#moonlight topaz

[spark-circuit]

crippling the IPC's broader capitalist goals and disrupting their timely communications network by distracting Topaz with Stellaris

[greenwitchcrafts]

September 2024 Witch Guide

New Moon: September 2nd

First Quarter: September 11th

Full moon: September 17th

Last Quarter: September 24th

Sabbats: Mabon- September 22nd

September Harvest Moon

Also known as: Autumn Moon, Child Moon, Corn Harvest Moon, Falling Leaves Moon, Haligmonath, Leaves Turning Moon, Mating Moon, Moon of Brown Leaves, Moon When Dear Paw the Earth, Rutting Moon, Singing Moon, Wine Moon, Witumanoth & Yellow Leaf Moon

Element: Earth

Zodiac: Virgo & Libra

Nature spirts: Trooping Faeries

Deities: Brigid, Ceres, Chang-e, Demeter, Freya, Isis, Depths & Vesta

Animals: Jackal & snake

Birds: Ibis & sparrow

Trees: Bay, hawthorn, hazel & larch

Herbs: Copal, fennel, rye, skullcap, valerian, wheat & witch hazel

Flowers: Lily & narcissus

Scents: Bergamot, gardenia, mastic & storax

Stones: Bloodstone,carnelian, cat's eye, chrysolite, citrine, iolite, lapis lazuli, olivine, peridot, sapphire, spinel(blue), tourmaline(blue) & zircon

Colors: Browns, dark blue, Earth tones, green & yellow

Issues, intentions & powers: Confidence, the home, manifestation & protection

Energy: Balance of light & dark, cleaning & straightening of all kinds, dietary matters, employment, health, intellectual pursuits, prosperity, psychism, rest, spirituality, success & work environment

The full Moon that happens nearest to the fall equinox (September 22nd or 23rd) always takes on the name “Harvest Moon.” Unlike other full Moons, this full Moon rises at nearly the same time—around sunset—for several evenings in a row, giving farmers several extra evenings of moonlight & allowing them to finish their harvests before the frosts of fall arrive. 

• While September’s full Moon is usually known as the Harvest Moon, if October’s full Moon happens to occur closer to the equinox than September’s, it takes on the name “Harvest Moon” instead. In this case, September’s full Moon would be referred to as the Corn Moon.

This time of year—late summer into early fall—corresponds with the time of harvesting corn in much of the northern United States. For this reason, a number of Native American peoples traditionally used some variation of the name “Corn Moon” to refer to the Moon of either August or September. 

Mabon

Known as: Autumn Equinox, Cornucopia, Witch's Thanksgiving & Alban Elved

Season: Autumn

Element: Air

Symbols: Acorns, apples, autumn leaves, balance, berries, corn, cornucopia( Horn of Plenty), dried seeds, equality, gourds, grains, grapes, ivy, pine cones, pomegranates, vines, wheat, white roses & wine

Colors: Blue, brown, dark red, deep gold, gold, indigo, leaf green, maroon, orange, red, russet. Violet & yellow

Oils/Incense: Apple, apple blossom, benzoin, black pepper, hay/straw, myrrh, passion flower, patchouli, pine, red poppy & sage

Animals: Dog & Wolf

Birds: Goose, hawk, swallow & swan

Stones: Agate, amethyst, carnelian, lapis lazuli, sapphire, yellow Agate & yellow topaz

Food: Apples, blackberries, blackberry wine, breads, carrots, cider, corn, cornbread, grapes, heather wine, nuts, onions, pomegranates, potatoes, squash, vegetables, wheat & wine

Herbs/Plants: Benzoin, bramble, corn, ferns, grains, hops, ivy, milkweed, myrrh, sage sassafras, Salomon's seal, thistle, tobacco & wheat

Flowers:  Aster, heather, honeysuckle, marigold, mums, passion flower, rose

Trees: Aspen, cedar, cypress, hazel, locust, maple, myrtle oak & pine

Goddesses: Danu, Epona, Inanna, Ishtar, Modron, Morgan, The Morrigan, Muses, Pomona, Persephone, Sin, Sophia & Sura

Gods:  Bacchus, Dionysus, Dumuzi, Esus, The Green Man, Hermes, Mannanan, Thor & Thoth

Issues, Intentions & Powers: Accomplishment, agriculture, balance, goals, gratitude & grounding

Spellwork: Balance, harmony, protection, prosperity, security & self-confidence

Activities:

•Scatter offerings in a harvested fields & Offer libations to trees

• Decorate your home and/or altar space for fall

• Bake bread

• Perform a ritual to restore balance and harmony to your life

• Cleanse your home of negative energies

• Pick apples

• Collect fall themed things from nature like acorns, changing leaves, pine cones, ect)

• Have a dinner or feast with your family and/or friends

• Set intentions for the upcoming year

• Purge what is no longer serving you & commit to healthy changes

•Take a walk in the woods

• Enjoy a pumpkin spice latte

• Donate to your local food bank

• Gather dried herbs, plants, seeds & pods

• Learn something new

• Make wine

• Fill a cornucopia

• Brew an apple cinnamon simmer pot

• Create an outdoor Mabon altar

•Adorn burial sites with leaves, acorns, & pinecones to honor those who have passed over & visit their graves

The name Mabon comes from the Welsh/Brythonic God Mabon Ap Modron, who's name means "Divine/great Son", However,there is evidence that the name was adopted in the 1970s for the Autumn Equinox & has nothing to do with this celebration or this time of year.

• Though many cultures see the second harvest (after the first harvest Lughnasadh) & Equinox as a time for giving thanks before the name Mabon was given because this time of year is traditionally when farmers know how well their summer crops did & how well fed their animals have become. This determines whether you & your family would have enough food for the winter.That is why people used to give thanks around this time, thanks for their crops, animals & food

Some believe it celebrates the autumn equinox when Nature is preparing for the winter months. Night & day are of equal legth  & the God's energy & strength are nearly gone. The Goddess begins to mourn the loss she knows is coming, but knows he will return when he is reborn at Yule.

Related festivals:

• Sukkot- Is a Torah-commanded holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals on which Israelites were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. Originally a harvest festival celebrating the autumn harvest, Sukkot’s modern observance is characterized by festive meals in a sukkah, a temporary wood-covered hut, celebrating the Exodus from Egypt.

• Mid-Autumn festival- September 17th

Is also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival. It is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture, similar holidays are celebrated by other cultures in East & Southeast Asia. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture; its popularity is on par with that of Chinese New Year. The history of the Mid-Autumn Festival dates back over 3,000 years.  On this day, it is believed that the Moon is at its brightest and fullest size, coinciding with harvest time in the middle of Autumn.

During the festival, lanterns of all size and shapes – which symbolize beacons that light people's path to prosperity & good fortune – are carried & displayed. Mooncakes, a rich pastry typically filled with sweet-bean, egg yolk, meat or lotus-seed paste, are traditionally eaten during this festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is based on the legend of Chang'e, the Moon goddess in Chinese mythology.

• Thanksgiving- This is a secular holiday which is similar to the cell of Mabon; A day to give thanks for the food & blessings of the previous year. The American Thanksgiving is the last Thursday of November while the Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated in October

• The Oschophoria- Were a set of ancient Greek festival rites held in Athens during the month Pyanepsion (autumn) in honor of Dionysus. The festival may have had both agricultural and initiatory functions.

-Amidst much singing of special songs, two young men dressed in women's clothes would bear branches with grape-clusters attached from Dionysus to the sanctuary of Athena Skiras & a footrace followed in which select ephebes competed.

Ancient sources connect the festival and its rituals to the Athenian hero-king Theseus & specifically to his return from his Cretan adventure. According to that myth, the Cretan princess Ariadne, whom Theseus had abandoned on the island of Naxos while voyaging home, was rescued by an admiring Dionysus; thus the Oschophoria may have honored Ariadne as well. A section of the ancient calendar frieze incorporated into the Byzantine Panagia Gorgoepikoos church in Athens, corresponding to the month Pyanopsion (alternate spelling), has been identified as an illustration of this festival's procession.

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

Wikipedia

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

Encyclopedia britannica

Llewellyn 2024 magical almanac Practical magic for everyday living

[dreaisgrayte]

Demon Slayer Masterlist

❁ = NSFW MDNI

First Kisses with the Hashira

Ideal Weddings with the Hashira

❁Lessons of Lust | Sanemi Shinazugawa and Kyojuro Rengoku x fem!reader

Reader becomes a demon during battle (request)

❁Hot and Tasty | Kyojuro Rengoku

Temptress | Kyojuro Rengoku

Topaz and Garnet Teaser | Prince Kyojuro

❁I See All | Kyojuro Rengoku

Pact | Kyojuro Rengoku

❁ “Just Friends” Full Fic | Kyojuro Rengoku

❁Sub!Kyojuro x fem!reader

❁ReHEARsal | Sanemi Shinazugawa

❁Camp Maple | Sanemi Shinazugawa

Behind me | Gyomei Himejima

Under the Goddess’ Veil Teaser {reworking}

❁Mister Moonlight | Giyu Tomioka

❁Get some ACTION | Giyuu Tomioka’s version

❁Hannya Mist | Giyu Tomioka x demon fem!reader

❁Moonlit Monsters | Muzan x FEM!reader

❁Half Blood | Muzan Kibutsuji x fem!reader

❁Off the Record | Muzan Kibutsuji x fem!reader

❁Fluttering Fluster | Demon Akaza

❁A Secret Technique | Mitsuri Kanroji

❁The Best Friend Bet | Mitsuri and Obanai x Reader

Love Bite | Chapter One

[aventurineswife]

A scenario where the character has to work on a mission with the reader, but turns out, the reader was a spy who ends up betraying them. They get into a heated fight, and the character ends up having the upper hand. Now, they have to kill the reader, and they have the best shot. But they're hesitating, unable to kill them because of all the things they went through. Questioning the reader and demanding if it was all a lie and if they were just a heartless monster. Reader ends up revealing that their time together was real and was readers' feelings for the character. (Veritas, Kaveh, Moze, Aventurine, Kinich, Topaz, and any other character you see fit). (Spy and agent au?).

Between Lies and Longing

Tags: Ratio x Reader, Aventurine x Reader, Moze x Reader, Topaz x Reader, Kinich x Reader, Kaveh x Reader, Betrayal, Espionage, Intrigue, Enemies-to-Lovers (kinda?), Emotional Conflict, Moral Dilemmas, Action, Romance, Tension, Emotional Angst, Unrequited Love, Forbidden Love, Redemption Arc Potential.

Warnings: Betrayal, Violence, Intense Emotional Conflict, Themes of Deception, References to Family Threats and Coercion, Mild Blood and Injury Descriptions, Existential Trust Issues, Emotional Manipulation.

The dimly lit library was silent, save for the sound of hurried footsteps as Ratio sifted through tomes and scrolls. You were by his side, your sharp mind and quick wit a perfect match for his own. Tasked with retrieving classified documents on the Guild’s enemies, you both worked seamlessly, an intellectual symphony of logic and strategy.

As the mission neared its climax, the betrayal unfolded. You revealed your allegiance to the very forces the Intelligentsia Guild sought to destroy, stealing the precious documents.

“Was this your plan all along?” Ratio’s voice was sharp, cutting through the tension like a blade. His fiery eyes—bore into yours. His usually composed demeanor was now fractured, his confidence teetering on disbelief.

The fight that followed was a clash of brilliance and desperation. His movements were precise, his calculations flawless, and it wasn’t long before he had you pinned, his weapon—a sharp ceremonial blade—pressed against your throat.

“You had me fooled,” Ratio hissed, his voice a mix of anger and pain. “Was I just a pawn in your grand scheme? Was everything we shared a lie?”

Your voice wavered. “No, it wasn’t. My mission… it required deception, but you—our time together—was real.”

His grip on the blade faltered. He stared into your eyes, searching for the truth amidst the chaos. “Why should I believe you? You’ve betrayed everything I stand for!”

Tears welled in your eyes as you whispered, “Because despite my orders, I couldn’t bring myself to hurt you. I’ve fought against my feelings for you, but they’re real. I never wanted it to end like this.”

Ratio’s hand trembled as he lowered the blade. He turned away, his mind a storm of conflicting emotions. “I should kill you,” he muttered, more to himself than to you. “You’ve destroyed my trust. But if what you say is true… perhaps ignorance is the real enemy.”

He left you tied, taking the documents back to the Guild. But even as he walked away, his heart was heavier than ever, burdened by the bitter truth that love and betrayal had become intertwined.

The moonlight filtered through the ruins where Moze and you worked together on a covert mission. The air was heavy with anticipation as you infiltrated the enemy stronghold. Moze’s quiet precision was matched by your adaptability, and for once, he allowed himself to trust someone else fully.

When the ambush came, it was devastating. You revealed yourself as the spy, striking at the heart of his mission.

Moze’s voice was cold and quiet, his eyes narrowing. “You…” he whispered, a tremor of anger in his tone. “You were one of them all along.”

The fight was brutal and intimate. His movements were fluid, each attack calculated to disable rather than kill, despite the rage simmering beneath the surface. When he finally cornered you, his blade pressed against your chest, his voice cracked.

“Why?” he demanded, his tone laced with both hurt and fury. “Why betray me? Was I nothing but a means to an end?”

Your chest heaved as you met his gaze, tears streaming down your face. “No,” you said. “I… I never meant to hurt you. It started as a mission, but I—I fell for you, Moze. You have to believe me.”

He hesitated, his grip tightening before loosening again. “You expect me to trust you now?” His voice was barely a whisper, filled with bitterness.

“I don’t expect forgiveness,” you admitted. “But everything I said, everything I felt—it was real. I was ordered to betray you, but I couldn’t bring myself to end it this way.”

For a long moment, Moze was silent. Then, he stepped back, his blade lowering. “You don’t deserve my mercy,” he said, his voice hollow. “But I can’t bring myself to kill you. Not after everything.”

The casino’s lights glittered in the distance as you and Aventurine worked together to infiltrate the IPC’s enemies. His charm and cunning made him a brilliant partner, but his guarded nature had always intrigued you.

When you revealed your betrayal, his reaction was surprisingly calm. He tilted his head, his eyes gleaming. “A spy? I should have known. Still, I didn’t think you’d have the guts to betray me.”

The ensuing fight was a dazzling display of skill and deception. Aventurine danced around your attacks with an almost theatrical flair, his movements fluid and precise. When he finally disarmed you, pinning you against the wall, his voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.

“Tell me, darling,” he said, his tone dripping with venom, “was any of it real? Or were you playing me the whole time?”

“It was real,” you said, your voice breaking. “Every moment with you was real. I never wanted to hurt you, Aventurine. But I had no choice.”

He laughed bitterly, stepping back but keeping his weapon trained on you. “No choice? Everyone has a choice. You just made the wrong one.”

You saw the hesitation in his eyes, the flicker of doubt that betrayed his internal struggle. “Kill me if you must,” you said. “But know that I never lied about how I felt for you.”

He lowered his weapon, shaking his head. “You’re a terrible gambler,” he muttered. “But I’m not about to play executioner tonight. Get out of here before I change my mind.”

The IPC’s debt retrieval mission was in full swing, and you and Topaz were an unstoppable team. Her sharp intellect and unyielding determination were inspiring, and for a time, you forgot about your ulterior motives.

When you revealed your betrayal, she reacted with a mix of shock and fury. “I trusted you,” she said, her voice trembling. “I brought you into my world, and this is how you repay me?”

The fight was intense, her speed and precision matched by your desperation. When she finally subdued you, her weapon—a blade infused with IPC tech—hovered inches from your throat.

“Was it all a lie?” she demanded. “Every laugh, every moment—was any of it real?”

“It was real,” you said, tears streaming down your face. “I didn’t want to betray you, Topaz. I didn’t have a choice.”

Her hand trembled as she held the blade. “You always have a choice,” she said, her voice breaking. “But maybe… maybe I’m not as heartless as you.”

She stepped back, lowering the blade. “Run,” she said. “And don’t ever let me see your face again.”

Yet, when he found the vault empty and your shadow slipping through the exit with the stolen data, everything crumbled.

[Credits to @d-june-y]

The rain poured heavily as Kaveh crouched behind a dilapidated wall in the abandoned warehouse, his eyes scanning for any sign of you. The mission had been simple: infiltrate and retrieve classified intel. Kaveh wasn’t one for espionage, but the higher-ups insisted his expertise in decoding architectural blueprints would be invaluable. And with you, his trusted partner, at his side, he believed this mission would go off without a hitch.

Now, as he cornered you at the edge of a rusted catwalk, the betrayal cut deeper than any blade.

“Why?” Kaveh’s voice cracked as he raised his weapon. His normally soft expression was twisted with anger and disbelief. “Why would you do this? I trusted you—we trusted each other.”

You clutched the flash drive tightly, your breathing uneven. “It’s not what you think, Kaveh—”

“Don’t!” He stepped closer, his gun aimed at your chest. “Don’t lie to me again. Was everything just… a setup? Every moment, every smile—was it all fake?”

Your silence stretched, the tension suffocating. Then, in a sudden move, you lunged. Kaveh reacted instinctively, disarming you with a precision that spoke of your countless training sessions together. He pinned you against the railing, his breath ragged, the barrel of his gun pressed to your temple.

“Tell me it was real,” he demanded, his voice trembling. “Tell me that you weren’t just playing me. Please…”

Tears brimmed in your eyes, and you finally spoke, voice barely above a whisper. “It was real, Kaveh. Every moment we spent together, every laugh, every late-night conversation… all of it. I didn’t want to betray you, but I didn’t have a choice.”

“You always have a choice,” he snapped, though his grip on the gun faltered.

“They have my family,” you admitted, your voice breaking. “If I didn’t do this, they would have killed them. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Kaveh’s breath hitched. The weight of your confession pressed down on him, and for the first time since the chase began, he hesitated. Lowering the gun slightly, he whispered, “Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve helped you. We could’ve figured this out together.”

“Because I couldn’t drag you into this,” you replied, a tear slipping down your cheek. “You’re too good for that… for me.”

Kaveh stepped back, lowering his weapon completely. The storm outside seemed to echo the turmoil in his heart. His shoulders slumped as he whispered, “You don’t get to decide that for me.”

In the silence that followed, Kaveh made his decision. “Take the flash drive,” he said finally, his voice hollow. “Save your family. But when this is over… I’ll be waiting. And you’d better come back to me.”

You stared at him in disbelief, his selflessness cutting deeper than any wound. Gripping the drive tightly, you nodded. “I will.”

Kinich’s eyes locked onto yours as the jungle canopy loomed above. The ambush you had sprung moments ago left him bruised and bleeding, but it was your betrayal that cut the deepest.

As you disappeared into the shadows, Kaveh sank to his knees, the rain mixing with his tears. He didn’t know if he’d ever see you again, but for now, he chose to believe that the connection you shared was more than just a lie.

“Was this your plan all along?” Kinich’s voice was cold, venom laced in every word. “To play the loyal partner, only to stab me in the back when the time came?”

You held your weapon tightly, heart pounding as he circled you like a predator. “Kinich, you don’t understand—”

“Then make me understand,” he interrupted, his tone sharp. “Why would you sell me out to the very people we’ve been fighting against?”

The silence was deafening, save for the rustling of leaves in the wind. When you didn’t respond, Kinich lunged, knocking the weapon from your hands. He pinned you against a tree, his grip ironclad as he glared down at you.

“Answer me,” he demanded, his voice low and dangerous. “Was everything between us a lie? The nights by the fire, the promises—was any of it real?”

You winced at the pain in his voice, the rare vulnerability cracking through his stoic facade. “It was real,” you whispered, your voice trembling. “Every second of it.”

Kinich’s grip faltered for a moment before he tightened it again, his distrust palpable. “Then why betray me?”

“They have something on me,” you admitted, your voice breaking. “My past… my family. If I didn’t deliver you, they would’ve destroyed everything I’ve ever loved.”

“You should have trusted me,” Kinich growled, his tone filled with a mixture of anger and hurt. “We could’ve fought them together.”

“I couldn’t risk it,” you replied, tears streaming down your face. “I couldn’t bear to see you hurt because of me.”

Kinich stared at you for a long moment, his eyes unreadable. Slowly, he released his grip, stepping back as he sheathed his blade.

“You’re a fool,” he said, his voice devoid of its usual edge. “But so am I for letting you get this close.”

You hesitated, unsure if his mercy was genuine or a trap. “Kinich—”

“Go,” he interrupted, his back turned to you. “Get out of here before I change my mind.”

You lingered for a moment, knowing you’d just lost the only person who ever truly understood you. With a heavy heart, you vanished into the jungle, leaving Kinich alone with the weight of your betrayal.

As he watched your shadow disappear, Kinich tightened his fists, vowing that if he ever saw you again, he’d demand more than just answers. He’d demand the truth.

[ickaimp]

[Magic Kaito] Scheduling

It's my birthday, so obviously, there should be fic. 700 words, silliness. +++

Saguru wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing here, other than the fact that it wasn’t a school night. And, well, Kid. Specifically a Kid Heist Notice. Which wasn’t for another three days. A bit larger of a lead time than normal, but Kid hadn’t made an appearance in several weeks, most likely due to it being the end of the school season and this being the first time Kid had a break to do so. But still, Saguru usually arrived later in the process, not for the initial heist note meeting. His presence  was mostly superfluous at them, especially given the straight forward nature of the current note and that Kid wouldn’t be there. “Alright, men!” Nakamori-keibu bellowed and Saguru tried to flinch at the volume. Truely, did everything have time be at high decibel? “Kid has sent us a notice for three days from now at 1800-“

“I really wish he didn’t.” The owner of the large inherited topaz flinched.

Normally gem owners tended to fall into two categories, either having something to hide --usually a fake heist notice-- or attempting to challenge the Kid’s skills. The current target went in a different direction… nervous fussing.  “It’s my daughter’s graduation and I wanted to be there.”

“Oh snap.” A familiar voice said from Saguru’s left and he jumped slightly. “Forgot about graduation. Would you like to reschedule?”

The Kid’s voice came from the officer standing next to Saguru. One who was twice Saguru’s age and whom he’d sworn had gotten checked for being the Kid.

“Oh would you?” The mousy gem owner looked relieved.

Kid stepped forward, the Task Force uniform vanishing with a small poof of smoke, to be replaced by the Kaitou Kid’s familiar white suit, top hat, and cape. “Certainly. When would be a good date for you?”

Kid hopped up on the desk, lightly crouching on it as the gem owner pulled out a paper planner, running his fingers across the pages. “How’s the 19th?”

Kid pulled out a phone, checking his calendar as Nakamori made an irate sound. “I’m booked.” Kid reported. “Can do the 17th or 20th though.”

“I’m out of town the 20th-“

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Nakamori bellowed, his face a violent angry red. Kid clicked his finger and held up a finger in the inspector’s direction, the thief’s gaze on his phone as if Nakamori was the one being unconscionably rude. 

“-I have work most of the 17th.” The gem owner continued. “But the evening is free.”

Kid made a thoughtful sound. “I supposed that would give me enough time-“

“You could check it now.” Saguru suggested. “Since you’re currently both free.”

Both Kid and the gem owner looked up at Saguru with identical looks of polite confusion. Saguru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Not everything needs to be a magic show.”

Kid gasped in outrage, one gloved hand pressed against his chest, clearly offended.

“He’s got a point.” The gem owner gestured to the large stone on his desk. “Help yourself.”

Kid nodded, hopping off the desk, picking up the gem and walking over to the window and holding it up to the moonlight. When nothing happened, he turned back and set the gem back on the desk, offering the owner his gloved hand. “Thank you very much, it was a pleasure doing business with you.”

The gem owner shook his hand. “Likewise.”

Kid turned to the officers and gave them a polite tilt of his hat. “Gentlemen.” He said, then walked out the door.

Saguru pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily as no one moved. 

“-GET HIM!!” Nakamori belatedly bellowed, pointing to the door the thief had just walked out of. That seemed to startle the Task Force and they scrambled to take off running, several getting stuck in the doorway and preventing the others from escaping.

“Well.” Said the gem owner, looking quite chuffed. “That was exciting.” Saguru rubbed his face with a hand, torn between exasperation and amusement, remembering once again why he attended as many Kid heists as possible. He’d been to crime scenes for years and seriously. Stuff like this only happened with the Kaitou Kid. -fin-

[thebenjiblackwoodexpress]

Snow Drop Part. 9

Description: Jacaerys seeks to convince the serving girl he's fallen in love with to be his princess. Y/N teaches Jacaerys the joys of hot chocolate in Dragonstone's kitchen, where secrets of her scarred past are revealed to the Prince.

Writer’s Note: Hey guys, Elizabeth here with an update to my Jacaerys story. Sorry for the long hiatus. I’ve been unwell and unable to write but back on track now, hopefully. There will also be two more parts uploaded in the next two days. Hope you guys enjoy! Dividers by @zaldritzosrose

Warnings: Female reader, mentions of past sexual assault and trauma.

Y/N tentatively handled the tiaras Jacaerys had so thoughtfully procured for her to look at, knowing by now of her fascination with princesses. She had been embarrassed about this at first, but quickly came to consider it as a further sign of his sweetness to her: that he not only indulged her in her interest, specifically reading of Targaryen princesses to her, but also actively encouraged her to view herself as one of their number. As his Princess. Each of the tiaras were more beautiful than she had the words to express and she could never have imagined, as a young girl dreaming of being a Princess, that she would be handling such precious objects. Each one bore an intricate design, encrusted with priceless gems of Ruby, emerald, topaz and quartz, as Jacaerys would explain whenever she asked what each was called. So enamoured with looking into the gems was she, that she did not notice Jacaerys smiling fondly at her, as he leant against a nearby pillar observing her.

One diadem, in particular, caught her attention, its beauty evoking in her a sense of wonder surpassing that of all the previous ones. This one she lifted more tentatively, holding it to the moonlight to observe how it shone through the white gems like distilled starlight. She gasped as the light passed through the gems and she realised that the delicate foiling around them was meant to resemble snowdrops. Her favourite flower. She then noticed the intricate dragon design interwoven throughout the piece, closely resembling Jacaerys' dragon. She looked up at Jacaerys and met his own gaze, intently trained on hers, as if in anticipation of her reaction. She hesitantly questioned, "this is the most beautiful. Are these snowdrops? The gems look just like the petals. And this dragon looks so much like Vermax." As she spoke, Jacaerys smiled knowingly, responding in a teasing voice: "I am glad that my Princess has found a crown to her liking although, of course, she shall have all of them."

Taking slow steps toward her, he took the tiara from her hands, brushing his fingers against hers as he did so, and placed it on her head. As he affectionately tucked a loose lock of hair behind her hair and stroked her cheek, he met her quizzical gaze with his own adoring one. "I hope you do not think it presumptuous, but I designed this one myself. I wanted to show you how much you are woven into mine own heart, my Princess." Her mouth parted in surprise at this. She had not thought that these tiaras were for her; they were entirely too beautiful, too precious.

The thought that Jacaerys had specifically designed this one for her, to resemble her favourite flower, interlocking with the symbol of his House, made her heart almost burst with affection for him. She felt tears welling in her eyes at his thoughtfulness, which caused a look of alarm to alight in Jacaerys' eyes, as he frantically took hold of her elbows in his hands. "What's wrong, my dove. Have I upset you in some manner? I did not mean to rush you, if that is it." Hearing the panicked note in his voice, she quickly silenced him, pulling the fabric of his tunic so that she could reach, as she crashed her lips onto his. As he wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer to him, he lowered his head so she would not have to reach for him, and smiled against her lips as she brought a hand up to toy with his hair. It still warmed his heart that she should like his hair, even find it beautiful, when so many others had viewed it as an impediment. When she finally pulled away, Jacaerys making it a rule never to do so first, they were both breathless and Jacaerys not a little dazed as he struggled to say something witty. He only managed to say, "I take it you liked my gift, then, my Princess" in a breathless voice before she burst out laughing and he smiled in contentment at the sweet sound.

It was late on the next evening, when Y/N made her way back down to the servants' quarters after a long day. She had been particularly busy that day and hadn't found the time to meet Jacaerys at the library. She hoped he wouldn't mind, even if she herself missed him, but she quickly banished the thought. It was silly to think he should miss her after only a short time.

As she rounded the final hallway back to the kitchens, to make herself a hot beverage before bed, she was startled to see Prince Jacaerys casually leaning against a wall, smiling and standing up straight when he saw her approach. She excitedly skipped up to him, grabbing his elbows in her hands as she smiled up at him. "And what brings you down here at such an hour, my Prince". Jacaerys could not stop his heart from stuttering at her appellation, knowing now that she meant to say that he was her Prince. Wanting to feel her touch, he playfully tapped his jaw, before she rolled her eyes and rose on tiptoe to kiss the place he had indicated.

Before she could, however, he quickly turned his head to capture her lips with his, smiling against her lips as he heard her startled squeak, before she raised her palms to steady herself against his chest. When she drew away, breaking the kiss, she swatted his chest playfully. "That was not very Princely". He lowered his head to kiss her jaw, "my apologies, my Princess. I hope you will forgive me." She affectionately patted his jaw, still encircled within his arms as he gazed lovingly down at her. His voice suddenly turning serious, he looked at her intently. "I was concerned when I did not see you today or later in the library. I worried that you were unwell." Her heart stuttering at his concern for her, she pressed her palm to his cheek as he placed his own above her hand to hold it in place and lean into her touch. "It was only that I had many duties to attend to today and did not have the time, nothing more than that." He frowned at that. "I do not like to think of you working so hard that you only return to your own chambers at such an hour. If you would only let me tell my mother of our betrothal and allow me to have you moved to the Royal apartments, I..." she interrupted him once more with a quick peck to his lips. "Not yet, I will tell you when I'm ready," She added in a contrite tone.

He dejectedly nodded his head but took her hand and raised it to his lips, all the same." As you wish, my Princess. Would you at least promise to find me in the library to walk you back, in future. I do not like the thought of you traversing these dark halls alone at such an hour." Nodding at him, she playfully rolled her eyes at his protectiveness, even as her heart secretly skipped a beat at it. "Will you allow me to escort you back to your room now?" He asked hopefully. "I was actually just making my way to the kitchen to make a hot beverage before bed, would you like to join me?" He smiled jubilantly at her suggestion, taking hold of her hand. "Lead the way, Princess" He said, being sure he would follow her anywhere if she asked him to. Interlocking her fingers with his, she dragged him in the way of the kitchen.

Jacaerys smiled at the sight of her hand interlocked with his and affectionately squeezed hers as she led him to the kitchen. This late at night, the fire from the lanterns on the walls cast a golden, ambient glow on the stone walls, creating a warm atmosphere. As Y/N withdrew her hand from Jacaerys', he found himself reflexively reaching his hand out to recapture hers, making her laugh. Seeing his uncharacteristically bashful look, she patted his jaw affectionately and pointed at a nearby chair at the kitchen bench. "Take a seat Jacaerys. I'll make the drinks." Jacaerys obediently sat but was quick to ask her if he could help and was surprised when she laughed again. "That won't be necessary, My Prince." Smirking at her, he teasingly questioned, "and what is so funny, may I ask?" She could not repress her smile as she responded in an equally teasing manner, "only that I highly doubt a Prince would know the first thing about using a kitchen. Have you ever even boiled some water?" Jacaerys had a sheepish expression on his face as he said, "well...not exactly, but I'm sure I could learn and I would be very happy to help. You shouldn't be making me a drink for me after finishing your other duties. Perhaps if you show me how to do it, I can do it for you next time."

Y/N had been fully prepared to tease Jacaerys over his lack of competence in the kitchen, but his sweet offer to learn how to make her favourite drink for her made her walk up to him instead at his perch on a bench, so that she was between his legs, and kiss him. His arms immediately reached out to encircle her waist and pull her toward him. When she broke the kiss, she delighted to note that he had a slight dazed expression on his face. She loved to elicit such a response from kissing him, pleased that he should be as affected by her as she was by him. Rubbing his hands up and down her back, he smiled at her as he questioned, "and what did I do to merit such a response?" She brushed a lock of his hair from his forehead and smiled at him, "You're just sweet." His smile expanded at this, as he pinched her cheek, "not as sweet as you, my Princess."

As he leant down to recaptured her lips, she pressed her forefinger to his lips before skipping away from him, his arms reaching out as if to stop her. She giggled at the pout on his face, "I shall never get my hot chocolate if I allow you to distract me." He smirked at this, saying in a cocky tone, "so you find me distracting, my Princess?" Rolling her eyes, she lifted the saucepan and held it over the stove she had just lit to boil the milk, "only because you are so annoying". She laughed as his pout, which she was sure he didn't realise he did, returned, finding the expression adorable.

As she prepared the hot chocolate, mixing the heated milk and spices of cinnamon, cardamon, and nutmeg in the pot, she caught glimpses of Jacaerys leaning up from his seat to watch her, a look of intense concentration on his face. She tried not to laugh at his evident confusion, most likely thinking she was performing some feat of sorcery. Her heart warmed to see him mouthing the steps of the process as if to commit them to memory for future reference. The thought of the Prince of the Realm making her hot chocolate was at once inexpressibly sweet and funny.

After ladling the warm milk, steeped in chocolate and spices, into two mugs, she made to carry them over to the table where Jacaerys was sitting. No sooner had she reached out to do so then she heard Jacaerys run the short distance from the bench he was perched on to her. Wrapping an arm around her torso, he playfully spun her so that she was behind him, smirking at her surprised expression. Lifting the tray with their drinks on it, and snatching a kiss to her cheek, he began to walk back to the table, inclining his head to indicate that she should follow him. She raised her brow in mock displeasure and placed her hands on her hips, "I am more than capable of lifting two mugs on my own, Jacaerys". Smiling playfully at her, he rejoined, "I would not want my Princess to burn her beautiful hands, not when her Prince can take the burden from her." She blushed furiously at this, not least because she had the hands of a serving maid, rather than a lady, and yet he still found them beautiful. No man had ever been so considerate of her wellbeing and of her feelings...not even when she had believed that one had been.

She shook her head to rid herself of that unwanted thought and instead redirected her gaze to Prince Jacaerys, her Prince, patting the bench next to him to urge her to sit. A smile spread across her face at the sight and she half skipped to sit beside him. As soon as she had sat down, Jacaerys frowned down at the small space she had left between them. Raising his own eyebrow playfully, as she had done before, he wrapped his arm around her torso and pulled her flush against his side. He smiled triumphantly at her as he saw her trying to suppress her own smile and look reproachfully at him. Lowering his head, he pressed his lips to the side of her jaw, whispering against it, "I prefer to keep you this close to me." Pulling away to see her reaction to his teasing, he smiled at the blush on her cheeks as she tried to turn her head away from his gaze. Gently taking hold of his lady's chin between his forefinger and thumb, he turned her face back to his, and stroked her jaw with his thumb. "I would have you be this close to me forever and always, my dove." He lowered his head slowly to press a reverent, lingering kiss to her forehead, before moving back to allow her space to recover herself from his attentions.

A moment later, Y/N interlocked their hands together on the bench and smiled shyly up at him. Quickly shifting his gaze from their interlocked hands to meet his lady's shy gaze, he looked into her eyes with a tender expression, dazed by the sweetness of her affectionate gesture. He squeezed her hand in his, content to feel her delicate hand enclosed within his own, as he raised their hands to rest them against his lap. She smiled at him in response, and he felt his heart stutter at her beauty and the comforting thought that she was pleased by his attentions.

For so long he had been under the painful impression that she would never return his love for her, and that he would be forced to love her in silence. Coughing lightly, Y/N pushed a mug, with her free hand, across the table in Jacaerys’ direction. "Stop looking so pleased with yourself, Jacaerys and try the drink I so carefully made for you." He smirked at her as he replied, "what was that, my dove? I will, of course, be only too pleased to try the drink you so lovingly made for me." He tried to repress a laugh as he watched a look of realisation pass over his lady's features at his emphasis on the word 'lovingly'. His heart swelled with affection for his lady as she adorably swatted his shoulder, "drink the hot chocolate, you knave." His face immediately fell from its previous look of elation at her appellation. Pouting, he grumbled, "what happened to your Prince?" Half hoping she would kiss him for his troubles, he was surprised, but no less pleased, when she lightly took hold of his chin in her hand. Tapping the tip of his nose, she laughed as she told him to "remove the long face. I will give you a kiss if you drink it." His eyes suddenly lit up as he quickly lifted the mug to his lips, burning his tongue in his attempt to claim the proffered reward of his love's affection.

At his slightly pained expression, Y/N brushed her lips against Jacaerys' in the ghost of a kiss, as his eyes fluttered closed in contentment. He little cared if he burned his mouth if the feel of her soft, precious lips on his would be the reward. Drawing away, she tapped his jaw, smiling indulgently at him. "You are a silly boy." A grin spread on his face at her teasing, "I am not sure how well that bodes for the realm, for the Prince to be a 'silly boy'" He sighed, "but If I am to be thought so, it is only on the condition that I am your silly boy." He looked into her eyes intently at this, hoping to convey the seriousness of his meaning behind his eyes, even if his tone was light and teasing.

He really did mean to say that he would be happy to be called any playful insult she had for him, if only to be thought hers. If she would only continue to honour him with her love and trust and to look to him for comfort and protection, both for her person and her heart. He had not realised how long he had been staring at her, as if he couldn't believe she was real, he laughed again and he realised he must look a fool. Coughing lightly he took another sip of the drink to appease her. "It's delicious, you are most skilled." In truth, she could have made him a noxious concoction and he would have said much the same, favouring the drink merely because his lady had been the one to make it with her lovely hands. "I have never had such a drink." Smiling tenderly at him, she sipped her own drink and he nearly became distracted, again, in staring at her lips.

"It's called hot chocolate. My mother used to make it for me on special occasions when we had the money for the chocolate. It was rare but it was all the more special for it. Of course we wouldn't have made it with milk but it was just as nice with hot water. The point was that it was our special thing that we would look forward to doing together. We would take turns coming up with new recipes with the spices we had and it became almost a game to make the best recipe out of what we had." A dreamy expression settled onto Y/N's features as she relayed her childhood memories. "She'd usually save some for my birthday and she'd make me a cup before reading me a story. Those are some of my fondest memories, listening to my mother read me a story by candlelight, burrowed under the blankets. Even now the smell of it reminds me of those times and of her." There's always a steady supply of chocolate here, one of the many perks of serving Queen Rhaenyra." Y/N smiled nonchalantly at Jacaerys when she had finished her story but was surprised to see that his own expression looked almost pained. Before she could ascertain the reason, he carefully raised his knuckle to gently caress the side of her cheek, looking at her with a look of utmost concern. "It is a beautiful memory to have. I would love to have met your mother. I confess that it pains me to think of you suffering any hardships, my dove. I would shield you from any difficulties if could."

She found herself, once again, stunned by his consideration for her feelings and her past struggles. Even now he stared into her eyes with his warm brown ones, as if he wanted to protect her from all the evils of the world....even one so little as an absence of hot chocolate. That last thought made her laugh again, which caused Jacaerys to frown, not understanding the cause. He asked his next question in a tentative voice, as if fearful of her answer, "do not you believe me, my love?". She patted his chest affectionately, smiling as she responded, "it is only the thought of you defending me from a shortage of hot chocolate that makes me laugh." His eyes lit up mischievously and he smirked as he responded in a teasing tone. "I hope my lady will take my genuine concern for her hot chocolate needs more seriously. I shall have a shipment of chocolate brought in from the Gullet if it shall please my Princess. If I have to sack King's Landing for a steady supply, I will have no hesitation." He rejoiced as his Princess broke out into laughter at this, delighted to have elicited such a sweet sound from her, even if he was only half joking. He would have to see the kitchens had a steady supply of the drink for his lady and he would learn to make it himself, so that he could surprise her.

The Prince and his love talked late into the night, as the guttering candles along the walls attested to. Jacaerys paid little heed to the passage of time, engrossed in anything that his lady had to say, no matter the topic. His fascination with her far exceeded her own in even Princes and dragons, viewing her as by far the most wonderful being in existence.

One thought did keep clawing its way to the surface of his mind: What was the cause for his lady's continual evasions of his requests to announce their betrothal? He sought to understand what could be the cause of her delays and if he could remedy any concerns she might have. He could not but worry that it was her difficulty trusting in him that was the cause...that she had changed her mind about him. Resolving to uncover the cause without further delay, he took a deep breath as he prepared for her answer. "What is it that leads you to delay our marriage, my dove? Is it something I can remedy or...is it" He stuttered, "is it me that is is the problem? Do you not yet trust in the depths of my love for you?" She looked momentarily stunned at his directness, having hoped to evade this question for longer, she began looking frantically anywhere but his eyes. Jacaerys once again brought his hand up to gently cup her cheek and turn her face back to meet his own gaze. "Please answer me, my love. I am in agony fearing that it is your distrust in myself which causes this delay. If it is so, tell me what I can do to prove my love for you." He looked at her with so much sincerity and genuine concern in his eyes that she felt she could no longer conceal the real reason for her delay. Whilst she loved Jacaerys and could think of no greater happiness than marrying him, she was also painfully aware of her having felt the same way about another man who had betrayed her trust.

She could not completely erase the fear from her mind that Jacaerys would do the same. She realised that she would have to be completely honest with him if he were to fully allay her fears. She took a deep breath, as she prepared to reveal the cause of her delays and risk his potential rejection. "I wish to tell you something which should go some way to explaining my hesitation. But it may also change your opinion of me. You may not wish to marry me when you hear it. She spoke in a quiet, tentative voice, which expressed her concern that he would be displeased with her. Hearing her dejected tone, Jacaerys took hold of both of her hands in his, cradling them in his lap, as he urged her to continue. Gazing intently into her eyes, hoping to convey the intensity of his love for her in them, he spoke in a resolute tone: "I can already assure you, my sweet, that nothing could ever shake my most earnest desire to marry you. You are and shall remain the Princess of my heart, even should you decide, yourself, to cast me aside." Not fully convinced by this, but nonetheless comforted by his assurance, Y/N continued. "When I was younger, I fell in love with another man. He, too, told me he loved me and made a proposal of marriage. I was foolish enough then to believe in the honesty of his intentions, blinded by my love for him. I was made all too aware of his intentions, however, when...."

Seeing his lady hesitate, intaking a sharp breath and wincing at the memory, he squeezed her hands gently, hesitant to initiate any more intimate embrace as he began to understand what she wished to tell him. He struggled to contain his own anger with the man who had harmed his love, forcing himself to remain outwardly calm, so as not to further alarm her or make her believe herself to be the cause of his ire. Instead, he merely waited patiently for her to continue. "When he tried to force himself on me when I refused to give him what he wanted. I was fortunate that one of the servants boys came across us when they did and intervened. The thought of what could have happened still terrified and haunts me. I had known this man since I was a girl, believing him in earnest when he said that he loved me and wanted to marry me. I am not so naive as to believe every man's promise now. Whilst I do love you Jacaerys and really wish to be your wife, I cannot deny that I still fear that you will change in your manner towards me...that you will betray me in some way or another and that I will have been a fool again. It is hard to give another my trust fully when it was so cruelly trampled the first time."

As she finished speaking, he felt his heart string tugged painfully as he saw her lip tremble and her eyes brim with tears, as if she was trying her best not to fall apart in front of him. Her words had pained him inexpressibly, and he found himself struggling to choke back his own tears at the agonising thought of his love having suffered so much pain. He also fought to suppress his rage at the man who had dared to harm both his lady's heart and person. He could not fathom how anyone could harm one so precious and delicate. Jacaerys inwardly resolved that he would find this man, no matter where he was in the Seven Kingdoms, and he would kill him. He quickly filed this thought away, however. His main concern now, and always, would always be his lady. She needed him now. He knew he would have to approach comforting her delicately, in order to make her feel safe after revealing such a traumatic memory. Speaking in a gentle, cautious tone as if she were a startled deer, he asked, 'may I hold you?" He was relieved when she merely nodded before leaning her head forward to rest on his shoulder, and he carefully brought his arms up to hold her protectively to him, one hand caressing her head as he encircled his other arm around her waist. He rubbed his hand up and down her spine as he whispered soft assurances against her hair. "Hush now, my dove. I am here. Thank you for telling me, my brave girl, I understand now. Please believe me when I make you my solemn promise that I will never allow anyone to harm you again."

He held her tighter to him in a protective embrace, wishing he could take her pain from her and make it his own, as she whimpered into his shoulder. Whilst he would not reveal the full extent of his anger towards the villain who had not only assaulted his love, but had also made her feel as if she were to blame. His chest constricted in pain at his dove's admission that she even feared that he would place blame on her. Breathing shakily, he drew back slightly from their embrace to hold Y/N's face in both his hands, looking seriously into her eyes so that she would understand he meant every word he said. "I wish you to understand that none of what happened was your fault. It pains me to think that you would fear any judgement from me on that account, but I understand your feelings. The craven scoundrel who attacked you is solely to blame and you, my dove, are most brave for telling me something, which I know must have been only too painful to recount."

Seeing that her breathing was becoming calmer, as she looked into his eyes, he continued, stroking small circles on her jaw with his thumbs. "I am honoured by the trust you have placed in me in telling me this. I understand, now, your hesitation to trust fully in my love, knowing how cruelly your precious love has been abused in the past. I can only hope that you will allow me to prove in any way you will allow me to that my love and respect for you will never waver." As he finished speaking, only hoping that she would believe in the ardency of his love and respect for her, he was relieved when she buried her head in his chest. Responding immediately to her need for comfort from him, hating to see her cry and desiring only to make her feel safe and protected, he wrapped his arms more securely around her, cradling her head in his hand. As he continued to hold her to him and whisper soft assurances that she was safe in his arms, Jacaerys mentally vowed to protect his precious love from any harm and to personally despatch the man who had dared to harm her.

[inthedayswhenlandswerefew]

Comet Donati [Chapter 1: History]

Series Summary: Sex, drugs, boy bands. You are a kinda-therapist recruited (via nepotism) to help Comet Donati through a recent crisis. Things are casual with Aegon, very not-casual with Aemond. Loosely inspired by One Direction.

Chapter Warnings: Language, references to sexual content (18+) and drugs, alcohol, smoking, astronomy, mental health struggles, Missouri.

Selected Chapter Quote: “You’re gonna love Aemond. He’s so fucked up. He’s like Disney World for therapists.”

Word count: 4.1k.

Link to chapter list (and all my writing): HERE.

* * * I’m going to tag like a bazillion people since this is the first chapter of a new fic, but I WILL NOT TAG YOU AGAIN unless you ask me to. I hope you are all doing well, wherever you are in the world. 🥰😘 * * *

@borikenlove​ @myspotofcraziness​ @teenagecriminalmastermind​ @quartzs-posts​ @tclegane​ @poohxlove​ @narwhal-swimmingintheocean​ @chainsawsangel​ @itsabby15​ @padfooteyes​ @arcielee​ @travelingmypassion​ @what-is-originality​ @burningcoffeetimetravel​ @randomdragonfires​ @aemcndtargaryen​ @jvpit3rs​ @sarcastic-halfling-princess​ @flowerpotmage​ @ladylannisterxo​ @thelittleswanao3​ @libroparaiso​ @tinykryptonitewerewolf​ @girlwith-thepearlearring​ @minttea07​ @trifoliumviridi​ @deltamoon666​ @mariahossain​ @darkenchantress​ @doingfondue​ @atherverybest​ @namelesslosers​ @skythighs​ @moonlightfoxx​ @partypoison00​ @bellameshipper​ @coffedraven​ @greenowlfactif​ @catalina-howard​ @babyblue711​ @marvelescvpe​ @heimtathurs​ @ammo23​

Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future chapters! 💜

“You are a professional,” you tell your reflection threateningly, like it owes you money. Your hair is painstakingly tidy, your makeup neat, subdued, businesslike. You are wearing a black blazer, a white blouse, and Cookie Monster pajama pants. You are in your one-bedroom apartment in Kansas City, Missouri: grey, thunderous, humid as hell, June raindrops on the windows. “You have a master’s degree and hundreds of clinical hours and you are not afraid of clients. Not at all! Not even a little bit!”

You check your phone. 2:55 p.m.

“Oh God,” you whine to the checkered tiles of the bathroom floor, to the floral wallpaper. You clutch the cold porcelain of the sink: rose-pink, 1950s, diners and Thunderbirds, housewives and Valium. “Oh my God. Oh my God. I can’t do this. Oh my God.”

But there is no escape! You hurry, sweating profusely, to your laptop. You start the Zoom meeting and wait for your client to arrive, chewing your thumbnail until it bleeds, a scarlet semicircle of dull warm pain, a crescent moon like spilled merlot. You glance at your notepad again. David Mills, 25, married, anxiety upon relocating to a new city and beginning employment there.

Wait.

You confirm with a quick Google search in a new tab. David Mills was the protagonist in Se7en.

You sit back in your swivel chair, eyes narrowed with suspicion. The blue-white luminance of the screen glows on your face like moonlight. Your client is either a coincidence or a liar.

So what? People lie. People lie about therapy especially. So he wants some anonymity. Big deal.

“Strange,” you murmur to yourself.

You have no further opportunity to mull it over. A gratingly cheerful ding announces your client’s arrival in the Zoom meeting waiting room. No avatar, name still listed as David Mills.

“Okay. Okay. It’s fine. Here we go.”

You shake the tremors out of your hands and admit him. He pops onto the screen like a bloom of ironweed, like fireworks on the Fourth of July. It’s nighttime wherever he is. The background is dark and indistinct, shadowy; lamplight cascades across his face, topaz and fool’s gold. You are startled to realize that you already know him. And his name is definitely not David Mills.

“…Aegon?!”

He grins, sly and cocky but never cruel. “Hey.”

“Aegon Targaryen??!!”

“That’s me!” he concurs brightly. “What’s up, Stargirl?”

And instantly, you are transported back to almost exactly one year ago: a rooftop bar downtown, neon signs coiled in shades of violet and rhodonite and sapphire, night wind, constellations, ice clinking in misty glasses, locks of his hair skating between your fingers, the sting of his teeth on your throat, the Weeknd. “Hey,” you say softly. And then again, with more enthusiasm: “Hey! I saw you on Good Morning America last week!”

“Yeah? Was I good?”

“Jace was good. You were slightly offkey.”

“Aw shit. I usually am.”

“That’s okay. You’re the hot loser, right? That’s your character?”

“That’s me, baby. That’s why it works so well.”

It’s impossible: time has passed, thousands of miles have opened up between you, and yet it’s like he’s right here in the room, he never arrived, he never left, he’s always been here for life to grow up around like the framework of a house, a trellis, a skeleton. “How did you find me?”

“I couldn’t remember your name, but I figured you must have finished school by now. So I Googled therapists in Kansas City. Do you know how many there are?”

“500,” you guess.

“712,” Aegon says. “At least, that’s how many I scrolled through before I found your photo.”

“Wow.” You’re smiling; you can’t take your eyes off him. A lot of girls have that problem. That’s why he’s worth $100 million. “Couldn’t remember my name, huh? I guess I didn’t make much of an impression.”

He chuckles, a little bashfully, sweeping his blond hair off his face. “No. No, you definitely made an impression.”

So did he. In the downstairs bathroom of the bar, tucked beneath a staircase, stark white florescent lights and red walls, lip biting and ripped seams on your dress. He’d finished in approximately thirty seconds—which, oddly, felt more like a compliment than anything else—and then promptly snapped off the condom, dropped to his knees, and went down on you until you came not once but twice, a rarity for you. But that wasn’t the best part. Afterwards you’d gone back up to the roof together, sat in a quiet corner booth until the bar closed, talked about anything and everything with your bodies folded unconsciously into each other, origami, blended watercolors, whispers and murmurs, your palm on his thigh, his fingertips ghosting the underside of your wrist.

“So,” Aegon says through the laptop screen. “Are you, like, kind of unemployed currently?”

“No,” you reply, palpably defensive. Embarrassing! “I’m clearly working right now. You literally made a virtual appointment with me. I’m just…getting my practice off the ground.”

“Yeah but you seem lowkey unemployed.”

“You are so fucking rude.” But you’re laughing.

“I’m just saying, you had a lot of appointment times available. A lot.”

“I’m recruiting clients!” you exclaim. “I’m not like you. I can’t simulate sex with microphone stands to sell tickets.”

“That was one time!”

You smirk at him, eyebrows raised.

“That was…four times. That I recall.”

“I’m a professional. A serious, grown-up, certified professional.”

“You’re a glorified hobo, admit it.”

“You’re a dollar store Harry Styles.”

“Fuck,” he sighs, clutching his chest. “Okay you win.”

“Why did you do this? Why did you track me down in order to make some fraudulent therapy appointment?”

Now Aegon is something you’ve never seen from him before. He’s nervous. “I, uh…I need your help.”

“Really?”

“Well, not me specifically,” he amends. “We need your help. Comet does.”

Comet. What he means—what screaming fans all over the world mean when they drop this name in Reddit threads or Twitter hashtags or Tumblr gifsets—is the boy band Comet Donati. Three albums, five members: Aegon, Jace, Luke, Cregan, Daeron. The lineup has changed recently. Everyone knows why. “Help with what?”

“I mean…I’m sure you heard about what happened.”

“Yeah,” you say, somber now. Six months ago a piece of rigging collapsed during soundcheck at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. It hit Aemond, costing him six inches of flesh on the left side of his face, his sight in one eye, and his position as the undisputed, archetypal fearless leader of Comet. The celebrity gossip sites had reported that he was taking time off to recover, and then that his younger brother Daeron would be filling in for him at a few shows, and then suddenly Daeron was the fifth member of the band, and everyone was so charmed by his distinctly buoyant, sunshine-and-rainbows quality that Aemond faded from the discourse almost entirely, a ghost, a phantom, an antiquated word like telegraph or courtship or laudanum.

“So things are different now,” Aegon continues. “Things are…not always easy. And I think it might be a good idea to have you around.”

“Look, I’m not…like…” How can you put this? It’s something you have difficulty admitting out loud. “I’m not a real therapist, you know? You’re right, Aegon. I’m basically unemployed. I’m fresh out of my master’s program, I don’t have anywhere near the kind of experience that someone would need to adequately help Comet. So, maybe I could recommend some people to you, but other than that I don’t think I can—”

“It has to be you,” Aegon says.

You shake your head, gazing through the screen at him, through the space and the time. “Why?”

“When Comet performed in Kansas City…when we met at the bar that night…” He is hushed, meditative. “I don’t really remember what we talked about. But I remember exactly how you made me feel.” He smiles, the sort of smile you didn’t know he had in him: soft, pure, nostalgic, without edges. “I think Aemond could use some of that.”

The walls fall down around you, this apartment, this city, this life. “Where are you right now?”

“Capri.”

“Where?”

“Capri,” he says again, amused. “But we’ll be in Rome tomorrow. You can meet us there.”

“In Rome,” you repeat, like it’s Mars or one of Jupiter’s moons.

“Catch the next flight out. The band can reimburse you. We’ll get you a contract of some sort. Nothing too long-term, so you won’t be locked in or anything. A few months. Then we can reassess.”

“Okay, but…I don’t feel comfortable serving as an official therapist to you or anyone else in Comet, Aegon. The circumstances are less than orthodox. And not just because of the…um…bar bathroom situation.”

“Fine, whatever.” He’s high on the victory; the details don’t matter so much.

“Okay,” you say. And then again, giggling wildly at the ludicrousness of it all: “Okay! I guess I’ll see you in Rome tomorrow!”

“Cool. Let me give you my WhatsApp.” You exchange information, and then he grins at you, crafty and radiant through the screen. “You’re gonna love Aemond. He’s so fucked up. He’s like Disney World for therapists.”

“We’ll see,” you reply distractedly, already opening Expedia in a new tab.

~~~~~~~~~~

The Midwest, the East Coast, the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, Southern Europe, green to blue and then green again as the plane descends into the Leonardo da Vinci Airport of Rome. You roll your single carry-on bag through the corridors, peering out the windows at cloudless cerulean skies and towering stone pines. Aegon meets you at the bottom of an escalator. He’s wearing cargo shorts, a neon green tank top, and matching Crocs. He’s slightly chubbier than you remember, just as beautiful, just as chaotically charismatic, the sun made flesh. He’s standing with a man you don’t recognize.

“Benvenuta, bella!” Aegon proclaims, nearly tackling you with a hug before taking your bag. He smells like beer, sunscreen, Axe body spray, summer air that unfurls warm and golden in the lungs.

“Oh, thank God,” the other man—possibly Italian, definitely gorgeous—exhales with great relief. “Aegon said he needed to meet someone at the airport and I was 90% sure that you would be a drug dealer. But you do not look like a drug dealer. You’re not a…are you a…?”

“No, I’m definitely not a drug dealer.”

“Okay. Great. Hello.” He extends a hand, tan and muscley. “I’m Criston, I’m the tour manager. It is my job to keep everyone alive and uninjured.”

“Four out of five isn’t bad,” Aegon says. And then, when Criston is clearly distressed by it: “Uh, anyway, there’s an Escalade waiting outside.”

The SUV is massive and black with tinted windows. As you follow Aegon into the backseat, several paparazzi appear on the sidewalk and begin snapping photos, calling out to you and expelling rapid-fire white flashes like lightning. Aegon ignores them. You’ve been travelling all day, and the sun is setting now in Rome. The sky is the color of embers, autumn leaves, Saturn. Criston climbs into the passenger seat and gives instructions to the driver. The Escalade wheels out of Arrivals, paparazzi sprinting down the sidewalk after it to take a few final pictures.

“So,” Aegon says, smiling. He pops open the mini fridge and hands you an ice-cold can of San Pellegrino. “Do you have a boyfriend back in Kansas? Or, maybe, boyfriends?”

“Missouri,” you correct him automatically. “And no. None worth mentioning.” A guy you’ve had lunch with twice, a guy you made out with at an Olive Garden, a guy you hooked up with back at UChicago who you’re still texting, guys who flit in and out of your mind like birds through the sky, impermanent, inconsequential.

“You still on the pill?”

“Yes.” You’re not offended. Aegon is teasing, and so are you. It occurs to you that talking to Aegon is a bit like talking to yourself; there are no awkward lulls, and he rarely says anything that shocks you. “But that’s not why I came to Rome.”

“That’s fine. That’s not why I invited you.”

As the Escalade zooms by iconic landmarks—the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, the Piazza del Popolo—you ask Aegon about them. He has no idea; he makes things up instead.

“That’s the duck waterpark,” he says as you pass a fountain that’s over 1,000 years old. Then he points to a naked statue of an extremely buff Mercury. “That’s me before I started eating carbs again.” His only snippet of accurate trivia comes as you drive by the twilight-lit Colosseum. “Holy shit, that’s where Taylor Swift made out with Tom Hiddleston!”

“Surely more important things have happened there at some point in the past two millennia.”

“I doubt it,” Aegon replies, frowning out the Escalade window, taciturn. “I wish I got to make out with Taylor Swift in the Colosseum.”

Comet Donati is staying at the Anantara Palazzo Naiadi Rome Hotel, which closely resembles a palace. When the Escalade stops at the front doors, you drag your luggage out onto the cobblestones.

“No no no,” Criston says, grabbing the rolling suitcase from you. He gives it to a white-gloved butler along with a room number and then escorts you and Aegon to the top floor. It’s not until the three of you are in the elevator that you realize you are still wearing your highly unsophisticated travel-day attire: yoga pants, flip flops, a tie-dye hoodie with Louis Tomlinson’s face on it that you purchased from Etsy last winter. Aegon catches you scrutinizing your reflection in the mirrors that line the inside of the elevator.

“Traitor,” he says with a grin, massaging your shoulders. His eyes lock with yours in the mirror. His touch is—just as it was a year ago at that bar in Kansas City when you were home from school on break and he was a transient visitor, fleeting like a rainstorm—familiar somehow, pleasant and comforting but not profound, welcome without being necessary.

“Don’t hate him ‘cause you ain’t him. When was the last time you wrote a #1 hit single?”

“Never,” Aegon readily admits. “Although I got into the Top 5 in Norway once.” No, everyone knows that Aemond was Comet’s Louis Tomlinson: their best songwriter, their relatively unproblematic and grounded team captain, their protector, their compass. And now he has no official place in the band at all.

When the elevator doors open, Criston leads you and Aegon down the hallway to a bustling suite. Inside there are white leather couches and gold-colored lounge chairs, a bar, a staircase that leads up to the loft bedroom, people wandering in and out of air that is hazy with whispers and cigarette smoke. There are men in suits, women in short tight dresses, leather and velvet and sequins. You are woefully underdressed. Fortunately, so is Aegon. He is greeted with a dizzying array of cheers, waves, and toasts. Someone shoves an emerald green bottle of Peroni into his grasp. Kesha’s Your Love Is My Drug is vibrating through the speakers mounted on the wall: “What you’ve got, boy, is hard to find, I think about it all the time…”

“Hey, hey, listen up!” Aegon shouts, stepping on top of an ottoman, and the chatter lowers in volume like a radio being turned down.

You scan the smokey room until you’ve located all five current Comet Donati members: Aegon the disaster playboy, Luke the sensitive and kindhearted one, Daeron the energetic ray of sunshine, Jace the heir apparent in the power vacuum created by Aemond’s departure, Cregan the brooding, mysterious, sexy Northern Englishman. You know them, and yet you don’t. You know the characters they play, their reputations, their public personas…but that doesn’t mean you know them. Aegon is the only man you spoke to at the rooftop bar that night in Kansas City a year ago. So far, the mythical version of him seems quite consistent with reality.

Cregan is slumped at one end of the couch by the window and knocking back shots of what appears to be straight vodka. In the night sky beyond the glass, you can see stars and the illuminated Rome skyline: modern skyscrapers, ancient rubble. At the other end of the couch is Aemond. He’s smoking, drinking something iced and bloody pink, hunched over with his elbows on his knees, all in black like he’s trying to disappear. His left eye, the blind one, is an ethereal cloudy blue that reminds you of renderings you’ve seen of Neptune, Uranus, exoplanets, the Earth from space. He glances up at you and holds your gaze for just a few seconds too long. Then he looks away, bewildered, taking a drag off his cigarette.

Aegon introduces you to the room as you stand beside the ottoman, awkward and ashamed in your Louis Tomlinson hoodie. “She’s a friend,” Aegon says. “And she’s also a therapist.”

“Good, you need one!” Jace shouts through cupped hands, and there are tipsy titters and guffaws.

“Not for me,” Aegon snaps. “For you deranged bitches.”

As Aegon descends from the ottoman—klutzily, stumbling, clutching onto Criston like a baby lemur to its mother—Luke approaches to present himself. He has a mess of dark curly hair that falls over his face and large, honest eyes. There’s a black spiral notebook and a white gel pen in his left hand. He offers you his right. “Hi! I’m Luke Velaryon.”

“Yeah, I know. I spend a lot of time on Comet’s Spotify page.”

He groans. “I look so bad in that header photo.”

“I don’t think so.”

“It’s the nose. I have a pug nose. The label has been trying to convince me to get it fixed for years.” He turns to a girl who is practically hiding behind him: arrestingly beautiful in a fragile sort of way, gentle like a doe. “Maybe you can help Rhaena talk to people.”

“I have social anxiety,” she explains apologetically. Her voice is very quiet yet lyrical. There are weights tied to her confession, years of shame and despair. Luke throws an arm across her shoulders and hugs her to him, touching his forehead briefly to hers.

“That’s okay.” You give Rhaena a reassuring smile. “It’s super common, and there are a lot of strategies you can try that might make it more manageable.”

“It wasn’t a big deal at first, you know?” Rhaena says. It comes out in a rush like water through a cracked dam. Luke looks astonished but pleased. You have been known to have this effect upon people, a compulsive sort of disclosure that drains, empties, unburdens. Aegon is watching from several feet away, beaming between swigs of Peroni. “Luke and I met before he got famous and we could just hang out around the neighborhood. Ice cream, public parks, Pret a Manger, riding the Tube together. But now…now he’s always meeting new people and there are all these events I’m supposed to go to with him, and I can’t sleep properly for days leading up to each one, and half the time I end up hiding in the bathroom or being too nauseous to eat anything, and…”

Jace is at the bar and slurping a vesper: shoulder-length curls, flashy blazer with nothing underneath it, a contemplative appraisal of you. There’s a stunning girl sitting beside him that he’s not listening to.

As you are explaining the potential benefits of exposure therapy to Rhaena and Luke, Daeron bursts through the crowd to greet you. He’s their Niall Horan: warm, uncomplicated, disarmingly friendly, beachy blond hair, a golden retriever on two legs. He hugs you—spiritedly, like Aegon did—and then compliments your flip flops.

“So you’re our new therapist?” Daeron says eagerly, like this is something he knows they’ve needed.

“Well, I’m a therapist, but I’m not really your therapist. Because I can’t hang out with you guys all the time and also be your therapist. It’s unethical. But Aegon thought I might have some good ideas, I guess. In a strictly unofficial capacity.”

“Okay! Cool! And you and Aegon are…friends?”

“Um…yeah. Sort of.”

“Remember that show in Kansas City last summer?” Aegon tells Daeron. He’s supernaturally gifted at making everything sound blissfully casual, like there couldn’t possibly be more to the story. “I met her at the bar we went to afterwards.”

“Totally,” Daeron says. “Great city. Awesome barbeque.”

Criston asks him: “So, uh, how’s your mom doing?”

Daeron is puzzled. “Fine…?”

“Criston, please stop asking about my mom,” Aegon says. “It’s getting weird. It’s been weird. It was weird four years ago and it’s weird now. She has a husband.”

“Yeah, but is that…you know…is that still going well?”

“Yes, Criston.”

“Fantastic,” Criston mutters, pouring himself a Scotch. He uses the glass to gesture to you. “So what the hell am I supposed to bill her as? Aegon’s friend?”

“She’s a…” Aegon considers this, waving his Peroni around in the air. “Human resources mental health consultant.”

“She’s a what?”

“She helps resolve both intra and interpersonal conflict.”

“That sounds imaginary.”

“Well then you figure something out!” Aegon says, exasperated. “Isn’t this what you get paid for? To make problems go away? To keep us happy? To stop us from killing each other? You figure it out.” He saunters off to grace the drunken masses with his presence. Criston sighs and goes to stand by the wall with a herd of stone-faced businessmen in suits, record label guys, guys who only know how to see the world in terms of contract clauses and account balances.

Rhaena goes to stand by Jace’s companion, who—as you conjure up vague recollections of celebrity gossip sites—is named something like Bella or Bailey. Daeron is commandeered by a gaggle of adoring Italian women. Luke is showing Aemond something in his notebook: black pages, sparkly white ink. Aemond is nodding and giving critique, not that saccharine, generic, brainless kind of praise but authentic encouragement: try to think of a more specific word here, move that line up to the first verse, I love the use of this metaphor. Aemond’s voice dredges up memories you didn’t know you had of him on talk shows, in YouTube compilations, in songs you’ve been streaming on Spotify for years. Smoke drifts from his lips. Ice jangles in his organ-pink cocktail. And again, he looks up at you, inhaling poison as Luke makes his opal-ink edits.

“What’s that drink called?” you ask the bartender, and he squints across the room to where Aemond is seated on the snow-colored leather couch to discern it.

“A Bramble,” he says. “It’s named after blackberry bushes.”

“Can I get one?”

“Sure.”

You procure your drink and when Luke leaves the couch, you whizz past him like a meteor as you walk towards it.

“Hey,” Cregan flings impassively, not knowing why you’re here, not caring either.

“Hey,” you return.

And then you sit down next to Aemond, deliberately on his blind side. He glances over at you, his brow crinkling with confusion. Because—surely, undoubtedly—no one ever speaks about his injury, but it’s veined through everything they do, it’s a perpetual undercurrent that steers his life and yet cannot be voiced without breaching those vigilantly constructed levees of propriety. It’s the elephant in every room. It’s a ghost rattling doorknobs and tapping on windows. And sometimes the only way to free yourself of something is to throw the cage door wide open and set it loose.

“I accidentally wore your competitor’s merch,” you say. “I didn’t want you to have a good view.”

Aemond laughs, and the strangest thing happens: everyone in the room turns to look. On their faces are expressions of shock, bafflement, relief, wonder. Aemond shifts so he’s facing you, one elbow propped on the back of the couch. He sips the Bramble in his right hand, puffs on the cigarette in his left. And there it is, what people like to call a spark, but it’s something deeper than that: organic chemistry, neurotransmitter plumes, wells of marrow that sing to each other from beneath the darkness.

You nod to his cigarette, Benson & Hedges according to the shimmery gold pack that lays open on the glass coffee table. “You think that makes you cool?”

“I know it does,” he says. His gaze flicks down to your Louis Tomlinson hoodie…or what’s under it, perhaps. “Wouldn’t work on you though. Too far gone.”

You hold out your hand. After a few seconds, Aemond passes you his cigarette. You—very stoically, very nonchalantly—take a single drag and then erupt into a coughing fit, eyes watering, lungs gasping, surrendering the cigarette emphatically. Humiliating! Irredeemable!

“Told you,” Aemond notes. But he’s rubbing your back with a hand that is large and strong and yet careful. You smile at him. Aemond smiles too.

Criston pulls one of the suit guys aside and says: “Get her on the payroll.”

[vodika-vibes]

if you don't mind, could I have topaz with crosshair in the summer please? ❤️

Enjoy The Show

Summary: Crosshair doesn't get to spend much time together with his kitten, what with the Empire hounding his every step, and having to go on missions for the Rebellion. But every now and then he makes it his mission to spend time with you.

Pairing: TBB Crosshair x F!Reader

Word Count: 548

Prompt: Topaz - Affectionate Love

Warnings: None

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: So, this is based in the AU that I'm half building where the situation in TBB is switched. So, Crosshair's chip never activated but the others did. Crosshair was forced to join the Rebellion in a desperate attempt to protect Omega.

The summer air is thick with humidity and the crowds of people moving around Crosshair hum with an excitement that feels inappropriate with the state of the galaxy.

His Kitten tells him that people need things to celebrate, or else they would fall into despair, and he knows that she’s probably right. She usually is about these things.

And while Crosshair would, usually, never dare to step foot on Naboo —it’s common knowledge that Vader watches this planet like a hawk— today is different.

Today is Queen’s Day.

And no one cares about one silver haired clone…or, more importantly, the woman he’s here to meet up with. 

Crosshair drops some credits at a food stall, ordering two pita sandwiches, and then follows the crowd of people for a time, before he veers off towards the lake. 

And…there. Sitting on the dock, her feet dipped in the water, her head tilted backwards to focus her gaze on the darkening sky. “Am I late?” Crosshair asks as he steps on the dock.

Her head tilts backwards, and she beams at him, “Not at all. I got here early.” Crosshair walks over to her and sits on the dock next to her, close enough that he’s pressed against her side.

“Not too early, I hope?”

“Hm.” Her smile is warm and fond, and Crosshair feels a surge of affection, “I spent the majority of the day with my family, Cross. No need to fret.” She takes the sandwich that he offered her, and then leans her head against his shoulder, “I’m glad you could make it.”

“As if I would miss a date with you.”

She laughs softly, and rubs her cheek against his shoulder. Crosshair flashes her a small smile and hooks his arm around her waist, pulling her into a tight side hug.

There are a lot of things that need to be said. Offers that need to be made. It’s only a matter of time before people start to realize that she’s the Rebellion’s inside person on Naboo, and Crosshair wants her safe before anyone figures it out.

But those are all conversations for later.

“Are we going to be able to see the fireworks from here?” Crosshair asks.

She nods, “Yeah, I think it’s the best location. No one comes here to watch them, they’d rather climb up to the roofs of the buildings.” She makes a face, “So it’s quiet. Private.”

“You just wanted to get me alone.” Crosshair teases.

She tilts her head to look at him, her smile soft and warm, “Well. You’re not wrong.”

Crosshair keeps his gaze locked with her as the first of the fireworks shoots up to the sky. Red and blue blossom across the dark sky, taking the form of intricate blossoms.

But he can’t tear his gaze off of her. 

Off the way she looks under the moonlight.

Off the way the fireworks reflect in her gaze.

Crosshair’s hand comes up to cup to her face, and he leans in to press his lips, gently, against hers.

He feels her sigh into the kiss, and he feels her relax against him as she allows him to control the intensity of the kiss, and Crosshair is pretty sure that he’s never loved anyone as much as he loves her.

[whatiwishfanfiction]

Chapter 7 of The Great Wish Movie Rewrite up on AO3!

It's up! Guys, I'm excited, Star Boy comes on the scene today. Read the story here: Link

Excerpt: Chapter Seven: The Duel

The Hamlet, a mossy place secluded by forest, where inhabitants made bread from pinecone flour, and kept more chickens than charts or charms, came into view. The moon cast it in sharp-edged shadows as Magnifico readied his staff, murmuring last incantations over it. Before leaving the castle, he’d imbued it with extra power from the night sky, using a spell from his only remaining book, the one he’d been reluctant to use because of its relation to dark sorcery. 

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” he told himself, though he’d immediately locked the book away again after referencing this spell. He thought mournfully of the rest of his destroyed resources, original manuscripts he’d compiled, containing centuries of study by other sorcerers. “Now I have no idea what a star might be capable of.” He caressed his staff’s fine point that could stab if needed. “The hour has come.”

The carriage silently rolled to a stop behind a towering oak thick as a dragon’s tail, just on the hollow’s edge. Magnifico looked to the driver and raised a finger to his lips, then motioned for him to drive away unseen, as he stepped out into the Hamlet, and the crunch of leaves, which set a carpet of gold beneath his boots, was concealed by ceaseless clucking as chickens talked in their sleep inside their roosts. 

The hollow’s modest shielings, stone houses shaped like mushroom-caps, unadorned except by moss or the occasional clothes-line, stood huddled close together, intertwined with roots of trees for protection. The humble hollow did not look like the kind of place to hide a criminal. The king held his staff before him to light the way as he crept between the shieling huts and oaks tall as mountains. As he stepped over a root as thick as one of the castle's pillars, his foot landed on a pinecone, and he clasped a hand over his mouth when he nearly screamed. Just as he approached the centre of the cluster of homes, the staff began humming faintly, its sound growing in intensity. 

As the king crept, the staff’s hum shifted in pitch, resonating with a particularly small shieling hut which he paused in front of. He noted a faint glow seeping through its rough, timbre framed windows, and the murmur of voices within. Even muffled by stone walls, self-satisfied pauses emanated, it was the girl showing off, he knew that. Without hesitation, Magnifico raised his staff, then forced the door open with a bang.

The conversation stopped abruptly as Asha’s gaze met his, the recognition in her eyes confirming what the staff already indicated. Its sharp end was pointed up at the star hovering inches below the aisins.

“What folly is this?”

“It isn’t folly at all! It’s simply glorious!” The star did a somersault in the air.

He was a flicker of ghostfire in the form of a young man. Clad in changing hues of white, topaz, and misty red, his clothes echoed the night sky. His bright eyes held glints of mischief, and moving with grace, his cape trailed sparks behind him as he flew in and out the aisins, twisted a picture frame, peeked into a drawer, then sent a stack of books tumbling from a shelf, as if dropping stones from the sky. The playful spirit who’d come down from the heavens laughed, each note twinkling like a warning sign.

The star continued doing flips in the air as he addressed the king. “You see, mighty king, with a crown shining bright, the stars in the heavens dance all through the night. They laugh at your trials, they chuckle with glee, as they dance in the moonlight, wild and free. They meddle for fun, oh, but fret not dear king, for your country will fall, but it’s a burdensome thing.”

Asha laughed, and though she had a hand over her mouth, she looked impressed. “Star Boy,” she said.

Magnifico’s eyes blazed as he raised his staff, and he unleashed a striking green beam that cut through the air. Star Boy, now idly twirling a ribbon of stardust around his finger, tried to dodge, but was struck directly in the heart, and like a mosquito swatted, fell to the ground with an expression of stunned surprise, his stardust trail dim and scattered. 

From the floor he looked up at Magnifico, shaking off the remnants of the spell’s green glow. “All right, you’ve got me, you’ve proven your might, I underestimated you, and I’ve lost the fight.” He grinned, then added, “But watch your step king, as you tread. Anger the stars and you’ll find yourself dead.”

Magnifico’s staff crackled again, and he struck at Star Boy with a wave of green fire. The house’s beams groaned under the strain of magic, and shards of stone rained down.

Star Boy darted around, a streak of incomprehensible light, and he paused only to withdraw something from his pocket, a slim, pale stick he tossed down to Asha. “Take this wand, a gift from the heavens. You’re a fairy godmother now, my dear.”

“Aeeeeegh!” Asha let out an excited screech as she caught it. 

The wand was swiftly knocked from her hand by a wave of Magnifico’s staff. “You are both banished from the realm for threatening my kingdom.” He raised it again, when Star Boy, hovering just out of reach, laughed as he conjured a torrent of fire, and flames lashed out from his palms, catching Magnifico’s cloak in a dance of light and heat. 

Asha scurried forward to her wand, and brandished it as he stomped on the flames. With a quick flick, she sent a stream of light to blind the king. The spell struck his eyes in a burst of bright sparks, so he staggered back. He growled as he struggled to regain control. 

Finish reading: Link

[changingplumbob]

Glenn knocked and the door was quickly answered by a pastel wearing spellcaster.

Elise: Hey, Glenn right?

Glenn: What gave it away

Elise: Apart from the fact that the property is shielded to stop trespassers, absolutely nothing. Did you want Marisol? She's down by the river

Glenn: Oh no I was looking for you actually

Elise ushered him in and Glenn took a moment to look around the room. Was that a clay llama in the display cabinet? Well okay then...

Glenn: Nice collection

Elise: I like to display some of the nicer ones rather than just use them up

Glenn: Harmony said you liked gems

Elise: It's more than simply liking them, they're my area of focus

Glenn: There's enough variety for you to do that?

Elise: They may not be as obviously varied as plants but yes, there's plenty of difference in them

Glenn: Harmony said you could give me some helpful pointers

Elise: Because you're trying to shape gems?

Glenn: I guess last night I tried

Elise: Not as easy as it seems huh? You've still got jade dust on your sleeve

Glenn: Oh, I swore I shook it out

Elise: *smiles* Gems can have a mind of their own

Glenn: Are there any I should try and find

Elise: It depends if you want them for decoration or charging

Glenn: Charging?

Elise: Koko and I have been working on stands that will funnel moonlight in to cut gems

Glenn: That sounds... pretty?

Elise: It's more than pretty, it's useful. They can be used for many benefits

Glenn: Such as?

Elise: Charged jet allows you to contact the Grim Reaper directly, and having it around will mean he has to grant your plea to spare a life

Glenn: Wait- I thought you'd be talking about like, happy moods

Elise: Well charged amber can make you happy and brings the sun around

Glenn: They can control the sun???

Elise: Everyone always underestimates pretty sparkly things

Glenn: So which ones would be useful? For like everyday

Elise: Hmm... I'd say try find an amethyst. That'll be inspiring and means you don't need to sleep as long to be refreshed

Glenn: That'd be useful

Elise: Oh for sure, it's the next best thing to creating new hours in the day

Elise: Then, umm... sapphire makes it easier to focus on upskilling. It stops you getting burnt out, but if you're more in to creative stuff I'd say look for an orange topaz

Glenn: There's different colours of topaz? I thought they were all yellow

Elise: Misconception. There are many different shades of colour for that gem but orange ones are the only ones I've tested. If you want to focus on your magic I'd say search for some moonstone

Glenn: What does that do

Elise: Stops your basic spells failing unless you're overcharged

Glenn: Well thanks, I'll scout about for those

Elise: If you find any you're not sure of come see me, I may have already figured out their properties. Oh hi baby

Glenn looked down to see a very white cat had just let themselves in.

Elise: This is BooBoo. He's my familiar

Glenn: Oh he is very handsome

Elise: He's got a mind of his own don't ya baby

BooBoo: *meows*

Previous ... Next

[themanicnami]

Invisibility In Witchcraft

Invisibility is something we see in all different types of media for a very long time - superhero comics and movies, Harry Potter book and movie series, fairy tales and lore from several countries. It is one of those powers that even in modern science they have been trying to create true invisible cloaks and armor for military use. Though invisibility in literature and movies is not the same as when we refer to it in witchcraft. So let us talk about this aspect of magic today, a brief history and even some modern day spells.

What is Invisibility Magic?

Invisibility magic is magic of concealing oneself, others, places and objects from detection. As stated above it is not in the literal sense of you vanishing from sight however think of it like a cloaking device - it helps you go unnoticed or makes you less likely to be observed. Of course take this with a grain of salt - magic has its limits. However, an invisibility spell can help you as an additional buffer of protection. Often times, invisibility spells are to ensure special items you have hidden away go undetected such as your grimoire on a bookshelf or sigils of protection scattered about your home, it can also be used for oneself or others to help them travel in safety.

History

Old manuscripts and grimoires dating back to the 1600s have been found describing spells for invisibility. These such spells include chanting, potions and rituals said to help the caster ‘vanish’ from people’s views or travel unseen. One of these manuscripts has been archived if you wish to see it here and another here please keep in mind these are old scripts and may not be safely done today - do your research on ingredients and if they are safe to use modernly.

Though invisibility in witchcraft is a bit harder to dig up, invisibility has a long and rich history in religion, folklore and tales. Many creatures, spirits and persons of lore, legend and story through the centuries are said to vanish without a trace or go unseen by normal people. 

In the cases of witchcraft though it is harder to find information on it, as listed above some old manuscripts were found listing methods of invisibility. Some other methods listed have been carrying the heart of a bat or a toad or frog under one’s garments (or their right arm) can render you harder to detect. Others speak about how black hens and chickens may be related to invisibility by using their feathers as charms. Mercury historically was used as a method to be deemed invisible, with using it to make jewelry or charms a popular method - however perhaps not safe in modern day terms. Another grimoire called “The Second Book of the Secrets of Albertus Magnus” states that wrapping an Ophethalminus stone in a Laurel leaf will render the wielder invisible. What is an Ophethalminus stone? It is commonly accepted and believed he was referring to a Lapis Lazuli stone. 

Correspondences

Of course modern day invisibility calls for more modern day correspondences - to help insure the user and caster are using ingredients that relate to what they seek. Below is a brief list of some correspondences - please research before ingesting or applying anything to the skin. Research possible allergic reactions, side effects and complications of medicinal herbs and plants. Research all stones you use before subjecting them to heat, water or oil.

Plants and Herbs:

Amaranth

Black Hellebore (toxic)

Cherry/Cherry Bark

Chicory

Devil’s Shoestring/Black Haw

Edelweiss

Fern

Heliotrope (toxic)

Henbane (toxic)

Laurel 

Mistletoe

Monkshood

Poppy

Sow’s Thistle

Tansy

Wolf’s Bane (toxic)

Colors:

Black

White

Gray

Lavender

Elements:

Air

Water

Spirit

Crystals and Stones:

Amethyst

Calcite

Lapis Lazuli

Moonstone

Obsidian

Peacock Ore

Silver Topaz

Smokey Quartz

Metals:

Mercury

Silver

Tools and Other Items:

Mirrors (Black Mirrors)

Sigils

Smoke

Black Ink

Toads/Frogs (symbolism)

Bats (symbolism)

Mist and Fog

Wind

Chicken Feathers

Moonlight

Black Candles

Gray Candles

Modern Spells (note some are not mine, they will be sourced and linked to their original posters)

Invisibility Enchantment- Wishful- Seeker

Some Spellcraft for an Invisibility Ring - smoke-weed-and-hail-thor

Air cloaking glamour - thegildedraven

Invisibility Spell to be Forgotten - breelandwalker

Night walking invisibility and protection glamour - magicianmew

(cheap) Invisibility Spells for Anxious Witches - becomingwitchy

Invisibility - Pathfinder inspired Sachet Spell - Mine!

Shadow Usul’s Night Invisibility Glamour Sachet - Mine!

Chameleon Eye Shadow - Totally Spies Spell - Mine!

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[a-gilded-imprisonment]

Intergalactic factions

Argenti: (Knights of Beauty)

~ @argenti-of-the-beauty

~ @knight0fbeauty

~ @knight-of-idrila

~ @rose-tintedknight

Aventurine's sister: (Sigonia)

~ @noglevend

~ @the-mourning-glory

Astral Express:

Caelus:

~ @atom-bomb-raccoon

~ @stellarons-vessel

~ @trailblazer-caelus

~ @trailblczer

Dan Heng:

~ @archivist-on-guard

~ @dan-heng-lunae

~ @danheng-the-archivist

~ @database-enthusiast

Himeko:

~ @himekos-coffee

~ @your-favourite-coffee-addict

March 7th:

~ @march-7th-hsr

~ @march-is-heeeeeeeeere

~ @six-phasedice

Pom-Pom:

~ @pom-pom-official

Stelle:

~ @stelle-aron

~ @stelle-the-great

~ @stellrn

~ @the-better-trailblazer

Welt Yang:

~ @mr-welt-yang

~ @star-shattering

Interastral Peace Corporation:

Aventurine:

~ @a-gilded-imprisonment (this blog!)

~ @aluckiicoin

~ @audhd-aventurine

~ @aventurine-ipc-gambler

~ @aventurinejewels

~ @aventurine-p45-ipc

~ @aventurine-of-stratagems

~ @aventurine-the-finalvictor

~ @avgingambler

~ @dont-ask-just-spend

Diamond:

~ @diamond-of-purity

Obsidian:

~ @obsidian-of-desolation

Topaz:

~ @topaz-and-numby-official

Stellaron Hunters:

~ @ask-stellaron-hunters

Blade:

~ @blade-official-hsr

~ @blades-and-spiderlillies

~ @bladieblog

~ @equinox-blade

~ @stellaron-hunter-blade

Firefly / SAM:

~ @guide-firefly

~ @moonlight-firefly

Kafka:

~ @coat-thief-kafka

Silver Wolf:

~ @c0ntract-zer0

~ @silverwolf-official

~ @silver-wolf-official

[simslegacy5083]

Today's (2/28/2025) Episode: A Spook-tacular Birthday

Skye regaled xir friends with xir recent successes that evening when they all met on the pier for xir Spooky Day dress-up birthday party.

“Wow, you’re on a roll!” Betty exclaimed. “Yea, way to go man” Bruce agreed, with an almost sincere grimace. Skye was intent on giving the older sim a second chance after his “outburst” at the prom, even though Elyse didn’t believe his apologies for a moment.

Hoping to smooth things over, Skye gave Bruce the best grateful smile he could. “Thanks Guys, today’s been a banner day for sure!”

Even Bruce couldn’t stay sullen through all the rides and games the friends enjoyed together on the pier, and Skye made sure to grab photographic evidence of xir most problematic friend feeling positive for once.

It was a “target rich environment” for loved ones looking happy as all the assembled guests sat down to enjoy the delicious feast prepared by xir folks.

Xir mom was even getting along well with Elyse, and Skye just HAD to preserve that memory for posterity!

After dinner it was finally time for the main event as Skye took xir place beside the spooky graveyard cake xir Dad had made with love earlier that day.

Xe wished for the day to have just a little more luck left in it before blowing out the candles and spinning xir way into the next stage of xir life.

“Welcome to Young Adulthood!” Elyse enthused once they’d finished, “Now our lives can really begin!”

Skye nodded “After prom we made a promise to stay together and support each other no matter what happened.” Xe pulled the ring xe’d made out of xir inventory and got down on one knee. “I want to be with you forever… Elyse, will you marry me?”

🎵It’s a beautiful night, we’re looking for something dumb to do, hey baby, I think wanna marry you🎵

“Oh My Grim, of course I will! Yes!” she shrieked, taking the ring and placing it on her finger “Did you make this yourself? Its beautiful.”

“I did” Skye confirmed, rising “Its topaz. If you charge it by moonlight, it will help you with your art.” Elyse closed the distance between them, whispering “its perfect” before surprising her new fiancée with a deep, lingering kiss that made the world seem like it was just the two of them.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[kirric-the-fan]

Master post of links for my precure outfits challenge:

All posts are tagged under precure outfits, cure name for individual cures, and overall season names. All completed and posted drawings linked.

Will be updated as I post the remaining and any future cures. Send me an ask if there is one you want but don't see here yet.

Futari wa: Black, White

Futari wa Max Heart: Black, White, Shiny Luminous

Splash Star: Bloom, Egret, Bright, Windy, Kaoru windy + Michiru Bright

Yes!5: Dream, Rouge, Lemonade, Mint, Aqua

Yes!5gogo: Dream, Rouge, Lemonade, Mint, Aqua, Milky Rose

Fresh: Peach, Berry, Pine, Passion

Heartcatch: Blossom, Marine, Sunshine, Moonlight

Suite: Melody, Rhythm, Beat, Muse

Smile: Happy, Sunny, Peace, March, Beauty, Echo

Dokidoki: Heart, Diamond, Rosetta, Sword, Ace

Happiness Charge: Lovely, Princess, Honey, Fortune

Go Princess: Flora, Mermaid, Twinkle, Scarlet

Leaders set 1

Witchy (Maho Tsukai)(English vers used to avoid spelling diffs): Miracle: Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, and Topaz forms. Magical: Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, and Topaz forms. Felice, Cure Mofurun

Kirakira: Whip, Custard, Gelato, Macaron, Chocolat, Parfait

Hugtto: Yell, Ange, Etoile, Macherie, Amour

Star Twinkle: Star, Milky, Soleil, Selene, Cosmo

Healin' Good: Grace, Fontaine, Sparkle, Earth

[megalizardon4736]

Dina Caliente Makeover 💓

Defaults -

Beetle Eyes 2 by squeamishsims

No EA Lashes by Kijiko

Hair -

Dina Hair by Jo_Se_Oh

Eyebrows -

EROS eyebrows by peachyfaerie

Eyes -

Transfix Eyes by Golyhawhaw

Skin Details -

Tahani Skinblend by grimcookies

Lighting Overlay by Jo_Se_Oh

Cheeks and Nose Blush N8 by northern siberia winds

Miscellany Nosemasks by Pyxis

MM Lower Eyelids N2 by northern siberia winds

Transparent Philtrum by obscurus-sims

Lip Tint #1 by sims3melancholic

Cleavage Overlay by Pralinesims (thesimsresource)

ASTRO zodiac tattoo by peachyfaerie

Makeup -

3D Lashes No. 4 by Twistedcat

TOPAZ face highlight by nesurii

I Can Love Me Better Blush by Luxysims (curseforge)

Fairy Gloss by crypticsim

Margot N98 Eyeliner by Pralinesims

Basics Please Eyeshadow by Twistedcat

Fruitcake Lipgloss by raichuu

Wedding Eyeshadow by Twistedcat

Marley Eyeliner by peachyfaerie

Eternal Eyeshadow by crypicsim

Eyeliner by Kijiko

Lip Gloss by Kijiko

Eyeshadow 1 by MMSIMS

Sour Fruit Lipstick by Twistedcat

Titanium N10 Eyeshadow by Pralinesims

Glisten Lipstick by Plumbhead

Clothes -

Daisy Earrings v1 by arethabee

Kai Necklace by oydis

Whimsy Ruffles Top by oydis

High Flared Jeans by helgatisha

Priestess Heels by moriel

Dorothy Necklace by arethabee

Dara Midi Dress by Sentate

Bubble Pop Short nails by Pralinesims

Trefel Bracelet by serenity

Vera Shoes by Serenity

Darika Earrings by ice_creamforbreakfast

Ava Sports Bra by Serenity

Ava Capris by Serenity

Hot Shot Sweatband by Twistedcat

Peak Performance Socks by Joliebean

Moonlight Sneakers by Trillyke

Mila Corset by Caio

Pamela Panties v1 by Caio

Belle Earrings by oakiyo

Camlanin Choker by Pralinesims

Jessa Dress by arethabee

Ornament Bracelet by Joliebean

Glossy N01 nails by Pralinesims

Persuasion Ring by Zeussim

Make or Break nails by oydis

Champagne Heels by Caio

Sindra (Head) Glasses by Pralinesims

Savage Swimwear by Luxysims (curseforge)

BLING Belly Button Piercing by Pralinesims

Deceptia Glasses by Pralinesims

Baddie Top by Trillyke

Allegra Shorts by Arethabee

Gradient Glitter N05 nails by Pralinesims

Helen Wedges by Sentate

First Love Earrings by Pralinesims

Tucked knit by miiko

Enigma N16 nails by Pralinesims

Marfa Boots V2 by Serenity

@pyxiidis @sims3melancholic @twisted-cat @pralinesims

@obscurus-sims @thepeachyfaerie @northernsiberiawinds

@joshseoh @golyhawhaw @plumbheadsims @trillyke

@miikocc @oydis @sentate @serenity-cc @lady-moriel

@oakiyo @caio-cc @crypticsim @kijiko-sims @squea

[coco-bean-1218]

Chuck/Claire "why couldn't it have been us in the end?" For the five lines fic game??

Oh, my dear sweet anon, you are not prepared for the angst I have in mind.

This is wayyyyy more than 5 lines, but I couldn’t help myself!

So, here is a potential outcome in which Claire chooses someone else. You can insert whoever you want to be her fiancé.

Feel free to like, comment and reblog!

----

August, 1946

It was Easy Company's first annual reunion, and every member who could come was there. Claire was glad to see her fellow paratroopers again. It had been a little bit under a year since they had last been together. The party had been going on for a while, and Claire found herself in need of a moment of quiet reflection. She wandered through the venue, her eyes scanning the room in search of a place where she could gather her thoughts.

After a few moments, she saw Grant standing against the wall, drink in hand, and decided to walk over.

"I was wondering where you went," she said as she approached him.

"I was just trying to get a break from the noise," he replied with a weary smile. "You know how it is at reunions."

She offered him an inviting smile. "Care to join me outside?"

He shrugged, a sense of relief washing over him. "Sure, why not?"

As they stepped outside, Claire took a deep breath of fresh air. The noise of the venue seemed to fade away as they walked along the garden path.

"That's quite the ring you've got there," Grant commented on the ring that sparkled in the moonlight.

"Oh, this?" she held up her hand, examining the ring in the moonlight. "It's...uh...blue topaz, my birthstone."

Grant's eyes lingered on the ring for a moment. "I remember," he said softly.

You're coming to the wedding, right?" she asked eagerly.

Grant nodded. "Of course," he replied. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. Besides, what kind of best friend would I be if I didn't?" he added. 

Claire smiled at him, relieved by his response.

As they continued walking, Claire noticed a fountain that caught her interest. She walked up to it, captivated by the gentle splashing sound and the mesmerizing reflections of the moonlight in the water. Grant, sensing Claire's curiosity, joined her beside the fountain. They stood side by side, watching the reflections of the moon dance on the water's surface.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Claire said, her voice filled with wonder.

Grant nodded in agreement. "Yes, it is," he replied, but his eyes weren't fixed on the fountain. Instead, his eyes were fixed on Claire. She was the real beauty of the night, and he couldn't take his eyes off her. She was the one who captivated him, body and soul.

Without warning, Grant spoke up again, his voice filled with sadness and longing. "Why couldn't it have been us in the end?" his voice barely above a whisper.

The question shocked both himself and Claire. Grant hadn’t intended to speak his thoughts so openly, but the words had already left his lips, echoing in the silent night.

Grant's question had stunned them both. Why couldn't it have been them in the end? The words hung in the air, filled with regret and a sense of missed opportunity. Claire felt her heart shatter as tears welled up in Grant's eyes. She could see the pain etched on his face, and it made her own heart ache. She took a shaky breath and tried to find the words to answer him.

"Grant, I don't… I don't know," she said softly. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she could feel the tears threatening to spill over.

Grant shook his head, his voice filled with regret. "No, you don't."

---

HOLY SHIT THIS WAS WORSE THAN THE LAST POST-WAR CLAIRE AND GRANT 😭