Where the Stars Went Out, a ficlet of Fae Apoc for the Giraffe Call

Written to alexseanchai's musical prompt, and set in my Fae Apoc verse, round about the apoc.


There was a week where the stars went out, and that may have been the most terrifying week in any of our lives.

Except the Captain, of course, because nothing scares her.

But I'm starting in the wrong place. I do that. The Captain says it'll be the death of me, though I can't see how.

The place to start, if you ask me, would be back when the city flooded and they started the lynchings.

I can't really say I blame them - I mean, the city was flooding, and it was the fault of monsters, if you look at it a certain way.

On the other hand, it wasn't us that did it, and it was, or had been, our city too. And it's hard to be sympathetic when there's hemp around your neck, if you know what I mean.

There were five of us on that platform, all of us suddenly finding our Masks that hid us from humanity not as, well, mask-like as they used to be. Something about the returned gods - but what it meant to us wasn't godly, unless hemp is sacred now.

Is hemp sacred now? That would suck.

And we were about to - well, probably die, maybe just be really, really uncomfortable. I'm not sure. There was the satyr and the fishie girl, the selkie and banshee and me, and only the gods know if it would've killed any of us - and they're too busy making chaos to share any information.

And up the river comes this ship, this beautiful beautiful boat - I mean ship, it's a ship - with Maidenhead painted on it, and at the helm was this beautiful kitsune lady.

Ever been rescued from a lynching by a fox girl? I have!

And when she had swashbuckled us all onto her boat, she gave us all an offer: Sail with me, because the land is no longer safe for our kind. Sail with me, and we'll rule the seven seas.

Well, who can say no to that? (The banshee, that's who. But that's okay). We sailed with her (everyone but the banshee...) and it was beautiful and fun.

Until the week where the stars went out...

August 12-August 19 in the apocalypse

The Apoc

In the end of May, 2011, strange things started happening all over the world. Follow along with faeapoclive, faeapoclive, and faeapoclive as the apocalypse unfolds

GIANT STARS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

TOMAHAWK, Wisconsin; FARMVILLE, Virginia; CYPRESS, Texas(AP): What started in june in fort valley, Georgia with one man, Glen Carlson, has been spreading across the country: people creating giant five-pointed stars into their property, or, in some cases, into public land.

In Tomahawk, Wisconsin, Arlene Brady built the star, which she calls a “devil’s trap,” out of old pallet wood. In Farmville, Virginia, Lucas Gibson cut it into his wheat field. And in Fort Valley, Georgia, an entire family worked together to lay the star in white stone in their back yard.

What, exactly, the purpose of these stars is remains to be seen.
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And We Are Not Monsters, a continuation of Baram's Elves (@rix_scaedu)

First in this story: Unwelcome Guests
Previous: The Clean-Up

1016 words, to Rix's commissioned continuation.

“Come.” Viatrix led the her new Kept into the back yard, murmuring what she thought of as “Addergoole Standard Kept Rules” as she went.

She didn’t look at the girl until they reached the stone circle that, in some other owner’s time, had been a back patio and outdoor kitchen. She didn’t need to; the way the orders were spun, there was little the girl could do.

When she reached the center of the circle, then, she turned. “Kneel.” A Word awoke the fire in the grill. “Give me your wrists.”

Her Kept did as she was told, although she was clearly fighting it. “Mistress... bitch.” She forced the word out with a snarl.

Viatrix found herself grinning. “Yes. Both of those. What name are you called?”
( Read more... )

Next: There Are Always Choices.

Kittens, a story for the Giraffe Call

Written to anke 's prompt.


 "I miss my kittens."

 

"I had kittens once, and it was no fun."

 

Ocelli leaned back in her chair until it nearly toppled and stared at the ceiling, because if she stared at Group, she would laugh, and then there would be the meds again.  

 

"Would you care to clarify, Celia?"  The doctor had the warning voice on, the one that meant she wasn't Cooperating.  Good Girls Cooperated. 

 

"It's Ocelli. I got it changed legally and everything."  She thumped her chair back onto the ground and glared at the doctor.  "Ah-chell-lee."

 

"Like an Ocelot, you've said.  Wouldn't that be Ah-seh-lee, then?"

 

"It's my name. I can pronounce it like I want to and you could do me the same courtesy, Dr. Wordstrum."  The mood shifts weren't what had landed Ocelli in here, but if anyone had actually been paying attention, maybe they should have.  She wasn't stifling laughter anymore, now she was nigh-on snarling at the doctor, her hands flat on her lap.  She would not attack the doctor.  She would not attack anyone.  She would not...

 

"Your given name was Celia, however.  And I believe that this new name is a symptom of your disease.  Thus, we try to bring you back to Celia,  to..."

 

Ocelli stared at the ceiling and counted to twenty.  It wasn't her fault the damn doctors couldn't see. It wasn't her fault they were Blind. 

 

"I had kittens once."  She fixed her gaze on the one who missed her kittens.  "It was no fun at all."




Writer's note: I know that the doctor is being horrible and running group very badly.