#mitali bunce

[letraspal]

“Professor Bunce teaches History of the Middle Ages at a Normal University, and she’s a magickal historian. She’s published a whole shelf full of mage books, but she doesn’t make any money doing it. There aren’t enough magicians to support magickal arts and sciences careers.”

Mitali Bunce | Women of the Simon Snow

#Mitali Bunce #support magickal arts and sciences 2024 #women of the Simon snow trilogy #letraspal #fanart #book characters #rainbow rowell #simon snow #snowbaz #baz pitch #carry on #illustration #carry on fanart

[onepintobean]

COC day 10 | wrath

pov your crush just took you home to meet her mum

#mitali bunce #carry on countdown #carry on countdown 2023 #carry on in animal crossing #the simon snow series by rainbow rowell #<- yes i will keep using this tag until i die

[facewithoutheart]

ask game: 3 + mitali bunce, ruth salisbury, daphne grimm

Oh, what an amazing ask. Bless you.

fight aliens with: Daphne Grimm. I bet she’s a secret politician. Winning over Baz’s affection despite the legacy of Natasha Pitch? Girl has mad people skills.

fight zombies with: Ruth Salisbury, no hesitation. She can cook, cheerlead, and has money??? Like you know she’d build a bomb fortress and always have cookies.

fight capitalism with: Mitali Bunce. Was there any other option?????

#brilliant ask #Mitali Bunce #Daphne Grimm #Ruth Salisbury #Lady Ruth #ask game #simon snow trilogy

[takenabackbytuesdays]

Day 22, DEC 16: Ritual

Mitali helps Lucy celebrate her 18th birthday.

@carryon-countdown

#mixed media #puzzle pieces #acrylic #simon snow series #lucy salisbury #mitali bunce #coc 2022 #carry on countdown #fanart #takenabackart

[ivelovedhimthroughworse]

Rather A Lot of Sentence Sunday

Thanks for the tags today: @martsonmars, @sailorblossoms, @aroace-genderfluid-sheep, @hushed-chorus, @ionlydrinkhotwater, @confused-bi-queer, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @erzbethluna @excalisbury and @forabeatofadrum

Yesterday I posted Chapter Twenty-Five of Fallen From the Sky with Grace! 🎉 (yay!!)

This snippet is from Dr. Wellbelove's POV. And it features Mitali Bunce talking politics.

“So, Mage. You’re avoiding the answer. What is your opinion of the dues?” [says a mushroom character]

“Firstly, don’t call me Mage. My name is Mitali or Headmistress Bunce. Secondly, this isn’t a decision that I can make without information.”

“You didn’t take the honorific? Is that due to your coloration? Or your successful germination of so many offspring?”

It’s a highly awkward question.

Vesperion Grimm scowls. “It’s more like the last one was so bad that no one wants to be called that anymore.”

Mitali doesn’t join in with the chuckles of agreement. “I'm not called the Mage because I don’t choose to be,” she says crisply.

Tags to wish you a very good week! Especially Americans who are gearing up for Thanksgiving!

@aristocratic-otter @artsyunderstudy @basiltonbutliketheherb @bazzybelle @bookish-bogwitch @captain-aralias @creepyspice @cutestkilla @dragoneggos @diningpagentry @facewithoutheart @fatalfangirl @fight-surrender @foolofabookwyrm-activated @forabeatofadrum @ileadacharmedlife @pastoral-jedi @johnwgrey @moodandmist @nightimedreamersworld @onepintobean @otherworldsivelivedin @palimpsessed @prettylightsbigcity @raenestee @scone-lover @shemakesmeforget @starwarned @takitalks @tea-brigade @technetiumai @thehoneyedhufflepuff @wellbelesbian @whatevertheweather @whogaveyoupermission @kohatenz @orange-peony @yeonjunenby @larkral @chen-chen-chen-again-chen

#six sentence sunday #fallen from the sky with grace #mitali bunce #i love her #vesperion is the name i gave to malcolm's brother

[ionlydrinkhotwater]

Hi @rainbowrowell I have a question for you! Does anyone tell Mitali about what happened to Lucy? It seems cruel to allow her to continue to believe her best friend is alive when she's not. And if she does learn about Lucy and Simon, does that change her view on Simon?

Thanks!

#simon snow #baz pitch #simon snow series #the simon snow trilogy #carry on rainbow rowell #rainbow rowell #mitali bunce #lucy salisbury

[chen-chen-chen-again-chen]

Not a WIP Wednesday

In another edition of what I will call “Not a WIP Wednesday,” here’s a new fic from the Rosethorn girl universe. ❤️🌹

Bell and footfalls and soldiers and dolls

Rating: Teen

Words:  1705

Chapters: 1/1 

Part 2 of Rosethorn girl

Summary:

Lucy and Mitali go on a road trip to Wales to burn down a cottage.

#rosethorn girl #my fic #carry on #bells and footfalls and soldiers and dolls #lucy lives #fuck the Mage #Lucy Salisbury #Mitali Bunce #friendship is magic #fic drop #a little bit ow ow time #cover art by DALL-E #my fic tag

[young-mitali]

Carry On/Wayward Son spoilers

I'm still reading awtwb

You ever think that in an alternate Carry On reality, Lucy would've left Davy and raised Simon as a single mum. Mitali and Lucy would stay friends which would mean Penny and Simon would've been childhood friends. Maybe Lucy would join Lady Ruth and go to Mrs Wellbelove's parties and maybe Agatha and Simon would've been childhood friends. Baz would've grown up with a mum and maybe Simon wouldn't think he's always plotting. I think Lucy would've tried to befriend Natasha because the crucible casted their sons together. And maybe, just maybe, Mitali would still have Lucy.

#simon snow #baz pitch #snowbaz #agatha wellbelove #penny bunce #carry on #simon snow trilogy #mitali bunce(carry on) #lucy salisbury #mitali's chimera: notes

[bookish-bogwitch]

Thanks @thewholelemon, @facewithoutheart, @ileadacharmedlife, @ivelovedhimthroughworse, @aristocratic-otter, @nightimedreamersworld, @ionlydrinkhotwater for the tags the past couple weeks. Here are six a lot of sentences I cut from Basil Pitch's Diary, which for now is just one baby chapter but the rest of which is coming soon eventually to a browser near you.

This bit's inspired by the fact that there was a Parliament election in 2015. I cut it because it felt kind of clumsy--sticking jokes in the character's mouths that weren't necessarily in-character--and also had the small issue of being completely, utterly irrelevant to the plot. (At least that makes it spoiler-free 😅.)

Excerpt and tags below the cut:

FRIDAY 6 MARCH Blood units 4, body temp 25, hair ducal, civic engagement meh, political parties at least 3. 11 a.m. Politickal Science. Professor Kates had us debate tomorrow’s Normal Parliament election, presumably because he didn’t plan a real lesson. Had never paid much attention to Normal politics before reaching voting age. Unlike Bunce. “…And that’s why I’m voting Lib Dem,” she concluded after talking for eight solid minutes. “You’re sixteen,” objected Wellbelove.  “Not a problem,” said Bunce, flapping her ring hand.  From the back of the classroom, the pixie chimed in. “What about the Green Pa—” Bunce made a rude noise.  “What about you, Simon?” asked the professor. “How would you vote?”  Of course the Mage’s Heir gets a platform for his inane views. What a blow when he finds out there’s no Butter Union party. “Um,” orated Snow. “I … I dunno. Labour, probably.” Snow turned to Bunce. “Like, some of them are nutters, yeah, but they’d fund stuff. Like,” he reddened, “schools and, like, social programs.” “Those are already funded,” said Bunce. “Not enough.”  “You expect the government to solve all your problems,” I quoted my father automatically.  Snow gave me one of my own You’re an idiot looks. “I really don’t.”  Shit. How many times had he been asked to solve the World of Mages’s problems single-handed? Bunce was still fired up. “Simon, you can’t just dismiss Labor’s xenophobic—”  I thought about what Snow meant and missed the rest of Bunce’s rant about something something intersectionality. As if she would willingly intersect with a Normal. 4 p.m. Am torn. Pitches always vote Tory, just like we’ll always vote against the Mage once we get back the franchise. (Fiona has a plan to steal it.) A liberal government would drain our coffers even drier.  But in our borough voting Tory means re-electing a man who opposed same-sex marriage two years ago. The craven claimed he wasn’t homophobic, he just had homophobic constituents. Do not see why the straight unwashed should control my freedom to marry.  Even worse is the Tory ghoul from Aldershot who stumped about “the aggressive homosexual community” using marriage as “a stepping stone.” As if I wouldn’t pay double VAT to be stepped on by an aggressive homosexual. Still. Am not simpleton single-issue voter; marriage equality is a fait accompli. And anyway, I’d only ever want to gay-marry Snow, straight and unwashed though he is.  Felt weirdly proud of him today for disagreeing with Bunce, especially when I realized the professor had singled him out not as Mage’s Heir but as spokesnormal. And that “social programs” meant his entire childhood.  Hmm. SATURDAY 7 MARCH 10 p.m. Resolved politico-moral quandary by forgetting to vote.

Look, it wasn't my idea for Baz to be a Tory. That was all Rainbow. I also do think Penny has a centrist streak inherited from Mitali but I have no idea real how this would translate into the Normal world.

Thanks @facewithoutheart for gently pointing out that this was a complete tangent. And sorry and thank you @captain-aralias for the content beta. It's not your fault I asked you to explain UK politics and then didn't listen.

Tagging @cutestkilla, @fatalfangirl, @moodandmist, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @artsyunderstudy, @im-gettingby, and @petedavidsonscock.

#basil pitch's diary #baz pitch #simon snow #my writing #dead darlings

[nightimedreamersworld]

Happy SSS folks! Haven't been tagged yet, so I'm going to start it.

Tried a new color scheme for my banner, and I like this one much better. It's yellow and blue just like the og carry on cover! I think it fits.

Right now, I'm attending a conference on my field of study, and as wonderful as it has been, I'm also VERY tired. On top of that, as soon as I get back to Uni, there'll be two exams waiting for me lmao. So I've been split between attending lectures and studying.

As a result- almost no writing done, boohoo. Right when I'm brimming with ideas and motivation! All I've managed to get down since Wednesday is the following snippet, written just for you guys:

Baz

I curse Mitali Bunce with every fiber of my being.  The woman is a fierce and brilliant magician, I don't mind saying. Penelope didn't fall far from the tree. After the Mage was arrested (may he rot at the top of a tower) I really couldn't think of anyone better to take on the job. My mother, perhaps. But no one else.  In a little less than six months, Professor Bunce brought back the drama club and revitalised the library. I've also heard she's bringing back some sort of admission test next year. Those are immense positives. However, she also decided to revitalise our entire curriculum, which means, just shy of graduating, we now have to study things like maths and geography.  And the straw that broke the vampire's neck, of course—fucking Sex Ed.

This wip is going to be so fun and chill and sweet istg. It's the perfect polar opposite to my other wip, and as whiplash-y as it feels to write both at the same time, it's exactly what I needed haha

Tagging some friends: @artsyunderstudy @cutestkilla @captain-aralias @palimpsessed @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @facewithoutheart @bookish-bogwitch @whogaveyoupermission @stitchyqueer @confused-bi-queer @aristocratic-otter @larkral @valeffelees @ivelovedhimthroughworse @prettygoododds @forabeatofadrum @hushed-chorus and anyone else who'd like to participate!

#simon snow series #simon snow #baz pitch #snowbaz #the birds and the bees

[forabeatofadrum]

El WooWoo! And a happy WIP Tuesday to you too, @wellbelesbian! And thanks @aroace-genderfluid-sheep for the Wednesday tag.

This is the situation in my writing life:

My brain: Girl, you do NOT need a new WIP. You have plenty. One of them has a deadline. MCD feels neglected. Me @ my brain: Yes, but.... what if.... Tears of the Kingdom inspired Snowbaz reunion fic?

Anyway, here's some of that. Baz's POV, because I can. It got a bit long, but you know what, here we go:

I remember the first time I saw a Sky Island. We'd just arrived at Heathrow. We were all a mess. One moment, Simon and I were on the beach, the next Bunce comes yelling about troubles at Watford, and then we're back home in England and all of us are being ushered in a car by Mitali Bunce. (Well, almost all of us. Wellbelove refused to come along and when Professor Bunce found out Shepard is a Normal, he wasn't allowed to join.) Professor Bunce drove us to Watford and I could see something was wrong. Some buildings were destroyed. Huge boulders had fallen down on them. I was so shocked and confused by the sight on the surface that I didn't even think about the sky. The moment we got out of the car, Simon put his hand on my shoulder and told me to look up. Sky Islands. They were everywhere. Professor Bunce started talking about how they just appeared overnight and that no one knew where they came from and it seemed like Normals cannot see them. They first appeared above Watford, but they've been popping up everywhere and chunks have fallen down, creating chaos and confusion on the surface The World of Mages needed everyone who was willing to help and Bunce and I didn't have to think long about it. Simon, on the other hand, was more doubtful. "It's alright. Take your time," I said. "Right," Simon said back, still looking at the sky. Bunce and I were ordered to go to whatever was left of the White Chapel. Simon decided to stay behind for, since he wasn't officially part of this brand new investigation team. I kissed his cheek. I said goodbye. I told him that he should go home and rest and that I'd see him later. I didn't know that that was the last time I'd see him.

Yeah, so, uh, just like in AWTWB, Simon walks out. But unlike AWTWB, Baz doesn't find him again. Gosh... I wonder where he went, with his wings and everything.

Meanwhile, small update on my Klaine fic: Waffle the chinchilla has been found! If you're reading this, feel free to come up with more names for little animals. I have 7 vacant spots.

And now, the weather: @quizasvivamos @blurglesmurfklaine @coffeegleek @esperantoauthor @otherworldsivelivedin @caramelcoffeeaddict @sillyunicorn @bazzybelle @dragoneggos @raenestee @tectonicduck @nightimedreamersworld @urban-sith @thnxforknowingme @captain-aralias @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @justgleekout @cerriddwenluna @tea-brigade @ivelovedhimthroughworse @moodandmist @whogaveyoupermission @bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer @ionlydrinkhotwater @1908jmd @special-bc-ur-part-of-it @larkral @chen-chen-chen-again-chen ​ @cutestkilla ​​ @artsyunderstudy ​ @martsonmars ​ @facewithoutheart ​ @shrekgogurt @boyinjeans @rockitmans @bitbybitwrites @blackberrysummerblog @whatevertheweather

#tagged in #wip wednesday #i was this close to committing to the bit and also posting this on tuesday with a special banner but i was uhhh too tired for that #so happy wednesday #YES THIS SNIPPET IS LONG BUT LOOK MY BRAIN DID NOT STFU

[aristocratic-otter]

Hey y'all. This week has been a bit of a drag (due to work burnout and the period from hell), so I've not written as much as I would have liked. Still, I've got a bit to share.

First, thank you to @bookish-bogwitch, @artsyunderstudy, @johnwgrey, @onepintobean, @whatevertheweather, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @whogaveyoupermission, @hushed-chorus and @fatalfangirl for the tags this week. Your excerpts look delicious!

Six sentences from six fics, below the cut

From: Gates of Ivory and Bone, my secret snowflake exchange fic:

For the first time, my host body reacts. It stiffens, and my jaw grows tight. “You had no business doing that, Penny,” I snarl, and my voice sounds ragged, like I’m not used to speaking anymore. 

She backs up a little, nodding frantically. “I know, Simon, I know. It’s your business. I’m just worried!”

“Well, don’t!” I shout

From Westward Son:

“That was…” Simon’s eyes are sparkling. Orgasms have always looked good on him. He looks like he’s searching for words. “That was tremendous, Baz.”

I grin, feeling completely hollowed out and exhausted. “It was. I think I like your wings and tail, Simon.”

From Saving Simon Snow:

“Simon!” 

It comes out as a shout and I immediately leap back and clap my hand to my mouth and look wildly around for more guards. But nothing stirs, and my enhanced senses can’t hear anything other than the hundreds of tiny heart beats of vermin and the heavier, louder heartbeat of one former chosen one. 

I lean forward and peer through the barred window into the cell again. For that’s what it is, clearly. A very secure jail cell.

From my yet-to-be-named House AU, gift fic for @yellobb-old:

Long story short, I spent all of the fall term of school basically ignoring my coursework. And my failing grades violated the terms of my scholarship. I know Mitali Bunce, who took over after I killed the Mage, felt bad but there was nothing she could do. I was a nobody with no family, and there was no way I could afford the tuition at Watford academy without a scholarship. 

So I dropped out of school.  Or was kicked out. Whatever.

From Playing with Fire, Treading Thin Ice (finishing this week!):

 I can’t help it—I dip my head down to kiss him thoroughly. When I pull back, he laughs. 

“Now who’s putting on a show for our hosts?” he teases. 

If I had enough blood in me to blush, I’d be crimson. My parents would be appalled. They raised me to be above public displays like this. (I push away the niggling thought that I could take Simon back to our room and make it a very private display).

And From Raising Dragons:

It’s been so long since Simon and I had a conversation longer than, “sandwich, please,” that I almost jump out of my skin when I hear, “Baz, can we talk?”

I am (ironically) in the kitchen, making us both sandwiches. I let the spreading knife fall with a clatter, splattering butter across the linoleum. I hold onto the counter’s edge and press against it to centre myself before saying. “What about, Simon?”

His response is absolutely terrifying. 

“I think we should talk about us, Baz.”

Happy week before Holiday break, for those of us who get one. Tagging for Wednesday, @angelsfalling16, @asocialpessimist, @bazzybelle, @basiltonbutliketheherb, @carryonsimoncarryonbaz, @captain-aralias, @dragoneggos, @erzbethluna, @fight-surrender, @facewithoutheart, @foolofabookwyrm-activated, @frjsti, @giishu, @ionlydrinkhotwater, @ivelovedhimthroughworse, @ileadacharmedlife, @jbrrring, @krisrix, @larkral, @letraspal, @moodandmist, @nightimedreamersghost, @otherworldsivelivedin, @prettylightsbigcity, @raenestee, @tea-brigade, @unfiltered-alice-liddle, @yeonjunenby

#Cotta 2021 #carry on reverse bang #magickal mishaps #canon divergence Au #Dragon babies #House AU #six sentence sunday #co/ws/awtwb

[ivelovedhimthroughworse]

Fallen From the Sky with Grace

(Post Canon, E, 90K, Updated weekly)

Chapter 22 - Last Call for Boarding is now posted.

What do we know. Quite a lot now. What are we going to do about it? What we always do. We go forward.

Simon has a painful confrontation awaiting him.

Summary

Simon's always had a price on his head. Yet, what if he were truly incapacitated? Who might step into that power vacuum?

#fallen from the sky with grace #my writing #simon snow #baz pitch #penelope bunce #shepard love #dr wellbelove #mitali bunce #ruth salisbury #jaime salisbury

[technetiumai]

Thank you @bookish-bogwitch for the tag! 

I haven’t really been properly writing, but since the WIP folder game, I’ve been especially motivated to outline my current WIPs. I’ve had them all outlined to a certain extent in my head since I started them, but it has been extremely helpful to actually start writing everything down. (Who’da thunk it?) 

So I thought this week I’d do Six Chapter Sunday? And give a little something to do with the next six chapters of each of my currently-being-published WIPs?

So… spoilers? (But I guess that’s kinda the point of SSS, isn’t it?)

I’m putting everything under a cut because everything I do is so long.

For Atomic Son, I started with an extremely vague outline (which I then expanded on) that was just to remind me what I was supposed to write about, so I thought I’d show you that:

Chapter 9

Natasha Grimm-Pitch, August xx, 2008 

Is that nicotine gum?

Fiona Pitch, December xx, 2015

That sick bastard.

Simon Snow, September xx, 2015 

I’ll want to go to Hampshire… because that’s where we have Christmas

Chapter 10

Penelope Bunce, June xx, 2010 

What did you just do?

Penelope Bunce, July xx, 2010 

Not just protecting him.

Penelope Bunce, November xx, 2015

No better people to get lost with. You won’t stop me.

Chapter 11

Ebeneza Petty, September xx, 2008

Kindred spirit

Natasha Grimm-Pitch, xxxxxx xx, 20xx 

More than pain. More than magic.

Fiona Pitch, xxxxxx xx, 20xx

Losing him is losing everything.

Chapter 12

Basilton Grimm-Pitch, January xx, 2010 

I want you to meet my friend.

Mitali Bunce, xxxxxx xx, 20xx 

Nice enough boys.

Chapter 13

Penelope Bunce, December xx, 2015 

What do you mean you didn’t want to go to California? What do you mean you can’t fix it?

Fiona Pitch, December xx, 2015 

Meet the family. The reluctant family. So long as you don’t tell anyone you talked to them.

Simon Snow, December xx, 2015 

Only one bed.

Chapter 14

Natasha Grimm-Pitch, xxxxxx xx, 20xx 

Serial killer wall

Fiona Pitch, xxxxxx xx, 2002 

Now who loves me for me?

Nicodemus Petty, xxxxxx xx, 2002

There’s only one…

For Silence and Cries I’m sharing the chapter titles (It’s throwing me off that AO3 doesn’t let you have a prologue then chapter 1, so it starts with chapter 2): 

Chapter 2: Closed Enough Windows to Know You Can Never Look Back

Chapter 3: We Are Who We Are

Chapter 4: And I Found You With a Bottle of Wine

Chapter 5: Whoa, My Head Is On Fire

Chapter 6: So I Met Up With Some Friends at the Edge of the Night

Chapter 7: You Swore and Said We Are Not

For Night-Switch Paragons, I’m doing Rush quotes that will possibly be included:

Chapter 2:

Burning in the moment - trapped by the desperation between how it is and how it ought to be

Chapter 3: 

Yet my eyes are drawn toward the mountain in the east, fascinates and captivates, gives my heart no peace. The mountain holds the sunrise in the prison of the night, ‘till bursting forth from rocky chains the valley floods with light

Chapter 4:

Behind the beauty, cracks appear. Once with heads held high, they sang out to the sky. Why do their shadows bow in fear?

Chapter 5:

See how it sings like a sad heart and joyously screams out its pain? Sounds that build high like a mountain, or notes that fall gently, like rain.

Chapter 6:

To you -- is it movement or is it action? Is it contact or just reaction? And you -- revolution or just resistance? Is it living, or just existence?

Chapter 7:

In the city where nobody smiles and nobody dreams, in the city where desperation drives the bored to extremes, just one spark of decency against a starless night, one glow of hope and dignity, a child can follow the light. No matter what they say

Obviously all of this is completely subject to change, but I thought it was fun :)

Tagging...?... everyone? (If I missed you, you still count, I’m just a scatter brain! Also, I’m sorry if you’ve already posted...)

@artsyunderstudy, @aristocratic-otter, @bazzybelle, @captain-aralias, @cutestkilla, seriously, how do people tag so many people? Am I missing something? Do you just remember everyone!? @fatalfangirl, @ivelovedhimthroughworse, @whatevertheweather, @confused-bi-queer, @gekkoinapeartree, @martsonmars, @takitalks, @basiltonbutliketheherb, @moodandmist, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe

(Yeah, I definitely missed people. And I don’t know if a lot of these people care... But I care about you! Ahhhhhhhh! I’m trying...)

#six sentence sunday #carry on #Wait... you guys probably just have like lists of tags or something that you past in for every WW or SSS don’t you? #Or like grab it from a previous one? #Gaaaaahhhhhh!!!!! #Why am I like this?

[wellbelesbian]

Six Sentence Sunday and Dead Darlings

thanks for tagging me @martsonmars and @ivelovedhimthroughworse!

for Six Sentence Sunday, some Natasha and Davy from the next chapter of blow on the tinder:

“If you would like to get involved, Davy, you can apply to actually be on the Coven, rather than just showing up to rant about your lofty ideals whenever you please.”

“At least my voice is heard.” He retorts. “I’m here now, speaking to you. Mitali Bunce has been dropping ideas into the suggestion box since she started four years ago, and she says not one of her ideas has been discussed.”

I had no idea we even have a suggestion box.

and @ileadacharmedlife tagged me in Dead Darlings, to post lines from fics that i had to cut for plot reasons.

the thing is, i barely ever cut entire lines that i like, because i usually don’t revise my fics all that much. but i do have this ancient line from a retelling of Medea i wanted to write that i never ended up finishing. i delayed the rest of it, bit kept this line in my notes because i liked it so much:

as my brother’s blood spills into the sea, i understand why the poets call it wine-dark.

unfortunately that’s all i have!

i tag @confused-bi-queer @forabeatofadrum @castawaypitch @bazzybelle @gekkoinapeartree @takitalks @aroace-genderfluid-sheep and @erzbethluna

#six sentence sunday #dead darlings

[thewriterxj]

WIP Wednesday (one day late)

A snippet from my @carryonthroughtheages piece for this year, which is my attempt at a 1930s murder mystery.

It gets spoilery after this if you haven't read it yet. Find chapters 23 of 31 here.

Baz pulls off the paved road onto a dirt road that twists and turns for a good while before it turns into a gravel drive. He goes slowly, and curses something about the gravel messing up the paint of his car. We are soon in the thick of the forest, which is thicker than what grows around the Chimera factory. It takes a bit, and a few more turns, but then we are in a clearing.

There are a few buildings, and I instantly know where we are. A refinery. There are a few flatbeds waiting, some already loaded with barrels, others being loaded by very large guys even I wouldn’t want to face in the ring. 

In the midst of all of it is Fiona Pitch, barking orders.

As soon as the headlights of the car lands on them, guns are pointed our way, including a pistol from Fiona. She’s wearing a grease monkey’s jumpsuit and men’s boots. Baz gets out of the car as if he doesn’t have twenty rifles pointed at him. Graceful and confident. “Hey, Fiona.”

“What the hell are you doing bringing him here?” Fiona is furious. I find myself shrinking a bit in my seat. I’m armed with a smaller snub nose tucked into the back of my trousers, but if I try to reach for it, she’ll see the movement.

“He’s off duty, relax.”

Fiona comes over to my side of the car and opens the door. One of her goons yanks me out and onto the gravel road. I’m hoisted to my feet and the guy quickly finds the snub nose. I’m forced to stand in the way of the headlights, and then forced to my knees.

“So much for staying quiet and in the car,” I say. “Maybe we should have phoned ahead.”

“Fiona, stop. He isn’t here for this. He’s investigating Mother’s murder.”

“Like hell.” Fiona has her pistol aimed right towards my head. I have my arms up, and look to Baz, pleadingly.

“Tell her, Snow,” Baz says. What help he is.

“I’ve reopened the case. We’ve found a bunch of falsified information, and spoke with Mitali Bunce, who was chief of police during the initial investigation. Baz’s testimony was destroyed, but she had a copy. I’m here to ask you questions about the case, and that’s it.”

“The Mage killed my sister and took half her territory, what else is there to know?” Fiona puts a round into the chamber of her gun.

“That Nicodemus Petty is coming up for parole soon, and I can put in a word for his release.”

“Fuck off.” The barrel of the gun presses against my forehead. Whatever hospitality Fiona had shown me the night before is absolutely gone.

“It’s true! If you answer some questions, I can write a letter to the review board to negotiate his release!”

Fiona is glaring down at me, her finger on the trigger of the gun. She curses and steps away. “Goddamnit, Basil! Do you know how hard it is to relocate? You!” She motions to the people loading the trucks. “Get it all out of here. Tonight! I want this place shut down!”

The men hurry to do her bidding. I breathe a sigh of relief as the goons lower their weapons one by one. I knew there was a small chance that Fiona would actually kill me, but I am glad, of course, that it didn’t actually happen. I am priding myself - internally, of course - for keeping my bladder during that whole thing.

She's frightening.

“Get off your knees, this isn’t mass.” Fiona snaps. 

#COTTA 2022 #carry on through the ages 2022 #1930s au #some minor ooc #simon snow fanfiction #simon snow fanfic #simon snow #carry on #this is what happens when I can't sleep #I post more chapters