#fae!crockett

[punksarahreese]

“You’re a bad liar, did you know?” for reesker in bloodletting au?

“You haven’t visited me in days,” Ava’s words were not accusatory, merely a statement of facts. She held no grudge, if the way her arms tightened protectively around the human’s body was any indication. Sarah’s posture stiffened at first, yet then she remembered where she was, who she was with, and relaxed into the comforting smell of lilacs.

“I have been busy,” Sarah said quickly, not wanting Ava to think she had been avoiding her. She hadn’t been, she reasoned with herself. On the contrary, all she had ever wanted was to retreat to the beautiful ivy covered mansion that her favourite vampire called home. She couldn’t bring herself to, not for days, but that was beside the point.

Ava had known she was there before she even climbed the final hill towards the house. This time it had not been because her daughter was eavesdropping, hopping through trees like she thought she was a squirrel, rather just instinct of her own. That’s why she had met Sarah on the front porch, still clad in a long and far too formal gown for the middle of the woods in Chicago.

“You are a bad liar, did you know?”

Sarah shrugged, hiding her face in Ava’s shoulder. The red satin she wore was cool against her skin, easing the burning of her cheeks as the vampire so obviously read her like a book.

“My cherished one,” Ava continued as she led them to sit on the porch swing, “Where are you been? Not literally, of course; I know you haven’t left the cottage.”

Sarah almost laughed a little at her words, the way the vampire made herself clear to ensure she knew exactly what she meant. She sighed a little as she settled down on the rough cushion of the swing, surrendering to the promise of comfort as she leaned back into Ava’s cold frame.

“The Unseelie,” she murmured after some time, “That cat.”

“Damned mongrel,” Ava cursed, “What has he done now?”

“Still watching me, all the time. Since you told me he was Fae I figured he would lose the act but… he still lurks in his cat form. His eyes, Ava, he is so unnerving.”

“He won’t hurt you,” she promised, “He wouldn’t dare. Not on Seelie land and certainly not on my land.”

Sarah paused, eyes darting around as if looking for the creature in question. April had said his name is Crockett, an Unseelie Fae from New Orleans. Her brother had befriended him early on but the rest of the forest residents hadn’t been so welcoming. He brought a promise of chaos, being a lone Fae of another court, and his demeanour did not convince otherwise. The way he watched Sarah had seemed almost primal, stalking her as if she might attack him at any moment.

“He’s not here,” Ava promised, “He won’t come too close to my grounds. He may be brash but he’s not stupid. If you are afraid of him hurting you, beloved, I can have a word with the devil.”

“What if… what if my dad has sent him.”

“Oh, Sarah. I promise he has not. The Unseelie, while not bound by human or fae morals, do not answer to anyone. Crockett is merely being a pest, he will not hurt you.”

“You promise?”

It broke Ava’s heart, hearing the fear in her human’s voice. That’s what made her pull Sarah closer, using a bit of her inhuman strength to ensure the woman felt secure. She pressed a kiss to Sarah’s temple before speaking, “I promise, as long as I live your father will never lay a hand on you. If he even steps foot in our forest I will deal with him myself. As for that Fae, he is nothing more than a nuisance.”

“Okay…”

“You are safe, my cherished one,” Ava spoke the words like a vow as she repeated herself, “As long as I live.”

[theseventhoffrostfall]

Closing in on the ending, I can't help but compare it to Chronicles of Amber, which I read not too long ago. They oddly hit a couple of the same points and I'm constantly reminded that not only is broken sword the 'smarter' book, it's also better at all the alleged strong points of amber than amber is.

Chiefly, you guys will recall I mentioned that Corwin gets an entire book setting him up as a sorcerous warrior-lord of a fae empire, only to get consistently bodied every time he gets into conflict with anyone. Skafloc gets meticulously set up as a sorcerous warrior-lord of a fae empire and then proceeds to put boot to ass in all the fights he gets into.

Amber's multiverse concept is mostly set-dressing and made completely irrelevant by the fact of the Amber-Chaos axis being the only 'real' worlds out of the infinite ones. Skafloc's travels get glossed over when he's adventuring through other parts of faerie (in a manner that's still more impactful than "I went to the dimension of hang gliders") while some journeys, namely the one into Jotunheim, are incredible at setting up this alien landscape of impossible scale, age and bleakness.

Plus, you can read the broken sword without being reminded every thirty-five fucking seconds about how fucking awesome Benedict is and if Benedict were here he'd win easily and man isn't it so cool how badass and ultra uber good at war Benedict is with his masterful brain and unsurpassed warrior skills and you know I heard this one time he shut the fuck up shut the fuck up shut the fucking fuck up about goddamned Benedict I hope he dies in a succession of increasingly poop-filled hells.

Oh, and as a sidenote, Skafloc reforging that dragonsword and returning to Alfheim have convinced me that somewhere, by someone, there is a power metal concept album about this book. It takes a lot of work to stop short of being an edgy emo tryhard and keep your footing on the territory of "this is incredibly metal", but believe you me this book is managing it. Also literally every character who has ever laid eyes on Skafloc's sword says it's a cursed vile sword linked to the end of days and treat Skafloc actually weilding it in battle like a guy showing up to a gunfight with a Davy Crockett. So while it might be thematically unsatisfying, him finishing his quest, shrugging and putting the sword up perfectly unharmed would certainly be the funniest outcome possible

About halfway through The Broken Sword, on the recommendation of @qwertyu858 , and it only took like two years to get to.

Being a serial hater, I'm shocked how good it is thus far. We've got a somewhat fantasied-up mythological tale of elves and trolls and vikings and assorted whatnots, but what immediately stood out to me is how the prose changes between our duteragonists, from flowery and flowing in the narration of Scafloc (a human witch-warrior raised by elves) as befits the charmed and fanciful world he lives in, to choppy, borderline minimalist lines designed to invoke some old saga in the narration of Valgard (the changeling left in his place) as befits an iron-age berserker suddenly thrust into a fantasy dark army.

Of course, it wouldn't still be notable almost 70 years later if it was that simple, so of course we keep getting hints and teases that Scafloc is as much a cunt as his soulless elf foster family despite him being an amiable guy surrounded by imagery of shining armor virtuousness, and we're likewise unable to hold back just a little shred of pity for Valgard even though he's a kinslaying psychopath

[derpyslurpy-da-derp-master]

You know, I always find it so interesting how, around the world, each culture has its own folklore. Usually it’s about gods, mythical creatures, how things came to be- But, oddly enough, American folklore is almost always instead about ordinary people capable of extraordinary things. Other cultures have fae, wyverns, dragons- But, Americans? We have John Henry, the man who bore through a mountain with two hammers, Davy Crockett, Johny Appleseed... 

I find it so interesting that instead of coming up with monsters or gods, we instead made up stories about extraordinary people...

[neworleansspecial]

I wanna know all the things about fae!med 👀👀👀 tell me your thots pls 🍑

A little world building before the specifics:

- Fae make up around 20-25% of the population nationally, but it’s closer to 15% in Chicago because fae tend to stay in rural areas and/or areas that match their species, with some notable exceptions. 

- Most supernatural creatures are considered a type of fae, but there is a social debate about two or three species that don’t really think of themselves as being fae, but humans and around half of the general fae population do. Crockett is an example of such species.

- It’s not uncommon for fae to “mask” in order to avoid harassment, violence, or prejudice in public or the workplace. Some fae even choose permanent body modification procedures in order to appear more human or even pass for one. This is widely seen by most fae as cowardly, but it happens anyways, largely due to human pressure.

- All forms of fae have some type of wings, but what their wings look like vary widely from species to species. 

So, as for our beloved four fae:

- Sarah is a species humans commonly refer to as an erlking. The mythology surrounding the erlking is in reference mostly to a band of rogue fae in the middle ages, but unfortunately, it has led to many forming the idea that erlking are vile and evil creatures. Sarah, for this reason, often will not disclose her species unless strictly necessary- luckily, that’s only really asked by other fae, as humans tend to group all fae together. 

- Crockett is a vampire, and almost 200 years old. Humans and many fae consider vampires to be fae, but others and Crockett do not believe so. This is mostly because one can be turned into a vampire, as he was in the 1850s. He does have non-vampire fae heritage, but this is not really seen as “notable” by others because he’s a vampire.

- Ava is part bereginuas, part sprite. It led to a complicated upbringing and some “strange” physiology that she’s still dealing with. While her body is more typical of the human shape than the mermaid shape of her mother, she retains wings that are more similar to large celia and appear feathery in nature. They’re good for motion in water, but not capable of flight, and are often kept folded down against her back and bound to both hide and protect them. 

- Noah is a species of fae with no human name, but is often referred to as Adonic, and they are considered caretakers of the sun and of light. He has some of the physically strongest wings, because fae like him need to be able to get up high to “protect” sources of light. It’s very difficult for him to mask because he has such sturdy, unbindable wings, he is a species that has Shimmer, and he has a tendency to Glow. 

[skyleafcreations]

I love doing original characters or mash up versions. Also I am now on Tumblr!!! Find me Skyleaf Creations!! 📸 Post Apocalyptic Druid by @mgkarimi , Dark Fae Queen @moondust_photos , Viking Merida by Josh Crockett , Vampire Queen by @orion_photographer , Sea Dragon @ooc_photography #cosplay #canadian #canadiancosplayer #sewing #crafting #skyleafcreations #cosplayclub #cosplayclubontario #orginalcharacter #mashup #postapocalyptic #fae #vikings #vampire #dragons #photoshoots #tumblr https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt97UUwDoTB/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=41wt6p1f1myd

[drabbleitout]

Shadow & Fire Snippet

“Hear me out,” Erinan motioned for his group to settle down. It wasn’t easy to fit an entire mercenary band in the tavern’s back room, but he couldn’t risk anyone hearing them. “We’re on our own here. General Crockett isn’t interested in looking into what happened to Pasca, and I think it’s because the Church is behind it.” A low rumble filled the room as whispers started. “And I know what you’re thinking. What would the Church want with Pasca?”

“Yeah,”

“She’s not that bad.”

“I don’t have all the answers, but I do know if she isn’t with us, or the Guard, or the Trenchers, there’s only one more place to look.” Erinan watched Arymez, leaned in the corner no one else had seen him. He was watching them outside the fireplace’s light, eyes peering out from between his hood and scarf, darting to and fro. “Last night, I visited the Tunnels to look for Pasca. If the Trenchers had her, I was going to find her myself. But she wasn’t down there.”

“That’s where I met Arymez.” Erinan waved him forwards again. “Come meet everyone.” There was no answer, but in silence, stiff and slow, Arymez emerged into the unsteady glow of the oil lamps.

“He’s a Trencher?” Someone else asked, those at the far table straining in their seats to see.

“Well, that’s what people around here call them, but they aren’t… it’s not…” Erinan released a huff seeing as though Arymez wasn’t going to be of any help. “Those who live down in the Tunnels aren’t thieves or bandits, they’re not even really people. Not like you and me.” Even more of them shifted trying to catch a peek. “They’re, well, I guess you could say—”

“Fairies,” Arymez interrupted. “The Fae live in the Tunnels, and they have since the Nuclear Rain. Without them, Humans wouldn’t have survived the destruction of the planet –you’re welcome.” No one dared to move as they watched him.

“Fairies? Like… like in storybooks?” Sondie asked.

“Storybooks?” Arymez looked to Bribey for clarification.

“Are you a fairy?” Another question.

“You're tall for a fairy. Have you got wings?”

“Not all Fae have wings.” Sendrq giggled as they emerged from the hood, dainty in landing on Arymez’s shoulder. Every member of the Wicked Thickets was leaned in their chairs to see the pixie, speechless and staring. “Some don’t one moment, and do the next.” Like an evolving butterfly, paper thin wings emerged from their back, uncurling to flicker.

“You’re distracting them from the point, Sendrq.” Arymez droned, the golden glow revealing part of a human face beneath his hood. With an effortless zip Sendrq leapt from his shoulder, gliding with a few flicks of wings to land on the table in front of Sondie. She smiled, entranced with both hands now holding her face.

“You’re beautiful.” She whispered, eyes wide. Sendrq, appreciating the comment, turned in place to show off their wings.

“Would you like a treat?” They touched her plate, turning the stale bread and potatoes into a wonderful dish of sweet pastries and glazed chicken. Those beside Sondie leaned in, mouths fallen open as they eyed the plate.

“No.” Erinan crossed the room, glaring at Sendrq as he took up the plate. “Fae food isn’t for Humans.” Sendrq crossed their arms with a scowl, turning away from him as he stalked towards the fireplace.

“What are you doing?” Fio called.

“That’s mine!” Sondie cried, frozen as Erinan threw the entire place into the fire. Turning sharply he looked to each of them.

“We take an oath, right now, to never eat anything offered to you by the Fae.” No one moved, staring at him.

“He’s right.” Arymez spoke over the crackling of flames. “Unless you want to be bound by the Fae, to a debt you can’t repay, and suffer from unfulfilling desires, never take anything from them.”

“You spoiled it.” Sendrq turned to him, wings angled down. “I wasn’t going to actually let them eat.”

“You eat or drink anything from a Fae and you will walk the earth, never satisfied by anything again. Food, drink, sleep,” Erinan stressed, “You think you were tired after three days on the run from Ulgal? You’ll feel that for the rest of your life.”

“Sounds like adulthood.” Damiron grumbled.

“But they’re so cute.”

“They may be cute, Sondie,” Erinan turned to her, “but they’re nothing to play with. They’re still dangerous and they can harm you faster and in more ways than you can harm them.”

“That’s not very nice.” Sendrq grumbled, flittering over to Damiron’s table, inspecting his mug. Damiron scooted his chair back a bit, eyeing Sendrq.

[chromium-siren]

50 Gingerpilot Halloween Costumes

(Guest starring Finn and Kylo)

Pick one and send in a moodboard/drabble or I'll write a drabble or create the moodboard (optional)

David Bowie and Freddie Mercury

Star Trek (with Finn as Geordi LaForge- Poe was Picard but with a beard and Hux was Data)

Chippendales

Mountain climber and a yeti (poor Hux wore lederhosen)

Gandalf vs. Saruman

CatDog

Fry and Bender

Stranger Things (Hux as Will, Kylo as Mike, Finn as Lucas, Poe as Dustin, Phasma as Eleven)

Hillbillies (Poe's favorite)

Spider-Man and Iron Man (too soon?)

20s Gangsters

Captain America and the Winter Soldier

Vampires

Werewolves

Batman and Robin

Pharaoh and Archaeologist

Zombies

Warlocks

Goths

Tormund and Jaime (bonus Phasma as Brienne)

Beatniks (Hux's idea)

Hippies (Kylo's idea- he was Jim Morrison and Finn was Jimi Hendrix)

Danny Zuko and Kenickie (aka rockabilly dudes)

Ghosts

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (with Kylo as John, Finn as George, Hux as Paul, and Poe as Ringo)

Young Elvis (Poe) and Mick Jagger

The guys in Some Like It Hot (Phasma was Marilyn Monroe)

Dr. Frankenstein and his creation (Young Frankenstein, basically)

Carl and Russel

Angel (Poe) and devil (Hux)

Cowboys

Cops

Ash and Pikachu

Thor and Loki

Ghostbusters (all four of them)

Bikers

Goku and Vegeta

Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers

Kirk and Spock in Amok Time

Droogs

Mario and Luigi

Woody and Buzz

Harry and Ron

Adam and [St]eve

Jareth the Goblin King and a fae

Zombie football player and marching band member (Hux managed to not get fake blood on his saxophone)

Alien tourists (they dressed as tacky tourists, painted their faces green, and sang Margaritaville)

Men in Black

Davy Crockett and a cowboy

The Avengers (with Finn as Black Panther and Kylo as Dr. Strange- Poe was Iron Man and Hux was Captain America)

[punksarahreese]

Bloodletting | Fae!Crockett

All they do is take and destroy, they should face the consequences of their actions

[punksarahreese]

Bloodletting | Fae!Crockett

Crockett’s backstory for my occult!au

CW: curse mentions, violence, kidnapping

***

Crockett was born into the Unseelie Court in Louisiana

He was a shapeshifter, his most common forms being a black cat with glowing eyes or a large deer with oddly skeletal features

But he did perfect his human form as well and learned a lot about the way people acted and lived because he was so interested in the funny little humans <3

His family hated that; he was supposed to be malicious and distrustful to the humans

But as a young faerie he didn’t think humans were as bad as his people said

So he decided to leave the court and live among humans

And he did, he went as Crockett Marcel and tried his best to integrate into society

It took a lot of adjustment and lots of willpower to keep his human glamour near permanent

But he did it

He lived among humans for ten years and he loved it

He began to feel more human than fae

Crockett basically became a changeling as an adult and of his own volition

He met a girl

She was a human, with the most beautiful blue eyes that would put a selkie to shame and a fierce personality to match

Her name was Hélène and Crockett fell for her hard

They began dating and after a year, without planning, Hélène became pregnant

Crockett had no plans of fleeing, he believed he truly did love this woman and he would never leave her to care for his child alone

Even though he knew the implications of having a half Fae child

He believed they were strong enough to get through it

And he did struggle a lot to remain human honestly

He learned about deforestation and the horrible things humans had done to his family and his people

How they had no remorse or care for nature anymore

He hated it

But he stayed for Hélène

She was his happiness and he couldn’t leave her

When their daughter was born, she had her mother’s soft features but Crockett’s pointed ears. One eye was a striking blue but the other the distinctive, almost black, dark colour of an Unseelie faerie

Hélène was unbothered by this, Crockett had told her of his true identity when he learned of her pregnancy and while she took it hard at first, she realized she loved him regardless

They named their daughter Amélie and she was the light of Crockett’s life

She grew up to be this fierce little girl with impossibly curly hair and the most musical laugh <3

Crockett and Hélène were going to get married when Amé was 3 and she was so so excited to be a “pretty faerie” at their wedding

Crockett always told her these stories of his life back home, of the beautiful fae he knew, of her family

But to her they were just stories

She still wanted to be a faerie though <3 completely unaware that she was technically half one because it wasn’t safe for her yet

One day Crockett was at the market with Amé, picking up fresh fruit so they could bake a cake for Hélène’s birthday

He turned around for five seconds to ask a vendor about the strawberries he was selling and then when Crockett looked back his daughter was gone

He dropped everything, looking for her and calling her name

He searched for hours with many people’s help but they could not find her

When he broke the news to his wife, she immediately blamed Crockett ://

He was given 2 hours to leave, told that he ruined her happiness by letting their daughter be taken

He knew she was grieving and in pain and tried to reason with her, to soothe her

Because he really loved Hélène :((

But she wasn’t having it

So Crockett had to leave

And it was then that his hatred for humans flared

He felt cheated, he lost his daughter and his wife in mere hours

And all of the years of being told about how humans were malicious and hated faeries came up in his mind

He decided he would never trust a human or live among them again

Threatened to curse any human who crossed him 

He really fell back into his Unseelie upbringing ://

He still went searching for Amélie, for years he looked for any sign of his daughter

He had been shunned from the Unseelie Court in Louisiana and became very nomadic

Which was uncommon for a Faerie since they usually lived in large courts and groups

He eventually lost all hope and just kept travelling

He found his way to the middle of nowhere in Illinois

A forest bustling with magic and fae

It felt safe, no humans in sight

He met a Seelie Faerie while he was looking for food one day

She introduced herself as April and demanded he explain why he was on Seelie land

He told her his story and could see her attitude soften as she realized what had happened

Seelies were still not to be trusted but they were known to be much more benevolent and understanding than his kind 

April offered her condolences and said that while it was unheard of, of an Unseelie joining their court, that she could ask if he could stay

And Crockett accepted

Because this was the first bit of kindness he had been offer in years, especially from another Fae

[punksarahreese]

How did April get in contact with Sarah? They’re so wholesome 🥺

In the occult!au? Ooh well

CW: very brief mention of Sarah’s suicide attempt

April knew about Sarah the moment she moved in

She had seen many people come and go from that cottage over the years

She knew Natalie and had spoken to her on a few occasions too

Of course April was very in tune with the forest and it was her home so she was always bent on protecting it

Which also involved knowing who was there and why

So she watched Sarah for a while

Just kept an eye on her, not to be creepy but just to ensure she was safe and so was the forest

Also she wanted to make sure Crockett didn’t try to scare her off or hurt her

it’s not that she didn’t trust him she just knew he wasn’t fond of humans and didn’t want him to do anything that would anger the seelies or harm anyone

So anyway

Natalie and April did speak sometimes after Sarah moved in

Nat just kept her informed about the human and what she did

Especially since she had a cat, April didn’t want any of her animals (or shapeshifting fae) getting hurt 🥺

So April knew that Sarah wasn’t the most happy person and understood she lacked friends and support

And she thought about going over and talking to her but she didn’t wanna spook her

She didn’t look too human herself with her feline eyes and pointed ears

And she had never tried to shapeshift so a human glamour would be difficult

It was actually Crockett who told her about what he witnessed the night Natalie showed herself to Sarah

He noted that the human “tried to end her life; dramatic thing. The ghost saved her, so I guess we don’t have to deal with another one of those at least.”

He’s just bitter and traumatized not that apathetic :(

So that was when April decided she should try and cheer Sarah up in any way she could

She began leaving little things on her doorstep or windowsill

Just a flower she thought was pretty or a particularly shiny piece of quartz from one of the river nymphs

Now she knew humans weren’t supposed to accept gifts from faeries in case it was a trick, but she did this with no binding intentions

She just wanted Sarah to have a little life and happiness to add to her cottage

As Natalie and Sarah got closer, Nat took the time to explain that things in this forest weren’t always what they seem

And Sarah slowly became accepting of the magical aspects of it

She did have a ghost roommate after all, it wasn’t going to get any weirder than that she assumed

And one day April noticed Sarah down by the river, picking up a flat stone and trying to skip it across the water

“Flick your wrist a little more,” she spoke up, deciding then was as good a time as any to talk to her, “It’ll help the rock glide on the water.”

She apologized when she saw the way Sarah flinched, forgetting she was understandably jumpy

“I’m April,” she said as she came around to face the human

Sarah noticed immediately that the other woman was almost undoubtedly not human

“Sarah...” she shook April’s hand cautiously, “Are you-”

April laughed a little because she knew exactly what the question was supposed to be

“Human? No, to be blunt with you. Fae, Seelie to be exact.”

It took a little more explaining and a demonstration of April growing a flower from Sarah’s palm until she was convinced

And slowly Sarah did warm up to her

Because just as April was drawn to those who were hurting, hurting people were drawn to her

And Sarah of all people could use a little healing magic

They talked a lot that afternoon and Nat watched from the cottage window with hopeful eyes

(Crockett was watching from a tree a bit away, eyes narrowed as he waited for any indication that Sarah might harm April)

Nat was just happy to see Sarah open up to someone else

She was talking

And smiling !!

She looked so happy 🥺🥺 and comfortable

Because honestly how can you not be happy around April, have you seen that smile?

Seeing April quickly became a common occurrence and Sarah was super happy to have made a friend

Even if they weren’t human

Because as far as she was concerned humans were all rotten and cruel (Crockett would agree 😌)

and she could use a little more light and magic in her life <3

[punksarahreese]

Thinking about how when Amélie was born Crockett got so excited and bought a bunch of outfits for her in earth tones because it reminded him of his home in the Unseelie Court and he already began to associate his daughter with the peace he found in the forest <3

[punksarahreese]

Crockett noticed Sarah’s presence in the forest immediately and was ready to scare her off, but April stopped him. He was pissed that a human had invaded the one place he thought he would find peace. He decided if he couldn’t curse or get rid of Sarah, he would have to keep a close eye on her to make sure she wasn’t a threat.

Every night, without fail, there was a black cat on Sarah’s windowsill. It’s glowing green eyes gave it away, cutting through the darkness as they glared directly at her. It made her cat Autumn go crazy, hissing at this thing and trying to hide behind Sarah. He remained there, unmoving, until the sun rose. That’s when she had to question if it was really a cat, because what kind of domesticated feline would act like this on a nightly schedule?

[punksarahreese]

How does nat make herself known to sarah eventually? And what does she do to help her? Absolutely love your occult!au 😘

Thank you so much anon 🥺 I’m glad this au has been so well received since I reworked it because it’s super fun to write

CW: mentions of suicidal thoughts/attempts, haunting (duh), PTSD, Sarah’s trauma

***

Natalie didn’t make herself known to Sarah right away

She just watched for a while

Sarah didn’t talk, didn’t ever have any visitors

She just moved from her bed to the rocking chair by the window, staring out into the forest

Sometimes she would read, her cat snugly on her lap as she delved into whatever medical book she had

It reminded Natalie of her in her previous life, of nights she would sneak out to the gardens with a book and read by the light of the moon

The one time Sarah did speak was when she was drawing or painting

She would be spread out on the floor or the back deck of the cottage

Pencils, paper, paints everywhere

She would talk to herself or to Autumn, about what she was painting or just random little things

It was clearly therapeutic for Sarah and Natalie liked to just sit by and watch those moments

It was the one time the human looked alive

Natalie stayed silent and observed for a month or so, just coexisting peacefully

Autumn noticed her from time to time, and Sarah would catch the cat staring at the spot where Natalie was perched on the counter or hovering beside the door

But she never thought much of it

There were lots of mice around, maybe that’s what caught Autumn’s attention, she would reason

Natalie didn’t want to spook her away, since the human clearly had too much spooks for a lifetime

But one day she couldn’t stay hidden

It had been a really rough night, Sarah waking up from a night terror that sent her straight into a PTSD attack

Autumn’s attention didn’t help this time, Sarah just shoving the cat away gently because she felt suffocated

She got up from her bed, pulled on a sweater, and made her way out into the forest

No shoes and leaving her phone behind

Natalie had to follow, she couldn’t let her panic like this out in the woods alone

She was very worried when Sarah beelined for the river

Ignoring the big black cat staring at them from the front windowsill

Natalie glared at him as she passed, as if to tell Crockett now was not the time for his behaviour

He took that as a sign to keep his distance but still watched the human warily

He was a bit scared of the 115 year old ghost if he had to be honest

Anyway Natalie found Sarah down at the riverbank, eerily close to where she herself had met her end

And Sarah just stood there, shaking, crying

And then she just screamed

Bloodcurdling and full of pain

The sound would of broken Natalie’s heart had it still been beating

She watched as Sarah collapsed to the ground, covering her ears and chanting a mantra of apologies

She was repeating what she always did during attacks, begging for her mother to stay alive and pleading for her father not to do this

It was the most Natalie ever heard her speak and it was horrible

That poor girl

Natalie did not expect Sarah to suddenly get to her feet, eyes on the dark, unforgiving water at the bottom of the short ravine

And it was in that moment that she knew exactly what Sarah was thinking

She couldn’t let it happen

So she put all her energy into becoming as corporeal as possible, hand reaching out and grabbing Sarah’s wrist

The human screamed at the sudden cold feeling, catching sight of Natalie for the first time

A young woman, her long dark hair soaking wet and sticking to her cheeks. Her gowns were waterlogged and muddy. Natalie was quite the sight to behold; especially on the riverbank at 3 in the morning

“Don’t,” Natalie begged in a quiet voice, “Child, this end is not fitting for anyone.”

It felt odd, a woman who looked her age calling her a child.

But to Natalie that’s what Sarah was really, in the grand scheme of things

Not that it made her think anything less of her, she admired her strength and everything she had clearly be through

“W-who? I....”

Natalie urged her to sit down, adrenaline from her almost jump into the freezing water ebbing away

“Sit, it’s okay. I can explain, if you’d like.”

So Natalie told Sarah her story, confirmed that she was a ghost, and that she inhabited her cottage and the woods surrounding the place of her death

Sarah was... dumbfounded

This had to be a dream

But the way the ghost held her hand gently, promised her that things could be okay again and she didn’t need to end her life

It was so soothing

Even if it was a dream, Sarah was so grateful for that moment

She missed her mother dearly and felt great guilt for what happened

But Natalie told her that the chances of her seeing her mother in the afterlife if she killed herself were slim

Unfortunately those with traumatic ends didn’t often cross over right away, or at all in her case

It was... an adjustment

It still didn’t feel real to Sarah

But eventually they learned how to coexist with Natalie being more visible whenever she could

It did take a lot of focus so sometimes she was just a disjointed voice or a flash of wet hair in Sarah’s peripheral

But having someone else around was honestly so nice

Especially when that someone knew how to handle trauma

She didn’t offer pity, she didn’t coddle Sarah

She told her straight up that ending it was not an option and she could learn to grow from what happened

It was refreshing really

So Natalie would remind Sarah to take her pills, be there if she needed someone to listen, watch Autumn when Sarah had to go into town to get food

She just became a constant in Sarah’s life that helped make her feel less alone

She would leave or stay hidden if Sarah needed alone time, didn’t pry or push things unless they were serious

But she was there and that was enough

And slowly Sarah got more comfortable speaking and going outside

She still had PTSD attacks and nightmares

That would probably never change

But having someone else around, albeit even if it was a ghost, was way more soothing to her than she thought possible

Isolation had been more detrimental to her wellbeing than Sarah thought, so meeting Natalie literally saved her life <3

[punksarahreese]

Bloodletting | Fae!April

April’s backstory in my occult!au 🌱💚

CW: death, alienation (kinda)

***

April joined the the Seelie Court in a forest in Illinois when she was only little

Her mother was from Brazil though and joined the court when she was pregnant with April’s brother

Unfortunately their mother died in Noah’s birth and that left her children to the Court

There was sneaking suspicion that April and her brother were not actually full blooded Seelies, or full blooded Fae at all

Seelies were characterized by blue or violet eyes, regardless of the colour of their skin (Fae have different recessive traits)

April and Noah didn’t have those eyes though

Both of them had hetereochromia, their eyes a mixture of deep green and brown

April’s pupils were slit like a cat’s as well, giving her a rather intimidating look for a Seelie

April had always had the ability to manipulate the forest, going as far as being able to grow new plants and alter whole root systems

That wasn’t uncommon for a Seelie, but the fact that she had these powers since infancy was questionable

She had massive control over the Earth and all its creatures, which would be terrifying in the wrong hands

She was always super gentle though, unless provoked, which calmed the nerves of everyone (because Noah made them worry more)

She had the power to heal minor physical wounds with her touch, and she always felt drawn to those who were injured or suffering from mental trauma and pain

She just wanted to help those who needed her the most 🥺

There was no question that she had more power than they were expecting

And it made her an unstoppable force

She was very good at persuasion and very personable, so it was common for April to be involved in decision making and treaty meetings as she got older

She was friends with many creatures, including the niaids of the river and the fiendish little pixies who liked to play tricks

April was intimidating but also so alluring

Like there was just something about her that drew everyone in

The one thing that triggered her temper more than anything was anyone mistreating Noah

She would protect her brother with her life and wasn’t afraid to hurt anyone who even slightly upset him

When Crockett showed up in her forest she was defensive

She had only recently quelled a big argument between her people and the three pesky wolves who wanted to live on their land

So she was not ready for another turf war by any means

The presence of an Unseelie was a major threat in her Court’s eyes

But she thought something was different about this one

He was not like any other Unseelie she had met and he was clearly hurting

Something told her he just needed a place to belong

And April was nothing if not always ready to help

So she managed to persuade the Fae to let Crockett stay with them <3

[punksarahreese]

When April started hanging out with Sarah Crockett was like >:(((( because how dare she be nice to a human that human might be a threat

[punksarahreese]

Anyway I think it’s important to note that Noah was the only other Faerie to immediately accept Crockett into their forest because he knows what it’s like to be a misfit and this Unseelie just looked so sad and he wanted to make him feel like he belongs somewhere