#jurdan mortal world

[viivdle]

cardan and jude go to visit vivi, watch a romcom, cardan asks what that weird all white ceremony was, cardan wants to give jude the mortal wedding we all know she deserves. this happened idc.

[shizzlesisntevenaword]

Cardan not going after Jude during her exile always makes me cry because the only reason he wasn’t is because he wanted to respect her wants and autonomy so bad. He didn’t want to make her come back if she didn’t want to, didn’t look for her because he genuinely believed Jude would come back if she wanted to be found. And again it’s just so in-character of him to automatically think she’s just found something better than him because no one ever willingly picked and stayed with him when they had a choice so why would she?

[illustratinghan]

cardan is convinced the bubbles in boba tea are magical and of course jude supports his beliefs (even if it’s just to tease him about later😅)

another little chibi cardan and jude enjoying boba tea in the mortal world @hollyblack 🧋✨

follow me on instagram! @/illustratinghan

[avelanlorelay]

Cardan surprised by Jude's beautiful smile in a Polaroid (The polaroid effect was horrible lol sorry)

[heaven-in-a-wild-flower]

Jurdan Headcanon (Jude Duarte and Cardan Greenbriar)

I’ve also published this on ao3 if you’d rather read it there, here’s the link. I’m making this a full series (Cardan in the Mortal World).

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 2.5

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Previous Chapter (Chapter 7)

Chapter 8

Cardan’s POV

It is a day of rest at the Vivienne-Heather household and Jude is in light slumber with her head atop my lap. Oak is watching moving pictures upon the black cage (Jude has assured me many a times that this ‘Television’ is no cage but I shall say it as I see it). This moving picture is named ‘Despicable Me’ which features some atrocious yellow absurdly-shaped monsters following an even more absurdly-shaped man. However, I do have to admit that their antics are quite entertaining.

It surprises me when Oak tells me that Gru is seen as a villain in the world of the moving pictures. If I’d had a father even half as kind, it would’ve changed my world, why it would have changed the very essence of who I am today. I tilt my head down to hide the traitorous tear slipping down my face, and I see Jude’s face peaceful in slumber. I have only one warrior to thank for invading the thorny barrier protecting my heart and conquering it, scarred and rotten though it may have been. I kiss her upon her brow and promise silently that I shall never let her down nor waste the value she conferred upon my kindness, I shall be a good uncle to Oak, always.

I gently ruffle Oak’s hair who shakes off my hand and continues to remain seated on my legs and pretend he is riding a horse. I acquiesce to his commanding pats upon my shins and raise my legs to fully satisfy his rich imaginings. Suddenly he is distracted by Heather’s mobile device which chirps like a bird (Jude has also assured me that no birds are encapsulated within the devices, that it is merely ��modern human technology’). He picks it up and begins tapping furiously at its surface. These mobile devices will be the death of humans, building up merely finger dexterity and no other useful fighting or survival skills.

“Uncle Cardan,” Oak calls. “Hmm?” “What would you be if you were a human?” He asks. I ponder the question. I am king in my realm, although that was entirely by luck (and Jude’s devious scheming), so I do not place much faith in my ability to successfully rule humans. However, I am skilled at entertaining and remaining fashionable in every realm. “An Influencer,” I reply, having recently learned of them from Heather, whose attention is often completely captured by influencers on her mobile device. Oak simply nods and continues swiping and tapping at the mobile device. I think nothing of the question, children, human or fae, have wild imaginations.

“Uncle Cardan, look, look!” He shrieks, shoving the mobile device right in front of my eyes. I squint at the image. It is an image of me wearing a gauzy purple top with loose white pants, my neck is decorated with swirling dark tattoos and my eyes are painted over with glittery paint. I cannot deny that it is a highly flattering attire (although all attire is flattering on me), but I am utterly confused how this image exists when I have never worn these clothes at all, nor commissioned any such painting.

“Oak, where did you source this painting of me?” “It is not a painting, Uncle Cardan. It’s AI,” he explains, laughing and confusing me further. What sort of witch is this Ae-Ai, is she divining the future?

All this excitement wakes up Jude, who frowns at me confusedly and mildly annoyed. She wears irritation as beautifully as every other expression but I quickly vanish it by placing quick kisses upon her nose and cheeks and lips. Her hair is a certified nest, but she wears this upon her head as grandly as she wears a crown.

“What are you guys arguing about now?” she grumbles. “And is it really worth disturbing my nap over?”

“I apologise a thousand-fold, my darling queen, but it is indeed of utmost urgency. I suspect a witch is plotting against me.” Jude squints at me and I pluck the mobile from Oak’s hand to show her the evidence. Oak meanwhile is rolling around the floor laughing and laughing, I have been sorely amiss in my duty of teaching him the appropriate royal etiquette.

“Cardan, babe, this isn’t a witch. It is, once more, just mortal technology. Oak put in a picture of you and this created what it thinks you would have looked like if you’d have been an influencer. Speaking of, Oak, save that image and send it to me,” she says trying to keep her face unmoving, but I see a twinkle of excitement in her eyes. It sparks an idea of my own, “Oak hand me the mobile device.” I quickly enquire what mortal profession is appropriate for one with Jude’s skills and the mobile device answers with the police, more specifically, the FBI. I type in my request and the Ae-Ai provides an image of Jude in a complete FBI attire. I stare at the image long enough that Jude leans over to see what has so fully absorbed my attention. She blushes at the image and rolls her eyes. My modest queen, able to make any attire seem magnificent. I whisper to Oak to preserve this painting as well and send it to Jude.

Heather strolls into the room and states that she’s found another Ae-Ai witch, this one’s skills lay in extending eyelashes. Jude seems uninterested but self-proclaimed fashion connoisseur that I am, I decide to accompany her to test this witch for myself. (The earlier one’s skills have left me quite intrigued).

“Babe, your eyelashes are long enough already,” Jude grumbles. “Only the better to bat them at you, my sweet villain,” I reply, winking at her. She blushes once more and kisses me goodbye.

We ride in the metal monstrosity that Heather chariots, Vivienne holding her hand in the front seat and I lounge in the back. We pass through a food tunnel, I have no other description for this ‘McDonalds’ Drive Through’ and I munch on some French fries (the French are talented chefs in every realm).

We arrive at the witch’s lair. It is decorated quite beautifully, I concede, in gleaming white marble streaked through with a rainbow of colours, although it must be to lure in victims. A woman, presumably the witch’s minion (This minion is not yellow unlike in that ‘Despicable Me’ picture), explains the process. I zone out as I look around the space, wondering what the witch uses to extend eyelashes and whether I can abduct her for my own kingdom.

Finally, it appears to be time for the witch to do her magic. Vivienne and I enter a different room, while Heather opts to wait outside with a cryptic statement, “I’m not letting any technology near my eyes, god forbid, I’ve watched enough final destination movies.”

The room is sparsely decorated with plain white walls, however, there is a giant technological monstrosity in the middle of the room. It has pincers like a crab, although made of metal (What are crab pincers made of, I wonder) surrounded by a glass cage and a bed below. The human woman directs me to lay down on the bed.

“So, this is Kate, our eyelash extension AI. You’ll just have to lay here while she does her work. We recommend taking a beauty nap because the process will take between 15-20 minutes. I’ll be controlling it remotely, so you don’t need to worry.” I nod, not that I need sleep to enhance my beauty but I wouldn’t mind the rest. She also adds, “The metal parts are magnetically attached so they can’t pierce your eyes, if you bump into them, they’ll simply fall off and get detached.” I sigh softly, not that I was worried at all, but Jude likes my eyes, it would be a shame for them to be wounded.

“As you wish. I am ready to begin.” I lay down and the witch, Kate begins her spellcasting with a low hum. I must have fallen into a light slumber because I am woken by the human woman announcing that the work is complete. She smiles and exclaims, “Wow, you look amazing. Are you a model? Or influencer?” It is easier to merely agree than explain that I am the High King of Faerie (I attempted it once and the woman I explained it to was extremely angry with me because she believed I was jesting and Jude was not pleased either).

She places a mirror before me and I am indeed impressed. My eyelashes look significantly longer, closing and opening my eyes nearly has the effect of waving a fan. They now skim the tops of my cheekbones, highlighting my face structure pleasantly.

“Would you mind if I record a reel?” The woman asks, pointing her mobile device at me. I reply that I do not mind, although unsure what a reel is.

After paying the human woman, we all set off back to Heather’s abode.

Jude’s POV

They return quite late from the eyelash extension parlour. I’m half asleep when Cardan joins me in bed and I’ve forgotten all about where he just came from. I just squeeze myself into his arms and fall right back asleep.

In the morning, I wake up to Cardan’s face in the sunlight. It nearly infuriates me how beautiful he looks, but he’s mine so I can’t complain. And his eyelashes leave me speechless. They look like those annoying pixies’ that used to be always fluttering around him when he wasn’t mine, who’d enhanced their beauty with magic. He opens his eyes and it’s a whole show. He blinks those long lashes innocently at me and it makes me blush so hard, I kiss him so he doesn’t notice. He seems surprised at the sudden affection, but is soon to reciprocate and thread his long fingers through my hair.

“Aunty Jude, Uncle Cardan!” Oak shouts running into the room. I frustratedly pull myself away from Cardan turn towards Oak. He has leaped onto the bed and is excitedly showing us something on his phone. “Look, look! You’re famous!” We watch a reel of an eyelash extension parlour showing off Cardan’s face, and the hundreds of thousands of likes and comments it has accrued. ‘Step on me Daddy’, ‘Cut me to ribbons with those cheekbones king’, ‘Why do men get the prettiest lashes ugh’. I agree with the last comment but I stop reading them for fear that they’ll make me angry at all these shameless men and women fawning over my king.

“Aha! I was right to assume I would make a successful influencer, wouldn’t you agree, my sweet god,” Cardan gloats with pride. “I suppose your vanity in your appearance is only going to grow from here,” I reply, fake disappointedly.

“Indeed, perhaps I should begin an account of my own,” he replies. He leans into my ear and whispers, “but no matter how many people gaze upon me, I will always be only yours to touch.”

Tagging @jurdanhell @nee-naw-nee-naw-beepbeep

Let me know if anyone wants to be added to the tagging list (or removed).

[introvertgoat]

hc that throughout the years, jude takes leaves of absences form being high queen to go spend a couple months w vivi heather n oak !!! madoc too ig while he’s still exiled lol. ( vehemently ignoring the stolen heir’s canon sorry not sorry.) family bonding time, far away from the hubbub n chaos of the folk, n also the realization that jude doesn’t mind the mortal world all that much. yes it’s not faerieland, but it’s smth alright n she finds it soothing at times. she’s less unhinged n paranoid compared to when she was younger n the ptsd from her past has decreased in its intensity thanks to heather-mandated therapy ( heather only had to hear a couple times abt the duarte sisters’ fucked up childhood for her to plead jude to go to therapy—vivi alrdy has— n jude relented after 5 yrs of honest-to-god begging. big slay heather our mental health queen 🫂) and so that’s why she can even leave faerieland in someone else’s hands. these visits aren’t too frequent but they r long in their duration. 3-4 months tops. sometimes cardan comes along bcs the bed feels empty w/o jude n— Okay he’s js lonely w/o his wife. sue him. some poor hapless councilor advisor is forced to be in charge in their place (they send letters weekly. ‘please your majesties, when will you be returning home ?’ #urgent LOL) one day jude (age:37) notices grey hairs appearing on her head n she sort of freaks out. not in an entirely vain way either. more like:. oh fuck aren’t i supposed to not age as long as im in faeirieland ?? 3 long discussions later w cardan n the royal folk-human specialist, the conclusion that is reached is that bcs of jude’s visits to the mortal word, as infrequent as they r, theyve seemed to affect the way her body ages. or more aptly put, doesn’t age lol. jude gets some grey hair n lines on her face while still technically NOT aging. n she feels less panicky abt it bcs hey she’s not aging. sort of. meanwhile, cardan finds himself deeply enamored w jude’s grey hair n the subtle creases on her face that multiply slowly. he tells jude js so n she’s like i am not susceptible to flattery cardan greenbriar. hes Serious abt it tho n tells her that he isn’t saying that bcs it’ll make her feel better or wtv but bcs her aging evidently is actually beautiful to him. cue jude sour pursed lips for a bit as she gets these days when it comes to cardan being unbearably earnest towards her but she feels less weird abt the hair n lines so :)

anyways this was a long-winded niche asf hc that appeals to exactly only 2 ppl on this site n im not even confident in THAT estimate lol

[cynicalclairvoyantcadaver]

Let Vivienne hate Madoc. Just let her.

Sooooooooooo I just saw some posts saying that Vivienne could love Madoc because she only believed that she would hate him when she vowed to hate him-

and even if that is true............

Let her hate him. Just let her.

First of all, can we have a Duarte sister who doesn't forgive Madoc for killing their parents?

I want to see him face consequences for murdering them, even if he had his explanation for doing so. I want to see him feel guilty about it and not be able to forget it. And Vivienne is perfect for this.

Jude loves him (albeit in an uncomfortable manner) and Taryn seems to have some love and loyalty to him too.

And honestly, I cannot emphasise how awful their parents' murder was for the Duarte girls. They saw it right in front of their eyes, and then Madoc kidnapped them and took them away from the only home they knew back then.

(And if Justin and Madoc can both be fathers to Jude, then the same goes for Vivienne. Madoc's her bio father, Justin's her adopted. He took care of her for 9 years-don't tell me she didn't love him.)

We as the readers are not really affected by it, because Jude barely talks about her parents and their murder, and doesn't express much grief after ten years because she's bottled it up and pushed it down.

But the Duarte sisters are. They knew their parents and they miss them, especially Vivienne who knew them longer and had better and clearer memories of them.

And honestly, Madoc was an awful person for that. He's an awful person for killing two people in front of children. Justin I get, because the guy tried to axe him, but he could have knocked Justin out-don't tell me he wasn't that strong or reflexive.

And Eva? He had no need to kill her at all. He could have grabbed her-AND THERE WERE THREE SMALL CHILDREN RIGHT FUCKING THERE!

It doesn't matter if he had an instant killing instinct. He's still a terrible person for killing Eva and Justin.

And do you know how much it must have affected Vivienne that Jude and Taryn treated their parents' murderer like their own father? Put yourself in her shoes. Imagine the betrayal, the hurt, the fury and pain.

We've been thinking and looking at TFOTA from Jude's perspective for far too long. It's time to dive into other characters' minds and see it from theirs.

Eva and Justin aside-let's go to Oak.

We know that Madoc was going to put Oak on the throne for his own gain, and we know that this would have traumatised Oak. Imagine being a king, having to make so many decisions-and Oak would still have some degree of responsibility, even with Madoc as the regent. Imagine having so many people looking at you for so many things that an adult should handle when you're so young.

Oak would've been traumatized, and you know it. And Madoc knew it too, and he still decided to go forth with the plan.

But where does Vivienne come into this, you ask? Why don't I just post this under a Madoc hate rant?

(I don't hate Madoc).

Because Vivienne knew what I just told you too. She saw Oak who was young, and he was almost 9 then (I think) and she was nine when her parents were murdered and she was stolen away.

And honestly, I'm pretty sure she hated Madoc in that moment. Pure hatred.

She probably took pleasure in forcing him to adjust to the mortal world, though. That must have been nice for her.

I don't think Vivienne loves Heather in the faerie way-she loves Heather in a more human way. (I love Vivienne and Heather so much, you have no idea, as much as some of you love Jurdan). And honestly, good for her. Good for both of them.

And honestly, I don't hate Madoc. It's just that when I think of him with relation to Vivienne, then I really start to hate him. That's all.

So, this is the end of the rant. Feel free to disagree and argue with me. Hate comments are always welcome.

@madockisser what do you think about this?

[maingh0st]

the main reason I like Taryn/the Ghost (despite the fact we get microscopic crumbs in the text) is that it’s thematically compelling for them as characters.

the best romances aren't just about ~vibes~ and ~spice~ but about two unique, fully realized characters becoming part of one another's lives. each character carries their lifetime's worth of formative experiences, beliefs about the world, goals, strengths, habits, wounds, coping mechanisms, preferences, etc—so inevitably there's conflict and change and (ideally) growth. this is why we love Jude/Cardan so much!

like, for just one example: Jude always resented the Folk, even as she admired and envied them. she talks about wanting to be better, to be worse, to excel beyond them and rule over them, and ultimately to conquer her fear of them. part of why Jurdan is so great (aside from being The Power Couple) is because falling in love with Cardan forces Jude to accept that sometimes, the Folk can be good and safe and worthy of her trust. in my interpretation, this arc culminates when Cardan is turned into a snake and Jude has to rely on others (Fand, Grima Mog, the Court of Shadows, etc.) rather than just her romantic partner. she does conquer her fear of the Folk—partially through her cunning and tenacity, yes, but also partially through learning to trust her heart and find those with whom she is safe.

but that's not a lesson Taryn needs to learn. she wants to fit in with the fae; she craves their approval. in tcp, Locke's whole shitty test is based on Taryn's ability to prove that, even though she's human, she can live like the fae. and in twk, while Jude is isolated, exhausted, and (rightfully) paranoid about being betrayed, Taryn is constantly surrounded by the Folk. she seems to find belonging among them, yet she almost loses herself in the process. from a story perspective, Locke isn't that interesting of a romantic partner because he only confirms what she seems to already believe: that to belong in faerie, she will have to change and abandon certain parts of herself (represented most starkly by her betraying her sister). she will have to learn to love differently and live by different rules. and she's quite good at it, as we see—but it makes her miserable. so Locke's murder is narratively important (beyond just being Very Fun) because it represents her rejection of the life he insisted she live.

but the Ghost (for as little as we know about him) is half-human and spent part of his life in the human world. I think there is so much potential for the most delicious narrative tension to arise from their dynamic. they both, for their own reasons, straddle both the human and the faerie worlds, yet fully belong to neither. both of them make choices they regret (killing Liriope / betraying Jude) and both of them are harmed as a result (the Ghost's true name being used / Locke being straight-up emotionally abusive). there's a lot of common ground there, but also potential for great conflict considering the very different lives they live.

after the events of tqon, I get the sense that they're both kind of... recalibrating. of course, the Ghost is still part of the Court of Shadows, but the monarchs he serves are very different than Dain, and he's also been freed from the abuse of his true name. and Taryn is a widow, pregnant, the daughter of an exiled general, the sister of the new mortal queen, and seemingly a bit of a phenomenon in the social scene of Elfhame. who are they, and what is their place in this world that isn't built for them? how do they find belonging without losing themselves? what does living a good and fulfilling life even look like for each of them? how do they adapt to their environment without crossing into the territory of self-betrayal? truly just so many questions that are so fun to chew on

[aaal-iz-well]

okay, so i had some ideas for jurdan fics, but nothing concrete, and i thought your response would help me solidify stuff, so here we are:

Cardan and Jude are in a secret relationship where Cardan sneaks into Jude’s house under Madoc’s nose and vice versa, and all the fun is in the sneaking!

They have a rivals with benefits relationship. and at the start Jude asks Cardan to swear that he wont hurt her, and cardan is offended that she would think that he’d be so low and says that if anyone is in peril of being harmed, it’s him, and isn’t that a shame because he can’t get a swear that can be depended upon from Jude.

So in this one, after cardan really outdoes himself in troubling her, he is frustrated that jude doesn’t PAY ANY MIND TO HIM AT ALL. and when he's wallowing in his pity, it will occur to him, that he's seen the way jude looks at him, and that has to be something, but he figures that the reason she isnt interested is because she's mortal, and so cardan has to do stuff that (apparently) appeals to them. So he’ll read bodice rippers to learn the steps to seduce mortals, and he’ll try to be like all alpha male and find occasions to pin her to the wall and all that stuff but jude just thinks something wrong with him, but god, does he look.... (writing this down, i realised it sounds kinda serious, maybe, idk, but in my head it all looks so funny)

Cardan is a magician in the mortal world (he just uses glamour), people come to see him because his sleight of hand is just impeccable and also because my man is GORGEOUS, and like just to stare at him, and Jude attends one of his shows, and maybe inadvertently wearing one of the spells against it, or something, and wasnt caught by security, and something after that.

anyways, what'd you guys think of them. feel free to add suggestions and specific scenes in different scenarios that pop into your mind!

[owl-03]

The Cruel Prince Spoiler!

One of the saddest details when Cardan vanishes Jude, is that they both get hurt.

Jude had already been betrayed by someone she loved(Taryn). Still, she was starting to believe in Cardan(I mentioned this, but I find it fascinating that I kind of find a parallelism between Madoc and Cardan-they are both horrible sometimes-and Jude loves them anyway(partly because she is the same).

On the other hand, Cardan was also suffering. He thought Jude had forgotten about him, or decided to stay on the mortal world. This affected him on more than one way; after such a long time, he had finally accepted his feelings for her, and had planned his future by her side; he had even accepted the fact that he had to rule

I just love Jurdan so much💖😭

[somewhereincairparavel]

TFOTA final update: I know I didn't update reading the queen of nothing at all, but that's because I finished the book rather quickly, as compared to the other two books. And now, just like I'd be upset about every other books ending, I'm sad that this series ended aswell :((

I think my favorite parts of the book were Cardan breaking the blood crown, all the jurdan moments, Jude being queen, and the final coronation where Oak is carried to place the crown on jurdan, that was adorable. I screeched whenever Cardan called Jude "my wife" like OMFG. Also, Taryn killing Locke and bring pregnant was something I NEVER saw coming?? Like ?? Why do I feel like her child is gonna be a redhed lol. Also, the thought of Heather forgetting everything and starting over her stuff w Vivienne kinda makes me feel a little eh bc she basically forgot everything they've been through? But it's understandable bc Vivi should've told her that from the beginning instead of dumping it on her, so worthy punishment.

The final party in the mortal world was also >>>

I'm a little intrigued with how vague Oriana's ending was, though. She never had a proper concluding interaction with Jude and that makes me kinda sad.

But all in all, SUCH a great trilogy, this is the PROPER enemies to lovers arc. When Nicasia said that cardan was the one who switched the dresses to give Jude a better gown in dains coronation>>>>

FYI Cardan Greenbriar is added to my list of fictional crushes :> (I'm a sucker for poetry and letters okay)

[ivycrestfell]

The song, “je te laisserai de mots” by Patrick Watson, is SO Cardan during Jude’s exile. Below are the lyrics translated into English, which are originally French:

I will leave you words (notes)

Je te laisserai des mots

Below your door

En-dessous de ta porte

Below the singing walls

En-dessous de les murs qui chantent

Very close to the place where your feet pass

Tout près de la place où tes pieds passent

Hidden in the holes of your couch

Cachés dans les trous de ton divan

And when you're alone for a moment

Et quand tu es seule pendant un instant

Pick me up

Ramasse-moi

When you want

Quand tu voudras

Kiss me

Embrasse-moi

When you want

Quand tu voudras

Pick me up

Ramasse-moi

When you want

Quand tu voudras

The first part about leaving notes is so cardan w his letters to Jude. “I will leave notes beneath where your feet pass, in the holes of your couch” almost like the notes/letters or the MEANING of them will be SO CLOSE, yet so far 😭😭 second part he’s pretty much longing for his lover to come to him when she’s ready, if she ever will be- which is exactly what cardan does, never invading Jude’s new life in the mortal world.

This user on Reddit worded the meaning beautifully, and you cannot sit here and tell me this doesn’t scream jurdan.

The song itself is so beautiful, if you’re interested give it a listen! It was pretty popular on TikTok a few years back and for a reason!

[annamatix]

episode 1 of the jenny-anna taylor jurdan collab series YIPPEE (that's a mouthful we'll need to find a better name)

@viivdle did cardan's pov in two parts (linked at the bottom of this post) and i did jude's here

today’s topic: dancing with our hands tied (jurdan’s version)

“i, i loved you in secret” = jude didn’t tell a single soul that she had feelings for cardan

“first sight, yeah we love without reason” = after their first kiss she was super confused and didn’t understand why she was growing feeling for him, hence the ‘without reason’

“oh, 25 years old” = they weren’t 25, but they were very young so this could mean how literally the fate of the land fae was thrust into the hands of ‘kids’ (18?? 19??)

“oh, how were you to know, my love had been frozen. deep blue but you painted me golden” = in tcp jude clearly states that she is not interested in marrying or has feelings for anyone, but cardan kickstarted those feelings, clearly

“oh, and you held me close” = she was around cardan a lot, he kept her close to stead as seneschal and whatnot

“i could’ve spent forever with your hands in my pockets” = this could refer to the way cardan was slowly becoming more spy-like, learning from the roach (‘hands in my pockets’ = him stealing stuff, like her heart)

“picture of your face in an invisible locket” = 1) this is elfhame, so invisible lockets are totally normal, and 2) this could also mean how cardan was always on jude’s mind, like when he turned into a serpent she still imagined him sitting there, giving her pointers in his own sarcastic way

“you said there was nothing in the world that could stop it, i had a bad feeling” = the way when jude was seneschal, cardan would always say things like ‘what a shame not one of them knows who their real ruler is’ and jude always feeling like this power could slip out of her grasp soon

“and darling, you had turned my bed into a sacred oasis” = smirk (sorry) basically this could be about when jude and cardan did something together and agreed on it, it was a rare moment, making it 'sacred'

“people starting talking putting us through our paces” = there’s lots of whispering in courts like elfhame’s and jurdan was definitely affected by them

“i knew there was no one in the world who could take it, i had a bad feeling” = jude crowned cardan against his will, and she had to bear so many responsibilities, so again she felt like the power could fall from her anytime soon

“but we were dancing, dancing with our hands tied, hands tied” = even though she was seneschal, jude felt powerless in many ways, frustrated that she couldn’t control cardan, hence the ‘hands tied’

“yeah we were dancing, like it was the first time, first time” = jude and cardan kept repressing their feelings for each other, and then whenever they felt something/did something, they were always surprised (‘like it was the first time’ = signaling even though they did it before, they were still shocked, like the first time they did it)

(skipping the rest of the chorus, it’s basically a repeat)

“i, i loved you in spite of, deep fears that the world would divide us” = painfully obvious, a mortal and a faerie?? jude duarte and the beloved high king of elfhame?? not even in your wildest dreams, right?

“so baby can we dance, through an avalanche” = jurdan has been through a LOT together, this somewhat symbolizes that

“and say, say that we got it, i’m a mess but i'm the mess that you wanted” = do i even have to say it? jude i-poison-myself-every-day-and-made-a-deal-with-prince-dain-who-made-me-stab-clean-through-my-hand-plus-i-did-a-shit-ton-of-other-insane-things duarte, and cardan is head over heels for this woman

“oh, cause it’s gravity, keeping you with me” = its so hard to keep cardan under her thumb, and also unbelievable he would do it on his own accord. this could also work romantically, its crazy to her that cardan actually loves her

(skipping the chorus cuz i already did it above)

“i’d kiss you as the lights went out, swaying as the room burned down. i’d hold you as the water rushes in, if i could dance with you again” = symbolizes the time when cardan was a serpent, jude didn’t care which type of cardan he would be, what would happen, or anything else, she just wanted him next to her again. girlie was highkey desperate

(the rest of the song is basically the chorus)

wow thank you for reading until here *bows*

sorry if its shallow jenny is the better analyzer between us two 🙏

cardan's pov part 1

cardan's pov part 2

[atd-everything-girl]

My Honest thoughts while reading -

🌟the cruel prince🌟

for the first time :

Hmm so is Vivi the main char-no it's Jude okay.....it's the first few pages already have 2 deaths this book is gonna be a rollllller coaster dam. Stupid Madoc. Woah this is such an amazing world. *remembering circle names thinking they are important but they're really not* Incidents that make me seem weak okay Jude what inci- OAK! THAT DAM BABY BE VICIOUS! How old is he again 3? Bruh. Glamour be op. Oooooooooooooo Locke Locke. Tsk Tsk. Looks like he's probably gonna be her bf EEEEEE! He's sooo nice. Hmm? He's the only nice guy in cardan's friend group of course the rest are stupid and arrogant. Oh so Jude wants to be a knight instead of marriage ya go girl! Such a girl bos-......yeah no travelling to some underwater palace with some handsome guy does sound nice thank goodness almost thought you were a pick me Jude. YEAH GET REVENGE ON CARDAN THAT IDIOT! SALT THEM UP MY SALTY GIRLE LET'S GOOOOOOO. Tournament? Chance at knight hood? Sounds great don't worry Jude usually characters get the opposite of what they thi- .... Oh Madoc actually denied her as expected by her.. What a jerk. *gets to the scene at mortal world * Oooooooooooooo Vivi is bisexual!!! Just like me! :) Yay!... Oh my goodness Jude that poor dude was just flirting around like I would have understood if he touched you buttttt... That poor guy just said stuff. Did you really have to make him bleed? Oh whatever. Looks like your prince dain's spy now and the coronation will happen soon. Things will finally be alright.

*just finished reading the coronation scene* *sets book down for a sec *

*tries to process *

....what the actual hell did I just read? ...aight Imma ignore that. For now..... Good job Jude kidnap that idiot and make him suf--...... *quietly starts making oc kids for jurdan becuz shipping reasons * beautiful. Now make him your bf....awwwwww wait WHAT? DAIN YOU FREAK WHEN THE HECK DID YA HAVE A KID?????? BRUH. LOCKE YOU HORRIBLE PIECE OF SHIT!!F--K YOU!!!.... Jude your plans are seriously insane like girl are you ever gonna clam down. *finishes the rest of the book* seriously the most amazing shit I have ever read.

[emistoast]

linking taylor swift songs to book characters because i am unwell pt. 2 (folk of the air & shadowhunters)

Peter - JUDECARDAN JUDE AND CARDAN JURDAN !!!

“i won’t confess that i waited but i let the lamp burn as the men masqueraded. i hoped you’d return with your feet on the ground, tell me all that you’ve learned. cause love’s never lost when perspective is earned” LITERALY CARDAN WRITING JUDE LETTERS BEGGING FOR HER TO COME HOME 😭

“please know that i tried to hold on (hold on) to the days (to the days) when you were mine. but the woman who sits by the window has turned out the light” very much jude in the mortal world after cardan exiled her

— — —

mastermind - jude mf duarte

“and the touch of a hand lit the fuse of a chain reaction of countermoves, to asses the equation of you. checkmate, i couldn’t lose” jude jude jude jude

“you see all the wisest women had to do it this way, cause we were born to be pawns in every lover’s game” jude plotting to steal the throne from madoc (to cardan)

“if you fail to plan you plan to fail. strategy sets the scene for the tale” she’s a strategist what can i say

— — —

imgonnagetyouback - JUDECARDAN JUDECARDAN (SPECIFICALLY AFTER THE WICKED KING)

“whether i’m gonna be your wife or gonna smash up your bike i haven’t decided yet, but i’m gonna get you back” SHE LITERALLY SPENT THE FIRST HALF OF THE QUEEN OF NOTHING TRYING TO DECIDED IF SHE WANTED TO FUCK HIM OR FUCK HIM UP

“pick your poison babe, i’m poison either way”

— — —

champagne problems - so what if i said jordelia ??!

“because i dropped your hand while dancing, left you out there standing, crestfallen on the landing, champagne problems” HE DROPPED HER HAND WHILE DANCING AND HE LEFT HER OUT THERE STANDING

“your mom’s ring in your pocket, my picture in your wallet, you’re heart was glass i dropped it” proposal. her leaving.

“you had a speech, you’re speechless. love slipped beyond your reaches” LITERALLY THE ENDING OF CHAIN OF IRON

— — —

Paris - matthew and cordelia IN PARIS !!

“i’m so in love that i might stop breathing, drew a map on your bedroom ceiling. no, i didn’t see the news cause we were somewhere else. stumble down pretend alleyways, cheap wine make believe it’s champagne” HES SO IN LOVE THAT HE MIGHT STOP BREATHING AND SHE’S MAKING BELIEVE THAT ITS CHAMPAGNE (champagne representing james of course)

“levitate above all the messes made” idk i feel like that’s very them running away from all their problems

“i wanna brainwash you into loving me forever. i wanna transport you to somewhere the culture’s clever. confess my truth in swooping, sloping, cursive letters” nah im actually sick what the hell 😭😭 this is so matthew trying to make a confession worthy of her

— — —

i severely apologise for all the caps lmao i didn’t realize i was that intense while writing this

[heaven-in-a-wild-flower]

Jurdan Headcanon (Jude Duarte and Cardan Greenbriar)

I’ve also published this on ao3 if you’d rather read it there, here’s the link. I’m making this a full series (Cardan in the Mortal World).

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 2.5

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Previous Chapter (Chapter 6)

Chapter 7

Jude's POV

Yesterday, Vivi and Heather made a plan to go to the beach and insisted that we take Cardan and Oak as well. So, here goes.

Cardan's POV

This is a completely and utterly undignified method of travel. Vivienne, Heather (what an absurd mortal name), Oak, Jude and I are in this carriage-like contraption they call a Subaru. Heather is riding this metal monstrosity and Vivienne is assisting her with directions from a seer inside her mobile that calls itself Google Maps. However, the most undignified aspect is that Oak, Jude and I are sitting at the back and I cannot even sit next to my queen. Oak is holding some balm to protect one from the sun (Heather has instructed that all of us must administer it upon our skin to protect it), human skin is so fragile.

The carriage is full of sound from the front playing some ungodly screeching made by a group of humans who call themselves 'My Chemical Romance'. I cannot imagine how these three men were romanced by chemicals (I reckon it could be a love potion?), my romance is entirely natural. I can imagine if Jude were to hear this she would roll her eyes (she is extremely skilled at this due to all her practice, how proud I am of my wife's ocular dexterity) and say that no one would call it a natural romance to be forced into marriage by circumstance. The only respite is the cool air that I can only conclude is being created by ice pixies' breath who are being enslaved by this 'Subaru'.

"Might we please change this music? I can take no more of this." Both Jude and Heather give me appalled looks. I cannot imagine how they enjoy this. (My queen does enjoy torturing others, so this music must remind her of it). Vivienne merely laughs and changes the music with a turn of a knob.

"We were both young when I first saw you I close my eyes and the flashback starts...”

This music is strangely soothing and remarkably reminiscent of Jude and my meeting. I was neither in a balcony nor was it summer when I first met Jude but there were many parties when I would seek her out merely to see her (I couldn’t control my angst and idiocy and subjected her to many a taunt but perhaps that’s the beauty of our story). I certainly wanted her to be my princess but now, she is my queen. The mere thought makes my heart convulse like a chained beast. I look over at her. Her dark hair was pinned up expertly on her head. Her jade eyes met my gaze with a look even I (an expert in everything pertaining to Jude) could not interpret. She frowns and tilts her head and I cannot stand for her face to be frowning so I lean forward and kiss her cheek gently. I am pleased to see a blush upon her face immediately.

“Who is the composer of this marvellous music?” I enquire.

“Taylor Swift,” Vivienne answers. Huh, must certainly be a talented lady. Expert at swiftly tailoring clothes and creating music? I would like to bring her to Elfhame to sing for me nightly, although I am certain the mortals would object. Maybe love is making me soft, but I shall be merciful and allow this tailor to remain here in the mortal world so that they can have at least this one magical thing.

We finally reach the beach and I am surprised to see so many mortals here roasting themselves in the sun. They have however used their mortal ingenuity to create umbrellas to protect themselves from it. It is odd that they wear as little clothing as possible and then slather their exposed skin in balm to protect it, I will never understand mortals, I have given up in this futile endeavour.

Heather lays out our supplies, a mat for us to sit on, some books, tools for Oak to create monuments out of sand and towels to dry ourselves once we return from the water. Oak gets to work immediately, digging furiously at the sand. Heather and Vivienne apply the sun protection balm upon each other and now that I see them do it, I can see the appeal even though my skin certainly does not require it.

“Jude, my queen, would you like the sun protection balm?”

“Oh, yes, thank you.” She replies and takes it from my hand and quickly rubs it over her skin.

“My darling god, my sweet villain, I do not believe you are following the best technique. Might I show you?” She narrows her eyes. She is not a fan of criticism but I believe in this regard, I can change her mind. (If her soft sighs as I administered the balm were any indication, I did change her mind.)

However, competitive minx that she is, and not to be outdone, she declares that it is her turn. She quickly shoves me onto the mat and administers the balm upon my back. I do not know whether the balm is meant to soothe but I can guarantee that her hands were utterly soothing. She kisses my neck gently after she is done. I have always felt love to be a great battle. First, I fought against it in myself, then I fought for it to make Jude my queen. Now, however, perhaps I have won the battle, but love feels undemanding. I believed love was the battle fought to convince someone that it is worth it, that you are worth it. But love can be a kiss upon your neck after providing protection not needed.

Jude's POV

He looks peaceful and it is a gift I didn’t know I’d ever want but it makes me so indescribably happy, I could probably sing songs right now (I’m embarrassed by myself). I quickly pull my hands back and run to the ocean to cool my flaming face. Cardan follows and looks so adorable (I can’t believe I used that word) in his pineapple beach trunks that I simply have to tackle him into the water.

“I do not know if you are attempting to drown me or are showing affection, but I will accept either at your hand.”

“Oh, shut up and kiss me.”

“I would not dare to refuse you, but is it of concern that I can feel something latching onto my feet?”

“What the-” I quickly swim down and swat away the crab from his feet.

“Oh, my hero, what would I do without you to protect me from unnamed sea creatures?” Cardan says smirking lightly.

“Again, just shut up and kiss me.” He does.

Cardan's POV

Beaches are very exciting places. On one end, people are building royal palaces with the sand. On the other, there are people (including Jude and Heather) who are fighting with some people using a battle strategy Heather called ‘Beachball’ (It seems impossible that this strategy could injure anybody but I suppose with how fragile mortal bodies are, it is possible that this is one of their weaknesses). Jude is remarkable at this strategy and seems to be defeating all the others. I am enjoying the view, I love watching my queen in battle, when I am distracted by a beeping sound.

To our left (mine and Oak’s, whom I am watching over in case some mortal dares to attempt to abduct him), is a man with a metal contraption seeming to extract something from the sand.

He sees me watching and smiles, “Hey man, wanna join me in looking for some gold?” I must still exude an aura of royalty despite my pineapple-printed attire if he is offering me gold.

“I accept your offer.”

“That’s great, man! Let’s do this.” He offers his hand to me and I take it and stand up.

“How does this contraption function?”

“Ah! The Extra Powerful Metal Detector 2000 generates an electromagnetic field through a coil of wire. When this field encounters a metal object, such as gold, it induces a secondary magnetic field in the metal, disrupting the electromagnetic balance in the detector's coil. It’ll then beep and we’ll know we’ve found gold!” He explains enthusiastically, hands waving around madly nearly impaling me with the contraption. I understand very little of his explanation but I nod as I do when my treasurer is explaining the intricacies of our remaining riches and how he proposes to use them.

Suddenly, the machine begins to beep quite loudly.

“Man! I think we’ve got it!” Let’s start digging. I would not normally lower myself to the task of digging sand however his excitement must be infectious and I too take a shovel and dig alongside him. Our shovels both hit some metal and our eyes widen.

He quickly pulls it out with his hand and it is merely a can.

“How dare you trick me so! This contraption does not detect gold and I do not appreciate being deceived.”

“Aw, man! I’m sorry dude. The machine detects metal not always gold. But we’ll definitely find gold if we keep at it. Don’t be disappointed. I’m sure your girlfriend will love it if you gift her with a pretty ring, let’s keep looking, my man!” His explanation calms me down and I correct him that Jude is my wife but yes, she would probably appreciate a gold ring.

Jude's POV

Heather and I are pretty sweaty from that game of beachball but it was so much fun to destroy those cocky men who genuinely believed men are better than women at sports. I might’ve preferred stabbing them (I’ve pictured the full scene. I’d tell them “men are also better at spilling their intestines on the floor), but this was at least half as satisfying.

I expect Cardan to be sitting with Oak since Vivi is reading and has fallen asleep with her book on her face, but of course, he’s not there. I scan the beach and find him with some dude with a metal detector.

I go over to them and see that Cardan’s hands are covered in junk, bottle caps, pieces of jewellery and all manner of random metal pieces from the beach.

“Jude! My darling! I have tried to find you something precious from the beach but this task has been arduous and not satisfying in the least.” I laugh for a moment.

“It’s alright, come on, let’s go back.”

“Man! Looks like you already have something precious, no need to find any more, my man,” the guy says to Cardan, elbowing him and winking at him. Cardan looks surprised to have been suddenly attacked by this man but he relaxes and agrees.

While walking back to our spot, he looks concerned for a moment and says, “I hope you are not offended, my sweet villain, I did not mean for him to get such a wrong idea. I was merely looking for gold with him, I do not understand why he kept calling me his man. I am only your man and king, nobody else’s.”

I laugh so hard, I fall on the sand.

Cardan leans into my face and asks, “Are you alright, my queen?”

“Never change, Cardan. Never change.”

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