#friendship: celena x aedan

[vellichor-virgo]

manuscript search lvi

@akindofmagictoo has requested angst in the form of the words ache, hurt, pain, sting, and burn (and also heal and rest because we need comfort to go along with hurt)

these are all from night's daughter, because my torment of celena is neverending.

general TW for injury, blood, assault, & some nasty murder threats

ache:

[Aedan] turns his face toward me, his hazel eyes touched with regret. “I wished to keep you safe. If I had left you behind after witnessing you being attacked, it would have weighed on my consciousness for a very long time. And yet, in doing so, I tore you from your home, your life, everything.”

I am surprised into silence. I don’t know what I expected him to say, but it was certainly not that.

I turn his words over and over in my mind. There are a thousand thoughts in my head, but what I finally say is, “It wasn’t a very good home, Your Highness. Nor… nor a particularly good life.”

I have never admitted that so plainly before.

Aedan’s gaze remains steady on mine, unwavering. “But it was still yours,” he says.

My heart gives an unbidden ache. “Yes,” I say quietly. “It was.”

hurt x2 (for context, Celena just accused Aedan of only rescuing her to use her as a political pawn):

With a sigh, [Aedan’s] eyes return to me. “I would have brought you here in any circumstance,” he tells me, steadier and firmer than before. There is a sudden fierceness in his face. “I meant what I said to you earlier. I never would have left you behind. Not when I knew that the other villagers had hurt you and that they would hurt you again. What kind of prince would I be, if I had?” He hesitates, then adds, much more quietly, “What kind of king?”

pain + bonus burn:

“Witch!” someone shouts.

Something sharp pelts my face. The pain jerks me out of my tangle of thoughts. Stones clink to the ground at my feet. My hand goes to my chin, then my cheek and brow. My fingers come away stained red.

I look up to see a group of boys, all with more stones in their hands. Luca Alistair is at the head, his eyes burning with sinister rage. “I always wanted to know what colour you’d bleed,” he snarls.

I cringe away from their second onslaught, my hands coming up to shield my face. I catch the sharp edges of the stones in my palms. Blood trickles down my wrists.

sting + bonus hurt (continuation from above):

Someone shoves me square in the back, so hard I nearly crash into the ground face-first. I push out my bleeding hands to break my fall, letting out a cry at the stinging pain that jolts through them. The hard earth tears through the knees of my trousers. My heart is pounding hard enough to hurt, blood roaring in my ears.

burn + bonus pain:

I feel myself being hauled away, my kicking heels dragging across the ground, followed by a horde of furious people. The things I hear them chanting make my blood go icy with terror. Kill the witch, burn her, bury her, hang her, drown her, cut her open—

I thrash against the hands gripping me, so hard that a hot spike of pain fires up to the shoulder of my pinned arm. Not like this, not like this, not like this—

heal (so many results for the above words and not a single one for heal… i’m issuing a formal apology to my OCs)

i’ll give you something close to it for a bonus sting though:

When the bath is over, Violet brings me a plush white robe to wear before Cait guides me over to a mirrored dressing table. She sits me down and begins brushing out my wet hair. The other girls tend to my numerous tiny wounds, smoothing a cool ointment over the cuts and scrapes that draws out the sting.

rest:

“Miss Clarington,” a voice calls, making my head snap up. Ahead of me on the walkway, Captain Finnel and Prince Aedan stand, looking back at me. The prince lifts a beckoning hand.

My stomach gives a lurch. My eyes flick to Reilly at my side, sure that anxiety is written all over my face. Uncertainty flashes on his, but then the friendly young guard nods and gives me a bright smile. “Go on. You should go rest. Maybe I’ll see you around later.”

what i really like about this word search is how all the excerpts are directly related to each other, although they’re not in chronological order: the middle three are from the attack that Aedan is referring to in the first two, and the last two are the aftermath of said attack.

i will tag @kaiusvnoir @cream-and-tea @talesofsorrowandofruin @solipsism-lemonade @chaotic-queer-disaster and @asomeoneperson (+ whoever else wants to join) to keep the angst chain going with the same words: ache, hurt, pain, sting, and burn, + bonus words heal and rest.

[vellichor-virgo]

manuscript search lxv

tagged forever ago by @sleepyowlwrites <3 my words are true, fold, made, and learn

these excerpts are all from night’s daughter (v1) :)

true: 

“You would attend balls, dinners, that kind of thing,” [King Carrick] continues, ignoring my growing dismay. “You would receive an allowance of money directly from the crown. You would be able to wear pretty gowns, and fine jewels, and all those things little girls dream of. If you are very lucky, you may even catch the eye of a young lord and marry into a noble household.” Another not-entirely-pleasant smile drifts onto his face. “A fairy tale come true for a girl like you. Don’t you think?”

His patronizing tone makes my teeth clench. My nails sink into my palms again—not with nervousness this time. I have to take a moment to shove down my irritation before I speak again.

fold:

“But even as the crown prince, I cannot cavort about the kingdom, bringing girls home to Arisa as I please,” [Aedan] continues. Then he seems to hear the way that sounds, and we break eye contact in embarrassment, each of us looking away from the other. Aedan clears his throat uncomfortably. “Er… you understand what I mean.”

I nod quickly. 

“It would have raised eyebrows. People would ask questions. And I cannot imagine my father would be particularly pleased by my presenting him with a random girl I decided to put up in the palace. So I needed to invent some purpose for you. Some way to make you useful—beyond chopping vegetables or folding linens. In a way that would appeal to my father. Something that he could not argue with.” 

made:

I reach the hill and begin to make my way up. Near its base, there are a handful of small footprints in the dirt, the grass flattened in looping circles by uneasy feet. After a certain distance, though, they fade away until the only prints remaining are my own. 

I can picture the scene clearly. The children clustered at the base of the slope, milling about like penned sheep. The unspoken challenge: I dare you to run all the way up to the Clarington girl’s cottage. The bravest of them, boldly advancing up the hill until the moment when their courage began to falter, when they remembered the stories, their parents’ warnings. When the fun turned to creeping fear. 

None of them have ever made it to the cottage.

learn: 

Slowly, I begin to warm to Maia. I offer up anecdotes of my own—learning how to shoot an arrow, my disastrous attempt at brewing strawberry wine on my sixteenth birthday, the time I slipped and tumbled all the way down into the gorge (she refuses to believe me until I roll up the leg of my trousers to show her the scar, which makes her gasp). I am surprised by her interest in village life, and even more surprised by my interest in telling her. Her amazement seems to transform all the boring, ordinary details of my life into something new and fascinating, making them shine like freshly-polished silverware.

i’ll tag @drippingmoon @solipsism-lemonade @thanatostouch @akindofmagictoo @oh-no-another-idea and anyone else who wants to play :)

new words: surprise, circle, break, and dismay

[vellichor-virgo]

manuscript search l

my 50th word search comes courtesy of the ever wonderful @akindofmagictoo ! my words are affection, conversation, distraction, and fraction.

affection (from night’s daughter; this is Celena meeting Maia's father):

“Don’t whine, Maia. It is true, is it not?” Lord Aimoto squeezes my hands before releasing them. “Celena seems to be a sweet girl. You will be sure to look after her.”

Now it is my turn to blush. It has been a long time since I have experienced this sort of kindness. Even Martin didn’t treat me with such fatherly affection. I have to blink away the sudden sting of tears in the backs of my eyes.

conversation (from night’s daughter):

To my relief, Iliana is not looking at me now. Instead, she is absorbed in a conversation with King Carrick, her lovely face alight with a dazzling smile. Although she is talking to the king, every surrounding eye is on her. She looks like a fairy tale come to life.

distraction (from circle of hurt) [TW: alcohol mention]:

With the exception of Akina, Adreanna had never been particularly warm or welcoming to anyone, especially not Nik. Emrys had once joked that she could scent Nik’s fear of her, like a horse with a nervous rider.

What had changed? If he’d been thinking straight, he would have bolted as far from her as he could get. It didn’t matter if her intentions were good or bad—he wouldn’t linger long enough to find out. But something had changed in him, too. Staring down at her now, his head swimming with liquor and jealousy and hurt, he let himself be drawn into her spell.

This was what he’d wanted, after all. Hadn’t he stormed up here desperate for a distraction?

fraction (from night’s daughter):

“A man turns twenty only once, Your Highness.”

“It feels no different from nineteen.”

“So the parties are that extravagant every year?”

[Aedan] chuckles, low and soft. “No, not quite. I suppose the celebration was the only thing that was any different this year. I assume you’ve seen the aftermath.” He gives me another contemplative look. “How old are you, Miss Clarington?”

“Celena,” something prompts me to correct gently.

His tiny smile broadens a fraction. “Celena. How old are you, Celena?”

“Eighteen.”

i'll tag @lunarmoment @drippingmoon @kaiusvnoir @cream-and-tea @rose-bookblood @citywillow and @moononherwings :)

new words: chuckle, swim, surround, and release

[vellichor-virgo]

valentine questions tag game

i'm a little late with this one, but i was tagged by @akindofmagictoo!

tw: discussion of romance, obviously

which of your characters have some romantic chemistry?

Aside from the actual canon ships I’m working toward: Aedan and Celena. It’s not entirely intentional (although in the early days of planning they were supposed to have a Thing) and seems to persist through every round of editing. Not that I really want to get rid of it, because to do so I’d have to really change their entire relationship and I like it the way it is. The feelings are not serious at all and they’re not each other’s endgame, but I feel like there’s definitely an aspect of their initial connection that’s not entirely platonic.

which of your characters do you think readers will ship?

Again, Aedan and Celena, which I’m not entirely happy about but, for the reasons above, I can’t fault anyone who does.

Probably Pollux and Maia, which I’m even more unhappy about (their teasing dynamic is not flirtatious, for god’s sake!) but I know it’s inevitable.

Possibly Eamon and Celena because of their roles in the story (can’t say much more without being spoilery), but hopefully I’ll be able to shut this one down as the story progresses.

As for the canon couples, I can tell from writeblr feedback that Celena and Iliana are probably going to be a hit, which makes me very happy.

which of your characters are slated to be an endgame relationship?

Celena and Iliana! Their relationship is going to go through a lot of ups and downs (to say the very least lmao. the joys of rivals-to-almost-lovers-to-enemies) but they are going to end up together eventually.

Also, Aedan and Pollux, once Aedan realizes that a) Pollux has been pining after him since they were kids and b) that he has been pining back without realizing. And once Pollux decides to actually act instead of pining. Obviously, this will take a while.

are there any established relationships in your WIPs? if so, how did they meet?

At the moment there aren’t, but I’ve planned ND to be a trilogy, so that could change when new characters are introduced.

what’s your dream love confession scene between your characters?

For Celena and Iliana, I’d like for it to be soft and gentle. Their relationship involves a lot of angst and pain, and both of them have struggled with feeling like they can’t be loved, since neither has really experienced it before. (Well, by the time of their confession, Celena technically has in the form of platonic love, but she’s still never been told the words ‘I love you’. Not to her memory, anyway.)

Anyway, I think they deserve for their love confession to be a soft moment that they get to themselves.

i will tag @kaiusvnoir @rose-bookblood @talesofsorrowandofruin @writeblrfantasy @sleepy-night-child and anyone else who wants to join in :)

[vellichor-virgo]

manuscript search xliv

i just woke up from a nap so i'm not entirely sure what day or year it is, but here's a word search from @akindofmagictoo!

my words are concern, calm, care, and clang. these excerpts are all from Night's Daughter :)

concern:

“Celena?” the person asks again, voice full of concern. “What are you doing here? Are you alright?”

“Martin,” I breathe, finally placing the voice. My vision clears, bringing his face into focus. Of course it’s him. “I—”

There are no words to explain what I’m feeling. I have no idea what’s happening to me. So I lie through my teeth, through the rushing whirlwind. “Fine. I’m fine. Just feeling a little… sick.”

From the look that crosses his face, I can tell he does not believe me. It makes me turn away from him that much more hastily, eager to get away. A picture of my cottage, my home, flares in my mind’s eye. Safe. I’ll be safe there, alone, able to sleep off whatever this strange illness is. By morning, everything will be normal again.

calm:

Prince Aedan and I are both silent as we exit the throne room, leaving the king and queen behind. His expression is as composed as ever, his measured calm broken only by the fleeting sidelong glances he keeps casting in my direction.

In stark contrast, I am brimming with anxious energy—fiddling my fingers and chewing on my lip and pulling at my necklace. I have never felt less calm in my entire life. My mind is racing so fast I can barely formulate a thought.

care:

The prince nods as though I have said something eloquent. His eyes flicker over me again, this time lingering on my bruised arm. I cover it with my other hand, and a furrow forms between his brows. “They have done harm to you tonight.”

I nod, feeling a growing sense of bewilderment.

[...] “Has anyone ever done anything like this to you before?”

I shake my head.

“Never?”

“No, never.”

“Do you think anyone would try to do it again?”

Another strange question. Stranger still is the intent look on his face, eyes fixed on me as he waits for my response. No one has ever cared so much about what I might have to say. I am caught entirely off guard.

clang:

Feet twirl and skip over the ground as though dancing. Bodies twist and turn in movements nearly too fast for the eye to follow. Metal clashes against metal in harsh impacts that make my teeth rattle. I strain to watch as closely as I can, but even so, it’s difficult to tell who is winning.

Maia’s blue-black hair, tied up in a long tail, flares up into the air like a spray of seawater as she drops to the floor, ducking to avoid a jab of Aedan’s blade. Her own flashes upward, but Aedan does not miss a beat. His sword clangs against hers, the grating sound ringing through the room. I can’t help flinching.

i will tag @writeblrfantasy @solipsism-lemonade @corishadowfang and @chaotic-queer-disaster!!

new words: safe, silent, sense, and spray :)

[vellichor-virgo]

manuscript search xxi

i have fallen hopelessly behind on tag games, but i’m going to try to start fresh! here’s a manuscript search from @akindofmagictoo ! my words are alone, alright, awe, & after.

alone: 

There are no words to explain what I’m feeling. I have no idea what’s happening to me. So I lie through my teeth, through the rushing whirlwind. “Fine. I’m fine. Just feeling a little... sick.”

From the look that crosses his face, I can tell he does not believe me. It makes me turn away from him that much more hastily, eager to get away. A picture of my cottage, my home, flares in my mind’s eye. Safe. I’ll be safe there, alone, able to sleep off whatever this strange illness is. By morning, everything will be normal again. 

[freeze frame with voiceover: Celena was wrong. Nothing was ever normal again.]

alright: 

[...] “Would you like me to introduce you?”

“To your parents? Um, no, that’s alright.” Judging by the way Pollux begins laughing, my flash of terror must have shown on my face. My face heats with embarrassment. “I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to meet the members of the court.”

“They aren’t going to bite, Celena.” I’m reminded of Iliana’s gleaming white teeth, flashing as her red mouth formed into that feline smile, and feel inclined to disagree. “At least, as long as you’re good.”

awe:

The throne room is immense and the very definition of majestic, sending awe rushing through me the moment I step through the doors.

A high, arched ceiling soars above our heads, a latticework of glass and dark metal that allows glimpses of the sky to be seen. A deep blue carpet unfurls over the floor, leading to the dais at the head of the room. One wall is lined with portraits of unsmiling people dressed in finery. Some of the paintings look ancient, the paint faded and yellowing. I assume their subjects are Aedan’s ancestors, royals of decades past.

after:

“Pollux is my oldest and dearest friend, but his sense of responsibility can be a little...” Aedan pauses, either to find the right words or figure out how to phrase whatever he’s trying to say without outright insulting his friend. “Well, let’s just say he does not always have his priorities quite straight.”

“Lucky me to have gotten him as my guide.”

He laughs again. “Well, he did offer. It would have been unkind to shoot him down.”

After another moment of laughter, both of us seem to remember that we are not here to giggle about Pollux. The light atmosphere seems to evaporate from between us, something a little more awkward settling in its place.

Aedan clears his throat and straightens, a prince again, and I am reminded, abruptly, of my own place.

He is not your friend, Celena, and he is not going to be.

i’m very sleepy and can’t figure out who to tag, so here’s an open tag for everyone who sees this post. yes you, reading this right now (if you’d like to participate of course). new words: guide, glimpse, good, & grin

[vellichor-virgo]

27, 31, and 36 for the oc ask game for a character of your choice!

hi zofija!! thanks so much for the ask :) sorry this took me a little while to get around to.

i realized i haven’t focused much on Aedan in ask games, so i’m gonna talk about him!!

(from this ask game)

27. How did OC meet their best friend?

Aedan and Pollux have known of each other practically since they came out of the womb, because Pollux’s father is one of the advisors of the king, Aedan’s father, and they’re only a year apart in age. They became friends when they were around 5 and 6 years old respectively.

It was a similar story for Maia. She moved to Serranis with her family when she was a toddler (she was born in a neighbouring continent across the sea). Her father also had a close relationship with Aedan’s father and the two of them were also close in age, so they always knew each other. Aedan befriended her when she was 9 and Aedan was 11, around the time her father got remarried.

31. Does OC have siblings? Do they get along if they do? Do they wish they had some if they don’t?

Aedan has two younger siblings: his brother Eamon, who is three years younger than him, and his sister Aislin, who is ten years younger.

Aedan has a very good relationship with his sister, who he absolutely dotes on. She is his weak spot and easily his favourite family member. Because of their huge age gap, their relationship isn’t really a sibling-like one. Because neither of their parents are particularly involved in the actual upbringing of their children, Aedan is Aislin’s main parental figure.

Aedan’s relationship with Eamon, on the other hand, is a whole different story. It is, to put it quite simply, bad. Their mother, Queen Catriona, is largely to blame for this. In order to play out her own schemes, Catriona made it a point to manipulate and pit Eamon against Aedan early in their childhood. Eamon has always envied Aedan’s position as crown prince, and Catriona manipulated this jealousy to put the idea in Eamon’s head that Eamon was the one who deserved to be king because his personality was so much better suited to it.

Because of this, Eamon developed a deep-rooted resentment (bordering on hatred) of Aedan and made it a point to compete with him over everything their entire lives. Their entire relationship is a competition, and Aedan frequently finds himself on the losing end, which feeds his insecurity that Eamon is better than him and his obsessive desire to prove himself to be worthy of the throne. Additionally, Eamon makes it a point to hurt Aedan in any way he can. Aedan’s most distinct feature is his crooked nose; Celena later finds out that Eamon purposely broke it when they were young. Eamon also likes using the people closest to Aedan as pawns to hurt him, with Maia being the most notable example.

36. How has OC been affected by their friendships?

Aedan’s relationships with Pollux and Maia are the most important relationships in his life. They’re the only ones that feel real to him, because their love of him is unconditional. When it comes to their friendship, they don’t care that he’s going to be king one day. To them, he’s Aedan. It’s incredibly important for Aedan to have them as a safe space he can retreat to when the burdens of royalty get to be too much.

I haven’t mentioned Celena too much here because her relationship with Aedan is a little more complex, and also because it’s one of the main features of the story, so it’s still being developed. But her friendship is super important to him too. They’re kindred spirits (both very introverted, bookish, anxiety-prone) and Aedan has never really had a close friend that is so similar to him. Celena understands him in ways the others don’t, which is incredibly comforting for him.

(I just realized that out of the three “friendships” I talked about here, only one of them is actually 100% completely platonic; one has romantic undertones and the other becomes a full-blown romance. That still counts though, right?)

Thanks again for the ask! 🥰

[vellichor-virgo]

absinthe (makes the heart grow fonder)

blew off my schoolwork to write yet another fun little night's daughter snippet that doesn't fit into canon. inspired by the song “absinthe” by idkhow.

tw/cw: alcohol, sexual innuendos, and a smidge of romance

“If anyone asks,” Aedan says as Pollux passes the alcohol into his hand, “I’ve suddenly taken ill and retired for the night.”

“From Alcott’s lofty claims—” Iliana gestures with her chin toward the bottle, “—that may end up being true before night’s end.”

We’re sitting in a circle on the dining room floor, all dressed to the nines for the ball that we can faintly hear through the stone walls. It’s not yet midnight, but all of us have given up on the event. The night has been extraordinarily boring, even by my standards, so when Pollux cornered each of us in turn with a wicked grin and a bottle of spirits “strong enough to make you see stars”, it didn’t take much convincing for us to follow him and leave the ballroom behind.

Now, in a room lit by the flickering glow of a single lantern, we watch Aedan put the bottle to his lips. He grimaces, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before passing it on. “I think Iliana may be on to something.”

It’s Maia’s turn next. The first sip makes her cough; she nearly spills the alcohol down the front of her soft pink gown. “Gods above,” she splutters, hastily shoving the bottle in Iliana’s direction. “Where the hell did you get this from, Poll?”

Pollux’s mouth curves into his trademark smirk, brimming with mischief. “I made a new friend. Some emissary’s son. He was… very generous.”

Iliana takes a delicate sip and winces, but manages not to cough. Then she arches a brow at Pollux, pointedly eyeing his mussed hair and his shirt, unbuttoned to his chest. “Easily convinced, more likely.”

Pollux’s grin widens. His face is flushed, and there’s a hazy gleam in his eyes. I wonder just how much of the bottle he sampled on his own before he tracked us down. “It’s not my fault I’m as charming as I am handsome.”

“Harlot,” Maia mutters, drawing a laugh from me.

Pollux jabs a finger toward me. “You, Lady Celena, are not in a position to mock me.” He points between Iliana and me. “Did you think nobody noticed that mark on your neck? The one that happens to be the exact shade of red Ashstone paints her lips?”

My hand flies to my neck. Maia and Aedan both start to laugh. When I peek at Iliana’s face, I see that she’s trying not to smile.

“Did you know?” I ask her.

She holds her hands up in surrender. “I didn’t notice. Honestly.”

“And here I thought you were a good liar.”

Her smile breaks free, spreading across her crimson mouth. “The colour suits you, Lena.”

Blushing, I take the bottle from her hands and lift it to my mouth. The bitter herbal taste hits me before the burn does, fierce enough to make my eyes water. Warmth pools in the pit of my stomach.

“At least I wasn’t trading kisses for terrible liquor,” I say to Pollux, sliding the bottle back to him. The others burst into raucous laughter.

Pollux shakes his head at us, but he’s still grinning. “Ungrateful wretches, the lot of you.”

night's daughter taglist: @elhuei @writingbyjillian @wildswrites @mel-writes-with-her-dragons @zmlorenz @ghostsinthecupboards @cream-and-tea @chazzawrites @wannabeauthorzofija @strangerays @honeyscript @kahaaniyaa @viskafrer @hiddenhistoria @wisteria-eventide @ambsthom @bloodandmonsters @the-orangeauthor @writeblrfantasy

[vellichor-virgo]

manuscript search lx

hello dear friends! i haven’t been doing tag games for a little while, but i decided to fill out a word search today. this one is from @emelkae, thank you! :)

my words are steam, dearth, entertain, & influence!

steam (from night’s daughter v0. this is the morning after celena has had a life-altering discovery about herself, hence why she’s a bit upset):

When I emerge again from the blankets, I see that [Cait] has left breakfast for me—a warm bun dusted in powdered sugar and a steaming drink that smells of cinnamon. It looks delicious, but the bun tastes like ash in my mouth and the drink scalds my tongue. I pick at the meal for a few minutes before giving up on it.

dearth

entertain (from night’s daughter v0):

“No worries, Maia dear,” Pollux purrs as he reaches across the table to snatch a strawberry from her bowl. She swats at his hand, but he draws back quickly and lets the berry drop into his mouth. “I’m more than happy to entertain Celena in your absence.”

“Oh, please,” Maia scoffs. “As if she would voluntarily subject herself to that.”

“You would be surprised to find that aside from you, most people find me quite charming.” He finishes this sentence with a wink at me.

Maia makes a face. “Ugh.”

influence (from night’s daughter v0; extended for context):

“ [...] All of the court will be in attendance. As will a number of Morlene and Eilimnian royals.”

Ah. So that’s why I’m invited.

“I’ll be meeting with them,” I say. Not a question.

“Yes, you will.” [Aedan’s] expression is serious and steady and sure, at odds with the uncertainty that flickers in my chest. “[...] It will be simple. Just a matter of explaining what happened to you.”

“And praising the kingdom and your father’s rule.”

The prince’s eyebrows knit together at whatever he sees on my face. “Well, yes. Will that be a problem?”

“Of course not, Your Highness. I was just wondering… Well, I’m not quite sure how I’m meant to improve relations with the other kingdoms.” My fingers find their way to the crescent moon nestled in the curve of my collarbone, worrying it back and forth along its chain. An old anxious habit. “I’m just one girl, after all. How much influence could I have?”

i'll tag @akindofmagictoo @lanawritesalittle @zmlorenz @rose-bookblood @drippingmoon and @sleepyowlwrites + whoever else wants to join in :)

new words: nestle, scoff, mouth, and hear

[vellichor-virgo]

manuscript search lxii

hi @sleepyowlwrites <3 my words are tentative, unused, vein, waste, and yank

tentative (from night’s daughter v0):

“You asked for me, Your Highness?” The words waver, tentative and uncertain, forced out before that damned anxiety of mine can take over and lock them into my throat.

[Aedan’s] head snaps up, surprise flashing across his face as he takes me in, then quickly shuts his book. “Oh, Celena! I should have noticed you there. I apologize.”

“It’s quite alright—”

“Come, come, sit down.” He begins to stand, as if to pull out a chair for me, but I hastily beat him to it, dragging the nearest one over to his table.

He watches me do it, only sitting back down after I have. “I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly. I thought you would still be out with Pollux.”

“We decided to cut our tour short.”

“Too cold outside?”

Not even the half of it. I force a smile and nod. “Something like that.”

unused (from night’s daughter v1, just after Celena and Aedan met for the first time):

“Where are you planning to have her stay, Your Highness?”

“The palace, of course. Where else?”

A tiny squeaking sound escapes me.

“The palace, sir?” Captain Finnel’s wide eyes flick over me again, taking in my ragged appearance. Imagining me in the finery of Nightfall Palace is probably unthinkable for him. I know it is for me.

[...]

“Why not the palace? We are not exactly wanting for space. There are enough unused rooms to house a village of people.”

vein (from circle of hurt; TW for implied romance/attraction):

This was what [Nik] had wanted, after all. Hadn’t he stormed up here desperate for a distraction?

Nik held Adreanna’s gaze as he lowered himself down to sit on the other side of the stair, his back against the bannister. He had always tended to avoid eye contact with her, as though looking at her was as dangerous as staring into the sun. Now, with that inexplicable recklessness pumping through his veins, he leaned back and took her in, letting her beauty scorch him.

waste (from night’s daughter v0):

“There’s only one chair,” I note with a small degree of relief.

Which is quickly extinguished by the purely wicked edge to Iliana’s smile before she approaches the courtier sitting beside the empty seat and leans down to them. I can’t hear what she purrs into their ear, but whatever it is makes them dart a wide-eyed glance over at me, then back at her, before they quickly stand and exit their chair.

Iliana doesn’t waste a second, immediately gathering her skirts and settling into one of the empty seats. When I don’t do the same, too busy staring at her in dismayed surprise, she waves a hand at the seat she just procured. “Do sit down, Lady Celena.”

yank (from night’s daughter v1):

Maia snorts, picking up her silverware. “You haven’t known [Pollux] long enough yet. Give it a week, and you’ll find yourself wanting to throw a shoe at his head. Or you might want to send him flowers.” She wrinkles her nose. “Those are the only two reactions Pollux elicits from people, although you don’t strike me as a girl foolish enough to moon over him.”

I barely hear the rest of Maia’s chatter. Instead, my mind zeroes in on the stunning thing that she said so casually, as though it was a given. A week.

I cannot imagine myself here in a week’s time, still living this easy, lavish life, surrounded constantly by all this splendour. Let alone the rest of my life. If this arrangement even lasts for the rest of my life. Being here feels as though I am standing on a rug that could be yanked out from beneath my feet at any moment.

i shall tag @josephinegerardywriter @drippingmoon @rose-bookblood @solipsism-lemonade @emelkae @the-orangeauthor + open tag for whoever else would like to join in !

new words: stun, edge, gaze, and escape

[vellichor-virgo]

manuscript search li

tagged by @lanawritesalittle! my words are succeed, shallow, silver, shift, and surround. these excerpts are all from night’s daughter :)

succeed:

I come to learn that in the eyes of the court, Aedan, Maia, and Pollux are an untouchable trio. Pollux has his dalliances, and Maia’s sweet charm earns adoration, but neither has many true companions. They keep to the company of one another and, of course, the crown prince. Over the years, countless young nobles have jockeyed for the trio’s favour, for their friendship, but none have succeeded.

shallow

silver:

Blinding silver light flashes with the force of a dying star. No—it is not just light. There is a force behind it—pure power, raw and untamed. It radiates through the air like ripples across the still surface of a pond. I throw up an arm to shield my eyes, but it has already swept away my vision, shoving me into abrupt, complete darkness.

shift:

Unsettled, I take a step forward—and freeze.

Something seems to click into place inside me. The shift is miniscule, barely noticeable, but I feel it all the same. As though something coiled and long-slumbering deep inside me has blinked open an eye.

surround:

Celena. The voice comes not from inside my head, but from the starry blackness surrounding me on every side. It is at once old and young, quiet and loud, one and many. The sound reverberates in my bones, in my head, in my heart. Are you listening?

My own voice echoes around me when I answer. Yes.

It is almost time, the voice says. Are you ready?

Time for what? I ask.

Time for you to come back.

i'll tag @josephinegerardywriter @mel-writes-with-her-dragons @rose-bookblood @sleepy-night-child @oh-no-another-idea and anyone else who wants to join in :)

new words: star, slumber, surface, and sweet

[vellichor-virgo]

manuscript search xix

every time i feel like avoiding my responsibilities, i add a tag game to my queue

thanks for tagging me @akindofmagictoo ! my words are follow, fall, speak, & small

follow: 

Feet twirl and skip over the ground as though dancing. Bodies twist and turn in movements nearly too fast for the eye to follow. Metal clashes against metal in harsh impacts that make my teeth rattle. I strain to watch as closely as I can, but even so, it’s difficult to tell who is winning. 

Maia’s blue-black hair, tied up in a long tail, flares up into the air like a spray of seawater as she drops down, ducking to avoid a jab of Aedan’s blade. Her own flashes upward, but Aedan does not miss a beat. His sword clangs against hers, the grating sound ringing through the room. I can’t help flinching. 

fall (Maia’s first appearance): 

They called me a faerie child in Kallana, but the girl standing before me now, leaning against the doorway, looks exactly how I would imagine an actual faerie. Although she looks to be the same age as me, she has a slight, slender frame that is quite a bit shorter. Long, slick-straight hair falls in a glossy, smooth blue-black tide down her back. Her narrow face is delicately pretty, with warm, light tan skin and an equally warm smile on her small bow-shaped lips. 

speak:

[Aedan] acknowledges me with a tiny nod, barely perceptible, before turning back to his father. The king is speaking with grand hand gestures, Queen Catriona and a handful of nearby courtiers listening closely.

At the other end of the table, Princess Aislin is also chattering away, but Prince Eamon seems to be her only audience, and he is far from a captive one. His attention is clearly on the rest of his family, and I can tell he yearns to be closer, to participate in the conversation with his father and brother rather than to be sidelined with only his little sister for company. 

I find myself pitying him. I know how it feels to be excluded. 

small x2 (more puppy content + soft Pollux): 

“Was that a joke, Lady Celena?”

“Why does that come as such a surprise to you?”

“You’re so quiet and serious.” Turning away from me, Pollux reaches into the pen to scoop up the smallest puppy. “And shy. Even your smiles seem nervous, most of the time. I thought you’d be another Aedan.”

“Well, this is a new world for me. I’ve never known anything like it. Forgive me for being nervous and shy.”

I fall quiet, watching Pollux cradling the puppy against his chest, stroking gently over the small, velvety ears. The moment is unexpectedly tender, showcasing a softer side of the sharp-tongued boy.

“Is being like Aedan a bad thing?” I finally ask.

An indescribable expression—something like pain, but not quite—tumbles across Pollux’s face, no more than a flash. A ghost of emotion. 

“No,” he says, gazing intently at the puppy as it gnaws on his finger with tiny, sharp teeth. “It is not.” 

tagging @zmlorenz @drippingmoon @chazzawrites & anyone else who wants to join! new words: ghost, nod, long, and teeth

[vellichor-virgo]

incorrect quote tag

@teasenpaiwrites has created perhaps the funniest tag i have ever seen on writeblr. thank you so much for tagging me. as someone who has several running docs of incorrect quotes i stole from tumblr and shoved my OCs into, this generator really made my day.

rules: use this quote generator & list as many quotes as you like using characters from your WIPs, then tag as many people as quotes you listed. 

I did 8 quotes, so 8 people - I’m tagging @zmlorenz , @akindofmagictoo , @sleepyowlwrites , @writingonesdreams , @ashen-crest , @thewritingace , @mel-writes-with-her-dragons , @talesofsorrowandofruin , & anyone else who wants to participate. This is super fun so I encourage everyone to give it a try!

Here are a few quotes featuring the Night’s Daughter gang:

Celena: Favourite horror movie?

Maia: It.

Iliana: Saw.

Aedan: Annabelle.

Pollux: High School Musical. After watching it I spent all my middle school years terrified that the entire school would start singing something and I’d be the only one who didn’t know the lyrics. 

This one turned out to be way too accurate to each character.

Celena: Good responses for being stabbed with a knife?

Maia: Rude.

Iliana: That’s fair.

Aedan: Not again.

Pollux: Are you going to want this back?

This post is going to be long, so I’ll put the rest under the cut:

Celena: You really put aside everything and came all this way for me? How did you even get here so fast?

Maia: Several traffic violations.

Iliana: Three counts of resisting arrest.

Aedan: Roughly thirteen cans of energy drinks.

Pollux: Also, that’s not our car. 

This one is also hilariously accurate:

Aedan: There is no future. There is no past. Do you see? Time is simultaneous, an intricately structured jewel that humans insist on viewing one edge at a time, when the whole design is visible in every facet.

Pollux: 

Maia: 

Celena: 

Everyone else at Aedan’s surprise birthday party: 

Pollux: All I asked was if you wanted to cut your cake first. 

What was Maia, Pollux & Aedan’s friendship like before Celena showed up, you might be wondering? I’m so glad you asked.

Aedan: What time is it?

Pollux: I don’t know, pass me that saxophone and we’ll find out.

Pollux: *plays sax loudly and extremely out of tune*

Maia: WHO THE FUCK IS PLAYING THE SAXOPHONE AT 2 IN THE MORNING

Pollux: It’s 2 am. 

This one is... in fairly poor taste because of some Trauma™️ in Pollux’s past, but honestly, still accurate.

Aedan: If Pollux and I were drowning, who would you save?

Maia: You two can’t swim?

Pollux: It’s a hypothetical question, Maia! Who would you save?

Maia: My time and effort.

———

Aedan: Sometimes I drink milk right out of the container.

Pollux: The cow???

Aedan: What?

Maia: Pollux, W H Y ?

And lastly: I actually did this one with some of my other OCs, but I just had to tweak it to fit the ND gang.

Aedan, about Celena: Apparently we’re getting someone new in the group.

Maia: Are we stealing them?

Pollux: New or used?

Aedan: Wonderful responses, both of you. 

[vellichor-virgo]

😂&💔 please!

thanks for the ask! <3 (from this ask game)

😂 Share your funniest line (or dialogue exchange).

The mental image of this scene is just really amusing to me. Also, the fact that this is immediately followed by the two of them smacking each other like 5-year-olds.

“Well,” Maia says, the brightening of her tone signalling a change in topic. “For once I’m not busy, so you won’t have to suffer through another day of this one’s company.”

When she gestures to Pollux with her piece of bread, he plucks it from her hand and pops it into his mouth.

💔 Share your most heartbreaking line.

I’ve shared this before (full scene here if you want more context), but here it is again, because it still makes me sad.

[...] “It wasn’t a very good home, Your Highness. Nor... nor a particularly good life.”

Aedan’s gaze remains steady on mine, unwavering. “But it was still yours,” he says.

My heart gives an unbidden ache. “Yes,” I say quietly. “It was.”

[vellichor-virgo]

synonym search (manuscript search xx)

this is a very fun variation on the manuscript search that i’ve dubbed the synonym search tag. @akindofmagictoo has charged me with finding some fluff: soft, hold, & gentle. i somehow don’t have hug?? what??? i need to fix this immediately 

soft (+ bonus gentle): 

I wish the dreams would let me see my parents’ faces. I’d like to glimpse what they look like, even if it were for just a split second. To see which of their features I bear on my own face. But they never make an appearance.

I know that I have been dreaming of them the moment my eyes blink open. Fleeting images and sensations tumble through my head—a tiny, delicate hand that must be my own, wrapped in a larger one sporting a gleaming ring. The feeling of gentle fingers brushing my scalp, weaving braids into my hair. The whisper of a page being turned and a soft, wordless voice reading aloud. 

hold (for context, Aedan just won a sword fight they were having):

Aedan’s small, rare smile makes an appearance as he holds his hand out to help Maia to her feet. “You nearly got me that time. That feint was clever.”

He releases her hand to pat her shoulder, spotting me as he does. “Oh, Celena. I didn’t notice you come in.”

Maia grimaces at me. “Did you see him wallop me?”

“I did not wallop you, Maia.” 

“Ever the humble prince,” Pollux croons, his cackle barely held back. Maia sends him a poisonous look. 

the next one is kind of a long scene, so i’ll put it under the cut:

gentle x3 (one of the softest scenes in ND so far. context: Maia just opened up to Celena about her mother’s death, and Celena felt guilty that she didn’t open up in return so she tried to explain her own past but couldn’t manage to do it): 

My words trail off as inexplicably as they came. My voice feels like it’s stuck in my throat, refusing to work no matter what. 

Maia’s hand is surprisingly gentle as she touches my arm.

“Aedan told me...” She hesitates, expression cautious. “He told me you said you didn’t have a family. When he met you.”

[...] I nod silently in answer to Maia’s unasked question.

“I know you have been through something tragic,” she says, her hand still a light weight on my arm. Her voice is soft, but that isn’t pity in it. No, it’s understanding. “I know you carry pain with you, even if I don’t know why. And I don’t need to.”

I blink, taken aback. 

A tiny smile touches Maia’s lips when she sees my confusion. “You don’t need to open up if it’s out of a sense of obligation. Or guilt. If you want to talk about it, I’ll listen. But only when you want to tell me.”

Something swells in my heart until it feels ready to burst. A million different responses dance on my tongue, but the only one that emerges is, “Why are you being so nice to me?” 

It’s Maia’s turn to blink, bemused. “What do you mean?”

“You barely know me, and yet you’re being so kind to me. Why?”

“That’s what people do, Celena.” Although puzzled, Maia’s voice remains gentle. Perhaps even gentler than before. “That’s what friends do.”

“Friends,” I repeat, hearing the uncertainty in my own voice. 

celena and maia’s relationship is something that is so special to me. literally just: Local Village Girl Has Never Experienced Affection In Her Life; Local Noble Girl Takes It Upon Herself To Make Up For It

leaving this as an open tag w/ the same words (soft, hug, hold, & gentle) for anyone who wants to share some softness :)

[vellichor-virgo]

manuscript search xxiv

decided to fill some tag games today! this one is from @talesofsorrowandofruin :) my words are stare, solemn, silent, & strange.

stare:

I pause in the long shadow of a shop, resting a hand against its wall to hold myself up. Light glimmers in the corner of my eye, and I glance up at the moon again. For a moment, my head seems to clear, the roiling energy stilling. I tug off my archery gloves and hold out my hands to stare at my palms, half-expecting to see the movement of the energy mirrored on my skin, but there is nothing but the same callouses and scars I have had for years. 

solemn: 

“I hear you had a birthday recently, Your Highness,” I begin carefully, wanting to break the silence. “I feel as though I should wish you well, although it comes two days too late.”

A tiny hint of a smile turns up the corner of Aedan’s lips, breaking through his solemn air. He looks more handsome when he smiles; it sends a glowing light straight to his eyes. “Well, thank you. Although it is not as important as everyone makes it seem.” 

silent: 

Logically, I should turn back toward home. Should trek up the hill to the cottage, strip off my ruined nightgown, wash the dirt from my feet, and climb back into bed. But... something in the night seems to be calling me. I think of my empty, silent house, then look around at the misty forest, alight with moonglow, like something from another world. Overhead, a nocturnal bird lets out a low, melodic trill. 

strange: 

I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep, but we seem to have crossed a considerable distance in that time. The horses trek along an unfamiliar path, surrounded by trees on either side. Maybe being in a forest should comfort me with memories of the one I left behind, but instead, it makes a strange ache grow in my chest. 

leaving this as an open tag for anyone who wants to hop on! new words: path, wash, glow, & shadow