#new year new seelie | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

everlasting-elegy · 1 year

Text

What’s in a Name? | Scaramouche/Wanderer x Reader

The Wanderer has accumulated so many titles over the years, you wonder if you can give him one of your own.

Genre: Fluff, Slight Angst, You’re not the Traveler, Slightly OOC? (Idk man just let me write my fluff 😭) Word Count: 1.2k Warning: This was loosely inspired by a potential leak for the 3.3 Archon Quest so please don’t read if you don’t want spoilers. Also not proofread WHOOPS A/N: I usually post on my laptop but I’ve only got my phone right now so the formatting’s a little off. I’ll fix it up once I get access to my laptop again 👍

“Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

“That staring. It’s disturbing.”

In truth you didn’t realise you were staring. You couldn’t help it when there was nothing else to do. The two of you had found a freshwater lake to recuperate at. Both of you situated on your respective rocks by the water, your gaze naturally drifted to him when he took up your mind.

Despite travelling together for months, the stubborn little man was somewhat of an enigma to you. But the mystery wasn’t his past - you were fortunate to have him finally open up to you - but what you two were. Months of wandering through Teyvat with no choice but to trust each other with your lives and you still had nothing to personally call him by.

You cleared your throat as you angled yourself towards him.

“So, uh, Scaramouche-“

“It’s Wanderer now.”

“Right, sorry. Force of habit. Can I ask-“

“No, you can not.”

“… Rude. Anyway, is Wanderer a new name? Or a title like ‘Balladeer’?”

“It’s a title.”

“Can I ask what your name is now?”

“… Wanderer is a title and name.”

He always thought he was slick, skirting around answers but he always conveyed more information than he realised. How his cold gaze went from hostile to distant but lonely all the same. He simply had no name, not anymore.

A title can only go so far. You remembered a time you met the fabled Traveler, and instead of calling them such, called them by their actual name the instant they entrusted it to you. You’d never forget the special glint in their eyes when they heard it.

How far could the blue themed man beside you last walking aimlessly across Teyvat with nothing to hold onto except for the very clothes on his back and hat on his head?

“Do you want a name?”

“What’s with all these questions?”

“I’m just curious. If you haven’t realised, your situation is pretty unique.”

“I told you the name is ‘Wanderer’.”

“That’s pretty lame.”

“You-“ His head snapped to you, face lit up in anger until he saw the teasing smile creeping up your face. He didn’t bother stifling his groan as he rolled his eyes and angled his head back to the ground.

“I’m figuring out a new one,” he replied.

“I could give you a name if you want.”

“No.”

“What, are you worried I’m going to give you a stupid name?”

“I know you’re going to give me a stupid name.”

“I’ll have you know my pet seelie loves the name I gave them.”

“That isn’t reassuring.”

Pouting, you turned your full body to him.

“If not a name, can I give you another title then?”

He fell silent, facing forwards to the water as he averted your gaze. His face was unreadable but it was better than his perpetual scowl so that was a good sign, at least.

The Wanderer, hoping you have given up your antics, spared a glance at you only to snap it back to the water when your eyes met. He blames the scorching sun for his cheeks heating up, even though his hat shrouds his entire figure in shade.

“You don’t have to take the title up yourself,” you bargained. “Just a little thing I can call you myself.”

Scaramouche shot you a look that said if anything, that’s worse. But then after some contemplation and mutterings of ‘how the hell do I put up with you’ he shifts a little closer to you. As always, when it came to you he found himself relenting.

“Fine.”

“Thank you, my love,” you beamed.

One second.

Two.

Three.

The Wanderer almost fell into the water.

“You-“ He’s nearly choking on air, dryly coughing into the back of his fist as he sat on the ground having fallen off his makeshift chair. “I- huh- what?!”

“Shhh, you’re going to wake up the entire forest at this rate,” you snickered before you leaned over him, offering a hand to him. He stared at it like it was a foreign appendage before batting your hand away and scrambling up on his own. Situating himself back on his rock, he angled himself away from both you and the water. You didn’t even bother to hide your crestfallen expression.

“Your attempts at humour are pathetic.”

“It wasn’t a joke.”

You faced him still, fighting how every fibre in your body was telling you to look away with how he scrutinised you over his shoulder. He needed to know you meant it, you prayed silently to the archons he knew from your face how genuine you were. But at the sound of his scowl you instantly moved away and faced out to the water.

It had been a long time since the Wanderer was given a title beyond one he set for himself. Of course, “Balladeer” was appointed by the Tsaritsa, but since when was such a title so affectionate? A title so personal, so full of warmth. His first title was the title of “friend”, given to him by someone he would call “friend” back.

And look where that got them. Look how such a title caused him to be left behind.

And now somewhat wants to call him “my love”? Especially you, of all people? The very one who has been transforming his perspective on the world even though he wanted to be stuck in his old ways? The sunlight wasn’t warm enough as a shiver went down his spine.

“No one has used such a title for me before,” he stated as he reoriented himself to face you again, heart cracking just a little at your dejected figure. You jumped at his voice, but you didn’t look at him, eyes focused on your hand that created ripples in the water that sparkled under the daylight. He wanted to continue and say that such titles are weak but his mouth only hung open. No more words came out, but why?

In his silence, you eventually came to face him. You tried to play off your smile as cheeky but he knew better. It was timid, masking over your true vulnerability and uncertainty.

“Well then, I can be the first…?”

His eyes were distant as he looked straight ahead at nothing in particular. On his face, a small but rare smile as he clicked his tongue in mock contemplation.

“Hm… I guess you can.”

Blinking, you shook your head in disbelief. Did you just hear that right? The Wanderer accepting the title you offered him? When you refocused on him, his head was down, hat tipped over his burning face as he looked away.

“We’ve rested long enough. We should keep moving...”

You nod dumbly, hurriedly moving past him to pack your items. As you brushed shoulders with him, your momentum sent a breeze against your ears, the gentle wind carrying a whisper.

“… my love.”

You whipped around to the source of the voice to see the Wanderer looking very amused. Wearing the widest smirk, you’d believe he was mocking you save for the rouge dusting his cheeks, how his icy irises were only thin rings against his dilated pupils.

“What? Cat got your tongue?”

You shook your head, not trusting your voice so you sent him a bright smile as response. A smile that he couldn’t help but mirror as he tipped his hat back down over his face.

Genshin Impact Masterlist

#scaramouche x reader #wanderer x reader #kunikuzushi x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact imagines #scaramouche x y/n #scaramouche x you #wanderer x you #wanderer x y/n #kunikuzushi x y/n #kunikuzushi x you #everelegy genshin #everelegy writes

909 notes · View notes

legendofmorons · 4 months

Text

The LU boys and superstitions

Once again, I was thinking about things I grew up with/ learned about and applying it to the boys. I might add the colors and dark link later, I just couldn't think of any for them rn

Tw: mentions death

Fierce

Oh, he's so old he probably has a bunch he follows

He never leaves an empty rocking chair rocking.

He keeps any hanging horse shoes hung right side up (ends up so it's able to hold the luck)

Fierce also believes in wishing on shooting stars

First

Throwing salt over your left shoulder after you spill it

He will NOT wash clothes or clean things on new years day

Refuses to walk under ladders

Covering mirrors when someone dies in a building (stops them from becoming stuck in the mirror)

Four

Horseshoe hung up so the luck won't fall out

Breaking mirros is bad luck to him

He dosen’t have a whole lot, he thinks most wide spread superstitions are common sense

Hyrule

Ooooo boy

Faerie boy? He has some.

I think he's probably a summer /seelie fae so he probably has some superstitions around harvest time

Bottle trees keep away haints/ghosts/spirits

If your ear rings someone is talking about you

He HATES all horseshoes (iron is BAD for the fae), but if he must be near one, he would like it to be right side up

Legend

Breaking mirrors is bad luck

Rocking an empty rocking chair? No thanks, he's not inviting unknown spirits or death.

He keeps a mirror outside his house to keep away evil/the devil/ (demise??)

He eats black eyed peas on new years

He sweeps out the back door (never the front and NEVER when it's dark outside)

Will ward off evil with the three finger sign I always saw

Stays away from cross roads at night

Ravio

If you thought Legend had a bunch, Ravio has more

He has all of the one Leged has ofc

He also believes walking under ladders is bad

He covers mirrors AND stops clocks if someone passes away in his home

Holds his breathe while passing a grave yard

He always goes out the same door he came in through

He believes death comes in threes

He only walk beside his loved ones when going around a post never letting it go between them

Probably has many more

Sky

Not that superstitious actually. He tries to avoid breaking mirrors but not much else

Isn't a huge fan of black cats, but that's more because of nighttime remlits than anything

Time

By the end of his first adventure he has none

The superstitions he had believed were proven false over the years

Tries not to break mirrors but that's because he hates broken glass

Will participate in superstitions if someone he cares about asks. He knows it's out of love

Twilight

He dosen’t like empty rocking chairs that are rocking

He has a horseshoe hung up in his room to keep away bad dreams

Not too superstitious at heart, but so many people in his town are that it is basically habit for him

Warriors

Knocks on wood to keep from jinxing himself

Dosen’t gift knives to loved ones because he dosen’t want to sever the relationship

Wild

He remembers a few but isn't too superstitious

Likes four leaf clovers for luck though!

And he dosen’t clean on new years

Wind

He will knock on wood

He also likes to pick up a green rupee for luck! (Originally a penny)

He also probably wants a luck rabbit's foot

#lu #linkeduniverse #misty writes #lu fierce deity #lu first #lu four #lu hyrule #lu legend #lu ravio #lu sky #lu time #lu twilight #lu warriors #lu wild #lu wind #tw death mention #cw death mention

115 notes · View notes

generalhumancloudalmond · 10 months

Text

My beautiful lonely seelie

Platonic!Yandere!Columbina x Seelie!Reader

"Beautiful lonely seelie..."

Columbina was calling you gentle, seeing you fidgeting around your broken statue. The remnants of your restless soul needed rest, demanded to find your court and finally rest after so many years.

"My beautiful lonely seelie. It looks like, time hasn't spared your statue."

Her arms wrapped around what could hardly be called a body. Columbina stopped your chaotic movements around the broken statue and pulled you closer to herself. Still with the same gentle tone and with the same gentle smile, she spoke to you.

"Maybe you don't have a statue anymore where you can go back and rest. But, my beautiful lonely seelie, you have me. I could give you a new home. I could give you a name..."

Third harbinger brings you closer and in an undisguised fit of tenderness, she rubs her cheek against you. You were shocked by her offer and her behavior. A part of the lost soul in you is worried, you can't start going all the way over again. You don't want to follow anyone. You need to rest.

Columbina sighs sadly, seeing your endless fuss. Angelic, hardly human singing comes from her lips. Your whole body freezes and you can't interrupt her, you both know that. Slowly leaving, harbinger doesn't stop singing a lullaby for you for a second.

"What is it, Columbina?"

"I've been thinking about what you said, Pierro, and I'd like to ask you for help..."

Pierro looked at her closely, already knowing what she would ask. It was more accurate to say that he knew what she would ask for two days ago, when he first told her that as soon as the you reached your court, you would never be together with her again. So, Pierro just wanted to warn her that your so-called friendship won't last too long. However, the third harbinger was attached to you as much as you are to your statue...

"I dare say that you have already destroyed this seelie's statue and now you want to know if it is possible to tie her to another place, but not to separate you?"

"That's right, Jester. I thought that since you used to be a royal mage in the Khaenri'ah, you might know possibilities to do it..."

There is a moment of silence in the room. Pierro thinks and remembers possible spells that he knows. It was obvious that the third harbinger wouldn't back down, she had already destroyed your statue and was now looking for a way to reduce your suffering.

"I can try. But I need to know what you want to tie this seelie to."

"To myself."

With each step, Columbina is getting closer and closer to the Zapolyarny Palace. Very soon you and she will be together forever...

#reader #platonic yandere #yandere #platonic #platonic genshin impact #yandere genshin #genshin impact #platonic Columbina #yandere platonic columbina #yandere columbina #columbina

199 notes · View notes

milksuu · 1 year

Text

Glitter & Leather | Hiccup x Fairy!Reader

Pairings: Hiccup 'Horrendous’ Haddock III x fairy!fem!reader

Content/Warnings: None

Contains: Fluff & Foul Fairy Language

a/n: couldn't help but be inspired by a few mythical!reader fics. also, I have a current obsession with faitytale themes at the moment. might be a part 2 soon!

“My, aren’t you a teeny human?”

There was a squeak in a grove of mossy timber trees, laden with flower beds and fists-full of sprouted grass. Standing one mushroom cap high, you tip-toed across a linen wrapped around a cooing newborn, existing with eyes still closed. It was an unlucky fate that the child was weak, unwanted, and left to the cruel hand of nature. However, it was to your fortune that this child would be the exchange for your promised gift.

“My king will be so happy when I return with you,” you said, dancing giddily, ”and then, I’ll finally have my wings. Won’t that be a dream?”

Your pitter-pattering and mousy meeps stirred the babe, and its sniffling turned into wails that even cotton balls in your ears wouldn’t muffle.

“Stop crying!” You stomped and slapped your pointed ears shut. “You should be happy to live as a servant for all eternity, instead of dying.”

The child responded with more tears than one could imagine. It flung its blubby hands forward, grasping you tightly, flailing you about. It bonked you left and right, tither and hither, and every space in between. When it smushed you across its blubbering face, you gasped on the dollops of tears soaking your entire head.

You coughed and spat on the salty taste. “Let go of me you soggy lump!”

Your own cries were meaningless. The child held tighter, and you feared your bones would become miniscule mounds of white dust and glitter. With a defeated sigh, you cleared your throat, and hummed a sweet tune beloved and true in the Seelie court. A song of merriment, dancing, and feasting. Gradually, the baby's cries dwindled to waning breaths, until its own exhaustion tucked it back to sleep.

Wiggling and prying, you popped out from its weakened hold. Drained yourself, you fell to your hands and knees on the child. The shawl beneath was soft and inviting, and a nap sounded pleasant before your trip back to the kingdom. Amid your droning thoughts, the sobs and cries of a human echoed through the morning mist. It was not that of a baby, nor a child, but of a woman.

You turned your head to peek at the baby's cherub features. “Looks like they want to keep you after all.”

You hung your chin low, contemplating snatching the child away before the naked eye could see. The terrible sobs and desperate crunching of distant gravel grew like roots in your chest, entangling your heart in thorns.

“Oh, for the love bee’s and poppy seeds,” you huffed and pointed a finger at his wet nose. “I’m sparing you today, but when we meet again, I will be taking you with me.”

With an indignant ‘hmph’ you hopped down to the grass bed below, scurrying behind a rock with fungus growing all over. Your lashes blinked when the human woman sprang into view. Throwing herself to the ground, she crawled on aching hands and knees to fetch the tiny bundle. Cradling the babe close, she whispered choked apologies and words of affection in endless rivers.

There was a flutter in your heart, and the tiniest lift to your lips. Although you would not get your wings today, in this moment you thought, sparing the child was a present better to give, than to receive.

⋆ ˖ ⁺ ‧ ₊ ⚜⎯⎯☾ ༻♔༺ ☽⎯⎯ ⚜₊ ‧ ⁺ ˖ ⋆

Twenty-years later…

Between the aged timber greens and soft patches of wildflowers, grew a new flourish of apple blossoms. The orchard became your hiding place and home, since you hadn’t returned to the fairy realm for all these years. You swore an oath not to return until you were able to complete your task; the shame if you came back empty handed would be too much to bare. Your king wasn’t fond of failure.

Nothing less than success was expected from his own daughter, after all.

Stepping out of your mushroom cottage made for one, you decided to search for a fallen apple for breakfast. Thinking you heard one drop south of your home, you ventured, pushing away blades of grass. You came upon one, red and shapely. There was never a dull moment in your world, and you arm wrestled an centipede and all its legs to claim it. As the crowned victor, you stuck out your tongue to its retreating form.

The ground thundered, shaking the pebbles and dirt at your feet. You pressed yourself against the fruit, wrapping your arms around it, hoping to hide. The creature loomed just above you, and you felt the apple move. Hoisted into the air, your trembling body went with it. You clamped your mouth shut, withholding any sound.

“Eh, is that a worm?”

You felt a thumb and finger pinch your clothes, plucking you off. You squealed, throwing your fists into the air.

“How dare you call me a worm!”

You stared squarely at the face of the human boy you recognized. Knowing this made your blood steam hotter than boiled water.

“O-Oh Gods, not a worm, definitely not a worm, more like a…” he spoke windily, and your scowl deepened as his green eyes squinted further. “Tiny person?”

“Fairy person,” you corrected indignantly.

“Right, this is kinda strange, I thought you'd have wings at least,” he mumbled to himself, rolling your body around in his hand like a bag of marbles. “Is this even real? I wonder if I’m dreaming.”

“I am real. Now let go of me,” you squirmed, steam blowing from your ears, “you overgrown human baby!”

“Are all fairies always this…” he paused, finding the right words to say through his tight lips. “Pleasant?”

“I was pleasant enough to let you go when you were nothing more than a drooling glob of pink pudding,” your voice chirped to the highest octave. “You no good, wasp loving, dirty hare footed, son of a cricket—Ugh!”

“Listen, my name’s Hiccup, and not any of those other words you just called me. I mean, do I even want to know what they all meant? They can’t be good where you come from.”

“You’ll get no apologies from me. You made the mistake of finding me and handling me like a brute,” you said, wrestling the thumb of his finger. “I made a promise back then, whenever we should meet again, you would be coming with me.”

“Trust me, I can tell you, we’ve never met before,” he said, furrowing his brows. “I would've remembered. Especially since you’re, well, not even human.”

“Do I have explain everything to you? I found you when you were left here once by your mo–” you stopped short of his earnest gaze. It was apparent he had no clue in the matter. You hummed with frustration. “Oh! Forget it. Your fate has been sealed, and I have you exactly where I want you, flat-footed oaf Hiccup.”

He raised an eyebrow at your struggling form, and a blush came over you. “D-Don’t look at me like that. I’ve fought fleas more intimidating than you. Horseradish! I’ve even fought nasty toads and escaped out of one's belly once.”

“You realize you’re no taller than my left pinky, right?” He grinned at your fluster. “Tell you what, you tell me your name, and I’ll let you go.”

“If you must know, it’s Y/N,” you mumbled, puffing out your cheeks and crossing your arms. “Not that it’ll matter for long, anyway.”

“Huh, why do you say that?”

“Because you’ll be fast asleep soon,” you spoke plainly.

He wrinkled his nose, drawing his curious features closer. “What do you mean by that? I don’t even feel–”

You popped your hands out, blowing a thick layer of sparkling dust. He sneezed against the twinkling cloud, and after a mystifying blink of his eyes, they rolled back to meet the dreamlands behind them. You were about to commemorate your victory, till his form swayed and staggered. The onslaught of wind pulled at your cheeks, lashes, hair and ears. You feared you would need a whole new face. You squealed at the top of your thimble lungs, plummeting to the earth along with him.

There was a rumble and shake when the boy hit the ground. Your lithe form bounced and flopped around like a blind caterpillar on the leathers of his chest. Still tumbling, you struggled to catch a buckle, holding on for a deer’s life. When the gravel and quakes settled, along with your thumping heart, you stood on your wobbly legs.

“I…I did it,” you gasped, seeking to catch your breath. “Ahem! I mean, of course, I did. I’ve been preparing for this moment all along.”

Padding around, you minded your balance with the rise and falls of his chest.

“I’ll admit, you grew from a tiny mush of jelly to be quite handsome, but too bad for you,” you said, wagging a haughty finger. “I’m not interested in taller men. Not only that, I’m far more invested in turning you in for my wings and finally claiming my recognition.”

With a hum, you tapped your lips with your fingertips, “Question is, now, is my magic strong enough to carry you. It would’ve been much easier if you were still a littler one. I’ll need to eat lots of honey if I’m able to pull this off—but bees can be so stingy.”

Begrudgingly, you admitted you didn't prepare this far; after twenty-years no less! You had all the spells in place to capture the boy, but then, it was foolish to think he would simply follow you as a willing hostage. During your pestering thoughts and plans, the earth shook as violently as it did before. You heard calls and shouts, ‘Hiccup! Where are you?’ rumbling through the leaves and woods. You pulled at your strands of glossy hair.

“Good grief!” you moaned and whined. You wondered how many friends and family this single human had, to fervently search for him, whenever you were so close to securing him.

Pacing absentmindedly, and with a kick of your barefoot against a buckle, you sucked on the pain of your toe. Gathering yourself, you hotly stomped to meet his face.

“This won’t be the last time we meet,” you muttered, poking and prodding his skin, “and I’ll take something precious from you just to make sure of that.”

Scrambling, you searched through whatever pockets, nooks and crevices you could find. A medallion caught your eye. Although faded by time, it possessed an essence of sentimental value. You grinned at the luck, but it evaporated when the earthquakes surmounted. Dragging it close, you shuffled your feet, scaling the hill of his shoulder pad, and down the long ramp of his arm. With a hop, you scurried to hide behind the apple he had dropped earlier.

“Hiccup!” You heard a feminine voice. “You’re sleeping out here, really?”

You felt the grass sway and shift as he groaned and twitched awake. Leaning, you peaked from your hiding spot.

“Astrid?” He asked groggily, rubbing the sleep powder from his face. “What…What’re you doing here?”

“I should be asking you that,” the blonde laughed, helping him rise and steady his feet. “Did you forget about our afternoon flight?”

“Of course not,” he said, waving his hands in front of him. “I was just…I think I saw a fairy.”

Astrid pursed her lips before chuckling and slapping his shoulder.

“That’s a good one. I’ll have to use it if I ever forget about something.”

“I swear, I didn’t forget,” he flushed, walking away with her. “I actually did see one. I even talked to it!”

“Uh-huh, sure you did.”

With banter and laughs, the two left your sight, disappearing beyond the berry bushes and apple blossoms. When the world quieted, you slumped down, pulling your knees against your chest. Resting your head in its comforts, you sighed, ready for your own afternoon nap.

To catch a human—no, to catch this human—was going to take a lot of work.

#httyd #hiccup x reader #hiccup haddock #hiccup haddock x reader #httyd x reader #hiccup httyd #how to train your dragon #httyd 2 #httyd fanfiction #fanfiction #httyd rtte #x reader

779 notes · View notes

mendokayalways · 4 months

Text

Can we talk about multiclassing as a love language? Because I'm having high dnd thoughts as one does and I'm thinking about so many characters including one of my own:

Merlin Chestnut: Lesser fey (changeling), Bard for the Seelie Court, fell in love with a visiting archfey (Dream Witch), was consequently kicked out of the fey realm by the Baba Yaga who according to Forgotten Realms lore is the adoptive mother of the Dream Witch. And as a symbol of their love, the Dream Witch became my character's warlock patron which is where my levels of warlock come in.

Vax'ildan (Critical Role: Campaign 1): multi-classed into Paladin to save his sister's life and avenge their mother's death.

Gorgug Thistlespring (Fantasy High: Sophomore Year): multi-classed into Artificer so he could build a cell tower to talk to Zelda Donovan his girlfriend while the Bad Kids and the Seven were off questing in separate directions.

Fjord (Critical Role: Campaign 2): multi-classed into Paladin not just for the safety of his friends but to free himself from a toxic warlock relationship and break generational cycles (self-love wins toooo).

Ruby Rocks (A Crown of Candy): multi-classed into Shadow Sorceror to mechanically extend the metaphor of grieving her twin sister.

Sophie Bikes (The Unsleeping City): multi-classed into a Warlock as her character started to fall in love with the magic of New York City and The Great Bodega Cat and also Emily Axford's enduring love for the spell mechanics of DnD 5e.

#critical role #dimension 20 #mighty nein #vox machina #fantasy high #fantasy high sophomore year #a crown of candy #the unsleeping city #dungeons and dragons #dnd 5e

80 notes · View notes

that-ari-blogger · 7 months

Text

A Perfect Metaphor And A Perfect Joke

I put out a post a few days ago discussing some Critical Roll speeches, and I couldn't help but notice how people seemed to like that. So, I thought to myself: CR has some phenomenal moments, and I happen to have some more thoughts on them, so why not share?

With that said, Loquatius Seelie is a fascinating character played by a phenomenally skilled improviser. Allow me to explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR CRITICAL ROLL CALAMITY

Before I unpack this speech, I would like to briefly examine who Loquatius Seelie is. And I'll start with an analysis of his mechanics. I'm not going to go into detail on his spells and abilities, instead I would like to instead bring up his choice of class. In the EXU Calamity Wrap-up, Sam suggested that Loquatius began at 1st level as a warlock, and took the remaining 11 levels as a bard, and I think that is quite interesting. Where everyone else was a liar pretending to tell the truth, Loquatius was an honest man pretending to be a liar. He had got swept up in the drama of it all, and kept taking levels in bard as he descended more into the personality he created for himself.

"Fire"

I feel the need to stress that this speech was written in the break. There was no clever marketing team who laboured for hours. This was Sam Riegel pseudo-improvising. That's not what I'm analysing, it just needs to be said.

Anyway, what is this speech about?

Life. Life needs things to live, and a world needs people to inhabit it. But there's more, this is a farewell to the age of arcanum, and in a fitting send off, it breaks down all of the pompous ceremony and for the first time in a while, gets real.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the replenishment is cancelled. Our centuries old bond, severed."

This is all nice, but what happens next is fascinating. Its the end of an era, and instead of looking back at what has happened, the speech looks to the future.

"Our two cities are like a married couple. We may have our differences. We may not have the same goals. We may even separate for a time. But we are connected by love for eternity. We made a promise to each other, and its one we must fulfill."

The symbol of marriage is a ring, it's a fascinatingly old tradition, with discoveries in ancient Egypt that date back 3000 years, and the symbolism behind this is both obvious, and subtle. The ring represents a cycle, an infinite loop. The ring doesn't represent the marriage, but the promise to each other.

In this broadcast, Loquatius brings the Age of Arcanum to a definitive close, tricking an entire city of hubris to go down in flames in order for the new world to be born. And to everyone else, he invokes marriage, the ultimate promise of a future, everlasting.

"Remember your Avalir siblings and the sacrifices we made for you. Remember Cerrit, the Eyes of Avalir, and his bravery. Remember Nydas, the Dragon, and his sense. Remember Patia Por'co, Keeper of Scrolls, and all the wisdom she brought. Remember brave Zerxus and Evandrin, the First Knights of Avalir. And remember the Architect Arcane, Laerryn, the most beautiful woman in the world. And also, remember the Market of Wonders"

This is such a phenomenal send off, not just because of who he's mentioning, or because of the sheer force of acting skill that Sam is throwing around. This is phenomenal, because of what it asks the next age to remember. Bravery, wisdom, and beauty.

Loquatius can never know what will happen in the next age, but he begs whoever will hear this, to take just these things forwards. Be brave, be wise, be beautiful.

But that joke. "Remember the market of wonders." Brennan has credited Joseph Campbell with the phrase: "Comedy completed the revelation that drama begins." And for the life of me, I couldn't find where Campbell said this, so I think this is a Brennan Lee Mulligan original.

Perspective is important, and if you have only good things, like the Age of Arcanum, you get complacent. But if you have only bad things, such as the calamity is shaping up to be, the pain loses its meaning. Your senses dull. This joke is a dying man going out with a defiant smile, but its also a message to the world. Don't give up on joy, or hope, in the face of Armageddon, because that's when you need those things the most.

"I'm Loquatius Seelie-- And I'll drop my golden complexion and just use my true face, my true changeling face-- saying: Seelie you later."

This is unironically my favourite moment of the speech. Because its the final moment, and the face of an age has stopped all pretences. No special effects, no whimsey or buttering up the truth. The dead cannot lie, at least, not as easily. Try as you might, you go out as you are, you can pretend to be something else, or you can change, but when you finally shuffle off this mortal coil, that's it, there's no more pretending. Loquatius Seelie goes out not as a performer and presenter, but as a husband, and a hero.

#rants #character analysis #literary analysis #literature analysis #critical role #critrole #critical role spoilers #critical role calamity #loquatius seelie

90 notes · View notes

thehopefuljournalist · 9 months

Text

Am I a little bit late for some of you? I might be. But anyways. Here's what went right around the world this past week :)

Youth climate activists won a huge climate lawsuit

Sixteens youths (aged five to 22) from Montana, US, have emerged victorious after suing state officials for violating their right to a clean environment.

In their lawsuit, they argued that Montana's fossil fuel policies contributed to climate change, which harms their physical and mental health. Montana is a major coal producer, with large oil and gas reserves. The state has rebuffed these claims, saying that their emissions were insignificant on a global scale.

Judge Kathy Seely, in a 103-page ruling, set a legal precedent for young people’s rights to a safe climate by finding in their favour. “Every additional tonne of GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions exacerbates plaintiffs’ injuries and risks locking in irreversible climate injuries".

This win marks the very first time a US court has ruled against a government for a violation of constitutional rights based on climate change. It will now be up to Montana lawmakers to bring state policies in line.

“As fires rage in the west, fueled by fossil fuel pollution, today’s ruling in Montana is a gamechanger that marks a turning point in this generation’s efforts to save the planet from the devastating effects of human-caused climate chaos.” - Julia Olson, executive director of nonprofit law firm, Our Children’s Trust, which represented the youths in this case.

Number of Mexicans living in poverty fell by millions

Thanks to a new minimum wage boost and increases to pensions, the number of Mexicans living in poverty fell by 8.9 million between 2020-2022, according to new data published by the country’s social development agency, Coneval.

Coneval’s statistics suggest that the number of people living in extreme poverty also fell – from 10.8 million in 2020 to 9.1 million last year – although that figure is still up from a pre-Covid 8.7 million recorded in 2018.

There is still a long way to go, and some critics do claim that during the current president, López Obrador's presidency has been characterized by austerity.

An organised crime group trafficking endangered species has been jailed

The Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), a small European wildlife charity, is apparently busting kingpins behind as much as half of the world's illegal trade in pangolin scales. The traffickers began six-year jail sentences a few weeks ago.

The wildlife charity went undercover to expose three Vietnamese and one Guinean national, members of an organised crime group trafficking body parts of endangered species including rhinos.

They were arrested in May 2022, following a four-year investigation by the WJC, and were accused of trafficking 7.1 tonnes of pangolin scales, as well as 850kg of ivory. Last month they pleaded guilty to smuggling and were jailed for six years.

All eight species of pangolin are listed as threatened animals, four critically endangered - they are protected by international law.

“There has not been a reported seizure of pangolin scales in Asia originating from Africa in more than 550 days,” said Steve Carmody, WJC’s director of programmes. “There is no clearer example of the importance of disrupting organised crime networks.”

AI gave conservationists a breakthrough

The use of AI-controlled microphones and cameras seems set to revolutionise

biodiversity monitoring in the UK following groundbreaking work by researchers at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). They used the tech to record and analyse 3,000 hours of wildlife audio captured by monitors located near London railway lines.

The computers detected dozens of bird species, foxes, deer, bats and hedgehogs, and mapped their locations.

It’s hoped the innovation will help improve conservation and habitat management on Network Rail land.

This year is best ever for UK renewable energy installations

This years looks to be the best year so far for UK renewable energy installations, with record numbers of households fitting solar panels and heat pumps.

2023 marks the first time solar panel installations have topped an average of 20,000 a month, as homeowners look to harvest energy from the sun amid rising utility bills.

Read the full story here.

The UK’s Tree of the Year shortlist was revealed

The Woodland Trust has announced the shortlist for its annual celebration of some of the UK’s most treasured ancient trees, and for 2023 the spotlight is on the urban landscape.

“Ancient trees in towns and cities are vital for the health of nature, people and planet,” said the charity’s lead campaigner Naomi Tilley. “They give thousands of urban wildlife species essential life support, boost the UK’s biodiversity and bring countless health and wellbeing benefits to communities.”

Article published August 17, 2023

Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what interested you, and if there's any specific topic you'd like me to dig into, my DM's are always open :)

Much love!

#climate change #climate #hope #good news #more to come #climate emergency #news #climate justice #hopeful #positive news

112 notes · View notes

foodsies4me · 9 days

Text

May Malec fic rec!

Thanking @crystalmir for this month's theme which is soulmate AU's! The same rules apply as always, one fic per author, even though all of these authors have other brilliant fics you should be reading and if you want to add your own recs in the comments, tags, or reblogs please feel free to do so! 💜

Also, I have tagged the authors whose Tumblr account I know (aka found on their AO3 profile), but if you'd prefer I not tag you, please tell me! I don't want these to be annoying for the authors.

One-shots:

Magnus, How Long Have You Been Twenty by @Master of Unlocking: A soulmate AU where you don't age past a certain age until you've met your soulmate!

Summary:

Soulmate AU where you age to about 18/21, and then you stay that age until you find your soulmate.

The Space Between by @gingersnapwolves: soulmate AU, the usual Clave being awful as well as some Alec and Magnus being badass. I don't know how often I've read and reread this fic by now.

Summary:

Every warlock has a soulmate. 98% of the time it’s another warlock, but sometimes it’s a mundane, a seelie, or even a Shadowhunter. Until their name appears on the warlock’s chest (and their corresponding soulmate’s), there’s no way to know. Enter Alec Lightwood, who wakes up at fourteen with a warlock’s name on his chest. Horrified at what it means, he keeps it hidden. But five years later, Magnus Bane is captured by a team of Shadowhunters, and it’s only a matter of time before someone sees Alec’s name on his chest.

see me light up from the rooftops by @oh-la-fraise: Short and sweet and fluffy, just the way I like it.

Summary:

“Alec,” Magnus said, his face falling. “Short for Alexander, I assume?” Alec frowned. “Yeah. Why do you look so disappointed? Are you more of an Alexi kind of guy?” Magnus smiled for a second, and Alec cheered with victory internally. “No, I just. . .Oh, it’s so stupid, and not something I should be discussing on a first date. It was an Alexander that broke my heart in Paris.” “Yeesh,” Alec winced. “Well I can promise you, not all of us are complete idiots. Which he would had to have been, to dump you.” Magnus snorted. “That’s the even sadder part—he didn’t dump me. We never even met.”

Before the Day is Done by carmenlire: Ales as a Head of the Institute but also as an author! Magnus as his kind of pen pal, the High Warlock of Brooklyn and his unknowing fan.

Summary:

Alec reads the email twice through before letting out a breath. He feels anticipation thrumming through him at the invitation and it doesn’t vanish no matter how hard he tries to shove it down. He’s looking forward to meeting Magnus in person. While there’s still some anxiety lurking underneath it all, it feels almost inevitable. Truth be told, he’s always felt drawn to the High Warlock. Magnus had been the only downworlder to acknowledge the change in leadership first. He’d been surprising magnanimous in wishing Alec a successful tenure and providing his contact information if he ran into any problems.

Who are you really? by @skylar102 : The scene of Magnus pressing Alec's lost baby blanket to his face as he realizes he finally has a soulmate after 400 lonely years makes me slightly feral.

Summary:

When your soulmate loses something it gets sent to you and vice versa. For almost 400 years Magnus thought he would never have a soulmate until one day a pacifier shows up in his loft.

all these stumbles and falls by @echo-bleu evil on the feels-front like all of Echo's fics, but what else is new. (Love you, Echo <3)

Alec has always kept his male, warlock soulmate a secret. He knows he can never have what he wants. On the eve of his wedding to Lydia, he finds himself on a warlock’s doorstep to finally break the bond, and be free to complete his duty to the Clave and his family. It will all be fine. Except that his soulmate mark is desperately clutching at his chest, shaking like a leaf, and its large golden eyes are pooling with tears. And that said mark looks exactly like a tiny version of the warlock who just answered his knock.

To Touch and Be Touched by TobytheWise: short 500-word ficlet, but still an adorable and enjoyable read nonetheless.

With a black handprint across his cheek, Alec always imagined meeting his soulmate for the first time would be a painful affair. When the day finally comes, Alec is pleasantly surprised.

Multi-chapter fics or series:

Making Memories With Mistletoe by @notcrypticbutcoy is another lovely fic by notcrypticbutcoy. There's a small amount of angst, but it's mostly a feel-good fic for me

Summary:

How was that even possible? How could Magnus’ soulmate be someone who didn’t believe in the concept? The universe had to be playing some kind of cosmic joke on him. *** When a mysterious and very attractive stranger walks into Magnus’ magic shop three weeks before Christmas, he doesn’t expect it to be his soulmate. Nor does he expect his soulmate to deny the entire concept of such a thing. Or: in which Magnus owns a magic shop, Alec doesn’t believe in soulmates, and the universe has a funny way of making things work out.

Machiavellian by @alxndrlightwoods: While a one-shot the fic is part of a series that I love even though it's dark and gory - or maybe just because? Warning (especially for the later parts) for Underage, Gore, and some very enthusiastic and graphic murder aka make sure you read the tags.

Summary:

He can see the thoughts whirling in Magnus’s brain. Magnus had managed to make it four hundred years, patiently waiting and keeping a weather eye on the Lightwood family for the majority of that. And his beautiful, perfect, wonderful soulmate hadn’t even managed to make it three years. They were disgustingly perfect for each other.

The Gift of Choice by @tinylilemrys: Soulmate AU where you can choose whether to accept or reject a soulmate (something I'm personally a huge fan of) and it's just written so well.

Summary:

Neither Alec nor Magnus is particularly thrilled at the discovery of their soul marks. Alec because he knows that the design of it means that his soulmate is a Downworlder, something practically unheard of in Shadowhunter society. For Magnus, the idea of being permanently attached to a joyless demon-killer is hardly a thrill. Given that they can choose if they accept their soulmate or not, the decision seems like a no-brainer. But when Alec finally meets the beautiful, other-worldly Magnus and Magnus meets the gorgeous, self-sacrificing Alec, it becomes clear that the decision might not be as easy as they thought it would.

it doesn't matter (if it's now or then) by @soveryaverageme: Alec knows Magnus is his soulmate. He also knows he isn't Magnus', but he's fine with it. Really.

Alec’s words were branded across his right forearm, spiraling towards his shoulder. The phrase “I’m Magnus, I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced?” was stark across his skin, as bold as his own love. They were a comfort and a reminder every time he drew his bow back to fire another arrow. He knew every curve and bend of his words. He could trace them without looking. He had never seen Magnus’ words, but he knew was that they weren’t his.

Through a Glass, Darkly by SolarisRasa: Last but not least on this list, a fic that deserves more love in my opinion. Magnus creating a Veil between the Downworld and the Nephilim is such an interesting concept!

A century ago, Magnus Bane, sick of the struggles between the Downworld and the Clave, created a spell: The Veil. It separated the Downworld from the Nephilim, both sides blind to each other in the world. A red-head with demands, a sharp spike in demons, a new Head of the New York Institute, and...gardening? Draws Magnus toward the Shadowhunters world again. With his city slipping, the Clave bearing down, and the High Warlock's demand for better protection, Alec Lightwood seeks a more equal footing with the Downworld.

#Malec rec list #this list ended up having slightly more recs #but consistency is never a thing with me #so that's okay

27 notes · View notes

ducktracy · 3 months

Note

do you happen to know why there’s a noticeable drop in animation quality in the Daffy vs. Speedy cartoons? I’m very curious

short answer: studio shutdowns, the theatrical industry on the decline thanks to TV, lower budgets, all of their main talent either gone or mentally checked out beyond belief

MUCH longer answer reaffirming the above points!: the WB studio had a bit of a troubled lifespan, and the falling of the dominos can be traced back to the early '50s (or hell even post-war, since there were Technicolor shortages that caused lengthy backlogs) with the first--keyword, FIRST!--studio shutdown in 1953. 3D was on a huge rise around that time, and Jack Warner believed it would be the new industry standard. so! the cartoon department was shut for a few months so they could figure out if they needed to convert and adapt to this new format. Lumber Jack-Rabbit was a bit of a test subject for this

but the 3D bubble was indeed a bubble, and so the studio eventually reopened a few months later. a lot of the shorts are colloquially divided by this time period: "pre-shutdown" and "post-shutdown". the quality difference wasn't as big for directors like Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng, as they still had their units intact, but it made a HUGE impact to Bob McKimson, who was the lowest in the studio hierarchy. he lost his entire unit and wasn't able to get any of his animators back, so he had to rebuild his entire unit from scratch (and in cases like The Hole Idea and most of Dime for Retire, animating entire cartoons himself.) his shorts likewise had the strictest budgets, and that's why you begin to really see a noticeable quality drop in his shorts

fast forward about a decade or so. everyone is getting older, a bit more disinterested, crews are being shuffled around and people are leaving. Carl Stalling retires in 1958, the same year as the musician's strike (which is why there are shorts from that year composed of stock tracks courtesy of John Seely), Milt Franklyn takes over for him until his death in 1962... theatrical cartoons are on their way out the door as TV is growing bigger and bigger. there's a clear decline, both for WB and the theatrical industry as a whole, which is why the Warner Bros studio shuts down for a final time in 1963.

this is where we get a little more relevant to the ask. Dave DePatie was the last exec in charge of the studio, assuming John Burton's role after he took over for Eddie Selzer, who retired in 1958. DePatie and Friz Freleng teamed up to start DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (DFE), and so they leased the old Warner Bros studio and were contracted to produce their cartoons from 1964-1967. this is around the time where the Speedy and Daffy team-ups start beginning in early 1965. Friz directed the first handful or so, but DFE was ALSO making their own, non LT related cartoons at the time, and rolling in the dough with their new creation of a certain Pink Panther. so, Friz as a director started investing his time into these non LT cartoons, leaving Bob McKimson to finish up the rest of his dirty work for him. McKimson's crew is still the weakest, his budgets are still the smallest, and McKimson himself was growing more and more checked out with the job. he had for awhile now, but the death of his wife in the '60s certainly seemed to kickstart that sort of disenfranchisement further. the cartoons are the most obligatory than they've ever been

but don't you worry! the downward spiral still continues! once DFE's contract was up and they moved to a new studio, WB decided to bring back production in-house. such enters the Seven-Arts era, lasting from 1967 to the studio's last gasp in late 1969. Alex Lovy of Walter Lantz fame is brought in as the main studio director, and this is when you begin to see the emergence of characters like Merlin the Magic Mouse, Cool Cat, etc. they were still doing the Daffys and Speedys, budgets still cheap as ever, but attempting to lean into the late '60s animation landscape. all of the other LT characters had been retired by this point, and 1968 would see the last short with any formal LT characters in it (so... Speedy and Daffy)

i also neglected to mention Rudy Larriva's involvement with Format Films. going back to the DFE era, the Format Films studio (known for doing the '60s Popeye TV shorts and The Alvin Show) were used as outsourcing to make a handful of Road Runner cartoons. if you've ever watched a Road Runner and thought "wow, this sucks!" then CONGRATS! you're likely watching one of the "Larriva Eleven".

anyhoo, Larriva/Format Films also worked on some Speedy and Daffys (and when i double checked which ones he did work on, i was surprised to only see 3??? i thought he directed way more), and they too are cheap and quick for the same reasons above

SO! there you have it! and i've been slagging on the Speedy and Daffy shorts a lot, and i can't say it's without good reason LOL. with how many there are and in such a short amount of time and how utterly monotonous they are (as well as a reminder of the integrity these characters USED to have), it's easy to really point to them as the worst of the worst. but, unfortunately, they're just a portion of the studio's continued decline as a whole. all of the shorts were getting cheap and dull and droll--it's (unfortunately) not like the Speedy and Daffys were super flat and awful while the studio was also making amazingly lush Road Runner shorts at the same time.

like MANY of the most popular theatrical cartoon series, WB had a very unfortunate decline that i think is just more apparent to see because they were one of the studios that lasted the longest theatrically. i THINK Walter Lantz and DFE may have been the only studios that outlasted them, but i could be just as wrong so don't quote me on that! i'm not nearly as intimate with my 50s-60s history of the studio as i am the 30s and 40s, but i aim to change that!

#*EXHALE*#anonymous #asks #long post

32 notes · View notes

gothfoxgirlboy · 4 months

Text

TF Me: Fae Taken

After having been transported to a new world I didn’t take long to adjust to my new body, the short and thick stature seemed to suit me quite well. More than that I took to magic incredibly fast, it seemed to flow through my new demonic body entirely naturally. Though of course, I needed to move frequently. I began to become consumed by my own power not long after.

The addiction to aphrodisiacs and the increased libido of my new body made it incredibly difficult to get off on my own so I made a name hunting other mages and using the loser’s submission laws of this world.

However, a year or so into my prolonged stay in this new world changes began happening that I was not aware of. The World Tree had gotten a parasite, slowly, in order to replenish the nutrients it was losing plants began to cannibalize each other and when that was no longer enough they began to become carnivorous.

Though I was by no means a hero, I was adept at magic and had a handful of useful losers that I kept by my side. My knight and minotaur to protect me, my wizard to take the spells that are meant for me, and my maid who can barely walk from all the toys I keep her filled with.

But when I became more and more apparent that all the frivolities I was enjoying were becoming scarce I decided to take the situation into my own hands. We began our journey like most RPG games, finding that the situation became more and more difficult the closer we got to the world tree, animals became monsters, monsters became fae. That was where we were.

Having battled through the fae forest directly into the Seelie Court. I attempt to throw some spells towards the queen of the faeries but the Seelie Court had rules, magic could only be used with permission, contracts verbal or otherwise were impossible to break, and words had to be carefully selected. Thus, we had to talk our way out of this. Luckily unlike the other fae, the queen seemed much less, controlled by the World Tree.

“May I have your name adventurer?” She starts, with a common trick.

“You may not have it but you can call me, Loch” I respond.

“I understand, well Loch, I presume that you are on your way to destroy the parasite?”

“I am”

“You must be a hero to go on such an adventure.”

“Far from it, I wish only to return to the luxury and leisure of my life”

“Then our goals may be parallel. Us fae wish for leisure, however the World Tree has changed the world greatly. Lend me your power so that we may both claim ourselves lives of luxurious leisure.” The queen says.

Simply put it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. The queen of the Seelie Court was offering an alliance to defeat the parasite. Fae cannot go back on their words nor could they lie. This may just be the easiest part from here on.

“Of course I will lend you my power. To our wonderful future” I say eagerly.

“To our wonderful future indeed.” The queen smirks.

It was too late to fix my mistake. The magic power I became so accustomed to was ripped from me. My powers were hers.

Tentacles rose up from the ground and grabbed me and my companions. We struggle against the bindings but it’s hopeless, we can’t break ourselves free. The Fae Queen flies up to me, her face slightly contorted as though she’s thinking, then she seems to have found her solution.

She comes closer as an item begins to appear in her hands as one of the tentacles strips me. The item looks like a strange cover for something, and it’s round in shape. Frankly it’s bigger than the fairy queen who is only a few inches tall. But she brings it up to my crotch, and covers my dick. It moulds to my body, giving me a soft nulge. Then I feel the magic that was attached to the nulge. My body starts to harden, my joints replaced with balls and my skin with porcelain. I can only watch as the queen uses my magic to petrify me and imprison my group.

Yet the queen did not go back on her word. Though I was but a doll the queen gave me luxury after luxury. My band of elasticity kept my body soft enough to be played with while I was unable to control it.

There was a team of faeries that constantly stimulated me, leaving no sense untouched. My nulge was played with at all times, small tongues licking constantly. My nipples were milked constantly until even without stimulation there was a steady stream. They put me in the queen’s personal garden, surrounded by living plants that she controlled to move me. She kept flowers that had aphrodisiac pollen all around me, a trickle of liquid aphrodisiac slowly dripped into my mouth, eventually leaking from my immobile lips down my body. Siren birds sung hypnotic songs day in and day out.

The only thing that could save me was when the magic wore off in a month. However, the queen found great fun in using my magic to create toys, First she made an inflatable plug that slowly degraded my morals each day I felt less and less of a desire to rebel. The next week she made nipple clamps that greatly increased how much I lactate, The queen was a great fan of the taste and would frequently come drink from the tap. By the end of the week my milk had a slight pinkish color from the amount of aphrodisiac coursed through my body. The following week a riding crop was made that could increase libido. My ass and tits where smack until my mind became fuzzy and I was delirious with lust. Then came the fourth week. When the magic would finally wear off and I could escape.

I waited, watching the moon rise through the glass ceiling of the queen’s garden. My magic slowly returned to my body, my joints returned to normal, my skin was soft and stretchy, and an entire month’s worth of orgasms coursed through my body, amplified by the aphrodisiac that flooded my bloodstream. Yet, I was still a doll. My body wouldn’t move. It didn’t want to move. I didn’t want to move. There was nothing stopping me.

The faerie queen entered her garden, seeing that I was still posed exactly as she left me.

“What a perfect doll you made.” She laughs. “Will you be mine forever?”

My mind had been ruined and my body was so sensitive that I may never stop cumming. I could never live on my own.

“Yes, Queen.” I say, it feels wrong to speak but I know she wants my response.

“Good now come with me. It’s tea time and the other dolls haven’t seen you in a month. We’ll need to dress you up nicely”

Without a word I follow, prepared to live a luxurious life as a living doll for my faerie queen.

#the catboy author #nsft txt #cyoa #tf me

42 notes · View notes

traffic-smp-headcannons · 6 hours

Text

i may sound crazy for this but. skizz-lizzie siblings. no, jimmy and lizzie aren't siblings (not by blood at least), jimmy is pearl and grian's brother. but... ANYWAYS. I don't know where this idea came from but imo they're a very underrated duo so... ya :3

Ender/Fae genetics, Skizz got more of the first half of that and Lizz(ie) got more of the second. (And then Skizz died and came back able to shapeshift just like his sister could already do, but that's besides the point)

and of course if we play into one of my very favorite headcanons. imagine. the both of them growing up in the Seelie court (their land was much kinder to mortals, given that their ruler had fallen in love with one). skizz never quite fitting with the magical aspects, never understanding the thrill everyone else seemed to get from the Hunt. never quite perfecting the laws they have to abide by. meanwhile lizzie shaping up to be the perfect next ruler of the court, and yet still finding time for her little brother. helping him realize things about himself (*winks in transmasc*) even though she doesn't quite understand it (after all, the faeries are magical creatures, borne of it, exactly how they want to be in every way).

then one day skizz makes a friend on the edge of the forest's border! a mortal, half-demon and half-rock giant, who tries to kill him at first sight (before realizing that wait, nope, that's one of the fae, BAD IDEA). They get over it and become Besties. and skizz gives up some of that immortality, that magic, in order to well and truly live. mortality sounds fun! Lizzie, of course, sends him off with a smile and a reminder of her love in the form of some (non-magic-imbued) pastries. Skizz comes back two weeks later with some new friends in tow, stays a few days, leaves, comes back again. It continues.

And then one day, he brings another friend with him: a human, some kind of mage, with a streak of green in his hair. and gods, if lizzie isn't (internally) struck dumb at the sight of him!

At least she's subtle, though. The cute human is so obvious, turning into a blushing mess whenever he tries to talk to her, and honestly it's a little embarrassing at this point!

...doesn't change the fact that, a few years later, skizz comes back to the court for a very special occasion. Seems this lineage has a bad habit of falling for mortals, one way or another!

-mod enen

#traffic smp #traffic smp headcanons #life series #skizzleman #ldshadowlady #solidaritygaming #grian #pearlescentmoon #impulsesv #smallishbeans #mod enen #yeag.#honestly i was kinda freehanding this one. spitballing if you will #i just needed to spread my siblings propaganda <3 #and no i definitely don't have a fic based off of this idea what are you TALKING about ahahahahhah

25 notes · View notes

theunfairfolk · 2 years

Note

please please please tell us your theory about why fae cant lie

the TL/DR version is that the fae can’t lie because they aren’t actually speaking human language, they’re speaking the language of the fae, which only uses the True Names of things. So if a fae were to refer to a tree, they would say the True Name of that SPECIFIC tree. constructing a lie would require the fae to make up a false name/a new truth which is not something they’re capable of. (unless…)

if you want the full version/the way i originally worked all this out, here’s an excerpt from a story i wrote where a fae (Lincoln) is trying to make a deal with The Prince (human). i also delve into what seelie vs unseelie means and some other fae lore. i wrote the whole story on a 72 hour bender where i didn’t sleep and barely ate. it’s the closest i’ve come to Receiving A Vision. enjoy!

“Well… if we work sunup to sunup-”

“I can’t.” The Prince cut him off. “I have to sleep. And eat. And I would like to do other things, on occasion.”

“Then a long time.” He wrinkled his nose. “Longer than the moon takes to fatten and vanish.”

“You mean a month?”

Lincoln stared blankly. “What’s a month?”

“It’s… one day is from sunup to sunup.”

“And 30 of those make a month?”

“Yes.” The Prince nodded. “Sometimes. Other times it’s 31. Or 28. Or 29. But usually just 30 or 31.”

Lincoln stared at him in bewilderment. “Why would you have a measurement that changes? How can you remember what times it’s 30 and what times it’s not?”

“Well, we have calendars.” The Prince explained. “You can also use your knuckles.” Lincoln looked down at his hands.

“How?”

The Prince stood, moving so he was standing beside Lincoln. “So if you start here.” He pointed at the base pinky knuckle of Lincoln’s left hand. “And count the knuckles and the spaces between them as months, the knuckles will be months with 31 days, and the spaces will be months with less than 31 days.”

Lincoln used his right hand to tap his left knuckles one by one. “So there are 7 months?”

“Ah, no. You keep going on the other hand.” He demonstrated on his own, pointing to each knuckle and space on his left and then switching to his right, starting with the base knuckle of his pointer finger.

“Not the thumbs?” Lincoln asked. “The pattern breaks.” He tapped his pointer finger knuckles together. “Two 31 months in a row.” The Prince nodded, and Lincoln stared at his hands, mouthing silently.

“What’s after 10?”

“The number?” He blinked. “11.”

“And then?”

“12.”

“And then?”

“13.”

“One more.”

“14.”

“So there’s 14 months.” Lincoln grinned triumphantly.

“Ah, no.” He winced. “There’s only 12.”

Lincoln tossed his hands into the air. “You have 14 knuckles and spaces!”

“I know.” The Prince grinned sheepishly. “You’re supposed to stop after 12. Humans are taught the number of months before they’re taught the number of days. The knuckle trick is actually not well known. One of my tutors showed it to me.”

“So there’s 12 months that alternate 31 and not 31 days. But there’s two that don’t alternate. And you can use your knuckles but you have to remember to stop at 12. And you still don’t know how many days the not 31 months have because they could be 30 or 29 or 28.” Lincoln huffed.

“Only one month has 28 days.” He pointed to the space after the left pinkie knuckle. “February.”

“Febru-what?”

“February. It’s what we call the second month.”

“They have names?”

The Prince nodded. “January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.”

“Why are they called that?”

“I’m not sure, actually.” He admitted. “I know that July and August were named after Roman emperors. I think. And September, October, November and December were originally the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th months of the year.” He saw the blank look in Lincoln’s eyes and went on. “So in Latin, 7 is septum, 8 is octum, 9 is novem, and 10 is decim.”

“Latin?” He made a face. “One of those weird things you made up?”

“Not me personally, but yes, someone made it.”

“And then the emperor months were added and the made up months don’t mean what you made them up to mean anymore.”

“Yes.”

“So which ones have 29?” Lincoln asked.

“Ah… only February does.” The Prince tried not to laugh at the outraged expression that appeared on Lincoln’s face. “Every four years we have a “leap year” where February gets an extra day.”

“Why?!” Lincoln yelled.

“If we don’t add it, the months will slowly get out of line, and all the days will be wrong.” The Prince explained. “So the summer equinox will be on a different day, and then the seasons won’t align with the months anymore-”

“Seasons? Like winter, fall, summer, and spring?”

“Yes.”

“They line up with the months?”

“Yes. Each season is three months long.”

“Four groups of three.” Lincoln hummed. “We have something similar.”

“Months?”

“No.” He rolled his eyes. “We don’t have anything that stupid. But we have these things called courts. There’s a court for each season, and each court has three leaders, one seelie, one unseelie, and one besides.”

“What’s a seelie and what’s an unseelie?”

Lincoln scoffed. “You don’t know what a seelie is?”

“No. I don’t think most humans know much about the fae.”

“Well that’s because we want it that way. But still, seelie and unseelie are like… knowing what’s darkness and what’s light.”

“So it’s an appearance thing?”

“No, that was just a metaphor.” Lincoln huffed. “Seelies are the fae who are meant to reward good. Unseelie are the fae who are meant to punish bad.”

“So, the seelie only reward people and the unseelie only punish?”

“No.” Lincoln snorted. “Seelie and unseelie alike can reward and punish.”

“So… the difference is only in name?”

“No.” He frowned. “The words you use are so limiting.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your language. It doesn’t work well with fae concepts.”

“You have your own language then?”

“Yes. Seelie and unseelie aren’t even the right words, they’re just… a sort of translation.”

“What’s the words for them in your language?” The Prince asked curiously. Lincoln responded with a series of noises that the Prince didn’t think living creatures were able to make. Some of them were noises that he didn’t think existed. When Lincoln saw the look on his face, he shrugged.

“If you spoke my language, you’d understand what they meant just by hearing them. That’s why it’s so hard to explain things. No one’s ever had to explain anything to another fae ever.”

“You’re born with the knowledge? Or you gain it when you hear the words?”

“Well we’re not born, but kind of both. We’re formed with the ability to understand our language, and every new word we hear adds to our knowledge. We’re also able to just… look at an object and know the word for it. Like it was written on it. So if someone speaks a word, we automatically know the meaning, and if we see something, we automatically know the word, and are able to convey the meaning to others.”

“How many words does your language have?”

“As many as there are things in the universe. So, infinite.” Lincoln shrugged. The Prince fell silent, both impressed and a bit overwhelmed. Then something occurred to him.

“If you instantly understand the concept and meaning of a word when you hear it, why didn’t you know what a month was?”

“That’s how our language works.” Lincoln countered. “Every word is the true word for whatever it is. Every name is the true name. It comes with understanding because it is understanding. You humans just made up noises on your own. And you didn’t even make up the same noises. And sometimes you use different noises for the same thing.”

“I never considered it like that, but I suppose you’re right.” The Prince mused. “So you don’t have any sort of… tutors or lessons or things like that?”

“The humans who tell other humans things for a living?” Lincoln laughed. “No. We just gather knowledge as we live. The older a fae gets, the more they know. Usually. There are exceptions, like if a fae lives alone. But that’s rare. And then some types of fae are smarter than others.”

“Are you born, er, formed knowing English?” The Prince asked.

“English?” Lincoln made a face. “Who’s that?”

“It’s not a who, it’s a what.” The Prince chuckled. “You’re speaking it right now.”

“Language?” He asked, confused.

“English is one language, yes. Latin is another.”

“You have specific names for the types of noises one group of humans makes.” Lincoln said flatly.

“Yes. The fae language doesn’t have a name?”

“Not in ‘English’ it doesn’t.” Lincoln said, exaggeratedly pronouncing the word and rolling his eyes.

“So are you formed knowing it?”

“Kind of.” Lincoln shrugged. “This is another concept that… doesn’t really have a word for it. We speak all languages because we’re not really speaking the language. We’re saying what we mean, and you’re kind of. Hearing what you understand.”

“So when you said those things earlier. The right words for seelie and unseelie. What I heard was just… noises.”

“Right, because it can’t be translated or understood by you.”

“But then when I hear seelie and unseelie, what are you saying?”

“The same thing. Just in a way you can understand. .” The Prince raised an eyebrow.

“I thought you didn’t have multiple words for the same thing.”

“We don’t. What I’m saying right now isn’t how I’d talk to another fae at all.” He pursed his lips. “If… for example, I wanted to say ‘the tree is brown’. There’s no direct translation for that statement in fae because… I dunno it’s not anything that ever needs to be said. But we have a word for tree and we have a word for brown and we have a word for ‘the’ and ‘is’ so I line those up in the right order and say it and it translates but if I were to say the words ‘the tree is brown’ in fae to another fae it would be like… a bunch of gibberish. They’d probably just ask why I was speaking human to them but if the humans didn’t exist, that phrase would never be uttered.”

“But individual words. Why does ‘seelie’ sound like seelie sometimes and not others?”

“Well, it hasn’t always existed. So when the first human found out about the different types of fae, they made up a word for it. We didn’t say ‘seelie and unseelie’ we explained the types and the person made up the word.”

“And then you all started using it?”

“No, but the word existed so the next time a fae tried to make themselves understood while talking about the types of fae, the human heard ‘seelie and unseelie’.”

“Then how can I hear a difference between that and the real word?”

“Because I’m not trying to make myself understood.”

“You can just. Turn it on and off?”

“Do you hear a difference between talking and singing? Or when someone is being sincere or sarcastic? Or what emotion a person is using?”

“Yes….” The Prince said slowly. “Most of the time, anyways. Sometimes people change their tone, or are bad at expressing themselves. Some people are bad at reading others too.”

“Exactly!” Lincoln clapped. “Fae are the same. Some have a better grasp of the tone to use to make humans understand them. Some have a worse grasp of it. Usually the more you interact with humans the better you get. But some fae just have an ear for it.”

“So… earlier, when you couldn’t count past 10.”

“I know how to count. I just don’t know how humans express… um….” He furrowed his brow. “The word for the… many of things.”

“Number?”

“No.” He flapped his hands in frustration. “The concept of there being more than one.”

“Multiple? Numerous? Many?” The Prince guessed.

“No.” He growled. “I don’t know how humans express the blank of things.”

“Number works.” The Prince said slowly.

“Yes but there’s another word for number. But not number. How many things there are.”

“Amount?”

“AMOUNT.” Lincoln clapped. “That’s it. I’m bad with anything relating to numbers, honestly.” He paused. “Quantity is another word for it. Math, I suppose, but more than that.”

“So when I say things… what do you hear?”

“I hear what you’re saying.” Lincoln rolled his eyes. “Your words can’t be translated into fae.”

“Then why can’t you just… memorize the words and speak them like we do? Why the translation thing?”

“It’s like… you can hear the difference between a cat hissing and meowing, right?”

“Right.”

“And you can even mimic them, right?”

“Right.”

“But you’re not actually meowing in the same way they’re meowing. You’re just mimicking it. And if you wanted to tell the cat ‘don’t bring me dead mice anymore’ you wouldn’t be able to say it in a way they understood because their ‘language’ isn’t that complex.”

“Right.”

“That’s why we use the magic to speak to you. Well, a mix of magic and dumbing things down. Like how you might be able to hold the mouse in front of the cat and hiss and they’d understand you’re upset but not be able to process what’s bad about a mouse.”

“Because the concept of someone not wanting a dead mouse is beyond the understanding of a cat… like the concept of seelie and unseelie is beyond the understanding of a human?”

“Exactly.” Lincoln grinned. “You’re pretty smart for a cat, though.”

The Prince laughed. “Thank you.” As soon as the words had slipped from his mouth, he froze. “Wait, I didn’t mean that. I’m not erasing what you did or thinking that my words negate anything or-”

Lincoln held up a hand to stop him, expression flat. “I take back what I said. You’re a pretty stupid cat.”

“I’m s-” He stopped himself with a frustrated noise. “It’s... difficult to express myself when the only methods I have available are upsetting to you.”

“The phrases ‘thank you’ and ‘I’m sorry’ aren’t inherently upsetting. It’s the concept or intent behind them.” Lincoln squinted at him. “Who taught you fae conduct?”

“I read it. In a book.” He sighed. “A Princess gave it to me.”

“The Princess of the East?” He asked immediately.

“Yes.” The Prince raised his eyebrows. “How did you know?”

“She’s as close to fae as most humans get.” Lincoln grinned. “Everyone knows her.”

“Well she wrote a book, and it had rules in it. And one rule was not to not say… certain things.”

“Yeah.” He laughed. “Most elder fae lose their shit over ‘thanks’ and ‘sorry’ even outside of the context where it’s actually hurtful.”

“Like how… dogs bark when they’re happy or angry, but some people don’t want them to bark at all because the sound is annoying?”

“Mm… kind of.” Lincoln scratched one of his horns. “More like… how ‘ass’ can mean an animal or a body part depending on the context. And how most people avoid saying ‘ass’ at all because even if they’re talking about the animal, people have the immediate connotation of the body part.”

“Right.” The Prince nodded. “Do you mind if I ask you questions about some of the things in the book?”

“Show it to me first.”

The Prince hesitated.

“Is it true fae can’t lie?” He asked.

“Yes.” Lincoln grinned. “But there’s no real way to know if that answer is true. You’d only know for sure if I’d said ‘no’ but that wouldn’t make you believe me any more than you already do.”

“Is it true you have to keep your word?”

“Yes.” His expression grew serious. “The fact that humans can make a promise or say you’ll do something and then go back on your word is… inconceivable. It would be like you trying to stop your heart from beating.” He shook his head. “I think it’s because of our language. We only speak the truth. Your words are just made up. They don’t hold the same power. ...are you going to ask me to promise something?”

“I just want your word that this isn’t a trick, and that you’re not going to damage the book or steal it.” The Prince answered. “Or that… showing it to you won’t give you some kind of power, or make you angry and harm me or something.”

“I won’t steal or damage the book, I won’t even look at any part other than the conducts, it isn’t a trick, nothing will happen to you or to me because I see the book or read what’s written.” He considered this. “Now that I think about it, we can lie in some ways. We can make predictions and be wrong, which technically means we lied. I can say that me seeing the book won’t affect anything but the book ends up being magical and the moment I touch it a dark force erupts from it and envelops the house, killing us both.” He shrugged. “We can also make jokes, which can be a sort of lie. Or use ‘loopholes’ which we exploit a lot. Like ‘I am taller than the trees’. I didn’t say which trees or how many. But because your language is stupid and imprecise, I can express a concept in a way that is misleading to most people.”

“But you can’t lie knowingly.” The Prince said. “What happens if you try?”

“I mean… some fae can, but we don’t… talk about them.” Lincoln rubbed his neck, obviously uncomfortable.

“Why can some of you but not others?”

“The ones that can lie… well ok, the ones that do lie had to. Work at it.” He sighed. “The older the fae get the smarter they get, right? So some of the really old fae have amassed knowledge that goes against pretty much every facet of fae existence. Like how I compared talking to humans in a way that’s singing? They learned how to hit the notes that are lies. Most of us don’t have that register. There’s actually no way to express a false concept in the fae language. Like saying ‘this tree is brown’. Makes sense in human, but not really in fae. We have a word for big tree, a word for small tree, a word for all trees, a word for specific groupings of trees, like literally a group of five trees in a specific forest will have a different word than a group of five trees in another forest. Or the same forest and the same type of trees but just a different grouping. Entirely different words. But you just… have a word for all trees and then you tack on other words to specify what you mean. Or you say ‘that tree’ or ‘this tree’ and the context of where you are and how you’re pointing changes the meaning.”

“Wait.” The Prince stood and went into the cabinets, retrieving two identical jars of jam and holding them up, one in each hand. “So if I wanted to refer to this jar.” He wiggled one of the jars. “I would say one word. And if I wanted to refer to this jar.” He wiggled the other jar. “It’s another word. Even though the jars are identical?”

Lincoln rolled his eyes. “But they’re not. They’re different jars. They might look the same to you and share the same properties, but they’re different.”

“So when you look at these jars, you see different things. As in they appear different to you.”

“Yes.”

“If I were to switch the jars around while you weren’t looking would you be able to tell the difference?”

Lincoln snorted. “Yes.”

“Can we try?”

“Knock yourself out.” Lincoln closed his eyes and turned around. The Prince clinked the jars together, but kept them in the same hands.

“Ok, turn around.”

Lincoln glanced at the jars. “You didn’t move them.”

“You guessed.”

“No I didn’t.” He laughed. “You believed I could teach you to spin thread into gold but you don’t believe I can tell two jars apart?”

“Fair enough.” He put the jars back and sat down. “So… lying.”

“Right.” Lincoln frowned. “So we have a word for everything. We even have a word for lying, though it’s the only fae word that sounds like another word. It sounds like ‘truth’ but it sounds like the opposite of truth.”

“How is there an opposite of a sound?”

“I can’t explain that to you. There just is.”

“Right, ok. So it sounds like the opposite of truth. Why do you have a word for a concept you don’t… actually have? Was it something you had to define because humans were doing it?”

“No. We have different words for like. What you consider to be lies and actual lies. Like me saying I’m taller than trees. We have a term for that and a term for, ah… hm. If I were to point to a tree and say ‘I am taller than that tree’ but I’m not.”

“But you can engage in hypotheticals.”

“Yes, because remember, I’m not actually saying the words you’re hearing. It’s a lot easier to understand if you grasp the concept that fae language is the one and only truth. So inherently, everything I say is correct.”

“So when you’re saying ‘If I were to point to a tree and say ‘I am taller than that tree’’ the words you’re using are completely different than the words you’d use in the actual situation of you pointing to a tree and saying ‘I am taller than that tree’.”

“Exactly. And because we use different words for different things at different times, I literally would not be able to put together a lie. The words wouldn’t exist. If I’m talking about a specific tree, and how tall I am in relation to it, the only thing I could say would be ‘I am not taller than that tree’ or something like that. It’s not like I can just drop the word ‘not’ because we don’t have just one word for ‘not’. So I couldn’t say it, which means it couldn’t be translated into something you’d understand which means I, essentially, cannot lie.”

“Couldn’t you learn the human words for things and lie that way?”

“It would be nearly impossible.” Lincoln shook his head. “First off, there’s only so much of your language we can actually like. Hear the difference between. The subtleties of most words are difficult to parse out. To go back to the cat thing, you might understand the difference between a hiss and a meow but not understand the difference between the meow that means ‘I want attention’ and ‘something is wrong’. Humans are a bit more intelligent than cats-”

“A bit?” The Prince raised his eyebrows.

“I’m being generous, don’t push it.” Lincoln snickered. “So there’s more room for communication, but our language is still vastly more developed than yours. It’s like… communicating with a very young child. But there are some noises we literally just cannot make. Physically incapable.”

“Are there any words in fae I could say?”

Lincoln laughed. “I have no idea. I don’t think any human has ever tried. I don’t even know what noises you can make. Like physically are able to make. You might be able to mimic them but it would be akin to a dog barking in a way that sounds like a word. Not actual speech.”

The Prince nodded. “So the fae that can lie…”

“Have to invent new words.” Lincoln frowned. “But more than that. They have to invent new truth. It’s an incredibly advanced form of magic, with potentially catastrophic repercussions.”

“Why do they do it, then?”

“Well it’s not like they lie in the same way humans do.” He sniffed. “Telling people you enjoyed food to spare their feelings or making up an excuse to avoid work. The fae that can lie are rare. We actually know every single one that is or has been capable of it. So far, anyways. In a few centuries another might learn how.”

“How did you find out?”

“This… isn’t something I’m willing to discuss.” He muttered.

“Right. I’m s-” The Prince cut himself off.

“That was the original topic, wasn’t it? Learning why ‘I’m sorry’ is bad?” Lincoln grinned, but the Prince could see the shadow of something hovering behind his eyes.

“Let me get the book.” He retrieved it from it’s carefully chosen spot and opened it to the ‘Rules’ page before handing it to Lincoln. His eyes scanned both pages for a second, and he handed it back. “You read it all? That quickly?” The Prince asked in shock.

“Yes.” Lincoln snorted. “It’s still entertaining to see humans get so surprised over normal stuff. Like a dog getting confused when you pretend to throw a stick.”

“You really need to cut the animal metaphors out.” The Prince muttered and sat back down. “So what do you think?”

“She’s not wrong, but she paints in pretty broad strokes. This is obviously an abridged version of her knowledge. I imagine she wrote this down on her way to see you, and wanted to make sure it would be small enough to hide easily. I’ve seen the other things she’s written about us. Enough to fill books much larger than that.”

The Prince nodded. “That makes sense… care to fill in the gaps?”

“The name thing is true.” He shrugged, grinning. “You could never pronounce a fae’s true name, but there are words in human languages that are… close enough to the language of the fae that you could actually do some harm. Or good, possibly, but no fae is going to give you the opportunity. Some humans have found out through one means or another but it’s incredibly rare. And usually it’s the less powerful fae and the more powerful humans.” He hummed. “Oh and your names are… more complex. You see, humans are the one thing who’s true name we can’t understand just by looking at them. So when I look at a cup, I see it’s true name, or when someone uses that cup’s name, I know exactly what cup they mean, but when I look at a human I just see… you. The only way we can know your true names is if you tell us your human names. Then it translates, and we know the real one.”

“Why is that?”

“Humans have magic in them.” Lincoln shrugged. “Not as much as the fae, but more than anything else. When your parents name you, it’s a sort of magic. It protects your true name from being used against you.”

“But if we use it…”

“If you just spoke your name aloud near a fae, with no context, we wouldn’t understand you. But if you give it to us, the magic is broken.”

“Full name... meaning?”

“First, middle, and last. That’s actually why humans started giving their children middle names. Someone got wise about the fae’s power and slipped in a hidden name you never used when speaking to people so that you’d be protected. But then people forgot what it’s for.”

“So if I gave you my first and last name?”

“You’d technically be safe, though it would grant me some potential power over you. Same with if you just gave me your first name, or last one.”

The Prince frowned. “What if people change their name? Or go by a nickname?”

“Those are two different things. If someone changes their name, their new name is the key to their true name. It doesn’t change your true name, mind you, just the… form of the magic that guards it. A nickname would be… hm. Depending on the type, it could either grant no power, or very little. A man named ‘Robert’ going by ‘Bob’ would grant the fae very little power over him if he told them his name was Bob. But if some people called him, ah… ‘Colossus’ because of how tall he was, that name would grant no power over him.”

“Alright.” The Prince nodded. “And the others?”

“Avoiding faerie rings is good advice. You’re not guaranteed to be harmed or taken if you step into one but. It’s a gamble. Not eating our food is also true. First because if you eat our food, human food will stop tasting good to you. Or really, stop tasting like food. And if we offer you human food and you take it, you’re now in our debt, and we can and will use that. It might not be bad for you, or actually harmful, but we will use it.”

“Why is that?” He asked. “How is that?”

“We believe in equilibrium.” Lincoln paused and shook his head. “Believe isn’t the right word. We require equilibrium. The universe does, really. Our magic is based off of reality. Reality only exists if things are balanced. So when certain actions would potentially cause unbalance, the universe corrects them. When you take something from us, the universe is potentially unbalanced by that debt. We’re allowed to… direct the balancing as we please.”

“Why can’t humans?”

“Interactions between different humans are different than interactions between humans and fae. There’s less of a magic charge. The way the universe balances that is by allowing humans to entrap fae in the same ways we entrap humans. So if we take something from you directly, we’ll usually be sure to define the exact terms of repayment. That way the universe is never out of balance and you can’t use it against us.”

“Like trading flowers for gold spinning lessons.”

“Exactly.”

“But it doesn’t count if I leave out a gift for you?”

“Mm. Sort of.” Lincoln hummed. “Gift is the wrong word. We don’t really have a concept of ‘gifts’ because it’s just… not how the world works. Nothing is ever given or taken for free with no after effects.”

“But if I leave a loaf of bread on my table for you...”

“Then you’ve relinquished ownership of it and it holds no more ties to you than an apple that’s fallen from a tree.”

“Even if it’s still on my table?”

“If you placed it there with the intent to have someone take it, yes. We won’t just… take food you leave out for no reason. The intent has to be there because the intent changes the object’s nature.”

“And the same applies for gifts you give or tasks you do?”

“Yes. Because we’re not giving gifts, we’re leaving things were you’ll find them. Or doing tasks that you’ll enjoy. Same as if we pointed out a shiny rock that you then picked up, or sang a song you heard and liked. It puts no one into debt.”

“What if I ask you to sing?”

“Then you’ve created a debt for yourself. You’ve put out an energy into the world that we can use against you.”

“And that energy won’t be filled by you singing?”

“No, because the act of filling the request is what creates the energy of debt. If we refuse the request, no debt is created.”

“How big does the request have to be? I’ve already asked a few things of you. Technically.”

“Yes you have.” Lincoln smiled, more flashing his teeth than anything. “But they’ve been relatively minor. And you’ve answered my questions as well, so you’re pretty much safe. The amount of energy created that we can use is directly proportional to the size of the request. And the size of the request is relative to what a fae or human is likely or able to do. You asking me to elaborate on a topic that we’re already discussing, in an ongoing conversation that is a specific give and take of ideas, creates very little debt. If you approached me out of nowhere and asked me to teach you about fae conduct, it would be more of a significant debt.”

“But there’s still a danger.”

“Yes. Fae are extremely powerful. There’s a danger going near one. There are many ways a fae can harm you without you even knowing they exist, much less interacting with them.”

“Then why don’t you?”

“Well first off, not all of us are malevolent. Secondly, our actions still have consequences. If a fae does nothing but negative things, that’s going to affect other things in a completely different way. Same with if a fae does nothing but positive things. The universe deals with this by creating seelie and unseelie fae who’s actions, good, bad, and other, tend to balance each other out. Plus ‘good’ and ‘bad’ aren’t really… accurate. It’s more ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ but not in the way you think. See, if a person does something good, that unbalances the universe in their favor. A fae can then use that energy to reward them. Same with if a person does something bad and a fae uses that energy to punish them. But sometimes a fae wants to do something that doesn’t strictly fit the crime. Say a person does something mildly annoying but it really pisses the fae off and they, ah… curse them to grow fur on their eyeballs or something. That’s not proportional, so the energy dips into the negative, and has to be balanced. Same with if a fae just. Really likes a human and rewards them for basically nothing. That will make the energy dip negative too, because they’re using energy that wasn’t created. It’s a ‘good’ thing that makes a ‘negative’ energy because it wasn’t proportional.

Thankfully, humans and fae alike create ‘positive’ energy with their actions. Humans usually do it without knowing that’s what they’re doing, even if, on some level, you understand. Like if you hold the door for someone just out of kindness, that’s a bit of positive energy. If they don’t say thanks that’s a bit more. But if you hold the door and expect a thank you, or worse, hold a door for someone who doesn’t say thank you, and then you tell them to say thank you? Whoof. That’s negative energy dip right there. And if you righteously punish someone for doing a terrible thing, that’s a positive energy creation. But someone doing a terrible thing creates a vacuum. Them getting away with it creates a bigger one. The more people that enable the person to get away with the thing makes a bigger negative dip. And if the universe has too much energy, it has to use it. And if it doesn’t have enough, it has to get more. That’s why sometimes things happen for ‘no reason’. They do, it might just not be related to you. Or only tangentially so. Like you step on someone’s foot and don’t apologize and then three years later your favorite dress tears. The universe was filling the vacuum, you just don’t have enough perception to see it. And because everything in the universe is constantly doing things that have negative and positive outcomes, things are also constantly happening that have negative and positive outcomes. The fae can just… see it and understand it and sometimes direct it. But we’re still a part of the system, and we’re still bound by it’s rules.”

“So ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’… act as balancing tools?”

“Yes. Depending on the situation. So if you step on someone’s foot and say ‘I’m sorry’ that fills in the vacuum that was created by you stepping on their foot. Somewhat. It depends on the person and the foot and the step. And if someone gives you a gift and you thank them, that takes away a bit of the positive energy they created with the act. Which is why fae hate it. Because if a human is powerful enough, uttering those words can literally strip a fae of their power. The words we have for directly thanking someone or apologizing are actually sort of spells in our language. It would be like… someone trying to attack you, and you using a shield to stop their attacks. Or just… taking their weapon entirely.”

“So if I upset you and I want to apologize….”

“You could say ‘sorry’ and I would understand it to be an expression of regret and not an attempt to take away the power I have righteously earned over you because you upset me. Which, by the way, isn’t a lot. Even if you purposefully angered or upset me, the damage I can do with the amount of energy from that one incident isn’t a lot. Fae usually use other energy created by other things you’ve done to punish you. Though if they enjoy the punishment, it actually creates more energy because they’re gaining pleasure which is, inherently, a source of energy. And that’s really the only difference between seelie and unseelie. Seelie gain more pleasure from rewarding people, unseelie gain more pleasure from punishing them. But they both can do the inverse, of course. It’s just rarer and probably weaker than their usual magic.”

“So what phrases don’t effect the energy that I can use instead?”

“Anything that’s just a statement. ‘I appreciate this’ or ‘I regret this’ because it’s not attempting to make amends or fill in the vacuum it’s just stating a fact of how you feel.”

“That’s a difficult line to walk.”

“For humans, yes. For fae it’s pretty simple. That doesn’t mean there aren’t mistakes, but it’s more like… calling your mother by your friend’s name. It’s uncommon.”

“And the other rules in the book?”

“Yes, we can tell if you’re lying. And we’re pretty well versed in all the phrasings of things that avoid a lie while creating a non-truth, so it’s pretty hard to pull one over on us. We already covered why we can’t lie. All in all I’d say nothing she says is outright wrong even if there are gaps in it.”

“If you don’t mind me asking… are you seelie or unseelie?”

Lincoln smiled. “Humans are so… strange. Not being able to tell… strange. I’m neither.”

The Prince nodded. “So you punish and reward people?”

“No. Being neither doesn’t mean you’re a mix of the two it means you’re neither. I don’t punish or reward. I make my deals up front and use the energy from that.”

“Right.” The Prince nodded. “And what court are you?”

“What court do you think I am?” He countered.

The Prince thought it over. “Spring?”

“Summer.” He laughed. “But only tangentially.”

It was at this point that the Prince realized how late it had gotten.

“This whole conversation started because you didn’t know how long a month was.” He rubbed his face tiredly. “And you were trying to estimate how long it would take for me to learn to spin thread into gold.”

#long post #fae #the fair folk #fiction #writing #ask #winterskulleton #anon #answered #lore #og

1K notes · View notes