sphilia
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"Your dreams are folly," the Knight of Airs intones over your Queen's shoulder. "Daughters do not rule beside their fathers. Fathers have ever ruled it so."
Your Queen stills, her hands cupping a rose. A fat bumblebee sleeps in its center, smeared with a bountiful feast of pollen. "Speak not to me of laws, mercenary," your Queen says. "When you turn so easily from them yourself."
A dream of a conversation between a throneless queen and a dead knight.
Written for the Fallen London fic swap 2025.
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In Need of a Little Sweetness by sphilia for snow_and_moon
Fandoms: Fallen London | Echo Bazaar
23 Aug 2025
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Mr Wines lists precariously to the side, its hooded body colliding with a nearby wall; a passerby averts their eyes, too overwhelmed to be in the presence of a Master's grace and authority to speak. Forced to retire early from its own revel! The indignity! It is not fit to be seen by its lessers like this, but what else is there? A retreat back to duties and scheming, ungrateful colleagues, to the weight of promises on its shoulders? Does it not deserve a reprieve from its cold, lonely spire?
Well. Well, maybe there is somewhere else it could go. A brief indulgence. It is so very good at those.
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"Captain," one of the crew calls, hurrying from around the back of the main building. "There's a cave back here. One of the men saw something inside."
The 'something' turns out to be a shadow, stretching jagged limbs briefly outside the darkness of the depth in flashes of overhead–or, sometimes, side-of-head–lightning.
"It’s obviously just a rock formation," the Captain says and steps inside, lantern held aloft.
Their crew members wait anxiously outside, making no move to follow.
"It’s not a rock formation," the Captain calls out after a moment. "Bring more lanterns."
The rule of the sky is: finders keepers.
Series
- Part 4 of A Breath Between Stars
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"What? But most of the campus has already been repaired." All but the cricket field, which is still looking worse for wear after the makeshift airship assembly.
"I'm reliably informed that the budget can't accommodate it."
"But that's ridiculous! The Department of Xenogeology just got a whole shipment of rare paints in, even though everyone knows they only use it to paint eyes on their favorite rocks! How are you supposed to teach students without a laboratory?"
In the aftermath of the Starved War, two Benthic professors–Crow Melusine Kos and Orsinio Elderwood–discuss career prospects.
Series
- Part 9 of Nothing Left to Burn
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Mr Wines looks aghast. "Perish the thought, Director! Like a pebble in a stream! Like a pebble in a stream," it repeats to itself, reaching for a bottle and pouring a generous glass of wine. It pushes the glass to Crow Melusine. "Go on. You must drink. I won't have a guest with a parched throat in my home."
"I'm not thirsty."
"Director," the Master says kindly, "We are not Mr Fires. We will not indulge a tantrum. You will drink now."
To the common Londoner, the Masters appear to be a united group. That could not be further from the truth. There is nothing a Master likes so much as sniffing out another Master's weakness.
Series
- Part 8 of Nothing Left to Burn
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Sky-Captain/Chiropterous Hoarder
Building a family in the space between stars; building a relationship; building oneself.
- Words:
- 18,420
- Works:
- 4
- Bookmarks:
- 20
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Collection of all my fics that feature my Light Fingers OC, Crow Melusine.
- Words:
- 38,289
- Works:
- 9
- Bookmarks:
- 2
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TFW when your spider boyfriend lays eggs in you, and it's complicated.
Or, an alternate universe where Prowl said "yes".
- Words:
- 13,784
- Works:
- 2
- Bookmarks:
- 22
Recent bookmarks
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the light [in] a dark, black night by willoftitanium
Fandoms: Project Hail Mary (2026), Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir
14 Jun 2026
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A good day, a bad day, and an okay day on the Hail Mary's journey to Erid. Rocky's POV.
Chapter 1: Grace introduces Rocky to the Mythbusters
Chapter 2: Grace has been asleep for 41,400 seconds, and is still sleeping.
Chapter 3: Love to the point of inventionBookmarked by sphilia
16 Jun 2026
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A SecUnit's Guide to Academic Conferences by marcicat
Fandoms: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells
29 Sep 2025
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One spaceship, two constructs, three humans, and two augmented humans attend an academic conference. What could possibly go wrong?
Bookmarked by sphilia
11 May 2026
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view ~/inputs/other_shit/yeah_i_know by enigmaticNeurologist
Fandoms: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells
08 Dec 2025
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The governor module hack blocks punishments, not commands.
Bookmarked by sphilia
10 May 2026
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Upon finding out that Peri has befriended a SecUnit, Seth is concerned for its safety. Peri attempts to explain by sharing a conversation.
Bookmarked by sphilia
10 May 2026
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Sometimes I'd forget
Rocky has been stranded, alone and light years away from home for 46 years. For a long time it seemed like nothing would ever change. But a new arrival in Tau Ceti system is about to alter the course of history; For Rocky, for Erid, and for another world far, far away.
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Beta read by chez_levi! Thank you for your notes, and curse you for your implications about metaphors
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- English
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- 108,826
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- 22/22
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Bookmarked by sphilia
01 May 2026