#flannan fest 2022

[bella-daonna]

Flannán's Five-Day Festival

Hi everyone!

Since it’s the unseelie king’s birthday coming up, me, @unseelie-grimalkin and @unseeliethot (are you noticing a bias in usernames?) thought it would be fun to make a fan event for it!

How it works:

Each day from the 17-21st December has two prompts. Pick one (or both if you want, I guess) and make something based on it. Some examples include: art, fic/ story, headcanon, mood board, playlist - anything you like!

You don’t have to do every prompt or every day - there’s no pressure and it’s just for fun. Interpret the prompts however you like!

Tag what you make as #flannan fest 2022 so that we can see it!

The prompts:

17th December: Treat / Pack

18th December: Fall / Snow

19th December: Sanctuary / Competition

20th December: Talent / Craft

21st December: Lá Breithe Shona Dhuit a Fhlannáin!*

(*Happy Birthday Flannán! - this is a free space. Do whatever you like!)

We're so excited to see your creations!

ps thank you grim for making the lovely banner graphic, and thank you @officialshaefearglas for the idea since we were inspired by Shae Weekend back in summer!

pps i will be following the tag, but feel free to tag me in your stuff if you want to make sure i see it and reblog! :)

ppps if you want to post but you are shy, feel free to send it to me or submit it to me and I can post on anon for you! (specify that you want it to be anonymous!)

Any questions, my asks are open 🥳

[unseeliethot]

Day four! With the prompt being Talent / Craft, let's celebrate his talent in crafting! Specifically blacksmithing!

One day closer to the big birthday!

[unseelie-grimalkin]

Flannán Fest Treat: Nutella Hot Chocolate

I didn’t have time to pull this together on the day it was actually a Treat day, so take this a couple days late (I did do a Treat / Pack prompt that day, but it was fic).

So, after a couple hours of alchemical experiments in my kitchen and months of taking notes on mom blog recipes, I’ve developed what I think is a pretty good Nutella hot chocolate recipe in service of one Flannán mac Lugh.

Ingredients up front:

3 tbsp (~44.3 ml) Nutella

1 ⅓ cup (~315.4 ml) milk (whole milk gives you the creamiest texture, but experiments with almond milk went well, so choose your favorite reasonable milk option [I was scolded by my husband for considering attempting this with strawberry milk, so I feel the need to add the disclaimer for a reasonable milk option just in case anyone else reading this is feral like me])

Optional ingredients (these depend on taste preferences and availability):

Dark or milk chocolate (dark chocolate will compliment the Nutella’s natural taste profile better in contrast, while milk chocolate will give you something very sweet. I am a ride-or-die sweet tooth, so I like milk chocolate for this. It also tastes fine if you don’t want to use chocolate or are using a more chocolatey Nutella taste profile than I have on hand. I did not have cocoa powder on hand, but I can’t imagine it going wrong in this mix if you use that instead of grated chocolate)

Whipped cream (just a solid topping for this in general. Highly recommended from me if you go the dark chocolate route, just for additional taste contrasting layers)

Cinnamon (very nice topping on top of the whipped cream)

Crunched hazelnuts (in case the Nutella was not enough for you, more topping for your whipped cream)

You can make this on a stovetop or in the microwave, depending on what you have available! Though, if you want to add chocolate to your mix, pre-grate it ahead of time! You can experiment with how much chocolate you want to add (I don’t have an exact numerical value for this, as I really did just wing that aspect for me).

Stove:

Take a saucepan and put it over medium heat. If you're as new to cooking as I am, I've been told stainless steel is the best option for this, because there are types of pans (aluminum, unlined copper, etc) that can react very badly to your milk.

Next, you’re gonna add your Nutella and milk. This is going to be all of your Nutella, but only 1/3 cup (~75-80 ml) of your milk. You’re going to stir this mix until it’s fully blended, which should take around 5 minutes or so (this is where I recommend finding your favorite song for Flan and just jamming out, by the way, because you’re just waiting for the Nutella to melt and blend with the milk as you stir).

Once you’ve got your first mix fully blended (should have a nice caramel color to it), you’re going to add the remaining milk (or don’t, if you want it thicker) into the mix and turn that heat up to medium-high (I found out the hard way that if you go straight to high, you get scalded milk and this really, really funky protein skin, which isn’t great for your final product. Like Flan, this must be handled a bit gentler than you’d expect). Once you’re set with your additional milk, you’re gonna get back to stirring. I found a whisk will make this extra-frothy with a bunch of fun bubbles, so that’s my instrument of choice at this part. Now, at this stage is where you can add in some grated chocolate, if’n you’d like. Sprinkle that in while you’re stirring, watch it melt into the mix.

Once you’ve got everything blended together, you can pour it into a mug and get your toppings in order! If you’ve got left over grated chocolate, put that on your whipped cream if you’d like or save it for additional experimentation for later.

Microwave:

You would think the stove version was hard mode. It is not! Microwave for this is infinitely trickier, much to my surprise, because milk scalds really, really easily in the microwave (I should have heeded your warnings, Greta from New Jersey, I’m sorry for thinking you were just being fussy).

Get your favorite microwave-safe mug. Pour all of your allotted milk into it. You’ll want two minutes on high (two minutes is the longest you can go without scalding. I checked). Once you’ve got that over with, take out your mug and grab your Nutella. You’re gonna stir it into the mug with a spoon, keep going until it’s fully melted and mixed in.

At the end of that, you can reheat your mix for 15-second intervals (no longer than that. I checked!) until it’s warm enough for you or to melt your grated chocolate in (mix gently at this stage).

Once you’re set, it’s topping time! Have fun, go nuts, and enjoy!

[the-clockwork-three]

My entry to Flannán Fest 2022:

Flannán, Maeve, Robin, and Tadhg go celebrate one of the most important days of the year for the unseelie court.

Random things that could make reading make a bit more sense below the cut

Harvest knot: traditionally woven from the last few strands of straw cut in the harvest, with the heads of grain attached. They are often made by men and given to women at harvest festivals to signify romantic interest.

There's a couple ways to make them, but this is the one my dad makes:

The dance referenced is a faster version of the Seige of Ennis, a quintessential céilí dance

[unseeliethot]

FlanFest 2022 day three! Just an innocent kiss between friends for sanctuary!

See you again tomorrow!

[bella-daonna]

Flannán Fest Day 1: Pack

It’s PAST MIDNIGHT SOOOOO

here’s Cal being bowled over by one of the boys in the prologue ☺️ he’s very proud of himself for being the first to get a seat.

[unseeliethot]

Lá Breithe Shona Dhuit a Fhlannáin!

Can't a man blow out his candles in peace? Smh!

Everyone who wanted this: youre all welcome

[bella-daonna]

Flannán Fest 2022 Day 5: Happy Birthday Flannán!

yes i am showing up 4 days late with a Starbucks to my own event don’t @ me

You found out when his birthday was from Maeve.

It’s closer than you thought - but you’re correct that he’s not the kind of man to make a big deal out of his own birthday.

You’d like to, though. Or maybe not even a big big deal… but you want to mark the occasion, somehow.

You don’t have much money exactly. Technically, Daonna does. Somewhere, anyway. You assume.

It still feels a bit like theft, and you’re not sure if the unseelie king, so strong and unbending in his morals, would appreciate a stolen gift.

Something handmade, then. But what?

It’s cold out here, and your mam taught you how to knit, sooo…

Maeve procures some knitting needles and yarn for you, with many thanks.

You do your best to only work on it when he’s not around. You want it to be a pleasant surprise, after all. But it’s a bit nerve-wracking because you’re not even sure if he’ll like it.

Does he even like receiving gifts? What if that’s why he didn’t mention his birthday?

You shake yourself for being silly. Even if he doesn’t like it, you’re sure he’ll appreciate the thought. And it’s a practical gift, so he could always pass it on to someone who’ll want it, even if he doesn’t.

And… maybe he’ll like it, says a shy, hopeful voice in the back of your mind.

You work on it every evening - you’re trying to get this done. And you do - you’re finished two days early, so you have one more evening to procure something to wrap your little gift in, to be presented to the king the next day.

You carry your little bundle, wrapped in brown paper (it’s all you managed to find in the circumstances) and go to find him.

He’s a busy man, of course. Nobody ever said ruling was easy, but really? It’s his birthday!

You finally manage to corner him. “Flannán!”

He looks surprised to see you, for some reason. “Ah. I thought you were busy today.”

“I’ve been trying to talk to you. I wanted to give you this. Happy birthday.” You thrust the parcel into his hands, feeling suddenly self conscious.

“It’s my- oh.” His gaze drops to the package, and he opens it carefully. “What’s this?”

“I made it.”

He carefully unrolls the scarf you had painstakingly knit. Double knit, a reversible rust and white design of three dogs running. It hadn’t been easy, and there were a few portions you had to un-knit along the way. One of the dogs looks a bit lumpy, too, but by the time you had noticed, you had been too far along to go back to fix it.

There’s a long pause, and his expression is inscrutable. You don’t know why. Does he hate it?

“If you don’t like it I can take it b-“

“No.”

You blink at the vehemence in his tone.

He unrolls it fully, and caresses the fabric gently.

“You made this for me?”

You nod.

“It gets chilly out here.”

He takes the scarf and wraps it around his neck, and it doesn’t go with his outfit at all, but he doesn’t seem to care.

“…thank you.”

You feel warm at the sight of the little smile peeking at the corner of his lips.

“You’re welcome.” You step closer, reaching out to adjust the scarf around his neck.

“Happy birthday, Flannán.”

[unseeliethot]

The world is empty, for a few long moments, save for his own laboured breathing and the drip of his own blood to the ground beneath him.

And the cold. Endless cold.

Day two in my time zone! So here is that second prompt fall / snow 💕

[unseeliethot]

"It is late," She changed her course, her hand skimming across the edge of the desk in front of him before she laid down her goods. It smelled divine, rich and chocolatey, he knew what it was immediately. Maybe she had come to make good on her quips. Possibly without even needing to add anything to it at all. "You should be asleep."

"And you shouldn't? I have work to do," He couldn't help but notice his voice lacked an edge to it, he did have work - but he couldn't really drive away the distraction.

FlanFest 2022 has begun! And to start off from here you get nothing the first prompt treats/pack in fic form!

Looking forward to seeing everyone's contributions to the event! 💖💕

[unseelie-grimalkin]

Rating: Teen & Up Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: Other Fandom: Na Daoine Maithe | The Good People (Visual Novel) Relationships: Flannán mac Lugh/Éireannach | Main Character Character: Flannán mac Lugh, Éireannach | Main Character, Robin Goodfellow, Maeve Troiduair Tags: Birthday Fluff, Birthday Presents, Mutual Pining, The Sheer Euphoria of Having a Crush on a Craftsman Who Communicates Through Acts of Service, Demo Age, Other Tag is because My MC is Nonbinary despite heavy use of she/her pronouns, NBLM Behavior on Display

Excerpt:

One day, however, everything felt...quiet. The People’s Castle normally had something of a pulse to it, but today it was oddly still. Trying to find a reason why she felt like she was the only one walking the castle grounds, she leaned against a railing and closed her eyes, trying to remember anything out of the ordinary-

Maeve’s voice whispered in her memory. “Tríona, when was your birth date? I’m simply curious: I wanted to see if I could use the old ways to read your birth chart.” 

No. No, it can’t be that, can it? Gods, why would it be that? It would be silly for them to care about that. Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. No, it had to be something else. Maybe something like a...safety drill. Something practical that would serve the castle well. Yes, that sounded much better.

[unseelie-grimalkin]

Rating: General Audiences Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: Other Fandom: Na Daoine Maithe | The Good People (Visual Novel) Relationships: Flannán mac Lugh/Éireannach | Main Character Character: Éireannach | Main Character, Flannán mac Lugh, The Pack (OCs) Tags: Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Mutual Pining, Idiots in Love, Other Tag is because My MC is Nonbinary despite heavy use of she/her pronouns, NBLM Behavior on Display

Excerpt:

“Just...I want to propose a competition, o’ sorts.”

Now she really had his attention, his eye firmly focused on her. “I’m listening.”

“Ten minutes,” she explained. “You lay your head in my lap for ten minutes. If you don’t fall asleep in that time, I leave you alone for the night to brood. If you do fall asleep, but I have to wake you for your nightmares, I will never touch the topic of your sleeplessness again.”

[unseelie-grimalkin]

Rating: Teen & Up Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: Other Fandom: Na Daoine Maithe | The Good People (Visual Novel) Relationships: Flannán mac Lugh/Éireannach | Main Character Character: Éireannach | Main Character, Flannán mac Lugh, The Pack (OCs) Tags: Creative Invention of Autumn Magic, Sparring, Other tag is for NBLM behavior on display, MC uses she/her pronouns in the beginning but then collects xe/xir, changeling theory, druid MC, Demo Age

Excerpt:

He put his foot down, barking over them (as was his wont), “SETTLE, PACK!”

The five men shut their mouths, blinking at him. Then, they all barked with laughter.

“You’ve been away too long, brother,” Cairbre snickered. “You’ve gotten boring again.”

“Has he?” asked Éamonn, one of the ones with the sharpest eyes. “He’s got a girl with him. Hasn’t done that in...fuck, when was Eileen?”

“Couple hundred o’ years, give or take,” Cairbre answered. “Long, long time.”

“We will not be speaking of that,” Flannán growled, cuffing Cairbre over the head. “And she’s not a girl, you idiot. She’s the new Unseelie Druid.”

Dermot whistled between gaped front teeth. “That sliver of a creature is your new druid?” He snickered. “Lugh help us all, we’ll need it.”

“Oh?” Tríona asked. “Why’s that then?”

[unseelie-grimalkin]

Rating: Teen & Up Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: Other Fandom: Na Daoine Maithe | The Good People (Visual Novel) Relationships: Flannán mac Lugh/Éireannach | Main Character Character: Éireannach | Main Character, Flannán mac Lugh, The Pack (OCs) Tags: Other tag is for NBLM behavior on display, MC uses she/her pronouns in the beginning but then collects xe/xir, changeling theory, druid MC, Demo Age, Snowball Fight, Werewolves

Excerpt:

She muttered, “I...I had assumed Robin to be the only shapeshifter the Unseelie had.”

“Oh, shapeshifter, aye,” Dermot replied. “But Goodfellow’s no wolf. Sort of like...it’s the nature of the thing. Goodfellow is an artisan of her body: he tinkers and observes and steals what they fancy from whatever they can find. Wolves aren’t that kind of art. You don’t make a wolf: you raise one.” He ruffled his own green-brown hair. “Used to be some forty of us, in the Pack. Now it’s just us six.”

“How do you even-”

“Ah that,” Dermot interrupted her, “that’s not my answer t’give. You can try to beat it from me, beat me within a centimetre of m’life with sticks and dire wolves and whatever else you can call from the forest, I wouldn’t tell that to you.” He pointed a beefy finger at Flannán. “He was the first. His story, not mine.”