “Now, Ursula said to contact her as soon as I got to you-” he saw Selena’s eyes widen in horror as soon as he said that “-don’t give me that look, of course I told her! She’s your mother!”

“B-b-but do you have to call her?!” she glanced nervously at Belos “Now?!”

“She needs to know you’re okay.” Magnus stated matter-of-factly “Everyone in the family has been worried since last night!”

Selena whined in despair and ran her hands down her face. Peeking from behind her uncle, she addressed the Emperor, who was leaning against the wall near the door and waiting patiently “Ah… Emperor Belos, I know it’s incredibly rude of me to ask you this, but -”

Belos raised his hand, a gesture that silenced her in an instant “I’ll give you privacy, do not worry.” he replied coolly and pushed himself off the wall “I’d hate to intrude on a touching family moment like this.”

“Thank you.” Selena smiled at him, a weight taken off of her chest as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

#the owl house #the oracle bakery #philip wittebane #philip wittebane x oc #emperor belos #emperor belos x oc #fanfiction #reader insert #self insert

[atherix]

hello aci, critically important midnight lore question. what are everyones (mumbo, scar, grian, and anyone else you would like) favorite chores to do? (cooking, laundry, dishes, etc) and what chores (if any) would they rather dive into life threatening danger to avoid? on the off chance this is a repeat question sorry orz

Hi Chel!! <3

Oh this is a fun question :o Hmmm

Scar likes cooking, as we know by now, and would rather punt himself into the sun than do laundry (technology is pretty set back in this world so most laundry is done by hand, which Scar despises, but redstone machines are notorious for the redstone failing if the machine gets wet so redstone washers are generally seen as absolute rubbish). He hates how his hands get all pruney and go numb and afterwards they're all dry and stuff from the detergents and he ALWAYS manages to burn himself on the iron when ironing the clothes and he just despises laundry, really...

Mumbo enjoys dusting and sweeping/mopping and organizing things- he finds it calming and gives him time to think- but would rather set himself on fire than put his hands in dishwater. (He is determined to design and make a dishwasher that won't destroy the redstone components but everyone knows redstone + water is usually disastrous...) Dishwater is yucky, we all know this, but he's loathe to waste water by keeping the tap running.

Grian actually likes laundry- his talons means less wrinkly prune-feeling and his talons don't go numb from running the clothes across a washboard, and he likes the sound it makes. Because laundry's a long process at this point (again, pre-machinery, electricity is still relatively new in this world and redstone + water = bad) he likes to do it at a time when Mumbo is still asleep and Scar is either also asleep or working. Unlike Scar and Mumbo, he actually doesn't mind any chores- as long as he's not the only one doing them. Unless it's laundry, he will actively shoo the others away from laundry. It's the one chore he thoroughly enjoys. (Luckily Mumbo isn't overly attached to laundry bc the moment Grian moved in he took over LMAO)

Mmm as for others... Tubbo doesn't like doing ANY chores, but if he had to pick one it'd be taking out the trash- quick and easy. The one chore he absolutely hates, though- the one he would rather go back to Midnight Alley than do would have to be cleaning the bathroom. Scrubbing the sink, the bathtub, the toilet- he despises it. Definitely bribed someone else to do it when it appeared on his chores list for the week when he was a teen.

Cub doesn't particularly enjoy any specific chore (partly because, you know, he's the King's assistant and doesn't DO chores). This man here does less chores than a literal PRINCE (Scar) and LORD (Mumbo) and GOD (Grian) what the fuck

Lizzie is an "all the chores!!" type person but in reality she, too, enjoys cooking and hates washing dishes. Joel is indifferent to chores in general, and would rather help Lizzie cook, but he washes dishes bc Lizzie doesn't like doing it. So I guess his favorite chore is "help Lizzie/make Lizzie happy" 😌

Jimmy and Scott...... absolutely hire someone to come and clean their house once a week. They're old enough to have enough money to rival Mumbo, I think. Not Cleo, but at least Mumbo. All their chores are done at their bakery, and their favorite chore is definitely setup for the next day. Their least favorite chores are wiping down the counters where the dough was BEING prepared (Jimmy) and washing the dishes (pans and mixing bowls and stuff) (Scott).

Cleo... has other people to do chores. She's there to conduct business, manage the Coven, teach younger/newer Vampires, etc, household chores are generally performed by second, third and fourth tier Coven members (Lord's Turnlings/children, Coven Vampires (unrelated to the Lord) and Coven non-Vampires). However if we include the above among her "chores" then her favorite is teaching new Vampires how to... well... Vampire. And she would rather wrestle a basilisk than deal with the fucking Council-

BDubs likes gardening, of course. He loves maintaining the grounds of their Coven house and connecting with his Fae side. He basically helps support Cleo in his day to day life and also highly dislikes dealing with the Council, but I don't think he'd rather put himself in mortal danger than do it

Etho fucks off so much that he gets away with doing pretty much nothing one might consider a chore. Mans is just "peace out *gone*" and the sweeping's still not done. He brings new seeds home for BDubs' garden and unique and new food for the Coven Humans, though- he enjoys that.

Joe is banned from doing chores.

Ren loves doing ANY chore because he makes a game out of it, and often drags Martyn into it with him. Martyn enjoys anything to do with Renchanting and at least tolerates all other chores, but he hates cleaning the bathtub after a full moon because Ren is such a fucking puppy that when he transforms into a feral wolf with no sense of humanity left in him, instead of trying to hunt he demands Play In Water/Bath Times and thE DRAIN IS FULL OF FUR REN WHAT THE F-

Pearl hated sweeping and mopping. She just did, no real reason. She would rather fight god than sweep. Her favorite chore was to run errands, bc it got her out of the Palace for a few hours.

Grim is a typical 14 year old and groans any time you ask her to do anything (but she's also traumatized responsible and does it anyway). She haaaaaates making beds, because sheets just don't cooperate and you have to do them every day and even change them out which means fighting with sheets again and just- yeah.

Anyway I hope this vitally important Midnight Lore serves you well my friend <3

#ask #midnight series #MidnightLore #posting with friends #The Vault #<3 #long post

[soft-bellied-tannies]

Chubtober Day 5!

Day 5 is actually going to be multiple prompts with a poll!

Fatguarddog's prompt list has Witch's Brew for their day 5 and let me tell you, there are many witch ideas in the drafts. Pick your favorite idea from the list today and I will try to write the winner for later this month!

Also, you get to see how I write my prompts to myself because some of them are a little drabbly 😂

---

#1 - Kitchen Witch Jin finds OT6 Coven

Jin is a kitchen witch who runs a cute bakery and infuses his pastries with little bursts of magic that do things like make the person smile, help them have a good day, or ease anxieties. Sometimes, he puts a little extra into certain orders if it’s a regular customer or someone who seems like they need it. 

A coven comes in sporadically and Jin has started to favor them, always throwing extra in their pastries. He charms an order for them to grant a wish or desire that each of them has, completely innocent and out of pure kindness. Two members (Taehyung and Yoongi) have started to look a little plumper each time he sees them. 

Some of them also deliver good news about a breakthrough in a spell or a new accomplishment and Jin starts to realize it might have been him who did it. He decides to try again, granting a wish or desire charm and the weight continues.

Namjoon and Jimin approach him one day and ask if he had anything to do with it to which Jin starts to get nervous that he is never going to see them again. To his surprise, they invite him to dinner and thank him for his little kickstart because the entire coven has discovered how much they love the changes. 

Jin joins the coven soon after and his baked goods become a staple of the household that may or may not occasionally have a little extra something in them like a charm to make their hunger grow three times its normal rate or to make each bite equivalent to three in terms of calories.

The two initial gainers with the hidden internal desire to gain stay the primary recipients of his charms, but some others gain a bit here and there. There is also potential for Jungkook or Namjoon to try out the hunger charms just to see how it feels because they are curious.

#2 - Gaining Curse with Rapline Focus

Namoon is already on the chubbier side and is offered some sort of tea by someone while he’s out on a consult that ends up being a curse (accident or on purpose to be decided). 

The curse makes it to where Namoon’s appetite is increased and the first two people he comes into contact with after drinking the tea will be affected. The first person will gain 2 pounds for every 1 Namjoon gains and the second person will gain 3 for every 1. 

Namjoon is greeted by Hobi when he gets home who is the first person and Yoongi comes home right after him. Namjoon always has a big appetite and stress eats so the coven assumes it’s related to his work. He’s eating more which leads to gain, but that isn't entirely out of the norm. 

What they can’t figure out is how Hobi is gaining double and Yoongi triple when they are eating a fraction of what Namjoon is and of course, it takes a while to notice. Gaining is denied and ignored until it can’t be ignored anymore.

What doesn’t help their gain is also that as their bodies grow, they start gaining their own bigger appetites so not only are they gaining from Namjoon, but maybe a little of their own doing as well.

#3 - OT7 Coven Minor Revenge from Jimin

Jimin realizes the coven may be trying to get him to gain weight after his birthday becomes a two-week affair in October under the guise of he deserved spoiling due to his amazing care for their birthdays.

A fortune teller had randomly told him that his deepest desire was gluttony in an off-hand guess and the coven took it to heart even though Jimin knew that his desire was not rooted in food for himself, but it was to be the best magical baker and running a well-known bakery like his grandmother. (Father sold the shop when he was young and ruined it)

Jimin saw a spellbook open on Jin’s workbench that was for a tincture that would be a month-long craving inducer and appetite stimulant, knowing that they thought they were doing it for his benefit, but Jimin was a little frustrated that they did it behind his back.

Jimin prepared a counter tincture, not an antidote to where they would immediately realize it didn’t work, but a concoction that would cap his weight gain at thirteen pounds - his lucky number and then as he continued to eat, the weight would show at random on the other six. (An impressive spell from his grandmother’s special book he inherited)

Over the next few months, Jimin gains those thirteen pounds and he sees that they are all very supportive and kind, but he also watches with satisfaction when their own figures start to fill out. Jimin knew that he could reason that his practice baking was the culprit.

Eventually, Namjoon and Yoongi finally ask if he was putting anything in the baked goods to make them addictive or fattening and Jimin says no, unlike the stuff they put in his tea which makes all of them tense and apologize.

Jimin explains the reversal spell he made and all of them are impressed, but also content - none of them look to lose the gained weight even after Jimin undoes the spell. Some even continued to indulge in Jimin’s new, successful bakery and discovered an interest and enjoyment in their bigger bodies.

#4 - OT7 Coven Unintentional Body Swap

Namjoon wakes up thin, drowning in clothes, and smaller than he has been in years. Feels light, cold, and wrong - misses being fat. Taehyung wakes up heavy, clothes pulling tight and bigger than he has ever been close to being. Feels warm, thick, and amazing - realizes he wants to be fat almost instantly.

The coven cannot figure out how to switch them back and Taejoon are forced to stay that way. Namjoon starts trying to gain the weight back because he already misses his body.

The coven finally figures out how they were cursed which was an attempt to make the other realize the flaws of their partner. The witch administering the curse wanted to cause Taehyung to become an embarrassed recluse while Namjoon would be left with new confidence. The curse immediately failed as the cursing witch did not realize the confidence Namjoon already held and the fact that Taehyung's coven would never allow him to fall under in that way.

Namjoon ends up gaining back slowly over time while Taehyung maintains and fluctuates some. That continues until they randomly wake up swapped back one year later and find that not much had changed by the flip.

Namjoon was over the moon to have gotten the last twenty pounds he was working for back overnight while Taehyung was excited that he actually got to work for his own gain with the coven's help now.

Throughout the entire process, the other five have been completely supportive and kind of gave up looking for a solution since they both were enjoying it.

#soft bellied tannies #bts weight gain #chubby bts #sbt chubtober

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🏳️‍⚧️ Trans Rights Readathon (March 22nd - March 29th)

🩵 Let's promote trans books, authors, and voices. Find books by trans authors and/or featuring trans main characters below!

🩵 She Who Became the Sun 🩷 From a Shadow Grave 🤍 The Unbroken 🩵 Detransition, Baby 🩷 Meanwhile, Elsewhere 🤍 Finna 🩵 Unwieldy Creatures 🩷 Upright Women Wanted 🤍 Eat the Rich 🩵 Lost Boi 🩷 A Dream of a Woman 🤍 I Kissed Shara Wheeler

🩵 The Sunbearer Trials 🩷 This Day Changes Everything 🤍 I Shall Never Fall in Love 🩵 Godly Heathens 🩷 Hell Followed With Us 🤍 Most Ardently 🩵 Venom & Vow 🩷 Self-Made Boys 🤍 The Companion 🩵 Mistakes Were Made 🩷 Wherever is Your Heart 🤍 Manhunt

🩵 Felix Ever After 🩷 Always the Almost 🤍 The Summer Love Strategy 🩵 Infinity Alchemist 🩷 Across a Field of Starlight 🤍 Her Majesty's Royal Coven 🩵 A Lesson in Vengeance 🩷 A Dark and Hollow Star 🤍 Once & Future 🩵 The Never Tilting World 🩷 The All-Consuming World 🤍 Light From Uncommon Stars

🩵 The Passing Playbook 🩷 The Out Side: Trans and Nonbinary Comics 🤍 The Lost Coast 🩵 The Heartbreak Bakery 🩷 The Prospects 🤍 The Honeys 🩵 May the Best Man Win 🩷 A Lady for a Duke 🤍 Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic 🩵 The Avant-Guards 🩷 Nectar 🤍 One Last Stop

🩵 Iron Widow 🩷 Horse Barbie 🤍 The Collection: Short Fiction from the Transgender Vanguard 🩵 Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms 🩷 Cemetery Boys 🤍 Love & Other Disasters 🩵 The Diablo's Curse 🩷 Not Your Sidekick 🤍 Out of Salem 🩵 Chef's Kiss 🩷 Dreadnought: Nemesis 🤍 The Witch King

🩵🩷🤍 ** Though I double-checked the books on this list, I haven't read most of them. I apologize for any mistakes.

#books #trans rights readathon #trans books #trans community #queer books #batty about books #battyaboutbooks