#raven-sidhe

[desos-records]

thinking about Ronan Lynch again. from the Dreamer Trilogy, I think the implication is that he is an Aos Sidhe, one of the people of the hills, maybe even a Tuatha De Dannan--something beyond comprehension from under the skin of the world. but he is Catholic, deeply Catholic, Catholic to distraction and to the point of worrying that his boyfriend won't make it to heaven. in the Raven Cycle, he asks God again and again, 'What am I?' and the answer is... god, a god, lowercase, a god before God became famous. a god who turned himself into the patron saint of kings and quests and Adam Parrish rather than admit to being a god in the first place

[lovelywritinglady]

Muzan and Leanan sidhe! reader? Reader is a art eating fairy (what leanan sidhe means) and likes masterful art the best. However, they sense the infinity castle from where they are roaming and smell the 'food' (the paint) there. So, to get there, i imagine there would be magic involved. just phase through the ground and enter there that way. I'd think Reader would be astonished from how lovely the place looks, no? The infinity castle is pretty! After they find the art they'd marvel before beginning to savor each bite; unaware they were being watched... this enough detail?

This is Great! I’ll do my best to execute your vision!!

Art Eater

Muzan x fairy!reader

Reader specifically is a fairy that eats art and is attracted to art/paint. Readers gender is not specified.

Fluff, mentions of eating paint(please don’t do that!), Muzan is wayy out of character.

Nighttime was the highlight of your long days looking for your fix: delicious paintings. You have been starving looking for food. You can eat other things but everything you tried to eat tasted like hot ash in your mouth, so you didn't bother with it. Tonight you were fluttering around when the smell you've been longing for filled your nose with sweet delight. So, naturally, you followed it desperately.

Soon enough you found the source of the scent, however, you were met with severe confusion. "Where the hell is it." You questioned to yourself and you began flying around frantically looking for the paintings. With no luck, you decided to sit down on the grass below you. However, instead of sitting you sank and you sank. With a yelp, you fell far into the earth and landed on your ass. Your eyes were met with a wonderous sight and you thanked your magical abilities for allowing you to be able to tread in spaces that normal beings can't.

You sat up, opened your wings, and began fluttering around the large space. The scent you had been searching for filling the entire space you were now in. In fact there was no searching needed as you found a filled with the most beautiful painting imaginable. You almost felt bad for salivating as much as you did. You decided that you would just nibble at the edged as to not ruin the paintings. And so, you began eating the once closest to you. The first bite was so good that you moaned slightly at the very taste. The second bite was no different as you chewed much faster than before, almost ravenous for it. Whoever painted these used high quality paint and you were so thankful for it. In fact, you could swear that these paintings were the best you've ever had and you made a mental not to make sure that you stuck around in this magical place. You lost track of time with the amount you were eating as your previous thoughts about only eating the corners were ignored. As you had already eaten an entire painting, yet still hungry for more. As you moved onto another one and took your first bite, you felt chills run down your back. You looked to your left to see beautiful ruby red eyes staring back at you. It was a man with a curious look on his face, despite the curious look he seemed dangerous and you mentally cursed yourself for being so hungry.

"Who are you and why are you devouring my art." the man demanded as his eyes never left yours. You took your mouth off of the painting looking at it and seeing deep teeth marks. You then gulped nervously smiling at him trying to look innocent.

"Well...um..." You chuckled

"Spit it out!" he spat

"Jeeze, my name is y/n and...uh...your art is tasty...?" you said with a toothy grin while squinting your eyes.

"You're a fairy, aren't you?" He questioned

"Yep!" You beamed. "So what's your name?" You asked him trying to relieve the awkwardness.

"Muzan Kibutsuji" he replied as he scanned over the paintings. "Which one is your favorite?" He asked suddenly after some time.

"Oh um... I think that one. The one with the weeping woman. Something about her makes me feel something strange and I can't really figure out what it is." You told him staring at the painting with a soft smile.

"Yes, that one is my favorite as well." Muzan stated giving a similar look at the painting. You then realized something that you probably should have thought about before.

"So how long have you know I was here?" You questioned Muzan kinda regretting that you asked him that. "Welp, I'm dead." you thought to yourself closing your eyes awaiting the impact of whatever he might do. And yet, nothing came. It was silent for a minute until you heard the cutest soft laughter you've ever heard from any being ever. You opened your eyes to find the laughter come from him. And honestly you were shook that a man as scary as him could ever laugh like that.

"You're so amusing little fairy." He spoke as his smile went away and his previous behavior returned.

"Uh, thanks." You spoke awkwardly looking anywhere but him with the faintest blush on your face. "So can I get back to what I was doing before?" You asked being bold.

"Sure, just do not eat all of them as I do spend a decent amount of time on each one." He spoke casually like it was no bug deal that he makes such magnificent art. This left you surprised and you smiled wildly at him.

"Thank you so much!" You beamed. And might I say you're a brilliant artist!" you complimented trying to gain his favor

"See you around my little art eater." Muzan told you walking away without looking at you. "And thank you." he spoke one last time before disappearing somewhere in the vast castle.

And so you did the most logical thing to in that moment and returned to the painting you were previously munching on. You were glad that you fell through that hole and into the home of Muzan Kibutsuji and who knows what else is in here. You smiled to yourself and took a massive bite out of the beautiful and tasty painting.

Thank you so much for reading!💜 Thank you @cursetopia for requesting! I hope you like it!

Please feel free to like, comment, request, and reblog!

Click here to see what I’ll write for and HERE for my master list.

•I do NOT own any characters except y/n and any original characters•

L.W.L

[colourstreakgryffin]

Ok, so, in MGE (monster girl encyclopedia) there's a art eating fairy called a leanan sidhe (The picture is a lil weird but given fairies can look like anything they want it means there are more adult-looking fairies. tho its ok if you don't wanna do this.) they eat all kinds of art, but mostly masterpieces. I would think, douma has many artists in his cult that do art of him. So imagine him walking into his room and then finding leanan sidhe! reader just noming on a piece of of a painting of him. i think it would be funny and cute

Oh my fucking god, I can imagine this stupid scenario too and I’m totally writing it! Douma finds it cute, fight me

Douma- Creamy Paint

Douma knew right away that you weren’t a normal woman, from the moment he indoctrinated into his beloved Eternal Paradise Cult. No, you definitely weren’t, you radiated such a odd aura as compared to the real humans he intrigued in, used his appealing charm all to lure in more walking dinners for him to devour but no. You aren’t human, he can’t eat you

That’s what made you ten times more interesting than any other follower he has ever produced

Douma had been following you regularly, wanting to pinpoint the real reason of why you’re just so strange but so fascinating that you seem to drag him towards you, mentally and physically. He is determined to know about you, who are you really like underneath that human disguise. It only took months for him to tear down that powerful iron wall of yours and uncover the truth behind you

You’re not a human… and you aren’t a demon. No, You’re a mythological monstrous entity, a fairy with extremely long hair laying flatly on the floor and the four crystal wings on your pretty back. Not just that, you had a extreme ravenous appetite for paintings… yes, you wanted to eat paintings and you did. You did it behind the entire cult and your beloved leader, Douma’s backs in order to not get caught

Douma was beyond shocked and bewildered at the sight before him. You, gnawing intensely on the half-torn painting canvas in which consisted of a very detailed and gorgeous painting of Douma himself. You knew of the painters Douma had enrolled into the cult and you also knee of all the painful hours the women spent producing these incredible art pieces but your hunger overtook your rationality and after the first bite, you came running in for more

And now… he has found out about your dirty little secret

Douma, after several seconds of painful silence and maintained eye contact with your gorgeous crystal-like eyes, balled into a extreme fit of laughter as he was truly amused by the fact you ate paintings and not normal food. Entering the room, he crouched down onto his knees to playfully pull the painting canvas inbetween your fangs. He wasn’t upset or disappointed

He was amused… so amused

“So. Does that painting of me taste good? I swear I wash my hair daily~”

[sugar-coated-prat-dragon]

Title: The Mage Stone was once an ordinary object until it was enchanted with powerful magic.

Bonus: Merlin has now been killed twice by the magic of a Sidhe staff (proving immortality).

Episode: To Kill the King

Questions by @tansyuduri

Tagging: @miyriu

Question: The Mage Stone woke Merlin because of its powerful magic. Why do some magic artifacts do it and not others?

It implies it was not just whenever it was in, and as we saw before it was not when magic was activly running through it.

So does it have a sort of conciousness? Does it decide? Am I overthinking this?

My answer: The Complete Guide, states that the Mage Stone was once an ordinary item that was enchanted and given great power. So that would make it similar in design to the Cup of Life (which Merlin can also sense).

The book makes of saying that magical individuals can be drawn to magical beings or objects. Only to then point out separately… “ And then there is Merlin ...”

So Merlin falls under that category in some ways, and yet we all know he’s also not mortal, since he’s the incarnation of magic. 🪄 Therefore he might react differently to magic items than normal sorcerers.

Book description:

Magical powers: Very rarely, humans are born with magical abilities. These magical individuals may be drawn to other magical beings or objects. And then there is Merlin ...

Question: I find it intersting that the stone is strong enough to absorb a sidhe blast and then just reflect it! WHO MADE THIS THING IN THE MERLIN WORLD?

My answer: The only thing we know for sure is that the Mage Stone was once an ordinary object before being enchanted with great magic. And that it was created by “the Ancients” over a thousand years ago.

Magical Objects: An ordinary item may be enchanted and given great powers. Legends tell of fantastic objects, such as the Mage Stone, which gives its bearer the power of transformation, and swords that can slay the dead.

Book description: The Mage Stone is a wonder of the Ancients; a powerful magical item. It can be used to deflect spells but it is most prized for its gift of transformation: the bearer of the Mage Stone can turn lead into gold. Its power can be detected by those sensitive to magic, such as Merlin. The stone was lost for over a thousand years, but eventually came into Tauren's possession.

Question/thought: Merlin was killed when the Mage Stone reflected his staff blast back at him?

My answer: Correct. The blue crystal on a Sidhe’s staff shoots deadly energy bolts that kill instantly.

Merlin was not only struck by one in “The Gates of Avalon” episode, but the Mage Stone deflected the full power of that deadly bolt back at him in this one and yet he was able to survive. So that’s two times now that Merlin absorbed a lethal attack and woke up with no injuries.

Book description: Merlin attacked Tauren with Sophia Tirmawr's Sidhe staff, but Tauren repelled its deadly blast with the Mage Stone.

Both Aulfric and Sophia bear powerful magical staffs each topped with a blue crystal.

An energy bolt from this crystal can kill.

On Aulfric's staff the words ‘To hold life and death in your hands' is carved in the ancient script Ogham.

Question: Its intersting to me what wakes Merlin and what doesn't. Also Magical artifacts, but not all magical artifacts. (Hell Sigan's heart doesnt even do it)

My answer: The book, “The Sorcerers Curse”, mentioned that Merlin hadn’t been able to sleep the night of Sigan’s tomb being discovered, because of the racket being made to unearth the castles vault.

So unlike Morgana, who had fallen asleep, he didn’t exactly have the opportunity to wake up from a prophetic dream.

However, once the tomb was open (and the excavation crew were no longer working), Merlin awoke with a start to the sound of a raven cawing in his nightmares.

So Merlin did have a slight prophetic dream about Sigan’s arrival. He just needed the opportunity to fall asleep without a racket or Arthur barking orders at him in order to experience it.

Book description: “The Sorcerers Curse”

This night, though, Merlin hadn't been able to sleep anyway. The crashing and banging from the castle vaults hadn't stopped even for a minute.

The gem fell to the floor, colourless and empty.

Many storeys above, in his room, Merlin woke with a start. He thought he'd heard the caw of a raven ....

Merlin was convinced something terrible had happened. He could feel it. Normally he'd have thought twice about sharing such feelings, but he knew Camelot was in danger and so he had to act.

[thegentlemancrow]

...God Of The Autumn...

Equal 10 is still going and to celebrate the current feeling of the season, I wanted to portray a god-like figure of Autumn. At Equal 10 you can grab festive items like these metallic, posh Pumpkins. These are by DaD and there are several colors and types. KraftWork made this glorious, beautiful Fall Wreath. Techinically, to hang up on a door or wherever but It looked great as a halo type peice. Elsewhere, Cubic Cherry bought out these cool root-like accessories. They come out your back and some on the head. Very apt!. They were at Abnormality which has just closed - check at Cubic Cherry's mainstore for grabs!.

Teleport to Equal 10

Teleport to Cubic Cherry

_________________________________

Props:

KraftWorks - Fall Wreath ( Equal 10) DaD - Metallic Pumpkins ( Equal 10)

Body.

Hair: Dura - NA49

Tattoo: Nefekalum - Sidhe

Horns & Body roots: Cubic Cherry - Thorns.

Accessories.

Caverna Obscura - Autumn Maple Wreath

/Raven-Array\ - All Hallows Earrings

Clothing.

Aii - Highlander Armor Outfit.

[faeriecinna]

WIP Questionnaire (2.0)

I was tagged a second time by @finchwrites, so I'll do this for my second WIP too.

Project.Ink

1. What was the first part of your wip that you created?

As I mentioned in this post, as someone from an Irish family, I wanted to write a novel that paid homage to our folklore, so I decided to mess with the general concept of a 'changeling'. Rowan came to be when I tried to think up a character that was a faerie who, for some reason, believed they were a human - and the rest followed.

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Not so much a theme song, but Rowan and Killeen's song is definitely Dying Star by Ashnikko and Ethel Cain. I'd probably have it playing in the background when Killeen realises who Rowan actually is to her.

3. Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

Rowan was the first character I created for this story so I do have a soft spot for her in my heart, but because I knew I wanted this to be a queer story, when I created Killeen I basically just turned my ideal woman into a lesbian fae warrior so??? of course I would die for her?? Plus being The Inquisitor for The Sidhe Court is kind of a slay, no?

4. What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

Never read it, but from what I've heard I can only assume ACOTAR peeps would be into it. If anyone has ever watched Zone Blanche/The Black Spot (spooky french supernatural murder drama), that is EXACTLY the vibe I'm going for - just Irish (and if you haven't watched it you should).

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

There are two parallel storylines in the story - Rowan's storyline when she is taken into the Fae realm, and the second storyline that follows the aftermath in her small town when her parents report her missing. I struggle a fair bit with actually writing the aforementioned second storyline because I get so caught up with all the lesbian dumbassery that I forget there is in fact a second layer to my plot.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

Crows, ravens and other corvids are ALWAYS a motif in my stories. The Sidhe also have a strong supernatural connection to the flora and fauna so not only are there several different kinds of forest dwelling animals in the story, but most of the characters can communicate with them!

7. How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

Honestly for a fantasy book my setting/map is rather small so most of the travel is done by foot. I guess there'll probably be a few police cars involved and maybe some kind of sailboat at some point lmao

8. What part of your wip are you working on rn?

In the earlier stages of the first draft atm. I started this as a passion project only about 6 months ago even though I had the plot idea for a couple of years.

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

Queer fae. Need I say more? Also I'm hoping the fact that there are a lot more spooky/horror elements to this story, as opposed to a lot of faerie narratives, will interest people. It's all going to be set in Ireland as well so that's another demographic that I hope will enjoy it!

10. What are your hopes for your wip?

It's a queer story where the characters are just... queer.... and in love... there's no homophobia, no "I'm gay and that's okay and normal!", no having to come out - it just is right from the get go, a gay story about gay girls being gay without that being the focal point of the narrative - so I hope that if it ever gets published, it'll be a book that queer people can go to when they need a spooky gay fantasy without any of the trauma and alienation that we feel as queer people irl. I hope people connect to the story and take some comfort in the darkness.

And I'm gonna tag @sleepywriter00 @akiwitch and @eccaiia

(blank under the cut)

1. What was the first part of your wip that you created?

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

3. Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

4. What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

7. How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

8. What part of your wip are you working on rn?

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

10. What are your hopes for your wip?

[kentuckycaverats]

it's been 6 months since kovac game went on hiatus but we're finally picking up again in january!! new kovac lore under the cut

we lost two motley members (troll grump lou and pookah childling sadbh) and gained two more (redcap grump gale and a mystery nocker) so our st gave each of us an individual session where the world started to end > there was a crazy powerful unleashing of chronos > time rewound a week to July 7, 1969 and only the motley remembers. but! some things are different than the first July 7, like the disappearances of lou and sadbh.

kovac was with kier when time rewound, and he remembers too. between omens + memories kovac experienced during the timefuck and their following convos with kier they've unlocked a few memories from their past lives:

before they were changelings, kier and kovac were odin/the morrigan's ravens: thought (kier) and memory (kovac)

kier asked odin/the morrigan if they could change forms so they could experience the world differently, and s/he loved them and made them shapeshifters

they were immortal fae for thousands of years until the shattering, when they took up the changeling way

in every lifetime they find each other. depending on time and circumstances and their seemings, they're sometimes lovers, sometimes not; but they're always the most important person to the other, and they always fly home

in one of their first lifetimes together there was a child they looked after, and the three of them were a family. kovac can't remember her name but the memory of her face makes their heart ache

kovac has the True Love merit re: kier and in every lifetime they swear the same oath to each other. (we homebrewed this one, based on a combination of oaths for lovers + friendship + fealty)

there have been many lifetimes where they've broken other oaths for each other; in one, oathbreaker kovac went blind for a year and a day, and kier was their eyes all that time. that was the first lifetime when kovac's hair grew long enough to obscure their eyes

there was an early lifetime where kovac was older and kier kept dying too young; 4 of his lifetimes to 1 of theirs. since then kier has always been reincarnated first

they have known each others' True Names, though not yet in this life. kovac is still a childling

in the lifetime where kovac went blind, they were squire to another sidhe knight who used Sovereign to compel kovac to reveal kier's True Name to her. kovac unleashed chronos to rewind time to warn kier, breaking their oath of fealty to their house in the process. kovac went blind and they were both exiled. their ex-knight still possesses a bracelet she took from kovac, that kier gifted them in the lifetime with the forgotten child

in that lifetime kovac was also able to climb in and out of kier's shadow like that girl from the ring :)

there was a lifetime where kovac was forced to near-Undoing by a king, and kier swore an oath of vengeance to kill him. kovac's soothsaying foresaw that the king's allies would retaliate with cold iron, destroying kier's soul and separating them for good. he broke that oath for kovac, paying the price of facial scarring and the reputation of a coward for the rest of that lifetime

[33-108]

"Riders of the Sidhe" (1911) by John Duncan.

The Wise Ones

"As the fairy populations in each region died out completely, the incomers were left with a memory of a small elusive folk who, as time passed, became smaller still in the mind’s eye of those who, though responsible for their genocide would, nevertheless, rather forget them altogether.

The words gnome, sprite and goblin; like fairy, elf and pixy therefore all refer to one race: The Scythians or Sidheans, and relate to various practices and ritual identities amongst this once ancient and noble people.

’Gnome’ comes from the Greek and is related to the root ’gno’. From this same root we obtain our words gnosis and gnobilis or nobilis. Both these words relate to knowledge and wisdom, and point to an origin within the Aryan culture, Aryan also meaning wise, or ’Race of the Wise’, ’The Noble Race’.

A ’Gnome’ is one of the race of the Wise Ones, the ancient king tribe of the Aryans or Scythians, who were the genetic guardians of a blood chemistry, of rituals and lore from which they derived a perceptual state of gnosis or transcendence. The gnome is said to have been a creature of the mines and mounds, just like the hobgoblin.

This description, linked both to alchemy and smithing, is also associated with their ritual practice of living in specially prepared chambers in burial mounds, tombs and pyramids which links the gnome, as a priest-king figure, with the cult of Nergal and the otherworld or underworld.

For this very same reason the fairy is also called the Sprite. This word is a reduction of the word Spirit and also has the same associations with the Scythian practice of regularly inhabiting tombs to obtain knowledge from the ancestors.

Gnome (also relating to ’judge’) as Nobilis gives us another familiar name for the fairies - the Gentry or Noble ones. Gnome also refers to a canon or body of law and this is reminiscent of the role of the Pictish - "pixy" - Druidic High Kings as custodians of the Law and Culture of their peoples.

These Kings, the Brudes or Bruidhes, were the Judge-Poets and magicians whose expertise lay in spellcraft, rhetoric and satire. Their female counterparts were the Bruidhinas, Sirens, Morrigans and Melusines, the Raven women and Swan Maidens, female "Gnomes", Ban Sidhes - female fairies - the custodians of wisdom and law, weavers of spells and vampire princesses, which is exactly what Melusine d’Avalon was. The Sprite is additionally known as the Goblin and the origin of the epithet "Red Cap" actually derives, not solely from the later need for the consumption of human blood as a staple food, but originally from the ritual practice of coloring the Hood or Cap with menstrual blood, which was consumed, along with its precious cargo of neurotransmitters, to facilitate wisdom."

The Dragon Legacy: The Secret History of an Ancient Bloodline - Nicholas de Vere

[grimfox]

the moor

sphagnum, roebuck, ravenous plants black pond, heron, moorland ants red moon, bilberry, will o' wisp a crawling trail through haunted mist piping calls of water fowl trilling hopeless, mourning sound a Bean Sidhe cry, o, death abounds cloaked all in moss, o, death abounds

[moonlightreal]

The giant Fairy YA books post

There are so many fairy YA books. So. Many. I’m just going to drop a list with short comments on the ones that might be more obscure, or that I can think of something to say about, in no particular order.

The Last Changeling by Chelsea Pitcher

Fairy princess Elora must find a noble and good hearted human boy to sacrifice to conquer her tyrannical mother. She goes to a human high school to find him, and promptly falls in love.

I’ve tried to read this one a few times- the plot is solid and the reviews are great- but I just cannot get into it. The moment that boy meets girl they fall in love instantly and then the writing becomes about their growing feelings for each other not about fairy politics and adventure. From the reviews I know there’s good plot… but I just can’t. Maybe you can!

A Court of Thorns and Roses

I quite liked these, in spite of some annoying aspects. I always get grumpy when books have onscreen sex, because book one will be 100% plot and then they start having sex and book two will be 90% plot and 10% sex and then by book four it’ll be 60% plot and 40% sex and well, I don’t mind sex in books but I do mind how the plot gets progressively diluted by more and more steamy scenes.

These books are SJM’s love letter to the Black Jewels Trilogy, and while SJM is not my cup of tea I do love the Black Jewels books and recommend jumping to them for any Court Of fans. With the caveat that they are also weird about sex. In a totally different way than Court Of is weird about sex; Court Of just has large quantities of sex but Black Jewels is weird and makes you wonder what Ann Bishop really thinks about people.

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

This book shines in its worldbuilding. The fair folk are immortal but unable to do anything remotely creative. Our heroine is a painter who loves her craft and uses it to paint the beautiful fae folk. She meets a fae prince who is of course the only fae who has any empathy and humanity and feels strangely drawn to her, because of course he does. The story is predictable but the world and the way the writer does her fae folk make this a book well worth reading.

Rogerson’s other books are also good. Sorcery of Thorns didn’t grab me but Vespertine is just brilliant and with the upward trend in amazingness I can’t wait to see what her next book will be.

Poison by Chris Wooding

Wooding’s strength as a writer is thinking up wonderfully spooky set pieces and imagery, which he does masterfully. In this book he follows the plot of a girl who sets out to rescue a sister kidnapped by the fae. The girl named herself Poison because she’s kinda grumpy and misanthropic and she travels through several creepy places to find… well, the ending is odd. But the journey is worth reading. I like the author’s Haunting of Alaizabel Cray better but Poison is worth getting from the library.

Spell Hunter aka Knife by RJ Anderson

A dwindling civilization of tiny fairies lives in an oak tree, trying to find food and escape the crows and foxes that prey on them. One young fairy who names herself Knife starts spying on the giant humans in a nearby house, especially their son who has recently lost the use of his legs in an accident. Things go from there about as you’d expect. This isn’t a terribly unique plot but it’s a unique setting and setup. It does play with the idea that fairy civilization isn’t able to thrive without human contact, which is cool. There are two sequel books.

The Call by Peadar O’Guilin

The Sidhe have come back to take their revenge on the humans who stole Ireland from them. Every teenager will at some point vanish into the fae realm and must survive as the fae try to torture them to death. This ‘calling’ has shaped all of society with every resource bent towards helping the next generation survive. They mostly don’t. Nessa has weak legs after a bout with polio but is determined to survive when the call comes for her.

This book is verrrry dark, and it’s amazing. There is a sequel.

Cold Tom by Sally Prue

A book from the point of view of a truly inhuman fae encountering the human world. Tom’s people are cold and cold-hearted. They have no family ties, and see the family ties between humans as slavery.

Holly Black’s fairy books

Are reliably good, also reliably dark. She kills off the characters’ pets oftener than I like (oftener than never) and has marvelously creepy monsters. Her fae tend to live alongside the modern world as inhuman beings that prey on humanity. Tithe and its companion books are good, The Darkest Part of the Forest is standalone and it’s good. I haven’t read her other series yet but I’m going to assume they are similar and also good.

Bones of Faerie

A YA post-apocalyptic fairy story. The fae won the war and now nature is angry. A wonderfully vivid setting. Liza is just trying to survive in this destroyed world, and when she discovers she has supernatural powers herself she’s exiled from her village and off on a quest. I quite liked this one because it gives more to the worldbuilding and very little to boys boys boys.

The Various

An oddity. The trilogy is found in the children's section but the books are a good two inches thick each. They’re about girls who encounter the ‘various’ kinds of fae creatures, a bit like Spiderwick with a much higher wordcount. I was very excited to read these, but to my disappointment they didn’t grab me and I remember nothing much about them.

Treachery of Beautiful Things

A girl must save her brother who’s been kidnapped by the fairy queen for his musical ability, and along the way she meets a boy. A standard basic plot, but this book does it really well. The writing feels epic, there are lots of spooky fae creatures, the otherworld feels like an alien realm. The author is Irish so she knows the lore. Recommended!

All That Glows

Years ago the fae swore a pack with Britain’s royal family, and part of that pact means that each royal is invisibly guarded by a faery. Emrys is assigned to keep an eye on the teenage prince, who she feels a strange connection to. But there’s no time to wonder why she’s reacting like a Night World character who just met their soulmate; dire evils are threatening the realm! This book is heavier on the swoony romance than some, but it is a good read for all of that. The fae are appropriately inhuman, the prince is less boring than some love interests, and the setup with the heroine as a guardian rather than wandering into fairyland like most of the heroines on this list makes it unique.

These Hollow Vows

Our heroine goes to rescue her sister, becomes a spy in a fae court, and soon finds herself torn between feelings for a handsome fae prince and a handsome fae rebel who is also a prince. I rate this one too much love triangle not enough worldbuilding. Much to my disappointment because it looked really promising at first glance.

Kandide and the Secret of the Mists

Haughty and selfish fairy princess Kandide suffers an injury that leaves her with a deformed wing and is exiled like all other “imperfect” fae. Meeting her fellow imperfects helps her grow as a person.

This reads very self-published, like it’s written by someone who doesn’t really know how to write a book. The villain hates Kandide just because she’s always been a bully. Fae exile their disabled people just because they do. There’s instalove when Kandide meets her fella and lots of “as you well know” writing. Not a surprise since the author is a stage magician who wrote a book inspired by the art that appears on the cover. In fact she wrote three books! Which is ridiculously impressive but makes it unsurprising that the writing isn’t really up to standard.

Faerie Path

Anita’s handsome friend opens a portal into the fairy world, where she learns that she is really Talia, lost daughter of Oberon and Titania. Talia meets her six older sisters, discovers the fairy realm, has lots of romance with the love interest, and must help deal with a villain. The seven daughters as characters are the only point that make this series stand out.

Wondrous Strange

Kelley is acting in Midsummer Night’s Dream in a park that happens to hold the portals to the fairy realm. Soon she’s crossed paths with one of the changelings who guards the gates and starts falling for him. Oh, and she’s got a kelpie in her bathtub and may be the lost fairy princess. A perfectly standard fairy YA, first of a trilogy.

Iron King

On Meghan’s sixteenth birthday she starts seeing strange creatures. Then her brother is replaced by a changeling and she and her best friend Robbie Goodfell head into fairyland to the rescue. On the way she meets the handsome prince of the winter court.

I quite like these. There's a trilogy about Meghan and a sequel trilogy about her brother, who grows up able to see fairies after being kidnapped as a child. There’s certainly some boys boys boys stuff but Prince Ash is barely on screen for most of the first book, leaving hundreds of pages free for nothing but adventure and spooky fae encounters. I feel like this series is the platonic ideal of the YA fairy novel.

Dust Girl

A trilogy unique in that it takes place in America in the 1920s and stars a girl who is mixed race in both the ethnicity and species senses. Callie leaves home after the dust bowl has destroyed the town and her mother has disappeared, in company with a handsome hobo she searches for her parents and encounters the fae courts.

Wicked Lovely

Aislinn has always been able to see the fae, and tried to stay under the radar. But suddenly the leaders of the summer and winter courts are both taking an interest in her. Only one is a handsome boy, but Aislinn also has a human boyfriend she’s not interested in exchanging for the lord of summer. Marissa Marr has a whole slew of fairy YA books, 5 set in this world and a few others in an alternate fae world with different courts.

The Faerie Ring

Tiki and her found family of orphans survive as pickpockets in Victorian London, until Tiki steals a ring (like, a jewelry ring not a ring of mushrooms) that is the symbol of the peace between humans and fairies. Hopefully the handsome thief Riecker can help her protect her family from sudden fae attention!

Magic Under Glass

Performer Nimira discovers that her employers hunt fairies as trophies, and then meets an unusually human automaton which turns out to hold the spirit of a fae prince.

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Laurel discovers she’s a fairy, and that fairies are plants. Actual plant people, their wings are their petals. Which is a unique take! But when the handsome fae boy turns up her tells Laurel about the courts and a battle against trolls, some normal stuff along with being a plant. Unfortunately, I did not love this book or read the sequels. The plant people idea is neat though, and could have gone some interesting places in a different story.

Wings by ED Baker

Tamisin suddenly sprouts wings. Her adoptive parents can’t help her figure it out, but maybe the strangely handsome one out of the ugly goblins coming after her can.

Glimmerglass

Dana runs away from home, a sensible thing to do when your mother drinks too much, but her father lives on the border of Faerie and that's a problem. Because Dana turns out to be one of the few people who can cross between the worlds, bringing magic or technology back and forth. This makes her a valuable pawn for politicians on both worlds, one of whom is Dana’s father. And another of whom is the father of the hot fae guy Dana can’t stop thinking about. First of a trilogy. Not amazing.

Tree Shepherd’s Daughter

Keelie goes to live with her father, who works Renaissance Faires. Some of the faire actors are very committed to their roles. Almost as if they might be acting their ordinary lives. Soon our heroine is having conversations with trees and learning new things about herself. First of a trilogy.

Lament

Deirdre is a talented musician, and she can see fairies. Particularly two very handsome fairies, who are both looking to kill Deirdre before the power of her music makes trouble for the queen’s court. I read this book but remember almost nothing about it, making me think that as Maggie Stiefvater’s first YA book it may suffer from early-work clumsiness. It afflicts us all.

Falconer

Aileana should be concentrating on her debut and finding a husband, but she keeps sneaking away to slay faeries nobody else can see trying to get to the one who killed her mother. Aileana is a strong female lead and the book is good steampunk fun. Except it ends in the middle of the climactic battle. Not after the climactic battle, literally in the middle of it. So make sure you have the whole trilogy on hand before you start.

Fairies of Dreamdark

Laini Taylor is a really good writer, in a way that not all YA authors are. This is a book about a tiny-fairy with wings, friends with crows, who hunts evil demons and traps them in bottles. The characters are good, the worldbuilding is great, well worth reading.

[starryserenade]

Myth and Magic Ch. 5: Something New

Fic Description: When Tir Na nÓg--the fabled land of the fae--falls to a dark power, the destinies of two young mice are set in motion. As each struggle to make their way in an ever-darkening world, they must learn to trust one another, or risk forever losing that which they hold most dear.

Chapter Description: Duty, Danger, and Decisions. Two dark forces conspire. Minnie must choose her path--return to the lake and continue waiting for her past to return, or venture towards the future into a new unknown.

Commentary: Hi there! If you like what you read, please consider commenting, tagging, or even shooting me a message! I write mainly because I love to share my ideas about the characters with other fans, so it means a lot to me when I'm able to engage with others regarding those interests. Don't feel obligated, but know I'll always be grateful if you do. And to those of you who already do this, thank you so, so much <3

Links:

AO3

Prologue

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

~~~~

“ We have a problem.”

Oswald teetered on the open window, chuckling under his breath when Mortimer fell backwards in surprise and knocked his crown to the floor. Any time he was forced to be in the mortal king’s presence, it was difficult to keep the taste of bile from rising in his throat.  He did, however, enjoy the look of anger and disdain that flashed across the rat’s face when he had recovered enough to look his way. He was a rat, Oswald was sure of it, despite the king’s best efforts to convince people otherwise.

As for himself, he had taken the inconspicuous form of a raven, as usual (for Changelings often prefer to match their forms to their wings) and now ruffled his feathers quite obviously to show his amusement.

“Haven’t you ever heard of doors?!” Mortimer snarled, picking himself up from the floor. “ Damn Changelings.”

Nimbly, Oswald stepped from the windowsill and fluttered to the ground, his blackened feathers growing until they had draped around his whole body–his usual one, that is–then stood to his full height and pulled the wings to his back. 

“Oh please,” he scoffed, meandering over to a desk and picking an apple from a tidy basket of fruit. “A fairy waltzing through their halls? Your guards would have a field day.”

“So change into something else!”

Oswald smirked, taking a bite of the apple before wrinkling his nose at the taste and tossing it out the open window. “And miss getting to see you act a tool?”

Mortimer grumbled and climbed to his feet, glaring daggers towards the rabbit. “What do you want?”

“Your princess is alive.”

The rat nearly dropped his crown all over again, fumbling to keep his grip on the metal through the fabric of his ornately decorated robe. “Wh-what?” he spat, face twisting more than usual. “You said you took care of her!”

Scarlet curtains ruffled in the wind when Oswald beat his wings once, balling his hands into fists. “Don’t blame this on me! I had my own part to take care of, thank you. If you’d had the sense to act even halfways tolerable, she wouldn’t’ve run off to the fairy realm in the first place!”

“Not my fault she had poor taste,” Mortimer replied snootily, eyeing the seams of his glove.

Oswald rolled his eyes. Despicable as ever. He let Mortimer have a moment of pride, if only to heighten his reaction, then spoke. “I wonder if she’ll see it that way.”

At this, the mortal king froze as if recalling some critical detail, and slowly looked up to meet Oswald’s stern stare. “Sh-she, uh, she doesn’t know yet, does she?”

A candle flickered, and lightning struck outside. Mortimer jumped, but Oswald didn’t even flinch. “If she doesn’t now, she will soon. The Sidhe spotted them…er, the princess before I did.”

Mortimer turned away, face pale as a ghost, and started pacing back and forth.  As far as motivation was concerned, he always was a fantastic responder to the concept of self preservation. And that was about it. “This is bad. This is bad, ” he hissed, biting the tips of his fingers. 

“Oh, stop acting the maggot, would you?” Oswald sighed, and whacked the rat with a sweep of his wing, which prompted Mortimer to fall back in a golden armchair. “As long as she’s missing even a single memory, the girl’s no threat to us, or Miss ‘dark & brooding’.” Instinctively, he slipped a hand into a pocket within his cloak and felt the orb there within it, pulsing with the warmth of magic. “The only reason I’m telling you is so you can keep your people out of the way.”

“Out of the way?” Mortimer leaned in curiously, 

“Of the Sidhe. The barrier will be broken tonight, trust me. And when it is, they’ll be going after her. The whole “imprison all fairies” thing worked well enough for those rebels, but it’s pointless now. If any of your people cross the Sidhe, they won’t make it out alive. Get the word out–tell them to stand down.”  

Mortimer yawned. “Eh. That seems like a lot of work. They’ll be fine.”

Feathers scattered across the room as Oswald spread his wings in a rush of fury. “Don’t mistake my company for friendship,” he snarled, glaring fiercely at the rat despite his height. “I despise you. But your people don’t deserve to perish for your incompetence.” He pulled in his wings and whipped around, cloak nicking the now-shaking rat. With a jump to the windowsill, he transformed again into the raven and cast a final, furious look towards the mortal king. His red eyes gleamed in the darkness of the storm outside. “Get it done,” he cawed, and leapt into the rain-struck air.

Perhaps he should have taken the door this time. For if he had, he would have caught the eavesdropper just outside, her violet dress silently sweeping across the floor as she made her escape.

~~~

A slight jolt woke Minnie with a start, and she let out a startled gasp as her eyes flew open. Darkness. Cold. That’s what she was used to. Had she dreamed all the thoughts and images that now flooded her mind?  Was she still back in the lake, alone?

But no. No, her fur was dry, and hay surrounded her instead of the frigid waters she’d grown so accustomed to. She heard a soft breath beside her and, as her eyes adjusted to the shadow, found Mickey asleep just inches from where she lay. He lay with his back to her, having curled into a ball with the hay surrounding him like a nest. She had not noticed before how thin he was, nor how his neck was littered with tiny scars. And though she felt a little silly watching him without his knowing, she could not help but be concerned. His breathing was shaky and labored, and he shivered more and more with every passing moment. 

She curled her fingers thoughtfully, and somewhat nervously, wondering if it would be unseemly for her to reach out and lend him her touch. If she was to leave him soon, she wanted to be sure he was all right. Perhaps the same warmth that had saved her would help to ease the fever that had overcome him. 

Gingerly, she stretched out her hand and placed it on the nape of his neck, fingers passing smoothly through his fur. He drew in a sharp breath as she did and, startled, Minnie nearly pulled away. But then he exhaled and his body relaxed, melting under her palm. When he let out a soft murmur, Minnie smiled, and let her fingertips slip ever so slightly past the collar of his tunic. 

The feeling was different than before, she quickly realized. Before, she had felt the magic spring more from him than her, but had assumed that simply to be a result of her icy nature.

But now, a different power flowed from her own hands. A soothing coolness. She worried at first that it might worsen his chills, but his skin was so hot to the touch that her strokes seemed only to calm the ferocity of that fire. 

“ Mmm-Min…”

Minnie paused, cheeks flushing. Was he awake?

“Mickey?” she breathed, hand hovering just above his skin, and waited silently for a response. But none came, and she assumed the murmur to have been the result of some kind of dream. This soothed her conscience for only a moment and she continued her work, before the realization hit her and she blushed even more.

What was he doing dreaming about her?

She had hardly any time to consider this when the mule brayed from outside, and the cart rocked back and forth before coming to a stop. Footsteps followed by Goofy’s voice and the jingling of tackle sounded as he began to unhitch the animal from the cart. They had arrived, Minnie realized, and with that came a sour taste of disappointment.

Reluctantly, she pulled her hand away from Mickey, who shuddered almost immediately, and sat up. With one last touch, she set her hand to his cheek and sent him a quiet whisper.

“Mickey…Mickey, wake up. We’re here.”

He groaned and rolled over at first, burying his face in the hay, and Minnie giggled at his childish antics. At least he seemed to be feeling better. He must have heard her humor, however, because he turned his head alone and peeked an eye at her. “Five more minutes,” he grumbled, but Minnie saw the playful glint in his eye and prodded him gently in his cheek. 

“Get up, sleepy head. You can rest some more when we get inside,” she scolded, pulling his arm to “help him” sit up. He was determined to fight her on this every step of the way, but when she finally succeeded and he sat with a rather grumpy looking expression on his face, she flicked his nose and giggled. “Oh, cheer up. At least you’re not out in the rain.”

No sooner had she said this, than they found the canvas being swiftly lifted from them. Even in the shadow of the storm clouds, the light of early afternoon was enough to cause the two mice to have to squint, their hands held over their eyes.. 

“AGH! Goof, maybe some warnin’ next time?!” Mickey shouted, voice still thick with sleep but getting brighter all the while. 

“Oops…Sorry!” Goofy apologized, and Minnie laughed.

“That’s all right, Goofy,” she started sweetly, and Mickey glared at her. “We appreciate you helping us.”

Mickey wrinkled his nose, entirely aware of what she was trying to do. Minnie cast him a knowing side-eye, and he sighed. “Ugh. Yeah, thanks, Goof,” he grumbled at first, then more sincerely, “We, uh, really do appreciate yer help.” 

“Well, o’course!” Goofy responded cheerfully. “Anything for my friends! Now come on, let’s get you two outta this cold and inside! I’ll whip up a nice pot o’ stew for you both.”

Goofy had stationed the cart in a small stable near his home, but the distance it took for them to walk to his residence still gave Minnie enough time to take in the state of the town. As Mickey limped beside her, leaning against her shoulder with a rather embarrassed look on his face, she looked about and wondered why the village seemed so unfamiliar. She had been here a hundred times before, but it wasn’t the place she remembered. It had been warm and busy, bustling with life and color. Now it was dull, drab, and lacked the friendly sheen that had made it such a fun place to visit as a child. Her heart sank, eyes on the river whose level was far above where she’d remembered seeing it last. 

Mickey must have caught her staring because he nudged her gently. “You’ve been in that forest for a while, huh?” he asked, not mockingly. There was only sympathy in those eyes of his. She nodded, and he echoed the motion, looking back out at the world. “It hasn’t stopped rainin’ in about three years,” he explained. “Snowin’ too, actually, in the highlands. It’s done a bit of a number on the kingdom.”

Minnie swallowed hard, having a pretty good idea of why. All this time she’d thought she’d kept the fairies’ cursed weather within the confines of the forest…but at best, all she’d done was delay it. How else had she unknowingly failed her kingdom?

“But hey!” Mickey continued, seeing her dejected expression. “It’s brought out the best in some people. Like ol’ Goof here. Didn’t hesitate to help when I needed it the first time, didn’t hesitate to help us when I asked again. It’s good people like him that make livin’ in a world like this worthwhile, y’know?”

Minnie smiled softly. “I suppose,” she murmured, though tears stung at the corners of her eyes. It wasn’t his fault the world was like this to begin with. In many ways, it was hers.

Goofy’s tavern was dark and chilly when they first entered, but their host quickly stepped up to work. Before they knew it, there was a warm fire crackling in the fireplace and Goofy was ushering them over to sit beside it, thrusting a warm tea in each of their hands. Then he rushed to the kitchen and began whipping out all sorts of utensils.

“Gosh, he’s really somethin’, huh?” Mickey stated, taking a sip of his tea and shivering.

“You act surprised,” Minnie laughed. “Aren’t you two friends?”

“Friends? Well, sure. But I only met him yesterday.” He took another sip of tea while Minnie stared at him, then caught sight of the look. “Er…what?” 

“I really don’t know a thing about you, do I?” she asked, feeling a little guilty. 

Now it was Mickey’s turn to chuckle. “There’s not much to know, honest.”

“That can’t be true. How about…where you’re from?”

He looked at her blankly for a minute, then turned back to his tea. Minnie tilted her head, tail curling behind her as she watched him study his cup. “I, uh…” he started at last, and cleared his throat. “I don’t really know, if I’m bein’ honest. Woke up one day in the middle of nowhere. Figured I must’ve had a rough night out on the tear, and it would all come back to me later on.” He laughed and lowered his head. “But I guess I really messed up because my memories never did come back. So, um, I’ve been wanderin’ ever since. It’s a bit embarrassing, really.”

Minnie’s expression softened. “Guess we have something in common then, huh?”

Mickey snorted and gave her a strange look. “What? Y’ended up in the lake by gettin’ ossified or…?”

“No!” she squealed, elbowing him lightly. Then she took a sip of her tea and tapped her finger against the cup. “It’s just…I don’t remember some things too,” she breathed. “Some really, really important things. Just part of the curse, I suppose.”

Mickey didn’t say anything for several seconds, and she squirmed shyly as he stared at her face, brows furrowed in concentration. “Well then,” he said at last, pursing his lips then lifting his cup. “Here’s t’forgetting.”

With a gentle giggle, Minnie lifted hers as well. “To forgetting.”

They both moved the cups to their lips, and Minnie downed the last bit of her tea with a satisfied gulp. But even as she swallowed, something clattered beside her and she looked to find Mickey’s cup spilled over on the floor. He clutched his head, not seeming to notice the fallen drink as he ground his teeth in pain.

Minnie sprung up and rushed to him, bringing the back of her hand to his forehead. Once again, he was burning up, and when he opened his eyes to look at her, they were tired and dull. 

“What is with this fever of yours?” she hissed, pressing her palm to his cheek to try to cool him down. He leaned into it, unresisting. “Goofy!” she called, whispering an apology as Mickey winced at the sound. As soon as the man saw the commotion, he dropped everything and rushed over to the both of them. 

“Gawrsh! What’s the matter with ‘im?” Goofy whispered.

“He needs to rest…I think,” Minnie replied. 

Goofy nodded and gestured towards the staircase to the back of the tavern. “I’ve got a spare room up there. Nothin’ fancy, but it’s nice and quiet.”

“‘Mm’okay, really…” Mickey muttered briefly as Minnie brushed the sweat from his forehead with a sweep of her fingers. But his eyes fluttered feverishly, cheeks still a burning shade of scarlet.

“Oh, please,” she scolded him gently, slinging his arm over her shoulder as she helped him stand. “Just a moment ago you were whining about waking up.  I think you’ll survive a little nap.”

She felt him shudder in something like a chuckle, and smiled. At least he still had his sense of humor…that was a good sign. Besides, she supposed something like a fever was only to be expected after all he’d been through today. He’d be all right, she was sure of it. 

Upstairs, two door frames flanked the hall and Goofy led them into the one on the right. The door creaked miserably, but the room inside was anything but. It was…adorable, actually. The wooden furniture, though sparse, was all painted a neat shade of baby blue, and the floor was littered with little toys and trinkets. It was a child’s room, for certain, though Minnie couldn’t tell to whom it belonged.

Goofy nearly tripped on one of the toys, but recovered just in time and frowned at the mess. “Gawrsh…didn’t know it was such a mess in here!” he laughed, picking up some of the toys as he went along. “But that’s my Maxie for ya, *hyuck*! I’ll have him sleep in my room this evenin’, so you can make yerselves comfortable! There’s some extra blankets in that there chest,” he explained, gesturing to the wall as he made his way to the door. “Now, I have to go into town, but I shouldn’t be long. You two holler if ya need anythin’!”  

He shut the door behind him, and Mickey immediately looked at Minnie with pleading eyes.

She let out an exasperated sigh as she guided him to the bed near the window. “What is it now?” 

“I’m not sleepin’ in a baby’s room…”

It was all she could do not to die of laughter as he leaned against the bed frame and looked at her with that adorable, pouty face, his nose wrinkled in distaste. She had half a mind to listen to him. But instead, she forced a frown. “Don’t be rude! It’s better than being out in that cold!” 

He groaned, but Minnie was persistent, and set to work grabbing an armful of extra blankets and laying them out over the bed. “That fever of yours isn’t going to go away with you sitting here arguing with me, you know.” She tucked the blanket into the frame, then stacked a bundle more on top and pulled back their corners back to make room for Mickey, who reluctantly slid himself underneath. Despite all his arguing, he yawned and settled into the pillow almost as soon as she had pulled the blankets up over him.

“I’ll be right back with some fresh tea,” she promised him gently, and he responded with a drowsy nod.

But by the time she returned he had no use for the drink, having already drifted off into a deep sleep. Minnie stepped lightly over to the bed frame, watching as he drew in a labored breath. Rain pattered on the windowsill and she glanced at the sky, knowing that it would not be long before it grew even darker. How late was it now, she wondered? A part of her wished twilight had already come, so that she could say she missed her chance to return. But she knew it hadn’t.

Mickey shuddered under the blankets, and Minnie set her hand to his forehead. He had only grown warmer…but at the very least, the cool relief of her touch seemed to calm him slightly. She sighed, and whispered a quiet apology. It would have to be enough, because she couldn’t afford to stay any longer.

Gingerly, she made her way out of the room and closed the door behind her as quietly as she could. The stairs seemed the noisiest thing on earth as she made her way down them, and she prayed with every step that Mickey would not wake to their sound. When she finally reached the bottom, she let out a relieved sigh and cast one more glance upwards. “I really am sorry, Mickey…” she breathed, then turned her back and made her way to leave.

She had hardly reached the door when it flung open on its own, and she yelped as she leapt backwards. Her fright was short lived. A familiar figure now passed through the frame. “Oops! Apologies, Minnie!” Goofy chuckled as he meandered inside, though not alone. A small child–no more than three or four years old–grasped his hand, and moved to hide behind him as they spotted Minnie.  

“Oh-!” Minnie gasped, still recovering. “Oh, that’s all right.” She spotted the child and knelt to meet them. “I’m sorry if I startled you.”

The child glared at her suspiciously. He was dripping wet with rain, but had a sort of spunk in his eyes that nearly made Minnie laugh. When Goofy gave him a small nudge, he pattered forward and wrinkled his nose, looking her up and down. 

“Are you a fairy ?” he asked at last, staring intensely.

Minnie laughed, and a bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. “Oh, dear, not exactly…” The child tilted his head, looking as though he very much did not believe her.  

“But dad sai-”

Goofy swept him up before he could continue, and playfully ruffled the boy’s hair despite his protests. “All right, now that’s enough. Why don’t you head on upstairs and get dry. My room t’night, all right, Max?” 

“Hmph. A’right,” he grumbled, casting one more curious glance at Minnie before he ran upstairs.

“He seems…sweet,” Minnie grinned, finding the boy’s suspicions rather adorable. 

“Light o’ my life,” Goofy declared proudly, then made his way to the kitchen and started clambering with the dishes he’d left out before. “Now, how’s Mick holdin’ up?”

Minnie’s humor vanished, and she shamefully studied the ground. It would have been so much easier to leave without having to explain. But now that Goofy was back, she supposed she would have to. “He’s…fine.” Her tail flicked behind her. “Actually, I…I wanted to ask you to look after him.”

Goofy choked, having lifted the smoking lid of the pot he’d left to simmer for too long. He waved the smoke away, eyes tearing as he slammed the lid back on and turned back to her. “Why..? *cough* Are ya *cough* goin somewhere?”

She winced at the sight of his predicament, but answered his question nonetheless. “Yes. I have to…” she murmured quietly. 

When the smoke was mostly gone, Goofy sniffed and looked at her thoughtfully. “Well,” he started after a moment had passed. “Then I won’t stop ya. ‘Course I’ll look after Mickey. You just tell me what ya need before ya head off.” 

It was the perfect answer, but not the one Minnie had hoped for. If he’d refused or argued, she might have had a reason to stay and look after Mickey herself. But as it was, she knew Goofy would do everything in his power to make sure he was safe. The nature of kindness practically radiated from him. This was lovely, but now it only discouraged her.

“Right…thank you…” she whispered, and made her way to the door. She had just lifted her arm, hand hovering over the handle, when she turned back around. “Actually…” She swallowed nervously. “Can I ask you a question first?” 

Metal clattered as Goofy set the dishes he was working on down on the counter, and leaned on the wood. “Don’t know I’ll have the answers for ya, but yer more than welcome t’ask.” He gestured to one of the barstools with a friendly wave.

Minnie nodded gratefully, and gingerly made her to the counter. “It’s just…” she started as she took a seat. “Imagine you’d found your perfect ‘happily ever after.’ And it was the most wonderful thing in the whole, entire world. But then…” she continued, voice cracking. “Then something came along and took it all away.” Her hands had begun to shake, and she took a trembling breath. “How can you ever hope to find something so perfect again? Should you even try? Or…or just… keep waiting…”

Goofy was silent for some time, and she thought she saw a glimmer of sadness flash behind his joyful eyes. She had foolishly assumed someone with as much a disposition for laughter as him could not possibly know heartache, but she knew in that moment she’d been wrong.  After several long seconds had passed, he sighed deeply and folded his hands.

“Well, I figure that all depends on what you’re waitin’ for,” he began, and even his boisterous, smiling voice cracked just slightly. “Sometimes things y’care about more than anythin’ are taken from ya without any o’ yer say in the matter. It’s not fair, and it’s bound t’hurt ya, but that’s just a fact of bein’ alive. Now…there’s no harm in waitin’ for things to get better–hope’s a powerful thing. But I figure, if ya wait too long, then you’re likely to miss out on a whole lotta good that’s standin’ right there in front o’ ya.” 

“You think?” Minnie breathed, something like hope fluttering in her chest. Or perhaps uncertainty. She couldn’t quite tell. “But how do you know when to let go? How do you know when to stop waiting?”

At this he grinned, almost wisely. “Well, I’d gather it’s different for everyone. But sometimes things’ll stumble into yer life that’ll put ya at a crossroads. And when that happens, it’s up to you t’decide. Do ya keep on waitin’...” 

From upstairs, a small voice rang out, followed by the sound of pittering feet. “Dad!” 

Goofy cast one last glance at Minnie, flashing her a knowing wink as he finished his answer. “...or do ya love somethin’ new?”

[coinandcandle]

I have a question about deities. I recently started feeling interested in working with deities (specifically Brigid, and I also think Freyja may be sending signs. a raven recently landed next to me, for example) but I’ve always been curious how it like…works? like corresponding with deities. I’ve seen posts about how deities speak to you and have personality traits and almost human like interactions from what’s described. I’ve heard of deities “barging in” on spell work and things like that wanting to help when they’re not necessarily invited. I guess my question is mainly how are these interactions so clear? for lack of a better description, it almost sounds like an imaginary friend (though I know they’re not! that sounds so bad I’m sorry omg) yeah idk, I just want to go into this right since I don’t want to offend or insult deities.

I still sometimes step back and think about how strange it must sound to folks when I talk about deity interactions. It’s not a bad thing to have some doubts, skepticism is a very helpful evolutionary tool.

Honest to goodness most people do not have full on conversations with deities. A lot of the times the person is reaching out through so form of divination and are picking up vibes. Of course there are times where people are able to go into a trance-state or mediation to fully speak with their deities, some may even be able to do so on command, but you not being able to doesn’t make your interactions with a deity any less real or valid.

I personally use tarot to help me decipher things invoking my patron deities (and others, when asked and if it’s appropriate). That’s because I am comfortable with tarot for divination.

Also, in my experience (and historically speaking) most deities aren’t going to try to interact with you as if you’re having a human-like conversation because they aren’t human. They’re gods.

When working with deities (and spirits, sidhe, etc) you’ll want a solid understanding of discernment. I can’t suggest @will-o-the-witch ‘s post on discernment enough for this who does a wonderful job of explaining what discernment is and why it’s critical to have as someone who works with magic.

[friendrat]

So my dm warned me that at some point my character will be separated from the group (read most likely kidnapped by a psychotic serial killer... he didn't say that, but I know how to read between the lines), so he wanted me to have a backup ready and leveled along with my main character. And because I am an over achiever (and practically don't know if our characters will all make it to that point...) I made three. 😆

So I thought I'd share them with my friends on here.

First up Ohtacáro Alcarin:

Ohtacáro is a Winged Elf Windlord Avenger. He's not overly religious, but he fell in with the Raven Queen after a mutual enemy of theirs possessed him and murdered his family. He is now on a path of vengeance to wipe out said enemy's worshipers and destroy their temples. He was inspired by Hercules.

Next we have Niamh:

Niamh is a Moon Elf Sidhe Lord Cleric. She is an elfin princess who fell in love with a mortal man. They were married and went to live with her people. However, her husband returned to his homeland for a visit and never returned. Refusing to believe that he's dead, she is now on a quest to find him. She is inspired by her mythological namesake.

And last we have Billy:

Billy is a young (homebrew) earth elemental. He is an Earthforger Beast Master Ranger, whose companion is a bull. He ran away from home when his stepmother tried to kill his bull that his mother gave him, solely out of malice. Since then he and his bull have been fending for themselves in the wilds. He doesn't have any grand quest, he just wants to avoid his stepmother and live happily with his bull. He is inspired by Billy Beg and the Bull (it is a Cinderella archetype, I don't care if I'm the only one who believes it, and I will die on this hill).

Right now the party most needs a healer, but her backstory is a bit too similar to another character in the party for my tastes. Her personality is very different though, so that could lead to some interesting role play and character development if I chose her. I also hope to selfishly use dnd to give the character a happy ending.

Billy is the least likely to be used because we already have a Beast Master Ranger in the party. I just made him solely for the selfish reason that Billy Beg is one of my favorite fairy tales and I thought it would be a fun backstory to use. If he ever does get played, I highly doubt that the story would play out anything like the fairy tale.

Which of course means that Ohtacáro is the most likely to be used unless the party changes considerably, and I'm ok with that. I think he's going to be really fun in combat, since he can fly, and I'm going to take full advantage of that. I also think the Avenger class is really interesting, so I'm looking forward to that. Also his mission is kind of open ended, so it won't be unsatisfying when he leaves after my main character rejoins the party.

So there they are! Feel free to ask questions if you want, as it may help me further define them! 😁

[hypnctics]

@wvkcdlvly / adriana & achara

the eldest moon daughter carried a weight on her shoulders that had been apparent to the leanan sidhe the moment they'd met. though adriana was not bound by the hierarchies of cailleach's and the importance they placed on family lines, she understood the burden of a disapproving parent all too well. wanting achara to have some time to enjoy herself and escape the pressure of her family was exactly what had led her to coercing the young cailleach into joining her at the party at bunker yard. "if your parents ask, you can tell them you are working on improving diplomatic relations with the other species, hm ??" the raven haired woman chuckles, wrapping an arm around the other's shoulders.

[shikantazaart]

Who is the Queen of Rats?

The Queen of Rats (also known as the Queen of Hearts, The Princess of Fallen Tears etc.) is a member of The High Council, a known friend and ally of The God-Emperor since long before the War in the Dreaming (perhaps even as far back as The Age of Magic), the head of The House of the Rat and the single most powerful entity other than The God-Emperpor openly active after The War in the Dreaming - she is even more powerful than The High Queen (of equal Fae court standing) Eris according to Fae historical notes and Eris is more often than not classified a literal God. Even Lord Echo appears to give her a wide berth (it is rumoured that at some stage in the distant past The Queen actually conquered Wonderland and took control from Lord Echo during either a personal spat or as some action in a past inter-Fae war; this is not brought up in polite conversation or at court and so cannot be confirmed). She is currently the ruler of both The Endless City and The City of Hearts at the behest of The God-Emperor having "relieved" The Raven of his dominion of The Endless City by rescuing him from a large assault on the city by Rebels and then simply never leaving (he vowed allegiance on sight as it happened, it was a deal done "in the moment" he first laid eyes on her - a not uncommon reaction to the presence of a Sidhe High Queen).

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE?

[gun-witch]

39, 40, 42

39. Do you have any collections that relate to your kintype(s)? (ex: a hoard of jewels for a dragonkin)

No but I plan to change this. I'm planning to get into historic weapon collecting, which with being a faerie of war fits pretty well.

40. Have you picked up any hobbies or activities because of your kintype(s)?

Well one of the main reasons I go for walks as much as I do is to get more in touch with that nature association fae have. I also think it might've had an influence on my career too, an avian faerie becoming a pilot makes sense.

42. Have you met anyone else with the same kintype(s) as you?

I know other fae, I know other ravens, and I've met a cu sidhe once, but no valravn. Closest I've gotten was someone who had a valravn fursona. Comes with having a lesser known kintype.