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Hey Everyone!

It’s been a while since I posted on this blog! Just wanted to give y’all an update on what’s been going on!

First off, I’ve got a new name! The original Castles and Curses fic is now under the name Writesaber on AO3, and I’ve added my fics from other accounts too- a very bizarre and fluffy Cat AU that imagines Kara as a cat lady and everyone else as her cats, and a brand-new project (I’ll get to that in a second). I’ve also got a shiny new Tumblr account to go along with my new name, and I’m planning to be a lot more active on Tumblr using that account. I haven’t started posting with that account yet, but if you see the name Writesaber around Tumblr, it’s me, and I’d love for you to say hi!

Okay, now for the brand-new project- I’ve embarked on another medieval adventure! I’m working on a Renaissance-era fic called A Contest of Crowns, and I’m having a lot of fun with that so far (although it’s a lot more realistic and historically based than Castles and Curses was, so I’m having to do my homework!) The first two chapters are already up, and there will be another on Saturday, so check that out here if it sounds like your cup of tea!

Alright, that’s about it for the update! Just wanted to let all of you know about the changes I’ve made and thank you once again for all the love you’ve given my fics and me since I joined this fandom! Stay safe! <3

#supergirl #supergirl fanfic #blog update

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What is your favorite fairy tale (and/or fairy tale adaptation) and what were your favorite characters to write/adapt for this AU?

Oooh, this is a perfect question to wrap things up with. As far as my favorite fairy tale goes, I’d have to say it would be Cinderella. My first leading role as an actress was as Cinderella in a little community theater show, so I got to know that fairy tale pretty well and it has a lot of good memories associated with it for me. As for my favorite characters to adapt for this AU, I don’t really have one particular favorite. I love how well the role of the Huntsman worked for Brainy, so that was a fun one, and I really enjoyed Winn’s and Kara’s as well, since those three are probably my favorite Supergirl characters. But I also had a lot of fun doing some of the more obscure fairy tales like I did for the Stargirl crew. And I loved how random and disconnected all of the Legends’ fairy tales were and making them all fit together into a team somehow. So yeah, those would probably be the ones I had the most fun with! Thanks for the question, friend! <3

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do you think that Fabala ever would find Brainy, after the story ended? And if she did, what would their confrontation be like?

Ooh, another good one! I love dramatic snippets.

In the back of his mind, Brainy had always known, one day, that he would see her again. A woman like his mother was not likely to give up until she had what she wanted, and with the story of the quest spreading like wildfire even beyond Kryptonia’s borders, it was only a matter of time before Fabala heard of his part in it. But strangely, the thought didn’t terrify him as it once might have, didn’t fill him with the awful dread that her presence had always carried with it. He no longer felt her shadow looming over him as strongly; he had made something of himself that had nothing to do with her or her name. He told himself that he wouldn’t seek her out, wouldn’t try to end things himself, but if she came, when she came, he would be ready for her.

So when the day finally arrived, he found himself prepared to face it. He wasn’t expecting it, and it startled him at first to look across the room and see her in the crowd of visiting dignitaries. Kara noticed, throwing a questioning look his way, but he shook his head ever so slightly. He drew in a deep breath to calm himself, but to his surprise he was already calm.

He didn’t approach her. There was no need. If he knew she was here, then the reverse would also be true. He simply took his usual seat along the back of the room, where he could watch the goings-on without being noticed by most of the people in the room. Fabala wanted to settle things, she would have to come to him.

And so she did. He felt, rather than saw, her shadow fall over him. Her voice was cold and icy, but she kept it low; there was no one who would hear this conversation but the two of them.

“So,” she said. “At last we find each other.”

He didn’t answer, didn’t look at her, not the slightest hint of emotion on his face.

“I must admit I’m proud of you,” she continued. “You’ve got this kingdom well in hand, by the look of it.”

“You’re wrong about that,” he answered, his own voice soft and even, a direct contrast to hers. “I’m an advisor, Mother, and only an advisor. I hold no power, neither do I want it. This kingdom is my home, not my conquest.”

“What are you talking about?”

Now, now he did turn to face her. “I’ll put it simply. I’m not doing what you would do, manipulating this place for my own ends. I’m living a different kind of life, the kind I choose. I’m not like you.”

Fabala scoffed. “Have you lost your senses? What’s happened to you?”

“You can hear the story of what’s happened to me all over the kingdom,” he answered, getting to his feet. “But you won’t hear it from me. Suffice it to say that I was never what you thought I was. And I’m not yours anymore.”

Her voice rose sharply, not sharp enough to draw attention but sharp enough that, at another time, when he had been someone else, it would have stopped him in his tracks. “Don’t you dare turn your back on me!”

But he did just that, crossing the room swiftly and sitting down beside the princess. Something, some sort of feeling, must have shown itself in his eyes, because Kara glanced at him quizzically. “Are you alright?” she whispered.

“I am now,” he answered. “More so than I’ve been in a long time.”

#brainy #brainiac 5 #querl dox #supergirl #fairy tale au #fanfic #ficlet

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What would M'gann meeting J'onn's father be like?

Aww, this is a sweet one! And I was glad to get it too, I was worried I wouldn’t get to do a few more snippets before closing things off for awhile, so I’m glad to know people still had those last few questions!

It took only a few days for J’onn and M’gann to settle into their new life together. The cottage they chose, only a short, leisurely ride from the palace, was a beautiful place, but it had gathered a little everyday wear and tear over the years. They set to work together to repair it, giving the house a fresh coat of paint, restoring the weatherbeaten fence, and breathing new life into the roses that climbed the walls. It wasn’t hard work, and it gave them a chance to grow used to life with each other. Now that their love had blossomed, they had to learn how to care for it. Luckily, it was a task they were both more than willing to take on.

And all the time the story of the quest, and of course J’onn and M’gann’s part in it, was flying at a breakneck pace around the kingdom, spread from person to person until there was hardly a soul who hadn’t heard the story. But still, there were a few whom the tale hadn’t reached, and J’onn couldn’t be sure if the one person he knew would love the story most had had the chance to hear it. So as soon as the work on the cottage was finished, as soon as Kryptonia had settled back down to the peaceful, vibrant country it had been meant to be, he wrote a letter telling the adventure in all its thrilling detail and sent it with the fastest messenger he could find, waiting eagerly for his father’s reply. M’gann joined in his anticipation; he had told her plenty about M’yrnn, and she was looking forward to meeting him.

But week after week ticked slowly by, and still the answering letter from M’yrnn didn’t come. Though J’onn tried to dismiss it, telling himself that his father was a busy man and he would want to take the time to craft a special reply to such an adventure as the one J’onn had told him, he couldn’t help but worry just a little.

He shouldn’t have. By the end of the month, M’yrnn’s reply arrived.

In the form of M’yrnn himself, seated peacefully on the bench in front of the door as if he’d always been there when J’onn and M’gann returned from an errand to the palace.

He didn’t even give either one of them a chance to be surprised by his presence. “There he is!” he cried out as he caught sight of them. “My son, the adventurer!”

J’onn laughed as he was engulfed in his father’s warm embrace. “I was an adventurer before now, Father. I was Captain of the Guard.”

“Which means you did nothing but stand around looking intimidating. But now, now look what you’ve done. It’s a wonderful story, son.” M’yrnn stepped forward a bit, taking M’gann’s hand in his own. “But here is the most wonderful part of it all. My dear, I think perhaps J’onn wasn’t meant to be a writer. He tried his best, but he hasn’t come close to describing how lovely you are. I can see in your eyes, the pair of you, how happy you’ve made each other.”

“It’s true love,” M’gann said, smiling even as she blushed. “There’s nothing quite like it.”

“Truer words were never spoken. But don’t worry, my dear, I’m making sure your story’s told properly. I’m writing it all down myself, actually. Making a book of it. And when I’m finished, it will have the place of honor in my little shop. I’m going to spread it until there’s no one in any kingdom who hasn’t heard about my son and the princess he rescued.”

J’onn smiled, slipping an arm around M’gann’s shoulders. “I’m not so sure she wasn’t the one who rescued me,” he said.

I really wish M’gann had gotten the chance to meet M’yrnn in canon. I think they would have gotten along pretty well, so that was fun to play with here! Thanks for the ask, anon, and I hope you enjoy!

#myrnn jonzz #j’onn j’onzz #mgann morzz #supergirl #fairy tale au #fanfic #ficlet

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not a prompt, I just wanted to say thank you for creating this whole universe, and characterizing your versions of these characters so well! I'm definitely looking forward to whatever you're going to write next, I'm sure it'll be just as wonderful.

Awww, thank you so much, friend! Coming from someone who writes as well as you do, it means a lot to me that you enjoy this AU! I’ll definitely be back with another one soon! <3

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Do Alex and her squad of soldiers ever encounter the Musketeers?

Supergirl/Flash crossovers seem to be the snippet of choice today!

By the time the DEO had been up and running for a few months, Alex had had some very strange encounters. Kara may have defeated dark magic as far as the people were concerned, but magical forces were still out there, and it was Alex’s job to be wary of them.

Which meant she had to be especially cautious of anything out of the ordinary. And when the report came in of three unusually dressed and very well-armed strangers wandering the countryside with seemingly no idea where they were going, Alex took it upon herself to investigate matters.

Once they reached the spot where the initial report had come in, it didn’t take long to spot the smoke of a campfire. Alex pulled her horse to a stop a fair distance from the campsite, not wanting to be spotted by whoever they were trailing. “Remember,” she said in a low voice. “We have no idea what we’re dealing with, and it could very well be magic. I don’t want anybody to go charging in there before we’ve got an idea what’s facing us, alright? Let’s move quietly.”

She took the lead position, edging through the thick forest as silently as possible. Thankfully, the soldiers J’onn had given her for this elite unit were the best of the best, and nothing broke the silence as they made their slow way towards the elusive strangers.

And that professionalism lasted until they were within a few feet of their quarry. Alex squinted. “Wait a minute,” she said. “I think those are-“

She didn’t get a chance to finish before one of her men drew his sword, leaping from the underbrush with what was supposed to be a fierce battle cry. “Nobody moves!” he roared.

Alex slapped a hand to her forehead. “Oh, for heaven’s sake.”

“Demos,” the other soldier, Vasquez, called out, “put that sword down before you hurt yourself. They’re musketeers, you idiot.”

Alex quickly made her own entrance from the forest, shrugging apologetically at the three startled musketeers. “I’m so sorry. My unit’s a little...inexperienced.”

“Well, we’re certainly awake now,” a black-haired man replied. “Don’t worry about it. We made plenty of mistakes like that when we were just starting out, Barry and I.” He held out a hand to indicate his companion.

“Although,” Alex said, “I am a little confused what the pair of you is doing in Kryptonia. I wasn’t aware of any royal journeys from your kingdom.”

“We’re in Kryptonia?” the two men chorused together.

At Alex’s nod, Barry ran a hand through his hair. “Oh, dear. I guess we’re a bit more lost than we thought. But wait a minute, if this is Kryptonia...and you’re a new unit...then you must be the DEO!”

Alex’s jaw dropped. “How do you know about us?”

“The princess told me about you.”

Suddenly Alex understood, and her apprehension eased. “Ah, so you’re that musketeer friend of hers! She told me about you.” At the man’s blank look, she quickly amended her sentence. “I was Kara’s lady-in-waiting before I took this job. She shares everything with me, and now it all makes sense how you know about the DEO. You worried me there for a minute. We’re sort of supposed to be undercover.”

“Well, the secret’s safe with us. You never know when the strangers you come across in the forest might actually be magical threats. And if they are, you’ll probably want to give them as big a surprise as you just gave us.”

Alex laughed. “That’d be a good idea. Although I’ll make sure they’re actually magical threats next time.”

Originally I’d planned to have Caitlin in this snippet as well, but then I remembered that I’ve already written a snippet or two with Caitlin and Alex, so I just put Cisco and Barry in this one. Thanks for the ask, friend, and I hope you enjoy it! <3

#alex danvers #barry allen #cisco ramon #supergirl #the flash #fairy tale au #fanfic #ficlet

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would Kara and Iris ever meet?

Oooh, this is another good one!

Since her return from the quest, Kara had been more involved with running Kryptonia than she ever had been before. And one of the duties that often fell to her, since her cousin couldn’t easily leave his family, was traveling to other kingdoms. Royal visits, negotiations, treaties- Kara navigated it all. One of the kingdoms she liked best was the quaint little kingdom set in the middle of it all, famed, among other things, for its valiant musketeers. Kara had met one of them a while back, and quickly struck up a friendship. Since then, though, her duties hadn’t given her much chance to go back, and gradually, in the busyness of their separate lives, Barry and Kara had stopped exchanging letters quite so frequently.

Which was why it was such a surprise when another one showed up at the palace. This one, however, was different from Barry’s usual letters. It almost looked...official.

She soon found out that it was- an official invitation to Barry’s wedding. She had known for a while that he was engaged to the Queen’s seamstress, but she hadn’t gotten a chance to meet Iris yet. There was no debate over the matter; with Alex in tow, Kara packed her bags and headed off to the kingdom of the musketeers.

They found the palace in chaos. A happy chaos, but chaos all the same. The entire place was bedecked with flowers, and servants and ladies-in-waiting ran every which way, rushing to complete a thousand and one tasks before tomorrow’s celebration.

“Goodness,” Alex said. “All this just for one of their musketeers?”

“Oh, Barry’s not just a musketeer,” Kara answered. “He’s a national hero, though you’ll never hear it from him. He and a couple friends of his saved the Queen’s life a while back, and the people have loved him ever since. It doesn’t surprise me that the palace would go a bit above and beyond for him.”

“Well, I can’t wait to see how it all comes together,” Alex said. “Because right now it’s like a hurricane in here. Oh look, this must be the lady of the hour.”

Kara looked up as a lovely woman in a white dress made her way over to them, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she swept a graceful curtsy. From her beaming smile, it was obvious that Alex was right.

“So you’re Iris,” Kara said.

“I am. And Barry is...well, he seems to have vanished at the moment.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Alex said. “I’m sure someone will tell him we’ve shown up. Kara tells me you’re a seamstress. Is that the reason for...this?” She gestured to Iris’ dress, half of which was finished and the other half of which was pinned in place and trailing down behind her.

“Last minute adjustments by some friends of mine. Just to make sure everything’s the way it should be.”

“You look beautiful,” Kara said. “I can’t wait to see the finished product. I have to say, Barry’s talked about you so much I feel like I already know you.”

“What he neglected to mention,” Alex cut in, “were the juicy details. How’d you two meet? How did he propose? Tell us the whole romantic story.”

Iris giggled. “Well, we met by accident, as I’m sure you can guess, me being a seamstress and him being a musketeer and all. Actually, we ran into each other almost as soon as he got to the palace, but it took a while before it started, you know, turning into something.”

“When you say you ran into each other...”

“We literally ran into each other.”

“Oh, no. Why does that sound like the exact thing Barry would do?”

Iris laughed again. “I’ve got plenty of stories that are more embarrassing than that. Maybe you’d care to hear a few while I’m getting this dress finished?”

“Oh, that’s too good an offer to refuse,” Alex said. “Lead the way.”

I actually wish we’d gotten a lot more of everyone’s interactions with Iris in canon, since I think she’s a pretty fun character, so this was a really cool snippet to write! Thanks for the ask, anon, and I hope you enjoy it!

#iris west #kara danvers #kara zor el #the flash #supergirl #fairy tale au #fanfic #ficlet

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What’s Next For This Blog?

As some of you may know, Castles and Curses, the fic that started it all, has finally reached its happy ending. And as much as I’d like to keep playing around in this universe, there are other AUs to explore (not to mention the fact that I’m heading back to school soon). So I’m going to be closing asks for a while, just so I have the chance to start something new.

But I’m not quite finished yet. I know there’s probably some people who want some more details on what happened after the main fic’s end, so I’ll be leaving asks open until August 1st, at which point I’ll clear out anything I still have in my inbox and then get ready for whatever plot bunny I decide to chase down next. So that gives y’all a little over a week to ask any remaining stuff you might want to know about! And don’t worry, I’ll definitely be back when I get the chance, probably over school breaks and things like that.

I’ve had such an amazing time getting deeper into this AU, and I’m so grateful to everybody who sent in their asks! It was a blast writing these snippets, and I’m definitely not done creating stories. Thanks so much to everyone who’s enjoyed Castles and Curses, and I hope to see you on whatever adventure is up next!

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Who would Ben Lockwood/Agent Liberty be?

I actually kind of already covered this one! This snippet introduces this AU’s version of the Children of Liberty, plus Ben Lockwood himself. It doesn’t go too deep into his whole backstory though, so if that’s something you’re interested in seeing, feel free to send another request! Thanks for the ask, anon!

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How would you do the musical episode~ maybe as a play ATLA style?

OH. MY. GOODNESS. As an absolute Broadway nerd (and someone who loved the Avatar play episode, because let’s be honest, who didn’t) this is quite possibly one of the best asks I’ve ever gotten. I’m so excited to fill this one!

"I never really thought that a kingdom famed for its musketeers would be, you know, the theater type," Kara commented, slipping into her seat beside Barry. The ornate theater was full of courtiers and nobility in fancy dresses and exquisitely tailored suits, and even though the play hadn't started yet, the sheer opulence of the place made her feel the need to keep her voice down.

"Oh, it is," Barry answered. "Although I'll admit that I can't make heads or tails of most of the productions. But I have a few favorites."

"And whatever we're going to see today, is it one of them?"

Barry flushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well...not exactly. I wanted to see this one because...well, you might have noticed I've become sort of famous since the whole saving-the-queen incident?"

"Yes?" Kara felt the familiar crinkle of confusion on her face.

"And since you got back from your quest...you've been sort of famous yourself, being Sleeping Beauty and all."

"Barry, are you telling me there's a play about us?" The musketeer's sheepish silence was the only answer Kara needed, and she sunk down in her seat, throwing a hand over her face. "Oh, no. Oh, this is going to be terrible. I can't go see a play about myself! It's such an arrogant thing to do!"

"Relax. It's just for fun. And nobody knows who we are. You'll be fine. I'm just curious to see how they're going to tell both of our stories. Shh, it's starting."

"Barry, if this is mortifying, I am never going to forgive you." Kara straightened up, folding her arms across her chest as the first of the actors- the one apparently portraying Sleeping Beauty- made her way onto the stage.

It quickly became clear that whoever had written the play had actually had no desire to tell the story of Kara's quest or Barry's royal rescue mission. Instead, the playwright had simply borrowed the names of the two heroes, leaving Kara and Barry completely and utterly stunned as the show went on.

"Why am I singing?" Kara hissed at one point. "I've never seen a play where everyone just bursts into song at random moments!"

"Well, I mean, it's a bold storytelling choice. Maybe it'll catch on."

"It may be a bold storytelling choice, but I don't even know what the story is!"

"Apparently we're tavern singers, trapped in a magical realm, which we were magicked into by that man with the red pocket-handkerchief. You know what, you’re right, this is bizarre. Wait, who are these new people?"

"Oh, for goodness' sake, I think that one's supposed to be Winn. What in the world is that accent?"

"And why is Cisco there? They don't know each other, do they?"

"Not that I know of. Oh, look, now everyone's singing. Again. And Winn's playing the harpsichord. I'm so confused."

The confusion only mounted as the show went on. The two actors playing Kara and Barry were quickly kidnapped by the King of the Fairies and the father of Iris, Barry's bride-to-be. As for Iris herself? It was quickly revealed that this version of her was supposed to be in love with none other than Mon-El.

"Thank goodness I didn't bring her to this," Barry groaned. "Watching this is the most uncomfortable experience I've ever had."

"You're telling me," Kara agreed. "Wait, so now the two of us are supposed to be convincing them to tell their fathers they're in love. That's not going to be easy."

It was easy. Remarkably so. What wasn't so easy was what followed. After a surprisingly enjoyable musical number, which featured a very impressive dance by the actor playing Barry, the fairy king and Iris' father decided to wage war on the dark fairy who owned the tavern at which this version of Barry and Kara worked. From that point, the play devolved into a twenty-minute bedlam of thick smoke, flashing swords and overdramatic duels, all leading up to a very surprising ending.

It took a moment before the real Barry and Kara realized what had just taken place on the stage. They both turned to each other at the same time, the same utter confusion mirrored on both their faces, and spoke in unison. "Did we just die?"

This may be one of my favorite snippets ever. I loved the musical episode, and it was a blast trying to rework it to fit the medieval-ish vibe of this AU. And of course, Kara and Barry’s befuddled commentary was a ton of fun. Thanks for the ask, anon, and I hope you like it!

#barry allen #kara danvers #the flash #supergirl #fairy tale au #fanfic #ficlet

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I was wondering if you had any fairy tales for Hawkgirl/Hawkman?

I definitely have an idea for these two!

Feelings could be strange things sometimes. For Kendra, one of those strange feelings would come along every so often, tugging ever so slightly at the back of her mind until she finally managed to forget it. And none of those feelings ever made any sense. When they came along she often felt as if she were staring at a broken vase, trying to piece it back together...without ever knowing what the original had looked like.

There was a word for one of the most persistent feelings. Deja vu, it was called, the feeling that something had happened before. That was probably the one that came over Kendra most often, and she never knew why. The littlest thing could trigger it, the slightest sound or the most ordinary, unremarkable sight. Anything could trigger that teasing, insistent feeling of I've been here before. This has happened before. She could never manage to call up memories of the elusive "before," could never put a date or a time to it, but still the feeling refused to leave her.

She tried her best to brush it off. After all, she was a phoenix, wasn't she? A phoenix's whole life was an endless cycle, a pattern happening over and over and over again, a rise and fall and rise again as regular as the tide. And she had been a part of that cycle for a very long time. Surely it was nothing to worry about, just something that had slipped from her mind over the years.

But whatever was going on, it wasn't so easy to shake off, especially when deja vu turned itself into another feeling altogether. It had taken a long time for her to see it, to realize that something wasn't quite the way it seemed, but now she was almost convinced.

Carter knows something I don't know.

Once again, it was the littlest things that made her suspicious of the truth. A mention of some event she didn't remember, a name or two that she'd never heard before. Sometimes he would start talking about something and then trail off quickly, as if he'd remembered that he couldn't tell her whatever it was he had been about to say. They were insignificant little incidents that no one else would have paid much attention to, but when you were as desperate for answers as Kendra was, those incidents weren't so insignificant any more.

And eventually, she forced herself to admit the truth. There was something happening beneath the surface of her life, something going on that she was unaware of, something she didn't remember except in those brief flashes. And whatever that something was, Carter knew about it. For one reason or another, he was trying to keep her in the dark, trying not to let on how much he knew.

One way or another, she promised herself, she would find out what was going on here.

But there was another feeling too, another piece to the mystery she had to puzzle out. This feeling was fainter than the others, but more disturbing when it came. It was the feeling that the two of them were being watched. No, not watched. Hunted. It felt as if there was someone out there that they needed to watch for, a danger that might be anywhere they turned. But she didn't know what that danger was. And she didn't know if even the flaming wings of a phoenix would be able to take them out of its reach.

Sometimes she wondered if Carter knew what the danger was. And sometimes she wondered if he knew what would happen if that danger ever caught up to them.

I pretty much immediately saw these two as phoenixes. There’s the obvious bird parallel, and then the whole cycle-of-death-and-rebirth thing, so that was a really easy casting to figure out. And it’s always nice to play with Arrowverse characters that we didn’t get to see all that much of, so I had a good time writing this one! Thanks for the ask, anon, and I hope you enjoy!

#kendra saunders #carter hall #hawkgirl #hawkman #legends of tomorrow #fairy tale au #fanfic #ficlet

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you mentioned Brainy and M'gann getting along in the fic itself, so I was wondering if you could expand on their bonding?

I certainly can!

If there was one thing M'gann had always been good at, it was reading people. She had always been good at reading between the lines, seeing the things people weren't saying. And what she could tell right now was that the newest member of their little band was getting very uncomfortable.

Honestly, she didn't blame him. From what she had seen from Brainy, he was the type who liked to keep to himself, observing the conversation instead of adding much to it. Unfortunately, there were some people in their group who didn't understand that kind of thing. And one of them was Winn, who had been chattering away for the last hour. He didn't mean any harm by it, of course; Winn was the quiet type himself, except when he was curious about something- or someone, as the case may be. When that happened, he could come on a little strong. From what M'gann had seen, that was exactly what was happening now.

Finally, laughing softly to herself as she saw how utterly lost Brainy looked trying to answer all of Winn's questions, she intervened. Urging her horse forward so she could catch up to the two of them, she gently interjected. "Winn? I think Kara needed you for something ahead." It wasn't true, of course, but she knew Alex, if not Kara, would catch onto the hint.

Brainy let out a sigh of relief, glancing at her gratefully. "Thank you."

"It's nothing. You'll have to forgive him. It's not my place to tell the whole story, but he didn't get out too much. The world's too exciting for him sometimes and he forgets when to settle down."

"So I gathered. He seems...amicable, though."

"Oh, he is. They all are. You couldn't have joined a better group of misfits than this one." M'gann smiled as she said it, letting him know she meant the word in a good way. "But between our very exuberant Sleeping Beauty and Winn's endless questions, it can be difficult for those of us who like to be a little more reserved."

"I'm assuming you're one of those people, given how quickly you realized what was going on."

"That I am. I wasn't always- I was actually a court lady, a long time ago- but after that I was on my own for quite a while, before J'onn and the others came along. I suppose I just got used to it."

There was a long silence. Brainy's face was serious, as if he was considering what she had said. Finally he spoke again. "I know how that feels. I've been on my own for as long as I can remember. Even back home, with my parents...I was still the only one I could depend on. You wouldn't call ours the happiest of homes."

"You're in good company. There's more than one person here who can start their story the same way." She reached out, putting a gentle hand on his arm. "I won't press you for details, but if you ever find yourself needing a moment or two to yourself, you're free to ride by me for a while. I'm one of the few people here who understands the concept of 'companionable silence.'"

It took a moment, but Brainy smiled just a little. "Thank you, my lady. I'd like that."

"Please, just call me M'gann. I'm no lady, not anymore."

Brainy's brow furrowed. "You and J'onn..."

"Not yet."

There was another silence, and then Brainy glanced at her again. To her surprise, his eyes were twinkling. "Well, you could have fooled me. I have a feeling we'll all be calling you "my lady" again soon enough."

A flush rose to M'gann's cheeks, but she laughed anyway, pleasantly surprised by the huntsman. Whoever he was, wherever he had come from, she could sense a friendship forming between them- an unlikely friendship, to be sure, but a good one all the same.

I don’t know why I see these two getting along as well as I do. They just have very similar personalities to me, so I enjoyed expanding on that a bit. Thanks for the ask, anon, and I hope you like it!

#mgann morzz #brainiac 5 #brainy #querl dox #supergirl #fairy tale au #fanfic #ficlet

[arrowversefairytales]

does Eve ever meet Lex in this AU?

I don’t think she would in the actual fic, just because she wouldn’t have a chance to before Lex started his whole part of the story, but I’m more than happy to do another AU-of-an-AU snippet about it!

Eve was definitely not the kind of person who spent much time around royalty. At least, so she would have said before Princess Lena came into her life. But the princess wasn't like most royalty. Lena was gentle and kind and sweet, all the things that Eve wouldn't have guessed a princess would be. Lena, in fact, wasn't all that different from her. Real royalty? That was another matter. Eve would never in a hundred years have expected to cross paths with real royalty.

So she didn't realize when it happened, not at first. It was a day like any other, and there was no indication that anything out of the ordinary was taking place. She was only making her usual supply run, just like she did every month for the things they couldn't make themselves. It was always her who made the half-day trek down to the sleepy little village at the foot of the mountain they lived on- Lena had to lie low for obvious reasons, and Daxam was not especially welcoming towards those who possessed the amount of power Nia did. Over the years they'd lived in the cottage, she'd gotten to know the villagers fairly well, and most of them were familiar faces who called out a greeting to her as she passed. There was nothing to make her suspect that something life-changing was about to happen.

Even when she saw the stranger, standing in the middle of the street frowning at a map as if he couldn't make sense of it, she wouldn't have guessed that he was anything more than a simple traveler. Travelers passed through the village all the time, especially on a market day like today. Of course, most of them didn't look as lost as this one did. Technically, Eve was supposed to keep to herself when she was in the village, in order to keep anyone from asking questions, but surely it couldn't hurt to be friendly.

A bit timidly, she approached the stranger, clearing her throat. "Excuse me?"

She seemed to startle the man a little. He lowered the map quickly, his eyes flashing, and she took a little step backward. But the next moment his face relaxed, and he offered a charming smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Neither did I," Eve said, pushing a strand of hair out of her face and feeling suddenly bashful. "I just wondered...I come here often, and you looked a little lost. I thought I might be able to point you in the right direction."

His smile widened. "That'd be much appreciated. You say you come here often? So you don't live in the village?"

Eve laughed. "No. I live farther up in the mountains, but I know the village well enough to get you where you're going."

"The mountains? That's interesting. I've heard stories about the Daxam mountains. People say you can find anything there if you look hard enough. Magical flowers, mythical creatures, a lost princess or two. It must be a lovely place to call home." He shrugged, as if it didn't matter much, and offered Eve his arm as they set off along the street.

If she'd been a little less naive, that question would have raised alarm bells in her head. She would have realized the danger it posed- to herself, to Lena, to the whole of the kingdom and the kingdoms beyond. But she didn't. Why should she? There was nothing to make her suspect that this man was royalty. And that he might be Lena's brother, the man they'd been hiding from all this time? The thought never even crossed her mind.

I actually really like writing Eve. Yes, she’s a villain, but she’s also a really sweet character. I don’t know, she’s just fun. Thanks for the ask, anon, and I hope you enjoy!

#eve teschmacher #lex luthor #supergirl #fairy tale au #fanfic #ficlet

[arrowversefairytales]

how would Alex meet Kate?

I actually already answered this one, ish. This snippet kinda had that meeting in it. There definitely wasn’t a ton of interaction between Alex and Kate in that snippet though, so you’re free to ask for more of those two if you’d like! Thanks for the ask, friend!

[arrowversefairytales]

Does Nia ever meet Courtney and her crew? I wonder if she might know Beth or Rick since they're fairies...

Another fun one! Nia seems popular today.

Nia had grown up in the fairy realm. It was her father's homeland, after all, and her mother had always been happy to live among her husband's people instead of her own. And since fairies, being immortal, didn't age too quickly, most of the people who could be found in the fairy realm today were the same ones she had grown up with.

But she never expected to find some of those people outside of the fairy realm. And she certainly hadn't expected to find fairies in a cottage shared by a wizard and a pair of firebirds. And yet, that was exactly what she found. She had come only to get a handful of fairly common magical ingredients from the wizard, but what she had walked in on was...well, not what she had thought she'd find.

She'd walked in on a bunch of very unusual teenagers, all of them bustling around with various magical objects and talking excitedly about "the mission." As soon as she stepped in the door, it was as if she'd somehow paused time; everything came to a screeching halt.

Only for a moment, before a dark-haired fairy dressed in blue looked up and smiled at her. "Oh, Dreamer! It's you!"

"It's me," Nia answered. "And you're...no, wait a minute, don't tell me. Beth, the Blue Fairy. It's nice to see you...you know, out and about. With other people."

She wasn't exactly sure what to say to the girl she'd met only a handful of times, but Beth seemed to take it all in stride. She appeared to be blossoming out of the shy, nervous girl she had once been, something Nia was certainly glad to see.

The other fairy only looked up, giving Nia a casual once-over and a careless wave. "I didn't think you'd still be making a living, Dreamer," he commented. "What with all the sentiment going around that magic ought to be obliterated."

"Oh. Well, um...I've been, uh, fine so far." Nia blinked, taken aback by the dark fairy's flippant mention of such a serious problem. But then again, though she knew this fairy even less than she knew Beth, she remembered him having the same kind of...interesting attitude.

Another girl, a firebird with flowing golden curls, threw her head back with a merry laugh. "Oh, come on, Rick. It's not like that everywhere. And if we keep doing what we're doing, it won't be like that here either. We've just got to keep at it."

"Ah, so that's what you're doing," Nia said. "Stopping this anti-magic wave. I assume that's "the mission" I walked in on?"

"That'd be the one," the other girl, some kind of cat-human hybrid, said. "We really need to get better about keeping that quiet."

"Well, you don't need to worry about me. I've got magic in my blood myself. I'm actually just here looking for a wizard."

"That'd be my stepfather," the firebird said. "He'll be back soon, if you want to wait. We're just going to figure out the plan of action for tonight."

"Your stepfather does know you're doing this, right?"

"Oh, of course. He goes with us most nights, just in case we get in over our heads."

"Which we do," Rick put in. "Often. Very, very often."

"It's not that bad," the half-cat said.

"Well, why don't you let me decide that?" Nia asked. "I've got time. Tell me all about it. And when you're done, if you're wondering about anything that might come next..."

She winked. "Well, I'll see what I can see."

This is actually one of my favorite kinds of snippets to do- people who have literally never met in canon somehow ending up knowing each other because of something in their fairy tales. It’s just so much fun to play with that. Thanks for the ask, friend, and I hope you enjoy it!

#nia nal #beth chapel #courtney whitmore #yolanda montez #rick tyler #supergirl #stargirl #fairy tale au #fanfic #ficlet

[arrowversefairytales]

how would you handle the dynamic between Nia and her sister?

Ooh...this was always something I wished I could have touched on in the original fic, so this is gonna be an interesting one!

Any pair of siblings experienced a bit of sibling rivalry. It was natural, even expected. For two sisters to get along all the time would have been almost impossible. And for Nia and Maeve, that sibling rivalry was a little more serious than it was for most sisters.

It didn't show itself, not for a while. In fact, the two of them were close growing up. Maeve was protective of Nia, and Nia looked up to Maeve. They did everything together, almost as much best friends as they were sisters. It didn't change the fact that they were almost complete opposites, but in this case, the contrast between the two of them actually worked well.

And so it went until they were both nearly ready to make their own futures in the world. With both fairy and dwarven blood in the two sisters' veins, they had hoped that maybe there would be that spark of magic too, that little something special that meant a Dreamer had been born. There was no telling whether the magic was there, and no way to know who would be the one to end up with the mystical power of the Dreamer, but somehow it had just been accepted that, if it was going to be anyone, it was going to be Maeve. Maeve was the oldest, the more practical and level-headed one when compared to the impulsive and sometimes reckless Nia. Maeve was the one who could bring advice and comfort to those who came to seek a Dreamer's help, and Nia was the one who would chart her own course through life, any way she wanted it. Those were the roles they had been prepared for, and the only roles either one had ever wanted to take.

So when those roles were suddenly reversed, no one quite knew how to cope. They had always known it was a possibility that the magic might show itself in Nia, but somehow no one had ever made that seem real. And when it suddenly was real, when suddenly Nia could close her eyes and see the future playing out right in front of her...no one knew how to react.

It hit the two sisters the hardest. Suddenly all the responsibility of being the Dreamer was thrust onto Nia's shoulders, and Maeve, who had prepared for the role as long as anyone could remember, found all her preparation gone to waste. All the studying in the world couldn't put magic in your blood if it wasn't there. It was Maeve, now, who found herself without a clear-cut path to follow, with no other option than to create a destiny different than the one she had always assumed would be hers.

Shock led to anger. Anger led to resentment, and resentment led first to harsh words and then a gradual drifting apart of the two sisters. At first guilt was the only thing Nia could feel. It felt as if she had stolen something that belonged to her sister, but eventually, new feelings began to break through. There was nothing that said the Dreamer had to be Maeve. It could have been either of them, and the magic had done nothing wrong by choosing her. She had just as much right to be the Dreamer as her sister did, and the decision had been out of her control. If Maeve could accept the way things had turned out, then Nia would be waiting with open arms. But until then, she didn't need to live up to her family's expectations of the way things should have been between the two sisters. She could still blaze her own trail. She could go out and find a different kind of family.

And in the end, that was exactly what she did.

This one, like I said above, was a really interesting one to do. I have three sisters of my own, so playing into sibling dynamics is always a cool thing for me. Thankfully, the four of us don’t have a relationship anywhere near as messed-up as Nia and Maeve’s, but it’s still fun to pry into other siblings sometimes and kinda see how things would work, since that situation wasn’t really resolved too well in canon. Thanks for the ask, anon, and I hope you enjoy!

#nia nal #maeve nal #supergirl #fairy tale au #fanfic #ficlet

[arrowversefairytales]

what would you do with Red Daughter?

Ye Olde Doppelgänger Effect once again! This one is more of an AU-of-an-AU snippet, since those who have read the original fic know that Red Daughter isn’t present when Lex makes his move.

Magic was not an easy thing to get right. Even the ability to wield a tiny bit of the ordinary, light magic that came so naturally to the fairies was a difficult thing for a mortal. When it was dark magic you wanted, and when you wanted enough of it to make yourself as powerful as Lex dreamed of being...well, that was a commitment that took years to perfect. And you never knew if you had done enough. Not until you saw something, found something, did something, that proved you held the power that you’d hoped for.

For Lex, Red Daughter was that something. He couldn't have said why he called her that, but he never thought of her by any other name. It was an often-used spell that brought her into being; he didn't know how it worked, but it was a commonplace thing among those who used dark magic. The goal of it was to create a...what was the word? A henchman wasn't quite the right descriptor. A soldier, that was better. A perfect soldier, someone he could manipulate and shape into just the kind of person he wanted. Someone who would do just as he wanted. A weapon, really. That was what she was. A weapon he could wield as part of his lifelong conquest to bring Kryptonia and her king to their knees.

Which was what made the results of the spell so very ironic when he finally saw her. With that specific spell, you never knew where your creation was going to appear. But if you'd done your work right, there would be something- instinct, intuition, whatever you wanted to call it- that led them back to you. And when Lex finally crossed paths with the girl he called Red Daughter, he had to take a second look before he convinced himself it was truly her.

Because she, the weapon he had created to use against Kryptonia, had the face of the Kryptonian princess. Stranger things had happened, of course- creating the spell forced you to dig deep into your subconscious in order to craft the type of personality you wanted. Somewhere in that subconscious, he must have come up with Princess Kara's face. It made sense, actually. He wanted his Red Daughter strong, and Princess Kara was as strong as they came. And he could certainly make the best of his creation sharing the royal's face. It would definitely unnerve the Kryptonian king, having to go up against someone who looked just like the princess. And if Kara ever showed her face again, which he doubted given the hazardous nature of her little quest, it would certainly be a difficult thing for her to fight herself.

It took a while for him to gain Red Daughter's trust. She was disoriented, which might be expected from someone who had literally been willed into existence by someone else. She was both volatile and dangerous, skilled, as he had intended, with a number of different weapons. And she had no idea what the world was like. Everything mystified her, and she struggled to make sense of it all.

This, perhaps, was the greatest advantage Lex had over her. If the world was new to her, he was free to shape her world in any way he wanted. He could slowly build her up to believe the things he did, to be willing to fight for the causes he taught her to fight for. She was just as he had designed her to be, just as he had wanted. She was a weapon, and once he was finished, there was no nation in the world that would be able to withstand her.

This was a really fun one to do! I love the concept of the various doppelgängers being a kind of magical Frankenstein’s monster type thing, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to play with that concept in some of the snippets lately! Thanks for the ask, friend, and I hope you like it!

#red daughter #lex luthor #supergirl #fairy tale au #fanfic #ficlet