#i'm a sap for these immortal husbands

[ammiiexxx]

Little Talks

In which Alec and Magnus lie together, basking in their memories before falling asleep.

For Maia c:

You can find this fic also on AO3!

Magnus can remember the first time that Alec slept over. He remembers their cat-and-mouse game of the night before, his flirting, his admittance of how something had set a spark in him that hadn’t been lit in over a century. He remembers the smell of coffee and Alec’s hungover look. His voice thick and groggy from sleep.

“I trust you.”

Despite the stony front, the words held meaning, he knew it.

 He remembers the second night Alec slept over, a few weeks later in a heat of passion and pent up feelings. He remembers the kisses, the soft laughter as Alec tripped over his shoes. Magnus can remember the way Alec’s hands felt against his skin—though calloused from battles—was soft and warm.

Inviting and enticing.

The morning after, Magnus remembers the worry. The fear present in his gut that Alec would leave, but then the gentle assurance that he wasn’t going anywhere. His eyes drank in the features of the warm beams of sunlight against his glowing skin, against the stark black runes on his body, the stubble growing in on his jawline, the creases next to his eyes as he smiled.

Breathtaking.

One night after the other. It added up quickly. Magnus recalls very well the times when Alec comforted him, fighting the demons that haunted his nightmares. When he’d come close and place faint kisses to the nape of his neck wordlessly, or when he’d hum under his breath a small lullaby.

Comforting.

 And now here he is, years after those instances with Alec curled up next to him. They’re both exhausted, the toll of the day weighing in on their bones. They’ve just put the kids to bed, and just turned the lights out, yet the faint illumination of the moon filters through the lightweight curtains. It’s bright enough to see some of the features on Alec’s face, but not bright enough to see beyond the edge of the bed.

Just right.

 “Hey,” Alec calls out, his warm hands dusting lightly across Magnus’ abdominal muscles, “What are you thinking about?”

Magnus only smiles softly, turning to plant a soft, chaste kiss to Alec’s lips. He kisses away the worry in an instant. “You.”

Alec snorts. “Right.”

Magnus only presses closer, his body fitting into the curves and bends of Alec’s figure. He brushes one of his legs slightly over Alec’s, wrapping up against him. His chin presses on Alec’s shoulder. “I’m serious. I was.”

Alec quirks a curious brow.

“I was thinking about the first time you stayed the night,” he confesses. “The way you tried to act all tough and distant when you understood the fact that you stayed the night at the High Warlock of Brooklyn’s.”

Alec gives a questionable look. “That doesn’t sound too romantic, babe.”

Magnus’ eyes fall down to Alec’s chest, fingers brushing across the dark hair against the muscle. He hums. “Maybe. But then I think of the next time you stayed over.”

There’s another soft chuckle from Alec as he presses his head back against the pillow, eyes fluttering closed. Magnus leans forward to press a kiss into the crook of his neck, efficiently surprising Alec, who ducks away. “H-Hey!”

There’s a hint of a playful smile that tugs at the corner of Alec’s lips.

Magnus’ eyes crinkle as he smiles. “I didn’t just think of that night, I thought of all of them. I’ve thought about how many times I’ve had the pleasure of sleeping with you under these gold satin sheets, how we’ve been in this same position just basking in nothing but sweet silence and ourselves…” His hand rises from Alec’s chest to brush lightly against his stubbled cheek, “How lucky I am to be with someone like you for eternity.”

Alec’s hand comes up to touch Magnus’, and a small ray of moonlight catches on the metal encasing Alec’s ring finger. His smile grows, an obvious warmth spreading to his cheeks as he blushes at Magnus’ words.

“I like to remember nights like these too,” Alec confesses. “I remember the night when Mom came home, when you stole her away from the dinner party to ask for her blessing. I remember settling in bed, blissfully unaware, until we were just like this…” he trails, his hazel eyes never leaving Magnus. “You were antsy, which you hardly ever are, and I could immediately tell something was up.”

“You could always tell when something was wrong,” Magnus agrees.

Alec’s hand moves from Magnus’, only to brush away some of the loose strands of his hair away from his eyes. “You took my breath away.”

“You took mine the first time I saw you,” Magnus confesses back. Alec’s hand slides in his hair, a gentle pressure settling on his scalp, pressing Magnus closer as he leans in. The hot pulses of his breath catch on Magnus’ lips before Alec’s press to his own.

The kisses are slow and languid, passionate, but not desperate. Magnus’ toes curl and his magic flares inside him as Alec brushes his tongue gently against his bottom lip before pulling away.

Magnus is almost left breathless yet again.

His eyes flutter open to see Alec still smiling back at him, eyes shining like the warm summer sun. “Do you remember the first night Max came home?” He asks.

Alec turns, his eyes training in on the ceiling above them. “I remember how the both of us were so anxious to leave him alone.” Another hint of a smile appears across his face. “We stayed up half the night trying to make him comfortable.”

“I remember Rafael felt right at home,” Magnus adds. “He slept soundlessly that night.”

There’s a bit of silence that passes between the two of them as they bask in the memories of their children, the wordless reflections of the nights where they hardly had any sleep and the nights they all fell asleep curled on the couch watching old movies.

“In the Institute,” Alec begins, cutting into the silence, “you had your own room. There wasn’t really any sharing of beds or rooms with anyone unless they were already married or something.” He blinks. “I remember when I was young, whenever Izzy had nightmares, she’d come crawling into my bed with her cold, clammy hands and snuggle up until she fell asleep again.” There’s a hint of sadness to his voice that doesn’t go unnoticed.

Magnus gives a soft, yet solemn, smile. “She knew you’d protect her.”

Alec hums, eyes fluttering shut.

Magnus sighs, turning to also stare up at the ceiling. His eyes focus on the rays of moonlight that dance across the surface. “Ragnor was too prude for it, but Catarina was always willing to give a shoulder to cry on when things got bad. Perhaps I was the equivalent of your sister,” he muses, “running into Cat’s arms whenever the monsters came out to play.”

He can hear Alec let out a huff next to him.

“We both have great fashion sense too,” he adds, which earns a heartier laugh from Alec. It dies out a moment later.

“I miss her.”

And there it is, Magnus thinks. The wonderous curse of immortality promises that there are those who are untouched by the curse, slowly fading with time. It manages to hit Alec at the most unique times. Sometimes it’s the simple things, when he cooks or when he watches Magnus pick out outfits for the kids. Sometimes it’s when the memories of old become too much, and what spills out is the hopelessness that he may very well never see them again.

But Magnus is there to comfort him in those times, to provide the understanding that Alec is unknown to. He’s there to assure that no matter how many years will pass, Alec will still have the memories of his siblings to carry with him. He remembers telling Alec that their legacies don’t die when they do, they live on in the memories of those who cherished them most.

For the most part, it seems to provide comfort.

Magnus takes Alec’s hand in his, drawing it up to his lips to kiss at his knuckles softly. He meets Alec’s gaze, which is glossy with tears that threaten to spill over.

“Tell me one of your favorite stories about them,” Magnus whispers. He knows talking of good memories of the past take the weight off his heart. He hopes it does for Alec too.

Alec swallows thickly. “Gosh…uh…let’s see…” he trails, gaze falling as he tries to conjure up the memories. The corner of his lips twitch upward. “Back in Idris when we were younger, Jace and Izzy would always like to run around in the gardens. They were large, and you could easily get lost in them, but their absolute favorite thing to do was race through the hedge mazes and see who could make it through the fastest.”

“I remember Jace would always try to cheat, use a speed rune or something to get through faster, but it never worked.” Alec huffs out another laugh. “The look on his face every time he saw Izzy at the end of the maze victorious.”

Magnus chuckles at that.

“Do you remember when Jace tried to fire that arrow, when he tried to upstage you to try and impress some rookie Shadowhunters?” Magnus asks softly, earning a breathy laugh from Alec, his chest shaking lightly. “He insisted that he could hit the bullseye, but barely even hit the target.”

Alec snorts. “Asshat. He always tried to stand out.”

And again, another veil of silence falls over them, but there’s no solemn air anymore, no looming sadness of their immortality. They focus on the good memories, filled with laughter and smiles, the memories that focus on what joy life could bring.

Alec brings up their wedding, and how his whole family was beaming and how he felt like the luckiest man in the world. He reminds Magnus of their wedding night, of how they resigned to a night of comfort and giggles, huddled under blankets and re-learning the dips and curves of each other as they reminded themselves through every kiss and touch that they loved each other.

His last thought surprises Magnus.

“I remember the night we spent just basking in our memories,” Alec states softly, voice barely above a whisper. “How I remember with each and every memory how lucky I am to have married the love of my life, to have two wonderful children, and to have the opportunity to lie together like this.” He turns back to Magnus, who wears a wide-eyed look at his words. He only smiles, eyes crinkling once again.

Magnus’ lower lip trembles, his heart sighing. “Sounds like quite a night.”

“It does indeed,” he affirms, drawing in closer to press another featherlight kiss to Magnus’ lips. He presses two, three, four more kisses before pulling away. “And I never want to forget it.”

[occlusivavelare]

“Vide Cor Tuum”

(Nicky & Joe, inspired by Dante’s Vita Nova: love as salvation, redemption, manifestation of the Divine)

[kaimaciel]

Arthur would def look for him and try to change his mind. He don't have the power to give him back his status but he still can grant Afonso his immortality again. Since I'm a sap for happy endings I like to think they would live happily together again (after some talk and reconciliation ofc), but would u perhaps have any of that good angst to add?

Not angst this time. I did think of a few funny scenarios of Luciano coming to visit Afonso and finds him screaming at a some blond guy and throwing vases at him.

Luciano: What the fuck is going on?

Afonso: It's my fucking ex-husband!

Luciano: You were married?!!

Arthur is trying to convince is ex to come with him, that he can save him, but Afonso is too angry and already resigned to his fate. So, Arthur kidnaps him and takes him to his kingdom, which turns out, is a pirate/steampunk world where he's known as the Pirate King.

But Arthur is lonely, all his children turned on him and are trying to take his place. He misses his childhood friend and his first love. He and Afonso reconect, and he makes Afonso an immortal again.

Just in time, because Luciano was about to declare him war and instead finds them banging in a ship.

The two remarry and retire to a nice ocean cottage where they can wait impatiently for grandkids.

[oldguardhc]

Back again with more songs for the Immortal Husbands because I'm on a roll now:

"At Last" by Etta James (we Need Some Classics);

"A New Day Has Come" by Céline Dion (yes I am That Kind of Sap);

"Rather Be" by Clean Bandits (the lyrics just fit, man);

"Waterloo" by ABBA (also counts as their go-to couple karaoke song, no questions about it);

"You're My Best Friend" by Queen (for the 'you're my pal my bestie my ride-or-die companion but I think I may also be in love with you but shh no need for you to know' phase they TOTALLY had at some point);

Again by Queen, "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" (a Classic, and also Joe Going All Out to Woo his Immortal Bestie who is already in love with him but He Doesn't Know Yet).

(I'm trying to think of a Frank Sinatra song that may fit them because I KNOW there must be so expect to hear more from me in the future)

All the classics!! Okok but imagine Joe and Nicky slow dancing to At Last in the living room. The lights are off because Joe just dragged Nicky to the nearest open space and they’re bumping into the couch and the coffee table but they wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else but in each other’s arms

[secret-engima]

How do Serah and Snow end up reuniting? Maybe when a Tenebrae delegation visits Insomnia when Nyx is already a Glaive? (I'm thinking about Ravus' reaction to these two and I'm pretty sure I just heard Snow groan in exasperation. Lightning finally approved their relationship! Now he needs to get another sibling's approval? What does he need to do, save the world again?)

Hmmmmm tricky. I’m not sure if the invasion is gonna happen (probably? Probably is? Idk yet) but I’m thinking that yea, if they aren’t invaded and Zagreus smuggles his entire family out to safety using magic (and probably sticking Alexander on the Nifs which OOH boy did they not come prepped for that) to Insomnia, then it would be a delegation visit.

Either way I’d say they don’t run into each other until Luna is like ..... 14? 15? Teenager. Young teenager. Too young, and Snow knows that, but that’s okay, he is content to wait after that initial teary/hugging reunion. It’s all very heartwarming to the reincarnates and surprising to the adults who know about the reincarnation thing (which is kept a secret from most people, it’s just like- Regis and Co, Sylva, and Fang’s mom who know). Whether they live in the Citadel now after their country fell or if they’re just visiting, Nyx is on guard duty when he first sees her, and at first no one envies him getting picked to bodyguard the Tenebraen royal family.

Nyx on the other hand is Over The Moon™. Alarmingly so to his fellow Glaives and Lib. This is because Nyx ran into Lightning pretty fast after coming and joining the Glaive and so he knows about the reincarnation and when Lightning learned who Serah was she OF COURSE told Snow. Who is now quietly vibrating in place, hoping to see her.

He does.

Their eyes meet.

She doesn’t recognize him. Which ... yea that hurts but it’s understandable, he looks nothing like Snow.

So Nyx quietly makes his way over in a moment when everyone else is distracted and shyly offers, “Her Highness” a gift. It’s a necklace he made himself, the same as from their last life, though this time the little Cocoon charm is one he carved out of the ivory of an animal fang he felled in the jungle. Luna freezes at the sight of the gift, looks up into Nyx’s face and sees Snow looking back, hopeful and adoring and oddly shy.

She forgets for a minute that she’s 15 and Nyx has to be at least 18 and over to be in the military and snatches the charm with reverent hands before pulling him down by his uniform for a kiss. Snow, who does not know how old she is, appreciates the gesture but pulls away quickly to help her put on the necklace and also to sort of hide the fact he’s crying his eyes out.

Lightning comes over, having witnessed from across the room, fully prepared to gently remind Serah that, adult she might be in her mind, she is currently only BARELY legal and should not be seen kissing someone 7 years older than her please don’t give Snow reason to commit seppuku for “shaming your honor” or some such nonsense sis.

Ravus gets there first and it’s only Nyx’s training that saves him from being skewered. Snow/Nyx looks into FURIOUS, hateful blue and purple eyes and feels a headache coming on. Lightning stops any murder from happening and Luna tries to talk her brother down because SHE surprised Nyx with the kiss not the other way around, but Ravus had seen the gift giving and is firmly set in assuming the Worst™. He throws a fit that attracts attention and Regis and Sylva are gearing up for Discipline of poor Nyx until Lightning rolls her eyes and says like- the safe word they’ve come up with for when a incident is happening because of Reincarnations.

Nyx, Luna, Lightning, Regis and Co, and Sylva excuse themselves somewhere private (without Ravus, much to his fuming) for an explanation and learn that Snow and Serah were married in their past life and kinda ... forgot themselves for a sec. Nyx looks so genuinely horrified when he learns Serah is only 15 in this verse (which is like- the year of or a year above the age of consent in Lucis BUT STILL) and just about falls on his face apologizing and looking miserable while Luna keeps trying to make him feel better by insisting SHE was the one who kissed Nyx not the other way around, Nyx hadn’t even TOUCHED her, he was just trying to reintroduce himself and reveal himself as her Snow.

Sylva feels a headache coming on, but can’t find it in herself to dislike the glaive who looks torn between being utterly smitten with his wife-of-a-past-lifetime (who is also her daughter) and utterly horrified that he accepted a kiss from someone physically 15 (yes he loves his wife, yes he knows she’s mentally an adult, yes he knows that’s over the age of consent but EVEN SO if he’d known he would have resisted the kiss, he wouldn’t have TOUCHED her because Snow is a honorable romantic Sap and Galahd had very strict rules on romance anyway).

In the end, Nyx gets to keep his head and his job, and Sylva agrees to let them keep seeing each other (mostly because she’s not an IDIOT and knows her daughter will straight up run away if denied her husband) but lays down some ground rules for their interactions until Luna is 18. Nyx agrees readily, thrilled that the ground rules allow for platonic dates as long as there is a chaperone always present and they don’t go past hand holding and the occasional hug (Nyx loudly agrees to this rule, Luna rolls her eyes a little but also agrees). Lightning verbally gives her blessing for their relationship, which is when they learn Lightning and Serah were sisters once (now REGIS has a headache from how fast his MINE™ instinct screamed to the forefront) and Luna proudly wears the Cocoon charm Nyx made her.

They step out of Regis’s study and Nyx comes face to face with a vibrating-hate Ravus. Oh yeah. Him. The middle sib who is NOT in the know about reincarnation.

Nyx edges away because He Likes Life and Sylva tries to explain to her son in private what’s going on but like-

Ravus is stubborn and kinda stupid about his stubbornness when it comes to his sister.

He DOESN’T BELIEVE THE REINCARNATION thing. He thinks it’s a sham that this filthy 22 yr old Galahdian has somehow sold to Luna and Sylva and everyone else and when he hears the Princess of Lucis is agreeing with it he promptly hates her too (then he remembers his big bro Zagreus is betrothed to Lightning and hates her even MORE).

Snow sighs quietly at the ceiling. He JUST got through with this didn’t he? Winning the approval of a frosty, stab-happy sibling? What’s he gotta do this time? Save the world AGAIN?

“Drop dead.”

“Can’t, then I’d miss my wedding in 5 years.”

*garbled angry screeching from Ravus*.

Also then rumors slowly get around the glaive about Nyx seeing the PRINCESS OF TENEBRAE and Lib firmly, FIRMLY refuses to believe it because the Princess is one, royalty, and two, only 15 and Nyx has HONOR thank you.

Then he sees them when he’s off duty one day, the day Nyx made up a poor excuse to go off on his own and now Libertus is watching in dawning HORROR from across the street as Nyx and Luna take a leisurely walk in the park, not even holding hands since Luna is using her hands to gesture as she tells a story, while Nyx beams like an openly love-sick idiot.

Ignoring the fact that Cor the Immortal is RIGHT THERE as a Chaperone (not that he needs to be, Luna has to be sneaky just to get Nyx to HOLD HANDS with her because he’s so freaking skittish of breaking any rules or doing anything dishonorable), Libertus storms over ready to Throw Hands with his best friend on the Princess’s behalf. Luna is touched but exasperated, Nyx looks like a kicked puppy.

Ravus, brooding furiously from afar, decides that THIS Galahdian he grudgingly approves of, if only because Libertus punched Nyx in the face before Cor broke it up.

Libertus ends up dragged before Regis and Sylva for a explanation and then needs to sit down. Because on one hand reincarnation, a twice-born, makes SO MUCH SENSE. On the other... his best friend’s past wife is the current PRINCESS OF TENEBRAE. WHAT IN THE NAME OF IFRIT.

[lasenbyphoenix]

I was tagged by my beloved @gaiahenshin who is the reason I have a lot of these pieces actually written down because of the simple virtue of having someone to share them with 💜

Rules: Posting a list of current writing works in progress. Feel free to ask me for info on any of them, whether snippets of writing, plot details, main characters, etc. Send me a title listed below and I’ll share something related to it. ;)

I'll just list the current WIPs from my recent Cdrama fandoms and not all the unfinished fics from fandoms past because *cries* there's so many :(

The Man in Pink - someone is writing erotica based on the tomb raiders, and Xiao Hua is determined to find out who. Eventual HeiHua.

Trust Fall - FuBa immortal husbands full of fluff, sap and a little angst.

Xiao Fo is a little thief - modern day FuBa AU featuring Fo Ye reincarnated as their cat, written as a blog.

And I'll tag.. anyone who writes and hasn't been asked because I'm late to this and cant think of anyone

[scriptmyth]

Can I ask you to give examples of myths like objects/food that gives you Immortality? Fountain of Youth or Holy Grail are two examples I can think of. I'm writing a story of someone who gains immortality, never dying or aging (whatever is closest, I believe Fountain of Youth you never age but can still be hurt and die). I am definitely leaning towards non-West myths, no Greek or Norse but the rest are good. Thank you so much for the work you all do :)

Hi nonny! You’ve actually got several options for this. Because people have always been fascinated by the idea of immortality.

In Chinese mythology the peaches of immortality were grown in the garden of the Heavenly Queen Mother. If eaten they would grant one 3,000 years of health and youth and the gods held a banquet every 500 years to celebrate and feast on them. The peaches themselves took ages to grow: it took one thousand years for the trees to bloom and then the fruit would only ripen after 3000, 6000, and 9000 years. This is why representations of peaches are so ubiquitous in China. You can see them in paintings, sculptures, altarpieces, housewares, and clothing. They are symbols of health and longevity and people will often eat peach shaped dumplings on their birthday. 

Soma could fit the bill for your request but keep in mind that it’s an intrinsic component of Hindu mythology and it’s complex. Soma is, in Hindu tradition, simultaneously a plant, a drink of bravery, inspiration and health made from that plant, the drink of the gods, the force that flows through all living things in blood and sap, the bridge between gods and mortals, the divine cure for all evil, the home of the honored and venerated dead, and the god of the moon (which in Vedic scripture is the cup of the gods, constantly being drained and self-regenerating). Hinduism doesn’t distinguish much between any of these aspects. Although it is interesting to note that Soma is actually a drink that existed, although there is significant debate about what plant/s it was made from. Poets were well known to gain incredible inspiration from it and warriors would consume it in battle to grant them bravery. It was absolutely a powerful hallucinogenic and appears in Persian and Zoroastrian mythology as well.

In Japanese folklore, one could gain immortality by eating the flesh of a mermaid (ningyo, literally: human-fish), although this was typically seen by the receiver as a curse in the end, as they would retain their youth while all their loved ones died. There is a story of a fisherman who caught a fish like he had never seen before and decided to invite all of his friends to taste it. When they arrived however, one happened to look in the kitchen and saw that the fish had a human face. He warned all the other guests not to eat it so when the time came, they secretly wrapped their portions in paper and hid them under their clothes to throw away on their way home. One man however, was drunk and forgot to do so. When he arrived home his young daughter demanded a present and he carelessly gave her the fish.  Suddenly remembering his friend’s warning, he tried to stop her but he was too late and she ate all of it. He was afraid she would be poisoned but she seemed to have suffered no ill effects so he soon forgot all about it.Eventually the girl grew up into a lovely young woman and married. But it soon became obvious that while her husband aged, she did not, and it was only a matter of time before he and all her other friends and family died, leaving her alone and very unhappy. Eventually, in her despair, she decided to shave her head and become a wandering nun, and after 800 years the Buddha finally took pity on her and allowed her to die.It’s noteworthy here that ningyo don’t resemble their European cousins much, they’re often described as a fish with a human face or the upper half of a monkey.

I hope this helped!

~Tora

[alwaysreadingandranting]

Take it from someone who is an absolute sap for my fave female protagonists ending up with their own families, even I was in complete support of Feyre's decision in ACOMAF not to have kids, and to explore her life first.

I was 100% happy with this decision, and was definitely taken aback by the sudden flip in ACOFAS. She's twenty-one (especially thinking about myself as 21) and is immortal now so the next hundred years of life are the same as about five or so human years, so what's the rush?

As a critic, I definitely did not envision this arc being the direction for Feyre, and I think SJM becoming a mother might have played a part in that. For the first time, I had been actively hoping ACOFAS would not take the route of backtracking that decision, and was really put off that it did.

But then I think if SJM can give Aelin the assumed years of growth and healing before she and Rowan had kids, then she knew exactly what she was doing with Feyre. As much as a female protagonist does not have to settle down with a family, it's also perfectly fine if they do, or even change their mind about it if they initially didn't.

I don't think most readers, including myself, agree with Feyre's decision, but I think it's much too frequent a pattern for a woman's choice to always be criticized regardless of what it is (putting aside the fact that she's fictional). The whole point of her freedom to choose is to choose for herself, even when we don't agree.

ACOFAS was a mess in more ways than one, but one thing had a lot of work put in and that was Feyre's decision to have a child. As a reader, we are still bringing in the same assumption Feyre had in ACOMAF: they're immortal, they have time, so why so soon?

But one trauma mentioned in OP's post clearly deconstructs this statement. Rhysand died, that assumed forever disappeared in a few minutes, and that was what changed Feyre's priorities.

We see in ACOFAS how she finds that woman (don't remember the name, too lazy to look it up) whose husband died and lives with the regret of not having had children with him because they thought they had time. We see how Feyre's perspective slowly shifts. Time is an illusion, even for immortals. And it's this that makes Feyre realize that she doesn't want to wait for that happiness when tomorrow is unclear.

We, as the reader, know she and Rhysand will have forever, and that's why we find her decision rushed and unrealistic, but that's a foresight afforded to us, not her. She has no idea how long they have, and Rhysand's temporary death proved immortality is no guarantee.

[Also, because Fae conception is so rare, it was implied that it would still be some time (could even take a decade or so) before they actually have a kid. It was just the decision to not actively wait, and let it happen if it does. Since the next books aren't out yet, we don't know if it will happen in the next few years or much later. I'm leaning towards the latter, it would reconcile what was in ACOMAF and in ACOFAS, because then Feyre would still have had a significant number of years lived despite having taken the decision to have kids. Let's see what we get in the next books.]

In that context, I think Feyre's decision makes sense or at least was developed enough to have a proper reasoning behind it. I do however wonder if it could be a coping mechanism to the past 2 - 3 years of trauma like OP suggested, but based on Feyre's mindsets in ACOFAS, she's already in a good state of healing and growth. Of course, as a critic, I don't think that's necessarily a realistic depiction since trauma doesn't resolve so soon.

The holes in character development are certainly there but that reflects more on SJM and not on the character, so while I don't agree with Feyre's decision, I understand it and respect it, and that's what matters most since it wasn't my decision to make in the first place.

So Feyre is 21 years old.

During those 21 years she has:

Almost died helping her family survive harsh winters;

Survived tortures at UTM that included killing innocent Fae in order to save all Fae (which we know traumatized her indefinitely);

Actually died to save Prythian;

Was reborn as an immortal High Fae with the powers of all seven High Lords and is therefore one of the most powerful and threatening/threatened High Fae in Prythian;

Saw her sisters be turned immortal against their will after being taken hostage by her former emotionally abusive lover indirectly due to her own actions;

Was part of an extremely traumatizing war which killed her mate for a couple seconds, her older sister was kidnapped, saw her best friend sacrifice her life as a High Fae to save them all, lost her father unknowingly and when she found out realized that the last time she ever saw or spoke to him was when she was kidnapped by Tamlin, lost hundreds of Illyrian warriors, saw entire territories be decimated, etc.

So, that’s a lot right? I don’t think anyone could disagree, and I feel it’s why a lot of us admire Feyre because she’s been through so much and has still seen the other side.

BUT, now she wants to have a baby.

That’s fine. It’s her choice. But…I feel that her and Rhys deciding to have a baby is a sort of mechanism used to avoid talking about everything that has happened to her the last 2-3 years. 

And I feel like this fandom is full of so many readers that claim to love strong, independent, “not-like-other-girls” female protagonists BUT are upset when those female protagonists don’t eventually fall down the “how a woman’s life should work out” rabbit hole—i.e. be a bad ass, but if you don’t eventually get married and then have children your character’s arc is still incomplete.

Like I seriously enjoyed that Aelin supposedly had years of personal time to heal as well as time to focus on regaining control of her territory and really owning being a Queen for her people and the Fae before she and Rowan had five kids (I think).

And I think it’s kind of ridiculous that Rhys enabled Feyre to rush this so much when she has JUST begun her immortal life. She literally has like 59 more years until she reaches what the Fae consider is adulthood. 59 YEARS. They seriously can’t even wait until then?

I mean maybe it’s because she’s a human at heart and so she has a hard time comprehending that she could literally wait 300 years to have a child and still have over 500 more years with them. I don’t know. Just another personal flaw in SJM’s writing of Feyre which I think deteriorated a possibly phenomenal character development arc.

And I’m not saying she shouldn’t be allowed to settle down, but why can’t she settle down as a woman without kids. Why can’t she just paint for a couple hundred years and work with local communities to better them and build massive estate houses here and there? Why does it have to be: bad ass, mate, marry, build nest, and have babies all within the first 25 years of a possible 1,000 year life span?

[occlusivavelare]

An “Immortal Husbands” headcanon that I’m currently cultivating in my heart

What if Nicolò & Yusuf started to express their mutual feelings through songs and poetry because they couldn’t find the proper words - and the guts to face each other in a “regular” discussion - to say what they meant?

After something like a century of pining & yearning (Because yeah, I *want* that) Yusuf and Nicolò can’t bear it anymore. 

Except that it’s still weird and emotions are confusing and they can’t find the words. So picture this scenario: 

Nicolò and Yusuf quietly sitting in a garden and then, suddenly, one of them goes:

“Uno amoroso foco lo meo core ha priso: ke m’a me tanto aceso languischo innamorando”*

Like that, out loud, and then they are standing up and going in opposite directions. 

Awkwardly pining, courtly lovers Nicolò & Yusuf.

(*the verse I’m using here belongs to an actual manuscript and means: “A loving fire has taken my heart, it has so inflamed me that I’m languishing falling in love”)