#aurora in particular being very fae like

[cicicolorao]

I hope to one day come back to this idea, but I’d love to illustrate the disney princesses in my own style, with some redesigns to some of them, or just adding neat details I think are cool, like elvish attributes. For now, sketches!

[justanotherfanfolks]

Shouting Into the Void #2: Those Diasomnia Boys Are An Enigma (TWST)

Drunk Minstrel one of the Top 10 characters in that movie and should have gotten a TWST counterpart.

Every TWST character represents someone/something in the Disney franchise. Yes, me stating the obvious obviously. But it tends to be easy to spot. The Overblot Boys are each of the villains, the rest of Heartslabyul are the card soldiers, Ruggie is a hyena, the tweels are the eels, Kalim is the Sultan, and Rook is the huntsman (Epel being the apple had me freaking out, and it was in the name). I'm only not really sure about Jack and Ortho. Jack is an outlier and I might understand Ortho better if I read Book 6. 

Now for the enigmas:

Those three. I like to consider myself a general expert on the Sleeping Beauty movie (I watched that thing an unhealthy amount of times and still do). We have a lot of theories about those three. The obvious potential contenders for those three to be stand ins for are the Three Good Fairies (they were the main characters of the movie, fight me on this), Aurora, Philip, and Diablo. However, Epel being the apple (inhales) opens doors for representing objects, like the spinning wheel, the shield of virtue, and the sword of truth. I had also considered Maleficent's henchman because I'm mean (sorry Sebek). The dorm trailer made people think they were each of the good fairies, but I don't think so. Sebek and Silver don't match up to Fauna and Merryweather to me. I had my own thoughts on who these three do match up with though.

Lilia. He has to be the 3 good fairies. A kind of combo deal. He's got the leadership qualities and respect of Flora, Fauna's kind and well meaning nature (despite it often resulting in a comedic final product, looking at those skills in the kitchen) and willingness to see the good in people, and Merryweather's sass and bit more playful nature. Those three are really powerful, almost on par with Maleficent only because their good magic holds them back a bit against hers. Malleus is definitely stronger than Lilia, he's just kind of young. Lilia is also a friend of the royal family and thought highly of in the kingdom, just like the good fairies. Also he raised a baby in a house in the woods into their teen years, so yeah… Dad for the win!

Sebek. I read one thing that said "Maleficent's lightning powers" and it does work with his name and symbol, but that feels like a disservice to Sebek even though those powers are really cool. It's also a disservice to the movie. He's gotta be something better. I did once think henchman. Not in terms of being dumb, Sebek is actually really smart. More so in terms of being a loyal servant of the Maleficent stand in. However, in terms of loyalty, I can see him being Diablo. Call it me reading too much into the hair, but it could pan out. Being loyal to your master to the very end, only looking out for said master regardless of other people, being very VERY loud. I think it works out. He also takes his job the most seriously. I think he'd see Silver as one of the henchmen. 

Speaking of Silver, let's jump to who I think is the most theorized Diasomnia character in terms of standing in. The most popular are Aurora and Philip. Philip is for Silver's knightley skills mainly and bonus he's in the equestrian club. However, I've always leaned more towards Aurora. BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH. Baby raised in the woods by fae, kind and friendly with the animals everywhere, the referenced attractiveness, the called out niceness. He's part of the Facepalm Brigade, aka the Really Nice Ones. Can't represent a villain thing with a record like that. And the most obvious aspect: the Sleeping TM. Okay, my number 1 pet peeve with Sleeping Beauty adaptations based on this particular movie is how the writers also go "oh lol, let's make the Sleeping Beauty person always sleeping and doing so at random times for no reason." I hate that. She was cursed. She slept the one time, now she's labeled for life. But Silver works. But why? Because he constantly mentions how much he hates it and can't control it. THAT is setting something up. But we don't know why he sleeps, but my guess? Curse. My sister has a theory that Malleus once tried to put a baby Silver to sleep with magic and ended up cursing him with Lilia toning down the effects. I call her valid, I like it. Regardless of why he sleeps, you can't tell me this boy isn't cursed. It could have been anyone. Accident? On purpose (looking at you, grandma)? We don't know. This is just some baby Lilia found and said "this is mine now." He could be another combo deal, but Aurora is definitely the main one in that. He just reminds me of her so much. We really need his backstory explored in Book 7. I'm ready for those lore drops!

I did mention objects. While I'm leaning towards the character connections, I can't overlook those objects and how important they are. Epel can't be the weird one (he was the apple, how could it have taken me so long to see it-). At the very least, they can be a secondary stand in. Some characters tend to slightly connect to someone else along with their main counterpart. If Diasomnia does this, Sebek and Silver are the sword and shield. Oh, writing that out, the alliterations…

Anyway, Silver's symbol is a sword. Movie has sword. There ya go. Technically, both of them are good with a sword and actually bond over them. Silver just gets first dibs with his symbol. Shield could be Sebek. His primary goal in life is serve and protect Malleus. Also, I can totally see him jumping in front of a shot for his master. Also, sword and shield can either put Sebek and Silver side by side or on opposing sides, something to think about.

So, those are my thoughts on this debate. I love this movie and Book 7 must do it justice! I trust these writers, can't wait to see where they take this!

[loetise]

ok so like .. how did you come up with the idea of allie? I obviously met her through my brief (oh so brief) descendants phase with hook but like - was she made for that particular fandom? was it another story you were in the middle of creating? the fans want to know aurora

inbox prompts/questions, accepting.  ˎˊ˗

sorry this took me 8 months i'm sure you do not remember sending me this but you are so beloved for it anyway <3

yes, she was made for the descendants fandom which is actually quite insane when you think about it because there's literally another character with the same name (ally in the wicked world series which is, i think, a lot less taken from in the desc rpc anyway) but to be fair she was more valentine than allie at that time anyway, still called allie but valentine wasn't as off limits as it is now. a lot of the name stuff had to do with the fact that she was definitely more pixie hollow fairy based than fae lore based like she is now.

i eventually moved her away from being descendants based because 1., i was using her modern verse way more and 2., i was a weenie and the disney rpcs were on everyone's blacklists. i didn't move because i was traumatized from it or anything i still have her desc verse available and met literally so many of my oldest and best rpc friends in that fandom because allie was my first rp blog. i've had allie for almost 4 years now and i think for the first 2ish she was desc based and the last 2 have been fandomless? i don't regret moving her because now she suits fandomless more, i think, but she's made more development in the descendants verse and i enjoy the collaborativeness of it with my friends. it's just very much a different vibe from her main which doesn't have a lot of solidity in it and that's okay!! because it's rp and that's kinda how it works to be flexible w things.

[wxtch-of-goldensunshxne]

Aurora Headcanons ~

((YOU WANNA KNOW ABOUT THIS BLONDE BABE??? look no further but know she's not some seductive smooth talker all the time --))

~ Aurora LOVES waking up early. Meeting the sun, watching the sunrise, whatever you call it, she loves doing that snuggled up in a blanket and coffee in hand to start her day.

~ AURORA LOVES PLANTS. I thought this was obvious, but she's always trying to grow and buy more plants. Herbs, flowers, ivy, fruit, etc. she's sO INTO AND IT'S A SIGN SHE'S ATTRACTED TO YOU IF SHE TALKS ABOUT HER PLANTS TO YOU. They mean a lot and she's gauging your interest subtly. Is she expecting you to love her plants as much as she does?? Absolutely not, but a little interest and memory doesn't hurt.

**DESPITE THIS, she can not keep succulents alive. Ever. SHE'S TRIED SO MANY TIMES ((rip Casey the Cactus I~VII and various others she'll never admit to)). They just don't thrive with her even though she can take care of some of the most particular/meticulous plants to care for and they'll thrive. ~ Suits??? Three piece? Well fitted? Hell, bowtie or normal tie?? FUCK AURORA'S SO ATTRACTED TO THAT SHIT NO MATTER THE GENDER. A well tailored, good looking suit and a good looking person is a vain pleasure of Aurora's.

~ You like movies??? GOOD. SHE LOVES THEM. but she will talk. THE ENTIRE TIME. ALSO if you haven't read the books she'll make you read them first. "SO YOU GET IT. YOU GOTTA GET IT." Also hope you like bad sci-fi, supernatural or 80s movies because she'll make you watch it.

~ She STRUGGLES with technology besides basics so if you're asking her to take notes/remember something, she will physically write it down. She has sticky notes, calendars, and sometimes even separate notebooks for certain people she's with a lot so she "doesn't forget anything important!"

~ Based on her past and family, she's used to being an "black sheep" or being viewed as "just the pretty one". Because of this, she's very insecure about her looks -- of course she's pretty/attractive, she's been told that her entire life and most of the time, it's all she'll ever amount to. She developed her magic a lot later and can feel like she's late to so many things and can't really adapt to normal life in the "nonmagic world" or the "magic world".

~ Speaking on this, her mother is renowned in the magic world as a powerful sorceress, her father is a high standing member of the Fae Court and her siblings are super remarkable in their own rights. When Aurora was born, she never showed any innate ability, just a ordinary child despite her family's lineage. She was constantly compared in all aspects, though one she did stand out in: her looks. So she would constantly change/alter her appearance to be the prettiest in whoever's approval she wanted most. Nowadays she's better about this, but honestly she craves being called pretty/beautiful as herself -- oh bUT IF YOU COMPLIMENT HER IN OTHER ASPECTS??? bitch she's yours put a ring on it sign the papers no returns.

~In modern/nonmagic verse if needed, Aurora's mother is a well known socalite and dad is a foreign country prime minister's son. Her siblings all get known for SEPARATE things outside of their parents, while Aurora is documented as the "picture perfect/gorgeous" child of the two world-known figures. Because of this, Aurora just assumes her looks are all she's good for and just switches it up for others/to make sure she's loved by whoever's most important to her or who's attention she wants. **Basically, tell her you love her as she is as she might malfunction/not know what to do with herself.**

[okay BYE she's really cute and just super horny which is aokay lmao y'all should interact with her out of smut sometime lol]

[galaxialdarktale]

Following that WIP List thing I was tagged in: please ramble about As The Fates Have It (Fate Saga Book 1) hehe

As The Fates Have It is actually a story in an of itself, not just the plot. Meaning that uhhh... I pulled an oops and may have submitted the first chapter (when that was all I had) to a publishing house as a query. It took them a month to get back to me and honestly, I was expecting nothing more than like, tips on how to do a better query. But no! They want the full manuscript! They want to publish this thing!!!! So I'm frantically trying to finish and edit it and make it good enough to send their way, but yeah (disclaimer: the query did state it wasn't finished soo).

Anyway, the plot! It takes place in two places. 1. Sweden. 2. The Fae Realm. The main character, Aurora Blomqvist, is a transwoman (I only put that there because, yes, it's important) who finds out that her long dead mother was a fae, meaning that she's half fae. Not only that, her mother was part of the royal family for the particular area of the realm. So her whole world gets turned upside down as she tries to choose between the world she's known for 21 years and this new, enticing world where she's something regal, where she's called "princess" and "Queen" and where she leads an army to protect her mother's (and hers) people. Because of course there's a mini war thing (it's not mini but I can't spoil that much, despite how much I want to :( ). Also, there is a very, very minor romance subplot where she falls in love with a woman with the fae realm while also being in love with one of her best friends from our realm (its not a love triangle, she's poly, that i'll spoil). The whole romance subplot come from the fact that she, in classic lesbian fashion, thinks that when fae woman says she likes her, she means only as a friend, and refuses to admit that she likes her back.

It still needs a lot of work, I'll admit, but I've been busy with school (which I'm on mandated leave from right now! We love mental health!) and freelancing. Haven't gotten back to it in like a couple weeks. I'm almost done with this latest book for my client tho, and then I'm taking a few days to work on either Fates or Divine.

[gunpowdville]

The Great Flesh-Eating Cake Incident of Year [REDACTED], Chapter 2

chapter: 2/2

relationships: Drumbot Brian-Raphaella la Cognizi (queerplatonic), Gunpowder Tim/Lyfrassir Edda/Marius Von Raum, Nastya Rasputina/the Aurora

Other things: genderfluid Tim, she/her Tim, he/fae Marius, temporary character death, possession, canon-typical violence. but mostly literally just silly self-indulgent fluff.

chapter 1

ao3

Read here below the cut >:}

The Rec Room: Tim, Lyf, Marius. All 10 still alive. (a few minutes before It is released)

Lazy days on Aurora are hard to come by, and when they do happen, they are spent most often by complaining about how boring lazy days are. Some, however, can find content in the slower days spent in relative peace and quiet. Case in point: the three currently buried in a pillow nest in the middle of the rec room floor.

The situation is this: the pillows and cushions from the furniture all stripped away and stolen to build a comfortable arrangement on the floor. Gunpowder Tim, in simply a loose blouse and leggings, hair braided elegantly over one shoulder. Lyfrassir Edda, in what is undeniably one of Tim’s waistcoats, perched in between the gunner’s legs, having their hair braided by her deft hands. Marius von Raum, sprawled across Lyf’s lap, waving his hands about animatedly as he talks.

“You left out the best part,” Tim says as Marius finishes relaying the story of how fae and Raph had joined the crew. “You forgot to mention the bit where Bri gave the two of you an actual job interview. And how, upon being asked your greatest strengths, you said, and I quote, ‘I’m hot.’”

“You did not,” Lyf looks utterly scandalized. “At a job interview?”

“You forget, love, that the job fae was applying for was being a Mechanism,” Tim points out, running her fingers through the former inspector’s hair. “The criteria is pretty much being able to play an instrument and willing to do crime.”

“Speaking of,” Marius says, batting aimlessly at Tim’s face where it peeks at him over Lyf’s shoulder. “It’s a shame that we only really have two or so songs together, Tim. We should get to sing together more.”

Tim nods in agreement. “We’re simply too powerful together.”

“I’ve been thinking of trying to get Jonny to let the three of us sing Blood & Whiskey,” Marius admits, then frowns. “Oh, wait, sorry Lyffers, I forgot you sound like a drowning cat when you sing.”

“I do not!” Lyf flushes scarlet, turning their face away from Tim’s raised eyebrow.

“You’re right, sorry, it’s more like a drowning cat playing a kazoo.”

Lyf makes an attempt to hit Marius lightly, but the violinist just catches their hand and kisses the back of it, grinning wickedly.

“Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever actually heard you sing,” Tim says slyly, tying off the braid and leaning forward so she can rest her chin on Lyf’s shoulder. “Would you sing for me?”

“Do you enjoy the sound of a drowning cat playing a kazoo?” Lyf asks her.

“Well, not exactly…”

“Then according to Mare, you do not want to hear me sing.”

Tim pouts, showing off her mastery of sad puppy dog eyes. The overhead lights glinting off the metal make them sparkle, creating a masterfully alluring wide gaze. “Please? Just a bit? For me?”

It is next to impossible to argue with those eyes, especially once you’ve already fallen hard for the person making them at you. With a sigh, Lyf squeezes their eyes tight shut and awkwardly sings a few lines of Blood & Whiskey. It sounds, as promised, like a drowning cat playing a kazoo.

Tim manages to hold a straight face for roughly three seconds before guffawing with laughter, burying her face in the spot between Lyf’s shoulder and neck to smother her cackles.

Lyf breaks off, turning their head slightly with a gently irritated eyebrow raised at their partner. “Are you finished?”

“Sorry,” Tim gasps between giggles, nuzzling further into their neck, failing miserably at trying to stifle her mirth. “I- I just- I didn’t expect it to actually sound- like that- I’m- I’m sorry-”

“I told you,” Marius crows, grinning up at Lyf and Tim with triumphant teasing fire in faer eyes. “Wasn’t I right?”

“You two are very rude to me,” Lyf huffs, sticking their nose in the air haughtily. Tim lifts her face from their shoulder and noses their jaw, murmuring something about drowning cats and how they have never sounded more attractive. Lyf pointedly ignores her.

“Aw, hey, don’t be like that, fairytale,” Marius heaves himself into a sitting position and catches the former inspector’s face in his hands. “Y’know we’re just teasing you ‘cuz we love you, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah, I love you too,”Lyf sighs, giving in and letting faer kiss them.

“Sappy,” Tim comments, earning a petulant finger from Marius. “Also, fairytale?”

“They’re my fairytale,” Marius declares proudly, and Tim pouts. “What am I, then?”

“You,” Lyf contemplates, turning their head to meet Tim’s metallic gaze with their own iridescent one. “You’re my battle cry. You’re the song I sing for strength when I can’t find it. You’re my declaration to the world that I will not stand still and break. You’re the inspiration that keeps me fighting. My battle cry.”

“Well,” Tim blinks, making a valiant attempt to keep her voice steady. “Hey now. You didn’t have to go and do that to me.”

Lyf’s brow furrows, concern instantly evident in their features. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, goddamnit, you said everything right, you- fuck.” without another word, Tim fists a hand in the front of their shirt and pulls them into a kiss. “I fucking love you.”

Lyf’s (no doubt sappy as all hell) response is cut off by Marius, who groans and rolls out of their lap with a huff. “If you two are going to be like that, I’m leaving.”

“You started it,” Tim points out, “but whatever, more Lyf time for me.”

Marius sticks faer tongue out at her as fae leaves. “Go see if Bri’s made me any munchies!” Tim calls after him, before turning back to her partner with a decidedly malicious smirk. “Now, where were we?”

They are interrupted not long after by Brian, who comes barging into the room without preamble, zeroes distractedly in on the pair of them, says “Oh. Hello, dears. Have either of you seen an unidentifiable mass of sentient ooze? Slightly larger than an octokitten? It ate Marius,” and then hurries out the opposite door.

Tim and Lyf glance at each other, attempting to register his words. “Wha- Brian, what?”

But the Drumbot has already disappeared down the corridor, leaving the two of them to scramble to their feet and race after him, their questions landing on ignorant ears.

Nastya, the corridors: 9 left alive, 1 eaten.

Nastya spends her lazy days with her girlfriend, most of the time. She enjoys the quieter hours when she can work on repairs, listening to Aurora tell her stories or complain about whatever is on her mind. This particular lazy day, the engineer is sitting cross-legged on the floor of one of the corridors, right outside Jonny’s room, her hands deftly working at the wires beneath one of the wall panels. Aurora is telling her about a new program she and Ivy are working on, a sort of virtual reality experience for the shooting range that will ‘revitalize the excitement of warfare’, in her words. Nastya listens intently, interjecting with questions when she has them and praise when it is deserved.

As she finishes up, carefully replacing the wall panel and smiling softly at Aurora’s petulant complaints, something drops from the air vent above her. She takes a smooth step back as the thing falls to the floor with a wet thwack. At first glance it resembles an octokitten, but as it unfurls it reveals itself as more of a dark glistening lump, tendrils of gooey flesh extending across the floor toward Nastya.

“Well, hello,” The engineer says, tilting her head to study it. “What are you?”

That is the cake our Drumbot and his science officer made, Aurora answers for her. Don’t touch it.

“This is a cake?”

I believe it was supposed to be.

“And what is it now?”

Decidedly not a cake.

It’s at that moment that Ivy comes racing into the corridor, breathless and looking faintly annoyed. “Ah. Nastya. Good. Have you seen-” her eyes drift to the thing at Nastya’s feet. “That.”

“I am certainly looking at it right now,” Nastya says in response, nudging a toe forward to poke at it. Ivy throws out an arm to stop her. “Do not. Unless you want to get eaten.”

Nastya raises an eyebrow and quickly steps back, just as an octokitten meanders into the area, approaching the blob with a curious ‘mrrp’. Ivy dives for it, but the creature is much faster, latching onto the octokitten in a second. But instead of eating it, the thing seems to melt into it, turning it a darker color.

“Hm,” Ivy hums curiously. “That’s new.”

The possessed octokitten zeroes in on Ivy and Nastya, yawning wide to show a lot more teeth than should be able to fit in its mouth.

“Run?” Nastya suggests, watching the kitten start forward on uneasy tentacles.

“Run,” Ivy agrees.

Jonny & Ashes, the shooting range: 9 left alive, 1 eaten.

The shooting range is one of the few rooms on Aurora that isn’t quiet on lazy days. This day is no different from any other in that regard, with the sounds of gunfire and cackling echoing from behind the wide open door. The quartermaster and the first mate are both in there, trapped in a pointless competition to outshoot each other. They have done this many times before, and who wins changes nearly every time. But it’s an excellent way to distract and relieve stress, and Jonny had noticed Ashes appearing down earlier, so he had suggested a shooting competition. He never said that he was doing it to cheer them up, but he’s pretty sure they’ve caught on to his intentions.

“I kicked your ass harder than Brian got his ass kicked in that sun,” Ashes remarks, standing over Jonny, who lies prone on the floor. Jonny groans and sits up, shoving his singed hair off of his forehead. “You cheated.”

“Says what rules?” Ashes snorts, reaching down to help him up.

“It was a shooting match, O’Reilly, not a goddamn grenade match.”

“Your screaming was hilarious, though.”

Jonny scowls and flips them off. Ashes laughs and slips another grenade into their pocket, a little something to save for later.

The trapdoor in the ceiling of the shooting range drops open, and Raphaella tumbles through, falling head over heels and landing neatly on her feet with a dancer’s grace. “We have something of a problem.”

“Yeah, Ashes just fucking blew me up,” Jonny complains, and Ashes rolls their eyes. “You’re fine.”

“You’re fine,” Raphaella says at exactly the same time, and Ashes shoots a grin at her. “Anyway, Bri and I may have done… something.”

“You may have done something,” Brian argues, breezing into the room with Tim and Lyf close on his heels. “I take no responsibility.”

“Can we please go back to the part where it ate my boyfriend?” Lyf demands, causing Jonny’s eyebrows to shoot up practically to his hairline. “Someone’s eating boyfriends?”

“The octokittens are possessed,” this is Nastya, squeezing past Brian through the door, tailed by Ivy.

“Possessed?”

“Possessed,” Ivy confirms, to Brian’s incredulous outburst.

“D’you mean those octokittens?” Jonny asks, pointing to the door. Sure enough, a gaggle of octokittens meanders through, moving a bit unsteadily, oily dark colors writhing beneath their skin.

“That looks like- that’s-” Lyf’s eyes go wide as they stare at the kittens. “What the fuck is that?”

“It was supposed to be a cake,” Brian says mournfully.

“It ate Marius!”

“It’s technically your child, Lyf,” Raphaella pipes up. “The compound I used to make it is based on your blood samples.”

Lyf just stares at her.

“It doesn’t look that bad,” Ashes remarks. They crouch down and flip open their lighter, holding it in front of one of the kittens’ face. It flinches, then snarls and shoots toward them, latching onto their foot, its jaws opening far wider than they should be able to. They try to kick it off, but its tentacles appear to have melted onto their skin and are slowly eating through. With a squelch, the odd entity detaches fully from its octokitten host, who blinks and scuttles into the corner.

With a pained grunt, Ashes drops their lighter onto the thing on their foot, successfully setting the thing alight. It recoils and retreats to the center of the floor, squelching in a frantic circle. It leaves behind nothing left of the quartermaster’s foot, and Ashes stumbles and is caught by Jonny, who steadies them and shoots a murderous look at the flaming blob.

“Fuck fuck fuck,” Ashes hisses through their teeth, pain evident on their features. “Goddamn. What the fuck, you two.”

“Again, I take no responsibility,” Brian insists. Raphaella sticks her tongue out at him. “You are a bastard and a traitor and I never loved you anyway.”

Brian blows her a kiss and a wink.

“Interesting,” Ivy interrupts, pulling out a notepad and writing something down. “It appears fire is ineffective.”

This gets everyone’s attention directed back to the creature, which is indeed decidedly not dead or incapacitated in any way. It isn’t even on fire anymore. And it looks angry.

“You’re kidding me,” Ashes growls, staring at the thing with disgusted fury.

“Run,” Tim suggests, pushing Lyf gently out of the way as the thing focuses on them and begins to move forward. “Split up and run. It can’t get all of us at once.”

Jonny nods and dutifully starts off out of the room, taking Ashes with him, holding them up as they limp and curse. Ivy and Nastya shoot off in another direction, Nastya scooping up the disgruntled left-behind octokitten as she goes. Raphaella grabs Lyf’s wrist and pulls them up through the ceiling trapdoor, ignoring their startled protests. That leaves Tim with Brian. She turns to him, poised to ask what the plan is, but hesitates when she sees Brian standing there, head cocked to one side, staring blankly at the empty floor. The bifrost cake-creature is nowhere to be seen.

“Brian?” Tim steps forward, reaching out and resting a concerned hand on his shoulder. “Bri? You good?”

Brian’s head lifts, slowly, in an uncharacteristically stilted motion. His eyes are… wrong. Something is moving in them, and if Tim looks closely she can see it oozing from the corners. Oh. Oh no.

“Fuck,” she breathes, stumbling backward and reaching for a pistol. “Not Brian not Brian not Brian.”

The thing in Brian’s body smiles, forcing the expression onto the Drumbot’s face. It takes a step forward. Of course, it’s at that moment that the Toy Soldier decides to make its first appearance.

“Sorry I’m late!” It announces as it steps into the shooting range. “I was in the middle of a delightful painting using the blood from that corpse Jonny dragged onto the ship the other day! I didn’t want to leave it for too long in case it was ruined! Anyway, I heard there was a crew meeting?”

“Oh, I’d love to see that painting,” Tim says, momentarily distracted. The Toy Soldier claps its hands together excitedly. “Of course! I’ll set up a viewing!”

Tim grins. “Lovely. Now, what do you know of possession?”

“Well, it depends on what kind!”

“Um,” Tim glances back at Brian and whatever is piloting him, who has stopped in its tracks and is watching the exchange curiously. “Well. Would you.. Happen to know anything about possession by.. Cake?”

In the brief pause that follows, the thing inside Brian appears to give up on its curiosity and steps forward, opening his mouth. Tim frowns at it for a moment, confused, and then she sees the soft glow building in the back of the Drumbot’s throat. “Oh shit.”

Tim & The Toy Soldier, just outside the shooting range, 9 left alive, 1 footless, 1 eaten

Tim grabs the Toy Soldier and pulls it with her as she bolts to the door, just as a jet of flame shoots out of Brian’s mouth.

“Since when can he do that?” she yelps, flattening herself against a wall to avoid being scorched.

“Oh, that is interesting!” TS declares, peeking around the doorframe. Tim nods. “So. To catch you up. There’s some sort of Bifrost related demon-creature loose on the ship, it is currently inside Brian’s body and appears to be controlling him. Fire can’t kill it. Oh, and it ate Mare.”

The Toy Soldier nods, bouncing on the balls of its feet. “So?”

Tim blinks, then shrugs. “We kill it, I suppose. At least get it out of Brian.”

“How do we do that?”

“That’s what I’m asking you!”

Another jet of flame shoots past them, followed by what sounded oddly like a frustrated grunt. The thing still hasn’t actually followed them into the hall, which is a good sign, if somewhat nonsensical. Tim flinches further back instinctively, feeling the heat in her eyes.

“I don’t know what to do,” she confesses. “I don’t know how to get it out without opening Brian up, and he won’t like that. And I can’t even get close to it when it’s breathing fire at us like that.”

“Hmm,” the Toy Soldier hums a thoughtful note. Tim bites her lip, thinking, then lets out a soft laugh. “I’m glad I’m here with you and not Nastya,” she tells TS. “She’d probably suggest kissing it.”

There’s an awkward clank from the shooting range, followed by the sounds of a struggle. Tim glances at TS, who shrugs. “I could kiss it!”

“Could you?” Tim frowns again. “I mean.. I suppose it would just be kissing Brian, wouldn’t it, unless.. D’you think that would work? The kissing?”

“Possibly!” the Toy Soldier sounds positively thrilled about the prospect. “I’m very good at it, you know!”

“I feel like making out with the eldritch blob possessing our crewmate is a bit extreme,” Tim says, peeking around to corner to see what’s happening in the shooting range. What she sees gives her pause.

Brian seems to be fighting back against the thing holding his body hostage. He’s standing in the room where they left him, and every so often he takes a jerky, strained step forward, like he’s having to force himself to step. Although in this case its more likely that he’s trying to stop himself from taking a step. He looks pained, and Tim feels that familiar protective rage rising in her, that feeling of no he’s mine you can’t hurt him. All thoughts of kissing fade away, and she steps out, pistol in hand, and marches back into the shooting range.

“Brian,” she says, and the Drumbot’s head lifts slightly, his eyes still leaking sludgy iridescence. “Bri. Hey. I know you can hear me. Uh. I’m going to do something, and it might be.. A bit uncomfortable for you, but it will hopefully work out in the long run. So do me a favor and… stop fighting it for a moment? Just a moment.”

Brian gives her a wary look, but nods stiffly, clearly using every bit of control he has left. Then he lets go. His face goes blank, and his mouth opens, that glowing heat making another appearance. With a grimace, Tim lifts her pistol and fires.

The bullet flies true, carving straight through the flamethrower mechanism in the back of Brian’s throat and exiting out the back of his head. There’s an inhuman screeching sound, and Brian jerks once as the creature, with its main source of power destroyed, crawls out of the hole left behind.

Brian shudders once, then raises a hand to touch the new hole in his head.

“You alright?” Tim asks, stepping forward. “You.. you?”

“I’m fine,” Brian reassures her. “That could have obliterated my vocal cords, but I’m alright.”

“You’re welcome,” Tim says, tossing her braid back over her shoulder smugly.

“I don’t want to ruin the good mood,” TS says, peeking into the room curiously. “But, where did it go?”

Tim and Brian both freeze, locking terrified eyes. And then the lights go out.

Raphaella, Lyfrassir, Nastya, Ivy: In the dark. 9 left alive, 1 eaten, 1 footless

When the lights go out, someone screams. It’s Lyf. Raphaella shoots them a glare over her shoulder, aware of their ability to see in the dark.

“Sorry,” they whisper. Raphaella frowns. “Why are you whispering?”

“I don’t know,” they admit. “It feels like the right thing to do.”

“Aurora?” That’s Nastya’s voice, coming from just ahead of them. She sounds worried. “Aurora, please say something. Please tell me if you’re hurt. Aurora?”

“Nas?” Raphaella moves forward, stretching a hand out until she bumps into the engineer’s shoulder. Nastya grabs her hand and gives it a quick squeeze, an indication that she’s here and she’s alright. “Raph, good. Is Lyfrassir still with you?”

“Right here,” Lyf says, still whispering. “Where’s Ivy?”

“Here as well,” the archivist pipes up from the other side of Nastya. “Everyone’s okay, as far as we can tell, Aurora simply.. Stopped.”

“Do you think it got to her?” Lyf asks, shifting nervously behind Raphaella.

“It better not have,” Nastya snaps, her concern for her girlfriend evident in her voice.

Raphaella squeezes Nastya’s shoulder and looks around, cursing the fact that she hasn’t given herself night vision yet. “Ives, can you get ahold of Bri?”

Ivy nods and closes her eyes, typing out a message to Brian in her brain. After a moment, she nods again and announces, “He’s alright. Tim and the Toy Soldier are with him. It took control of his body, but they got it out of him and he’s barely hurt.”

“That’s good!” Raphaella exclaims, giving Nastya’s shoulder another squeeze. “That means Aurora should be fine, once we get it out of her!”

Nastya nods, expression growing determined. “How do we get it out of her?”

“Um, I don’t mean to alarm anyone,” Lyf says, sounding a bit shaky. “But there is something wrapped around my leg.”

They sound afraid, but not panicked or in pain, which causes Raphaella to frown. They don’t even sound urgent. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah I’m- I’m fine, it isn’t hurting me. It’s more… it’s like it’s hugging me.”

“Didn’t you say you made it out of their blood?” Ivy inquires, and Raphaella nods. “Perhaps it recognizes them as one of its own.”

“I don’t like the implications of that,” Lyf says quietly, then gives a determined shake of their head. “Right. Now is not the time for a Bifrost-related panic attack.”

“We can use this,” Raphaella perks up suddenly. “We can use your connection to it, Lyffy, to… something.”

Silence falls as the four of them think on it. And then Ivy speaks up. “I have something from Brian. He met up with Jonny and Ashes, and Jonny has an idea. He just needs us to lure it into something smaller and able to be picked up.”

“Can we do that?” Raphaella glances to Lyf, who nods. “Great. Let’s go.”

Lyfrassir, the kitchen. Same situation.

The kitchen is dark and eerie when Lyf enters, stepping carefully over the seething tendrils rising from the floor, grabbing at their legs. It’s almost possessive, the way it reaches for them, curling around them with its oozing tentacles. They can almost hear it talking to them, in their head, whispering mine mine mine. It terrifies that, but they shove it aside to think about later, once they’ve got this dealt with. Instead they focus on locating something small and liftable to lure the thing into. They find something almost instantly.

As they approach the object they’ve chosen, their Bifrost-enhanced eyes land on something in the middle of the floor, a moving shape.

“Hey, babe,” they say, stepping lightly over the half-formed Marius Von Raum to the counter.

“Hi,” fae groans, conscious enough for at least that. “Whatcha up to?”

“Oh, nothing,” Lyf replies, placing their hands gently on the object they want to bring the creature into, watching it curl up around their arms and moving down the walls toward them, chasing the contact. “And… there we are.”

In a flash, Jonny comes pelting into the room. He grabs Small Brian the electric mixer from Lyf’s hands, and as the lights come on he races down the corridor, and the sound of a door sliding open can be heard.

“What did you do?” Brian demands as the first mate reappears, smugly dusting off his hands.

“Tossed it out the airlock,” Jonny grins.

“Right, ‘cause throwing all our problems out an airlock always works,” Ashes snorts. Jonny frowns. “It does.”

Tim shakes her head. “Oh, you are so lucky I can’t roll my eyes too hard without fucking up my face, D’Ville.”

Brian looks gutted. “You- you threw- Small Brian?”

Jonny freezes. “Oh- oh shit, Bri- I didn’t- Shit shit shit.”

“We’re getting it back,” Brian says, folding his arms and glaring. “As soon as Aurora’s recovering, we’re getting it back.”

“How do we know that that thing will die out there and not just… devour a star system?” Lyf asks. Jonny shrugs. “That’s not our problem.”

“I… fair enough,” Lyf sighs, and casts a last look toward the airlock before going to help Marius up.

Brian & Raphaella: Everyone alive and well

They get everything on the ship back in order quickly. Marius is back, and is being regaled with the tales of what he missed by Lyf and Tim. As soon as Aurora is ready to move again, Brian takes her to pick up Small Brian, and he carries the mixer reverently back to its place in the kitchen. “You’re a hero,” he whispers to it, before kissing the top of it lightly. He then gathers all the ingredients to make another cake, a real one this time.

Just as he’s setting up to get everything made, Nastya comes marching out of the corridor from where she’s been checking up on Aurora, a flamethrower in hand.

“Right,” she says, firing up the weapon. “Where are the fuckers who got my girlfriend possessed?”

Raphaella and Brian glance at each other, knowing this was coming. With a grin, Raphaella runs over and grabs Brian’s hand, pulling him after her down the hall and away from the vengeful engineer.

Nastya curses and follows, and Raphaella lifts off the ground, sweeping Brian into her arms bridal-style to easier carry him. He yelps, and then laughs, twisting to look down and watch Nastya chase after them, looking furious.

Raphaella rounds into a tight corner and sets down, letting Brian back on his feet. They’re both giggling, and Brian buries his face in her shoulder, grinning widely. She kisses his hair and strokes it lightly, running her fingers around the edges of the hole in the back of his neck.

Nastya finds them like that, rounding the corner and hefting her flamethrower with a malicious glimmer in her eyes. “There you are,” she hisses, and this time there’s nowhere to run.

“It was fun while it lasted,” Raphaella murmurs to Brian as she pulls back, and he takes her hand.

“Love you always,” he replies, and she leans over to kiss his cheek. “See you soon.”

And together, they face their fate.

[flimflamfranky]

Please show me your AUs

*slams down the heavy tome* i hope you are ready for the can of worms you’ve unleashed. also, i’m sorry for any hopes i get and subsequently dash.

so, in no particular order, we have: - klabaturerman franky. now this one i have done things for but i still wanna. do more. like, him interacting with the merry, and the crew learning what he is, that sort of things. - related to this, is a more general sea spirit/fae franky au, just cuz i like fae stuff. i do have some art ideas for this, i just. haven’t done any of them yet. - supernatural frobrobin au, where franky is a (recently turned) werewolf, robin is a vampire, brook is…brook, and they’re all trapped in a magic mansion by some curse. and it’s just them growing close and bonding and trying to break free. also, ghibli vibes. - speaking of ghibli…howl’s moving castle au. featuring franky as sophie with a curse that turns him into a perceptually broken robot, and robin as howl, but with her canon backstory with the government. also has luffy as calcifer, usopp as merkel, brook as turnip head, and nami/crocodile as a weird split version of the witch of the waste (with croc as the villain and nami as the redeemed version). - a pacific rim au, expect it takes place in a post-apoc version where the kaiji have basically won. starts with luffy, usopp, and chopper finding an abandoned jaeger and decided to pilot it. not sure abt the plot on this one, but it does have franky as a disillusioned former jaeger pilot/engineer. - my franky/blueno au, which is being run by vibes and little else. pretty canon-compliant, but with blueno and franky becoming friends (and possibly more) and then dramatically falling out after the reveal. i initially described it as enemies to lovers, but really, it's lovers to enemies. no happy ends here, boys. - several, count ‘em, SEVERAL franky/rosi aus, cuz i got way to into them and had a lot of ideas and then. never did anything with them - main one is them having a meet cute in water 7, before rosi goes undercover with doffy and before the whole sea train thing happens (rosi’s about 24yo, franky’s 21). it’s basically just them bonding and being cute before going their separate ways. - the other one is a sprawling splitting mess of an au that has the two meet as kids on the streets and becoming fast friends. then they get found by sengoku  and becoming marines, with rosi training with sengoku and franky becoming vegapunk’s protege. I had one idea where they were close to saul, and after the arrest of olivia became disillusioned with the marines and helped her escape, and then joining her try to save ohara. another branch is rosi still going undercover with doffy, but with franky in tow, and that whole she-bang happening, but with franky, rosi, and law all escaping alive. plus a bunch of minor plot threads that i'm forgetting. again, it's a mess. - various frobrobin aus set in the early-mid 19th century (20s-50s mostly) with mobs, romance and political intrigue. - a roleswap au that i have bits and pieces of written, i’ve just never finished it. unfortunately doesn’t have jinbe in it cuz he’s just too hard to swap with, and i started this before he joined. - i’ve written a summary of this before, but my rouge adopts franky au that ultimately leads to franky being a big bro to asl. - a disney's beauty and the beast au, where robin is the “beast” (cursed child who has been outcast from society and became a monster to survive with a flower motif) and franky is the “beauty” aka belle (intelligence child of an eccentric inventor whose ostracized by the town and willing to sacrifice himself to save another). has lucci as an altered gaston and the straw hats (+ others) as various cursed castle residents. - an arc style idea (not really sure if it counts as an au) where franky gets kidnapped and experimented on by the government. basically my whumptober comic, but in long-fic form. - pokemon aus! i’m mostly entertaining these two: - one piece but with pokemon, and how the straw hats met their various pokemon partners. - and a pmd au with the straw hats as the pmd starters (this one is a drawing, so i might actually finish it) - and i do wanna do something with pokemon gijinka, i just

haven’t given it much thought. - an au where law convinces franky to join his crew bc doffy has been trying to muscle in on water 7 and law is basically like, "we both hate this guy, let's team up". this one is very shaky, but I do still love the idea. - a subnautica au? hear me out. it has the straw hats as space pirates that infiltrate the aurora right before it gets shot down, and they end up trapped on the alien planet. they get split into three main groups: franky, luffy, usopp / robin, chopper, jinbe, sanji / zoro, nami, brook. and they all basically try to survive and find the others in their own ways.

- an au where the crew stops at a weird marriage theme island and franky and brook get married by accident. which is a problem cuz this marriage is ~magic~ and psychically bonds them together. so the crew has to figure out how to undo it. also features frobrobin and zosopp. - a cookie run crossover au, with the straw hats as cookies. pretty basic, expect i, like with most things, went overboard and then never finished it. - and some zosopp aus! - a superhero actor au, where usopp is a new actor playing sogeking in a new kids show and zoro is the main villain, and they fall in love. - an au where usopp is a tengu that guards a small forest (but mostly plays harmless pranks) and zoro who is a lost woodsman, and they become close and fall in love. And also maybe save the forest from a rich jerk along the way. - a gurren lagann crossover au, where usopp is simon and franky is kamina, with all the angst that implies. i really like this concept, but I haven’t actually finished gurren lagann, so… - a leverage au, where the straw hats are a band of thieves that help people out. basically taking canon and sticking in a thief/modern au. - you know those one piece rewrite aus? i have one of those, surprise, surprise. starts with gin joining the straw hats with sanji and quickly branching off from there. other big changes include: - jinbe getting introduced super early and helping the straw hats with arlong, and then becoming an ally until he later joins - brook getting swept back to the beginning of the grand-line and meets the straw hats when they first arrive. gets to reunite with laboon before decideding to join the straw hats to finish his old crew’s journey. - a delay in loguetown means that croc succeeds in taking over albasta and the straws hats help vivi overthrow him (with robin working with cobra in the background to betray croc); ends with vivi joining the straw hats bc she publicly allied with pirates - franky running from water 7 with the blueprints and ends up working for doflamingo. He gets sent to check in on croc (and search for robin) after he takes over alabasta and ends up kicking it with the straw hats and eventually deciding to betray doffy and join them - there’s like. a lot more, but if I do ever end up writing it I don’t wanna spoil all of it. - but im probably not, cuz this would be looooooong. *lets out a deep breath* and that’s about it. and if anyone wants to steal any of these ideas, please do, i would love you forever.

[fatewalker-phoenix]

2, 13, 20. *spins the wheel* (from oc asks pt 2)

2. Is there a meaning behind their name, or a particular reason why they have it?

Eden Azalea's name has such a long boring history behind it that I fear I would put everyone to sleep recounting it, suffice it to say that it comes from the names I used for two previous MMO's I played before xiv, as well as my online tag. In-game, as we know, eden is the fae word that means utopia, and is the alias she adopted for herself on a whim following the loss of her memories. Her birth name is Tsutsuji.

Kiana's name origin story is that I literally took Kiara from the Lion King II and changed one letter for the OC I was developing for my Inheritance Cycle fanfic, from which she originates. Kveykva is from the in universe ancient language of that series, and means lightning. The name Kiana itself is of Hawaiian origin and means divine, so put em together and you get divine lightning, which, I mean, is pretty metal ngl. Ironic since she's the most Baby of the three.

Airi Nakamura was the name given to a Bleach OC made for me by a friend. Airi itself has meanings both in Japanese (beloved jasmine) and Finnish (messenger). In story it has come to be her nickname, as her full first name is Aurora.

13. What are their views on marriage? If they want to get married, what would their dream wedding be like?

Eden, as the sole married one of the three, thinks marriage is pretty dang sweet. In keeping with both her and Astor's (@tiredassmage) wishes, theirs was a fairly quiet wedding, much to the chagrin of much of the Alliance who wanted a union between two Warriors of Light to be a grand affair. But enough of their lives and accomplishments are under the scrutiny of the public that they are happy to keep such a moment to themselves. With that said, let there never be any doubt that the two are deeply, deeply in love. Eden couldn't imagine a future without him in it that she would want for herself, and he will never fail to get a shiver of delight out of her when calling her Mrs. Caulfield.

Airi's views on marriage are...complicated. On one hand, she would absolutely be down for a lavish affair and the chance to dress up and declare her vows! But. Her strict parents drilled into her that her marriage would be one that benefits their family, feelings and romance be damned, giving her an overall bitter feeling toward the idea. Additionally, the man who owns her heart is...not one for conventional weddings, period. It was already a shock to see him dressed up for the Banquet at all. And their bond is already one that has transcended eons and lightyears, to declare their union in a ceremony seems very insignificant in comparison. There will be opportunities to dress up, but a wedding as the setting is unlikely for the time being.

What AU would they belong in the best?

See it's funny, because all three of them come from other fandoms, technically making ffxiv the AU!

Of the three of them, however, Eden's characterization was developed the most in xiv, and it's become a little difficult to fit her into other universes without having to change large parts of her (such as her memory loss and future-sight Echo). If I had to pick one AU she would do well in, it's one where she can flex her full queenly self to its max, so something in the fantasy/historical fiction genre would fit her. If she finds herself

Kiana is meant to be an underdog protagonist, so she's very flexible on where she can go. I do still carry a soft spot for her original incarnation as a surprise Dragon Rider in the war between the Varden and the Empire. She's most recently found herself in a small YGO 5'Ds AU with a few friends.

Airi is also very flexible on which universes she can go into, she usually fits into the role of the rich family's runaway heiress (think Lucy from Fairy Tail), who like any Disney princess just wants more than whatever stifling role her parents want to force her into. Bonus points if she's able to meet a brooding world-weary grump who slowly warms up to and falls in love with her over the course of the story (psst Shay that's your queue)

[yungidreamer]

Fae

The second one shot in my Kinktober fantasy series

Summary: A lonely fairy in the woods catches sight of an intriguing visitor who seems to love his forest as much as he does. He invites her in, but will she decide to stay?

Wordcount: 4k

Content warnings: mild sexual content, making out, kissing, more reference to sex than description of it, and some magic.

Suggested music: Capercaillie Eastern Reel and Price of Fire and The Seed by AURORA

If you ever meet a fairy, do not accept their food or drink, it is how they draw you into their world... 

She was here, Felix grinned to himself. He had watched her passing near his fairy circle for months, admiring her beauty and the way she always seemed to be so happy when she walked through the forest. He loved the wonder that came into her eyes when she spotted a pretty flower or a cute little bird flitting by.

“Please come in,” he said hopefully. “I promise not to keep you forever if you just come, just for a little while.” He just had to do something to catch her attention, to draw her inside. Felix put his hand on the ground near the edge of his circle letting out small tendrils of magic through his fingertips. The glowing vines of magic crawled over the forest floor bringing forth bursts of spring flowers where they touched.

The movement and bright colors caught her attention in the corner of her eye and she turned to see what was there. A curling carpet of spring blooms covered a short distance up a little incline to a ring of mushrooms growing in the forest floor. She would have sworn it wasn’t there a moment ago.

“How are these growing now?” She asked quietly, directing the question at no one in particular. “Lily of the Valley, crocus, and Siberian squill...you all bloom in spring. How are you here?”

Careful not to step on the flowers, she made her way up the incline to see what was there, what could make those flowers bloom. Stepping into the circle of light brown mushrooms, she turned in a little circle to take in the view of the forest from that point. Somehow it looked brighter, more vivid from that place where she stood. A slight rustling drew her attention to a tree stump a few meters behind her.

“Who are you?” She asked the boy who seemed to be suddenly sitting there, cross legged, his chin resting on the palms of his hands as he looked at her.

“I’m Felix,” he replied, standing up. “Welcome to my forest.”

“Your…” her voice drifted off. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. I didn’t think this was private property.”

“No, please, don’t apologize,” he assured her, standing up and moving to join her. “I don’t mind having you here. It’s nice to see someone appreciate my forest.”

“Have...have you been watching me?” She asked, taking a half step back.

“A little,” he admitted shyly, smiling up at her through his lashes. “Your sketches of the birds were so pretty. Most people don’t pay enough attention to capture them so well.”

“Thank you, I suppose,” she replied. He made her feel funny. It was some sensation she couldn’t place when she looked at him. He was handsome and young looking, with sparkling eyes and a dusting of freckles over his nose and cheeks. A mischief danced in his eyes when he looked at her with an adoring intensity. It should have made her uncomfortable, after all, he was a stranger she knew nothing about. Not to mention the strange way he was dressed. Why was he here by himself? How had he seen her and her sketches in the forest without her noticing?

“Did you like my flowers?” He asked, drawing closer.

“How did you get them to bloom so late in the year?” She asked, turning to look at the carpet of flowers again.

“Oh that’s easy,” he explained, taking her hand and pulling her along to an open part of the forest floor. “Like this,” he knelt down and placed his palm on the ground and let out a small burst of his powers. Around his hand golden ripples pushed out, leaving blooms that pushed up through the leaf litter in their wake. Her eyes went wide and she moved down to her knees to get closer to the sudden burst of flowers.

“Edelweiss,” she breathed quietly. “What are you?”

“I’m a fairy,” he answered, as if it should be obvious. “I live in the forest, care for the plants and the creatures here. Would you like to see my home?”

“Yes,” she said before she could think better of it. It seemed likely this was a dream, or maybe that she had lost her mind, and if that was the case where was the harm in going to see it? Taking her by the hand he led her to an old thick oak that grew near the edge of a small stream. It looked like an ordinary old tree until he put his hand on it and the front of the tree melted into an old door that opened inward. It didn’t look possible, the door seeming to be as large as one side of the tree, but he stepped inside, drawing her in behind him.

“Welcome,” he said as he closed the door behind her. She couldn’t respond as she tried to take in where she was. Through the door was a little world that seemed to defy definition as either a room or a forest. Somehow it was both and neither at the same time. The walls and ceiling were a dome of warm golden wood, shiny and smooth from years of being polished and cared for with gentle hands. Windows looked out through the notches left by knots that had been cleared and set with rippling glazing that sparkled in the low light. Shelf-like mushrooms grew in areas along the walls holding everything from little figures, to cups and plates. Off to one side sat a person sized nest on a little nook that came out from the wall. The mess of blankets that covered it, as well as the cushy looking pillows buried off to one side, looked like they were made of the softest silk in shades of green and brown. On the opposite side sat a table made from the top of a stump that extended from the wall, floating just the right height above the floor. Two small stumps sat, one on each side, providing seats for anyone who wanted to sit for some tea or food, if the mood struck. Spheres dangled here and there, bringing a glowing warm light to the space. It smelled fresh and woody, like rosemary and pine with just a hint of sandalwood, completing the sense of fantasy about the place.

“Wow,” was all she managed to say after taking it all in for a moment or two.

“Do you like it?” Felix asked, drawing up beside her and taking one of her hands in his. “I don’t really get visitors very often.”

“It’s wonderful,” she assured him, turning to look at him and finding his face far closer than she thought it was. A blush rose onto her cheeks and he gave her a warm grin as he took notice.

“I’m so glad you found my forest,” he sighed, taking a hand and brushing his fingers over her cheek. “Would you mind if I kissed you?”

“No,” she said, her gaze dropping down to his perfectly shaped pink lips. It was just a dream after all, she told herself. If it was a dream, there was no harm. It couldn’t be real. Fairies didn’t exist, nothing could make flowers spring from nowhere, houses couldn’t appear inside trees.

Felix leaned in, brushing his lips against hers as gently as if he were kissing the fluff of a dandelion. His lips tasted like sweet clover and summer strawberries. His delicate hands held her face, tilting it just right so he could nuzzle his lips closer to hers. He filled her senses, with the sweet flavor of his lips and the gentle touch of his hands as they wandered from her face down to her shoulders and arms.

She was as wonderful as he had imagined, soft and giving under his touch. She was so alive and so warm in a way he had missed for so long. Humans usually held little attraction for him. They were short lived, selfish, and obsessed with their world of concrete and steel, missing the wonder and beauty of the nature so close to them. But she was sweet like a summer dawn and took joy in all the little details of the world around her. In her art she had captured the way the chickadee spread its wings as it turned in flight, the gloss of the leaves after the rain, and the glint of the spiderwebs in dawn mist.

“Let me touch you,” he asked quietly against the corner of her mouth.

“You already are,” she pointed out with a breathy laugh, her hands coming to rest on his waist.

“I meant like this,” he chuckled as his hand slipped over her clothed breast.

“Ah, right,” her cheeks went pinker as she pulled his hips closer to hers. 

“Is this alright?” Felix slid a hand up under her sweater, still staying over the soft cotton of her t-shirt. She nodded, getting a closer look at his face as he explored her gently. Near the corners of his eyes he had little marks that looked like tiny silver crescent moons, glowing lightly from within. Over the bridge of his nose and cheeks were freckles of bronze and gold along with those that looked like regular ones. His eyes were brown like the fertile soil of the forest, but had flecks of red and gold, like leaves in fall.

He brought his lips back to hers, guiding her backwards until the back of her knees hit the edge of the nest like bed. She let herself sink backwards into the softness of the bed and its blankets as he moved to lie beside her. Felix coaxed her into the center of the bed and curled up along her side.

“You’re so beautiful,” he told her, brushing a little hair out of her face.

“I…thank you,” she said shyly. Reaching up, she pulled his face back down to hers, capturing his lips. She kissed him with passion and desperation. He was beautiful, he was delicious, and he made her feel like she was coming alive after a long winter.

He slipped her sweater off and tossed it to the floor. He kissed his way over her cheek and down her neck as he snuck his hand under her shirt to touch the skin of her stomach for the first time. He sent out tendrils of magic over her skin, making her gasp at the feel.

“What did you do?” She panted.

“Just a little magic,” he explained timidly. “Did you like it?”

“Yes,” she nodded, desperate for him to do it again.

“Here,” he helped her pull off her shirt and her pants, leaving her only in her bra and underwear in the soft nest of the bed. He stretched out beside her, running his knuckles over her stomach lightly.

“What about you?” She asked, running her hand over the clothing that still covered him. “Can I see you?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” he gave a musical laugh and his clothes melted away.

“Easy indeed,” she gave a nervous giggle as she looked down the line of his naked body. “That shouldn’t be possible.” She said softly, running her fingers along his shoulder, touching the soft skin there.  His body was long and lean, muscular but not the sort one got from strength training, it was the body of a runner, a swimmer, a dancer. He was beautiful as he smiled down at her. Splaying a hand over her stomach he sent out a small ripple of magic over her skin and she saw little golden waves move across her skin, bringing pleasure with them. She let out a ragged breath and gripped his bicep to steady herself. 

“Keep going,” she whispered, looking into his eyes. Felix leaned down and put his lips to hers and let a trickle of his magic into her through them. It amplified the cozy warmth of his lips and the taste of strawberries that washed through her. She urged him to deepen the kiss and helped him shift until he lay half on top of her as he did. When she touched him, she felt like she couldn’t get enough, couldn’t get close enough. He ran his fingers through her hair, holding her head as he explored her mouth.

A shiver went through her as his tongue tangled with hers and he slid a knee between her thighs. Her hands pressed against his back, feeling his muscles move under his soft skin. Somehow he managed to feel warm and hard and soft all at once under her touch. His magic intoxicated her, leaving her mind slowed and making the world have a pull and drag like water around her. She wanted more.

“Can we…,” she fidgeted, squeezing her thighs around his and hoping that would get her desire across.

“Are you sure you want to?” He ran a hand down her side to her waist. “I can make you feel good even if we don’t go all the way.” 

“But I want to,” she nodded emphatically. If this was a dream she wanted to have this moment. If it wasn’t a dream, she wanted to feel like this, take as much of this moment with her for as long as she could remember it. “Please touch me.”

“Of course,” he giggled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll touch you as much as you desire.” His fingers played at the edge of her bra strap and he moved it slowly off her shoulder. He kissed along where it had been as his hand went to cup the soft mound of her breast. Everywhere his skin touched hers, golden sparkles followed behind.

Felix loved watching her reaction, the way goosebumps prickled along her skin when he touched her. The way his magic could flow and tickle along her skin was intriguing. Even with other fairies it hadn’t been like this. Sometimes their powers clashed, sometimes it fizzled, something that was always a great disappointment when you were otherwise compatible. But even with the best of experiences he had had before, they didn’t compare to how it felt to share it with her.

He reached behind her and undid the contraption that was her bra, discarding it off the side of the bed with a toss. Running the tips of two fingers over her from the notch in her collarbone down between her breasts and to the dip of her belly button. Her back arched and her muscles twitched under his touch. She looked so pretty like this.

“Can I take these off too?” He asked as he fingered the waistband of her panties. She nodded, lifting her hips to help him do it. Felix slid them down her hips and thighs, tossing them vaguely in the direction her bra had gone. With her now as naked as he was, he straddled her legs, sitting on his heels near her knees.

“If I said you were the prettiest thing in my forest would you believe me?” He asked, letting his eyes rake over her beneath him.

“No,” she admitted, moving her hands to cover herself.

“No, little one,” he leaned forward and entwined his fingers with hers and brought them to his lips. “Don’t hide. You are so beautiful to my eyes.”

“You’re too pretty to be believed,” she shook her head, pulling at him to ask him to lie down with her. He obliged and covered her body with his. A tingle went through him as so much of their bodies came into contact and he let out a gasp, as did she.

“Does it always feel this good for a fairy?” She asked as she moved her legs to cradle his hips.

“No, my magic seems to like you as much as I do,” He smiled. She smiled back and brushed his lavender bangs off his forehead. His lips returned to hers, giving them ravenous kisses as his hunger filled his skin. He moved his lips over her cheek and down her throat, making a slow sojourn down her body. He sucked and licked along her collarbone, enjoying the thin and sensitive skin there. Next he moved to her breast, sucking one nipple into his mouth as his fingers pinched the other lightly.

“Felix,” she gasped, her hands gripping his hair lightly. “You feel like heaven.”

“My love, you are heaven,” he replied, kissing along the underside of her breast and down her ribs. Eventually he found himself stretched out between her thighs, eager to explore her there. He placed little kisses on the inside of her thigh, enjoying the sparks he left in his wake. She was endlessly entertaining to touch and watch and enjoy for him.

He ran his tongue up her length tasting the moisture that had gathered there. She was sweet and salty to his taste buds, the perfect mix of intoxicating flavors. Her back arched under his touch and he spread her thighs wider. He watched her as he licked and sucked at her, loving how she reacted to him. She looked beautiful squirming under his ministrations. 

Warm sensations enveloped her as her pleasure increased. It built inside her like a slowly lapping tide, curling against the inside of her body. Her hands reached for his as she could feel it rising and threatening to drown her with desire. He held her, a touch stone in a storm as she came apart underneath him. Moving up to lie beside her again, he admired her expression and how much she looked like she belonged here like this.

“I want to keep you,” he sighed, tracing the line of her features with his eyes. “But I can’t make that choice for you.”

“What if I decide to stay?” She asked, ready to say she would already.

“Don’t decide now,” he shook his head gently, cocooning them both in the soft blankets as he moved on top of her. “For now, just be with me.” He kissed her and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Let’s just have this now.”

She nodded and said nothing else as he slid himself inside her, burying his face in the crook of her neck, taking in the scent of her. It was as perfect a moment as he had ever had, sharing the warmth of their bodies, a mingling of their souls. They made love until they were both exhausted, falling into a contented slumber in the secret of his tree.

Hours later when they awoke, Felix helped her dress and walked with her to the edge of his circle. He wanted to keep her, to share the joys of his forest with her and perhaps he still would, but he would not do it by trickery. He could, and many of his kind did, but he loved the kindness of her soul too much to win it through deceit.

“Here,” he took one of her hands in his, pressing it between his two and sending a bit of magic through it. “Take some time to think, but if you choose to return, this will let you find me again.” When he drew his hand back, there was a mark on her palm that looked like a faint gray crescent moon. “If you choose to come back to me, I will share all I have with you; my forest, my magic, my heart. But if you come there is no going back, if you become part of my world you cannot go back to what you were, so think carefully on this choice. I would understand if you chose not to come back.”

“I don’t want to go,” She sighed. “If I go, I’m afraid this will all have been a dream. Or if it isn’t, what if I forget?”

“You won’t forget,” Felix promised, pointing to the mark on her hand. “This will stay on you, at least for a little while and I promise I’m not a dream.”

“Can I come back tomorrow?” She asked hopefully.

“Perhaps wait a little longer,” he laughed, cupping her cheek. “Come back in a week, find me then. Be careful going home, it's starting to get dark.” She nodded, stepping out of the circle of mushrooms to suddenly find herself alone in a forest that felt different than it had just a few moments before. She scurried down the path that led back home, leaving a piece of herself behind.

It had been a week and waiting so long had been a daily fight. The face of Felix haunted her dreams and her waking hours. She had spent much of the first few days sketching it in the hopes that it would give her some peace; exorcise it from her mind. But somehow she couldn’t capture just the right sparkle in his gaze, or the glint of his freckles in the glow of the light. She spent pages and pages sketching it, painting it, but could not get the memories on the paper. The results were beautiful, some of the best she had ever done of a person, her friends assured her, but she knew it wasn’t right.

At night she lay in bed, touching the mark he had left on her, willing him to hear her thoughts so that he would remember her too. What if he forgets me? She wondered to herself. What if he doesn’t want me back? I never should have gone. She sighed and turned over in her bed, struggling for sleep to take her.

Just three more days…

Just two now…

Tomorrow!

In the morning she had sat at her desk, penning a few notes to her friends and family in the hopes that it would at least make them worry less. She laid the envelopes on her bed, under the edge of her pillow, partially hiding them from sight. If she couldn’t find him again she would have time to destroy them before anyone would take note of them or even that she had been gone. She took with her a few photos, the necklace she had inherited from her grandmother, and the little music box her father had given her as a child.

She closed the door and locked it, slipping her keys into her pocket. Her feet walked her back to that place without a thought. She found the woods and the little half hidden trail that had teased her mind for last week. The wind blew through the mostly empty branches of the fall trees as milky light filtered down to the forest floor. The sound of her footsteps grew more faint as the visible path disappeared, becoming moss and the litter of fallen leaves.

She knew she must be getting closer as the forest began to grow quieter around her. She looked for the incline and the circle of mushrooms she knew must be near as she rubbed the mark on the palm of her hand.

“Felix,” she whispered under her breath, the fear she would not find him again welling up in her chest. She closed her eyes and said his name quietly, half a prayer, half a question. When she opened her eyes, before her floated a small orange ball of light that pulsed slowly as it floated just a little ahead of her. Her feet followed it without a second thought, slowly making her way through the last tangle of branches before she finally saw it.

“Felix, are you here?” She asked, carefully getting nearer his fairy circle.

“You came back,” his voice floated out to her a moment before he stepped out in front of her. “I had hoped you would, but…”

“Of course,” she extended her hand with the little crescent to him, taking those last few steps up to the line of mushrooms.

“Come inside, let me give you a little something to eat,” Felix offered with a smile.

Masterlist

[emeraldspiral]

So I went to see Maleficent 2 with my friend yesterday. It was pretty meh.

The plot was super thin and it felt like nothing really happened for most of it and nobody had an arc. In particular, Maleficent does very little to drive the story and could basically be cut out of it for a solid hour in the middle. It was like someone wrote an outline, and then did one or two drafts filling in basic details like the names of the main characters and how things were going to move from scene to scene, but then they just called it good instead of continuing to flesh it out. Like the script was 90% placeholders.

Other random assorted thoughts;

Why didn’t the fairies break the windows or go after the redhead bitch right from the get go when she started dusting everyone?

Why didn’t the dark fae fly in a different attack formation, like try approaching the castle walls from above instead of flying low and then up and making themselves easier targets?

I legit thought Maleficent was with them when the attack started and did a double take when they cut away to her still with the dying guy and was like, “What the fuck? It was night when they got attacked and it’s the middle of the day now. Has she just been at that guy’s death bed for 12 straight hours when the warhawk guy’s entire plan was 'We can win even though we’re outnumbered and outgunned because we have her'?”

Also, I don’t really like that Mal is more powerful than other fae just because she was born that way. I thought she was a sorceress, someone who studied magic to get more powerful, not someone who just coasts on her innate abilities. It would make more sense with her having had to fend for herself and defend the moors from a young age and then losing her inhibitions about tapping into darker magic after her trauma.

WTF was with the comedy ending for the queen? Everything was super dark up until that point, building up to the same kind of brutal end they gave Aurora’s dad in the last movie. But instead she just gets turned into a goat with the caveat that she can be changed back whenever they decide she’s been punished enough.

The little porcupine girl was totally pointless. The first couple minutes of the movie where they introduced her and she fucks around with Aurora for the bit were the worst part of the movie. The forced whimsy and bad CGI were straight painful to look at.

They really just retconned their own movie by having Maleficent suddenly hate Philip and disapprove of his relationship with Aurora when she was all for it in the last movie.

Maleficent barely speaks and does nothing for most of the movie, particularly in the middle. All she does is look at stuff and listen to exposition and people talking about what they want her to do without interjecting with any of her own opinions or doing anything to advance the plot for like, an hour.

The story’s supposed to take place over three days but it seemed like only one or two passed.

Thought the one warhawk fae was going to turn out to be the one attacking humans instead of Maleficent at the beginning since all we saw were the horns and we got no confirmation when the queen was confronting Mal about it at dinner. I thought he’d turn out to be in cahoots with the queen or at least give a reason for Mal to reevaluate her position, but no such twist occurs.

Thought other fae would be more important because they had cool designs and the cameras focused on them a lot, but then they had no lines and did nothing.

Even the two fae who were important, the warhawk and the peace dove guys, were completely two-dimensional and a microcosm for the whole film. Like, the dove and the king and Philip and Aurora are all, “We shouldn’t kill people, that’s just going to piss them off” and the queen and the warhawk are like, “Peace is for pussies. I say we commit genocide.” And that’s literally all anybody has to say on the subject. There’s zero depth to it. That’s what I mean when I say it feels like everything that was written was a placeholder for a later draft that was supposed to flesh everything out more.

I honestly don’t even know why they gave the queen a backstory about her brother being killed by fae to explain her motive. Like, the two sides were already enemies. They didn’t need to explain why anyone else on either side personally didn’t like each other. All that backstory did was make me think it was building up to a reveal that the queen’s dead brother was a character we knew, but then he wasn’t.

Why did the queen need to spread rumors about Maleficent? That wasn’t something that needed explaining. Everyone’s racist, you could’ve just said they heard the story about Aurora being cursed and passed it around for 16 years and just didn’t believe it when Mal broke the spell. But even then, how could people not know? Like, it was known that Aurora woke up and became queen of the Moors and that Maleficent raised her and cared for her as her godmother. Why would people think Mal was evil when the person she supposedly cursed and then left to die was alive and well and freely associating with her? Also, why would Philip not correct those misconceptions?

Why did destroying the needle break the curse on the king when Mal wasn’t able to break Aurora’s curse with anything other than a kiss? Were they too afraid of Chinese homophobes to let Philip kiss his dad?

Why was Warwick Davis torturing and killing his own kind?

Tomb-bloom sounds like toon boom.

Who the hell were those baby fae at the end? Did Maleficent have kids?

What was with that one shot of a cradle when she was being rescued? Some sort of repressed memory? Begs a lot of questions about how Mal ended up alone running things in the moors while the rest of her kind were aware of her but just hanging out in their own place.

It’s called “Maleficent Mistress of Evil”, but she doesn’t do a damn thing throughout 99% of the movie, let alone anything evil and the story isn’t driven by people thinking she’s evil, it’s driven by Philip and Aurora’s impending nuptials.

Costumes were great though and Angie looked hot as fuck.

[pantherlover]

Rosemary and Rue Re-Read: Part 3

Here’s part 3!  As always: while I may not remember all of the details, I’ve read all of the books up to Night and Silence and will be referring to them in these posts.  These are not spoiler free recaps.

Chapter 4

I spent most of the beginning of this chapter muttering ‘Fuck you, Evening’ because of how horribly guilty Toby feels (and continues to feel) over missing her calls.  

It can’t be a coincidence that both Evening and the Luidaeg a) settled down in the same city and b) settled down on the mortal side of the city.  is there something special about San Francisco?  Did one of them settle down there and the other followed?

Something that occurred to me in this chapter: how did Evening’s mortal body appear in her apartment?  I know Toby says that the night haunts replace the bodies of dead fae, but I’d assume that they only do that with fae that, you know, can’t come back to life.  I’m pretty sure that Evening actually for real dies, so there would’ve been a body, but no reason for the night haunts to come to take her body.  Did she make the fake body herself?  Does she have a deal with the night haunts to make a copy of her if she dies in the mortal world?  And how did her real body get out of the apartment?  Did she set something up with someone beforehand to take her body away for safekeeping?

“She had hair that wavered between black and purple, with highlights of pink, orange, and blue, like an aurora.”  I know that Evening is evil and heartless, but I love her hair so much.  Why does good hair happen to terrible people???

So I was wondering what was capable of permanently killing Evening, because I thought that Devin had used iron and silver, and that’s the only thing that we know for sure will kill a Firstborn, but when Toby rides Evening’s death she says they only used iron.  Does that mean that using iron and silver can still kill her?

Chapter 5

“I don’t even know anyone who’s actually seen [the night haunts].”  There are a lot of things in these earlier chapters that are very amusing when you compare them to later books.  There’s this sentence in particular, but the moment where Toby was talking about riding deaths and not being used to them was good too.

I forgot that Evening helped Sylvester fight to let Toby be knighted.  I wonder what her reasoning behind that was.  Did she want Toby to feel like she owed her?

I love the False Queen’s knowe.  It wouldn’t have suited Arden, and the redwood knowe is definitely more practical to visit, but the knowe in the bay seems so interesting.  I wish we’d seen more of it than the throne room, dungeons, and treasury.

Something I’ve wondered about for a while about the Queen’s knowe: who did it used to belong to?  Knowes don’t manifest themselves; someone actively has to create them.  Toby found the knowe, so we know that the Queen didn’t create it herself, and it must have been lost for a long time for it to be lost enough that the Cait Sidhe could use it, so who made it?  I might guess the Luidaeg, but the decor of polished marble, polished marble, and, lets’ see, more polished marble, doesn’t really sound like her style.

Here we meet the False Queen.  She probably would be strikingly beautiful to see in person, but I’ve been watching a LOT of renovation shows lately, and all-white anything just makes me want to throw something and shout ‘USE A DAMN COLOUR’ at her.  Although Toby mentions her dress and says ‘only a pureblood would accessorize with the ocean’, which sounds AWESOME and I would do it in a heartbeat if it was possible.

“I winced.  Between Tybalt and the Queen, it’s a wonder I don’t need therapy.”  Um.  There was a short story told from the Luidaeg’s pov that mentioned that Amandine’s illusions were the best, especially when she was deluding herself.  I think the skill of self-delusion might have been the only thing that Toby managed to learn from Amandine, because man she’s good.

The False Queen refusing to help Toby find Evening’s murderer is interesting, especially after we find out that Evening gave her the throne in the first place.  Is it because she’s scared of Evening, and she’s actually grateful Evening’s dead?  Does she not want Evening’s murder investigated in case someone digging into Evening’s affairs might find something connected to her?

That’s it for now!  This is probably one of the shortest recaps I’ll do; succinct is not something I’ve ever been accused of.  As always, come talk to me about stuff!

[popstarryeyed]

(spotify link)

songs that remind me of the memes about Hozier being a forest spirit/fae creature. many songs on here are ones he has a personal connection to - songs by him, songs by his friends, songs by artists he admires, etc. 

yes this took me a long time to put together, and yes, you can read an explanation of each song choice under the cut:

1. Nature Boy - Aurora

this is the song that gave me the idea for this playlist - i realized “a shy wise boy who wanders out of the forest to tell you about the power of love” is 100% how people on this site see Hozier. i chose to use this version instead of the original by Nat King Cole because a) this was the first version of the song i heard and therefore the one that inspired me and b) Aurora has a nature spirit vibe in her own right, so she had to be on this playlist.

2. Two Turtle Doves - Alana Henderson

she was part of Hozier’s backing band on his last tour (cello and vocals), and her music has a similar morbid-folky vibe. you should check her out.

3. My Lagan Love - Lisa Hannigan & The Chieftains

he mentioned that this was one of his favorite traditional Irish tunes in this interview, and he’s often mentioned being a fan of Lisa Hannigan. i bet he’s heard this version.

4. Exile - Enya

couldn’t make a playlist about Irish fae royalty without acknowledging Enya. this song is structured similarly to My Lagan Love and i’ve always really liked it so it got added.

5. Stolen Child - Loreena McKennitt

this is a musical setting of a W.B. Yeats poem about being abducted by faeries. he loves Yeats and people thing he’s fae. it’s perfect.

6. Blood Moon - Saint Sister

they’re opening for him on his European tour, and this song has a particularly magical energy. i’ve previously put it on a witchy playlist.

7. The Raid - Anuna

originally, i started making this playlist on youtube so that i could add and reorder more easily than on spotify, and the version i had there was the one with hozier singing on it. enjoy.

8. Velvet Green - Jethro Tull

in the track by track video for “In a Week”, Hozier explains that the song is about two lovers who go off to the hills to “do what young lovers do” and then die there. this song is basically that, except without the dying.

9. In a Week - Hozier

see previous.

10. Sweet Thing - Van Morrison

he’s covered it, so it was an easy pick.

11. Hounds of Love - Kate Bush

this song references running into the woods and finding a wounded fox. that very specific image also shows up in “In the Woods Somewhere”, and it was too perfect a coincidence to pass up. also i’m a huge fan of Kate Bush, and this album in particular is one of my favorites of all time.

12. The Bailey - Loah

she co-wrote Someone New, and i felt the vibe of this song fit the playlist. you should check her out, especially her feminist anthem “Nothing”.

13. Carry Me Out - Mitski

a little reference to the Hozier-Hades thing, with the line about the spirits leading her down to the Styx. also, long dark hair, flowers, and death feature in this song. can’t imagine why i’d connect those to Hozier.

14. Mother - Florence and the Machine

the Hozier mythos is often tied up with Florence, so she had to be here. this song in particular has her asking to be turned into a tree and a bird, two things that Hozier has also sung about (”NFWMB”, “Shrike”).

15. Angel Owl - Little Green Cars

Stevie Appleby, one of the lead singers of this band, is one of Hozier’s close friends. he did the tattoo, designed the Hozier logo, and drew this comic about “In the Woods Somewhere”. couldn’t not include him.

16. Deeper Devestation - Jesca Hoop

just felt like it fit the vibe. not every song on this playlist has a deep reason for being on here.

17. Pressing Flowers - The Civil Wars

the imagery in this song is exactly the kind of thing i was going for with this playlist - “we were branches pressing flowers” “meet me in the tintypes of long ago”.

18. Beast at the Door - Wyvern Lingo

Karen Cowley, who featured on “In a Week”, is in this band, and this song has the same energy as “In the Woods Somewhere”.

19. In the Woods Somewhere - Hozier

i’ve referenced it in three different descriptions so far, obviously it was going to be here.

20. My Love Will Never Die - Otis Rush

he’s covered it, plus i needed some old blues music on a Hozier playlist. there should really be more, but i am somewhat limited by my own music taste here. 

21. Rollin’ Stone - Muddy Waters

he covered a little snippet of it here.

22. Lilac Wine - Nina Simone

it’s a Hozier-themed playlist, i can’t NOT include the woman he admires so much he named his EP after her. 

23. El Condor Pasa (If I Could) - Simon and Garfunkel

"i’d rather be a forest than a street”

24. Color Song - Maggie Rogers

just a song about nature with crickets in the background.

25. Blackbird - The Beatles

he’s covered it.

26. Like Real People Do - Hozier

an adorable love song about being dug up from the earth, one of my favorite songs of his.

27. Drop in the Ocean - Hudson Taylor

they opened for him on his North American tour. i saw them. they were good.

28. A Trick of the Light - Villagers

he chose this song for a spotify playlist recently, and i just loved it, it’s so shimmery.

29. Plant Life - Owl City

this and Nature Boy were the only two songs on this playlist at one point. this song gets extra points for mentioning bears. as we all should know, Hozier enjoys a good bear.

30. Compass - Zella Day

i just like the imagery in this song. idk.

31. Better Than That - Suzanne Santo

she’s currently part of his touring band, and is opening for him in Europe. had to include her because she’s awesome.

32. Shrike - Hozier

i mean, obviously.

--

thanks for reading.

[dem-obscure-imagines]

True Love’s Kiss

Diaval x Reader

True Love’s Kiss

Prompt(s): “Omgomgomgomg Diaval one shot where the reader is Maleficent's daughter !!!!” and “A Diaval x reader imagine, please?? I just read the Nutcracker one and fell in love!!”

Note: I have been wanting to write for Diaval for literally forever omg.

Warnings: None??

Word Count: 1035

Diaval had realized very quickly that a side effect of Maleficent’s magic on him had been the lingering immortality that had been inflicted on his human form. To put it simply, Diaval didn’t age. At all. Mentally or physically. No matter how much time passed, he was trapped in the form of a young man or bird or whatever beast Maleficent decided she needed.

You had been born into Maleficent’s life at a very happy time. Her days in darkness were over, and her reign as the dark queen of the woods had come to an end. Instead, Princess Aurora ruled over the lands, both human and fae. Kind and loyal was she, ruling with love instead of an iron fist like her father or the dark magic of revenge like the former queen. All of the inhabitants of the land were happy, and this included you.

Diaval watched you grow and learn. And though he didn’t change, you did, flourishing into a beautiful young woman. He had been your protector for so long, always watching over you like a shadow, and yet, you had barely ever talked to him, really.

Before you knew it, you were preparing for a ball to celebrate your eighteenth birthday.

Your god-sister Aurora was helping you get dressed in the castle, although the party was to be held in the Moors. They needed some time to get the party ready, of course, and they couldn’t have you there to spoil the surprise.

“Do you feel any different?” Aurora asked. “Eighteen is a big year.”

“Not really, no. I mean, I feel like I should feel different, but I know I’m the same.” You replied thoughtfully.

“I didn’t feel any different on mine either.” She admitted with a grin. “Everyone says you’re supposed to. They all ask. It’s best to just agree with them.”

“Thanks for the words of wisdom.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Just under an hour later, you and Aurora stepped into the Moors.

“Bout time you showed up, princess.” Diaval greeted you immediately, taking your hand in his and pressing a tender kiss to the back of it. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you.” You smiled. You couldn’t place how, but something felt different. Something about the handsome shape-shifter was different to you. Perhaps your burning cheeks should have been a clue, but the feeling was forgotten when your mother approached. Her arms wrapped tight around you.

“My little birdie is all grown up.” Her voice sounded sad and proud, and the maternal look in her eyes made your heart sink and soar. Maleficent’s careful fingers stroked the feathers of your wings. Like your mother, you too had been gifted with large wings that had carried you high over the Moors many a time. And at the thought of your wings, you were itching to fly.

So after socializing with the many creatures and fae that had gathered to celebrate your newfound adulthood, you took off, racing to your favorite tree in the entire canopy. It had the perfect branch for sitting with the best view of the sunset.

Pink and orange hues danced at the edge of the horizon, and after sitting there for a while, you realized you weren’t alone. A particular raven had found a spot beside you on your branch as he often did.

You glanced over at Diaval, a small smile gracing your features. He looked at you, tilting his head a few times and then hopping closer. He leaned forward and poked your hand with his small beak. You raised an eyebrow. Seeing that you didn’t understand, he poked you again.

Carefully, you lifted your hand. Magic, glittering and yellow, danced around your fingertips for a few seconds, waiting for instruction. You focused on Diaval and then whispered.

“Into a man,”

Diaval’s wings stretched into arms, feathers replaced by fingers as his tiny bird legs elongated into something more human.

“Thank you.” He seemed grateful for the transformation.

“Is it true that you once hated being a human?” You asked him. He was almost hesitant to reply.

“Back then, I didn’t really have a reason to be human. It felt weird to be so much larger and more awkward and unable to fly.” He chuckled. “But if I were a bird, how would I be able to talk to you, princess?”

“Why do you always call me princess?”

“Because to me, you are one.”

You didn’t really know how to respond. And then you did.

“Diaval?”

“Yes, princess?”

“Aurora always talks about…introducing me to Philip’s friends.”

“And?”

“I don’t know. I just…In my heart, I’ve always been afraid that they could never compare to you.” Now it was Diaval’s turn to be speechless. His eyes tore themselves away from the sunset and instead landed on your fair features, searching for something to tell him if your words were genuine. “I know it’s foolish to think you could ever-”

“Princess, I never thought I could be enough for you. You’re a magnificent magical being, and I’m a bird that is occasionally not a bird.” He swallowed, hands shaking as he reached out for yours. Your fingers fit perfectly between his, and in that moment, Diaval had never been so thankful for fingers. For arms. For vocal chords and lips that allowed him to do more than squawk. “But if you’d have me, I swear to treat you like the princess you are.”

“I wouldn’t have anyone else.”

The moment your lips met his, it was like a million fireworks erupted in the darkening sky. The feeling was more potent than any magic you had ever felt, more precious than a million gemstones, and more eternal than the man kissing you.

In that moment, Diaval never wanted to be a bird ever again. He would kiss his wings goodbye forever if it meant he would be able to kiss you.

“Do you think your mother will be alright with this?” he asked once you had separated.

“I think my mother knows true love’s kiss when she sees it. And believe me, this was that.”

“I think so too.” He whispered, hand still tightly wrapped around your own. “Happy Birthday, princess.”

It was a happy birthday indeed…

[hiemaliis]

a cracked mask of ice

most would have long  returned to their warm homes. the winter was harsh, this year, and even fay, no,  aurora  felt the cold gnawing at her bones. it was of little consequence for her, however, and she merely shifted --- sharp eyes never leaving the city.  her city.  she had not wanted to care when she had come back, but she had quickly been reminded that some things were not her choice. the city, she thought as she looked over her shoulder, deserved someone better. deserved someone who could look at the  empty  space in the northern part without freezing up, without feeling bitter guilt. she had not been the one who had caused such destruction, seven years ago, but it did not mean that she could blame the people for doubting her. many had lost their lives when her mother had come to  visit.

and they  knew.  gods,  they  knew  what kind of blood was in her veins,  knew  what kind of  rotten  human being had, in another lifetime, taught her how to talk, how to walk.  how to lie.  her mother was a ghost when she was living her simple, civilian life. she was a curse whenever she donned the suit, whenever she reached for the mask. a curse that kept demanding its tribute, no matter how long it had been since the despicable woman had been locked up.

“ evening, princess, ” firebird said as she landed on the roof, swaying a little before she regained her balance. in the dim light, her hair looked oddly muted, but the woman --- fay's superior, not that the redhead knew --- as a whole remained vibrant.  alive.  as alive as someone could be after she had made herself a symbol,  a shield.  but then ... selflessness was what auburn hayden  bled,  much like fay bled cowardice.

the blonde huffed, her  breath turning into little clouds. “ hayden, i  told  you to stop calling me that, ” she replied, arms crossed and pale eyes glaring daggers at the other woman. not that it would make much of a difference: firebird was one of the people who had lived their entire life in opposition to what other people thought of them and no one could do  that  by caring  too  much about what others said.

“ maybe tell the designer to get rid of your fancy little hairband the next time you get a new suit, ” the other said with a wide, near careless grin. camaraderie came easy to auburn hayden, something that was both fact and surprise. fay would have expected resentment --- for both the hole fay's mother had torn into the city and the freedom of anonymity that fay could enjoy while auburn had had to give it up.

feeling a rare twinge  of self-consciousness now, the blonde reached up, touching the glittering hairband. it was something fay would not be caught dead in, usually, but according to the designer, a somewhat unassuming brunette, that was precisely  why  it had been part of aurora's attire from the very first suit on, up to the point where it had become something of a trademark. “ you know as well as i do that unless i cite a good reason, she won't erase a  symbol, ” she finally said as she raised an eyebrow. “ why are you still out here? why did you come out tonight in the first place? ” she asked, as if the thought had just struck her, as if she did not know the answer already.

being the ( newly appointed )  head of hayden prints' it department, fay had far more insight on what happened during firebird's day than the average human being. and given how often the daily crisis involved her department, the blonde liked to think that she had a finger on the redhead's pulse. few others --- one single person, tall and dark-haired and painful to think about --- would have as much insight as she did, and fay understood that the stress of the day had to go somewhere. and it seemed that auburn hayden invested her stress into the protection of the city. which was near ridiculously noble of her.

“ it is nothing that should worry you, aurora, ” firebird said after a short moment of silence. “ just ... work things. ”

fay would have snorted.  auburn had never been a particularly good liar which was probably why she tended to leave the lying to her assistant. there had been no incident at work, this time, but it was surely an excuse that would keep most off her back. it would keep aurora off her back, too. because while fay knew, she was aurora now and aurora had no insider knowledge. but even if the matter would be glossed over now, fay would see what she could find out in the morning. a woman with fire powers was no one she wanted to see emotionally vulnerable.

“ maybe you should head home, ” the blonde said as she looked away from her boss. get some sleep. “ i'll be out here a while longer. ”

if anyone had noticed  that she had been taking on more and more responsibilities in the past few months, no one had mentioned it. apparently, it had been silently decided that unless someone disclosed details of their civilian life, it was ignored that there  was  a life without the mask, without the suit. and for the most part, fay was grateful for this. she did not want to go over why her last relationship had failed --- her secrecy, mostly --- and she did not want to talk about how  empty  her apartment was. and how  cold.

“ i think i will, ” auburn said with a yawn, stretching and losing her balance nearly all over again. “ i'll leave you in the most capable hands of the knight, then ... princess. ”

fay's eyebrow became visible  now as it rose above the mask. there were not many heroes in town and while knight  could  refer to either chevalier or his brother, neither of them operated in their city. no, the knight firebird  had  to mean was the sole non-powered player in their game: the dark knight. despite having known him for a bit now, fay had not yet figured out what to make of him. something about him had her on edge, but at the same time, she had come to consider him someone she could rely on. which was problematic in more than just one way, mostly because she had never been much of a team player.

and now that hayden  had mentioned him, fay realised --- too late, far too late --- that the man in question had been perched on a nearby roof, only to approach now. why he had decided to join their circus, she could not say. she knew that she would have made a different choice for herself, had she ever been given a choice. at first, she had figured that maybe, he was misguided and blinded by the glamour the press liked to attribute to their lives, but such a fragile reasoning would have been crushed quickly ------ and he was still around, a silent yet witty presence.

“ firebird, aurora, ” he greeted with a short nod before leaning against the nearest wall.

what fay liked about  him was that he did not make fun of her alias or called her by another name. she could understand where the teasing nicknames came from, but --- she had given interviews, explaining where her alias came from. and whenever people plainly ignored it, she had to grit her teeth. hayden just got away with it because she was fay's  boss.  she had never minded nicknames, but --- the only nicknames she had ever wanted were the nicknames the people who had been truly close to her had used. though that thought hurt, too --- she had known that it was over when richard had called her fay instead of fae. and she had been right.

“ sir, ” hayden replied as she jumped and landed on the railing --- this time, her knee did not buckle and fay let out a breath she had not known she was holding. really, she should have figured out firebird's identity long before she had taken off the mask; the coincidences had been simply too great. red hair and a bad leg? a penchant for dark clothing? fay should have recognised her employer. “ my liege told me to go to sleep, so i'll be doing just that. ”

oh ---  and  a preference  for horrible jokes, too, the blonde added to her mental list of traits that linked the two sides of the redhead. though if fay were honest, she would have to admit that this particular joke was hard to resist. there  was  a theme --- even though fay had  not  named herself after a disney princess --- and it was all too tempting to play around with these themes, sometimes.

( she  had  been the one to ask chevalier's oldest brother if his birthday party would have a  spooky  theme after the press had elected to name the blond man phantom. )

“ sleep well, ms hayden, ” the man said with a brief nod before watching with a sigh how she let herself fall off the roof and towards the quiet street beneath, only pulling herself up in the last moment. “ so dramatic. ”

“ aren't we all? ” fay asked, drawing his attention towards her again as her hands finally let go of the glittering band in her hair. she always felt --- unsteady when she dealt with firebird, was always worried that one of these days, the woman would see past the mask and realise the truth. most heroes tried to keep their lives separate, but few had as many reasons as aurora did.

dark knight turned towards  her, slowly raising an eyebrow and regarding her carefully before he shrugged. “ i always thought  you  to be above such shenanigans, ” he said after a moment, his voice painfully neutral. she did not like this, felt like she was walking over ice --- whether it would carry her or not, she could not quite predict. she was convinced, however, that she did not like to be singled out, even when it was not meant in a bad way. she was the least likely heroine to ever act out, solely because she could not afford it. one toe out of line --- and people would compare her to her mother.

she huffed, crossing her  arms. it was easy for him to say, these days. aurora had not been the most reckless, the most irresponsible hero in a long time. she had learned the hard way that taking care of herself was non-negotiable, that it was something she had to do because she could not pay the price for neglect. when she had been younger, she had been careless and some days, she still felt the tribute this demanded.

“ recklessness loses its charm after a while, ” she finally said, biting her lip. it had been a long time since she had last thought about how all of this --- the guilt, the nights spent on windy rooftops, the visits to the prison to make sure her mother was still locked up --- had stolen her youth. others could be carefree, could make mistakes, but such a thing had never been an option for her, forever stained by what her mother had done. 

“ i figured you'd be --- serious, ” the man replied, brows knitting together above his mask. “ i mean, it makes sense for you to be ... like this. ”

fay grimaced as she  rested her chin against a gloved hand. “ her reputation once more precedes me, ” she muttered softly, wondering if there would ever been a time when her actions would not be measured against her mother's horrid deeds. it was a time she longed for, impatience surging through her veins.

she was not the  heroine the city had asked for. they had asked for someone like firebird, someone brave and selfless, someone they could make more than human. but they had gotten aurora, long before they had been granted firebird. they had gotten someone who knew that she could walk through the dark and come out unscathed, someone who had long stopped flinching at villainous cruelties. they had asked for fire, for passion, but they had been given cold detachment.

“ it makes you look --- brave, ” dark knight said quietly. “ for seeing this through even though they'll never thank you. ”

it was a thought  that had struck her, too. that it had to make her a good person that she risked her neck for people who had never shown any gratitude, for people who would probably not miss her very much if she ever were to disappear. they had wanted someone who was not affected by the last heroine this city had known, but fay would not run and hide. she had come to city with every intention to stay --- and she was stubborn.

“ i sometimes think it makes me foolish, actually, ” she replied as she wrapped her arms around herself and looked back at the city. for her, the conversation was over and she hoped that he would acknowledge this as well.

[ruffoverthinksthings]

Can you start with how some of the major Auradon royals raise their children?

Mybrain thought it’d be more interesting if I give a general idea ofthe different styles of Auradon parenting, using AKs as the cases toshow it off. There’s more planned, if you want to ask about thenext in the series, but for now, have four cases:

Progressive Style –Upper-Middle Class – Li Ping Lan AKA “Lonnie”

Shang raises, teaches, andtrains Lonnie like he did his son, “Lil’ Shang” (who Iheadcanon is named after General Li, whatever his name was.) This ismostly because the only style of parenting he’s ever known was hisfather’s rather strict and militaristic style, but still, he forceshimself to become more progressive and feminist, allowing Lonnie toindulge in traditionally female interests such as fashion andmake-up, and attempting to become an expert in matters like femalereproductive health, now that they have a modern, properunderstanding of why women menstruate, reproductive health, and howto properly care for their bodies in general.

If I had to sum up hisphilosophy with raising her in one line, it would be this: “Mydaughter will dress-up and play house, or wield a sword and train tobecome a soldier because she chooses to, not because others demandsshe does!”

He still hasn’t quitewrapped his head around the fact that Lonnie does both asthe mood strikes her, though you have to forgive the man: he’sa product of a very conservative time, which wasn’t that kind towomen, to say the least.

Mulan has a much easiertime with this, both because she’s the poster-girl for feminism andprogressive values in Auradon, and having lived her life as much ofan outsider, she’s used to dealing with people scratching theirheads, or outright saying “But girls don’t do that!”

She never really subscribedto ideas of needing to be “feminine” or “masculine,” andinstead just encourages Lonnie to have independence and think forherself, a sense of morality and what is “right” based on hervalues and not that of what the society thinks should be “good,”and to never be afraid of rebelling and breaking out of a system todo what she believes is right.

“It worked out fine for me,it’ll probably work out fine for you,” she says.

With her other strongparental influences:

Mushu is basically her“soccer mom” babysitter who is ferociously supportive ofwhatever it is Lonnie does or chooses, and will rise up to defend heralways, even if the offense is just assumed, and only recognized byhim.

Yao, Ling, and Chien Po arecontent to treat Lonnie like they did her brother and Mulan back intheir army days, knowing that “she’s no delicate lily.”

Her ancestors are, as always,constantly split about their opinions, but Lonnie doesn’t reallyput much stock into them considering “We aren’t in the Old Chinaanymore.” She still regularly prays and makes offerings, though,especially because some of them have become quite fond of thespiritual essence of foods from other cultures. (“Dates! Please bring backthose delicious dates from Agrabah, they’re amazing!”)

Conservative Style –Royal Class – Audrey of Auroria

Because of how little we seeof Aurora awake, and the few details we have of the othercharacters personalities until we go into sequels and spin-off media,I’m going to assume that Audrey had an extremely “ClassicPrincess” upbringing.

Aurora, Flora, Fauna, andMerryweather all encouraged her to be beautiful, charming, andfeminine, pushing her to all the Disney staples of holding elegantbanquets, winning over their husbands’ guests like visitingdignitaries, ambassadors, and other royals with their grace, and ofcourse, singing and befriending woodland creatures.

Though they weren’t opposedto pushing Audrey to sports, advanced education into STEM fields,and the like, they weren’t exactly very encouraging aboutit, and Audrey herself isn’t a very sporty person, nor a personthat would be willing to get her hands dirty.

I wouldn’t discount hergunning for a college degree now that higher education is accessibleand socially acceptable for females, but there’s a part of me thatworries a law degree is merely a matter of reputation and decorationfor her, than the beginnings of a career as a more hands-on ruler.

Philip isn’t likely to pushher to stray from the norm, either, seeing as he was raised in theera that said that boys did all the riding off into battle andrescuing princesses, and he likely would be very protective over hisdaughter after the love of his life and her kingdom were almost putto sleep for all of eternity, if the Three Good Faeries hadn’tintervened.

All in all, Auroria is one ofthose kingdoms that seem to be just fine doing as they always did, astheir particular “Fairy Tale” was the classic “Prince savesPrincess, They Get Married, Happily Ever After”” Formula.

And before you ask, yes,her perfectionism and anxieties were likely a result of thisupbringing, as unlike her mother, she did not have the luxury ofbeing magically blessed with beauty, song, and protection againstcatastrophe, and has to be completely, absolutely, effortlesslyperfect on her own merits and her mortal limitations.

Progressive Style –Working/Fae Class – Doug of the Dwarves

The Dwarves and Snow Whiteherself are no strangers to hard work and backbreaking labour—miningwas, still is, and always will be the pure-blooded dwarves’ careerof choice, and the Queen still constantly pulls her sleeves up andgets right to work, be it cleaning up her own bedchambers and cookingin spite of the castle staff, or being incredibly active in hersocial work, either being in the villages handing out food andleading workshops, or going on camera to charm people into helping.

They are of the firm beliefthat Auradon would be a much better place if more people were willingto get their hands dirty, are wary of automation and the internetmaking a lot of former jobs redundant or able to be downsized to thedetriment of the old work force, and have their reservations aboutthe disproportionate wage/hours/effort ratio of white collar vs bluecollar jobs, along with the reputations both classes of work aregetting.

Ironically, in spite ofhaving all the makings of an incredibly conservative family, theycouldn’t be more progressive, as evidenced by their pushing Doug toescape the mines, study in Auradon Prep, and the fact that he isclearly most comfortable with the melody of musical instruments, thanwork songs and pickaxes striking rock in unison.

You could say that this was areaction to the slave conditions the Dwarves have, realizing how badtheir lives had gotten under this new rule, and how little “Snowie”could do to mitigate the oppression and damage Auradon does on aregular basis to their oppressed minorities.

They would have been happy toinclude Doug if he were the kind of kid that was happy to pick up apickax, tirelessly search for gems whilst singing “Heigh-Ho!”,but they all know however that his place isn’t in the mines.

“Put up your cap and yourpickax, Doug, and start reading some books: you’re getting out ofhere, to someplace better, someplace you belong.”

Conservative Style –Working/Fae Class – Jane of the Faeries

It’sironic that despite working constantly with the newest generation,who were spawned in the wake of the most dramatic and expansiverevolution any of their home realms have seen or will ever see, theFairy Godmother is one of the most conservative parents in all ofAuradon.

Youcan probably blame her being thousands of years old and incapable offorgetting anything—with a blank slate like the AKs, it’s easy tohave them accept all the realities of the world, because that’s allthey’ve ever known, but with Fairy Godmother, she not only has afirm foundation of what reality should be cemented in her mind butalso a grand, palatial castle of norms, “truths,” and beliefsabout how the world should always be.

Asa result, it’s almost impossible for her to change her corevalues, and said core values skew towards very conservative,traditional ideals.

Youcan see evidence of it with Jane’s behaviour, from her clothing andher former hairstyle, her “My mom’s going to kill me!” linewhen she ripped that tiny seam in her skirt, and of course, the wayshe’s constantly shying away, making herself small, and staying inthe sidelines while the “Royals” do their thing.

Forwomen and the Faeries of old, they were only ever the supportingcast, the prizes to be won, the people that stayed behind and tookcare of the household while the men rode off to have adventures, orin FG’s case, the one that comes to Cinderella’s direst, mostdesperate hour to give her the push and the assistance she needs tosolve her problems herself—notice how FG didn’t step in at theclimax of Cinderella, knowing that the mice and the otheranimals she had befriended would swoop in and save the day all bythemselves, no magic necessary.

Youcould also blame her absent-mindedness, aloof, and overly optimisticnature; it’s REALLY hard for her to see Jane’s problems becauseshe always thinks things can’t get THAT bad, and abides strongly bythe Fae Rule of “Only as much assistance as is necessary, nothingmore, nothing less.”

Toobad the rules don’t really fit so well with the new realities ofAuradon…

[gunpowdville]

The Great Flesh-Eating Cake Incident of Year [REDACTED] (Not to be Confused With the Bifrost Incident)

Chapters: 1/2

Words: 3502

Relationships: Drumbot Brian - Raphaella la Cognizi (queerplatonic), Gunpowder Tim/Lyfrassir Edda/Marius von Raum, The Aurora/Nastya Rasputina (although most don’t show up until the second chapter)

Other Things: genderfluid tim, she/her tim, he/fae marius :)

Summary: Brian and Raph bake a cake. Or, they try to. It doesn't exactly go well. (aka, Why Raphaella la Cognizi Should Never Be Allowed in the Kitchen)

read on ao3 here or read below the cut for people who don't like ao3 (i will post the second chapter. at some point. hopefully soon)

Chapter 1

“Try it now.”

“Is it safe?”

“Does that matter?”

Brian gives her what she calls his teacher look, a combination of calm exasperation and gentle chiding. “I would prefer to not fry myself from the inside out, if I can help it.”

“Boring,” Raphaella accuses, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “And you know I’d fix you if you did.” Well actually, she would get Nastya to fix him, as Raph herself has absolutely no self control when it comes to the prospect of tinkering with a complex mechanism and Brian hates being tinkered on without his permission.

“Yes, of course, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt like hell,” Brian points out. “Not to mention how horrendously it would fuck up my systems.”

Raphaella pouts. “So I installed the flamethrower for nothing?”

Brian hesitates. “...I didn’t say that.”

Raphaella perks up immediately, turning her full attention from the clattered worktable to her partner. Brian straightens up and faces away from her, focusing at the blank wall at one end of the lab. He pokes his tongue around the inside of his mouth a little, probing at the new addition in the back. He tests out flipping its settings, making sure everything flows smoothly, then steels himself and opens his mouth, turning it on. Nothing happens.

Raphaella throws up her hands in exasperation. “I don’t understand! That should have worked! It-”

Brian yelps suddenly, clapping his hands to his throat as the back of it heats up rapidly, too rapidly, the heat growing from gently uncomfortable to unbearable in a matter of seconds. Luckily, his systems react before he can, shutting off the new attachment the second it could cause potential harm. The heat fades almost as quickly as it had swelled.

“Ow,” Brian says mildly.

“That was about to work,” Raphaella huffs, hands on her hips, eyes fixed somewhat accusingly on Brian. “If you had just waited a moment longer.”

“It was about to melt my vocal cords,” Brian points out in retort. Raphaella throws up her hands again.

“My husband is a coward,” she declares to no one in particular, with no actual insult behind it. Brian can’t help but smile softly at the endearment. They’re not married, technically, but for all intents and purposes they might as well be.

“I’ve started to become convinced that you’re simply trying to kill me,” Brian remarks to her as she turns back to the notes on her lab table. She shoots him a brightly malicious look, one backed heavily with fondness. “Maybe I am.”

He sits down on the stool beside the lab table and reaches for her, catching her waist from behind and pulling her onto his lap. She leans back into him as he wraps his arms around her, and he rests his chin on her shoulder so he can peer down at the pages of notes in her hands.

“Here, tell me what I’m doing wrong,” Raphaella holds up the notes so Brian can get a better look at them. He hums thoughtfully as he scans her delicate sketch of his body, each part individually labelled with possible enhancements to be added in Raph’s lacy handwriting. Brian’s own handwriting, cramped and blocky, annotates the science officer’s notes with his own observations of measurements and possible difficulties.

In his mind, Brian overlays the sketch on top of the official schematics the doc left in there, focusing on his throat and the new addition, checking for anywhere where it isn’t wired properly or messing with any of his other systems. Nothing. He bites his lip, a very natural bad habit that he’s never been able to shake, despite it splitting the rubber badly. Raphaella hits him lightly in the side of the head when she notices him doing it.

“I don’t think it’s anything you’ve done,” Brian says finally, leaning back slightly on the stool. “I think it’s simply a matter of too much heat.”

Raphaella ‘hmphs’, taking her notes back from him and setting them back on the table. She turns her head to study Brian’s face, placing her hands atop his where they rest over her stomach. He quirks an eyebrow at her, and she regards him silently. He can tell that she’s thinking through what next to work on, now that their flamethrower experiment is a bust.

He gives her stomach a light pat. “If you don’t mind, I was going to go bake something. Tim’s been complaining that there aren’t enough ‘munchies’ onboard. And yes, that is the word xe used.”

Raphaella slaps a hand to her heart melodramatically, the gesture accompanied by a theatrical gasp. “Leaving me for Tim, are we? Scandal.”

Brian chuckles gently as he rises to his feet, dislodging Raph in the process. “Yes, I’ve decided you’re much too cruel and brutal for me, and I’d be much happier feeding Tim for the rest of eternity.”

Raphaella tosses her hair and turns away from him, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her chin up imperiously. “Good riddance.”

“Good riddance indeed,” Brian agrees drily, with no heat behind it. Raph glaces over her shoulder at him and grins, and he smiles back as he slips out the lab door, tipping his hat as he goes.

Ivy’s reading at the kitchen counter when he enters. She doesn’t look up as he makes his way into the kitchen proper, wrangling his hair into a wiry ponytail and tossing his hat on the counter. He peeks at the cover of her book and makes an intrigued little noise when he notices it’s about prophets and oracles throughout space and time.

“I was going to give it you when I was finished,” Ivy says without looking up. “I thought it might interest you.”

“It does,” Brian tells her, and she smirks, proud of herself. She still doesn’t take her eyes off the pages. Brian leans over, resting his elbows on the counter, and knocks his forehead briefly against hers, a somewhat awkward sign of affection that’s he’s developed with some members of the crew. She responds by patting his head absentmindedly, still not looking up from her book. He smiles, and turns back to the kitchen.

After a couple minutes of rummaging around in cabinets, Brian becomes aware of Raphaella’s presence leaning against the counter to his left.

“Missed me?” he asks teasingly. She rolls her eyes and pokes him in the arm. “You promised you’d teach me to bake.”

Brian pauses, replaying the last ten minutes in his mind to confirm that he has not, in fact, promised her this. And then he realizes that she’s referring to a time quite a few decades ago, when the two of them had been left back on the ship while the others had been out pillaging a nigh-extinct planet. They’d been sharing some pastries that Brian had been experimenting with, and Raphaella had asked him how he’d made them. He had launched straight into a detailed explanation of exactly which ingredients he had used and what amounts of each, and how he had played with the measurements and tweaked the recipe to see how he could improve it. Raph had listened with utter fascination, and after he had finished she had mentioned that it seemed a bit like her experiments, only with slightly different materials. He had offered to teach her a little, if she’d like, and she had said she would love to learn. And now here they are.

“I did do that, didn’t I,” Brian muses. He studies Raph, leaning against the counter, a sparkle in her eyes that both makes him excited to see what she has in store and fear for his life.

“So?” Raphaella raises an eyebrow. Brian considers.

“We are making a cake,” he tells her, keeping his voice slow, steady, and serious. “A basic cake. We are not going to put anything in it that is not on the ingredients list. We are going to follow the recipe. To the letter. And we are not, I repeat, we are not going to burn down my kitchen.”

My kitchen, Aurora corrects him gently.

“Our kitchen,” he concedes.

Raphaella steps forward and takes Brian’s hands, looking him solemnly in the eyes. “I won’t let you down,” she promises. “Trust me.”

“Phee, I love you to death, and I always will” Brian tells her, lifting her hand to his mouth and kissing the back of it. “But I draw the line at trusting you.”

“Rude,” Raph sniffs, while Ivy tries to cover up a snort.

“Practical,” Brian shoots back, letting go of her hands and reaching past her to pluck the recipe from the counter. With a flourish, he deposits it in her hands. “Find me these ingredients.”

Raphaella mutters something about ‘bossybitch Brian’ as she turns away from him and marches purposefully toward the cupboards. He watches her fondly for a moment, before busying himself gathering pans and setting up his beloved electric mixer, something he’d found being sold for scraps on a junkyard planet and had lovingly repaired and repainted with his own two hands. Its name is Small Brian, and it remains one of his most prized possessions.

“Bri, which eggs are we using?” Raphaella calls to him, her head buried deep in the disorganized fridge. Brian abandons Small Brian for just a moment and pokes his head in beside hers.

“Ah, not those,” he says, indicating a half dozen of jet-black eggs glowing faintly from within. “Those are Ashes’. They will supposedly hatch into a rare breed of fire-breathing corvid.”

“And those?” Raphaella points to the other carton of eggs.

“We’re using those,” Brian confirms, pulling the carton out. “Ah. Wait. Not this one.” Carefully, he removes a small, round, green orb from the carton and places it gently on the counter. “An octokitten laid this. We think.”

Raphaella leans over and picks it up, holding it in the palm of her hand and bringing it up close to her eyes. She looks suspiciously like she’s about to slip it into her pocket, so Brian plucks it from her hands before she gets a chance to. She sticks her tongue out at him. He waves her off to go collect the rest of the ingredients, reminding her that the lovely ceramic pot labeled ‘sugar’ is in fact actually filled with gunpowder, and the sugar is in the cabinet to its right. Meanwhile he goes back to fussing over Small Brian.

The mixer isn’t starting up properly, it keeps stuttering and stopping whenever he tries to turn it on. Brian frowns, tapping the top of it with a metal finger. “Come on, love,” he says softly to Small Brian. “Don’t give up on me now. Not after all we’ve been through.”

“Raph,” Ivy speaks up from her place at the counter, her tone amused. “Brian’s talking to the appliances again.”

“If either of you make a joke comparing me to an appliance, I will kill you,” Brian warns both of them placidly, fiddling with Small Brian’s mechanisms until the machine whines and starts up properly. “Good lad,” Brian says, patting the appliance lovingly.

“I saw that,” he adds when he catches the look Ivy and Raphaella share over the counter. Raphaella rolls her eyes and gestures to him to come approve the ingredients she’s gathered. She hooks her arm through his and tips her head onto his shoulder while he checks each one off against the recipe.

“Excellent, that’s everything. Thank you.” he says, kissing her on the top of the head. “ Now we can begin.”

Raphaella, as always, is a very attentive student, listening well and asking questions when necessary. He suspects that she asks some of the questions just to listen to him talk about something he loves, and he adores her for it. They work very well together, the two of them, bantering back and forth as they do. Ivy chimes in on occasion, never taking her eyes off of her book.

Jonny strolls into the kitchen at one point, zeroing in on the chocolate chips scattered across the counter with a predator’s precision. As soon as he spots the first mate, Brian sweeps a knife into his hand and points it at him. “Out.”

Jonny backs away, throwing his hands up in surrender. He’s been killed enough times over messing around in the kitchen that he knows by now that the best thing to do is back off.

All in all, it’s a shockingly peaceful time. Brian hums to himself as he stirs ingredients together, and Raphaella goes through the cupboards, looking for something to play with. She reaches to open one in the back, and Brian notices too late which one it is. Raphaella stops, tilting her head in curiosity as she stares at the contents of the cupboard.

“Oh, Briiiiiiiiaaan?” she calls in a singsong voice, which is usually a sign that Brian is about to either be taken apart or assist in taking apart someone else. “What is this?”

Brian sighs and sets down the bowl, making his way slowly over to her. She raises an eyebrow at him as he gazes silently for a moment at the dismantled skeleton shoved into the back of the cupboard. “Those… are my bones.”

“Your… bones.”

“My bones.”

“Why…?”

Brian shrugs. “It’s not like I’m using them.”

“Right.” Raphaella studies the skeleton for a moment longer, before declaring, “I’m going to make soup out of them.”

Brian starts. “I’m sorry?”

“Your bones. I’m going to make soup out of them.”

“You are not.”

“Bone broth is a thing, isn’t it? Ivy?”

“It is,” Ivy confirms, casually turning a page.

Raphaella grins, gathering the bones into her arms. “Brian soup.”

“Brian s- no!”

“Brian soup Brian soup Brian soup Brian soup-”

“NO.”

“I thought the doc took your bones,” Ivy mentions, as Brian attempts to gently cajole his partner into giving him back said bones.

“I asked her to let me keep some of them,” Brian explains, tugging a rib out of Raph’s arms and dislodging about three more, which clatter to the floor unceremoniously. “They are mine, after all.”

“It’s unusually sentimental of me, I know,” he adds as Raphaella ducks under his arm, executing a perfect twirl to get the bones out of his reach, “I’m not quite sure why I wanted them.”

“For soup,” Raphaella quips, and Ivy snorts as Brian throws himself at the science officer. Raph yelps and scrambles away from him, and so begins an epic chase around the kitchen, Raph struggling to run away while clutching an armful of bones, the owner of said bones following a step behind her, playfully angry.

Brian doesn’t realize he’s started humming to himself until Raphaella turns to face him, jogging backwards, and asks what song it is.

“It’s a new one I’m working on,” he says, using her moment of distraction as an opportunity to trap her in the kitchen, the wraparound counter devoid of exits besides the one that he is currently standing in front of. “It’s called ‘Raphaella Please Don’t Make Soup Out of My Bones.’”

“I hate it,” Raphaella decides, still backing away. She’s almost hit the counter, and Brian smirks at his inevitable victory.

“You’ve barely heard it,” he argues, and begins humming louder. Raphaella’s back hits the counter, and Brian stops. Standing in the middle of the kitchen, he begins tapping his foot along to the tune.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Raphaella starts, but the other foot has already begun to move as well. Just tapping at first, tap tap tapping to a beat in Brian’s head, but the footwork quickly becomes more and more complicated as he eases into the song. Ivy picks it up quickly and starts tapping her fingers on the counter, taking charge of the beat while Brian continues humming the melody.

Raphaella shakes her head, refusing to let his shenanigans charm her, but Brian refuses to give up. He dances his way smoothly across the floor to her, finishing with an elegant twirl and an extended hand. Raphaella regards him with reluctant defeat, then rolls her eyes and takes Brian’s hand.

He waltzes her out into the middle of the floor, two steps forward, one step back. He spins her out, then spins her back in so they’re swaying with her back pressed to his chest. “You’re a master manipulator, you know,” she says to him. He smiles. She twirls him out, then twirls him back in and dips him, effortlessly holding up his mass of metal.

“I don’t remember this step of the cake recipe,” Ivy comments drily. She’s finally looking up from her book and is watching the two of them with an expression that is equal parts exasperated and amused.

“Which step, the bone soup or the dancing?” Brian returns, just as dry. Ivy is saved from having to respond by the arrival of Marius, who comes striding through the door like an invading general, arms spread wide in greeting.

“Well, if it isn’t my three favorite delinquents,” fae says, grinning like a maniac. “Dancing in the kitchen like- wait. Why is Raph in the kitchen?”

“I’m helping,” Raph says proudly, tossing her hair over her shoulder in a decidedly smug fashion as Brian collects his bones and returns them to their cupboard. “How can we help you?”

Marius pulls up a stool and takes a seat next to Ivy, scanning the pages of her book idly. “Tim stole my partner.”

“To be fair, Tim is also dating your partner,” Brian points out, handing the bowl of cake batter to Raph to finish stirring and put in the oven.

“Sure, but she’s being smug about it. So I’m pouting,” Marius replies, metal fingers tapping on the counter. “Oh, also: Tim wanted me to tell you. She/her for the time being.”

Brian nods, taking note of the pronouns. “Well, when you feel like speaking to Tim again, you can tell her that a cake is on its way.”

Marius raises an eyebrow. “You mean that cake that Raph just slipped something into behind your back?”

Honestly, Brian is surprised that this didn’t happen earlier. Slowly, he turns to Raphaella, who meets his eyes with a mischievous smirk as she slips an empty vial back into her pocket.

“What was in that?” he asks gently, not mad, just curious.

“Just a little something I whipped up,” Raphaella says, giving the batter an experimental stir. An odd squelching noise escapes from the bowl, and she quickly lets go of the wooden spoon as a dark tendril of… something curls up around it, possessive and hungry. “Oh. That’s interesting.”

“What the fuck was that?” Marius leans forward over the counter, curiosity evident on faer features.

Raphaella sets the bowl carefully on the floor and steps away from it, circling around it to Brian’s side. He gives her a questioning look, and she shrugs cheerfully, indicating that she has no idea whatsoever the effect of whatever she put in may be. With somewhat tired resignation, Brian steps forward to investigate what has become of his simple chocolate cake.

It’s… alive. The dark, viscous substance in the bowl has begun to writhe and bubble in a distinctively sentient manner, tendrils forming reaching out, looking to grab hold of something. The tendrils feel their way around tentatively, like a newborn animal learning to walk for the first time. The substance itself has an oddly familiar shimmer to it, the nearly oil-black surface revealing colors of every hue and nature when the light hits it.

“That looks like…” Marius frowns, clambering over the counter and dropping next to Brian as what was meant to be a cake slowly drags itself out of the bowl and onto the floor. “Oh, Raph, you didn’t!”

“Don’t touch it,” Brian advises as Marius crouches near the thing to get a better look.

Marius gives the Drumbot a scathing look. “I’m not a moron, Brian, I’m not going to-”

“Mare, get back,” Brian snaps, but it’s too late. The crawling blob has already reached the violinists foot and has clamped on tightly, wrapping its tentacles up and around his leg. He stares down at it in mild concern for a moment, then says: “Fuck.”

What happens next is hard to describe. The viscous thing sort of… stretches itself, until it covers Marius’ entire body, undulating and pulsing, then collapses in on itself, returning to its smaller form, leaving nothing but a slightly steaming metal arm left where the ship’s doctor once stood.

“What the hell did you do?” Brian demands, staring at the (now slightly larger) creation as it drags its way across the floor.

Raphaella doesn’t respond. “I think it ate faer,” she says instead. Then, “where is it going?”

Brian glances at the floor just in time to see the thing disappear into the vents. He lets out a cry, but it is much to late. It’s gone.

“Well,” Ivy says, staring with vague concern at the open vent. “Fuck.”