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hisui-dreamer · 1 year

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never too late

Characters: Jade, Kalim, Idia, Malleus

Synopsis: You shared a night of passion with your lover before you left for the other side of the mirror, but fate's cruel hands strike once again as you realise you have to raise his child alone in your original world. Thankfully, your child is incredibly drawn to magic, and they opened a portal...?

Tags: slight angst, fluffy end because im a sap, fem reader, reader gives birth to a child, reunions, bot proofread

Word count: 4.1k+

Notes: same as the last two, all the name ideas are in japanese. if it makes you uncomfortable, you can imagine that reader is japanese

also wow classical music makes me so inspired i wrote so much

Part 1✧Part 2✧Part 4✧Masterlist

A few months passed as you settled back into your routine at home. Eventually, with the noticeable changes in your body, it dawned on you that you were with child—his child, your lover from the other side of the mirror whom you could no longer reach.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turn into months. You had adapted to the trials and tribulations of parenthood. Juggling the responsibilities of work, childcare, and household chores was no easy feat, but you found solace in the small moments of your child's growth and development.

Your child was a true joy to behold, a mirror image of their father in many ways, and you often see the ghost of your past lover in them. Having inherited his magic, your child experimented with their powers, leaving you to support them with what limited knowledge of magic that remained from your NRC days.

On one such experiment, your environment started to shift as a wave of magical energy engulfed you. When you opened your eyes again, he was there, right in front of you—

Miharu (翠晴) with 翠 meaning "green, emerald, jade" and 晴 meaning "clear, fine, serene"

your daughter has straight teal hair and slightly angular eyes that are a complete replica of her father's

the name you chose for her has a strong connection to jade, also representing the peacefulness you found in Jade's presence

she's a quiet child who always has this calm smile on her face

she's loves being independent and hates asking other people for help

there are some times when you have to hold her and tell her "hey, you can rely more on your mother you know?"

she doesn't look like she wants physical affection, but when she's accomplished something, you'll notice her staring at you in anticipation

when you reach your hand over to pat her head for a job well done, she smiles so contentedly and just melts at your affection

loves playing around with plants and fungi, and thankfully she's quite good at managing them, so sometimes you can save money on groceries

loves swimming in the ocean, but much prefers clinging onto you in the water

will turn to her eel form if in bodies of water for too long, so you're careful about what times or places have fewer people

incredibly intelligent and good at quick thinking, always curious to learn more about fungi, magic, etc.

seemingly calm when you told her about her intelligent and sly father, but soon after learning about him, she'll ask questions about him a lot and start practising magic more

and when she finally accomplishes teleporting you two to him, you're in a pantry that smells of fresh tea leaves, and he's looking as elegant and charming as ever as he pours water into the teapot, his hair is sleeked back and the grace exudes just puts you in a trance

Jade's eyes widen as he beheld a sight that only seemed possible in his wildest dreams. There, standing before him, was the person he had loved so deeply and had thought lost forever.

"My love... is it really you?" Jade whispers, his voice quivering with a mix of disbelief and hope. His heart thuds in his chest, the sound reverberating through his entire being.

Tears glisten in the corners of his eyes as he closes the distance between you, his steps quickening with a sense of urgency. He envelops you in a tight embrace, his arms holding you firmly, afraid you might disappear once more. "Oh my pearl, how I longed to turn back time and not have let you go, to have kept you here with me," he whispers hoarsely, his voice trembling with a mixture of joy and sadness.

Jade is showing more emotion than you've ever seen and you're both crying and holding each other tightly

eventually, floyd barges in to tell Jade azul's complaint about how long he's taken to make the long-forgotten tea

when floyd sees you, he immediately tries to come over and squeeze you

but Jade is having his moment so he lifts you and keeps you away from floyd's grasp

pouting, instead floyd diverts his attention to Miharu, who's just curiously staring at him

eventually eventually azul shows up to see why everyone has disappeared and he's incredibly surprised to see you two

he complains that Jade will be busy for a while then, but you can see his eyes are teary and there's a soft smile on his face

for quite some time, Jade is incredibly alert when it comes to you, always paying attention to your needs, your feelings, and if you get up in the middle of the night for a bathroom break, he wakes up with you and waits outside the door until he can hold you again, and then he'll carry you back to bed

he didn't realise how important you had meant to him until you were gone, how lost and empty he felt, so best beware, he's never letting you go again

oh he's so cute with Miharu!!! building terrariums together and comparing notes and cooking mushroom meals together

father-daughter swimming sessions!!! sometimes floyd and azul join

definitely pranks azul as a trio, but azul can't get mad at her hahaha

you can tell Miharu is so enthusiastic about spending time with uncle floyd

Jade cries crocodile tears that his dearest daughter prefers his brother over him

and Miharu just tells him "well you belong to mommy, so i'll have uncle floyd"

the twin eels can't say they're unhappy with that arrangement, now can they

and don't forget mama and papa leech! they love spoiling Miharu with trinkets and treasures they find!

Jade's smiling genuinely more than ever, and you can't believe how lucky you are to have both him and Miharu in your arms

You direct your eyes towards Miharu, and his gaze follows yours, a tender smile tugging at the corners of Jade's lips. "And this... is she our child?" he asked, his voice filled with awe. He crouched down, his hands gently cupping her face, his fingertips tracing the familiar features.

"I'm so sorry," Jade confessed, his voice filled with raw emotion. "I've been such a terrible father, I've missed out on so much of your life,"

Miharu's hand instinctively rises to meet his, her small palm finding solace against his cheek. A gentle reassurance emanates from her touch, and her voice, soft yet resolute, pierces through his self-doubt. "It's okay, daddy," she murmurs. "It's not your fault.

Without hesitation, he pulls her into a warm and encompassing embrace, enfolding her in his arms as if shielding her from the world. "Oh, my darling, you are such an angel," Jade whispers against her ear.

Hidaka (陽夏) with 陽 meaning "sun, sunlight, positive" and 夏 meaning "summer"

your son has spiky white hair, glowing tan skin, and ruby-like eyes that often sparkle with joy

you named your son after his father's sunny disposition, and the warmth in scarabia that you look back on fondly in your memories with him

hoo boy you got yourself a piece of bouncing sunshine

he's so bright and happy and warm and there's always a wide smile on his face that makes anyone who sees it feel re-energised

will often do things on impulse out of pure curiosity, but if you tell him off he's immediately apologising and hoping you're not mad at him

snuggles so much!! the first thing he does when he sees you is run up and jump into your arms

he's always willing to share what he has with others, and is friendly with everyone

though he has a big appetite, he's not picky about food and will happily eat anything you give him

he's not the smartest and is rather oblivious much like his father, but he makes up for it with how passionate and motivated he can be

but when he's determined, he can be surprisingly smart

when he heard about the kind and brave man his father was, he was visibly shaking in excitement, firing question after question

and before long, his determination to reunite his family brought the two of you into a dim room lit by a single nightside lantern

Kalim sat at the bed clutching a turban you had gifted him, his face has matured and lost most of its baby fat

Kalim's lips are parted, his breath catching in his throat as he sits there, rooted to the spot. "This... this can't be real," he murmurs, his voice barely a whisper, as he takes a tentative step forward, his heart pounding loudly.

His feet move as if guided by unseen forces. His eyes fixate on your face, searching for any sign that this is not a figment of his imagination. A fragile smile begins to form on his lips, the corners of his mouth quivering with a mix of disbelief and joy.

His steps quicken, echoing through the room, each one carrying him closer to the person he thought he had lost forever. And then, in a burst of exhilaration, he is by your side, his arms encircling you with a strength born from the depths of his soul.

"It's you," Kalim gasps, his voice filled with raw emotion. His grip tightens, his embrace both gentle and fervent as he twirls you around in the air, a whirlwind of emotions propelling him forward. Laughter escapes his lips, an expression of pure elation and gratitude. "Thank the heavens you're back! I never thought I'd see you again!"

oh he's crying waterfalls nonstop, you and Hidaka try to comfort him and wipe his tears but he only cries harder at your touch

at this point, jamil bursts into the room,

alert and thoroughly confused why Kalim is crying in the middle of the night

though when he sees you, his expression visibly softens and after asking a few questions to confirm your identity, he genuinely welcomes you back

his reaction to Hidaka is "oh no another one" but with the way he lifts him into the air and the teasing smile on his face you can tell he's not completely serious

after graduation, Kalim worked hard to inherit the Asim family business and has grown to become a successful businessman who cares for his workers and people

jamil willingly offers to take over Kalim's role for a while so that he can spend time catching up with you two, and it's clear from their exchange their relationship has improved a lot

Kalim, despite having seemingly matured, clings onto you like a child and you feel things haven't changed much at all

as the heir, he has been pressured to get married, but it didn't feel right for him when he still longed for you

so he's incredibly glad you can now permanently be the person who stays by his side, showing his affection by showering you with gifts and snuggling with you any chance he gets

he's great with Hidaka too! they're both super energetic and curious though, so occasionally jamil or you have to step in and be the reasonable person

so many impromptu trips on the magic carpet with the three of you just exploring places and going wherever you want!

he's also very very cautious about your security, all of a sudden he has a wife and a healthy heir, so undoubtedly there are some eyes turned to you

but Kalim has grown stronger and wiser to be able to protect what he cherishes, so he's not letting any harm come your way

Kalim gently pulls back, his eyes flickering between you and the little boy who bore an undeniable resemblance to him. "You've brought us such an incredible gift," he whispers, his voice tinged with awe. "A child, our child. I can't believe it..." His voice trails off, trailing into a breathless hush as he tries to comprehend everything.

Bending down gracefully, Kalim positions himself at eye level with Hidaka. "Hello there, little one," he murmurs, his words floating on a cloud of softness. "I'm Kalim, your...dad." The weight of the word lingers on his tongue.

Hidaka's face lights up like a radiant sun, a beacon of pure joy. Without hesitation, he lunges forward, embracing Kalim in a tight hug. Laughter bubbles up from within him, filling the air with a melodic symphony. "My daddy!" he exclaims, his voice a chorus of excitement. "I've always wanted to meet you!"

Kalim's tears fall freely once again as he wraps his arms around Hidaka, holding him close.

Honoka (火華) with 火 meaning "fire" and 華 meaning "flower, splendour, brilliance"

your daughter had bright yellow eyes that seemed to shine in the dark, and seemingly normal curly blue hair, until it would act in a similar way to Idia's hair when she became emotional

you named your daughter after her father's fiery hair, his inner brilliance and potential, and of course, the idea of a flower blooming in the underworld (Persephone vibes hehe)

she's the child who's quiet and introverted on the outside, but has so much to say when she's alone with you

most of the time she's generally soft-spoken, mumbling and acting shy with strangers

but oh wait? there's a pop-up arcade of her favourite show??? gremlin child activated

ridiculously good at games, even if she just learnt the rules, it's very like she'll end up being the winner

you used to spend a lot of time styling her hair, but there were too many instances where soon after finishing styling, her emotions became too unstable and her hair turned into flames

still braidable, just not explainable to strangers

she's kinda like a cat in the sense that she'll act like she doesn't care or not want your touch, but when you pat her head or brush her hair, she just sits still and beams at your affection

definitely clings onto you when there are too many strangers and she's scared

ridiculously smart and good at math and technology, and she had no issues learning magical theory from you

when you told her about the brilliant but shy man her father was, she was dying to meet him when he sounded so similar to her

and after running some tests and calculations, she connected her magic to Idia and the next moment you know, you were in the Styx science lab, with Idia, his hair tied up, his eyebags worse than ever, standing right in front of you

Idia's heart skips a beat as he catches sight of your figure emerging from the radiant light, a surreal moment that defies all expectations. "OMG, it actually worked..." he exclaims, dropping his tablet to the floor, forgotten in his rush towards you.

With each stride, the weight of years apart seems to evaporate, replaced by a resplendent glimmer of hope that grows brighter with every passing moment. His palms grow clammy, but undeterred, he continues his determined approach, craving the warmth of your presence.

He finds himself standing in front of you, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. The room seems to shrink, narrowing down to just the three of them, the air heavy with anticipation.

Idia's voice quivers, his words delicate as they tremble in the air, like a fragile melody woven with threads of longing and regret. "I...I can't believe it's really you. I've missed you so damn much." His voice cracks with emotion, his vulnerability laid bare as he reached out to hold you.

Idia's crying and Ortho's right next time him congratulating his success, though there's a loving and emotional tone to his robotic voice

he's holding you so tightly and crying and he just melts into your arms and warmth

soon after graduation, Idia began working more and more at styx to inherit the family business

but a side project of his for the longest time was opening a portal where you could go back and forth between two worlds

and miraculously, his system connected with Honoka's magic and you were back!

idia's incredibly nervous and surprised he has a daughter, and he has a mild panic attack before he's a bit more calmed down with your and Ortho's help

but once things have settled down a bit, you'll start living comfortably with your family in styx

though idia may be busy at times, he always has ortho with you or some cameras near you so you won't suddenly disappear on him

you're basically irreversibly a part of the shroud family now, and in his mind, you really didn't get to choose

his anxiety about you leaving keeps him up at night, but when he wakes up from nightmares and you're the first thing he sees, he slowly calms down and curls his body into you to feel more of your warmth

gaming sessions with Honoka!! he introduces all sorts of his favourite games to her, though you make sure they're not too violent and inappropriate knowing him, and they bond over playing and introducing games to each other

family game nights with you four playing basically Mario party or co-op games!!

and though Idia's still working on breaking the family curse, even more motivated now because he doesn't want it affecting Honoka, he's so grateful fate has finally given him this happiness, to be able to live together as a family with his most cherished people

Trembling with a mix of excitement and trepidation, Idia knelt down to meet Honoka at eye level, his voice filled with a gentle warmth. "Hey there, kiddo. It's... it's really nice to finally meet you." His words carried a hint of awe, as if he couldn't quite believe that this precious little being was a part of him.

Honoka's eyes sparkled with a mixture of curiosity and recognition, her small hand reaching out to touch his hair. She uttered her first words, a tender melody that danced in the air. "You have the same hair as me... Daddy?" she asked curiously.

Tears welled up in Idia's eyes as he comprehended her words, a tender smile graced his lips. His voice choked with love and gratitude. "Yeah kid, I'm your daddy." He pulls her into a hug, "Let's play lots of games together, yeah?"

Keitarou (蛍太郎) with 火 meaning "firefly" and 華 meaning "eldest son"

your son has black hair that fades at the tips to a blue reminiscent of the sky right before sunrise, and shimmering emerald eyes with a reptile-like slit in them

you named your son after the night you first met his father who manifested as fireflies, and a reference to the nickname you chose to call him

your son is very polite to strangers, but he struggles with getting along with his peers

he'd love to make friends, but his aura comes off as overwhelming to other people, so unfortunately he does feel a bit lonely

but he loves it when he's at home with you, when you shower all of your affection onto him and he feels so loved and cherished

he loves his mama so much he always wants to help you with chores and whatnot, but unfortunately he can be rather clumsy and oblivious which leads to more problems being made

but in those situations, you always show him the correct way of doing things, while also reassuring him it's okay he made mistakes, what's important is learning from them

super clingy and cuddly! sometimes he becomes territorial and his dragon tail appears and curls itself around your limbs

you have masterfully disguised his budding horns by wrapping his hair around them, explaining to others than he liked this Halloween costume so much he wanted it done everyday

being half fae, he's incredibly talented at magic and it really does come as second nature to him

when you told him about his charming yet fearsome father, he was really curious about this figure, but also a part of him wondered why his wonderful mama would choose someone like him?

well, mama seems to miss him a lot, and Keitarou loves nothing more than seeing you happy, and all of a sudden, you're standing in the throne room or the dark gothic castle, and right across the room was the King of Briar Valley, his expression stone cold and cautious until he met you eyes

Silver and Sebek, positioned in a defensive stance, braced themselves for whatever entity would emerge from the swirling portal. As the portal dissipated, revealing the figure within, Malleus gasped, his breath catching in his throat. A surge of emotions overwhelmed him, an electric current coursing through his veins.

His steps quickened, propelled by an overwhelming desire to bridge the chasm of time and distance that had separated you for far too long. The distance between you closed swiftly, his graceful stride carrying him closer to the embodiment of his deepest longing. The words that slipped from his lips were laden with a tenderness and longing that only you could evoke.

"My dearest Child of Man, is it truly you?" Malleus murmured, his voice a fragile whisper, as if afraid to shatter the fragile reality that had materialized before him. His outstretched hands trembled, yearning to cradle you once more, to feel the warmth of your presence.

A mixture of awe and reverence coated his words as he continued, his voice barely audible but drenched in profound emotion. "You came back. It's been so long, far too long..." His voice trailed off, swallowed by the weight of the years that had separated you.

he's so shaken the rain has cleared up to bring about a beautiful rainbow that hovered over the castle

silver and sebek go to get lilia, and it's a heartfelt family reunion

they've all seen how Malleus has returned back to his hollow shell of existence after you left, and they're so glad his eyes are glimmering with emotions once again

though some are more direct about it, and others felt the need to rant about how cruel it was to leave them (we love you sebek)

though he's been urged by his advisors to quickly marry and start producing an heir, he's adamantly refused because he firmly believed nobody would ever make him feel the same way you did

there are some advisors who are secretly unhappy with the fact that the queen is human and the new heir is half-human, but nobody would dare say a word when they see the Malleus Draconia act like an oversized puppy dog with his head in your lap

plus, Keitarou magical prowess and intelligence easily put them in their place

Malleus, with your return, has grown more openly dramatic and affectionate

for example, if you mention you like a certain flower, the next day the entire garden is replanted to that exact flower

do calm him down a bit so he won't be too extra with his love language

Keitarou and Malleus sort of have this rivalry between the two of them to get the most of your affections

but they do eventually reach a truce when they both agree you're the most important thing in the world

but you know, general lighthearted sabotage on both ends, Keitarou wants to sleep with his mama, so papa can sleep alone yeah?

no it ends up with the entire family sleeping together and you're sandwiched in the middle

well, at least it's a happy family of two possessive dragons and possibly a baby princess coming on the way?

Keitarou hid behind your legs, his small frame peeking out to catch glimpses of the man standing before you.

"Hm? Is he... our child?" His voice carried a soft tremor, as if he dared not let himself believe in the possibility. But your nod, filled with affirmation and a love that transcended time, set loose a cascade of emotions within him. A serene smile graced his features, radiating warmth and a profound sense of peace.

Malleus turned towards Keitarou, his eyes tender and gentle, a wellspring of paternal affection flowing freely. "Hello, young one," he began, his words carrying a weight of significance that only a father's voice could hold. "I am your father, and it is a pleasure to meet you."

Keitarou's wide eyes glistened with a mix of wonder and cautious hope as he listened to Malleus's gentle words. "Hello," he murmured, his voice filled with a blend of innocence and an innate longing for connection. "I... I'm Keitarou," he continued, his voice wavering slightly but growing stronger with each syllable. "It's... it's nice to meet you, Father."

Malleus's smile widened, mirroring the joy and relief that flooded his own heart. With open arms, he enveloped Keitarou in a warm embrace.

if you liked this post, don't forget to reblog!

Part 1✧Part 2✧Part 4✧Masterlist

#twstnexus #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #disney twisted wonderland #twst imagines #twst wonderland #jade leech x reader #jade leech #twisted wonderland jade #kalim al asim #kalim al asim x reader #twisted wonderland kalim #idia shroud #idia shroud x reader #twisted wonderland idia #malleus draconia #malleus draconia x reader #twisted wonderland malleus

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theambitiouswoman · 1 year

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Supplements & Vitamins

Here's a list of some of the most commonly used supplements and their benefits. Please remember that while supplements can be beneficial for certain people, everyones nutritional needs are different. It's always a good idea to consult with a specialist before adding any new supplements to your routine, as individual needs may vary.

Multivitamin: Provides a range of essential vitamins and minerals to support overall health and fill potential nutrient gaps in your diet.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Promote heart health, brain function, and reduce inflammation. Typically derived from fish oil or algae.

Vitamin D: Supports bone health, immune function, and may have a positive impact on mood. It's commonly obtained through sun exposure, but supplements can be useful, especially in winter or for those with limited sun exposure.

Probiotics: Help promote a healthy gut microbiome, aiding digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune function.

Magnesium: Important for muscle and nerve function, bone health, and energy production. It may also help with relaxation and sleep.

B vitamins: Help convert food into energy, support brain function, and maintain healthy hair, skin, and nails.

Vitamin C: Boosts immune function, acts as an antioxidant, supports collagen production, and aids in iron absorption.

Zinc: Essential for immune function, wound healing, and cell division. It also supports normal growth and development during pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence.

Iron: Required for red blood cell production and oxygen transport. Iron deficiency can lead to anemia and fatigue, but it's essential to get iron levels checked before supplementing.

Calcium: Crucial for bone health and muscle function. It's often combined with vitamin D for better absorption.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10): Plays a vital role in energy production within cells and acts as an antioxidant. It may benefit heart health and cellular energy metabolism.

Curcumin (Turmeric extract): Possesses anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, potentially supporting joint health and cognitive function.

Ashwagandha: An adaptogenic herb that may help reduce stress, promote relaxation, and support cognitive function.

Green Tea Extract: Contains antioxidants and may support cardiovascular health, weight management, and cognitive function.

Glucosamine: Commonly used for joint health and may help alleviate symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Chondroitin: Often taken alongside glucosamine, it may help reduce joint pain and improve joint mobility.

Probiotics for Gut Health: Certain strains of probiotics can help restore and maintain a healthy balance of gut bacteria, supporting digestion and immune function.

Melatonin: A hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles, melatonin supplements can help with insomnia or jet lag.

Vitamin E: An antioxidant that supports immune function and may help protect against cellular damage.

Ginseng: An adaptogenic herb that may help increase energy, reduce stress, and support cognitive function.

Prebiotics: These are non-digestible fibers that promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, supporting gut health and digestion.

Magnesium: In addition to its previous benefits, magnesium may help reduce muscle cramps, improve mood, and promote relaxation.

Probiotics for Vaginal Health: Certain strains of probiotics can help maintain a healthy balance of vaginal flora, reducing the risk of infections.

Cranberry Extract: Often used for urinary tract health, cranberry extract may help prevent urinary tract infections.

Resveratrol: Found in grapes and berries, resveratrol has antioxidant properties and may support heart health and longevity.

L-theanine: An amino acid commonly found in green tea, L-theanine may promote relaxation, improve focus, and reduce anxiety.

#vitamins #supplements #health tips #healthy diet #health is wealth #healthy living #health and wellness #healthy lifestyle #health #clean girl #glow up tips #level up journey #wellness

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nightbunnysong · 12 days

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Boost hair growth naturally

THE BIOCHEMICAL POWER OF TEAS AND NUTRIENT-RICH FOODS

Herbal teas and their role in hair growth

🌸Green Tea

Active Components

the powerhouse in green tea is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a potent antioxidant

Biochemical Mechanism

EGCG helps in blocking the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase, which converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Elevated DHT levels are linked to hair loss, particularly androgenetic alopecia (male and female pattern baldness). By reducing DHT production, green tea helps in preventing hair follicle shrinkage and hair thinning. Additionally, the polyphenols in green tea enhance blood circulation to the scalp, ensuring that hair follicles receive the necessary nutrients and oxygen to thrive.

Usage

Drink 2-3 cups of green tea daily to reap its hair-boosting benefits. It can also be used as a rinse post-shampooing to stimulate the scalp directly.

🌸Nettle Tea

Active Components

Nettle is rich in iron, silica, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, D, and K.

Biochemical Mechanism

Nettle tea works as a natural DHT blocker, similar to green tea. Its high iron content supports hemoglobin production, enhancing oxygen delivery to the scalp and hair follicles. This is crucial because a well-oxygenated scalp provides an optimal environment for hair growth. The silica and sulfur in nettle also strengthen hair strands, improving hair’s structural integrity and reducing breakage.

Usage

Regular consumption of nettle tea (1-2 cups daily) can provide these essential nutrients. Additionally, a cooled nettle infusion can be used as a hair rinse to further strengthen hair shafts.

🌸Rosemary Tea

Active Components

Rosemary contains ursolic acid and caffeic acid.

Biochemical Mechanism

Ursolic acid found in rosemary improves scalp circulation, similar to EGCG in green tea. This ensures that hair follicles are well-nourished, promoting robust hair growth. Rosemary also has anti-inflammatory properties, which help in maintaining a healthy scalp environment by reducing potential scalp conditions like dandruff, which can hinder hair growth.

Usage

Drinking 1-2 cups of rosemary tea daily or using it as a hair rinse can provide these benefits. Infusing rosemary oil into your tea can further amplify its effects due to the added antioxidants.

Nutrient-dense foods for hair growth

🌸Biotin-rich foods

Key Foods

Eggs, almonds, sweet potatoes, spinach, and seeds.

Biochemical Mechanism

Biotin (Vitamin B7) is crucial for the production of keratin, the structural protein that makes up your hair. It acts as a coenzyme in fatty acid synthesis, which is essential for the growth and repair of cells, including hair cells. A deficiency in biotin can lead to hair thinning and brittleness.

Incorporation

Incorporate biotin-rich foods into your diet regularly. For example, adding a boiled egg to your breakfast or including sweet potato as a side dish can help maintain adequate biotin levels.

🌸Iron-rich foods

Key Foods

Lentils, red meat, spinach, and fortified cereals.

Biochemical Mechanism

Iron is essential for producing hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to tissues, including the scalp. Oxygenated blood nourishes hair follicles, facilitating the growth of strong, healthy hair. Iron deficiency is one of the most common causes of hair loss, particularly in women.

Incorporation

Combine iron-rich foods with vitamin C-rich foods like oranges or bell peppers to enhance absorption. For example, a spinach salad with orange slices can optimize iron intake and support hair growth.

🌸Omega-3 fatty acids

Key Foods

Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel), flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts.

Biochemical Mechanism

Omega-3 fatty acids are integral to maintaining the lipid barrier of the scalp, which helps retain moisture and protect hair from drying out and breaking. They also reduce inflammation, which can sometimes hinder hair growth by causing scalp conditions like psoriasis or dandruff. Omega-3s contribute to the overall health of cell membranes in the scalp, making them more resilient.

Incorporation

Aim to consume fatty fish at least twice a week or add flaxseeds to your smoothies or cereals. Walnuts can also be a great snack option to keep your omega-3 levels adequate.

🌸Zinc-rich foods

Key Foods

Oysters, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, and cashews.

Biochemical Mechanism

Zinc plays a key role in DNA and RNA production, which is essential for the division of hair follicle cells. It also helps regulate the production of androgens, a hormone linked to hair loss when imbalanced. Moreover, zinc helps in repairing hair tissue and maintaining oil glands around hair follicles, which are crucial for healthy hair growth.

Incorporation

Include zinc-rich foods in your diet, like a handful of pumpkin seeds as a snack or adding chickpeas to salads and stews.

🌸Vitamin E-rich foods

Key Foods

Sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach, and avocados.

Biochemical Mechanism

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps repair damaged hair follicles, which can be a barrier to hair growth. It also improves blood circulation to the scalp, ensuring that hair follicles are nourished. Vitamin E helps balance oil production in the scalp, preventing dryness or excess oil, both of which can impede hair growth.

Incorporation

Sprinkle sunflower seeds on your yogurt or salads, or incorporate avocados into your meals for a healthy dose of vitamin E.

[photos from Pinterest]

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xnoctifers-eveningx · 2 years

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𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼 Wild Plant Lore 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼

Some notes from my BOS of weeds / local plants that can be used in one's craft. Includes magickal correspondences, traditional uses (medicinal and culinary), and some of their folklore.

Disclaimer at the end !!

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Acorns- the nuts of oak trees. They're made of one seed covered by a tough shell with a cap on top. These nuts can be eaten and are turned into flour to make breads and pastas. Much about acorns are unknown as they are mainly unused in everyday life, but we do know that they contain a high fiber content which has been used to treat bloating, diarrhea, stomach pains, and other digestive issues. Because these nuts come from oak trees they’ve been a symbol of great wisdom and longevity in many cultures such as Celtic and Nordic. Many people have worn necklaces with acorn charms on them to bring protection

• Protection, prosperity, growth, wisdom

Bull nettle- Thick stock and toothed leaves with stiff prickly stinging hairs, the flowers are small, white, and covered in hispid. The seed pods are lightly coloured and cylindrical, containing ~3 seeds. Touching this plant will cause a stinging, burning, or itching sensation that will last for hours. The seeds from the seed pods are edible and taste nutty but need to be harvested with extreme care as to not sting yourself. The seeds can be roasted or ground into a "cornmeal." The root of bull nettle is edible, it's similar to a potato but tougher and the core is so tough it should be discarded.

Binding, banishing, warding, baneful (to cause pain)

Cattails- Cattails are semi-aquatic plants that consist of multiple long spiked leaves with one center spike holding a sausage-shaped head that is filled with cottony seeds. Their rhizomes can be turned into a flour with a high protein content and the shoots can be cooked and eaten. The stems and leaves can be turned into paper. A poultice from the roots can be used as an antiseptic, for burns/cuts, and to reduce inflammation. When harvesting this plant please do not overharvest, it’s a very important part of a wetland’s ecosystem ! Also, always make sure the water near the cattails is clean because cattails filter pollutants out of the water so if you plan on consuming the plant, you could also be consuming those pollutants.

Fertility, growth, prosperity, peace, water-associated magick, cleansing

Catchweed- Also known as cleavers, hitchhikers, goosegrass, or sticky weed. Catchweeds are branchy, square stems that latch onto other plants and buildings with small hooked hairs on their leaves and stems. They have tiny, star-shaped, green or white-ish flowers with four petals. They also have small burrs that contain a few seeds that are covered in hooked hairs so they can latch on to animals to disperse seeds. For those who want to risk getting pricked, catchweed is edible. Young leaves and stems can be cooked and eaten like spinach. This plant is also in the same family as coffee, meaning that you can dry and roast the seeds in their burrs to make a lower-caffeine coffee substitute and teas. Poultices have been made with the whole plant, as with tea washes from dried leaves, in many cultures for light burns, small wounds, and eczema. It has a cooling effect so it’s also used in infusions for bug bites, stings, and poison ivy.

Energy, binding, commitment, protection during travel

Chickweed- Also called chickenwort/weed, winterweed, and simply ground cover as that’s its primary use in modern society. Long stems with pointed, oval-shaped leaves and tiny white star-shaped flowers that resemble carnations. Its star-shaped flowers earned it the botanical name “Stellaria media”. Its flowers and leaves are both edible and are very popular in salads, soups, and stir-fries. It has a taste similar to sprouts that you’d use in a salad. Chickweed salves are used for skincare, poultices for poison ivy, and teas for digestion. Historically, it's been used for skin ailments like itching, dry skin, and even bruises or bug bites from a tisane/tea of the stems applied to the affected area. In European folklore, it was said to help promote a happy, balanced family and love life. This is believed to come from how chickweed grows so closely with all its stems intertwined but in a way that promotes each part to grow healthy, so it promotes everyone in a household getting along with one another while having their own sense of individuality. It’s also associated with perseverance (like most weeds I’ll admit), this is because chickweed is seen growing everywhere, in yards, in forests, on piles of dirt. If it sees an opportunity, it’ll take it and thrive year-round.

Love, stability, loyalty, communication, lunar-associated magick

Clovers- white, balled flowers with three to four small, round leaves. Every part of this plant is edible, the leaves and flowers are sweet and vanilla-y so they are good in teas and sweets. Clover has been used to ward off fevers and used in tisanes/teas for inflammation. Clover has been associated with good fortune for centuries, especially four-leaved clovers. A shamrock is a symbol of a three-leafed clover representative of the Christian Holy Trinity, it’s also believed that the Celtic druids thought shamrocks to be significant because they had three leaves possibly representing the underground, earth, and sky.

Luck, prosperity, happiness, faith

Creeping Speedwell- Teeny tiny violet/baby blue flowers with light yellow middles, it is incredibly fast-growing and can be found in most yards. Speedwell is edible and good in salads, pestos, and smoothies. Tea is made from the leaves and flowers to help clear congestion, allergies, and coughs. Some add it to their baths to help with their allergies and inflammation, inflammation is also helped by a poultice. In some folklore, it’s said that a tea or ointment from speedwell could help one with psychic visions and faerie sight. Before I truly knew the folklore behind speedwell I had this sense that it would help with your clairsenses.

Abundance, divination, psychic/clairsense work

Creeping buttercup- Buttercups are toxic and will leave blisters when raw so they must be cooked or dried before being consumed, even then it's not recommended to eat. A poultice of the (boiled) leaves is used for inflammation and wounds and a tea from the plant is used for its analgesic properties, but be wary of the blisters that may occur. Buttercups used to be used to ward off faeries, many farmers would plant these around their cows to prevent them from being stolen from the fae. There are a lot of stories relating buttercups to cows which is very very cute but ironic because buttercups are actually toxic to many animals! For its many associations with children, fairies, and coyotes across various cultures it can also be related to mischief

Youth, happiness, love, protection from fae, mischief (jinxes/hexes/glamours)

Creeping charlie- Also known as ground ivy. Creeping charlie has square stems with dark, rounded or fan-shaped, toothed leaves. It has small blue or lavender, funnel-shaped flowers that grow in clusters of two or three in the spring. Creeping charlie is edible and has a long history of being used in beer and cheese, it tastes subtly minty as it's in the mint family. Young leaves are good in salads to freshen them up and it's also really good in teas and sweets. There is a risk of it being toxic if consumed in large quantities though. For centuries now it's been used in teas to calm a cough, been said to help with headaches, and has been used on the skin to reduce pain and soothe inflammation. Some have turned it into a snuff and used it for congestion, kind of like Vaporub. It was actually brought over from Britain to the Americas for its medicinal uses, now it’s one of those weeds people will spend tons of money trying to get rid of. Alike creeping buttercup, it’s said that some may have used this to ward magick from their livestock and themselves. Some say it’s good to use to find out who has cursed you or sent the evil eye your way and in some stories, people would drink it as a tea to get rid of their shyness.

Protection from magick and spirits, divination, clarity, courage

Deadnettle- My favourite weed :) Square stem, fuzzy leaves that occasionally are red/purple at the top, with tiny tube-shaped light pink flowers. Despite technically being a nettle, it’s not a true nettle so very few people will have a reaction when touching this plant. Deadnettle is part of the mint family and every part of it is edible, despite that though it's not very minty and is floral and sweet. My favourite parts are the tiny pink flowers which have sweet nectar in them and are good in teas, syrups, sweets, and jams. The leaves are good in teas, smoothies, pestos, and salads. A poultice or salve can be made from the leaves for wounds and teas can help with allergies. This plant is sometimes called purple archangel because it pops up around the Feast of the Apparition when it was said St. Micheal appeared. It’s associated with determination because this lil dude will grow anywhere, even in spots with the worst quality soil.

happiness, determination, peace, healing

Dandelion- Dandelions are bright layered yellow flowers with toothed leaves that grow pretty much anywhere there is enough dirt to get their roots in. The entire plant is edible, the flowers are slightly sweet making them good for salads, syrups, and sweet. The leaves are slightly bitter but that can be lessened when harvested young or boiled, they're good as spinach replacements and can be dried for teas. The flowers can also be turned into dyes. The plant's name can be literally translated to 'healing herb' as it has been used in many cultures for it's gut health and detoxifying properties. Teas and tinctures from leaves are made for a diuretic and flowers are made into salves or beauty products to treat acne/eczema and to reduce inflammation. About dandelions being diuretics - the name dandelion comes from the french name dentdelion (tooth of the lion) but there’s actually a second French name, “pissenlit”, which means piss the bed !!

luck/wishes, communication, balance, courage, youth

Daisy- Daisies are low-growing flowers with thin, long, white petals and yellow disc florets (middles). Common daisies are edible, these are really found growing anywhere even in your lawn. Leaves can be used in salads or stir-fries and flower heads can be pickled or used in salads. Wines, soups, and teas are also commonly made from daisies. The flowers have a slightly bitter taste but look pretty in dishes. Daisies have been used in teas for coughs, bronchitis, and common colds. It's also been used to "stimulate the digestive system" to promote appetite. Daisies have been into lotions and other skincare products to treat rashes, eczema, and other skin issues. Daisies came to be associated with love and motherhood through it being the flower of Freya, innocence/purity through the story of Vertumnus and Belides where the flower gets its scientific name, and purity the popular phrases like “fresh/clean as daisies”.

Happiness, cleansing, love, purity (cleansing), motherhood/childbirth

Feverfew- Feverfew are daisy-like flowers with bright yellow middles and white petals, with yellow-green leaves in a feathered arrangement, that grow in small bushes together. Feverfew is edible but many will steer clear of it as it has a very bitter taste. It’s often made into teas and used in pastries. Although feverfew isn’t used to reduce fevers anymore, there are still many health benefits and medicinal uses of the plant, some people even calling it ‘medieval aspirin’. People will take feverfew pills or apply a poultice to relieve pain from arthritis and inflammation. A poultice can also be applied to minor cuts, scrapes, and bug bites. Teas can be made for headaches and some use it to help with menstrual pain. Feverfew is also known to show some skin benefits by reducing redness and inflammation. Feverfew may increase bleeding as it acts similar to an anticoagulant, because of this it is advised that if you are taking a blood thinner like aspirin, Dabigatran (Pradaxa), Heparin (Innohep), or others, you talk to your doctor before taking feverfew. This plant has more medicinal uses than references in mythology but I did find a few references to it being believed to be able to save the life of someone that had fallen from the Parthenon, a temple to Athena, which gave it the scientific name parthenium.

Healing, curse-breaking, love

Lesser celandine- Also known as pilewort or sometimes fig buttercup. Pilewort is a plant on the buttercup family that has dark, heart-shaped leaves and bright yellow flowers with glossy petals. Despite its pretty exterior, touching the plant could cause rashes or blistering especially when the plant is crushed. Ingesting the plant can cause dizziness, vomiting, and worse. While there may be ways to cook out the toxins, I cannot advise anyone to consume this plant without proper experience. This plant is also known as the spring messenger as it's one of the first plants to bloom in the spring. Lesser celandine was referenced a lot in literature, most being about love and foreshadowing happiness alike how it signals spring.

Joy, love, Spring associated magick

Maple seed pods- Maple seeds, also known as helicopters or samaras, are the seed of maple trees, as one would assume. These are winged pods consisting of a papery tissue surrounding a single seed that is usually joined together in pairs of two. The seeds are edible once the outer covering has been removed and taste better while young, becoming bitter as they mature. Some say that smaller pods taste sweeter and larger ones taste more bitter. They're good in roasts, stir-fries, and salads. They can also be dried and pounded into flour ! Much of what we know about maple seeds are simply culinary and there's not much information on their medicinal uses. The majority of the correspondences of maple seed pods come from maple trees which represent balance and longevity. They also are associated with childhood after the many many years of children playing with these helicopter-like seeds.

Longevity, growth, balance, youth

Mulberries- Mulberries come in three different colours which are red, white, and black. Different mulberries grow on different mulberry trees. Black mulberry trees have an orange-y-toned bark with toothed, heart-shaped leaves. White/red mulberry trees have a greyish bark with large, deeply lobed, oval-shaped leaves. Mulberries look very similar to blackberries but longer with each cluster of fruit containing a seed. Mulberries are edible, black ones taste the best and can be both sour and sweet and the white/red ones are duller in flavour but sweet. These are made into jams, syrups, wines, sweets, sorbets, really anything sweet and it tastes great ! These berries are more known for their culinary uses but some studies suggest that they can help reduce cholesterol and improve digestion. In Greek/Babylonian mythology, red mulberries came from white mulberries that were stained red from the deaths of the star-crossed lovers Pyramus and Thisbe which gave them the association of love and death.

Love, death, faith, wisdom

Osage oranges- Also known as horse apples or hedge apples. Osage oranges are a yellow-green fruit with a very rough and bumpy peel. These oranges grow on trees called Maclura pomifera. The wood of these trees are used for very good firewood and yellow-green dyes. The Osage natives would use the wood from the tree for many things like bows and boats as it’s very flexible. The roots of the trees are sometimes made into water infusions to help with eye conditions. People have also used the wood, or even sat out the fruit, to deter insects. Osage oranges are edible but most people, and even animals, will avoid eating them due to their dry and bitter taste. They taste like very bitter and citrus-y cucumbers. These oranges can cause skin irritation to some.

Warding, protection, strength

Pinecones- Pinecones are geometric cones that come from conifer pine trees that produce pollen or seeds depending on their sex. Pinecones symbolize fertility and life in many cultures and have been used in artwork for centuries. The pineal gland in the brain was named after pinecones because of its shape, this gland is sometimes referred to as the “third eye” and some believe that it acts as a witch’s eye would; this is how pinecones were tied to the idea of enlightenment and rebirth as well as the fact that they have been around for so long. Some conifer cones are edible (some aren't!) but they are very tough to chew so you must boil them before eating, pinecone jam has been commonly made from young cones. Pine has been used in teas, tinctures, resins, and many other things to treat coughs, allergies, and help with sinus infections.

Fertility, creativity, prosperity, enlightenment, rebirth

Prickly lettuce- a quite tall, red stem that contains latex with large tooth-shaped leaves that have prominent veins and spikes lining its edges and main vein on its underside. When it blooms it has small, pale yellow flowers. This plant is edible and is pretty much used like normal lettuce while having a slightly bitter taste, as usual, this gets less noticeable as it matures. Leaves can be eaten in salads or cooked/steamed and the root can be made into a tea. The latex substance that comes out of the leaves and stem when injured is called lactucarium which is known as lettuce opium due to its sedative and pain-relieving properties; the process of harvesting this substance is tedious. This can be used to help people sleep, relax, and relieve pain. Lettuce in general has a great amount of significant historical usage. Lettuce came to be associated with sex because an Egyptian fertility god, Min, was associated with lettuce as it was known as an aphrodisiac that was ritualistically ingested before sex. These effects were due to the lactucarium. In Hellenism, when Adonis died he was laid on a bed of lettuce along with other fast-growing plants. In festivals for him, they would burn withered lettuce and mourn his death, this related lettuce to death.

Necromancy, offerings for the deceased, fertility, sex

Queen Anne's Lace- Also known as wild carrot. A tall flowering weed with a thin, stiff stem and tiny white, clustered flowers. The flowerhead consists of a bunch of separate flowers, some plants may have a singular purple/pink flower. Queen Anne's lace's root is edible which is actually where it gets the names wild carrot and Daucus Carota, it's good steamed and boiled. It is pretty stringy and if you wait too long to harvest it can become very hard and woody. This plant is NOT safe to consume for those who are pregnant ! The stem is known to cause skin irritation and rashes to people with sensitive skin. Despite being edible, most wouldn't suggest eating it because it looks almost identical to poison hemlock which if consumed could be fatal. It also looks a ton like wild celery but that's less of an issue. Historically, the seeds of wild carrot were used as an abortant in a "morning after pill" type of way. Wild carrot was named Queen Anne's Lace after Queen Anne of England who was a great lace maker, there is a legend that when making lace one day she pricked her finger then a single drop of blood fell on it and that's why the flower has a single purple flower. Because of the association to Queen Anne, some would use it to try to attract love or make themselves look more beautiful. Wild carrot is also called bird's nest or the bishop's flower which ties it to themes of safety and sanctuary.

Beauty, love, glamours

Rosebay willowherb- Also commonly known as fireweed for its appearance or bombweed because it began to heavily grow in bomb craters/sites in WWII around the UK. The rosebay willowherb has tall reddish stems and willow-like leaves with long magenta flowers. Traditionally it's been used in teas, jellies, and salads. It has a pretty bitter taste so you need to harvest it young and cook it before eating. It's used in teas for its demulcent properties, to treat certain stomach conditions, and has been used in skincare because of its astringent properties. There’s not much folklore about this plant but it’s well known for appearing after events that devastated an area, it was one of the first plants to start growing after Mt. St. Helens, after colonizers burnt down forests, and after bombs dropped in WWII. I’ve also heard it’s bad luck to pick its flowers, either stating that a storm will occur or your mother will fall ill.

Courage, perseverance, change, bad luck

Stinging nettle- tall, heart-shaped, toothed leaves. The leaves are covered in small stinging hairs that when touched will inject chemicals into one's skin and cause slight stinging sensations. Young stinging nettle has widely been used in dishes as soaking/cooking it takes away the sting. It is very similar to spinach in taste, texture, and nutrients. Ointments are made to treat arthritis and inflammation, teas are made from dried leaves and flowers to treat allergies and hayfever. Poultices of the leaves were used for stiff joints and muscle pain by helping blood circulation in that area. Be wary of using stinging nettle on your skin as it can cause rashes and blisters. Some Native American groups used it in teas as a stomach tonic. In Celtic folklore, it was said to keep evil spirits and illness at bay, it also says that when you see thick strands of nettle it means that faeries are nearby.

Binding, protection from baneful magick and evil spirits, strength, curse breaking

Sweetgum seed pods- Also known as witch’s burrs or witch balls. Sweetgum seed pods are hard, spikey seed pods with small holes where the seeds once were. These fall from sweetgum trees after they mature and disperse their seeds. These aren’t edible nor really used for any medicinal purpose. They’re often placed around plants to protect them from animals. Magickally, you can place them around your space to ward off unwanted energies and entities or even grind them into a powder for banishing or protection. These things hurt like hell to step on so they’re also good to use in baneful protection magick, like baneful wards or return to senders.

Protection, warding, binding, baneful protection

Violet- There are many species of violets so I'm going to cover them in a broad sense. Violets are usually small, light purple flowers with short stems, little shrubbery, and heart/kidney/scalloped leaves. In many species of violet both the leaves and flowers are edible and contain high levels of vitamins A and C, but make sure to properly identify your plant before consuming. These can be made into teas, sweets, salads, etc. Violet syrup is my favourite ! Some leaves in wild violets will taste quite soapy, so try them out before cooking them into anything. Violet leaves have cooling and anti-inflammatory properties so they are used in poultices, salves, compresses, and oils for scrapes, burns, and bug bites. Violets have traditionally been used in teas or tonics for coughs and swollen lymph nodes. There is a lot of folklore and mythology that this flower is a part of. Violets are largely associated with modesty and innocence and this stems from two main stories; Persephone was said to be picking violets when Hades kidnapped her to live in the underworld and in Greek mythology when Apollo pursued a nymph, Artemis/Diana turned her into a violet to protect her. There are also stories in The Bible that associate violets with modesty like when Archangel Gabriel tells Mary she is pregnant, violets bloom around her. This is why sometimes when a child dies, violets are put on their grave as a representation of their innocence. There are many other popular stories of violets turning to tears when someone is crying. They’re also associated with love from a story of Venus and Cupid and were believed to be an aphrodisiac in the Middle Ages.

Femininity, respect, wisdom, modesty, divination, love

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Disclaimer !!: Before you consume or use a plant medicinally, make sure you are 100% sure on the ID. Speak with a doctor before using a plant, especially if you’re pregnant, and make sure you aren’t allergic and that it won’t interact with any of your medications. Do not substitute legitimate medications with herbal remedies, this is not medical advice. Always do your own research before consuming or using a plant medicinally. Some of the plants, while generally safe for humans, are not safe for animals and children. As a general rule of thumb, younger greens will taste better. As the plant matures and bears fruit it will typically become more bitter, so the best time to harvest most of these is before it bears fruit. Make sure to avoid areas treated with pesticides and always wash your takings before use. And make sure you're never over-harvesting, always make sure there's another 'patch' of the plant your taking !!

#herbology #witchcraft #witchblr #foraging #herbalism #green witchcraft #kitchen witch #wildcrafting #occult #magick #grimoire #book of shadows #correspondences #kitchen magick #beginner witch #baby witch #witch #witch tips #noctifer-og

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violettduchess · 7 months

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A/N: This is my gift for @readerinsertfanfiction 💜 The moment I saw Cyran on your list, I was thrilled. I hope you enjoy!

A huge thank you to @ikemenlibrary for her support and friendship and for being a generous, caring host 💜

Prompt: A servant, someone who knew Cyran from before his time in Rhodolite

Cyran x AU Emma

WC: ~4k

Obsidian: the Past

She runs across the cracked, sunbaked cobblestone streets, her treasure wrapped in a cream-colored tea towel and held protectively against her chest. Her worn leather shoes make a pleasing thunking sound against the stones as she hurries past dusty shop windows and faded porches, carefully dodging people on the street.

“Langsam, Emma!” someone yells as she flies past but she doesn’t listen to their warning. She can’t slow down. She has somewhere to be.

Finally she reaches the edge of town and takes a sharp left, leaving the cobblestones behind for a ribbon of dirt road that winds its way along tired hills covered with sparse sage-green grass and dotted with scraggly yellow dandelions. Another turn onto an even smaller path, a faint thing that meanders through the knee-high growth and then, finally, the faded barn comes into view.

She smiles, pumping her young legs harder, willing them to swallow the distance faster and faster until she reaches the peeling, splintered wooden doors and haphazardly flings one open.

“Cyran? I’m here!!”

The boy, just shy of fourteen, turns away from the wooden beam he has been faux-sparring with, lowering the dull, well-worn practice sword he is so proud of. His hair gleams like fire in the hazy sunlight that shines through the pocked roof.

Emma hurries over, gulping down huge breaths of musty air as she grabs his thin forearm.

“C’mon. I’m dying to see how they taste.”

Cyran laughs, struggling to sheath his sword as she drags him over to the blanket thrown over the hay in a cozy corner of the barn. This is their favorite place to meet, an escape from the outside world they discovered several years ago while exploring. It is here that Emma sometimes reads to him from one of her treasured books. She’s even shared stories she’s written, romantic tales of princesses and dragons, knights and monsters. Cyran is always the hero, the knight who slays the monsters and rescues the damsel in distress. Emma will change her roles in the stories.

Sometimes she needs rescuing.

But sometimes, she is the dragon.

Often they sneak treats to each other, hard biscuits or smoked meat or, if they are really lucky, sweet berries brought across the border from the lush neighboring country of Rhodolite. Cyran’s neighbor is a servant for some of the merchants that make the risky trips over and when he’s lucky, she manages to tuck away a few treasures just for him.

He settles himself down on the frayed checkered blanket and pushes his bright hair away from his forehead, eagerly watching as Emma drops down next to him, laying the tea towel down. Her face is flushed from her run and from the thrill of what she’s managed to bring him.

“Ready?”

He nods, enthusiastically motioning for her to unwrap it already. He has hands that are too big for his young body, growing the way many boys do at this age, in odd fits and spurts.

Emma leans forward, pushing up the sleeve of her too-big dress and carefully pulls back the edges of the tea towel.

The smell hits them first, the warm spice of cinnamon, the tang of nutmeg, the slight bitterness of the cloves, the unmistakable scent of ginger. It wafts up towards them, exotic and tempting. Cyran breathes in deeply and then sighs happily as he looks at her, eyes bright and admiring.

“It smells so good.”

Cyran had carefully been saving up the exotic store of spices, some of them gifts from his neighbors, others decadent purchases made at the market from his meager earnings made mucking stalls and chopping wood. He knew that Emma would be the one who would create something special with them. Young as she was, she was a talented cook and baker, able to make the most fantastic treats out of the simplest ingredients. And now that she had been given such a treasure trove to work with, she had spun pure magic.

The spiced biscuits are dappled dark brown and gold. When she hands him one, it is with a reverence that echos a priest giving communion or a child receiving a shiny new toy at Christmas.

Their gazes meet and she nods.

“Together.”

He returns the nod, staring into the warm depths of her soft brown eyes.

“Together.”

They bite into the cookies at the same time. Emma breaks into a proud smile as Cyran closes his eyes, savoring the medley of flavor and even better, the knowledge that she made them just for him.

“It’s good, isn’t it?" she asks, grinning. She sees the look on his face, the way he is practically melting with enjoyment.

He lifts his shoulder in a casual shrug, feigning indifference.

“I guess……”

“What?!”

He takes another bite, leaning back on one hand. “I mean, they’re ok. But you know, Hilde’s biscuits are also really good–OOF.”

She’s tackled him, throwing herself at him with all the force of a frenzied feline, her nimble fingers scratching at his sides. Cyran breaks into laughter, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and tries to squirm away from her.

“Ok ok Brown Eyes, enough!”

Emma lets him go, sitting back on her heels with a glowing, triumphant smile.

“Never say that about Hilde’s cookies again.”

He pushes himself up, heart pounding furiously in his chest. Only some of it is from laughing. He tears his gaze away from the unsettling beauty of her eyes, traveling up to her hair.

“You’re a mess. You got straw in your hair and your braid is a disaster.”

Emma turns and scoots until she is sitting in front of him. “Since it’s your fault….you fix it.”

Cyran heaves a sigh he doesn’t mean and then settles himself into a comfortable position, reaching forward and with a tenderness and care far beyond most boys his age, begins slowly picking the straw from her messy plait.

Emma’s eyes drift closed as she revels in the attention he’s giving her, the gentle way he untangles her braid and then very slowly begins brushing his fingers through her soft, chestnut-colored hair.

It feels comforting and safe.

It feels thrilling.

It feels like the early evening has come to a standstill and they have all the time in the world.

But their time together is like a rose slowly losing its petals.

A petal falls as he tells her, wide-eyed and shaken, that his neighbor has been killed in her own home, throat opened in the dead of night and left smiling its ghastly red smile until she was discovered hours later. Emma rubs his back, not knowing what else to do. This is not the first death in their village as of late. And it will not be the last.

A petal falls as they lay, side by side, on the blanket in the hay, staring up at the patches of starry sky visible through the holes in the roof. “My parents are scared,” she whispers. He turns his head to stare at her profile and knows it isn’t just her parents who are frightened. “I’ll protect you,” he whispers, voice fierce with youth’s naïve promise. Her gaze remains on the silver stars but she reaches out, taking his hand and squeezes it.

A petal falls as she comes to their favorite spot, face pale as bone, to tell him that her family is leaving. Her father has contacted distant relatives that live far to the north, as far from Rhodolite and the dangers it poses as one can get. Cyran feels like his young heart may break right there in his chest and he will be forced to live the rest of his life with its pieces rattling around inside of him. Though filled with dismay, Emma’s eyes are as beautiful as ever. They shine with tears, rivaling any star they have ever spent time gazing at.

A petal falls as she rushes through the dark, on the night before her family is to leave, her throat burning with feelings she can’t quite name, waves too strong to try and understand for fear they will sweep her away. She bursts through the barn doors and finds him already there, his hair dark as garnet, damp with sweat. He has spent the entire day doing heavy labor, removing heavy wooden beams, hauling ancient and broken equipment, sweeping the dusty, straw-strewn floor. Several lanterns placed around the interior bathe the space in warm, yellow light. The barn is as clean and inviting as he can make it. He wanted to give her one more memory, something beautiful, that she can take with her on her journey away from here. Away from him.

Emma is frozen in place, soaking in all he has done, before finally stopping on the young man at the center of it. He’s breathing hard, his chest rising and falling unevenly. Already his shoulders carry the hint of what manhood will bring him: strength and breadth. Arms that with training will turn hard and sculpted, legs that will lengthen until he is taller than most. He is the faint beginning of what he will become. Emma wonders wildly if she will ever get the chance to see the finished masterpiece.

“Emma,” he says, his voice raw and rough, deeper than she has ever heard it.

She sets down the bundle she is holding, the one she carried so close on the way here, leaving it on top of a weathered wooden barrel.

“Cyran,” she answers, her muscles tense, like a fawn when it hears a crunching in the underbrush.

He starts forward, one hesitant step and that is enough. She flies towards him, throwing her thin arms around his neck and buries her face in his worn linen shirt, clutching him to her. There is power in her small frame, something fierce and bright, a hurricane in crystal. Cyran holds her close, his eyes closing as he breathes in her familiar scent. He’s been teased his whole life because of his last name, but she is the one who reminds him of a rose, who always smells so sweet.

The anticipation of loss that has them clinging to each other slowly ebbs and something else, something that has been burning low and quiet in every laugh, every touch, every glance begins to emerge. She is suddenly aware of the press of her chest against his, of how much taller he is, the earthy smell of his skin. She leans back to look at him and sees the same awareness mirrored in his dark eyes.

Outside a rooster crows, loud and discordant.

Cyran turns his head toward the sound and Emma, sparked by the frantic knowledge that she must leave, grabs his chin, pulling him back to her and rises onto her toes, pressing her lips to his.

It is a sunbeam bursting through gray clouds. A spark breathing life into a pile of dried leaves. It is hope and promise and wonder.

And heartbreak.

With a stifled cry, she steps away, turns and flees the barn, not wanting to see the look on his face as she leaves, not wanting that to be her last memory of him.

Cyran watches with a thundering heart as the door swings shut. Flooded with helplessness and misery, he notices the bundle she left behind. Tenderly he lifts it, undoing the sky-colored ribbon. It’s her favorite handkerchief, white with pale blue forget-me-nots painstakingly embroidered along the edges, and nestled inside are several of her spiced biscuits. His favorites.

Rhodolite: The Present

Rhodolite is so much MORE than she expected. The streets are wider and cleaner and lined with greenery, more trees and flowering bushes and grass than in the entire garden of the palace in Obsidian. There are more people than she expected too, many standing under awnings and lampposts, peeking through windows and around doorways, watchful eyes in beautiful faces following the royal procession as it makes its way towards the palace.

When she had been told by the Head Chef that they would be accompanying Prince Gilbert and his entourage to Rhodolite, Emma had felt a familiar ringing through the cockles of her heart. Rhodolite is where Cyran was rumored to have ended up. Whispers from the south had traveled her way, over the many years since they parted. He had joined the army when he was of age. He had left Obsidian for the verdure of Rhodolite. He was employed by one of the Princes there. Crumbs of information she had managed to gather, hoarding them tightly like precious drops of mana.

He may not even be here, she reminds herself as her tired gray mare plods along down the street. She and the other servants are at the end of the procession and most of the people have turned away, not interested in anything but the dangerous Prince Gilbert with his sharp smile and blood-red gaze.

Still, Emma finds herself scanning the crowds as they pass, looking for any head of red hair. She spots a few but they are never him.

As the overwhelming elegant palace suddenly rises towards the heavens before her, she draws in a sharp breath.

We’re here…….

…….Is he?

The palace looms closer, a breathtaking monument of pale beauty.

And if so….how in the wide world will she ever find him?

Cyran runs a hand through his thick mass of russet hair as his long strides make quick work of the pathway towards the training hall. It’s late evening and the young, freshly-minted knights are at the end of their training and he needs to make sure everything went well without him there. He knows Lucian is more than capable of leading them through their drills but Cyran has a responsibility to make sure. They are all under his charge.

Entering the hall, he sees several of the knights laughing in a corner. Some are sitting and catching their breath, others are pushing the heavy sandbags they sometimes train with back into their storage room. What he sees reassures him. They look tired and sore, yet satisfied, faces bright with the feeling of accomplishment a tough training session will leave behind.

He’s about to go look for Lucian, expecting a full report when he notices several of the knights standing by the wooden table at the far end of the training circle, the one usually covered with straps for shields and rope and other odds and ends. They’re smiling, far too widely to be discussing anything so mundane as weaponry. Several are chewing. He approaches the table, greeted by his men with smiles and respectful nods. Immediately he notices the tin: it’s round and black, covered with decorative golden swirls.

“What’s this?” He glances towards the first knight at his left, a tall lad with sandy blond hair.

“They were brought here by an Obsidian servant. She said they were a present for us.”

Cyran frowns, a skeptical look on his face as he reaches inside the tin for one of the golden brown cookies.

“And you didn’t think to–” He was going to ask if they thought accepting gifts from strangers was a good idea when the scent hits him, cutting through the sweat and musk of tired men.

The warm spice of cinnamon, the tang of nutmeg, the slight bitterness of cloves, the unmistakable scent of ginger.

He goes still, the breath knocked from his lungs.

Could it be…..

Something in his face hushes the men around him. They watch, curious as Cyran lifts the cookie and takes a bite.

The man who sees everything, ever watchful, closes his eyes as he chews and the knights are transfixed by the absolute stillness that has overtaken their leader.

And then those eyes open and something in them has begun to burn, bright and alive.

The other half of the cookie falls to the dusty ground as he turns on his heel and, practically jogging, exits the training area, leaving behind the half-eaten biscuit and a slew of surprised faces.

The rose gardens are somehow even more beautiful in the twilight of evening. The red petals seem to have darkened, shedding their bright rose-red for a sultry scarlet. Shadows emerge from the trimmed hedges, stretching across the winding stone pathways, giving a visitor like Emma glimpses of hidden benches and secret dirt paths leading into clandestine corners of the gardens.

She has taken several of these more narrow, less-trodden paths, not at all afraid of getting lost. Her heart is a bird, flitting between dark branches, full of a nervous, tightly-wound energy she can’t quite explain.

As the sky darkens to a deep navy blue and the first stars open their eyes, Emma pauses in front of a gray stone fountain. Two swans, nuzzling their beaks together, bodies curved towards one another as a blossoming flower rises above them, water spraying outward in celebration. She tilts her head, the romantic in her sighing at the way the two swans perfectly mirror one another, two halves of a whole, two souls in perfect harmony. So enchanted is she by the fountain that she doesn’t hear the footfall on the path, doesn’t notice the man who has stopped several meters away from where she is standing, the sight of her freezing him in his tracks.

“Emma.”

She jumps at the deep voice, her eyes wide and dark as she turns towards the sound. The owner of said voice is standing, half in shadow, at the place where the small path to the fountain begins, beneath a shadowy arch of crimson roses. She is so startled, she doesn’t even register that he has said her name.

“Oh….s'il te plaît, excuse-moi,” she says quickly, doing her best to remember the phrases of the common language spoken in Rhodolite. “J'espère que ça va…” She trails off, trying to remember how to say she hopes she is allowed to be here but the man takes another step closer, leaving the blanket of shadows and stepping into the fading light.

Even the dusky hue of evening cannot hide the red of his hair.

A gasp as soft as the flutter of a bird’s wing escapes her. The young boy she knew juxtaposed against this tall, broad man before her sends her heart into a tailspin. Her hand flies to her mouth as she takes him in. She sees the same bright light of recognition and admiration and overwhelming emotion plain as day on his beautiful face.

“Cyran?” The word is a whisper, a breathless repetition of the name she has kept in her prayers for decades.

His eyes never leave her, almost as if he has the power to hold her there with his gaze, to keep her from vanishing into the realm of his dreams where she has lived for so long. Slowly, he reaches up and loosens the laces at the top of his tunic. His hand slides inside and when it emerges, he is holding a small square of cloth. As he slowly opens it, her heart falters.

It’s white, with pale blue forget-me-nots embroidered around the edges.

He holds it out to her, his chest rising and falling with every deep breath he takes. That handkerchief has lived next to his heart, in an inner pocket, one he has sewn into every shirt he has ever owned since the day he watched her leave.

“I think…..this belongs to you, Brown Eyes.”

She chokes back a sob, unable to contain the thunderstorm of emotion coursing through her and runs to him, falling into his arms as naturally as a willow bends to the wind, tears falling freely down her cheeks. Cyran wraps his arms around her, sheltering her, holding her the way he has imagined a thousand times. His throat burns with all the words he has ached to say, all those sleepless nights spent remembering the lilt of her smile, the music of her laughter, the bittersweet taste of her kiss.

Emma squeezes her eyes closed, breathing in the scent of him, at once so familiar and yet so strange. Her arms wind around his waist as she presses herself against him, drinking in the sensation of his body on hers.

This is Cyran….her Cyran…..her….

A thought pierces her heart as she suddenly steps away from him, eyes wide, still so beautiful as they glimmer with the remnants of her tears.

“Oh…I…I didn’t mean…..you could be married. I shouldn’t have-”

His laughter is coarse, rough with emotion, a roll of rushing water as it careens over the lip of a cliff.

“As if I could ever love anyone else.”

Love…..

As if summoned by the very word, the moon itself parts the soft gray clouds, flooding the small section of the garden with silvery light. The tinkling of the fountain fills the momentary silence.

Cyran’s cheeks suddenly flush, a hot mixture of embarrassment and panic overriding the elation of the previous moment.

“I…..I don’t mean to presume of course that you feel the same. It has been a long time and…..” He trails off, wincing. Fluster is such an uncharacteristic state of being for Cyran. “Ah, shit. I’m sorry. I–”

His words are cut off as Emma launches herself back into his arms, hugging him fiercely.

“Please, don’t apologize.” She tilts her head up to look at him, still in awe of how she sees the young man he was and the handsome man he has become in his beautiful eyes, in his exquisite face. “It has always been you.”

Cyran drags air into his lungs, hardly able to believe he isn’t dreaming. His rough fingers capture her chin, his thumb running over the sensitive skin just under her lower lip.

Slowly, he leans down as she stretches upwards, eager and nearly trembling with emotion.

He kisses her, his hand still cupping her face. Gently his mouth moves over hers as he tells her a wordless story of longing, of a bruised heart that learned to somehow keep beating.

He kisses her, a strong arm pulling her closer, his lips and tongue weaving the tale of a young soldier who never forgot the girl with the tender heart and radiant spirit. The soldier who dreamed of her face during his darkest nights and longed for her laughter on days of sunshine.

She meets him, kiss for kiss, stroke for stroke, sliding her palms along his broad shoulders, clutching him as she answers his tale, confessing without words how he has never left her heart. How his smile was her light in times of worry and despair. How seeing him again has been her northern star from the moment of parting.

Only the moon knows how long they stand there, wrapped in each other’s arms, lost in each other’s yearning.

When they finally part, Cyran rests his forehead against hers, still keeping her tightly in his embrace. He may never let go again.

“You’re….in the employ of Prince Gilbert. I am here.” He frowns ever so slightly as he brushes several loose strands of hair away from Emma’s charmingly flushed cheek. “This could get complicated.”

Their gazes meet and she nods.

“Yes…..but we’ll figure it out.”

And suddenly he is carried back in time to an evening when her eyes shone just as brightly, just as excitedly, a young girl with something to give a young boy, a homemade cookie, an offering of love.

“Together.”

Her voice echoes across the years, that word wrapping itself around his battered heart, a balm, a blessing.

He returns the nod, staring into the warm depths of her soft brown eyes, tenderly stroking the silk of her hair, and answers her now as he did back then.

“Together.”

Tagging: @xbalayage @alexxavicry @queengiuliettafirstlady @bellerose-arcana @thewitchofbooks @aria-chikage @redheadkittys @tele86 @dear-mrs-otome @olivermorningstar @writingwhimsey @mxrmaid-poet @silver-dahlia @wendolrea @nightfoxqueen @myonlyjknight @ikesimpleton @namine-somebodies-nobody @cellophanediamond @whatever-fanfics @justpeachyteastea @chirp-a-chirp @got7igot7family @kookie-my-little-sunshine @mastering-procrastinating @portrait-ninja @queen-dahlia @themysticalbeing @nightghoul381 @whitelittlebunny @chi-the-idiot @bubblexly @wordycheeseblob

#ikemen series #ikemen prince #ikepri #ikepri cyran #cyran rose #ikemen cyran #ikepri cyril #cyril rose #ikemen cyril #my ikemen valentine gift exchange #ikemen fanfiction #ikemen fanfic #otome fanfic #violettwrites

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thesinglesock · 1 year

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Psychoanalyzing Lloyd’s most iconic hair styles.

[Post description: a series of screenshots from the animated series LEGO Ninjago. Image shows Kai and Lloyd sitting at a table, they are both holding tea cups. Lloyd is a child with a blonde bowl cut. End description.]

Rise of the Snakes Bowl Cut: this is a child. just a little guy. does not care about self expression through his hair at all, just trying to live his complicated little life.

[Image description: Sensei Garmadon and Lloyd are standing in front of a stone wall. Lloyd is young adult with neatly trimmed, short, blonde hair swept to the side. Garmadon has a similar hairstyle, but grey. End description]

the Sudden Growth Spurt Cowlick: still not a deliberate hair choice, he’s still a kid, trying to mimic his dad because he loves him and looks up to him.

[Image description: Kai has his arm around Lloyd, restraining him. Lloyd has black hair and light green skin. End description.]

the Possession Inversion: Emo phase. that was supposed to be a funny joke but I’m actually crying.

[Image description: Lloyd is holding his sword against Cole’s hammer. Cole’s back is turned to the viewer. Lloyd’s hair is white and nearly reaches his neck. End description.]

Baby’s First Deliberate Hair Choice! Now that he’s no longer feeling like a lost child and is entering his proper Teen Angst Years, the boy bought a pack of cheap bleach and dyed his hair in the monastery bathroom. He also stopped using his dad’s hair gel, sporting a looser, more stylish look.

[Image description: Zane is talking to Lloyd, who appears to be upset. Zane is in his titanium form. Lloyd’s hair is the same style as before, but now in a warm yellow colour with light streaks. End description.]

Post Harumi Golden Locks: you hair matching your girlfriend’s is only cute as long as she isn’t a homicidal maniac. After the Oni Trilogy Lloyd let his hair return to its natural colour, which makes it look much healthier. Too bad his newly developed severe trust issues can’t be fixed by swapping out his conditioner :(

[Lloyd is standing alone in front of a blurry, pink landscape. His hair has more visible dark streaks by the roots. The pink lighting makes it hard to see exactly what kind of blonde it is. End description.]

Dragons Rising: Lloyd has graduated the Angsty Teenager phase. He is now an Exhausted Adult. All his friends are gone, presumed to be dead (again), he is overworked, has adopted two protéges, and has not touched a shampoo bottle in Months. Just look at those greasy roots. Please let him take a break and also a bath.

#ninjago #ninjago dragons rising #vitpost #lloyd garmadon #lloyd ninjago #he's... all grown up??#also I love seeing the animation style evolve. look at where we started.

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greenwitchcrafts · 7 months

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Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Known as: Allheal, angel flower, arrowroot, bloodwort, cammok, carpenter's weed, death flower, devil's mustard, Devil's nettle, eerie, field hops, gearwe, green arrow, herbe militaris, hundred leaved grass, knight's milfoil, noble yarrow, nosebleed plant, plumajilo, seven year's love, snake's grass, soldiers thousand seal., squirrel tail, stanch grass, tansy, thousand-leaf, thousand weed, woundwort, yarrowway & yerw

Related plants: Is a member of the daisy family Asteraceae that consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within it such as chamomile, coneflowers, dahlia, daisy, dandelion, goldenrod, lettuce, marigold, mugwort & sunflower

Parts used: Leaves & flowers

Habitat and Cultivation: This hardy plant is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Asia, Europe & North America

Plant type: Perennial

Region: 3-9

Harvest: Harvest yarrow when the blooms only when they have fully opened. It should be cut right above the leaf node to encourage the plant to potentially flower again. Many choose to harvest the flowers in the late morning when the dew has dried before so that the plant is not stressed by the extreme heat. Hot, dry spells right before bloom seems to be ideal for producing the most fragrant leaves.

Growing tips: Plant in an area that receives full sun to encourage compact growth and many flowers about 1-2 feet apart. In partial sun or shade, yarrow tends to grow leggy. Yarrow performs best in well-drained soil. It thrives in hot, dry conditions; it will not tolerate constantly wet soil. Loamy soil is recommended, but yarrow can also be grown in clay soil as long as it does not always stay saturated with water. While this plant is technically considered invasive only in noncultivated settings, common yarrow still needs to be planted in an area where you don't mind proliferation.

Medicinal information: Yarrow has a history of being used for fever, common cold, hay fever, absence of menstruation, dysentery, diarrhea, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal (GI) tract discomfort, and to induce sweating. Some people chew the fresh leaves to relieve toothache. Yarrow is applied to the skin to stop bleeding from hemorrhoids; for wounds; and as a sitz bath for painful, lower pelvic, cramp-like conditions in women. Some people chew the fresh leaves to relieve toothache.

Cautions: Yarrow is commonly consumed in foods, but yarrow products that contain a chemical called thujone might not be safe because it is poisonous in large doses. Yarrow is not recommended for use during pregnancy or chestfeeding as it causes risks of miscarriage. Yarrow might slow blood clotting. In theory, taking yarrow might increase the risk of bleeding in people with bleeding disorders. In some people, it also might cause skin irritation & is toxic to cats & dogs.

Magickal properties

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus

Element: Air & Water

Deities: Achilles, Aphrodite, Cernunnos, Faeries, Oshun & Yemaya

Magickal uses:

• Add the flowers to a satchet or dream pillow to encourage prophetic dreams

• Hang a bundle above your bed on your honeymoon night to ensure lasting love for 7 years

• Place across your thresholds or plant near doorwaysto prevent negative energies & influences from entering your home

• Burn as an incense before or during divination to increase psychic abilities

• Wear as an amulet to attract love, friendships & give courage

• Place yarrow under your pillow & if you dreamt of your love, it was a positive omen. If you had a bad dream, or dreamt of other people, it wasn’t

• Combine with mugwort as tea to drink before divination to increase psychic powers

• Put near yourself while practicing divination to increase your psychic abilities

• In spells, use to re-establish contact with long-lost friends or relatives & attract their attention

• Braid into your hair to tap into inner wisdom

• The I-Ching divination was originally performed with dried yarrow stems

• Wash crystals& crystal balls with a yarrow rinse to bring about clarity of vision

• Drink yarrow tea & a cinnamon stick to release hidden truths

• Place on a coffin or grave to help the spirit cross over/ let go

•For powerful protection, pick yarrow flowers and charge them in the sun. Once charged, take the flowers and sprinkle them outside your home to prevent negative influences and energies away from entering your home

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

Wikipedia

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

The Encyclopedia of Natural Magic by John Michael Greer

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer

Plant Witchery by Juliet Diaz

A Compendium of Herbal Magick by Paul Beyerl

The Herbal Alchemist Handbook by Karen Harrison

The Book of Flower Spells by Cheralyn Darcey

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blueraineshadows · 1 year

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Stay ❤️

Garreth Weasley x F!MC ❤️🌶 🔞 NSFW

Happy Weasley Wednesday 🦁❤️

The rain pattered consistently from a leaden sky that was darkening into night. MC shivered and held her sodden cloak even closer around her shoulders. She wiped at her face with the back of her hand, coating it in blood mixed with rain water. The cut on her eyebrow was still dribbling, blending with the rain to give the illusion of bloody tear streaks on her cheek.

Coming across the troll had been an accident. Her refusal to back down from a fight was entirely her own fault. Still, she was alive, and the troll was not. It was a win.

MC sighed. Maybe she was getting too old for this shit. Mid-twenties and still thinking she was a scampering teen. She ached and was hungry, cold and alone. The last one was the kicker. She was always alone. Again, something she only had herself to blame for. She had the unfortunate habit of pushing away people who cared for her.

Physical wounds healed. Emotional ones were terrifying, and they were harder to soothe.

Her boots splashed through puddles as she scurried along in the rain, her destination one that was a surprise given the later hour. Liar. Merlin, she couldn't even admit the truth to herself.

She opened the little wooden gate to the stone cottage and slowed as she reached the wooden porch. The green front door loomed before her, picture perfect against the backdrop of stone walls and lead paned windows, warm inviting light glowing from within.

Of course she was here. Isn't this where she always ended up when the lonely part of her ached so fiercely that her feet just brought her right to this door, and the man who lived behind it.

She knocked. Rain dripped from the hood of her cloak and the end of her nose. She brushed sopping tendrils of hair back from her face, although any attempt to look pretty was useless against the blood and rain.

The door swung open and there he was, Garreth Weasley, dressed in dark trousers and a maroon woollen jumper, his hair a chaotic tumble of red curls about his handsome face. Some of the tension was already slipping from her taut frame at the warmth and safety he exuded. She ached for it.

He peered out in to the gloom at her, his eyes widening in alarm as he took in her drenched, beat up state. "Merlin, MC," he said. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, fingers gently gripping her soaked cloak. "You're soaked! Get in here...come in and get warm."

She smiled gratefully and stepped across the threshold, his scent wafting tantalisingly under her nose as she passed him. His hands were already helping to remove the cloak, rain water dripping from her to soak his neatly swept floor.

"Your rug," she protested, glancing down. A violent shiver racked her and she folded her arms tightly about herself.

"No matter," he said, eyeing her. "Let's get your wet things off. Come on, I will find you something dry to put on. And then you can fill me in on why you're out in the rain adorned with cuts and bruises."

Relief washed over her. He didn't push for answers, just fussed over her, bringing her a towel and soft dressing robe. Tea was brewing in the pot and he had her sit near the fire, rubbing her frozen hands between his large warm ones.

She watched him through her lashes and lingering glances as he took care of her, admiring the line of his jaw, harder and even more handsome than their school days. There was some scruff growth there as though he hadn't shaved for a couple of days. She quite liked it and wondered how it would feel under her fingers.

Green eyes lifted to meet hers, and she tried to make it look like she wasn't staring, noting the way the corner of his mouth lifted into an amused smirk. "See something you like?" He winked. "Or, do I have something on my face? Oh gods, I havent got a troll sized bogey hanging off my nose have I?"

She huffed a small laugh, her gaze returning to his. His smile was warm, teasing, and her tummy did a somersault. Her hand moved without a second thought and scratched curious finger tips against his jaw along the scruff. "This is new," she said. "Are you growing a beard?"

Oh gods, the scratch of hair under her fingers sent spirals of flame up her arm. She felt her cheeks warming and withdrew her hand, squeezing it into a little fist in her lap. Her eyes however, they were trapped in a stare with his, and she found it difficult to swallow at the way he was looking at her. It was a stretched out few seconds as her heart flexed under the idea that he shared this shockingly fierce fire she felt.

Every time she was near him, this fire seemed to grow and consume her. It drew her back here again and again, any excuse to be in his company, and each time she would get overwhelmed by this need for him.

Inevitably, her fear would talk her out of trying to claim any of it, to reach out and risk the burn, and then she would leave. It was always a wrench to be parted from him, and yet she always left.

She kept coming back, though. Deep inside she feared the day that she would come and there would be another witch here, someone who had been brave enough to embrace his warmth for her own. When that day came, she feared she might shrivel to nothing, cold and empty.

She lowered her gaze from his and looked to the flickering dance of fire in his grate instead. Coward.

"Let me get something for that cut on your eyebrow," he said.

She let him touch her face as he cleaned up her wound, his fingers gentle, her gaze drawn to him despite turning away from him just now. Up close like this, she could almost count the smattering of freckles over his nose, she watched the way his throat moved as he swallowed or spoke. And, helplessly, she stared at his mouth, wondering if those lips were as soft as they looked.

"I wish you wouldn't look at me like that," he murmured.

Her eyes flew to his, surprised. "What...look at you like what?"

He gave her a look suggesting she knew perfectly well what sort of way she had been staring, and heat flooded her cheeks. She squirmed a little in her chair.

"It's very distracting," he said. "Now, keep still. I'm almost done patching you up."

She felt the need to change the subject, lighten the mood. "You should see the other guy," she smirked. "Not much left to patch up."

His look was one of worry rather than humour. "I can well imagine," he said. His hand stilled before moving lower to her cheek. His thumb grazed along her cheekbone, the barest touch, and her pulse flickered and sped up. His gaze was intent, and she could hardly breathe.

"It scares me you know, the way you get into these scrapes. I'm worried that one day, you won't come knocking on my door anymore, and I will never see you again. Every time I patch you up, I'm scared it will be the last."

Well, fuck! So much for trying to lighten the mood. She stared at him, her feelings a blistering whirlwind in her chest. Her hand gently touched the back of his, fingers moving to grasp his wrist.

Kiss him you idiot! He is literally right there, and if that wasn't a confession of caring about you, then what else was it?

But what then? They kiss? He carries her into the bedroom? Gods, the very thought of it makes her thighs clench something fierce. She is so starved for it that she leans forward, just a fraction. She can almost taste the sweetness of that first kiss...

But then her stupid, stupid brain starts flinging doubts at her. What if its a mistake? What if it ruins this special friendship they have? Losing that would cripple her, its the brightest thing in her life, the loss would be intolerable to bear.

And, he had said himself. He worries for her, doesn't like how she jumps into danger without a second thought. But, that's who she is. Give her a fight to face down any day of the week, and she is right there, wand in hand, ready to kick some ass.

But putting her soft, stupid heart out there with the potential for it to shatter. Nope. Up slam the walls.

"Don't worry about me, Garreth," she said, attempting a lighthearted smile. She moved his hand away from her face, stroking the back of it to ease the rejection of his touch. "I'm tougher than I look. And, I am getting better at trying to avoid trouble. It just seems to find me sometimes, that's all. I'll be okay."

His smile was not very successful at hiding the disappointment clouding his eyes. She felt it like a club to the chest. Why was she so good at shoving people away?

He still made her some food though, and the conversation turned to lighter chatter as they ate. Her hair was drying out, his dressing robe cosy and warm against her bare flesh. Colour returned to her cheeks and she stifled a yawn.

"I'm sorry for disturbing your evening," she said. "Maybe I should get out from under your feet."

He looked at her. "Stay," he said. He nodded towards the stairs. "You can take the bed. Stay and get a decent night's sleep somewhere safe. I can take the settee for the night."

"You've already done so much..." She began to protest.

He held his hands up. "And you can let me do more," he said, firmly. "You look tired, and you're thinner than the last time I saw you. Let me take care of you, please. At least for tonight. Sleep, rest and you can be on your way after a proper Weasley breakfast in the morning. Deal?"

His gaze was firm. She opened her mouth to protest again and he pointed a finger at her. "Don't make me use my wand, MC," he warned. Mischief glittered in those green eyes. "Don't think I won't. I'm not above making you stay here. Who knows? Maybe I've already slipped a few drops of sleeping draught in your tea."

She eyed her mug suspiciously and he chuckled. "I haven't, but don't tempt me."

A smile tugged at her lips. Playful Garreth was much easier than intense Garreth. "Next you'll have me tied to the bed post with no escape."

Immediately she flushed. The image of it a lot more sinful in her head than she intended the joke to sound. She watched his own cheeks redden, his eyes widened, but he recovered quickly.

"You need only ask," he said. His cheeky wink nearly tipped her over an edge she had been deliberately avoiding.

He got up, collecting their plates to take to the sink. "I'll get you something to sleep in once I've cleared up," he said.

"Let me help," she said. Her voice sounded strained and she needed a distraction from the throbbing need that was starting to consume her.

Part of her fancied testing him. If she tried to make a run for it, would he drag her back and tie her up, or would she really have to ask? Fucking hell, would she ask? Did she want that?

They washed the dishes and he went upstairs, her trailing behind him. He opened a chest and rummaged around, digging out a Gryffindor Quidditch shirt with a cheeky grin. "Fancy sleeping in this?"

She smiled and took the soft cotton shirt from him. "I remember you wearing this," she said. She pressed it to her cheek without thinking. "Wow, this takes me back."

"Makes you wish you could go back, doesn't it?" He said, wistfully. He tugged gently on a lock of her now dry hair. "At least I knew where you were every night back then."

Her breath caught in her throat. Did that mean he thought about her at night back then? Her heart sped up and she clutched the shirt in her hands. An overwhelming urge to feel him swept over her and she pulled him close for a hug.

"I don't deserve you Garreth Weasley," she said. "You've been an amazing friend to me. I wish I could say the same about myself, but I'm afraid I'm rather rubbish at it, aren't I? You're too good for me."

His arms held her about the waist and it felt safe. Warm. It felt like she belonged there if she was being brutally honest. Her head nestled against his chest and she sighed. "I will try to be better," she promised. "I owe you for everything you've ever done for me."

"You owe me nothing," he said into her hair. "I do it because I want to."

Her heart thudded against her ribs, thudded against him. If only she was brave enough to give it to him.

She slipped from his embrace, her eyes skipping shyly from his. "Thank you."

He nodded, looking down. "If you need anything else, just give me a shout. I'll just be downstairs," he said. He moved for the staircase, paused and looked back. "Goodnight, MC."

"Goodnight," she whispered.

....*....

Sleep was a distant dream far out of reach. MC lay under the blankets in Garreth's bed listening to the rain tapping against the glass of the window. Overwhelmed by the scent of him on the sheets, wrapped in his blankets, wearing his Quidditch top, and the man himself at the bottom of the staircase - it was slowly driving her towards the edge of her restraint.

Her body was coiled like a spring, desire was a wicked temptress tugging in all the right places, and she rolled over for about the millionth time. She eyed the top of the stairs. It was dimly lit below by the last dying embers of his fire. She wondered if Garreth was asleep, and tried to picture his tall frame sprawled along his settee. There was no way that was comfortable, and she felt bad for kicking him out of his own bed.

Yeah, thats the reason she was considering getting up for, and telling him to come up here.

MC sat up, pushing her hair back from her face and sighed. No, she couldn't. He might reject her. She lay back down. She smoothed a hand across a pillow. His pillow. She buried her face into it. Hugged it to herself.

Oh, fuck!

Blankets thrown back, her bare feet hit the floorboards and she padded quietly to the stairs. Wearing nothing but his Quiddtich shirt, she descended the steps into the room below.

He was indeed sprawled along the sofa, and it definitely didn't look comfortable. She paused at the bottom of the steps, her fingers toying with the hem of his shirt that barely grazed the tops of her thighs. It was utterly scandalous and very arousing.

He twisted his head up, eyes blinking sleepily. "MC...everything okay? Can I get you anything?"

Her lips twitched upwards. He was always taking care of her. She moved away from the stairs and into his line of vision. He sat up, pushing his hair back from his face. In the dim glow of the dying fire, his eyes glittered. She could see the way his gaze travelled slowly down over her as he swung his legs around to sit up properly. He slowed to a stop, his lips parting a little at the sight of her bare legs.

"Um...you erm..." He fluffed his hair again and blew air through his lips. "Blimey, MC. That's quite a sight."

She tilted her head, fingers brushing nervously against her thigh. "Good sight or not so good?" She teased.

"Good, definitely good," he said, nodding. He was staring, his hands fidgeting.

MC stepped closer towards him and he visibly swallowed. He looked nervous and it was quite arousing. It made her feel a bit bolder. She took hold of one of his hands and put it on the outside of her thigh. "Gods," he whispered.

She was breathing a little faster, desire pooling thick and fast at the feel of his hand there. His touch was feather light, gentle, as he swept the pad of his thumb against her leg. She nudged his hand, sliding it a little higher until it was right at the hem of the shirt. Having his hand so close to where she ached for him was excruciating.

He watched her do it, a shaky sigh leaving his mouth and then he looked up at her. She met his gaze and smiled, wanting him to know that she was okay with this. It was what she wanted. He slid his hand up higher, his warm palm gliding up to her hip, their gazes locked on each other until he gasped. "What the...bloody hell, MC! You're...you're naked under there!"

She chuckled and flashed the hem of the shirt upwards quickly. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Oh, fuck," he hissed.

Pressing him back into the sofa, she climbed onto his lap, knees straddling his hips. He immediately took her hips into his grasp, his breaths ragged as she settled. She braced her hands on his shoulders and sought his lips, hungry to taste him.

He uttered a low moan at her kiss, his grip on her hips tightening. Her name fell from his lips in a cherished whisper as she pressed soft kisses across them. Soft, perfectly soft, and very, very kissable lips.

"Do you want me?" She asked, softly.

He groaned. "Yes, yes, I do," he said. He pulled her against his lap, urging her to feel just how much. She rolled her hips, grinding against him and his head tilted back, his eyes squeezing shut. "Oh, gods. Yes, I want you."

Deep kisses, the kind that made your toes curl, tongues sliding and swirling, drawing moans and gasping breaths from each other. MC savoured the feel of his hair between her fingers, tugging it so that his head was tilted back for the perfect kissing angle.

His hands slid up to her waist, taking the shirt with him. He broke the kiss to look down, biting his lower lip. "You look so fucking sexy in this shirt," he groaned. He gripped the fabric tightly. "I'm almost tempted to make you keep it on."

She grinned. "I could do that."

"Hmm, well then I won't be able to get a good look at these," he said. He slid his hands up under the shirt to cup her breasts, palming them eagerly, his thumb and forefinger pinching playfully at her nipples. He groaned and shoved the front of the shirt up. "Gods, gimme a bite."

Delighted laughter fell from her lips as he took a peak into his mouth, sucking firmly, his tongue teasing before he bit gently into the tender flesh. Her hand gripped at his hair, her breath hissing through her teeth. He moaned appreciatively, his hands moulding both breasts again. "Delicious," he said, licking his lips.

Desperate to feel more of his skin, MC tugged impatiently at his shirt, so busy concentrating on his buttons that when he slid his fingers playfully through her slick folds she cried out, her hips flexing instinctively.

He chuckled. "Liked that did you? Do you like this?" He swirled his fingers up and around, spreading her slick over her clit. She forgot about his buttons for a moment, her forehead leaning against his as his fingers worked up a tight little rhythm. She moaned, rocking against his precise touch. "Tell me," he whispered. "Tell me it feels good."

"Y...yes," she whispered. She was lost in the sensation of his fingers, and when he slid one inside, shifting his hand to rub and fuck, she gripped at his chest. "Fuck, yes!"

"Yes, that's it, moan for me. I want to hear you," he said. The low, demanding tone of his voice was sending white hot flares of heat along the edge of her control. He added a second finger, curling them so perfectly that she was gritting her teeth. She rutted shamelessly against his hand, losing herself in his touch.

"Garreth," she gasped. Fisting her hands in his half undone shirt she moaned desperately, shuddering and grinding until she was clenching tightly around his fingers, all the pent up ache releasing in a wave of fire.

He groaned and looked at his hand, his fingers. "Fucking hell, that was hot," he murmured. He then put his fingers in his mouth and sucked. Her mouth fell open in shock.

Something extremely feral exploded inside her. Her hands were greedy and grabby as she yanked at his shirt. He yelped in surprise as buttons pinged loose and clattered onto the floor.

"Whoa..." He cried. She was tugging his trousers open and shoving them off his hips.

"Help me out here, Garreth," she panted. "I wanna fuck you senseless."

The sound he made was like a delighted, shocked laugh, and then he was pushing his trousers and underwear down, she knelt up to get out of his way. And then he was burying his face into her stomach, his head disappearing under the shirt to run his tongue along her heated skin.

She felt the silky hardness of his arousal against her thigh and reached for it, he groaned, looking down to watch as she fisted her hand and worked on him. "Oh, fuck yes," he groaned.

She lined him up, pressing kisses to his face, and sighing in relief as she slid down onto him. She lifted and rolled her hips a little, adjusting to the deeply satisfying size of him. "Garreth, that feels...oh gods...you feel amazing," she said.

She had him as deep as she could get him, her legs widening further, greedy for it all. He held her tightly against him, his head leaning against her, looking down at where they were joined.

"Give me a minute," he said, tightly.

She slid her hands through his hair. "Are you alright?"

"Brilliant," he said. "I just want to savour this for a moment before I lose my fucking mind."

She giggled, the movement making her walls flex around him and he groaned, his hands tightened on her waist. "Oh, shit, don't laugh," he said.

She smirked and clenched her walls around him, teasing him.

"You little minx," he moaned.

She tilted his head back, and she kissed him, tasting his mouth slow and sensual. She whispered against his lips. "What, no teasing jokes, Weasley? Isn't that your specialty?"

She gave a gentle roll of her hips and savoured the look of pleasure on his face, the low moan he gave her. She wanted to make him feel good, she wanted all of it. His hands slid round to cup her backside, squeezing her gently.

"You want jokes?" He said. He screwed up his brow, trying to think as she rolled her hips again and he swore under his breath. "How about this then...oh gods...how about I teach you a new spell?"

She bit down on his lower lip, riding him slow and teasingly. "A new spell?"

He smirked. "Mm, yeah, the one where you make my cum disappear."

MC stilled, processing what he just said. She looked down at him. He had the most ridiculous grin on his face. He was too much. A snort of laughter left her lips, more laughter bubbling up her throat, the force of it making his arousal slip from her. He groaned at the sensation as his own laughter tumbled from him.

She clung to him, giggling, a burst of warmth and happiness wrapping around her like a glow. He was an unbelievable goof, utterly adorable and the light of her life. "Bloody hell, Weasley," she giggled. "I fucking love you."

They both froze, their laughter slipping away. She almost gulped and looked down at him. "Um...I..." She stuttered, a blush flooding her face.

"Please tell me you meant that," he whispered. His eyes were wide, strained.

Her heart thundered in her chest. She smoothed his hair back from his face and swallowed back the sudden burn of tears that were gathering. She nodded. She really loved him. "I meant it," she said. A tear escaped and slid down her cheek. "You have my heart."

She gasped as he crushed her against him, his breaths quick and hot. "I love you, too," he said, fiercely.

....*....

The rain had stopped and weak morning sunlight was creeping up and in through the bedroom window. MC stirred, the reassuring weight of a freckled arm about her waist. She smoothed her hand along it, snuggling back even closer against his nakedness.

She loved Garreth Weasley. The truth of it overwhelming but so right now that it was out in the open.

She smiled sleepily as she felt warm kisses on the back of her neck. He shifted to press more to her shoulder, his hand sneaking up to give her breast a playful squeeze. "Mmm, hello," he mumbled against her neck. "Gods, I love these."

She giggled and twisted around to look up at him. He kissed her. "Good morning," he whispered.

She traced his mouth with her finger. "I believe you promised me a Weasley breakfast this morning," she said, quirking an eyebrow.

"Hungry are you?" He nipped at her finger.

She slid a hand down, teasing her fingers over his hip and down his thigh and nodded. "I am, but I quite like the idea of a different kind of Weasley breakfast...if you get me."

"Oh, I get you," he said. He pulled her hips in nice and close. "Trust me, you will not be moving far from this bed for the foreseeable."

She smiled and kissed his nose. "You won't even have to tie me up to keep me here...not unless you want to, of course."

The look in his eyes stole her breath. "That could most certainly be arranged."

She forgot about her hunger, and the promise of breakfast. Who cared about food when he was kissing her like this?

#hogwarts legacy fanfic #garreth weasley #mc x garreth weasley #garreth weasley smut #weasley wednesday #blueraineshadows

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idyllcy · 2 years

Text

I was your pinata, she was a star charter

Word count: 4.7k

Summary: The library boy... he's cute.

You rush into the library, tote bag in arms and book in hand. You aren't too excited to start school, but you suppose that studying at the library will help, somehow. The smell of paper and cloth covers fills your lungs as you step to the tables. The tears of the sun spill in through the stained glass windows, and you rub your arm gently. It's warm. The last drops of sun before the clouds cover his glory and destroy you. You wonder if a good cry will help you out.

You set a mug on the table and pry open your laptop.

The words on your laptop drive you insane. The lines and lines of literature grasp your mind, forcing you to focus and read the phrases. Nothing goes through your mind like it's supposed to. You grow tired of the lines, head dizzy, and mind a mess over the assignment. You hated seminars. You don't like sitting and reading. You hate this. The crown of thorns tightens around your head, and you feel that familiar feeling of disgust crawl up your throat.

How lovely.

"Um... hello?" A voice fans the clouds forming above your head.

"Yes?"

"The library closes in five minutes," He smiles.

You turn to face the boy, and you pause.

He's gorgeous. Holy shit. You thought he'd look old because his hair was white, but the only thing going through your mind was over how angelic he looked. Your lips part as your eyes trail to his lips, and you swallow unconsciously. He's pretty. His green eyes are almost clear with how pale they are, and his skin is a deathly shade of peach, but he's so pretty. You're in love. Is that what love is? Oh. Great. You're in love with a random librarian working on campus.

WELL, WELL, YOU CAN'T BLAME YOURSELF!! HE'S GOT PRETTY CLOUDY HAIR AND THAT CLASSIC PINTEREST ACADEMIA OUTFIT!! HE'S JUST REALLY PRETTY!! HE LOOKS DAZZLING. HE HAS THOSE PRETTY GLASSES AND THE DAZZLING RUBY CHAIN HANGING FROM THE EDGE OF HIS GLASSES. HE LOOKS PRETTY, OKAY??? IT'S NOT JUST A YOU THING-

"Sorry," You snap out of your trance. Does he think you're weird for staring at him for that long? You hope he doesn't. "I'll pack up."

"Thank you," He smiles.

As he leaves, your eyes trail back to the document on your laptop. You got... a little work done. Barely anything. You sigh to yourself as you toss what needs to be discarded and shut your laptop. Well, at least you met someone cute. You hope he works here often.

The boy works here four days a week. He's here on three weekdays and Saturdays. He usually organizes books or sits at the front desk, checking books in and out. His coffee order is an oat milk latte, and he drinks more tea than coffee. He has never once shown up without his glasses or knitted vest. It's just his style of clothing, you suppose. Nothing bad. You liked how he looked. It offered some semblance of chaos in a library that was prim and proper. You like it. It reminds you of the clouds.

The sun burns into your skin as you walk toward the library.

It's become a spot where you hang out often. You sit there and do your homework, biting and chewing on your lip as you read through more files than you can digest. Your stomach churns with disdain as you scribble onto your tablet. You want to leave. Please. You miss frolicking in the fields and living like a protagonist. You aren't the lead of the story now. You're just a character in the background to support others' growth. You trip and tumble over pebbles and boulders until the main characters end up together, leaving you in the background.

You don't know if you like that role too much.

Yet, as you set your tea down and pull out your laptop, you wonder when the cycle will break. You don't possess beauty as Psyche does. You hold no wrath of the gods for being beautiful beyond what Venus could ever imagine. You prayed that somehow, someday, you could be as beautiful as the princess herself. Perhaps the arrow of love would graze someone on accident, and you would finally live to be the center of attention.

Though, all of that was just pointless daydreaming.

You finish the last of your tea, checking two things off your to-do list, three more. Three more, and then you could rest for the night. The sun is starting to set, the hairs on your neck straightening from it. The light from the sun places itself on your skin, burning down your back as you finish another two assignments.

Before your final one, you turn to the side to stare at the pretty librarian. You lean on the palm of your hand, watching the way the sun coated his back in gold. The chains on his glasses look gold under the star, and you take note of how prim his fingernails were. He didn't bite them, and his hands looked elegant compared to the ones you were used to. Even your own nails are damaged because of how you used to bite them. The skin on your nails struggles to grow back because you still pick at them.

You grow nervous too often. You can't help it.

You turn your eyes to your laptop screen, fingers clicking on the keyboard.

The sun sets with the moon's chasing, and you close your laptop once you finish your final assignment. You tilt your neck to stretch it, your bones cracking as you do. The glass cup is empty of the latte you got earlier from the local coffee shop. You slip everything into your bag and wrap your arms around it, pulling out a stuffed animal to rest your head on. You don't feel like going back to your dorm.

You close your eyes, resting your head on the cushion. A quick nap couldn't kill you.

"Hey, time to wake up."

Your lashes flutter, and you sit up slowly. Your muscles ache. You don't like the sleeping position you were just in. Yes, you started drooling because it was a DAMN good nap, but your back is not having any fun at all. That was not a good nap for your body. You're going to need to stretch when you get home. You crane your neck in an attempt to soothe your muscles. It's not working.

You lean back, locking eyes with the male.

"A-ah!" You jump in your seat. "Is the library already closed? I'm so sorry!"

The male jumps back at your sudden movement, and you shove the stuffie into your bag. You probably pissed him off. Oh, no. You don't know if you want that. What if he kicks you out permanently because you hindered closing time? That wouldn't be good. Then, you wouldn't be able to come back and stare at the cute librarian ever again.

"I'm so sorry!" You bow ninety degrees to the boy, and the male looks taken aback.

"No, no!" The boy stutters, waving his hand. "Don't worry about it! You seemed tired, so I thought it'd be better to have you leave last. You still have two minutes."

"I'm so sorry again!" You grab your stuff, heart racing as you rush out of the library. Ah. How embarrassing. You hope he doesn't think badly of you after that. You can't believe you almost slept until closing.

You check your phone.

Huh? Closing was ten minutes ago. Are the clocks inside the library broken?

The gates of summer make way for the guards of fall, the burning rays of sun replaced with falling foliage. The steps to the library are covered in orange and brown, the latte in your hand replaced with a cup of diluted earl grey tea. You don't know why you're trying it. Maybe it's because you saw the cute library try out the tea the other day. You're at least glad that you added milk and sugar. Hopefully, it keeps you awake like your caffeine did.

Your lips part at the sight of the cute library boy jumping into a pile of leaves. Your cheeks grow warm, and you gasp. He's... jumping into leaves? You watch the leaves flutter around him, and time seems to slow as you watch him. He's pretty. Though his hair is in his face as he's hidden behind the pile of leaves, he's pretty. A giggle slips past your lips unconsciously, and you slap a hand over your mouth. Shit.

You rush into the library, praying that he didn't see you laugh at him. Embarrassment burns at your neck as you sit down at your usual spot. He's cute. Even if you couldn't see his face clearly, he was pretty. Your neck grows warm as you recall the scene, and you take a sip of your drink to calm down. You have assignments to do. You don't know if you could survive if he had seen you.

You don't actually recall what the librarian looks like. You remember staring in awe at his beauty before rushing off because it was closing time. You wonder if his hair is actually soft to the touch. Maybe... you'd ask him one day? Maybe you should get his name first.

The cloud covers the sun as you reach into your bag for the textbook. You hate the stupid course. Why couldn't they have been kind like the other professors and used a book that's available online? Oh, were you not supposed to say that? Oops. Oh well. Not like you're the only one. You don't know how many of your other classmates are doing things their parents would kill them over.

You chew on your bottom lip as you submit another assignment.

The sun is long gone at this point, and you wonder if you should actually make use of the free time you have left. You want to stalk the cute librarian. You wonder if you could ask him for book recommendations. Maybe he'd give you one that you actually like.

You grab your bag, tucking everything in. You'll check out a book before you leave. You're craving murder. You'll read about that.

"Ah, sorry," You step to the counter. "I was wondering, since you're the librarian, if you had any book recommendations? I wanted to read something like murder mystery."

"Well," You tilt your head at his cough. "I'd recommend Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie. Have you read And then there were none?"

"Ah, no," You tap your chin. "Which area is that book in?"

"I'll go with you," the male smiles.

"Thank you..." You pause to squint at his nametag.

"Nagito Komaeda." He starts walking. "Please call me Nagito."

"Thank you, Nagito," You trail along behind him, and your internal monologue goes wild. He looks so pretty. His back is so pretty. Oh, god. You sound like a pervert right now. You're going to go insane. Your neck is warm, and you nearly crash into him as he stops. Your heart jumped into your throat from that. You didn't need him to kill you before you even got to know him.

You stop behind Komaeda as he reaches for your book, and you stare at the way his arms reached up. He's got little to no muscle. He's incredibly thin. You think he looks a little healthier compared to when you first met him, but you suppose he might just be like that. It wasn't like you hadn't put on weight since starting college. You should've paid attention when your teacher talked about the freshmen 15.

Komaeda grabs the book while you're lost in thought and you don't even notice how close you are to him. You flinch as he turns around.

"Sorry!" He gasps.

"No, no!" You wave your hands in a panic. "I'm sorry for being so close! I was looking at the other book."

You pull out a romance book from the shelf, and Komaeda flushes. You don't even notice that it's a romance book.

"Are you more into romance?"

"I like both," You look to the side, spotting another book. "Ah, speaking of which. Have you read Growing Pains? I heard it's really good."

"I have," He smiles. "It's a really good book. Have you?"

"No," You shake your head. "Shall I read it?"

"Yes," Komaeda grabs for it, sliding the book on top of the stack in his arms. "How about It's a soulmate thing? You're holding I'm here, so I assumed you might-"

"Yes, please," Your eyes sparkle at the sight of the cover. "I'm a sucker for soulmate stories."

"I'm glad," He reaches for another book. "and... Seashells and Sketchbooks?"

"Mermaids!" You gasp. "Sorry, I've read that one. I loved it."

"It's good, isn't it? I love it too." He smiles.

"What's your favorite?" You stare up at him, batting your lashes.

"Growing Pains," He mumbles, looking to the side. "It took my heart and crushed it in the best way possible. I can't get over the ending. You?"

"Hands down, it's Sketchbook and Seashells," You mumble. "I'm here is a close second. Both of them were so gentle and fluffy. I was living in a cloud while reading both of them."

"I'm willing to bet that you'll like Growing Pains more once you finish the book." He looks you in the eye, and you fight the urge to shrink under his eyes. "Hm?"

"Sure," You smile. "What does the winner get?"

"We'll decide after you read the book," Komaeda takes the book from your hands.

You're on autopilot until you return to your dorm. He's so pretty. Komaeda is so dazzling. Your heart is racing a million beats a minute as he checked out your books for you. You can't stare him in the eyes. He's just too pretty. His hands are so nicely kept, and you recall the way his pale eyes had stared into your soul. You would cherish the book. You can't believe you're doing this. Your heart is racing from a boy you barely remember the face of.

You flip through the pages, jaw dropped and heart cracking. There was no comfort in this book. It was completely angst. You don't know what you're doing, yet you can't stop reading. You've cried through a box of tissues already, and your assignments are stacking up, but your heart is crying in agony. It's been 11 chapters. Your mind is breaking as you do. You don't know if a gallon of ice cream is going to cure you of the childhood trauma the two experienced. Curse slow burns. You're going mental over this.

You emerge from your room four days later with fish eyes and a broken and poorly mended heart. The ending was cute, but your heart is not. Neither is how you look. There's no way you can return to the library with a stuffy nose and puffy eyes. You'll take another two days before going back. Komaeda was right. It is your favorite book now.

You hate him.

You toss the tissues and the trash, splashing water on your face. You still need to read the other two books. You're praying both of them are nice and fluffy.

They are.

You're saved. You're safe. You're cheering so hard right now. Your heart is saved.

You slam the books on the counter, dark circles present. You don't know how many days you haven't been to the library, but you're just about ready to beat someone up. "You. I'm going to strangle alive."

Komaeda hums, taking the books from your hand.

"I take it that I won the bet, then?" He scans the books back in.

"Yes." You sigh. "You won, but I want you to read Lonely Kids."

"Sure," Komaeda smiles. "So, since I won, I want you to read another handful of books."

"Oh?" You tilt your head.

"Read Stay With Me, Hold my Hand," He smiles. "It's a series."

"Alright." You mumble. "I'll scalp you if it makes me cry."

"It might," He pauses. "It's by the same author as Growing Pains."

"I'm going to cry, then," You grimace. "It's so beautifully destructive. I love the way they write. The whole world is built around you so beautifully only for it to be torn into shreds."

"Yeah," Komaeda smiles. "Though, this one will make you cry harder."

"I'll read it over break," You sigh. "Thank you, by the way. And Then There Were None was a really good story."

"I'm glad." You pull your bag, and you head off.

You won't tell him that Lonely Kids is a smut book. He can read between the lines by himself. You hope he at least likes it. You're a whore for that author's books. He could throw a book into your stomach and make you throw up blood and you'd still cry over it. That was how much you liked that author. But you suppose that he wouldn't do that to you. You don't know. You cried over "Communication is Key". You don't know how much you can take from that author. One of these days you're going to throw up over a book from how hard you cry.

You don't know if you want to read any more of Komaeda's favorite author. Your heart hurts from Growing Pains enough.

You check your phone, and you stand in line at the coffee shop. What was the librarian's coffee order again? You swear it was... something... you don't remember. No, wait. You do. He's been bringing the woody tea lately. You learned that the other day in class. Patchouli? The... plant. That might be best. Even if he doesn't like it, it doesn't taste bitter to the tongue. You wonder if he'll mind the spice.

"One Patchouli tea and one milk tea please," You smile.

"What kind of tea for the milk?"

"Earl grey," You hum. "Fifty sugar for the milk tea, and twenty five sugar for the regular tea."

You stand on the side, rocking on your feet. You hope he likes it.

He does.

You watch him grow visibly brighter at the sight of the tea, and you relax under your breath. He likes it. He likes the tea. You'll keep that in mind next time. He looks really happy at the sight of tea, and you can't help yourself. "Uh, do you like tea?" You mentally wince at how awkward that sounded.

"Yes!" Komaeda clasps his hands together, and you mentally cheer. "I have a preference for tea that isn't bitter. I can't taste many things because of my medication, you see."

"Medication?" You tilt your head. He's sick?

"I'm being treated for a couple illnesses." He hums. "Sorry."

"No! Don't be!" You gasp, horror setting in. Did you just make him feel bad? You hope not. "I wish you a speedy recovery. Please take care of yourself."

"Of course," He smiles at you, and you wonder if he's sad. His hair is still in the way of his face. You're starting to get impatient. You want to see how he looks. You're going to kill someone at this rate. Why was it so hard to see someone's face???

The leaves on the trees empty out quickly, and you find yourself holed in the library more and more. Your midterms are coming up. You're going to stab yourself. Why couldn't they have just assigned you a research paper? That would've been so much nicer. Ugh.

Someone taps your shoulder gently. "Would you like some help? I took that class already."

"Yes, please?" You stare up at Komaeda with doe eyes. "I'm losing my mind over the subject."

"Does giving you the test and correct answers count as helping?"

"Yeah," You stare up at him, chin tilted to the ceiling. You take note of his lashes. Holy shit he has nice lashes. "Do you have it?"

He does. He hands you his laptop, and he shares a google file with you. It's a blessing. An angel has been sent to you from above. Cupid himself is blessing this marriage. This is a blessing in disguise. Maybe you are Psyche in a different way. Maybe you're actually the main character for once. Even if you aren't, you're happy with what you have currently.

You work on your laptop with Komaeda, the boy making small talk with you. He has a nice voice. His voice is airy, and it soothes you. It does more than your tea for some reason. You're a little sleepy from his voice. You wonder how well you'd sleep if you were to sleep with him. Ah, how foolish of you. Those thoughts are fleeting, and you close your laptop as you finish checking it out. You hope he doesn't get offended if you nap while he sits next to you. You need rest. You haven't slept properly in days.

You don't remember much of the conversation, but you know that you're going to nap well.

"Thank you..." You mumble. "I owe you."

You don't hear his answer.

You do, however, wake up to him shaking you.

"Closing time," He smiles. "We're the last ones."

"Alright," You mumble, rubbing your eyes. "Thank you. It was very warm."

"Of course," You follow Komaeda as he takes the trash.

The stars sparkle above your eyes, and you exhale. Hopefully your midterms will go well.

Psyche never knew the face of her husband. She had been told that it was a beast, something that was beyond what a human could handle. She had been sold because she was worshipped, yet her husband was gentle without a single candle. Whenever she wanted to see him, he would not let her. She was told to never see his face. Yet, love presents itself in its best form for everyone. You want to see Komaeda's face properly; Even if he runs.

The book in your hands breaks your heart over and over again, an endless cycle of death. You wonder if that's what it felt like. You want to curl up in the book and never touch anything else. You want to wrap your arms around the characters and assure them that there's nothing ahead, well aware that what lies ahead is only heartbreak. It hurts to watch people in a world beyond yours crumble because of the laws of fate. It hurts you.

You finish the book, heart torn from your chest, tears threatening to ruin the book. It hurts. It hurts to watch people love in an apocalypse be torn apart and destroyed. It burns your throat. You don't like it. You want to break into the author's home and cry on the floor and ruin their carpets. What an awful person you are.

You go to the library again once you've finished the trilogy. It was good. You wonder if Komaeda would be willing to sit down and talk about it with you. You had a couple of questions for him.

Your heart is going a million miles an hour right now. You can't believe you did it. You asked Komaeda to coffee. Would it be too much of a rush to ask him out today? Would it kill him? Maybe it would. You might have a harder time asking him out today. Maybe just one coffee date at a time.

One turns to two.

Two turns into four.

Four turns into an indefinite number.

You like spending time with Komaeda. He calms you down visibly, and your heart grows softer as time passes. Maybe you got used to how loud it was. You think you learned that somewhere. Sensory adaptation, was it? You don't know. You just know you're embarrassed beyond belief and in love with him horribly.

Ah.

You like him.

You like him as the wind finally pushes his hair back and as he goes embarrassed from your staring.

You like him as he brushes his hands on yours as the two of you sit down to drink the coffee.

You like him as he's chasing you in a field of flowers that the botanist majors care for so much.

You like Nagito Komaeda like a girl has a crush on her senior; and you're terrified. because while in the millions of stories you lost yourself in they get the boy, not many in reality do. You're terrified of losing what you have currently. There's just something that's drowning you alive.

It's like stepping into quicksand, sinking as you struggle against it more. You thrash desperately against your own feelings, waiting until it consumes you until there's nothing more. You want to give yourself to him wholeheartedly, yet you don't. Cupid's arrows have never hit you, so you wouldn't know. You hadn't even remembered what Komaeda looked like until the wind blew his hair out of the way. There's no way he likes you back.

Yet, as Komaeda's cheeks grow red from your ministrations, you think you have a fair chance.

"Nagito," You breathe, staring at the male.

"What?" He stares at you.

"I like you."

Komaeda goes silent, and for a moment, you worry that you've offended him.

Your mind spirals as you sit there in silence. It's... confusing. Did he not like you? Why was he taking so long to respond to you? Maybe it hurt to answer? Maybe it was strange? You fiddle with your fingers as he processes the words. You want to step away, yet you want to hear an answer from his lips. Would he answer you?

One minute turns to two. Two minutes turns to four. Four minutes turn to five.

Maybe he wouldn't answer you. You should probably take a step to the side and let him process it for a couple of days.

You open your mouth, your throat dry. You want to say something. Could you? Was that an option? Your heart is fighting to break free from your chest. You're dying to do something. Can you... tell him? Was that an option? You can let him reject you. You'll mull over the rejection just fine. It's not like you're expecting him to say yes to you. You'll just sit down and cry over it later.

"Say it again," Komaeda grabs your shoulders, cheeks flushed. " Please. Say it again."

"I... like you," You mumble, looking to the side, a sudden embarrassment on you. "I like you a lot."

A silence is thrown over the two of you, and you brace yourself for rejection.

Komaeda's hands shake as he presses them to your cheeks, tilting your face to face him. You stare at him, your heart ringing in your ears. Your cheeks are warm, and his hands are practically vibrating. You're scared. Is he going to reject you face to face? Is he going to reject you while looking into your eyes? Oh, how cruel he was. You look back to the side.

"Look at... me," Komaeda's voice is shaking too.

You open one eye to stare at him.

"I like you too," He whimpers. "I like you a lot too. I'm infatuated with you. It was as though Cupid had grazed my skin with an arrow the first time we met. I adore you to pieces. I can't... I can't think of living without you."

Now it's your turn to get embarrassed. Pupils blown wide with excitement.

"You like me too?" You grab his wrists. "You do? Oh, tell me you do."

"I do," Komaeda swallows slowly, and you hear your pulse in your ears. "I do adore you so much, darling."

And you cry. Silent tears that trickle down your cheeks. You cry the tears of the stars, twinkling and burning your heart as your confession is accepted. You sob silently, hand over your mouth and tears trickling down your cheeks. You're ecstatic. You're... loved. You aren't in the background anymore. You're finally someone who isn't used as a staircase for others. Hopefully Komaeda stays with you.

Komaeda pulls you into his chest, running his hands through your hair.

Maybe you could stay there forever, even if you were a background character.

#nagito x reader #komaeda x reader #nagito komaeda x reader #nagito komaeda #komaeda #sdr2 x reader #danganronpa x reader #sdra2 x reader #look familiar? it's last week's fic but from your POV #☾.fics

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