#faerie boy fashion

[faerieboyfixations]

I used my new stickers from Five Below on my noise cancelling headphones I go nowhere without, and I love that Bic three decades ago would be just as jazzed about the aesthetic as I am now.

Surely I shan't be presumed cishet wearing these whether I pass or not!

[sing-you-fools]

(and the painting it's about)

I want to be mad but whoever told young me when I said I wanted "every Queen CD" that "the rest of their stuff isn't that good" probably just realized I'd be too powerful if I knew The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke. I didn't know a song could be gayer than Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy but apparently I did not have enough faith in Freddie Mercury.

[otpcutie]

I have acquired all of the green checks >:)

[fruitsofbeingafraid]

rating forgetmenauts couples on ren faire cosplay ability

bigfoot and mothman- 4/10

now they may be ICONIC, but god this would be a pain. either you do it low effort and just look like a regular wedding or do it high effort and then melt bc summer is ren faire season and it will be hot. the slay value is off the charts though. maybe if they're on their honeymoon?

thomas the rhymer & his faerie queen- 9/10

Average Fairytale Man and beautiful ethereal faeire queen is such a dynamic and you wouldn't be too hard-pressed to do either of them! you could even spice it up and do hawker thomas! wouldn't stand out too much at all. 

helena and gerard-8/10

great and wonderful and beautiful. 1872 is SUCH a time period to be replicating the fashions of. absolutely gorgeous. vampires are inherently pretty too. however they have exactly Zero defining features other than vampire so have fun with that.

the rusalka and the shepherd girl- 10/10

this would go SO hard. shepherd girl-esque outfits and humanoid fantasy creatures are both ren fest staples and i am just reiterating how UNNECESSARILY HARD THIS WOULD GO. no complaints. perfect.

persephone and hades- 7/10

i mean. iconic. beautiful for sure. however as we have discussed, summer is ren fest season, and not being together during summer is kinda their whole thing. also they're maybe the least forgetmenauts-y couple on this list bc its a retelling.

the summer king and his husband- 9/10

breathtaking. the summer king music video is so gorgeously beautiful. -1 point because in said music video the summer king does not have legs. if you're a wheelchair user disregard that last segment its an 11/10 for you. 

gay werewolfs- 2/10

if you want to either wear fursuits or do the most low effort unrecognizable cosplay ever these are the fellows for you! they have even less defining features than helena and gerard, i don't even know how you would successfully cosplay them. 

charlatan in red & foxbride- 3/10

i would LOVE to see people's interpretations of the foxbride. however a ren fest is probably not the place for that. i also feel like perhaps drawings would be better than a human for portraying that. the phrase "charlatan in red" evokes a lot of ren fest vibes though so idk! 

zombie promgoers- 5/10

now this may not fully fit the theme of ren fest but i personally would love to do this. get that sunday best into rags and tatters and dirty yourself up. the outfits would be great and it definitely wouldn't be the weirdest things there.

tam lin & lover- 4/10

i may be unsure how you would successfully do this but that won't stop me from thinking its a good idea. another song that has a set time it takes place in that is not summer, not sure how i feel about that. if you went solo as tam lin's captor though????? 10/10gorgeous perfect etc.

james & lover from cottonwood- 1/10

have fun cosplaying High School Boy.

skeletons from interlace of bones- 0/10

theyre skeletons.?

[maingh0st]

thoughts on holly black's tithe

fair warning that this isn't really going to be a book review—I went into this book predisposed to enjoying it, and I generally had a good time. rather than a comprehensive review, I just have some loose silos of thoughts I wanted to share. it's still a long post, but I'm not attempting to cover everything! so without further ado (some spoilers ahead):

let's get this out of the way

Tithe was Holly Black's debut YA novel, and it reads like it. it's a good debut—she's clearly a skillful author even this early in her career—but there are some choices (pacing, phrasing, etc) that read as slightly amateur. one of these choices was, in my opinion, including multiple POVs. maybe this is a controversial take, but I would've enjoyed this book more if Roiben's POV hadn't been included. it would've increased narrative tension, led to more intrigue about his character, and allowed us to get to know him along with Kaye (rather than being privy to his secrets and Deep Inner Turmoil from the jump).

I can't remember where I saw this, but someone said that reading Tithe feels like talking to a teen who's just figured out they can swear & make sex jokes, and yeah, that's accurate—but I also found it strangely endearing. Kaye is a teen, and her ~quirky~ teenager-ish musings on boys, alcohol, fashion, etc feel believable. which leads, unfortunately, to the next thing I've gotta address:

Kaye is 16 years old, and most of the time, she reads like a 16 year old. on the other hand, we're never told Roiben's exact age, but the man has lived a lot of life by the time we meet him. now I'm pretty lenient toward the idea that the Folk age differently than humans, so it's not really an exact number that's the issue, but the sheer chasm in life experience between them. I quite enjoyed both characters on their own, and conceptually, I feel like they work well together on a personality level, but yikes guys. the story even highlights that Kaye hasn't gotten her license yet because of her age; meanwhile, Roiben is waxing melodramatic about how many people he's killed in his years of tortured servitude to his evil queen. this age gap combined with the insta-lovey nature of their relationship* made this book feel... well, about as dated as it is.

*they have great chemistry once they're actually having conversations & getting to know one another! I really enjoyed their banter! but that's well into the book, and well after they've already been acting mutually infatuated

laughs nervously while looking at sjm

okay I'm not going to harp on the above points, I just wanted to get them out of the way. but now let's play a game: let me tell you about a plot from a popular YA novel, and you tell me which book I'm describing.

there is an evil queen with beautiful red hair and pale skin. she holds her court beneath a large hill. the court itself is ghastly—full of bloodshed, debauchery, riddles, and cruel games. unfortunately, an immortal fey man has found himself magically bound to her power, and while he tries to carve out pockets of agency in minor ways, his forced loyalty to his queen requires him to compromise his morals and cultivate a fearsome, bloody reputation.

a young woman who was raised in the human world finds herself swept up in the machinations of this court. the man fears for her, because she is vulnerable, but her presence also makes him feel hope, and her strength and cleverness surprise him. many shenanigans ensue, and they kill the wicked queen.

I mean. there are notable differences, of course, but I just noticed too many acotar parallels. anyways. holly black did it better

reading a faerie's pov

I've already established that I love Kaye, but guys, I really do love Kaye. I love that she takes initiative and moves the plot along (breaking her glamour too early is a great example of this—she could've gone along with the Grand Plan, but her curiosity led her to act faster). I like that Holly allows her to be selfish and think ugly things, but still try to do good and be kind. I know these books have less buzz than tfota, but I find myself fascinated that there's not really Discourse about the Kenny situation (for a tldr: Kenny is Kaye's best friend's boyfriend. Kaye accidentally glamours him to be infatuated with her. when she learns how to remove that glamour, she first takes the time to taunt him publicly and humiliate him with his own desire for her. personally, I like that Holly wrote her doing this and then feeling remorse about it, but it is objectively pretty shitty, both to him and to her best friend).

I also like the way Kaye is believably fey. she's playful and blunt and mostly uncaring about social conventions. repeatedly throughout the book, she'll make a decision without deliberating on it beforehand (which at first, as a reader, feels jarring), but then as she's facing the consequences, she processes her choice and often feels regret or course-corrects in some way. it feels very fae to jump into something because it seems fun, then only once you're in the thick of it realize that Oops, My Actions Have Consequences

threads left undone/questions that weren't answered—or maybe I'm a bad reader

who tried to kill Roiben at the beginning of the book? it's a Seelie arrow, but I thought there would be more plot relevance to this attempt on his life. do Seelie fae often try to murder him? it seemed like a significant one-off event, but as it stands at the end of Tithe, it was just the narrative's way of leading Kaye to find him

Kaye pricked her finger on a thorn in Lloyd's jacket pocket, and I now understand that this was (I guess?) meant to connect Lloyd to Nephamael (the knight with the thorn-lined cloak). but hey, this is a magic book, and I really thought there would be some magical significance to Kaye pricking her finger

is Kaye Fierch her true name? Does she have a true name that she's unaware of? How are true names given / received?

what secrets are guarded by the Court of Termites?? I know this isn't really a plot hole because Kaye is so new to the world of the Folk, but I'm just putting it on the record right here that I really hope we learn some of these Deep and Dark Secrets that were teased

because this post has gotten long, I'm going to create a separate one with bullet points of things we learn about/are reminded of re: how the faerie world works. I kept track of these for the fic I'm currently outlining, but also because it's fun to pay attention to little worldbuilding details :)

[karaonasi]

A little something for BaxterMCWeek as hosted by @minthe-drawings

Happy Birthday, Bax darling!

First Meeting

It was a beautiful night -- the air warm with the coastal breeze providing both relief from the day’s heat as well as the fresh scent of sea salt mixed with grass clippings from the golf course. Or it should have been a beautiful night, if it weren’t so dull. While Baxter Ward loved dancing, loved competition, he hated these so-called “parties” that weren’t parties at all. Or perhaps to be more accurate, they were his parents’ type of party, not his. Stuffy and dull. Not like … his attention wandered across the newly mowed lawn toward the sound of music. It was coming from a large patio illuminated by fairy lights and the sight of several couples clustered on a dance floor. Now that was a party, a party he wasn’t allowed to attend. Not because he wasn’t invited. This was the Sunset Bird branch of The Cypress Country Club, the same club his parents belonged to back home. No, he wasn’t allowed to go because he and his fellow contestants were supposed to be resting.

But as the minutes dragged on with nothing but dull adult talk, he no longer could resist the lure of the music across the way. Baxter leaned toward his dance partner and, sometimes, partner in crime. “Cover for me? I’ll be right back.” She agreed as he knew she would. Afterall, he had covered for her more times than he could count when she inevitably found someone interesting with whom to disappear for a few minutes.

Then he was off, slipping around the edge of their group and into the shadowy in-betweens of the club grounds. Then he was there, amongst the unfamiliar crowd. Something about it reminded him of stories of Faerie Revels -- perhaps because of the forbidden nature of his excursion. Maybe he should have stuffed rowan berries into his pockets or at least turned his socks inside out. No, those thoughts were ridiculous -- as his parents had warned him time and time again. He was way too old to think such nonsense. He would come, enjoy one dance and be back at his own stuffy adult-style party before his coach knew he was missing.

And then … as if emerging out of the ether … you were there.

You were hesitating at the edge of the dance floor and Baxter was struck with how you stood out with your own developed sense of style beyond that of your peers. He made his way through the crowd, hoping that he wouldn’t be too late, that someone else wouldn’t snatch up this gem. Then he was there behind you. His heart raced and Baxter had to collect himself. He had to be the perfect gentleman his parents had groomed him to be. Baxter took a deep breath, then tapped you on the shoulder. “Are you planning on dancing?” He gave a soft amused laugh at your charming reply. “We should dance, then. It’s perfect timing, a new song is just about to start.” He offered his hand in a genteel fashion for you to take, then escorted you onto the dance floor.

And then words weren’t necessary.

Baxter took the lead, confidently guiding you into position and then into the dance. Your skill didn’t matter. The older boy had enough years of experience for the both of you to smooth over any missteps. Perfection wasn’t required, not tonight. That would be saved for the competition tomorrow. Tonight he simply wanted to enjoy his favorite hobby away from the critiquing eyes of his coach, parents, and judges. He wanted to be free. It was … wonderful, magical dancing there under the twinkling lights with you fitting so perfectly into his arms. He couldn’t help wondering if perhaps you were a fae creature afterall. It was all so … enchanting …

And then all-too-soon the song ended. His heart plummeted at the realization that these precious stolen moments had drawn to a close. Against every inclination to stay, Baxter stepped back, away from his delightful but temporary partner. He maintained a bright smile even at the sight of obvious disappointment upon your lovely features. “Thank you for dancing with me.” But no. That was too perfunctory and common a note with which to leave such a charming partner. He wished them to remember him as much as he was sure he would remember them for a long time to come. “You have nice legs,” he added with a smirk and a wink before slipping away into the crowd, forcing himself away from the first pure moment of happiness he had found in a very long time.

[shadowqueenjude]

Tamlin week, Day 1: Heir of Spring @tamlinweek

Princes can play music too! A silly little thing I wrote today! Tagging: @sonics-atelier @decadentpostnacho

Tamlin observed as the priestesses of Spring gathered for the ceremony. They were celebrating the engagement of his eldest brother, Arrion. They were all so pretty, all different sizes and shapes and complexions, yet all with that same ethereal glow, like they were touched by the Goddess herself. Tamlin had snuck into a few of their ceremonies as a kitten, in awe of their voices. He wished he could play with them once. He watched them practice, taking in every lovely note to heart. Suddenly, one of the priestesses stiffened, moving out of formation. Tamlin didn’t have time to react as the lady approached Tamlin’s hiding spot, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck.

“I know it’s you, boy,” she hissed. Her voice was low and harsh, and Tamlin imagined her voice singing would be quite beautiful. Tamlin let out a prrrrrrr as he transformed back into a High Fae. “Thought you could check out the females, hmm, you bastard?” Tamlin blushed red with surprise. “What? No…I just love the temple’s music. My papa will never let me become a musician…” he trailed off with a sigh. “I love playing fiddle, but no one likes a High Lord’s son becoming a common fiddler.” Tamlin turned even brighter at that. Why had he just admitted that? He was such an embarrassment. But the priestess looked at him thoughtfully, her wavy midnight locks fluttering a little in the breeze. “Stay here one moment,” she instructed, and Tamlin stood there like a good boy until the priestess came back with sheets filled with music notes. “Can you learn this song?”

Tamlin scanned the song. For him, it was child’s play. “Why, of course, but-“

“Can you learn the song and memorize it in a few hours?”

Tamlin stared at her. “…Yes? Why?”

The priestess stared at him, her hazel eyes crinkling as she smiled mischievously.  “Priestess robes are in the laundry room of this very house. We have a few spares in case of an emergency.”

“Miss, are you saying what I think you’re saying?” The priestess raised one perfectly arched brow, appraising him. “You are a shapeshifter, are you not? Meet us here in 5 hours’ time. For your information, the name is Kara.”

Tamlin was vibrating with excitement. He skipped lunch and dinner to practice the song. When he had it perfectly memorized, he took a break to scarf down an apple before he jumped into the shower to wash off all the sweat. He couldn’t believe he would finally get the chance to perform publicly. With the PRIESTESSES. Tamlin had to repress the urge to squeal like a prepubescent faerie. He put on his formal clothing, a green tunic with these weird ruffles and gold threading that was apparently fashionable. Tamlin hated it, but the priestess robes he had shoved beneath his shirt kept him in good spirits. “You have grown a little fat,” Penny, one of his nurses from birth, patted his belly. “What are they feeding you in those war camps, boy?”

Like a fool, Tamlin blushed again. “Me and a few friends sneak out and buy mini cakes sometimes.”

“Silly boy,” Penny muttered, but she was smiling as she patted his belly again. “I am sure the cakes they make there aren’t better than mine.” Tamlin vigorously shook his head. “Of course not, Auntie Penny.” Penny’s smile widened, even as she said, “Just Penny works just fine, Tammy.”

“Am I not allowed to show respect to one of the ladies who helped raise me?” Penny beamed. “Just doing my job, boy. Now go, or you’ll be late.”

Tamlin walked out onto the lovely Spring court gardens, his usual awkwardness at these sorts of ceremonies evaporating in wake of his eagerness to perform. His fiddle, which he had managed to shapeshift into a small bracelet, itched to return to its natural state. Shapeshifting wasn’t as effective on inanimate objects as it was on living beings, so Tamlin had to put in a lot of effort to maintain its shape.

Tamlin observed the woman his brother was getting engaged to. She was pretty enough, Tamlin supposed, with her golden curls and sparkly amber eyes. However, Tamlin couldn’t help but wonder if the poor girl knew exactly what she was getting into with his brother. With their family.

Tamlin shoved the thought out of his mind.

Tamlin stood beside his brothers, waiting the boring part of the ceremony out, waiting, wondering when he would have to make his escape. At last, he met Kara’s eye where she was situated with the rest of the priestesses, who subtly gestured for him to get a move on. Tamlin took his cue. “I don’t feel very well,” Tamlin muttered, placing a hand on his belly.

His middle brother scowled at him. “No wonder; I can tell that you’ve gained weight. Go relieve yourself; I’ll explain to Pa what a disappointment you are.” Tamlin shuffled out of there as fast as he could without running, ignoring the looks that came his way as he walked away. On the side of the manor, in a shady spot, Tamlin quickly shapeshifted into a priestess: he had chosen long red hair that reached his waist, with eyes as blue as the spring sky. He smiled, placing the invoking stone on his head to complete the look. Nobody even looked twice his way as he returned in the form of a priestess and joined their ranks. Then finally, he shapeshifted his fiddle to its full form. “We’ll be performing any minute now,” Kara whispered as he sidled up to her. “Are you ready?”

He nodded. She smiled. “Good luck, prince.” Prince. No one had ever called him that before. Though, he supposed, he was one, wasn’t he? At last, the time came. All eyes turned to them. Tamlin’s heart beat so rapidly he could feel it in his ears. He took a deep breath and placed his bow on the strings. He winced at the first note, and it took all his willpower not to release the note and run away. At first, Tamlin played extremely softly. The priestesses’ music was so haunting, so beautiful, the mix of soprano and alto and tenor and bass. Lost in the beauty of their voices, Tamlin wasn’t even aware that his own music had become louder. It began to flow out of him as smoothly as river water. Never had he felt more at home than in that moment. He was no longer Tamlin, an heir of Spring. He was a priestess, a beloved of the Goddess. He was song. He was music. He was life and beauty and prayers. He was right where he was meant to be. Yes, his father would certainly find out that the priestess playing the fiddle was him. But in that moment, Tamlin didn’t care. He would simply enjoy this one moment to showcase his musical talent to the Prythian before the world became bleak again.

[alexanderlightweight]

Before prompting (which woo boi pushing through my anxiety to do this took a hot second XD) just wanted to say thank you for all the absolutely outstanding content, my first day off every week is Wednesday and your writing has become the perfect way to detach from work and destress my brain so again thank you!

I saw a tiktok today that I just went omg mobwife!Alec and I am sharing a screenshot but also more mobwife!Alec please?

i'm so proud of you! good job even though that must have been a lot pushing through the anxiety. i'm glad the days work well together and i'm happy you look forward to my writing! i was very happy getting your ask and prompt and just everything! i'm really happy to share wednesdays and writing with people!

here we go! more mob!wife alec and i hope you enjoy and i love this picture and image and he absolutely wears it and he also wears these a lot cause i realize i never added a picture

-

“You know he’s gonna bring Alec, honey.” Mari warns as she fluffs her skirt and pats down her waist. “There’s never a chance he’ll show up anywhere without him, but especially not a strip club. What were you thinking, anyway?”

“Jamie changed the venue.” Leo grumbles and he sounds as miserable as she feels. “You’re not gonna be able to pull him away from Bane, are you?”

Mari shakes her head, truly sympathetic and also filled with a little vindictive glee.

“Alec didn’t like that secretary touching Bane, you think he’s going to put up with girls hoping to score? He’ll be sticking close tonight.”

—

“When you said a strip club, this is not what I thought you meant.” Alexander admits and his nose crinkles in distaste as the vast amount of naked, mundane bodies on display.

“Would you have stayed home?” Magnus asks, genuinely curious and Alexander gives him a grumpy, petulant look and sighs.

“No Magnus, I would not have stayed home. I just wouldn’t have worn something with so much skin myself.” Alexander looks intensely uncomfortable, “it’s suspiciously sticky in here and for once, I wish it was ichor.”

Magnus muffles a chuckle in Alexander’s hair and uses his magic pass over his boy’s skin.

“Better?” He murmurs and Alexander nods against him in relief, his entire body coated with a thin layer of magic that will look like specks of glitter when he shifts.

“I love you.” Alexander murmurs into the crook of his neck and Magnus genuinely wishes they didn’t have to worry about a faerie aphrodisiac being leaked into the mundane world. If they didn’t, he could have Alexander back home where they could be reading together, in bed or having dinner just the two of them in some country across the world.

“I’m taking you to France, in the morning.” Magnus tells him, “we’ll go to that place with that little river you loved, the one you spent the morning hunting crayfish in.”

Alexander genuinely looks interested at that and he perks up a bit before he eyes the stage and deflates again.

“Just stay close.” Magnus tells him, because the last thing he needs is Alexander away from him and being swarmed by mundanes who think he’s pretty. Which is something that has happened before on the mundane levels of Pandemonium.

“Like I’m going anywhere.” Alexander scoffs and he steps even closer, letting Magnus wrap his arms around him and pull him flush to him.

Magnus hums and kisses his neck and lets his fingers play with the threads of Alexander’s corset and he wonders just how much it would cost him to bribe Alexander onto the stage.

“No,” his boy mutters, giving him an unamused but loving glare, “I can see something going on in your head, Magnus. I don’t know what it is, but no.”

“Next time.” Magnus promises, because that would be a little cruel to try for tonight and then he’s guiding Alexander over to the group they’re supposed to be a part of.

The start of it goes well enough, until the drinks start coming and then things go sour.

Alexander freezes from where he’s drinking his champagne and he eyes the cup consideringly before he reaches out and plucks Mari’s glass away from her and he instead drinks it.

To the increasing shock and horror of the man across from them all.

“Alec?” Mari asks, confusion and wariness in her voice as she eyes the glass Alexander is now holding.

“Magnus—” Alexander slurs, eyes going hazy almost instantly, “sa’ hot in here babe.”

“What was in that?” Magnus asks, voice furious and heated as he takes the glass from Alexander and sniffs it. He recoils a moment later and sends a vicious, seething glare to the man he was supposed to meet tonight.

“This is an extremely volatile aphrodisiac.” Magnus says lowly and he stares at the mundane, “it’s been known to kill half the people who consume it.”

Mostly because half of the people consuming it are mundanes and it will kill them with pleasure.

A little death still kills, after all.

There’s silence in their little section for a bare moment and then the man is being penned down by Leo’s personal security and Mari is being sat down by Leo into a chair.

“Leo, you will deal with this. Won’t you?” Magnus asks, voice cruel and casual as he gets an arm around Alexander’s waist. His boy is stable, even while drugged and listless and the arm he slings around Magnus’ neck is firm and sturdy, meaning Alexander is playing up the affects to a degree.

“Do you need a doctor?” Leo offers, shaky and worried, and Magnus knows that he means well but he scoffs and shakes his head.

“There are very few I trust with my husband, Leo. Especially on nights like tonight.”

—

“Why did you drink it, sweetheart?” Magnus asks when he finally gets Alexander to their loft and his boy is sweating and miserable and touch-hungry and grumpy about it.

“The dosage would have killed a mundane.” Alexander gasps out, “I didn’t recognize the scent, but I knew it wouldn’t kill me.”

“Not good enough!” Magnus bites out as he gets Alexander undressed and in the cool, tepid water of the bath. “You don’t put yourself in danger like that, ever. Especially not for something as reckless as this. “

Alexander pouts up at him and sighs and then admits, “I knew we’d have to leave if I drank it. Plus, it was evidence, someone is definitely leaking faerie drugs into the mundane world.”

Magnus hisses like a scalded cat and cups Alexander’s wet face between his palms. “I’ll make up a reason, if you’re going to be dosed with something like this, it should at least be a good experience. Not this!” Magnus sighs in exasperation and adds oils to the cold water that Alexander is shivering in.

“Honestly, darling.” Magnus chides as he lets his magic untangle the aphrodisiac and drugs apart from each other so he can purge the mundane drugs from Alexander’s body. It won’t be so easy with anything else, but mundane drugs don’t affect shadowhunters accept as a mild allergy.

“Love you.” Alexander slurs cheekily and Magnus uses magic to make him hold his breath and then dunks him, scrubbing his hair viciously before pulling him back up.  Alexander splutters and shakes his hair, water going everywhere as he pouts up at Magnus.

“Menace!” Magnus tells him, suddenly exhausted and relieved and far less likely to destroy half of New York’s criminal underbelly.

[twst-drabbles]

Divus 3

Summary: The Fairy Gala outfit you were given is pretty neat, honestly. Though, your faerie buddies don’t seem to think so.

Before you changed into this outfit prepared by Divus, you almost had to physically fight the three little faeries that wanted to see you change.

Well, that sounds horrible, they just wanted a first look at what was given to you but you value your personal space. Yeah, you know they have a different perspective on nudity, little to no feelings of shame within them, but you don’t want to give the impression that they’re free to bother you at any time.

Well, at least they like you enough to be well behaved and willing to tolerate Divus, Vil, Leona, Kalim and Jamil all in the same room. You know they don’t like it, but you don’t want those little faeries to be in your space.

Anyways…

Divus really has his work cut out for him. If he wasn’t a teacher, you’re more than sure he’d be a high end fashion designer with multiple shops clamoring for rights to sell his clothing. On such short notice, you were expecting the fabric and the silver accents to be rushed, but the end results were something to marvel.

While it’s easy to see that teaching is his passion, this too was part of it.

As soon as you walked into the room, you asked, “How the fuck did you figure out my measurements?”

You’re not all that concerned to be perfectly honest. You’ve known Divus long enough to know he’s not a creep or a stalker. You just chalked it up to magical bullshit. Or scarily accurate estimations.

“What?” Divus had that specific smile that told you he ain’t telling you anything. His own little secret. Yeah, it’s probably just really good estimations. If it was magic, he would divulge it so. “You’re not going to thank me. Certainly I didn’t have time to go all out but it’s still my work you’re wearing.”

“Oh yeah,” you looked down, just to make sure it’s still just as neat to look at. It is. “It’s nice. Comfy. And stylish. Should get the job done.”

You could’ve given more details but you just to mess with Divus. You like the bastard best when he isn’t wearing that smug smile. The frown he has is funnier.

“Eloquent.” Sarcasm lathered his tone.

“I know.” You snorted.

A chorus of little bells came from above you. Rapid little chimes, high pitched, almost harsh.

“Huh?” You looked up, the little fire, water and wood faerie swooping down and buzzing around you. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Those tones,” Divus crossed his arms, “are they angry, perhaps?”

The wood faerie stopped and tugged at your sleeve, wiping their hands over the silver accents as though it offends them. The water faerie was in front of you, looking between you and the group on the other side of the room practicing their routine, visibly distressed. The fire faerie was…

…they were heading right towards Divus. They spat fire from their hands, though Divus, with a quick flick of his whip, was easily diverted. Luckily it didn’t hit anything, and that was the only attack the faerie did.

Finally, the three little faeries cool down somewhat from their anger. You were able to listen to their bell voices now that they're not blending together.

“…yeah I don’t think they like the outfit, Divus.” Shame, you liked it.

“I figured as such.” His eyebrow twitched. He crossed his arms. “And why is that?”

You strained an ear, listening to their chimes.

“Huh…” Oh boy. “’This outfit is not fit to dance with our queen,’ they said.”

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Unfamiliar

Part 5

Demon!Grim gets summoned by a bunch of kids accidentally and immediately decides to adopt them in retaliation

<P4

When you cash in a soul for Soleils, the amount of money you get for it can vary. Humans were worth the most, as their souls were ‘pure’, completely untouched by magic. Werewolves, which were humans who had been corrupted before a demon had even gotten to them, were worth the least, mostly out of spite.

Faerie souls were rare, since no demon wanted to wait up to a thousand years for one to die, and were therefore worth quite a lot.

What does this all mean?

That Grim was rich.

Which is convenient! Because kids, he learned, are not cheap!

“Deuce, please don’t take apart your old phone. Just because you’ve got a new one does not mean that breaking that breaking the old one is okay,” Grim sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He may be rich, now, but that didn’t mean he was used to it yet. Every time he glanced over and saw Deuce trying to convince Ace to use his claws to pry it apart, he had a mini heart attack. And he didn’t even have a heart!

Deuce pouted at him.

“You’ve got everything you needed to buy, I can always send you back home,” Grim said, raising an eyebrow.

The boy’s eyes widened and he shook his head, immediately grabbing the nearest friend – Ace – for comfort.

“But he doesn’t need that phone anymore,” Trinity argued, her arms crossed over her chest. “It can’t even text us! It’s awful.”

“It can’t text you when you’re in different worlds,” Grim corrected, tiredly. “And it usually doesn’t have to. Demons are the only species that consistently travels between worlds.”

“Still dumb,” sulked Trinity.

He shrugged. “Enchantments are hard, and finding someone to do them is expensive, it would be a waste to get them when most people won’t use them. Now, stop distracting me, I can see them trying to open the phone. I have peripheral vision, y’know.”

The boys’ shoulders jumped up to their ears, faces red as they quickly tried to hide the evidence behind their backs.

Trinity didn’t look ashamed in the slightest, only pouting harder now that they’d been caught.

Grim plucked Deuce’s old phone out of their hands. Problem solved. “Alright, next up, we should get some stuff to decorate your room.” He thought of his house, relatively bare save for a couple of sentimental things he’d picked up over the years. And small. “I can probably swap out the bed for two smaller ones…”

Ace shook his head, rapidly. “We can share!”

Grim blinked. Hm. A dragon wanting to share? These kids were… perhaps a little more codependent than he’d originally guessed. Should he… do something about that? And, if so, what was he supposed to do?

“Er… sure,” he said, slowly, making a mental note to stop by the library for a lot of parenting books and, perhaps, a few books on childhood trauma. “You’ll have to decide on what color sheets you want.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Red,” said Ace.

“No. Pink.”

“Absolutely not,” said Ace. “Just go with red. It’s dark pink.”

“And pink is light red!” she argued.

“I like blue,” offered Deuce. “It’s a nice… sleepy color?”

“Red’s way cooler.”

Technically, red was a warm color and blue was a cool color, but go off.

“I like blue,” said Trinity. “A nice sky blue could be okay.”

Ace looked betrayed.

“Are you sure you don’t want separate beds?” Grim asked, feeling faint.

“No!” all three of them said, immediately. Even Deuce, who wasn’t even going to live with them, had chimed in. Grim was definitely going to look into codependence.

“... okay. How about we get clothes, and you three can think on it?” he said, a little desperately.

Once they no longer had to share the things that they were buying, shopping was far easier.

Grim couldn’t say he was super knowledgeable about fashion, seeing as Hell didn’t really have any fashion trends for him to follow. Put delicately, there was… no need to cover up, and so most demons didn’t bother. Some experimented, sure, but it was just that – experimenting. Most gave up after a few years, if only because it was a pain to doll yourself up every morning.

This did not mean that there wasn’t an abundance of clothes stores to pick from, though, all in kids’ sizes.

(Demons, as strange as it may sound, were prone to randomly picking up children of miscellaneous species. Gotta pass the millenia somehow, he supposed.)

Now, Grim watched as the kids ran around, picking out items, and realized that he was even less fashionable than he had originally thought he was. Trinity took a liking to a tutu and a set of wizard robes. Ace picked up what looked to be a Batman costume. Grim simply did not understand.

Deuce looked pained. He tugged on Grim’s arm.

“Tell them that it looks bad and they can’t buy it, please.”

Grim looked at the two kids, and then shrugged. “If it’s what they want to wear, I don’t see why they shouldn’t.”

The faerie fell to his knees, devastated.

Now that he thought about it, faerie put a lot of effort into their appearances. They, probably, had a myriad of fashion rules to follow.

… whatever. Ace and Trinity were happy, and it wasn’t like anyone in Hell was going to care if their clothes ‘clashed’.

Outside of Deuce, who picked out a few outfits for them to wear ‘when they came to visit’. Grim added a new note to the margins of his already full mental notepad: make sure Deuce doesn’t burn their clothes out of sheer spite.

Considering his notepad was full, he should probably try and alleviate the danger now, before he forgot. He even had a plan for dealing with it!

Distraction! Kids are easy to distract! Especially with shiny things!

So, he took them around the mall. He didn’t let them go wild – he had no intentions of going broke, after all – but he was happy to buy anything within reason.

Something that the dragon, unsurprisingly, was even more happy to take advantage of. Though Grim was happy to say that Ace focused, largely, on buying nesting materials. Which meant that Ace was actually able to prioritize when splurging! Grim had done nothing to teach him this virtue, but he was proud regardless.

Trinity bought… a goldfish. Grim hadn’t known what she would get, he could have guessed for a hundred years and he still wouldn’t have guessed that she’d go for that. Still, it was her money, and it wasn’t like the goldfish would harm her, so he bought a tank and some little decorations to go with it. The tank was way too big for such a small creature, and literally flashy thanks to a couple of LEDs. He was half tempted to get a couple more fish, to fill it out more, but decided to hold off on that for a while, until he was sure that Trinity was capable of keeping the single fish alive.

Unaware of what Grim had considered and then subsequently shot down, Trinity was as content as can be with the current situation.

“I thought you’d get a cat, if you were buying a pet,” he mused, absently, watching as the tank and fish disappeared in a small flash of light, privately grateful that he had thought far enough ahead to choose a mall that provided delivery services.

“No!” she huffed, drawing his attention back to her. “I want a cat as my familiar, not my pet.”

Grim nodded, slowly. That made sense, he guessed.

“Also the water is calming,” Deuce said.

Grim, who had watched the kids sit in the fish aisle for twenty minutes, eyes full of wonder, decided he would take his word for it.

“I still think chimeras are way cooler,” he said.

The kids shook their heads, vehemently.

“Who even cares what’s cool,” Trinity grumbled. “What matters is how cute a pet is. Black cats are cute. Fish are cute.”

“Chimeras are cute!” Grim said.

All of the kids erupted into disagreement.

One day they would get it, he was sure.

But… he, privately, wouldn’t mind if they didn’t understand. Grim fought back a smile. They all looked so adorable when their cheeks puffed up in anger. He ruffled Ace’s hair, which only made his face burn an even brighter red.

Fighting off a laugh by clearing his throat, he looked around. “Right, anything else…?”

His eyes landed on Deuce. The boy seemed happy to be included on their little trip, content to follow his friends around and give his opinions on things when asked, but…

He sighed. “You can buy something, too, if you want.”

Ace immediately whirled to look at him, his eyes gleaming. “Get us all gaming consoles!”

“Vetoed,” Grim said, immediately.

Ace whirled back around, his mouth dropping open in sheer offense.

“It’s his money, he should choose what to spend it on.”

Deuce pressed his lips into a thin line, clearly thinking hard.

And then he led them all back to a jewelry store they’d visited early on, thanks to Ace. Ace had taken a liking to the watches. Grim sighed, about to tell Deuce not to buy something just because Ace wanted it, that it was supposed to be for him…

But Deuce pointed at something on the wall. A pair of golden bracelets. Enchanted, judging by the price.

Upon closer inspection (of the plaque hanging on the wall, just below the price tag), they were enchanted so the wearers could get a vague read of each others’ emotions, so long as both of them were wearing their bands at the same time. Basically, it was the ultimate friendship bracelet.

Predictably, Trinity and Ace started bickering with each other over who would get it.

Deuce either didn’t notice this or was actively ignoring it. Either way, he was blushing bright red, looking at Grim imploringly. “If – if I get them, my mom won’t have to worry about us getting separated! She’ll always know if I’m safe or not!”

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Ace and Trinity’s fight come to an abrupt halt, both of them sulking a little now that they knew it wasn’t for either of them. The smile that made its way across Grim’s face was partially out of relief. Deuce could never blatantly show favorites among his two friends, because that would surely lead to a blowup of some sort.

But he was mostly just smiling because this kid was a sweetheart.

“I have no problem buying that for you. I’m sure Delilah will love it,” he said.

Deuce beamed.

Grim clapped him on the shoulder, and then turned to the nearest store clerk. Within a few minutes, Deuce had a present for his mom, and Grim was much less rich. After a quick glance around, he realized they had kind of covered everything. As far as he could tell, all of the necessities were taken care of.

Which meant…

Oh no. The day was over. There was no more stalling it. They must return to the sheet debate.

Eventually, under threat of being stuck with brown sheets, they all compromised on a dark purple set… so long as Trinity got a light purple comforter to go with it, and Ace got to choose the fish’s name, and Deuce got to put glow-in-the-dark stars all over their ceiling.

They got home, every problem solved… only for Grim to look at all of the new stuff in his apartment and realize that every problem was not, in fact, solved. Because they had only bought the stuff, they still had to set it all up.

Hey, God! He was tired! Give him a break!

God did not give him a break, so he had to give himself one. After the room had been made livable enough for the kids to sleep in, and Deuce had been sent back home for the night, and the kids had been forced to brush their teeth (he could not comprehend why they hated it so much)... he dropped onto the couch and flicked the TV on.

Yeah, he could sleep. Just like he could breathe, could eat. In fact, Grim loved sleeping. It was a great way to pass time!

However, there were far more pertinent things to do.

Ah, his show. He had missed so much. The main leads had been about to confess, he swears!

Grim relaxed into the plush cushions, letting the prerecorded episode start playing.

… okay, they hadn’t confessed in this episode, but they would soon, he was sure of it.

He sighed, flopping back on the couch. Closed his eyes, the dull murmur of the TV playing in his ears. The kids had his bed, now, so here he would sleep. If he even could – the couch was comfortable, but only in the one place that had been properly broken in. He shifted around, awkwardly, for twenty long minutes that stretched into an eternity, before giving up entirely. He fumbled for his remote, starting to flip through channels…

Only the channels didn’t change. Because he’d turned the TV off in frustration when he’d realized that his ship wasn’t canon yet.

But he’d heard people talking…

He sat up slowly, listening intently for any whispers coming from the kids’ room. He didn’t hear any talking now, but they’d definitely been up for at least an hour after he’d put them to bed. Maybe he should have confiscated their phones? He had just assumed that they, as species that needed sleep, would actually do it, but perhaps that was foolish of him.

Grim tiptoed over to the door, and opened it, peering in.

Ace had once again curled along the perimeter of the bed, though there was now an actual nest for him to wrap around, a myriad of soft cloths he had taken a liking to and the occasional golden watch, in a loose ring shape.

Trinity lay in the center, her blanket abandoned once again.

… hugging Deuce.

When had Deuce come back?

Grim’s eyes flicked to the wall. They’d made a quick and easy, two-way portal between Deuce’s room and Grim’s kids’ bedroom. Now, the portal was glowing, the faint red warring with the blue and purple LEDs in the fish’s (named Lubert, because Ace was bad at naming things, too, apparently) tank. It had been used recently, that much was obvious.

He looked at the three kids, fast asleep, seemingly perfectly content…

And decided that it was fine, though he did send Deuce’s mom a quick text so she wouldn’t wake up and worry that her son had been stolen away. Again.

He sighed, quietly, letting the door click shut.

And then turned his attention to the kitchen. Well, they’d wake up in a few hours. He might as well spend the time learning to make breakfast.

He opened the fridge and immediately stopped cold – not only because of the cool air washing over him.

Other species need to eat! He’d forgotten to go buy groceries!

He grabbed a scrap of paper and wrote a quick note for the kids, in case they woke up before he got back, telling them he was at the store and to call him if they needed anything. He threw it, vaguely, towards the counter, not even bothering to make sure it landed right before he rushed out the door.

If anyone in the supermarket questioned why he was walking around the store, visibly panicking, they didn’t ask. Which was great, because he was pretty sure that it would not help with the whole panicking thing.

Okay. Okay okay okay. Let’s see. Calm down. Think. Faeries eat fruit. He’d seen Deuce eat watermelon. Perhaps for the high water content? Whatever, that should be easy to prepare. He should also grab a couple of water bottles, just in case.

Right! Next up! Dragons are carnivorous. Grim wondered if they could eat eggs. That was certainly a breakfast-y meal, but he didn’t want to risk it. No, he could ask that later, for now he would play it safe and prepare some kind of meat. Let’s see… oh! Bake-kujira was on sale… but did fish count as a meat? It should! Though, he supposed, the ghost whale’s meat was kinda see-through, and he wasn’t sure whether the un-undead could eat it. He grabbed a chicken breast instead. As an afterthought, he grabbed a spice bottle labelled ‘chicken seasoning’. Helpful!

Okay. Last but not least… witches could eat anything a human could. They preferred things that had once been alive, since that meant they could replenish their mana while also taking in nutrients – which meant, unfortunately, Trinity would likely never know the joy of eating a processed potato chip. Still, that gave him a lot to choose from… though he wasn’t sure what, exactly, would be considered nutritious. Maybe he could just give her the stuff he bought Ace and Deuce? Maybe a vegetable, too…

He grabbed a weird white plant labelled ‘cauliflower’. That was, probably, healthy!

He rushed to the checkout counter. The cashier, thankfully, didn’t comment on his somewhat haggard appearance. Though the kitsune did raise an eyebrow at his basket.

“Trying something new?”

“You have no idea.”

She gave him a mildly curious look. Her many tails swayed back and forth.“I’m guessing you’re not just talking about how you’re not buying tuna today.”

“I… adopted some kids,” he admitted.

It was the first time he’d actually said that aloud.

He… felt strangely giddy. It suddenly felt far more real. This wasn’t the plot of some dumb TV show he was watching, he was adopting kids. Two of them! And a third, kinda, in spirit! He was buying groceries, for his kids, who were sleeping peacefully back home. He was going to make them breakfast.

A wide smile threatened to steal across his face.

She hummed her understanding, smiling a little in return. “Congratulations! Have you figured out which school you’re going to send them to yet?”

He blinked.

~~~~~

P6>

[celestiall0tus]

Into the Fire - Chapter 5 - Forward

Beginning || Previous || Next

            Cicada stepped into Betterfly’s base. She marveled at the sprawling cavern around her, though it was bare save for the metal walkway and small setup at the end of the path. She stopped near the exit while everyone continued. She sighed and looked over the railing at the lake beneath them.

            ��Gimmi, silence.”

            Gimmi appeared from the earrings in her human form and reverted Cicada to Marinette. Marinette stared at her reflection. Unease built and tore through her looking at herself. She didn’t like how she looked anymore. She wanted to change it. After what happened with this universe’s Juleka and Luka, she wanted something different. She needed to be different from the other versions of her.

            “Marinette?” Gimmi asked.

            “Sorry, Gimmi. Are you ok? What happened back there?” Marinette asked.

            “Destabilization. I was becoming displaced when I couldn’t align with reality when that boy used his powers. It only got worse when he rapid-fired them.”

            “Do you know any of what happened?”

            “Bits and pieces, but not the whole thing. I’m taking a guess that you want to fill me in, yes?”

            “I need your help. I… I feel like I messed up. Well, not messed up. Rather, I don’t know, but something feels off. You know?”

            “I won’t if you don’t tell me.”

            “Right. Well, I was dealing with the other Luka, this universe’s Luka. Er, Reverse Luka? Anyway, so much of him reminded me of myself when it came to Adrien, and I didn’t like it. Then when he turned on me and tried to make me the villain for the Reverse Marinette, I said that I had my own Luka. Which, you know, we have our own Luka, but I… with… you know.”

            “You need to work on that. It shouldn’t be that hard to say you still have feelings for Luka.”

            Marinette panicked and covered Gimmi’s mouth. She hid behind Gimmi as she looked towards everyone. Faerie and Betterfly spoke while Tigre Rose and Paw Noir talked near them. Her friends all crowded around the Reverse Marinette, Alya, and Nino. She caught Luka looking back at her, then ducked down.

            “You embarrass me, Marinette,” Gimmi remarked.

            “Look, yes, I know. But that isn’t what’s important right now. Luka knows I sorta maybe like him, and I know he still likes me.”

            “Was it not obvious already?”

            Marinette fumed. “I… well, look! Zip it.”

            “And I win.”

            Marinette grumbled and ruffled her hair. She sat down in a huff, catching sight of her reflection again. She frowned and looked away.

            “There is one more thing, Gimmi.”

            “What’s that?”

            “Can you… can you make me look different?”

            “What do you mean?”

            “I want to look different from other Marinettes. You know? I want to be my own, not like any others out there. After being mistaken for this universe’s Marinette, I just… I dunno. It didn’t sit right, so I want to change it. Can you… can you do that for me?”

            “Are you sure?”

            “Yes. I want to be my own Marinette.”

            “I can do that, but I’m keeping the pigtails.”

            Marinette giggled. “They’re all yours.”

            Gimmi smiled. She offered a hand and helped Marinette up. She circled Marinette, considered, then nodded. She clapped her hands as light enveloped Marinette. Marinette panicked as she felt all eyes on them, but the sensation faded as the light did.

            Marinette gasped as she looked down at herself. She wore a sleeveless, ivory babydoll cami top, light blue jeans, and black boots. She looked over the railing at her reflection to see her hair grown out to her waist with half of it pulled up into a pair of buns.

            “This is amazing. Though I do look like you a bit with your taste in fashion.”

            “I like it. It suits us.”

            Marinette smiled and hugged Gimmi. “Now we’re our own.”

            “Marinette, we always were.”

            Marinette swallowed hard and hugged Gimmi tighter. “I know, but it helps to see a difference now.”

            Gimmi patted Marientte’s head. “Come, we have important business to attend to.”

            Marinette nodded and joined the others. She stood with Betterfly as Mullo and Juleka approached her.

            “Mullo, you had an idea for me?” Marinette asked.

            “Yes. To scare the Supreme.”

            “Scare the Supreme. He holds all power in this universe. There is no scaring him,” Betterfly commented.

            “Not if we were to show him true power. Summon other powers from other universes that have kwamis like us, not like them. Scare the Supreme with these powerful versions of us. Kwamis and heroes he’d have no power over.”

            “That’s… that’s actually clever,” Betterfly admitted.

            “It is, but how would we accomplish it?” Marinette asked.

            “Miracles!” Mullo squeaked.

            Marinette raised a brow and looked at Gimmi.

            “Right. Well, we haven’t discussed this, but something that we have as a power is a Miracle. It’s something that can only be performed with a pair of kwami in a set. So, for me, my pair is Vana, and only with Vana can our miracle be performed.”

            “Exactly! And if Kaalki and Fluff use their Miracle, we can contact these other heroes and then use your Arsenal to bring them into the fight with the Supreme.”

            “That just leaves the issue of finding the Supreme thought,” Juleka remarked.

            “And we don’t know where he’s at,” Betterfly remarked.

            “Fucking amateurs,” Gimmi grumbled.

            Gimmi pressed her hands together, then pulled them apart. A shimmering prismatic orb lit up the cavern. Everyone stared in awe as Gimmi looked into the orb before it vanished.

            “Tibet. That’s where they’re at,” Gimmi said.

            “What about Hera?” Faerie asked.

            “Duusu is keeping Emilie safe.”

            “E-Emilie?” Betterfly and Paw Noir yelled.

            “What are we waiting for? Let’s get over there! We can finally end this!” Paw Noir yelled.

            Marinette nodded. “Kaalki, Fluff, send the messages.”

            Kaalki and Fluff, in their human forms, took each other’s hands. They spun around as their bodies turned to light and fused. Everyone watched as the light burst and erupted. They all shielded their eyes as Kaalki and Fluff reformed and the light died away.

            “Alright, we’re ready!” Fluff declared.

            “Let’s kick some ass!” Kaalki yelled.

            Marinette smiled. “Alright, everyone, suit up. We’re going home!”

Patreon || Discord || Ko-Fi

[thecoolerliauditore]

To that anon I wasn't targetting anyone in particular's ask it was just Thoughts brought about by the convos going on here recently.

I would like to share a bit more history because I love both fashion and queer history (and food history but thats not relevant.) Take it all with a grain of salt because I'm on movile and can't look up sources though, I highly recommend people diving into these subjects themselves. It's important and fun to leaen about but more importantly it makes you realize we've never been alone, I think. Anyways, sappy sentiments aside- (and this is going to be incredibly incoherent so i apologize ahead of time cause sleepy)

Did you know there was a third gender that gay people, particularly effeminate gay men, were classified into? It's where faerie (boy) being a pejorative for feminine gay men came about. It's got a long and rapidly evolving history, but it was created back in the day to explain homosexual behaviour and the gender nonconformity that cropped up within those communities at the beginning of sexual science. It's also when we got the concept of having a sexuality, as a way to legitimize queerness by conceptualizing it as who a person is. It's what was used to legitimize support for decriminalizing being queer and later gay marriage, though it causes other problems now. One of the problems it's always caused is its use to frame gay men as wanting to be exactly like straight men, just with a same sex partner. They want all the proper things a proper man should want; to be in a monogamlus marriage in a nice home with children of their own. Part of that was presenting as "straight." People who fall for respectability politics eat this up, and you get an "acceptable" mainstream gay culture where any gnc or queerness is considered an offensive stereotype gay men should avoid if they want queer people as a whole to be reapected.

Around the same time menswear become about subtlety. Theres circumstances and specific settings where colour and creativity is acceptable but then you also get mass production thrown in there. In modern times you even see this affecting womens aesthetics with "beige moms" and the concepts of a "small splash of colour" and also fast fashion. Fashion has always been looked down upon as a feminine vice so mens fashion becomes about not looking like you care about fashion. We've come to a point where theres only a few silhouettes and styles acceptable and respectable on a man lest he be seen as feminine or gay or caring too much.

In both cases its a matter of being respectable. In both cases the nonrespectableness is tied to being perceived as not being masculine enough which is equal to being feminine in the eyes of the people that care. And if youve heard an incel go on about the feminization of men and masculinization of women, well, youve seen this mindset at its most extreme. This is a known and repeating problem thats so deeply entrenched and internalized in culture that not even the queerest of queer people is able to escape it, and one of the ways it rears itself specifically within queer spaces and nowhere else is complaining about twinkification.

Twink is queer lingo, it specifically refers to an aesthetic type of gay man. this concept requires at least some depth of familiarity with gay men and their culture to even conceptualize. If you hear this term you are already within the sub/counterculture space where the concept of norm is already left behind.

Anyways, at the end of the day people should all draw and look at what makes them happy, but also i think people shouldnt vaguepost or make generalized complaints that could give especially younger people internalized hatred for the things they ernestly like. Some of its about creating the content you want to see in the world but we cant all be artists of a level we personally find satiating, but i think more than complaining about other people who create things you dont like its simply better for everyone to seek out the content you do like, and more importantly encourage ita creation without putting down the other thing other people like.

Again this sint directed at anyone in particular this is me rambling because its all interesting to talk about

not much to add here!

I think my only thing would be that I am a lot more of an arse who wishes more people would complain freely and more people would learn that other peoples opinions of them aren't that important but like. yeah that is kind of your entire world when you're 15. and due to the nature of the internet and fandom this starts some of the most us vs them mindsets ive ever seen

and not to point out the elephant in the room but i think being kind to eachother and especially the queers who are "undesireable" is especially important rn cus um. The Thing just happened. I don't regret becoming more uncensored and earnest at all on here and this will only make me aim for more honesty in my artwork from here on out.

footnote. the incel mindset is actually so crazy in gaming rn it's getting actually delusional. I've seen a motherfucker say LARA CROFT was too masculine hello?!?!?!?! but it really does showcase just how abstract these concepts are at the end of the day.

[bloomingdarkgarden]

Hello,

First things first, sorry for any grammar mistakes. English is not my first language.

Second, I would like to say I am beyond happy that I found your page, and the fanfiction. I have been reading since I was a little girl, and this fandom was the first, where I was ridiculed for liking two characters together (Elain and Azriel). So at first it really turned me off from anything relaring to them, since I didn't want to be bullied. But after discovering you, I have to say I love them even more! I actually would like to know what SJM thinks herself about this ship war and how Elriel shippers are being treated and made fun off. But, lets leave it for another time.

Third, I think I have never read anything so lovely as your writing. The world you created, the words and actions you put into these characters are nothing short of breathetaking. What made you love Elain and Az in the first place?

To me I think, it's the potential of the way they would fight for each other. Feysand and Nessian, sure, they're mated and all, but these two, oh boy. The way they burn Prythian to the ground for the one thay chose.

Anyway, thank you for this hope you give us. For this beauty. And I hope one day to read an original book written by you 🩷

'There will come a poet whose weapin is his word. He will slay you with his tongue' 🩷

Hi beautiful,

Thank you for such kind words regarding the story. I’m sorry you have experienced ridicule over faeries. All I can say is that people take these books astoundingly seriously considering how many massive plot holes there are. I don’t have the ammunition for it, only the bandaids. You are welcome to hide under a a rock with me away from it all. There’s tea there. And naked pictures of bat boys.

It’s hard to say what made me fall for Az and Elain. But I love this question.

I think it’s has something to do with defying expectation.

She’s been spoken for and consistently underestimated most of her life. There’s something intrinsically interesting about her staring wide-eyed into her own fate and turning away to choose another destiny entirely. Elain has a tendency to shock people and I find that telling.

There’s truly something beautiful to me in the dark fragility between them. I find it absolutely hypnotic. Something about sharing comfortable silence at odds with their mutually charged need and desire. The delicacy is 🤌

For me it has nothing to do with them fixing one another. But merely existing with their demons, somewhere sweet and dark and entirely their own. I think it really hit home for me when Az was the one out of everyone to recognize Elain’s powers.

All she has ever wanted is to be seen. She said that once, regarding Greyshit. And the day Az recognized her Sight he saw her truly.

"-as if the understanding, our understanding… it freed her from whatever murky realm she’d been in."

That was the darkest period of Elain’s life. And it was Azriel who saw her and delivered her from it. While her mate was in the room, at a loss. That's not something a girl ever forgets. Ever.

"𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙝𝙚, 𝙩𝙤𝙤, 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙀𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙.”

This raw, organic understanding.

Why everyone has to be mates is beyond me. That sort of pre-ordained shit reeks of conservative undertones / ownership and makes me 😬. Maybe just because I am a polyamorous bisexual faerie myself idk. I would be cool with it if it were one out of every 20 couples in ACOTAR or something. There are lovely fun tropes with it, but also problematic ones.

Why can’t we just have good old fashioned, star defying, cast-system-breaking-jack-and-rose-titanic-etched love affair idk.

If it happens with Elucien I'll be happy too, but that's another bag. I worship Lucien's ass. I just worship elriel's asses marginally more. I want the world for all our character's asses.

In my heart, Elain’s trembling fawn era is OUT. Elain’s dark-laced self-evolved reputation era defying the gods with a very bad bf no one wants her to have is IN.

Damn the Cauldron. Damn the Stars.

Lets 🫰 fucking 🫰 go 🫰

[olivebranch311]

in light of recent events in twst, I had a huge memory of the sequence where Aqua at the end of BBS fought off Terranort and then jumped *into* the darkness to save Terra after he fell into Darkness. The idea of Silver potentially struggling to save Sebek (or maybe Lilia, even.) and fighting off Malleus’ deeper sleep spell, and trying to pull him back to the surface but quickly loosing ground... and unlike Terra who was unconcious, Sebek (or Lilia) isn’t, and he’s not making it easier by struggling and/or telling Silver to let him go he doesn’t need help, doesn’t help the struggle. For sake of this, let’s go with Sebek as the one whose down with him. Meanwhile, the fae, Yuu and Grim are desperately trying to pull them back up, maybe with rope or magic, but its hard to do that and not get sucked in too. Silver can feel the theoretical claws, the possessiveness. Malleus found them, or maybe he was always watching, Silver doesn’t know. All he knows is that he has to do something or else this darkness will swallow them both up... He glances down at his body, where the ring seemingly glimmers before he has an idea... In a quick fashion, he does releases Sebek (his brother, his best friend, his partner in all) he’s trying to save, and before the other can speak, Silver puts the necklace, the glimmering ring to save him, them, from the darkness of this sleep.  “What are you doing, Silver-?!” “It’ll be alright.” He gives a painful smile. It’s a gentle smile that the other has seen before, but the feeling of darkness, remembering Silver snapping that this wasn’t the time, to grab his hand to save him- But the other boy only makes a motion with his hand, using magic and a prayer to send Sebek back up, up to the light, with a reassuring, “I’m always with you. Go!” He watches with a smile, even as Sebek screams his name as he lands on the grass, the puddle of darkness closing like a wound being closed with stitches, and Silver watches that light fade, he thinks its a trick of the light, or rather, his forever needy mind, that he thinks he hears that deep voice of his father calling for him. He can feel the clutches of darkness grabbing at him. Possessive, angry. Exasperated. Like he is a child throwing a tantrum. He sighs gently, as he can feel the spell literally pulling him under its grasp. “Father... I’m sorry... It looks like I won’t be able to wake you up soon like I thought... I will have to leave it to Sebek now...” (Above ground, there is a screaming young fae boy, a shaking magicless human clutching a monster, and a faerie general... who feels like his heart was cleaved into two, and yet... does not know Why)

[maerynaire]

If I ever get around to my actual proper Arthurian Legend rewrite I'm going to make it intentionally and absurdly anachronistic to the point where it's just a fantasy world. Rome and Roman Emperors are around, Christianity exists but only Lancelot and Galahad are Christian, the OGs (Kay, Bedwyr, Myrddin, Arthur, Gawain and the boys, etc.) aren't English and they're very much pagan as they were originally, vikings are raiding shit, the later additions to the round table ESPECIALLY including the various moorish lads are there, there's anglo-saxon warlords running around, and Britain + England just straight-up don't exist and are sundered to their component parts.

The noble reason for this is making it a celebration of the mythos' long-ass history and touching on a bit everything in an abridged fashion would be fun. Also it'd be easier to sell the magic and superpowers and faeries I'd be bringing back into the narrative.

The real reason is that I'm a sadist who would very much enjoy starting nerd fights among scholars.

[edwinspaynes]

Can you tell me more about this Matthew guy? He seems cool

OH. YES. I CAN.

Allow me to introduce to you the love of my life

*****trumpets play******

MR. MATTHEW FAIRCHILD

Matthew is this scrunkly little artsy-fartsy boy from the early 1900s. He has an obsession with Oscar Wilde that runs so deep that his dog is named after him. He's into art, and fashion, and scandal, and poetry, and adventure.

Sadly, though, he is a Shadowhunter, a half-angel demon slayer. So he is not in an environment that nurtures his passions - it is an 'arid warrior culture,' as he once calls it.

His entire life, he deeply hates himself. His internal monologue, even in the short stories when he is a child, is sad. But he is committed to being a ray of sunshine and making everyone else around him happy and comfortable. He's a natural caregiver to his father and to his friends. Mother Hen Fairchild my beloved.

But also, he has a dark secret.

One day, he is tricked into feeding his mother poison. He is convinced by a boy at school that he's the illegitimate child of his mom and his mom's best friend/political partner. (He later blows up the dorms and is expelled from the school.) A faerie tells him that it's a truth serum, so he puts it into his mother's scone. And she almost dies, but it fine, but miscarries because of the poison.

Matthew then turns to alcohol.

He was always a party boy, but it took on a bit of an edge at this point. He's sneaking out with Anna (his butch lesbian bohemian cousin) and going to salons and Hells like he used to but he's getting excessively drunk.

His sense of humor is wonderful. He's such a force, a bright-burning presence.

I adore all his scenes, and I also love how casually bisexual he is with his little green carnation and his totally normalized talk about dating both women and men to his friends. (Also, btw, the Shadowhunters for all their faults were a pretty queer-safe community in the 1900s. They have their own government, it was legal.)

I also love how passionate he is about the arts and the theatre. He and I share a love of stories and of travel, and we have similar senses of humour. It's funny because we always almost have the same stupid thoughts. He does all the things I would do if I were extremely privileged, completely unmedicated, and slightly more unhinged. He's 1000% the best disaster bipolar rep out there. Like me, he is a blond bipolar bisexual bitch.

But yeah idk. He's just so special to me and has been since. Like. 2014. Lol.