#her performance here caught my eye.... lol all her performances did but her parts here made my heart doki doki omg

[house-of-lovin]

legally binded - 4

Jenna Ortega x F!Reader

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Chapter 4: Family Bonding, Festivals and Feelings?

Summary: After getting caught in some hot waters with the press, you are forced into an unexpected agreement with America's sweetheart, Jenna Ortega to save your career.

Warnings/Tags: dual!pov, famous!reader, mentions of hard substances, intoxication, mature language, real people (do not read if any of these makes you uncomfortable)

(this is all fiction!)

Note: Things are gearing up 😮‍💨 (ik i said i was gonna take a break, but i couldn’t help myself, now ill take a break lol, happy readin!)

Word Count: 6k+

“No one’s going to get cancelled — it’ll be fun.” Colin Jost smiles curtly on your flat screen TV.

You sit on the bed with a spoon hanging from your lips, an eye on the bright screen having just finished watching a rerun of Jenna’s SNL episode. You made sure to buy it as soon as it was available; locking yourself away in your room.

Currently, you are watching this week’s episode of SNL and Colin and Che are giving their weekly news update.

“Las Vegas is opening up a pop-up vaccine site in a strip club and don’t worry the strippers say the vaccine comes with singer and actress Y/N L/N. This time she’ll be the designated driver – I heard she’s on a tight leash.”

Your smile instantly drops.

“Speaking of Y/N,” Colin bounces off, reading off the cue cards. “Did you see her last week sitting in the audience during Jenna Ortega’s episode… hey, I wonder if they’re a real thing.”

Colin and Che share a knowing glance, “Nah.” They say in unison then move on to their next bit.

Scowling, you turn the TV off, practically throwing your bowl of cereal on the side table. 

You supposed you can’t be too mad – all too familiar with the snide jabs and harmless jokes from others in the industry. This is what you signed up for, right?

Whatever, you’re sure people are loving it.

It’s been a whole week since you left New York and you haven’t spoken to Jenna. It seems how you two acted back in the Big Apple was a success because it got your managers to back off, for now. You didn’t see a reason to contact the actress so you let the silence pass — you see when she posts on social media. 

You don’t have time to think about it because Coachella weekend is coming up soon. For the first time since Vegas, you will be working and you have been itching – wanting nothing more than to dive head-first into work mode. 

It’s what you do best.

You are invited to do a guest performance on a big producer’s set for the festival. It would be your first ever time performing at Coachella but you were privy to the culture of the festival, having gone as an audience member to support your musician friends.

“Hey, you got a minute?” Link pops his head in your door, holding a phone up.

–

“Please don’t do this.” Your pleas go underheard.

“I don’t know why you keep trying, the answer is the same Y/N.” Link rolled his eyes, pointing to a house.

“I think this is the one.”

You scan the two-story typical American home tucked away in the boroughs of suburbia up in the desert, otherwise known as Coachella Valley.

Or well, Jenna’s parent’s house at least. 

After Link had dropped the most terrible news; you had to be seen with Jenna in Coachella. Liv and Jake had instructed your team to drive you to stay with Jenna as you prepare for the festival – it was convenient they said.

Convenient my ass.

“Relax... Marcus will be back to pick you up, he’s gonna drop off your bags at the rental house.”

“Why can’t I just go with you then?” You ask.

“Liv said to drive you to this address. Jenna gave explicit directions to drive you here.”

You frown pulling on a loose thread on your sweater.

What could Jenna possibly want that she’d want you here? She looked pretty upset at you, the last time you talked.

You really don’t have it in you to fight with her, again, especially after the long drive from L.A. up to the desert where you thought — you’d be staying in your villa for Coachella weekend.

“Now go see the girl, please.” Link reaches over to open the door.

When you step out, the car is already driving speedily down the street not even giving you a chance to change your mind. You hear a flurry of voices from the side of the house but it sounds far away. Toy cars and trollies litter the grass yard. 

Slowly, you walked up her porch, your shoes scraped as you ascend the concrete steps. Hesitating for a brief moment, you realize: Jenna is inside. Well duh.  But the thought of her on the other side of the door has your heart dropping out of nowhere. You see flashes in your memory of her frown as you explain why you have to leave New York so soon.

Unspoken words as she says ‘well I thought–’

What did she think?

You would probably never know.

The door opens with a creak breaking you out of your thoughts.

“We have to stop meeting like this.” Aliyah leans against the doorframe, smiling.

You laughed, “Yeah, we do.”

She doesn’t say anything else and just yells over her shoulder, “Jenna, she’s here.”

Then walked off. 

“Hi…” Jenna appears, leaning on the doorframe with a hand.

She scans you for a brief moment; not having seen you since New York, a week ago. She had to make sure you’re still alive because she hasn’t heard from you since then.

You also practically ghosted her.

After feeling guilty about how she left things with you, Jenna sent you a text the next day, asking if you made it back to Los Angeles safely.

You liked her message with a thumbs up.

A thumbs up! Not responding would have been better, the actress bitterly thought.

“Hey.” You greet. “How are you?”

“Fine. You?” She answered quickly, smile sealed tight like an envelope.

“I’m… good. Yeah. Just working.” You answer honestly.

“Oh really?” Jenna asked.

“Yeah, something for Coachella actually.”

Jenna raised her brows in surprise. “Like what?”

You send a tight-lipped smile, “It’s a surprise. People don’t know I’m here yet.”

Jenna can’t fight her excitement; giddy about being in on a secret. But then she remembers that she’s supposed to be annoyed at you and not fascinated.

“Why haven’t you texted me?” Jenna sighed, her voice dropping to a lowly whisper, in case someone was walking by.

You raised your brows, surprised by her question. “Oh… um. I’ve been busy like I said, just working, trying to keep my head down and all that.”

“Are you sure that’s it?” She asked accusingly.

You missed her tone and shrugged, reassuring her, “Yeah. Of course.”

“But, I heard you were busy this week too, filming another movie with Barry Keoghan and The Weeknd?” You changed the subject, hoping to talk about something else. She takes the bait after scanning your eyes for a second.

“Yeah, it was just a short role. But it was a lot of fun. Abel actually talked about you.”

“That’s great, I’m happy for you Jen… and yeah he’s an old friend.”

“Sung your praises pretty high, I had to make sure he was talking about the right person.”

You chuckle, “Oh okay, I see how it is.”

Your laugh caused a sudden warmness to manifest in Jenna and she couldn't help but join along. “Come on, my family has been dying to see you again.”

“Really?” You asked, stepping inside her childhood home. “So you think I made a good impression?”

She turned to look back at you, surprised that you care. “Maybe… don’t let it get to your head, though.”

You laughed as you followed her through the house. “Is that jealousy I hear Ortega? Scared you won't be the only movie star around?”

She snorted, rolling her eyes. “Shut up. You’re an idiot.”

“An idiot that may have impressed your family?” You cocked your head and grinned wide.

“Yeah, yeah. Like, I said. Don’t let it get to your head. They could care less about celebrities and Hollywood. They’re pretty grounded.”

You shrugged, looking at the various family pictures hanging on the wall. “It’s fine. There’s only one Ortega I want to impress anyway.”

You’re not sure where that came from and it seemed Jenna shared the same thought because she raised her brows at you – but didn’t comment.

Jenna blocks you from walking when you reached the sliding glass door. “What?”

Jenna chewed her lip anxiously, “My family can be a lot. In numbers and in the other sense too. There’s a lot of us.”

“Oh… that’s okay.” You answered. A bit confused as to why she is telling you this. When you see her genuine concern your gaze softens. “Jenna, relax. I can handle the family… and I can charm anyone’s socks off.”

She relented, rolling her eyes at your joke. “Okay, okay.”

"Wait..."

Jenna turns around.

"Why am I here exactly? At your parents, that is. Link told me that you gave my driver instructions to bring me here."

Jenna bites her lip in contemplation. "Um—like I said my family wanted to see you again and I heard you were going to Coachella anyway so you know, two birds one stone."

You nod, accepting her answer.

Jenna opens the door for you two to step out.

–

Sounds of laughter rang around as you and Jenna sat in lawn chairs in her parent’s backyard.

“What are Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya like in real life?” Markus – Jenna’s brother leaned forward to ask. 

“Markus!” Jenna scolded and threw her brother a glare.

The actress blushed as she sat beside you but all she felt was the vibrations of your laughter, indulging her brother’s question. 

Jenna can’t help but wonder if you have other family members that spend time with you like this. You look so carefree and genuinely happy; comfortable around her family — after knowing you for a couple months now; she guesses it’s a no.

“They’re cool. Just like everyone else to be honest. Especially, Timothee, sweet guy but he’s a bit of a typical frat bro.” You joked, “And Zendaya, well. She’s just as amazing as everyone says she is. Great work ethic, it’s inspiring when you work with someone passionate like that – makes you want to be better and work harder.”

Jenna’s sisters are eating your story up. Secretly she knew they enjoyed the tales of celebrities and pop culture. It’s nearly impossible to live your life without seeing a public figure pop up on an ad on your phone or on the side of a bus stop on your drive home. 

Jenna is barely home enough to be able to have moments like this where she can humour her sister's questions. But they all had their own lives to live. She's has been looking forward to this break for a while, knowing it was coming up after her long week in New York.

She still can’t describe New York.

Something seems to have shifted between you two by the end of the week. But she didn’t know if it was for the better. The two of you have this constant push and pull; where everything is fine one moment, then one of you says something and it turns tense and weird as you both stay silent or you just completely blow up on each other.

Jenna didn’t know if she had it in her to try to decipher what these restrained responses she gets from you could possibly mean.

You are an enigma; a defensive, hot-headed asshole that grinded every gear the actress had.

“Do you like Zendaya, buddy?” You bounced her niece in your lap, enjoying how the baby grabbed at your fingers. 

But then Jenna turns around and you act like this. Sweet, protective, charming. 

How are you the same person?

She can’t fight her smile as she watched the adorable sight.

Jenna didn’t know you were good with babies. 

“I think Z would think you’re just the most adorable thing. Oh my god, Jen, can I send her a picture of us?” You turned to her, with a bright smile.

Jenna didn’t know when you started calling her by her nickname but she certainly won’t say how she enjoys how it sounds when you say it. “Uh–sure, if it’s okay with my sister.”

“Zendaya’s gonna have a picture of my baby on her phone? Uh yes!”

Jenna laughed, nodding. “I’ll take the picture.” She took your phone, opening the camera.

“What are you doing? Get in here with us." You asked with an adorable scrunch in the nose, surprising Jenna.

“Oh, I just thought— okay.” She swallows her growing grin, sliding in beside you.

Her sisters share knowing glances.

You happily scooted in, pressing your chest to her back.

Jenna is suddenly reminded of her you and her, alone in her dressing room.

She presses back into you. 

“Say, cheese guys!” Jenna clears her throat.

With big bright smiles, you placed your head above her shoulder to get in the frame, repeating, “Cheese!”

Even her niece seemed to be enjoying the attention as she smiled brightly and toothless while standing on your lap with her chubby legs. Jenna snapped a couple for good measure, checking over the pictures. The three of you are squished together as she held it in portrait; you all looked cute Jenna can admit. 

Like a little family.

What?

“Oh Jenna, send me that, please. I want to post it on my Instagram.” Her mom spoke up already reaching for her phone. 

“Okay, okay.” Jenna rolled her eyes but sent herself the pictures first before airdropping them to – everyone – who begged for it. 

“This is adorable, I think I’m gonna make this my lock screen.” You grinned, staring at the photo. She sees you typing a message, indeed sending it to the actress like you said you would. “Just for your niece.”

Jenna felt her heart skip a beat. “Are you saying you’re gonna crop me out the photo?”

“No… but now that’s a good idea, thanks.” You mocked with a smile.

“Mom, how did you already post that picture so fast?” Mia asked.

–

“Don’t be mad.” Jenna begged.

“Mad? Jenna. This isn’t what I signed up for.” You pinched the bridge of your nose.

The two of you were standing in her driveway, in a discord of course. Jenna just forced you into another situation that you wanted no part of.

“You just told Link to call off my driver and now you’re saying don’t be mad. Of course, I’m mad! Why did you say yes to your Mom, Jenna.” You sighed, dropping your hand limply.

“I didn’t know she’d insist.” She groaned walking closer, “She said that you shouldn’t stay in that big house by yourself for the weekend when there is room here, next thing I know she’s forcing me to ask you in front of everybody.”

"I'm sorry." She grabs your arm. “Link said you might be mad.”

You stare at her for a couple of moments. Their hearts are in the right place, you guessed. Eventually, you rolled your eyes and sighed. “Thank you I guess… I appreciate that the sentiment.”

Jenna smiled in relief, “Yeah, of course.” Then scrunched her nose in thought.  “We actually really don’t have the room so I don’t know where she’ll put you.”

She should have known. This is so typical and cliche; sharing a bed trope? Please, can the universe be any more unoriginal? 

“Mom, are you sure?” Jenna whispered as she peaked her head out the small awning of the door – making sure you can’t hear. 

“Jen, go to sleep. We have a packed day tomorrow. Everyone’s coming over for the game.”

Tomorrow is sports night and her uncles, aunts, cousins and grandparents are set to come over. It was a weekly tradition for the extended family to host a gathering to watch the game every Friday; with Jenna’s busy schedule, she hasn’t been to one in months. She’s grateful this one is hosted at her house but then inwardly sighed because she should probably warn you about that too.

“Mom…” She pleaded in a whisper.

“Goodnight and be responsible. I trust you two.”

“Mom!”

Jenna dropped her head in defeat as she listened to her Mom’s footsteps dwindle further away. 

“Hey, you should probably get in there before all the hot water runs out..”

She turns, seeing your freshly showered figure. For a moment, Jenna finds herself stuck. You’re rubbing a towel on your wet hair as grey sweats hung lowly on your hips and she was desperately trying to avert her eyes from the small patch of you skin exposed.

“I already showered.”

“Oh okay.” You shrugged walking over to grab your phone. 

“Which side do you prefer?” You asked absentmindedly,

“What?” Jenna blinks away.

“Of the bed. Which side do you prefer?” 

“Oh. The left.”

“Thank god. Every bed I’ve had to share I’ve had to fight for the right side. You’re perfect.” 

Jenna watched as you jump into your preferred side, getting comfortable under her covers.

She doesn’t know why she feels a mismatched thump fall out of rhythm with her heartbeat at seeing you in her bed. 

“Alright, are you gonna be weird about sharing a bed? ‘Cause I can just take the couch or call my driver to pick me up. I can get a hotel room or something.” You sighed sitting up. 

Jenna furrowed her brows, “What no. Can you please stop jumping to conclusions?”

“I’m not.” You mumbled but don’t argue further. Jenna gets in beside you. 

“You satisfied now?” She throws out but it sounds just shy of playful and maybe even flirtatious – definitely not how she meant for it to sound.

“Uh– sure.” You replied sliding the blanket up to your chin as you tried to get comfortable again.

There’s that weird tension again, Jenna thinks and she thinks it’s starting to annoy her.

“Okay, what’s your deal?” Jenna crossed her arms, turning to you.

You blinked, confused. “What?”

“Why are you being so weird?”

“I’m not.” You sat up to face the other actress.

Jenna frowned, “Yes you are. You have been since New York. Did I do something? Because you still haven’t told me why you just left town like that.”

“I told you. Jake wanted me back for Coachella. Why else would I have just left all of a sudden?” You explained.

“I just– I just feel like you’re not telling me something.” She admits, a bit insecure. “I, at least, thought we’re friends now and when I didn’t see you in the crowd or the dressing room after SNL I was a bit… disappointed? I don't know if it’s dumb but you really did calm me down before my monologue and I wanted to thank you over dinner. But, yeah–” 

Jenna looks away, missing your guilty frown. “Jenna… it’s not dumb. God, I feel like an asshole.”

“Well, sometimes you can be.”

You laugh but it’s dry. “I’m so sorry. I–I should have been there.”

You grab her hands. “Look at me, please.” It gets her to look up, the light from the lamp is bouncing off your eyes making them look softer in the dim light. “I promise, I’ll always be there for the important moments from now on. Before, during and after – we are stuck together until the foreseeable future, so.”

Jenna snorts, looking down at your hands. You begin to rub lines with your fingers on her open palm making her shiver. “Yeah, I guess we are.” She whispers.

She doesn’t know when she makes the bold move to intertwine your fingers. But for the first time since SNL, you two hold hands and this time you don’t pull away. But she doesn’t miss the questioning glint in your eyes as you look down. Jenna ignores the attention and squeezes your hand to make you look at her again.

“You mean it though?”

Your eyes soften. “I mean it.”

–

“Where’s Y/N?” Mia asked over the breakfast table.

“Rehearsals,” Jenna mumbled sleepily shoving spoonfuls of food in her dry mouth – still trying to wake up.

When the actress had awakened, the sun was high above the horizon and the desert heat was already inching inside her cracked window. But she woke up, alone.

Differing from how she went to sleep the previous night with you barely pressed up beside her as you laid with your backs to each other. Jenna only found herself un-tensing after hearing your breathing fall into short even exhales.

When she turned over to grab her phone this morning, you had sent a text:

Sorry for not waking you up. You sleep like a rock but I had to go to rehearsals. I’ll be back by 3 :)

She couldn’t be too annoyed at the smiley face you leave with your occasional messages.

“She’s performing?” Mia asks shocked.

Jenna nods, too tired for words.

“The crowd is gonna lose their minds.” Aliyah laughs. “With who?”

“Won’t say.” Jenna muttered bitterly, thinking back to her incessant begging; you never caved.

“Okay… can we talk about it, now then?”

“Talk about what Mia,” Jenna sighs dropping her fork on her plate.

“You and Y/N.” She says like it’s obvious.

“There is no me and Y/N, it’s all for the cameras. Remember the NDA I had to beg you guys to sign?” The actress rolls her eyes. 

“Then why were you so upset after New York?” She challenges; tired of her sister’s silence over this whole situation. There’s no way she’s just unaffected by this.

“Mia drop it.” Her mom says.

“No. I’m serious, she’s literally staying under our roof, sharing a room with Jenna. And no one is still saying anything? Am I the only one who thinks there’s something going on?”

“Yes.” Jenna says quickly.

Mia rolls her eyes, “You still haven’t answered my question, Jen.”

Jenna crosses her arms, sitting up. “Of course I was upset. She just left town without a warning, if we didn’t catch her in the lobby she was just gonna a send a text. A text! Anyone would be upset at that — but it doesn’t mean what you think it means.”

But her sister doesn’t buy it. She opens her mouth to refute but their Dad swoops in saving the day. “Leave your sister alone, Mia. I’m sure whatever is going on with Y/N and Jenna – they can figure it out themselves.”

Jenna groans, “Dad, not helping.”

He shrugs, sitting at the head of the table with his own plate of breakfast.

Eventually, her family scatters to their own corners of the house to get ready for the day. Her other family members would be arriving soon and the actress had to start getting ready. Crap, she forgot to warn you about game night because you left so early. Jenna decides she’ll send you a text after she gets out of the shower.

With the raucous of the day, Jenna forgets to send the text. Her cousins arrived much earlier than anticipated and she was already getting pulled out to living room to talk about her upcoming projects. She gets so lost catching up with her cousins that she doesn’t realize when you arrive.

"Jenna, your novia is here." One of her aunts shouts making her head snap up to you as the front door opens. "Oh wow, and she's brought the whole store!"

Jenna's jaw drops as you walk in, holding multiple large bouquets of different arrangements of flowers. "Y/N?"

"Hey!" You peek your head out from the large flowers. "These are for your family... but I may have overestimated how big these were and Link refused to help me."

"Oh god, these are beautiful Y/N." Jenna's mom gets up from her seat, grabbing as many flowers as she can. "You didn't have to..."

"Oh, it's nothing, really. You guys are letting me stay here, I just wanted to express a little gratitude." You duck your head, all timid now.

Jenna knows it's not nothing. Those flowers cost a fuck ton, she would know she gets gifted those whenever she has an event.

"Well, gratitude expressed. I don't even know where to put these. Mia, Aliyah help the girl, please!"

The two sisters grab all but one smaller bouquet from your hands, walking away with smug smiles.

"Jen, get up," Aliyah whispers in passing as all the women and Jenna's dad filter over to the kitchen to view the gorgeous flowers.

She still hasn't moved from the couch and briefly, she thinks she can feel her cousin's smirking at her reaction.

"You got my family flowers?" Jenna asks dumbly, walking over slowly; ignoring everyone's eyes on them.

"Uh—yeah. Sorry if it's a bit much. I wasn't sure what everyone liked so... I got them all." You scratch your head with a bouquet in hand, catching Jenna's eye.

"These are for you..." You smile, holding out a smaller albeit more personal? flower arrangement. It felt like Jenna, somehow.

“I picked it out myself.” Your smile turns shy.

Like, if she were to walk into a flower shop and see this bouquet, she would instantly grasp it and never let go.

We still talking flowers?

"Thanks..." Jenna mumbles, grabbing the flowers; your fingertips touching sends sparks down her arm.

"Um—you're back early..." Is all she manages to say.

“Yeah… they didn’t need me for a long time so I decided to come back.” You explained, glancing at the new faces in the room. “Uh– what’s all this?”

The actress sends you a sheepish smile, “Family game night, we watch the game every Friday and cook some barbeque, it’s a whole thing. I forgot to text you, I’m sorry. You can call your driver back if this is too much.”

You laugh, squeezing her shoulder. “And miss out on great food? No, thank you.”

Jenna scans your eyes for the truth, “Are you sure? I know this isn’t exactly your scene so I understand.”

“Jen.” Your hand slides down, softly grabbing her hand. “I can’t even remember how long it’s been since the last time I had a home-cooked meal. I’m so in.”

You squeeze her hand for good measure. “Guys close the door.” Someone shouts.

Jenna doesn’t let you drop your hands this time because she’s already gripping them, pulling you to sit with her cousins – introducing you.

She ignores the giddy feeling in her chest that you want to stay.

You don’t say anything even when you’re both sitting and she’s still holding your hand.

–

“Who are you performing with?” Jenna tugs on your arm.

You squint to see her through your sunglasses. The Californian sun was making its presence known today and there are crowds of people everywhere as you tried to find some shade. It’s just past 6 PM and people are already starting to get rowdy – before all the good sets are even on. 

Fish nets, sparkles and bedazzles are all you see in the sea of people and you just know you’re at Coachella.

“I can’t say…” You fight the smile on your face, finding her begging adorable. “It’s supposed to be a surprise.”

“But Aliyah knows! I heard you whisper it to her.” She glares back at her sister standing a fair distance away from you two – who was talking to Mia and her boyfriend.

“I didn’t tell her anything, Jen. We were just fucking with you.” You laugh, sliding your hand in hers. 

An unspoken comfortableness has formed between you two. Light touches are a new development in this… situation Jenna had with you.

Whether it was knees touching under the dinner table, walking shoulder to shoulder on your daily walks around the neighbourhood (there wasn’t much to do as Coachella weekend approached) or leaning her head on your shoulder as she slept when you two watched TV before bed.

And now, it seems like things have escalated to a new level of comfort where you two willingly linked fingers whenever you walked anywhere. Neither of you make a peep when someone eventually reaches for the other’s hand. 

“Rude…” She pinches your side making you flinch away from her.

Jenna’s immediately tugging you back closer.

“Hey… I can’t get an injury before my performance. I’m legally binded to a contract.” You state.

Jenna snorts, “I thought you were friends with the performer? Are you really not gonna tell me who it is?”

“Nope and sure we’re friends but, I’m still contractually obligated to the festival and all that.”

“Come on Y/N!” She groaned unconsciously stepping closer to you. “I’ve been so nice to you, I haven’t called you an idiot all day!”

You laugh, “Is that supposed to win me over?”

“You tell me? Is it working?” The laugh dies in your lips when she tits her head in question.

Jenna misses the gulp you take because she was leaning closer, trying to find your eyes behind the dark-tinted glasses you had on. 

“No…” You replied with a vacant tone.

Jenna steps back when the sun blinds her eye. “You’re no fun.”

“I don’t know what to tell you… you’re gonna have to wait like everyone else.”

“Speaking of everyone else, I’m surprised we’re not surrounded by your groupies.” Jenna eyes the group of people hovering not too far away. 

You snicker, “They are not my groupies. I barely know those people but it happens at every music event. They flock over like geese. I let Link handle them.”

Jenna frowns, “Doesn’t it bother you?”

“What?” You look down.

“That you can’t even enjoy yourself at a festival without someone hovering over your shoulder.”

Since Jenna’s started this PR relationship with you her fame’s only increased overnight. She hates to say it but Sarah was right, being associated with you has only made her more famous and well-known. She felt like a Kardashian or Tom Holland who couldn’t even step out of their own homes without a camera being shoved in their faces. 

It’s getting so bad that Jenna has security with her everywhere she goes. She stopped driving herself to places. A headline even dropped that you two are official and serious now and that you have met her family; paparazzi tried to camp at her parent’s house until they called the police.

“Sometimes.” You answer honestly, shrugging. “But it’s part of the job.”

Jenna’s frown deepens, looking around. “This is not part of the job. At least not what I’ve seen.”

“Yeah, but we learn to deal with it, right?” You nudge her shoulder. Seemingly unbothered that made Jenna bothered for you.

“How?” Jenna couldn’t help her curiosity.

“Surround yourself with people that genuinely care about you. That still picks you even after all your fuck ups. Only got me about three of those, so I try to keep them close.” Then you let out a sad laugh, “I make it very hard for them sometimes, though.”

Jenna looks at Link as he holds a bored hand up when a girl tries to walk up to you. Then he’s shooing her away and whispering to both of your security guards.

She wants to fight the urge to say that you have a fourth person in your corner with her.

Instead, she says:

“I think you got a good one with him.” She nods to Link.

You follow her sight, “Yeah, I do... He’s usually right about most things too.”

“What do you mean?” She looks up in questioning.

Maybe Jenna’s not so bad? Flashes in your memory but you don’t tell Jenna. “Nothing.”

Jenna squints her eyes. “Fine… keep your secrets.” Tone a playfully bitter.

Eventually, you, Jenna and her sisters walk around aimlessly from set to set, taking pictures and enjoying the atmosphere. Jenna would be lying if she said she wasn’t enjoying herself right now. Somehow you all managed to find an empty corner by the Artist section of the performances which meant you had loosened up a bit. 

Jenna decided she liked it when you’re smiling, carefree and happy.

It suits you better than your permanent scowl. 

You’ve been so stressed this last week, taking phone calls and Zoom meetings. She tried not to express her concern at seeing how you obsessively fretted over some project, consuming you some nights. 

Jenna knows obsessive. She knows anxiety. This was different.

She finds herself with more questions than answers when it comes to you.

Why are you so closed off all the time? Is this how you work all the time? Where did this recent streak of bad behaviour start? Is there more to it than what you’re saying?

Are you okay?

But Jenna can’t find the right words to ask, so she doesn’t.

Only offering her warm pressure on top of you to hopefully lull you to sleep when you both drift off in her childhood bed.

Somewhere along the evening, she finds herself close to you.

You've loosened up as the days progressed and somehow, you and Jenna have found yourselves wrapped up in each other's arms as you danced.

Jenna had her back pressed firmly against your chest; her head tucked under your chin as your arms wrap around her waist from behind; hands linked as you jammed along to the music.

“The Met Gala’s coming up.” Jenna speaks up after a few moments of silence. “I’m invited.”

“Me too.” You reveal. She perks up, looking back at you.

“Yeah?” She smiles, pleased with your answer.

“Mhmm. I’m actually a co-chair this year.” You send an embarrassed smile.

She turns in your hold, jaw-dropping. “You are?”

“Yeah… why do you think I’ve been taking those calls all week? I was getting ready for the Met.”

“I thought that was for Coachella?” She snorts but can't help but ask, "Do you ever stop working?"

“Says you. Miss Scream Queen.” You tease making her roll her eyes.

“Be my date.” She says all of a sudden. “and walk the carpet with me this time.”

You raise your brows at her bluntness. This time?

You remember the last time she said those words and a tiny part of you prayed she meant it differently this time. But you can't fight your smile because you couldn't even say no if you wanted to — overwhelmed with the sudden want, to show off the girl in your arms. “I would love to be your date.”

Jenna's eyes sparkled with delight, beaming at you widely.

"Great! I'll talk to Enrique and Thom Browne about it."

"But I'm a Prada Ambassador?"

"I'll handle it." She nods with finality.

But before you can say anything, Link slides in with a whisper in your ear and a knowing smirk in Jenna’s direction.

“Hey, I have to go.” You whisper into her ear, pulling away but Jenna tightens her grip.

“Wait.” She steps forward – much closer than she means to.

“Yeah?” You asked softly and suddenly Jenna can’t hear the loud thumping of the bass anymore.

“Good luck and break a leg.” She says in a whisper.

Her hand reaches up to brush your neck still looking into your eyes. Jenna feels the same overwhelming pressure in her chest that she’s recently felt around you and gives into her sudden impulse; leaning in, parting her lips; meaning for them to connect to your cheek but instead swerve and slot in between your lips instead, in a moment’s haste.

She feels you tense for a moment before giving in, cupping her cheeks too. Kissing her back. Jenna loses it a bit, not expecting your lips to feel so soft and smooth and perfect against hers. Jenna can't help but tilt her head to the side, allowing your lips to press harder.

She feels the same electricity from your first meeting – when you shook her hand. The same electricity she tries to fight off every time she's near you. Except this time, it's by tenfold.

Jenna is so lost in you that she can’t even hear her heart beating loudly in her ears anymore — only feeling your thumb softly stroking her jaw.

The sound of coughing breaks you two apart.

“Sorry but Y/N we need to go.” Link sends a sheepish smile but he's trying to fight his grin at having a front-row seat to the show.

When Jenna pulls away she looks deeply into your eyes searching for some kind of indication of your feelings.

You smile shyly, squeezing her waist and rubbing her back. “I’ll find you after the show?”  

“Yeah…” Jenna whispers, still staring into your eyes.

“I’ll find you!” You yell over her shoulder as Link drags you away.

“Holy shit, finally!” Mia slides in beside her. 

Jenna doesn’t have the energy to shrug off the arm Aliyah throws over her shoulder as she brings her fingers up to her burning lips. “I don't know why I did that...”

“Oh my god, you’re an idiot. The both of you.” Mia rolls her eyes walking back to her boyfriend.

Jenna looks around, blinking, immediately catching the phones held in the air capturing her moment with you.

She walks off, following her sisters.

Unbeknownst to you and Jenna, a headline is about to drop:

New developments in Y/N L/N's Vegas case. Caught with cocaine! Las Vegas PD makes no official comments on possible charges or arrests. But is this the end for the bright star?

-

:)

The strip club and vaccine bit with Colin and Che is from a real line in one of their segments LOL.

yall happy now?

-

@alexkolax @ladey @jjsmaybank20 @werewoofrobinbuckley @chealsib @fanboy7794 @la-douleur-ne-finit-jamais @zelload @natashadeservedmoree @orang3-ish @friedryes @canyonyodeler @nahnahnahwhatt @be-missed @jjuncidio @fearstreetsoloyouandurmom @oksana-moods @theirishmanronan @r-ude @wokethefuxkup @bandaidss @skate-to-breathee @user173781 @frasersgf @natblidaclexa @justafoolinlove @bring-mecoffee @slu7her @haughtsauce21 @wheesunsangel @cyberexpertalienspy-blog @jennaortegasfootrest @zaza11sblog @omega-horus @heroofdeath11 @selluequestrian @justalittledissociation @imaloserbby @catswag22 @sorexhera @smjmgko @acutenobody @raven-ss @canceldevvi @sweetaimu @rockwyn @rwndsana @cheesybacon1 @cvluswnt @secretbackrooms @vixen1006 @zhasmindoesntknow @namesduntmatter @ulicebld @rozmrazaradelfinow @icarly23 @cartierdreamx @thenextdawn @annalestern

#jenna ortega #jenna ortega x fem!reader #jenna ortega x reader #jenna ortega x you #jenna ortega imagine #wednesday netflix

[starkwlkr]

always an angel | mick schumacher

yes, this is named after a boygenius song 🫶🏼 anyways this is going to be a two part imagine in my senna!reader series also I’m just picking the candian gp because it’s this weekend lol

update: this has been in the drafts that’s why it says canadian gp^^

Michael Schumacher. One of the greatest drivers in motorsports. There’s a reason why he’s a seven time world champion. Not only was he a great driver, but he was an even greater dad to Mick and Gina Schumacher. You could tell that becoming a dad was ten times better than winning a world championship to Michael Schumacher.

The love he had for the sport was passed onto his only son, Mick. Soon, the young Schumacher was competing in f3 then f2, winning the 2020 FIA f2 championship then making his way to where he was meant to be, f1. Along the way, Mick had managed to fall in love with the daughter of another great driver that was taken away too soon. Y/n Senna had respect for every driver who competed, it didn’t matter if they had won or not. She would never step foot in a garage after the death of her father.

It was after she started talking to Mick that she reintroduced herself to the word that her father loved so much. They had gotten in touch a year before the pandemic started and stayed in contact ever since. Then years passed, team changes, retirement and a new life was brought in the world.

Mick was more than excited to show his daughter, Emmeline or Emmy as he loved to call her, the wonderful word of motorsports. Emmy was born into a racing family much like her parents. Mick had already gotten questions if he wanted his daughter to follow in the family footsteps. He knew if she ever did then it would be too much pressure on her seeing as she had Schumacher and Senna blood in her.

He had seen all the articles and tweets about his performance in f1. He remembers how he felt in that moment when he read all the rude comments. Y/n had to take his phone away for some time because he constantly checked twitter.

He didn’t want Emmy to go through that.

It was summer when they decided that bringing Emmy to a race was okay, the race being the Canadian Grand Prix. Mick and Y/n had arrived to the Mercedes hospitality a little earlier since they didn’t want Emmy to be scared by fans and photographers.

“I talked to Gina the other week.” Y/n said as Emmy slammed her hands on the table, getting irritated that her soppy cup kept rolling away from her.

“Yeah?” Mick grabbed the plastic cup and positioned it infront of Emmy.

“Yeah, she says she misses Emmy and she might visit soon.” Y/n finished.

“Emmy misses her Aunt Gina too, right Em?”

Emmy just made noises and kept on hitting her cup on the table. That caught the attention of George, who had just entered the hospitality.

“Hey miss Emmy, what did the table ever do to you?” George teased, walking up to the little family. “How is the royal racing family?”

“You’re hilarious, George.” Y/n rolled her eyes playfully.

“Thank you very much,” George smirked. “But I’m only here to see the best Schumacher slash Senna in the paddock. Hi, baby Emmy!” Emmy giggled when George ruffled her hair. “I know it’s too early, but do you think Emmy will one day say she wants to be a formula one driver?”

Mick hoped she never said those words. The world was a harsh place. He remembers the feeling all too well.

#senna!reader #mick schumacher imagine #mick schumacher one shot #mick schumacher x reader #mick schumacher #f1 one shot #formula 1 #f1 x reader #formula 1 imagine #f1 imagine #f1 x you

[jinkiezzsstuff]

TYSM FOR THE LADY GAGA FIC!!!!

I have another song fic request...

Alastor (or anyone else really lmao) has to find reader in order to patch up like a deal or smth idk and he finds them in this jazz club thing performing on the stage to 'Noel's lament' from 'ride the cyclone'? Like she's draped across a piano singing abt when she was living she was nobody but in her dreams she was this absolute femme fatale and alastor just watches her from the back of the crowd??

So niche but I was thinking abt it all night

Lots of love 🤍

i actually loveeee this song eeeee i’m so happy to do this, and i am so glad you liked the last one it means so much to me teehee sorry this took awhile i’ve been busier lately but i hope you enjoyed this, maybe i’ll do a part two but if i do it may be real delayed until i clear my plate lol!

song referenced; noel’s lament

warnings: implied to be succubus reader but their not really to standards of succubus, i don’t believe there are feminine pronouns here but there are certain feminine things (dress wearing, feminine terms like suductresd etc), no psychical descriptions of reader as per usual, minor gore and death, reader is sneaky and slipper, alastor is weird about love as he should king, but he still feels emotion, possible cringe parts idk it’s a songfic and sometimes they can be 50/50. LMK if i missed any!

word count: 2.7K

You had a debt to pay, you had to have known this. Alastors mind reeled as he toyed with the pen in his hand, occasionally scribbling nonsense down as he thought. You were always quite the slippery sinner, never being tied down to one place in the pentagram, but this was just ridiculous. Since he’d been back, and warmed up to the hotel, he’d been searching for you, but no sign. No demon has said a word about you either had he still been in touch with Vox he may have had you found by now.

You weren’t dead, and that’s as much as he knew; he would’ve felt your souls absence if you’d died, the fickle fun of making such contracts. There was little he knew about you personally, he new superficial things but nothing that would give him a clue on where you’d hide, a silly mistake on his part. He knew Mimzy would be were the cash or party was, Husk wherever there was a gamble and Nifty, well, normally she never strayed far anyways. As for other souls they were about the same in simplicity, whether they were murderous or cannibals they always had something keen to them that would lead him to where they were.

Alastor failed that with you, unfortunately he’d found himself a little at loss with you, in more ways than one you boggled his mind. He was used to women and men alike hitting on him or being incredibly provocative, but there was some way you did it that made him speechless. Not like when Angel would hit on him, where Alastor felt that sensation of being caught off guard with disgust and shock. No, on the night you made the deal, you were stalking around the back of his sofa inside his radio tower, your hands caressing his shoulders as you passed, sweetly and mischievously offering a pleasurable favour in return for his help. That was something else, that was unique to you.

He still recalls the memory as if he was still right there on the couch, engulfed in your scent, entranced by your siren-like voice, it made him hot under the collar and tight around the waist. Thankfully Alastor was a gentleman and a businessman and there was no way you were getting out of a soul contract through some silly sexual favours. It was definitely trying to keep his composure as your lidded eyes watched his lips move, but he managed as he always does. The deal was fairly boring on your part- you wanted to be his friend.

Red flags appeared in Alastors mind about the validity of that but shook on it nonetheless, however that was all before he disappeared. He’d not held up his end of the bargain but then again neither did you; you didn’t show when he called on you to the hotel and try as he may, couldn’t seem to summon you the way he could with Husk.

Dropping the pen, Alastor stood from his seat and shadowed into the floor, stalking out the window like a snake. Alastor decided a little stroll couldn’t hurt, after all his mind couldn’t rest and perhaps he could happen upon you out in sin city. Alastor enjoyed his time walking, humming and basking in all the horrors that happened around, however he grew bored fairly quickly, and decided to take a detour into Mimzy’s favourite joint.

Alastor walked in like he owned the place and seated himself at the bar waiting for his dear friend. “Mimzy dear, how’ve you been?” Alastor spoke out excitedly and loudly, catching the attention of his fellow demon who had appeared from the back of the bar. Mimzy squeaked and ran up to Alastor on the other side of the bar, shooing off the other demons trying to pull at her, the trim of her dress flying in all directions as she hopped and scuttled. “Alastor! What brings ya here, big man? Coming for a dance?” His smile was indifferent as she spoke but he was quite pleased to see the doll, someone of routine. He watched the demon plop herself down on the seat beside him, his hand fiddling with the whisky in his cup that he magicked up. “Yes dear, afraid I have quite the slippery soul in my hands.”

With both elbows on the table Mimzy leaned in, an excited smile on her face. Alastors head fell to the side, sighing at her desire for gossip, Alastor pushed up his monocle and explained the situation with you briefly. He probably went into too many details about how you looked, or smelt, or perhaps how he thought of you in his absence because the whole time Mimzy was coy and giggles. “Wow Al, sounds like you’re carryin’ a torch for this gal’,” Mimzy teased, walking her fingers across the table in his direction. Alastor stiffened at that watching her do her silly tease wide eyed. What a juvenile thing to assume, that he had feelings for some sinner. “Mimzy, don't be ridiculous!” Alastor scoffed grin still present as he threw his limp hand her way, head tossed back. “There’s no such thing! Besides she’s nothing more than some sensuous succubus, it’s what those types of demons do. Seduce.”

Crossing her arms Mimzy let out a flat ‘mhm’ clearly not convinced by what was being said. “Well Al, tell ya what! You have my back next time some nasty loan sharks come, and i’ll tell ya where your pretty seductress is.” Alastors nails tapped against the table rhythmically as he silently pondered, it’s not like he’d say no to her, just as she wouldn’t say no to him. Fixing his posture from his more lesuride position, he agreed with a nod, gulping back the last of his liquor.

-

This club Alastor stepped into was very reminiscent of a wealthy man’s speakeasy, something that was nestled safely in the depth of the pentagram in an unassuming alley, as if it were hiding from something or someone. It was nostalgic for him, in a sickening way, Alastor didn’t enjoy remembering mortal life as it seemed so detached from him and who he is now. His red eyes danced across the room manically, his static following in suit with every glance he gave. Searching for his little succubus. Low amber lighting, that stuffy smell of smoke in the air, the velvet chairs, surrounding chatter and the piano playing smooth jazz; Alastors body subconsciously relaxed into the familiar environment, as much as he hated his mortal life there were such aspects like this he missed.

He dragged himself inside and sat in a red velvet chair, immediately he slumped onto the table, his elbows on the table, his chin rested on his hand while the other toyed with the fire from the candle, bringing it up, around, and high and low. His eyes dragged over to the stage as the piano rifted into a new tune, the lights in the room dimming and brightening toward the stage. Inwardly, Alastors frustrations imploded making his skin hot and his antlers grow in size; all the light to see you with now focused on the stage for a performance he couldn’t care less about.

Standing to his feet, Alastor gripped his microphone like it was his life line. With a strained smile he began towards the door as the music began, and a voice started introducing themselves and talking about their dreams, however he was too busy being frustrated, and scanning the room for you to fully pay attention to the voice. That was until- “A hooker with a heart of black charcoal.” A breathy voice finally sang out, grabbing the attention of Alastor as he neared the exit. Freezing the static sounds of radio station channels sounded out from him, his eyes widening at the sound of you.

Turning abruptly on his heel, he looked over the crowd of seated heads and at the stage where you were walking on. There was a light focused down on you as you slunk out from behind a curtain furthest from the piano. Straightening his back, Alastor slipped into the shadows and behind a pillar near the bar, just to wait for you of course, to come off. “I write poems to burn by fire light, drink champagne and guzzle gin, good girls call me ‘The Town Bicycle’- don't knock it til you’ve tried my life of sin,” Alastor watched enchanted as you dragged your heels across the stage as you sung, making your way over the piano with seductive grace, something Alastor wasn’t used to being so hooked by.

“Oh, Claude, my pimp knows neva mess with me,” Your voice, once serene and beautiful now, was demonic and harsh, capturing the audience's attention. “Last prick did that faded quick to black,” Like a switch your voice returned to its sweetness, your arms outstretched just slightly, fingers twinkling to emphasise the ‘fade’ you sang of. Alastor couldn’t look away from how you manuerved your body, how your voice carried through the room, and how the lights sparkled against your jewellery. You were a sight for sore eyes as you teasingly brought yourself closer to the piano, that regular soft bedroom look in your eyes. “I have no idea where to find him officers,”

Alastors brow quirked at that, as your hands came up to cup your face with false naïveté. “But if you do, please mention that I’d like to have returned that pretty knife, that I stuck, ten. times. in his, back!” You grit out, sweet façade falling once more making Alastors tail wag, unbeknownst to him. There was something about the way you pulled and pushed the narrative in the song that made him antsy, excited even, and the fact that this was something you stated you dreamed to be, meaning whilst alive you dreamt of killing, of being bad, oh that made Alastors blood rush.. You waltzed around as you continued to sing the lyrics to the chores, Alastors eyes watched closely as you slithered your body effortlessly up onto the piano.

It was like you were made for performing, singing, and he had the brief fantasy of you in his studio singing on air, sat on his lap as you sung through his microphone for the folks of hell to hear, but he pulled himself out of it quickly, scolding himself for indulging in silliness. Now your body was draped across the obsidian piano that shone the reflections of the light, you sat on your hips, legs folded behind you, hands over your heart. “He said ‘I think I am in love with you’- I’ve heard that lie a million times before,” Your posture fell slightly as did your tone, it seemed that there was some truth and sombre in the lyrics you sang, and in a way Alastor felt like he could relate to that; after all what even was love?

It made him feel weak to pity you, to attempt to empathise with your pain, but there was barely any time to think about his thoughts because just as he did, you’d recapture his attention entirely. “Oh, tonight I give into the fantasy,” Your head fell back, sorrow in your tone as your hand caressed your shoulder, pulling down the strap of your dress. “Take love when you can, when you’re a whore.” After a silent moment the chorus picked up, as did you, sliding yourself off the piano and dancing around with a smile. Unfortunately Alastors mind lagged behind, something was just too vulnerable in the way you sang about love, and considering it wasn’t something he often thought about, it peaked his curiosity just slightly.

It wasn’t until the end of the performance when you sung about your death that Alastors attention zeroed back in on you, his eyes catching yours as the song fell out, your head turned in his direction. He watched as your eyes widened and mouth fell slightly ajar before you sang out one last word: a ‘hey’ coincidentally directed toward Alastor. After that the lights on stage shut off instantly, and the crowd applause began.

Alastor watched you be dragged off stage by two larger demons through the darkness, your legs flailing as your arms were restrained, at the sight the purpose of him being here returned. Pushing himself off the pillar he was leant against, he brushed himself off and straightened the crimps in his pants, before picking up his microphone and making his way towards where you’d been dragged. It was a cruddy little backstage area, he’s under the assumption the performers here weren’t treated as kindly as the guests. Throwing the door open he was greeted by the sight of you, the two demons who dragged you off, and some other third one.

You sat on an ottoman in the middle of the room, your entire essence changed as you curled into yourself, your head hung low. Humming, Alastor adjusted his monocle. “Am I interrupting something?” Oh how Alastor loved to play dumb, he watched the third demon, seemingly imp, stand straight anger evident and radiating off of him. “Yeah you really fuckin are red, get outta here now.” The imp barked throwing his hands up in a shooing motion. Your eyes met Alastors, begging silently to stay. “I’m afraid i can’t do that you silly lug,” Alastor tutted joyfully stepping into the room throwing his microphone around like it was a toy. His shadows crawled out from beneath his feet, sneaking up the walls and across the ceilings making the three men anxious. “This little canary happens to me mine, soul and all.” His voice shifted to a more demonic one as the hues in the room shifted.

You sat speechless, watching the mysterious deer defend you after seven long years of being on hold with him. You were surprised he came at such a time, convenient for you. The two muscle demons were quick to puff their chests and step toward Alastor, but before they could properly swing, tentacles emerged from the shadows gripping the torso and hips of the men and pulling them in two. The screams were horrific, and the sounds of squelch and ripping nearly made you yourself sick, however it did the job for the littler imp as he immediately caved. “Oh okay okay, alright buddy, take the siren, no problem take em! Go!” The imp stressed while pulling you from your seat and toward Alastor hurriedly.

You stumbled against his pushing and found yourself falling accidentally into Alastors arms, tripping over your own heel. Alastor caught you without even looking down, arms wrapping instinctively around you as he glared at the imp with a smile. “Oh good, I would have hated to have caused a scene! Ha ha.” Alastor laughed humorously, although he was the only one finding any joy from this as the imp cowered away from the two of you. Pulling you closer to his body, Alastor fell into the ground with you, your body feeling freezing and damp for a moment before normalcy returned.

You didn’t realise you had your hands over your eyes until you felt Alastors hands grip your wrists, and pull your hands away. You blinked up at him before glancing around the room, it was indeed a room, one you’d never seen. “We're at the Hazbin Hotel dear, time for you to see to your deal.” Alastor said calmly, his tone even and his voice soft, his even his static was at a minimum. “Of course,” You say clearing your throat and backing up from his grasp. He didn’t fight against your distance, letting his arms fall and wrap behind his back as they normally would. “Why did you help me back there? I mean you could’ve just poofed us away?” You ask, rubbing the places on your arms where the demons dragged you.

“Why, thats what friends are for my dear! That was our deal, no? To scare off the threats and protect each other?” Alastor coyly hummed, bending slightly at the waist. Looking down slightly you nodded, hands coming up to sit on your waist. Sighing you shook your head, you should’ve known that this would come back to bite you in the ass eventually. “Alright slick, what is it that i’m doing for you?”

#alastor hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel imagine #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel oneshots #alastor hazbin x reader #alastor x reader #hazbin hotel alastor x reader #alastor the radio demon #alastor imagine #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel alastor #alastor #alastor x reader fluff #alastor x you #hazbin hotel fluff

[bookofbonbon]

the fool who thought he could kill his wife - aemond targaryen.

Pairing/s: Aemond Targaryen x Reader; Aegon Targaryen x Reader (slight).

Warnings: cheating. mentions of character death & murder.

Summary: based on this request but, I took it one step further as usual lol

Word Count: 1774.

A/N: This is my first time writing in this style - I quite like it. The final line is one of my absolute favourites from the movie 'Troy'. I wasn't going to write this request but, it got stuck in my head.

You didn’t notice until it was too late.

Too caught up in the midst of war to notice that slowly, slowly, your dear husband Aemond’s affections toward you began to wane.

You had chalked it all up to changes caused by the war.

The shorter trips at home in turn for longer trips around the Realm.

His avoidance of you when he was home.

The lack of intimacy.

The change in his scent.

The constant arguments.

Then came the attempt on your life and when you told, Aemond… he did not even show the tiniest bit of emotion toward you.

Neither seeking to comfort you or pursue the one who attempted to murder you.

It was then that you knew that these were not changes caused by the war at all but, it was easier to believe that they were when you had no proof.

Until supper one night, when Aegon's drunken stupor finally opened the door to answers you were looking for.

“Aemond has been gone for some time,” Alicent worried aloud, turning toward you. “Have you heard word from him, my dear?”

“I am afraid not,” you shake your head, eyes downcast in false despair.

Truthfully, you could care less of Aemond’s whereabouts or if he had sent word to you or not.

Alicent however, places an anxious hand to her neck and, swallows thickly so, you continue with your performance and place a comforting hand over her other one.

“But he is in the Stormlands after all, my Queen. You know how the weather does not bode well for the ravens.”

“The Stormlands?” Aegon drunkenly burps. “Aemond’s not in the Stormlands. He’s been overseeing our war effort in the Riverlands for the better part of the past year.”

The threads that hold you together threaten to snap but it wasn’t enough, you needed more.

So, you play a lustful game with Aegon, the only one who could give you the full truth behind the answers you seeked.

More giggling, less eye rolling.

More indulging him in his love for the cup, less scolding him for it.

Stolen looks, lingering touches, kisses on the cheek that grew nearer and nearer to one another’s lips and wanton glances from across the room.

Until finally, finally, finally… he innocently invites you to his quarters under the guise of wanting to go over battle strategy with you before your trip to the North but, with the true intention of bedding you.

It was easy from there.

Aegon longed only for women and wine and so, you used both of those things to your advantage – plying him with glass after glass and drawing him in with your body.

Allowing his hands to wonder over every curve and dip of your figure.

His hand cupping your cheek, lips brushing against yours and then you pull away.

“I cannot,” you croak, false tears springing to your eyes. “I- Aemond is my husband. He is your brother, and he is out there fighting for us and protecting us. Loyal and dutiful and I-I am here being a-a… a whore.”

You allow your tears to fall most dramatically from your eyes, a harrowing sob falling from your lips.

Aegon scratches at his head, annoyed by your sudden outburst but, still hopeful of a pleasure filled night so, he brings you into his arms and wipes at your tears; the faint outline of his cock pressing against your lower stomach.

“Oh, my dear, sweet, sister. The true picture of loyalty and duty toward a husband who does not do you the same kindness,” he tuts, thinking out loud.

You sniff sadly, lips pouty and eyes shining innocently as you stare up at Aegon, baiting him.

“W-what do you mean?” you ask, voice wobbling.

Aegon studies you for a moment, thinking about how pretty your lips would look wrapped around his cock.

Thinking about how your thoughts of Aemond were now preventing your pretty lips from being wrapped around his cock so, in his lusty, wine filled daze Aegon confesses Aemond’s sins.

Of the bastard Alys Rivers of House Strong with whom Aemond now lay with, taking her up as not just his whore but, his lover.

"A witch," Aegon tells you.

A witch who had been aiding them in their war effort for she could see what had not yet happened but was certain to come.

A witch who Aemond plotted with to rid you of life.

Aegon only confirms what you already know but, still it hurts to hear and so, you spend the rest of the night weeping into an irate Aegon’s chest as he holds you in awkward comfort.

He was hoping to get his cock wet not his shirt.

-

The next morning you are gone. Taken to the skies on the back of your dragon Vermithor.

Those in King’s Landing assuming you had left for your assignment in the North but, only going so far as Dragonstone.

Aegon unsuspecting and forgetting of the words he had spoken to you the night before.

-

“Rhaenyra,” you bow your head to your niece.

“Daemon,” you turn your nose up at your cousin.

“I should slice you from the opening of your cunt to the opening of your mouth for even showing your face here,” he hisses at you.

“You should but, you won’t,” you shrug.

Your arrogance provokes Daemon forward until Rhaenyra's hand wraps itself around his bicep.

“And you won’t because you know I can help you,” you finish.

“In what world would you think that I would want your help after your husband murdered my son?” Rhaenyra seethes, tears lining her eyes.

“A world plunged into war and forcing those of us who stand to gain nothing from it to take sides,” you bite back coldly. “I can help you win.”

“Why help us win if you stand to gain nothing from it?” Daemon studies you, slowly connecting the dots. “What has our foolish nephew done that turns you away from him?”

“My dear husband conspires to have me killed with a witch by the name Rivers. A bastard of House Strong. I’m sure the irony of who Aemond has taken to whore is not lost on either of you.”

“So, you do stand to gain something from it,” Rhaenyra looks at you smugly. “Her head.”

“You are sorely mistaken, niece,” you chuckle darkly. “It is not the head of Aemond’s whore that I want but, the head of Aemond himself.”

-

You lie in wait, perched atop of a mountain as Vermithor bristles beneath you.

You instructed Daemon on what to do – Aemond saw Daemon as the biggest threat to Aegon’s throne and so, you knew he would respond to a challenge issued only by Daemon.

His unwavering need to constantly prove that he was the better, that he was the best had always been his downfall and now he would pay for it with blood.

The undeniable flapping of wings that could only belong to a dragon bigger than your own reaches your ears; signalling the arrival of Vhagar and her rider and with that you take to the skies.

Vhagar glides through the sky, Aemond’s keen eye searching for the lithe red dragon of his opponent as he calls out taunts in High Valyrian; completely caught off guard by the colossal spew of fire that engulfs him and Vhagar.

A thunderous roar spills from the she-dragon but, it’s cut short when she’s suddenly attacked relentlessly over and over again by a barrel of bronze hurtling into her, sharp teeth, fiery breath, and large claws ripping into the older dragon in a loud clash above the God’s eye.

Aemond desperately clings to Vhagar’s reign, trying to regain control of Vhagar to steer her from where the onslaught of attacks had come from.

He only just manages, hair whipping around wildly as Aemond searches the sky frantically. Shock becoming him when his gaze settles on the Bronze Fury that emerges from above the clouds – the Bronze Fury that was sired to his dear wife.

Aemond freezes, the icy glare you level him with telling him everything he needed to know and before, he can realise what’s happening, Vermithor locks his jaw around Vhagar’s neck.

The older dragon too slow and too injured to counter Vermithor’s attacks as the Bronze Fury rips out the she-dragon's neck, sending her spiralling into the water below with a tidal wave splash.

-

Aemond emerges from the water with a sharp gasp, taking in mouthfuls of air.

Adrenaline pumps through your veins, giving you the strength to drag Aemond’s battered body across the wet sand, your hand fisted in an ironclad grip around the neck of his armour as you use up the last ounce of your strength to heave his body against a nearby rock.

Aemond stares at you from his position, each breath burning his lungs.

“How, how,” Aemond pants, violet eye piercing into your own.

“Aegon,” you answer, kneeling beside him. “He has only taste for women and wine so, I am sure you can imagine how easy it was to withdraw the answers I needed from him.”

“I do not under- understand. Alys- Alys only saw Daem-”

You tut disapprovingly at Aemond, pulling a necklace from beneath your armour, the blood red eye-shaped pendant swinging back and forth.

“Protection from her wandering eyes. No matter how far or clearly your beloved Alys could see into the future, she could have never foreseen me,” you brush silvery strands from his head, gripping his chin between your fingers.

“The Targaryen bloodline is rooted deeply in fire and blood magic, dear husband. You might have done better to remember that if your mother had bothered to keep to the traditions of our House whose sigil you wear so brazenly on your chest and name you call your own.”

Aemond glares at you with the hatred of a thousand burning suns. He should've killed you himself.

“But, not for long,” you pull the Catspaw Dagger from the sheath holstered to your side, dragging the tip along the side of his face.

“I will not beg you for my life,” Aemond spits through gritted teeth.

“But you will beg me for your death,” you smile saccharinely. “For when I am done with you, you won’t have eyes tonight; you won’t have ears or a tongue. You will wander the underworld blind, deaf and dumb and all the dead will know. This is Aemond. The fool who thought he could kill his wife.”

-

All fics are my own work - I have not posted my work anywhere else.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters/places mentioned above.

Do not copy. Do not translate. Do not repost.

bookofbonbon 2022. All rights reserved.

#aemond targaryen #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen fanfiction #aegon targaryen x reader #aemond x alys

[viridianevergarden]

In Spite of it All (Part I)

A/N: I’ve been cooking again I fear. A new little fic I have made that will have multiple parts. I don’t know how many lol. The plan is for it to be Dual POV between Elriel. I hope you enjoy my madness.

Summary: Since Nyx’s birth, Elain has put herself forward as the family dinner cook as of late. Through the course of her long day’s work to prepare dinner for her loved ones, something unexpected happens.

Word Count: 5.7K

Key: sfw, Hurt/Comfort

Possible triggers: Not much, really. This one’s safe.

It was a family dinner night. A night that Elain had always looked forward to nowadays. Since Nyx’s birth, the occasional group dinners became more frequent. A few days a week where everyone in the Inner Circle gathered under the roof of the townhouse to laugh and dine together, and of course, to see precious Nyx.

And being one that enjoyed cooking and baking as much as she did, Elain had made an obligation out of it as she always had.

On days like this, she had to wake up early to begin preparations and plans in the kitchen. To decide what was on the menu for everyone and to set everything in motion, all for dinner to be finished at a reasonable time.

Ever the supporters they were, the wraith twins, Nuala and Cerridwen had also involved themselves in the hard work, claiming that a friend doesn’t perform that immense of a task all alone. Even if it was their job to help out in general just as they always had, Elain couldn’t find it in herself to thank them enough every single time. And so Elain spent most of the day in the kitchen busying herself with the twins by her side.

Here she stood, as she had been since dawn, flouring and kneading dough on the kitchen island. Elain kneaded the bread dough silently, focused entirely on her work. Nuala and Cerridwen were on the other side of the kitchen working on their own sides that they tasked themselves with.

Press and fold, press and fold, press and fold—

The words repeated in Elain’s mind as she worked, though she failed to realize that Nuala had called her name. Called her name again. Again.

“Elain?” A shadowy hand touched her flour-covered forearm. Elain flinched slightly, looking over at Nuala with wide eyes.

Her breath caught and then she swallowed in recognition. “Oh– Sorry, I was a little too focused. Yes?”

Cerridwen angled her head from afar, listening in silently as she whisked a pan of cooking lemon curd for one of the cakes that were to be made.

“Are you alright?” The half wraith gave her a comforting smile, minding none of the flour that now covered her hand.

“I am,” Elain reassured her with a smile of her own. “Was there something you needed?”

Nuala shook her head. “I was just checking in on you. Your face looked… Troubled.”

“I promise I’m alright, thank you for asking.” Elain beamed another smile at her before getting back to her kneading.

The twins exchanged a quiet look between one another when Nuala turned around. Elain had guessed that they didn’t believe her, though she wasn’t going to attempt to reinforce her claim.

Truth be told, news had indeed put a damper on Elain’s mood today. Feyre had forewarned that Lucien was coming to dinner tonight, just for the night. Per Feyre’s own request, she had guessed. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t before, especially since he first showed up in the Night Court but—

Her beloved sister’s persistence had always troubled her. Regardless of what Elain had said in the past, what she had declared and tried so hard to make clear in the kindest way she knew how, she— they both persisted through it all in some weird hopeful way.

Perhaps it was because Elain didn’t understand. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she hadn’t experienced the magical level of love or the ultimate correctness that her sisters had felt with their mates yet.

The circumstances had made her question, well, everything. Question why her bond had snapped into place so suddenly. Questioned why the sensations were merely akin to a tug on a rib. Questioned the—

Visions suddenly flit through Elain’s mind, cascading across her vision and echoing in her ears.

Clock hands striking an hour before midnight, the groaning of wood, the deafening shatter of glass, the loud cries of an infant, the feelings of fear and confusion, panic and anxiety—

And then they were gone as fast as they came.

Elain’s movements slowed to a stop, her hands merely falling to rest on the floured wood surface. More damning visions that haunted her. But these— These were extreme.

The female quickly finished kneading the dough before placing it into a large glass bowl and covering it in order to allow it to rise. She then cleaned her hands at the sink and took off her apron to set aside.

“I’ll be right back.” The twins blinked at one another before giving Elain the okay. She then hurried out of the kitchen, beelining for the nearest bathroom.

Elain closed the bathroom door behind her and took a deep breath, focusing entirely on the intricately designed black and white tiled floor.

Nearly all of Elain’s visions were disturbing in some way. They had always foretold all sorts of things, be they as serious as an attack or as minor as who would show up at the townhouse. Even in her dreams, they plagued her. But this vision had seemed— Elain knew that it foretold something happening within the townhouse. An infant’s cry— Nyx. Baby Nyx.

Not her nephew. Her precious nephew. If any harm came to him, to Feyre, anyone here— She had to tell them, Rhysand and Feyre.

Elain pushed herself off of the rich wood door, stepping forward to look herself over in the mirror. She was a mess, or so she thought to herself.

Her hair was messily braided off to the side, the length of the braid ending at her hip. Her bangs were no better, messy as they were, barely hanging on to where they were tucked behind her pointed ears.

Flour had also somehow ended up dusted on her cheek, though that came as no surprise to her. Such things always happened when she was absorbed into her craft.

She let out a quiet sigh and took a few minutes to clean herself up and look presentable, although she knew she was bound to get messy again, possibly even more so later on.

As soon as they arrived, she’d decided, Elain would let Feyre and Rhysand know what she saw. At the very least, they should know.

Taking one last deep breath to calm herself, she walked back out of the bathroom and returned to the kitchen to continue her work. After all, there was much for her to do. Even if disturbing sights haunted her every move.

~ ~ ~

Read the rest on here (AO3)

Check out my other Elriel oneshot (AO3)

#acotar #elriel #pro elriel #elain archeron #elain x azriel #azriel shadowsinger #azriel #elriel fic #a court of thorns and roses

[spiderlandry]

YOUR BLOG>>>>

i had a chad idea that i think you would write so well!! can you please do a singer!reader x chad fic where the reader is a famous singer and chad goes their concerts and already knows all the words to the songs and he’s just super fun and supportive?

thank you so much!

this is such a cute idea <3 i used to dream of being a singer when i was a kid (until i realized i was bad LOL) so this kinda felt nostalgic for some reason. i’ve also never been to a concert so sorry if it’s not accurate!

100 follower event

warnings: mentions of ghostface murders, kissing, established relationship, takes place (kinda) way into the future lol, not proofread i apologize

voice — chad meeks-martin

Chad had never been more proud in his life.

You’re in the dressing room, sitting at the vanity mirror about two hours before the show starts. You’d been talking to Chad who is sitting on the tiny couch while you bounce with nervousness in your seat. It’s your biggest show yet, and though you’ve performed time and time again during the tour, the fact that it’s thousands of people coming to see you still makes you giddy.

“God, I’m fucking nervous.” You look to him with those puppy eyes that endeared you to him when you first met in college.

He stands up and walks over to you, cupping your cheek. “I’m so proud of you, alright?”

You smile, putting your hands around his torso. (You’ll never get used to the feeling of his abs.)

“How did I get so lucky, hm?” You whisper. “I can’t believe you’re here.” And he knows you’re not just referring to how he’s gone overseas, paying out of his own pocket—though you offered to pay, he refused—just to see you perform. (You still gave him a discount.) You’re also referring to everything you’ve gone through together, including the ghostface murders.

“I think that’s my line,” he grins. “You’ll do great out there, by the way. I’ll be down there singing along, as always. And…I gotta go.”

“Do you really have to go?”

“You know I have to, I need to get a good view.”

“You always have a good view of me, though.”

“Oh, yeah?” He snickers, leaning in for a kiss.

“Yeah.” You slot your lips over his, melding together perfectly as it always had been.

You pull back first, and he almost whines.

“You’re the one who said you have to go, remember? Get a good view.” You tap his chest as he pouts.

“Well, Anika’s probably coming soon anyway. I don’t wanna face her wrath.”

For previous concerts, you hired Anika as your head costume designer as she studied fashion design and it worked out well because you were already friends—so you decided to take her on tour as part of the team.

As if on cue, the door opens and Anika is standing at there, beautiful as ever.

“Hey,” Chad drags out the word, like he’d been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to. “Look who we have here, what a surprise, eh?”

Anika rolls her eyes, unsurprised at Chad’s antics, almost annoyed. But the slight upturn of her lips says otherwise. “Go. They need to get dressed, dingus.”

As she pushes him out of the room, he exclaims, “Dingus is my thing!” while the door closes on him.

“How do you feel now that he’s your brother-in-law?”

She scoffs, laughing. “Don’t remind me.”

-

Chad chants your name along with the crowd, cheering as you appear on stage and began to sing the first song.

Your voice is still as angelic as the first time he heard it in freshman year during karaoke night. He practically swoons when you spot him in the crowd and flash him a smile, people around him screaming as they might have thought it was them you looked at, but he will always know that smile is for him. Only him.

He watches you play the crowd as if it’s your birthright. The audience sing with you, the packed stadium lighting up with the glowing wristbands given at the start of the show.

It’s at the end of the setlist when you begin to talk.

“Before the last song, I would just like to play something extra,” You say, out of breath from the performance. The audience cheers. “This song isn’t even released yet, so I don’t know how it’s gonna go—I didn’t rehearse.” You laugh.

Chad wonders what song it is—you didn’t tell him, typically he’d know if you planned to do something different.

“I wanna dedicate it to somebody in the audience, somebody who…” You scan your eyes to find him in the crowd, and everyone around him gawks. “Somebody who has supported me from the beginning, right there,” You point, and he laughs out of disbelief. “Chad, I love you.”

After a brief moment, you add, “And please don’t make fun of his name, it’s a sensitive topic.”

They laugh as the song begins to play, the boom of the bass overtaking the speakers, and your voice floods the area once again.

Tears line his eyes. You’d played this song for him only once before, but it was so long ago. It was in his dorm room, a few nights after he’d asked you to be his and you gathered the courage to show him songs you’ve worked on. Albeit the original was much less refined, only the bare bones of it, but he’d seen your potential and pushed you to start getting gigs at small places.

The nostalgia takes over like a wave. A tear falls, and unbeknownst to him, a fan films his reaction and posts it even before the concert ends.

-

DELETED SCENE

In your hotel room, you’re awake before Chad. You admire his sleeping features for a moment before you open your phone to see a text message from Anika.

Anika bby <3

saw this on instagram

[Attachment: 1 Video]

You press play, and end up tapping your boyfriend awake.

“Hm?” He murmurs groggily, sleep dripping off his voice. “What?” He rubs his eyes, and stares at you, trying to hold in a laugh.

“What’s so funny?” He asks.

“You cried last night?” You coo, and can’t help but giggle when he props himself up on his elbow a little too quickly and gets lightheaded.

“Who told you?”

You hand him the phone wordlessly.

He squints while the headache goes away, eyes widening when he finally sees clearly.

He grins at you, “So, what? Can I not cry over the love of my life dedicating a song to me?”

“You’re such a sap,” though you tease him, the prospect warms your heart.

And though he laughs, there’s a ring burning through a hole in his suitcase; if you’re calling him a sap now, he wonders what you’ll do when he makes his speech for your hand in marriage.

#chad meeks martin #chad meeks-martin #chad meeks fluff #chad meeks martin x reader #scream 6 x reader #scream 6 #scream vi #scream #scream x reader

[riddle-me-ri]

a/n: don't mind me being super self indulgent again asdfgh. I just really enjoyed the dynamic I made in Zeroing In with Bigby and a singer/performing reader. I may or may not make a smutty part two we will see lol. Hope y’all enjoy!

Content Warning: Strong language, attempted sexual assault, brief mentions of sexual harrassment, some violence.

Word Count: 2.3 k

Bigby Wolf x F!Reader - Take Me Home

As a long time performer, you know how to work the crowd with your musical numbers.

You knew you should probably be looking around and engaging with other audience members.

You just couldn't help it though.

Especially when he was around and seemed to genuinely be enjoying himself for once.

Bigby Wolf kept his word when he said he would come around and see you perform whenever he had a chance and not just show up searching for perps.

He's managed to come by at least once every other week, and needless to say, it always was the highlight of your week.

You two have tried to make plans outside of both your work schedules, but it's been difficult to manage between the long nights you both kept and Bigby occasionally dipping in and out of the picture.

Don't let him be on a case either. He stays clear of you like a bad omen. You know he's worried about getting you somehow involved in whatever the case entails, but you did wish he could share more of his worries onto you so he didn't have to carry so much.

You two managed to settle somehow with these interludes of eye contact and small knowing smiles.

At least until one night when you weren't smiling anymore.

During your act, you got close to the edge of the stage and teased those up front, just like any other night–

Until you felt a sweaty palm clamp around your ankle and almost yank you into the audience below.

You barely remember hazy glimpses of everything that happened afterward.

A shrill sound rang through the live band and filled the club.

It took hours later for you to realize that was…you…screaming in shock.

The man's other hand barely touched your inner thigh, clear intent of fully grabbing and dragging you into his lap until he instantly let go.

Before you even tried to push the man's hands away, he let go.

You saw Bigby hovering over the man.

He had slammed the man's face into the hard wood table, the cheap white linen doing nothing to comfort the assault as it started to stain with blood.

You caught a glimpse of yellow in Bigby’s eyes.

You couldn't make out any words anyone was saying. It was all a murmuring cacophony of surprised, worried, and tense patrons.

Your skin ran cold, and your breathing hitched.

The next thing you recall was getting up and darting back towards your dressing room.

Anything to get away from what just happened.

~

“Aww man, I think you broke my fucking nose.”

“You're lucky I don't break every bone in your goddamn body, starting with your grimy little hands.” Bigby snarled, with half a mind to slam the asshole's face again.

He did settle for twisting the guy’s arm tighter as he slapped handcuffs on him.

“Hey, hey, what the fuck man? I didn't do nothin’!” The man defended as he tried to sit back up, blood dripping down his nose and over his lips.

“You touched her inappropriately, pretty sure that files under assault.” Bigby roughly lifted the man up from his seat and dropped him to his feet, causing the man to stumble some.

“Oh please, she was teasing me! Practically asking for it!” The man spat as he got his footing before Bigby dragged him out of the club.

Bigby tried to keep his growl down but whether or not he succeeded he frankly didn't care at the time.

At least until he was out of public view.

As the two began the walk to the Woodland and the coast was clear, Bigby snatched the man by the baby hairs on the back of his neck and pulled his head back.

The man yelped in pain.

“Listen here fucker, she didn't ask you for fucking shit. She was doing her job, last thing she needs is a bunch of grabby dickheads like you that can't keep his hands to him-fucking-self.”

“Is she your’s?”

Bigby blinked. “What?”

“You fuckin’ her or somethin’, Wolf? Never seen you get all up in arms over some whore.”

Bigby dragged the man into a nearby alley and smacked the man's body and face directly against a damp cold brick wall.

“Ow! The fuck man, you-aaah?” The man winced in pain as claws began protruding from Bigby's fingers, pricking the skin of the man's neck.

“Listen here, you sorry piece of shit. Doesn't fucking matter who she's with or what she does. You don't get to fucking touch her–you don't get to do what you damn well please. Understand?” Bigby growled, his teeth slowly growing into the “what big teeth you have,” territory.

For the first time since the encounter started, the man began quivering in terror.

“Y-y-yeah, yeah, understood…just-just do what you gotta do…please don't hurt me, man, please! It was a mistake, h-honest!”

Bigby got closer to the man's face one last time and snarled. A final warning.

Usually, Bigby would feel bad about making anyone beg for him not to hurt them. He'd be disappointed that they would automatically assume he would.

For this guy however, he wanted to muster up that same level of fear you likely felt when he grabbed you and then some.

Bigby backed off once he began smelling the unmistakable hint of piss through the night air.

“Just keep your mouth shut the rest of the way, or it'll be the last mistake you ever make.”

The quicker he locked this asshole up, the quicker he could get back to check up on you.

~

You sat there in front of your vanity with your head hung low and the lights dimmed.

Still frazzled and stunned from the moment.

Somehow, the man's slimy touch lingered on your skin, and you wanted nothing more than to dip your leg into some kind of disinfecting acid.

You took a deep breath and admitted that the second best option besides the acid is to go home and take a long scolding shower until the hot water ran out.

You rose from your seat and began shedding your clothes that used to make you feel so confident and sexy…but in the moment you just felt disgusted.

Then you heard a knock.

You assumed it was your boss checking on you. “I'll be out in a minute, Carol…just gimme a second..”

“Uhh…it's Bigby.”

You freezed for the second time that night.

You had completely forgotten about him. Until his voice reminded you of what he did, how he saved you, how he looked when he did it.

“Bigby? Oh, uh, hang on.” You darted across your dressing room and snatched a silky maroon robe that hung over your dressing screen.

You took a deep breath, a desperate attempt to calm your shot nerves.

Suddenly, a comforting warmth draped over your body as you laid eyes on Bigby. Like somehow, he could protect you from this lingering fear that resonated in you like he did before when it happened.

“H-Hey…”

“Hey,” he responded. “I wanted to check in on ya…how are you holding up?”

You gulped. “F-Fine I suppose, all things considered…I know it could have been worse, and I always knew I was at risk, but nothing prepares you for when it happens, you know?”

“Yeah, but you shouldn't feel at risk for something you do for a living.”

You exhaled a chuckle. “Says the sheriff who's at risk quite literally all the time.”

Bigby shook his head. “You know what I mean. That asshole had no right to be touching you…”

He sighed. “What happened tonight was not your fault…I hope you know that at the very least.”

You hugged your arms around yourself, your hands sliding up and down your upper arms as you gazed at the floor. “Yeah, I know…”

There was a beat of silence before you felt a warm hand lightly squeeze your shoulder. You followed the hand with bruised knuckles back to Bigby's face.

One of your hands came up and rested on top of his hand that was on your shoulder.

“Thank you, Bigby…” You squeezed his hand back gratefully. “At the end of the day…I'm just grateful that you were there.”

Bigby can't recall the last time anyone ever said those words about him or his help. He always made things worse, more difficult, or made Fables regretful for getting him involved.

It felt nice to be appreciated, and it felt even more sweet and genuine coming from you.

“I'm glad I was there too…”

He allowed you to drag your soft thumb along his knuckles for a moment. Both of you enjoyed the soothing silence and close proximity. You found yourself feeling more at ease each second he was there.

Until a question popped into your mind. “C-Can I ask what happened to him? Like where he is now?” Suddenly, the thought of trekking home became cumbersome.

“I've got him in a holding cell for now. I'll be presenting the case to the Business Office tomorrow morning some time…”

Bigby reluctantly pulled his hand back, you already missing its warmth and soothing weight.

“Although, full disclosure, even if he is found guilty… the time and punishment for sexual harassment is ridiculously short and sweet…”

You nodded. “I had a feeling, but Carol told me he won't be coming around anymore. She has started a banned list and is trying to invest in more security.”

“If you need me to…”

“Bigby, I can't ask you to do that. You already have every other Fable to worry about…”

“I do, but you come first….or at least that's how I wish it could be, if I can help it.”

You blinked, your mind racing with countless meanings to what he was implying.

“Besides, I think you're the only one that really appreciates my help anyhow.” Bigby muttered into his shoulder, but still clear enough for you to hear.

“I'll always appreciate you Bigby…like how I appreciate your offer, but I still can't ask you to do that…I know you will protect me when you can and that I can rely on you and honestly in the world we live in now, that's more than enough.”

Your heart swelled at the soft smile that stretched across his face.

“I guess I can accept that.” He reluctantly conceded. “Is there at least anything I can do for you now? Anything at all before we both call it a night?”

After talking to him, you have begun to feel much calmer, like you could shake off tonight's events. You know you could have gotten to that point yourself, but Bigby made it a whole lot easier and quicker.

You almost felt childish and selfish for this request, but you didn't want the opportunity to have him to yourself longer pass.

“I, uh, still have to walk home….if you don't mind walking with me? It's not far from the Woodland, just one block before it…”

“You don't have to convince me, and I did say anything. Just let me know when you're ready.” He offered a sincere smile.

“You wanna wait inside? I didn't even realize I didn't invite you in.” You giggled as you realized he was still standing in the hallway across the threshold of your dressing room door.

“Uhh…sure, if you're fine with it.” Bigby walked in and took a slow glance over your dressing room.

“More than fine. Here, you can have a seat on the sofa over there. I just gotta change real quick.” You explained as you rounded the corner and went behind your dressing screen.

You couldn't fight the pep in your step, having him back in your vicinity. You didn't feel on edge or uncomfortable to be yourself. You felt safe.

Bigby kept looking around. He was observant to a fault, especially thanks to his senses that don't let him miss anything.

He noticed the Polaroids of you and likely your co-workers and friends bordered along your vanity mirror.

He took note of a couple empty bottles that were in your trash can, he deduced it must be a favorite of yours.

He also caught an almost empty container of your body spray that was the source of your sweet scent.

Not that he'd say it out loud, but if you asked him you didn't need the spray, your own scent was intoxicating on its own.

Bigby shuffled a bit in his seat as your own smell became more prominent once he saw your robe hanging over the screen folds you hid behind.

He kept darting his eyes around the room, trying to distract himself from thinking of you so intimately despite the close quarters and the small distance between him and your naked form.

Bigby shook his head to try and shake the thoughts out. He doesn't want to screw this up, not like how he always does. You've been through enough as it is.

Thankfully, you came out soon from behind the screen. You wore a long sleeve sweater of your favorite color that revealed your shoulders and some pants.

“All right, I'm ready…thanks again, Bigby.” You stood in front of him and rubbed your hand up and down your arm, playing with the sleeve.

“Hey, like I said.” He stood up at his full height, and you had to look up instead of down at him. “Not a problem.”

He walked over to the door and swiftly opened the door. “After you…”

“Why thank you, sir.” You giggled bemused before walking out the door with Bigby walking beside you.

Carol waved to both of you and told you to take the next couple of days off to recover and not worry about anything.

You sighed. Another small weight taken off your shoulder, you weren't sure if you would be able to get back on stage, so it was relieving to hear you had the next couple of days off.

As you and Bigby exited the building, the cold night air hit both of you. Almost instinctively, you grabbed for Bigby's hand, who didn't seem to mind, and gently returned the grasp.

Bigby gave you a supportive nudge.

“Well, lead the way…”

#ri writes #the wolf among us bigby wolf x reader #twau bigby wolf x reader #bigby wolf x reader #the wolf among us bigby wolf x female reader #twau bigby wolf x female reader #bigby wolf x female reader #bigby wolf fanfiction

[darkstar225]

Twice's 10th member looks like Sana's twin

A/N: Heyyy, I'm coming up with a lot of stuff for you guys lol! Sry for taking so long to post but end of semester is a whole event for me :D I hope that my friend ArasMar-Sama that gave me this idea on Wattpad likes it! :)

The request: Can I request again? In which 10th member is look like sana. her appearance, Characteristic looks like sana. It will be funny if it's in sixteen like the public reaction : there's two of them

PS: Tysm for everyone that reads what I write, I hope I can bring a smile to your faces every time I post! I'd like to thank whoever sent me this idea 'cause I loved to write it <3

__________________________________________________________

Y/N stood nervously backstage, heart pounding in her chest as she waited for her turn to perform. She couldn't believe she was here, about to debut as the 10th and youngest member of TWICE, one of the biggest girl groups in the industry. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror, her appearance strikingly similar to Sana, one of the group's most popular members. It had been a difficult journey for her. Ever since she was a young girl, she had dreamt of becoming a singer. She auditioned for JYP Entertainment with hopes of joining one of their girl groups, but little did she know that she would end up becoming part of TWICE. The younger girl's resemblance to Sana had caught the attention of the producers during the initial audition rounds. They couldn't believe their eyes, it was like there were two Sanas in the room. The resemblance went beyond just physical appearances, even their mannerisms and characteristics were almost identical. The public was quick to notice, too, and during the televised survival show Sixteen, which formed TWICE, fans would always mention that "There's two of them!".

As Y/N stepped onto the stage, the audience erupted into cheers and applause. The other members of TWICE stood beside her, their excitement palpable. They knew their sunshine was something special, not just because of her resemblance to Sana, but also because of her immense talent. She performed with all her heart, singing and dancing flawlessly alongside her fellow unnies. The crowd was captivated, and the whole performance was electric. Once they finished, the audience erupted into thunderous applause, and the other members of TWICE hugged their baby tightly, their joy evident on their faces.

As the group's popularity skyrocketed after their debut, the comparisons between Y/N and Sana continued. Fans affectionately referred to Y/N as Sana's doppelgänger or Sana 2.0 (lol I wish). It became a running joke among the members, and they would often tease the youngest about it, but she took it all as jokes. An example is when the girls were gathered, exchanging excited whispers and stealing glances at the maknae. They couldn't help but notice the uncanny similarity between her and Sana. Momo nudged Nayeon, a mischievous grin on her face as she became unable to contain her amusement.

Momo - Hey, Nayeon unnie, have you noticed? We have two Sanas now! *giggling*

Nayeon chuckled and nodded, her eyes sparkling with mischief. 

Nayeon - Yeah, it's like we cloned her. Sana 2.0!

As the group prepared to go on stage, the members couldn't help but engage in a bit of playful banter with their child. Jihyo was the next to walk up to her with a teasing smile, seemingly ready to tease the girl.

Jihyo - You know, baby, we're going to have to come up with a secret handshake or something to differentiate you from Sana. We don't want the fans to get confused.

Y/N laughed, feeling at ease with her older sisters. 

Y/N - Maybe we should start wearing name tags! But don't worry, I'll make sure to carve my own path in TWICE.

Sana herself couldn't help but join in the fun. She wrapped an arm around her little "twin" sister's shoulders and grinned mischievously. 

Sana - Welcome to the club, my cutie doppelgänger! Let's show everyone what we've got!

The other members erupted into laughter, and the playful atmosphere continued as they took the stage. As TWICE's popularity skyrocketed after their debut, the public continued to marvel at the resemblance between Y/N and Sana. Fans continued to affectionately call Y/N "Sana's twin" or "Sana's doppelgänger" and the members would playfully tease her during interviews and variety shows. During one particular interview, the host couldn't help but comment on the striking resemblance between Y/N and Sana. TWICE's angel flashed a playful smile before responding the way she always does.

Y/N - Well, I think Sana and I were separated at birth. We're just two peas in a pod!

The members burst into laughter, and even Sana herself couldn't help but join in. 

Sana - That's right! It's like I have a twin sister in the group. We're double the trouble now!

The public loved their dynamic, and the comparisons between the golden retrievers of the group became a running joke among fans. However, as time went on, the maknae's individuality started to shine brighter. She showcased her unique talents, style, and personality, capturing the hearts of fans worldwide. Y/N knew that being compared to Sana was an incredible compliment. Sana was not only beautiful but also an incredibly talented performer. She had her own unique charms that she admired and hoped to develop within herself. So instead of feeling overshadowed by the comparisons, the younger girl used them as motivation to carve out her own path in the industry.

As time went on, Y/N's individuality began to shine through. She developed her own distinct style and personality, winning over fans with her genuine and bubbly nature. While she still shared similarities with Sana, her unique qualities became more and more apparent with each passing day and the nicknames started to fade. Her journey with TWICE was filled with laughter, tears, and unforgettable moments. She became an integral part of the group, loved and cherished by fans worldwide. And though the echoes of "There's two of them" might still occasionally surface, it was no longer just about physical appearances. It was proof of the bond between Y/N and Sana, two extraordinary individuals who had found each other in the chaos of the entertainment industry.

As Y/N stood on stage with her TWICE sisters, the bright lights illuminating their smiles, she couldn't help but feel grateful for the path that had led her here. The comparisons and similarities no longer defined her, they were just a small part of a larger journey of self-discovery and growth. And as she looked out at the sea of fans chanting their names, she knew she was exactly where she belonged. And that made her have only one thought:

I am proud of my chosen family.

A/N: I apologise for any errors, English is not my first language. Pls, let me know if there's something wrong, ty for reading <3

#kpop imagines #kpop gg #twice imagines #twice 10th member #twice x reader #twice scenarios #twice #twice fluff #twice added member #twice addition #twice x y/n #twice x you #sana #sana x reader #nayeon #nayeon x reader #jeongyeon #jeongyeon x reader #momo #momo x reader #jihyo #jihyo x reader #mina #mina x reader #dahyun #dahyun x reader #chaeyoung #chaeyoung x reader #tzuyu #tzuyu x reader

[christine-ye]

Normally I don't share a lot of serious posts for characters I love (they're funny shitposts most of the time) but because the 2024 PreCure Twitter Hall of Fame started running yesterday (go vote here if you haven't), I have already campaigned myself for the title of #1 Cure Melody fan, which I already won during the first Hall of Fame back in October 2023 (and also campaigned for). And I have the certificate below to prove it lol

As part of my mini-campaign for the current Hall of Fame (which is just for fun and not an actual competition btw), I decided to write an essay about how much Cure Melody meant to me and wanted to share it here (copied and pasted straight from the Notes app on my phone). If you get the chance to read it (under the cut), I would really appreciate it. 💗

Why you should vote me for #1 Cure Melody fan, an essay (sorta)

During the summer of 2020, I started getting into PreCure when Healin' Good returned from its hiatus and was added to Crunchyroll. After watching a few more of their available seasons like Futari wa and Kira Kira, I decided to branch out and try out other (unfortunately not legally available yet) PreCure seasons, and I started both Star Twinkle and Suite on September 1, 2020. You might be wondering, "why mention an exact date for Suite specifically?" And boy, do I have a lot to tell you.

Suite was one of the seasons that caught my eye at that time, and Hibiki Hojo, otherwise known as Cure Melody, caught my attention for plenty of reasons. One of which being me previously knowing her VA, Ami Koshimizu, for voicing Sailor Jupiter (my favorite Inner Senshi) in Sailor Moon Crystal, given that I was (and still am) a huge Sailor Moon fan. Another reason was also me branching out to other magical girl media during the pandemic. I was already familiar with shows like Powerpuff Girls Z (my first magical girl show) and Madoka Magica up until 2020, and decided to try out PreCure for a bit despite my initial skepticism and refusal to try anything new.

On September 1, 2020, around the same time I was starting my last year of high school, I finally started watching Suite and while I knew Hibiki was going to be my favorite in the show I didn't expect myself to love her way more than I thought I would, not even knowing she would actually become one of my favorite characters of all time. She's a lot of fun every time she appears onscreen, her design rocks, and also did connect with me a lot on a personal level. As someone who has experienced separation anxiety as a kid (and still sometimes do now), I related with Hibiki's loneliness from when her mom was often busy on tour, much like how my parents would sometimes spend a lot of time away from home for work, from weeks to even months. To add to that, I even felt burdened by others' expectations of how and what I did as I got older, similar to how Hibiki felt pressured when she had to perform at the piano recital only to end up feeling hurt by her dad's words to the point where she (temporarily) gave up her passion for music. Through her character growth, I remembered two important things: people who love and support you will always be there for you no matter what and never give up on what you want to pursue despite the hurdles you encounter in life that try to put you down or even turn you against your passions.

I literally almost teared a bit having to write all this and if you made it to the end, thank you for reading :') And of course, vote me for #1 Cure Melody fan since she has meant a lot to me for almost 4 years now 💗

#christine's ramblings of the day #precure #pretty cure #suite precure #suite pretty cure #hibiki hojo #hojo hibiki #cure melody

[clickerflight]

do you have anything like a character info or picrews for your adventurers story? since there seems to be a bunch of lore outside of what you’ve posted so far :)

i already thought the whump week story was interesting so i’m definitely going to have a look at what you’re writing about them this time !

— honey <3

Of course!

This story is one I started developing when I was 14 and it has grown with me. The whole worldbuilding and everything is so complicated it takes literal hours to explain it.

So, the general idea is that in the entire universe there are thousands of galaxies and plenty of them have some inhabited planets here and there. People can travel to other planets, but most of them don’t get involved in space travel. Most people instead use the complicated art of portology (this is mentioned in the story and I could sit an explain portology by itself for an hour)

Anyways. In the beginning there were five base races. One of these were the Telari, the first dragons. They were meant to be the protectors of the universe (protecting planets, helping end wars, guarding ambassadors, stopping apocalypses etc) and they did a good job until about 1000 years ago when they vanished. Most people believe some malevolent force set a trap to capture them, leaving the universe vulnerable.

So people stepped forward and created an organization called the Kahtir (this generally translates to memorium) and now they perform the jobs that the dragons left behind.

This whole story/thought project/daydream fodder thing is named The Adventurers because this story focuses on a team called that. Explaining how they all met is another hour of exposition but they became Teliar, agents of the Kahtir. They’re specifically a resource team which means they’re sent into most of the really fun jobs. The big magical catastrophes and whatnot.

Got distracted giving context. This story was built this way so that I could make my own worlds, but also include worlds from books and movies and such (this also has an in universe explanation but I won’t get into it now) so in the story of you see references to things like Star Wars and whatnot, that’s why.

And on to the actual character lore!

Laurance is actually based off a character in a show I watched as a kid but he’s changed so much that you can’t really tell anymore lol. He was born on a medieval planet and trained to be a guard. He got caught up in a cult on a pocket dimension and got killed and brought back to life as a demon and kept as a slave when he would swear to the ‘god’ the cult worshiped. He ended up escaping with a part dragon (scaleon) named Anisha who later became his wife. So here’s some are of him.

And yes, I drew them.

And a drawing I did last night for my Halloween wallpaper of his demon form

And then the other main character in this short story I’m writing is Matsu. He’s also based on an anime character I watched as a kid, but he’s changed so much that all that really remains the same is the color of his hair.

I have a yearly tradition of drawing him with a boba drink.

Matsu is a half mer so his other form really only shows up when his gills are immersed. This drawing was done by my friend.

Here’s a drawing I did of Laurance and Matsu I did a while back.

The other two members of the Adventurers show up in the short story towards the end so I’ll throw a couple of images here. I don’t have much are of Kira because she has been going through a redesign and it has been a mess.

Anisha

She is a part dragon known as a scaleon but she is actually stunted, 2-4 feet shorter than normal scaleons and her face is way more human looking than a scaleons is meant to be.

And we have kira. She is fully human but has slight abilities with shapeshifting. Only enough to change her hair and eye color occasionally. She’s from a high tech society and her parents while traveling through space to a new planet when she was still in the womb were in a radiation accident. Not enough to cause too many problems, but enough that any unborn children on that ship were later born missing limbs. She’s missing one arm but that’s not a big deal. She’s a techno wizard (a literal wizard that mixes magic and technology) so her prosthetics are nearly perfect

So, that’s the lot of them. (Not including all the kids they keep adopting over the years)

There is so much lore. I could talk about this all for days if anyone showed interest.

Thank you so much for asking!!! I’m very proud of this story and it’s complicated worldbuilding so I love getting the chance to talk about it, especially done I don’t usually get to because of how complicated the lore all is and how long it takes to provide adequate context for it.

#the adventurers #sandstorm #oc lore #Laurance #Matsu #Kira #Anisha #ask #thank you so much for asking #I love talking about this story

[gible-love-nibles]

Eternal Diva Fic (Part... 2!)

I'm probably gonna keep these descriptions short because. I dunno what to say. I'm formatting this at the same time as Part 1 (on Sycamore Sunday lol) so I don't know what your guys' reaction to that part is at this moment.

Either way, enjoy!

Trigger warning for death related to illness and implied falls to death (everyone turns out to be fine, though that's not said until later)

Word Count: 1.3k / Previous / Next

I flipped between watching the opera and (trying to) read the provided pamphlet about the premise, the performers, all of that.

Apparently, the show was based on the legend of Ambrosia, a kingdom that found eternal life.  The story went that the queen of the kingdom loved music above all else (which certainly made it a good fit for an opera).  However, she fell gravely ill one day.  The Ambrosians who adored their queen tried everything they could to save her, but she passed away.  Just after she died, they discovered a cure: The Elixir of Eternal Life.  The people all drank the elixir and hoped one day, their queen would come back to them, reborn as someone else.  The opera followed the story one-to-one.

There were other tidbits I skimmed: the opera’s writer Oswald Whistler, who dedicated the show to his deceased daughter Melina; the main performer Janice Quatlane who was a student at Gressenheller University; and the strange machine that was being used to play the music, the Detragan.  

But something was missing from the book.  It mentioned that the opera and the Detragan were part of an exchange between Mr. Whistler and the inventor.  But beyond that, there was no mention of who commissioned “The Eternal Kingdom” besides the fact that they built this opera house themselves.  

It was odd.  Mr. Whistler seemed like a pretty big name in the business if this was his first opera he had written in years.  Certainly, you would want to attach your name to someone that big, even if it was just to leverage yourself.  And the fact that they built the Crown Patone was brushed aside so quickly didn’t sit right with me either.

…I was starting to notice there were lots of little details around this event that didn’t have a clear answer.  Like puzzle pieces that you couldn’t quite fit into place.  This seat being by itself, the complete silence about the opera’s commissioner, the unusual design of the theater… 

“Oh, what am I saying?” I tried to snap myself out of it. “You’re out at an opera!  When was the last time you did something like this?  And you’re going to see that pleasant professor again.  You’re overthinking this.”

But while I was thinking that, something caught my eye on my left.  By the time I turned to look, it was already almost gone.  The only thing I saw was a dark, furry… something.  Was that a tail?  A dog’s tail?

Now I knew I was thinking too hard about all of this.  There was no way someone would bring a dog in here.

I turned back to the stage right at the finale.  Pretty soon, the last note of the opera was sung and the performance ended.  As the lights came on, the audience was quiet.

An oddly familiar voice cut through the quiet and started to clap vigorously: “Bravo!” That got the crowd to politely clap, but it was clear no one’s heart was really in it.  Once it stopped after a bit, the same voice spoke up: “Professor, why aren’t people clapping?”

It finally hit me who that voice was: it was the boy who tagged along with Professor Layton in Misthallery.  Luke Triton!  And the professor was here with him.  

That revelation wasn’t allowed to sink in though, as the lights swiftly turned off again.  After a moment, a spotlight illuminated a lone man on stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen!  Welcome to my theater, the Crown Patone!” He greeted the seated audience. “You are truly fortunate.  For tonight, you will witness a miracle.” The crowd really began to clap; clearly, everyone was really here for the game of eternal life.  I had almost completely forgotten about it.

…But even from my seat in the balcony, I could tell something was wrong.  The man moved way too stiffly, and he even needed to be pulled back up from the torso like a puppet on strings.  Whoever this was was not our host.  

“As was promised when you purchased your tickets: tonight, one person from the audience gathered here will receive… the gift of eternal life.”

I told myself before that I would leave after the show and go find Layton.  But now-- with all these unanswered questions and our host decidedly not making an appearance-- I couldn’t pick myself up out of my seat.  I wasn’t going to play the game, but I was going to try and get to the bottom of this.

“However, there is one condition.  All of you gathered here are going to play a little game.  The rules are simple.  The prize for the lucky winner?  Eternal life.  But those of you who lose will lose your lives!  You must admit this is a small price for those who’re desiring such a big prize.”

That definitely caused a stir in the crowd.  I guess they thought the prize would be determined by a drawing or something along those lines.  Certainly nothing like this.

It wasn’t long until people started jumping out of their chairs and running towards the exit.  However, they found their way blocked by a group of men wearing white face masks.  Then the aisle floors gave way and people dropped down like sacks of potatoes.  After a bit, the floors closed again like nothing had happened.

I just sat and watched in horror.  I was frozen in my seat.  I tried to tell myself that those people were fine, that nothing had happened to them, that the whole threat of death was empty.  But it felt hollow.

However, the night’s wild events were just getting started.  A man’s voice cut through the tension.

“Fear not!  I am Inspector Grosky of the Yard!”

Inspector Grosky was standing next to the masked man on the stage.  It seemed like the inspector had the other man cuffed.

Grosky was definitely a hard man to forget.  He helped us during the investigation in Misthallery… when we got him to stand still.  Otherwise, he was off like a bullet train, solving crime or whatever else needed solving.  

He might jump to conclusions and be hard to keep up with (quite literally), but he was reliable.  Seeing him here in the theater was a great relief.

“My finely honed investigation showed something suspicious would happen here in this theater tonight, and I am here to put a stop to it!” Grosky continued. “Ladies and gentlemen!  No one will lose their lives.  I, Inspector Grosky of the Yard, have arrested this diabolical criminal!”

“Are you quite sure of that, Inspector?” Another voice asked.  I sprung up out of my chair at the sound.  It only took the sight of a tall top hat to know who it was.  Professor Layton was indeed in the theater with Luke.

But that just brought the question of “why didn’t he want to sit near me” back into my mind.  It wasn’t like I particularly minded one way or the other; I really wasn’t hung up about it.  What bothered me was that Layton wore his reputation as a gentleman quite proudly, and leaving a lady to sit by herself certainly wasn’t something he would do.  Questions upon questions, and none of them were getting answered fast.

I got snapped out of my thoughts by a shout from the stage and the whole theater beginning to rumble.  There were mechanical sounds from above.  Looking up, the roof was pulling away to reveal the starry night sky.  And the inspector was flying towards it.  

The “man” Grosky arrested turned out to be a puppet, and an inflatable puppet at that.  The balloon glided up to the opened ceiling, but got stuck on a spike and popped.  I grimaced, and my hand unconsciously went to my stomach watching the inspector get dragged around by the flailing balloon.

But with a little chuckle, a new voice over the theater speakers asked for our attention. “Ladies and gentlemen!  Without further interruption… let us begin our journey to eternal life!”

#🐉🎮.txt #clare's writing #eternal diva au #seen a lot of things; places you ain't ever been 🐉💫 #oh boy now the plot's starting to kick into gear

[acourtofantumbra]

Pulling at the Thread of the Day Court and the Dawn Court Pt.1 - Alchemy & Other Realms

☆ All SJM spoilers: ACOTAR, CC, and TOG ☆

I might be putting this insanity out into the tumblr wilds, but trust that I do not think anyone would ever care to read something this long. Idk if my college thesis was this long. This is a literal invitation into how my neurodivergent brain works. Expect real a to b to q to wow we've just fully veered off the road... where are we even going? energy. If you get tired along the way — yeah, trust me that's normal.

So, I'm doing my first re-read of ACOTAR!! Tbh during the first go around I struggled with the OG trio (I DNFed ACOFAS multiple times lol) and it's been well over a year since I've read them. But recently, I binged every other SJM book/series. So during my messy reread I've been picking up on a lot. And enjoying it more! But there were two fleeting moments from ACOMAF & ACOWAR that caught my eye and led me down what will become (maybe) the longest fucking theory spiral. Like multi part...

Honestly? It's been so fun. My job is very soul sucking.

In short — nothing about this will be short lol — the thread I followed brought me to Helion, his Day Court, and weird connections to both the Thesan/the Dawn Court and one of ACOTAR’s many unexplored Faerie Realms. And some realms not in ACOTAR. I also take a look at both Helion and Thesan’s powers (as well as some others) that have me questioning... some unexplored "magic" from multiple worlds. Happy to call all of it crack theory, but I will be citing as much canon as tumblr's image limit allows. This is gonna be a long and winding road!

I always add books and page numbers (and try to add any other relevant citations) to the visuals/sources I use, so check those out if you need some extra info!

Color Key: spoilers, notes from me 2 u, important, important + links, mentioned later in the post, mentioned in another post of mine or in a future post

Day Court Powers and Dawn Court Powers

Alright, so the moment that caused me to spiral was a snipe from Lucien in Chapter 11 of ACOWAR. Feyre’s plan to GTFO of the Spring Court is fully in motion, but she's freaking out about Hybern weaponizing faebane. Breezing past that, Lucien confronts her about being a big ol’ liar whilst reminding her that he has other friends, ok? 

So, two things: I was trying to remember who Lucien’s friend was and thought, Oh right, the ‘Master Tinkerer.’ The friend that made Lucien’s golden eye, which is itself magical.

But then I got caught up in a different question... Like hold up, what healing powers did Feyre use in this moment he’s talking about?

Because that's the main power of the Dawn Court that's canon thus far. Especially because Lucien is pointing out that his friend’s light and Feyre’s light comes from “the same power,” which he seems to know intimately, and their “light is identical.” At first, I was just confused because who is this non-High Lord person with High Lord power? And are we all cool with that or...?

So I flip back to ACOMAF to remind myself wtf we’re talking about here… which of Thesan’s — or the Dawn Court’s — powers did Feyre use in the Hybern/Cauldron event at the end of the book? A display noticeable enough that Lucien clocked Feyre's light looking familiar — perhaps because his mechanical/magical eye might have related functions. 

As it turns out we're not talking about Thesan’s powers at all… we’re talking about Helion’s powers. Which might be why Lucien is intimately familiar with how the power works — for wholly different reasons... like having inherited Helion’s powers himself.

So Feyre breaks through Hybern's wards so she can get her sisters and IC out and reestablishes her bond speaking with Rhys, but notably she still can't feel the bond with Hybern's spell crushing down on it. But she pretends she's broken the "curse" Rhys has put on her to make her like him more than Tamlin...

Tamlin... my dude... no...

And while Feyre gave an Oscar worthy performance convincing everyone that her very nice Night Husband was evil the whole time, Lucien is suspicious as hell... and so is his eye.

Lucien knew Feyre was full of shit and with “centuries of cultivated reason” he might know about some other lies *cough* who his real dad is *cough*. But his mating bond with Elain has freshly snapped into place… so his priorities shifted, one could say, and doesn’t call Feyre out.

Ok, so where are we now? 

Feyre used Helion’s Day Court power - his light and his cursebreaking/spellbreaking to take down Hybern’s wards so the Night Court could get her recently Made sisters out of dodge. Lucien clocks this because he has a friend in the Dawn Court with the same abilities and the same light and also maybe because he personally knew Papa Helion’s powers were being used.

Here's a post from whitewolf-ofdoranelle: detailing some evidence about Lucien maybe knowing the truth about Helion and his powers.  

About Light in the SJM Multiverse:

It's becoming more important by the second!

We have many different shades that seemingly allude to overarching people/powers/plots. Most of the time when we encounter characters using or emitting light, they/we don’t exactly know where it comes from or how it works. Which is why so much of the understanding re: our shining characters is still just speculation at this point.

But we know it's for sure important with the introduction of the Starborn Line in Crescent City and the lore that connects Midgard and Prythian (tho the stories are not identical... someone is lyinggg). We’re building that knowledge more extensively as the multiverse comes into play.

For example, when Feyre glows after the mate-a-thon with Rhysand in the mountain cabin she wonders what court's light is turning her into a 100 watt bulb...

It very well might be a different light! Helion's light has been described as healing! Of all the glowy boys — Thesan is actually the glowiest and the brightest! Are they different? Are they the same? I really don't know!!! And I'm sorry if I've made you more confused now too. Tho I do delve into Thesan more towards the end.

A thought I've had re: Helion's kind of light (I'll get more into in another post) has everything to do with Pelias... and Helion's sensitivity to the Dread Trove.

In ACOSF, Helion has to have the IC cover the mask and physically remove himself from the area... no one else has this sensitivity (at least to this extreme) and all Helion has to say for himself is this:

It's worth noting that in Midgard they don't seem to have the same distinctions regarding light powers. Like... everyone who glows (minus Hunt) is Starborn?

In Prythian we have Dawn Court light, Day Court light, Night Court shadows and perhaps this (to borrow the Midgard term) Starborn light. Pelias, the controversial figure in the lore connecting P + M in the King Fionn and Theia story, is said to be a Starborn prince. But at every turn the Princes of Hel are quick to point out that Pelias' power and his light are nothing like Theia's — who is, by their claim, the true Starborn power holder — and her daughters'. They also say Theia's daughters have starborn and shadow gifts, but that isn't necessarily part of Pelias' skill set either... I'm lookin' at you Aidas.

Anyway, I've toyed with the idea that perhaps Pelias' light powers, because Midgard lacks the distinction between light powers, could be Day Court-like. And it would make sense that the Dread Trove would ward against anyone in that lineage considering "Pelias wielded [Luna's] Horn until he died" (HOEB). JUST SOME THOUGHTS.

Check out this absolutely incredible (a comprehensive) theory post from @wingedblooms about the different kinds of light in the SJM Multiverse

But back to Lucien’s friend who has Day Court powers… who is she? 

It’s Nuan! A character I was like, "She seems cool, can’t wait to get to know her.”

And then ACOWAR ended and we never heard from her again... womp. But, some might call this a loose end.

It's me. I'm calling it that.

Considering she played a big role in Lucien’s life (a former main-ish character with nothing but loose ends), provided critical help to win the war against Hybern, has a suspicious amount of power, technical skills, and connection to distant faerie realms we still know frustratingly little about… Nuan has nothing but potential! Welp, let’s get into it. 

So remember how Feyre is like “What if everything I eat has faebane in it, wow that’s suddenly a huge problem for us right now on the verge of war?” And then Lucien is like, “You have my friend’s powers, you liar?” Coincidental? Cool.

When Nuan is finally introduced by name, she's shown up at the tensest High Lord meeting ever at the Dawn Court. Why? She wants to let everyone know she invented a cure for that pesky Faebane. Helpful!

There is a metric ton stuffed into her introduction and it's hard to even know where to begin, but I'll try.

Just know the “she looks kind of like Amren thing” is incredibly specific and out of nowhere.

Whenever SJM throws in an “oh, I just kinda thought that… strange” and “oh hm maybe i saw that person glowing like a 60 watt bulb but maybe not” etc etc etc… statements, they are always important. There are more of those moments to come and every series by her is full of these.

Anyway, ACOTAR has had 5 books (4 novels, one novella) and this comparison to Nuan is among one of the more specific pieces of the “who and what is Amren” puzzle we get. We’ll get to it, but we’ve got a mountain the size of Ramiel  to dig through first. 

Back to the Dawn Court scene: Being his usual discriminatory self, Beron aka the High Lord of Autumn is suspicious of Nuan’s miracle cure for faebane for because he's an asshole and a xenaphobe — we’ll come back to this. But she counters with her own commitment to protecting the fae from being poisoned and powerless. Go Nuan! It also seems like she's a very dedicated scientist, but that behind this science there is also magic. Makes sense when you consider the whole magical appendages gig she has!

Nuan monologues about the Mother aka higher power/god/[insert mystical lore here] situation who is suspect #1 in the whole “what are the gods?” conversation. The gods, etc. are known lore — which exists in different forms ACOTAR, TOG, and CC — and they're complicated enough to warrant their own massive post.

Anyway, Nuan explains that the Mother provides “everything we need on this earth.” Nuan simply needed to find what the Mother has provided Prythian to stop Hybern from “wiping out” their powers. Considering she applied this logic and it worked… seems legit... and important?

So yes, the way she phrased her scientific method struck me... and left me with so many more questions than I started with. Like what did you use and how did you do it and where did you find it??? What do you mean this earth?! I could keep going!!!!

However, her antidote can’t protect fae entirely because physical objects made from faebane will still have dangerous effects. Sounds like her compound is able to… dare I say… break the curse or spell of faebane? But if  the physical object that makes fae vulnerable comes barreling at them… well that’s a whole different story. Kind of like how from the first scene I mentioned: Feyre could break the wards and the spell silencing her mating bond with Rhys, but she still couldn’t feel any of the physical effects of the bond with Hybern’s spell shutting her down.

Nuan, it seems, not only has Day Court-like powers as a person whose family isn’t from Prythian, or the Solar Courts, she can transform magic/power into physical objects - magical mechanical body parts and medicines, for ex. Kind of like less spooky Nesta sword versions of Made objects?

But this is apt considering she’s not just a tinkerer (a word that will always make me lol), but Thesan introduces her as an alchemist.  

Let's talk about alchemy, baby

So let’s take an unplanned detour off the cliff of what tf is alchemy? VERY COMPLICATED is what it is! You may wonder where the heck are I'm going with this... patience my friend. Possibly somewhere... maybe nowhere... idk. Look, I said this would be long.

I promise we'll delve into actual historical contexts, but I'm gonna be real with you... I'm not a scholar, or a philosopher, or an archaeologist, or a theologian, or a chemist, or an anthropologist. I took courses on these subjects, but I just enjoy learning about this stuff/consuming content about it. Alchemy is very mysterious, very "lost to time," so it's hard to get it right. And just to keep it 100... my deepest and longest exposure to alchemy comes from a beloved manga and anime series. If you're like... "yup, absolutely not." Skip the rest of this post if you'd like... or skip ahead. To both fandoms... I'm so sorry for what I'm about to do. lol.

Alright, raise your hand if you too love the manga and anime series Full Metal Alchemist… If you’re not raising your hand, I highly recommend giving it a whirl. And maybe don't ruin it by reading any of this. If you think Kingdom of Ash has insane world building culminations and… pain... yeah FMA has that and emotional pain I’ve never healed from. *sobs* 10/10 

Much like SJM and her use of universal mystical concepts and traditions, FMA also references much of the real history of alchemy and, by association, incredibly complex mystic religious principles. And what would ya know? Turns out FMA is a super helpful tool to explain/understand this very difficult subject.

So let’s take a quick look at the main character in FMA…

That’s Edward. He’s a rascal. He’s also an incredible alchemist who’s able to transmute — woefully basic explanation: turn objects from their original form into something else through the law of equal exchange — without a transmutation circle. That's a rarity among even the greatest alchemists. Because he can do this, at age 12, he becomes the youngest State Alchemist (he works for the government begrudgingly). Though, in the image above, that's Ed with a transmutation circle and hm... is that a star shaped rune? I digress.

You might ask... where is there an instance of a "law of equal exchange" in SJM's worlds? It might not be a perfect parallel, but... there's definitely something going on with give and take regarding magic. And that has major implications re: how much magic each world has (and how much the Asteri need to consume/wreck worlds for). I'm a broken record but... that perhaps will be its own post one day.

When Nuan talks about the Mother providing what that world needs... I feel like we're touching on something here. And as an alchemist, her work would be centered around this law of balance. Of course, we get absolutely no details from SJM.

But let's look at something we've encountered a bit more, like the Great Rite. Note: not my favorite magic tradition in these worlds... But it keeps coming up, especially where characters with mysterious pasts are concerned.

I've also made a post tying it in with Hunt from Crescent City and... idk... once I saw it, I can't unsee it.

First off, Lucien shakes off shadow hands multiple times talking about the Great Rite... please take note of that for a point below.

But we get reference of a tradition that must occur every year for their magic's cosmic "give-and-take." Sounds equal exchange-like.

High Lord becomes the Hunter (Hunt... is that you?) who needs to find the Maiden (Bryce is this what you guys are doing?) selected by the magic. Then they "couple" *sigh* and generate magic that's released back to the earth and all is well and magical for the coming year. Sure.

The Maiden has come up countless time in the references to the triunity or triple goddesses throughout ACOTAR, CC, and TOG (Also long and complicated - I am 100% doing a post on this). Short version: the triple goddess = mother, maiden, and the crone. Three-faced goddess. All the moon goddesses implicated. Witches and their goddesses... Persephone-like characters... etc. etc. etc. I'll get into it another time... this is my super bowl. But the Maiden has everything to do with the Mother and vice-versa, just as Nuan pointed out in her assessment of balance and magic within this world.

Outside of the Great Rite's Hunter and the Maiden ritual, Lucien says the rest of court takes a part in the night, "though it’s not the Great Rite, our own dalliances tonight will help the land, too" (ACOTAR, Chapter 21). Energy spent becomes energy reaped... even if they don't get the ritualistic title. Is this reminding you of science class and the first law of thermal dynamics: energy can't be created or destroyed it can only be transformed? It should.

It's notable that every Court has a Great Rite they must comply with to power the magic of the land, though we're only familiar with the Spring Court's Calanmai tradition. But in ACOSF, Gwyn mentions multiple times that when females "come of age" they can, and seem to be expected to, participate in the Rite. And we all know rituals with titles and milestones have never gone wrong for anyone... *stares in Crescent City* (The Drop). But also, we're seeing instances in both CC and ACOTAR where magic is waning... like the balance is off. Rhys tells Feyre that Starfall souls are less plentiful and well... we know the Asteri are over indulging in first light. Essentially, exchanges are not equal and there are traditions in place to keep them that way! What's changing? What does this mean?

The TikToker ahappyhermit posted her first podcast episode about Starfall and the dwindling souls and it's awesome. She's also got a lovely reading voice!

Back to FMA, transmutation boiled down also feels suspiciously similar to Aelin and co. drawing their wyrdmarks... something many SJM theories speculate will make a big return come CC3/ACOTAR5.

Alchemists even wear objects (clothes? yup! prosthesis? yup! fake eyes... eye patches? yup!) or have tattoos (Aelin and Bryce's world walking tats? TOG witches w/ the Eye of the Goddess tats?) with transmutation runes to help them attempt to do what Ed can do — transmute without crouching down and drawing out a rune.

In an attempt to try and spare you the full rundown of the science and magic of both alchemy and the world of FMA... there's gonna be metric tons of nuance I'm leaving out. The FMA fandom are effectively scholars at this point and I just want you ALL to know I know I'm watering some of this down.

Why can Ed transmute without a circle? It's really complicated, and important, but I'll do my best to summarize. First, it helps that, like Nuan, he has a metal arm - in FMA it's called automail, it's as complex as we've come to know Nuan's work is (albeit a little less magical), and basically he can do science faster/easier with it (I'm so sorry this would simply take too long to explain). And because *giant and complete FMA spoiler alerts across the board - like seriously I'm going to discuss all of the big reveals* he does some majorly taboo alchemy — resurrection of human life — that takes his leg and arm (and his brother's entire body, but not his soul leaving him as animated armor). Performing the taboo human transmutation opens a portal to the Gate of Truth. It opens, revealing a dimension of information which manifests as a shadowy void with several shadow-like hands coming out of it and a single large eye within. And this isn't just pure FMA canon, it draws inspiration from the lore of the Tree of Life.

Shadowy hands and something with a big eye watching you in a knowledge void? Hm... Let us turn to Nesta spiraling out and falling down the House of Wind steps and into her Making memories from the Cauldron. This does not include the MANY times characters, from multiple worlds, mention feeling shadowy hands (*wink* Dorian), but we saw examples with Lucien above.

The Cauldron kind of sounds like a big eye in a shadowy void that is perhaps a different dimension stacked with information, huh?

And what happens after Nesta's spiral? She comes to and realizes she's sparked and embedded her hand, and then handprint, in stone... which is also glowing.

Did anyone else find this moment/detail weird when they were reading? Cassian found it super weird!

Back to Edward, at the Gate of Truth, he meets a god, Truth. It's a whole thing. Insanely long story short, by reaching the Gate, Edward sees into the void that holds the truth of the universe. This allows him to bypasses the need to draw runes and instead channels the energy of alchemy/all the nature bending stuff he does by his own will.

Effectively, Ed seeing beyond the Gate allows him to break the rules of nature and freely wield a "different magic".

Interesting, because what Nesta has taken from the Cauldron seems to allow her to bypass the natural order of things too. No markings or weapons needed.

Throughout the series some (Illyrians) call Nesta a witch and refer to her different, powerful magic as unnatural. In fact, even the other magical beings of Prythian do not get her magic.

Hypothetically, and just pretend with me, Nesta could (she gave it back) do a kind of alchemy without the limits of nature/the laws of Prythian because she she took too much from the Cauldron/void of truth... it stands to reason that, much like using the wyrdmarks in TOG, that alchemists like Nuan are tapping into something totally different magic-wise. Like most High Fae have some magical capabilities, but the High Lords are usually the ones with the more robust skillset. Alchemy might be this secret link to why characters — multiple groups of high skilled/non royal fae/even humans in TOG — can display huge power... as well as create objects with incredible abilities like arms and eyes... and... Prythian iPods?

Helion might not have tinkerers like Thesan, but he does have piles of libraries and scholars... oh ya you can be I will be doing a post just on libraries.

Anyway so we've got some suspicious powers around, suspicious magic objects created for other purposes originally, and magical objects like body parts and medicinal powders. We've got multiple instances across worlds that implicate magic and cosmic balance... specifically that balance being off now.

Especially with magic being targeted (First and Second Light in HSOAB) as a deity food source - I think correcting the broken state of magic with alchemy could very well become... something. And I explain below an instance we already have seen where non-magical magic does just this in the SJM multiverse.

But in the next part of this theory spiral this connects (perhaps!) to Nesta and the Cauldron/Gate of Truth concept I outlined. Specifically, alchemists who see it and come back have taken too much from it. It comes at a great personal cost, but they have superior nature-bending abilities. The "great personal cost" thing is a TOG quote... just btw. Spoiler alert: witch mirrors

Ok, I promise just a few more comps using FMA and we'll move this train right along...

Finally, in FMA and alchemy seven is also big number and I get into some other instances in the real history below. There are seven Homunculi, beings with tremendous power who have their own agenda with a much bigger scope than what's happening on this sole planet/realm. And actually, there's a secret eighth Homunculus that's been hiding in plain sight for the whole show (like a secret 8th court?)... and ends up being the creator of the other homunculi... as well as being Ed & Al's dad (like said secret court being an origin point for all our favorite fae?). What is a homunculus? It refers to the medieval legendary concept of a being Made and brought into existence by certain means of alchemy and it requires the Philosopher's Stone (too complicated to even get into, but it comes up again in my Pt. II post). Also fun fact: in FMA, Homunculi all carry the mark of the Ouroboros... like that (witch) mirror in ACOTAR that people have been mighty suspicious of.

The Homunculi are aptly named after the seven deadly sins - pride, envy, lust, wrath, greed, sloth, and gluttony. Makes you think... Asteri are pretty gluttonous... Valg? Princes of the Pit? Angels? Scions? Some High Lords? Nesta? IDK?! Anyway, the Homunculi begin as villains and some change their allegiance along the way. But not all not all of them are inherently evil. Despite looking like the human characters/beings in FMA, "Homunculi are still aberrations of nature created by violating the laws of the natural universe, and as such, have no souls." It's complicated, but they're incapable of accessing the Gate of Truth or regular alchemic (read: magic) powers, because they lack souls. Some weird Valgy/TOG god/Asteri/can't get through a damn portal parallels, no?

Ok, that was still SO long, and I'm just gonna leave these many kernels of thought I have failed to really wrap up here... whilst staring into my own void... and catalog of all the characters and beings we've run into described as something else or Made or bred. I will spare you from the whole chimera conversation... FOR NOW... but I'm looking at all of the spooky murder pets our heroes have fought off... and truly every Asteri "experiment" being. Just know that.

Has Sarah watched this show? Dude, I don't know. But I do know that we both entered the world of fantasy via Sailor Moon. According to this post she even wrote wildly popular Sailor Moon fanfiction. So she has watched and loved at least one anime. FMA is wildly popular, has a rich fantasy plot that's a masterclass in world building with brilliantly researched foundations in global mystical traditions, and it's penned by a woman! So, no, I'm not 100% convinced she hasn't.

So, is alchemy real? Kind of...

OK, I swear I'll focus now. So alchemy! There was a time when people believed it was real (from the ancient past to Isaac Newton who wrote a lot about alchemy and very real science). The way I have come to understand it, alchemy exists within the crossroads of science and mythology. It's even been considered a kind of witchcraft or spellwork. However, alchemy did either lead to, or exist along side, many important scientific laws and discoveries we still hold as truths/are taught today.

So... witchcraft, eh? We've had allusions to witches in ACOTAR, but we seem to be lacking the noted presence of such beings like we've seen in CC and TOG (though we still don't fully understand their powers across the board)... unless they're hiding in plain sight dressed as something else?

Interesting... no? I am far from the first to suggest the Made Archerons are witches (and Pt. II will have more witch talk and citations to great theory posts I didn't write). But hey, they could be alchemists too...

We know from Nesta's perspective in ACOSF that she absolutely took more than she should have from the Cauldron and she is using/making tools (read: swords) right and left. Plus, Mor's description sounds suspiciously like alchemy that's... gone rogue or without equal exchange. Also, more simply, everyone calls Nesta a witch (specifically the Illyrians) and she's cool with it. But that's could be because she revels in being scary and we love her for it.

Alchemy as word reveals much about it. Like most terms that have an "al" to start (algebra, algorithm, alfalfa, alcohol, almanac...) is an Arabic syllable for “the,” and we see it show up in the language of math and science.

"Alchemy was rooted in a complex spiritual worldview in which everything around us contains a sort of universal spirit, and metals were believed not only to be alive but also to grow inside the Earth... Historian Nevill Drury, in his book "Magic and Witchcraft," notes that, "The word alchemy is thought to derive from an Egyptian word, 'chem' or 'qem,' meaning black — a reference to the black alluvial soils bordering the Nile ... We know that the Greek word 'chyma,' meaning to fuse or cast metals, established itself in Arabic as 'al kimia' — from which alchemy is derived." Live Science

"Alchemists attempted to purify, mature, and perfect certain materials. Common aims were chrysopoeia, the transmutation of "base metals" (e.g., lead) into "noble metals" (particularly gold); the creation of an elixir of immortality... The perfection of the human body and soul was thought to result from the alchemical magnum opus ("Great Work"). The concept of creating the philosophers' stone was variously connected with all of these projects." Wikipedia

There's a lot going on there, but we're speeding right along. You can ask questions at the end of class. No, seriously ask them because I'm probably not gonna dig that deep here.

Alchemy has roots in many different ancient places and sprung up independently of one another.

"[There were] at least three major strands, which appear to be mostly independent, at least in their earlier stages: Chinese alchemy, centered in China; Indian alchemy, centered on the Indian subcontinent; and Western alchemy, which occurred around the Mediterranean and whose center has shifted over the millennia from Greco-Roman Egypt to the Islamic world, and finally medieval Europe." Wikipedia

As it turns out, Sarah and alchemy have a lot in common — they love mixing a matching the myth of many places into one magical tangle. There's a lot to unpack there and I wont get to all of it here... but I will try to eventually. One thing I will definitely touch on in another post is alchemy's connection to the God Hermes who keeps coming up in my research — he has many powers, but notably he's a world walker.

So from the quote above I'm gonna dive into connections with what we know about elemental fae magic, then we get back to Nuan and Alchemy's far reaching geographic history, and how that brings us to major questions marks around Helion and Thesan and their Courts.

Elemental Fae Magic vs Alchemy

So we don't know everything about elemental fae magic across worlds, but from the recent books and leading plots... we get a ton of focus on weapons (swords) being the biggest world connections (CC 3), Nesta forging narban blades, and Rhys explaining finally what this world is and what magic/fae used to be like.

Something new, eh? Something different?

As the LiveScience quote above points out, alchemy is magical, scientific, but it's also deeply connected to the Earth and laws of the universe. So elements play a big role and, you guessed it, we get the number 7 again (if you don't get why I keep referencing 7 I encourage you to take note every time the number 7 comes up in TOG, ACOTAR, CC because it's near constant):

"The elemental system used in medieval alchemy... consisted of seven elements, which included the five classical elements (aether, air, earth, fire, and water) in addition to two chemical elements representing the metals." Wikipedia

If you're unfamiliar with the concept of aether, here's an incredibly rushed explanation that's still somehow too long:

Aether has roots dating back to ancient Greece and means, "in Homeric Greek, 'pure, fresh air' or 'clear sky'. In Greek mythology, it was thought to be the pure essence that the gods breathed, filling the space where they lived, analogous to the air breathed by mortals. It is also personified as a deity, Aether, who is at times relates to Chronus, Erebus, Nyx, Chaos and Hemera (this is its own post) in traditional Greek mythology. Aether is related to αἴθω 'to incinerate', and intransitive 'to burn, to shine'."

Traditionally there are 4 elements - air, earth, fire, water. But in the Medieval Age (read: alchemy time), scientists concluded there was a 5th element. Aether was considered the material that fills the region of the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere. Unlike the four terrestrial elements that were subject to change and moved linearly, aether was a celestial element that moved circularly and had none of the qualities the terrestrial classical elements. Aether also is tied in quite often with light. And this is significant because light is notably how scientists (have — some theories since disproven — and currently do) measure distance and travel within space.

I find aether particularly interesting because, within the SJM multiverse, we have seen magic wielders display powers that would fall within the terrestrial elements (ex. Autumn Court's fire powers, Rowan's/Whitehorns' wind powers, House of Many Waters & Aelin's mom's water powers, etc.). But then we have these outliers whose powers work a little differently... perhaps more powerfully... specifically when we're talking about light and shadow. And with the allusions to burning, shining, and breath... we've got a lot of interesting Starborn connections. Also... travel within non-terrestrial spaces??? Come on now!

Back to Elemental Fae

In the ACOSF passage above, Rhys explains that Prythian Fae magic used to be more elemental — like the elements above. He also says their kind of magic could forge great weapons, just like Nesta who creates her narban blades... and a reminder that there are the 5 discussed elements and also 2 metals (we wont get into specifics here, but just... metals ok?) to create the 7 alchemic elements.

Tons here to analyze but take a look at TikToker chemicalrosie killing it on the analysis of elemental fae magic, weapons, and connections across the SJM worlds. She does most of the heavy lifting on this point (thanks Rosie).

In Crescent City we get more hints of elemental fae magic. In fact the Houses themselves seemingly represent these elements: House of Sky and Breath (aether? Also potentially air?), House of Earth and Blood (earth), House of Many Waters (water), House of Flame and Shadow (fire... also aether?). Under the House of Sky and Breath there are even beings called "Elementals," though we don't exactly know what an elemental is yet because their mentions are limited. Am I screaming "alchemists" into the void? Sure am. If they were elemental fae... wouldn't they just be called fae??? We do know they belong in the same House as angels, fae, and those blessed by major gods (which we know can give a magical or non magical being gifts of varying levels from TOG).

We also get mention of an Elemental War, which Lehaba mentions a distant relative sprite being involved in. Though that is sort of the extent of what we know about it (unless I'm wrong and feel free to tell me I'm wrong always).

We also get another depiction of elemental fae magic forging a weapon (refer back to that TikTok above if you want to delve into who this is and what it depicts in the multiverse).

So we're not gonna get too much deeper into elemental fae magic (tho let me know if you want further digging on this because my unhinged brain knows no bounds), but let me sketch my overarching point with this.

We have multiple points of reference within the SJM Multiverse where elemental magic and its noted difference to starborn/aether-like magic is being woven into this bigger world-spanning plot. Obviously, I referenced CC and ACOTAR here, but I could have dumped a ton of TOG references in here too (and will... later!).

We also have a multiverse with magic that seems... out of balance. We do not not know why all of these element-related mentions have been baked into the plot here and there. What was the Elemental War and why are magic abilities so different among Fae at the very least — and why are they different than they were before?

We also have metal/Made/superior substance swords linking our multiverse and being forged despite that not happening in a very long time. But now that Nesta has relinquished her stolen power back to the Cauldron... and we've got a world walker stuck in Prythian who may want to leave with one more sword than she landed with... seems like special weapon forging might be a useful skill. If only there was someone who could make magical metal objects without the powers of some spooky void or magical land decree...

Oh wait... we do have that person. And perhaps she also has a whole team of alchemists like her.

That's right folks... the last part... of this first part...

Back to Nuan and Other Faerie Realms

Oh my god this is so long. If you're still reading... I think we're officially betrothed? Idk. I love you.

Ok, so Nuan is described to us as so unique looking (look, I am not saying this is a great moment from SJM) she can only compare her to Amren... a [we have no idea but lots of speculation] being from another world.

Then we get a stark moment of xenophobia from Beron during the Dawn Court-High Lords meeting... because Nuan's parents are from a Fae realm called Xian. Xian is a faerie territory located somewhere in the Continent (I will speculate a ton below) that notably supported the loyalists during the war that resulted in the wall between the mortal lands and the fae realm. That means Xian was pro human slavery and that they ultimately lost. Nuan follows this up by reminding High Lord Asshat that she is as Prythian as his sons (let's go girl).

Beron's outburst also causes Thesan to jump to her defense because (that's his girl) his mom was from Xian... actually the majority of his court is from Xian?

ALRIGHTY THEN! Where to start?

So first off, just extrapolating from what we get in this exchange re: Xian... a place like most places SJM has not explained at all to us in that we know almost nada about it. If Xian supported the loyalists... and then they lost... and then a bunch of fae relocated to the Dawn Court in search of "a better life," we might (read: I do) assume that this was a territory south of the wall. Faeries, after the war, were not allowed to stay in the southern part of the continent.

Why do I find this interesting? Why have I spent 800 years getting to this point about an alchemist from Xian? Why do I even think alchemy is worth spending this much time thinking about when this is the only time we encounter it in ACOTAR?

Well, because it's not the only time we encounter it in the SJM multiverse.

So, in TOG, there are alchemists on the Southern continent who provide really important firelances to Aelin & co.'s fight against the Valg. A magical, very effective weapon that non-magical beings can use... and it's so impressive Aelin is relieved that her waning fire magic will be supported by such... firepower.

You know what else conveniently pops on the Southern continent in TOG? Healers and their Torre Cesme... Yrene Towers ilu. Isn't it just so coincidental that the Dawn Court's powers just so happen to be healing powers? And that in the TOG world there's an entire Fae healer community that relocated to the Southern Continent, bred healing powers into the mortal population, and then just... disappears? And also like are dead in crypts that are unbreakable for Valg related reasons, but I digress.

And something else that's fun is that Thesan and Nuan aren't even the only characters in that scene to get a cryptic allusion to a familiar sounding Southern continent that is notably... not one we've met via ACOTAR.

When Feyre describes Helion (it always comes back to him doesn't it?) in, yes, that meeting of the High Lords at the Dawn Court... I swear to all these freaking gods I didn't plan this! Anyway, she "all the sudden for some weird reason" starts thinking about a place her dad (feeling like I have to do a deep dive on Papa Archeron because the more I research not looking for him the more he pops up) visited as a merchant — south-eastern kingdom that sounds suspiciously Antica from Tower of Dawn. And we know when she thinks fondly of her father's merchant days she also always brings up spices... so there's that. (worth noting that this scene with Helion is BIG in my pt. 2 post)

So, obviously we get allusions to actual empires/places within these "different realms" in the SJM multiverse. Xi'an is the name of a real province in China (and has gifted the world so much food-wise and i'm sure countless other ways but I wont rest until I have cuminy lamby noodles asap) and the Khagnate/Southern Continent of the TOG world draws inspiration from the Mongol Empire (how I feel about SJM's... useage of these empires is it's own separate convo). It also includes a lot of the territories where alchemy sprung up independently and thrived that I mentioned before.

Sadly I'm out of images I can post (holy crap), so just... google it

Cool so we've got a lot of relevant territories covered here re: their SJM multiverse parallel.

Obviously Amren is the mystery that keeps giving and tons of people have their theories about her... and I guess SJM at one point said she's some kind of archangel... personally? IDK! Do I think it's strange, in my untangling of this curious maybe from another world territory population, that Amren... a being we know is from another world chose a Xian fae body? Yup! Especially because the southern continent, as we learn in Tower of Dawn from the Stygian Spyders (her handmaidens... which is what I thought Amren could have been, but that's not my theory battle I choose to fight) that there was a big ol' door/portal/whatever that Maeve walked herself and clique through. Hm...

Also, let us not forget when Nuan casually mentioned in her alchemic practice that the "Mother provides everything [they] need on this earth." What does she know that we doooon't?

And while I know I've wanted more, more of the other solar courts — I think perhaps they've been held back because they'll play an integral role in whatever happens next. I mean in addition to everything else Thesan's got a population of winged beings that sound suspiciously like Midgard's angels and Helion's got the only flying horsies (and libraries... I cannot stress how preoccupied I am with libraries in these worlds).

Re: Dawn Court... light-filled healers in TOG (specifically Yrene) play an essential role when it comes to the Valg (who we're not 100% are also the Asteri or Daglan, but let's say they're in the same fam). Yrene can "cure" the people the Valg infect and *the biggest of TOG spoilers* she kills the big bad Valg with her powers. But before she does that... Erawan (which will always just remind me of the fancy shmancy grocery store) wants to capture her and says her powers/what she can do goes far beyond what she understands... and... at the end of the day... us too... SARAH!!!

I will be doing a verrrry deep dive into TOG-world healers because every single page I read describing... like anything about them was making my SJM insanity senses tingle. We haven't spent a lot of time with Thesan and his powers, but we know Feyre's blood can heal others so... curious to see where that one leads.

But the other thing we've got in TOG is a lot of people of varying... let's call them heritages having varied power abilities... and even humans being able to use magic (like wyrdmarks). They've also got a god city and scions and I simply cannot spend anymore time going on tangents here, but know I only have more questions... no answers... help.

OMG we made it. To recap we've got: connections to other faerie realms (whether in ACOTAR or the multiverse which would implicate some world walking), we've got alchemists/alchemy, we've got healers, we've got two light wielding courts with some magic overlap and, and at the very least, magic irregularities. We've got gods all over the place. We've got... so many questions... but hopefully some thought provoking parallels!

If I had to make my very bold "conclusion" to whatever hellscape of a hypothesis this is it's that I do believe the Dawn Court and the Day Court have some mix and matching travel/world walking situations with the southern continent in TOG and ditto for that relationship regarding more elemental fae and Midgard. And with alchemy (that I really hope either exists in this world, manifests as just witches like babes I'll take it) acting as the connecting thread between the power balances of the worlds... idk I think we're gonna get some answers there. And I think perhaps they'll be very important to connecting the worlds.

Mostly... this is my plea to SJM to bring back Nuan! Tell us about the other glowing boys (Thesan & Helion).

Seriously, if you read any of this... thank you and just know I'm sending you a little virtual kiss. Ok, let's both go touch some grass now.

Pt. II is mostly written and coming to a tumblr near you soon.

#sjm multiverse spoilers #sjm multiverse #throne of glass #acotar #aelin galythinius #bryce quinlan #cc3 #crescent city #empire of storms #hunt alathar #kingdom of ash #sjm books #nuan #faerie realms #helion #thesan #yrene towers #torre cesme #erilea #prythian #world walking #day court #dawn court #acotar theory #throne of glass theory #crescent city theory #alchemy #alchemists #witchcraft #elemental fae

[the-firebird69]

Watch "Barbra Streisand - Send In The Clowns (Live 1986)" on YouTube

For some reason the clowns see the urgency of now they understand it but they have to be directed a little I was telling them before and they went up there only a little I was very surprised they don't have the data or Intel or didn't it's just like below here there's some huge diamonds in a class by the root. It's not the biggest but boy they're big enough okay I think that the Hudson bays 2000 miles across and you go downwards and the root system coming off it off The tap Root sometimes there as big as the town fruit and underneath what forms the cycle web and yeah easily a thousand miles across and Hera at 5:00 and they're saying 10 but she did say attend it first. You're simply go up at like a ladder like Ajax Earth said and trim and Loki are confirming it and I say of course you take one magnifying glass and you fired into another one just like a telescope but it's refraction of a sort and it amplifies the beam and you can actually move it by cutting it and don't have to move the stones and the nozzle can aim it and they're amazed and you can have a reflector believe it or not so a beam of that power level is not known to anyone the planet toys could be disabled and the lasers destroyed and the diamonds rendered useless we would have to do that if you just cut precise holes but really it is a massive massive tap root

Zues Hera

It is the one for all of Canada and this one for the USA and one for South America and yeah the one for South America is gigantic is bigger than both but nobody has any access and yeah those shattered over right above it

Bitol and Goddess Wife our son sent the clowns in with Hera trailing but she's the one who inspired him, that's worth everything in the world to us because she did I see what he's saying too she's my inspiration and my teammate all the time and we're really good at stuff eventually we'll learn how to play chess better and I laugh because he needs the game but boy this is a big deal my clown character will be coming out and he wants to set up the circus when you're almost gone they can come back to the circus for one more round but under our eye and they like it and he can show up in place of his brother and they'll recognize him cuz he looks a little like him sometimes he has cholesterol

Which you have a little pain about it we too have a little pain about it and it's awful we're going to do this it's closure it's a way to say goodbye and thank you for trying

Thor Freya

Well if it doesn't work out we respect that we have a shot at you might regret it your friend says so that's how you do it I say okay I'm listening to Barbara she knows it has to be done and suddenly

Trump Sarah

You know I feel too sad for us he says that's okay Brett straighten that out I understand that was horrible it's true though this is terrible so I got ready and I looked real good and I said to Brad today is the day I'm going to send the clowns in and I told him where and he said why and they get the f*** on his face like he's stupid I said so you keep saying you can't lead us we're not listening to fuse or his stuff or him telling us to pack off or anything so he's going on there and we should have a plan but we don't and we don't usually have one but the max are not using this anymore so what have we got to lose and we have a story too like Billie Jean I'm going to put it out there

Becka this is really one of them and I did a movie about it it's right here already and this is part of it and me and my husband do the other part and he loved the movie he thought it was awesome I thought it was me he was after and no they're are other women and she didn't look like me he says and I didn't know that she can not he lol so it's a good deal

No it's not you stay away from her I know what you're saying she's a famous Jewish person and performer somebody's in the religion caught up with the people who died with the money this is how it goes she is a rebel and known as one and we're going up there now

Brad

It was a huge Forester now we're gathering up it's gigantic and it's partially ours trumps and Brad and Jason all of us are approaching it slowly

Bja okay Niagara falls and we're going to look at that

You know what it means means they're just going to fall into the hole but we don't think that's ready yet so the threatening and I think they're full of crap

Olympus

This is wonderful it is what we mean it would say goodbye by doing that and our son can get some extra money and work with him and then circus just like Dave did we'll find out that the workers they do things I'm trying to earn money how jobs and be peaceful people too just like you thought they were

Thor Freya

#Youtube

[onwriting-hrarby]

theres so many good things i could say about sunshine and rainbows honestly its so hard to pick a favourite part!! but for me, i really really loved when it was the performance night at the end, and we watched it in erens pov. like legit my heart fluttered at the way the author wrote it, i could truly honestly feel how high up against the world mikasa is seen by eren, the genuine way his whole heart and soul believes her to be his only goddess. that particular scene the way it was decribed and executed was so magical to me. they’re two very different scenes, but that scene had as much impact and magic on me as that scene in “instead they said” where em makes love in the sea!! so incredible so much depth and beauty. i literally held my breath youre so good

but i think the angst as sad as it was really was what kept me hooked to sunshine and rainbow. i legit felt like i was torturing myself reading mikasas pov after she caught eren and hisu. legit tears in my eyes and my heart ached so baaad. that level of insecurity and feeling of inadequacy mikasa felt had felt so horrible even to me as a reader. theres just something so vile in the feeling of betrayal and jealousy and how it eats on your skin. (tbh i looooove reading that in em fanfics, it hurts so bad but its such good angst😩 idk why i keep torturing myself)

but yeah same here, i wouldve probably reacted like sasha, it was actually hard for me to empathise with hisu even because in earlier chapters she wasnt really that nice to mikasa. i believe sunshine and rainbows mikasa is an actually whole saint to have sympathised and requested eren to go talk and apologise to hisu, not sure if i wouldve done that myself no ones built like mikasa lol. but yeah i do commend the way the author had somewhat villainize historia (in a writing perspective) where its hard to completely empathise with this character knowing what shes like in other scenes. now that i think about it, her flawed character reminds me of RJ historia where we cant fully empathise with her because she had some inherent racism herself right? like the way she viewed RJ mikasa or compared her struggle to poc’s and minorities. its like a hate love relationship between us and its characters. i love love love it when writers really make you think about how you feel about a character

sorry im rabbling, please stop me if you dont feel comfortable!!

Oh please, not at all, I love rambling AND i love interacting, so feel free!

You're completely right about Mikasa's pov after cheating!!! I had forgotten about that chapter and I really liked the way the author relied on just one sentence that Mikasa kept repeating to ensure that angst and confusion. I've never been in a cheatin situation but I have felt the inequacy of being you multiple times, and it hit hard. I could empathize with Mikasa much more than with Eren in that fic, mostly because I am tired of the "I'm so hurt I'm not a good person" narrative. I've had some friends who went through something similar to Eren, and they kind of passed their bad behaviour through hurt. But for me, there are no excuses to hurt others. I did empatize with Historia, though! I have been in competitive groups like dancing and that kind of relationships exists, and the way it was portrayed it felt very real that H and M wouldn't have had a good relationship because Historia feels threatened. I don't feel that Mikasa was a saint, though, because the cheating was Eren's fault, not Historia!

Yes, it's a hate-love relationship with our characters snd the way we craft them, and I think that' the beauty of not creating purely good characters or people. We humans are not pure at all! We might want good things but we also hurt a lot. It's complicated to manage expectation as readers, too! But those kind of stories that made us feel all wrong are the best because we get to go deep inside a character enough to be willing to understand them, while we would have turned the other way in real life.

(Ps: thank you very much for your nice words about Rj and ITS! I can't believe someone remembers that fic. I am torn about uploading it again but I want my sis to read it before so I know whether to turn it into a novel or not!)

[fanatichistory]

Mushroom Story Part 7

I'm so sorry I forgot about my mushroom story!!!! Holy poop!!!!! But yeah deadlines help because here it is lol. Now that the story has progressed from a meme and has become a sort of mushroom meme fanfiction thingy...here’s how to read the telepathy that takes place? I’m so sorry ^.^’

This is Mooshy    ‘This is Devana or anyone else telepathically responding’

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4   Part 5   Part 6

Tristan kept pace with the car that sped down the highway, hidden in the clouds from prying eyes.

The chatter from the Council reported three more missing forest creatures with connections to the light of creation and one light fae who also held a connection but was just visiting with a friend and happened to get caught up in the chaos currently raging in the South Kingdom.

The Eastern Kingdom, and their Guardian, were currently at the Council Hall with the other Kings and Council members as they tried to track the chaos going on with the rogue Temple priests and priestesses. 

Tristan kept track of it all as a silent observer, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself while at the same time knowing that Zaviar and company were currently up to something at the home office and utilizing the current chaos as Tristan was in keeping his mind blank while following orders to follow the woman creature of light and keep her safe as ordered.

As they entered the city it became harder to keep track of Zaviar's car as Tristan had to climb higher in the sky, above the clouds and past the skyscrapers and out of the traffic lanes of planes to remain unseen until they finally came upon one the city's skyscrapers with a helicopter pad that allowed Tristan to land atop it.

Having the others out of sight on the city streets below unnerved him greatly. Especially with the current circumstances being what they are...

On the streets below, Devana looked out the window of the car's backseat wide eyed as the building they had pulled up to towered tall above them. So tall, that she couldn't see the top or the blinking red lights warning aircraft of its height. 

Her jaw fell open at the black metal and dark tinted windows as she wondered how he had gotten his hands on so much of the materials, let alone afford it all seeing how tall the skyscraper was when she finally remembered that he was King of the ooga boogas after all.

"It also has a helipad at the top, for those of us who fly and need the privacy in the middle of the city. But it's also used for private and business use too, so those times are scheduled with the Flight Master who lives in the apartment on the floor just below who tracks and coordinates it all. No human use allowed though, even for work, just us 'ooga boogas'."  Zaviar explained with a wide grin as he opened the door for her and helped her out onto the sidewalk.

"How do you know about my nickname for you guys? Did Aaron tattle?" She whipped a pointed a look at the friend in question and pinned him in place as he gave a nervous chuckle and held his hands up in surrender.

"He means well as always." Zaviar laughed, though anxiety was still settled in his eyes despite his rather well crafted poker face. Devana couldn't help but notice that no matter how schooled his features, how charismatic his voice, his eyes revealed his true feelings to her.

The eyes truly were windows. At least, for Zaviar in any case. 

Aaron, however, wore his heart on his sleeve so there was no need to decode his thoughts from his eyes. For a second Devana wondered what it would be like for Tristan and if they could be friends too like her, Aaron, and now the growing connection between her and Zaviar.

Though she secretly hoped for more between her and Zaviar.

"Devana, hurry up!" Aaron called as he held the door to the building. Zaviar had already disappeared inside as the hustle of the pedestrians briskly walked by as they went on their way.  

Hurrying inside with him to catch up with Zaviar and perform the ritual Mooshy gave her a crash course in on the ride over, the sun continuing to sink lower as everyone inside made the mad dash to clock out and hurry home for dinner. 

Though to be honest, the dark tint of the windows made it seem a little later than it was. 

But, thanks to the lighting being a bright amber, it was as if day in certain places inside while remaining dark twilight in others as Aaron lead her through the maze of offices to the elevator where Zaviar awaited them.

"Finally." His foot was tapping, the only indication to them that he was growing impatient.

"Sorry we're not super fast." Aaron teased lightly while they both panted from the brisk walk while trying to not draw attention, pointing out the fact that they were both human and simply went as fast as humanly possible through the office to catch up with him. 

Zaviar's eye's softened a touch at the reminder, the foot tapping ceased, but his face otherwise remained the same.

The elevator dinged and opened it's doors, allowing them to pile inside as Zaviar pressed the button for his office home floor where they would be performing the ritual.  

Tristan greeted them as they entered Zaviar's office. His features were tense and his arms were crossed but he seemed to relax just a touch when Devana entered.

"Good. You're still in one piece. The Council was worried."

"Why is that?" Zaviar questioned lightly though he cut his eyes suspiciously at Tristan from behind where he stood while Tristan was preoccupied in watching Devana take in the office space and décor.

"More people are disappearing. They've ordered those with connections to light or creation magick to head for them for their protection. It's confirmed now that the rogue priests and priestesses from the Temple are working some kind of shadow magick that feeds off of the light they drain from their victims." 

Everyone was still and silent as he continued to inform them of the information the Council and other Guardians had telepathically shared with him on his flight over.

"The reasons why they are being drained of light and for what purpose are still unknown. Striker, Guardian of the East, is injured and currently being healed at Council Hall with the other refugee's that he arrived with. That's how dangerous the rogues' shadow magic is. Strong enough to take on a Guardian."

Tristan let that sink in as his sobering gaze met Zaviar's. 

"These rogue's know exactly what they are up against because they were once our friends and allies. Someone's brother or sister or what have you. They know us, but we apparently don't know them. According to Striker, they are strong with shadow magick. The shadows protect them."

Devana stepped forward then from Aaron's side.

"What do you mean by 'the shadows protect them'? I know we're pressed for time to he-help Zaviar-er- get his thingy and finish up here before we head out...." Good catch Dev, he's still connected to the Council. Don't blow it girl. "But I'm just trying to understand the information you were told on your way over here. It's all happening so fast."

Zaviar gave her a small, sad smile and she almost broke character to assure him that she was, in fact, actually fine. 

Aaron on the other hand, scratched his chin to hide a smirk as he got the hint. Knowing exactly what his friend was up to and managing to pull off covering her butt so well after nearly blowing it that even Zaviar didn't catch her.

"Whenever anyone would use magick to defend themselves, not just Striker but anyone versed in defensive magick, the shadows would leap forth and shield the rogues from being hit by the spells or falling debris. Not a single one of them has fallen."

They are children of the Shadow. The Shadow protects their children.

'Really?'

You are a child of my light are you not? Do I not protect you?

'What about the others? Aren't they children of light or whatever?'

There is more than one version of light just as there is more than one version of shadow. I merely embody one version of light but not the other. You are my only living child.

'What does that mean?'

A lesson for another day child. This is war and time is a luxury.

"Dev?" 

Devana blinked back into focus and looked around the room at the faces of her friends.

"Sorry guys. Conversation with Mooshy. I got distracted for a second."

"Care to enlighten us?" Aaron asked hopefully, curiosity sparkling in his eyes. He was always ready to take mental notes about her and the connection with said sentient magick mushroom she named Mooshy, who apparently might be some form of God? 

She wasn't sure honestly, given the recent events and how fast everything really has been going down since she nearly died that day when she ate said sentient magic mushroom. 

"Not particularly." She answered with a grin and a singsong voice to try and keep things light. Devana turned her attention in full back to Tristan as she stepped up to him as he looked back at her. His feathers twitched nervously behind him at his back, not used to being close around people who weren't Zaviar or fellow soldiers in the field.

"I need you to take a seat." 

He raised a brow at her, arms still crossed over his chest.  Zaviar, bless him, took the hint then and started rummaging around the office to keep the cover story intact so the Council would back out of Tristan's mind and loosen it's hold over him.

Aaron remained by the office window and played with a few remote viewing spells on his crystal ball that's size was no bigger than a ping pong ball, perfect for travel, though Devana was unsure how he kept it from breaking while on the go and made a mental note to ask him later.

After another minute or so Tristan finally sat in the ornate office chair in front of the desk. The Council apparently satisfied with the story and Devana wondered how often Zaviar forgot things, or if this story was used before on Tristan and the Council.

Devana stepped up behind him then and, as mentally rehearsed in the car ride over and putting her faith in Mooshy to pull through for her, she placed her hands on either side of his temples and proceeded to connect their minds.

The blinding blue-white light that was Mooshy flashed across her eyelids and she was pretty sure she was doing her now signature glow thing again.

Seeing the ritual finally taking place, Zaviar stopped pretending to look around the office and stood behind his desk, letting him watch the two in front of him.

Devana was glowing bright fluorescent blue as she stood behind where Tristan sat awkwardly in the plush office chair, his wings tucked to fit as best he could but still looked rather uncomfortable.

Her hands on either side of Tristan's temple glowed the brightest but what was unnerving were Tristan's eyes. They had taken on that same glow of hers while she was telepathically connected to him. 

Even Aaron was watching everything transpire with curiosity and a bit of nervousness from his spot by the window, pausing from his crystal ball to watch it all unfold. Zaviar had half a mind to redirect him to the task of keeping an eye out for enemies through his magic but then again the Tower had safety protocols for such things so he let his friend be.

Tristan made little gasps here and there, a few murmurs, but otherwise didn't seem to be in pain. More like he was conversing... was it Devana or this Mooshy though?

The glow began to dissipate in his eyes then, traveling back through her arms and dimming to it's natural fluorescence that always seemed to keep beneath her dark skin.  

"Mooshy says it's done and...well, how do I put this..." Devana bit her lip as Tristan held his face in his hands and gathered himself. That alone put Aaron and Zaviar on edge.

"I'm like Devana now." He blurted out rather bluntly.

"What?!" Aaron dropped his crystal ball in shock as Zaviar's brows reached his hairline. 

"Explain what this means please." He asked as calmly as he could while resisting the urge to reach out and slap the man.

"Well, Mooshy was severing the connection and everything as agreed..." Devana started, nervously biting her lip as she looked across to him.

"The Council was rebelling the idea and trying to stop it. As I thought they would." He added, bringing his head up and leaning back in the chair. The back of the chair pinched the shoulder blades of his wings and bunched his feathers painfully at an angle but he didn't care at the moment. 

It was a mild discomfort.

"Then Mooshy had an idea...with it being war and all against the shadow thingy..." Zaviar's eyes glanced up at her then from across the desk that separated them but that didn't spare her from the anger that ticked and flamed behind them.

"What. War."

"Don't be mad at her, I agreed Zaviar. I made the deal with the mushroom God to become a child of theirs. In return, I am still connected to the Council but I no longer have to answer to them. This way I can still gather information and communicate with the other Guardians going forward."

"So Mooshy really is a God..." She murmured taking a step back from where she stood from behind the chair as she took in the information.

"There are many types of deities and spirits with varying degrees of power. I wonder who Mooshy was before you named them...before you and Aaron found them in the forest." Tristan trailed off in thought.

"On that note of subject matter, why were you looking for a god mushroom in the first place?" Zaviar rounded on Aaron who was still shell-shocked but otherwise observing the conversation before turning to him.

"I had no idea, honest. The mushroom Devana ate looked like the one we set out to find for the invisibility potion I wanted to brew but the mushroom I wanted wasn't exactly the glowing type."

"Meaning?"

Aaron sighed in frustration as Devana bit her lip while she caught the implication that her friend was getting at that Zaviar was pointedly avoiding.

"The glowing mushroom must have glamored itself to look like the one we were searching for in the hopes that either Devana or I would be curious enough to eat it. Then, when the vampire assassin attacked, Mooshy must have saw it's chance to reach out and offer healing...Devana just happened to be closest within reach..." 

Tristan nodded at the theory, sensing as much from the sentient being within him that it was indeed searching for a match. A match it found in Devana.

"Mooshy needed a host...a human is certainly better than a mushroom in a forest." He added despite Zaviar's cutting glare before passing a worried glance in her direction.

Devana felt her chest tighten as anxiety began to take hold. What did this mean? What about her homestead? Her animals? What was going to happen to her?

Fret not, child of mine. You are under my protection after all. I will do my utmost to protect you and yours.

'And what they're saying? Did you really put yourself there to use me? To make me a host person thingy?'

Of course.

Mooshy answered so honestly simple that it took her aback and freaked her out more. Did this make her a tool then? Mooshy said earlier that this was war...

No child, I was not aware of the Shadow's movements or plans for your friends and their people. That is why I offered to make Tristan my child as well. He will serve me well as my soldier in the coming battles.

'You would really ask that of him?'

He offered. He is a warrior through and through sweet child. He is simply answering the call to protect his people. I am honored to call him son.

'What of me? What do you expect of me?'

My sweet daughter, I expect you to be as you are. You are compassionate, loyal and true. You're connection to animals and the forest will only strengthen now that I have awakened you. Be as you are and you will find you're way, child of mine. I cannot exist in this physical world without a host and while this arrangement was necessary for me, know that I waited in the forest for you.

'Not Aaron? After all the trouble he went to find you?'

His light burns a different color. In the best possible way, he is no child of mine. But he is good, keep him close in the times to come.

'His light is a different color...what do you mean...there are other sentient beings of light like you out there? And they glow different colors?'

Devana could practically feel the Mushroom spirit sigh in resignation as it gave in and took the time to give her the lesson now instead of later as it had intended.

Yes. There are different sentient beings of light and each embody what they represent. I am the forest at night. The wonder of the wood. The fluoresce symbolizing the light and life of the creatures that roam at night. I am more than the mushroom you found me in. My blue glow unlocks the truth often hidden in the night, obscured by fog or the cloud in the skies. Those who traverse my woods can expect to find the truth about themselves...whether they want to or not. It is also why I prefer the night and the light that can be found only when one is alone in the wood.

As a being of the wood I protect all it's creatures who live within dear child. Including you and your farm animals. And as a being of the light of truth, it is why my color is the blue glow you have come to know me as. It is why I speak truth.

'But what do you mean by people having different colors?'

I suppose you humans call it an Aura. Yours and Tristan's is simply compatible with my energy and my truth. Now, there will be time to learn more of the my forest truths later. The Shadow's army mobilizes and seeks children of light no matter whose they may be. It's hunger is insatiable and as I have been without a sentient speaking host until you, I haven't been able to speak to the others. They must be warned. 

'You all don't talk on the other side?'

No. I am the light and truth of the wood at night. They are varying versions of the light of day so none have come to wander in my forest to converse with me.

'How rude.'

Mooshy pulsated with what seemed close to laughter at that as Devana came back to awareness in the office. 

Zaviar still seemed upset with the topic of war looming while Tristan was talking with him about it. Apparently Mooshy was talking to him as well at the same time as her, which was weird to her but hey magic sentient forest deity mushroom right? 

Zaviar and Aaron had been following along and catching up with the danger of the Shadow that Mooshy mentioned and that the rogue Temple priests and priestesses were being protected because they were it's children. That the creatures of the forest and of the light were being taken and killed because it's hunger was insatiable.

"The Council has ordered no contact, automatic retreat on sight if and when one comes across a rogue. Everyone is to make their way to the Council Hall immediately and all available Guardians are to spread the word and see people to safety. It's likely, they say anyway, that once there are no more forest dryads, fae or sprites to feed off of the Shadow will move on to witches and Merfolk next."

"Assuming they can catch the Mer." Aaron muttered in disgust at the thought of the Shadow consuming everyone.

"There are a clan or two in the lakes and rivers inland here, for a start, before they make their way to the ocean waters." Tristan reminded.

Zaviar pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. "This really is war. This is going downhill so fast." He glanced up when he noticed her watching them and following along with the conversation.

"Welcome back. You were gone a long time."

"Sorry about that. I was panicking about some stuff and needed some answers about the whole...host thing..." Devana answered as guilt washed over her. Mooshy did say that now wasn't the time, and she pressed anyway for her answers. How selfish...

"I'm sorry Devana. I was insensitive earlier when I said that. I was thinking out loud but I said it without thinking about how it would make you feel." Tristan placed a hand on her shoulder as if to offer her comfort but it came out as a sort of awkward patting of the shoulder instead.

"No don't be, it's fine. I've been wondering myself I just didn't have the balls to ask until now." 

"So what did Mooshy say? Do we get to know too?" Aaron asked her excitedly curious and needing the distraction. The shards of the crystal ball he dropped by the window earlier were cleaned up and in the trash bin by the desk so he didn't really have much to do to help.

By the equally curious look on Zaviar's face Devana smiled and gave a quick summary of the conversation, Tristan helping to fill in some analogies to help them understand. 

Then they both had to explain that Mooshy can talk to them both at the same time, and because of his experience with the Council's telepathic bond forced on him and the other Guardians, he was able to follow along easily with her conversation with Mooshy while maintaining his own conversations with them.

Which to be honest, she was a little jealous of because now she wanted to know what he and Mooshy talked about. Devana made a mental note to ask him later and get some telepathy tips to boot. Apparently, there might be a telepathic connection between them now?

"Yeah, weird right?" Tristan chuckled darkly out loud to her, catching her thought. Also as unsure how to feel about it given the situation with the Council abusing their telepathic bond with the Guardians as she was. Though it was more personal and home hitting for him.

And that was when the light bulb clicked on in her brain as the dots connected.

"Holy shit!"

All three men jumped and turned to her as she stood up out of her chair.

"Someone on the Council is a host of a sentient being of some kind like I am to Mooshy and that's how they were able to form that bond thingy! The Guardians are their children!"

"I don't follow." Aaron said and his eyes bounced between everyone as he tried to keep up.

"I told Devana how they made Guardians bonded to the Council. How a member of the Council oversees the proceedings of the blood ritual and that was how she got the idea with Mooshy to do this ritual to free Tristan." Zaviar explained to the two.

"To be honest, Mooshy wasn't upfront on making Tristan a child of theirs. They only said they'd break the bond and that by doing so it would piss off the Council and to be ready for that." Devana bit her lip and shifted back and forth.

Zaviar nodded when she confirmed what they had quickly talked about back in her cabin at the spur of the moment when forming the plan to save Tristan. "That's true. That was the war I was prepared for..."

"Zaviar...You were going to go to war with the Council? Over me?"

"Of course, you're my friend and ally. Family." Zaviar met his gaze and he could tell Tristan was having a hard time processing. Strategically, he knew Tristan wanted to say that he was an idiot and how dare he. He was King and therefore had a Kingdom to run.

But as he cleared his throat and shifted to his other foot, he nodded and quietly said "Thank you." 

"So...asshole on the Council aside for another day, unfortunately to be continued, where do we start with the Shadow?" Aaron asked as his question brought everyone back to task as they refocused and busied themselves with preparations.

#writing #mushroom story #writing community #caretaker

[secret-code]

》 seo youngeun ⇌ girls planet 999 ♡ 》 U + ME = LOVE ⇌ 7 LOVE Minutes ♡

#youngeun #seo youngeun #girls planet 999 #kep1er #youngeun gifs #girls planet 999 gifs #kep1er gifs #kpop gifs #gifs #edits #graphics #biscuit entertainment #gg #source: fancam #flashing tw #petition to stop the jimmy jib from moving directly in from of my girl when doing cute poses #but omg she's sooo cute i hope she debuts #her performance here caught my eye.... lol all her performances did but her parts here made my heart doki doki omg #chu.gifs