#modern fen AU

[cryptidcalling]

POV Fen works both of these places

[flashhwing]

qunari invasion -> bank robbery? i'm not sure how isabela's backstory plays in but i am having fun picturing Aveline, captain of the local police, somehow on radio with Hawke, one of the hostages, desperately trying to convince him NOT to play the hero and try taking down the leader

meanwhile Fenris is sitting next to him egging him on

[pinayelf-archive]

some cute people made here ❤️

this is my modern au take on them!

alistair, Amihan, Nate (lol in their sort of love triangle)

sinag and fenris

immy and Cullen

[mqfx]

some slight changes. I realized the gap between lansheng and cao fen as a bit much so I brought cao fen down to 23

oh my god. my OCs are young. I just ran the numbers they are little babies. they are college students. WAIT I haven't actually written the chapters I can still change things. new ages:

all the parents are in their 40s-50s but we shall ignore them for now

neng guanshi - 36

ke longya - 33

mo li, fu rong, xiu qiu - undisclosed but older than jin ji

jin ji - 27

li shun - 24

li changxian - 24 (younger by 3 months)

cao fen - 23

wan jingwei - 23

li changrui - 22

lansheng and lanshuang - 21

[brandileigh2003]

October reading wrap-up

This month was kinda crazy. I was hospitalized for kidney infection that spread to my blood and I'm still just drained from it and medicines. But still got some reading done in first part of the month and have decent numbers.

**have you read any of these? What's your favorite this month?

Total words: 1,241,121

Average: 40036 k/day, 2.2 hrs, 120 pages

Total fics over 15k: 12

-The Language of Flowers by B1ackCatChatsBack reread. Modern strangers to lovers ft disability

And the sequel: Rain Will Make the Flowers Grow by B1ackCatChatsBack

-Push Through by raventosnake pining, get together at Hogwarts

-a memory stolen, a memory gained by maladaptivewriting divergent Hogwarts fic where Sirius loses memory

-Passion by businessirius au tattoo parlor get together

-something we weren't meant to find by astronomybrainrot sapphic wolfstar sort of divergent poa

-Your Baby Grows A Tooth by wulfstars (mcd) focus on teddy and remus dynamics, based on aftersun

-the humours of amortentia by fruity_individual

-more than words by fen (alarainai) fluffy pining and get together

-Pawprints on my Heart by TheHeartOfTheStar pining fluffy co-parenting a dog

-Snakes and Lions by her_smile_forges_galaxies (reread) Slytherin Remus focus on platonic moonwater (pls take tags seriously and be kind to author)

-someday by wolfpad au, oblivious Remus, childhood friends to lovers

[soleilceirinen]

Peaky Blinders Masterlist

CILLIAN MURPHY MASTERLIST

Thomas Shelby

Summary: you are a shadowhunter investigating the sudden rise of yin fen in the Downworld, the trail leads you to Small Heath and a blue eyed gangster. Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 (ongoing)

Scaredy Cat | Summary: your boyfriend and your cat don't get along, they hate each other. When you have to travel for work and there is no one else to take care of your cat except for Tommy, you can't help but worry. What will you find when you return?

His secretary * | Summary: you are Tommy's secretary. After you make a mistake he decides that you deserve to be punished. You can't wait for it.

The Portrait | Summary: Thomas Shelby is your History professor at the university. One day he wants to meet you at his office and it scares you a bit. Definitely, you are not expecting to see what's waiting for you there. Modern AU.

Arthur Shelby

Little Girl Blue | Summary: you work as a barmaid at the Garrison. One day you find Arthur drawing and get curious.

-

The older I get | Summary: after being away for years, you must return to Small Heath to face the loss of a beloved one. But, will you be able to forgive the past and leave it behind?

[rowaelinsdaughter]

I had an idea and thought you'd be perfect for this! What about a modern au with Fenrys, and he falls in love with the barista at a coffee shop? Maybe he goes in one day with a friend, see's her, and keeps coming back but doesn't really like coffee or something along those lines?

Love you <3 I hope you're having a great day!

coffee and books

a/n; when i tell u i couldnt stop writing this, i mean it. this is simply the best idea someone has ever told me!!! i love fenrys with all my heart, i need to write more about him, and this au??? AMAZING!!! love u so much 💌😭

WARNINGS;; none

if there was something fenrys didn't like, it was coffee.

unlike aelin, who liked everything, coffee was not something he was passionate about… or so she thought.

aelin thought she knew all the bookstores in terrasen... she thought, it was the key word, since she had never heard of Book Nook Cafe. your cafe and bookstore. where people could enjoy different coffees from all over the world while reading their favorite book or could rent one that you had there.

and that was where aelin and fenrys were headed.

“you know i don't like coffee. why do you want me to go with you?”

“they don't just have coffee. the specialty is coffee, but i have seen the menu and they have more drinks. they also have different chocolate desserts”

fenrys rolls his eyes and aelin winks at him. “admit it, you only go there for the chocolate, books don't interest you”

aelin smacks his arm and he whines slightly, cursing under his breath.

a few minutes later they arrive at the cafeteria and see that there are many more people than they thought, but even so, they manage to sit at a free table.

the place is cozy, full of shelves but without cluttering the entire place, just enough and necessary. a wall near the entrance displays the different coffees in jars and a screen above the counter advertises the different drinks and foods.

“they even have a “menu” of books. without a doubt this has become my favorite place”

fenrys rolls his eyes and aelin watches as he remains fixed in place.

god she is beautiful

that's the first thing he thinks when he sees you. a dark green shirt, a light brown apron tied around your waist and your hair tied up in a long braid, from which some hairs were escaping. you were only wearing that and fenrys had been captivated.

you approach the table with a warm smile. “hello and welcome to Book Nook Café. do you know what you are going to take?”

“i'm going to have a frappuccino with a piece of chocolate cake with cream”

you write down their request in your notebook. “perfect and you?”

“please forget the formalities. call me fenrys.”

“okay fenrys. what do you want to drink?"

“i'm going to have hot chocolate and for dessert… surprise me”

“very good” you finish writing down the order “i'll bring it right away”

you turn to head to the kitchen and as soon as you enter you lean against the wall. you take a breath and release it little by little. you rest your hands on your cheeks and notice that they are a little warm. god, you had turned red in front of him. after a few seconds you manage to recover and tell your friend and cook the order.

what you don't know is that aelin was bothering fenrys because she realized he liked you.

and that's how fenrys began to visit the cafeteria more often, and the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months. after 3 months, fenrys had decided to ask you out. that week it had been your turn to man the counter and prepare the coffees, so fenrys had decided to occupy the seat closest to the coffee machine so he could talk to you.

“good morning beautiful”

“good morning fen. as usual?"

"no. today i want to try one of your best coffees”

“wow, i didn't expect that. and, what is the reason for this sudden change?”

“do i have to have a reason?” he says, resting his arms and moving closer to you. you imitate his position while keeping your distance. “well, someone would say that you only come here to see me.”

“is there a problem if so?”

you smile and separate yourself to start preparing the coffee. you turn your back on him and see fenrys take a breath to try to calm his nerves. "do you want to go out with me?"

you stop abruptly and slowly turn to look at him. fenrys plays with his hands, waiting for you to answer him.

a smile begins to appear on your lips. “wow, i thought you would never say it. i was thinking of asking you.”

fenrys laughs nervously.

“my shift ends in 15 minutes.”

_______________________

that was 6 months ago and every week fenrys took you to a different place. to the movies, to the park, to eat, to visit museums... and with every moment you fell more in love with him. he was the perfect partner... the problem was that he hadn't asked you, but you were determined to ask him.

that day you didn't have to work, so fenrys had decided to spend the day with you at your house. at that moment fenrys was making dinner and you couldn't stop looking at him. you couldn't help but notice the muscles on his back, the grace with which he moved in the kitchen, his blonde hair tied up in a bun that makes him look younger than he already is.

“how come you didn't become a cook?”

“at first i wanted to be a cook but when i finished studying and what happened to my brother happened… i knew i wanted to help people, so i became a psychologist”

“well, let me tell you, you would have been an excellent cook.”

fenrys leaves the food on the table and you notice a kiss on your hair.

after dinner you decide to go for a walk in the park. the night was perfect, although it was not cold, it was not very hot either, the temperature was perfect. families take advantage of the summer night to walk, eat ice cream or watch a play.

side by side you walk until you find a bench.

you look at the sky and observe the full moon in all its splendor.

“the moon is beautiful, don't you think?”

“yes, it is beautiful”

you turn to look at fenrys and he is already looking at you.

“fenrys…” “[name]...”

fenrys takes your hand. “you know, i've never felt that way about someone. the last relationship, if you can call it that, that i had was disastrous and i never thought i would find someone i wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but then you came along and all that changed.” his other hand cups your cheek and turns your head so you look at him.

his thumb collects a tear that you didn't know had escaped. you rest your hand on top of his. "i want to do everything with you. i want to wake up with you every morning, i want to hug you and be able to tell you that i love you, make you food and see you enjoy it…”

he approaches you and rests his forehead with yours. “let me be yours”

the lump in your throat doesn't let you speak, you decide to kiss him. at that moment fireworks start and you notice a bridge that connects you to fenrys. the mating bond.

you separate and rest your forehead with his.

“hello, mate”

“hello, mate”

tags;; @danikamariewrites @vanserrasswife @shadowdaddies @thehighladywrites

[willtheweaver]

OC tag game

Thanks for the tag @the-ellia-west

Rules: name five things your OC would have in a backpack or any bag at school

Alright then. Going to make things unnecessarily hard for myself by doing Fen. As formal education is a concept he is unfamiliar with, I’ll be assuming a modern AU:

1. A water bottle

2. An assortment of pens and pencils

3. A Swiss Army knife (the kind with 15+ attachments)

4. A notebook that is half filled with doodles/ story ideas

5. Game Boy and charging cord

That was a fun one

Tagging @kaylinalexanderbooks @poethill @mk-writes-stuff @oh-no-another-idea @talesofsorrowandofruin @thewritingautisticat @fourwingedwriter @indecentpause @rivenantiqnerd @illarian-rambling and open tag

[caeli0306]

Hello! Welcome to the unhinged record of my writing and other obsessions

Hello! I'm Caeli. I'm 23 and a journalist by day, rabid Fourth Wing/Empyrean and Star Wars fan by night. FW got me back in to reading fantasy, and then IF left me with a crippling book hangover. I turned to writing fanfiction for the first time to try to get my mind off of it, and now I spend my days writing... and then go home at night and write some more.

My fics (all posted on AO3):

Completed:

Tales from the Airport Bathroom - Xaden/Violet spy/soldier AU almost entirely from Xaden's POV where Violet is Stab Happy and Xaden is a Simp, the meet cute is on an airplane, and Xaden gives wife guy vibes as Violet destroys her enemies. Completed, four chapters, 19.5k words. (1)(2)(3)(4)

the present, the past, and you in between - VERY angsty one shot from Xaden's POV where he reflects on his lifelong love for Violet. Completed, 1k words. (1)

Did Someone Say Shots? - One-shot College AU where Xaden thinks his feelings are unrequited but has to look out for Violet on an evening where she goes a little crazy with the Fireball shots. Completed, 10k words. (1)

Did Someone Say Roadtrip? - A short prequel to Did Someone Say Shots? based on the RQ War Games drabble prompt fics that were getting posted for the 1 year anniversary. Completed, 1.1k words. (1)

Did Someone Say Vacation? - A sequel of sorts to Did Someone Say Shots? that can be read on its own, where Xaden is vulnerable, Violet is emotional intelligent, and 🌶️. Completed, 12.7k words (1)

Violet Sorrengail's Guide to Spinning a Scandal - Xaden/Violet Modern Day AU where Violet is a political crisis consultant and Xaden is running for office. Mutual hatred turns to mutual pining, and of course, scorching sexual tension. 🌶️ eventually. Completed, 71k words. (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)

cold woman - A very short character study one-shot of our favorite Lilith Sorrengail. Spoilers for end of Iron Flame. Completed, 1k words. (1)

In-progress:

castles crumbling - Xaden/Violet assassin-spy/soldier AU, aka the extended version of Tales from the Airport Bathroom. In-progress, chapter 18 posted 11/12, 142.1k words and counting. (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)

Danger Zone - Xaden/Violet Top Gun AU. In-progress, chapter 2 posted 10/28, 11.5k words and counting. (1)(2)

Xaden Riorson's Guide to Surviving a Scandal - aka VSGTSAS from Xaden's POV. While this can be read separately from VSGTSAS, it would be better if you read it after reading the original fic. In -progress, chapter 1 posted 10/25, 5.4k words and counting. (1)

On hiatus:

Swan Song - 2nd gen fic following Xaden and Violet's second daughter, Fen, as she tries to figure out who - or what - killed her sister Nora in a world where Tyrrendor is independent and the venin have been defeated for 25 years. Featuring the fan favorite Aidan Matthias, Rhiannon's adopted son with Tara, a brand new squad, and a squad leader with a very familiar name. Chapter 13 posted 4/14, 72k words and counting, on hiatus indefinitely. (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)

Addendum - Companion piece for Swan Song. A series of one-shots expanding on the background of my Swan Song fic and giving perspective from different characters' POV's, especially Nora's. Chapter 3 posted 3/5, 4.6k words and counting, updated sporadically depending on story needs. (1)(2)(3)

Things to know:

Update Schedule:

I don't have one! Like I mentioned in my intro, I am a journalist by day, which means I already do a lot of writing on a daily basis. I love it, but that also means that during busy news cycles I might not have the time or the desire to write. I do this for fun and because I love sharing the worlds in my head with other people, but my first priority will always be myself. If I haven't updated in a week or two, that doesn't mean they'll never be updated! I will always put a note on my Tumblr if I'm putting something on hiatus, along with an estimate for when I plan to start updating again.

What I post about

In order to keep myself accountable, I post frequent updates on my writing progress here. As I said above, I write these stories because I love them, but also because I love sharing them. This helps me stay on track, while also letting people know the general progress of the next chapter.

How long will castles crumbling be?

TBD! Tales from the Airport Bathroom was no plan, just vibes. castles crumbling is the extended version, so it will obviously be longer. While I do have a general plan for this here extended version, I don't have a chapter-by-chapter outline the same way I do with Swan Song. This is partially because I'm still going back and forth on how parts of this story will go, but also because I want to try writing in a bit of a less structured way than I have been doing. I can't imagine it will be shorter than 25 chapters, but honestly, who knows? I'll update this when I have a better idea.

When will you update Addendum again? When should I read the different Addendum chapters?

I created Addendum because I wanted to give people insight into Nora without interrupting the flow of Swan Song. I expanded this concept by adding in a Violet POV chapter as well. These provide context to certain interactions, foreshadow future events, or otherwise flesh out the world in which Fen and the other characters inhabit. In short, it will be updated as needed.

Nora's First Addendum - Read after Chapter 4 of Swan Song

Nora's Second Addendum - Read after Chapter 7 of Swan Song

Violet's First Addendum - Read after Chapter 9 of Swan Song

Lastly, I love hearing from people who read my fics. Feel free to message me whenever, whether its to provide constructive criticism, ask a question, offer up a writing prompt, or just to say hi!

[little-peril-stories]

LPS: Blog (Re)Intro

Little Peril Stories | Kate | adult | she/her

✨ linktree | website | ko-fi | ao3 | oc/wip extras ✨

✨ I post writing/publishing updates every Wednesday and Sunday here. ✨

The Queen of Lies (ongoing): AU for The Prince of Thieves—sheltered, rich sad girl meets snarky criminal; chaos ensues; whumpy, Victorian forbidden love vibes with a side helping of angst and girl power

The Court of Rogues (work in progress): sequel to The Prince of Thieves; in the works but it will be a while before details come out

The Prince of Thieves (complete): guy and gal get arrested and tormented by super cool, totally normal constable while pals on the outside freak out and make bad decisions; fun 1800s prison vibes with a side helping of angst and chosen family

Blood Garnet (side WIP, low priority): girl gets lost in magic woods and gets chased by her hapless cousin and a grump hunter; awkward magic man tries to help; supernatural(ish) romantasy vibes with a side helping of angst and betrayal

Man of Letters (UNRESOLVED; part of Whumptober 2023): awkward scholar boi tries to save the girl he falls in love with and gets way more than he bargained for; light romantasy paired with heavy emo vibes, with a side of helping of angst and torture

Fen and Freddie (complete): gal gets kidnapped, dopey cinnamon roll with hopeless crush tries to rescue her and fails; vague superhero sci-fi vibes with a side helping of angst and pining

The Curiosity Collector (complete): sweet non-confrontational magic boy gets kidnapped and needs rescuing by bf and sis; witchy, autumnal vibes with a side helping of angst and falling in love

This is a whumpblr/writeblr space! Sometimes I’ll post/reblog writerly posts, memes, etc., but a lot of the posts/RBs will be about whump. I post original writing and reblog the work of others that I enjoy, gifs, tropes, prompts, and other such things.

I love comments and feedback on my writing and welcome them with open arms.

A note on age: I know I can’t actually stop you from accessing this blog, but I do not wish to interact with people under 18. It’s not personal, I’m sure you’re great, but it has everything to do with my job IRL. Please respect this boundary and come back on your 18th birthday.

Check out: My Most Common Tropes

My favourite elements of whump have to do with power dynamics, intimidation, dread, and angst. I love captivity-with-a-cause: kidnapping for ransom or as leverage over someone else, prison (in fantasy or historical settings, less so for modern settings though it’s not a hard rule), and the like. Fantasy presents so many creative versions of this trope, so I do love me some fantasy whump! It also gives lots of opportunity for dungeons, shackles, and other fun implements like that. Gratuitous tying or chaining up is always delightful to see. Pining, desperately trying to protect a loved one (…and failing), and self-sacrifice are other big tropes I love, so expect to see lots of those!

As for characters, I love it when they are as far as you can get from perfect, pure, and innocent—when they’re good enough people, but whose flawed or maybe even problematic decisions lead them into trouble. Always, always, I want my characters to have a hand in their own fates. Pure-hearted victims of the narrative who simply fall into a whumpy situation are cute and fun, but not what I tend to write.

A few odds and ends I’m such a sucker for, so you’ll probably find them in my writing:

Sibling relationships

Allusions to songs, books, folklore, and musicals

Nature and weather helping to set the scene (oh my goodness, how many times can I work snow into one story?)

If romance, either slow burn or instant attraction

…with a sprinkling of “huh, I don’t understand what I’m feeling, wtf is going on??”

‘In the nick of time’ rescues

Painfully awkward moments

Fluff and comfort, but only once they’ve really earned it

Almost kisses

Hard choices

Happy endings

You probably won’t find much gore or explicit noncon here, but there might be some elements of those in my stories or in reblogs. I don’t write BBU or pet whump.

My original “whumpy things I like” post can be found here.

Anyway, thanks for reading! 💕 Happy whumping!

[likemosaic]

⭐ hi. all of them, obviously

send a " ⭐ " and i will list muses i would be interested in throwing at yours. / @glacierfront

yeah bench all of them, you know i'm gonna say all of them!!!! i'm gonna do julie and your ffxivs for spice.

FFXIV SPECIFIC:

hythlodaeus & ancient siobhan <3 bard friends?

minfilia & ryne for shard fuckery

modern chiyo and julie because julie's blood relation to tony stark, chiyo working with the modern version of the scions and their philanthropy...could be cute and cringefail

chiyo giving ryne big forehead stepmom kiss. and also mentoring her on the first and teaching her to do girl things and why boys are evil, yes including your father, he's a whor-

carmilla & aymeric navigating ishgard's fucked up politics. in a distinctly gay way. signed, carm the lesbian

really any of your ffxiv characters i would smooch <3 and any of mine are yours, just some spitballing ideas!

GENERAL:

let hermes torment julie in a very fourth wall breaky way. move over odysseus

i'll happily pull ozpin out of his setting (where he essentially teaches a school for kids with superpowers) for something with julie and her powers. an au or her main verse, maybe a personal tutor helping her control them? possibly paid for by tony? just spitballing

julie moves to stardew valley and meets fen the mermaid as well as krobus the shadowfriend. shenanigans and more mermaid annoyance ensues.

[violetsarepurple-fuckyou]

Edit: Just in case anyone is wondering, watching this poll take place was revealing to me because it showed me which option I was actually rooting for. So it turns out gang, I'm gonna be going with Fenneth, but Fennel has become something of a plot point too (The creative process is so weird). Anywho, no clue when I'm gonna be posting it, but thank you for voting, glad to know there are still some folks in the fandom lol, and I hope yall like it when I do!

[cadrenebula]

Prompt #29: Extra Credit

(Welcome to part 4 of the Modern Fantasy AU I started during this FFxivWrite! While this will be the last part within the Write itself, I may continue this as I can on Sundays till I run outta steam with it. Other parts: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 :D Now for a little more of Cedrik & Aryn AU.)

After breakfast, Aryn had returned to his borrowed room so he could change back into his clothes from the day before. Grimacing at the memory of yesterday. Oh he was so burning these clothes later or something. He just couldn't walk around naked and he didn't want to leave in someone's clothes that he would have to figure out how to return later. Assuming he could.

He didn't know how much these people needed to keep things secret. Did that mean he was safe? He did feel safe around them and if they had wanted to keep him silent they could have done so already. They hadn't seemed very happy that the city was keeping attacks like last night silent. Plus Cedrik had been concerned enough with his well being. The man could have very well left him to fend for himself after dropping him off somewhere.

There was something about the hunter that Cedrik found alluring. But he had other things to worry about right now. Especially Jesse's death. As well as contacting Fenryr and Ely. If the incident was being kept quiet, they likely hadn't realized they were missing yet. They were adults after all and neither of them checked in with them every day. Maybe he would skip letting Ely know till he had a chance to talk to Fen about what happened. Fen was the leader of the entertainment troupe that Valen hired dancers from. Surely he might best know how to deal with Elijah even. After all Fen was like a grandmother to them. Maybe he could ask Cedrik for advice on what to do as well.

Aryn came back from his thoughts when he heard a knock on the door frame. Right he wasn't at his own home and probably should have shut the door. At least he was dressed already. Not that he would have cared if one of them had seen anything. He wasn't exactly body shy and some of the dance routines on stage had him in some rather scandalous outfits sometimes.

"We don't have to leave just yet if you aren't ready to." Cedrik spoke softly as he looked over the dancer. What he wouldn't do to just walk over and just kiss Aryn. See where it might lead. Even if it only ended up being a fling. At least then he'd know. But again he put a lid on those thoughts. Aryn had enough to deal with on his plate right now.

"I would like to. I need to at very least talk to Elijah. Plus I would like to go home and change clothes. These..." Biting his lower lip as he frowned down at his outfit.

"I get it. It's a gorgeous look for you but the outfit is tainted for you now. Fine, we'll stop first for you to change. You'll feel better if you do that first." Cedrik suggested as he turned to walk away before temptation was stronger than being sensible. Last thing he wanted was to offend Aryn.

"Cedrik." Aryn called out to make the hunter stop walking away. "I just... Wanted to say thank you."

"Don't thank me. I wasn't able to save your friend too." Cedrik spoke over his shoulder. "I let myself get distracted when I knew they were in the area. That's on me. Watching the concert wasn't worth a life even if it was a good show."

Aryn put a hand to his chest as he warred with himself on whether or not to suggest it wasn't Cedrik's fault. The sensible part of him knew that it could have happened anyways even if Cedrik wasn't distracted. Another part of him wanted to know who Cedrik was really watching. Instead he let Cedrik walk away for now. The reasonable part of Aryn knew they couldn't change the past so it was foolish to dwell on the 'what ifs' of the night before. It was unlikely he could change Cedrik's opinion on whether he could have done better. Someone else still could have died no matter what because Cedrik was only one person.

Aryn took a few moments longer to make sure he had all he remembered having last night. He made sure to thank Nebula and Gwyneria before he went outside to find Cedrik. Of course the hunter was waiting by the motorcycle they had ridden here the night before.

"Listen... I have to tell you." Cedrik looked conflicted and a bit nervous. "I went back after you were safe. To find your friend. His body was gone but the scene hadn't been cleaned yet. So I doubt the people in charge took his body."

"What does that mean?" Aryn looked taken aback at the idea that someone had his friend's body.

"Chances are high... He became one of the things that attacked him last night. It's how they grow in numbers. It's why they're so hard to eradicate. They have a chance of corrupting the aether in a living being when they attack them. It doesn't take on everyone. Some just die or slowly die from the infection to their aether." Cedrik looked almost pained as he stared away from Aryn. He didn't want to see the horrified look on the dancer's face.

"You mean... Oh Gods..." Aryn put his hands over his mouth. The idea of Jesse being one of those creatures... Closing his eyes he took a deep breath. Trying to find his center to avoid a full blown panic. He couldn't panic. It wouldn't do anyone any good. Finding the healer in himself to remain calm against the panic. The idea of Jesse being one of those creatures was an even worse fate than death.

Aryn wasn't a fighter by nature. He preferred not to fight. Fighting made him uncomfortable. But maybe there were ways he could help anyways. Could he undo whatever corruption had occurred? He wouldn't know without trying. Maybe Fen would even have ideas since they always seemed to infinitely wise.

"What can I do?" Aryn asked quietly as he walked over to Cedrik and put a hand over one of Cedrik's hands.

Cedrik looked now at Aryn. He raised the hand Aryn wasn't touching to rest it against Aryn's cheek. "We'll figure it out."

[pacifymebby]

t r o u b l e // chapter two

Chapter List

A Peaky Blinders Balletcore Modern AU

Sylvia

I closed my eyes, stood en pointe, pushing myself beyond the limit, my whole delicate frame quivering with the effort, slowly pulling my left leg in towards my body. I could feel the strain, the tightness tugging and releasing with every breath as I forced my thigh up closer to my ear, breathing through the pain. All my concentration focussed on holding the position long enough to relax just enough to push my knee against my ear and hold it.

My sister had already mastered the position, she was afterall, born five minutes earlier and five minutes more talented than I. Thats what I'd always told her anyway. I'd spent my whole life doing things like this, hiding in the dance studio after class practicing longer and harder than her, exhausting myself to keep up with her. Trying not to hold it against her because it couldn't be helped.

I listened to the rise and fall of Moonlight Sonata, teetering with it as it climbed. For a moment I was nothing more than a body, a waif suspended on string, commanded by the music which filled my ears. Held by the music. And then just as sudden and as sharp as I had been delicate, the music cut out and my phone began to ring. Its shrill tone startled me and sent me down onto my knees swearing at the sting of my sudden release and when I saw my brothers name on the screen I cursed him, vowing not to take shit from him when he'd fucked my practice up.

"What the fuck is it John I'm in the middle of practice!" I snapped, flushing pink with frustration when he chuckled.

"Temper temper Fen," he grinned. I could hear traffic from his end of the line and the voice of another person talking to him, "Sonya with you?"

"No one calls me that," I hissed rolling my eyes, trust him to disturb me and not my sister even though it was her he wanted, "and no, shes not, like I said I'm at practice..."

"Don't you practice together?"

"Yeah well," I bit the tip of my thumb, gathering my things together as I sat on the floor, legs bent out of shape, like a wilted flower, "this is extra..."

"Nah, our Fen doesn't need extra practice she's too good for that shit..."

"Well now you're just admitting you've not seen a single one of my performances from the last three years..."

"Eh now thats not..."

"The nutcracker, christmas 2015..." I said sharp enough to shut him up because he knew I was right. I started tugging on the ribbon of my pointe shoes to undo them, using my teeth to pull the ribbon loose, more aggressive than I should have been.

I might not have seen my brothers for a long time but it didn't mean I'd lost my Shelby charm.

"Right, alright so we haven't exactly been close..." he sighed, "am sorry Fen..."

"Fuckin don't call me that dinlow," I snapped then, losing my temper because I couldn't stand to hear him talk like we were still brother and sister when they'd all but abandoned us down in London at the ballet. Our fucking Tommy probably would have sent us further had he not been so intent on keeping tabs on us. "Me own brothers don't have time to come to a fuckin Sunday matinee but they send their little spies to follow us into town every Friday night..."

"Thats for your protec..."

"Just tell me what you're phonin me for John, so I can get back to my fuckin life..."

"Alright," he sighed defeated, he sounded sad but not as sad as it had made me feel every time I'd put their names on a guestlist only for them to be crossed off it again as no shows. "Alright Syl," he said and it was then that I heard the tiredness in his voice, like he'd been up for days, "I'm at your flat right now yeah and your not home and your sisters not home and I need to talk to y'both its important alright so will y'jus let me know where you are an me an uncle Charlie will come pick you up so we can go get..."

"Uncle Charlies with you?"

"Aye lass,"

"Wait why are you at our flat? And whats Uncle Charlie here for?" call it Romani instinct but at the mention of my uncle I'd britsled, this goosebump creeping sensation shivering straight down my spine.

"Lets just get us all together first right an then I'll explain everythin sis, whats the address of your studio yeah? Then we'll go get..."

"I don't know where Sunny is," I said quickly, feeling guilty because when they'd first sent us off to ballet school when we were only little girls Tommy had made us promise we would always look out for one another. Family first and all that. But in recent months I'd not been brave enough to do that. Sonya had been keeping secrets, sneaking off in the evenings after training and I, not wanting to be another spy for Tommy, knowing how much it hurt to feel like you never really got a moments privacy, hadn't tried to push her for honesty.

"What?" John snapped, "why don't you know where your fucking sister is Sylvia?"

I flinched hearing the flair in his tone, the anger growled out between those words. John had never been the brother to lose his temper with me and Sonya, we'd always been his favourites, he'd always been soft on us, but just then as he'd spat those words down the phone he'd sounded more like Tommy or Arthur than John.

"I...sorry I don't fuckin spy on my sister John she's allowed to leave the house surely..." I stuttered losing my confidence, hearing Uncle Charlie chastise him for scaring me. He said something about how if he'd wanted to scare us Tommy would have come himself. That much was true.

"Fuck sake," groaned John, i couldnt tell if his frustration was self directed or still all for me but when he sighed and said sorry I felt that shiver down my spine again. Something had happened. Something was wrong.

"Look am sorry Fen," he said a little softer, all the stress bubbling just beneath the surface, "where are you? I'll come an get you, we can talk in the car..."

"I'm just leaving the studio now," I said softly, "I'll get the tube it'll be..."

"Nah you won't kid stay inside yeah, I'll phone when I'm outside, you stay put alright.."

"Yeah, yeah sure thats fine I'll stay here..."

"Good girl," he said, his voice sounding like a smile again, relaxing me a little, not really doing enough to quell the fear rising in my chest.

If Tommy had sent him and Uncle Charlie down to London to speak to us, that meant some serious shit had gone down in the family. Someone was either dead, dying or soon to be, and the way John had cut me off when I'd told him I'd take myself home, told me we were all threatened.

"Alright, right see you soon, love you,"

"Love you," i chewed my cheek. They weren't exactly words our brothers used often. He was obviously feeling superstitious.

I slipped my trainers on and shuffled my leg warmers down around my ankles, picking myself and my bag off the floor. As I left the studio to wait in the foyer I slipped one airpod in but not the other, knowing that if my brothers could have me watched anyone could.

In the foyer there was a large wall length mirror and I stood for a moment gazing into it, looking at my sister looking back at me. We were the kinds if identical twins people really did struggle to tell apart, even our brothers. Even occasionally our Aunt Pol who usually had a knack for these things. As youngens it had been a blessing, all the tricks we'd been able to play when we were still close, when we knew everything about one another and we never argued or fell out. Never kept secrets.

But I knew wherever she was now I needed to warn her about John, because if she was somewhere she shouldn't have been, somewhere in the city our brothers didn't run, there'd be more trouble than was worth.

She felt so far away now and I felt guilty because it wasn't exactly like it wasn't my fault. I'd distanced myself since she'd gone for a guest role with the royal ballet, Odette, Swan Lake. I'd wanted to go for it too but when she'd mentioned it I'd changed my mind and held back knowing she'd get the role over me. Now her name was all over this end of the city, Sonya Gray, and next year she'd probably be a Principle. I could try again then, it was only a year. I'd tried to reason with myself at the time, but now I had to admit, it hurt. It ached. I hated to feel jealous of her but I did.

And so rather than resent her I'd started to distance myself, let her drift away, let her sneak off in the evenings, pretended not to notice.

Where are u? Johns here!!!

I sent the text and slipped my phone back into my pocket, turning the volume up on my music as I drifted to a seat in the corner.

People watched us. We were infamous and it had nothing to do with how talented we were. Nothing to do with how many lead roles we could land. Everything to do with our brothers, the name we tried to distance ourselves, the reputation we just couldn't shake. She'd probably heard of my brothers, most people had. What I didn't realise was that she'd seen the news on the television, that I hadn't but when Sonya replied to my texts with a phone call two seconds later, I realised why that woman hadn't been able to look my in the eyes. It wasn't fear or suspicion. Only pity.

There was a woman sitting on the reception desk. A security camera on the ceiling behind her.

When I looked up at her she looked down at her hands trying to pretend she hadn't been watching me. But I wasn't naïve.

"Its fucking Michael! Someones hit michael!" she was sobbing, her voice was shaking and as the words sunk in I felt my own hands begin to tremble. I sucked my cheek in between my teeth and bit down trying to control myself, not wanting to cry now when someone could see me. Because they'd know I was only just hearing the news.

"Is he..." I started, not wanting to finish the question because I knew I was being listened to. Didn't want anyone eaves dropping.

"Hospital," was all she managed to get out before another sob overwhelmed her. For a second all I heard was her choked crying and I wondered where she was. Wondered who was seeing her break down like this. Wondered how long it would take for her pretty little face to start circulating the internet, her hand clasped over her mouth, her eyes red rimmed and swollen, her nose pinkish with sorrow. She'd be the perfect image for the pigs at the daily mail to run with, her pretty tears, the waif in distress. They'd push that photo on Twitter and Facebook, she'd be in the headlines. Poor girl.

"Listen Sunny where are you?" I asked her trying to be gentle, biting my teeth a little deeper into my cheek until I could feel the blood seeping, "you in public?" I asked and she started giggling through her sniffles.

"Uhuh," she said, "I need to get a fuckin grip i know," she said then probably wiping her eyes as she pushed her way through a busy London train station.

"Nah," i said sighing, pushing the wisps of hair which were coming loose around my forehead away. Twisting one a little nervously. "Nah its not that its John ain't it, he's coming to pick me up now and then we're coming to get you..."

"Oh," she sniffled, "yeah i spose that makes sense..."

"Yeah," I said thinking about our poor cousin, rushed to hospital in the back of an ambulance. Poor Pol, she'd barely been reunited with him and now he was being ripped away all over again.

"Shit," she shivered as she spoke, "look I'll be in Camden right, by the lock or something and we can say I was just with a mate..."

"Were you not?" I bit my lip, hesitant, wondering if I asked her now she would tell the me the truth.

"No..." she said quietly, "shit Sylvie," she was whispering now, still crying a little, her voice shaking a little though now she sounded more scared than sad, "if I tell you you gotta promise you won't say a word to John,"

"Cross my heart,"

"I'm in Little Italy," she said then, "Sabini's territory..."

"Oh..." I said, glancing up at the woman behind reception. She was still pretending not to be watching. I wondered if my face was going to be plastered all over social media too. There was less potential really, I wasn't crying, the photographs of me wouldn't have the same waif like prettiness because I'd only been frowning and chewing my cheek. I'd be tight lipped, sharp sullen jawed.

"I've been seein this lad..." she said, "he's Italian..."

"Oh..." I said again with a smirk, cracking a grin when she gasped and told me not to judge her.

"Honest he's not like the others.."

"Not a fucking..." i trailed off, "you know..."

"I mean, yeah but..."

"Oh fuck me Sunny," I grinned in disbelief, "ever likely you didn't want me to say anything to John!"

"Don't Sylvie he'll kill the poor lad..."

"Yeah," I said with a soft smile, "yeah he fuckin will..." I looked up then, just in time to see a swish black range rover pull to a stop in the road outside. I knew it was my brother before the window rolled down and the horn started beeping, but when she heard the beep from her end of the phone Sonya knew too amd smirked.

"Camden Lock yeah, just say I'd gone to the market..." she said, "I'll see you soon, love you,"

"Love you," I said as I stood up and made my way outside as quickly as I could, just wanting John to stop hitting that fucking horn and causing a scene.

Next Chapter

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (31 Dec 2023-6 Jan 2024)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😊 The PostScript Murders (Harbinder Kaur #2) (Elly Griffiths, author; Nina Wadia, narrator) - entertaining cozy mystery (even tho Harbinder is an actualfax police officer). Though it's nominally Harbinder's series, she's just one of the characters, not the main character per se. Anyway, I enjoyed!

💖💖 +366K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved (YULETIDE, BABEY!) 💖💖

Put to Their Books (ribbons) - Sotherans twitter acct; KJ Charles' England & WDA series: archie/daniel, fen/pat, 2K - v clever modern social media AU feat Southerns, cameo by AZ Fell

A Particular Force (TwoWeevils) - The Will Darling Adventures (KJ Charles): will/kim, 5K - Yuletide 2023

It was of this that he had been dreaming (ExceptMaybeYou) - We Could Be So Good (Cat Sebastian): andy/nick, 4K - Yuletide 2023

Permanent Residence (Nabielka) - The Cabots (Cat Sebastian): peter/caleb, 1.7K - Yuletide 2023, 'on staying in California'

Finest of the Flavors (whetherwoman) - Lilywhite Boys Series (KJ Charles): jerry/alec, 5K - Yuletide 2023

I love you--all I can (goseaward) - England Series (KJ Charles): bill/jimmy, 5K - Yuletide 2023, Bill & Jimmy across 30 years

The Alternatives of Summer (iberiandoctor (jehane)) - Call Me By Your Name: oliver/elio, 8K - Yuletide 2023, 8 yrs later Elio & Oliver meet at Fire Island

The Matrimonial State (beautifulduckweed) - The Cabots (Cat Sebastian): tommy/everett, 4K - Yuletide 2023, "Being a short account of three different weddings in Massachusetts attended by Thomas Cabot and Everett Sloane."

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Zarna Garg: One in a Billion

Midsomer Murders - s24, e3-4

Dirty Laundry - s3, e9

D20: Escape From The Bloodkeep - e1-5

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Hit Parade - The Bridge: Moguls Can’t Be Choosers

Desert Island Discs - Marina Abramović, performance artist

Overinvested - Ep. 291: Doctor Who 2023 specials

Welcome to Night Vale - The Haunting of Night Vale

Vibe Check - My Spiritual Finger Is Wagging

Today, Explained - Israel’s next move

Films To Be Buried With - Chelsea Peretti

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Books We Love: No Biz Like Showbiz

What Next: TBD - Why the New York Times Sued OpenAI

Up First - Trump's Pardon Promise, The Islamic State's Iran Attack, Jeffrey Epstein Conspiracies

Endless Thread - This episode is a sign from the universe

Dear Prudence - I Don’t Want to Cancel My Retirement Plans to Babysit. Help!

Cautionary Tales - DANGER: Rocks Ahead!

Our Opinions Are Correct - New mini episode! All about our cats

You're Dead to Me - Catherine the Great

What Next: TBD - Tesla's Cybertruck Problem

Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! - WWDTM: Now With Real Journalists!

Up First - Jan. 6 Insurrection Revisited, Blinken to Israel, COVID Resurgence.

Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - Disappearing Acts: When Popular Brands Are Discontinued

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

The Essential REO Speedwagon {2004}

I Wanna Know What Love Is

Soft Rock Ballads

Relaxing '80s Rock

Merengue Mix

AM In The A.M.: '70s Pop Morning

"Beach Baby" [First Class] radio

'70s Mellow Gold

'80s Slow Dance

[feniverse-unfiltered]

AU’s I’m thinking about tonight:

TriMax Vash & Wolfwood western au (they’re outlaws taking refuge in an “abandoned” barn when Fen stumbles across them)

Tristamp baseball AU (literally the ONLY reason this is on my mind is because of that one baseball post that goes around every once in awhile where a baseball player is talking to a reporter and a ball comes flying towards the reporter and the guy just nonchalantly glances back and catches it. I want to draw Wolfwood and Meryl in that situation)

Kids’ soccer coach AU (the only reason this came to mind is because I think it’d be VERY funny to have Tristamp Wolfwood and Em be coaches for two different kids teams and have this intense rivalry and then confused referee Vash and a bunch of clueless little kids in the background )

EDIT: sandwiching this into the single dad AU. Wolfwood is the coach for the girls soccer team, Em is coaching for the boys, they argue about who gets the field which day

Additionally: Modern AU where Fen works at a Nature Center at a park that Vash likes to visit a lot, and one day he brings Wolfwood with him (who isn't much of a nature guy/outdoors-y person) but once he meets Fen he's captivated and he keeps coming back to "hike" just to chat with her ;-;