#tales from my enchanted wasteland
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Tales from my enchanted wasteland….
Note to myself: Don´t watch Hammer movies in Technicolor before editing ;-)
#photographers on tumblr#artists on tumblr#conceptual photography#in the hood#tales from my enchanted wasteland#not a lost place#katharina rhein
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The First Fairy Tale
ahdbalidbaidf I'M SUCH A SUCKER FOR UNREQUITED KNIGHT X PRINCESS STUFF (even if it's not clear whether or not Lilia's crush persisted beyond childhood in canon) SO. I'M WRITING THIS… 😭This fic is purposefully ambiguous about the type of love Lilia feels in the end for Meleanor. It’s up to the reader to interpret it as they please.
This piece was inspired the story of Madame Red from Black Butler. You don't need to know either to enjoy, but if you do happen to know them then I think you'll appreciate it more. There’s also some references to a few Disney films besides Sleeping Beauty—can you find which ones? I also purposefully repeated some phrases and blended a few references together to give the fic a “dream-like”/deja vu feeling.
There was going to be a wedding scene opening with “There wasn’t a cloud in the sky” in reference to We Don’t Talk About Bruno, but I had to cut that since the fic was getting long. Even without that and some other cut scenes, I think this is the longest fic I’ve written before. It’s almost 8k words!!
... Do you remember? I told my first fairy tale to you, my most beloved.
***Spoilers for book 7 part 5 of the main story!***
Imagine this...
In a castle forgotten by time, a lone figure walked among the creeping thorns. The plants swallowed the grounds, yet he moved swiftly and stealthily, passing over briar as easily as water over stone. Not a single movement was wasted as he traversed the brambled floors.
His ponytail—black streaked with red—fell in his path, the slight whip of it the only trace of his presence. He had traded his battle armor of old for plainclothes long ago, but still hadn’t filled into them yet. To shed the life of a general for that of a civilian was no simple task.
The small, doughy creature pressed against his shoulder sleepily lifted its head. Upon the infant’s crown was a cap of shockingly silver hair, the same color as moonlight. The boy thrusted a pudgy hand into his cheek, delivering a soft pap to the hardened veteran.
“Tch…!” Lilia pulled away brusquely. “Troublesome little creature, aren’t you? Hold still. We’d have made it out of here by now if only you weren’t so…”
Weak, defenseless, frail, vulnerable.
An array of potential words rose to fill in the gap. He settled on the least abrasive one he could muster.
Something cute.
Children like cute, right…? Right.
“… squishy.”
The infant—no, Silver, he corrected himself—seemed curious about the response, staring up with sudden interest. Lilia’s skin prickled at the sensation. He averted his eyes to an interior that had seen better days.
Once a shining jewel to house the crown princess, Wild Rose Castle was abandoned now. The thorns had invaded, climbing the walls and digging themselves into every nook and crevice. Furniture and weapons devoured, flags and tapestries consumed, meeting a similar fate as the nation that had once proudly flew them.
Ruins entombing stolen time.
What had once been a palace teeming with history, with life, was left a barren wasteland. All that remained were shadows of the past which clung thickly to the thorns. One misstep, and they would cut into him, bringing both pain and searing hot memories.
Funny, that: how the natural forces were unrelenting and indiscriminate. Yet the trace of an enchantment in the air suggested otherwise, its telltale tingle palpable. He knew the bramble had come from magical means.
A fairy's spell lingered. Some bygone blessing or curse, told in the tattered remains of a hazy vision and a wish for more halcyon days. Parents wanting to spare their child from the horrors of war.
Lilia's grip on Silver subconsciously tightened.
What rotten luck. I return after all this time to pay my respects, only to find Wild Rose Castle in this sorry state. How the mighty fall.
Silver fidgeted in his arms, as if sensing that something was off. A bit of saliva dribbling from the corner of his mouth, a soft whine gurgling up.
“You’re fussing again already?” Lilia frowned. He awkwardly laid a hand on the infant’s back. Are all infants this incorrigible? "The journey will be a long one if you aren't able to settle."
The infant turned its head, his cheek fitting neatly into Lilia's palm. There was a coo, then a sigh of contentment.
Still shaking off the sleepiness.
"... You're so needy," Lilia grumbled, noting the drool wetting his skin. Silver blinked at him with large, iridescent orbs. "I don't understand. Do people actually find this endearing? To find such joy in raising their young is..."
He hesitated to finish his sentence.
What did a man like him have to say on the matter? Long-lived as he was, that kind of love was something he had ever experienced for himself.
A gentle, warm hand to guide him through the darkness. The love of a parent.
Yet here I am, a loveless fae robbing a baby from its cradle. Just as the humans believe we do.
What irony.
Sadness nipped at Lilia as his thoughts turned to Silver. If anything, the little one had more power to shape the world around it than he ever could.
It was for this sort of creature that the Dawn Knight made a prayer for the future. It was for this sort of creature that Baul's rigid heart shifted. It was for this sort of creature that she...!!
Lilia's fingers had clenched into a vice grip on Silver. The infant cried out, squirming uncomfortably in his new guardian's grasp.
"Shoot...!! Er... there, there. It will be alright."
He clumsily rocked the baby back and forth. It was too vigorous, for Silver bursted into tears. His wails echoed off the desolate walls of the castle, piercing loud in Lilia's ears.
The fae jerked back, holding Silver at a safe distance from him. His grasp, precarious.
This is proving to be much more challenging than I initially thought... H-How do I silence it?!
Lilia glanced around helplessly at his surroundings. Everything was encased in a cage of thorns: antiques, drapes, even the axes mounted for decoration—to liven up the room. They were impossible for him to reach, else he could swing them around to amuse the boy.
Pieces of the past far out of his reach.
It’s not an option. A human babe is not like a fae babe. Lilia’s head swarmed with stress, Silver’s sobs only multiplying his worries. What do I do? What… would she do?
Meleanor…
The name of his princess emerged. Along with it, a scene blossoming in sepia shades.
Her, in a regal black gown and dripping in green gemstones and finery. Him, in a general's armor. A princess and her knight, straight out of a fairy tale.
She was humming while caressing a large egg, a marbled violet flecked with green, dark webbing laced the shell. It conformed perfectly to her chest, pulsating with a strange warmth as she ran taloned fingers over it. Another role she had adopted: mother.
A low chuckle rose from the back of her throat. "Fufufu Look, Malleus. Our dear Lilia has taken the time out of his busy schedule to come pay us a visit."
"It's been quite some time since I last heard you giggle like a schoolgirl. Nice to know that you remain in good spirits." He arched an eyebrow. "... But since when did you decide to name the child? I thought the medical mages hadn't even determined a gender for your heir yet."
"Oh, some time ago," she replied flippantly. Meleanor was always like a storm, unpredictable and acting on her own whims. "I don't need anyone to tell me what my child will be. I already know... my Malleus will grow up to be an upstanding, beautiful man just like my Levan."
She had a dreamy, faraway look on her face. A slight blush to her high cheeks, a shine to her eyes, a kind smile at her lips. Completely unlike her, the tomboy who snuck out of the castle unsupervised and caused trouble for all the servants.
So utterly smitten.
For that moment and that moment alone, Lilia would have believed her a patient princess awaiting a knight in shining armor's rescue. Not him, but her beloved.
Levan.
He had to bite back a terse laugh, mask it with a joke. "Your Levan? Hold on now, you've got to share him with the rest of us. We'd simply crumble without his wisdom."
"I don't intend to share what's rightfully mine.” A teasing smirk he knew well had found its way onto her pert mouth again. “I'm a very possessive woman.”
"As I’m well aware. Alas, I serve such a cruel mistress of evil.”
She chuckled, resting a hand on her egg. "... When Levan returns, we shall arrange for tea. The two of you can regale me with the stories of your journeys. It gets to be so dull trapped in these castle walls. Oh, and of course, Malleus will be joining us. He has yet to experience our cozy little get-togethers.”
Their group. Their trio. The three of them. And now a new member. An expansion of the family unit—no, rather, the realization that something didn’t belong among them.
His heartbeat quickened.
"There you go again, making rash requests of me. You really ought to be more considerate of others. I came all this way out of the goodness of my heart, only for you to bark more orders at me. Don't I get to take a break?"
"I am being considerate," she insisted. "I'm considering Malleus. He is invited. You cannot uninvite him."
"That's not the point. Agh, what am I going to do with you?" Lilia ran a hand through his hair. The frustration was familiar—but so was the fondness that chased it.
“My, my. Such insolence. I’m afraid you’ll be stuck with me for a long, looong time. You should be less stubborn and more kind to your princess,” she purred, her words touched with dry sarcasm. “Isn’t that right, Malleus?”
“I’m too kind to you. Too patient as well,” Lilia sighed. “… It’s you who is headstrong.”
“I must be. I have a country and now a family behind me. A scorned mother’s rage is insurmountable, you know.”
He should have said something back. Played into their usual banter. But he didn’t—couldn’t bring himself to. Lilia looked away quickly, but not quite quickly enough.
“Oh? What nerve you have to avoid the gaze of your princess.” She dropped her playful tone. “Something weighs heavy on your mind.”
“… I can never hide anything from you, can I?”
“You will inform me at once.”
“So you can obliterate what ails me?”
“So that I may put you at ease." She lifted a hand, gesturing toward him. "That is the duty of a queen to her people… and, more importantly, of a friend to another."
Friend.
It stung right down to his bones, hurting more than a blast of righteous lightning. A reminder of what he was: a footnote, a supporting cast member in her grand story. Without that, he was nothing.
An outcast.
His stomach clenched. He forced down a bitter pill and spoke.
"I was just wondering what it must feel like to be in your position, Meleanor-sama," Lilia whispered. "Mother to a nation, and to a child. To wholly devote oneself to the service of others... I will never know what that is like."
At this, she laughed darkly. "I am strong. I have to be, because I have people to protect. You have that strength as well. You wouldn't be able to serve as one of my generals without it. There are just some things in this world worth risking your life for, hmm?"
"I don't understand. My loyalty will always lie with you, with Briar Country... but for a child, I cannot...!!" Lilia stopped himself, reining his emotions back to calm. "I've never known how that kind of love feels. I'm not capable of it."
Meleanor narrowed her eyes as she listened to his woes. Unwise men would think her contemplative. He knew better—she was scheming.
"... Let me tell you a secret, Lilia," she said at last. "A dragon's egg needs its parents' love to hatch. However, true love is a special spell. It's more powerful than any magic, and able to be cast by anyone. If you are able to protect me, then that alone is proof enough that you are capable of 'true love'."
"You make it sound so simple, but is it really like that? The children of man say that fae cannot tell an untruth, yet you so expertly reassure me with lies."
"You're questioning me? Laughable. I am a woman of my honor, unlike you with all your tall tales."
"They're not tall tales. They're real stories of the danger I was in. Danger that, mind you, I got in half the time on behalf of your demands."
"Is that so?" Meleanor had smiled at him then, her teeth gleaming in the dim candlelight. Long lashes fluttering against the emeralds of her eyes. "Then you wouldn't mind sharing a story or two with Malleus."
Lilia bristled at the thought, an old wound reopened. There was a burst of relief that accompanied the dull pain.
I can't sing her lullabies. I don't have her strength either. No partner to speak of, no family to look to. What I do have is...
He pressed Silver into him, keeping a hand rested reassuringly on the infant's upper back. Muffled cries and a warm wetness pooled on Lilia's shoulder. His steps slowed, coming to a steady pace.
The first words were the most difficult to get out.
"... Once upon a time, there was a princess living in this castle." His voice was slow and deep and sorrowful. Not a song, but a longing croon for days he could never return to.
They entered a corridor lined with paintings. The sound of Silver's sobbing funneled into the passage, a greeting to the dour faces of important officials portrayed in each frame. Horned, with raven hair and reptilian eyes, obsidian scales dotting their skin, milky and smooth as wax.
Lilia lowered his head to one as they passed--a woman upon a throne, scepter in hand, her pointed features dappled by moonlight.
"She was many things. Selfish, impetuous, and stubborn… but also brave, strong, and beautiful."
So beautiful.
That had been his first impression of her. A single pale rose amid a garden of thorns.
She was tiny in those days, still trotting about in small, polished heels that clicked with each step, her black dress swishing about. A scaled tail—fluffy at the end--poked out from under there, proof of dragonic heritage. Her long hair was slicked back, proudly displaying a pair of horns and the scales that crowned her forehead.
When she wailed, the skies turned stormy. When she beamed, the sun came out. Her expressions so lively as she spun around in her skirts, the fabric unfurling like the petals of a blossoming flower.
A princess both adored and feared by her people.
"She befriended an unruly ragamuffin.” Lilia's lips quirked, unable to fight them from tugging up. “He was without loved ones, so the princess extended a hand to him."
Lilia had stolen glances at her when he was convinced she was distracted. During royal processions, tending to the horses, when they crossed paths in the halls.
He never let himself stare for too long. To do so was nearly a death sentence. The guards would be upon him in an instant—or worse, she would.
But without doubt, she did.
She would look back, letting a telltale grin take shape when their gazes met.
Him, the nobody picked up by the royal family on a whim. A hopeless squire boy, a knight-in-training, a ward.
Him.
She noticed him.
Picking up her skirts, she'd made a beeline over. Grinning like a gremlin, she would inevitably set a tragedy into motion.
"Lilia, I'm sick of studying! Let's play instead."
"What? I don't want to. Besides, I have training to tend to."
"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport. That's an order from your princess, so you can't refuse!"
“And that's the way the story always goes, a princess and her knight." He passed a glance at Silver. The infant's crying had quieted, and he returned the look, eyes wet with wonder.
Lilia sighed. "... I guess you wouldn't know that, would you? Well, it’s not as though she were your average girl.
"A wicked princess, that’s what she was. There was not a day when she wasn't making mischief and pulling the knight into it with her."
She had had many games, not all of them clearly defined or with rules. Sometimes she changed them on the fly. Sometimes she played without guidelines at all.
Pretend escalated into full-scale magical duels. Scavenger hunts spanned the entire castle grounds. They’d race to see who could relieve the gallery of the most apples in the least amount of time, dig through the treasury for the biggest gems.
On particularly lazy days, a roll across the lawn was enough to amuse them. Petals were plucked, sugary honeysuckle trapped between their teeth.
"You have something stuck in your hair," she'd tease him, picking loose petals out. "Let me get that for you, my most loyal retainer."
He'd hold still, as commanded, let her take as long as she wanted tidying him up.
When the guards combed the garden for them, they’d squish into shrubbery and lay low until the coast was clear. Sometimes their lids would grow heavy and collapse—and when they roused, stars had spilled into the sky, and they’d count constellations until the morning.
Starlight dappling her noble face, her fiery spirit ablaze.
How many diplomatic meetings had they crashed? How many ancient items had they broken? How many headaches had they collectively caused?
Lilia chuckled faintly.
… Those were the good old days.
He continued down the path laid before him, the paintings seemingly chugging along in slow succession. Both people and time passing him by.
"There was another as well. A clever, kind-hearted duke who also warmed up to the knight. The three of them formed a most formidable group.”
“Are you two at it again? You never stop, do you?”
The voice came from the top of the stairwell.
"Levan. So good of you to join us," Meleanor said breathlessly—she had been running about. She slicked back a strand of glossy raven hair and beamed toothily. It wasn't the smile of a princess, but of a dragon yet to be tamed.
He quirked a brow. "Am I joining you? Whoever said that?"
“If you’re jealous, no need to play coy," she teased as the Dragon Duke descended the stairs. "You’re welcome to join us anytime.”
"The princess has already roped me into her antics," Lilia sighed. "Why not make it a party of three? We can all get scolded together later. Misery loves company."
"A tempting offer." Levan lazily tilted his head to one side. He always had a languid way of moving, like a curtain of night veiling the day. "I think you've got me convinced."
"Why did you agree when Lilia asked and not when your princess did?" Meleanor demanded, stomping a foot.
Levan shrugged. Effortless, defiant. "Perhaps you're not as charming as you think you are."
Any other person would have faced her wrath. Anyone else would have been forced to tango with lightning.
Not Levan. He was too hard to stay mad at, and too easy to forgive. His presence alone smoothed over tensions, settled storms.
“He’s a dreamer,” the dusty old court advisors would remark with disdain.
“He’s a dreamer,” Lilia would say, eyebrows raised in surprise.
“He’s a dreamer,” Meleanor would sigh, the stars in her eyes.
Now, she just smirked at him. "I'll have to demonstrate to you just how charming I can be."
She had looked at Levan differently in that instant. Her eyes did not glint at the sight of new prey to toy with, but with keen interest. There was something else too, an undercurrent of some tender feeling Lilia couldn't quite place.
Meleanor had never looked at Lilia like that.
Only Levan.
He shook his head.
I should have known then... I was fighting a losing battle.
"With time, they grew ever closer. Unexpected feelings arose. The knight came to love the princess.” Lilia's feet came down upon the bramble that knitted over the floor. He could not feel it through his boots, but it felt as though he was still being pierced in the chest.
Silver blinked as Lilia plodded along. The gentle rise and fall drying his tears.
It had been a heady spring day, another escapade dodging servants and sneaking beyond the gardens. The flowers had blossomed, the same as the princess. She had grown lovelier by the day, her spitfire attitude untempered.
His flower of evil.
They were crossing a brook then, Meleanor lifting up her skirts to float to the other side, Lilia hopping on rocks to cross. He could have flown with her if he tried, but he was feeling cocky, had wanted to shown off the fruits of his training.
One misstep, and Lilia went flying forward, crashing into her. Their bodies collapsed against one another's as they roll, roll, rolled into a field, blades of grass and stray petals collecting on them. When they at last came to a stop, they laid on their lacks and laughed until their lungs hurt.
Lilia had stared at her again. Her smile, a powerful spell. She caught him in the act, demanded what he was looking at.
"You have something stuck in your hair," Lilia told her as they sat up. "Let me get that for you, my most benevolent princess."
"Stop stealing my lines," she giggled back.
Only if you stop stealing my heart first, he thought. But Meleanor was selfish, and once she had claimed something as her own, she refused to return her new treasure.
Lilia reached--and produced a single white daisy between his fingers. Kneeling, he offered the token to her. "Here. For you."
"Prankster. You planted that so you could appear impressive," Meleanor chuckled, accepting it. "... However, the gesture is sweet, so I thank you for it."
She held the flower to her nose and inhaled its scent. Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks, lips brushing the velvet-soft petals of the daisy. Wind weaving its hands through jet back hair, spots of sunshine dancing across her.
The entire universe was conspiring against him, it seemed.
He remained kneeling, remembering his place. Him, the knight. Her, the princess. But if that was the case, then weren't they perfectly suited for a fairy tale?
Lilia steeled his courage and let the words he had been holding in all that time loose. "M-Meleanor-sama! I... I like you. Not just as a friend. More than that. P-Please accept my feelings!"
Rare surprise dashed her beauty. A crack of light, dawn chasing away the darkness. “Lilia...?"
Here was his weakness, more terrifying than any enemy their country had faced. One young lady, and he folded like a paper crane. His heart in her hands.
And she squeezed.
"I'm not sure if I enjoy this joke. What we had before... I liked that."
More delicate than he had ever heard her speak. Like she was afraid of breaking this.
"This isn't a joke. I'm... I'm serious about you! Please answer me!!" he pleaded. "Will you be mine?"
At once, her face fell. The daisy, and his heart, slipped from her grasp.
"Oh, Lilia," she whispered, a hand clamped over her mouth. "I'm sorry. So, so, sorry."
A resounding rejection, chased by a dreadful loneliness. It had been nothing like the storybooks had promised. Lilia almost wanted to weep at his juvenile naivete.
He hushed, the awareness of it all consuming him.
So this is love.
Love, and the lack of it. How it hurt him so, as it had from had the start. He was always alone, no matter how many people he surrounded himself with.
Was that really love then?
The thought struck him like a fist to the gut.
I thought I loved you. But maybe that wasn’t true love. Maybe I was desperate to be loved back. To have someone to call my own, when I had no one at all before. Maybe I clung to the first person that showed the slightest bit of attention to me.
Even so, my heart ached for you. Longed for you. Believed it was meant to be. Dreamt of you. I wanted to give you my everything.
Lilia tucked the infant’s cheek to his chest. Felt the child’s warmth, his physical presence. The steady drum of something buried deep in him.
There was a wobbly yawn in the silence. Silver, tuckered out from crying, awaited the next part of the story.
The breath Lilia held released. The words, painful as they dropped from his lips.
“But she had eyes for another: the duke. The knight watched as his two best friends fell in love.” Lilia’s nails dug into the cloth that swaddled Silver. “The princess and the duke were happy, so the knight, too, was happy. And why wouldn’t he be? The woman he loved the most was going to marry the man he loved the most. It was a happy ending for the trio."
He had been summoned by the princess that fateful day. Returning triumphant from the battlefield, adrenaline running high, he hadn’t even bothered to make himself presentable first. His hair was a mess, his armor stained with the remains of slain foes.
She waited for him beyond the door.
“Melea… Oh.”
His princess was seated beside Levan. She clung to his arm like a vine on a trellis, beaming like the moon on a cloudless night. Meleanor was drunk on the Dragon Duke.
He had never seen her so happy.
“Lilia! You’re here at last,” she called, waving him over. “Just in time.”
He glanced from her to Levan. “In time for what?”
“For our exciting announcement.” Meleanor wasn’t looking at him. Instead, she gazed adoringly at the man beside her. Somewhat shy. “Would you like to tell him? Or should I? Ooh, this is quite exciting."
Levan smiled softly—but Lilia could sense the slight discomfort in his eyes, the way they darted to his. Guilty acknowledgement, an awareness of betrayal.
I'm sorry, he seemed to say.
Lilia’s blood ran cold.
“I think you ought to tell him,” Levan suggested. His voice was gentle, but they felt like a slash to the throat, cutting deep.
Then Meleanor announced it, unable to contain the secret any longer. "We're getting married!!"
She showed her left hand. The flash of the silver band upon her fourth finger was unmistakable. A ring, binding them with a promise.
Together forever, those two.
Lilia’s world violently tilted. The castle crumbling, the sky collapsing around him. Yet he, the trained soldier, dug his feet in and stood his ground.
You've been bested. Admit it. Admit defeat...!!
He said the only word he could.
"Congratulations."
Lilia could make out the light at the other end of the tunnel now. The world beyond the walls and castle corridors. He knew the end of the story was fast approaching, and how it would sap his strength, his will to fight on.
Still, he continued.
“The new couple were soon expecting a baby. Someone much like yourself.” Lilia prodded at Silver’s flabby chin. “You’ll be graced with his presence soon enough. The princess’s legacy, Malleus Draconia… My responsibility these past 160 years.”
Silver gurgled.
“So enthusiastic. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into,” Lilia softly chided. “We fae and humans…”
… can never hope to understand each other.
"We fae and humans can understand each other," Levan would have countered him. "We can make it a reality."
Tiny hands wrapped around Lilia’s finger. His touch, fragile.
You can afford to be hopeful. It drew a bitter chuckle from his handler. Brief reprieve before the plummet into something deeper and darker than the night that guarded them.
“… In a period of great unrest, the duke went missing. The princess was beside herself with worry—yet she remained stalwart for her people, and for their child. She wished every night for her husband to come home safely.”
They had magical might, but the humans had numbers. Each battle, an exchange of hard blows, casualties high on both sides. Reports rolled in as frequently as bodies did.
The people grew concerned, and so she had donned her mask to reassure them. Stoney faced and strong atop her tower.
“We will recover the missing couriers. We will secure our land and resources. We will beat back the outsiders. Briar Country will rise victorious in the war. Man will rue the day they came upon our shores. This, I swear to you as your princess!!”
Uproarious cheering and applause for her, their sovereign. A goddess of victory.
But he, watching from the shadows, knew better than that. All those years roughhousing with her, and he knew.
The face she showed the public and the face she made in private were two sides of the same card. Princess, mother, wife, friend. So many roles, all of them she played with such strength.
Meleanor only slipped when she thought no eyes were on her. When the servants had all retired for the night, and the moon and its stars came out.
Pressing his back to the wall, Lilia shielded his candle’s small circle of light from view. The hallway was drenched in darkness again.
A few paces away, her chambers to which she retreated every evening with her egg. With her dear little Malleus.
He listened.
Soft whimpers sounded from the abyss. Sounds and sights she would not dare show her people.
A leader such as she could not afford to be weak. The same leader who clutched her child to her and furiously prayed for a happy ending.
“Levan, where are you? Come home… Come home, you idiotic, idealistic man!!”
CRASH!! BANG!! BOOM!!
Lightning lit up the sky. Lilia's flame trembled before righting itself.
Her voice dropped to a devious coo. "... I'm sorry, Malleus. Did that scare you? There, there. It's alright, your mother is here. Your father will be too... and when he does, I shall give him an earful for being away for so long!!"
He listened, for he was the only one who could. He listened until his lids began to droops. He listened until he had to tear himself away.
Before he knocked upon her door. Before he could tell her he was here, to please let him in. Before he could confess, “I miss him too.”
Hold her. Cry with her. Dream with her.
Ask for Levan back.
“I will never wish for anything more than this. Please. Please…!!”
He had listened then, but no one had listened to him in return. Not even the stars.
Cruel celestial beings, he cursed—if they would not grant his wish, then he would take matters into his own hands.
Levan…!!
Lilia swallowed thickly. His footfalls had grown heavy, as if weighed down by cinder blocks.
Silver sleepily gummed his finger. Oblivious as to what was to come.
“The conflict escalated.”
It had all happened so fast. Flying by, a blur. Time was not a concern to most fae—a year was barely the blink of an eye. Everything blending together into an indiscernible mush, taken down with ease.
But war never became more palatable. He had simply trained to become numb to it all. The strong smell of iron, the corpses piled high. It was sensory overload, the taste of too many things at once.
A crimson-eyed demon stood at the boundary of a burning village. Inhaled the fumes, smoke and flesh wrapped in fire. Witnessed the leaping flames stretching to the sky.
Who had lived here? Who had died here? Lilia thought of neither.
Had to, or he would fall to his knees and wail.
He held a small cloth doll, long black hair and red dress. Somehow it had survived the carnage. The lone survivor of a massacre. The rest had been slaughtered or evacuated from the area.
Abandoned, just as he had been.
His gaze lidded, fingers closing around the doll. "… As if it were a day. Everywhere I go, it will be in a blink of an eye. Far Cry Cradle.”
Memories arose, pulled by the strings of magic. They exploded across his vision like fireworks. Tinted green and blue and pink.
There was a ghostly child walking among the ruins, smiling as they clung to their mother, doll in their other hand. Daily life making the rounds in the village, helping with chores and playing games. Story events on fast forward.
Then came the knights stomping in their silver suits, masked fae cloaked in black. Buildings caving in, bodies falling, the clang of weapons colliding.
Screams.
Red, red, so much red.
The child horrified, dropping the doll. Staggering steps backward.
He barely cast an eye at them. Surveying the scene straight out of a hellish dream, he sought out a familiar shadow. Had he walked among them, seen the same things he had?
To no avail.
Lilia blinked, and it was the end.
He had not treaded along this path.
“… Damn it, Levan.” He gripped the doll harder—as if to squeeze out its secrets. Making me hunt you down like this...
“General Vanrouge.”
Lilia did not turn. “Baul.”
“Sir.” He saluted to his superior. “The troops are rested. We are prepared for the final march to the Eastern Fortress.”
“… Yes, I understand. Let’s move out.”
He let the doll fall to the ground. His hands now freed, he pulled his hood up.
“General?” Baul called tentatively.
“The weather is chilly today, don’t you think?” The question, dismissive. Lilia slipped his mask back on—a beastly bat, glaring, teeth protruding.
His tears hidden from view.
Baul nodded. “… Yes, it is. I will remind the men to bundle up, sir.”
He looked away. “Good.”
Lilia firmly set his jaw. “War came knocking at their door, claiming many lives… and threatening to take the princess and her child too.”
There was something automatically off about the fortress when they slipped in. The infiltration too smooth, the corridors too quiet.
Combing the building yielded few results. There was no Levan, no Dawn Knight. Only cowering staff and scattered humans in iron armor piloting sputtering metal monstrosities.
He cut them down the same as the rest. A mad boar, seeking a true challenge.
"Where are you?! Show yourself...!!" Lilia's demands were hollow in the empty hallways.
A demon snarling for sacrifice, the humans called him. A heartbroken dreamer, seeking the love that he had lost, his troops would whisper amongst themselves.
They found him at the end of a trail of carnage. Panting, sweating, hoarse. The lines between man and monster converged in Lilia Vanrouge.
Then the message was delivered, striking fear into the fearless fae.
"... What?"
The weapon in his hand faltered as realization ripped through him.
“Wild Rose Castle is under siege?!”
"She summoned her knight to her side.” Lilia’s voice quivered, growing small. You’re weak, he snarled at himself, so very, very weak.
Silver, too, seemed to sense the shift in him. He rubbed his cheek against the fae’s finger. Was he trying to comfort himself, or his newfound caretaker?
“The princess asked of him to take her child to safety somewhere far, far away. To forget her. It was her final selfish request for him.”
He had found her seated upon her throne, one arm curled around her precious egg, the other grasping her scepter. It was a sight so familiar, so safe, his chest lifted with relief. Lilia ran to her, calling her name.
"Meleanor-sama!!"
Her arm swept out in an arc, face twisted with fury. On command, a bolt of lightning crashed down in his path.
"Tch...!"
Tucking and rolling, Lilia darted off to the side, narrowly dodging the strike. Where he had once been was a massive scorch mark on the tiled floor.
“You’re LATE, Lilia!!” Meleanor roared. "What if something had happened to me or Malleus before you had arrived?!"
"Hah. As though you would allow that to happen," he scoffed. "You would kill the Silver Owls dead if I weren't here to stop you."
It was their usual game, a playful chase, the exchange of pokes and prods. Today, Meleanor had no such humor. Her expression turned from rage to one of eerie calm.
Lilia shivered.
"They've come for us," she whispered, hugging her egg tightly.
They had always known this day was a possibility. Now it was here, so palpable it was unreal.
From the bridge that ran to the castle came ugly chants twisted with hatred. Hot, oppressive, heavy. The sound like smoke snuffing out the daylight.
“Kill the witch!”
“Seize the castle!”
“Bring me the spoils!”
Horror raced through him.
“Let’s get you to safety, princess. Quickly, before they breach the drawbridge. My men can only hold them off for so long—”
She rose from her throne, descending from her dais. Her stride was not urgent, not eager to flee—the pace closer to the kind one might set for a garden stroll.
Meleanor faced her knight with a small smile. The same one she offered right before suggesting some sort of mischief.
“Lilia.”
“Princess…?”
“I refuse to run.” Her eyes flickered like green fire. “I will stand and fight.”
Panic pulsed in his ears.
“What?! Of all the foolish, hard-headed decisions you’ve made… This is absolutely the most foolish and the most hard-headed one!! I won’t let you go out there. I can’t. You’ll be…!”
A fist closed around his throat. The word died there, half-formed.
“What is it that you wish to say? That I will be hurt? Killed?” Meleanor challenged. So steadfast, so brazen. “You think so little of your princess.”
“This is NOT the time to argue the technicalities!! We need you safe and well, Meleanor-sama. Think of your people! Think of Levan, your child...!"
Think of me.
She bared her teeth. “What is my power for, if not to protect those I love?”
Her gaze lowered to her egg, then to Lilia. “... You must flee to Black Scale Castle. They will not be able to follow you that deep into the mountain range.”
"I won’t abandon you. If you will stay, then let me fight alongside you as your sword and shield!"
"You have already done plenty for me. Do not mean to play the role of martyr too." Meleanor straightened, looking the part of a regal ruler. “You must go. I have guests to receive.”
"Argh, you stubborn princess!! How will you fight by yourself when you have your child to consider?"
"That," she laughed softly, "is a simple riddle."
His eyes sharpened with recognition of her next scheme. Meleanor wordlessly deposited the egg into Lilia’s arms. It was warm, humming from within the shell.
A life yet to be born, wishes yet to come true.
“I am entrusting you with Malleus,” she murmured sadly. “Please take care of him in his parents' absence."
“Don’t speak that way!!" Lilia snapped.
Don't speak as though we will never meet again, as though this is the final page of our story.
“In the first place, I could never… I can’t raise this child. I don’t know what it is like to love—not the way you and Levan do. I’ve never had parents. I can’t be one, not when I don’t understand that kind of love!”
Meleanor’s face softened. “But you love me, don’t you? And you love Levan too.”
He nodded. Slow, hesitant. “We were young. It was a long time ago,” Lilia mumbled.
“You love us,” she grinned, “so surely you are capable of loving our child, the product of our love—and Malleus will feel that. He will respond to you.”
“I’m not…”
“You are deserving of love, Lilia.” This, Meleanor spoke firmly. “Do not let yourself believe otherwise. I shall never forgive you if you do.”
The shouts were growing louder. The castle shuddered, stopped, and shuddered again. Doors being rammed at, forced open.
“Go,” Meleanor hisses. “This is an order from your princess. You cannot refuse.”
She had told that to him many times before. In dreams, in their games. Now, it hurt to hear more than any blow he had taken from battle.
Something in him gave, and instead of stepping away, he stepped forward. Inching closer to the woman out of his reach, but never touching her.
“I’m scared,” Lilia confessed, quiet as snowfall. “What if I lose you like we lost Levan?”
Then I will be alone again.
“Be not afraid,” she reassured him. Meleanor did not meet him in the eyes.
“Do you promise we will meet again?” he pressed. The egg felt as molten as magma against his armor. “Do you swear?”
BAM!!
The grounds shook—the Silver Owls had successfully taken down a set of barricaded doors.
The cries had reached a fever pitch. Boots trampling upon the sacred grounds. Louder than ever.
Meleanor’s expression darkened, turning grave. It was the look of men at midnight, alone in the woods. Hollow, haunted, unsure of their fate.
No.
“No…!!”
He launched himself at his princess, a hand outstretched for hers. She made no effort to reach for his.
Did not have to.
Lilia fell short, his foot snagging on something. He instinctively twisted his body, shielding the egg in his arms from the floor. His gaze tore to his ankle, where bramble has sprouted up and tangled itself with him.
More thorns crept up around him, swallowing the ceiling, the walls. They latched onto his limbs, dragging him away, away from her. He grunted, struggling against them, against his fate.
Her doing, her magic.
"... Farewell, Lilia."
Tears prickled. His voice raised, pleading with her.
"Meleanor-sama, don't do this.”
She walked past him and ahead, forever out of his grasp.
"Farewell, Malleus."
He tried again, even knowing it was futile.
The bramble was weaving together, forming a tough wall between him and her.
"Meleanor-sama...!"
Through the last opening, a perfect circular window, she uttered her final words to him. That knowing, daring grin. Eyes beholding a gleam brighter than starlight.
"May the Night bless you."
And then she was lost to him forever.
"MELEANOR!!!"
Lilia laid a hand upon the ajar doors to the fallen castle. Fingers curled. At last, he had made it to the frame separating the inside from out.
“... That was the last time the princess was ever heard of. The end to her tragedy.”
He summoned his strength and broke free, entering the waiting night.
The moon, a spotlight for the two.
Silver bristled as he felt his first cool breeze. Still, he did not fully burrow into his blanket—for his glimpse of the stars stilled that instinct. That's right, Lilia thought, of course he would be enchanted. It's his first sky.
Many firsts.
"If you like that, you'll be excited to know that it's always changing. There are a number of new skies to see. It follows us wherever we go."
So we will never be alone.
The sky, so sprawling, so grand. So accustomed to everything and anything.
His small, lonely, insignificant existence was nothing compared to it.
Ah.
A single tear rolled down his cheek, landing on Silver's nose. The infant stilled, feeling the wetness upon his skin.
Lilia furiously wiped it away, then rubbed at his traitorous eyes. The sadness failed to recede, the memories welling. Promises, hopes, dreams dredged up. Yesterdays calling out to him.
"... You lied, Meleanor,” Lilia rasped into the night. “You told me I would be stuck with you for a long time. So why… Why did you have to leave us so soon?”
A thousand swords stabbed into his chest. The pain radiated outward, a bloody bloom.
"It’s not fair," he sobbed, hanging his head. "It’s not fair at all. Meleanor, Levan… You’ve gone off together to a place I cannot reach, a place I cannot run to. You’ve left me behind. How am I meant to go on like this?”
I'm scared. I’m scared of the dawn and the tomorrows it will bring. Tomorrows without her and him in them. Tomorrows I must face alone.
More tears, plip, plip. A light drizzle upon Silver's face.
The infant stared up through aurora eyes. Not understanding, not knowing anything.
"How could I...”
Lilia’s voice caught on something sharp. He took a trembling gulp.
How could I learn to love you? When your kind, your very father, has taken nearly everything from me?
"... Hey, Silver."
The child cooed, as if in recognition of his own name. More likely, just responding to the sound of Lilia's voice.
Silver, the color of his hair. Silver, the shine of cloud linings. Silver, the start of something new.
"Tell me. What should I do?" Lilia's forehead and his touched.
Silver kicked his bendy little legs at the contact. Flailed his arms.
“Please guide me. I’m lost." He choked up. "I’m… so lost.”
Be the moonlight that guides me in the darkness. When all hope is lost and the stars have gone out, there will always be a silver light illuminating the path out of the black forest.
Show me the way, Silver.
“Show me if I can truly love you from the bottom of my heart.”
Lilia hugged the child to him. Felt his heartbeat, the same throbbing warmth that had radiated from Malleus’s egg.
After all that time alone amid the bramble… He was here. He was alive.
Up until her final moments, she had been thinking of them. Of this. The people she cared for, a baby not yet born.
The love he had let go, the love he had lost, the love he was he had to learn… It slipped away from him so easily, like grains of sand sifting between his fingers.
Lilia sighed with his entire body. The wind, drying his tears. He looked again at the child he had taken.
Silver giggled when he saw Lilia’s face. The boy’s eyes were clear. An unclouded, colorful aurora.
A weight in his chest lifted.
“… Did you enjoy that sad story?”
No answer, but a bop on his nose. Unintentional, he was sure.
Lilia rubbed at the place where he had been struck. There was no wound, no mark. Just a rapidly fading warmth where Silver's small fist had connected.
“… Silly thing,” he groused. In spite of himself, a stuttering chuckle rose from his throat. “If it will keep you from making needless noise, then I will tell you as many stories as you like. You need only promise to not laugh if I shed another tear.”
Silver squealed—close enough of a confirmation for him.
Lilia tried smiling. The corners of his mouth quiver before giving up.
Meleanor’s parting words floated to him. “May the Night bless you.” With that, it was the end of her tale.
The very same words uttered anew, a blessing for the boy once blonde. A fresh chance, the beginning of a new story.
Lilia looked to the horizon.
The first rays of sun were peering through the darkness. Gold streaking black in small slivers. Dawn had arrived.
A new chapter to their fairy tale.
#twst#twisted wonderland#Lilia Vanrouge#Meleanor Draconia#Malleus Draconia#Silver#Levan Draconia#disney twisted wonderland#spoilers#imagine this#beyond the looking glass#twst imagines#twisted wonderland imagines#twst scenarios#twisted wonderland scenarios#angst#tw // war#Bal Zigvolt#Baul Zigvolt#Baal Zigvolt
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Sherlock Holmes was an otherworldly creature indeed. I am no man of superstition, although I vaguely remember my grandmother’s tales of daione sìth. Holmes did not distinctly resemble any of the fair folk, these light, ethereally beautiful golden-haired men and women, and yet somehow he gave the same impression. His smooth, almost catlike movements reminded me of cait-sìth and, in all honesty, during investigations he often was the very picture of a predator pursuing the prey or cat playing with mice. I could easily imagine him in the highlands of my homeland, windy and boundless, as to my mind he had the soul of Scottish winds, but I also understood perfectly well that there was no place for him anywhere except in London, hustling and bustling and pulsating with life, crimes and mysteries.
He was not completely detached from the human world, basically having an excellent understanding of human affections, related to the motives of crimes, such as love or envy, though his knowledge clearly came from prolonged observation rather than from personal experience. He was wise enough to seek my aid when something eluded his understanding, which I prefer to consider as a sign of trust on his part.
He was too theatrical or too aloof at times — traits that I mostly attribute to the eccentricity inherent in genius. He also aged much more slowly than me, but this could easily be associated with our slightly spreading ages and his lack of habit of taking anything too personally, which I am often guilty of. Although in the decade we knew each other, I turned almost half gray, and he remained largely the same, except for a couple of new wrinkles and heavier bags under his eyes.
His voice was the voice of a siren or ben-varrey and he had a natural gift of instantly capturing the attention of everyone in the room with the help of said voice and some kind of internal magnetism, which made people instinctively trust him and obey him.
And yet my favourite of his many noble traits I dedicated myself to immortalise was perhaps his benevolence. With such a mind, such power, it would be too easy to use it for evil, something we had unfortunately seen too many times. His gaze on me which I felt quite often was never heavy or insolent and had not ever bothered me. Clients — those at least who seemed nice and did not irritate him immediately — he treated with kind patience, amiable interest and generous if sometimes mannered hospitality, being rude not out of intention to offend, but simply out of his energetic, eccentric nature.
“I am afraid I have accidentally enchanted you, my dear friend", he suddenly said, somewhat sadly and apologetically, one quiet evening on Baker Street. “That kind of devotion that you show to me cannot be expected from any man under normal circumstances.”
“That kind of devotion,” I thought to myself ruefully later that night, “has nothing in common with sidhe’s enchantments.”
This is my first attempt to capture Jeremy Brett's magnificence, and I feel like I haven't done him justice, so there will probably be other takes. Also first attempt in publishing something on Tumblr and nearly first — in writing in English, so feel free to point out any mistakes.
Following a long and good fandom tradition, I consider Watson to be Scottish, hence the writing of almost all the creatures mentioned in Scots.
The cat-sith, whose existence I learned about unacceptably late and did not change anything much, is hunting in the Scottish wastelands. It has an unhealthy addiction to corpses, so it is recommended to distract him with games and riddles, as well as warmth. Doesn't remind you of anyone? However, while writing, I mostly thought about the classic sidhe, adjusted for, uh, almost everything.
I don't know myself whether he is a magical creature, think what you want. To be honest, being portrayed as a magical creature seems unfair to Holmes as a character — part of his charm for me is precisely the fact that he is human, an outstanding human being.
#granada holmes#sherlock holmes#jeremy brett#ficlet#poorly blended fairytales#sorry to all folklorists out there
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New Fiction Podcasts - 15th November
Many Magical Tales - Short Stories For Kids
Audio Book
Dive into a world of imagination with our captivating short audiobooks for kids. Our podcast showcases original stories brought to life through expert narration, enchanting music, and immersive sound effects, ensuring a magical storytelling experience for young listeners.
https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231027-04
RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/ebbbbcb4/podcast/rss
Dead Evil Tales
Audio Drama
Welcome to Dead Evil Tales Horror Podcast, the unearthly portal to your monthly dose of horror, where the shadows hold secrets and every creak in the floorboards echoes with dread. Our stories delve deep into the macabre, unearthing ghosts, monsters, and the essence of quintessential British horror. These tales are masterfully crafted by talented authors from the UK, bringing you narratives soaked in history, heritage, and blood, all steeped in the dark waters and lonely cemeteries of the British isles. Welcome to Dead Evil Tales. Dare you listen?
https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231029-03
RSS: https://feed.podbean.com/DeadEvilTales/feed.xml
The Fall of Vhul
Audio Book
Hello to you out there, my little sliver of warmth in this dark place.vLet me tell you of my world, Vhul. Its history, the memories of its people, they drift upon the black sea roiling just outside these walls. And if I am lucky, I can pluck something worth telling from those depths before They begin to notice …
https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231101-09
RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2270429.rss
Wayfarer: A Hunter the Reckoning Actual Play
Audio RPG
In the wake of tragedy, with enemies at their backs and nowhere safe to turn, a cell of hunters pack up everything they can manage to carry with them and hit the road, desperate to formulate a plan to save themselves and avoid repeating the mistakes of the recent past.
https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231102-01
RSS: https://feeds.castos.com/x4ww4
MAGE: Award Winning Fiction Novel
Audio Book
Audio version of the award-winning action-adventure story that asks: what if we could feel the future before it arrives? When disaster survivor Ambra Lightstone is confronted by an otherworldly stranger, she is set on a collision course with the vengeful heir of a hidden civilisation, and must prevent him from unleashing a terrible force that will change the face of the earth - and to safeguard a technology that could save it. From the canals of Venice, to the far northern Arctic, to remote outback Australia, MAGE explores the depths of our outer and inner worlds in relation to one of the biggest challenges facing humanity in the 21st century.
https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20230819-04
RSS: https://www.spreaker.com/show/5934661/episodes/feed
Post-Apocalyptic Joe in a Cinematic Wasteland
Audio Book
After a nuclear war destroys the world as we know it, Joe finds himself in a post-apocalypse full of monsters inspired by his favorite movies. A humorous sci-fi serial fiction audiobook podcast from author Joe Gillis.
https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231102-02
RSS: https://podcast.joegillis.com/podcast/rssfeed/1878.rss
Las Crónicas de Ampersand
Audio Drama
Es el año 2015, los viajes en el tiempo son reales, y todos quieren tener ese poder. Ampersand es una organización no gubernamental que regula las máquinas del tiempo, así como a los psicópatas, narcisistas y maquiavélicos que intentan controlar la historia moderna de la humanidad. Davz Dherris es reclutado para capturar a un ex miembro del proyecto pegasus, impulsado por DARPA, que intentará controlar máquinas del tiempo. Dherris debe evitar que la tiranía del tiempo sea establecida.
https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231103-01
RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/c5536824/podcast/rss
Ghost: Scary Stories Daily
Audio Book
Discover a new world of terror and suspense with 'Ghost', the ultimate daily podcast for for the most terrifying tales of your life! Each day, through October until the scariest night of the year, we’ll bring you bone-chilling ghost stories that will have your heart racing and your spine tingling. Whether you tune in during your morning commute or prefer to be transported into the dark corners of the supernatural right before bed, 'Ghost' guarantees a hair-raising experience like no other. Get ready to face your deepest fears and join us on this haunting journey leading up to Halloween.
https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231001-11
RSS: https://www.spreaker.com/show/5960964/episodes/feed
Bopop Originals
Audio Drama
Compulsively addictive and thought-provoking audio drama shorts curated and produced by our team at Bopop Media Productions—come pop the culture pill with us.
https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231105-01
RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/ea9987bc/podcast/rss
Underwater
Audio Drama
Ana is a woman on the run. Nico was sent to find and return her. Their instant connection changes everything and threatens both their lives. UNDERWATER is a sexy, neo-noir thriller and a first-of-its kind narrative album, featuring original music by Jason Derulo.
https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231031-13
RSS: https://www.omnycontent.com/d/playlist/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/a58268c9-86ec-4762-a8a5-b07b00fca7cf/38bf0357-d4a5-47bb-a251-b07b01083cfc/podcast.rss
Parole Nomadi
Audio Book
Parole Nomadi è un progetto di scrittura creativa che si fonda sull’idea che l’arte generi arte: partendo da fotografie, poesie, disegni (e altre forme d’arte) nascono così racconti che si legano con la creazione artistica originaria. Da oggi, grazie alla collaborazione con Giovani Reporter, questo progetto diventerà podcast: ogni mese verrà narrato un testo ispirato ai contenuti donati nel corso degli anni. Per questo, se voleste approfondire, potrete trovare il racconto (con le rispettive forme d’arte a cui è ispirato) sia su Instagram (parole.nomadi), sia sul sito giovanireporter.org.
https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231106-01
RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/ebc1131c/podcast/rss
Broken Hearted
Audio Drama
Have you ever had a friendship end that hurt more than any break-up possibly could? Jaretzi is losing a friend and they don't know what to do about it, everything would be more simple if they knew what they did wrong. But that is the thing about friendship, nothing is straight-cut. A story about a friendship like all others and how difficult it is to let people go.
https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231104-01
RSS: https://pinecast.com/feed/broken-hearted
Halcyon: The Book Of Paimon
Audio Drama
New York City, 1904. What appears to be a simple carnival and sideshow on the outskirts of Coney Island turns out to be much more than it seems to its latest addition to the carnival's close-knit family. Rooted in historical events, characters, and theology, Halcyon gives a unique perspective to the fantasy and horror genre. Dive deep into the mystical, the terrifying, and the unknown as the mysterious Professor Paimon offers you a contract you can't refuse...
https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231030-08
RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/653ed786753d4300126944e9
Dark Dead Things
Audio Book
Dark Dead Things is a horror and weird fiction podcast.
https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231101-10
RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2270137.rss
Travelling Light
Audio Drama
Travelling Light is a science fantasy podcast from the creator of Monstrous Agonies. Follow the Traveller on their journey through the stars as they collect stories for their community archive, and help shape their world through audience submissions and choose-your-own-adventure decision making.
https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231109-01
RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/travelling-light
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So what is "A Crow's Tale" about?
“A Crow’s Tale” is a story that takes place in a modern fantasy world, with the base of it being very reminiscent of that of DND (Dungeons and Dragons), but those whimsical and fantastical days of adventures through enchanted forests or fiery wastelands had ended abruptly years ago when the pantheons had suddenly vanished and all doorways into the inner and outer worlds had closed, causing magic to weaken with it. Several world wars have occurred, three to be exact, and the world struggled for some time until it finally began to industrialize, using a mix of technology and old arcane tricks. Since the first few eons of industrialization, magic has since depleted from the world.
Or so people think
The main story takes place in the city-state of Great Aelton, a large city sitting on the coast of Phavaria, one of the many continents scattered across the northern hemisphere. Taking the perspective of a group of college kids who unintentionally become part of an ongoing murder investigation that unravels into a web of paranormal and supernatural mysteries, later uncovering that someone is trying to bring magic back, gifting unfaithful individuals the power that only warlocks or wizards could once possess, and creating horrible monsters. But there are secrets buried within the layers of these mysterious events, and it's now their job to uncover them before it's too late
(This was partially taken from my rp blog but its the best summary I can provide)
I really want to make a comic series out of it with a bunch of my ocs and character designs I've made but haven't really had a place to put them (until now)
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So, who am I, what do I do, and where can you find my work?
I’m J. Lily Corbie, although you can call me Jasmine, and I write and cook. I mostly write horror and some fantasy. Occasionally I dip my toes in science fiction, too. I like to cook big holiday meals, too, and I provide both recipes and how to tackle order/timing to get everything to the table on time.
You can find a lot of my work over on Wordpress, but there’s a rundown of everything that’s available right now:
Like Dolls: You can stretch on my unquiet grave and wail as much as you want, but I’m trying to enjoy being dead here. You can listen free on Pseudopod (first link), or you can read it in For Mortal Things Unsung. (Horror, body horror)
She and I: Sometimes it takes a while, but kindred souls can find each other. You can listen or read on Cast of Wonders. (Flash, horror, YA, implied suicide)
Come to the Water: Coming to terms with your queer feelings for your best friend and your fear of loneliness and abandonment is scary, so why not avoid all that and go to the river monster who promises you never have to feel lost or alone again? (Horror, YA)
Piece by Piece: Tori has a box filled with darkness, and as the world around her erases her, it’s easier and easier to banish pieces of herself into the dark. (Horror, body horror, self harm, assault)
Grief like Pearls: The Little Mermaid made her choice and left her family behind. They all had to find ways to cope with that loss. (Fantasy, fairy tale, self harm)
Errant: The Enchanted Pig told the Princess she had to wear through three pairs of iron shoes and blunt an iron staff to break his curse. When she found him again, he told her his curse had been extended and he had to wait out the time, so he punished her. Since they were both free from their curses, she left him to make her own life. (Fantasy, fairy tale)
Between the Daring and the Dark: Bryony maintains a space station known as a lighthouse by herself...and pirates have arrived. My least favorite title. If I ever write about unionizing the asteroid belt, this is where the story will start. (Science fiction)
In Blue: Falasha dreams of being a snake woman, but if she wants to shed her skin, it won’t be that easy. (Horror, body horror, abuse, mention of miscarriage)
Women Who Live Between the Worlds: My love letter to all the woman of Lovecraft’s work. (Horror)
Beautiful Wasteland: Danna tried to save a little piece of wild from the heart of the city, and it took root. (Horror)
Catalyst: Many generations removed from Earth, Mara, Keid, and Chameleon not only made a safe place for themselves, they’re helping other people find their place in the vast universe, too. (Science fiction)
Nothing to Fear: The enchanted forest is filled with fantastic and terrifying things...but sometimes you have to be careful about what you should fear and who you should trust. (Fantasy, YA)
The Kinchin Cure: My book about a queer found family and what they have to do to stay together when pirates burn down their home and kidnap one of them--and not the one the pirates thought they wanted. They’ll team up with a deposed pirate captain and killer mermaids, sure, and why don’t they stop the person who’s been stealing children to use their parts to manufacture medicines and cosmetics while they’re at it. Stop disease-spreading vampires, too? Sure. Even though the vampires are mostly bothering rich people, so maybe they aren’t all bad. You can read the whole book for free starting with the link to chapter one, or you can buy it at Smashwords or most other fine ebook retailers. There are also a couple of recipes from the book available on the blog. (Dark fantasy, content warnings here)
#amwriting#queer found family#queer fiction#writeblr#short story#novel#original fiction#original novel#fantasy#horror#science fiction#mermaids#pirates#monsters#what i done wrote#vampires
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Happy STS!!❤️
I just recently came across The Plague Begins with me, and I'm already so into it. Talk to me about it — anything you want, I'd love to hear it!
hello and how are you?
Happy Belated Storyteller Saturday, R! Sorry that this took a bit to get to, we had a whole day yesterday and decided to do these late last night and post them today.
But oh my goodness, thank you for checking out our work! We are glad that The Plague Begins With Me got your attention! And since you asked so nicely, let's see if we can't get some five facts for you to know about it! And since it is Storyteller Saturday, let's focus on the story aspects of the WIP, yes?
Content Tag List (ask to be added or removed)
@a-completely-normal-writer | @aalinaaaaaa | @autumnalwalker | @bardic-tales | @emersonjydestein | @enchanted-lightning-aes | @fearofahumanplanet | @howsweetthewords |@jessica-writes22 | @junypr-camus | @lockejhaven | @midnights-melodiverse | @papercutsunset | @talesofsorrowandofruin
cw: fourth mark talks about exposure to the Dowsing Plague and the crude means of survival and "treatment" to said exposure. It is definitely not any kind of specific, but please be aware that mentions of amputation and death are there.
Keep yourselves safe. Please let us know if anything needs to be added or removed.
First and foremost,
this story holds itself on the very edge of the despair. It starts when most of the characters are more than ready to just live until they either, die, get infected, find that final good spot to live, or someone takes them out. It kind of has a lot of muted tension and suspense to it bc of this!
No one is expecting to survive this zombie movie, and honestly, a lot of them are kind of waiting for their execution via mercy kills.
On the Second,
we want the story to be able to shift between the present and the past. Almost like flipping a coin, the small thoughts and moment of Zero shifting from her present work as mercy killer and bounty hunter to the times when she was the target, and the one within need of a mercy death.
And for the Third,
honestly, at this point, we think the only "antagonist" to behold is Hope. It is a weird stance, and we definitely might shift it, but we kind of do like the story as it is. The ones "triggering" and "angering" things, stirring everything up and throwing everyone for a loop, are the very few who haven't yet decided to accept the thought that the World will end with the Dowsing Plague. They want to find a cure, fix it in some way, and that makes them so much more dangerous than any "villain" within the wastelands.
Also the Fourth,
this story definitely has a lot of "your actions have consequences."
It is not a very nice and gentle story that gives off warnings and close encounters, and we kind of show it in some moments where exposure leads to the "Five Minute Death Count."
Not going into too much detail, one of the Variants of the Dowsing Plague - they call these victims, Creepers - is vicious and fast; it only takes five minutes for the exposure of the Variant to destroy you. So a lot of the time, any kind of exposure is led to someone counting down, and the survivors doing whatever possible to ensure the exposed's survival. In one instance, this leads to very crude amputation.
If the exposure is ensured to ruin them - or in one instance where the exposed tries to hide their exposure and wound but is found out - Death is the only thing that comes from it. And Zero is more than ready to kill one person in order to save her Company.
And Last But Not Least,
Mostly everyone in the Company is the mom friend, but also, they have guns and will spray peroxide in your face. o(*≧▽≦)ツ┏━┓
This Ask Led To 115 Words! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
Into The Word Box: 8,035
#Runes of Knowledge#storyteller saturday#sts#answered asks#The Plague Begins With Me#plague.b.me#cw: death mentions#cw: amputation methods mention#into the word box#onto the next hundred+
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A CROW'S TALE RP BLOG
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》Ocs/Crossover/Canon friendly
》Semi-Literate/Literate
》Semi-Selective
》Interactions/Asks are very much welcomed, in fact, I encourage them. (Please do not be afraid to interact with my kids)
Note: If I follow you I will be following you from my main account arabiidhound
》MUN INFO 》RULES 》OC LIST
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“A Crow’s Tale” is a story that takes place in a modern fantasy world, with the base of it being very reminiscent of that of DND (Dungeons and Dragons), except those whimsical and fantastical days of adventures through enchanted forests or fiery wastelands had ended abruptly years ago when the pantheons had suddenly vanished and all doorways into the inner and outer worlds had closed, causing magic to weaken with it.
Several world wars have occurred, three to be exact, and the world struggled for some time until it finally began to industrialize, using a mix of technology and old arcane tricks. However since the first few eons of industrialization, magic has since depleted from the world.
Or has it…?
The main story takes place in the city-state of Great Aelton, a large city sitting on the coast of Phavaria, one of the many continents scattered across the northern hemisphere. Taking the perspective of several brave young individuals who unintentionally become part of an ongoing murder investigation that unravels into a network of paranormal and supernatural mysteries, later uncovering that someone is trying to bring magic back, gifting unfaithful individuals the power that only warlocks or wizards could once possess, and creating horrible monsters. But there are secrets buried within the layers of these mysterious events, and it's now their job to uncover them before it's too late…
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✋: My muse puts their cold hands onto your muses back to surprise them // from carl
there's something beautiful about winter.
the harsh cold and light snowfall make survival harder, yes, but there's something enchanting about it. something that makes the land look magical, something out of a fairy tale rather then the desolate wasteland the world really is.
but they are more then happy to live out this fantasy for the time being, forgetting walkers and scavengers and death and everything bad---
in favor of more festive feelings, accumulating more and more new memories each day that give them a sense of purpose and joy. this was one of those moments, staring out a frosted window at the gentle fall of snow, ginger curls tied back into a short, messy ponytail before something chilled touches their bare skin, slips down their neck and under their shirt to the freckled flesh of their back.
erebus squeals, whirling around and flailing an arm wildly in surprise, green eyes narrowing at the sight of their attacker. "c-carl! you're so m-mean!"
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In the land of Aurelia, where the border between technology and magic blurred, there existed a mechanical owl, an epitome of the zenith of artificers' skill and enchanters' might. Its name was Oraculum, the Seer of Destinies. Crafted from aetherium and gemstones, it roosted atop the great Geomantic Locus, a place where the leylines of the world converged.
One misty dawn, as the twin suns of Aurelia rose, a figure approached the Geomantic Locus. This was not just any traveler, but the sentient android replica of the legendary Stonewall Jackson, a general from a time and place long forgotten, reincarnated here by a twist of interdimensional fate. With his memory cores filled with tactics and histories of ancient battles, this Stonewall had come to seek guidance for an impending conflict that threatened to unravel the very fabric of Aurelia.
As Stonewall approached Oraculum, the mechanical owl's eyes glowed with an ethereal light, and it spoke with a voice that resonated with the wisdom of ages. "Stonewall Jackson, you stand before me, a man out of time, a construct of war seeking peace. What is it you desire?"
"I seek the path to victory, for the enemies of Aurelia are many, and my allies are few," Stonewall replied, his voice betraying no emotion, yet his programming unable to conceal his dire need for assistance.
Oraculum's metallic feathers shimmered, and it opened its wings, revealing an intricate array of gears and crystalline circuits. "The key to your victory does not lie within tactics or strategy, but within the hearts of those you fight beside. You must unite the factions of Aurelia, for only together can they withstand the onslaught."
Stonewall processed this, his synthetic mind racing. "And how am I to achieve such unity?"
The owl's eyes projected a map made of light onto the ground, showing points of strife and harmony. "You must travel to the core of the rebellious territories. There, you will find a crystal similar to the ones that give me life. It is fractured, much like your alliances. Repair it, and you will repair the bonds between your people."
Stonewall nodded, accepting the quest. He embarked on a journey across the continent, through wastelands and cities alight with neon signs of modernity, to the heart of the rebellion. Along the way, he gathered a following, not of soldiers, but of those who believed in a future of unity.
Upon reaching the territory, Stonewall found the crystal. Using his own aetherium core to power the repair, he fused the crystal back to wholeness, and with it, the people of Aurelia felt a resurgence of hope and camaraderie.
The factions united, and when the enemy came, they found not a land divided, but a united front, led by Stonewall Jackson, the android with the soul of a general and the heart of Aurelia itself.
In the aftermath of their resounding victory, Stonewall returned to Oraculum. "The crystal is whole once more, as are the people of Aurelia," he reported.
Oraculum's eyes dimmed softly. "Then my purpose is fulfilled. You have brought peace, Stonewall Jackson, and for that, you will be remembered not as a construct of war, but as a harbinger of unity."
And so, in the annals of Aurelian history, the tale of Stonewall Jackson and the mechanical owl that guided him became a legend, a story told to remind all of the power of unity, and of the strange, beautiful magic that arises when technology and ancient wisdom combine.
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Tales from my enchanted wasteland….
#photographers on tumblr#artists on tumblr#conceptual photography#urban#black an white#original photographers#monochrome#tales from my enchanted wasteland#katharina rhein#rustbelt
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@exalted--zealotry:ㅤㅤ"All roses have their thorns - we both know this, of course; gardeners must wear gloves when tending to roses before they are fit for bare hands, lest they be cut upon the thorns. But not I; let your thorns sting my hands as much as they want, let as much blood of mine be spilled as necessary, let my hands bear each and every scar - any sacrifice will be worth it, if I can hold you in my bare hands, Crystal."
ㅤㅤSweetness ripped like fruits in full bloom spring.ㅤBewilderment takes hold,ㅤa knot forms inside barren wasteland chest and a breath is held for a pair of seconds as a result.ㅤIt takes a few to wear off.ㅤOh,ㅤto caught the woman of springtide hair and death’s scent back was such an achievement.ㅤThe moment shatters and all it has beckon is a curvature resembling a crescent moon to carve itself against porcelain features.ㅤThis time it shows without effort,ㅤit bleeds and blends into the countenance from the moment’s catharsis,ㅤto which she has attempted to cover with a right gloved handㅤ—ㅤsometimes surprises come when you least expect them.
ㅤㅤWords are words,ㅤeasy to let the wind swap them away.ㅤThey bloom and rot easily,ㅤshe knows.ㅤThey work like antithesis,ㅤtheir very cores in opposing sides;ㅤas well as their own existence here and there,ㅤnowhere and everywhere.ㅤOpposites attract,ㅤafter all.ㅤTo be compared to such forces quivers and elicits the glimmering side of hers to continue radiating.ㅤHe must know that the femme doesn’t take them seriously and still,ㅤher eardrums find themselves enchanted with the siren’s call.ㅤㅤThen,ㅤlet it be blood.ㅤLet the mess be an altar of worship louder enough for those lowering ones to hear the intriguing sensations that would drive anyone absolutely mad.ㅤ
ㅤㅤPlush tiers grin,ㅤthere are a lot of things making that muscle trapped between ribs and vines a drumming sound.ㅤTo close the gap betwixt and be able to tell the tale,ㅤan ichor of seven sins;ㅤa paradoxy of entity in its finest form with delicate fingertips gliding towards the contrary's cheekbone.ㅤA caressing almost too sweet,ㅤextremely relevant and unusual tracing his form.ㅤㅤ❛❛ㅤㅤDo it,ㅤㅤ❜❜ㅤㅤAn alluring disguised as a dare.ㅤIf you go so far as to confess it that way,ㅤfinish it.ㅤㅤ❛❛ㅤㅤembrace me.ㅤㅤ❜❜ㅤㅤ
#exalted--zealotry#&ㅤ⸻ ㅤ🦋 * ´ㅤ𝑰𝑪.ㅤhollowㅤgroundsㅤforㅤbloomingㅤrosesㅤinㅤtheㅤnight.#i am so normal about them. SO NORMAL
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— OC NAME MEANINGS
i was tagged by the loveliest @chuckhansen, @leviiackrman, @honeysides, @loriane-elmuerto , @scungilliwoman, @johnnycranes and @preachercuster to share the meanings of my ocs names! thank you dears ur all the sweetest!
TAGGING: @griffin-wood, @themysteriouslou, @starsummoners, @jmiacolt, @kenabres, @florbelles, @lustyargonianmaid, @jackiesarch, @taliaferros, @maeflower, @shellibisshe, @yennas, @amistrio, @roberthouses, @lacunafiction and anyone that would like to do this or would like to do a round two! 🖤🥀
(x.x)
POLINA is a russian, ukrainian, bulgarian and greek form of paulina/apollinarya. paulina, has origins meaning "small" or "humble" in latin. apollinarya originates from apollo meaning strength, father lion or light, and “to destroy” and the name of greek god of sun and light.
VELICHKOVA is the feminine form of velichkov meaning “son of velichko” derived from the slavic word veliku meaning “great” polina changes her surname from her mother's maiden name VODENICHAROVA (meaning “miller" in bulgarian) after being accepted as her father’s daughter and heir.
THALASSIA is of greek origin from the word thalassa, meaning “the sea.” and represents the personification of the sea, namely, the mediterranean. and is sometimes considered the mother of aphrodite. ISET means “(she) of the throne” and is associated with the goddess of sky and nature in egyptian mythology.
MEDE is most likely derived from the anglo-saxon word meaning “meadow.” this was the name chosen by the once known royal family of the shuriman empire. a near millennia ago, it was adopted after their departure from their ancestral home, following the betrayal and assassination of their ancestor azir, the god emperor of shurima. and consequentially, the fall of their empire as a result.
BELLONA is of roman mythological origin meaning “to fight” this was the name of the roman goddess of war, a companion of mars. GIOVANA is the portuguese brazilian variant of the italian name giovanna, which originates from the name john that means, “god is gracious”
BANCROFT is derived from old English bean meaning “bean” and croft meaning “small enclosed field"
ZELDA is the short form of the english name griselda that adopts the germainic elements gris “grey” and hild “battle.” this was the name of a patient wife in medieval folklore. zelda would be more associated with the battle portion than being a patient wife if anyone who knows her can attest to that... maybe someday. that day will not be anytime soon if she can help it.
EXPÓSITO is the spanish cognate of esposito that means "exposed" in italian.
MORGAINE is the french form of morgan which means “born of the sea.” and is associated with the arthurian sorceress morgan le fay. morg's mom was a computer hacker based out of new reno, and found the name from a login of the last user of a computer she hacked while on a job. it fits her though, she’s widely known for her beautifully enchanting voice in the mojave that can charm the hardest of hearts.
MOONE is a given name and a variant of word and name moon. it has origins in the old english mōna. and was also the last name of the last user on that computer.
YELENA is the russian form of the name helen, originating from hellene meaning “torch,” “corposant,” or the related name selene meaning, “moon.” james’ grandmother was named helen and catherine’s family had come by submarine to the capital wasteland from russia on a research mission into the mutations of the flora and fauna as a result from the nuclear warheads.
VORONIN is derived from russian vorona meaning "crow".
LÍADÁIN is of irish origin, the meaning possibly originates from líath meaning “grey” in an old tale it was the name of a poet turned nun, but missed her lover cuirithir to the point she died of grief.
EDELGARD is a german name derived from the germainic elements adal “noble” and gard “enclosure.” the majority of her mother sibylla’s family resides in berlin and she was named after her great aunt, a pianist and student of the great composer and pianist himself johannes brahms. musical talent truly runs through her veins. HEDY is a german and dutch name that means “battle” and “combat” her parents decided on the name as a nod to eddie's german and dutch heritage.
VANDERWEYDEN is of dutch origin and is a variation of van der weijden meaning “from the meadows.” her father lourens and the entirety of his handsomely wealthy family live in amsterdam and rotterdam, primarily the former.
#only if u want to though! 🖤#hi i have the most adoration for all of you THANK U FOR THE TAG i loved this SO MUCH to get to tell yall their names and meanings!#c. polina velichkova#c. thalassia mede#c. bellona bancroft#c. zelda expósito#c. morgaine moone#c. yelena voronin#c. líadáin talovaire#c. edelgard vanderweyden#eddie baby you are a BORN musician BRAHMS?! was who ur grandma learned piano from? THE? BRAHMS?!#tali was BORN for a throne it says right there in her middle name! it's what she deserves!#so with morg in her family nobody has the same last name and that was done deliberately!#in case AS IT IS THE WASTELAND and ur bound to step on someones toes so there arent ways to hurt someone in the family to get to them#<- so they all have different last names! it's a insurance thing u know>#WHEEZE at zelda bb girl is NOT a patient lady and if anyone can vouch (the seeds) she doesnt go down without a FIGHT for sure!#exposed for still being in love with john HA jhdjhbw i love zelda still though!!!! we still love you sweetheart!#heheheh polly being named the destroyer and the great we LOVE to see a lady thrive! rule gotham! or destroy it! the choice is yours babey!#leg.ocs#leg.tagged
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Current WIPs and Fic Concepts
I promised I would do this yesterday, and then I forgot!!! (I was very sleep deprived). Anyways, here are a bunch of the WIP premises that I have in my 'unfinished drafts' folder. Most have at least a few pages written for them, but I love them all! ☺️💕
- A Santa Clarita Diet AU (Jonsa) Takes place in sunny southern California, where a shitty dinner at a mediocre restaurant turns into a huge problem for Jon and Sansa when Sansa's heart stops beating. Although she seems fine, Jon is flabbergasted several days later as he watches his wife- who alphabetizes their pantry and refuses to let anyone wear shoes in the house- rip the throat out of one of the sleazy new partners at their law firm, eating half of him before anyone processes what's going on. Hilarity ensues as Sansa's inhibitions and filter disappear, Arya ropes an extremely confused Gendry into helping figure out what the hell is going on just because he moderates the zombie forum on reddit, and Jon tries to deal with the fact that the woman he loves more than anything is now a humanitarian. He really could use a drink. (This one is actually mostly complete, but i need to refine a few things- i really love it. It's as gory and irreverent as the show, so viewer discretion advised, but it's a BLAST to write).
- A Thor/MCU AU (Jonsa, Steve Rogers/Sansa)- Asgardian prince Aegon is banished to Midgard after one too many arrogant decisions, and is promptly hit by a van containing Dr. Sansa Stark, Dr. Barristan Selmy, and Margaery Tyrell- two astrophysicists studying wormholes and Sansa's best friend and pseudo-intern. Marg yells at him, he yells back, Sansa tases him, and Barristan didn't sign up for the kind of heavy lifting that getting a 200+ pound slab of muscle into the back of a van takes. And then Aegon's younger brother, Jon, shows up, in the middle of an identity crisis because, apparently, he's adopted. He wasn't intending to stay, but he's rather drawn to Dr. Stark and her brilliance, and against her better judgement, she starts to trust him, and maybe even like him. This story is in about three parts so far- the first is based on 'Thor' and the second on 'The Avengers' and are fully Jonsa, and the third started as a family bonding story between the Stark kids and Tony (Ned and Tony are second cousins, and Ned was really supportive of Tony in rehab without expecting anything in return), and accidentally turned into a Steve Rogers/Sansa Stark story, which is a pairing i am HERE for. A lot of this one is written, but it needs some fill in before publishing, although it's one of my favorites that i've written to go back and actually read.
- A Star Wars AU (Jonsa) where Sansa and Arya are Alderaanian princesses who are off planet when Alderaan is destroyed- Sansa as a senator and Arya as a pilot, both working for the rebellion, and jon is a smuggler who does not know how all of these people got on his ship and why two princesses are sassing him. His copilot, Tormund (yes he's a wookie), thinks it is hilarious. I started this one just the other day, and it's already thirty pages long, most of them involving Sansa and Arya sassing people. Dany is a leader in the rebellion, Roose Bolton is the emperor, and Barbrey Dustin is a disgruntled former jedi trying to live in peace on a remote planet until another Stark crashes into her life and harangues her into teaching again.
- A witches/magic AU (Jonsa) where the Starks run an apothecary and spellcasting supplies shop. Jon had been completely in the dark about magic before his mother confessed to being born into a family of witches. He finds himself traveling to her hometown, trying to understand her world more clearly, and what it means for him. On the way, he develops something of a crush on the red-headed shop clerk who brews the best headache potions in town. Featuring lots of magical shenanigans, this is one of my favorites in the folder :)
- A 24 hour diner AU (Jonsa) where Jon is a local mob boss, and Sansa works the late shift at Seaworth's diner to buy textbooks for the PhD she's working on in botany. Sansa's running from memories, and Jon has a soft spot for the red-headed waitress who always remembers how he likes his coffee.
- An East of the Sun, West of the Moon AU!!! (Jonsa) This is one of my fav fairy tales, and of course i couldn't resist Jon as a direwolf striking a deal with the starks!
- A Roomates AU (Jonsa)- Arya, Jon, Tormund, and Sam have been renting the same house together off Winterfell's campus for years- but when Sam moves in with his girlfriend, they need one more person on the lease. Sansa, about to relocate to Winterfell for grad school, finds out that her boyfriend has been cheating on her and that her housing plans have fallen through, all on the same day. Needless to say, she's a bit upset when she calls Arya to relay the news. There's a simple solution here, if Arya and Tormund can stop teasing Jon about his crush for five minutes. (any excuse to write tormund and arya roasting jon, tbh).
- A Fae AU (Jonsa)- When Sansa, a baker living in the city, washes her face in an enchanted spring on a camping trip, she gains the sight as a result. Suddenly able to see the fae underworld all around her is disorienting and terrifying. Sansa tries to conceal it- afraid of what might happen if the fae around her know that she can see them- but slips up, and catches the attention of Jon Snow- one of the lords of the unseelie court.
- A nuclear winter wasteland AU (Jonsa)- (?? I don't even know how to describe this premise, haha) where the Starks are living and running the Free Winterfell settlement in Siberia after a worldwide nuclear meltdown. Before the fallout, Sansa was one of the world's preeminent researchers in plant genetics and pathology, and works at the settlement to create newer, disease and radiation resistant crops to distribute for free to other settlements, aiming to break up the monopoly that Lannister Corp has on the market. Jon is a scavenger, searching throughout Siberia for his sister Rhae who disappeared several years previously. When he runs across Arya Starkovna, helping her fight off another band of radiation ravaged scavengers is just instinct- he doesn't think twice about it. In thanks, she brings him to the Winterfell settlement, where her brother Robb offers Jon sanctuary and resources, in exchange for serving as a bodyguard for Sansa when she travels to other settlements. Sansa is not particularly thrilled by this arrangement, but given that multiple parties seem to want her dead, she doesn't have much of a choice but to accept his company.
- A reincarnation AU (Jonsa)- of sorts. Robb is an archaeologist who finds a strange set of runes at a site up north, and immediately calls in Jon Snow- a historian and expert in said ancient language, as well as an old university friend of Robb's. When he arrives though, Robb shows him their most valuable finds- two mysterious ice blocks, with what appear to be perfectly preserved bodies from over a thousand years ago. No one could ever have imagined that either of them were still alive, but when the ice melts, revealing two very alive girls, the entire crew is instantly buried in NDAs, and given an assignment from the Westerosi government to figure out what the hell was going on. Sansa and Arya wake up, extremely confused about the world they live in, trying to adapt and mourning all that they've lost, even as the people around them wear familiar faces.
- Soulmates AU (Jonsa)- (Yes, another one, I love this dumb trope) Trauma surgeon and medical resident Sansa Stark is having a very bad day, and ends up meeting her soulmate during what she thinks is a mugging gone wrong. Fortunately, he’s not the one mugging her, just an intervening bystander, but she ends up slightly shot nonetheless. Sansa’s fretting about bleeding on the upholstery in his car, but Jon is a bit more worried about her injuries than the blood stains. He’s a bit confused when she threatens him if he takes her to a specific hospital, nearly has a nervous breakdown when she insists on doing her own triage, and is very charmed when she insists on ice cream after taking pain meds at the hospital. On Sansa’s part, she’s a little less concerned about being shot, and a bit more concerned about whatever weird first impression she’s making to her soulmate while high as a kite on pain pills. (this one just needs some tweaking to be postable- I'm not sure if it's going to be a oneshot or a series, but i love what I have already)
- A Demon/Archivist AU (Jonsa)- where Sansa works in the university's historical archives in Oldtown, and is learning to restore old texts with her fellow student and friend, Alleras (Trans Sarella is an amazing concept). When Joffrey Baratheon shows up with a pile of old books from his family's library to donate, Sansa is eager to get away from his sleaze, and accidentally takes one of the books home with her in her rush to leave. Unbeknownst to her, it's more than it appears, and when she leaves it open overnight, she accidentally summons forth Jon- an ancient, powerful, and extremely annoyed demon who is under a curse, and now hers to command. As Jon and Sansa try to get used to this new normal, the Lannisters (unaware that Joffrey had donated the tome) try desperately to find the book and it's owner, wanting Jon's power for themselves, and putting Sansa in considerable danger unless she can figure out how to break Jon's curse. Fortunately, she's a pretty good researcher, even if Jon is initially a bit of a grump. (This is based on a total wish-fulfillment mary-sue type premise for something I wrote when I was thirteen, and I revisited it and wanted to see what it would look like if i took it very seriously, and i am really enjoying it so far. It's a love letter to the terrible, heartfelt writing i was doing in middle school that created the foundations for my writing today, and so much fun).
The one that I am MOST excited about though:
- A Pacific Rim AU!!!! (Ned/Cat, Gendrya, Braime, Sansa/Jon Umber)-Twins Sansa and Robb Stark have always been completely in tune with each other, and when your parents are Jaeger pilots and your mother invented the neural handshake, what option is there but the Jaeger academy? Sansa studies to be an engineer, but ends up copiloting the Jaeger 'Winter Wolf' with her twin brother, after they lose Ned Stark to cancer. When Robb is ripped out of the conn-pod and killed by a kaiju while he's still connected to Sansa, she barely manages to kill the creature before stumbling back to shore, traumatized, grieving, and swearing that she'll never pilot again.
Unfortunately, the Kaiju don't stop just because Sansa does, and when the end of the world is imminent, Marshall Catelyn Stark orders both her daughter and former pilot Jaime Lannister (who lost his twin and copilot, Cersei, several years previously) back to Hong Kong for one final stand. Forced to face both her demons and an irate Arya, furious that Sansa had abandoned the rest of them after Robb's death, Sansa and Arya have to figure out how to pilot Winter Wolf together before the apocalypse comes for them all.
Featuring Marshall Catelyn Stark (commander of the Hong Kong Shatterdome, inventor of the neural handshake, former Jaeger pilot, and BAMF), Sansa x Jon Umber (Yes i know it's a rare pair but i've always kind of loved the idea of them, even though we know so little about him), Kaiju parts dealer and smuggler Petyr Baelish, bickering kaiju biologist Dany and theoretical mathematician Jon Snow, LOCCENT officer Theon, lots of snark, lots of angst and heartfelt conversations, and a weird friendship between snarky-grieving-asshole Jaime Lannister and kind-quiet-grieving Sansa Stark, who are the only two people in the world who know what it's like to lose a copilot and a twin in the drift.
Thanks for reading guys!! There are more, but some of them I just don't know how to explain quite yet, haha. I'd love to hear what you guys think about these!
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Stuff You Should Be Reading - June/July 2020
Here we go, folks! Early summer’s beautiful batch of great reading. Enjoy!
Supernatural
When the Lights Go Out by @jawritter: this AU featuring Mobster!Dean Winchester x reader is off to a great start! Reader is in dire financial straits, & signs up to be a Sugar Baby on a website with a “no sex” understanding. She has no idea who her customer truly is - one of the most notorious mobsters out there. Can’t wait to read more!
The Honorary Winchester by @fictionalabyss: this is a sequel to this writer’s phenomenal series “The Arrangement”. Elizabeth’s only goal is to be a Winchester - her family is delighted to make that happen. This story has all the fluffy goodness of TFW with a wee one, and all the shenanigans that ensue.
My precious friend @pinknerdpanda has churned out some pure artistry. Reunited is a tale about Sam Winchester after he’s lost Dean. But his journey leads him to find something else very precious - someone! Wonderful angsty goodness!
Pros and Cons by @kittenofdoomage. This writing goddess never fails to deliver. This steamy but fluffy tale features very short reader living life with very tall Sam. LOVED it!
Baby Spoon by @deanwanddamons: Dean Winchester & his other half expecting a baby. Need I say more to tempt you with all the sweet fluff?!
The Depth of Ebony by @katymacsupernatural: TFW has captured a hell hound - but not all is at it seems. Can they discover the truth behind this tortured creature? This series is phenomenal, and I can’t wait to read more!
Marvel
Psuedo Princess by @shreddedparchment King Steven of Broklin has taken a new bride, one willing to sacrifice and serve for the good of the kingdom. The road to true love is rocky for these two - can they overcome the obstacles? Beautiful story!
Smoke and Ink by my gorgeous friend @thesassywallflower. This slightly AU features ofc Anne being asked by old childhood friend, Thor, to help him save Loki. Old tender feelings compete with a painful past between the two - will fates align to bring them together? I am HERE for this series!
The Little Spy by @buckysknifecollection features post-Raft-rescue Steve Rogers and company on the hunt for sanctuary. His friends are astonished at the refuge waiting for them - more specifically, for him. Precious story that I’d love to see more of!
All My Friends are Heathens by @sebseyesandbuckysthighs: we have been blessed with a ton of great AUs lately, and this one is fantastic. Vampire!Bucky Barnes has taken refuge with his friend, Shapeshifter!Steve Rogers, amid his group of ragtag creature friends. When a member of their ‘family’ returns home, Bucky finds himself enchanted. The skill employed here to build to the climax is so, so good. You’ll love this!
Black and Blue by @the-mighty-jellybean: **Trigger Warnings** Read those before reading! This powerful AU gives us Doctor!Steve Rogers crossing paths with a domestic abuse victim that he can’t get off his mind. Great, great story.
Not Your Forever by @navybrat817: Steve Rogers left you behind, breaking your heart. When he returns, how will you respond? How will he when he sees how you moved on? I really super duper hope that the writer writes more of this!!!
Dance of Destiny by @after-avenging-hours: I looooove soul mate fics! This one is so beautifully creative! You can feel when your soul mate is dancing. So why hasn’t Reader ever felt hers?
@angrythingstarlight: I just discovered this writer, and her RPF Chris Evans fics are GOLD! As the auntie to 4 kiddos, this writer had me wheezing with her very true-to-form kid repartees with Chris. “Imma steal your doggy” (dying!). A few of these fics center around Reader out with her two nieces that are conspiring to get her on a date with Chris. Or, according to her nieces, ‘Captain America’ and ‘Dodger’s daddy’.
The Pack by @sweater-daddiesdumbdork is another great AU giving us shifter/wolf Steve Rogers. When a lost omega stumbles into his pack’s lives, Alpha Steve & his wolf find themselves falling for her tail over teakettle. Be sure to also read the drabbles that go along with the series!
Glimmer by @kentuckybarnes: Bucky Barnes and Reader awaken with no memory of how they got there, why they are there, or even who they are. This writer keeps the momentum going with plenty of quips amid the stress of their situation. Can’t wait to read more!
Cupcake Guy by @nacho-bucky: AU of soldier Bucky Barnes struggling to carve a post-war life for himself. Comforting memories prompt him to give baking a try, where he meets you. Will you help Bucky open his heart to hope for the future? Sugary sweet writing perfection!
Just us Two, also by @nacho-bucky: adorable fic that pits Sam Wilson against cute, quirky, stubborn, hangry you. LOVED!
Caught in the Fire by @dreamwritesimagines is another incredible AU where reader comes back into Mobster!Bucky’s life just when he needs her most. I’m behind on reading, but this writer never fails to impress.
@stargazingfangirl18 gives us a tenderly, beautifully written fic you can find HERE about a friend of the Avengers struggling with anxiety/panic attacks. Will she let her friends help her? ***Trigger Warnings*** discussion of anxiety, panic attacks.
The Weight by @sunriserose1023 Steve Rogers is hiding something. He has a good reason, but his struggle between duty and devotion may get him in trouble.
Solivagant by @captain-kelli: LOVED this story! Bucky Barnes is sent to what he thinks will be a frozen wasteland on a mission. Instead, he discovers more beauty than he can imagine.
Hello, Bird by @welldonebeca: there is not enough Clint Barton fics out there, and this two-part story is a great remedy for this. Sweet, fluffy fic featuring our favorite archer with his family.
Call of the Mountains by @floatingpetals: gorgeously creative AU! When reader is rescued from almost certain death, her saviour is so much more than meets the eye. What is the mysterious Bucky, Steve, and their little group hiding?
I Carry Your Heart With Me by @marvelcapsicle: another phenomenal soul mate fic FTW! In this one, soul mates can feel each other’s pain. But what happens when one of you can’t feel pain at all?
Finding Home by @promarvelfangirl: let me say now that I categorically do not like Hallmark movies. But this delightfully tender story leans into the trope so beautifully! Soldier!Steve Rogers receives a Christmas card while deployed overseas, and it becomes a lifeline for him. What happens when he meets the friendly, compassionate writer?
Sunset by @pinknerdpanda: sweetie, you did it again. Gorgeous, poetic writing about reader returned from the Snap to a world that left her behind. Beautiful!
Bring Him Light by @speechlessxx: AU giving us King Steven Rogers with a new bride. Scary stories are told about the cruel king. Can reader soften his heart? FYI - some chapters are tough reading due to themes. Well written story that I’m looking forward to future chapters!
The Taste of Blood by @the--sad--hatter: 3 words: I want more! This tantalizing AU will feature vampire!Bucky Barnes and reader. The first chapter gives us the reader who feels compelled to leave her life behind - again - as she flees an unknown-to-us danger.
#dean winchester fanfic#sam winchester fanfiction#dean winchester#Sam Winchester#Supernatural fanfic#spn fanfic#marvel fanfic#Steve Rogers#steve rogers fanfic#steve rogers x reader#bucky barnes#bucky barnes fanfic#bucky barnes x reader#sam wilson#sam wilson fanfiction#sam wilson x reader#loki#loki fanfic#loki x ofc#chris evans fanfiction#chris evans x reader#clint barton#clint barton fanfic#clint barton x reader#sam winchester x reader#dean winchester x reader#stuff you should be reading
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got to thinking about some of my pearlcatchers’ pearls
top to bottom, left to right
Arquebus: a road agent who likes to stay on the move. usually stores her pearl in a saddlebag on her manamonger mount, Vacatur. she knows basically everyone in her gang knows where her pearl is; she knows also that no one will ever dare toe it with a giant scary bear to get at it. the pearl is dingy brown in colour, believed to be the result of adding Wasteland dirt to the ichor before it has fully set. many plague pearlcatchers will tint their pearls in this way for various reasons; in Arquebus' case, it is most likely samples of dirt taken from the area where she has buried a variety of gem caches.
Kuti: engineer working for the Cachinno Company. her pearl is fantastically impractical to carry, being studded with a variety of what she calls "bling" (semi-precious gems and fancy-cut pieces of glass) that have been pushed into the ichor while setting. the result is a dangerous koosh ball that is difficult (and uncomfortable) to carry. as a result, she generally leaves her pearl in her workstation, though she is prone to misplacing it -- never for long, of course, seeing as the godawful thing is recognisable from orbit.
Scopuli: a synthetic (robot) dragon saved from the scrapyard by his wife, also a robot. being synthetic, Scopuli was never hatched and lacks the capacity to produce ichor. being a craftsdrake with some passing awareness of how others perceive him, Scopuli has made a kind of pearl using layers of blown glass treated to superficially resemble a real pearl. he has no real fondness or sentimentality for it, he just keeps it in plain view on an ornate filigreed stand during his usual business hours so folks view him as more "dragony."
Rier: a chicken who was accidentally breed changed into a pearlcatcher. his pearl is suspiciously egg-shaped and he is deeply protective of it, usually either carrying it in his arms or in the crook of his tail, or, more frequently these days, in a special leather holster his friend Lenie commissioned for him. the pearl is about as big as a dragon egg. no one brings this up.
Toloache: demolitions expert. her pearl is half set ichor, half surgical tape, and both halves are about equally miscoloured with soot, dirt, and fingerprints made of both. it's clear the pearl has been a bit too close to the business end of dynamite once or twice and only just about lived to tell the tale. Tolo sometimes doodles on the taped parts with a marker.
Dash: a tea merchant with a strong predilection for collecting knickknacks and other small "home beautifiers." Dash treats his pearl as an extension of his fashion choices, spending hours finely applying thin layers of ichor over pressed flowers to produce an ornate floral pattern extending deep into the layers of the pearl. he has a number of ornate holders around his home, store, and greenhouse, where his pearl can hold pride of place wherever he happens to be.
Rydstedt: radio host and proprietor of Sinterpick Station on the outskirts of town. his pearl is quite small, not much larger than an apple, and usually kept in one of his pockets. it is very smooth, with the appearance of a river stone. he's prone to taking it out and fidgeting with it in between broadcast segments.
Sylvia: scrollsmith and all-around enchanter with more magic capacity than seems entirely necessary. he keeps a special box of powdered selenite crystal which he uses to set his ichor, producing a pearl that is more glittery than pearlescent. the innermost layers of his pearl are enchanted, permitting the pearl to hover and drift about not unlike the world's heaviest mote of light. when the pearl gets aggressive, it's time to re-up the enchantment.
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