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gregorovitch-adler · 6 months

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My thoughts about The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes:

Let's start by summarising the movie -

No crime-solving happens in the first 34 minutes. The first act is all about Holmes and Watson's dynamic, exploration of the nature of their relationship with each other, etc. If you're the type of person who only watches/reads Sherlock Holmes for the cases, you'd believe this portion is skippable. Only the blink-and-miss detail about the "Midgets' case" is important as far as Holmes' detective work is concerned.

However, if you think exploring Holmes and Watson's interpersonal relationship and their casework are both equally important, like I do, the first act is GOLD. Most of the Tumblr gifs about this movie are from the first 30-35 mins lol.

1.) Holmes enters and they bicker like an old, married couple.

H: Oh, come now, Watson, you must admit that you have a tendency to overromanticize. You have taken my simple exercises in logic and embellished them, embroidered them, exaggerated them ---

W: I deny the accusation.

H: You have described me as six-footfour, whereas I am barely six-footone.

W: A bit of poetic license.

Not only is this whole scene just delightful in general but the theory about Watson being an unreliable narrator in ACD canon is actually being supported throughout the movie, starting right here.

W:It's those little touches that make you colorful...

H: Lurid is more like it. You have painted me as a hopeless dope addict - just because I occasionally take a five per cent solution of cocaine.

W: A seven per cent solution.

H: Five per cent. Don't you think I'm aware you've been diluting it behind my back?

This exchange was lovely. Way to slip in their closeness through a few words.

2.) Watson doesn't think it's odd to barge right in when Holmes is completely naked and taking a bath?

Also, why the hell does Holmes bathe with his bedroom door wide open?

And what's that thing he's taking a bath in called? Does anyone know about this stuff? Was this thing common in that timeline? It doesn't seem to fit a grown man like Holmes.

I have so many questions and I'm speechless at the same time. I'll just drop this here:

3.) Then Watson persuades Holmes to go to The Swan Lake ballet.

Watson enjoys that ballet, a little too much at that, mostly because he's staring at all the women on stage. (We'll get back to this later.)

Holmes on the other hand has dozed off. All he can admire about the most beautiful dancer, Petrova, is her strong arches. Which is... 🏳‍🌈

Then that whole scene about Nicholai and Petrova and Holmes in the dressing room. XD

Petrova offers a Stradivarius violin to Holmes in exchange for sleeping with her for a week, so that her child would be beautiful like her and brilliant like Holmes.

Holmes gets out of the situation by lying to both of them; saying he's in a relationship with Watson.

Honestly, that whole bit. Just look at the lines:

N: She has been dancing since she was three years old, and after all, she is now thirty-eight.

H: (gallantly) I must say she doesn't look thirty-eight.

N: That is because she is forty-six.

And:

Nicholai: (about Tolstoy) Too old --- Then we considered the philosopher, Nietzsche --

H: Absolutely first-rate mind ---

N: Too German --

Etc. They're all so funny. This whole scene is something else.

In fairness to Holmes, he did try to get himself out of the situation by lying about having hemophilia in his family, or saying that he's unromantic because he's English, etc but Petrova was having none of it.

Watson coming into the room all of a sudden gives so much clarity and calmness to Holmes. He just knows what to say to help himself because of Watson.

This unforgettable exchange:

N: You mean, you and Dr. Watson - He is your glass of tea?

H: If you want to be picturesque about it.

On a side note, I absolutely loved Nicholai's face journey throughout both scenes - in the dressing room, stuck in the middle of Holmes and Petrova's awkwardness, and later on when he asks about the alleged Holmes-Watson romance to Watson after having spread the rumour in the whole room.

I just loved his reactions a lot.

According to this movie-

Caprice of Mother Nature = Gay.

Half-and-half = Bisexual.

Watson comes to know about the rumour, after having had the time of his life with both men and women in the ballroom. Watson is pissed off, he goes home and confronts about the whole thing to Holmes.

They have a row at Baker Street, in which Watson is being extremely heteronormative again. Thinking too much about his reputation without stopping to question his own feelings and his weird fixation on Holmes' love life.

There's that famous line again:

W: Holmes, let me ask you a question. I hope I'm not being presumptuous -but there have been women in your life?

H: The answer is yes -- you're being presumptuous. Good night.

Awesome.

This marks the end of Act I.

The existence of these 33 minutes of the movie is proof that the writing team in this adaptation knows that exploring Holmes and Watson's characters and what they mean to each other is as important as Holmes' casework. Billy Wilder takes this seriously, even though there are some jokes here and there about it.

The whole of Act I is filled with raising questions about Holmes and Watson's preferences, etc. Does Holmes feel love or is he just a machine? Does Holmes feel love for Watson? Does Watson know about Holmes' feelings for him? Does Watson feel the same way about Holmes?

In my opinion, all the answers to the personal questions about Holmes are as clear as a day. What's really questionable is whether Watson knows and/or feels the same way about Holmes or not. Different viewers might draw different conclusions/inferences after watching this movie.

After this, the movie takes a turn because "Gabrielle" enters the picture, and the actual crime-solving begins from here. The tone becomes a bit more serious in this act.

A young woman, completely wet and in shock enters 221 B. Watson has to pay for her fare to the cabbie before he and Holmes take her upstairs to take care of her.

She can't remember anything at first, then from her wedding ring, Holmes gets to know her name: Gabrielle Valladon. Her husband's name is Emile Valladon.

She appears to have temporary amnesia because of getting hit on the forehead and almost drowning in the Thames.

She reveals info about herself that she's from Belgium, her husband was here in London for a job, they used to write to each other, and after some time, the letters from her husband stopped coming. She'd gone to the London police first after coming to this city. She says the police had advised her to consult Sherlock Holmes.

Now, this should make the viewer skeptical of her. Scotland Yard does consult Sherlock Holmes when they need him, but they aren't going to let him have the whole case if there's a situation like this.

Besides, that woman ending up at Baker Street specifically seems to be planned, anyway. Also, there's always this man who keeps waiting for her or someone else's signals on the outside.

I know what we see on screen comes from Watson's drafts on loose pages, but this movie's narration seems to be Third Person Omniscient POV to me. Where the viewer is privy to more information as compared to the characters.

The three of them keep looking for her husband's whereabouts, and she pretends to be helpless, needy, and fragile (to stroke the ego of the men around her, I believe. I mean that could be one of the reasons...) with temporary amnesia throughout most of the movie. Holmes and Watson don't suspect a thing about her as they keep working for her and she keeps sending cryptic messages to the "Trappists" (German government) with her parasol.

The thing I love about this act:

Ilse von Hofmannsthal aka Gabrielle Valladon is actually a competent character who happens to be a woman. We can see something shady is going on with her even though we don't know her real name, but one of the most brilliant people on the planet doesn't suspect anything. He thinks she's just a woman looking for her husband's whereabouts. He thinks her back story is real.

He keeps on thinking that until Mycroft basically tells him in the third act which is why we're able to see for ourselves that Ilse was genuinely able to outsmart Holmes. We don't have to be told by the narrative voice about Ilse's strengths (*cough* unlike BBC Sherlock and a lot of female characters written by Steven Moffat *cough*).

I, for one, felt respectful of Ilse or "Gabrielle" for real. It was quite refreshing to me after having watched some modern Holmes adaptations.

Holmes, Watson, and "Gabrielle" go looking for the cause of Emile Valladon's death after they've found his coffin in the graveyard, in the guise of having a picnic. Holmes and "Gabrielle" pretend to be a married couple - Mrs and Mr Ashdown, and Watson is their valet. The scenes after this point are delightful mainly because of Watson's reactions (which could be read as his jealousy over Holmes, too).

Also, me when Holmes calls Watson 'John' in an archaic Holmes adaptation:

Because of his sort of stupidity, Holmes takes Ilse, a German spy, right in front of the submersible (which he thinks is a mechanical 'monster' that lives underwater) in a boat, along with Watson.

Ilse was trying to grab as much information as she could about that secret project because she was working for her country. Who knew someone would show her the live version of that model so readily (albeit unknowingly)? :P

The three of them are obviously unable to find anything about Emile Valladon, so they go back to the inn room they're staying in.

That's when one of Mycroft's men comes to pick Holmes up and take him to his elder brother. Here's when the third act begins, I think.

Mycroft had warned Sherlock not to pursue "Gabrielle's" case any further during the second act. But Sherlock didn't listen, because a.) he's an empathetic man, and b.) Mycroft can't just order him to do or drop something just because. Sherlock is not a child anymore.

I know Mycroft was only trying to protect Sherlock, and that he couldn't have told him the real reason to stop him at that time, but still.

Either way, months of planning and testing the submersible have gone to waste because Holmes did not suspect at any point that his client, "Gabrielle Valladon" might have just been lying to him since the start. Can't blame Holmes for that. Ilse was meticulous.

Mycroft shows the model to the queen and she strongly disapproves of the model and curses it a lot. Personally, this seemed to be a shitty decision on her part, and I felt so frustrated and annoyed at her in that scene. She didn't even care to hear about its features. She just rejected it on the spot! :(

Mycroft decides to 'give the submarine' to the German government. It's implied that the Trappists were drowned along with the submarine itself in the deep waters. (That's what I gathered from that scene - correct me if my interpretation was wrong).

In conclusion, while Ilse is genuinely able to outsmart Holmes (unlike some writers forcing us to believe it in their adaptation because they told us so), the German government isn't able to go anywhere with the info they've gathered through Ilse because of Mycroft's last move. Moreover, the English government would have sent her to jail, if Sherlock hadn't suggested Mycroft send her back to her own country.

So, in the end, it's a lose-lose situation for all of them.

1.) Sherlock Holmes didn't know that Ilse was faking her name and her whole identity for a long time, so he unknowingly helped a German spy, thinking he was just helping an ordinary client. Ilse almost had him and the viewers could see for themselves that she'd outsmarted him.

2.) Even after Ilse von Hofmannsthal has got what she wanted for her government, as a spy, they aren't able to make use of that info because of Mycroft. And she has to get out of England anyway.

3.) Mycroft Holmes also fails, to some extent, because ages of effort to plan the submersible, hide the plans, and test the model in secret - all of it has gone to waste. The queen doesn't even want to hear him out in the end.

But even if it was a lose-lose situation, the battle was damn intriguing because of the high intellect on both sides - Holmes brothers and Ilse.

Months later, Holmes receives a letter from Mycroft about Ilse's arrest and execution by the Japanese government. Reading that, he's so moved that he can't even finish his breakfast. He gets up and asks Watson for his cocaine supply. Watson tells him, and then Holmes grabs the bag and goes to his room. Holmes shuts himself in, Watson gets up from the breakfast table too, sits beside the fireplace, and begins to write something on a piece of paper. Probably about the case, but for nobody to see.

End of Act III and the movie.

I loved the background score of this movie. It's quite touching and refreshing to listen to.

A lot of dialogue exchanges in the movie are so deep if you stop to think about them. It's unbelievable how much writers can convey through a few words. Some of them are quite funny too - particularly from Act I. There's a thin line between being funny and mocking, and TPLOSH didn't cross that. It was nice.

I love this portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. It's clear how deeply they've understood him from the original canon. Pretends to be dismissive and closed off but actually cares about everyone way too much.

I also liked Mycroft in this movie, even if he didn't have much screen time.

About Ilse von Hofmannsthal - I loved her. Seriously, this is how you write female characters, modern writers! People say ASIB is a direct adaptation of TPLOSH, which is true, but I'd prefer TPLOSH over that episode any day, and one of the reasons is the way the female lead has been written in the former. Not exactly a fan of how Moffat wrote her in his adaptation. He did her dirty, I'd say.

Characters like Ilse make me think that the writing team of this movie knew what feminism is. I can't say the same for the modern Holmes adaptation that has been heavily inspired by TPLOSH.

I loved the plot of this movie too. The case in itself was also pretty interesting and kept me hooked throughout. Even if it wasn't exactly resolved finally, and the ending was melancholic.

I wasn't expecting the movie to be this good. Which is why it took me so long to sit down and watch it.

I only have one complaint about this movie - Watson's characterisation.

I mean, Watson wasn't half as bad as I'd expected (I thought he was going to be horrible, based on the snippets of the movie I'd seen before), but still. I like how he doesn't fall into the bumbling idiot stereotype. As far as the casework is concerned, Watson is also quite competent and observant in his own right. He can handle the medical work too.

I've got problems with his heteronormativity, and the fact that when it comes to deducing what lies in Holmes' heart, he's dumb as bricks. It's annoying. Like, it's one thing if he doesn't feel the same way about Holmes, but he doesn't have to be so weird and homophobic about it. Also, I think Holmes should've told him about the truth related to Ilse and the 'mechanical monster'. I've had enough of 'keeping Watson in the dark for his own good', damn it! He should be more in the knowledge.

Watson's character was the only element in the movie that didn't receive justice from the writer. As a Watson-centric fan, I need this to stop happening in future Holmes adaptations. People should see more from his POV too, and stop to actually see where he's coming from, and properly understand his character in the next show/movie/whatever they make.

What I gathered from the movie about the characters and their interpersonal relationships-

Holmes is in love with Watson but doesn't admit it... for valid reasons this time. (side eyes at Watson's homophobia).

Watson is deeply attached to Holmes but sees him as a close friend. I wish he felt the same way about Holmes in this movie, but alas! Though if he doesn't feel that way about Holmes, why the hell does he seem so jealous of Ilse in Acts II and III? This is beyond me.

I think what they've tried to show is that Watson is too close-minded to confront his possibly repressed feelings for Holmes, deep within his heart? Maybe. It could very well be my wishful thinking lol.

But as far as Holmes' feelings for Watson are concerned, it's not even wishful thinking. It's just... right there. I wish the subtext about Holmes' pining were spelled out. I know why it couldn't (the Doyle estate was being a pain in the ass at that time), but still. It's quite clear what they wanted to write as far as Holmes' emotional side was concerned, but they dropped it from the scripts after Act I and decided to focus on the case instead.

Holmes is dismissive of 'Gabrielle' at first, but he becomes sympathetic for her after some time. He reaches out to help her with her situation, and as the plot moves forward, he grows affectionate for Gabrielle/Ilse, which is why he doesn't hold a grudge against her when he realises he's been outsmarted by this woman (even though his ego was mildly hurt for a while).

The way they maintained a balance between the plot and the characters is commendable. I love seeing well-written women in fiction and this movie showed me that.

I was surprised to see how good this movie turned out to be, as compared to my preconceived opinions. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes has officially become my comfort movie now. Miles ahead of BBC Sherlock, in my opinion.

Thanks to my discussions with @jamielovesjam in a previous post about this movie lol. I wouldn't have wanted to watch the movie if not for the long talk I had with them. Also tagging @gaypiningshit and @helloliriels for further discussion.

End of my unnecessarily long rambling.

#sherlock holmes #john watson #holmes/watson #meta #the private life of sherlock holmes #TPLOSH #sherlock meta #my long ass review of a newfound favourite movie #movie review #gregorovitch being passive-aggressive #Ilse von Hofmannsthal #new blorbo acquired #strong female characters #a lovely movie overall #long post

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esse-lunam · 8 days

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an introduction to: my 90s fame dr!

please read this god please there's art in here also ive put 5+ months of work into this dr at this point so i swear that there's interesting shit in here yall I SWEAR I AM NICHE.

reblogs greatly appreciated! this took me forever teehee

ohhh my god this is a long time in the making, ive put this off for so, so long and i really couldn't tell you why. this can act as a script me into ur dr post if you like as well!

for starters, you can find my pinterest board for this dr here :3 just in case u want some cool visuals i guess :3

so lets get the basics outta the way shall we?

full name: marley jo veitch

nicknames: mar, marley barley, mars bars, tink (reserved for s/o), living poet (public figure nickname type deal? yknow how stevie nicks gets called the white witch? yeah that)

pronouns: they/she

DOB: june 1st, 1970 (which makes me a gemini btw!)

occupation: musician (piano, violin, guitar n bass, some drums, and saxophone), poet, author (fiction and nonfiction), actor on occasion, also a comedian that one time

skills: all things music + writing basically, film analysis, pop culture analysis i guess, home decor, drawing, fashion?, and being the most autistic person in the multiverse

appearance stats: 5'3", 145ish lbs, long brownish-reddish hair with some light brown highlights in there, sorta wavy but barely

body mods: COVERED in tats (theres a tattoo section on the pinterest board but i also drew some so), septum piercing, snake bites, and a fair few ear piercings. and also i have glasses but thats not a body mod thats just a thing on my body.

"workin and workin't? you have a job?" more on that later!

relationships and such! with photos!

s/o: robert sean leonard

"hey, do i recognise this guy?" you might! he played notable roles such as neil perry in dead poet's society, claudio in much ado about nothing, and james wilson in house md!

best friends: dylan kussman, allelon ruggiero, alexandra powers, and kimya dawson

"do i recognise more of these people?" again, probably! dylan, al, and alex were all in dead poets society, and kimya is a musician best known for her indie songs, some featured in the movie juno!

my career! (oh good lord)

writing based - undedicated musings

(1986-1993)

alright so this is a bit hard to explain, bear with me. undedicated musings is an anonymous newsletter-based poetry... publication? run by me, under the pen name 'chartreuse', and the whole shtick is that i write poetry, love letters, and whatever else to the person i'll end up spending my life with, but the recipient of said writings is completely unknown, even to me, so im kinda just writing to nobody. until! i actually set my eyes on someone (obviously rsl) and then the writings start to get a bit more specific and yearn-y and personal. since the recipient is anonymous, all the writings are written for a 'vermillion'. both chartreuse and vermillion's identities are revealed when we get married in 1993. and no, rsl doesn't know that i'm chartreuse, nobody does until i reveal myself. i think its kinda cool :3

film based - dead poet's society

(1988-1989)

so for starters, i was part of the crew that worked on the set of dead poets society, now all my friends (except kimya, her and i become friends in the late 90s) make sense! my actual job on set is kind of a vague be-here-and-do-a-bit-of-everything type deal, so there's no set title beyond "assistant to lead" even tho it's essentially government assigned 'friendship' LMAO. but! me and the cast get on like a house on fire, so i kinda just get to tag along on their wacky teenage-ish boy adventures. this totally does not stem from a desire to be part of a teenage boy friend group, and i am, in fact, totally cisgender. i am also lying. anyway, without going into too much detail, me and my s/o-not-yet-s/o (will be referring to him as rsl from this point on) sorta have a painstakingly long will they wont they type deal, because i guess i like torturing myself. we meet a day before all the actual film stuff starts just as a sort of preliminary get to know eachother because you'll be in close proximity VERY often for months. thats some time in march - june-ish? of 1988 (i shift to my dr the day before!) and we don't actually get together until june of 1989. so.

also! some changes to the movie because i can make those: knox overstreet is now played by matthew lillard instead of josh charles, because josh charles is a fucking zionist and i dont want to associate with him in any reality! knox also isnt a b plot to the movie at all, instead focusing on meeks and pitts because i find them much more interesting! and also knox's b plot is creepy as hell! also, the racism against natives (read this!) is completely gone! no thanks!

music based - MAURZI

(1988-2004 technically)

strap in boys because this is the main event of this dr and the lore is VAST. MAURZI (must be spelled in all caps, like MF DOOM) is a sort of musical person/character i've made to tell the story of via a series of albums. i release my first single in october of 1988 titled "lunarian", which is a fun little song about a being from the moon arriving on earth and having some inter-planetary culture shock. and thats the only song i've actually planned! i release 6 total albums that map out the MAURZI storyline kinda

- MAURZI (1989)

- GONE TO SHIT! (1991)

- Charmed (1992)

- I found Him in Santa Barbara (1995)

- Waterworks (1998)

- also bibliography (2004) but those are released as songs By Me and not MAURZI, just released under the same artist. MAURZI storyline ends with Waterworks.

now here's where you get the very extensive MAURZI lore. MAURZI is a sort of alternate-universe representation of me, where in i'm much more famous than i actually am in my dr, and i am absolutely RUINED by my fame in a fuck ton of ways. each album is a different section of her life so i'll explain it album by album. also for reference, in my dr capitalism/ currency isnt a thing, but in the MAURZI... verse? it is. because i like anti capitalist art! same goes for most other media im in/ participate in, actually. MAURZI uses she/her pronouns btw, i dont.

MAURZI - my self-titled album is about as close and personal to my life as i'll get, which an average amount because i still throw in some songs about shit that i have not at all done/ experienced. (ex. songs about cheating, toxic relationships, and things along those lines. thankfully ive had a mostly healthy relationship with relationships! except that one time!) MAURZI is new to the music scene but she's here to make some lovely tunes to help process some stuff! artists im taking inspiration from include (but are not limited to): sarah kinsley, dodie, jeff buckley, tv girl, mitski, and peach pit.

GONE TO SHIT! - MAURZI's first album blew the fuck up! now she's thrown into the midst of dealing with an incomprehensible amount of attention on her at all times, which she was absolutely not prepared for. what does she do to cope? sex drugs and rock n roll, baby! she also gets addicted to 2 outta those 3 things! can you guess which ones?? now, obviously, this album is entirely fictional and is only tangentially inspired by some life events, heavy emphasis on the tangentially. artists im taking inspiration from include (but are not limited to): the nonstick pans, panic! at the disco, forest, david bowie, chappel roan, and king gizzard & the lizard wizard.

Charmed - the love song album! this is basically comprised of songs i sorta wrote about rsl, but changed up a fuck ton because i wrote them while i was pining and did Not want him to knkw who they were about. in terms of MAURZI stuff, she meets someone just after deciding that she's gotta clean up her act if she wants to exist healthily. recovering alongside a loved one and them being a motivator for recovery! now i should specify here that MAURZI's s/o is not the same as mine, and is entirely gender neutral/ doesn't even have a canon(?) human appearance at all. they're named Vermillion because we love a callback! artists im taking inspiration from include (but are not limited to): the smiths, siouxsie and the banshees, james blake, queen, laufey, and her's.

I found Him in Santa Barbara - yknow how when a banana ripens too much and it starts to tuen brown? yeah imagine that logic but applied to recovery, i guess. NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO REITERATE THAT MAURZI AND I ARE TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND MAURZI IS JUST A CHARACTER. essentially MAURZI had a spiritual awakening and "found god." but what that ACTUALLY means is that she started viewing vermillion as a sort of god? but she's keeping it on the down low (making an album about it) because she doesn't want vermillion to thing she's CRINGE. themes of loving a god, being IN love with a god, being in lust with a god, temporarily thinking youre a god? stuff along those lines. its a bit intense, VERY experimental and.. heavy? both in themes and in musical style for some portions. this is my fav album out of all of them if you couldnt tell. artists im taking inspiration from include (but are not limited to): sleep token, WILLOW, type o negative, slipknot, lemon demon (specifically songs off spirit phone), hozier, violent vira, pierce the veil, gorillaz kinda, bjork, kate bush, deftones, destroy boys, and rammstein probably.

Waterworks - so yknow how MAURZI was having a whole trouble with god moment? yeah well thats gone now, no i haven't figured out how that'll work narratively, thats for me to figure out in like 10 years from now (now being 1988, naturally.) we've returned to our self-titled roots in terms of musical style! now we've just got some fun themes of trauma and such! and then that's the and of MAURZI as a character story wise, as i said earlier the album after this one is just a Me album. same artist inspo as self titled!

and guess what! music lore isnt even fuckin done! my music in this dr is a multiverse in itself goddamn. so basically the album covers for each album tell a completely seperate story about a completely seperate alter ego/ character/ whatever named Moonzi. name given by my audience (which is my excuse for coming up with such a shitty name and then keeping it.) the story of moonzi, without going into too much detail because i dont wanna type it all out, is a sci-fi type story about a being from the moon (lunarian callback!) on a quest to bring this space artifact back to its original place, basically. a bit more on it later, emphasis on a bit. also! each album cover is drawn by a different artist, and each album artist animates one official music video off their respective album, just cuz i like art and stuff! those music videos kinda follow the moonzi storyline loosely, but incorporate MAURZI elements. is this confusing? hope not. drawings!

writing based - novels

can you believe im still not done? like not even close? certified yapper. anyway! my 3 fiction novels (Manchester, NH - 1991, Curator Rye, 1997, Sand Dollars + Pearls - 2008) are about my ocs basically! thats it really, i dont feel the need to share the plots of those tbh.

writing based - autobiographies

two? yep! one is a fictional autobiography about MAURZI (MAURZI - 1999) and one is a non fictional autobiography about me (Radio Free Marley - 2012.) take a shot every time i say MAURZI and you will need to get your stomach pumped. she just. she means a lot to me :3

film based - doctor who

(1994-1999)*

*these dates are when im on the show btw, not its total runtime, same applies to other cr existing shows.

big disclaimer: never seen doctor who. dont know the plot, dont know which doctor i'm gonna be, i just wanna be in it.

so! my version of the doctor is kinda weird. its one doctor, but played by two people, but theyre one person. we're both the doctor. and by we i mean both me and rsl, obviously. the viewer sees the doctor as two different people, but NOBODY ELSE IN THE DAMN SHOW besides our little companion buddy guy (played by my cr friend fish!) SEES, ACKNOWLEDGES, OR IS ABLE TO VIEW THE DOCTOR AS TWO PEOPLE. its really complicated and i really did not have to make it that way, but its cool to me so i really dont care. also we're breakjng the doctor who cycle of boring suit and tie (this is NOT about you 15 <3) and going steampunk-esque. again, cuz i wanna.

film based - house md

(2005 - 2010)

marley veitch be in a show without rsl challenge (failed.) i play a character i made up named Nanette Amesbury who is essentially wilson's first ex wife. does he have a canon first ex wife? think so (i actually havent finished house oops.) do i care? you can take a guess. nanette (nicknamed ninny - which im well aware means dumb) is the director of the pediatrics department at princeton plainsboro and she kinda has a fwb type deal with wilson before figuring out shes a lesbian, having a crush on cuddy, being besties with kutner, then leaving the show in season 6. (zeth if ur reading this yes i made her show up for more than 2 seconds she just. means so much to me. also i want cudbury content.) im also a writer for the show so im there for its entire run time :3 i really like this show :3

film based - moonzi

(2016)

YEAHHHHH BABY SHES BACK!!! moonzi's storyline gets adapted into an adult swim animated tv show! i do screenwriting, stiryboarding, and voice acting! style wise, think teen titans mixed with bojack horseman mixed with archer. sick space visuals also!

comedy based - dying art

(2020)

idk i wanted to do a standup special! dunno what it's about. ill leave that up to future me to decide because this isn't happening for 32 damn years and i really just dont wanna come up with a standup special rn.

film based - radio free marley

(whenever)

i wanted a biopic, but i wanted it to be both about me and MAURZI, and how points in my life influenced or inspire songwriting. so the episode structure is like

ep 1: about me, point in my life

ep 2: about MAURZI, point in her life thats sorta related but not entirely to the events in ep 1

ep 3: about me, point in my life

ep 4: about MAURZI, point in her life thats sorta related but not entirely to the events in ep 3

ep 5: you get the idea

and then this goes on for 12 episodes and ends with the MAURZI story wrapping up and with me sorta retiring kinda. dont know when it'll be made, probably at some point in my 60s or whatever. im permashifting if you couldnt tell btw.

and thats it! after all this im just kinda existing and living life and whatever else. so with that outta the way i'll list some fun facts and i'll FINALLY BE DONE JESUS CHRIST IVE BEEN WRITING THIS FOR LIKE 3 HOURS.

- i live in new york city! manhattan to be specific

- i also have a lake house in new hampshire because i Need to be in a rural area at some points

- my house's interior design is very 70s themed and its WHIMSICAL AND FUN! maximalism, whimsigoth, nooks and crannys to be in, fun and varied seating options, conversation pit, loft bedroom, whole 9 yards. ive also got a gazebo on my roof!

- i have 2 siblings in my dr (not here im an only child in my cr womp womp) named lia and monty, theyre my best friends in my cr!

- ive also got a cat! she's a ragdoll kitty named yvonne, shes a sweetheart!

- i scripted out light pollution so the sky is all pretty at night, highly recommend you do the same

- im in STOMP at one point, dont know or care when, i just wanna be in it

- robin williams........... he is a father figure to me................ sniff sob

- yes i scripted out his death i simply cannot deal with that

- PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND WALKABLE SOCIETY!!!!! NO MORE CAR BASED US SOCIEY WOOOO!!!

- i cant fucking believe i havent mentioned this yet but im scottish?? im not scottish in my cr i was just thinking about david tennant when i was forming the dr idea back in january and it stuck. MAURZI is american tho

- hilson is canon in my dr LMAOAOOA

- thats all i got

sweet lord in heaven above if you've read this whole thing im giving u a big kiss. this is so long and i really dont wanna proofread it so im not gonna, excuse any spelling or grammar mistakes.

#VOLO LUNAM #LUNAM est. 1988 #reality shifting #shiftblr #desired reality #reality shifter #shifting realities #shifting #shifting community #shifting antis dni #dr intro

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praxieserver · 7 months

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🎹 💀🍎 for Azi 👁👁

AZI! For reference, this is Azi, full name Aziraphale Page (soon to be Aziraphale Page-Pearce). Basically I gave danwil an ambiguously gendered bird child. They use any pronouns so go crazy!

Now to the questions!

🎹 - Do they have any hobbies?

Wilson has probably played the violin for them, and they've probably asked him to teach them, so they probably play violin. Actually between the 2 of them, Azi used to be the only one that played the violin, but I also liked the image of Wilson playing the violin, so now there's 2 motherfuckers who woefully play the violin when they wanna angst.

Unironically probably enjoys reading. Not like as book connoisseur, but like. Just reading. For fun. She'll sit on and armchair and read the newspaper like an old man and go "Ah yes. Peak entertainment."

She does the usual Hogwarts shenanigans such as duelling, going into the forbidden forest, making a club to ship your teachers with, the works!

Lastly, he probably also cooks fairly well due to Daniel's influence.

This is all prone to change aince Azi isn't as well established of a character compared to Wilson yet, but thats what I have on them at the moment! :]

💀 - Does your OC have any phobias?

Again, core character aspect I haven't thought through that well yet. However.

She probably has a very strong dislike of the feeling of not being in control/having no agency. (Like father like son amirite guys kekeke—)

Basically intheir Traumatic Backstory™, they're robbed of their personal agency, denied of their humanity, played as a puppet. So after escaping that, she'll definitely place a huge importance in being in control. Thus they'd probably have a really deep-rooted hate of the prospect of being pulled along a string/being caged/being used. This sort of manifest in an interesting matter since they end up coming off as manipulative themselves. As a little kid it's more them bossing around their 'minions' so they can make their favorite teacher slash canon but it probably gets a little more concerning with age. Nothing that bad though. Probably.

I phrase it more as something she hates rather than something she fears, but I feel like she just hates it more than she fears it. It's something she's willing and ready to face, even if scary.

So, for something she fears more than she hates: Showing vulnerability to someone she trusts, but getting that vulnerability taken advantage of.

🍎 - What is the OC's relationship w/ their parents like?

Very close and very good! Because Daniel as a single father who is also a good father is super sexy.

Ok but in all seriousness, they love Daniel lots. They're extremely grateful for him since he's the one to save them from their abusive situation, so she's uber protective of him and wants to return the favor of Daniel taking her in and caring for her. In the "Hey! Only I'm allowed to talk shit about my Dad!" kinda way. She thinks Daniel's a bit overbearing (and to be fair, he is) but she'd sooner peck your eyes out for so much as breathing at him funny than hating him for it.

They have that Parent Trying to be Strict and In Control vs Silly Shithead Asshole Kid kind of dynamic going on basically.

With """""Uncle Wilson"""""" who is definitely not having a decade long will-they-won't-they dance with Daniel that Azi definitely doesn't see at all, they're a menace as a pair. A pain in Daniel's ass. And face. They've drawn on his face countless time while he's asleep. They're also a pain to house, having nearly burned his kicthen down multiple times.

Wilson is more or less the fun """""uncle""""" to them and she lets her get away with things Daniel doesn't. He's basically a second father to her and a part of the family. And in fact she will get him into the family by making him marry her dad. Modern problems require modern solutions.

#mail #ask game #harry potter magic awakened #harry potter magic awakened oc #hpma oc #aziraphale page

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prismatic-bell · 2 months

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Do you know if there's a video anywhere of a live performance of the extended Devil Went Down to GA? I've never seen violin strings literally smoke before. ^_^

I don’t, I’m sorry. And my mom saw him before I was born, which means sometime in the early-to-mid 1980s. The odds of a video existing are….not good. You would have needed a camcorder:

(This is a thumbnail from a YouTube video by someone named RetraCast. I found it doing an image search, but if you’re at all interested in vintage cars and retro stuff, they look like a small-ish channel that could definitely use more viewers.)

I picked this image for a specific reason: you can see the original “here are the great features this thing has!” sticker on the side. It’s three pounds and lets you play back video, which was EXTREMELY uncommon. This is a 1986 camcorder. My family got our camcorder in 1991 and it didn’t have that option (and my mom was quite the videographer).

You’d also need an extra one of these:

Because that “up to 2.75 hours” on there? Yeah, that’s a lie. My mom’s battery used to be struggling by the end of a one-hour school concert. Maybe right after you took it out of the package and charged it for the first time, but if that battery has seen any kind of use? Yeah, you’re not putting a whole concert on one of those.

….and don’t forget an extra tape.

And NOW you have to figure out how to sneak the whole thing past security, because up until extremely recently, concerts did not allow you to record. My first concert that sort-of allowed recording was Kesha, in 2011, and we were told individual songs were okay but if security saw you filming for more than 15 minutes you’d be asked to delete the footage. I followed Adam Lambert’s For Your Entertainment tour in 2009 and people filming had to turn off the camera and put it away between songs in order to meet those requirements, and Adam was actually pretty easygoing about cameras. In 2004 I went to see Cher with my mom and we stuffed a digital camera (no video capability, still images only) down my bra because I’m absolutely gigantic and I could make it disappear. A lot of other people were told to return cameras to their cars.

….WOW I didn’t intend for that to turn into a ramble about the difficulty of pre-digital recording. Sorry about that. Where I was going with that is, any unofficial video that exists is likely from after his popularity waned a bit and he started doing the county fair circuit kind of thing, where security could only keep camcorders relatively far from the stage as opposed to making sure they didn’t get in at all. My family has a couple of recordings of bands like The Beach Boys from doing stuff like this. They are….not good. Great memories, but horrible video. You’d be able to see a fiddle switch, but it’s unlikely you’d be able to see smoke or snapping. (Especially because camcorders in those days were mostly held on one shoulder. If you’ve ever seen a recording from the 80s or early 90s and wondered why it had that faint tremble from time to time, now you know. It was literally from the fatigue caused by holding up the camera.)

I DID find this interesting tidbit on YouTube, however:

youtube

Most videos I can find of Daniels playing, he’s already an old man and the song is being performed with significantly less fiddle work. This isn’t surprising—that kind of playing in your seventies is going to be hell on your hands and shoulders, if you can do it at all. But THIS video is from 1979, when he was still a young man…and you’ll notice, if you’re familiar with the song, the Devil’s section is actually SHORTER than it is in the recorded version, and Johnny’s is only played once. In theory this could have been done for time, but that seems really unlikely given how popular the song was. I think it’s far more likely that it was truncated because having to switch out fiddles mid-song would have been seen as bad form on television.

So: unfortunately, no video of the infamous smoking-strings performance. But I think the video evidence I CAN find—less fiddle as an old man when he would have been less speedy, truncated playing in early televised performances—suggests my mom was right: you might say it was a hell of a show.

#you ask nina answers

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suzannahnatters · 5 months

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OKAY I finished Love Like the Galaxy today so here are my live reaccs to eps 28-42 (originally posted on Bluesky). Putting them under a cut because they run long!!!

oh man this scene!!! I've seen the same kind of scene play out so often with all the apologising done by the fml and none by the mml…but in this one she tells him her attitude towards him will depend on HIS future actions, and then HE GIVES HER A SNACK our boy is Doing the Work I am proud of him

and now: he will quietly support and encourage her while she seeks to deal with her social enemies in her own way??? I LOVE IT SO MUCH ?? exquisite

we get a look at poor Wang Ling's family and this really could be Overbearing Asian Mothers: The Historical Drama

I can sympathise with NN and Murder General because if I too had someone share a forehead kiss with me I would not be able to sleep all night either

deeply thrilled that NN now gets to do the Dramatic Swooping In To Save Someone - and oh look she's got a maternal figure who's actually kind and loving to her now :')

Oh my, I love how every time he tries to tell her not to get involved in something bc of deep waters, she makes the point that she really needs to do the thing, and he LISTENS. Every time he says "this is for your own good" she claps back with why it's better for her to know & be involved.

This is the platonic ideal of cdramas for me

I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to find Consort Yue to be awesome or intolerable but she's leaning intolerable for me with this public haranguing of all her children (and some of other people's). Glad NN bagged the Empress as her etiquette mentor

Well I didn't expect the money counterfeiting subplot to peak so early but that's terrific, I can do without coinage plots lol

Truly puzzled as to what the show means by all this imperial family drama. The parents seem just as toxic as NN's parents but we're supposed to think it's okay because a) their children had every advantage and some of them still wound up rotten at heart? and b) the town children aren't just committing crimes against family - they're crimes against the empire? I'm afraid the parallels ring a bit hollow to me because I truly think the Emperor and Consort Yue are also terrible parents

Interestingly, Murder General says the Emperor will not treat the counterfeiting as harshly as the law provides "because of fairness". We saw Bad Mum also using "fairness" as an excuse to deny NN things that would benefit her as compared to her cousin. Again, wondering what the parallels are saying.

Bad mum is now having sad violins because NN is finally learning that being a parent is hard…but she's learning from the Empress lol the only thing I have to say to that is SUFFER, MA'AM

NN is now reassuring the Empress that parents who patiently teach rather than criticise their children are the best, & she's been commending the crown Prince for being gentle & compassionate rather than a cold politician, so I'm beginning to wonder if there's a muted critique of the imperial family

This Tiger Tally thing is totally going to be stolen within the next two episodes isn't it

Thanks a lot murder general

ooohh she lied to him and he's big mad about it

"here are all the reasons why your actions have made things worse for me and the people you care about" maybe you should have told her those things first, GENIUS

AHAHAHAHAHAHA now she's saying that exact thing herself I LOVE THIS SHOW

annnnnd the Tiger Tally is gone and it's time for Murder General, Boy Detective! to save the - wait, what is Niao Niao doing here

*ancient Chinese man falls in love with woman for independent spirit and quick wits, horrified when she insists upon using them*

did she,,,did she forge the Tiger Tally lol

Murder general realises he needs to let NN do all the things he fell in love with her for. Congrats Niao Niao you've levelled up and unlocked Tragic And Highly Disturbing Family Reunion

wheeee NN says being filial is only possible if the parents earn it by conducting themselves well if I was murder general I would also be kissing her at this point

pov: you're sitting at your betrothal feast and someone comes in with a message from your absent beloved: "whatever happens next, don't be flustered. shout and scream however you feel is appropriate" the hEcK Zisheng

one of the things that absolutely staggers me about Smug Scholar is that HE doesn't want to get married, least of all to NN, he just wants to make sure nobody else can marry her either

ahhh first Qiqi and Bad Mum are defending her now - and then the Empress turns up? I'm sure murder general had something to do with the Empress, but I love that he's now helping NN solve problems in her own way

all the elders are squabbling and our leads are just chilling affectionately in the background it's hilarious

I mean after they stole the spotlight at Snacks' betrothal feast it's probably fair

Oh no NN is now the Empress' adopted perfect daughter who gets all the attention…and Fifth Princess is NOT happy. More parallels!

"tonight, I'll teach you how to recognise acupoints" is that what they're calling it these days

Murder general is highly trained in the Romance Novel Cover Clinch school of self defence

"from now on, my Gate of Life will be yours" V U L N E R A B I L I T Y

NN is a darling who is determined to protect her Empress' favourite son but girlfriend,,, you do realise you can't babysit this disaster couple through ruling an entire empire don't you

ahahahahaha he's doing the "what am I going to do if you get hurt" thing and she's not having a bar of it

this show just speedrunning all my least favourite tropes with a heroine who Won't Be Flim Flammed and it's BEAUTIFUL

it is time for murder general to go a little unhinged, as a treat drinking tea while listening to the shrieks of his enemies, as you do

I am loving so much, so very much, about this show…but I'm finding the humiliation of the antagonists to be a little too thorough and mean-spirited to enjoy, even tho I can see how it is intended to fit in with the themes of fighting for yourself.

Where does the line between justice and vindictiveness lie, especially in a social setting with injustice hard-baked in? One of the principles of justice (at least in the west) is that it must be proportionate to the crime. But the humiliation dealt out in this show often feels excessive to me.

ep38: every single last one of these people is absolutely bonkers insane, except the Empress

I laughed way harder than I should. I love that NN told two different people to shut up in the emperor's presence. I love that NN has this moment of piercing identification with murder general when she sees him being beaten the way she was. I think the emperor is rubbish, & I think the show knows it

He promises NN that he won't ever lie to her and I have every expectation that this promise will be broken, just like every other cdrama hero breaks that promise

except that I also trust NN to make sure he doesn't get away with it, which is what makes this drama so MUCH fun

murder mystery break!!!! there's all sorts of interesting thematic stuff going on here about communal/family responsibility to educate and socialise children, as well as the difference in appropriate behaviour in the private vs public spheres. But it's fun that our leads are doing it together.

I could not ask for a better Exasperated Watson to NN's Sherlock Holmes than Smug Scholar, whom she now diagnoses with Extreme Sour Grapes in two seconds flat

NN telling the murderer that murder general will naturally let him go in return for NN's safe return…she sure is a tricky one

Of course she had a knife, she's not an IDIOT, Zisheng

Emperor: out of consideration of your family's reduced circumstances I will not be executing you for your part in the cataclysm that left murder general an orphan

murder general: truly epic side eye

all of them are definitely dead

I love murder general because he can turn anything as simple as buying sweets for his fiancée into a production of SPARTACUS

Our girl is dressed as a boy, sneaking around the army camp looking for murder general. Murder General's personal army of beefy warriors is sneaking around the camp trying not to catch Niao Niao while dropping loud hints about where to find his tent. Cdramas, man.

"from now on, you can leave the needlework to me" ling buyi is officially the man of my dreams

well, just as the military expedition around eps 11-12 signalled the end of the first act, so this new expedition feels like it signals the start of the final act. NN and her murder puppy have reached such a situation of love and trust that I can feel the pin approaching the balloon.

he's about to catch peng kun and find out some things, isn't he??? murder party revenge WHEN

#love like the galaxy #lltg #ling buyi #cheng shaoshang #cdrama #asian drama

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noxhominis · 1 year

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Some commentary on the first two Letters from Watson. These are thoughts I had the first time I read the books, and when I reread them later. Feel free to ignore me and my ramblings. Here we go.

The first hint of Holmes being a little bit like me. ADHD? Autistic? Hell if I know. But short concentrated bursts of hyperproductivity and then crashing from that high? Sounds familiar, no?

To be fair, I really want to know the results of his experiments. Holmes is my hero not because he is smart, but because he is just unhinged enough to do the things I am afraid to do because he does not give a damn about societal expectations. I stan one (1) legend.

Are you now, Watson? And what interests you about him? Kinda gay to be interested in your to-be flatmate you just met today.

Oh Watson, you poor innocent neurotypical man. Side note, this was when I realised that hoarding all sorts of information might not be normal.

Why though? He didn't really do or say something that might have made Watson feel uncomfortable with approaching him to ask him about his occupation??? It also made me wonder if I appeared closed off to my friends when I actually did want to be part of the group.

This felt important to me somehow. It might not be music-music, but it was something (not just noise, like BBC showed). For some reason, Sherlock sawing on the violin made me really uncomfortable. Because Holmes might not always be creating works of art, but he is making something and doing it solely based on his feelings. And that is something he rarely does, outside of music and later, Watson.

Holmes! Being! Considerate! Take notes. Another one of the instances that made me feel a deep connection with Holmes. Also this is one of the very few times I wanted to slap Watson. Does he really need to apologise for making music you don't like? What about when you write things he doesn't like, hmm? What then?

The final nail in the coffin, so to speak. This was where I lost myself. So many times I have tried to figure out why Sherlock Holmes feels smart. I think it's partly because he can clearly explain his line of thinking. I have thoughts like these too, and I arrive at conclusions like this. But it's really hard to remember how exactly I arrived there. This part made me go "Same Brain!" and I feel exactly the same, even now.

And that's it. You are all free to ignore this and move on, but I get the feeling that this is how my posts are going to be for quite some time. Ta! See you when the next letter arrives.

#sherlock holmes #acd sherlock holmes #john watson #acd holmes #neurodivergent #meta analysis #letters from watson #my thoughts #random thoughts #ramblings #acd watson #i cant wait for the next one #even though I have the entire book series #oh well #such is life #acd canon

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diamondangelkitten · 18 days

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Vierapril Day 24: Perform

“We should do a Scion Talent Show!” Tataru exclaims proudly one morning. The collected group of Scions all turn to face her with various expressions ranging from amusement to terror and to disbelief.

“And why would we subject ourselves to that?” Y’shtola asks calmly, though her swaying tail belies her unease.

“Well, currently there’s no crisis going on, and we finally have everyone back here! What better way to spend the time?” Tataru has started to give her pleading eyes, making everyone feel uncomfortable.

Alira pipes up from where she’s lounging on the sofa, “Sure you’re not just trying to find a new way to market us to the people?” She suddenly feels a very intense gaze on her and she opens her eyes to find Tataru staring above her.

“How could you say that? I care about you deeply!”

“Uh-huh. So I heard about this range of books while in the Far East. Something about the WoL’s and their supposed love lives?” Alira raises her brow at the Lalafell, who squeaks at the accusation. “Alright, that’s fair, but they were tastefully done. I promise!”

Alinea gives a bit of a scoff, but quickly covers it with a cough. Annabeth laughs at the scene playing out, before saying, “Alright Tataru. We’ll do your talent show. Any rules/limits?”

“None at all! Though I’d prefer that Mor Dhona still be intact once we’re done. You have 3 days to prepare.”

The Scions sigh, but they soon depart, either by themselves or in groups to decide what they’ll be performing. Alira plops down next to Annabeth, sighing dramatically, “Whatever am I going to do?”

Annabeth laughs, flicking Alira’s nose, “I’m sure you’ll come up with something. Though maybe keep the fire to a minimum.”

“Fire, you say? Hm..”

Alira is soon lost in thought, so Annabeth turns to Alinea and Aurora, “Do you girls have ideas?” Aurora nods her head immediately, while Alinea shakes her head.

“I have no idea what talents I have that I can show on stage.”

“Can’t you play any musical instrument you want?” Aurora quips.

“I don’t know that! I just was playing around on the piano the other day… I didn’t actually know what I was doing.” Alinea sighs, “Dumb amnesia.”

Annabeth laughs, “Well, I’m sure we’ll all manage to be great. But I for one, am going to go rest now. See y’all in a couple of days.”

In three days time the Scions have gathered at the Ironworks workshop across from the Rising Stones. Nero decided to invite himself after hearing Annabeth talk about it, and was watching from the rafters. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but he was looking forward to the spectacle. He had to admit, it was better than expected. The boy and the tall Elezen, Urianger, he thinks, done a dramatic reading of something from Sharlyan’s history. The girl done a performance with her flying pig familiar that had everyone clapping, though she seemed to not like it when everyone called her cute. G'raha Tia and the other Lalafell acted out a scene from Allagan history. Thancred done a rather impressive display with knives, while the scary cat lady done a rather impressive performance with marionettes. He noted that Tataru seemed to not be participating, though this was because she was apparently the only judge.

Finally it was time for the WoL’s to go. Alinea went first and played a rather fun melody on the violin. He never knew she played that instrument. Then went Aurora, who had everyone clapping along to a sea shanty. He was surprised at the strong voice the little Au’Ra had, but she sang beautifully. Then Alira went on stage and he bet to himself that it would definitely include fire. And he was right. Like Thancred did a dazzling knife display, with twirls and juggling, so too did Alira, but this time with balls of flame. Occasionally, she’d throw in a sphere of ice, but her flames were dazzling. Then it was Annabeth’s turn. He really was rather disappointed that she hadn’t shared her plans. As if she knew what he was thinking, she turned to look at him when she took the stage and winked. And then she sang. It was a rather haunting melody, sung in a language he had never heard before. It seemed to reach right into your soul and hang there. He looked at the Scions and saw they were also enraptured by her performance, with Alira silently crying. He deduced it must have been a language of the Forest, so the true meaning was lost on the rest of them. As Annabeth finished the song, Alira rushed up to the stage to hug her. Both girls held on to the embrace for quite a while.

Tataru eventually got everyone back into their seats. “Well done, everyone! That was incredible!! And now to pick a winner…” All the Scions leaned forwards. “Everyone wins! We’re going to Costa de Sol for two nights to relax under the sun.”

“What?!” Exclamations went up all around the group. Tataru nodded, “Pack your bags! We leave in an hour!” Hurriedly everyone up and left to go grab what they needed, and Nero made his way down to Tataru.

“Well, that was something,” he said in way of greeting. Tataru looked him up and down, “Annabeth won that hands down, with Aurora a close second, but in truth, I just wanted them to have fun. They’ve been through so much. I just want them to remember what it is to live in the moment.” Laughter came from the Rising Stones and Nero had to smile at the Lalafell.

“Your devious plan has paid off I’d say. Congratulations. Continue to take care of our girls, won’t you?”

“I will!”

#ffxiv #alira thorne #annabeth rose #vierapril #I had to rewrite this but my first thought was karaoke - this is close to that and stuck to the theme :D

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kazuma-asogi-blog · 2 months

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oh if youre game to try it i will bring some by tomorrow! it was my brothers idea of a congratulations-you-survived gift because of the trial, actually. since it went into a second day and if it took any more than that youd know because you would have found me hiding under your desk in the hopes you showing up with a juror would make everyone just confess.

if anything mr handsome i have learned why you said not to bring food in?? one of the other jurors brought in their dog and it caused a big ruckus, slobbering over some of the evidence and also bit the defense attorney. to be fair he kinda deserved it??? he made the young lass next to me on the jury cry and im pretty sure the defense shouldnt do that. at the very least its over now and i can go back to work.

on a completely unrelated note mr handsome how do you feel about fiddle music?

Ha ha, my desk is quite low to the ground, so you may have trouble hiding underneath. Glad to hear the trial is done with. I think the jury selection process could use some reform; a ruckus like that seems to be the norm.

Thank you for the wine. You were right - it's horrid. Both the colour and the flavour (if that is the right word to use for wine?). But it's almost fascinating how terrible it is, and I find myself wanting to try it again to see if it was just as bad as I remember.

To be honest, I don't know how the fiddle differs from the violin. I like violin music when it's well played, but if fiddle music is different, I couldn't speak to it.

#ask #anonymous

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twistedtummies2 · 1 year

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The Wearing of the Green - Chapter 4

This is the fourth and final part of my belated St. Patrick’s Day Event Story Special. I’m glad I was able to get it all out by the end of the month. XD Again, this four-parter has been heavily inspired by “Darby O’Gill and the Little People.” (My major OC in this story, Bannor O’Brien, is based on King Brian from the film.) However, it also contains a lot of refrences and homages to other leprechaun-related things sort of sprinkled throughout. I’m curious about how many of them you guys recognize or have recognized. XD Up until now, I’ve had a lot of kinky teasing and implications, so to speak, but this final chapter is where the actual kinks come into play. Specifically, this chapter contains soft, non-fatal vore, macro/micro elements, belching, and very mild stuffing-type content. If none of that sounds up your alley, then it is probably best you avoid reading this. Also, I actually used a couple of violin covers of popular songs I like as the reference for the music that Bannor (my leprechaun OC) and Malleus use for their fiddle contest. Just for the heck of it, you can find the music I imagine Bannor playing here, and the tune for Malleus’ part here. Feel free to listen to them if you want. ;) Now, let’s finish this sucker off! Hope you all have enjoyed!

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“A fiddle-playing contest?” Prince Bannor O’Brien - the leader of the leprechauns on Sage’s Island - nodded enthusiastically, even as Malleus Draconia inspected the exquisite violin that had been dropped into his hands. Yourself and Grim sat upon the chest of diamonds inside the throne room of the fairy mound, eyes darting between the two soon-to-be combatants. “Aye!” confirmed Prince Bannor. “There be few things we Little People cherish more than the sound o’ merry fiddles, playin’ a wild tune! An’ I’ve played the fiddle plenty in me time!” “What a coincidence,” chuckled Malleus, smirking slightly. “I’m quite the fair hand with a violin, myself.” “Well, then perhaps I’ve found a worthy opponent!” laughed Bannor. “This musical battle will be legendary!” “Why are so many people in this world so over-dramatic?” you muttered to yourself. “Hm?” Malleus spoke up, his pointed ears pricking upward under the brim of the fine silk top hat he wore for the occasion of his visitation. “Did you say something, Child of Man?” “No, nothing,” you lied. The fairy princes shrugged, then looked back at each other. “Who shall be the judge?” asked Malleus. “You’ve sent all your servants away for privacy’s sake during this duel.” “I shall judge!” declared Bannor, with a proud grin. “Sure, an’ I can play ye a tune worth goin’ a mile aground to hear! No better to judge such a contest than meself!” “That hardly seems fair,” Malleus responded, although he did not sound overly concerned. “After all, wouldn’t you be naturally inclined to vote for yourself?” Bannor opened his mouth to retort to that…then blinked…before scratching at the back of his head with the point of his bowstick. “Ye do have a point,” he murmured…then grinned anew. “Why don’t we leave it up to the human?” “Me?” you blinked. “I think that sounds a bit fairer,” Malleus nodded. “Indeed!” Bannor agreed. “After all, they be the one who this contest is all about.” “What am I, chopped liver?” snapped Grim, huffishly. “You’re not worried I’ll cheat?” you brought up. Malleus raised an eyebrow in your direction. “Would you?” was his simple response. You actually took a moment to ponder that simple question. True, you wanted to go home, not stay here in the leprechauns’ underground palace forever…but you also knew from experience that you were generally trustworthy - if you did say so yourself - with judging things like this, and remaining as objective as possible. And after all, both of the competitors were putting their necks in the noose: if Malleus lost, he would be in the same situation as yourself. And if Bannor lost, he’d have to do anything Malleus said, as well as let you go. Knowing Malleus the way you did, you had a feeling that wouldn’t end prettily. “Well?” Bannor chirped, cocking his head, his large bright eyes giving him a sort of birdlike demeanor. You hesitated only a moment longer before nodding. “I’ll do my best to be fair,” you promised. “Good! That’s settled!” said Bannor with a firm nod of his own, then looked back at Malleus with a superior sort of smirk. “Now, which of us shall be the first to go?” “By all means, you go first,” Malleus purred in a smooth and somewhat oily sort of voice. “Might I be seated somewhere?” Bannor responded by hopping down from his oversized throne, then bowed in an exaggerated manner, holding his fiddle close to his chest as he swept out his cape and pointed to the throne with the bowstick. “Feel free to rest yerself upon me own seat, sir,” he said, and smiled smugly. “After all, ye may never get a chance to use a throne again.” “Not very bashful, are you?” Malleus observed, blandly. “When it comes to the fiddle, I have no reason to be. Sit, man!” Malleus bowed his head respectfully, then strode across the throne room, his booted feet clicking on the stone floor. With a swirl of the green frock coat he’d picked out for the occasion, he sat down, letting the Stradivarius he’d been offered rest gently in his lap. You glanced up at him, and he gave you a reassuring smile. You smiled back, but you sensed you were much more nervous. “Nya…you’re gonna make sure to vote for Malleus, right?” Grim whispered. “No matter what?” “I have to be fair,” you replied, half-sighing and shaking your head. “Let’s just hope he knows what he’s doing, agreeing to all this…” “It’s Tsunotaro,” reasoned Grim. “Doesn’t he always know what he’s doing?” “Debatable,” you chuckled, then added more seriously, “There’s a first time for everything. Now sit still and let’s listen.” Grim nodded, and watched alongside you as Bannor skipped to the center of the throne room and rosened up his bow. He plucked at the strings of his tiny, leprechaun-sized fiddle a few times, as if to test them; the test must have been successful, for he nodded in approval before tucking the fiddle under his chin and smirking at Malleus as he placed the bowstrings just behind the bridge. “Away we go!” he sang out merrily, and tapped his foot four times as he counted down: “Aon…dhà…trì…ceithir!”

And so began Bannor’s tune. The first few bars carried a wistful yet pleasant sound; a tune that spoke of good and magical memories, fading into the mind of the one who thought of them. Then, abruptly, the tune kicked into a higher gear: Bannor sawed away at the fiddle strings, bobbing and swaying to his own music as he picked up the pace. The tune retained its nostalgic sentiment, but the memory was growing clearer…and the memory was not simply a nice one, but a FUN one. There was a slightly boastful energy to the piece; as if the player knew he was great, and was happy to brag about that accomplishment…yet it did not spoil the sense of real emotion under the singing strings. It was the sound of a party that was never truly forgotten; the sound of first kisses, of dancing with a beautiful stranger for the first time. A song that spoke of the vibrancy of youth and times past, and the sense of joy that always filled one’s heart when remembering those long-forgotten experiences. The song of a single perfect night, with a perfect lover, and all one’s friends around them. The music was cheery, bright, and filled with quick flourishes; a melody that matched the merry nature of its player as Bannor. The leprechaun danced to his own music, prancing to and fro as he twirled his bowstick between bars, just to show off. His whole demeanor was one of frivolous joy, matching the partying tone of the tune he played. His cape swirled about him as he spun about at one point, before scratching out another chorus; the tune he played was peppy, almost poppy, and easy to dance to and recall. You suddenly realized you were moving to the beat in your seat as you listened; Bannor must have noticed, for he looked you dead in the eye as he pulled the bow across the strings with a long, sensuous sort of sound, and winked. The two-foot tall fiddler hopped up onto the crock of gold itself, as the music picked up again, and his heels tapped out a quick jig. Even this did not stop him from his playing as the music kept to its pattern, the song it played as easy to grasp as it was to understand, yet filled with unexpected complexities. The music was somehow both superficial and deep at the same time; a difficult combination to pull off, yet Bannor somehow managed. Hopping off of the cauldron full of coins, Bannor lighted once more upon his feet as he steadied his playing, as if his violin needed to catch a break as much as he did…then, with shocking swiftness, the music “flipped” back into its jovial, jaunty state, and remained as chipper as it started right up until - with a long, slow, meaningful slice of the bow - it swooped into its closure. Twirling both his fiddle and his fiddlestick, Bannor bowed most low, till his nose nearly touched the floor. Almost without thinking, both yourself and Grim applauded. “Nya! That was really good!” Grim cried out. “It’s been a long time since I’ve heard anyone play like that!” you laughed. Malleus clapped more politely, a small smile upon his dark lips. “Well played, Prince Bannor,” he complimented. “Very well played, indeed. I must commend your performance, I do confess.” “Thank ye!” twittered Bannor. His green eyes were aflame with impending triumph as he stood and smirked at Malleus Draconia. “An’ now,” he announced. “Ye can have yer own turn, I think.” The moment those words were uttered, the smiles on your face and Grim’s own fuzzy mug vanished. A worried look passed between you both as you seemingly only just then remembered what was on the line. It was a testament to Bannor’s playing that you had gotten so wrapped up in the performance, you completely forgot the stakes. It was going to be difficult for anyone to beat that, you felt… …But then, Malleus Draconia had never been one to settle for second best. Indeed, as Malleus rose from the throne - holding the fiddlestick and fiddle in one hand, and adjusting the hat upon his horned head with the other - he seemed thoroughly unfazed. Not overly confident, but not evidently very nervous either; a perfect poker face. Bannor swaggered around the dragon, the pair flashing a challenging glare at each other as the leprechaun prince hopped back into his throne, smirking with one hand drumming its fingers on the seat cushion, the other planting a fist into his chin. Malleus, like Bannor before him, calmly rosened up his bow and checked the strings. Evidently, he was displeased with one of them, for he frowned and adjusted the tightness of the A string. Nodding with satisfaction after plucking it again, he cleared his throat and gave a mild sort of smile. “I must admit, it’s been a little while longer than I’d like since I held an instrument,” he said. “However, we’ll see if my personal training still holds strong. Now, sit down in that chair, my friend…” He tucked the violin under his chin, and draped the bow across the strings. Now, at first, you were worried: much like with Bannor’s tune of choice, the piece Malleus began to play started off slow. In fact, it was even slower than Bannor’s song: the first few bars were low and tremulous, filled with a sense of strange ambiguity and mystery, very different from the nostalgic pleasantness of Bannor’s tune, and leaving you uncertain in more ways than one. The way the music abruptly changed - the tempo sharply jolting into a racing, pounding melody, like that of a runaway heartbeat - also caught you off guard, and left you unsure. However, any concerns you had soon dissipated, as the music went on, and the marvelous melody poured its way into your ears. It started off steady and simple; a contemplative, deeply emotional ballad, which carried emotions similar to Bannor’s song, but also somehow distinctly different. Where Bannor’s song had been gay and merry, filled with the simple happiness of youth, this tune was dark and lush, filled with all the melodrama of a Gothic romance. It spoke of love that would never die, and of sins that could never be forgiven nor forgotten. It was tender, yet vengeful; bitter, yet sweet. Its tone carried something that was ageless, something that was unable to stand within a specific period; as if this was a song that had been passed down through generations, whistling through the wind from some far off shore. As the music went on, it only grew stronger. Malleus began to play with the melody more, throwing in slick little flourishes that slid into the main beat with what had to be well-practiced ease. The sweeping sounds were mingled with striking, almost stinging masterstrokes, a sense of adventure and grand scope in every bar. This was not a song of humble parties and temporary pleasure, but the anthem of immortality itself: long strains of sanity, broken up by wild touches of hammering, maddening enthusiasm. A desperate and yet brooding tune. As the song went on, Malleus showed off more and more of his range, and the power the fiddle held in its silver-strung framework of sculpted wood. His fiddling arm pumped and the fingers upon the strings whirled themselves into a blur as he scraped away at the strings with intense, almost ferocious speed, only to then swing around into a calming, lullaby-like mood. The notes, themselves, ran the full gamut: while Bannor’s song had been exquisitely played, it had all remained the same basic key and range. Malleus Draconia seemed to put the fiddle to the test of its own merit, the bowstrings summoning screaming, wailing shrieks of haunting exultation, before dropping down to the lowest notes possible, creaking like the hallowed walls of an aged crypt. Then he would let them fall even lower, till they became the mere whispers of a phantom, before flying up to their highest capacity. In all, where Bannor’s had been peppy and poppy, Malleus Draconia’s song was a rocky yet timeless tune of both melancholy and passion combined. The intensity of the music seemed to flood through Malleus himself, for - like Bannor had - he began to dance to his own tune…yet even then, his eyes remained closed, his expression tranquil and almost dreamlike, as if he were lost in another world, where only the music could reach him. Finally, after summoning several long scores of high, fast notes from the fiddle’s beautifully crafted construction, Malleus Draconia pulled from its plates, posts, and ribs a few final long, dulcet, eternal chords, and - dragging the bow across the strings with something like a hiss - his part of the competition came to a close. Malleus let out a sigh through his nostrils as the music echoed its last notes through the chamber…then he opened his glowing green eyes as a serpentine smile fell across his face. “Was that sufficient?” he asked, softly. So softly, in fact, it almost hurt to hear. Your jaw was on the ground. Grim’s eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates. Even Prince Bannor O’Brien was utterly gobsmacked. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but no sound came out. Malleus chuckled softly, a victorious glint in his emerald eyes. “Speechless, are we?” he crooned. “Well, then am I to trust that my concerto was the superior piece?” “Oh, yeah,” you said, without hesitation or any show of even trying to give Bannor credit. “That was…WOW. Just…just WOW.” “Thank you, Child of Man,” Malleus replied, obeisantly. All Grim could do was clap slowly, completely flabbergasted. Bannor glanced between yourself and the cat-like imp, then back at Malleus, who was staring at him expectantly. The little prince looked back at him, clearly shaken to the core. “I’ve played fer many centuries, but by the stars above…!” He shook his head and sighed, then gave a half-hearted smile as he repositioned himself, his own fiddle and stick disappearing in a wisp of golden mist as he knelt down upon the throne’s seat, bowing his head and swirling his cape dramatically before him in a show of old-fashioned submission and respect. “I yield,” he said. “Good,” was all Malleus said, then looked over at you and Grim. He smiled gently. “The power of the leprechaun’s Come Hither should now be removed. Ashengrotto and Bucchi are waiting just outside.” “Azul?” Grim asked, ears pricking up. “Ruggie?” you wondered aloud. “Yes,” nodded Malleus, and pointed with his own bow towards the stone door. “Meet with them, then collect Spade and Trappola. After that, please head back to campus.” Malleus looked back at Prince Bannor. Something truly devilish glittered in his eye. “We fellow fairy princes,” he said, sibilantly, “Have an arrangement to discuss.” Bannor gulped nervously. You looked between Malleus and Bannor, sensing the tension…but you nodded in easy agreement. “Alright,” you said, then nudged Grim as you sat up from the treasure chest. “Come on, let’s get moving.” “Nya! You don’t hafta tell me twice!” laughed Grim, hopping up from his own seat before smiling and waving to Bannor. “Thanks for all the tasty tuna, Bannor! It really was a lot of fun…but we’ve gotta go back to Night Raven! The Great Grim’s gotta keep training to be the most awesome mage ever!” Bannor gave a weak smile back and nodded, saying nothing. You smiled apologetically to him as he looked at you, then beckoned for Grim to follow as you both headed towards the exit. Bannor lifted a hand, and the stone slab parted just enough to allow both yourself and your feline-esque friend room to leave. You cast one last look back over your shoulder, just in time to watch Bannor stand and sweep one hand limply through the air…shutting the door once again. Now, the leprechaun prince was alone in his throne room with the dark prince of the fae. “I never thought I’d hear fiddlin’ like that from anyone other than…well…meself, I suppose,” said Bannor, with a mild chuckle. He gave a sad sort of smile to Malleus. “I suppose I should point out I never meant to hurt either o’ them. And as fer our own bargain…I probably woulda just asked ya fer a favor or two if ye’d lost.” “You played well, Prince Bannor,” Malleus replied, and placed the Stradivarius inside the box from which it had come, before striding back towards the throne. “I concede you did far better than even I anticipated. But there were few contests of choice you could have picked that I would have lost.” The words were not spoken out of arrogance, but simply as a matter of fact. Bannor looked up, still standing upon his throne, as Malleus glided over, looming over him. Two pairs of green eyes peered into each other; two were anxious and soulful, the other two cold and hard as lime glass. “Unlike you, I have every intention of reaping the rewards of our agreement to the fullest,” Malleus said, darkly. Bannor sighed and crossed his arms. “Faith, yer a hard man, ye know that?” he grumbled, and raised an eyebrow with a pouting sort of look on his freckled little face. “Alright. Our agreement stated I’d give ye the two humans an’ a wish if ye won. So name yer wish!” Malleus smiled. It was a slow, dead sort smile; the smile of a reptile before it strikes for the kill. Bannor immediately felt unsettled. “A wish?” Malleus cooed, coyly. “Why on Earth would I demand a wish from you, little man?” Bannor blinked in confusion. “Yer sayin’...ye don’t want the wish?” Malleus nodded in confirmation. His green eyes were owlish and unblinking, only further unnerving the leprechaun prince, who fidgeted where he stood upon his gilded chair. “But…didn’t ye say-?” “I said that you would be forced to do something for me. One simple thing. That doesn’t mean I wanted to make a wish; I told you if you wanted to think of it like that, you could, but it’s not the same thing.” “Ah. Well, um…then, pray tell, wh-what is it ye want me to do?” Malleus Draconia’s fangs gleamed like an assortment of pearl daggers, as his lips curled into a rare and truly frightening grin. He answered with a single word. “Die.” Bannor cried out as, without any further warning, one of Malleus Draconia’s fingerless-gloved hands swooped down and snatched up the little prince by the waist. The doll-sized little man tried to pry Malleus’ hands free with his own tiny mitts, as his small feet kicked frantically and uselessly at the empty air. He was hoisted up as easily as if he were made of stuffing. “ACK! WH-WHAT IN CHERNABOG’S NAME ARE YE DOIN’?!” yelled Bannor, then let out a strained sound as Malleus squeezed tighter, the superhuman strength of the half-drake threatening to bend his bones. “I am taking what I am owed,” replied Malleus calmly. Then, before Bannor could retort, he leaned in, and let his forked tongue slither free from his jaws, slathering it across the face of the eighteen-inch-tall royal. A rumble of pleasure echoed out from the dragon fairy’s diaphragm. “Mmmmm…Bucchi was not lying about your flavor,” he breathed out, shakily, grinning evilly into Bannor’s stupefied face as the leprechaun spluttered in shock. “No…no, NO! Y-Ye can’t be SERIOUS!” Bannor screeched. “I am deathly serious, Prince of the Shoemakers,” Malleus glared menacingly, his expression stormy and filled with simmering rage. “You kidnapped one of the few mortals I actually care about. Someone I would stop at nothing to protect. Worse yet, you took them when they were under MY guardianship: this is an offense to my title and lineage.” “Kidnapped?! Wait…y-YOUR guardianship?!” Bannor exclaimed, and shook his head, wide-eyed and beyond terrified. “L-Listen…w-wait now, ye don’t understand! W-We can talk this over…!” “I am in no mood for talking,” growled Malleus, and squeezed again, making Bannor squeal. “Y-Ye can’t…can’t just EAT me!” Bannor managed to protest through gritted teeth. “Yer in MY kingdom, ye fire-breathin’ fool! What…wh-what do ye think will happen if ye-?!” “We made an arrangement, as peers of our races,” Malleus responded with a supercilious smile. “In this instance, I am beyond reproach, by the very rules we had our contest under. I would have expected a leprechaun, of all creatures, to have known how a loophole functions.” “Ye…ye tricksy, deceitful, connivin’, double-dealin’, high-handed…!” “Oh, by all means, continue to insult me,” chortled Malleus, then leaned close and whispered into Bannor’s ear. “It will make your digestion far more entertaining to hear those cries change inside my stomach.” GRRRRLLLLG… Bannor shuddered as he heard Malleus Draconia’s belly rumble. Malleus licked his lips as he rubbed his belly with one hand, pawing at his middle through the fabric of his costume. “Mmmmm…isn’t it fitting, in a perverse sort of way?” he cooed. “This whole mess began because a student of Night Raven College was going to eat you up, little prince. And now, I do believe it’s going to end with that very notion becoming a reality. Really, though, you ought to thank me: if you think it’s bad inside of my belly, I doubt you even want to try and IMAGINE the hyena’s.” “My people…!” “Ah, yes. Them. Fear not, I will not cause any further problems for them. Really, perhaps you shouldn’t have dismissed them all…perhaps then I could have had a bigger meal, if any of them tried to stop me.” “I’ll make ye choke, ye cheatin’…!” “I highly doubt that. Thank you for the amusement, Prince Bannor. Now, if you’ll excuse me, seeing as I’m here on a feast day…” Malleus opened his jaws wide. Beyond the curl of his forked tongue and the slippery muscles of his cheeks, Bannor could see the glowing green of his innermost chambers, the gullet pulsing and flexing as it prepared to enjoy its next meal. The tongue ran across the tips of Draconia’s ivory fangs before he spoke again… “...I think I’ll help myself to the hors d'oeuvres.” And before Bannor O’Brien could so much as threaten to leave a changeling in every bed - NOMPH! - Malleus Draconia shoved the Prince of the Leprechauns into his jaws. His mouth clamped down around his prey’s chest as he crammed the little person into his maw. Bannor continued to cry out, cursing in violent Gaelic as Malleus hurriedly began to gobble him up, shoveling more and more of the little caped figure into his gullet as rapidly as he could. He took no time savoring even a single bite; typically, the dragon would not wolf down his food so rapaciously… GULP…GUUULLLP…GUUUUULLLLLP…! …But sometimes, expediency took prominence over tidy table manners. The dragon’s throat bulged grotesquely, the pale flesh straining against the ascot he wore as he guzzled down his victim. Bannor’s form could be seen writhing in the neck-tube, as he squirmed for dear life all the way down the esophagus. Each time Malleus swallowed, the muscles would tighten with almost hydraulic power, forcing a wheezing cry from the leprechaun, whose heart beat against the gullet walls with a staccato rhythm faster than any jig he danced. He could feel more and more of himself sleeping into the ghastly, glowing digestive tract of the half-dragon prince. His waist, his hips, his thighs…inch by inch, the red-haired little elf was forced downwards with inexorable power. The more he wriggled, the further he seemed to descend. As he slid deeper and deeper into Malleus Draconia’s internal furnace, the leprechaun could feel the foul atmosphere grow increasingly worse; Malleus’ breath had actually been fairly decent, but now that he was nearing the stomach, the odor became increasingly acrid and sour. This was combined with the slime and mucus smearing his fine suit, and the oppressive, steaming heat that made his face turn almost as red as his hair, as sweat speckled his little brow. Soon, only the leprechaun’s buckle-shoed feet remained beyond the larger prince’s lips. Malleus pushed the twitching toes past his lips with a SCHLUPP sound. He grimaced at the dull taste of bland, black leather…then threw his head back, tugging at his ascot to loosen it slightly as he swallowed the last of his meal… GUUULLL-LLLUUUP! …And sent Prince Bannor O’Brien into his belly, whole and alive. The lump in the tall, pale, horned fae’s throat vanished behind his sternum…then Malleus sneered slightly, as his stomach sloshed, and his midsection became noticeably bloated. After all, even for Draconia, swallowing something the size of a whole catfish was no easy feat when in humanoid form. His stomach strained against the buttons of his shirt, vest, and trousers. Carefully, Malleus eased himself to sit upon the throne, his dark-clawed fingers quickly darting across his abdomen as they began to fiddle with and undo the buttons… GLORSH! “Ahhhhh,” Malleus sighed with relief, as his pale belly was allowed to spill outward, resting in his lap. The sense of released pressure was so great, the dragon boy felt all thought cease in his head, relaxing into the welcoming sensations of a full, swollen belly. He belched thickly and chuckled softly, placing a hand to his mouth in mock embarrassment as the other petted his stomach lovingly. “UUUURRRRRLLLLLPK! Oof…oh, DO excuse me…I believe something I ate isn’t agreeing with me,” he chuckled to no one in particular, smirking as he saw lumps and bumps form on the surface of his muscular belly. Muffled curses and cries in a foreign tongue came from the gut of the dragon as Bannor was forced to curl up inside the green-tinted gastric chamber. The walls - illuminated as if by the dragon’s inner fire - were a faintly-glowing green, just as his gullet had been. There was light, but it was scant and eerie in nature, allowing Bannor only the barest illumination of his gurgling surroundings. He kicked his feet through the mucky murk that was made up of a blend of stomach fluids and residue from whatever Malleus had eaten last. (Was that a whiff of ketchup Bannor caught in his smarting nostrils?) He banged his fists into the pulsing, veiny stomach walls, jabbing at them and smacking them as they rippled around him, pressing down and then pulling back in rhythmic motions as they worked to churn him up…just like anything else the dragon had ever eaten… “Let…LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT, YE WRETCHED BUFFOON!” Bannor boomed at the top of his lungs. “Y-YE WON’T GET AWAY WITH THIS! I SWEAR IT!” Malleus, outside, grunted and stifled another belch in his cheeks. He puffed it out of the corner of his mouth and fanned the stinking air before his face with one hand. The other traced this fingertips across his bare belly in random shapes as he smiled with a sense of sly satisfaction. “HHHRRRLLLMMMPH…phoosh. Hm-hm-hmm…oh, come now, Prince Bannor. Why so…ooooh, aggressive, eh?” Malleus shivered, kneading into his stomach with his hand as it let out an almost possessive burbling noise. He could feel his guts clenching around his prey, then loosening again as they tested the meat packed within. “A wondrous future lies before you! Or rather…inside of me. After all, I should think going from Prince of the Shoemakers to some more weight on my hips would be considered a promotion. Or do you not agree?” The way Bannor kicked indicated that no, he did NOT agree AT ALL. Malleus grunted and chuckled from the motions, belching once more and smirking as he drew circles around his own navel with one claw. His stomach was swollen, but not gruesomely or grotesquely so. It felt taut and tight; whenever he tapped it, ripples went through it, and it shifted slightly. “UUUURRRRP…heh heh heh…still unhappy? What a shame. Perhaps next time you will think twice about taking from a dragon’s hoard. I would have imagined a leprechaun to know better than to take another fairy’s treasure from them.” “I…I didn’t mean to!” Bannor screamed out. “Look, j-just let me out! I…I’m tellin’ ye, we can discuss this! Ye don’t-!” Malleus growled and flexed his abs, his stomach muscles tightening around Bannor threateningly, silencing the leprechaun, who squealed in discomfort as he was crunched in from all sides. After a moment, the stomach loosened its hold, but it was still rather cramped in the swampy prison of draconic gluttony. “Tell your lies to my stomach, little man,” snarled Malleus. “I’m sure my bowels will be quite interested in hearing them.” Bannor whimpered; he still continued to fight, but his anger was starting to give way to panic. He could feel the juices tingling against his skin as they soaked into his regal costume. He pushed upwards, frantically trying to find some way to make the enraged, ravenous fae sick. “I’ll…I’ll give ye a gut-ache like ye wouldn’t believe!” he shouted. “Yer g-gonna regret this! I promise you that!” Outside, Malleus Draconia smiled lazily, reclining in the throne of the leprechaun king as he poked at the bulges his squirming meal made on the surface of his stomach. “Will I?” he drawled, airily. “What a shame…do let me know when I start to. That is, if there’s anything left of you that’s solid by that point.” With a dark chuckle, the head of Diasomnia massaged his wriggling, whining new meal. It had been a while since he’d enjoyed something that could squirm this way… …He wanted to savor this sensation. Just a little longer. “Keep kicking, my dear little friend,” he cooed, poking his stomach teasingly. “I’ll be belching your lifeline of oxygen away soon enough. If it’s any consolation, in the meantime…” Malleus licked his chops as he heard Bannor let out a keening noise within him. “...You truly were magically delicious.” The dragon’s menacing laughter echoed through the hall, mingling with the muffled calls for help from within his belly. However, as his laughter came to a halt, Malleus’ pointed ears pricked up, as he heard a new sound. It was the sound of tiny feet. A lot of tiny feet. A slippery smirk came over his face. “How predictable,” he whispered to himself, drumming his fingers over his stomach.

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“PREFECT!” You grunted as, without warning, Ace and Deuce nearly tackled you to the ground. You chuckled and hugged them both back as Grim trotted up and nuzzled their legs with a pleased purr. Ruggie and Azul were following close behind you, each dusting themselves off and looking mildly miffed. After leaving the hall of the leprechaun prince, Patrick had led the four of you through the corridor, back to the bottom of the great well that led into the fairy mound’s palatial depths. Once you had reached the spot - the entryway looming above you like a full moon - he suddenly disappeared, seemingly into thin air. This oddity was quickly followed by another, as a swirl of what seemed to be mighty wind whipped around the three of you, and carried you back up through the well’s long tunnel to the surface once again. “Good to see you both,” you said to your friends from Heartslabyul. “Nya! How come you didn’t give me that reaction?” pouted Grim, pausing in his affectionate nuzzles. “Oh? Does the Great Grim WANT to be cuddled like a stuffed animal?” smirked Ace, teasingly. Grim immediately took a couple steps back and hissed. “That’s a no,” snickered Ace. “It seems like you two managed pretty well,” Azul observed, adjusting his spectacles; his usual tic. “Not a scratch on either of you.” “Not only that, but where have all the Little People gone?” frowned Ruggie, ears twitching as he scooped up his long-discarded hat. He brushed it off and looked around, a little perplexed. “Weren’t there a bunch of those morsels fighting you both?” “More like trying to fight,” Ace snorted cockily. “There were, but I guess they must have chickened out or something,” Deuce responded. “Chickened out?” you repeated, confused. “What do you mean?” “Well, we were bouncing around, flinging magic and deflecting attacks, and all of a sudden that little guy who was leading them-” Azul recalled the name: “O’Reilly?” “Yeah,” nodded Deuce, and went on: “Out of nowhere, he called something out I couldn’t understand…and then - POOF! - they all just disappeared outta nowhere. Real shame, too, the fight was getting pretty good…” Ace, Azul, and Grim each rolled their eyes at Deuce’s words. Ruggie let out his trademark snicker. You, however, felt a bit worried. Your expression must have shown it, because Deuce gave you a look of concern. “What’s the matter, Prefect?” he wondered. “How long ago was this?” you asked. “Just a few minutes ago, basically right before you arrived,” Deuce answered. Ace nodded to confirm and agree with this statement. “Huh. Sounds like it might have been at the same time that Patrick guy disappeared on us,” Ruggie Bucchi observed. That was too much of a coincidence to BE a coincidence. You shared a glance with Azul; his expression matched your own. “Malleus said he had business to deal with,” you said, ominously. “Fairies can have some interesting forms of intuition,” Azul replied. “Perhaps they sensed something was amiss in the throne room, and hurried to see what was going on.” “Psh. A bunch of tiny people versus Malleus Draconia?” scoffed Ruggie. “Come on, I think that’s ASKING to be dragon food.” “That’s exactly what worries me,” you said, and spun on your heel, hurrying back towards the well. “MINION!” shouted Grim. “Where are you going?!” You paused at the well to give a weak sort of smile over your shoulder. “To save the leprechaun prince. Again.” And before any of your friends could stop you, you hurled yourself over the edge and found yourself tumbling back down the well once more.

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“Let him out.” Malleus’ smile now showed off his teeth. Patrick and O’Reilly stood at the front of the proverbial pack, as the rest of the leprechaun guards - who all looked a bit tuckered out after their skirmish on the surface level - stood behind them. More than a few of them were trembling. Malleus Draconia supposed he could not blame them. The Little People were low on the fairy totem pole…and the sight of one such as himself, with their own prince trapped and squirming inside his belly, would have likely been more than enough to instill fear in even the hardiest of creatures. Still, his green eyes danced with a mixture of respect and amusement. Patrick and O’Reilly showed no such signs of terror. Only simmering outrage. “Your bravery is admirable, little ones,” he commented, stroking the underside of his belly as he spoke. “Unfortunately, I believe I am well within my rights in taking this course of action.” “Don’t hand me that!” spat O’Reilly. “Ye led a team o’ interlopin’ mortals here, on the night o’ the most important holiday our people celebrate! Ye challenged our ruler to a duel, which ye knew he had nearly no hope o’ winnin’! An’ to top it off, ye tricked him an’ ye ATE HIM after winnin’!” “And I think there’s nothing you can do about any of it,” chuckled Malleus. Patrick snarled something in Gaelic. Malleus’ expression softened slightly. “You have my sympathies, Leftenants,” he intoned, and then rose from the throne, still cupping his bloated gut with one hand as Bannor’s fists pounded at his belly walls, forming tiny dents and bulges on the surface. “If my own bodyguards were present, they would, I hope, have the same reaction in such a situation. Unfortunately, as it stands, I have claimed my prize…” He patted his stomach. It made a “blortle” sound and wobbled. “...In a manner that does not defy any of the fairy laws at all. Perhaps I am bending some of the rules slightly, but I have broken none. Considering your monarch stole what was rightfully mine from me-” “SHUT UP! I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ANY OF IT!” yelled Patrick. “JUST LET HIM OUT!” Malleus’ sympathetic expression shifted. He lifted one hand - the one that wasn’t tracing circles around his own navel - and the cane he had dropped earlier flew through the air and into his grasp. “Do not come between a dragon and his prey,” he said, warningly. “I have tried to be as fair as possible to you all, under the circumstances, but my patience is not infinite.” Sparks of electricity began to surround the scepter-like topper of the staff. The leprechauns all took a step back. “Do not force my hand,” Malleus said coldly, and scratched at his stomach. It sloshed, a muffled whimpering sound coming from the curled up royal packed inside. “This feud is between your prince and myself, but I can easily take this further. I would advise you not to cause me to become angry. Let me leave with my meal, and manage as you will from there…or stand in my way, and at least two of you will join him.” Patrick and O’Reilly’s faces finally did show fear, but nevertheless, they took up fighting positions. Their soldiers seemed equally scared, but they still followed suit. Malleus seemed disappointed, but only for a moment. A wicked smirk painted his lips, which he licked subtly. “Very well, if you insist. I suppose I could go for some dessert…” “STOP!” The sparks disappeared from Malleus’ weapon, and his eyes widened in surprise - in fact, his expression almost bordered on shock - as he looked past the leprechauns to the source of the voice. The little green guards all looked to see who had spoken, and soon showed matching looks of amazement. “Prefect?” murmured Malleus. “You!” exclaimed Patrick, as you ran across the room from the entrance, pausing about halfway to the throne. “How did ye get in here?!” “You left the door open,” you drawled in response. “I know you guys were in a hurry, but next time double-check.” Patrick flushed and said nothing as O’Reilly gave him an almost scolding sort of glance. You paid little mind to the lieutenants. You fixed the dragon prince with the firmest expression you could, as Malleus continued to stare at you, as if stunned by your appearance. “Let him go, Malleus,” you all but commanded. “This really isn’t worth it.” Malleus blinked twice…then his expression cooled and he smiled. “I’m surprised you’re making such a demand, Child of Man,” he purred, and rubbed his belly up and down in a smooth, almost seductive sort of way. “I honestly would have expected you to be the most supportive of my methods in punishing this thieving little creature.” You blushed and squirmed slightly. “If my…INTERESTS had anything to do with it, I wouldn’t have saved him from Ruggie to begin with,” you muttered, then spoke aloud. “Malleus, you really don’t understand what’s going on. These…extremes really are not necessary!” “I say they are,” scowled Malleus, gripping his belly possessively. “How can I be sure he won’t put the Come Hither on you or Grim once more? How can I keep you safe when the threat of being stolen away is always present?” “He wasn’t trying to STEAL me. At least, not exactly,” you sighed. “He was…trying to help me.” Malleus just looked at you. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. “...Help you?” he repeated at last. You nodded. “And what help could he offer that I was not already able to do?” he retorted. “How did keeping you a prisoner ‘help’ you at all?” His gaze softened, there was a sadness to his eyes. “I might not have seen you again, my friend,” he whispered, in a shattered sort of voice. “I’m not saying what he did was right,” you replied. “But how is what you’re doing any better? You’re taking him away from the people who care about him most. Just like he took me away from you.” “I’d call that karmic justice.” “I’d call that two ridiculous misunderstandings!” you almost shouted, an action that made Malleus and the leprechauns alike jolt back, slightly startled. You took a breath then moved closer, approaching the throne. Once you were near enough, you placed a hand on Malleus Draconia’s swollen belly. You could feel Bannor wriggling beneath his skin. You tried your best to ignore the mixed emotions that flooded you as a result as you looked into Malleus’ glowing green irises. “Please,” you implored, softly. “Let him out. This doesn’t have to end this way for anyone.” Malleus looked back at you for a moment, as if checking to see if you would blink. When he blinked first, he sighed, then gave a small sort of smile. “Alright,” he agreed. “Since you are so adamant, and I am clearly in a…precarious position, as it is…” He glanced towards the leprechaun guards gathered ‘round before looking back into your face. “...I’ll do as you ask.” You smiled gratefully and backed up a few paces. The leprechauns at your feet all kept glancing between yourself and Malleus, with mixed expressions of apprehension, confusion, and more than a few looks of anxious hope. Malleus closed his eyes, as if focusing, one hand pressing into his stomach firmly. His nostrils flared as he began to breathe in…his Adam’s Apple bobbed as he gulped down air, sending it into his bubbling gut. Muffled noises of scared confusion came from his stomach as Bannor reacted to the influx of “fresh” (it wasn’t so fresh by the time it reached him) air in the sac-like prison of flesh that squelched and squished around him. Knowing what was coming, you turned pink in the cheeks, then looked down towards Patrick and O’Reilly. “Uh…you and your friends might wanna cover your ears,” you warned. “Just a heads-up.” Taking your advice, the leprechauns hurriedly plugged up their pointed ears with their fingertips. It wasn’t a moment too soon, for a second later, Malleus’ green eyes widened as he thumped his chest with his other hand. His cheeks swelled up almost comically…and then… “UUUUUURRRRRROOOOOOAAAAARRRRRRLLLLLLLP-HACK!” The rumbling, wet burp - a most uncouth display from the prince of the dark fae - was concluded by an unpleasant wretching noise. Something solidly visibly came up from Malleus’ stomach, the thick swell in his belly shifting upwards, back into his gullet. He grunted and burped a few more times - shorter, more strained sounds than the first blast - before, finally, a familiar form came slipping from his open maw, and flopped onto the floor of the throne room like a limp fish. Naturally, the solid object was Prince Bannor O’Brien. While Malleus summoned a handkerchief from seemingly thin air and wiped at his mouth - looking mildly disgusted by his own crude behavior - you knelt down beside the eighteen-inch royal. He was covered in a heavy film of stomach slime, his garments utterly ruined, but he otherwise seemed unharmed. With a groan, Bannor’s eyes fluttered open. A few unintelligible mumbles, almost as if he were talking in his sleep, left the leprechaun’s mouth as he blinked blearily up at you. A small smile began to form over his face…but soon, a look of alarm filled his emerald eyes, when he saw Malleus looming over him. Draconia held up a hand, in a placating, patience-seeking gesture, as if to assure Bannor he would not harm him. Bannor glared back, but his expression softened as he looked at you once more. “Did…did you…save me?” he coughed out. You nodded with a slight smirk. “Yeah…for the record, I think rescuing you from somebody’s digestive system is becoming a habit, Your Highness. Please, let’s stop it.” Bannor gave a weak smirk in return. Then his eyes lit up. “Wait…did ye…did ye come back to stay?” he asked, hopefully. “I knew it! I knew ye couldn’t stay away-!” You shook your head, stopping him in his tracks. “Listen, Bannor…your home is amazing. It really is. And I know you mean well. But a person isn’t something you can just hoard like a piece of treasure, no matter what your reasons for doing so are. And besides, I think you really need to get all your facts straight.” “All me facts straight?” Bannor repeated, with a frown. He tossed his head indicatively upwards, towards Malleus. “About him, ye mean? Because-” Bannor paused. He felt the top of his saliva-slickened scalp and frowned. “Hold on…where’s me crown?” “BRRRUUUPP!” Malleus burped again, and a familiar gold-and-emerald crown flew from his jaws. It bounced and rolled across the floor with a jangling sound. The leprechauns gathered around looked almost as green as one of Malleus’ flames; the dragon prince pardoned himself under his breath, covering his mouth, seeming genuinely embarrassed. You couldn’t help but snort with laughter at the look Bannor gave the half-dragon. You quickly composed yourself and spoke up. “Let’s get things on track,” you said, catching the sludge-coated leprechaun’s attention. “Bannor…you never needed to take me away from Night Raven. I didn’t need a new home, because my old home was never really in any danger.” “But…but yer dorm was flooded, wasn’t it?” “Hardly a cause for the greatest alarm, when there is magic around,” Malleus muttered, speaking up and joining in the explanation. “The Prefect’s house is only TEMPORARILY unusable.” “Temporarily?” repeated Bannor. “Yes,” Malleus nodded. “They came to me for help, after I’d seen it all happen.” “I was under his protection, staying in his dorm, until my home got repaired,” you said. “That’s why he was so upset and why all…” You gestured to the prince’s ruined cape. “...THIS ended up happening.” Bannor seemed stunned. “Then…then ye mean to say…I took ye away without there ever bein’ a real reason fer it?” “I’m afraid so,” you chuckled. “Your messenger only got part of the information needed. It wasn’t their fault or anyone else’s; this whole thing has just been one mountain made out of a misunderstood molehill.” You then looked up at Malleus. “That’s also why I wanted to let him out,” you said. “Malleus, he wasn’t trying to kidnap me outright, or hurt me…Bannor just wanted to help. I saved his life, and he was trying to repay the favor by helping me out of what he thought was an irreversible situation.” Malleus’ eyes widened for a moment…then narrowed again. “I see,” he whispered, then looked at Bannor and bowed deeply, one hand to his heart as he bent down on one knee. “In that Event, fellow prince - and I say those words without sarcasm - it is I who am in the wrong. My actions were greatly unwarranted, and could have proven beyond unfortunate for both our races. No apologies of mine can be enough, I’m sure, but I give them to you nonetheless.” Bannor paused for a moment, looking Malleus up and down, before finally giving his answer: “After I get the stink o’ dragon gob outta me hair an’ skin, I think I’ll be able to accept that apology.” Malleus smirked, but only for a fleeting moment. Bannor gave a nervous smile in return. It was equally fleeting. He grunted and got to his feet, his cape still dripping goop onto the floor. “Ahem…I - ugh, excuse me, the smell really is rank - AHEM! I feel I must apologize, too. Me choices were equally bad. I assure ye, all I wanted was to repay the person who helped me, an’ I suppose I was too overzealous in that endeavor. By all rights, they belong with ye, at Night Raven, not here among the Little People. I hope ye will accept me own apology…and, uh…I-I hope ye won’t…y’know…eat me again…” “I think I prefer more filling meals,” grinned Malleus, almost teasingly. Bannor’s nervous smile returned in full force. “Ahem!” coughed Patrick, and your eyes and those of the two princes turned towards him and O’Reilly. They and the leprechaun guards were still watching all this unfold. “Y’know, grand as this may be…we still have a feast to get back to,” Patrick grumbled. “Aye!” O’Reilly nodded. “The night can’t last forever, sir!” “Faith, an’ yer right!” exclaimed Bannor, then grinned up at you and Malleus. “Might I invite ye to join us fer the party, once I summon back my people?” Malleus was all but brimming with delight at the moment the word “invite” was uttered. You chuckled, and nodded. “I think we’d be happy to. After you clean up, of course,” you said, gesturing to Bannor’s clothes. “Ah! Nothin’a bit o’ magic can’t fix!” laughed Bannor. He snapped his fingers, and with a simple spell, his clothes returned to their clean state, and the smell of Malleus’ stomach acids disappeared into the ether. You were almost sorry about that last part. A few moments later, Patrick came jogging over, offering the Prince his now-clean crown. Bannor replaced the crown on his head and swirled his cape, his freckled face beaming with its usual cheerful radiance. “Summon the Little People back to the dance!” he ordered. “O’Reilly, go fetch the other mortals upstairs! They’re all invited to join in the celebration!” “We’ll make sure they behave themselves,” you promised, as O’Reilly hurried off to the surface, and Patrick raced away to gather the rest of the leprechauns from their hideaways under the ground. “Thank you, Bannor!” “Sure, an’ this is the least I can do,” Bannor replied, then a slight smirk crossed his lips. “In fact…seein’ as this whole chaotic debacle was caused by my own foolery, would ye be against takin’ an offer from me?” “That entirely depends on what it is,” Malleus said. “The offer is for yer mortal friend here,” said the leprechaun prince, gesturing to you. “Me?” you blinked. “Yes, you! Ye’ve saved me life TWICE now, an’ ye helped clear up a nasty mess! Fer that, I insist upon givin’ ye somethin’ in return!” You were about to deny the offer…but, for multiple reasons, you second-guessed that choice. An idea thus came into your head… “Well…honestly, I kinda feel bad asking, but…I understand leprechauns give three wishes to mortals who ‘capture’ them,” you said, with a twinkle in your eye. “Would that apply to those that help them?” “It can, if I say so,” said Bannor with a grin. “I’m the Prince, y’know! Go ahead! Wish yer wishes!” “Remember,” Malleus warned. “Only three. And be careful what you wish for, Prefect.” “That’s alright,” you said with a smile. “I already know what I’m going to ask for.” Malleus smiled, as if he had suspected as much. He waved a hand elegantly in a “go ahead” gesture. Your own smile widened as you looked back into the little prince’s expectant gaze. “My first wish is…”

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“Well? WELL?! Don’t keep us in suspense! C’mon, let’s hear it!” You chuckled as Ruggie Bucchi nudged you in-between bites of a large sampling from the buffet he had gathered. His tail wagged happily as he slurped and chomped up heaping helpings of meat and potatoes from his plate. Scooping them up with a fork. You chuckled, nursing the cup of cider in your hand as you sat upon the chest of diamonds once more. “It wasn’t for the gold, Ruggie,” you said. “So don’t act so excited.” “Awww,” whined Ruggie, his ears dipping down, as he looked longingly towards the crock of gold in the corner of the hall. He pouted slightly as he saw Grim was chowing down on the contents of another crock…which was filled with fresh, full-sized tuna. “Was your first wish for that?” he asked, pointing to Grim’s gluttonous display with his fork. “Yup,” you nodded. “I figured Grim wouldn’t shut up if I didn’t give him something like that, for a start, and besides, there’s enough tuna there to feed him for a week…” On cue, Grim let out a huge burp and cheered with joy before digging right back into the tuna inside the cauldron, practically upside down as his trident tail whipped about joyously. You squirmed as Ruggie gave you a sly smirk. “Can you count on that?” he teased. “...Well…okay, maybe it’ll feed him for a day, but that’s still something.” “Shishishishi!” Ruggie snickered, and stuffed some beef into his own fanged mouth. “All the same, I’m surprised you didn’t try to get it with your second wish,” spoke up Azul Ashengrotto. He was drinking some cider himself, standing on your opposite side from Ruggie Bucchi. “Wouldn’t the gold have been useful to you?” “Honestly, in my opinion, it would have been more of a bother to me than anything else,” you shrugged, then gave him a slightly teasing smile. “Don’t tell me you weren’t planning to find some way to get it all from me, if I HAD taken it.” Azul’s chilled expression as he sipped from his cup spoke volumes. “Thought so,” you chuckled. “Honestly, Azul…all I really want is to get Grim and I back home to Ramshackle Dorm. So, my second wish was that the plumbing would be perfectly fixed by morning, and my third was that the dorm would never flood again.” “You do realize, that won’t save your home from other potential problems,” Azul noted. “And just because the plumbing is fixed, not everything will be.” You shrugged a second time. “If that happens, I’ll deal with it as it comes,” you replied. “For the moment, I’ve gotten all I need and want…” You looked out over the hall of the leprechauns. A gentle smile crossed your face as you watched the merriment around you: Ace and Deuce laughed and danced together, in the middle of a wide group of the Little People. They all tapped their feet and clicked their heels to the merry tune of a pair of fiddles. Malleus and Prince Bannor smirked at each other over each of their shoulders, as their violins sang out the tune of The Fox Chase. You found yourself tapping your own foot and bobbing your head to the jolly, jaunty music, chuckling as you sipped from your cup of cider and sighed. “...I’ve made a new acquaintance, my dorm will be safe for a while, and I’m certainly experiencing a night to remember,” you concluded, and turned to Azul. “Honestly, what more could I want?” “Your altruistic ideals are truly charming,” Azul said sincerely…then turned away as he added under his breath. “But between us, I’d rather have the gold.” “Hey, cheer up, Azul!” grinned Ruggie. “Now that we know where the fairy mound is, we can easily catch ourselves a leprechaun another day!” Azul’s expression shifted in a sly and sneaky smile. “Why, Ruggie…how could you possibly suggest such a thing? Taking advantage of our hosts that way,” he tutted, insincerely. “Perish the thought.” Ruggie snickered nastily. You smiled and shook your head wearily, taking another drink as you simply soaked in the sounds of the dance around you. You didn’t have the heart to tell either of them that all memories of the fairy mound’s location would be removed from their minds, as well as from those of everyone else…except for you and Malleus. After all, Malleus was a prince of the fae, so he would always know…and you had asked - not wished, but simply asked - if you could join in the Wearing of the Green next year. Naturally, Bannor had been happy to agree. It was nice to have friends in high places. As you were pondering the cheerful atmosphere, Ace and Deuce suddenly came bounding over to you. “Come on, Prefect!” laughed Ace. “Don’t just sit around, let’s dance!” You blushed as you put down your now-empty glass. “I, uh…I-I dunno, I’ve never danced to-” “No buts!” grinned Deuce, and each of them took hold of one of your arms. “Let’s go!” You cried out as the pair dragged you into the center of the throne room…but any protests you had soon dissolved into laughter as the three of you spun round and round, capering to the beat of the twin fiddles. Malleus and Bannor, seeing you join in the frivolity, each grinned and picked up the pace of their playing, the music becoming even faster and more exciting. Soon, Azul and Ruggie were clapping to the beat, cheering you on as you and your friends danced about. The leprechauns applauded as you kept perfect step to the tune. You weren’t sure you’d smiled so broadly in all your life. Silently, you wondered if Bannor would agree to let you bring some friends along next year. For all of the craziness that led up to this moment…a party like this, you decided, was something that shouldn’t be a once in a lifetime event. Besides…they all looked good in green.

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“So, how was your evening?” teased Lila Vanrouge, leaning against the doorframe to Malleus Draconia’s chambers. The fae prince hummed thoughtfully as he shut his wardrobe; he’d long since changed out of his top hat and frock coat, and was now redressed in his school uniform, ready to begin the day’s classes. “It was…eventful,” he chose to say. He smirked over his shoulder at his fatherly assistant. “Incidentally, it appears that their skills in cobbling are not the only place where the Little People show good taste.” Lilia grinned toothily. “I could have told you that,” he practically purred. Malleus chuckled. “Well, at any rate, it’s been quite some time since I’ve been able to attend a festival of such…entrancing energy,” Malleus said, and a soft, almost sad smile came to face. “Madness only knows when I’ll get another chance.” Lilia’s smile turned sympathetic. “I’m sure it won’t be too long,” he promised, then checked the clock. His smile fell. “Oh, dear…I’m going to be late for my first class. I’ll have to see you later, Malleus. Please make sure you’re on time to your own classes…oh! And don’t get too rough on the sports field today, okay? I know how you young ones can get after a rowdy night.” “I’m not freshly hatched anymore, you know, even when compared to you,” frowned Malleus. Lilia just giggled and waggled his fingers in a jokey sort of wave, before merrily traipsing off towards his class. He shut the door behind him. Malleus rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he went into the adjoining bathroom of his dorm room. He was in the process of checking to make sure his horns were in good condition, and did not require extra polishing…when he heard a knock on his door. “There’s no need to check on me, Silver,” he called out, with a slightly irritated sigh. “I’ll be right out.” He’d guessed it was silver on account of the fact Sebek would have been accompanied by a great deal of random shouting. However, the voice he heard that DID call through the keyhole was that of neither of his attendants. “Good to know, but wrong human.” Malleus didn’t teleport, but he reached the door so swiftly, he might as well have. He opened it quickly but carefully, and looked down at you. “Prefect! This is a pleasant surprise,” he grinned, then cocked his head to one side. “Is everything copacetic? I was under the impression that your wishes would have provided a suitable fix to your housing problem.” “Oh, they did, I just came from there,” you nodded. You smiled shyly up at the dragon prince, your hands behind your back. “I just…well…I wanted to say thank you.” “Oh?” Malleus replied. “For what?” “For everything,” you almost laughed. “For giving me a place to stay, for coming to my rescue, for listening about Bannor…I don’t know if anyone else here at Night Raven would have done everything you did, in the way you did, just for me and Grim. I’m grateful.” “Your gratitude is appreciated, but there’s really no need to worry yourself,” Malleus smiled. “You’re one of the few people I can call a true friend, Child of Man. I would gladly wrestle with demons and catapult angels if it meant I could keep you safe and happy.” “Don’t say stuff like that. At the rate I keep getting into trouble, that might actually end up becoming a thing, you know.” “You say that as if my statement would be any less true,” Malleus smirked. You chuckled, and a slightly sneaky smile crossed your lips. “Well, in that case, I’m hoping you won’t refuse me this,” you said, and revealed your hands from behind your back. Malleus stepped back slightly. He blinked at the object you had thrust toward him. It was a folded piece of card stock, with the logo of Ramshackle Dorm printed on the front. “What…is this?” Malleus asked, tapping the folded card with one long, strong finger. His eyes were wide and questioning. “It’s an invitation,” you answered. Malleus Draconia’s pointed ears pricked up. His wide eyes somehow seemed even wider. His pupils almost seemed to dilate. “An invitation?” he repeated, softly. “For…for me?” “Are there any other devilishly handsome half-dragons in the vicinity?” You smirked wider at the vague hint of green that came to the prince’s alabaster cheeks; his own form of a blush. He carefully accepted the invitation. “Might I ask what the occasion is?” he inquired. “Nothing too special,” you shrugged. “Basically, since Bannor wiped the memories of everyone but you or I about what happened last night at the fairy mound, I figured the ‘sudden and miraculous fixing of Ramshackle Dorm’ deserved some kind of gathering.” “A housewarming party,” Malleus smiled. “Something like that,” you answered, shrugging once again. “But I DO have my memory,” Malleus reminded you, tapping the side of his head in emphasis. “Well, yeah, but you’re my friend. And you were one of the ones who helped me. I couldn’t just leave you out, could I?” The look Malleus gave you so resembled a lovesick puppy that you couldn’t help but giggle. He must have caught himself, because he once again blushed faintly before clicking his heels together, straightening his posture…then, holding the invitation behind his own back and his other hand to his heart, he bowed regally. “I would be honored to attend, dearest mortal,” he intoned, grandiosely. “Good. Don’t be late!” you sang teasingly. “I shall be fashionably early,” Malleus promised. “That works, too,” you chuckled. After that, you bid the fairy prince a polite but hasty goodbye; you both had places to be. In your case, while you had no classes that day, you needed to get everything ready for the party tonight. Feeding a dragon, a hungry octopus, Ruggie, Ace, Deuce, and the resident bottomless pit of the Haunted Mansion was all going to prove QUITE the challenge. A very, very, very blush-inducing challenge. As you exited the castle of Diasomnia’s dorm, and walked along the thorny path that led back to the mirror portal, you suddenly heard a familiar voice… “Y’know, I’ve never particularly understood the appeal o’ this place…I prefer greener pastures, I suppose.” You turned your head…and smiled. Bannor O’Brien was standing under a pale thorn bush, smiling up at you with a twinkle in his green eyes. He had removed his cape and his crown, and looked much the way he had when you had first met him. “What are you doing here?” “I was sittin’ in me throne room, an’ the thought came to me. ‘Bannor,’ says I to meself, ‘tis at their side ye should be. Just one last time,’” he said, with a slightly sad smile. You smiled back, much less sadly, and knelt down to be on more level ground with the prince. “It doesn’t have to be the last time. I said I’d visit next year, didn’t I?” you said, softly. “I know,” sighed Bannor, and looked up towards the sky. “But even for an immortal like meself, next year can feel like a lifetime away.” “Everything is fixed now at Ramshackle Dorm. I’m truly thankful for that.” “Never let it be said a leprechaun didn’t give anybody exactly what they wished for,” said Bannor, puffing out his little chest with pride. “After ye saved me hide twice, I couldn’t exactly rip ye off, could I now?” “I’m thankful anyway,” you chuckled. You paused, then decided to continue: “I want you to know…I actually did almost feel tempted to stay.” Bannor’s eyes widened. “In all the stories I used to hear from my grandparents, the fairy mound sounded like a dream come true. And in a way, it was. I never saw dancing so fine, or heard piping so shockingly sweet, or listened to a pair of fiddles so grand. I definitely never imagined I’d be sitting on diamonds. But like I said to Grim, mortals need bitter to go with the sweet…I could have been happy there, but I don’t know for how long. And besides, like I said, all I needed was my home back.” Bannor nodded slowly in understanding. “I suppose Prince Malleus an’ yer fellow mortals must’ve known that,” he murmured, then smiled up at you gently. “Y’know, fer all their strange points…ye seem to have a great collection of friends.” “I know,” you said, without an ounce of humility, then smiled a bit wider. “You know…you could be part of that collection, if you wanted.” “Me?” blinked Bannor. “Why not?” you smiled. “But…mortals and leprechauns-” “I think we’ve established I have no interest in your crock of gold, and I certainly don’t plan on making any more wishes at the moment.” “But what about the rest-” “We can keep it secret, at least for a while,” you said. “The only ones who need to know are you, me, Malleus, and probably Grim and the Ghosts. I think you can take that much without worry, right?” Bannor’s eyes sparkled like the brightest emeralds of Sage’s Island. “I be forever grateful,” he breathed. “There’s no need for that,” you chuckled. “To be honest, Bannor, I think I’ve had enough of that level of gratitude for a while.” Bannor smirked. “Ye’d better get used to it…my friend,” he said, nearly choking up on the last two words before his voice steadied once more. “When would ye like to meet up?” “I have a day off today. How’d you like to come with me, maybe help me out preparing for a party I’m having tonight with my schoolmates?” “Grand!” Bannor chirruped, and gave a wink. “In that case, I’ll see ye at Ramshackle!” With a snap of his fingers, the leprechaun disappeared. You smiled and stood up, then stuffed your hands in your pockets. As you continued along the route that led back to Ramshackle Dorm, you sang softly to yourself; an old song your grandparents had taught you, what seemed another age ago. You’d never expected the song to become a reality in any way. “In a shady glade, one moonlit night, a leprechaun I spied. With scarlet cap, and coat of green, and crúiscín by his side. Tick-tack, tick-tack, his hammer went upon a tiny shoe! And I laughed to think of a purse of gold, but the fairy was laughing, too. Yes, I laughed to think of a purse of gold, but the fairy was laughing, too…”

The End

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