Fairy Tale Fix - 107: Bird Logic feat. Gisselle M. Ingan

Episode Date: July 22, 2025

MAKE WAY FOR OUR FAERIE OVERLORD! That’s right, this week the Fixtresses are joined by their dark mistress, their patron saint, their mysterious benefactor - the one and only Gisselle M. Ingan (cue air horns). Gisselle tells her very own original fairy tale - The Cloak of Rainbow Feathers (it’s beautiful, fun, and quite the Fairy Tale Fix itself). Abbie follows up with two shorts from the Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brother’s Grimm - The Old Beggar Woman & The Three Lazy Sons.

And we're in business. Wow, it's been so long since we've actually done a formal intro because usually we just keep talking until we remember we haven't done the intro yet. Hello, listeners. Welcome to Fairy Tale Fix, the podcast where we read, for the most part, classic fairy tales and then, quote unquote, fix them for a modern audience. I'm Abbey.. I'm Abby. And I'm Kelsey.

And this is the part where I usually say the bit that I just said. So that's what we usually do on the podcast, but we are doing something a little bit different today because today we have a very special guest in the sense that this is the most important person in the world to Fairy Tail Fix. It is our fairy overlord, Giselle. Welcome. Hi. Hello. Hi, everybody. Hello. We are so excited to have you on the show today. We're also incredibly excited that you are going to be reading us a fairy tale you wrote yourself in a few short minutes.

This is the kind of thing that we love to see and we love that that's something that people are doing because if Hans Christian Andersen can do it and Oscar Wilde can do it and Charles Perot can do it, why not us? We can write whatever we want. I fully believe that 300 years from now, your story will be absolutely classic because all of our names will have been forgotten and modern archaeologists are going to dig it out of the dirt somewhere. Yep. Yeah, out of my Google Drive somewhere. Yep. Yeah. Out of my Google Drive somewhere. They will go, forensic, archaeological, digital, spelunking.

I'm sure that's going to be the form of that discipline. Yeah. You know, with all these cool like original fairy tales that we've been getting from Giselle, from Chadwick, and we had one written by one of our other patrons, Sarah. Yeah. You know, maybe you and I should take a crack at writing some fairy tales. We keep saying that and then we're not going to. We're not going to.

What inspired you to write a fairy tale? Oh, okay. So, I mean, I've been listening to you guys for a long time. I think I started in like 2022 or something. Oh, back in the day. Back in the day. And I mean, so obviously, like with the fairy tales and all that, it was kind of just living with me and stuff in my head.

And then I will admit, I read a Star Wars fan fiction that was based. Yeah, it was based off of a fairy tale or folklore thing. And then my brain just kind of immediately went like, we're writing about that. And not the fan fiction, but about the fairy tale thing. And so I just kind of got inspired. And then I just started writing. And then I was like, one of these days, maybe it'll be good enough to show the fairy tale fix. Absolutely. We love it. I'm so glad that day has arrived.

I'm excited and scared. What was the fanfic? Do you have the link to it? What was the inspiration? What was the folklore? Or would that be giving too much away because I still have to make the fix? Telling you the folklore would be giving it too much away, but I do have, hold on. I have the thing. be giving it too much away, but I do have... hold on. I have

the thing... it better be in here. So the fic is just a simple man with metal armor to hide. So if you know enough about Star Wars, you can guess at least one of the main characters in that fic. Sure can! My little corner that I ship in the fandom is Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jango Fett. So it's a weird ship and it looks great. It's great. Like Obi-Wan's like background has so much Mandalorian stuff in it and if you can just

replace the Satine stuff with Jango Fett, we're good. She's fine. She's great. Love her. Love her so much. She's over here. Yeah. She's so good. In the closet. Just put her elsewhere. Yeah. I fell in love with true Mandalorian. And the title of that type of Mandalorian culture is true Mandalorian. So the the hot Mandoade culture. I learned some of the words and phrases and language because my brain does that and I loved it so much. I mean, you and I are cut from the same cloth in this way. Star Wars is not my thing,

but I also learn all of the words to fantasy languages and do my best to not use them in common conversation with people who are not like part of that phantom. I do speak a little Klingon, don't judge me. That's awesome. Back to fairy tale talk though, we do have a couple of standard questions that we ask all of our guests. Our first one, what is your favorite childhood fairy tale and how would you fix it? Okay. So the thing is like my favorite childhood fairy tale is not my favorite fairy tale when I was a child. Does that count? Is that fine? Let's see. That's fine. So I think I typically go with Cinderella. Honestly, I know we like

talked about like that was one of the whole big things and I was like, Yay, Cinderella. She's definitely overdone. But I really like the idea as somebody, as some, okay, I like the idea of just like if you work hard enough, and if you just work hard enough and you try, then eventually good things will just happen to you. Because goodness knows I'm not proactive in my life, so I would really love for someone to come and save me. That would be great. Give me money, please. Just give it to me. Because I'm pretty and I'm nice. Yeah. No. And I mean, we're fixing it. We covered a lot. I think honestly, the fix would just be for people to stop redoing it. I like the story. Just stop redoing it, please.

Yeah. It's a great story. There's a reason it's so beloved. Like, it's a lovely story. We all love Cinderella. Just we don't need that many versions, I think. Yeah. I don't know. But I love that. That's sweet. That's a good, I mean, a classic fairy tale. I love that. That's sweet. That's a good, I mean, a classic fairy tale. A classic fairy tale. Good answer. You know, Cinderella is a great story, but we have talked that one to death. Yes, yes we have. What was, did we have more like standard questions? I can't find them.

No, we used to ask, what is your favorite Disney princess? Oh, that was the tongue-in-cheek question that we kind of stopped asking though. I don't know if you want to. That's fair because I think we're kind of like trying, we're trying to be like off Disney. Yeah. But tell us anyway, what is it? Tell us anyway, whatever.

This is my favorite? Or like, which Disney Princess would you be? It doesn't have to be me. Okay, which Disney Princess would I be? That's a different one. That's this one I know. It's Sleeping Beauty. Because similar to not being proactive with my life, I was like a hardworking, dedicated, good

girl for like 18 years, actually more like 16, but like 18 years. And then afterwards I was like, no, none of that. And I just kind of flew off somewhere else and I'm like, I'm waiting for someone to save me and get my life back in shape, please. I'm going to take a nap. I'm just going to take this nice long nap. Someone else figure it out. Yeah.

Honestly, I wrote a poem about it. Oh, do you have it? I probably haven't memorized. I wrote it before I even started listening to Fairy Tale Fix and then I was like, probably read this to them as like an amuse-bouche. Please do. I would love to hear it. Amuse-bouche me an amuse-bouche. Please do. I would love to hear it. Amuse-bouche me.

Okay. I will say up top that just because of the way that I read things, there will be long pauses. I will give a physical indication when I'm done reading. You'll know. But like for people just listening, I'm like, I didn't just, my mic didn't die. I'm so sorry. That is okay. I will cut any long silences out. I don't remember its name. If it has one. Oh no, I do know its name, but the title is kind of reflected at the end, so it'll be okay. All right. I've spent my life dreaming of princes and perfection, of heroes and love and a different reflection. I fell asleep to keep me safe

and raised a dragon to guard the gates. I laid traps that no one could ever win, made doors and walls to keep me in. Life is not a fairy tale and I don't wear a crown. And sure, the world will wait a while, but soon the tower tumbles down. The nights and nights pass, and the cracks on the glass of my coffin are letting in the sun, the one that I prayed to and shunned. I guess this is it now. Time to wake up. Damn! That was really good. That was beautiful. Oh my gosh. And I love the way you said it too. It's just like with

so much passion. Thank you. Oh my God. Because you perform it well too. Uh-huh. Thank you. I like to toot my own horn because there's a bit, it's the nights and nights pass and it's nights with an N and nights with a KN. Love that. I love that. And you can kind of like get that from like the cadence and like the way you say it, that's

what you mean. Yeah, yeah, I totally got that. I figured that's what you meant. Thank you. And I was like, damn, that's good. Love it. Thank you. And I love kind of like the messaging behind it too, which is just that you build up these things in

your head. You build up walls to protect you. You build up traps and hurdles that other people have to overcome, but it really does just leave you alone. Yeah. I love the idea that Sleeping Beauty did it to herself. Ooh, me too. That's really good. Is that the title did it to herself. Ooh, me too. That's really good.

Is that the title, Time to Wake Up? I think so. I do think it's Time to Wake Up. Ooh, I love it. That was amazing. Okay, Giselle. Wow. I'm even more excited to hear the actual fairy tale you wrote. Yeah, me too. Like you're a gifted writer. That was beautiful. I hope so. I hope it's great. I hope they love it.

It'll be great. Love it. Yeah. I believe. Since it is kind of a longer one, do we just want to get into it or is there anything else you want to chit chat about? Transparently, listeners, right before we got on, we got all our yaw yaws out talking about snakes and rats and tarantulas and other insects. Cockroaches.

Can't forget the cockroaches. All of these ideas are proprietary, so we will not be sharing them on the recording. But basically, all you need to know is self-genius. Sure. You just get a very niche market in mind. Very niche market in mind. I do, eventually. But is the market us?

Yes. Also, I wanted to ask real fast, do you want us to ask you if there's anywhere people can follow you or if you have an Instagram or anything like that? No, I have no Instagram or anything like that. No, I have no social media things, guys. I am the leader of the comments on your Spotify. Nice. We appreciate you.

Which we love. We'll be engaged with you there. Which today's comment for Spotify or you can also comment on Instagram or Facebook or wherever you like, comment, wake up. Ooh. I love that. If you're listening, please. And thank you.

Oh, I do also have a quick thing. Maybe we can put this up at the top. Oh, shit, I saw this in the notes. I saw this in the notes. Yeah, yeah. Real quick announcement. We have a new patron to thank. Woo!

Welcome, Mai. Thank you so much for joining our Patreon. We are so excited to have you. Real quick announcement, we have a new patron to thank. Woo! Welcome Mai. Thank you so much for joining our Patreon. We are so excited to have you. We hope you love the bonusodes. I also got these cool new postcards that I made for our patrons. Oh my god, Kelsey, those are so cute.

To thank them for waiting. We put our Patreon on pause for a little bit while we were figuring out what we're going to do production-wise. We're still kind of figuring that stuff out, but we're very thankful to our patrons of Patreon. Those people. For being so patient and just so understanding. Yeah, we're really excited to have you, Mai. We hope you love the bonus oats. Thank you, Mai. Appreciate you.

And just a reminder, if anybody is interested in joining our Patreon right now, you can sign up for just $3 a month at our beautiful peasant level and you can get all of our bonus episodes. Yeah, I think that's it. Announcement corner over. We're going to move into stories now. Oh, okay. The title is, and you're gonna love it. The title is The Cloak of Rainbow Feathers.

Ooh. The Cloak of Rainbow Feathers. Happy Pride Month, by the way. Oh yeah, happy pride, everybody. Whoa, I was not even thinking about that. I would... I mean, okay. The rainbows. The rainbows. I'm not trying to pump you for information, I swear. I know. That's why I was like, I'm not going to say anything.

Prediction number one, because it is the cloak of rainbow feathers and today's the first day. We are recording on the first day of Pride Month. Right. This will probably be coming out in July, but... But this is queer as hell. Okay. I love it. Oh, lovely. Just one prediction. Carmilla, did you want me to give you any hints? I thought I was going to tell you a little bit. No, not at all. Just the title.

Don't give us any hints. Just the title, just vibes and what we know about you. Yeah, just vibes. Just the title is vibes. All right. Queer as hell. Number two, I predict, I don't know. I want to predict a witch. Witchy business. Witchy business. Because I fucking love witches. And three.

She's bad for some witchy business. witches and three. Witchy business. I predict, oh, I need to write that these are my predictions. Oh yeah, because we both got some. Queer as hell, witchy business and I want a talking animal. Ooh, a talking animal. That's what I want a talking animal. Ooh, a talking animal. That's what I want. Okay. I do love a talking animal.

Ah, they're the best. Important riddle or puzzle. Ooh. Okay. Love it. I don't know, you told us about your D&D campaign and you like. Sock it.

Ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha. Disguise. and D campaign and you like disguise. Disguise. Put an exclamation point on that. Oh, you got it. Um, I know it's hard.

This is always the hardest part of the whole podcast. It is. It is difficult. Dragon. Ooh, love that. That's an excellent prediction. I was deciding if I wanted to go horse murder or dragon. Horse murder is a good one.

Horse murder. I do love horse murder. Horse murder is always a good one. I mean, I'm going purely based off of what you told me from your D&D campaign, but also Horse murder is a good one. Horse murder. I do love horse murder. I'm going purely based off of what you told me from your D&D campaign. But also- Do monkey D&D characters still remember horse? I'm sure they do.

I predicted dragon just because I like those and I like seeing them and stuff. So those are my hopes. Yeah. Okay, hit us. Hit us with that shit. I'm so excited. And then after you told us your story, I'm going to totally quiz you about what your influences were. Please, I have a spreadsheet. I have a separate Google Docs for that. Please let me tell you about it. Incredible. Great. Okay. Sorry. I will say I have been making edits to this all week, including this morning. So cool.

All right. And you'll make edits to it after. Probably. I will, honestly. I will forever. And then you'll become a published author and it'll be really cool. Ooh, I have no clue how to do that. Putting that into the universe for you. The Cloak of Rainbow Feathers.

There once was a poor fisherman who lived nearby a river. He lived alone in a single room bamboo hut that he had built with his own hands. The man was kind to everyone, and whenever possible, he shared his meager fortunes with anyone in need. He was respectful to all life and nature and went about the woods singing and whistling all the while. And though his life was small, he lived it with contented joy. Absolutely. One day.

I know, right? I love him. Giselle, you're not going to hurt him, are you? small, he lived it with contented joy. One day, the man was readying for the monsoon season when he saw a pile of rainbow feathers outside of his door. The feathers were so beautiful and long, and each feather seemed to sparkle like a jewel. The man looked at the feathers and then up to the sky. He did not see any birds that could explain how the feathers had arrived at his hut. However, he noticed the heavy clouds coming in and decided that he would bring the feathers into his home so that they would not be blown away by the wind and the rain. He then went back outside in order to further prepare for the monsoon. After a long day of work, he came back home and was shocked to find a beautiful woman inside his hut. shocking I say. Who could have predicted it? Who knew? She had long dark hair and fair unblemished skin, which he noticed quite easily for she

was entirely unclothed. Ooh, naked. Love this for him. Right? The woman crossed her arms over her chest and declared, finally, you're home. The man quickly looked at me. Finally. Oh my god. That's so funny. Also like the timing of all this. Okay. The woman crossed her arms over her chest and declared, finally, your home. The man quickly looked anywhere except at the woman and glanced around the room. There was no sign of her clothes, only the feathers he had brought in earlier.

He wondered if she had been caught in the storm, perhaps bathing in the river when the monsoon came. He asked the woman if she needed help. Sure. It's not something people do. Yeah, it's not something people do. They do that here. I love jumping in a river right before a giant rainstorm. Okay, you know what, fair. Some people do it. I don't know. Why else would she be naked? Why else? Why else would she be naked?

Why else? Why else would she be naked? He asked the woman, do you need help? Is that why you are here? The woman answered in an annoyed tone, you took my cloak of rainbow feathers and hid it from me. Now I am your wife. Nagging wife. Oops, oops, right?

Right? Right? The man in his surprise glanced at the woman and then averted his eyes to look at the pile of feathers he had left in plain sight next to the door. He's like, I'm right there. You're right there. What do you mean?

What do you mean? Also, I love that he's being such a gentleman. Like, he's really trying to look at her. I know. He's a great guy. He's a king. We love this guy. He's good. He's respectful of all life and nature, however I said that earlier. Yeah. Okay. I am so sorry. I did not mean to take your cloak of rainbow feathers. Please take your cloak back and leave. But the woman just narrowed her eyes and replied with deliberate slowness. You took my rainbow feathers into your home.

You hid them from me. Now I am your wife. She said it like it was an irrefutable fact, as irreversible as the rain falling from the sky. And then she turned into the cooking area and began preparing the evening meal. The man, who was very kind and very confused, said, "'Well, you are welcome to stay for as long as you like." And he went to look for clothes for the woman to wear. When the man went to hand the woman his spare robe, he was surprised by the disarray that had accumulated in the short moments he had been just on the other side of the hut. Water and rice

leaked out of a singed wicker basket on the clay stove. out of a singed wicker basket on the clay stove. She's a messy cook. Yes. And a whole uncooked fish rested on the table with random greens stuffed into its mouth. The woman stood in the middle of it all, frowning down at a charred spoon she had been using to fan the flames.

A. Relatable AF to me. B. It was clear to the man that the woman was unused to cooking. However, the man did not want to disparage the woman's efforts, and so as he handed the robe to her, he said, You are very kind to cook for me. Please allow me to assist you. But the woman looked at him resentfully as she pulled on the robe and said, How do you not understand? You took my feathered cloak from me, and now I am your wife. Cooking is a wife's duty. The man saw that he could not persuade her, and so he said,

then I am lucky to have such a dutiful woman in my home. Thank you for dinner. The woman's scowl seemed to lighten for a moment, but then it returned as she focused her attention back to the food. For dinner that night, the woman presented the man with a small bowl of undercooked and yet charred rice, as well as a whole fish that seemed to have been cooked on the clay plate that it was served on. However, the man ate every bite and thanked the woman for her hard work. The woman flushed and grumbled and looked away. Oh, my gosh. Oh, no. Just all this is so cute. I love that she's a bad cook. I love that she's so snarky.

She's like pissed about it. She's so, she's so snarky. She's like, I'm really just a bird. I don't know how to do any of this stuff. I'm a hot bird. I'm a hot bird. But this is my job now. Leave me alone. Why do you think she's a bird? That's such weird thing for you guys to say. You know what? You're right. You have no idea really. That would be so cool.

Hey, you know what? That's also pretty funny. Some dragons have feathers, right? Yeah, they do. That's so true. Especially in Asian culture, I think. Especially, yeah, absolutely. All right.

The man then declared that he would clean since the woman cooked, and although the woman looked displeased at this arrangement, she seems rather relieved that she did not have to clean up the mess left behind in the cooking area. As the man washed the pans and the plates, he asked the woman if she would be leaving before it got too dark. The woman's voice reached him from the sitting area, though he could not see what she was doing. She replied shortly, him from the sitting area, though he could not see what she was doing. She replied shortly, �I am your wife. I cannot leave. Besides, the monsoon has come.� And the woman was right, for the sky was now dark outside the small window, the wind was howling, and the rain was roaring outside the bamboo hut. The man said, �You are right. I had not heard

the rain, but now I do. You cannot leave in this storm. When the man left the cooking area, he saw that the woman had moved the cloak of rainbow feathers so that it was draped on the back of a chair. He was glad that it was no longer on the floor where it could get damaged or dirty. The woman also seemed satisfied with the new placement of the cloak. As night fell, the man thought about where the woman would sleep. He wanted her to be comfortable, and so he offered her his bed to sleep in for the night. The bed was little more than a bamboo frame fitted with a woven mat and a padded sleeping palette,

just wide enough for one person and sagging slightly in the center. Like everything else in the hut, it was simple and serviceable. Having done his best to make the bed comfortable, the man then took his spare blanket and pillow to the other corner of the room and settled in to sleep for the night. I'm starting to see why this guy is single. There is such thing as being too nice. He's a little too nice and also maybe a little too frugal. That bed is not big enough for two, my buddy.

He's a solitary fisherman. He's good. like that bed is not big enough for two, my buddy, like… He's a solitary fisherman, he's good. You know, fair enough. Wasn't exactly looking for anything. The woman stood there, watching him arrange the floor space. She was still wearing his spare robe, though it clearly displeased her. The belt was loosely tied and the collar repeatedly slipped down one shoulder. Her arms were crossed as she stared at the modest bed. Then, with a dissatisfied huff, she turned and lay down on it. The rain rattled the walls and the wind howled through the slats in the bamboo.

Almost immediately, the man heard the woman tossing and grumbling, obviously having trouble going to sleep. He felt bad that he did not have anything more comfortable to offer her. However, he did not worry for long, since, tired after his long day of preparing for the monsoon, he soon fell asleep. Sometime in the night, a hand shook him gently awake. The woman was standing above him, her long dark hair flowing over her shoulders. Your bed is too hard. I cannot sleep. Her tone was brusque and she was looking at him expectantly.

You fix this right now. Right now? Immediately. The man blinked up at her, trying to straighten his thoughts after being abruptly awakened. I am sorry that you cannot sleep. Here, take my pillow so that the bed will no longer be too hard. He took the pillow from under his head and held it out for the woman to take. She looked at the pillow in his outstretched hand, then took it without a word and returned to the bed.

The man settled back into his corner, his head now resting on his arm, and although the ground was hard, the man soon fell back asleep. But then later in the night, the woman shook him awake once again and said, Your bed is too cold. I cannot sleep. Alright, Goldilocks. Alright. I cannot sleep." All right, Goldilocks. I expect perfection. I love it. You know what? I love that for her. Me too. She's the one who knows what she wants. She does. And she's like, hey, I cooked for you. It is too cold and too hard in here. The man sleepily rubbed his eyes and looked up at her. She was standing closer to him than she

had before. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and the only part of her expression that he could see was the tight frown of her mouth. Here, he said, take my blanket so that the bed will no longer be too cold. And he pulled the blanket from around his body and offered it to her. no longer be too cold. And he pulled the blanket from around his body and offered it to her. She took the blanket in silence, and it dragged behind her as she returned to the bed, her footsteps loud even over the sound of the rain. So she's stomping. The man settled back on the floor, and although the air was cold and the ground was hard, he soon fell back asleep. Then for the third

time, the woman shook him awake and said, Your bed is too big. I cannot sleep. Come sleep with me in the bed. I wondered if that was her angle this entire time. I was like, you loser. I am trying to sleep with you. It's like, how many ways do I have to say it? Oh, I'm cold. Which ways do I have to say it? Oh, I'm cold. He's too nice.

He's too, Kelsey, you nailed it right from jump. He's way too nice. I mean, I love that, but still. Good for him. We love a respectful King, but also, pick up what she's putting down, bro. also pick up what she's putting down, bro. Like, let's see. He's very bad at picking up what she puts down,

just so you know. Well, he doesn't want to assume, you know, and that's good. I think we need more guys like that. Totally fair. But also, me thinks the lady left her cloak outside your hut for a reason. You're killing the vibe, dude. You're killing the vibe.

Killing the vibe. She was obviously agitated, the moonlight on her pale skin showing where her robe hung askew. The man considered his small bed and wondered if the woman would truly be more comfortable if he slept in it with her. Perhaps the woman had come from a home where everyone slept closely together. That's what I said. Right. She's even got her robe hanging half off of her shoulder. Come on, dude. You're I'm your wife now. The man said, if it would mean the bed would no longer be too big, then I will sleep in the bed with you. Before he had finished speaking, the woman had quickly returned to the bed

and immediately lay down on it. Abby is nodding, that's why I'm laughing. The man rose slowly, his joints stiff from laying on the uncomfortable cold floor. He moved to the bed, careful as he lay down beside her. Out of respect, he made sure not to touch her, not even by accident. He lay on his side, facing away from her in order to give her as much room as possible on the bed. A few long moments passed, neither speaking or sleeping. Then the woman let out a long, pointed sigh and turned toward the wall.

With his blanket and pillow and in a warm bed, the man quickly fell asleep. The woman did not wake him again. In the morning, the man woke to the sound of pots and pans moving in the cooking area. He crossed the hut to greet the woman good morning and was startled to see her wearing a long beautiful silk robe. It was obviously expensive. With designs made of many threads and many colors, the threads catching the light like the feathers of her cloak. He asked the woman, where did you get such a beautiful robe? The woman did not turn to face him. She adjusted the belt at her waist with more force than necessary and said simply, this is my robe. She then went back

to her cooking. She gave all of her attention, right? Yeah, this is my robe. Okay. She gave all of her attention to diligently pouring the rice into a pot with too much water. She glared at the pot as though daring it to misbehave. The man realized that he would not be getting any further answers and so went about his usual household chores. The woman did not say much that day. She moved through the hut with a quiet intensity, tidying what did not need tidying and giving the cooking pot more attention than it seemed to

deserve. She prepared the meals in silence and the man, unsure of what to make of her mood, quietly took up the duty of cleaning up afterwards. In this way, they began the monsoon season together. She in the cooking area and he with the dishes, each falling into their own rhythm. Now as is the way of monsoons, many times the rain would briefly stop and then start again. On one of these pauses, the man looked to the sky and was convinced that the rain would not continue again until the next day. He asked the woman if she would like to take her cloak and leave now, while the weather was clear. The woman replied,

You have taken my cloak of rainbow feathers. I cannot leave. Dude. The man looked at the woman, confused, for she was meticulously cleaning and straightening the feathers on her cloak. But I have not taken your cloak," he said. It is there in your hands. It's like, you're supposed to hide it from me. The woman continues. Maybe he's just not that into her.

Maybe he's just not that into her. Maybe he's just not that into her. I mean, that's what it sounds like. He's like, all right. Maybe he's gay. Maybe he's gay. That would be amazing. It is there in your hands. But the woman continued as if he had not spoken at all.

I am your wife. I am staying with you. Besides, the rain has started again. And the rain was indeed pouring once again. And the man said, you're right. I had not heard the rain but now I do. You cannot leave in this storm. The rain drummed louder against the bamboo walls and the woman stayed with the man. In between steadily more successful attempts at cooking, the woman tried sewing and mending. The man noticed that she did not seem to have much practice at it, although, like the cooking, she did seem determined to master the skill. The man said to the woman, You are very kind to sew and mend for me. However, my clothes are meager and threadbare,

and mending them would be a waste of effort. If you wish, you can help me mend my fishing nets so that they will be ready for when the monsoon season is over." The woman stared at the nets longer than she needed to, like they were some strange puzzle. But then she nodded and joined him, quietly threading the netting needle beside him. I was imagining her if she's a bird just being like, why not just use your beak? We have claws? Yes. What is this for?

What's this for? And so they began to pass the long still days together, sitting side by side with the fishing nets spread across their laps. The man showed her how to weave the knots to close the long, still days together, sitting side by side with the fishing nets spread across their laps. The man showed her how to weave the knots to close the tears, and though her fingers were slow at first, the woman soon found a rhythm of her own. As they worked, he told her the stories and songs of his village, the ones he remembered from his childhood and the ones he had made up to pass the time while fishing alone. She listened without interrupting, her hands moving steadily. She never offered stories of her own, but sometimes when he sang, she would quietly join in. The woman's voice had a soft, strange quality,

bright and clear as birdsong. She never sang alone, but when she sang with him, she would weave her voice around his in unexpected ways, adding harmonies he had not known were missing. The band found that a simple song sounded lighter when she was near. I know. That's cute. I love it. Singing together.

So romantic. I had to put it in there. I love it. there. The monsoon season that year was strange. Not harsh, but relentless. The rain fell softly, but almost without fog. Very long. Keeping the man and woman inside the bamboo hut day after day. When a few weeks had passed, the man began to worry about supplies. He had not prepared enough food to sustain two people through the monsoon season. During a rare lull in the storm, the man said, "'The storm has stopped.

Let me escort you home while the sky is clear. Surely you have noticed that the larder is running low. I would not want you to go hungry once the food runs out.'" The woman at first did not reply. Instead, she absently walked to her feathered cloak gently stroking the rainbow plumes. He had noticed that touching the feathers seemed to bring her a sense of calm. She was often tending to her cloak when the rains were at their worst, her fingers working slowly over the feathers as if moving something unseen.

"'The food will not run out,' she replied at length. I am your wife. I know these things. Besides, the rain has started again. And indeed, outside the window, the rain was pouring once again even harder than before. And the man said, you are right. I had not heard the rain. But now I do. You cannot leave in this storm. Your faces look like you know what the story is about, guys. It's such a vibe. I wish it were raining right now for like…

I love this so much. Yeah. It's really, really beautiful. It's beautiful. It's so romantic. I love the way you are playing with the dynamics of this kind of story. I really appreciate it. I really feel like this is such an excellent, and we haven't finished yet. I don't know where you're going with it, but so far, I think this is such a great answer to a lot of the problems that we usually have with the crane wife or whatever know, like a selkie story or stuff like that. This is great. Yeah. Loving it. Thank you.

As the days passed, the woman simply continued on unconcerned. In fact, the man often heard the woman whistling in the cooking area. She looked out the window. Sometimes when the rain quieted, her whistles sounded like bird song. And more often than not, the man would hear a far-off bird whistle back. The man worried for whatever birds had not found a safe place to settle during the storm. But somehow, as the rain kept falling, the larder never emptied of food. There was always fish for dinner, and when they ran out of rice, the woman prepared fresh greens and fruits, though the man never saw her leave the hut to retrieve them. One day, as he watched her prepare a bowl of fruit he did not remember having, the man said,

Uh-huh. You must have gone out while I was sleeping. But the woman just gave a faint smile and whistled again, louder this time, until the birds outside echoed her perfectly. It's magic. It's magic. I don't know why you guys think that. No clue. Hey, you know what? There have been no clear indications of magic whatsoever this entire time. You're right. You're right. Just a naked lady. That's it. A naked lady, a mysterious cloak, conclusions. That's it. A naked lady, a mysterious cloak, and a larder that never goes empty. Yeah, that's it. Rain that springs up out of nowhere just because he said, are you sure

you don't want to go home? I literally can't, bro. It's raining so hard. Honestly, if you've ever been through monsoonsoon season, yes, that just happens. It just happens like that. Which I never have, so I believe you. Okay. Although the rain seems never-ending, time continued ever subtly onward, and eventually the sun came to reclaim its place in the sky. The man often saw the woman looking out the window, her fingers repeatedly going over the feathers of her cloak as the rain began to fall in thinner and thinner sheets, pausing now and then like it had forgotten what it was doing. The woman's agitation

grew as the rain started to wane. She was most likely eager to leave his home. Right. When the- Right? Definitely eager to go. Certainly not frustrated with the fact that this really hasn't worked out the way she planned. When the unusually long monsoon season finally ended, the man told the woman, surely now that the rains have stopped, you will want to leave. Living in my small hut is no great

life and I have work to do now that the monsoon season is over." The woman seems not to have heard the first part of what the man had said, and instead replied, "'What is the work that you have to do?' "'I have to fish,' the man answered. Right now the water is high, and the fish will be hungry after the storms. How is it that you fish?' "'I take my fishing net, and I wait at the edge of the river. I cast my net when the fish are near.

That sounds dangerous, the woman replied. You could fall into the river and drown. I must go with you to keep you safe. For if you drown, how will I ever find my rainbow feathers that you have taken and hidden from me? Why not just you speak? Why not just you speak? Oh man, I did wonder if for a moment if she was going to say like, that sounds dangerous, you won't be doing that. No. No. No.

Who's staying here? No. There'll be plenty of fish. Don't worry about it. Don't think about it. Yeah. Do you want to come back to bed? I don't know. Now starting. I don't know. There's just like a little bit of me that this could be nefarious. You know what I mean? She could be succubizing him or whatever, or trying to. I have also been wondering, is she going to try to eat him at some point? Is she trying to siren him into the, what's happening? I'm sorry, I'm going to know. I guess I should shut up. If he gives in and accepts that she's his wife, does that mean that she owns him now

and she can eat him? Yes. Oh my gosh, please tell me that's where this is going. I mean, it's also cute and romantic, but- I'm good with either. It totally makes sense if she was a dragon that she would eat him, for sure. 100%. Yeah.

All right. Where am I? The dream. Oh, okay. How will I ever find my cloak of rainbow feathers that you have taken and hidden from me? The man was confused once again, for the cloak of feathers was hanging on the back of the chair where it had been kept the entire time during monsoon season. But by now, the man knew better than to argue, and so he gathered his fishing nets and told the woman that it was time to go. Then the woman unceremoniously pulled on the feathered cloak

over her silk robe and was transformed into a beautiful rainbow-colored bird. Oh, yes! What kind of bird? What kind of bird? The man blinked in astonishment as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. The bird or the woman in front of him was similar in shape as a peacock, but was at least three times as large. I will say this, don't think of an African peacock. I don't want something that's three times as large as an African peacock. That would be huge. Okay. All right. Yeah. I'll tell you. Hang on. Are there more than one type of peacock?

I had to look it up that there are different types of peacock because I was like, would he know what a peacock looks like? And then I looked it up and I was like, okay, good. Okay. So like an African peacock is the kind that we're most like familiar with when we think of a peacock. Yep. Yep. Because that would be huge. That would be a dinosaur. Yeah. I know. I was like, that is a giant bird. And he's just like, huh, cool. Okay, grandma. Like Kevin from Up.

Ah, yes. The rainbow bird. I'm fucking obsessed with that bird. She then walked ahead of him out of the hut and into the forest. The man watched her for a moment. Her rainbow plume stood out so vividly against the green of the forest. And then, with a satisfied nod, he closed the door behind him and began walking toward his usual fishing spot, happy that the woman had taken her cloak and gone home. What? Bro.

What the fuck? Dude. Captain Dummy alert. Yeah. Would you I mean, honestly, he used to be dumber. So you've actually smartened him up in- Yeah. Honestly. I've actually gotten better. He's gotten a little- You know what? He's just a- So dumb.

He's just a go with the flow kind of guy. Oh, you're a bird now. Well, okay. Bye. That's amazing. My goodness. Okay. He was whistling a merry tune when his neck suddenly caught on something behind him.

He turned and stopped. The rainbow-feathered bird stood there with one corner of the neck clenched firmly in her beak. He met his eyes, and the look she gave him was sharp and unmistakable. It was the same look the woman often gave him whenever he said something foolish. She's still pissed. The man stared. The woman stared back. And when the bird, who was quite certainly the woman, turned and began walking into the forest. The man did not argue.

He quietly gathered his nets and followed her. After walking for some time, they came across a part of the river that the man had never seen before. The trees here were tall and dense, and the sunlight filtered down in narrow shifting beams. The bird who was the woman jumped onto a flat boulder by the river's edge. The shifting sunlight glinted off of her rainbow feathers and reflected jewel-colored light onto the water. To the man's surprise, the fish were enticed by the sparkling light and rose in great numbers toward the surface. The man then tossed his nets into the water and caught up all the fish, thankful now that they had spent so much time mending the nets.

Absolutely. Oh my gosh. I've never caught so many fish at one time, the man exclaimed, marveling at the weight of his catch. You must have wanted to thank me for the monsoon season. I never expected anything in return, but this is quite the gift. He looked to the boulder and the bird who was the woman. She was perched on the rock, still and watching him. I suppose the day's work is already done, he said cheerfully. Now I can go home early.

Thank you for your help. I imagine you'll want to return to your own home now. And so the man walked back to his hut, convinced that his guest had simply wanted to repay his kindness before going her own way. He was so focused on bringing in the heavy nets that he was genuinely surprised when the bird who was the woman followed him inside. In a moment without fuss or flourish, the rainbow feathers fell from the bird, and in its place stood the woman, her silk robes entirely undisturbed.

She handed her feathered cloak over to the man, setting it solidly into his arms before stepping away. You have now taken my cloak of rainbow feathers. Surely it will be hidden where I cannot find it. She gave him a look full of meaning that he did not quite understand, then picked up the nets full of fish and went into the cooking area where she began rattling spoons and banging pots, speaking very loudly to herself that with her cloak of feathers hidden from her, she would never leave the man's home. I hope he never figures out how to hide my cloak. Oh, sweet baby boy.

Take your hand, dude. The man is a sweet summer child. Sweet summer child. She literally handed it to you. I just keep thinking this guy has never read a fairy tale in his life. Never once. What is happening? Or has he ever been interested in a woman in his life? I mean, I'm just saying and that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. This is a safe space. But he told her all of his village's folktales and stories and stuff. None of them must involve strange, strange women who shed their skin.

Yeah. I mean, it's not, I mean, it's nothing to do with him, right? That'll never apply to him, for sure. That'll never apply to him. But I mean, also, to be fair, she is expecting him to follow, to kind of follow her lead, but she hasn't explicitly said, hello, you are cute. I would like to be your wife. Here is my cloak. Please take it if you accept me as your bride. Until then, he's making no assumptions and honestly, I love him. Consent king.

He was such a joy to write. Honestly, I just have to- She has not said what she wants me to do with this. The man stirred pondering for a few seconds before he went to look for a place to put the cloak of rainbow feathers. He found a woven basket and placed the cloak inside, and then he moved the basket next to the bed where the woman could easily see it. He walked into the cooking area and spoke over the rattling dishes.

I placed your cloak of rainbow feathers in a basket next to the bed. That way you will know where it is and you can leave whenever you want. The woman stopped what she was doing. I'm so sorry, this is 11 pages long. It's so great. The woman stopped what she was doing and sighed heavily. Then she went back to preparing lunch, although much more quietly than before. The cooking having improved during the long months of the monsoon season,

the food was simple and delicious. The rice was now tender and fragrant, and the fish flaked cleanly from the bone, seasoned with something sharp andly from the bone, seasoned with something sharp and green from the garden. And even though they had both eaten their fill twice over, there was still plenty of fish left. This is more fish than two people can eat in a week. I will go to the village and share our good fortune with those in need."

"'I will go with you,' the woman said, and she got up to put away the dishes before they left. The man figured that perhaps the woman was originally from the village, and he was therefore glad to be able to escort her home. Dummy! She turned into a bird, dude! In front of your face! You've gone to this village before. Do you think she lives there? Where was she? Where was she? But when they arrived at the village and passed out the fish, the woman introduced herself as the man's wife. The woman seemed annoyed when he tried to tell the villagers that she was just his guest. So the man let the woman continue her introductions. When

they were done at the village, the woman continued to walk with the man on his way home. While he held the now empty nets, she laced her arm through his and gave no indication of leaving his side. The man, while confused, thought that perhaps there was a reason the woman did not want to go back to her family, and so he would not force her to go. The days began to take on a new rhythm. Once a week, the man would go fishing and the woman would don her cloak of rainbow feathers to accompany him as a beautiful bird. Then they would take the abundant catch home and she would put her cloak away, returning back to human form. After lunch, they would go to the village to share the rest of the

fish. They did this for many weeks and began to receive gifts from the village and thanks. They now had a small collection of chickens and pigs, as well as new plants in the expanded garden behind the hut. There were more animals than they could eat, and so the man would trade the extra animals for building supplies. The man added to the small bamboo hut, creating more rooms and more comforts for the woman, though she insisted that the bed did not need to be replaced and that she did indeed need him in the bed with her in order to sleep comfortably. The man, while still confused by many things, had grown used to the woman's request. The man would now spend most of his days building

and expanding a pen for the animals, while the woman would tend to the animals and the garden. Sometimes he would sing as he worked, and the woman's voice would join his, her harmonies enriching his old fishing songs. One day after spring had ended, the man realized that he and the woman now shared a home together. He did not know when it had happened. It had simply unfolded. I know, right? Oh my! How many months of monsoon season? It's spring now? I guess we live together. Oh my gosh. I'm glad he has stopped expecting her to go home though. She lives here. Well he's not expecting her to go home, but he doesn't expect her to stay.

Oh, I see. Yeah. She'll move on eventually. You know, he did not know. I'm so sorry, Kelsey. He is giving Kelsey a headache. I can see it. I know.

I was not expecting that when I wrote this. I'm so sorry. No, I love it. I love it. He did not know when it had happened. It had simply unfolded, like the sky clearing one cloud at a time. And so he asked her, do you ever intend to go back to where you came from? The woman looked up from the net she was mending and said, the place I come from is a land beyond the sun. In that land, I am a princess. If you were to come with me to my father's kingdom, you would be a prince and you would

be very rich. I like that he's just now asking her questions. You've spent all this time just assuming and not asking any like, oh, where are you from? Where's your… Typical! It's typical! That's funny. The man took his time to think over her words. Do you want to go back to your father's kingdom? He asked her. He wondered how long it would take to get to the kingdom beyond the sun and if he would

be back in time to feed the chickens and the pigs. I got a walker there. It's gentlemen. That is a good follow-up question though. Do you want to go back? Do you want? Because again, he's been making a lot of assumptions. It was like, well, surely you want to go home. So there's a break in the weather. Bye. Do you want to do that? Right? Good question. Great question. He got there eventually. But the woman shook her head. No, there is a reason I left my father's kingdom in the first place. The man nodded, accepting her answer, and went back to carving out a fence post. Well, I am happy to share my home with you until you move on to someplace

better. But the woman did not go back to her mending. She continued watching him, her gaze steady, as though she were weighing something he could not see. At last she said, Is it, how stupid is he? Should I just say something? Maybe I should just go back. I just think this is worth it.

Is this worth it? I have to learn how to look. But good God. At last she said, you truly amaze me with your cluelessness. We got there. We got there. Finally. Finally. Giselle, I am dying to know who you would cast as these two because.

I've never thought of that. Oh my. Okay. That's such a good question. Because I keep thinking who's really cute but plays stupid really well and obviously Paul Rudd has popped into my head a couple of times. That would be hilarious. Like his character in Parks and Rec, you know? Oh yeah, like the rich guy. This feels so heavily like, and we'll talk about your influences later, but this also

feels very heavily Asian folklore inflected. Yeah, that's why I want to know who you would cast. I've never thought of that. Okay. We'll figure it out. We'll figure it out. I love it. Awesome. Yes. Let's all noodle on it and you finish the story. I won't be able to because I will be reading, but you guys do it. And also, I don't know the names of actors and stuff, so I'll trust you. I know, right? Okay, great.

Me neither. I could think of a few. You truly amaze me with your cluelessness. The man looked up, startled, not offended, just puzzled. The woman gave a sigh that the man had heard many times before. I am tired of this misunderstanding. She drew in a slow breath an uncharacteristic pause to gather herself. I saw you, a man who lived joyfully and gave freely and was kind to every living soul. And I gave you a gift,

which you accepted by taking into your home, a piece of myself that I never thought I would ever freely give." Then her eyes met his, shining with depth and conviction, and when she spoke again, her words echoed with the weight that they had carried all along.

And now I am your wife. The man looked at the woman with dawning comprehension, finally hearing the meaning behind her words. Slowly, gently, the pieces of the past year settled into place. The feathers at his door, the three complaints on that first stormy night, singing in harmony, walking home arm in arm. The woman continued, her voice colored now with feelings she no longer tried to hold back. There is no better place for me to move on to. I am happy here. I have a comfortable home full of peace and companionship, and I am married to a man who, when holding the power to take away, thinks of nothing else but to give.

Her eyes turned toward the cloak of rainbow feathers, and her countenance dimmed as she continued quietly. But I would return to my father's kingdom with you, if it would please you to be a prince. Man saw how the woman's presence seemed to almost fold in on itself, as if it were being tucked away somewhere small and hidden. He thought back to the first time he saw her, bare and brash, standing in his home with nothing but her pride and her voice. He had assumed then that she had had nothing else. But perhaps it had never been about what she lacked. Perhaps it had always been about what she offered. The man looked at the quiet line

of the woman's profile, so still, so certain that he would choose his comfort over her own. And he weighed his words with care. She's kind of a dummy too. I know." And he weighed his words with care. How would being a prince enrich my life? I have a comfortable home full of peace and companionship, and at this he reached over and took her hand, prompting her to look at him. And I am married to a woman who has given me more blessings than I ever thought possible. The man and the woman smiled at each other, their hands gently entwined.

The sky beyond the window cleared, sunlight pouring in as the last cloud drifted past, and in the quiet warmth of that moment, the cloak of rainbow feathers lay untouched in its basket. moment, the cloak of rainbow feathers lay untouched in its basket. Then the woman said, I am happy to share this home with you, although I would be much happier if my husband would finally think to properly sleep with his wife. Her tone suggested that she had been wanting to say that for a very long time. Get the hint. The husband blushed, the wife smiled, and from then on there were no more misunderstandings, no more guarded truths, only love freely given and the quiet certainty of being known. The end. Oh my God, Giselle, that was so fucking good. That was a great story.

Absolutely beautiful. That is everything from the crane wife that we wanted fixed, Absolutely beautiful. That is everything from the crane wife that we wanted fixed. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. But also, still also just kind of as frustrating. But in a different way. In the way that kind of story has to be, because it has to kind of take, it has to take you on a specific journey

and kind of tease you this way. But I love that the journey instead was like, it's still very much like absolutely clueless man finds like woman's animal skin, but like instead of stealing it and then kind of cluelessly not understanding what the rules are around it, he's just kind of like, I don't want to assume.

You can stay here. Well, also he doesn't know the rules about it. He still doesn't know the rules, and he's not asking. It does fall into the classic fairy tale trap of ask one question. I thought for sure she was going to be like, and now I have to go because you didn't catch on quick enough, bye. Bye. Like. Oh wow. I totally thought that's where I was heading and I was very scared.

So I'm glad I did it. One monsoon season was coming to an end and she's like kind of watching it with like kind of some anxiety. Like I was like, ooh, oh no, does she have like a single season to seal the deal with this dude? And he's just not.

Yeah, I did think about that. Like, I think I barely thought about that yesterday. So I started the story like two years ago. What are some of the changes you've made over the, like tell us like about like what influenced you to write this story, like what your influence, like what folklore you are referencing in it. And then also, I would love to know how the story has changed over the two years that you've been writing it.

So, the fic was referencing the Salchie folklore with the armor and stuff. But I was like, I don't know anything about Salchies. That's not a culture I grew up with. I know nothing. And I felt a little closer to the Asian culture, the crane wife, because I'm Filipino and I'm like, I can, that's fine. That feels a little weird for me to claim to. Yeah. And I landed on a rainbow bird because there is a rainbow bird in Filipino folklore slash mythology called the Sarimanuk. Yeah. So the Sarimanuk, I honestly, I didn't grow up with the stories. I have Wikipedia and stuff to reference for it. So I don't exactly know how the story is told in Filipino culture. And I think it's also from a part of the Philippines that I'm not part of. If I say things, I'll just sound so uncultured because I just don't know things. Let's see.

I mean, not to us because we don't know anything either. You can tell us anything and we'd be like, wow, okay. Yeah. But that's part of why we do this podcast because we learn and it's so much fun. That's true. And the thing is, I connect with this, I didn't just pick a random thing. I wasn't like, oh, what do I need in Filipino culture? It's because I went to a museum in the Philippines and I saw an iron statue of a bird. And I was like, do Filipinos have a phoenix? And then it was a sari manok. I had to look it up and I read these things then. A sari manok. I

think it said sari means many. I don't remember. Do you know how to spell it? I just Googled it. Sorry, go on, go on, Giselle. So sari is S-A-R-I. Manok is M-A-n-o-k. And I don't remember what sari means. I think it means many, and that's about the colors of feathers, I think. And then manok is bird. Yeah. Manok is bird, but nowadays manok is used for chicken. So it's a rainbow cock, people. Rainbow cock. It is. I mean, in all of the pictures that I'm seeing on Google, it does look like a

big rainbow cock. That's a big rooster. The story that I knew of the Sarimanoc was, let's see. So it's from Mindanao, which is kind of like South Philippines. And I think it's more of the like, Muslim culture in the Philippines. Yeah, it's particularly like, claimed as a symbol for, I don't know how to say this, Maranao. I can never tell where stress goes in words. Me neither. Right? I just say things and who knows. But yeah, so like the story I knew was that there was the daughter of a sultan and on her 18th birthday, a rainbow cock comes in and he's just like, I've been watching you your entire life and I love you, come with me.

And he just kind of like picks her up and flies away to a kingdom beyond the sun. And then, and then like they never, they never see her again. And the sultan, like in his grief, has people just keep making symbols of the Sarimanok and it goes on like it goes on top of umbrellas and shade umbrellas and stuff in the room as a reminder for his daughter or of his daughter. There's another one I read yesterday apparently there's a Sarimanok story that involves a female Sarimanok. I don't know what she looks like. But she says instead of coming from

the sun, she says that she comes from the moon. And so, okay, it starts off a little typical she's like bathing somewhere out in the open and a guy finds her. It's always when you steal her stuff. It's always when you steal her stuff. No, but the side of my nose is not supposed to have a skin stealing thing. That's not typical. Yeah. That was just me using something to fit into this. Got you. So what's the story I'm trying to do? She's bathing.

That's cool. Yeah. So she's bathing and he goes up to her and he's like, I love you. And she's just like, okay, well, I live on the moon. So I don't know how that's going to work. Bye bye. It could never work out between us. Yeah. She's like, oh no, apparently she says, if you want to marry me, get to the moon. And then goes away. I love that for her. That's definitely not at all the tone of that story. And then so the guy is really, really thinking about her or something, and he has a carving of a little bird, and he tells this little bird, I think something along the lines of

like, oh, how I wish I could go to the moon to marry that bird lady. And then it turns into a gigantic bird and he rides on its back to the moon. Amazing. Yeah. Apparently that's how that one goes. And I'm like, okay, sure. I love that for him. Yeah. But that's why I didn't want to claim anything to it. Like I didn't want to like, yes, it's a rainbow bird. Oh yeah. And there are apparently peacocks in the Philippines. Apparently in Palawan, there are peacocks. I had to look it up. I was like, are there peacocks in the Philippines? Actually, I think I looked up if there were peacocks in Asia. And then it said that there was Palawan peacocks in the Philippines. So I was like, okay, that's good. They are slightly bigger than

chickens, but they mostly look like chickens. They're peacock pheasants. Oh my god. They're so cool though. Yeah. They're not too fancy. Ooh, their tails really do look like, I mean, but their tails really do look like a bunch of creepy little eyes. They're just staring at you. Yeah. So I was like, okay, I don't care. He knows what a peacock is. I have enough to thinly link those together.

To go on. Absolutely. Like he has seen a very colorful gorgeous bird. Yeah, at some point for sure. Yeah, that's actually part of why I went with the fairy tale trope of nobody has names. Because I wasn't going to try to pin this down anywhere in a culture. No way. Yeah, sure. That makes sense. And it does kind of give it that sort of fairy tale timelessness to it. Yeah, if you had read this and just said you'd found it somewhere, like it was a folktale, I would 100% believe it. Like, you wrote it well, you told it well, and it felt very specific but also very timeless as well. It was really good, Giselle.

It was a great story. Yeah. Thank you so much for telling us that. So good. Of course. When I was writing it, I was like, yeah, I would love to give this to the Fairytale Fix Girls. It was beautiful.

Also, I've been thinking about it. Yeah. I would love to give this to the Fairytale Fix girls. It was beautiful. Also, I've been thinking about it. So if we're thinking of a Filipino hottie, hot dummy, obviously Manny Jacinto, Jason from The Good Place. Oh, cute. Yes. And also somebody in Star Wars. He is somebody in Star Wars. That would actually be cute too. Yes. Yes. He is. Yeah. he's an acolyte. Yeah. A hot dummy. He plays the fifth lord. But yeah. That's also like me too. I was like, what accessible Filipino dummy do I know other than the guy that is in The Good Place and a Star Wars thing? Like, are there others that I know?

Yeah, I don't know. That's a really good question. He would be... I know currently, the touring cast of Hades Town has a Filipino Orpheus. Okay. Could be his big movie break. I know. This could be an amazing movie. So out of our points wise, would you say that there was a talking animal? Because I would say she was a bird and she was talking at points, but not while she was a bird. But I didn't say specifically that they had to- That's true. You did not say that the talking animal had to talk to the animal. I think I get that point, but how do you feel?

You are the author. You know what? I think the woman does identify as a creature. Like she herself identifies as a creature and not as a person. So yeah, I think it counts. She thinks of herself as a bird. I am the hot bird lady and that is my identity. I do love that. Oh, yes, this is a go-go-go. For Abby's predictions, was there an important riddle puzzle and obviously disguise?

I would like to say there was an important riddle to the man, a very important riddle that he was very bad at solving. Yes, he was. Honestly, yeah. I was like, yeah, I think figuring out the cloak and the magic is a riddle and also figuring out when somebody wants to fuck you. Yeah. Women are so mysterious. And then was there a disguise? That's the only one. Definitely no dragon, but which a significant bummer. But I don't know. I wouldn't really, I wouldn't disguise. Yeah.

I was going to let it go because yeah, like she has two skins. I guess she wasn't like in disguise for him. But like, I do feel like the fact that she can change into the bird means she can disguise herself. So she could, but she was not like disguised. Like she was doing everything but straight up telling him, Hello, I am a bird lady. From the get go. Yeah, I think Abby only gets one point personally. I unfortunately, I do agree. It's not because I'm behind in points at all. It is unbiased. I would never do that to me.

Okay, sure. That works. So we both got one point. Oh my god. I'm proud of us. No, I also, one of the other things I wanted to talk about was that like, she shows up naked that first time in his house. She did not need to be naked. But she had a robe. The whole time.

She's like, because she's, she's, yeah, that's why I think the shared undefined security because like as a bird, she was just like, all I would have to do is show up and be like, Hey, I'm down, you down. And like, so she shows up and she's naked. And she's like, this is right. This is how humans do it. Right? Oh my god, Giselle, that is so funny that like, she's using bird logic. Yeah. But like, she's using bird logic to try to think about what humans do. So she's like, this is it, right? This is it. She's like, all I have to do is be naked and then he'll get the idea and we'll be very happy to get her. Oh, yeah. But it's like, you know, it's like, oh yeah, if we were birds, then he would show up and he would shake his feathers and I'd be like,

Oh my god. Yeah. And then we would do it and I'd have babies. That's the only scene I'm really sad we missed was her becoming a bird and like just fishing, like grabbing a fish with her beak, just like crazy, throwing it at him. Like it's so easy. Why don't you just grab them out of the river? Why do you need this? I love the sparkly feathers making all the fish like come to the top. Very cool. Very cool. And probably more, you know, it's probably easier than grabbing it with your straight out of the water. I'm really glad, you know, it's probably easier than grabbing it with your straight

out of the water. I'm really glad that you guys, I mean, like, I'm sad that you guys had to go through all of that with, after figuring out the punchline and like the first two pages. But like when I had told this to LeAngela, it was difficult for her to see where the punchline came from. And so I started adding more and more things. And I just said, I don't know. I hope there are people who get a payoff from this story. Because that was my goal, is to sustain that.

Well, I think that there definitely will be people that who are just like less familiar with how these with the beats of stories like this, but like, even knowing what the deal was with this, I still had a great time. Like, because like, just because I know the beats of the story does it like I do really enjoy this type of story. And I also really enjoy the way you played with that trope. Honestly, I think knowing the kind of story it is made me enjoy it more because it ended where I wasn't expecting. Yay.

I just love the idea that the animal bride chose this person and purposefully laid out their cloak for him to take because she liked him and so she picked him. That's so different. That is such a beautiful fix for that kind of story and that he keeps not stealing it from her. He chooses over and over and over again to make sure that she knows where it is and that she's never ever his prisoner, even when she's literally saying, you should hide this from me. And he never does. And I also think that's so beautiful. And he never does. And I also think that's so beautiful. So even knowing where it was going,

like just being able to be along for this very romantic ride in a story type that I really enjoy with all of my ick factors in that story type removed. Yep, 100%. It was beautiful. I loved it so much. So I liked how long it was. Great job. Great job, Giselle. It was so long. I just kept adding things. Right. Oh, no. Don't worry. The Little Mermaid was 17 pages, so you're good.

You are restrained in your writing. I honestly didn't think about it until this morning, but this story is a little bit of a Little Mermaid where she's like, I saw this guy and he looked really fun and we're going to be married now. We're married now. Oh, you should write the version from her perspective. Oh, I love that too. That'd be cool. Hopefully.

And how she found him and like, you know what I mean? Like just how she thinks of him. There was going to be a moment like at that big reveal where she talked about like her life and what had been going on when she saw him in the forest and blah blah and I was like, you know, that really, I hate this section. It really like slows down all of the, cause of the... I always refer to those as a fuck you life story moment. It's just like, hey, we were doing something and then all of a sudden, let me tell you my life story. I'm like, no, I'm just cutting it.

I don't mind them in longer stories. I guess in a fairy tale it might be a little much, but maybe if you made it into a full length, I don't know. Oh my gosh. I don't mind that joke. We don't need more of this. What? I love it. What?

I think we are, you know. I mean, how many times can the man ask her to go home? Like, I don't know if I have readers that'll stay for that long. Maybe the only thing I wish I had seen more of is just him kind of like if he had shown any like liking her, you know, like it really, I really wasn't sure if he was into it at all or not. So maybe if I just seen a little bit more of like him looking at her day to day and thinking how beautiful she is or something. Yeah.

That's the only thing I think I'm missing. Kelsey you're that's exactly it. because I think I was also confused. And Kelsey and I both seemed confused in the earlier parts of the story. It was like, wait, is he not into her? Like is he gay or something? Because he is so staunchly trying to get her to go home that I was wondering a little bit like, is he not into it? Is he cooking that it? Yeah.

Is she cooking that back? That's the only kind of thing. He immediately averts his eyes, maybe just a little more of a connection of like, she's dreaming. Yeah, that totally makes sense. I never thought about it. I wish she would stay, but why would she want to stay with me, a poor one-shack owner? Yeah, exactly.

Good one. Okay, I'll throw shit like that in there. Never considered it. I don't know. I don't know what that says about me that this story is about like a person who kicks out a door and says we're married now and the guy right now. Maybe sure. That can't be true. You can leave whenever you want. Oh my goodness. My friends, the back of the complete first edition of the original folk and fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm never of the original folk and fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm never, ever fails me. I have found two great stories for the two of you. Each of them are roughly three paragraphs long.

You may have, for fun, two predictions each on them. The first is called the old beggar woman. Giselle, you're the guest. You get to go first. What do you think the old beggar woman is all about? Okay. I'm going to say witch. Okay. Okay. Yeah. I'm going to say there's a witch. All right. I'm going to say someone dies. Okay. I think that's pretty solid. Two solid predictions. I love them. Very solid. The old bagger woman. Whatever she's begging for, she gets it. Oh, okay. She gets it. She gets it. And two, mean hottie. Oh. Pardon me, it's like. It's a little bit like my girl.

Yes, I'm mean hottie. You know what? That's probably where my predictions are coming from is straight from your story. This is the old beggar woman. And remember, you asked me to do this. No. Once upon a time, there was an old woman. Of course, you've seen old women go begging before. Well, this old woman begged too. And whenever she got something, she said, may God reward you.

Now this beggar woman went up to a door where a friendly young rascal was warming himself by a fire. And as a hot friendly young rascal, perhaps says is that he is young and a rascal. There is no mention of whether or not he is a hottie. Shit. As she stood shivering in the door, the youngster spoke kindly to the old woman, come in, grandma, and warm yourself. She entered but went too close to the fire so that her old rags began to burn without

her noticing it. Oh, no. The youngster stood. I really need to adapt. Yeah. The youngster stood there and watched. He should have put out the fire, don't you think? It doesn't say that. It says that. It says that in the text of the story. Don't you think so? And even if there was no water at hand, he should have wept out all the water in his body through his eyes. That would have made for two nice streams of water. And with that, he could

have extinguished the fire at the end. Okay. That's good. I love that story. Zero fixes. I love that story. Zero fixes. Zero? Zero fixes. He should have put it out, don't you think? Don't you think? Yes, I do think. They need names. I'm going to say they need names. And she's still on fire to this day. And I was there and I ate the snail piece of bread. The snail piece of bread and I watched her die too. It does not say that she died. It honestly doesn't say that. No, that's true. It doesn't say she died.

Maybe she's not dropped and rolled. No, I like that she's still on fire to this day. To this day. Yeah, okay. Yeah, forever, constant. Oh my God. Oh my gosh. And like, he's just like, so I like that the end of this story is just the

person telling it, saying, like, what an asshole, right? He like, didn't even try to put her out. So maybe he was a mean hottie. No, he's a friendly rascal and he spoke to her kindly earlier and if anything, she's the hottie. She's the one on fire. She's the mean hottie. No, she says, God bless you every time you give her something. So she's nice too. Fine. Well, she does get what she wants. She got what she wanted. She does. Sometimes. Does she? Yes. Well, it says that she does. She says that she's capable of getting what she wants,

though. And he did let her in. That's true. That is what she wanted. And she is warm now. Unfortunately, no mention of a witch. Did someone die? Someone dies. No, they didn't say. No, that doesn't say if she's dead or not. It just says she's on fire, but it doesn't say. It says she's on fire and that the teller of the story thinks that he should have put her out. I love it. That was so good. All right. What's the next one? The next one is called The Three Lazy Sons. What do you think The Three Lazy lazy sons is about? Okay, I'll go first. Okay, yeah.

Go for it. Part of me is like, the three lazy sons is a story we've actually read before. That's going to be my prediction. That's going to be similar to something we've read. Oh dang. Then, I don't know. Let's just keep going until someone dies. Roll it over. I love it. Yeah.

Love a roll over. Someone dies. A classic choice of I did not get my way earlier in this episode, and so I'm rolling it over. Three lazy sons. I'm going to roll over mean hottie. I thought you might. I thought you would. And...

Fuck. Now I kind of want to predict which. Yeah, do it. Wait, how many paragraphs is this one? Three. And it's a German fairy tale, huh? It's German. I'm not going to predict which, I'm going to predict Angry Villager.

Oh. Alright. Oh. All right. A king had three sons, and since he loved them equally, he didn't know which to choose to be king after his death. When the time of his death drew near, he summoned them to his bedside and said, Dear children, I've been contemplating something for a while, and now I want to reveal it to you. I've decided that the laziest among you shall become king after me. Bit of a twist.

That is a bit of a twist. On how this usually goes. I love this king. He's just chaotic as fuck. Yeah, this doesn't sound good, but whatever. He'll be doped. I think that the best quality in The Next King is someone who is lazy AF. He's like, I don't give a fuck. I don't give a fuck. I don't give a fuck about this kingdom.

I want rested knees. And now it's going to be like a competition of who's the laziest. And now exactly. So, well then, Father, said the oldest, the kingdom belongs to me, for I'm so lazy that when I'm lying on my back and want to sleep and a drop of rain falls in my eyes, I won't even shut them so I can fall asleep. I don't think that sounds lazy. I think that sounds anxious, but okay. That just sounds like somebody doesn't have any self-preservation instincts.

Exactly. True laziness would be there's a drip right over me. I should move so that it's not dripping right on me, but I'm too lazy. But whatever. She waits and waits and waits for it to rain. Right? Lazy Jane. Okay.

I don't... It's a Shel Silverstein poem about lazy, lazy, lazy Jane. She is tired or she's thirsty so she waits and waits and waits for it to rain or something like that. Oh, okay. Got you. Okay, I got it. Well, like, okay, I get it. I was like, how is that lazy? Anyway, sorry.

Okay. So, the second says, Father, the kingdom belongs to me for I'm so lazy that when I'm sitting by the fire to warm myself, I'd sooner let my heels be burned than draw back my feet. Again, just sounds like lack of self-reservation. It's not laziness. I don't think so. That's maybe you don't have, you can't feel pain. The third said, Father, the kingdom is mine, for I'm so lazy that if I were about to be hanged and the noose was already around

my neck and someone handed me a sharp knife to cut the rope, I'd rather let myself be hanged than lift my hand to cut the rope. Sounds like we're going to have somebody who's dead, somebody who's burned and somebody who's in a puddle of water for a long time. Let me put this question to you, even though none of these things sound lazy to me necessarily so much as indicators of severe mental illness. That's true, honestly.

These men need medication and therapy, but that's fine. Who do you think is the laziest? Oh, that's a good question. To refresh your options, they are man who won't move even if water is dripping an eye. Option two, man who won't move even if feet on fire. And the third, man who won't move to cut rope even if being hanged to death. Fire seems the worst. Fire seems the laziest? I think so. Yeah, you think? Okay.

Because hot heat? I don't know. It's like the person who's not willing to cut themselves down when they're getting hanged. That could be an indication of something else. I think they're depressed. They're a depressedy-Betsy and they're like, well, this might as well happen. None of them sound lazy. Yeah, they just... I guess the first one sounds kind of lazy because that's not going to kill you immediately. Nope.

It's just... Like not opening... But that person sounds like something drops on them and they're like, like, and they can't go to sleep because just freeze. Like, exactly. I do. That doesn't sound lazy to me. That's like I said, that sounds anxiety. That sounds like an anxiety disorder. Who gets to be king? The king does not agree with either of you. The king thinks that the guy who wouldn't cut the rope is the laziest. So the king says, you've outdone the others and shall be king at the end.

I mean, honestly, it was just kind of like a goal of hyperbole, right? Like who can sound the most dramatic? I mean, and truly, is that the mark of a lazy person who would go to that much effort to describe their laziness? I think my fix for that story is the third brother shrugs, yawns, and goes, I don't care. I'm too lazy to answer this question. That's a good one. My fix of the story is that the king is like, all right, let's see, and then does the thing to all of them.

Whoa, that's a perfect fix. That's funny too. Amazing. Is that true? Huh? Huh? And then makes them go through the trial? Yes.

Incredible. And then the first guy would win because you could actually fake that even if you're not that lazy. Yeah. All right. Well, Giselle, was there anything you wanted to wrap up with anything? Usually when we do the end with a guest, we usually like, oh, if you want to follow her or I don't know.

Yeah. I don't know. Not. You can tell people to listen to more German musicals. Amazing. Folks, you have heard your instructions from our fairy overlord. And when I say our, I mean our. It's Giselle rules over all of us. So you have to go listen to more German musicals now, okay? They're so good. Start with Elizabeth Das Musical, which is about the Austrian-Hungary

Empress Elizabeth, and then go to Mozart das Musical, which is about Mozart. Two fantabulous choices. Thank you so, so much for being on the show with us. We really appreciate you, and we appreciate you for being part of our Patreon and being our fairy Overlord. We also just love hanging out with you. It's been so long. You're a really cool person. We were so excited to do this today. You are a chill hang, DeSalle.

Thank you. I love this too. Thank you. I do love hanging out with you all. I'm honored to be here. I didn't get a chance to say it, but I was like, I'm so honored to be here. Oh my gosh. It's amazing.

For everyone else, also thank you so much for listening to Fairy Tale Fix. If you enjoyed the show please subscribe, leave us a review on Apple or you can leave us a you know five stars, five stars only on Spotify. That's it. Oh also we're up on Spotify to like over a hundred reviews. Hold on I'm gonna look it up real fast because I was really stoked. I hadn't looked in a while. Yes. We are at 104 reviews on Spotify, which- Wow, that's crazy. For a little indie podcast, that's a lot, and we really appreciate it.

That's a lot. Yeah. Thank you all so much for supporting the show. If you want to get extra episodes, we are releasing bonus episodes now, so you can get more of those. You can get merch, you can get books. We do other bonus content on our Patreon, and that's at patreon.com forward slash fairy tale fix pod, or is it just fairy tale fix?

Hold on, I forget. It's both. It's fairy Tail Fix Pod. Yeah, patreon.com forward slash Fairy Tail Fix Pod. And you can also find us on Instagram at Fairy Tail Fix Pod. And you can also email us your favorite fairy tales, folklore, nursery rhymes, and other things you want us to read at info at fairytailfixpod.com. And so even though Giselle's story was amazing,

absolutely perfect, I do have one. One small fix is that there was just a little more flirtation between the two. I just want a little more like, oh, she's super hot. Oh, he's super, you know what I mean? Just a little more of that connection. I think that'd be really fun. And in the tale of the three lazy sons, the king absolutely calls

their bluff and makes them each do it. How lazy are you, fella? Amazing things. And they all lived happily ever after. The end.