#rd pixie stuff

Obligatory reminder that this is a non-human society with non-human biology and social norms based on eusocial insects.

Alarm Scents

Pixies are eusocial. They swarm to protect the injured (specifically, once the scent of blood hits the air).

Injured pixies produce a scent that's been described as "Mint, warm butter, and wet dog" along with the banana alarm pheromone.

Pixies swarmed in "This Is a Box" after Chloe kicked H.P. in the face.

Mature Scents

When Seelie Courters are no longer virgins, they gain an underlying scent of caviar. This boosts their social status, deepens the scent of their other pheromones, and makes them much more attractive to drones and potential mates.

This parallels many real-life insects, who can detect a scent change (and favor non-virgin mates)

Poof was embarrassed in "All I Ever Wanted" when roommates and family confirmed they'd noticed his scent change.

Since the mature scent boosts dominance, gyne rivalry is much more vicious among mature individuals than virgin ones- It's just part of their biology to get more aggressive (and it's a lot harder to calm down when a rival has strong pheromones).

- Vice President Longwood is under strict orders to remain a virgin, lest the Head Pixie kill him (H.P. has a hard enough time not killing Longwood just for being a gyne even when he is a virgin). - Tension spiked between Poof and another gyne he grew up with (Finley) once Poof was no longer a virgin. - Finley is a tomte: a Fae who can't use magic. This means he's guaranteed to die during mating since his body wouldn't be able to survive it... but Finley has always been more dominant than Poof, so there's a lot of increased paranoia and aggression there.

Mindsets

There are three Fairy mindsets- the gyne, the kabouter, and the drone. Gynes and drones are two sides of the same coin.

Gyne - A Fairy or pixie drake who has freckles and gives off powerful pheromones that drone Fairies and pixies are attracted to.

In insect colonies that have queens, “gyne” is the word for the virgin “princess” insect who will either leave her mother’s colony to form her own, or seek to kill her mother and take over her colony instead. Similar instincts exist in Fairy or pixie gynes, who are rather territorial.

Wilcox listed the following responsibilities for gynes in “The Facts of Life”:

Appreciate your subordinates

Care for them when they’re sick

Ensure they have food and shelter before yourself

Culture Note - In Fairy World, it's the dominant individual who provides and serves food. In Anti-Fairy World, a host will provide food, but it's served by submissive individuals.

Gynes and drones are more easily manipulated by pheromones as they're much more connected to their insect biology, so they're more likely to cringe away or submit to dominant individuals (and gynes often fight to the death for dominance).

You can identify a dominant gyne because they'll float higher than others and people tend to defer to them (i.e. glancing, asking permission, keeping alert).

IRL, eusocial insects outgrow the term "gyne" when they become queens, but in my lore, the term sticks for life.

Two dominant gynes can't stay dominant in the same area for long. On neutral ground (like Fairy Con's sparring ring), they can maintain their respective dominance. When visiting each other's property - or sometimes even when meeting up for lunch - the more submissive one will get flipped. -> See the chapters "Made to Be Broken," "Senseless," and "Almost" respectively for examples from Origin of the Pixies. -> A young H.P. was required to wear a scarf to conceal his pheromones when he lived in the Earthside town of Bayard- "Mature" "Getting flipped" means mannerisms, dialogue, dress code, and thoughts shift to reflect that of the dominant individual. This happens to Sanderson in "Minion" when he and H.P. visit the Fairy Elder and Sanderson gets flipped to his "yellow butler" persona; more info on this in the "Minion" section below. - The top image for this post depicts Sanderson in different colors, including the yellow butler one and navy blue while under Anti-Cosmo's influence In "Senseless and Almost" (see above), H.P. changes his shirt from lavender to Reddinski's red. He shifts into a highly anxious "apologizing and asking permission" state that mirrors his behavior when he was in high school with Jean Reddinski, who took advantage of him back then (i.e. flirting with and brushing fingers across skin, setting up tension years later when Reddinski is actively abusing his drones by taking advantage of them when they can't leave and H.P. struggles to face his old bully on their behalf).

Gyne Pheromones

🍌 All gynes have a banana undertone to their pheromones. It's specifically the banana scent that becomes stronger when a gyne has mature pheromones, and strongest of all if they're the dominant gyne in the area (the aldra mór). See also:

"Mostly 9-oxo-2-decenoic acid, but your 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl ethanol is rather strong too, sir." Keefe looked at him in horror. "The answer I expected was bananas, but close enough. That's right. Since I'm the boss, you'll smell the 9O2D on me, but not on a younger gyne like Longwood. That's the specific scent you like, Sanderson, along with the 10H2D."

Origin of the Pixies Chapter 36, "Senseless"

Only dominant gynes are capable of conceiving. Subordinate gynes have their fertility suppressed until they become dominant (Queen bee vs. worker bee).

Poof was subordinate for most of his life, but becomes dominant when away from Finley in Hawthorn Haven.

Rupert Roebeam (ishigaq) and Walter Keefe (pixie) are drones born with dysolfactya: the inability to organize scents in their head. This renders them immune to pheromone cues; they'll just look at you if you try to lure them in "because it's instinct."

This also leaves them prone to falling off clouds or wandering into dangerous caves since they can't smell border warnings.

In Baby, You're a Rich Man Chapter 10, Keefe is the pixie who manages the file organizing computer: a job that keeps him safely indoors and doesn't require smelling anything.

The Anti-Fairy parallel of a gyne is a pilot. The Refracted parallel is a plume. They don't produce special pheromones, attract drones, or fight to the death. However, they're more likely to express bat or bird behavior (such as preening wings with teeth or building nests). They're often considered attractive in their communities.

Poof is a gyne, Foop is a pilot, and Poppy is a plume

- Drones are drakes who are overly sensitive to pheromones (and are drawn to dominant individuals who produce them). They tend to be calmer, more organized, and clearer of mind when exposed to pheromones; they risk falling into anxiety or depression without regular exposure.

Drones make up retinues: groups of worker bees that clean, feed, and care for the queen of an insect colony (or gynes, in this case).

Most pixies are drones, so Sanderson is a great example. In "Grooming," he describes the caretaking process for H.P., which includes things like wing brushing.

Wilcox listed these responsibilities for drones in “The Facts of Life”:

Be loyal

Be trustworthy

Don’t hurt your superiors

Fight to defend your family

Culturally, they're stereotyped as simpleminded, but that's not part of their biology. During Fairy World's medieval era, drones weren't allowed to own property, hold eye contact, work most jobs, leave rooms without being directly dismissed, and were required to wear muted grays or browns (and wear bracelets that matched one worn by their gyne.

At the end of this era, the court case Canterbury v. Oakwing granted drones additional rights, though some (like marriage) wouldn't be gained for another two generations (by Waterberry v. Reddinski).

The Fairywinkle family have a history of smuggling drones out of families (both upon request of those who wanted them removed from the inheritance order and upon request of drones seeking a better life). Legally, they “disappeared,” though few were actually killed- Most were relocated to new gynes. Notably, as Poof (a gyne himself) grows older, he works to revive this practice, combining his Fairywinkle heritage with the business know-how he picked up from interning at Pixies Inc.; Poof's dream is to create a legal, transparent "exchange program" of matching compatible gynes and drones.

The Head Pixie and Santa are both examples of gynes with a lot of drones under their care- H.P. has his pixies and Santa has his elves. Pixies represent paper wasps in Cloudlands AU and elves represent honeybees- two eusocial insect species this worldbuilding was largely based on.

- Kabouters can smell pheromones, but are less influenced by them since they're more human-like than insect-like in their behaviors. They don't fight to the death and are not as ingrained in social traditions that can be traced back to insect biology.

The term kabouter does not have any connection to insect biology. It's a friendly creature akin to a gnome (Dutch folklore).

Damsels with ZW chromosomes can't* develop into gynes or drones. Instead, they come in two flavors: "can have sons" and "can't have sons." Wanda is an exposed kabouter, so she can have sons.

Fairy births are biased in favor of damsels, with a roughly 75%-25% split. Sons are less common, but not rare. Again, the vibe here is "haplodiploid reproductive system, but it follows the 'male Fairies give birth' canon from the show and I don't claim to know everything about it, so if there are mistakes, 'It's because magic.'" Fairy World doesn't learn about the jelly connection until Foop connects the dots in young adulthood. Fairy World doesn't really know what's going on with their bodies. * See Smith's info below

Gynes and drones can only produce gyne or drone sons, not kabouter sons (although they can produce kabouter daughters). This mirrors the haplodiploid reproduction of eusocial insects.

Reminder: The mother needs to be an exposed kabouter to produce sons in the first place.

Jorgen's father (Frost) refused to believe in the "gynes can't have kabouter sons" rule of biology. Jorgen was born without freckles (and is a drone), but his father refused to admit that as he considered it shameful. Jorgen was very pleased to announce himself as a drone during the eulogy he gave for his father (after a lifetime of living in shame and suppressed emotions).

Jorgen and Binky are a gyne-drone pair, and while there's sometimes tension between them, they're very content with their set-up overall. Jorgen's happy to be himself with someone who doesn't judge or shame him, and Binky enjoys the company of his long-time friend.

See "7 Billion Years in 15,000 Words" for more about how cloudland perceptions of drones have shifted over the years.

Fairies cannot reproduce with Anti-Fairies (or Refracts). Their bodies are shaped differently (Fairies having systems based on insect anatomy, Anti-Fairies ones based on bat anatomy, Refracts on bird anatomy). Additionally, their chromosomes are incompatible, so in vitro doesn't work either.

Pixies and Anti-Fairies can't reproduce either- Pixies are also bug-based.

"Minion"

H.P. values hard work, rigid body posture, a straight face, and showing little emotion. When Sanderson is under the influence of H.P.’s pheromones, these are the traits he shows.

He was raised by H.P. from birth, so he grew up under these expectations anyway, pheromones or no pheromones. However, he defaults to H.P.’s values more naturally when “in H.P.’s service,” as we would say.

130 Prompt #14 - "Minion" depicts H.P. and Sanderson visiting the Fairy Elder: a presumably powerful being namedropped in "Timmy's Secret Wish." In Cloudlands AU, she's an ancient being who stands about 20 feet tall and wears yellow robes- Thus, Fairy World's rainbow designs pay homage to her even though there is no Yellow Robe sitting on the Fairy Council with the other colors.

Being the Fairy Elder, she has very powerful pheromones, even more so than H.P. In the Castle, H.P. was unable to maintain his usual influence over Sanderson, who felt instinctively prompted to turn his gray suit into a yellow one. Even H.P. fell under the Fairy Elder’s charm, turning his own suit yellow and showing more emotion (in this case, romantic affections) than we would usually expect from him.

While under the Fairy Elder’s influence, Sanderson took on a slightly different persona: checking for smears of dust, gesturing with sweeps of his arms, wearing white gloves, and folding his hands behind his back, and refusing to acknowledge H.P. as his boss. As far as he was concerned, the Fairy Elder was his boss now.

The relationship between H.P. and Sanderson is very boss & employee in nature. Sanderson calls H.P. “sir” and expects to be treated as a valued employee who receives a paycheck for his services and can be promoted and demoted in the company as appropriate. However, the relationship between Sanderson and the Fairy Elder is very butler & proud mistress of the household. Instinctively, Sanderson can sense this, even though he’d be hard pressed to explain how if you asked him to. That’s the nature of being a drone: he can sense what his superiors expect of him, and his natural instinct is to conform to their expectations. No longer under the influence of H.P.'s pheromones, Sanderson gestured more than usual and even shrugged- An act unusual for a stiff, professional pixie. He also hung his shades from the collar of his suit. He makes a point of referring to H.P. by his full title, “the Head Pixie,” and refers to the Fairy Elder as “his boss.” Other things Sanderson tends to do more frequently when he isn’t under H.P.’s influence include rolling his eyes and interrupting conversations (even when H.P. is the one speaking).

Notably, Sanderson warned H.P. that he would be flipped by the Fairy Elder's pheromones before it actually happened.

Once he did flip, he struggled to comprehend a future where he would return to H.P.'s service. He mentions that logically, he knew the Fairy Elder wouldn't force him to stay because she's always dismissed him back to H.P. in the past, but it was difficult to wrap his mind around the thought because it felt so right to be in her service.

He even described H.P. as his “former boss” and mused that he “can’t go crawling back to his ex” despite the fact that he was never fired from Pixies Inc. and technically still has a job there.

So, what exactly is going on in Sanderson’s mind right now? And what does he think of H.P. while in the Fairy Elder’s service?

All of a sudden, my body felt three sizes too small. Not even caring that I was breaking Pixie tradition, I made a fast, observable movement and scratched furiously at the crook of my left arm. Oh, it was a snatter of a place to be, trapped between a gyne and a god. On the one hand, the Elder’s pheromones gleamed on my tongue like sparkling suns that I could stare at without flinching away, but on the other, even she couldn’t overpower two and a half hundred millennia of scent layers quite so easily. Though my body and actions were hers, my brain longed to stand safely beside the Head Pixie again. But I didn’t make a move to do so. As a drone, I had little choice but to passionately serve the most dominant source of pheromones in the area, and for now, that dominant source was a deity, not a dear old friend.

Sanderson recognizes his loyalty to the Head Pixie, and regrets his inability to go against his own instincts and stand beside him, the way he would be standing if the Fairy Elder weren’t so influential. The part of him that’s speaking is the part of him that was raised by and which loves the Head Pixie, not a part of him prompted purely by pheromones. It’s the part of him that sees H.P. as both a father and a friend.

Additionally,

Obsession, now that I could comprehend. By the distinct natures of our biology, my own “infatuation” with the Fairy Elder manifested differently than his. Drones were natural fair-weather friends and sycophant servants. Even I, though minutes ago I’d loved him fiercely, had no power to alter my fate. For kabouters (and, especially, gynes) it was confusing to watch our colors change in a snap. Hurtful, even, that we could so easily abandon someone who fed and cared for us in instant favor of someone we’d never met. Yes, hurtful even for pixies, pallbearers of emotion they may claim to be. Even a pixie gyne must be hurting to see me now. Hurting, and lonely, and confused, and dripping with lust and fearful anxiety. And thus, I looked back at the flushing Head Pixie with pity in my brain, without a thought of blame or hypocrisy. This was not my fault. This was not his fault. It did not matter whose fault it was. Neither of us mattered to each other right now. One thing alone mattered, and she was the Fairy Elder.

Here, Sanderson explains that switching sides is, for him, a natural part of life. It’s something that he goes through life expecting it to happen, and so he is rarely surprised when it does. In his detached way, he understands that he might be hurting H.P.’s feelings, but he is pitying rather than sympathetic.

In sometimes subtle ways, the Fairy Elder’s influence has gotten under Sanderson’s skin. He is making the shift from valuing H.P. above all else to valuing the Fairy Elder above all else.

During the conversation between H.P. and Jorgen’s mother (Adelinda von Strangle), Sanderson demonstrates that even under the Fairy Elder’s influence, he is still his own person with the ability to think for himself, and explains he can’t be forced to reveal any secrets he doesn’t want to:

He lifted his eyebrows. “Does that bother you, dame? It’s fine if it does. It would bother me. But the fact remains, dumb Fairy laws prevent you from getting in my way. Even if I’ve confirmed I will be launching one of my revenge schemes this year, and even if you know where I will likely act and who I may be utilizing as a pawn, you can’t stop me.” Each of those last few words, he spit like their own sentence, wings beating rapidly until their noses were nearly bumping. “My son and I will not be taking our eyes off Dimmsdale for a second.” “Do it,” he said, softly. “Send in your patrol of godkids to stop me. March them straight through the Learn-A-Torium doors and onto Pixies Inc. property. Maybe you’ll find a find a weak point in our plan that Sanderson and I didn’t catch and correct.” That was my name. And… that was my old job. Adelinda realized it at the same time I did. As I inhaled sickly pheromones through my nose, she turned and stared down at me. Her fingers snapped once. “Spill your guts, pixie.” I stayed quiet, glaring up at her as the Head Pixie widened his eyes behind her shoulder. When she made as though she might leap down and approach, it was a steady process- not the quick, unexpected lunges forward that the Head Pixie (more than Anti-Sanderson, or even the Dame Head) were well known for. Apart from shifting her staff in my arms, I didn’t move. The wingless Adelinda positioned herself, fuming, at the tip of the Elder’s knee. “Pixie, you wear the colors of our goddess. For the good of the Fairy nation, reveal to us what you know.” “Adelinda, I’m gone, but I’m not that far gone. I’m a drone. Not a computer program. While my present loyalties lie with the Fairy Elder over the Head Pixie, I’m able to perceive that if he should accept me back upon her leaving, I will again belong to him. In this likely scenario, it would no longer benefit me to share that information with you. I don’t discuss my ex with current employers.”

Other Sanderson Personas

Like most drones, Sanderson has a slightly different persona for every dominant figure he ends up in the service of. Briefly, here are two other dominant figures who trigger unique personas:

“Can’t we preen just one last time before you go?” “Sanderson,” Smith said, making exaggerated rustling noises as he moved the boxes around, “I’m busy right now. Why don’t you ask Cresswell or Chidlow?” “Because they don’t preen the way you do.” Sanderson walked his fingers between the coffee filters and black straws. “You know… Besides H.P., you’re the only gyne I’ve ever given myself to on purpose. Cresswell and Chidlow get paralyzed by awkward fears of getting caught, and they fumble around. You’re the only one who never lets on he cares if he’s found out. Whenever we preen…” Sanderson narrowed his eyes in thought. “You actually exude an aura like you’re in charge. You’re just so dominant that way.” Smith set the box he had just picked up back on the floor. “Go on…”

Smith - Every once in awhile, the name Mr. Smith comes up in my pixie-related works (in this case, the above scene is from a piece called “The Other One” that we won’t be seeing again for quite awhile).

Smith is H.P.’s second-eldest gyne offspring, and his “spare” to his “heir.” Sanderson finds Smith’s pheromones nearly as favorable to smell as H.P.’s. He considers Smith a good friend, and occasionally seeks him out when working on a project or struggling with a task he’d rather not admit to H.P. that he’s struggling with.

Smith, in turn, finds Sanderson more entertaining than annoying, and sees him as a little brother despite the fact that Sanderson is slightly older than he is. So every once in awhile, Smith’s pheromones do overpower Sanderson’s mind more than the Head Pixie’s do.

It’s technically against both company policy and social norms for Sanderson to walk around with pheromones all over him that don’t belong to the Head Pixie. As a result, such behavior is considered scandalous, and that’s affected the persona Sanderson takes on around Smith. He tends to be more coy and silver-tongued about getting his way, rather than defaulting to the entitled and somewhat whiny persona he often falls into around the Head Pixie.

The second figure is Anti-Cosmo-

Mr. Sanderson actually frowned, eyebrows descending. He took half a step back. His wings bumped against the nightstand. The candle dish rattled. “Preen you like I preen the Head Pixie?” “Is that a problem?” He paused again. “Yeah, actually, yeah. I’m going to refuse, sir. What the Head Pixie and I have is special. I’m totally bound to you for now, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I sort of have to be over here and stick around because you’re attractive, but that doesn’t mean I’ve been mind controlled. I fully realize and understand what I’m doing, and I’m not willing to give you that part of me. Pick a different way to do the ritual.”

Sanderson doesn’t view Anti-Cosmo as someone he cares about impressing. Simply put, if he’s in Anti-Cosmo’s service, it’s not because he intentionally got himself into that mess. It has happened on occasion, but Sanderson always considers the relationship between the two to be a nuisance.

In Sanderson’s mind, Anti-Cosmo is a friend of H.P., but not of him. H.P. tends to keep his friendship with Sanderson separate from his friendship with Anti-Cosmo. If Anti-Cosmo is around, then H.P. pays attention to him, and Sanderson ends up pushed into the background like a bodyguard. He hardly acknowledges Sanderson’s presence then, meaning that Anti-Cosmo, in turn, hardly acknowledges Sanderson either. Thus, being around Anti-Cosmo makes Sanderson feel like an unimportant child who isn’t wanted at an important business meeting in the living room, and his persona is more childish too.

Overall, he is more casual around Anti-Cosmo than you might expect, and more forthcoming in conversations with him than he is with anyone else (although this has just as much to do with Anti-Cosmo being a good listener who carefully coaxes things out of him as it has to do with anything).

While Sanderson still thinks twice about letting company secrets out of his mouth, he does tend to be slightly more open about his (gasp!) feelings. Especially those concerning his frustrations with H.P., which are usually out of his mind when he’s in H.P.’s service, but which Anti-Cosmo’s aura seems to bring to the forefront of his mind.

This openness, of course, reflects Anti-Cosmo being a more emotional person than H.P. is. His influence prompts Sanderson to lower his guard.

On the flipside, because many of his filters are down around Anti-Cosmo, Sanderson also tends to be more critical, stubborn, and bossy around the anti-fairy than he is around H.P.

While Sanderson still “sort of has to stick around” Anti-Cosmo, he tends to fall into a persona that could best be described as “sneering, self-righteous butler.” He’s again more expressive with his body language while in Anti-Cosmo’s service than he is around H.P.

Sanderson Without Pheromone Influence

So if at least part of a drone’s personality can be attributed to the influence of pheromones, what happens if we strip them of pheromones entirely? Here's another scene from "Minion"-

I held her gaze for several beats, then dropped it to the pillow in my lap again. The tension in my legs and hands eased. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be saying these things. Back in Pixie World, the heaters and air conditioning units push the Head Pixie’s smell everywhere at all times of the day. Even after we shower, we just fall into them again. I’m not used to this. Being without." My eyes latched onto a glass bowl on the coffee table. I clicked my teeth. "Smoof. Is this who I really am when all the pheromones come off? Bitter and sassy and critical of everyone and everything? It doesn’t happen often, but it’s unprofessional and demeaning when it does. Do I not really like him? The Head Pixie is my boss. He’s the founder of our company. I have to like him. So where did all of these flaws I see in him suddenly come from? I shouldn’t say that. Don’t tell him I said that.” I clenched my fists to my ears, this time without the spider. “Sanderson is not a fan-derson when the Head goes subordinate. All of a sudden he’s not… He doesn’t seem… I don’t view him as… I start spreading negative gossip about him. Like this. I ought to be ashamed, but I’m just not in the state of mind to be ashamed. Do you regular kabouters ever get like this, Adelinda, or is this the curse of drones?” “I can relate. It is called being annoyed, pixie. It’s an emotion.” I fumed for a few seconds, unable to think up a clever response for her rebuttal. My hands slid down my face and then dropped into my lap. “Well, I don’t like it. I hate the ‘freedom’ of being a drone without a gyne. I’m nothing without one." My voice splintered. Reaching for my knee, I finished, "And I wish I’d remember that. But without pheromones, my brain doesn’t want to. Thank you for the towel. My thoughts are clearer without conflicting scents raging in my head. However, there’s still an empty deadness inside me. Blankness. Lostness. It’s not natural, Adelinda, to look upon the world and hate your own workplace. To criticize your employer. How can kabouters ever get by holding positions and doing part-time work like it’s some passing fling, not devoting every ounce of their passion to what they do? How can they serve someone and contentedly work side by side in a company doing a job they don’t like with people they don’t like either? I could never live that way.” No, I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. I ran my hands up and down my pant leg. “If this is what it’s like to be a kabouter, to live life hating the daily grind, never pleased with what you have, spotting flaws everywhere and griping about them after-hours, then I’d take being a drone in a wingbeat. But it’s just not natural, to be an independent drone. No one should have to be frustrated with someone they admire.”

Sanderson’s “au naturel” persona is, as he described himself, “Bitter and sassy and critical of everyone and everything” to a higher degree than he is when under the influence of most dominant figures, whose pheromones tend to suppress the part of him that snarks back (Exception being Anti-Cosmo, who as a bat instead of an insect, doesn’t produce impressive pheromones).

“Blank slate” Sanderson is more nervous and questioning, seeking approval from outside sources and constantly second-guessing himself. He’s more active with his hands: covering his ears, touching his face, holding his knee to his chest, and expressing himself through more body language than H.P.’s influence typically allows. His voice even cracks.

Without the presence of pheromones, Sanderson feels like a small child separated from his parent in a shoe store... unsure and overwhelmed. He acted in a similar way during Chapter 8 of Baby, You’re a Rich Man when he hadn’t been exposed to pheromones for days.

Although Fairy society may look down on drones, sometimes viewing them as cowards or as oddballs who gain masochistic pleasure from their “servitude,” in Sanderson’s mind (and in the mind of many drones), this is simply his role in life, and he accepts it. He lacks any desire to strike out on his own and raise his own family, because he prioritizes H.P.’s happiness- and, by extension, his own financial and shelter-related security. He simply enjoys being around H.P.

A drone is a creature who will loyally follow his gyne everywhere, and even raise his gyne’s children if he’s asked to. A gyne’s life consists of balancing his own needs with those of the drones who are subordinate to him, not to mention the needs of a potential wife and children.

Drones desire loyalty and intimate affection from their gyne much the way a romantic partner does, albeit in a slightly different way. There’s no question that H.P. has his work cut out for him, balancing so many pixie drones. No surprise, perhaps, that he isn’t married.

Wolbachia Notes

The bacteria Wolbachia pipientis has several properties, known as phenotypes. These are:

- Feminization -> Masculinization, to mirror FOP reproductive lore (During prenatal development, unborn children have their ZW sex traits overwritten with ZZ sex traits) - Parthenogenesis (Asexual reproduction; genetically identical offspring) - Male killing -> Female killing (Damsels who contract Wolbachia don't survive; Pixies with ZW chromosomes do because of aforementioned masculinization making them look like ZZs to the bacteria) - Cytoplasmic incompatibility (Inability to reproduce non-asexually, except with infected males females)

The masculinization phenotype of the Pixies' Wolbachia pipientis messes with the reproductive system. There ARE pixie kabouters, but they don't know they're kabouters because they're raised believing they're drones. Some pixies have ZW sex chromosomes, but were masculinized: looking at their outer body and internal reproductive system, you might assume they're also ZZ.

In other words, pixies are described as an "all-male species." Some have ZZ chromosomes and some have ZW. Chromosomes are pretty irrelevant for them; most don't know which set they have.

The pixie Smith is an unusual case: he had ZW chromosomes during prenatal development. He was masculinized by Wolbachia, exposed to jelly at a very young age, and ended up a ZW gyne.

Smith's pheromones are overpowering. He has conflicting hormones trying to express him as both a kabouter and a gyne. In other words, he has "double pheromones" and turns a lot of heads- Even the Anti-Fairies can smell him easily.

Clarifying note- Masculinized pixies don't get their sex chromosomes replaced with new ones- They get their hormones and such replaced so their body expresses the sex traits associated with ZZ chromosomes. Or in Smith's case, you get ALL the sex traits fighting for space and the body does its best to make that work.

- Many Fairies gossip about how attractive Smith is (despite shunning Pixies in general). In "Dignity," he's married off (unhappily) to a korrigan named Montana Powers. - Smith isn't H.P.'s heir, but he's next in line if Vice President Longwood loses the position. Smith is a rebellious braggart who flaunts his pheromones and challenges H.P.'s authority. "Letters and Numbers" is a good example. - H.P.'s non-identical daughter (Commelina) is the only ZW pixie who identifies as a damsel. She was born through an incredibly specific Wolbachia situation discussed in the Origin of the Pixies chapter "The Fading of Light" (Major story spoilers) - Commelina does not have Wolbachia and - like a Fairy damsel - would die if she came into contact with it. - In the Origin of the Pixies chapter "Fruitful Fruition," the cherubs bypassed H.P.'s cytoplasmic incompatibility by placing an egg directly in his uterus (Eggs are usually stored in the head and travel down).

Additional Chromosome Notes

- Witches are born with XXZ or XYZ chromosomes. Those with XXZ may or may not be sterile, but those with XYZ are always sterile (as far as studies have shown). - Juandissimo has no sex chromosomes; he was finger-snapped into existence by a genie, so his internal systems run on genie-given magic. On paper, he and his counterparts are listed as 00. He's infertile because even though he has reproductive anatomy shaped like a Fairy's, his chromosomes are incompatible. - Poof and Foop DO have sex chromosomes since they were conceived by their parents (not summoned without pregnancy). They won't have any chromosome-related issues when it comes to reproducing.

Poof can only reproduce if he's a dominant gyne. When he's submissive, his fertility switches off. Foop's ability to reproduce is in Poof's hands- He's unable to have children unless Poof has a child, at which point he's magically forced to have a child too. Further reading on that in the honey-lock section of Class Overview: Anti-Fairies.

Closing Note

These sex chromosomes apply to several AUs of mine, such as Cloudlands and City Lights.

Reedfilter Rules AU is notable for fluidity with their bodies. The RR Fae are shapeshifters, can change species, and reproduce freely with any Fairy, Anti-Fairy, or Pixie. It's not likely they know what chromosomes are (let alone sex chromosomes) apart from a thing they need to learn about so they can shapeshift into various living things.

Related Posts:

- Class Overview: Fairies - Class Overview: Pixies - Freckle Distribution in Gyne Fairies - Preening Signals - H.P. and Sanderson's Short Bios - Commelina's Short Bio - Jorgen and Binky's Short Bios - The 130 Summaries page uses the 🔷 to mark works that contain non-sexual intimacy, with gyne-drone relationships being one example.

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COMMON WORLDBUILDING VOCAB

Not the ENTIRE glossary, but these are common terms Fae would recognize that humans usually wouldn’t, though they’re not exactly “slang terms.”

Cloudlength - A unit of measurement between a mile and a kilometer.

Cloudcliff - The edge of a cloud; fall or jump from the edge and you can descend planes of existence until you hit another cloud.

Core Trait - The personality trait that a corresponding set of Faedivus, Faeumbra, and Faelumen inherently share; their “central drive.”

Core-Sync - A universal force or magic that causes Anti-Fairies to mirror their counterparts in terms of being injured and mating.

Damsel - The official term for a female Fae. Adjective form: “Damseline.”

Drake - The official term for a male Fae. Adjective form: “Drakian.”

Drone - A Seelie drake, usually small, who is highly susceptible to pheromones. They generally follow gynes around and are stereotyped as obedient to a fault. Historically they have been mistreated by Fae society, and the cloudlands are currently (as in “during my fanfics”) working to improve this. Despite the name “drones,” drones are most similar to worker bees, not drone bees.

Dysolfactya - An inability to properly read pheromone cues (Dyslexia but for smell). Rupert Roebeam and the pixie Keefe are both drones with dysolfactya, making it somewhat difficult for them to navigate Fairy society. Those with dysolfactya aren’t always treated well in Fairy society, as people tend to react to them with annoyance instead of finding ways to help them.

Faedivus - The genus of Fairies and Pixies. A baby Fairy or Pixie is called a nymph.

Faelumen - The genus of Anti-Fairies. A baby Anti-Fairy is called a pup.

Faeumbra - The genus of Refracts. A baby Refract is called a chick.

Field-Sight - Fairies or Pixies who have triggered field-sight (by briefly rolling their eyes back in their heads) are able to see the colors of magic in the world around them. Things like clothing and facial features won’t show up. Humans do not appear in the energy field unless they’ve recently come in contact with a magical item or magical being. The Unseelie lack this ability.

Gyne - A large, freckled Seelie drake who projects a lot of dominant pheromones; they’re the Fairy equivalent of queen bees. Gynes are especially territorial. They develop from Fairy children who consumed a lot of jelly in the first few months of life. The Anti-Fairy counterpart of a gyne is a pilot and is born with black facial fur resembling a mustache and goatee. The Refract counterpart of a gyne is a plume and is born with long, wiry “plumes” that curl from their head like antennae.

High Count / High Countess - High positions in Anti-Fairy World that make up the executive branch of Anti-Fairy government (the Anti-Fairy Council balance their political power). Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda are the current High Count and High Countess with Foop first in line as Anti-Cosmo’s heir. The camarilla court make up their council of advisors.

Honey-Lock Instinct, The - The all-powerful magical instinct that drives Anti-Fairies to mate with the counterpart of whomever their “host” does. In preadolescents, mere feelings of attraction can incite a “mini honey-lock” of affection in their counterpart. 

Imprint - A magical being’s “personal signature” in the energy field; something like the magical version of facial features, but can be picked up on from anywhere within a close radius. Anti-Fairies use a similar system called a vocal signature to identify people.

Inrita - A chemical secreted through a gland at the roof of a brownie’s mouth. It holds no effect over them per se aside from helping them break down almost anything they put in their mouth, but inrita drains the magic from objects and some magical beings; a “closed circle of inrita” will cancel all magic in the vicinity, including causing Fairies and Pixies to “drop their lines” and start asphyxiating. Vendors often keep “inrita mud” near their wares to prevent people from magically stealing it. If inrita has any effect on genies, it’s a minuscule one. Brownies fall low on the social ladder due to how easy it is for them to kill someone. See also, Brownie-Kisser.

Instar - A Seelie Courter who still has their nymphhood exoskeleton. Typically someone under one year of age (give or take a few months) is said to be “in instar.” Poof is the exception to the rule giving how his body has been messed up by the frozen timestream. 

Iris - An Anti-Fairy with a sexually-transmitted disease that makes their eyes match their counterpart’s eyes, as opposed to default red. The STD is highly prized in Anti-Fairy society due to a history of being associated with success, leadership, wealth, and cleverness, and generally it’s kept out of the reach of the commoners. Anti-Fairies are overwhelmingly more attracted to Anti-Fairies with colored eyes than one with “default red” eyes; it’s part of their cultural upbringing.

The STD itself is known as The Iris Virus despite being a magical bacteria and not an actual virus.

The virus comes with additional unpleasant side-effects, such as loose-hanging skin, sores in the mouth, and sores around the inner thighs; these sores flare up for a week or two around the anniversary of the day you got the virus.

In Refracted society, colored eyes are a sign of shame and can cause your flock to disown you even if you were born with them through no fault of your own.

Kiff-Tie - If two Anti-Fairies in close proximity are killed, they’ll regenerate together and be fused like one creature. They do not take on a unique new form; rather, their bodies are fused together like Siamese twins. In place of the typical Valentine’s Day celebrations, it’s popular sport among Anti-Fairies to use arrows to kill snuggling couples instead.

Kiss of Frost - Will o’ the wisp saliva has the ability to paralyze the limbs; a deep enough kiss will even freeze the body to the point where it stops functioning and dies.

Luz Mala - A Fae conceived with magical assistance or through totally magical means. They tend to be very powerful and emotionally unstable, with their emotions frequently affecting the world around them. Historically luz mala are looked down upon by Fae society because of this, though some people (notably Anti-Cosmo) have made an effort to fight for their acceptance. Poof, Foop, and Juandissimo are all luz mala.

P.A.W.S. / Previously-Activated Wand System - A simple wand used to perform simple magic. This type of wand records a lot of magical information and is usually required for children doing magical homework. Parents might also want their children to use these wands so their magic usage can be tracked.

Preening - The ceremonial exchange of pheromones between two or more parties, performed by licking one another’s necks and faces. When Fairies or Pixies settle business deals, preening is often involved. In that context, preening would be professional, but it can also be an intimate (though non-sexual) gesture between two people. Preening is usually performed by drakes, though damsels are sometimes taught the gestures. Preening with someone “for fun” on a regular basis would be a sort of “bromance” relationship and a sign that you two are close, devoted friends.

Preening features prominently in many of my works that feature Fairy culture. Read more about the 24 preening signals HERE.

>> Notoriously, H.P. feels very close with both Anti-Cosmo and Jorgen because they preen regularly for political and friendly reasons. Jorgen sees his relationships with H.P. and Anti-Cosmo as strictly professional while Anti-Cosmo is rather touch-starved and treats preening as a relaxing way to unwind but not necessarily as an attempt to form an emotional bond. On some level, you could argue that Anti-Cosmo sees H.P. as his casual friend with benefits while H.P.’s vision is more of a bromance where they respect and support each other.

Refracted, The - The third class of Fae that make up a third of a Fae soul (each Fae soul consists of a Fairy, Anti-Fairy, and Fairy Refract counterpart). The Refracted are gold and white bird people, and the Refracted class overview can be found HERE. Properly they are called Fairy Refracts. When speaking of their culture, the term is “Refracted culture.” When speaking of people, the term is simply “Refracts.”

Refracts are born the opposite sex of the hosting Fairy counterpart and are always born three months after the Fairy (as opposed to Anti-Fairies who are born the first Friday the 13th after three months have passed). Their names are framed Drake Wanda and Dame Cosmo instead of Anti-Wanda and Anti-Cosmo.

Seelie Court - An umbrella term encompassing Fairies (including subspecies) and Pixies. The term “Seelie” can be used alone, such as in the phrase “I’m Seelie.” That would be an example of a slang phrase since the proper way to say it is “I’m a member of the Seelie Court.”

Sharing Magic - Fae who are near each other can pick up on one another’s attraction signals in the energy field. Sharing magic is a way of sharing signals, directing them towards one another and feeling the touch of each other’s magic. It’s sort of like cuddling (in the sense that it’s something you might do with either a romantic partner in private or a friend in public depending on your comfort level) but with magic. Sharing magic normally coincides with physical cuddling or with preening. The term might also be used if you’re giving SHAMPAX (magical CPR).

Tomte - A Fairy without the ability to channel magic. If someone tries to “go tomte,” it means they’ve injured or are considering injuring their right hand, which is the “organ” of a Fairy’s body that really channels magic. Alternatively, it may also mean that they’re trying to “go natural” and not use magic, but without injuring their hand. Refracts and Anti-Fairies are not affected by their counterparts going tomte, and injuring their hands won’t have an affect on their ability to channel magic either.

Unseelie Court - An umbrella term encompassing Anti-Fairies (including anti-pixies) as well as Refracts. The term “Unseelie” can be used alone, such as in the phrase “I’m Unseelie.” That would be an example of a slang phrase since the proper way to say it is “I’m a member of the Unseelie Court.”

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LOCATIONS AND SPECIAL ITEMS

Other useful worldbuilding terms that don’t count as slang either.

Claímh Solais - One of the four treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann: a magical sword that once belonged to King Nuada and is capable of severing the soul from the body. This treasure was bestowed upon the Fairies. It’s normally in the care of the Fairy Elder, though its theft from the Pink Castle was largely responsible for kicking off the May Blossom War. Foop is widely suspected to be the thief, though he and his family deny this.

Cloudlands, The - A term that encompasses all the magical Fae worlds. The cloudlands we see in the show are known as “The Fairy World colony” (even Anti-Fairy World falls under this term). The Fairy World (Earth) colony is distinct from the Red Retreat (Jupiter) colony, the Legend Peak (Mars) colony, and the Hawthorn Haven (Delk) colony.

Coire Dagdae - One of the four treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann: the bottomless cauldron of The Dagda (also called Undry). This treasure was bestowed upon the Anti-Fairies and was in the care of the High Count and High Countess at the Blue Castle until Anti-Cosmo lost it during the War of the Angels.

Elphame - The original motherland of the Fae. Fairy World is a colony of Elphame. Many Fae search for Elphame as they travel the universe, though they have not yet found it. It exists only in stories and many people (especially Anti-Fairies) do not believe it exists. You can read more about Elphame and its colonies HERE. 

Hy-Brasil - Anti-Fairy World’s official name; I named it after the mythical island said to be off the coast of Ireland, inhabited by “large black rabbits” and “a magician in a stone castle.”

Insula Solis Infintum - Anti-Pixie World’s official name; literally translated its name means “The Isle of Infinite Sunshine.” It’s an island prison and is technically part of Anti-Fairy World. Located above Rio de Janeiro.

Lia Fáil, The - One of the four treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann: a magical coronation stone found in Ireland. This treasure marks a neutral zone for the Fae, who respect the truce with their utmost honor.

Sleá Bua - One of the four treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann: Lugh’s magical peacekeeping spear. This treasure was bestowed upon the Refracts and is kept in a tower. Notably, Dame Artemis’s goal in the second half of Frayed Knots is to retrieve it.

Sprigganhame - Pixie World’s official name (shortened). Pixie World is a micronation located entirely within a single Fairy World region (the Central Star / Purple region).

Tír Ildáthach - Fairy World’s official name; “The Land of Many Colors.”

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CASUAL TERMS

Other terms that are commonly used as slang.

Abra-Bats - A slang term for Abracadabrium batteries: a rare portable power source controlled mostly by the Pixies.

Ah’kas - A slang way to refer to preening (specifically the ceremonial / intimate part of preening). See the Ceremonial Preening Terms section below.

Attraction Signals - Various pulses automatically put out by magical beings that allow other magical beings to detect their presence. These signals are named such because they attract the energy field.

Cú Chulainn - Not exactly a common slang term, but Cú Chulainn is a very famous mythical demigod. H.P. commonly refers to Talon by this as an affectionate pet name, parly because Cú Chulainn was a very strong hero and partially because the hero was famously fostered by several fathers (since the hero’s actual father was a deity who didn’t stick around).

Dazzled - A slang term from around the time Cosmo, Wanda, their counterparts, and the pixies were growing up. Replaced “jazzed.” It means “Cool” or “Awesome.”

Finella Reflex - The name for a Seelie’s instinct to destroy their Unseelie counterpart. Strongest when an Unseelie is in a Seelie’s territory (as determined by the strength of pheromones). Also known as “cold shoulder syndrome.”

>> A widely accepted theory slowly being discredited as time goes on. Poof and Foop’s ability to co-exist as roommates has confused a lot of people who used to believe in this reflex and used it to defend their racist beliefs.

Going Dusty - A euphemism for death among the Seelie. The Anti-Fairy equivalent is “gone to smoke” while the Refracted equivalent is “gone to mist.”

Gootie-Goggling - An old-fashioned slang term for checking someone out. This phrase is out of date in modern times.

Ivywish - A common word in Anti-Fairy society in reference to the Anti-Firebox v. Ivywish case. Saying something like, “They pulled ol’ Ivywish on me” or “They went Ivywish” means, “They discriminated against me on the basis of my being an Anti-Fairy.”

Jazzed - A slang term from the time when H.P. was growing up; “That’s jazzed” means “That’s cool” or “That’s awesome.” This phrase is out of date in modern times; it was replaced by “Dazzled.”

Jacked - A slang term from the time when H.P. was growing up; “That’s jacked” means “That’s dumb” or “That’s messed up.”  This phrase is out of date in modern times; something like “That’s ridiculous” or “That’s stupid” would be more common.

Lines - Shortened from “magic lines” or “breathing lines.” When an Anti-Fairy damsel gives birth to lifesmoke, it rushes towards the primary “host” counterpart and envelops them. Poof’s counterparts (Foop and their Refract) “bound together” and “attacked” Poof at the exact same time, hence the giant cloud and the confusion of the Fairies; normally the clouds are much, much smaller.

Mint - A slang term that will crop up during Poof and Foop’s teenage years; “I’m mint” basically replaces “I’m awesome” in the future. It is also often phrased as “That’s minty.” This slang term is not used in stories that take place before Poof and Foop enter middle school, and it’s at its peak during their high school years.

Naiad - A wingless Fairy (both those born without and those whose wings have been cut off).

Prince of Destiny - A slang term for a gyne (Usually intended to be sarcastic or insulting).

SHAMPAX - CPR for the Fairykind; stands for “Sharing Magic to Prevent Asphyxiation.” Usually administered mouth to mouth, but can also be administered by mouth to an open cut in the skin.

Sugarblind - A slang term that basically translates to “blackout drunk.” Not used very often. “Sugarloaded” is more common, but if you need to specify the difference between “drunk” and “blackout drunk,” you would use this term.

Sugarloaded - The state of being “sugar-drunk” due to consuming too much candy and/or soda. The Fae are not affected by alcohol- only sugary products.

Tingle-Fritzy - A state of arousal in the Fairykind that can result from anxiety, feelings of attraction, or from being sugarloaded, for example. This term is named after the fact that a Fairy or Pixie’s magic lines will fritz in and out of contact with the energy field in this state.

Thinningcore - “Going thinningcore” is the Unseelie equivalent of going tingle-fritzy, since the Unseelie don’t have their own magic lines. Simply put, when they begin to stress, they can have difficulty “breathing”. It’s also a common side effect of Anti-Fairies being right-side-up too much. While tingle-fritziness can sometimes be associated with pleasure (“sugar high”), going thinningcore is generally considered unpleasant.

Wishbirthed - A nymph who skipped the birthing process and was wished out of their parent, and as a result ended up with a large glob of magic stuck to them. This process can be seriously risky if you don’t know your anatomy well or can’t channel sufficient power. Often used interchangeably with luz mala even though technically they shouldn’t be.

Year of Promise - The time between when fairy courtship officially begins and when one’s wings are notched; “the honeymoon phase.” In Fairy culture (mostly seen in the common fairy subspecies but sometimes seen in others), Fairies mate on the first night of official courtship and then spend a year “hands off” from each other and all other partners. When the year is over, the couple reunite and discuss their feelings. They either marry or break up (it’s very rare to continue courting without marriage after the year is up).

The common fairy subspecies takes the Year of Promise tradition extremely seriously. Ironically, despite believing in a tradition that allows the couple to freely and respectfully bail out if they fear the marriage won’t work, they are stereotyped as a subspecies that rushes relationships.

Traditionally both partners should wear a ceremonial apron and gloves in public for that entire year and should avoid touching people with their skin. 

Notably, Wanda and Juandissimo had a Year of Promise. When it was over, Juandissimo enthusiastically requested Wanda’s hand in marriage and was shocked when she turned him down.

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PHRASES

Common casual phrases in Fae culture.

“Are you jitterlines?” - “Are you crazy?”  

“As the dragonfly skims” - As the crow flies; measures distance by wing without taking the topography of the landscape into account. This term is used by Fairies; Anti-Fairies would say “As the bat soars” and Refracts would use the crow term.

“Don’t flap your wings dustless” - “Chill out”, “Calm down.”

“I’m only [Un]Seelie” - “I’m only human.”

“Lousy-lines” - A phrase that means something like “grumpy-gus” or “Debbie downer.”

“Sheathe your wand” - In this sense, it means “Hold your horses.”

“Who brushed the dust off your wings?” - “Why are you so grumpy?”

“Will a genie’s kiss fry your lines off for a week?” - Rhetorical question given as an affirmative answer; equivalent to, “Do chickens have lips?” Stemmed from the fact that genies have so much magic in them, kissing one long enough will overload the body and cause the Fairy to fritz all lines from the energy field.

“You’re fudging your wand waves” - “You’re exaggerating.”

“You’re twirling my lines” - “You can’t be serious” / “You’re making me anxious.”

“You’re yanking my wing” - “You’re pulling my leg.”

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TRADITIONAL TERMS

Special terms specific to Fairy culture. These terms are always italicized since they are words from an ancient language.

Aldra mór - The dominant gyne of the local area. A very dominant gyne who visits another gyne’s territory would be visiting an aldra mór, even if the visitor is more dominant than the host.

Ex: The Head Pixie is aldra mór of Pixie World. No gyne can be aldra mór of Fairy World because it’s simply too big, but they could be aldra mór of a neighborhood or estate property.

Chéad grá - The aldra mór’s alpha retinue drone (the drone in charge of leading the retinue and overseeing fellow drones). Although not the aldra mór, he generally holds authority and you might ask him questions if the aldra mór wasn’t around.

Ex: Sanderson is chéad grá of Pixie World; he’s sort of “head butler.” The term is tied to the aldra mór’s territory; you would not greet a drone by saying “Welcome to my home, chéad grá.”

Caisleán - The main building that belongs to the aldra mór and contains his sleeping quarters. These buildings were common in hive estates, though in modern times few gynes have estates so this term might simply refer to their house. To some people, it may be taboo to enter the building if you aren’t family.

Technically, H.P.’s penthouse - not the entire building - would be classified as his caisleán in modern times.

Mhaisci - A special room where preening is performed, usually but not always separate from the bedroom. Since the bedroom is considered private, it’s nice to have a separate place where it’s a little less awkward to discuss business deals. A mhaisci might be decorated like a bedroom, but is commonly decorated as an office with a couch.

You can see a modern mhaisci in my Sims 4 build of H.P.’s penthouse HERE.

Mhalaith-chéad - Special ceremonial clothing set aside for the chéad grá and ONLY the chéad grá to wear while preening. This clothing usually resembles silver silk pajamas, though there can be some variation. It’s very taboo for a lower-ranked drone to wear this.

Tháircha - A separate living area for drones, usually containing bedrooms, bathrooms, an office space, and a living area just like any other small house. It’s traditional for all drones to share one bedroom, however, which often cuts down on rivalry (usually 4 drones max to the same bedroom). Also commonly abbreviated “tháir.”

Tekti - A guest house, separate from the caisleán. If you’re staying on a gyne’s property, this is where you would be since gynes are territorial and generally prefer not to sleep under the same roof. Modern Pixie World features the Onyx Hotel in place of a traditional tekti, which would be a more humble building.

Yidreamu - A term that means “affection site.” Traditionally, Fairies don’t mate in the same beds they sleep in and in Fairy architecture you will generally see a smaller room connected to the master bedroom. This room is also used for snuggles or simply relaxing together while reading books or watching movies (not just mating). It is also very common for a couple’s yidreamu to be some sort of cabin, boathouse, or similar vacation home instead. I built a yidreamu in Sims 4 and talked more about them in the Fairy architecture post, HERE.

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CEREMONIAL PREENING TERMS

Phrases used in ceremonial preening; they appear in a few Origin of the Pixies and Frayed Knots chapters but are often glossed over elsewhere. They are usually referred to as “The ah’kas.” Some of these words also appear in Mother Nature and Father Time’s sacrificial shrine song.

These phrases should always be spoken in the correct order, in ceremonial conversation form, so they are listed in order and not alphabetically. In story, these phrases are always italicized. The use of these phrases can be seen in the Origin chapter “Senseless” and the Knots chapter “Tipping Scales.”

Again, preening is part of Seelie culture due to the fact that Fairies and Pixies share their DNA with insects; preening was specifically intended to be an anthropomorphized take on eusocial insect licking behaviors. Licking to show dominance and submission is instinctive for Seelie, particularly gynes and drones. Damsels are invited to preen for business purposes but are not usually taught the motions of the full ceremony (since damsels are based on drone bees and gynes and drones are based on queen and worker bees).

Anti-Fairies and Refracts do not normally preen. It isn’t instinctive for them and is not part of their cultures (in fact, in Anti-Fairy culture / bat instincts, licking someone’s face or neck is used to signal desire for sex... which is DEFINITELY not what a Fairy means to communicate). However, some might be willing to preen if invited to by a Fairy. For example, Anti-Cosmo is willing to preen with others due to his rank as High Count and his (often crippling) belief that he’s expected to do so; however, many Fairies are uncomfortable preening with Anti-Fairies due to the cultural gap between the races.

“Ah’ne ah’ne ah’ka, awa krei’ish cara” - “May I have your mountain?” (Body)

“Kalra kalra keiko krei’ish cara” - “If you will have me, you have my mountain.”

“Ah’ne ah’ne ah’ka, awa krei’ish lámha” - “May I have your hands?”

“Kalra kalra keiko krei’ish lámha” - If you will have me, you have my hands.”

“Ah’ne ah’ne ah’ka, awa krei’ish taná” - “May I have your lines?” (Breath)

“Kalra kalra keiko krei’ish taná” - If you will have me, you have my lines.”

“Ah’ne ah’ne ah’ka, awa krei’ish ri’apa” - “May I have your core?” (Soul)

“Kalra kalra keiko krei’ish ri’apa” - If you will have me, you have my core.”

Preening is a mutual exchange of pheromones and, in full ceremony, is combined with gestures and physical touch. After offering someone your body, you are giving them consent to move closer to you (possibly on top of you or any other way they’re comfortable with that allows them a better angle to lick your neck).

As the ceremony advances, partners gradually share magic with one another, aligning their magical signals until their breathing is in sync. After agreeing to the fourth level - the core level - partners consent to transition to a mutual magical state where they can meld minds. This can be seen in some of my works, such as the Origin of the Pixies chapters “From Straw to Gold” and “King Unconventional.”

In business deals, you can also ask a “fifth” question and would replace the last word with the request you are asking for. For example, “utwrisa” which means “your aid and concern.”

The submissive preening partner (the drone or person seeking aid) initiates the questions and movements; only they have the authority to advance the ceremony in order to signal consent and hopefully limit the chance of abuse. The submissive partner only advances the ceremony as far as they are willing to go. It is common to stop after the first question when preening for the sake of settling a business deal (if you even ask a question at all... in modern times, many business deals are settled with a handshake or a few quick and simple licks). Some professional relationships may progress to the second question (hands), and even to the third (lines).

It is rare to advance to the fourth question (core) in a professional relationship. Much of the confusion between H.P. and Anti-Cosmo regarding the status of their relationship comes from the fact that H.P. repeatedly insisted to Anti-Cosmo that preening is “strictly professional” but did not make clear that the melding mind stage is generally treated in Fairy culture as a sign of great trust, friendship, and intimacy.

Thus, H.P. tends to see their relationship as more intimate and trusting than Anti-Cosmo does (which plays into why H.P. teases Anti-Cosmo so much, believing he and Anti-Cosmo are very close although in reality, Anti-Cosmo is often flustered or offended by his jokes).

As another example, the relationship between H.P. and Jorgen constantly slides up and down, with both parties feeling comfortable with one another and happily progressing to the mind-melding stage of preening one day, but bitterly refusing to progress farther than the first stage the next.

Their comfort level changes rapidly, but is at least always clear to them unlike Anti-Cosmo, who is constantly confused and hurt if H.P.’s comfort with him doesn’t remain at max at all times.

Anti-Cosmo's self-esteem will take a hit if H.P. doesn’t allow him to complete the full ceremony every time they preen while H.P. believes he is simply communicating “I like you, I’m just not in the mood for going further.” Jorgen gets it because this is Seelie culture, but Anti-Cosmo is easily confused.

If you wish to stop the ceremony immediately (but respectfully), you would say “Shri'ana vi scintu.”

So, if someone asked “May I have your core?” you could reply with a phrase that roughly means “No thank you, the current situation feels right and I don’t want to progress” without the harshness of a simple “No.” H.P. is notorious for flat-out saying “No” instead of the proper phrase, which often insults or confuses the people he preens with.

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RUDE LANGUAGE

Swears, slurs, or otherwise unprofessional language.

Blitz - Not a particularly nice word at all and generally considered the ultimate rude term (though it can be combined with other terms to be even ruder). “Blitz” can also refer to mating, especially mating quickly or carelessly.

“Snatterblitz” would actually be the ULTIMATE rude term.

H.P. uses the word “Blitz” frequently, though he tries not to use it in professional settings. Despite his best attempts, it commonly slips out when he’s around Jorgen or Anti-Cosmo, who sometimes sit in awkward silence. 

H.P. becomes flustered when he hears young children (pixie children in particular) use this word. If your kid overhears him and begins repeating it, it’s one of the few things he’ll immediately and sincerely apologize for.

Though it’s frowned upon to use this term in Fairy World, it’s EXTREMELY frowned upon in Anti-Fairy World. Anti-Fairy culture is rooted in the idea that friendship and passion, not selfish personal pleasure, should be the reason you engage in sexual activity.

“Blitz” implies very casual behavior with the goal of quick personal pleasure, and clashes harshly with Anti-Fairy values. An Anti-Fairy who states that he or she enjoys “blitzing” would be shunned.

Brownie-Kisser - A slur with its roots in the idea that brownies as a race are naturally dumb and shy and easily taken advantage of. Someone with a brownie for a significant other is often viewed as not being able to “get anyone better”; a “brownie-kisser” is often viewed as desperate, slutty, or even a rapist.

Despite the fact that this term is blatantly racist and cruel, it’s unfortunately still quite common in Fairy society (and so is bias against brownies in general). A more extreme term is “brownie-blitzer.”

This slur is practically non-existent in Anti-Fairy World. Anti-Fairies don’t mind brownies and it would only be used as an insult to a Fairy’s face, not as gossip behind anyone’s back.

Dust / Smoke / Vapor - Fae turn to either dust, smoke, or vapor when they die. These terms are sometimes used as exclamations, such as “Smoofing dust,” “Good smoke,” or “Dear vapor.” Fairies use “Dust,” Anti-Fairies “Smoke, and Refracts “Vapor.” These terms are considered very mild and are usually used in place of “Curses!” or “Drat!”

Fez - A mild exclamation in Genie culture. May also come in the variation “fezzing.” This term is rarely used by non-Genies. If you hear that word, someone nearby is probably a genie in disguise or hangs around genies often. Despite being a mild Genie word, Happy Peppy Gary considers it to be worse than it is and tends to use it if he’s frustrated and his usual “freaking-deaking” doesn’t cover it.

Fritz - The state of magic lines rapidly disconnecting and reconnecting to the energy field.

“Fritz” is less extreme than “Blitz” and “Snatter” but more extreme than “Smoof.” I would say it’s equivalent to “Damn” if used as an exclamation. It can also be used in casual conversation when referring to breathing lines, since that’s the appropriate context to use it in.

Knotted-Lined - A very cruel way to call someone an idiot. Widely considered a slur that should no longer be used at all.

Even H.P. (who is known to use “Blitz” regularly) avoids using this term unless he is EXTREMELY upset with someone.

If I recall correctly, this term is only used in the Origin of the Pixies chapter “The Makings of Greatness.” It probably slips out when he’s drunk with his friends though.

Smoof - Mild curse word; Norm and Sanderson have both used it in canon. With smoof canonically being a reference to hemp, I’ve headcanoned it as being a plant that can be used for various things, such as making burlap sacks. Notably, Happy Peppy Gary uses this term since he’s spent so much time around Pixies, which often earns him strange looks from humans.

This is a very mild term and is the equivalent of “Shoot” or “Darn.” If you can catch yourself then it would still be better not to use this term in a professional environment, but most people probably wouldn’t bat an eye if they heard it. It is commonly used as an adjective to emphasize frustration with a situation (“Smoofing”).

Snatter - Not a nice name to call someone; sometimes strung together as “snattersmoof.” The exact definition falls somewhere between “brown-noser,” “cheat,” “submissive partner,” “lovable scamp,” and “female dog.”

Both Sanderson and Anti-Sanderson tend to use this one a lot. It’s more extreme than “Fritz” but still not as extreme as “Blitz.”

A similar word, vlakrina, exists in the traditional Anti-Fairy language (Vatajasa). However, Anti-Fairies view a vlakrina as “a person who humbly intends to dote on you to express genuine apology as though they were your devoted sexual servant” rather than the Fairy view of a snatter which is something like “a person who is alluring or submissive because it turns them on or because you hired them to act this way.”

Calling someone “snatter” is pretty much always meant to be insulting while calling someone “vlakrina” could be a compliment akin to “You are extremely humble.”

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KINSHIP TERMS

The traditional terms used to describe relationships with counterparts, from Gaelic kinship terms.

These traditional words fell out of fashion in the cloudlands during the War of the Sunset Divide (causing most Fae to use terms like “Niece” and “Nephew” to refer to their counterpart’s children) but the terms make a comeback as Poof and Foop enter adulthood. You would put a possessive word like “My,” “Our,” or “Their” in front of these terms, which are lowercase and italicized in story.

These words are very useful for Fae who regularly have contact with their counterparts’ families. Poof understands them because Wanda’s side of the family is firmly rooted in Fairy traditions, including language, though he rarely uses them because he’s still reluctant to acknowledge Foop’s family as “his” family. Foop, being a smug know-it-all, likes to use these terms but has a hard time remembering what they mean and tends to mix them up.

“My counterpart(s)” - Mhuintir

“The brother of my counterpart” - Deantháir

“The sister of my counterpart” - Deirfiúr

“The spouse / committed partner of my counterpart” - Ceathar

“The partner of my counterpart” - Muirnīn (Generally used for a boyfriend, girlfriend, or similar partner who can’t be called a spouse)

“The counterpart of my father” - Uncail

“The counterpart of my mother” - Aintin

“The son of my counterpart” - Nia [Generally implies the child was raised by them; might not apply to a blood child who was given up for adoption but definitely applies to anyone adopted into the family]

“The daughter of my counterpart” - Neacht [Same as above]

“The grandson of my counterpart” - Garmhac

“The granddaughter of my counterpart” - Gariníon

“The father of my counterpart” - Athair

“The mother of my counterpart” - Máthair

“The grandfather of my counterpart” - Seanathair

“The grandmother of my counterpart” - Seanmháthair

“My biological son raised by my counterpart” - Mac

“My biological daughter raised by my counterpart” - Iníon

“The children of me and my counterpart(s), collectively” - Leanbh

Those are the kinship terms; on some level, these people are considered your extended family even if they are a different species. Fairies believe that counterparts share a soul, making them closely related. Because of this, Fairies shun romantic relations with anyone in the above kinship list (though it is widely agreed that it’s natural to develop a crush on your counterpart’s love interest).

Anti-Fairies, however, traditionally believe themselves to be a completely separate species who were originally shapeshifters but later took on forms to resemble people they grew fond of. They believe they are not related to Fairies by blood or soul, but are akin to “guardian angels.” Because of this, most Anti-Fairies would consider it acceptable to have romantic relations with their counterpart or their counterpart’s relatives.

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Generally, Fae culture is good about letting you do things at your own pace without too much pressure (benefits of a million year lifespan). There are regular breaks in school, and if you want to take gap years in between, you can request them easily (as long as you’re willing to fill out packets or do projects later to cover what you missed).

Fairies are expected to complete Spellementary, middle, and high school before marriage and before pursuing a career path seriously. Further education is optional; the majority of Fairies do not go on to a school like the Fairy Academy. Godparents absolutely have to.

Anti-Fairy World has its own education program that’s basically a “come learn anything you want for as long as you want to” program. This system does not have face-to-face meetings in classrooms or daily homework. Research projects, dioramas, poster presentations, and other deliverables make up the majority of schoolwork. This system is much better suited to the nomadic colony life typical in Anti-Fairy World. The program is called the Anti-Fairy Academy, though it encompasses Anti-Fairies of all years and isn’t solely for further education (like the Fairy Academy is).

During the May Blossom War, Foop continued his education through the Anti-Fairy Academy program since he could not attend the rest of Spellementary or any middle school in Fairy World. At age 130,000, when Poof was entering high school, he decided to pursue education in Fairy World again. He dreams of being the first Anti-Fairy to graduate from the Fairy Academy and is racing against his rival, Anti-Whistle Anti-Fernfire, to do this.

Notably, Fairies are stereotyped as people who marry young but have their first kid much later in life. Historically, parents and children lived in separate houses but on the same large plot of land. Having children too soon could lead to overcrowding. Many Fairies do get to see their grandchildren, but very, very few meet their great-grandchildren.

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Fairy Elder - Last of the Tuatha Dé Danann. She is not a god, but holds great authority and power in the cloudlands. She wears yellow robes and a magical diamond necklace that keeps her alive. Fairies, Anti-Fairies, and Refracts alike respect her; she is an impartial figurehead.

Wise Ancients - Extremely powerful nature spirits such as Mother Nature and Father Time. They are neutral parties, but not impartial. These deities have their own agendas and use mortals to further their goals.

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Zodiac spirits - The seven nature spirits who represent the seven elements on the Fairy zodiac. The days of the week are named after them.

Supreme Fairy Council - Four Fairies and three Anti-Fairies who are elected to sit on either the Fairy Council or Anti-Fairy Council. The seven are collectively referred to as the Supreme Fairy Council. Each member is called a Robe, and wears a robe in the color of the cloudland region (political state) they represent.

Eros family - Cupid’s bloodline. Always cherubs, always triplets, and allegedly tasked by the gods to maintain Fairy genealogies and prevent any species in the universe from truly going extinct.

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Keeper of Da Rules - The Keeper of Da Rules maintains order in the cloudlands by ensuring Da Rules are followed. Following the War of the Angels, the Keeper of Da Rules also became ambassador for the common fairy subspecies. This is Jorgen’s current position.

Lower-ranked nature spirits - The children and grandchildren of the zodiac spirits. They are certainly deities, but are lesser deities.

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Alien ambassadors - Aliens who represent other worlds, including entire planets sometimes.

High Count and High Countess - The dual leaders of the Anti-Fairies. While the titles imply separate male and female positions, they can be filled by a same-sex pair. Although equals from a political standpoint, the High Count is still considered head of the household, mirroring the creche father rank in actual bat colonies. These are Anti-Cosmo’s and Anti-Wanda’s current positions.

Head Pixie - This title is often abbreviated H.P. Only the reigning Head Pixie has the authority to make drastic changes to the Pixie social structure. He rules until his death, after which he is succeeded by the Vice President of Pixies Inc.

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Fairy subspecies ambassadors - Ambassadors of various races under the Fairy umbrella who attend Council meetings. Some are elected while others are kings and queens born and raised in royal families.

First General - The follower drake of the High Count. The First General organizes and oversees Anti-Fairy troops in war. In times of peace, he also performs ceremonies and breaks gridlock arguments among the camarilla court. This position is always filled by a male. This is Anti-Poof Anti-Everwish’s current position.

Temple acolytes - High-ranking Anti-Fairies who reside in and care for the Zodiac Temples. They are considered experts in matters of architecture; they spend decades studying such things in Zodiac Temples before they can design monuments to the nature spirits or offer their designing services to clients. They’re so renowned for their skill that hopeful Fairy architects will train beneath them instead of attending the Academy.

Head Anti-Pixie - Leader of the anti-pixie race. Generally given the cold shoulder and not taken seriously considering that anti-pixies are stereotyped as constantly-drunk party-loving lunatics. Holds very little political power. This is Anti-Sanderson’s current position.

Vice President of Pixies Inc. - The pixie intended to be the Head Pixie’s successor. Until then, he helps the Head however he is instructed to (Mostly by keeping Pixie World resources such as groceries stocked and helping with childcare duties). Only pixie gynes may hold this rank. This is Longwood’s current position.

Chief Pixie of PixieCo - The gyne who oversees pixies in the Hawthorn Haven cloudland colony. The title is also abbreviated C.P. of PixieCo. The C.P. is still subject to the Head, like a manager to a larger company. As other pixie gynes set off into the world, more C.P. positions will pop up. This is Smith’s current position.

Pixie ambassador - H.P. became Pixie ambassador to the Supreme Fairy Council by default. However, he can elect to pass the position to someone else if he wants to.

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Keepers [of Da Rules] - Not to be confused with the singular position. These government workers make up the Fairy World police force and are trained to organize as militia if necessary. They wear sky blue and white uniforms.

Camarilla court - Six Anti-Fairies selected by the High Count and six selected by the High Countess who weigh in on matters of political and social importance. While the High Count and High Countess technically hold seats on the camarilla too, the name “camarilla” is colloquially used to encompass everyone else. In total, there are two people on the camarilla court representing each of the seven elements on the Fairy zodiac.

Heir to the High Seat / “High heir” - A child of either the High Count or Countess (sometimes both) born with the iris virus. A potential heir born without the iris virus would automatically be rejected as the heir for not carrying “the sacred blessing of the nature spirits”. In times of desperation when no legitimate heir can be produced, another color-eyed child of nobility (most likely an extended family member) can be adopted into the bloodline instead. This is Foop’s current position.

H.P.’s alpha retinue drone - A gyne’s primary drone; he oversees other drones and can assist his gyne in distributing his pheromones through the ranks. An alpha drone technically has the same rights as a service animal regarding where he can and can’t go. This is Sanderson’s current position.

Vice President of PixieCo - Simply, the pixie who succeeds the Chief Pixie of PixieCo, and assists him until then. Like the Vice President of Pixies Inc., the V.P. of PixieCo should be a gyne. Again, we’ll be introduced to this position in “The Other One”.

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Other von Strangle family members - Nana Boom-Boom. Invisible Leonard. People we saw in “Cosmo Rules”. You know what I mean.

Creche fathers of other colonies - Non-nursing colonies of Anti-Fairies are naturally patriarchal; the creche father is the highest-ranking male in the colony. While leadership skills are valued, his main role consists of caring for the young pups in the colony.

Heir’s betrothed - The intended mate to the “High heir” and therefore the assumed new High Count or Countess. This person doesn’t hold real legal authority, but is treated with respect. As it stands right now, this is Anti-Coriander’s unofficial position.

Chief Sunchosen - A self-proclaimed title for the unofficial ambassador of the Refracted. The intention is that one day, this position will be for Refracts what the High Count and Countess are for Anti-Fairies. This is Dame Artemis’s current self-titled position.

C.P.’s alpha retinue drone - Same as H.P.’s alpha retinue drone, but he belongs to the Chief Pixie of PixieCo. This is Calvert’s current position.

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Other celebrities - The Tooth Fairy, famous actors like Blonda, TV show hosts like Billy Crystal Ball, successful writers, and so on.

Mates of camarilla members - Nobles who are nobility through marriage. Obviously, they lose this title if their mate is removed from the camarilla. Usually they contract the iris virus from their mate.

Other irises - Other carriers of the iris virus. Mainly nobles and former nobles who are treated with a hint more respect than commoners. This is a fuzzy area; prostitutes selling the iris virus are an actual inconvenicnce that causes headaches for the higher-ups.

Successful farmers - If you lived in a magical cloud world with limited ability to farm nutritious food, you would value farmers who provided you with high-quality crops too.

Most Refracted - An angelic, pious race of gold and white bird-based people, quite opposite of the stereotype of the evil blue and black Anti-Fairy. The Refracted manage many of the Daoist shrines and ceremonies and are generally well-liked even though they can be pompous and annoying.

Gynes - Large, freckled Fairies (always male) who ate a lot of jelly as children. In actual insect colonies, gynes are the “princesses” who take over from the queen, often by killing her in a battle to the death. Likewise, Fairy gynes are naturally very territorial and often fight each other. Gynes with more dominant pheromones have the ability to suppress the reproductive systems of subordinate gynes. Gynes with many dark freckles are considered more attractive than those with few. The actual rank of a gyne varies in regard to other social status factors, but people generally give them respect.

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Upper-class Fairy citizens - High-ranking people who aren’t considered celebrities. The Whimsifinado and Fairywinkle families fall into this category.

Kids of camarilla members and their mates - Children of nobility, often considered nobles themselves. They’re likely to carry the iris virus.

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Average Fairy citizens - Regular, non-celebrity folk. Fairy culture is still largely dominated by their caste system, although they’re starting to move away from it as time goes on.

Anti-Fairy commoners - Average Anti-Fairies who aren’t considered nobility; as a result, they’re highly unlikely to carry the iris virus and probably have red eyes. Those who live in colonies are considered more socially acceptable than rogues. Many males travel in bachelor colonies during their adolescent years. Occasionally, females may travel in nursing colonies.

Tourists (Aliens) - Cloudland foreigners. Aliens don’t typically settle in the cloudlands since there’s really nothing to do there if you aren’t magical, and the buildings tend to be very small.

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Genies - Generally looked down upon; profiled as dirty, manipulative trouble-makers who enjoy laughing at the expense of others. Technically, it’s difficult to officially rank them since there just aren’t very many in the first place, let alone genies who freely wander the cloudlands.

Drones - Stereotyped as natural-born servants (always male) and born only if their father is either a gyne or a drone. Despite the name “drone”, their natural behaviors are most similar to those of worker bees. They’re attracted to gyne pheromones, so gynes tend to form retinues of drones who take pride in serving him. A drone will be born sterile approximately 75% of the time. Pixie drones, being infected with Wolbachia pipientis, are an exception to this rule.

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Will o’ the wisps - Stereotyped as gorgeous temptresses who seduce males and keep harems. They fear floods and slip out of their underground tunnels when it rains. Goldie Goldenglow is the wisp ambassador.

Anti-will o’ the wisps - Stereotyped as prostitutes (“Mistresses” in Anti-Fairy World) and generally looked down upon for having insect wings instead of bat ones; they are also known as “mothdames.” Anti-Marigold is an anti-wisp.

Finfolk - Very similar to will o’ the wisps, although they live underwater. The stereotype is that they capture potential spouses from land and drag them underwater, forcing their captors to be their servants.

Redcaps - Stereotyped as psychotic hillbillies. They’re looked down upon because they need to coat their hats in blood regularly in order to survive, or they’ll die. They have five eyes, are immune to all poisons and venoms, and are generally considered really creepy.

Brownies - Highly shunned for their venomous saliva. Widely viewed as meek servants without much brain power. To call someone a brownie-kisser implies that they’re so incapable of wooing anyone that they took advantage of a poor, dumb, innocent creature instead. Brownies are not inherently less intelligent than other Fairies- they just keep ending up in disadvantaged situations.

OVERVIEW

Name Within Pixie Society: Mister Ennet Sanderson

Name Outside Pixie Society: Sanderson Ennet Chipixie

Title(s): H.P.’s alpha retinue drone; Pixie 002; [REDACTED; see the 130 Prompt “Hate Mail”]

Preferred Form of Address: [Mr.] Sanderson

Alternate Forms of Address: Mister / Ennet / Sanderson Prime / Pixie-Sanderson / Sandykins / Sandy

Aspiration: Achieve usefulness; die feeling accomplished

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Born: Spring of the Charged Waters

Zodiac: Water

Birthday: June 19th (Celebrated February 12th)

Hometown: Inkblot City, Pixie World; Central Star Region

Came Into Adult Wings: 154,461 (Average)

Age During Frozen Timestream: 253,163 (Mentally 22)

Age As of “Live For the Moment”: 400,594 (Mentally 35)

Age As of Devil’s Backbone: 416,423 (Mentally 37)

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Race: Fae (Seelie Court)

Species: Pixie

Ethnicity: Second generation pixie (Faedivus quadratum)

Nationality: Formerly Ildáthachian (Obtained at birth); automatically changed to Spriggish shortly after the War of the Angels when Pixies became recognized as their own class

Patron Insect: Polistes dominula (European paper wasp)

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Mindset: Drone

Primary Gyne: Fergus Whimsifinado (Head Pixie the First)

Secondary Gyne: Darius Smith (Chief Pixie of PixieCo)

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Counterparts: Dame Sanderson > Sanderson > Anti-Sanderson

Core: Pencil sharpener (Originally; replaced by hourglass later in life via donor soul) - Not called on 24/7, but does his work well when he is.

Core Color: Pink (Layer 1 Purple; Layer 2 Purple)

Core Trait: [REDACTED; see the Origin of the Pixies chapter “Kiss of Life”]

Anti-Pixie: Party guy; likes dancing; overthrew the old H.A.P.

Pixie Refract: Holier-than-thou with a secret rebellious streak

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Stats:

Power: Below Average

Endurance: Average

Wisdom: Below Average

Adaptability: Average

Charisma: Below Average

Openness: Below Average

Conscientiousness: Above Average

Neuroticism: Average

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Magic:  Tomte  |  Unstable  |  Weak  |  Average  |  Strong  |  Luz Mala

Crown Lift: Very low

Breathing Lines: Triple fishtail braid

Karmic Weave:  Frayed |  Sparse  |  Plain  |  Average  |  Thick  |  Elaborate  | Royal  |  At Equilibrium  ||  Manifests as jumpsuit

Fagiggly Color: Lavender

Preferred Shapeshifting Form: African gray parrot

Signature Tactic: Interjection - Always getting in the way

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Wand Type: Gingertie / Iron

Heaviest wand type; excellent at deflecting magical attacks

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Family: Wealthy, neutral, powerful, and efficient (Pixies)

Creed: Ná mair refracta - “Just don’t be dumb.”

Caretaker Spirit: His Glory Twryth (The wild hog)

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Permanent Residence: Rapunzel Tower, Inkblot City; Pixie World

- Apt. 002 - Rooms with Hawkins, Wilcox, and Longwood

- Central Star Region (Purple)

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Occupation: H.P.’s alpha retinue drone; head of Pixies Inc.’s complaints department; likes to DJ and sing; [REDACTED; see the 130 Prompt “Hate Mail”]

Previous Employment: Interned at Wish Fixers during youth

BACKGROUND

Self-Perception: Loyal, humble, dedicated, mature, and basically the best pixie there is (after H.P., obviously).

Alignment: Lawful Evil

MBTI: ISTJ

Deadly Sin: Pride

Heavenly Virtue: Diligence

Love Language: Words of affirmation

Reinforcers: Praise, physical touch, workplace promotions, pay raises, soda, sugary candy, being in H.P.’s company, music, flowers

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History: A combination of separation anxiety, the lack of a stable mother figure in his life, and being the genetically-identical offspring of the Head Pixie has left Sanderson absolutely idolizing his boss. Loyal to a fault, he goes about his work with as much enthusiasm as any pixie is capable of emoting.

Unfortunately, this devout loyalty means Sanderson lacks all the leadership abilities H.P. would like to see in his successor, leading him to select Sanderson’s rival as his heir... and set a very different destiny aside for Sanderson.

Endlessly bitter with jealousy (but simultaneously conflicted about disagreeing with his beloved boss’s decisions), Sanderson constantly reassures himself that it’s only a matter of time before he manages to impress H.P. so much, H.P. not only makes him company vice president, but acknowledges him as his real, actual son one day too.

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Personality: Beneath Sanderson’s guarded exterior is a guarded interior. He is naturally wary, cautious, and critical and does not like allowing others access to his private thoughts if he can help it.

His verbal dialogue is often brief, but when he’s the narrator of a piece, his internal dialogue runs for a long time; he tends to meander from one thought to another before jerking back to the original thought at hand.

He’s happy to be helpful, but expects payment for his services and becomes irritated when he thinks it’s less than he deserves.

Sanderson doesn’t like addressing his emotions and tries to shove them down and deny they exist at all; he attempts to puzzle everything out logically and is constantly assuring himself that “This is fine.”

Though he may not be the most efficient or confident leader, Sanderson is a hard worker who will relentlessly pursue a target and stop at nothing to get there, and will attempt to encourage his friends in his dull pixie way. Sanderson isn’t one to leave others behind unless he absolutely has to, and would sooner spend three hours chatting with you while you rest rather than walk for forty minutes on his own, secure reliable transportation, and come back to get you. 

His greatest character flaw is perhaps his overly jealous imagination, which prevents him from forming close bonds with others even when they’re kind to him unless he absolutely does not perceive the other party as a threat to H.P.’s attention or the workplace at large.

Unless you’re directly in opposition with his duties and his values, Sanderson is a bit of a doormat, as his first instinct is to obey instructions. Still, he’ll follow nothing off a cliff. While he’s generally braver than H.P. and would take a dozen hits for any of his friends in a fight, his self-preservation instincts outweigh his natural inclination to obey his boss’s every word. He’s fast, decisive, and never regrets anything unless someone he respects can convince him he’s made a mistake.

This makes him a terrifying enemy, because if you cross him, you’ll be flat on your back and potentially unconscious in an instant. Sanderson himself may not cause you a lot of hurt, but he has friends in high places who would be willing to finish you off.

Beneath all the influence of gyne pheromones, Sanderson is analytical, sassy, easily made jealous, and tries to fulfill his own self-interest without being aggressive about it. An argument could be made that this bare self is his “true” personality and the behaviors he shows while in H.P.’s service don’t truly reflect him.

Sanderson would be offended to hear this. Would you tell a light bulb it has no business being on because it can also be off? And would you invalidate a bulb’s fondness for being on by arguing the light switch has denied it freedom? Sanderson feels his true purpose is to be “on” and would feel distraught without a dominant figure to link himself to.

As far as he’s concerned, every part of the personality he expresses around H.P. is real, and everything he does differently around different dominant figures is equally real and valid in his life.

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Special Note - Pheromone Influences: Like all drones, Sanderson can inherently sense how dominant figures expect him to behave around them and falls into different roles depending on who is influencing him most at the time. Around H.P. he is reserved, supportive, impatient, and entitled; he knows H.P. wants him to be stoic and business-like, so he is.

Smith - one of the subordinate gynes of Pixies Inc. - thinks it’s deliciously powerful to have a dominant gyne’s drone express interest in him, so he sees Sanderson as a seductive prize; Sanderson, in turn, automatically becomes less stoic and more coy around Smith than he ever is around H.P.

Around Anti-Cosmo, who is a dominant figure even though he does not produce insect pheromones, Sanderson is less guarded and more in touch with his emotions; Anti-Cosmo comes from a highly emotional culture, so Sanderson has a more difficult time maintaining his emotionless façade when Anti-Cosmo’s dominance is influencing him, even though it’s easy for him to keep a straight face when influenced by H.P.

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Special Note - Core Transplant: Sanderson underwent a black magic core transplant in young adulthood to save his life. He thinks and behaves exactly like he did before the surgery, unless you mentally separate his soul from the body. In a world of magic, this can be done in several ways, but the most common circumstance is sharing magic with him.

It could be argued that Sanderson’s exterior personality is not his “true” personality either. Sanderson is extremely self-conscious about his transplant and takes enormous offense if you instate he isn’t the “real” or “original” Sanderson. In his mind, he’s the same Sanderson he always was, even if he has a different core.

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Education: Sanderson received his youthful education through homeschooling, taught mainly by H.P. but also H.P.’s father (Ambrosine) and sister (Emery) on occasion. During this time he gained a basic Fairy World education, and also mastered many organizational and workplace skills useful for a pixie.

He was trained from childhood to keep a straight face, speak in monotone, and not react easily when startled. Furthermore, he gained his drone training and preening knowledge through millennia of personal experience.

Sanderson has a history of struggling with magic, but to everyone’s surprise, he performed very well in school (after some initial mishaps). The War of the Angels disrupted the latter part of his education, but he still left school at a young age with a degree in pre-alt magic.

- In modern day he is officially licensed in alteration magic (magic that allows you to lock someone into a new look, species, and/or age permanently rather than shapeshifting and constantly draining their energy) and takes extreme pride in it since he is currently the only pixie (H.P. included) to master this specialty of magic.

- He doesn’t often get to use his alteration abilities since H.P. rarely has a use for them and there are always catches and caveats and a million reasons why you shouldn’t use such magic in a particular situation, but during the events of the Musical it came in handy when altering the biology of Fairies to mimic that of Pixies.

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Spellementary School: Attended for less than a day; was withdrawn for starting fights with classmates. Was homeschooled by H.P. after that.

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Middle School: Attended Lindfyre Middle; performed at an average level. His early years were rough as he adjusted to attending public school in general, and he was very sensitive to criticism from his peers at that age. He didn’t really have any friends and stuck closely to the other pixies for support.

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High School: Attended Carl Poofypants High. Managed excellently (thanks to his skills in time management and focusing on dull texts for long hours) and had time to participate in several business and music clubs too.

Didn’t play sports, but was part of the school band.

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Further Education: Attended the Fairy Academy for many years, honing his focus on a curious blend of alteration magic and music. His graduation was delayed due to the war, but he was eventually able to return and finish his studies.

After completing several post-graduation certification courses, he was finally able to earn his alteration license.

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Favorite Magic Subject: Age Alterations

Least Favorite Magic Subject: Forget-A-Cin Administrations

Favorite Non-Magic Subject: Advanced Music Theory

Least Favorite Non-Magic Subject: Refract Culture

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Notable Likes:

- Music (Especially rap music, Elvis, and The Beatles)

- Singing (See above)

- Coffee

- Sugar

- Silk

- Flowers

- Hugs

- Napping in sunbeams

- Human songwriters

- Instruments from distant planets

- Small patches of bright color in an otherwise gray view

- Chewing on paper

- The spotlight (Unless H.P.’s already in it)

- H.P.’s undivided attention

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Goals:

- Swindle H.P. into calling him "Son”

- Prevent Longwood from being the next Head Pixie

- Ditch Idona

- Raise Gary and Betty (and any offspring either has)

- Plot revenge on Turner

- Found a music company in Pixie World

- Raise his own nymphs

- Always do his very best

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Beliefs:

- He’s pretty much amazing at everything he does, second only to H.P.

- He owes H.P. his life and soul

- Mates are unnecessary; marriage is pointless

- Holds no spiritual beliefs

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Fears:

- Sanderson has abandonment issues to the point of separation anxiety, and slips into panic when left without guidance for too long.

- Hates to disappoint H.P. and fears that any mistake might be the one that gets him ditched forever.

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Upsets:

- Frustrated when limited by the “drone glass ceiling” in the workplace

- Stressed if a project he’s working on isn’t measuring up to the high expectations he sets for himself

- Flustered around other gynes with strong pheromones; there’s no denying he finds them attractive and alluring, especially as H.P. ages and his pheromones grow weaker.

- Although it’s natural for a drone to be interested in the pheromones of other strong gynes, Sanderson considers himself weak and disloyal when he gets “turned on” in that way

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Comforts: Wing chewing (formerly), talking to himself, knuckle rubbing, nail biting, tapping teeth with shades, seeking out H.P. to solve his problems

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Indulgences: Sugar (Particularly Fun Dip and soda), playing loud music, and sampling the pheromones of other gynes in scratch-and-sniff magazines.

EXTERNAL

Verbal Notes: Sanderson is the watered-down version of H.P. in every way. He criticizes his coworkers often, but is less stingy with praise and kindness. As proud as he is, he’s completely willing to apologize if he feels he’s in the wrong. He’s a great deal more patient than his boss is, and it’s rare for him to lose his temper and burst (Usually when he does, it’s when he thinks H.P. is favoring other pixies more than him when he thinks they “don’t deserve it”). 

Sanderson has a larger vocabulary range than his boss, is less sarcastic, and more likely to think about what he says instead of just blurting things out. Uses “sir” and “dame.” He feels uneasy doing things on his own without H.P.’s instructions, but will analyze the situation as best he can anyway.

He rarely asks questions; he will not check in with you at each step in the process and will just keep doing what he thinks is the best thing to do in this situation until you guide him otherwise. He can get a little cocky and will try to show off his memory by not taking notes, though whether he successfully does what you asked is often hit-or-miss.

Sanderson is fairly relaxed (though quietly arrogant). He doesn’t panic in front of others easily, even when they shout at or threaten him, and will continue working at a steady pace and doing his best to satisfy the customer. He tries to relax people by talking to them; Sanderson doesn’t normally get to speak up when acting as H.P.’s retinue in public, so when H.P. isn’t around he’ll talk to everyone who gives him reason to. Though he’s far from empathetic, Sanderson does have the impressive ability to soothe nervous clients with his words. Conflict de-escalation is one of his strengths, even though he struggles with jealousy and pettiness himself.

Sanderson’s love language is words of affirmation. Though more likely to praise than H.P. is, he still isn’t quick to do so and isn’t likely to offer you any indication that you’re doing a good job until you win him over.

You can determine his mood according to how often he talks to you rather than examining exactly what he actually said; if he likes you, he will compliment you frequently to your face. If he really likes you, he will branch out to more conversation topics and will compliment you to others’ faces. If he’s in a jealous mood, he’ll make a point of talking to someone else instead of you and make sure you know it. If his feelings are truly hurt, he’ll close himself off and won’t talk to you or anyone else at all.

Though Sanderson is loyal and puts those he cares about on high pedestals, he is not a complete yes-man. If you ask him for his honest opinion, he’s happy to give it to you. The more comfortable he is with you, the more he’ll talk (though even at his most forthcoming, he says much more in his mind than what leaves his mouth).

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Language: Swears loudly on occasion, but only if he thinks he’s alone and he’s really upset (This is often followed by a very loud noise on a musical instrument or a bang against a wall).

Throws the word “smoof” around more than most Fairies do; while not a very vulgar term, it’s generally not acceptable in polite conversation. Fluent in Snobbish and can speak Milesian fairly well. Knows a lot of legal terms and will smugly explain them to you if you seem lost.

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Physical Notes: A puny pixie. Shorter than many of his coworkers despite being the firstborn. “Scrawny” is the word that comes to mind. More tan than the other pixies due to frequently visiting Earth. 

Handedness: Favors his left hand.

Body Language: Unnaturally stiff; rarely expressive. Slightly looser when H.P. and Fairies aren’t around. Though he was trained from childhood to not emote much, H.P.’s pheromones influence him to be even more stiff. The longer he goes without H.P.’s pheromones in his pores, the looser and looser he’ll get.

Fluidity comes naturally for drones; their core personalities always remain, but their mannerisms change depending on whose pheromones are affecting them most. When the Fairy Elder’s power influenced him in the “Minion” Prompt, Sanderson no longer let his arms stay stiff at his sides, but clasped his hands behind his back. He gestured to things and even shrugged, though H.P.’s influence normally prevents him from being expressive with his body language (Guiding people verbally instead of motioning).

Inherently, Sanderson could sense that the relationship between him and the Fairy Elder would be a mistress / butler relationship, not a boss / employee relationship, and he automatically began behaving that way even when he was still two halls away from her. His core personality did not change, but certain behaviors did.

Hair: His cowlicks are essentially natural, having been licked into place with powerful will o’ the wisp saliva as a baby (magically altering his pores). They never wash out and will spring back up within minutes. The double cowlick mark is known as “the Ivorie brand.”

Teeth: Small but extremely sharp; must chew on solid things in order to keep them from growing out of control.

Wings: Pixie wings mimic those of the Polistes dominula. Pixie hindwings are stunted compared to most Fairies’ wings.

Scars: Tiny bite marks along the costas of his wings; stab wound in his right hand courtesy of Chloe in the “This Is a Box” Prompt. When walking, he limps a little due to getting shot in the back of the leg during the War of the Angels.

Tattoos: Has H.P.’s company mark branded on the underside of his left wrist along with the number 002. As of the Year of the White Sparrow, he has his own company mark branded on the underside of his right wrist along with the number 001.

- Click HERE to see these logos.

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Style: Crisp. Well-dressed. Dull colors. He wears a two-button, single-breasted, single-vent suit. He owns several, all of them fully lined for extra warmth.

Regular Clothing: Usually in his suit when in public.

Casual Clothing: Often attends casual events still in his full suit; however, his preference is sweaters. He loves the color red. He has a variety of alternate outfits for social events depending on where he’s going (He has side careers as a DJ and also performs rap songs).

Preening Clothing: Normally, H.P. prefers Sanderson wear his suit while they preen to maintain the professional feel of their relationship. H.P. is rather particular about how they preen.

Nightwear: Gray or blue plaid pants, usually with a white shirt. Cotton mostly. Silk is out of the question for sleepwear.

Ceremonial Clothing: On rare occasions, H.P. allows Sanderson to wear a special set of silver silk pajamas while they preen. This is H.P.’s way of handing the reins to Sanderson and letting him call the shots that night.

On average, this happens three or four times a year. Most of their arguments are about Sanderson wanting this more often, as he always comes away happy and fulfilled when he calls the shots but finds that H.P. pushes him away early most other days.

H.P. defends himself by saying Sanderson is the only one he ever, ever offers the silk pajamas to and perhaps his alpha drone should be a little more grateful that he gets to wear them at all.

Other: Sanderson sometimes attends raves where he is not a DJ or singer. He usually wears tank tops and attends parties in warm areas; he avoids cold areas like Anti-Fairy World and doesn’t wear hoodies. Glowing aesthetics aren’t his thing, so he keeps his look simple. 

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Height: 3′5″ (Average for a fae; short for a pixie)

Hygiene: Showers before breakfast every morning. Keeps fairly clean and prefers to keep cool so he doesn’t sweat too much. Takes pride in his cleanliness and general appearance; he’s the one majorly responsible for keeping H.P. clean and it wouldn’t look good if he himself was a mess.

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Morning Schedule: Usually up and ready to work by 7:00. Around 7:15, he’ll visit H.P. in the penthouse preening room for morning retinue duties, where he helps his boss prepare for the day.

This happens less often now than it used to, but he and H.P. sometimes have a simple preening session in the morning, allowing Sanderson to spend time during the day spreading pheromones to drones throughout the company so H.P. doesn’t have to do it all himself.

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Typical Day Schedule: After leaving H.P.’s penthouse, Sanderson goes to work in his office; he is vice president of the complaints department (technically the only pixie involved in the complaints department). His job involves meeting 1 on 1 with clients who wish to express complaints about Pixies Inc., responding to letters, and answering phone calls.

He spends a lot of time sitting around not doing anything. So, he is allowed frequent breaks away from the office if he spends them distributing pheromones to drones within a floor or two of him. He only needs to spend a few minutes with each one to pass the pheromones along, and he returns to his office in between these quick sessions to see if he’s missed any calls.

When he does receive letters, calls, or clients, Sanderson solves their problems as best as he can or redirects them to someone who can help them better.

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Evening Schedule: Sanderson clocks out of his complaints department work around 7-8 in the evening depending on when he started and how busy he was that day. He’ll grab dinner and take a super quick rinse in the shower before heading to H.P.’s penthouse; his evening retinue duties always begin at 9:00. 

After Cavatina is born, Sanderson spends his evenings checking in with him. By 9:00, H.P. will have already eaten dinner, but Sanderson helps him change into pajamas, cleans his wings again, reads some of King Nuada’s scripture with his boss, and will deliver papers or do any other small task H.P. asks him to do. 

Some evenings, he and H.P. also preen; these preening sessions will be longer than the quick morning licks and usually have a focus on satisfying Sanderson himself rather than giving Sanderson a focused bundle of pheromones he can transfer to other drones.

Most days, H.P. chooses not to preen in the evening and Sanderson feels rejected. Sanderson sees preening as the only time he receives affection while H.P. sees it as an inconvenient chore that throws the rest of his schedule off.

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Sleep Schedule: If a preening session occurred, Sanderson comes home from retinue duties later than usual (often 11:00 or 11:30). He usually falls asleep quickly once he’s in bed and is a deep sleeper. He is roommates with Hawkins; Hawkins is almost always asleep by the time Sanderson gets back to their room, so Sanderson keeps quiet and doesn’t stay up too late.

His signature sleeping habit is lying on his stomach with his head on his crossed arms. On nights he and H.P. have traveled away from Pixie World (vacations, business conferences, political meetings that require visits to Anti-Fairy World, etc.) he and H.P. sometimes share a bed. If they’re staying at a location where H.P. trusts they’ll be safe, he prefers Sanderson have his own bed.

If H.P. feels uneasy about the location, he prefers to have Sanderson within arm’s reach all night. Much easier if they need to wake each other up in an emergency.

H.P. is always the last one to fall asleep if he’s sharing a room with other people, and Sanderson feels quite safe when he curls up near his boss. H.P.’s territorial gyne instincts spike when he shares a room with his drones, so he has an extremely difficult time lying down and will sit on the bed keeping watch for at least an hour after the last person in the room has gone to sleep.

Sharing rooms isn’t H.P.’s favorite, but he’d rather be anxious and share a room with Sanderson than have Sanderson in a separate room at an unfamiliar place.

PERSONAL

Relationship Status:

- Officially single in present day, but legally betrothed to Idona Ivorie as a nymph (hence the branding mark in his hair).

- Idona is Cavatina’s milkmother, leading to rumors that the two may be rekindling their relationship in secret.

- Sanderson will stare at you, unimpressed, and deny this, stating that he is merely taking advantage of Idona’s interest in him because he knows she would never hurt his son. Whether or not you believe him is up to you.

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Ideal Relationship: Sanderson is not actively looking for a romantic partner. However, his preference would be someone who stays home with his nymphs while he’s out working, and who defers to him as the head of the household. He isn’t interested in the emotional side of marriage, but likes the thought of someone being willing to help him with domestic things without asking much in return. He’d prefer someone who doesn’t argue with him much, if at all.

When it comes to gyne/drone dynamics, Sanderson highly values the intimacy of preening- especially so with his position as H.P.’s alpha retinue. He craves physical touch as a sign of acceptance and feels personally stung when his offers to preen are rejected. He feels preening is an opportunity to bond and express appreciation for and commitment to one another, and feels insulted and unloved when it’s treated as a chore.

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Sexuality: Has experimented romantically with Seelie Courters; asexual. Lightly sex-repulsed.

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Attractiveness: Sanderson is considered rather attractive by Pixie standards. He holds the highest rank in the company a drone can achieve - the alpha retinue position - so other pixie drones defer to him by default. They let him win play-scuffles, allow him to cut in front of them in line, bring him the last slice of dessert, and are quick to obey when he issues a command.

Many drones his age consider him whiny and annoying, but drones who are much younger look up to him greatly and trip over themselves in the hopes of impressing him.

By Anti-Fairy standards, Sanderson isn’t very alluring. Anti-Fairies value brains, creativity, and independent thinking... None of which are areas he particularly excels in. He’s more likely to be held for ransom than flirted with.

By Fairy standards, Sanderson isn’t notably attractive either. His colors are dull, his conversations uninteresting, his muscles unimpressive, and his magic weak. His singing can turn heads and in general he’s considered a cool-headed hard worker.

While not conventionally attractive by their standards, many Fairies see him as cute and sweet and he’s been asked out many times over his life. He usually turns down these offers, though he accepts them on occasion if he wants to network or is feeling particularly neglected that week.

Pro-tip: He’ll probably agree to coffee, but prepare yourself for muttered complaints about how the Fairy kind isn’t as good as what Pixies make.

Since Sanderson is the alpha drone of an extremely dominant gyne, other gynes find him very desirable. Occasionally when he’s running errands, freckled Fairies will try to coax him to follow them home.

Sanderson has been extremely tempted on many occasions, but since H.P.’s pheromones are so dominant, he has an easier time resisting other gynes than most drones do; he always shakes himself out of his fantasies... so far.

He’ll try not to show it, but if he likes your pheromones, he’ll get very flustered by prolonged attention.

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Intimate History: Courted Idona Ivorie briefly during their adolescence before dumping her. Their relationship as adults is puzzling, as they’ve been known to exchange kisses on at least two occasions, yet he denies they’re together. 

Gyne-wise, Sanderson has been with H.P. for the majority of his life, although occasionally has sought out the pixie Smith when deprived of pheromones. Has history with Anti-Cosmo as well, but it’s taboo to discuss such things.

Sanderson has a high drive for dominant pheromones and is easily annoyed when he doesn’t get them. He sometimes turns to scratch-and-sniff magazines in search of fulfillment, though H.P. tosses those out any time he finds them.

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Turn-Ons: No sexual turn-ons he’s admitted to, but sweet smells like flowers, fruit, and chocolate really grab his attention. When someone is genuinely kind to him despite there not being an immediate obvious benefit, it makes him really curious.

Combining nice pheromones with confidence and kindness will easily fluster him and if he’s struggling to keep his face blank, he might excuse himself from the room.

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Reproductive Status: Capable beginning in the Year of the White Sparrow

See also, “When Suddenly”

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Children: Cavatina, plus other offspring in the future

Godchildren: Dale Dimmadome, Flappy Bob, Gary Cabrera, Betty Lovell

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Sire: Fergus Whimsifinado (Head Pixie the First)

Grandsire: Ambrosine Whimsifinado

Granddam: Solara Wurpixiz

Aunt: Emery Ranen (née Whimsifinado)

Uncle: Logan Ranen

Cousin: Chrysanthemum “Zan” Ranen

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“Uncle Figure”: High Count Anti-Cosmo Julius Anti-Cosma

“Cousins”: Anti-Westley Anti-Lunifly (Talon), Larkspur Shiny Mayfleet

- Doesn’t consider Anti-Poof (Foop) or Anti-Dusty (Smoky) to be cousins.

- H.P. and Anti-Cosmo share custody of Talon and Larkspur, so they visit Pixie World frequently (and are closer to Sanderson’s age). He accepts them in his familial circle, but certainly not Foop or Smoky.

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Milkmother: Kalysta Ivorie

Met one day after birth

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Betrothed: Idona Ivorie

Met one day after birth

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Current Love Interest: Gains a sliver of interest in everyone he hears sing, but never pursues it. His fantasies involve him sitting in the front row of a performance while a singer onstage holds eye contact with him.

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Other Important Relationships: Sanderson is rarely sentimental, yet sentimentality is perhaps his greatest weakness. He doesn’t take personal rejection as hard as H.P. does (He’s dealt with rejection all his life) because he never gives away all his trust to anyone besides his beloved boss; he expects everyone else to betray him someday.

That said, he’s a liability in a fight against those he cares for because he sees the softest parts in them even when they don’t always see them themselves.

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Flappy Bob, Gary, and Betty - The only ones (besides his own offspring) Sanderson doesn’t expect to betray him; he has blind trust in them and cares about them deeply. While he may manipulate their lives in certain ways, he’d never raise a finger (or wand) to actually harm them, and will instead try to advise or redirect their anger if he can.

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Anti-Sanderson - ... It’s complicated. Sanderson trusts Anti-Sanderson more than H.P. does and sees his counterpart as someone who lives a very free and happy life (unaware of Anti-Sanderson’s low self-esteem and other struggles). 

Sanderson cautiously sees Anti-Sanderson as a friend and looks up to him as the “cool older cousin” of the family even though technically Anti-Sanderson is younger.

The two had a major falling out in Prompt 126, “Look At That!” and it’s unlikely they’ll ever repair their friendship.

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Hawkins and Wilcox - Easily the two pixies Sanderson is closest with. They’re his roommates and he has a brotherly relationship with them; they’ve been through a lot together. Sanderson is happier and more relaxed around Hawkins especially, and they care for each other a lot.

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Longwood - Longwood is the Vice President of Pixies Inc. and next in line to be Head Pixie. He is Sanderson’s bitter rival as he represents everything Sanderson longs for and will never have. Sanderson lived a long life of being H.P.’s most favored pixie, so when Longwood suddenly outranked him, Sanderson never quite accepted it.

He constantly feels like he has to compete with Longwood for H.P.’s affection, and that’s possibly what he resents more than Longwood himself- the change from always feeling confident that H.P. cared about him to suddenly being dropped in a world where he might not matter much at all.

Sanderson and Longwood share an apartment suite (with Sanderson rooming with Hawkins, Wilcox with Longwood) and can tolerate one another’s company, but they don’t get along well and don’t collaborate on projects if it can be avoided. They’re usually dead silent with each other unless they have a particular snippy comment to make.

Someone named Aspen seems to be a bitter part of their past...

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Smith - Smith is one of the “subordinate” gynes at Pixies Inc., but because he wanders the fringes of H.P.’s influence he slips frequently into dominance. Smith has a high drive for preening drones and prizes Sanderson because H.P. has set him on a pedestal; Smith finds it empowering to win the loyalty of “H.P.’s favorite.”

When Sanderson is dissatisfied with H.P.’s pheromones, he drifts to Smith in search of fulfillment. To keep the peace, H.P. pretends not to notice; confronting Smith directly could lead to a coup. Again. Sanderson considers Smith’s preening skills immensely satisfying and relaxes around him in a way he rarely does with anyone else.

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Mama Cosma - Sanderson is the vice president of the complaints department, so Florensa Cosma tends to complain to him often. She did this more and more after Schnozmo ran away from home and Cosmo eloped. Sanderson has known her for thousands of years and gets along with her well, even though she usually annoys him.

In turn, Mama Cosma sees him as a good boy who was raised right and, with her two sons out of the house, channels her motherly feelings into mothering him. She calls his office often just to chat, using random petty complaints as an excuse because she’s lonely and he gets paid to talk to her.

Sanderson’s relationship with Mama Cosma is further studied in the one-shot “In Confidence” and the 130 Prompts “Told You So” and “When Suddenly...”

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Anti-Phillip - Anti-Phillip is the son of Anti-Bryndin Anti-Coppertalon and a good friend of Sanderson’s. Sanderson doesn’t leave Pixie World by himself often, but when he does he’s probably going to visit Anti-Phillip.

They had a lot of playdates in their younger years since H.P. and Anti-Bryndin were fairly close. They have an inside joke about pink elephants that no one else really gets.

TRIVIA

- Born with Wolbachia pipientis, and with a broken fairy crown under his hat.

- As pixies are genetically identical, a DNA test would identify his parents as Fergus Whimsifinado’s parents (Ambrosine and Solara).

- If his offspring step on cracks, Anti-Fairies will break his back.

- Can’t pass most theory of mind tasks, but he’s a total sweet-talker.

- Along with all pixies, he has much higher tolerance for caffeine and sugar than the majority of fae do.

- Huge chatterbox if you get him started.

- Easily distracted by jingling objects (including the star tip of H.P.’s hat)

- Surprisingly relaxed and not easily wound up unless he’s dealing with emotions. Not easily intimidated by other authority figures or large monsters.

- Will cheat for you in a wingbeat if he likes you.

- Has a sadistic side. Loves when people grovel beneath him. More likely to suggest and act on physical punishments than his boss is.

- Fluent in Snobbish, Elrulian, Chif, Mangermese, and En. More fluent in Milesian than H.P. is, though he won’t brag about it within H.P.’s earshot.

- Refuses to identify as a Whimsifinado unless H.P. gives him direct permission to use the name someday. Uses the name “Sanderson Chipixie” outside of Pixie World. However, he considers “Mister Sanderson” to be his real name.

- Strictly a virgin and intends to remain one for life despite some of the other pixies teasing him over this. Doesn’t much like kisses either. However, he finds sharing magic during preening to be incredibly intimate; that’s where his urges lie.

- Has a long history of winning karaoke competitions while drunk on candy and soda.

- Envy is his downfall. Jealously guards what’s his and compares himself to others on a constant basis.

- His blood is purple 95% of the time due to his neutral emotions. Most fae bleed blue (irritation), pink (knee-jerk reactions), or green (misery).

- Chews on pens, but not his fingernails.

- Loves colored highlighters; keeps his colorful stash a secret.

- Loves flowers and might actually smile if you give him one. Hates that Mama Cosma has figured this out, but secretly he enjoys her gifts.

- Wolbachia pipientis prevents him from bearing children the traditional way. It also blocks all other STDs. Neat benefit, but not much impact on a sex-repulsed guy.

- Gary and Betty’s legal guardian.

APPEARANCES

Main Blog Tag - #Sanderson is neat

Sideblog Tag - #RD Sanderson

Sideblog Masterpost

AO3 Tag - #Sanderson

130 Reasons Why I’m Fairy Trash - 130 Prompts series

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1) Common Fairies (Faedivus fae)

Patron: Dragonfly (Free-tailed bat; peregrine falcon) Crown: Six-pointed floating crown Heat Cycle: Fertile 18 months every 500 years Shape of Nymphs: Balls Ambassador Token: A pocket copy of Da Rules listing only major cloudland laws Food Weakness: Rump roast Holotype: Finella Sunbeam

Common fairies are the highest-ranking species in Fairy society. They have elaborate courtship rituals involving dances, and a bonded pair will notch the costas in one another’s wings in the same pattern, individual to the pair (The notching tradition has since spread to other subspecies, but it originated with the fairies). Common fairies are the only subspecies capable of swiveling their wings independently, which makes them the fastest and most agile fliers in the Seelie Court. However, their wings cannot fold directly backwards. Due to sharing genetics with dragonflies, fairies panic around live fish unless exposed to them frequently from a young age.

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2) Cherubs (Faedivus ciconiidae)

Patron: Stork (Common raven) Crown: None naturally Heat Cycle: Fertile 12 months every 500 years Shape of Nymphs: Ovals Ambassador Token: A decorative metal arrow about four inches long, piercing two small "hearts" Food Weakness: Pancakes Holotype: Aphrodite Eros

Despite their stork genetics, cherubs are classified as a fae race. The majority work with the Eros family, spreading love throughout the universe. Curiously, they’re obsessed with counting seeds. Cherub wings carry the most dominant genes in the Seelie Court; if you mate with a cherub, you’re guaranteed to get a baby with feathered wings unless something goes horribly wrong.

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3) Nixes (Faedivus pisces)

Patron: Dobsonfly (Greater bulldog bat; great horned owl) Crown: Very tall points Heat Cycle: Fertile 8 months every 500 years Shape of Nymphs: Round; chronically damp to the touch Ambassador Token: A single fancy fork, spoon, and knife Food Weakness: Lobster bisque Holotype: Horace Sapphiro

Nixes are stereotyped as the socialites of Fairy society; they are associated with music, poetry, and plays. They typically want their way and are infamous for drowning people who stand against them. Their clothes are always wet, and they lose their ability to do magic when their damp coats are removed. Nix damsels have fish tails. Nixes are responsible for creating coin sith (fairy dogs), though you won’t find a nix who’ll take the blame for it.

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4) Leprechauns (Faedivus leipreachán)

Patron: Click beetle (Brown long-eared bat; great green macaw) Crown: Green hats Heat Cycle: Fertile 4 months every 500 years Shape of Nymphs: Somewhat clover-shaped Ambassador Token: A cooking pot Food Weakness: Potatoes Holotype: Sienna Partridge

Leprechauns tend to congregate around Ireland and stereotypically wear green. They’re associated with rainbows and sometimes with greed. In return for releasing them after capture, they are obligated to give you any 49 things you ask for, such as pieces of gold, kisses, smacks to the face, or even years of service (Most people demand gold, not knowing they have other options). The one thing they can’t give is forty-nine children. They lose their ability to do magic if turned upside-down. Generally, leprechauns can only produce children once, and only crossbred leprechauns have wings.

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5) Eastern Elves (Faedivus cobble)

Patron: Honeybee (Bumblebee bat; elf owl) Crown: Blue or green pointed caps with spikes around the base Heat Cycle: Fertile 10 months every 100 years Shape of Nymphs: Dodecahedron Ambassador Token: Two wooden slippers Food Weakness: Honey Holotype: Thomas Kite

Eastern elves are the elf subspecies most likely to reside in Fairy World. They have the special ability to turn a piece of any nonliving material they desire into shoes or clothes (sans a few particular materials such as smoof); because of this, almost all of them work in Fairy World’s clothing industry. Although they don’t commonly become godparents, they frequently interact with humans by working on their projects at night. Eastern elves are the only elves to naturally have wings. They lose the ability to do magic if you take away their shoes 

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6) Western Elves (Faedivus coquito)

Patron: Honeybee (Bumblebee bat; elf owl) Crown: Blue or green pointed caps with spikes around the base Heat Cycle: Fertile 10 months every 100 years Shape of Nymphs: Dodecahedron Ambassador Token: A baking pan Food Weakness: Honey Holotype: Chestingwood Brown

Western elves are probably the most common fae to roam Earth, and are majorly concentrated around Europe and the Midwestern United States. They can summon cookies out of thin air when pleased (no wand required), though they grow immune to the intoxicating effects of sugar with age. Western elves can’t poof and do not naturally have wings, but they can travel through trees. They keep their eyes on humans and report back to Fairy World. Western elves lose the ability to do magic if you take away their shoes.

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7) Northern Elves (Faedivus septentrio)

Patron: Honeybee (Bumblebee bat; elf owl) Crown: Blue or green pointed caps with spikes around the base Heat Cycle: Fertile 10 months every 100 years Shape of Nymphs: Dodecahedron Ambassador Token: A small white pouch that holds more than you’d expect Food Weakness: Honey Holotype: Lachlan Buckle

Northern elves are best adapted for life in the cold, hence their name. Since they have natural skill with tools, wood, and cloth, they work closely with Kris Kringle spreading holiday joy to humans all over the world. Northern elves can’t poof and do not naturally have wings, but they are excellent organizers and are thought to take great pride in their work. Most northern elves are drones who defer to Kris Kringle as their gyne; only the Head Pixie rivals that man for high high number of devoted, careful workers. Northern elves lose the ability to do magic if you take away their shoes.

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8) Selkies (Faedivus arctocephalus)

Patron: Seals (Lesser bulldog bat; goose) Crown: Pink coral Heat Cycle: Fertile 8 months every 100 years Shape of Nymphs: Scallop Ambassador Token: A pink seashell Food Weakness: Clam chowder Holotype: Grace Swiftly

Selkies turn into seals if they wear their sealskin coats, and are “forced” to follow any orders given to them by someone else wearing their coat. Anti-selkies and selkie refracts do not have coats and merely reflect their counterpart. Selkies wear crowns of pink coral and their wings function more like fins and aren’t great for flying with. Their patrons are all seals, though the species of seal can vary.

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9) Swanee (Faedivus cygnus)

Patron: Swan (Black scoter duck; swan) Crown: Winged caps Heat Cycle: Fertile 8 months every 100 years Shape of Nymphs: Round; feathery Ambassador Token: A bathrobe Food Weakness: Toast Holotype: Lia Lazulia

Swanee are similar to selkies, although they have feathered robes instead of sealskins; ‘swanee’ is a more gender-neutral term for the swan maidens of myths. They are bound to whomever wears their feathered robe. Anti-Swannee have horns under their hats; according to their culture, only the most dominant anti-swanee may display their horns. Anti-swanee do not have anti-robes and merely reflect the relationships of their counterparts.

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10) Aluxo’ob (Faedivus milpa)

Patron: Owlfly (Jamaican greater-eared funnel bat; American crow) Crown: Large, extravagant metal and fabric crown Heat Cycle: Fertile 6 months every 100 years Shape of Nymphs: Bells Ambassador Token: A colorful puzzle pyramid with rotating sides Food Weakness: Popcorn Holotype: Marion Ru

Aluxo’ob are associated with wisdom. They pride themselves on hard work, love puzzles, and are completely invisible unless you look directly at them. They also have the ability to hear what you say about them in conversation no matter where you are. They frequent the Mesopotamia and South American areas of the word. Because they lose power if shut indoors with no open exits, they tend to be claustrophobic. The plural form is aluxo’ob; the singular is alux.

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11) Qalupalik (Faedivus crepito)

Patron: Cockchafer (Northern ghost bats; willow ptarmigan) Crown: Simple three-pointed crown Heat Cycle: Fertile 6 months every 100 years Shape of Nymphs: Round; stark white until they shed exoskeleton Ambassador Token: A small, fuzzy blanket Food Weakness: King crab Holotype: Philip Na

Qualupalik frequent the northern areas of the United States and Canada. You can hear them coming from a ways off in flight because their patron is the cockchafer. They are associated with cleverness, patience, innovation, and wilderness survival. They wear coats called amautis and steadily lose magic the longer they’re outdoors with their hoods down. Historically they engaged in changeling children traditions, though this is now frowned upon.

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12) Imps (Faedivus gryllidae)

Patron: Cricket (Spotted bat; cricket warbler) Crown: None naturally; usually bald; have two antennae Heat Cycle: Fertile 6 months every 100 years Shape of Nymphs: Rectangular (Vertical) Ambassador Token: A wooden flute Food Weakness: French fries Holotype: Archer Clay

Imps have antennae and no natural crowns, although crossbreeds will show the crowns of their mothers. Their wings chirp if they become flustered or excited because their patron is the cricket. They bounce a lot when they walk and have a special influence over temperature. They lose the ability to do magic if you hold the tips of their antennae together so they touch.

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13) Habetrots (Faedivus embroidera)

Patron: Cuckoo wasp (Dayak fruit bat; Australian white ibis) Crown: Pointed hat with a star at the tip; damsels also have two ribbons trailing from their hats Heat Cycle: Fertile 6 months every 100 years Shape of Nymphs: Round; fluffy Ambassador Token: A pair of knitting needles Food Weakness: Lamb chops Holotype: Brendan Wulhave

Habetrots, although there aren’t a lot of them, tend to frequent the rural areas of Fairy World, mostly tending sheep and various magical farm animals. Their specialty is knitting and sewing. They have the highest turnover rate of any magical being due to the fact that they can have blood drawn by and be killed by magical objects. Like their insect counterparts, they’re considered beautiful but elusive. They curl into balls of fluff when startled.

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14) Barbegazi (Faedivus diaemus)

Patron: Snow scorpionfly (Honduran white bat; black-capped chickadee) Crown: Five-pointed crown Heat Cycle: Fertile 6 months every 100 years Shape of Nymphs: Slightly pine tree shaped Ambassador Token: Thick snow boots Food Weakness: Granola Holotype: Andréa Nightly

Barbegazi have large bare feet which they use for snowboarding down mountains. The white bat-like wings of full-blodded barbegazi are recessive and are not often passed to their offspring. Barbegazi more common on Earth in the north than in Fairy World. They do not function well when it’s hot and stick to cold parts of the world. Despite their bat-like wings, they are clearly Seelie Courters; they do not have any bat instincts, and instead have the instincts of snow scorpionflies.

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15) Far Darrig (Faedivus mus)

Patron: Rats (Desert long-eared bat; golden eagle) Crown: Pointed hat; does not float Heat Cycle: Take after the non-far darrig parent Shape of Nymphs: Look like rats with pointed hats Ambassador Token: A bronze brooch in the shape of a proud rat Food Weakness: String cheese Holotype: Alfred Indigo

Far darrig love to play, and luckily they’re easily entertained. Perhaps unluckily, their sense of humor tends towards comedic slapstick. They often lack boundaries, but it’s rare for one to continue bothering someone after they’ve been politely asked to stop. They can jump quite high. Beneath the practical jokes they’re real sweethearts and fiercely loyal to anyone they’ve fallen in love with, rarely putting themselves and their own wants first in any situation. They also like snuggles an awful lot. They always take their wings and any insect behaviors from the non-far darrig parent

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16) Korrigans (Faedivus myrmeleontidae)

Patron: Antlion (Indiana bat; bowerbird) Crown: Pointed hat with a ribbon or two curling off the back Heat Cycle: Fertile 4 months every 100 years Shape of Nymphs: Oval; resemble pine cones Ambassador Token: A curious wand that creates bubbles out of soap Food Weakness: Maple syrup Holotype: Arietta Moonbeam

If you think korrigans are pretty in the shadows, wait until you see them in direct sunlight- their hair will turn white, their eyes will turn red, their wings will shrivel, and their skin will wrinkle. Furthermore, spending too many minutes in the sun will drop them to their knees, and they won’t be going anywhere without someone carrying them. They usually travel in the form of a ball of light or bubble. Korrigans cannot name all seven days in the week if asked to do so.

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17) Sylph (Faedivus flavus)

Patron: Eastern amberwing (Yellow-winged bat; common barn owl) Crown: Tall pointed hats with brims, covered in yellow stars Heat Cycle: Fertile 4 months every 100 years Shape of Nymphs: Cupcakes Ambassador Token: A writing quill made from the feather of a peacock Food Weakness: Soy sauce Holotype: Luisa Highcrown

Sylph are creatures of the air and rarely touch the ground. They have the largest wing:body ratio among the fae. They’re stereotyped as studious and shy. Sylph hold power over the wind, though their talents are often lackluster in other areas- particularly where water is concerned. If you splash even a little water on a sylph, they’re powerless and mostly immobile until they dry off.

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18) Banshees (Faedivus turgidus)

Patron: Cicada (Giant golden-crowned flying fox; three-wattled bellbird) Crown: Very large crowns with very tall points Heat Cycle: Fertile 4 months every 100 years Shape of Nymphs: Look somewhat ghostly Ambassador Token: A tome briefly outlining various languages and monetary systems used by various Alien races throughout the universe Food Weakness: Deviled eggs Holotype: Brigid Lightwish

Aside from the part about how they go into anxiety attacks around people who are going to die soon, banshees are pretty regular Fairies. Damsels generally don’t like other banshee damsels and often refuse to speak to one another. As a general rule, male banshees are all mute and don’t like calling attention to themselves. Banshees frequent the Ireland area, usually in the skies whereas the leprechauns prefer the ground. If you cover a banshee’s mouth with your hand or another object, they’ll be immobilized.

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19) Duende (Faedivus denudo)

Patron: Housefly (Philippine naked-backed fruit bat; rock dove) Crown: Very tall points Heat Cycle: Fertile 4 months every 100 years Shape of Nymphs: Oval (Horizontal) Ambassador Token: A set of elegant bookends shaped like dragonflies Food Weakness: None (Unless they’re a crossbreed) Holotype: Cosmo Elkwood

Duende have no natural crown, and no gravitational field to hold a crown even if they’re crossbreeds. They tend to have very weak levels of magic, but are kindly souls who are considered trustworthy, especially with children (they’ll lead lost children through forests and back to their parents). On an unrelated sidenote, don’t let them clip your toenails unless you want to lose that foot.

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20) Gnomes (Faedivus poacae)

Patron: Aphid (California leaf-nosed bat; American flamingo) Crown: Pointy caps, usually red Heat Cycle: Fertile 12 months every 50 years Shape of Nymphs: Round; chronically damp to the touch Ambassador Token: A flower pot enchanted to ensure any seed planted will indeed survive to maturity Food Weakness: Maple syrup Holotype: Mallardi Fern

Gnomes have the greenest thumbs in Fairy World and take it upon themselves to look after plants; the majority of gnomes are found on Earth rather than the clouds. They will break out in hives if they come in contact with soap; too much exposure for too long can make them violently ill and even kill them. Gnomes can shapeshift into any kind of plant (but no animal or object) even without a wand. They’re stereotyped for having a phobia of fire. Gnomes and pixies have a long rivalry for biological reasons (aphids vs. wasps).

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21) Satyrs (Faedivus satyrus)

Patron: Goat (Long-legged bat; Andean flamingo) Crown: Very tall points Heat Cycle: Take after the non-satyr parent Shape of Nymphs: Giant balls of colored fluff with pink faces Ambassador Token: A stylus and quill sharpener Food Weakness: Applesauce Holotype: Primrose Starfall

Satyrs don’t seem like traditional Fairies. Their feet are hooves and they grow thick, colorful hair around their chests and lower body. Their culture prizes this fluffy hair and its actually against their beliefs to wear clothing unless donning a disguise. Satyrs have wide diets and their habitat ranges throughout the cloudlands as well as Earth; satyrs are a species who interact regularly with humans. They always take their wings after the non-satyr parent.

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22) Wraiths (Faedivus phasma)

Patron: Head lice (New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat; cockatiel falcon) Crown: None naturally Heat Cycle: Fertile 12 months every 50 years Shape of Nymphs: Flat below and rounded on top Ambassador Token: A handspun tablecloth of white lace Food Weakness: Poppy seed muffins Holotype: Cain Lightray

Wraiths have translucent skin, so one can view their organs. They turn colors depending on what they eat (like their patron insect, head lice). Pure wraiths have no natural wings or crown; some crossbreeds might have wings, but they are always incapable of flight. The more bold colors touching a wraith’s skin, the sicker they get. Since Fairies turn to dust upon death, transparent wraiths are very popular among institutions studying biology. They’re incredibly rare.

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23) Goblins (Faedivus avaritia)

Patron: Fungus gnat (Little goblin bat; rook) Crown: Five-pointed crowns, each point tipped with a small ball Heat Cycle: Fertile 10 months every 50 years Shape of Nymphs: Mushrooms Ambassador Token: A large silver coin shaped like a star Food Weakness: Mushrooms Holotype: Leroy Lang

Goblins are thought to be both oblivious and greedy with a fascination for gold, gems, and other precious, shiny things. Fungi are their main food source, and they’re often viewed as a scavenger race. Most live underground or on the fringes of Fairy society due to heavy negative stereotypes towards their species. They are impervious to cold and cannot freeze. They overheat easily if not careful.

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24) Kobolds (Faedivus auxiliaris)

Patron: Ladybug (Egyptian fruit bat; red-billed oxpicker) Crown: Colorful top hats (Many colors, but never green) Heat Cycle: Fertile 10 months every 50 years Shape of Nymphs: Diamonds Ambassador Token: A ladybug crafted from a ruby Food Weakness: Candy corn Holotype: Morley Arrowsmith

Kobold culture is tight-knit and highly encourages charity and friendship in every way. They strive to please and are always excited to help you. Their goal is to complete work quickly and look for more, but the work quality is often questionable. You’ll hurt they’ll feelings if you say so and they may lash out if you deny their help. Their magic doesn’t work near cobalt. They have an affinity with fire.

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25) Ishigaq (Faedivus caecus)

Patron: Ice crawlers (Silver-haired bat; blue jay) Crown: Cloth with a long feather sticking out behind it Heat Cycle: Fertile 10 months every 50 years Shape of Nymphs: Slightly snowflake shaped Ambassador Token: Five elaborate miniature candles and a tiny candelabra for them Food Weakness: Truffles Holotype: Cosmo Comet

Ishigaq are traditionally a mountain-dwelling species who thrive in Fairy World’s icy mountains. They never leave footprints and only crossbreeds have fingerprints. All ishigaq are either blind or have very poor eyesight. When shadows are dark enough, they act as physical barriers their race must swim through or walk around.

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26) Amazons (Faedivus galla)

Patron: Fowl ticks (Anti-Fairy and Refract patrons unknown) Crown: Feathered headdress Heat Cycle: Fertile 6 months every 50 years Shape of Nymphs: Five-petaled flowers Ambassador Token: None; they want no business with Fae politics Food Weakness: Chicken Holotype: Karia

Amazons are a small population who have secluded themselves in Fairy World’s Cherish Jungle. They’re capable of crossbreeding, although rarely do since they’ll be thrown out by their own people for it. Amazons worship a chicken goddess called the Cycling Hen and wear colorful headdresses. They don’t like visitors, and not a lot of people even remember they exist. They lose most of their energy if their headdresses are removed.

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27) Trolls (Faedivus troglodytarum)

Patron: Termites (Hoary bat; burrowing owl) Crown: Fertile 12 months every 25 years Heat Cycle: Fertile every autumn Shape of Nymphs: Troll (No exoskeleton, just tough troll skin) Ambassador Token: A hand-carved storage box for a wand Food Weakness: None Holotype: Libindi Rata

Trolls are a Fairy subspecies with green, blue, or gray skin who generally live underground. Unless someone else brought them along, you’ll never find trolls in Fairy World- they can’t climb the Bridges and they can’t poof. Their stone cities are really something to be admired. Some say trolls grow more beautiful with age, but trolls would probably be offended to hear you imply they aren’t beautiful now. Although not quite as offended as they might be to find out people still believe they’re uncultured swine- they’re actually very proper people with great pride in their politeness.

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28) Púca (Faedivus virens)

Patron: Emerald ash borers (California myotis; chestnut-tailed starling) Crown: Three-pointed crown Heat Cycle:  Fertile 8 months every 25 years Shape of Nymphs: Like fresh loaves of bread Ambassador Token: A pair of strong walking shoes that will always be the wearer’s size Food Weakness: Corn chips Holotype: Fletcher Reed

Púca always have some tint of green skin, and usually antennae, as well as natural three-pointed crowns. Being creatures of luck, they are heaily associated with Anti-Fairies; they share a repulsion for known good luck charms. However, they wander on their own and are not attracted to bad luck like Anti-Fairies are. There are very few of them in existence.

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29) Dwarves (Faedivus taenarius)

Patron: Harvester ants (Dwarf little fruit bat; kiwi) Crown: Very tall points Heat Cycle: Fertile only in warm weather Shape of Nymphs: Don’t seem to have one Ambassador Token: A large gem; type varies by zodiac year Food Weakness: Mushrooms Holotype: Quartz Glaswin

The majority of dwarves are crossbreeds, with a gender ratio skewed towards males. Dwarves are magical “dead zones” who even drain the magic out of magical objects they spend enough time around. They’re immune to the magic of others unless said other is really focused, powerful, and willing to expend so much energy. Dwarf bites are venomous; they won’t cause death like a brownie bite, but are very painful and the after-effects last a long time. They sometimes abduct lawn gnomes. Generally, dwarves suffer from agoraphobia.

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30) The Huldufólk (Faedivus cibus)

Patron: Crane fly (Nathusius’s Pipistrelle; blue-footed booby) Crown: Striped pointed hat that doesn’t float Heat Cycle: Fertile only in cold weather Shape of Nymphs: Pentagons Ambassador Token: A tin pail with a colored stripe around its middle Food Weakness: Sugary cereal Holotype: Lorian Weidenburker 

The huldufólk are descendants of elves who thrive in Iceland. They are the only fae species who still practice the changeling children tradition; huldufólk are completely incapable of producing milk for their offspring and often rely on humans to do it. Mostly, they can only digest milk and grain products, so they eat a lot of cereal. According to myth, you should never accept food from one of the huldufólk no matter how sweet and tempting it may appear, lest you end up cursed. The huldufólk are stereotyped as heavy partiers; despite this, they can barely fly two yards without getting totally exhausted.

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NOTE - The following five subspecies are known as the red-flag races; Fairies highly discourage mating with them, the cherubs do not legally uphold marriages to them, and they are each seen as dangerous in some way.

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31) Will o’ the Wisps (Faedivus lepidoptera)

Patron: Moths and butterflies (Six-spot burnet moth; greater bird-of-paradise) Crown: Six-pointed floating crown Heat Cycle: Fertile from late winter to early summer every 500 years Shape of Nymphs: Cones Ambassador Token: A vase filled with chamomile Food Weakness: Butter Holotype: Ilisa Maddington

Will o’ the wisps are famous for their flashy butterfly wings and paralyzing saliva. There’s a stark contrast between the drakes and damsels. Female wisps keep harems and are seen as domineering, while and most males are seen as dumb (most likely due to all the inbreeding that occurred not long ago). Betrothing your child to a will o’ the wisp is out of the question for most parents to begin with. Notably, wisps possess a watered-down poison called the Kiss of Frost, which is capable of paralyzing the limbs if it gets in the mouth. It’s only potent while a female wisp is in season, and they can’t utilize it until they’re young adults.

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32) Finfolk (Faedivus lympha)

Patron: Minnow (Soprano pipistrelle; pacific gull) Crown: Wetsuit with a star on the head Heat Cycle: Fertile all year round Shape of Nymphs: Conch shells Ambassador Token: Salt and pepper shakers shaped like leaping fish Food Weakness: Worms (Especially candy ones) Holotype: Moira Plunge

Finfolk have no natural crowns and no wings. Historically, they’ve kidnapped people and dragged them underwater, turning their caprives into spouses and servants. If a finwife pairs with a finman, both become drastically weaker and less attractive; they generally try to marry outside their subspecies. On land, they must always wear “wetsuits” (They cannot breathe if their gills aren’t kept damp). They aren’t often seen on land.

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33) Pixies (Faedivus quadratum)

Patron: Paper wasp (Spectacled flying fox bat; purple-crowned fairywrens) Crown: Broken crowns which they cover with pointy gray hats Heat Cycle: Infected with Wolbachia pipientis; adults asexually produce a nymph approximately every 500 years. Though they can’t reproduce the natural way, pixies do grow more interested in seeking partners for 18 months of their 500-year cycle. Shape of Nymphs: Hexagons Ambassador Token: A simple silver key dangling from a bracelet of coiled phone wire Food Weakness: Animal crackers Holotype: Fergus Whimsifinado

Pixies are an all-male, asexually-reproducing species who are all genetically identical. They carry the Wolbachia bacterium which renders them all asexual and incapable of reproducing with any other species. Pixies live by a corporatism or dictator system of government and are led by the Head Pixie. Covering a pixie with inside-out clothes will shut them down like a butterfly net, and wearing inside-out clothes will prevent a pixie from using any magic on you. Anti-pixies are green and yellow, while pixie refracts are brown and purple.

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34) Redcaps (Faedivus ruberconlis)

Patron: Robber fly (Eastern red bat; cardinal) Crown: Tall pointed cap that must be regularly coated in blood Heat Cycle: Fertile all year round except in very cold areas Shape of Nymphs: Pyramids Ambassador Token: Clay that never dries out Food Weakness: Roast beef Holotype: Whittle Snowla

Redcaps have three additional eyes hidden under their hats. They will die if their hats are off their heads too long and, once they come into their adult wings, they must regularly soak their hats in blood to survive. Despite the name “redcap,” their hats can be various colors depending on what they’ve killed and how close they are to needing to kill again. They are immune to all poisons.

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35) Brownies (Faedivus mundus)

Patron: Assassin bug (Common vampire bat; cassowary) Crown: Colorful fabric hats Heat Cycle: Fertile all year round Shape of Nymphs: Octagons Ambassador Token: A water bottle that resists acid and always stays cold Food Weakness: Ham Holotype: Ky Braddocki

Brownies fall at the bottom of the social ladder mainly because of their venomous bites. Their saliva contains inrita, a substance that drains magic; they can easily disable magic locks by licking around them, allowing them to sneak inside buildings easily. Inrita is deadly to Fairies and can paralyze Anti-Fairies and Refracts. Though dangerous, they are also seen as helpful since their instincts prompt them to clean constantly.

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