This past weekend, there was a fundraiser to get me a real streaming computer. We met our main goal, and I’d like to thank everyone who was a part of that.
- ProtoGilly @LucidShitposts who organized this whole thing!
- All the other streamers who donated their time:
- The anonymous volunteer who contributed proofreads and bot commands!
- And lastly, I’d like to thank everyone who donated. Thank you so much. It means a lot to me that other people are as invested in my writing as I am.
Onto the stream content!
[checking my edit notes real quick.]
[lol nvm guess i didn’t write it down? might’ve written it down in 750.]
[well whatever i’m not digging through that. i believe what i wanted to adjust was character interactions? having the Prince interact with the people rather than expositioning past it?]
[plus i think the scene at the bridge needs more oomph.]
[First came the bridge. A vivid, transcluscent green. Emerald and jade.]
The vivid, transcluscent green bridge.
The green bridge was the first to introduce the Prince to the grandeur of Fairyland. Vivid, transcluscent. Like [walking on] glass yet unbreakable. [It’d been crafted using emeralds and very old Fae magic.] It’d been enchanted with magic that had already been very old at the time. Now, it was positively ancient. Perhaps even beyond Human recordings itself.
The King watched the Prince take his first steps across. The Prince was curious, looking all around him, then locking on to the waters. The King watched him tilt his head towards them, smirking at the look of surprise that overtook him.
“Is that the water?” the Prince asked.
“It is,” the King nodded. In Humanland, waters were a boring clear “color”, and tasting just like it, too.
~~~
The Green Bridge was the Prince’s first introduction to the grandeur of Fairyland. A vivid, transcluscent green that warped the water and creatures below. Enchanted with Fae magic that was already very old at the time. Settled into the bridge over eons, nothing would break it now.
[The King watched the Prince observe his new surroundings.]
The King watched the Prince observe these things with pride. This was his home. And it would soon be the Prince’s home too; the King just had to show him!
Large, glowing fish swiveled by, following the river in search of food, no doubt. They made cyan lanterns amidst the cobalt of the water.
The Prince tilted his head. A look of surprise overcame him.
“Is that the water?” he asked.
“It is,” the King said.
The waters of Humanland were a boring, clear “color”. They tasted and sounded just as boring, too. But the waters of Fairyland had them outmatched in all senses.
“What does it sound like to you?” the King asked.
The Prince watched the waters. The King always thought it was adorable seeing him so deep in thought. The King could see him searching every word he knew for the ones he wanted.
Finally, the Prince said, “Laughter, I guess.”
“Laughter?” the King could tell he wasn’t satisfied with his own answer yet. There was something more specific he was trying to weave. The King offered him traditional Fae imagery, hoping it would help. “Most people call it a song.”
“Yeah! It’s like someone laughing during practice. A singer.”
[The Prince almost smiled from the satisfaction of his revelation, but.]
[The King thought the Prince would’ve smiled from the satisfaction of his revelation, but it seemed that the deal was still fresh in the Prince’s mind.]
The Prince almost smiled from the satisfaction of his revelation, but he turned it into a smirk at the last minute. It seemed that the deal was still fresh in the Prince’s mind. Then again, he’d yet to taste the water. To feel it in his hands and down his throat.
“You seem overheated,” the King said, bringing him across the bridge and to the river’s edge, encouraging him to try it.
The Prince hummed.
While the Prince cooled down, the King could hear the people whispering. The King waved at those who were brave enough to slow their pace and watch them. They chortled back at him knowingly. The King wondered if the Prince was aware of their shenanigans. He tended to concentrate on his current task.
“Why is everyone calling me the prince?” he asked. “Do they think I’m your son?”
[“Nature, no. Is all Human nobility related?”]
The King shook his head. “‘Prince’ and related terms are simply what we call Fae nobility who do not rule.”
“But I’m not nobility though…”
“That’s not what your fellows have decided.”
“I just became a Fae today!”
[The Prince hugged himself, instantly closing himself off.]
The Prince hugged himself. He glanced at the people, then looked away. [He crouched, watching the waters and creatures within them.] He crouched, making himself as small as possible. As invisible as possible.
Instantly, the King realized his mistake. The Prince had never felt part of a community before. Had never felt revered before. With his experiences, it must’ve seemed like scrutiny to him.
The King coaxed him into standing again. With his hand on the Prince’s shoulder to comfort him, the King led him through side streets and shadows. The Prince wouldn’t want to be seen by whole crowds like this.
The King brought him to a group of aspens. This early in the spring, their catkins were still bristly and silvery from winter’s embrace. At their approach, stairs became visible. Stairs that took them straight to one of the palace’s private chambers.
[The King invited him to make use of the bed there. The Prince looked overwhelmed.]
“Please feel free to rest. I’ll make sure we’re not disturbed,” the King said. The King moved to the door. As he adjusted the room sigils that communicated their needs to the staff, the King grimaced. This was not how he imagined inviting the Prince to one of the palace beds. He’d envisioned bringing him to one of the grander bedrooms for intimacy after introducing him to the people. [There was to be a feast in his.] The King had scheduled a feast in his honor, with dancing and music and ribbons! All the splendors of Fairyland to delight and excite him. To welcome him home…
[decided to move the stream outside. could stand to be a lil cooler for my tastes, but it’s nice enough ^-^ . we’re in the “it’s bright outside until 8PM” time of year right now. oof.]
The King finally realized the flaw in his plan. The Prince had never been the hookup and fling sort. He employed careful consideration in all matters. He did not keep anyone’s company lightly.
And the Prince wasn’t Human anymore. The King had all the time in the world to woo him.
[And there was still plenty of time to make adjustments to tonight’s feast.]
And there was still plenty of time to give him cause to smile tonight.
[i forget if i said it at the start of the stream, but the purpose of today’s stream is to 1) finish??? or make progress in our fae king and prince story and 2) beat these unicorns! they’re part of 4thewords’ pride celebration, and they’re 1000 words each. i need 3 for a quest. they just released a new pride monster too, so i’ll be checking that out. probably after this battle. there’s a whole bunch of other pride quests too. i haven’t finished that many haha. one of them has a bunch of super low word count monsters, and those don’t work well for me on stream. i just stress out worrying that i’ll forget to do them if i switch tabs to say, check the chat, check the stream announcement post, etc; and worry that if i don’t check back in often enough with chat, it’ll come across like i’m ignoring everybody. but y’all are really nice! y’all are very understanding of my, let’s be generous and call it “experimental” streaming set up. lol.]
[thank you so much once again to everyone who volunteered and donated to the fundraiser last weekend ^-^ . i look forward to feeding Hobbes my chromebook. He’s licking his paws in anticipation of his future meal.]
But first, the King wanted to make sure the Prince would be alright without him.
[“I don’t wish to leave you alone in so strange a place,” he said. “Especially when you’re already feeling vulnerable.”]
[“I will not leave you vulnerable.]
“I will not leave you if my company helps you,” the King said.
The Prince looked at the bedding. He was currently just sitting on the bed, although the King had no doubt he would find him curled up beneath the blankets upon his return.
Once more, the Prince teased him with a smirk instead of a smile. “These aren’t enchanted to make me desire you are they?”
The King snorted. “No, my dear, that’s just for stories.” Before he left, he added, “Stories I’d love to read to you sometime.” With a smirk of his own, the King said, “The Demon and the Knight has a sequel.”
[we’re back!]
The Prince hid his response behind curled knuckles. [There also was the faintest hue of a blush across his cheeks, although that might’ve been leftovers from the journey. a blush the King knew wasn’t solely from the journey here.] The faintest hue of a blush creeped across his cheeks: a blush the King knew wasn’t solely from their journey.
[“Well,” the Prince said, “I gotta stay for the sequel. And your reading.”]
“Well,” the Prince said, “if you’re reading…”
The King smiled. The Prince didn’t smile, but the King knew he was happy all the same. The King hoped this meant that the Prince was considering their deal.
As expected, the King found him buried under the blankets when he returned. [It was yet another adorable thing about him.] The King hoped they were serving him well. They hadn’t been given any desire enchantments, but they were enchanted to feel the ideal weight, texture, and temperature for their users. A very simple thing. It came with most Fae blankets. [Magic was practically a part of the art itself.] Magic was inseparable from Fae arts.
[hope everyone’s doing well today! oh my god; be done, unicorn.]
[okay good thing i checked that. cuz i only have 5 more days to do all these pride quests. ack! this is gonna be fun. i’ll finish this unicorn on stream, and i think the biggest things i have to fight after that are the sassis and nitanas. birds and kittys. kittys and birds.]
[one more set of a thousand words. i can definitely do this.]
[might stream tomorrow, too; we’ll see…]
The Prince sat up without any hint of fatigue. He must’ve been awake for some time. Whatever amount of rest he’d gotten had done him good. He looked calmer, less anxious.
“We’re having a feast tonight,” the King said, speaking carefully so he didn’t frighten the Prince. “A celebration.”
“I thought you said Fae didn’t do holidays,” the Prince said.
[“We don’t do holidays, that’s for people who concern themselves with time,” the King said.]
“We don’t. It’s not.” The King’s first instinct was to say that holidays were for people who concerned themselves with time, but the Prince already felt out of place among Humans. What he needed to show him was that he had a place here, with the Fae. “When we feel like celebrating, we celebrate.”
The King could see the Prince growing curious. Suspicious, too. “What’d you feel like celebrating?”
“You,” the King spoke honestly. “It’s not every day a Human is made Fae.”
“You knew I’d take your other deal.”
“Anybody who knows you knew you’d take that deal. And the people do know you, albeit secondhand, from me.”
The suspicious gave way to bewilderment. “You told people about me?”
“I did! You’re the most thoughtful person I know. And eloquent, too. I love you so dearly, I ache at the thought of others not loving you as well. Not just not loving you, but actively hurting you. Ignoring your needs and desires. The Fae would never!” the King spoke all that came to mind. “In Humanland, you were a pariah. In Fairyland, you are a prince.”
The Prince frowned, but he didn’t seem entirely unhappy. He seemed surprised. In any case, he was clearly chewing the King’s confession over.
“Unless I leave…” he said.
The King practically choked. Of all the ways the Prince might’ve responded! Did he think Fairyland was meant to be a city-shaped cage?
“You’re my prince no matter how far you wander,” the King held his hand. Very carefully. Like the precious thing that it was. “Our prince. Will you come to the feast? I’ve had the staff prepare more isolated accommodations for you. And they’ve been enchanted to shield you from sound.”
The King was also prepared [to offer] to bring food to him here, but the Prince accepted his first offer. Relieved, the King led him by hand when the Prince was ready.
The reception hall was alight with festivities. Ribbons shimmered from emerald chandeliers. [Each black and green block of the building materials.] The Dancer spun sparklers in her hands. Her cat was bouncing around her, playing a flute. The King could see laughter and chatter on everyone’s faces.
But importantly, he couldn’t hear it.
The King helped the Prince settle in. The staff had set up a table for two in the balcony overlooking the main area. Trilliums and bunchberries bred and fed to burst with the blacks and greens of the palace, striking against the gold of their vase. The Prince buttered a dinner roll as they awaited the turkey. The King was content to watch him take in the warmth and softness of the bread.
[okay, pop quiz: what is on the table?]
[shit i set this in early spring and most NH fruits and veggies aren’t ready to harvest until june. fuck!]
[alright well bread and meat it is then.]
The Dancer looked up, spotting them. She blew a kiss. A starry heart fluttered up. The King tilted his face to receive it, but the cheeky thing lurched to the Prince’s forehead at the last minute.
The King snorted at her. The Dancer grinned. The King gave her three claps. The Dancer threw up her sparklers, spun on her toes, and caught them. She returned to her performance.
More and more of the people began looking upwards. Their delighted greetings were obvious in their smiles, their wide-open eyes, and their waves. A swarm of magical kisses stamped the Prince.
[thank you for sticking around this long, everybody! i’ll be ending the stream after this unicorn, and then we’ll raid HeyJayDragon. They’re playing Paper Mario! and I’m already lurking there anyway, so we might as well raid from within hehe.]
[okay lol HeyJayDragon just ended so we’ll raid somebody else when the time comes. but definitely follow them! they’re a good gaming bean!]
HFEproductions 
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