#... getting too fairy tale-ish here

[shiny-jr]

I’ve just had a vision, what if a yan (e.g riddle or vil because they are most princess-ish) was a trapped in a castle away like in one of those stereotypical fairy tales and the reader decides to save them because they are a ‘damsel in distress’ and reader is like a hero… only to realise there is a reason why they were locked away (because they were batshit crazy)

Warning: Yandere. Gender-neutral reader.

Characters: Vil Schoenheit.

Summary: You are a thief with freshly stolen goods. Chased and hunted down, you avoid capture by finding a castle hidden in gloom and fog. Locals told legends of this place, saying a royal had been trapped within. Of course, you don't quite believe such tall tales. That is, until you discover the royal and learned that they were purposefully sealed inside...

Note: I think I'll call this one, not your valiant savior. It's just a placeholder name for now. Just a quick post, so sorry if it's bad.

It was too easy. What did they expect when they left out a priceless object owned by the royal family and estimated to be worth a fortune? Of course a famed thief on the loose such as yourself, would just be itching to snatch the relic. And snatch you did, living up to your reputation of thief. Each member having unique abilities to assist in stealing. Your mother had speed to outrun anyone in a chase, your grandfather had the talent of picking any locks, your great-grandmother could sweet-talk anyone then rob them blind. And so on and so forth.

And of course, you had your own talent. As quiet as a mouse and with fingers that stuck to valuables like glue, stealing became like second nature. Literally. However, it wasn't exactly a talent valued by the wider community, and if you stole enough you could end up on terribly drawn wanted posters. Which is why staying in one place wasn't wise.

From place to place, you went taking and claiming anything of worth. When you got very low on cash, you set your sights high: on the vault that stored the royal's priceless treasures. There was bound to be endless riches stored within, if only you could get your grubby hands on them. Well, after careful planning, you had. It wasn't a giant gem or sack full of gold.

Time was short, so you had grabbed the closest thing you could before guards could find you. A golden box encrusted with jewels. Who knew what was inside? Maybe some family heirloom, a magical artifact, or something else of high value. And with the box, you bolted, and the chase had begun out of the city and through the woods.

As fast as you could, you ran through the mystic woods, a forrest travelers and locals alike were all wary of. It was the safest place you could go when chased by frightening palace guards on horseback that would do anything to take back what you stole and drag you back to the gallows. Even the woods heavy with fog and dark from the clouds overhead, had deterred your pursuers enough for you to slip out of their reach and deeper into the forrest where there was no way they would be able to track you. Here, you would have to wait until tomorrow and depart early. Then, you'd be home free and rich beyond your wildest dreams.

After what felt like hours of walking, you stumbled upon a bridge over a gloomy lake. In the middle, sat an old castle of gray stone and dark windows. A castle once said to hold a royal captive, but of course, you didn't believe such stories that were so old they were told to your own grandparents. This castle would be your sanctuary for the night. And maybe, just maybe, you'd clutch the jeweled box and dream of simpler times when you were told fairytales of locked away royals waiting for a savior.

The castle was exactly like those set in spooky tales, haunted by vengeful spirits and claimed by ghosts. It appeared abandoned, that much was obvious by the crumbling stone bridge and the battered old wooden doors that once protected the inhabitants.

Cautiously stepping over the splintered debris of the front door, you didn’t bother boarding it up since no one would be stupid enough to follow you inside.

There was wreckage and ruin everywhere. If you had to guess, whatever happened here, whether the people were driven away by conflict or time, it was followed by the destruction of time. Time with weather were likely all factors that led to the disarray of what was probably once a grand estate. Strangely enough, there was furniture and decor. Everything coated in dust and grime, but still here. Had people been too afraid to enter the grounds? There were so many valuables that could've been looted!

"I'll definitely have to come back here later." You scoff, turning over a few clothes or broken furniture with your foot to uncover possible hidden goodies. Maybe something as small but valuable as a ring was lost somewhere on the ground.

Proceeding to carry the golden box under your arm, you decide to search for the cleaniest, not-so-moldy room where you could spend the night. On the third floor halls, you see ripped curtains and frames where portraits loosely hung. Every rug was brown with dirt and dust.

There were items left behind, which showcased the life one led here. A piano too big to steal, the skeleton of a chandelier and broken gems hanging from its limbs, empty glass perfume bottles now filled with dust. The place must've been wondrous once, but now it was like a tomb. A setting frozen in time.

When you found moonlight filtering through the open balcony of what looked to be the master bedroom, you paused to see the space wrecked more than the others. As if more than just weather and time had affected this place. The owner of this castle likely slept in this very room, on that very bed where the sheets were ruffled and unkempt.

"I wonder who used to live here..." You murmur to no one in particular, as you approach the balcony looking over the bridge and woods. This would be a good vantage point.

A heavy fog settled over the woods, extending over the bridge like water. Good, an extra layer for cover. You stepped back into the room, analyzing every carved piece of wooden furniture, makeup and brushes stored on tabletops, a separate room as long as a hallway and filled with all types of articles of clothing.

If all this was still here, then was it possible some jewelry was left behind? You scoured the room, looking for hidden compartments while murmuring to yourself to fill the ominous silence. As you pulled back a curtain against a wall, you furrowed your eyebrows when you saw an uneven lump underneath the wallpaper.

Could this be handle leading to a vault of treasures? With that in mind, you ripped off the old wallpaper. A glimmer of gold made your heart soar with hope, but when you caught sight of your reflection, you stopped and stared. A mirror. It was a large mirror, oval shaped, with golden borders so intricately decorated. However, when a hand suddenly appeared on the other side of the mirror, like a ghostly apparition, you screamed and stumbled back.

A hand– there was a hand in the mirror! You stared with widened eyes full of shock, as the hand pressed its palm against the surface of the glass. You couldn't see anything else, no one behind the hand. After a second, the slim pale hand delicately pointed a long dainty finger at the box you were holding in a vice grip.

"What...? This? You want this? But..."

You had worked hard to procure this golden box from the royals. Pursing your lips, you contemplated your options, with so many questions running rampant in your mind. What was that thing? A magic mirror? A magic mirror would be priceless, much more valuable than any gold. However, if it was magic, it would be tricky. Possibly even sentient. So you'd have to gain its favor.

"Alright, alright, the box. You know, I went through hell trying to get this."

You informed the mirror, unsure if it even understood you. You carefully set down the heavy box in front of the mirror, and watch as the hand made a motion with its fingers.

Click!

It had unlocked the box, without even a key or tool. A grin broke out on your face. Had it done it for you? Apparently not, because the box opened on its own and a heavy thick tome floated out from it and into the air. The hand beckoned the tome closer, and closer it came, until it was literally phasing through the glass.

"Hey! Wait––"

The glass shattered, the sound booming and ringing out in the silence like an explosion. You only had a second to react, instinctually using your arms to shield your face from the glass flying out in every direction. When it stopped, you looked around. The mattress was shredded, the curtains torn to shreds, wooden furniture cut as if done by an axe, but miraculously you were somehow unharmed.

A breath, not of your own, caught your attention. Your eyes darted over to the now broken mirror, awestruck at the vision of a figure stepping over broken glass. They were beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, more than any words could convey. Their hair like gold and eyes an alluring shade of purple like two amethyst stones, soft pink lips, and a tall slim pale figure clothed in odd robes. For a moment, whoever this person was, appeared disoriented for a brief moment, but they clutched the tome like a lifeline. The tome that came from the box you had stolen.

"Thank you––"

He breathed, his voice quiet as he attempted to stand tall and upright. When his legs nearly gave out beneath him, you were there to catch his hand and prevent him from falling as he looked at you with appreciation. You were just stunned, bewildered, in pure disbelief.

"You... You freed me. You returned my stolen tome...!"

He exclaimed in disbelief, as he restored his posture. Somehow, he was able to stand in heels, but heels were currently one of the least important details.

What did he mean freed?

There was no time to ask any questions. The loud sound of the shattering must've alerted any of your pursuers that had followed you thus far, because from the balcony you could make out the torchlights weaving their way directly towards the bridge.

The mysterious man from the mirror took notice of your expression of dismay as he glanced at the distant torchlights. Smoothing out his robes, he looked back at you and took in your expression. "Enemies of yours?"

"Yes..." You nod slowly.

"Now that just won't do. I can't have anyone harming, or even killing my savior. I've yet to even learn your name." Tapping some well-manicured fingers against the spine of the tome, he appeared to contemplate something. When he stopped tapping his fingers, he smiled so sweetly. "I am Vil Schoenheit, prince and prodigy. Here's my proposition to you, my savior: I will destroy your enemies for a small price. You must tell me your name, and I will grant you my protection."

Of course you gave him your name, and almost immediately you saw the fog below turn an odd color. The torchlights flickered out, you no longer heard their encouraged shouts to move forward but instead their screams echoing in the dark woods. All after Vil murmured a few words in a foreign tongue read from his tome, as he continued to gaze at your intently. What exactly was he to cause so much death in a single instant with hardly any effort...? And you were stuck in this abandoned castle with him.

The prince had no plans to abandon you, he's made that much clear when you attempted to casually part ways after thanking him for getting rid of your pursuers. Stay. I can make it worth your while. Once I reach my former glory, you'll be able to bask in it with me. Is what he said as you swore you heard the front of the castle be sealed shut.

The entire time he looked around the castle with disdain, cross as he complained about the state of his home. While helping him clean up some rooms, he told you more about himself. Vil was a prince who once lived in this castle, set to inherent the throne shortly after the death of his father. However, he was widely feared due to being a prodigy in dark magics and genius at brewing concoctions. For attempting to steal the life of a younger kinder foreign prince who specialized in good magic, he was trapped in a mirror with his tome being the only key to grant him freedom.

Vil actually appeared to be much too fond of you, which you attributed to his isolation. If you were imprisoned all alone in a mirror for centuries, you likely would've gone insane. It was a miracle Vil's mind was intact, but maybe he wasn't there entirely. Because what sane person killed people with the snap of their fingers while smiling so kindly at the one who set him free?

Pridefully he listed off his feats and accomplishments. Living prodigy. Most beautiful man in the land. Prince of the land. It felt too much like flaunting, as he wanted you to realize how truly great he was. He replaced your clothes with his own, and while combing your hair he reminded you that what's rightfully his will be returned to him one day, and you would be there beside him that day.

The crown was what he wanted, a crown he believed was stolen from him and passed down to the descendants of the very good prince he attempted to kill. He spoke of a future in the castle restored to its former glory, where citizens would be loyal to him once again, and those that wronged him will receive a fate worse than death. Positions were open for applying once he became king, he told you one day. He was still searching for a vassal, a knight, a jester, or a partner to wear a crown as well.

Was it the isolation that had driven him to become so attached to the one who set him free? It was possible, but you couldn't even be sure. For all you knew, he could've been like this before he became trapped in the mirror. What mattered now was that he did not make any effort to hide his attraction towards you. Vil was offering a thief all the riches he would attain after his plan for vengeance, and his heart in a golden box.

"Keep the knives I gifted you, although I doubt you'll have to resort to lifting a finger. Just allow me to handle it when the time comes. I want to extract vengeance slowly and painfully, make them hurt just as they did to me... And at the end of the day, you will be there, you little thief who stole my affections, to comfort me and drive away those memories of cold lonely centuries in darkness. You'll be there for me, won't you, my valiant savior?"

[mysticmiav]

It was Chilumi Fairy Tale week on twitter, and here are my pieces for it✨️🐳

But the walls of that tower could not hide everything☀️

Day 1- Rapunzel au🍳

Red is the colour of destiny🥀

Day 2- Red Riding Hood & Woodcutter au

"It's... made of glass?"

Day 3- Cinderella au🥿

Don't stare at the perspective too much it doesn't make any sense

He recounts stories of his travels to her⚓️

Day 4- Pirate Siren au✍️

Sooo happy with how this one turned out <3

Salty depths hold secrets⚓️🌊

Day 5- Another Pirate Siren au, because I really wanted to draw their roles reversed; this time it's Pirate Lumine Siren Childe~

"What's wrong?"🗡

Day 6- Ella Enchanted au! One of my favourite movies growing up~

For anyone that doesn't know the movie: the story is about a girl named Ella who, when she was born, her fairy (godmother-ish) casted a bleesing of obedience on her. Due to it, Ella obeys any order given to her no matter what, and, well, you can imagine how that goes when the wrong people learn of this information.

The evening star is shinin' bright so make a wish✨️

Day 7- Princess and the frog au🌱

So my initial goal was to just sketch something for every day (since am busy w work and other projects) but it felt like I kept getting carried away each day, my sketches kept getting more detailed and all. So, for the last day, I wanted to lowkey-shitpost it and go for froggies chilumi!✍️

Alright long post but that's all. This was my first time actually making a piece for every day of those types of events & am happy with all of them🖤

[kanerallels]

I am in search of an artist to commission for my book cover! It's a middle grade-ish fantasy fairy tale retelling, and I've posted on here about it on and off. A semi comprehensive post about it can be found here, feel free to send an ask with any other questions! I shall put a summary under the cut just to make life easier, though

There are a few qualifiers for who I'd like to choose to design the cover:

I do not under any circumstances want a cover that's literally just a person standing there like every other YA novel out there. What I'm looking for is something artistic and unique (I'll post some of my favorite book covers under the cut as well!) and very colorful!

Whoever designs the cover should be willing to read the book first, and be open to the fact that there will probably be some Christian elements and themes

This is less a qualifier and more just a warning: I'm gonna be kinda picky about this, because it's something I really, really want to get right. So if I don't go with you as an artist, it's not because of you or your skill, but just because it's not a right fit, and if I have comments or critiques, we're gonna have to do our best to work together to find something we both like

I think that covers (pun intended hehehe) everything! Thanks for y'all's time, let me know if you have any questions about this!

Book summary:

Rebecca Wood has never known who her real family was. So when a boy named Liam finds her and tells her that he knows where her real family is, it seems like it could be too good to be true

Oddly enough, that's far from the strangest part. It turns out, Rebecca is from the land of fairy tales, though it's not exactly the same as the stories—Snow White and Cinderella are notorious assassins, and the land is ruled by the Evil Empress Goldilocks, who seems to have a special interest of her own in Rebecca.

None of this makes Rebecca's journey any less fascinating as she travels through a perilous and beautiful land full of magic and mystery, looking for the one thing she's always wanted

Book covers I like:

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

10. What's an AU that would be interesting to explore with your OC?

Needless I went off the rails with this one! LMAO

This became an excuse to draw Celarthur/Merthur content in different scenarios & and outfits. And I had too much fun with the designs of each one.

Sun King & Moon Queen AU:

Basically, I was watching Lego Monkey Kid and this happened! I really wanted to do something that really got the essence of the show. If you watch the show you can really tell I kinda (or a lot) based it around the Lady Bone Demon & Sun Wukong. And of course some classic Chinese folklore...

It is a total rom-com scenario, with the Moon Queen betrothed to the Sun King... they but heads at first then slowly but surely fall in love.

Sleeping Beauty/ Fairy Tale AU:

This one was really made for young Sir Arthur & Celestine... I couldn't help it guys it was such a classic movie. Malfience icon (she's definitely be Morgan in this Au).

Especially when I was looking for dancing references I kept looking at the sleeping beauty reference dance sequence the most. (for a project to be revealed later still a secret) So I had to give a shoutout to that of course, love how it turned out!

Super Paper Mario Au:

I think this one is my favorite one I always got emotional for Count Bleck & Tippi's backstory. Their love story is quite similar to theirs....they just fit the characters so well.

In all honesty, if Sir Arthur didn't have Meta to ground him... then he definitely would have become like "Count Bleck." Oh but just like Tippi Celestine would still love and forgive Arthur anyways.

~

And here is an Au relevant to the plot of KBASW... I did wanna draw out more scenarios relevant to the plot of KBASW but then they kept leaking out to spoiler-ish territory.

Next Scenario Happy Ending Route. (Basically, Celestine & Arthur are running the GSA and this is a daily occurrence~)

They still have to wait for...(Kirby is lost for a while and is found by Meta and of course baby imprints on him and he's still Meta's) They become this obnoxiously flirty-loving couple... MK's seen this since he was a kid so he's desensitized. They do get work done I promise ~ (LMAO)

@kirbyoctournament

Keep reading for spoiler content/ Special thanks

~

This is where Celestine finds a cure for her " broken warp star" situation. They basically gave Gala the same isolation treatment (because he was supposed to be the galaxy's savior~). But Celty (secretly visits him as often as she can to ensure he isn't lonely.

After this time Celestine finds Meta in the Fountain of Dreams (before anyone could find him). The Ancients were so preoccupied with Gala that they weren't even montioring the fountain.

Basically, no one knew that Meta Knight was born but Celestine & Arthur. He's raised in secret at the temple. (They make a cute little family together ~) And Celestine would set up secret little play dates for the both of them.

A few years passed and then BOOM!

They manage to catch Icarus in his crimes for "forcibly creating another astral from Void." (Kirby was always going to be made but he came out too early due to Icarus' involvement.)

Morpho still takes his life but they manage to trace it back to Uther... The people are now questioning the Acients in their decisions and soon fall out of power due to the controversy. To save face they crystalize Sir Uther... (HA) but that doesn't help them at all~

It was during this time that Celestine properly revealed herself as Merlyn... WHAT!? Another blunder blew up in their faces...and the people immediately began to rally behind her. The popularity of her good deeds as Merlyn is what gets her into the seat of power.

Leaving Celestine in charge of the GSA (finally left in the right hands!) And of course, she takes Arthur with her as her right-hand man and well I think the GSA would become more of a light-hearted place after that.

(Morgan leaves, she doesn't fit into this hippie-dippy-happy place but she's not evil per se... she kinda just travels around as she pleases and she does find her happiness being a wanderer.)

Nightmare is still a problem but Nightmare Enterprise is never created, so it's not as widespread. So it's managed and the galaxy is thriving under Celestine's control. And of course, Arthur & Celestine confess their feeling for each other yada yada yada....

And of course, Kirby defeats Nightmare and that's it~

Despite this happy ending Meta Knight never meets Jecra & Garlude as a result of this. Along with Kirby never going to Dreamland or meeting everyone; Fumu, the cappies, no nothing. And the need for Star Allies no longer exists.

~

More content on these two to come and guys let me know which Au scenario you like more (reblog, leave a comment... maybe I'll expand on it more fun content to come)

I also wanted to thank everyone for getting me through round two I hope you all continue the support for next week's voting poll ROUND THREE!

Thank you for riding this wave with me!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

@lulu-chaos-incarnation I just also wanted to thank you for being such a loyal fan. I really appreciate you I know I went a little crazy on the AUs but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! :D

[tyrantisterror]

What are your top favorite fairy tales? Either classic literarily stories, adaptations of literary fairy tales, wholly modern fairy tales, or even just stories that you think are structured like fairy tales. (Roald Dahl books, Studio Ghibli movies, even Shrek and Puss in Boots movies, etc.)

That is an unfathomably vast genre of fiction to try and condense into a ranked numbered list. I think... I think that may be impossible to actually answer as requested. But I can ramble about some of my favorites I suppose.

Let's do this sorta like the Oscars and divide things into categories.

Category 1: The Heavy Hitters

Some fairy tales are significantly more famous than others, so this category is for them: the heavy hitters, the classic fairy tales that are most well known, as defined by my own nebulous perception of which fairy tales are more popular than others.

Of the heavy hitters, my favorites are Little Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk. Little Red Riding Hood is such a spooky story no matter which telling you're looking at, and has contributed a lot to both the fantasy and horror genres thanks to its simple yet evocative premise and visuals. Jack and the Beanstalk, meanwhile, is just a really solid story of a trickster fool, which is one of my favorite archetypes in all of fiction. Love a good trickster fool.

Category 2: The Obscurities

As I said, this ask is covering a HUGE amount of fiction in its topic, especially since the border between a fairy tale and, like, ANY folklore isn't really well-defined (not in a way anyone can agree too, anyway). But there are a lot of obscure folktales I love that are at least sometimes lumped in as fairy tales, and I'm gonna list them here:

The Lambton Worm - a classic tale of dragon-slaying and getting fucked over by prophecies

The Lindworm Prince - queen can't concieve and consults a witch, ignores witch's directions, gives birth to human baby and dragon baby. Dragon baby grows up and demands a wife before human baby can get his, and a clever girl decides this is her chance to get rewarded for monster fucking.

Maud and the Dragon of Mordiford - the story of a girl who adopts a dragon only for it to end tragically, which inspired one of the novels I'm gonna write one of these days

Tam Lin - the story of a woman who wanted that elf dick and wasn't afraid to do some weird shit to get it

Biancabella and Samaritana - a story about a girl and her sister who is a snake because her mother had trouble concieving

King Odd - a story about an odd king who's actually an exiled fairy queen in disguise, and the man who wins her heart after surviving her attempt to execute him. It's like a Nordic medieval Tenchi Muyo.

You've probably noticed some themes about my favorites right now - lots of stories with dragons, people being transformed into monsters, and heroes who are into that monster shit.

Category 3: Archetypal Pieces

Ok, so for this I'm going to focus less on individual folktales and more on recurring plotlines, character types, and story beats, which you begin to notice the more you read up on Fairy Tales in part because many of the more obscure ones take beats from ones you're probably more familiar with and mix them together in new ways. So, my favorite plot beats in fairy tales:

Any sort of monster, obviously

The villain who literally removed their heart out of fear of being vulnerable

The baleful polymorph (i.e. a human who inhabits a beast/monster body against their will)

Monsterfucker protagonists

Trickster Fool protagonists

Disobedient Girls (examples: Little Red, Goldilocks), though I don't like how this archetype is treated

You want to have a baby and seek a witch and she gives you VERY SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS which you ignore because you really want this baby and oops you've got twins and one of them is some sort of monster good job asshole

The hero helps three (or more) people/creatures in need, and when shit hits the fan, they return the favor

Category 4: Modern(ish) Adaptations

Our penultimate category focuses on adaptations of fairy tales from, like, the 1900's on - anything made in a century I've lived in part of, basically. These arguably shouldn't be divided from "normal" fairy tales, but my brain regards them differently than, like, Victorian era fairy tale retellings, because hey, I lived in the age of these, more or less. They're "modern" for whatever nebulous definition of that word my brain's decided on.

And there's a lot for me to put in this category. Sleeping Beauty might be my favorite of Disney's fairy tale retellings, though Beauty and the Beast is a strong competitor for that role (and maybe Mulan, if we count its source material as a fairy tale, but I'm not sure we can). I think overall I like Sleeping Beauty's more stylized animation and character designs as well as its less conventional story-telling structure a bit more than B&B's, but Beauty and the Beast is still gorgeous and kind of perfectly scripted, so it's a tough competition.

My alltime favorite adaptation of fairy tales, though, would be Jim Henson's The Storyteller:

Using the magic of 1980's muppeteering, it adapts several fairy tales, many of which are more on the obscure side, and sometimes mashes a few different ones together to make sure each episode has a good three act structure. It's wonderful and fully captures the weirdness of fairy tales, while also having a lot of heart - The Heartless Giant is my favorite of the whole series.

Category 5: Works Inspired By Fairy Tales

I almost lumped the following stories into the above category, but while the division is, again, purely in my mind, there's something different about modern works that claim to adapt fairy tales 1:1 and ones that take fairy tale characters or concepts and throw them in entirely new tales with different directions, so that's what our final category will be.

I've gushed about Puss In Boots: The Last Wish enough that I don't think it'd surprise anyone that it would end up here - the same goes with the works of Rankin Bass, which is why I doubt anyone is surprised I'd put The Last Unicorn here too (technically based on a book, but it still fits the "has big fairy tale vibes despite not being based on one specific one" that I'm using to justify this category).

Pan's Labyrinth would also go in this category, with a protagonist who's both a trickster fool AND a disobedient girl, as well as a beautifully gothic take on fairy tale motifs. I'd put Company of Wolves here as well, being a very multifaceted riff on the Little Red Riding Hood story and a movie that sets both my analytical and creative parts of my brain on fire each time I want it.

I'd also put The Path, a short video game explicitly inspired by Company of Wolves, on this part of the favorites list. It's a game about, like, a DOZEN or so different takes on Red Riding Hood and her story, all with different flavors and subtext to analyze. It's unsettling but good.

Dimension 20 had a whole season focused on a horror-themed crossover of fairy tale characters called Neverafter that was fantastic, with one of the best riffs on Little Red Riding Hood I've ever seen, Puss in Boots and Pinocchio working together as con artists, and a vampire Snow White, so yeah 10/10 there, no notes.

And while I've only seen scattered bits of it, what I've seen of Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, a sequel series to Disney's Rapunzel adaptation, is pretty great, though maybe I just think Cass is hot.

If you put an angry woman with a sword in your work of fiction I will at least stay for a few episodes to see what you do with her.

Given how much it consumed my brain in so little time, Revolutionary Girl Utena has to rank among my favorite Fairy Tale things ever - like, this is too chaotic a list to really rank things, but if I were to try, it'd at least be in the top 10. The same is true for Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, which in addition to being a big fun crossover between a bunch of the Heavy Hitter fairy tales, is also one of the best musicals ever written - and indeed, one of the best stage shows of all time.

Shit, where do I put A Midsummer Night's Dream? It feels like it should be here, but it predates the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson, whose works my brain categorizes as "old fairy tales" rather than "modern fairy tale retellings." Well, it'd be somewhere among these categories, being one of the best tales with fairies in it ever told.

The Princess Bride would be up high like Utena no matter what - it's one of the best works of fiction about love that we've got. Same goes with Galavant, which I consider its spiritual successor, although I think one could argue Galavant isn't specifically a fairy tale pastiche and is more just a lampooning of fantasy in general.

Oh, and The Hazards of Love, a concept album by The Decemberists, should be here too. That's the last one I can think of right now, but I'm sure I'll think of a few others later that I like enough to regret not putting on here.

[knifedancer]

Sleeping Beauty

A new akuma has the power to turn fairy tales into reality. Marinette is hit and falls into a deep sleep. Ladybug has yet to show up to the battle, Paris fears for the worst. Without the miraculous cure, there may only be one other option. True Love's kiss should wake her…

But who is her true love?

Note: I imagine this is pre-Season 4-ish but it can also just be read as non-canon/alternate universe, if you so choose. Rated T for Teen for possible disturbing wording. Also on AO3.

Surprise! Related outtake can be found here!

~~~~~~~

When Grimm Talia – the latest akuma – arrived, no one was quite sure what to make of them. Their twisted color palette and oversized robes, which flared out like dragon wings as they glided through the air, disguised most of their identifying attributes. It seemed to be a playwright or author that had been working on a retelling of classic fairytales, that was angered by their lover or something – at least that’s what Alya assumed. It was odd that someone had yet to come forward with a civilian name for Grimm Talia. Perhaps Hawkmoth was the akuma’s lover and was akumatized for finding out his identity! The blogger was captivated immediately and tried to capture video for her blog, paying more attention to streaming and her play-by-play commentary for her followers than to her surroundings. She had wandered into the open from her hiding spot in the alley to get a better angle, exposing herself completely while distracted with her phone. Unfortunately, this put the blogger in the crosshairs of the akuma’s next blast.

Alya yelped as the akuma grinned down at her through the camera lens and raised a magical staff made of thorny briar branches, charging their ray as they recanted lines from Sleeping Beauty like a spell. The blogger stumbled back a step and dropped her phone with a clatter, her mouth dropping open as if to silently scream in horror or call for help. She was frozen in place; watching things happen like a slow-motion train crash that she could not look away from. Just when it appeared there was no escape, she was pushed out of the way and landed in a pile of discarded boxes nearby. The akuma cackled and floated off after the next victim in their sights. Alya pulled a box off her head only to realize that her savior had been none other than her dear friend…

“Marinette!” Alya hollered, quickly diving for her phone and the crumpled pigtailed girl on the sidewalk, dragging her back into the relative safety of the alleyway. Guilt flooded the reporter’s heart as she worried over the bluenette’s unconscious body in her arms. On the upside, her friend was still breathing. Downside, she seemed to be in a comatose-like sleep of which she could not be roused. Just then, Chat Noir landed beside them.

“Ladyblogger! You shouldn’t be here, it’s too dang-purr—is that Marinette?!” Chat exclaimed, too shocked at seeing his Everyday Ladybug unconscious to complete his pun.

Alya felt a few tears escape her eyes and slide down her face, “Chat Noir! Yes, I wasn’t paying attention and…Grimm Talia, the new akuma, was about to shoot me…she took the hit for me! Now she won’t wake up!”

The cat boy’s ears flattened to his hair with worry, reaching down to gently trace Marinette’s jaw with a clawed finger and pat her cheek. No response. The idea of his favorite civilian and good friend being hurt greatly unsettled the cat hero. He couldn’t understand why but all his instincts screamed to protect and get the girl to safety. “The bakery is just a couple blocks away, let’s get her home so she isn’t laying here in the street,” Chat lifted the girl from the reporter’s lap and cradled her against his chest with one arm, then motioned for Alya to hop on his back. “Once we take care of the akuma, the cure should wake her up. Hold on tight.” He pulled out his staff and launched the three of them easily into the sky, rushing towards the bakery to get them both to safety.

Looking around from the air, Alya saw several people suffering from various fairytale effects. It seemed the akuma’s power was not limited to putting to people to sleep… Some were transformed into various animals, large and small – frogs, bears, swans, stags… Others trapped in taxis that had become large pumpkins; a few unlucky people seemed to be stuck to a golden colored goose. Ladies clutched at their clothes, now turned into ratty, festering furs. Others muffled sobs as they knelt by golden statues that must have once been their children, staring at their hands in horror. Down a passing street a man seemed to be chasing a large wolf dressed in a floral housecoat and bonnet – what was that about? The blogger felt nauseous as she witnessed a few people screaming for help as they raised their severed arms in the air – every single one seemingly hacked off bloodlessly at the elbow. She quickly looked away, trying to find anything else on the horizon to distract her from the bile rising in her throat. For as far as her eye could see there were long streams of hair flowing down streets in a myriad of colors – like large skeins of yarn that had fallen from their basket – catching on every street sign and mailbox. As Chat launched them over the last intersection, on the corner below Alya spied an unlikely trio of a mouse, a bird, and…was that person transformed into a sausage?!

They landed beside the entry for the bakery and Alya quickly dismounted to open the door, only for them both to jump back as a cloud of blackbirds burst from the entry with an earsplitting screech. Inside looked like a disaster area after a bomb went off, every cake and pie appeared to have exploded. Feathers still floated through the air like snowflakes in winter as frosting and pie fillings dripped from the ceiling tiles. The Dupain-Cheng’s looked a little worse for wear – slowly lowering the broom and large wooden peel they had been using as weapons – but relieved that the birds were now gone. They let out a sigh until their eyes fell upon their limp daughter in the hero’s arms, fear overtaking their countenances. Alya recounted her tale as Chat brought Marinette up to her room and settled her comfortably on the chaise. He gently brushed a few stray bangs from her face, careful to keep his claws from marring her skin. His instincts were still screaming that something was very wrong. The cat hero felt immense guilt for not being able to protect the petite bluenette, she seemed so fragile... A look of determined resolve settled on his features as he rose to his feet.

“Madame, Monsieur, Ladybug and I will do all we can to fix this. Cat’s honor. Ladyblogger,” Chat met her eyes with a glare as he was unable to keep his roiling emotions from his voice, “stay away from the battle. You caused enough damage already; we don’t need to need to worry about rescuing you while we fight.” With that Chat gave a little salute before vaulting out the window and back towards the fray. The Dupain-Chengs quickly assured her that she could remain here while they went down to clean up what they could in the bakery.

Shocked by Chat’s angry gaze and overcome with guilt, Alya sat heavily in Marinette’s desk chair with her head in her hands. Chat was right. It was her fault that her friend was now unconscious… There had to be something she could do! Just then a notification popped up on her phone from the Ladyblog. The bespectacled girl scrolled through several comments, posts, images, and testimonials from various followers all over Paris… Ladybug had not been spotted yet; people seemed worried that she might have been hit by the akuma already. She raised her eyes from the phone to her friend with worry, hoping she could hear her. “Mari…they think Ladybug may have already been taken out. Without her there is no miraculous cure. I’m worried you might never wake up…a-and it’s all my fault.”

She gripped her phone helplessly as her gaze dropped to her shoes, wishing for a miraculous or some power she could use to undo what happened. Without Ladybug, what chance did Paris stand against Hawkmoth? What chance did Marinette have at waking up? Notifications kept coming in, the quiet pings sounding far louder in the deathly quiet room. Alya finally glanced at it again, intending to silence it, when the title of a post caught her eye…

REVERSING GRIMM TALIA’S SLEEP SPELL!! HAWKMOTH HATES THIS ONE TRICK!!

The blogger cringed at the headline but proceeded to read…

My husband was hit by the akuma and fell into an unconscious state while getting out of our taxi. I thought he was dead, but I was so relieved when he was still breathing. You see we had gone out to breakfast at this café by the Siene and he had the apple tart, even though apples cause him heartburn…

Alya skimmed through the post, bypassing the poster’s unnecessary explanation of what they had been doing before the akuma and their plans, seeking out the resolution. Was this person a recipe blogger? Just get to the point… Ah, there it was!

…discovered that the unconscious person awakes with true love’s kiss!

“That’s it! I just need to find Adrien!” Alya tried to call the boy but there was no answer. “Okay, I need to go out there. I’m not going to the battle zone so Chat shouldn’t get too angry… Don’t worry, I’m gonna save you, Mari!” With one last look at her unconscious friend, she bolted down and out of the bakery.

Mission: Find Adrien was a Go! The S.S. Adrienette ship was going sail!

~~~ Somewhere in Paris ~~~

She ran through the streets, carefully dodging impacted Parisians and narrowly avoiding tripping on random ropes of tangled hair. Alya eventually stumbled upon Nino and Felix taking cover near the public library where they had been working on a class project. If anyone would know where to find Adrien, it would be these two. “Nino, you’re safe,” she cried as she wrapped him up in a hug.

“Babe! I saw the stream earlier; I thought you had been hit!” Nino hugged her tight, finally releasing the worried tension from his body as he held his girlfriend close.

“I almost was but Marinette saved me. She…,” Alya choked on her words as she stepped back to meet his eyes, “Nino, she took the hit for me. She’s unconscious and won’t wake up! It’s all my fault. But there might be a way to save her…we need to find Adrien!” Both boys stiffened at her words, one with shock and the other unreadable.

“What do you need my clueless cousin for, Miss Césaire?” Felix asked, his usual haughty tone taking an air of suspicion.

“If Adrien kisses her, it’ll wake Marinette up,” cried the red head impatiently. “True love’s kiss has broken a similar state for some impacted by the akuma. Ladybug hasn’t been seen yet; this is Marinette’s best chance!”

Felix scoffed and crossed his arms, “And why do you assume that Adrien is Miss Dupain-Cheng’s true love? The chance of it being him is as likely as you or I. Even Mr. Lahiffe here could be her potential ‘true love’ for that matter.” An explosion echoed in the distance as if to punctuate his point.

“As if! They’re meant to be together! Now, do you know where he is or not?” Alya demanded angrily. This guy was nothing but trouble! How could such an ass be related to their resident Sunshine Boy?

“Calm down, babe. I haven’t seen him but he did have a photoshoot earlier. With the akuma, he’s probably on lockdown at home. You know how paranoid his father gets during attacks,” Nino tried to defuse the situation. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Felix seemed more irritated now than he had been in the library…

“Look Felix, do you think you can get your cousin out and to the bakery?” Alya swallowed her anger, this was for Marinette! She could be civil with the devil for her best friend’s wellbeing. Even if the devil was the most annoying, repugnant, arrogant, uncooperative…

“Tsk. Perhaps I might be able to disguise myself as my cousin and…,” began the taciturn blond.

“Perfect! Tell him we’ll meet him at the bakery! Come on, Nino,” the Ladyblogger impatiently dragged her boyfriend away, bolting down a neighboring street. Both teens missed the smirk that graced Felix’s face as he loosened his black tie.

~~~

Chat Noir landed with a huff and picked at a few thorns stuck to his suit. Ladybug was a no show and the akuma packed quite the wallop! Where was she?! He glanced around cautiously, checking for any civilians to evacuate before he jumped back into battle. From the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar head of hair and growled angrily. Alya had come back out to the fight! He had warned her to stay put!

He jumped over to the rooftop directly above the Ladyblogger and watched as she reunited with Nino. His ears twitched as he listened in, hearing Alya’s idea of how to wake Marinette… True Love’s kiss? Chat shuddered and frowned with dismay. This akuma reminded him too much of Dark Cupid for his liking! The cat hero was also feeling confused and flustered at the idea of kissing his dear friend. Sure, Mari was cute and sweet but, Felix had a point: why him? Marinette was his first friend, he trusted her in and out of the mask... What if Marinette hoped for more? The expectations of his father and fans were bad enough.

‘Still,’ Chat thought as he bit his lip, ‘I’d do anything for my friends…’

~~~ Twenty Minutes Later ~~~

A tousled Adrien ran towards the bakery, careful to avoid obstacles and looking around for the akuma before dashing across the street. He came to a sliding stop outside the bakery, panting with the physical strain of running through several blocks of fairytale victims, and flung open the door. Nino and the Dupain-Chengs, alerted by the door chime, looked up to see the exhausted teen and ushered him towards the back.

“Hey bro! Thank gods you made it!” Nino paused, looking over his friend’s outfit. “What’s up with the suit?”

Adrien glanced down to where a grey vest hung open to reveal his dress shirt and charcoal slacks. Using a hand to smooth out the wrinkled, untucked, button-up against his chest before chuckling. “Felix loaned me some clothes so I could get here without Gorilla following me. Not my best look but it seems to have worked!” The blond gave a disarming but concerned smile, “Fe said something happened to Marinette? Is she okay?” The blond anxiously ran a hand through his hair, messing up the styling so that he looked more like he normally did.

“Yeah, man, come on,” the Moroccan-French boy grabbed his friend’s rolled up sleeve and dragged him upstairs. Adrien stumbled up the last few steps and entered the pink room behind Nino. “Babe! I told you Felix would come through for our girl!”

“Sunshine! Thank the gods… Marinette got hit by an akuma and won’t wake up. We think true love’s kiss will wake her. What love is truer than friendship, right?” The reporter’s smile was a little too wide to be genuine but the blond did not seem to notice as he stepped towards the unconscious girl with a furrowed brow. Someone had let down her hair and it was fanned out like a halo on the cushion beneath her head. Her arms were laying on her stomach, delicate hands crossed at rest near her heart. Her pink lips, seeming to glisten with dew, were slightly parted. The sunlight from the window seemed to give her whole body a golden ethereal hue – she looked like a sleeping angel and it took his breath away.

He finally tore his eyes away briefly to look at the other two occupants of the room. “I don’t know… You know I’d do anything for Marinette but…why haven’t you two tried?”

The two bespectacled teens exchanged a look, communicating silently, before Alya replied slowly, “We did. She didn’t wake. We’re hoping a kiss from you might work since you’re such…good…friends.”

Adrien’s eyes dropped to Marinette’s still form again, unreadable emotions flitted across his face before he seemed to take a more resolute stance. “Alright. I’ll do it.” He kneeled down beside the chaise, taking one of her limp hands and holding it to his cheek. “Marinette…,” he murmured brokenly, overcome with his emotions in the moment. Alya and Nino watched with bated breath as the blond tentatively leaned down, pausing mere millimeters from their friend’s lips to gaze at her face and whisper something too low for them to hear. Then he closed the distance and placed a chaste kiss to her lips.

Her lips were as warm as they were soft, her breath tasted like chai tea and his lungs reverently drank it in. A mysterious, disembodied chime seemed to sound from above them and the model felt her fingers twitch in his grasp. They held their breath as Adrien pulled back with a look of awe. Marinette’s eyes fluttered open and met the green eyes of the blond still hovering above her with a look of quiet curiosity. Alya and Nino cried out with joy and hugged. “I knew it! I knew true love’s kiss would work!” Alya smiled slyly towards the two on the chaise, “We’ll go downstairs to let your parents know the good news and give you lovebirds some time to talk.”

“Hey!” protested Nino as he was roughly shoved through the trap door, his complaints cut off with a hasty slam of the wood against the frame. An oppressive silence descended upon the room in their absence, accentuated by a soft tick of a clock and their breathing. Marinette didn’t say a word, her bluebell eyes transfixed to the emerald-colored orbs in front of her. The model watched her nervously, he pressed a tentative kiss to the hand he still held between his own as if too scared to speak, to break the spell they were under. The bluenette raised her free hand and cupped his cheek, her thumb tracing a path under his eye as her gaze seemingly analyzed his every feature in agonizing detail. Finally, with a small smile, she slid her hand down to his neck and broke the silence by sweetly whispering his name.

“…. Felix.”

The blond boy’s eyes widened, and his body stiffened with shock, “How did you—”

He was cut off with a swift tug on his collar and her lips against his. While momentarily stunned, he quickly succumbed to the kiss and Felix was willingly dragged onto the chaise. They quickly found themselves in a tangled embrace – hands in hair, legs interwoven, chests pressed together – as they succumbed to their mutual passion with moans of delight. A familiar, crumpled up, black tie fell carelessly from his pocket to the floor. Hidden in a corner of the room, Tikki looked upon her chosen with a small smile. True love’s kiss was a powerful thing.

The akuma would have to wait…

~~~ BONUS SCENES ~~~

‘Still,’ Chat thought as he bit his lip, ‘I’d do anything for my friends…’

Before he could catch the rest of the trio’s conversation, an explosion in the distance drew his attention. From the dust sprang yet another tall beanstalk that reached into the clouds. Chat took off in search of the akuma, hoping desperately that his lady would arrive… He landed with a dull thud next to a young woman that had been changed into a beautiful golden harp, crying as she struggled to right herself. The cat boy quickly jumped to assist, setting her carefully against the nearest stairwell so that she could hold onto the railing for support. The lady harp cried out and pointed behind him with fear filled eyes, he turned to find himself face to face with the business end of the akuma’s thorny staff! Shit!

“…A curse upon your house and all within it. Until you have found someone to love you as you are, you shall remain…,” incanted Grimm Talia.

Chat Noir vaulted away as fast as he could, attempting to gain some ground, when he felt a warm blast hit his back. He fell gracelessly onto a neighboring rooftop where he convulsed painfully on the floor for a moment. This was nothing like being hit by Dark Cupid or Reflekta... Damn, it felt like he was being ripped apart and put back together! The akuma’s cackle echoed up from the streets below, which kicked his survival instincts into overdrive. Blindly Chat scrambled up and bolted into the roof access hatch, finding a restroom in the building to hide in temporarily. Breathing hard, he leaned against the sink to catch his breath – only to realize that his clawed hands were now covered in thick fur. He glanced up into the mirror, seeing that two small horns sprouted between his cat ears and his face took on the appearance of some sort of wild beast. He reached back and grabbed for his baton, intending to call Ladybug again, only to pull out a glowing red rose that proceeded to drop a single petal onto the tiled floor between his feet.

“Uh oh…”

~~~ Later ~~~

“Team Adrienette! A-DRI-EN-ETTE! Team Adrienette!” Alya sang while happily skipping down the sidewalk outside the bakery as if there wasn’t still an akuma on the loose somewhere in the city. Nino cautiously meandered after her, smiling as he shook his head at his girlfriend’s antics. If the quiet muffled noises coming from upstairs before they left were any indication, after years of trying, it seemed their resident sunshine boy and aspiring designer were finally a couple. Those two had danced around each other enough! So many misunderstandings, lies, and schemes! The bespectacled teens both hoped for the best – one already planning double dates and the other compiling a list of romantic music that might become ‘their song.’ They were both broken from their thoughts by a familiar voice calling their names.

“What the…,” muttered Alya. Across the street stood a bashful but happy looking Adrien waving at them with one hand while the other held the hand of an even more familiar bluenette teen… Marinette’s ex-boyfriend and Kitty Section’s favorite guitarist: Luka Couffaine.

“Dude! How did you get out here so quickly? And why are you with Luka?” Nino asked with confusion written all over his features as the two boys joined them.

“I was on my way to the bakery when I was hit by the akuma, got transformed into a giant beast with horns and a magical rose, can you believe it?” The blond model laughed and blushed. He rubbed the back of his head nervously. “Then I stumbled into Luka here and…well, turns out he was what I needed to reverse my akuma curse.”

“We heard about Marinette, how is she?” Luka asked, voice filled with concern as he dropped Adrien’s hand briefly to fiddle with a snake shaped bracelet. Must be a worrying habit the musician had.

“Well…she’s awake…,” Nino murmured distractedly, his mind still trying to fit the pieces together.

Alya, whom had been standing frozen with her mouth open in shock, seemed to finally recover. She pointed at the blond and then back over her shoulder towards the bakery entrance not five meters away. “What are you talking about?! We just saw you in the bakery with Marinette!” Just then, as if summoned by divine intervention, out of the bakery stumbled another blond – this one sporting a lovesick dazed smirk as he waved to someone hidden beyond the glass door. The four teens on the sidewalk took in his disheveled appearance with three looks of shock and one of amusement. A word that described the boy in this moment: rumpled. His shirt was untucked and incorrectly buttoned in a way that revealed a white undershirt beneath it, his crumpled black tie hung loosely around his neck like a scarf, pink lipstick smears were visible from his face to his collarbone (with a little adorning the inside of his shirt collar), and his hair seemed to be as wild and untamed as Chat Noir’s.

“…Fe?” Adrien tentatively called, unsure of what he was witnessing. His cousin had never looked less than professional for a day in his life! Perhaps it was a doppelgänger brought on by the akuma?

That warm gaze shifted towards the model’s call and, upon seeing them, it was as if a switch was flipped. Felix slicked back his unruly hair, draped his discarded wrinkled vest over his shoulder, and meandered towards the stunned group. With the lovesick look now cleared, his smirk took on a smug edge but his eyes still glowed with a satisfied happiness that none of them had seen on him before. “Cousin,” the formal boy nodded to the model and started whistling a jaunty tune as he swaggered past. Three sets of eyes stared at his every move in bewilderment. He seemed more relaxed and at ease than usual; plus, there was a…

Wait, was that a hickey under his right ear?!

“Felix Fathom! What the hell—,” Alya began but, with a raised hand that bid them adieu without looking back, Felix disappeared around the smashed carcass of a giant pumpkin that was once a delivery van. Only with the soft echo of his whistling hanging in the air did Nino realize…

‘Huh, I didn’t know Felix was a Daft Punk fan.’

~~~

Ladybug, feeling guilty after the increasingly panicked voicemails from Chat while she was otherwise detained, managed to defeat the akuma with a little help from Viperion and cast the cure just in time to meet her date that evening at Andre’s.

Paris is saved once again by the Powerpuf—err, Ladybug!

Notes:

Felix was whistling Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.” I’ll let you imagine what he whispered to her before kissing her. 😊

Peel (based on the French word ‘pelle’) is the long paddle looking implement that is often used at brick oven pizza places but are also used for bread and pastries.

Please let me know in the comments what enchanted furniture you think Gabriel transformed into while Adrien was the Beast! Grimm Talia did say “a curse upon your house and all within it.” 😉 Talk about an akuma backfiring on the user! Check out the other suggestions here!

[not-so-lost-after-all]

So on the topic of (spawn) Astarion ever wanting to get rid of vampirism. As his fans are aware, there are ways to do that in this setting which I won't go into details here.

But would he even want it after the events of the game? His main issue seems to be losing his daywalking ability (and that seems to be only temporary issue). Trust me, I would like if his neverending bloodlust was a problem outside of Act 1. But he only mentions once after that that it actually bothers him (when you kill Cazador without him) which we don't see the effect of. He sucked it up like a big boy. Have I also mentioned that according to DnD lore as vampire spawn, Astarion is non person anyone can kill with impunity? The way Araj talked to him was actually rather kind according to DnD lore. But in in the game, people who know he's a vampire are rather chill about it. So nah, the negative effects aren't nearly as bad that it outweights immortality and he's a survivor above all. We can write about it in fanfics but it game doesn't even mention bringing him back to life.

Gods, during early access I actually thought there would be an option to bring him back to being mortal elf as a rare fairy tale-ish ending. What I never thought would be an option is him turning the player into a vampire as that would be a bit too dark. I was so naive back then :D

[piinktearxs]

my own team free will caregiver headcannons

okay so its like my first like fanfic ish thing on here, but we need, more agere spn fics cause, lets be honest, big ol comfort show

anywho the little in the dynamic is munchkin (yours truly) she's very fem-oriented, so I'm sorry if it doesn't suit you BUT I could consider becoming like a fanfic blog in the future (like taking requests and all)

quick warnings: the nicknames daddy, dada and dae are used cause Ik some ppl are uncomfy w that, small body image issues mention, small arfid mention

okay so I'm feeling a 'three men and a little lady' vibe here because that is exactly what it is like, you got these three big guns beer and like not soft-looking guys and then you have munchkin, this 5'3, pink dresses wearing little lady and she's just vibing with them

munchkin is not a 24/7 little, like she has her essence which is very child like but her little self just comes in waves, and like she comforts and cares for the boys when they need, they take care and comfort her when her emotions get too big and she goes small

munchkin takes turns to be the "official stuffie" for the boys (or that's what they tell her so she feels wanted and needed with her cuddles, and she is to be honest) one night she sleeps cuddled between dean and cas and the other one with sam

THEY HAVE A NIGHT ROUTINE; So she brushes her teeth and does skincare with Sam, then Dean sings her one of her special songs (Little willow, angeles, city grown willow, calico skies, forever, surfer girl, hey jude, blackbird, stairway to heaven, to be honest hearing her daddies's voices is the most calming thing for her) Cas and Sam take turns to read her a story (literally anything classic fairy tales or pink and ballet vibes, munchkin adores)

THEIR CLOSET DIFFERENCES PLS- like you would have the boys's flannel and jeans and basic t-shirts and right next to those these pink dresses and vintage clothes (also munchkin's big girl clothes but it's the same vibe, vintage girly)

When munchkin is small, she wears the boys's clothes cause they smell like them and they're huge on her so they make her feel small

munckin has a lot of sensory issues with food, especially when she's small, so she and Dean work out creative ways to get her veggies in but that she doesn't hate them

When she's scared she goes to her daddies, like literally with anything, they are her heroes and the people she trusts most

It always helps her to hold one her daddies's hand when she's doing something scary (like eating a new food, or talking about her feelings, or petting a big dog!)

She's their little buddy on everything they do, cause she's just so amazed by her daddies, Dean's fixing baby? Munchkin will be next to him, handing him tools and hanging out with him, Sam's reading? She's plopped next to him reading her own book, Cas is taking a walk through nature? Pink rainboots on and coat on (sammy said so) and she's on her merry way, also, they always stay out for hours just admiring nature

She adores cooking, she's always ready to be their little helper in the kitchen (but never near hot or sharp things!! She’s much too small!! She likes cracking eggs and being the taste tester anyways)

When they're on hunts she always comes with (and ofc helps out unless she is small) and after they all go to a county fair or a petting zoo

On the bunker she has her little trunk, obviously painted white with little pink roses and it contains her little stuff, paci, teether, sippy, some tutus, coloring books, tiaras, her tea set, and a doll that looks like her that she carries around everywhere

on the impala she has a little emergency box, with a lovey, some calico critters and a teether and snacks!

She always hosts tea parties with the boys (yes, they wear crowns and drink tea with her and her dolls) at first they were a bit weird about the whole tea party thing (Dean said he hated them and now he even does a british accent when they play tea party) but got around in the end

She is a polite little one, always using her manners, because princesses use their manners

Her drawings always go up in the fridge ofc

okay now onto individual headcanons

Dean aka Dada or Bean:

When he first met munchkin he was a little distant but then grew to love her

he gave her the nickname munchkin

their relationship is like uncle jesse and michelle in full house (fight me they’re literally the same person and my comfort characters)

He is always watching old kids shows with her (she loves vintage things and the're nostalgic to him) especially old scooby doo episodes

Pretends he is like in shock when she hugs him but honestly he feels as much comfort in her as she has in him

always gives her eskimo kisses

they once saw the scooby snacks at the store and got them and went nuts over them

she sometimes is too small to watch scooby doo so they put on bluey

dean actually quite enjoys bluey

Teaches her how to do stuff like fix things or play pool and they have a lil bonding moment

She's allowed in the dean-cave and she loves to color while watching cartoons on the big TV!

He gives her ALL the piggy back rides, and throws her in the air to catch her after

If he's drinking beer outside, alone, she always goes up to him and lays her head on his lap, and they just hang together in comfortable silence while he strokes her hair with his beer-free hand

He's super into the fighting scenes in her princess movies

They try a slice of pie of every diner they eat at, and rate it

They love cooking together

He’s honestly the more fun caregiver but also the most protective one

When she’s having a bad day he always takes her out for ice cream, if she really reallyyy wants to, he goes the extra mile to get her gelato

Munchkin sometimes has body image issues, when she does dean just picks her up and kisses her forehead

Dean teaches her all his cool rock songs!!

“You see sweetheart, bon jovi rocks, on occasion, but zeppelin? zeppelin always rocks” “what about taylor swift dada?” “she is the music industry so she always rocks too”

She is allowed to pick the music even when not driving (munchkin is a huge swiftie, and well we all know all too well dean is too)

Sam aka Daddy or Sammy

He is the king of rules and sticker charts, and they help keep munchkin on track a lot!!

After she eats a fear food sammy always has some candy for her in the pantry!!

he makes sure she gets her protein in, she can’t get low blood sugar!!

He gives her big big biiig bear hugs all the time

Given but, munchkin is totally allowed to do sammy’s hair!!! No scissors though!!

He loves having a little hair buddy, so when she’s really small he helps her wash her hair

He brushes her hair for her, it’s a little bonding moment between the two

Can we talk about how bath-time is a whole ritual for these two? They put on her littlespace playlist and dance around while brushing their teeth

If they’re away from home he reads her a bit of the game of thrones kindle he has in his phone until she falls asleep

KING of forehead kisses

Definitely gets into the life lesson aspect of EVERYTHING, she’s watching charlie and lola? lola hates tomatoes? (munchkin does too, they’re her mortal enemy) he pauses the show to tell her the importance of eating new foods. She’s watching moana and moana goes into the deep part of the sea alone? He reminds her that she needs to go with one of her daddies when she’s small

He always helps her with stuff she’s too short for

*munchkin climbing on the counter to reach her gummies* “No pumpkin, you can’t climb on the counter to reach the high cupboard, here, let me help you”

He carries her around A LOT

When she’s really small she likes to sit on his lap and fidget with his hair

If he’s late researching and not in bed for story time she always goes up to him and lays down near until he’s finished

When she’s big they go to the gym and lift weights and running, or go in nature walks, when she’s small they go play catch in the park together or go in the swings, as long as they’re both happy and healthy he’s okay with going out for a bit more

Definitely the type to give her a time out and then talk it out

cas aka dae or casseel

he was definitely very confused when he heard that she was a regressor, but not in a bad way, he’s just confused with most earth things!!

sammy knew about the topic (he researched a bit more because he suspected that munchkin was a regressor) and when he explained it to him, cas got it

he’s the one that’s away the most doing angel business, but he makes sure to check in on her at bedtime

when he is home, he’s her official nap buddy, she finds him so comforting and loves napping with him

they definitely go on tons of walks and, ANNNND they stop to analyze every new flower and mushroom!! (munchkin isn’t allowed to touch them though)

munchkin finds dean and cas’s relationship the most adorable thing ever, she’s a huge romantic because cmon, you are if you watch cinderella every other week, so when they kiss she’s always like “a true love’s kiss!!!”

he heals ALL the ouchies, but she still gets a fun bandaid

she asks cas if he has magic rapunzel hair when he heals her or the boys

she sometimes wears his trench coat and plays pretend in it

or when it’s cold and she wants to sleep in the impala, he lets her use it as a blanket

he’s always down to watch disney movies, since they’re new to him!!

“but little one, why must cinderella go home at 12? why are the mice horses? why a pumpkin and not an apple or a zucchini??” “dunno, magic stuff dae, but ‘ook there!!! her dress pretty!!!!!”

tells her stories from the whole existence of the world

she gives him butterfly kisses on the nose (the ones where you bat your eyelashes on the other person’s skin)

he helps her tie the ribbons on her dresses

so that is it for my personal supernatural headcanons, i quite enjoyed writing these so i’m definitely making this for my mcu au!! i know there’s not much spn agere fics (cmon we ALL go and search spn agere and check for new fics) so if you liked this feel free to send me an ask whether that be from this au or reader insert one shots typa things :D

[aethon-recs]

January 2023 Tomarrymort One-Shots

I wasn't planning to do a month-by-month rec list, but my god did January deliver on one-shots — so many showstopping works were published this month that these 10 fics deserve their own post. And what a variety too(!), with fics ranging from A/B/O to love potion mishaps to fem!Harry, and even canon-compliant(-ish) Harrymort.

Criteria for this list: one-shot, complete, published in January 2023 (yes, in the last month alone!)

Why one-shots?, you may ask. The majority of what I read is chaptered works and longfics, but I think one-shots can be a bit overlooked and underrated — they don't have ongoing updates on AO3, and the first rec lists in this ship that I encountered were dominated by longfics. So I wanted to celebrate and highlight the amazing work that the writers in this fandom are doing in short-form writing. Also, one-shots tell a full story arc in one go — and isn't that wonderful to get plot resolution and closure in a single sitting?

(Thank you also for dropping recs into my ask box! Please keep them coming!!)

*

Tomarrymort Recs (January 2023)

a dream is a wish by @funkyatheart (E, 5k)

This was such a delight to read from beginning to end. Cleverly weaved in between the canon events of book 5 are SUPER HOT dream-sharing sequences that show the escalation of Harry's increasing fascination with Voldemort. And we're gifted with hemipenes and consciousness-sharing through their mental link — what more can I can ask for from a Harrymort smut scene??

A Special Day by @vdoshu (E, 3.5k)

My jaw was ON. THE. FLOOR. for this whole fic. Grumpy old man Voldemort with all his old man habits was such a delight to read about — I don't think I've ever seen this concept done before. And when Harry shows up, the narrative tension is so good and kept me on the edge of my seat. I can't say much more without giving things away, but I definitely recommend this as one of the most unique and twisted concepts I've ever read in Harrymort.

Banish Me to the Garden of Eden by @contrarywiseizybel (M, 7k)

Rich, sumptuous descriptions run through this entire fic and bring to life — very vividly — the entire story arc of Harry locked up in a tower as Voldemort's captive and how he gradually comes to make the best of his fate. The author's writing is so poetic and lyrical and makes really good use of repetition, which gives the whole fic a very fairy-tale-like quality (including the happily-ever-after ending!)

Bruises Like Violets by @noumena-writes (E, 3k)

A forbidden romance between Tom and Harry who are on opposite sides of the war makes their last tryst VERY high-tension and fraught with danger. As always, noumena's writing is full of so many gorgeous and richly detailed phrases, like "The raging fire that burnt through every angry spell was slowly eating away at Harry, leaving a battle-weary shadow in his place." Absolute 🔥 writing.

Cherish by @amors-mordre (G, 1k)

This fic gave me the absolute chills in just 800 words. Voldemort is at his manipulative best here, as well as absolute peak possessiveness. The dynamic between Voldemort and captive Harry is delightfully creepy and leaves you craving more.

his lady in crimson (who reaches through time) by @ellorypurebloodculture (M, 5k)

This was such a cool non-traditional time-travel story! All the descriptions of fem!Harry and her outfits are absolutely gorgeous — I don't think I've come across this level of detail to costuming in very many other fics before; it was one of those really nice details that you can tell the author put a lot of work into and that really made the fic very memorable for me. And oh god, I felt every moment of Harry's heartful yearning and desperation and urgency in reaching out across time to Tom, and how much she loved him already — an absolutely beautiful love story.

never a victimless crime by @duplicitywrites (E, 7.5k)

Someone doses Tom with a lust potion keyed to Harry — and an absolutely wild, chaotic, wet, filthy hot mess of a shower-scene PWP ensues, featuring Tom who's been drugged out of his mind and Harry who's trying to do the right thing but is similarly incapacitated by a mild concussion. This had so much sexy chaotic energy, and is definitely one of the best things I've read on AO3.

Serendipity by @lissiamoonstone (E, 6.5k)

SO MANY LAYERS OF DUBCON. SO MANY LAYERS. And combined with super possessive Alpha Tom and Harry being in heat and somnophilia as the icing on top!? This was such a delicious mind-fuck — I reread it a few times and kept finding new things to notice, and I know I'll come back to reread it many more times.

They, of Riddle Manor by riddlereading (M, 16k)

I think this is one of the most unique Voldemort-wins story arcs I've read in Tomarry. Just one thing goes differently when Tom goes to Riddle Manor for the first time, and he doesn't end up killing his muggle relatives, which then sets off a sequence of events that result in Lily not dying and Harry growing up (with a happy childhood) in Riddle Manor. It's absolutely adorable from start to finish, and I had a huge smile on my face when I finished.

Tom Riddle’s Guide to Repeatedly Failing to Get Laid in the Restricted Section by TheOnceandFutureQueenofTarts (M, 3k)

I jumped to open this fic when I saw some of the tags here — dubcon, amnesia, mind manipulation(!!) This was such a fun and snappy read, featuring one of my favorite things — Tom repeatedly fucking with Harry's head to get what he wants (in this case, getting laid). He is absolutely undeterred and plays dirty, and we would expect nothing less of our favorite babygirl dark lord in training 💕

*

[staybabblingbaby]

SGAU CH. 1 (Dahlia) Editing Sacrifices

[Caution: These are not full fics, or even full parts of fics for some, these are part of my writing progress archive!]

Concept: Growing up, you knew Soulmates weren't all that they cracked up to be. So when, on your 18th birthday, your skin is painted with a garden of flower buds, you resolve to hide it from everyone. Who had ever heard of someone with 8 soulmates, anyway?

Or; Reader has 8 soulmates and no issue avoiding all of them. It's up to SKZ to show her that while every soulbond might not be made of fairy tales, theirs certainly could be.

Word Count: 928 (821 + 107)

Notes: As promised from the poll! Things I edited out, mostly paragraphs I changed or rewrote to help the story flow better. These are all non-canon btw. In a universe slightly to the left, maybe. Dividers by @saradika

Warnings: She/Her Reader, sort of dissociating? ish?

Leave me comments or questions or anything! Love hearing from folks <3

Masterlist <3 | Main Part

[From Ch.1 a1d1, basically this chapter's idea drabble lol]

You know, as soon as you brush his hand at send-of, that Bang Christopher Chan is your soulmate.

Not in a delulu fan sort of way either. In that geunie, earth-shattering, reality-altering sort of way as you feel pins and needles across your entire lower abdomin as dozens of tiny white flowers begin to bloom. You'd say the sensation was similar to butterflies in your stomach if it didn't hurt like you were getting many fresh tattoos at once.

You're equally certain, as you snatch your hand back and try to smile away your grimace of pain, that the man has no idea. He's distracted by hundreds of screaming fans who are all too eager to get his attention, already moving on from your short interaction.

You're glad you already got your autograph, soulmate or not, because you were getting out of here Pronto. You had. A lot to process right now.

You look around for a way to get out of the pressing crowd, and spot a girl you vaguely remembered seeing at sound check. If you recall, she'd bodly bodied anyone who tried to steal her slot at the barricade out of the way, all while retaining a sunny smile and excited chatter with her friends. A plan forms in your head, and you struggle your way to her.

"Hey," You call out quietly as your able with the noise of a sardine-packed crowd around you. You reach out and are able to gently grasp her elbow and successfully grab her attention. You look at her with imploring eyes as you plead, "can you help me get out of the crowd? I'm having really bad cramps right now."

You gingerly cradle your abdominal to show what you mean (and also in a feeble attempt to curb the lingering pain), and what as her face flashes through confusion, comprehension, and sympathy as she registers your pained face and posture and connects it with your words and apparent gender.

"Oh, of course, sweetie!" She proclaims, wrapping a warm arm around your shoulders, "you got someone to take care of you?" She questions with concerns as her eyes start scanning the pack of people.

"Yeah," You lie, "I just gotta get to a bathroom or something first." She nods in understanding, and finally spots who she was looking for in the crowd.

She shouts something over your head, and gives you a gentle squeeze as she passes you back to another girl behind you. "All right then, be safe, sugar." You give her a feeble smile and a nod of thanks.

The next girl takes you in as gently as the first, and so begins a chain of you being passed down between two or more girls at a time, the brief explination of "She needs out" getting people to move accordingly.

It's a bit facinating to witness the teamwork between women of varying ages, ethnicities, and nationalities as they all come together to take care of you, who probably looks a bit pathetic and injured right now. Luckily there's enough people who aren't too focused on the group you're all here for to help you, and soon enough, you're out of the crowd, back against a quiet wall and head between your knees.

The last lady who'd helped you, an older woman with a Jinniret picket, goes as far as to help get you to sitting down and check on you before she returns to her fan activities. You wave her off with reassurances that you're here with others and just need to get your nausea under control before you go find them. She leaves you with a worried backwards glance, but she's quickly swallowed by the crowd again and you marvel at ever having gotten out of it.

Girl power, you guess.

Still, you suck in a deep breath, press your hands to your sore and tender tummy, and breathe out again. You steel yourself with determination, and rise to your feet with a wince after a minute or two.

You may not actually have anyone here to help you home, but you did have a train to catch if you wanted to be out of dodge before Bangchan registered whatever change happened to his soul mark, tiny as it must have been for him to show as little reaction as he did.

The thought puts a little halt on your determined March for a second, the thought that you'd have such a small impact on him when his impact on you was so huge cutting somewhere deep in your chest. But you quickly shake it off and resume. Because you have no intention of meeting any other soulmates tonight.

After all, if you have eight soulmates, and Chan is one of them, you're not a big enough believer in coincidences to not guess who the others are. It's a shame you don't get any other autographs that night, though.

[From Ch.1 a2d1, before the whole soulmate touch thingy. I rlly liked this idea, but I couldn't fit it in TT^TT]

What you don’t see is, after signing your photocard and receiving a very dazed and automatic thank you, Lee Know backtracking just a bit to subtly point you out to Bangchan. Chan locks eyes on your squished, miserable looking self, and makes his way over to your section.

It takes a bit of crowd work, but Chan is proud of himself when you’re looking a little less smooshed by the railing. Several people were, actually, but you had sorta looked like you were going to be sick about it. He’d make sure to ask security to keep an eye out for you when he had a moment.

[wutheringmights]

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid is a book that takes its sweet time getting to the dang point. I usually don't mind if a book lingers in the set-up. Honestly, a lot of books move too quickly. But it feels as though the first 250 pages meanders through world building and character exposition, only to deliver about 50 pages of plot.

Reading that back to myself, that feels like an unfair assessment on my part. This by no means is a bad book. It's very good actually. I really like how it explores abuse through the lens of fairy tale logic. I like the prose, and that last 50 pages really was a punch to the gut. Yet, something just feels off. There's a mystery about beast attacks that never feels all that important until the end, there's a romance that feels like a rehearsal of other romances, and a lot of world building that never quite feels relevant (apparently this is the second book of a larger Slavic-based fantasy universe by the same author; the story stands on its own, and the world building is just there to give original readers an idea of how everything fits into place).

The competition between the suitors feels like it should be the main plot. But, again, everything meanders at this slow pace until it happens in the last 100-ish pages. That's not to say that nothing before it is important. It just feels like the plot has no focus until the moment the competition is announced.

I think I'm the problem here. I have a very specific gripe against modern retellings of fairytales. A lot of them are bogged down by their prose. The author wants to mimic a whimsical atmosphere or aesthetic, so they will spend so much time describing specific images or things that you find in fairytales. Or they use a cadence or narrator voice they are obviously not used to. Either way, you can just feel how much the author is trying, and then the whole story feels exhausting to read.

For the prose, Reid walks the line. There are more moments than not when Reid's prose was genuinely beautiful, creepy, or unique. Then there were times where I could feel Reid twist herself up trying to replicate that fairytale-esque voice. But then, the fairytale framing is a coping mechanism for the main character. That exhausting effort works in favor of the story. I can't be mad about it.

Before I end, I really need to emphasize that I loved how the story handles abuse. It's dark and uncomfortable, but it was effective. That last 50 pages where everything came together was an exquisite thesis statement on monstrosity and, if I had not rented this book from the library, I would have highlighted about 5 different lines.

--

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

[calyxthenerd]

there is no fear now, let go and just be free, i will love you unconditionally

“Gin-Gin, do you ever think about kids?” Ramona asked her girlfriend, as the other girl was attached to her back like a backpack while she cooked

“Do you really want to be asking the daughter of the witch who ate children that?” Ginger retorted

“Come on, Gin, that ship sailed when the RSC was founded, we’re out of the woods, you’re the best baker in all the realms! plus, my dad ate people too, we’re equals here”

“I guess we are, and to answer your question, I have thought about it, but it’s terrifying, I mean, we’ve made a lot of progress, but who would trust the two of us to raise a child? No offense, It just scares me that any kids we try to adopt will just be taken away, and I don’t want that kind of heartache, for us or for the kid”

“None taken, sweetcheeks” she smirks, before letting her face fall with a sigh “it worries me too, but we need referrals before we’re even considered for it, right? I can get crimson to sign on it, it will go a long way on my side, if us being siblings isn’t enough, think you can get the Crumb siblings to vouch for you?” the baker nods

“We talked during the months everyone was doing therapy, we’re friendly-ish” she supplies

“Good, think you can get some princesses in on it? That should help too” the wolf added

“Oh, yeah, Ashlynn and Briar would totally do it” she pauses “we’re really doing this?”

“Yes, sweetheart, we are”

—————————————————————

At the adoption agency

“Ginger Breadhouse and Ramona Badwolf” the social worker called, they strolled across the room to go into her office, everyone in the reception either glanced at them wearily or outright glared at them

“So, Ms Breadhouse, Ms Badwolf, what kind of child are you looking for?” the man asked

“Honestly, just whatever child you think would be a good fit for us” Ginger replied, kind of irked by the way the question was asked, but choosing to remain civil

“No child will be a good fit for you, just say what child you want so we can send them to you and you can do whatever curse ritual you wish with them” he stated, a clear look of disgust in his face

Ginger had to body slam Ramona to stop her from jumping over the desk and mauling the man, she then hauled the hybrid girl over her shoulder and carried her away, as she snarled and thrashed, still set on attacking him

Let’s just say it took a while before they tried adopting again, but eventually they did get a kid, a hybrid, from an obscure fairy tale who’s parents had died during their stories, and raised them well, or as well as two traumatized activists who were hated by a lot of people were able to

[desolateice]

fanfic ask for umibudo!

Send me a fic of mine and I'll answer...

Thank you for your patience. I wanted to re-read the fic before answering, which I did with the others, this one just took longer. I've put it all under the read more.

My favorite scene

So many. But probably after Johnny nearly drowns and Chozen is lying in the tide having given up and waiting to turn into seafoam and just sobbing into the sand, covered in sand and Johnny's like I'm right here and has to drag him away from the tide, talking to Chozen and Chozen hasn't realized Johnny is up and okay-ish but sobbing because Chozen's magic (siren song) is just so heartbreaking that he can't stop crying and it's some world building with the ningyo abilities and he's like why are you crying about your bride? Aren't I your bride? I nearly drowned pay attention to me. And Johnny's actually asking for attention that he wants and he gets it. Which is, for this story, huge for him.

My favorite chapter (if it's a multichapter)

The chapters about Johnny nearly drowning. chapter 14 and 15. 15 has one of my favorite dialogues between kid Johnny and his mom ['she' in this case is the little mermaid]:

“She’s dead! That’s what people say about dead people! That they’re still here but not here. You said that about Dad!” It’d been maybe one of her worse lies, when she’d been tired of answering his questions about when Dad would come back and where he was, so she pulled out the adult favorite: “He’s on a farm up north, running wild and free with the other farm animals.” He wasn’t dead. He was just gone.

Plus in this chapter Johnny realizes he can be vulnerable and also rely on Chozen in difficult situations. And how much Chozen cares for him truly sinks in.

And Chozen continues to realize that him being a ningyo is only an issue in Tomi Village. Everywhere else he's respected, so when people find him people instantly realize he's a ningyo with an injured bride and take care of them. Which just sort of stuns Chozen. But to them a ningyo is good luck. So of course they're going to put Johnny and Chozen up in a hotel room and run out to get them clothes and find their car and do this team effort to help because goodness, when was the last time anyone had seen a ningyo? And one so upset with an injured bride? Gotta help out.

Hardest scene to write

Johnny nearly drowning. I kept trying to figure out when it was going to happen. I knew it would but I didn't want it to be too early or too late. I wanted it to happen in a cave but I realized the island famous for caves they'd already passed, so it was a lot of reworking logistics and their plans. I rewrote it a couple of times. And while I felt like Chozen could protect Johnny I wanted it to show that he didn't really know how to properly pay attention to a human. Like humans have to breathe so you have to pay attention to water level and tidal waves and stuff and just because you can dive in and save someone doesn't mean you can skip learning CPR for if they were in the water longer than you thought or in a way you couldn't get to. It was like a wake up call Chozen needed to have. Plus I wanted an excuse for Chozen to go feral. What worked, which I don't know if people caught, was that Chozen moved Johnny without realizing it into a recovery position. Meanwhile on Johnny's end he really just wanted someone to care in a visible way. He hadn't gotten that after Kreese had hurt him. He'd been saved but then kinda just had to get up and move on and it's been hurting, but Chozen is so upset because it's him and he cares so much and Johnny needed that. He needed to be precious to someone. I also wanted to explain with the flashback why it's important to Johnny. Not just that feeling but also he had this deep love for fairy tales and Chozen is a fairy tale. I'd hinted at it before but then it became this deeper thing. He didn't want the beast to become human, he didn't understand why anyone would hate him. He didn't want the mermaid to turn into seafoam. He wanted magic to be real and he wanted to rewrite it and here is a merman that loves him upset and like 'let me turn into seafoam' and that snaps straight through to that deep set feeling and he's like nope. The other thing was trying to find places for Johnny to help facilitate Sato and Mr. Miyagi's interaction but there was no basis for it. Johnny didn't know Mr. Miyagi and he's a teen. What's he going too do for this old feud? Straight off a plane? Not happening. And not his job. So sending him a way was more fun for me and better for Chozen and Johnny. Oh also the shells in Johnny's hair. I decided really early on that they'd stay there via magic and mean Johnny was a ningyo bride, but it didn't work with Johnny going home and finishing school. So I had to change it but I kept trying to find spots for it and it just didn't work till the end.

Favorite character to write in the fic

Probably Chozen. Chozen being a mermaid was so much fun because I got to take things from canon and weave okay what if he was a mermaid? into it. How can I take the falling out between our Mr. Miyagi and Sato and twist it to fit the monster narrative? Oh also Sato and Mr. Miyagi's bickering in the background. Mostly Sato, it was a lot of fun to just make him very yandere. He loves Mr. Miyagi but he can't let himself relax because he feels like he'll instantly turn into sea foam if Mr. Miyagi doesn't return any care whatsoever, so he just calls Mr. Miyagi Coward but still follows him around, and still has fun, but he's like grumpy the whole time because he can't turn into Seafoam before Miyagi sensei passes or before Chozen is set up. But Nariyoshi Miyagi just keeps realizing how in love kid Sato was with him, because he kept offering him things, following ningyo courting culture but without explaining it and Sato hates that Nariyoshi realizes and remembers it. (But they get a happy little threesome with Yukie)

Favorite dynamic to write in the fic

Chozen in fish brain mode and how Johnny sort of realizes it. Everything is logical for Chozen but also illogical. And when it gets super strong Johnny is there to keep him from going into the sea or trying to logic with him or to carry him if he can't change out of his ningyo form.

Like the original one which was Johnny getting Chozen clothes but Chozen seeing a bed and assuming something else. Or when they go swimming and Chozen's delighted then realizes he forgot to ask Johnny if he can swim and is like ah man I'm going to have to get my bride some arm floaties.

Why I chose that title

A lot of this fic takes place in Okinawa and if I have an Okinawan heavy fic I try and pick foods from Okinawa. Umibudo are sea grapes, a type of seaweed that I tried on a visit and I thought would be fitting for a mermaid fic because it's food from the sea, a little salty and surprising but also delicious.

A fun fact about the fic

I did so much research that didn't get used. So when I write about Okinawa I generally dig around online for things and then have to go back and see when they were created. For example some places in Okinawa you can get to by bridge now, but in the 80's those bridges didn't exist, so I had to figure out alternative ways for them to get there, which generally was a plane or a ferry, especially for the smaller southern islands. I researched love hotels in general, and the history of condoms in Japan, apparently there used to be door to door sales people who'd come into your home and sell housewives condoms. And it was just considered the norm. Like condom use was higher in Japan then it was in the USA and I had to figure out okay then is Chozen more likely to use condoms and if so what brands? Which led to researching brands of condoms in the 80s in Japan to hope that those filtered to Okinawa. And I thought about having Chozen looking for brands he recognized in the states, one of the factories of a brand used in Japan in the 80s is in Newark. Did I end up using any of that? No. Also tried to research common lube brands in the 80s Japan which more or less just taught me that you can make lube out of seaweed. (maybe they'll try it lol, knowing them, maybe that's why Chozen spends so much time in the sea, harvesting seaweed to make homemade lube ) Tried for toys too because I was going to try and put some in the love hotel. But didn't know what would've been available. I also read a lot of books about marine life because I wanted Chozen to have different marine life characteristics and to have some comparisons. (and to use as references) I watched this horror movie a while ago where one of the heroines drops this 'fact' that turtles have sex for a long time, but I couldn't find anything to support that. (I had a similar issue with 'body wash therapy' which I'd read about somewhere once but couldn't find again, but it could've been a mistranslated) So I tried sea horses and other marine life and ended up just reading a whole lot of random books. Which I do this frequently and have been thinking about sharing what books I read for research with which fics. But for Umibudo I read:

The Curious World of Seahorses: The life and Lore of a marine Marvel by Till Hein (which wasn't quite what I wanted but I learned how difficult it is to raise seahorses)

Kings of Their Own Ocean: Tuna, Obsession, and the Future of Our Seas by Karen Pinchin

The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World's Most Coveted Fish by Emily Voigt

There was also a lot of research onto where I'd get excited about something and then realize it was the wrong season since they were in Okinawa in January.

[bacchanal-if]

Hi!

I just played the update, and damn it was so great! I love the variety of reactions our MC can have to everything, and how they impact dialogues in general. I'm trying to strike a balance between having a MC who is naive, but at the same time build his sensitivity. I like the idea of someone who instinctively reads people pretty well, but is basically naive in his ideology and doesn't know much of the world. I think it makes for such an interesting character!

Also, I now already live for Ellis. They are so sweet and aaah I love them! Our father dearest though... that's a different matter. Oh well, at least my MC is a hopeless romantic who still wants to believe this marriage will go well so there is that. Can't wait to meet E to be honest. I'm just going feral over that... weirdly fairytale(-ish) story (well, at least as far as my MC is concerned), in which he truly hoped for a mariage that would make him happy despite it being an arranged thing, and it actually being a happy one in the end just because of the unexpected compatibility of what the two involved people want for their lifes to be. I adore the fact it - at least on paper - works so well, considering how unexpected it is with E's personality. But well, nothing you said on this blog up until now would lead me to believe it won't work, so yeah.

Aaanyway, that aside, I wanted to report a few things and had a question too!

^ This page seems a little bit OOC for my MC, based on the previous choices. I picked for my MC to be pretty optimistic about his father's summons - explicitly saying perhaps it's not so bad etc. No to mention, also the fact my MC was always obedient and that his father was never mad with him specifically. So I feel like my MC acts too worried here? Considering just how well the rest of the story flows with our previous choices and all, this page seems at odds?

^ An issue with the code here. Considering my previous choices, I think it should be the "acceptance" version in my playthrough. It seems to be showing all versions that would depend on a variable or something atm.

And for the question I had! So, we know E is possessive and tends to keep MC in a gilded cage, but would let some specific people close if really needed - at least if I remember correctly. What about Ellis? They are close family (if the player choses so), and so I'm wondering if they would let MC see them?

I think that's all! A pretty long message to be fair, so thank you for taking the time to read it!

Have a great day!

I am so happy you enjoyed it!! I always fret on updates.

It's such a hard thing to navigate, a naive but sensitive character, and I hope I've been good about the balance.

Ellis is such a sweetheart 💜 I was sad writing the dialogue for when you aren't close with them, because they are so in need of love. And I'm glad you see the fairy-tale aspect of it! I did knock the MC down a few worldwise points when their initial reaction is to think it could be love or admiration, which I am personally amused by, but having a hopeless romantic MC who hopes for a fairy-tale ending was always a MC I wanted to include.

Thank you so much for the feedback! It seems I had the stat gate too high for the text that should have shown for a meek but joyful MC, so I have fixed it, as well as the bug!

As for Edith and Edward, Ellis would certainly be allowed, but if Ellis starts trying to get the MC to rebel against E, they would start restricting the visits.

Thank you for your message!

[thesongweave]

The Street Urchin (Or, Thea tells Gale about her earliest memories)

In which Thea spills her guts about her past to Gale after telling the companions something a little more fairy-tale ish. She's a bit sad about it (eh?) but has feels about her earliest childhood memories.

I'd been working on this one a bit - I was gonna try to get Kidnapped part 2 / 'Renewal' (the followup to The End / The Beginning) done first, but. I've been sick, am getting over it, but have no energy to fuel the creative brain juice right now.

Also, Thea, Gale, and blooming feels. Gale adopts Thea's nickname, too. Takes place in the Underdark.

Oh right, uh. Tragic backstory incoming.

The Street Urchin

They'd finally stopped for a rest - it was hard to tell if it was day or night, here in the Underdark. But, they'd had quite a day, so stop they did, to rest and nurse their various wounds. They’d travelled far, to say the least, finding first the myconid colony, then an abandoned wizards tower. Unfortunately, that tower still had some working defenses.

It had been…interesting, to say the least. Alathea was glad she had thought to pluck the sussur flowers earlier on, even if it had meant not having Gale to terribly close, lest they damnpened his magic.

Nevertheless, the flowers had come in handy, and were now far away from where the group made camp, just outside of the tower’s perimeter. The bard and friends would finish exploring the tower after resting, and then press on.

Alathea’s musings were interrupted when scents of dinner wafted past her nose. With a small smile, she dropped down from her perch atop the crumbling stone wall and headed to the fire pit.

Gale was on dinner duty that evening. The whole company always generally looked forward to the wizards cooking the most.

Hah, Alathea had thought when he first declared his knowledge of cooking, a wizard that cooks. There's a sight I had not thought to ever see.

But, cook he did, and rather well, too.

It was all ready in fairly short order - a stew, made from a mix of whatever rations they had, plus whatever they had managed to scrounge up. Mostly odd vegetables.

Karlachs boisterous laughter next to her snapped the elf out of her thoughts, dragging her gaze to whatever had her friends attention. Karlach was talking the others with a story of her youth, a rather obnoxious tavern brawl.

Alathea managed a smile - she was bone tired, but tried not to show it much around the others. They all seemed to lean on her for guidance, support, and leadership, and she was not so keen on looking like she could not handle it.

"What about you, Alathea? Surely you have a few wild stories to share." Wyll grinned, still chuckling over the ending of Karlachs tale.

The platinum blonde quirked an eyebrow. Sure, she had stories, but…

"What kind of story are you wanting? I've more stories than one may count, of course." She retorted with a smirk. It was hard to turn off the 'bardic charm', as Astarion called it, even here.

"Oooh, tell us – tell us about your childhood!' Karlach exclaimed. Her molten eyes turned to " 'Thea" with a grin. 

If Alathea was honest with herself, she was closest to, of all people, Karlach. 

And Gale. But that was so much more complicated. Or, it was getting that way.

"Indeed. Regale is with a escapade of your youth." Gale chimed in with his own laugh. 

Curse the wizard, the elf thought, that those big doe eyes and that charm could convince her to do anything…

Alathea cleared her throat. She'd shared very little of her past, despite the fact they had all been traveling together for – gods, how long now? A month, maybe two?

She was as good as dodging questions as she was at asking them, most days.

"Tch," came Lae'zels disapproving commentary. "Tell us how a performer comes to fight as you do."

Now, that was an easier question to answer. Thea could have kissed the githyanki just then.

"Well! When I was just a tiny thing–"

"You're not very big now, 'Thea." Karlach snickered. The tiefling barbarian was right – Alathea was not very tall, for an elf. Or all of her friends were just exceptionally tall. Either way, she came up right around Gale’s chin, and Karlach stood a good head or so taller than the wizard.

Alathea had to admit, Karlachs love of life and overall happy, passionate disposition, even when exhausted, could always cheer the bard up.

In a very dignified response, Alathea stuck her tongue out at the tiefling - her self proclaimed bodyguard. After all, she had said once, it would not do for the leader of our band to go and not have someone watching her back.

"As I was saying!" The others laughed. "When I was a girl, and had begun my training as a bard. My mentor had me running a message that day for her to a client. On my way back to our lodgings, I found myself surrounded by a group of other children. Urchins, the whole bunch, but all older than me and twice my size…."

Gale sat back casually, sipping at a glass of wine as Alathea told a rather dressed up story about a childhood scuffle when she was but an apprentice bard. The wizard lifted a brow at the antics.

For all that he enjoyed her stories, he had learned some of her quirks over the time they had all travelled together.

He could tell when the pretty bard was…embellishing a story.

Which was curious that she would bother, but such are the way of old habits, he supposed.

As she finished up her story, a question from Wyll caught his attention.

"Well, now that we have had a few fighting stories…I'm still curious, Alathea. You've never told us much - about your family, history,anything." The warlock turned devil had a rather intense express to his face. "You've mentioned you are from Baldurs Gate, but little else."

Gale frowned, mostly to himself. It was a good question, but not one he felt Wyll should be pushing if the elf did not want to share. The human wizard glanced at Alathea, but her expression was…off. Smiling, sweet, but…unreadable. A perfectly good performer’s expression, he thought, when she did not want to give anything away.

Alathea sighed rather dramatically. "Really,Wyll, it's nothing terribly -interesting-. But if i must…" the others in camp shifted, a bit eagerly to hear this story.

"Once upon a time, a young elven maid dreamed of adventure. She had a passion for music, and poetry, and yearned for freedom.  Baldurs Gate had become to confining - the parts she could get to, anyway. So, one night, she packed a few treasures and things, and snuck out of her home."

There was a dramatic pause as she took a sip of her drink. The companions eagerly awaited her to continue, enraptured in the tale.

Gale pondered that she wasn't using a charm spell of some variation - he certainly hadn't detected any use of magic, but the way that the group ( himself included, to an extent…) hung on her every word, it made him wonder. 

Alathea had a very practiced silver tongue. He had watched the bard charm anyone and everyone they had come across, whether it was promising aide, soothing a child's fear of harpies, or seeking information. 

Even so, he could not help but feel the there was something…hollow to the story she now told. 

"As she travelled, she fell in with another elf - a bard by trade, who had been seeking just the right apprentice. And 'lo, she took the young maid on, and taught her everything she knew. They traveled the Sword Coast, performing to the delight of all who heard them."

With a dramatic gesture, Alathea signaled the end of her story. The others clapped and chuckled, covering yawns that signaled the end of the evening. Slowly, they all dispersed to their bedrolls.

As Gale went to his tent, a movement caught his eye. And who would it be but Thea slipping away into the darkness. Curiosity got the better of him -so he followed, as quietly as he could. He was not so practiced at sneaking as Alathea or Astarion, so Gale winced at every sound caused by his boots.

She did not go far, just to a nearby cove of giant mushrooms. Briefly, he thought maybe he should leave her be, but… something gnawed at him. So he followed that instinct instead.

Within the small cove, he found Alathea at the edge, which opened up to a cliff side with a rather spectacular view of the Underdark below. The elf in question either didn't know he was there, or simply did not yet acknowledge his presence. 

Minutes passed, and soon an idle.plucking of strings reached his ears; Thea had brought her lute. Often enough he had found her,off by herself, plucking the strings of the well worn instrument.

"If you're going to stand there, wizard, you might as well come sit with me." She called at last, startling Gale out of his musings. "Unlike Astarion, I will not bite."

"Are you sure of that, Alathea?"

"Only if a wizard asks nicely." There was some amusement to her voice, even while she seemed miles away. Regardless, it did make him smile and chuckle, just a bit.

Gale picked his way over, taking a seat near the bard - but not to close, much as he wanted. Any closer and heay be tempted to.. well, those are thoughts for some other, far off day.

Instead, he watched her idly plucking at the strings a moment before speaking again. "That was a rather fantastical, charmed set of stories you told at dinner."

"Mm." Alathea did not stop plucking at the damn strings, stopping every now and then to turn a knob at the top of the lute.

Gale bit back a huff, shifting a bit to get more comfortable. When she did not immediately respond, he turned to look out at the valley below.

"It was all bullshit, of course. But they enjoyed it, so. Mission accomplished, I suppose." She finally said, interrupting the silence in a low, hushed tone.

Gale turned to her again, making a study of her facial expressions then. Well, what he could see, anyway. Softly, he muttered the words for casting Darkvision. 

There, that was better. Now he could make out the bards features. Rather than what he'd come to associate as her more.'public' self - the silver tongued charmer - she was…much more sedate. Thoughtful, even.

"Over the month - months, now?- of travel, it seems that you know a great deal more about us than we do you, Thea. They are simply curious, is all." Gale supplies.

"And you are not?"

"Oh, terribly so. But pressing you to share.. well. I think we've had that conversation."

They had, indeed,had such a conversation back in the Grove.

The memory made Thea smile. "Yes, I suppose we did. Respecting privacy, and all that." She went quiet again.

Gale took a long, deep breath. He was desperately curious, but he was trying not to pry into what was obviously a sensitive topic. "I do believe the phrase you used - and like to remind me of - was…what was it? Ah, "only taking what you were willing to give".

The bard was harder to crack than any spell he had ever tried to master. "Mm. Close enough. But that was more me speaking to you, you know."

"It works both ways."

Thea looked up at him, studied the wizard a long, uncomfortable moment. Finally, she dropped her gaze, releasing a deep sigh.

"It is easier, sometimes, to give others the soft, pretty lie they want to hear, rather than a harsh truth." She muttered, almost like a quote. "One of my first lessons as a bard, by the way. Mynthia was adamant on that one. A bard is a performer, our life a performance. We shroud ourselves in at least as much mystery as rogues, you know. Keeps the crowd guessing and wanting for more."

"Your friends are not a crowd to appease with a performance." Gale frowned.

"I know."

Alathea set the lute away, settling it on the ground next to her.

"You have been honest with me, Gale. And I suppose I owe you that in turn." He picked up the hesitance in her voice. The nervousness. "But are you sure you want to know?"

Gales frown softened. He understood the want for privacy, secrecy, even. He stood, then, resituating himself to sit beside the bard, almost shoulder to shoulder.

"Yes, quite sure. But only if you want to share, of course." His voice was soft, soothing, even.

Thea had her lute in her lap again, almost like a shield, Gale noted. He had noted before she almost hid behind her instrument at times, usually when she was nervous or unsure of something.

There was a prolonged silence, and he began to think she had changed her mind when she finally spoke again.

"My earliest memories are of a woman - my mother, I suppose - she was a two-bit whore for a hole in the wall tavern called the Hovel, in Gutter Row." It was almost a whisper when she spoke. Gale had almost missed it, and would have save that her voice was the only thing that broke the silence. “The very dregs of Baldurian society.”

He looked at her, then, rather surprised at this revelation, but she only stared at her lute, fingers silently touching but not plucking at the strings.

"When she wasn't whoring, she was drinking. And when she wasn't doing either of those, she was angry. Saddled with a bastard brat she didn't want, well." Alathea shrugged - through the tadpole connection, Gale could feel the ache, like an old wound that never fully healed, but one had learned to live with. "She liked to work that anger out. And often. Especially on the days she didn't, ah. Have enough work."

It made his heart ache for her. Hesitantly, he held up an arm in an unspoken offer. 

Thea glanced up, finally, at the rustle of cloth. Seeing the offered arm, she leaned in, resting her head on the wizards shoulder as he settled his arm around her.

"I learned how to be real quiet, and hide very well, given her temper. Then, one day…she was sick. A plague was spreading through the Row. I didn't know that then - I was…nine, maybe ten years old?" She made some non committal noise.

"She coughed for days - hacking, wheezing, before the blood and bile started coming up. I think it took three or four days before she was still and dead."

Thea's gaze was far away, staring out at nothing. It used to hurt, thinking back to those earliest of memories. She didn't really ever speak of them to anyone.

Gale wanted to say something, anything, to ease that ache. He opened his mouth, meaning to tell her she did not have to continue if she did not want, but Alathea pressed on before he could.

"The Fist had quarantined the Row, so to compound people, you know, dieing…we had nowhere to remove or put the dead. So bodies were piling in the street. Just made it all worse. Harper's were sneaking priests of Illmater in from the nearby temple, and they brought what food and aid that they could…"

"Thea–"

"Hush, now." She tried to sound light hearted about it, but really, the effort was weak at best. Gale gave her shoulder a squeeze he hoped was reassuring, and fell silent again.

"So, we had dead piled in the streets, the sickness was getting worse; people were starving, and angry. The place was a matchbox, really, kindle ready to light up. And light up it did. Not sure what happened, but one night the whole Row caught fire. By some luck, some Harper's were there - they'd been smuggling out anyone they could that wasn't sick that they could find. And here I was, stuck in a ramshackle lean-to with a week old corpse I couldn't move, and fire tearing down the little bit of world I knew. One of those Harper's found me, just as that little lean-to about to collapse."

Alathea paused, then, taking a deep, shuttering breath. It was easy, talking to Gale. They'd shared many discussions over the time they had been travelling together, many laughs and many secrets.

This, though, was a new level of trust, at least for the bard. But, she felt, he had given her that level of trust a while ago, trusting her with the information about his condition, even if he had feared she would turn him away, and he had alternatively offered to leave. 

Of course, she didn't - couldn't- turn him away. She wasn't sure now what had kept her from sharing her story with Gale sooner, save that she feared what his opinion of her might be once he knew.

Alathea scooted in, just a bit more into Gales one armed embrace. He smelled of old books, magic - rosewater and lavender. It was nice, comforting, to be held.

Safe.

It was so hard to feel safe these days.

"So, there you go. A little gutter-rat nobody is all I am, really." She murmured.

Gale shifted,turning so he was almost facing Alathea, which made her straighten up. He kept his hand on her shoulder.

Again, she refused to look up, to meet his gaze.

The wizard tucked the fingers of his free hand under her chin, gently tilting her face up. "You are hardly a nobody, Thea. Especially not to me."

Surprised, she met his gaze then, curious and confused at what she saw there. Where she expected pity and maybe disgust, she saw understanding, sympathy, and something else she wasn't sure of.

It was the first time he had called her Thea. The bard swallowed, feeling a lump in her throat even as something fluttered in her chest.

"I, well — uhm." Gale had her at a rare loss for words. "Thank you."

Gods, she could melt in that smile and those brown eyes.

Gale had wanted to encourage her, inspire and reassure her, as she had been doing for him, but the words died on his lips. Instead he leaned forward, eyes half lidded, reaching out through the tadpole connection, using it to let her 'feel'.

A shiver passed through Thea's spine at the connections, both mental and physical. Green eyes fluttered shut completely, absorbing and reveling in the closeness.

"We should.. probably head back. It is late." Gale murmured softly at last. He was loathe to break the connection, but weariness from the day had finally caught up with him.

The wizards breath tickled at Thea's lips, they were still sitting that close. It would be so easy to lean in, and…

She jerked back as the thought occurred, red staining her cheeks to the tips of her ears. Had he seen that, like before in the Weave?

Gale just smiled that mysterious smirk as if he knew a secret he shouldn't. Even so, he stood, brushed himself off, and offered a hand to help Thea up.

"Shall we?"

She nodded, gathered her lute, and slipped her hand into his. His touch was warm and welcome, and held on to her as they walked back to camp. Only when they reached the edges of the camp did their hands part.

"Goodnight, Thea."

"Sweet dreams, Gale. And… thank you."

[theoriginalnikegirl]

In light of a recent conversation and the fact im rewatching once upon a time, im revisiting my opinion re: hating Elfangor thinking especially of the last two interactions Tobias has interacting with the idea of Elfangor in the series.

To lay it out, Tobias has a total of three interactions with Elfangor in the series: meeting him in book 1, having his will read in 23, and a hallucination in 43. I've tended to take to the hallucination as real-ish, real-like, since Tobias has so few interactions with his father and I've long hated the implications of that interaction. Duringst the recent conversation however, I argued myself into thinking it was wholly Tobias' subconscious. Basically what happens in that interaction (why I hate it) is it boils down to a hallucination of Elfangor telling Tobias to suck it up. Tobias has just been tortured for a hundred pages, and here is an image of his absent father saying: "yeah too bad, now suck it up. Get over it. You shouldn't feel as hurt as you do and you shouldn't go and make it anyone else's problem". It's dressed up in prettier language but that's the sentiment. Now I, as the reader, don't really know Elfangor that well. I don't know if he would say that to Tobias. I do know Tobias though and I know that Tobias would absolutely say that to himself

I'm also revisiting the reading of the will in 23 which I have always appreciated. I appreciated that in that will Elfangor said: I wanted to love you. Not that he did, but that he wanted to. I have long had a bit of stick up my ass thinking it's too little to say he wished he hadn't abandoned Tobias' because the fact of the matter is Tobias was abandoned whether Elfangor wanted to or not, but I am also rewatching once upon a time.

For those not in the know, once upon a time is a tv show about fairy tale characters processing generational trauma, and how that trauma follows the generations even as each new generation tries so hard to avoid the mistakes of their parents, to the point where several generations literally abandon their children hoping that will break the cycle of generational trauma (it works exactly once) Anyway long story short Neal, a character who at this point has pretty much processed the trauma his father had inflicted on him (good job btw) just died while his own son (Henry) had completely forgotten him due to a magic thing and thought he'd merely abandoned him and his mother in jail. In his dying breath, Neal told Emma (Henry's mom) that she didn't need to restore Henry's memory if he was happy without it, if it would cause him more pain to remember his father only knowing he'd died. But he asked her to tell Henry that he'd wanted to be a good father and dammit if that didn't mean something!

The crucial difference here between Elfangor and Neal is that Neal explicitly doesn't put responsibility onto Henry in exchange for his wanting to be a good father (if it would hurt him more to remember, he shouldn't) while Elfangor does saddle Tobias with a) fighting the war that he couldn't anymore and b) there's the fact that Elfangor's will was only read to Tobias to motivate him to continue to fight that war. Which is on the Ellimist but what else did Elfangor think it was gonna do when he wrote it??

Point is I am on better terms with Elfangor now but out of the two of them Neal is the better dad.