also for normelodie so beware the oc x canon ahead lmao.
yeah yeah another AU for outlet. lmao. anyways. this one's different because it came to me in a dream! literally! it was pretty cool since i have very movie-like dreams. but, while the concept was from my dreams, a lot of this has been expanded upon after weeks.
long post ahead! sorry! it's me again!
for the setting: we start off in a currently unnamed kingdom, led by king henry maclean. it is also important to note that this setting is full of magic! there's a bunch of magical elements to the buildings, i'm leaning towards piltover vibes from arcane. overall, a very picturesque and glimmering kingdom filled with bountiful crops and magical technologies.
magic in this setting is interesting. people have a latent ability to perform magic, but it's limited to simple tasks like lighting flames and cleaning up small messes. like the prestidigitation cantrip in dnd! some people, though, have highly potent magical potential. i treat it like a gene that can be inherited, tbh. everyone has a gene for magic, but some express more and more potent versions of the gene, and can therefore withstand more magic. the royal family is known to be very proficient mages, and many members of the aristocracy also have the 'gift.'
i will note though, the kingdom is largely egalitarian and almost a 'utopia', per-se. the vaults themselves are these little enclaves within a greater world, and so i see this small kingdom, similar to the size of many micronations today. small, self-sustaining, and incredibly wealthy. magical prowess doesn't mean much to a layperson, since they can get by quite well. the king, though, seems very interested in it...
overall, the kingdom's social rules are similar to victorian england, but a bit more... open? for example, finding any two of-age individuals alone together, especially if they are touching, will raise suspicion. if they are walking around, it's not as bad. but together, alone? oh, they better be ready for rumors to fly.
for our characters: hank maclean is, of course, the king. he is known to be benevolent and caring, and, despite being the head of the kingdom's military, he's been said to 'never be able to hurt a fly'. he is a skilled mage as well, using his magic for many tricks during speeches and official events.
he has two children, the princess, and heir to the throne, lucy, and the prince, norman. not many people care about norm, since he's not the direct heir, but a lot of people fawn over him/see him as the way to get into the royal family. he doesn't care about any of this, since he knows his sister is going to end up leading the country anyways. their mother died tragically when they were younger, and there's a day of remembrance for her. one of the royal gardens is specifically in her honor.
finally, we have elodie, the daughter of the royal mage. she currently works as the official arcane gardener, and her duties include blessing farmland for the harvest (which is year-round, thanks to magic!), and tending to the royal family's personal gardens.
she, and other mages, are always covering their skin, because, secret secret, a little-known way to increase one's magical potential is through arcane tattoos along specific paths of one's body. it is therefore uncommon to see mages with their body parts, such as arms, exposed. an exception is balls and parties within the aristocracy, since it's seen as a 'flex.' the tattoos are done with a light-colored ink, and take on the color of the person's magic. elodie's tattoos are light, mainly gold and slightly green.
for the story/how the characters interact: elodie is a member of the aristocracy, and therefore finds herself at plenty of royal balls. she doesn't really enjoy them, given that people always gawk at her arms. she slinks away into the gardens at one of the balls, and finds herself in the presence of the crown prince. she apologizes profusely, backing away until he calms her and says her name. not 'lady brooks', or 'mage brooks'. elodie.
they've known each other since they were little, but never really had much chance to talk. hell, they had the same tutors (with different sessions), danced together at balls, and have had numerous dinners together. but, despite this, they've never truly talked. and so, they chat about how much they despise all of this, with norm mentioning how tired he is of finding a suitable marriage partner, and elodie complaining about how much she hates all these rigid social rules that she never quite understood.
they start getting more comfortable, and have this same pattern of meeting in secret for a few more galas. they plan to meet again, but, during the next gala, things go awry. the visiting guests from a friendly kingdom look ragged, and elodie can tell that something feels off. she meets norm in the gardens, but before they can settle down, shouting erupts from the palace above. they hear magic, the sound of fighting, and suddenly, everyone is fleeing.
there's even people in the gardens with them, who they run into. elodie manages to fend them off, ushering him to safety. lucy eventually finds him, and orders two guards to bring him to safety. completely shocked, he goes willingly. elodie refuses, fighting alongside lucy. this is when hank is captured by one of the raiders, and, with a knife to his throat, vanishes.
the king has been abducted.
the kingdom is in shambles. elodie's own father is missing, her sister was killed, and nearly a hundred others have been slaughtered. the council / aristocracy meets, and decide that the gates must be kept closed as they heal. lucy opposes this, and, despite being the crown princess, smuggles herself out of the kingdom (with the help of chet, who is a magical gate-guard and specializes in abjuration).
everyone is panicked about her going missing, until they find a letter she left, stating that she'll find her dad and return. in the meantime, norm is then the ruler of the kingdom. he's VERY unhappy about this, and storms out of the meeting to 'contemplate in private'. there's no way out, though, since he's the heir apparent. there's no one else to take the throne, he has to.
it's on a balcony of the palace that he runs into elodie, who is similarly upset. she's the new royal mage, and her dad is literally presumed dead. they try to comfort each other as best as they can, but, it's still awkward. it always is.
it gets even more awkward when councilmembers find the young prince, since they have urgent affairs he must sign off on. they find him with elodie, alone, and without an escort. and... are they holding hands? gasp! what!
and so, to avoid further scandal, they are betrothed and set to be wed once his coronation has settled. surely, a large event of happiness (a new king and his queen!) will tide people over. it kinda works.
from here things get hazy. elodie has to perform a magic compatibility test to fully qualify her as a candidate for norm's partner. it's a leftover process from a long-dead king, and is important due to the royal bloodline possessing immensely strong magic. this is a secret reason norm has never wanted to marry, and why lucy was set to be married off. it's a process he never wanted someone to go through. nonetheless, elodie has to. she's drained from the gala, and passes out the first time. norm insists they let her rest and try again. by the skin of her teeth, she succeeds. and then passes out five seconds later.
at first, they also kinda hate being married. they're stressed and ignore each other a lot of the time. elodie's unhappy in such a forward-facing position, and norm feels IMMENSELY guilty for pulling her into this life. they don't even consummate the marriage at first because they never wanted to rush into anything. they slowly learn more about each other by sheer proximity, and eventually rekindle whatever sparks they felt during their garden meetings. hell, i can imagine it happening in the gardens again, the one place they feel comfortable.
i also had the vague idea of hank, and therefore lucy/norm, being a dragon. all the members of 31 = secret dragons manipulating kingdoms. norm himself has dragon blood and doesn't even realize it, until... maybe his emotions run high, or his dad's distance lowers the block on his own magic. he locks himself away when he realizes something is terribly wrong. scales, a tail, wings, they all pop up and make him feel crazy. by the end of the hour, he's transformed. elodie gets concerned, knocks on his door. can sense some sort of draconic magic. she finds him cowered in the corner of his high-vaulted room, terrified.
that's why they had the test of her magic! high mana interested hank because it meant they could possibly handle the magic of a dragon's spawn. since. yeah. it's all about progeny. smth smth the dragons want to reproduce smth smth. i think being a dragon could be a good fill-in for the horror of being in a breeding experiment.
as you can see, there are many kinks to be worked out. i'm still working on them, but any feedback on this AU is appreciated regardless! ty for reading!!
Rating: T | Category: F/M, Gen | Relationship: Lockwood/Lucy
The servants were serving another man, the Earl of Lockwood, who was leaning against a long table at the other end of the now open hall, next to the small but conspicuous and ornate chair that was placed at the end. He had his dark hair down and was staring at the wood in front of him as if it held some important message and solution to what had plagued them for so long. But when he heard the sound of the man entering, he looked up. Though his stature and bearing belied his youth, it marked him at the same time, for dark shadows formed under his eyes and the threat he faced almost alone was evident in his expression.
Imagine Lockwood, Lucy and George living in a version of 13th century Middle Ages and the world of Merlin (TV). Anthony, Earl of Lockwood is the son of a king, but tries to live his life as an independent lord. As the Problem, the plague, haunts the people and Lord Lockwood's father, the King, refuses to take decisive action to protect the people, Lockwood fights his own battles, fighting ghosts in secret. George de Clarim, supports him but hides his own secrets. When they get close to capturing a thief in a strive for distraction, our story sets in...
title: before the sun is rising up
author: asmallstarfish
rating: general
wordcount: 74206
pairing: choi san/jung yunho
summary:
Choi San is dead.
Until he wakes up in the body of notorious, despised villain Park San, and realizes he's fated to die. Again. Now the only option he has is to undo all the evil Park San has done, turn the hate of the people around him to at least acceptance, and, more than anything, avoid his impending death.
Somehow, along the way, he finds love.
Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Separations, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - The Little Mermaid Fusion, Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Oblivious Jeon Jungkook, Alternate Universe - Magic
11.9k words
rating: T
Magic had a price.
As a Sea Witch in a city of merpeople, Taehyung used his magic and witchcraft to try and improve the lives of those around him. He lived a good life- merman Prince Jungkook was just there to add the excitement.
hey if your up for a challenge could I please ask for Jinx in a supernatural AU, like as a vampire or something with a gender neutral reader? :) thanks
Familiar | Jinx x gn!reader
Summary: Witch!Jinx transformed you into a cat and doesn’t seem to know how to turn you back into a human.
Warnings: fluff, attempt at humour, non-native writer, unchecked grammar
Omg, I know you mentioned vampires but when I was browsing supernatural tropes I saw witches and was like: “yes, chaotic witch jinx that’s dope” (also the name??) So yeah!
Two weeks ago, you had never heard of Jinx. Now, you’re stuck being her familiar for the rest of your life.
Don’t get it wrong, there are advantages to being a cat: not having to wear clothes, being able to jump everywhere, cuddles. Being Jinx’s cat, however, negates anything positive you could think of.
Sure, you don’t have to wear clothes anymore but clothes could really be an additional - if not a little flimsy - protection from all the potions and other 'biohazardous' substances she drops. Jumping sounds amazing but her lair is the messiest place you’ve ever seen. Even perching on a seemingly innocent shelf could result in an avalanche of her dangerous collectables, and you’re getting out of here back to human and in one piece.
Ah, the cuddles? You want to call them cuddles? What cuddles? It’s unbecoming of your status! Sharing snuggles with the first stranger you meet... what a disgrace.
(Truth is, Jinx’s cuddles are closer to arm-wrestling than real cuddles.)
The sound of an explosion stirs you out of your sleep. You open one eye and lazily stretch on the miraculously mess-free armchair you’ve grown to appreciate.
“You’re the worst witch I’ve ever seen.”
Jinx laughs haughtily, wiping the charcoal out of her face: “I think I’m pretty dope! That was one hell of a boom!”
“Aren’t you supposed to find a cure for my condition?” You ask calmly, unconsciously licking your tiny paws.
“I’m trying, ok.” She hisses.
After two other explosions, her eyebrows burnt three times, an entire cauldron knocked over the floor and unfruitful research in the only book of shadows she owns, Jinx throws her arms in the air in frustration.
You laugh: “You know, your witch name doesn’t suit you at all.”
“You talk too much for a cat! I should have turned you into a frog!”
“So, you even failed that, uh?” You mock, not even bothering to open your eyes from your third consecutive nap.
'Too easy to tease,' you laugh internally, proud of yourself.
Suddenly she grabs you and brings you to eye level. You let out an undignified squeak.
“You’re so annoying! You’re supposed to be my familiar!”
“You’re the annoying one! Clearly, you’re unfit for any social interaction!” You hiss, struggling to get free. "Why did you want a familiar in the first place?!”
“Because I’m always alone, okay?!”
Oh.
You stop struggling, hanging limply in her hands. She lets you go and you land back on your feet, going after her when she runs out of room.
“Hey…” You call after her. “Hey! Wait!”
That's not what you wanted. You never wished to hurt her even after that fateful day and you were pissed that day. This fragility she has, you would never have discerned it from her carefree, brazen behaviour.
Jinx lands face first on her unmade bed. You leap to stand on her back. “Hey, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking what I said.”
She snorts.
“I’m telling the truth.”
She doesn’t answer but turns her head to the side, showing her profile and - that makes your heart clench - her pitiful eyes. You come to lay next to her face, bending to lick tentatively the end of her cute turned-up nose. To your pleasure, she lets out a giggle.
“Anyone casting a spell has the inner knowledge to undo it. You just haven't found the way yet.”
Jinx pouts, laying on her back. “Being my familiar sucks that much?”
You curl up against her. “...Not that much.”
She laughs and pats your head. Maybe you can keep being a cat for a little while.
