starburnedfarrago

[starburnedfarrago]

Mili Diaz and Riley Costello (X)

[starburnedfarrago]

“No, no--” he contested, rising up in his seat, his palm pressing more firmly against the glass. “I am. I am interested.” He probed for an organic segue point. None were forthcoming. 

“I-- um, sorry. I guess I’m a bit distracted. You, uh, had mentioned Luna?” He surprised himself, all but jumping at the familiar wingbeats of butterflies in his stomach. It had been too long, if just saying her name was making him squirm. 

“Or, um,” he laughed, voice hitching a few octaves. Fuck, what the hell was wrong with him. “I suppose I did, back at the bar?”

Of Songbirds and Vultures :: a Lunar Eclipse story

[starburnedfarrago]

unelectedofficial

𝘏𝘈𝘋  𝘚𝘏𝘌  missed  the  day  when  her  position  became  his  ?  when  ,  miraculously  ,  he  as  a  common  munchkin  became  the  governor  over  her  ?  for  oz’s  sake  ,  nessarose  wouldn’t  consider  herself  to  have  a  problem  with  thinking  that  she  was  superior  .  in  fact  ,  she  welcomed  conversation  from  boq  ,  finding  his  input  to  be  helpful  .  however  ,  her  say  was  final  –  and  if  he  didn’t  know  that  by  now  ,  he  had  a  storm  coming  .  had  it  been  her  father  making  such  decrees  ,  nessa  knew  that  he  wouldn’t  argue  ;  it  was  something  with  her  ,  something  that  made  him  not  want  to  listen  to  her  authority  .     ❛  munchkinland  must  learn  to  survive  on  its  own  ,  without  the  aid  of  any  other  part  of  the  country  .  that  includes  the  emerald  city  ,  and  the  wizard  ,  and  the  rest  of  oz  .  i  can’t  just  give  up  everything  that  i’ve  worked  towards  for  the  people  having  comfort  in  knowing  i  won’t  aid  my  sister  ,  ❜  she  says  ,  a  sour  expression  on  her  face  ,  unable  to  hold  back  a  glare  any  longer  .  ❛  you  know  more  than  anyone  .  i  despise  elphaba  for  what  she  did  to  me  ,  leaving  me  alone  at  shiz  .  you  know  ,  you  were  there  !  ❜     she  buries  her  face  in  her  hands  for  a  few  moments  ,  trying  to  remain  composed  after  having  lost  her  temper  .  somehow  ,  the  governor  manages  to  hold  back  her  tears  and  takes  a  deep  breath  before  fixing  her  hair  and  looking  at  the  other  once  more  .  his  gaze  is  averted  ,  however  ,  which  only  goes  to  irk  the  flame  of  anger  once  more  .     ❛  you  must  trust  me  ,  ❜  nessarose  says  ,  the  tone  not  allowing  for  any  argument  to  be  had  .  of  all  the  munchkins  ,  boq  had  the  least  right  to  be  worried  about  all  of  this  .  above  all  ,  she  would  protect  him  .  ❛  can’t  you  do  that  ?  you’ve  nothing  to  worry  about  .  now  ,  why  don’t  you  fetch  us  some  tea  and  we  can  discuss  this  more  ,  if  you’ve  still  got  questions  .  ❜

“That’s what this is all about?  Your pride?” He spat before he could stop himself. His indignity was notwithstanding, Boq cowed under her glare. Nessarose, under most circumstances, looked nothing like her sister. When the mantle of Munchkinland’s governor wasn’t being worn so apparently, he could see the woman underpinning the title. Her face and its gentle heart-shaped curve, her nose, small and buttoned, and sparkling doe-eyes that implored rather than commanded. He could almost pick out the girl he had danced with that night; her hair catching the wind as her chair was spun round, the music drowned out by the sound of her laughter. He might have fallen in love with her then, if Glinda (née Galinda) hadn’t so thoroughly ensnared him.

But now, hitting him with the full force of her disapproval-- the twist of her mouth, the quiet, pinprick fury in her eyes--  were too uncannily Elphaba. He bowed his head, fear so very conveniently resembling acquiescence. 

He didn’t risk an upwards glance, even when he could hear the choked, uneven rhythm of her breathing. Far gone were the days where her tears would  be regarded as a summons. His heart was no longer so tender, so ready to sympathize. He had his own tears to cry. 

“I--” A sharp word rose and died in his throat. Some fire, some ember that had been burning the day he had wheeled her into the manor, had been snuffed. He couldn’t be bothered to fight anymore.  “Yes, of course,” he supplicated. “Madame.”

      𝘔𝘖𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘚  𝘛𝘏𝘈𝘛   were  once  ever - fleeting  began  to  feel  as  though  they  lasted  for  centuries  with  boq  ,  and  it  had  been  that  way  for  a  few  months  now  .  no  matter  how  hard  nessarose  tried  to  deny  it  (  or  ,  at  the  very  least  tried  to  place  the  blame  somewhere  else  )  ,  the  fact  was  undeniable  at  this  point  .  not  to  mention  ,  it  had  begun  to  bother  her  more  than  usual  too  ,  as  her  patience  began  to  run  thin  .       ❛  do  you  think  you  could  be  happy  here  ?  for  me  ?  ❜  nessa  asks  ,  finally  breaking  the  silence  that  had  been  lingering  between  the  two  of  them  for  nearly  an  hour  .  ❛  don’t  --  don’t  just  answer  .  think  about  it  ,  before  you  upset  me  .  ❜

      ✧･ﾟ  @starburnedfarrago​  liked  for  a  starter  !

[starburnedfarrago]

He thought he was getting into his stride, recalling her name and making it stick, only to be knocked square on his ass as she introduced this whole new cavalcade of characters. His smile stiffened into one of polite incomprehension, and he did his best to nod in the correct places. 

Sophia, mhm. Classic Sophia. And a... baby? Her--? Yes, of course. Sofia’s. Sofia’s baby. Thank god, er-- congratulations. 

Such went his facial cues. It was only until the name Rose wormed its way into his ear that revelation dawned. To his credit, he suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. 

Her fucking cows. She came to visit him in his grey, clinically-lit corner of hell to talk about some shit-reeking, glaze-eyed livestock. She’d prattle on about them during their little rendezvous, when he wasn’t making sure her mouth was otherwise occupied. He half-listened then too, only managing to place a dumb, bovine face to name from the sheer repetition of it.  “Sorry, uh. To hear that,” he offered. He didn’t think consolation byway of "cows are too stupid to feel stress” would be welcome, and left the sentiment alone. 

He hummed a note a interest. “Sounds like a shit doctor. Isn’t that his job? Figuring out what can be done?”

Of Songbirds and Vultures :: a Lunar Eclipse story

[starburnedfarrago]

His lips thinned, pursed firmly to spare them both from the poison that had surged up and onto his tongue.

“I am well aware,” came his curt response. “But I can’t help but wonder why you chose to close off the rest of the State when Munchkinland is in such obvious need of help.” He anticipated the roundabout the conversation was going to take. “Elph-– your sister, would only seek refuge here if she knew you would receive her. Why not ally yourself with the Emerald City, with––” Glinda’s name rose into his throat; he dispelled it with a thick swallow . “–– with the Wizard? Let her–– the rest of Oz––  know that you hold no sympathy for what she’s doing?”

Her next question-- pointed and entirely unanswerable-- snuffed out his fire. He blinked first, dropping the accusatory stare in favor of a cold, hard look at the floor (pristine; he had just mopped this morning). 

“I--” He felt familiar tendrils wrap around his heart, and he almost had to marvel: even after all these years, all that’s happened, all that she’s done-- he still couldn’t shake that oppressive ache of guilt. Under all of the imperial airs and dark vestments, he could still make out the shadow of Nessarose, doe-eyed and gushing that he had asked her to a dance. And once again, he felt compelled to spare her the cruelty of the truth. 

“I don’t know.” He blew a terse stream of air through his nose. “I don’t know what I want. I suppose I just thought... things would work out differently.” 

𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘙𝘉𝘜𝘙𝘕𝘌𝘋𝘍𝘈𝘙𝘙𝘈𝘎𝘖

Boq maintained a stony demeanor, but he couldn’t suppress the flash of anger in his eyes. An ember buried amidst the rock an ash, in need of nothing more than a stray gale to conjure the latent fire within it. “I’m sure you have your… reasons. What I’m struggling to understand is why the rest of us have to be punished for the actions of your sister.” His voice clipped off at the end, reigning in a yell before it leapt from his tongue. With it followed the reasoning he knew he didn’t need to argue: if she could magic herself out from under the nose of the Emerald City guards, those appointed to protect The Wizard himself, how in Lurline’s name would border patrol steel their district against her? It wouldn’t, came the obvious answer. The question needn’t be asked, because he knew–– both of them knew–– that this has nothing to do with keeping certain people out. “Lucky,” he echoed, incredulous. “As opposed to… what, pray tell? What you’re putting everyone through out there?” The mask slipped, there was no tiptoeing around the sheer challenge posed in his voice. “I appreciate all that you’ve offered me, but–” he mimicked her gesture, taking in the lush decor in a sweep of his arm. “I didn’t ask for this. This isn’t what I wanted.”

      𝘛𝘏𝘌  𝘌𝘟𝘊𝘜𝘚𝘌   of  closing  borders  due  to  her  sister’s  status  was  one  that  seemed  to  work  well  ,  at  least  for  a  bit  .  she  never  should  have  underestimated  boq’s  ability  to  figure  out  that  it  was  an  untruthful  reason  (  especially  seeing  as  one  of  his  best  qualities  was  being  so  intelligent  )  .  regardless  ,  it  wasn’t  a  complete  lie  .  the  threat  of  elphaba  returning  was  imminent  ,  and  even  having  extra  border  patrol  helped  nessarose  to  feel  more  safe  .      ❛  her  being  my  sister  isn’t  the  reason  the  laws  were  implemented  ,  ❜  she  says  ,  the  topic  of  her  familial  relation  to  elphaba  having�� become  sensitive  as  of  late  .  it  gave  the  people  another  reason  to  suspect  that  her  governing  wasn’t  meant  to  be  ,  among  other  things  .  ❛  however  ,  it  gives  me  reason  to  tighten  the  security  here  ,  in  case  she  attempts  to  seek  asylum  .  ❜      a  scoff  escapes  as  he  continues  to  press  for  more  information  on  what  occurs  outside  of  the  manor  ;  it  wasn’t  as  if  he  weren’t  allowed  to  leave  and  see  for  himself  .  with  proper  permission  that  is  ,  boq  could  go  and  see  –  nessarose  would  even  show  him  ,  and  hope  he  could  see  the  necessity  in  what  was  being  done  .      ❛  surely  you  know  about  the  drought  that’s  been  upon  us  ,  ❜  nessa  explains  ,  speaking  down  to  him  .  ❛  production  has  been  at  an  all  time  low  ,  and  there  are  people  struggling  .  laws  i’ve  implemented  have  made  it  better  .  without  them  ,  people  would  starve  .  here  you’ve  a  steady  job  ,  a  place  to  sleep  ,  and  three  meals  a  day  .  ❜      nessarose  tenses  as  he  continues  his  opposition  to  all  that  has  been  offered  .  no  matter  what  was  offered  ,  something  would  always  be  wrong  .      ❛  then  what  do  you  want  ?  ❜  she  continues  with  a  huff  ,  the  whole  conversation  leaving  her  absolutely  exhaustified  .  ❛  within  reason  ,  of  course  ,  you  can  have  anything  you  want  .  ❜

[starburnedfarrago]

Her eyes visibly softened and he smiled-- a real, genuine smile this time. He didn’t entertain the idea that she didn’t believe him, he placed far too much stock in his penchant for mindgames to consider it-- but regardless, his endgame had been met, and the little victory was more than encouraging. 

“Stella,” he cooed her name, as much to butter her up as to keep it from slipping away again. “It’s not exactly HBO in here. Go on. I’m your captive audience.” 

In truth, no, he didn’t particularly care. Actually, it was only then that he was met with the reality that, yes, she very probably did have a life outside of him. One that started long before he saw her-- quite a lot of her-- on that seedy little stage, and one that very well may continue long after he grew bored of sleeping between her thighs. But he couldn’t ask for favors just yet. He couldn’t be too obvious-- although the black mood he greeted her with certainly wouldn’t weigh in his favor. 

He’d make up for it. He’d play nice-- for now. 

Neil propped up his cheek with his hand and conjured up the thought of Luna, to lend credence to a look of rapture. 

@starburnedfarrago

Against her better judgement, Stella felt her heart melting for her beloved little gremlin man.

Maybe it was just the prison thing. Maybe he really was happy to see her.

Maybe she was deluding herself like she always did, hoping for something more than a cavalier fuckbuddy who said the wrong names half the time. Who pretty clearly kept forgetting hers.

But... Prison, right? And just because she had a good name memory it didn't mean everyone did. Most people didn't. And at least he made the effort beyond "hey you" and "sugar tits."

"Sorry. It's been... Hard. But you don't need or want to hear about my bullshit, I'm sure." Self-deprecation was always first nature.

Hard was an understatement.

But he didn't care. She knew better. It wasn't his fault, really, he had a lot going on.

"how can I help?"

[starburnedfarrago]

Fiyero Tigelaar

[starburnedfarrago]

What indeed.

He had to admit to himself (begrudgingly, of course) that the company wasn’t... entirely unwanted. Even without said company scratching the usual itch (there would be no flurry of tangled sheets and desperate, gin-soaked kisses here), he appreciated being spirited away from what was essentially a glorified bathroom stall, its design seeming to make more accommodations for the mortifyingly public urinal than him.

It would do him well not to piss her off-- at least, not too much. Especially with this novel and particularly annoying delusion of confidence she seemed to be under. Whatever.

He met her eye, making an effort to sap the poison from his face.

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair. I-- I’m really happy to see you. Really.” The corner of his lips twitched, a sheepish smile glimpsing points of snaggled teeth. It faded quickly. “It’s been a long few months. I guess I... forgot what it was like to actually talk to someone.”

His hand slid forward, fingertips gently pressing against the glass barrier.

“Thank you--” A slight hiccup. He lost her name again. Shit shit shit shit shi-- “Stella. For coming, I mean.”

of songbirds & vultures ;; 

[starburnedfarrago]

of songbirds & vultures ;; 

[starburnedfarrago]

[starburnedfarrago]

"You accidentally drank a love potion with no cure and I have to deal with your affection until it wears off" AU

-Anonymous

[starburnedfarrago]

“Wait wait wait--” he all but shouted into the receiver, as if volume could make his voice tangible, and he could will her hand from replacing the phone on its hook. Silencing his meager little lifeline to the outside world. “I’m sorry. Stella--” 

Her name finally came to him, and he just as suddenly regurgitated it, managing to sound appropriately desperate. 

He swallowed his pride and met her eye. 

“Stella,” he repeated, softer, kicked. “Please. I’m sorry.” 

The role wasn’t foreign to him. Neil learned early that he had neither the moxxy nor the physical bearing to get away with half of the things he cared to, and considering he had little vested interest in things outside of his scope of talents, he would have to find other ways to make up for it. Namely, by finding someone who did possess these qualities and kissing as much ass as he could palate. He would choke down his ego and roll over for whoever looked tangentially in-charge, compensating for his lack of charisma with sycophancy, and hoping they didn’t care enough to notice the difference. 

"Don’t- don’t go.” 

But where all else failed, pity was an exceptional recourse. 

(continued from x )

He was accustomed to her being more pliable than this. Sure, somewhere amidst that boarish frame there was a spine that would ever so occasionally assert itself; saving face for whatever shamble of dignity she was still holding onto. But those instances were few and far between, usually when he was feeling particularly cruel, conversationally probing all of the spots he knew would make her wince. But to have been countered right out of the gate was new. Perhaps seeing him boxed away in iron and mortar had emboldened her. She could be as brazen as she wanted; if the several armed guards had anything to say about it, he wouldn’t be going anywhere. 

The bitch. 

“Who told you that?” His ego bristled, faced so plainly with a rather unflattering piece of hearsay. Made all the worse by the fact that it was 100% true. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter.”  He slumped further into his seat, managing to look properly aloof for a resounding three seconds, before her next question struck him like a pipe. 

“I– nobody. My lawyer. Nobody,” His mouth spasmed into a frown, doing wondrously little to hide the rush of color to his face. He needed to fucking calm down. It’s not like she knew about Her, as far as he knew at least. Too many nights in Stella’s company came to him in fragments, memories punctuated midway through by the hard-contrast shadow of rum and coke on an empty stomach. Who’s to say he didn’t trip over her name one day, speaking openly and tactlessly about his crush-bordering-obsession with the leggy blonde in IT. How utterly fucking mortifying. 

[starburnedfarrago]

(continued from x )

He was accustomed to her being more pliable than this. Sure, somewhere amidst that boarish frame there was a spine that would ever so occasionally assert itself; saving face for whatever shamble of dignity she was still holding onto. But those instances were few and far between, usually when he was feeling particularly cruel, conversationally probing all of the spots he knew would make her wince. But to have been countered right out of the gate was new. Perhaps seeing him boxed away in iron and mortar had emboldened her. She could be as brazen as she wanted; if the several armed guards had anything to say about it, he wouldn’t be going anywhere. 

The bitch. 

“Who told you that?” His ego bristled, faced so plainly with a rather unflattering piece of hearsay. Made all the worse by the fact that it was 100% true. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter.”  He slumped further into his seat, managing to look properly aloof for a resounding three seconds, before her next question struck him like a pipe. 

“I-- nobody. My lawyer. Nobody,” His mouth spasmed into a frown, doing wondrously little to hide the rush of color to his face. He needed to fucking calm down. It’s not like she knew about Her, as far as he knew at least. Too many nights in Stella’s company came to him in fragments, memories punctuated midway through by the hard-contrast shadow of rum and coke on an empty stomach. Who’s to say he didn’t trip over her name one day, speaking openly and tactlessly about his crush-bordering-obsession with the leggy blonde in IT. How utterly fucking mortifying. 

[starburnedfarrago]

of songbirds & vultures ;;

(continued from x )

His disappointment was palpable.

Neil’s honey-brown eyes scanned the room, willing a pair of long legs and plume of blonde hair to manifest somewhere on the other side of the glass cordons. He had already scripted the interaction thrice over on the short walk over; she would be self-conscious in this new world of rough edges and sterile lighting, looking to him for the comfort of a familiar face. No, no–– she was always so... so abrasive. Not outwardly of course, she spoon-fed social graces for too many years for that. But there was always that hint of something behind her eyes, that little flicker that scurried in and out of view when she felt as though she were being confronted, or challenged. She was stronger, brighter, than she led on to be. She wouldn’t give this place the satisfaction of seeing her flinch, and the mere thought of her sitting there, claiming her place on one of the hard plastic chairs as though it were her god-given throne, made Neil go a bit wobbly in the legs.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep up his bravado, he was at least self aware enough to know that. The sight of her would strip away any prison-hardened facade he had been building up, and they would both be back to square one. With his wavering gaze and lopsided smiles, and her politely pretending not to notice.

But that didn’t matter. She must’ve seen some charm in his tongue-tied attempts at conversation, or perhaps even past that, into a mind that was all too easily underestimated for its social faux pas. Whatever, whichever, it didn’t matter now. She was here now. Luna, his Luna––

Except she wasn’t.

Instead was another face he recognized-- albeit barely. Their encounters in the past had carried the haze of alcohol, her face weaving in and out of focus as he tried to muster the will power not to stare at her breasts.

He blinked, glancing at her, and then to the sparsely populated booths among them, his airy smile sloughing from his face.

There was a moment’s hesitation, in which he felt his stomach bottom out, a horrible hollow feeling settling in its stead.

And then the guard gave him a shove-- perhaps harder than necessary-- and he trudged over, falling into the seat opposite her.

“What are you doing here?” came his reception, as he wracked his brain to recall her name.

[starburnedfarrago]

Neil/Stella (@welcome-to-the-sin-zone‘s OC)

Local manbaby annoyed that woman doesn’t meet his hyperspecific standards. Stella, baby, you can do so much better.

okay, this one honestly is my favorite of all of the one’s I’ve drawn so far

[starburnedfarrago]

some Wicked the Musical character sketches

[starburnedfarrago]

send one for my muse’s reaction to your muse ---

alternatively send ‘ + ‘ after the symbol for the roles to be reversed where possible !

✘ = hugging them . Δ = playing with their hair .  ❤ = kissing them .  ₪ =  asking them out for dinner . ☀ = giving them a gift of ___ ( asker’s choice ) . ♘ = stabbing them . ♕ = bowing down before them . ♒ = lying to them .   ✿ = buying them flowers . ♢ = reading them a story . ☂ = giving them their jumper to keep warm . ✎ = speaking in a different language . ✏ = teaching them a different language . ▄ = telling them a joke . ♬ = singing to them . ☹ = insulting a loved one . ஐ = slapping them . ✂ = threatening them . ❃ = dancing with them . ▤ = falling asleep on them . ☮ = waking them up after a nightmare .  ♣ = discovering them crying .  回 = patching a wound .  ✮ = stargazing . ▓ = caught stealing their belongings . ☽ = wandering alone at night . ♡ = complimenting them . ≡ = offering a place to stay overnight . ☢ = falling over . ✦ = being well-dressed . ❂ = wiping blood off their face . ◎ = taking care of them while ill . ☁ = being caught in the middle a storm with them . ⇕ = holding their hand . ↱ = being lost with them . ☠ = pushing them against a wall .