#I had a lot of fun writing the interrogation scene

[bpcr3yes]

Hello again, lately I've been obsessed with Valeria Garza and I decided to write some headcanons about her because I'm tired of only talking to bots 💀

VALERIA GARZA HEADCANONS (realisct maybe?) (a little subjective??? I don't know)

She is a woman with a strong personality, fearless, focused, stubborn, arrogant.

She is el sin nombré, owner of the biggest cartel in Latina America, she certainly had many women. She has a preference for chubby women, she likes to squeeze, you would probably be an anti-stress ball for her.

I have a lot of doubts about her being bisexual or lesbian (or straight if we could even add that option) but I believe she is a lesbian, a furious one at that, about her relationship with Alejandro I believe she used him (she appears to have a personality narcissistic and manipulative) she used him to get information so her plan could work.

I believe that when she was a soldier in the armed forces, she was totally confident and determined, many men were around her because she was beautiful (and hot) so she had a razor instead of a tongue I believe, she was always shouting insults or belittling men, only with her commanders she was more... well-behaved.

In the interrogation part, we see her tell Alejandro that she didn't take orders anymore, but then you can understand that he was her commander, and she was certainly angry with him.

After she became owner of the cartel, her life became extremely stressful, she doesn't trust any of her men (I think Diego was an exception) she believes if something needs to be done it's perfectly fine to have a woman do it because she thinks men they don't think.

I like to think that she has a trophy wife that she only takes to events like parties, bars and meetings. The wife's only job is to stand there being pretty and not say a single thing.

Now let's talk about this truly passionate woman of ours.

If you are in a long-term relationship (5 or 3 years) she would be completely in love with you. The type of wife who comes home and gives you a long kiss and hug, to make up for lost time.

Every month you go out to eat at a fancy restaurant and then spend the night together. (a long night I can say)

In public, like at events or on the street when you go out together, she rarely shows any type of physical touch, she prefers to remain secret. When she's in the Cartel it's totally different, she makes a point of kissing and grabbing you in front of everyone without caring, she would probably touch you sensually in front of her men but if someone is bold enough to think they can have fun together, She shoots twice. One on the head and the other on the penis.

She is a possessive woman, she would politely (not so politely) ask you to have her initials tattooed on your hip. She would also have a tattoo about you on the back of her neck.

about Family, this part is a little confusing when I create the headcanons. Most of the hcs I read said that she had mommy issues, I believe she was a daddy's girl, while her mother was narcissistic to the extreme, always belittling her for simple things.

Her mother probably had a lot of problems with medication. I also think that Valeria always had an attitude, never lowering her head to anyone. No matter the occasion.

Her family on her father's side loved her and disliked her mother, she probably had kind and caring grandparents and aunts. I like to think that she spent a lot of time with her grandmother, cooking, helping her with everything.

She must have had cousins too, she and them would turn the house upside down.

There's a part in the interrogation scene where Alejandro is saying that she ruined the army and he says "and your brother too?" It makes me think that Valeria joined the army to prove that she had the same value as her older brothers (to prove to her mother that she was capable too)

I imagine her brothers being strong, big and courageous lieutenants, she could be close to one of the two, while she didn't even make a point of saying good morning to the other.

that's it for now ♡

[lovendermist]

i dont know if u do aus but if u do🥹 i have a tini tiny request of an actor au where reader and hange are both famous actors, they get casted in a movie where its their first time working together and fans begin editing their chemistry and after some time they get together because maybe one of them already likes the other and finally asked the other one out hmmmhmhmhm🤨🤨 if u ever decide to write this THANK YOU

a scenario and headcannon PLEASE

Actor!Hange x Actor!Reader

Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you... even I do

Type: Headcanons, Scenarios, fluff

WC: HC: 332, Scenario: 4k

Pairing: Actor!Hange x Actor!Reader

hange masterlist

A/N: Firstly, I had written too much than I expected and I feel very guilty. Secondly, this was fun to write. Thirdly, I hope you like this one anon, cause oh my, did I have a lot of giggling done while I was writing this. I honestly have low hopes for this one to go well, but I wanted to do it justice, hence the late upload. I hope you like it regardless! ;v; I also forgot if there was anything else I should've italicized. I did this on the notepad on my laptop, so. Please ignore any typos or else I will die.

(Also, a text with [this] means it's your text. I just didn't feel like doing that y/n business for this one.)

HANGE ACTOR AU: PROJECT 1

ACT 1: HANGE

I wholeheartedly believe Hange is naturally flirty, even to their past co-stars and actresses

It's kind of what they're known for, actually. If it's not their big projects in the past, it's their flirtatious and witty behavior

Hange stars a lot in action, thriller, and crime films

Very rarely in some sci-fi movies

Hange doesn't always wear glasses, they're wealthy enough to afford contacts

But when they do, the public screams how perfect they'd look in sci-fi films, especially with the type of glasses they have

The public also screams how insanely hot they look with it

There's been some times where Hange does wear their glasses during movie premiere red carpets

And what makes the public lose it when they wear their glasses is that during these interviews, they occasionally look at their co-star with such adoration

A straight up half-lidded gaze, tilted head, and occasional lip twitches as their co-star talks

It's all inadvertent, they'd say in another interview

But the next victim of Hange's glassy-eyed stare? You.

ACT 2: YOU

Your career consists of mostly side characters in arthouse films

The sharp-witted, helpful, sometimes annoying side character

You occasionally get a center role, though

Sometimes you star in drama, horror, or even action

But soon, you get paired up with Hange in one of their main career genres

A crime film, with you as Hange's sidekick, an assistant of sorts

The film has a certain twist to it, where your character is actually the one pulling some of the strings behind the case Hange's character and you yourself were working on

And it includes a scene where— if seen under a different assumption, a different light— you'd think it wasn't a heated interrogation but a build up to something more

A different kind of heated, let's just say.

But after all that time on set, and now during that red carpet interview,

You're not sure if Hange's scrutinizing gaze is all part of the act anymore

ACT 3: ACTION

The cameras flash and the people scream out both of your names to get your attention. You two are the stars of the night as the movie premiere's red carpet event takes place. You answer some of the interviewers as best as you can, trying your hardest not to give out any spoilers, but other than the paparazzi's gazes, you can feel someone else's eyes on you.

From your peripheral vision, you can see the way Hange towers just beside you, ready to jump in to give an answer of their own if needed. You think you're seeing things, but after a while you notice that Hange's eyes are not on the interviewers where they should be— but on you instead. Their grey glasses glimmer under the light of all the flashes sometimes. When you turn to look at them, they only smile back ever so softly.

You've known them to be a flirt. You do a bit of your own research before jumping into a project after all. It's been said by their past co-stars time and time again that they have a charming and playful personality, and flirty is not exactly far from the top 5 words the world has been using to describe them.

Was it your turn to be under Hange's watchful, half-lidded gaze this time? Instead of mulling on it over and over, you decide that it's best to focus on the event for the meantime. You don't want the cameras to catch you zoning out now, do you?

"So you and Hange have amazing chemistry on-screen. Was it hard to maintain that bond off-screen, considering it's your first time working together?" The interviewer asks.

"No, not at all! They have an easygoing personality, so you can imagine what that's like." You both smile as you answer the question, "Hange knows this is a bigger project than what I usually do, and they helped a lot in making me feel settled and welcomed. So that already helped a lot with our dynamic even off-screen."

"Aw, isn't that sweet?" Hange's soft voice speaks up as they pull you a little bit closer by your waist. You laugh in surprise at their sudden action, and even the interviewer can't help but be entertained by Hange's antics. You can't tell if they're just playing around or being true to themselves at this moment.

Throughout the event, all eyes are on you two. Hange is much more of an expert than you in dealing with the public and reporters, so for the most part, you let them deal with it. But you work together really well, the answers and banter flowing easily without a single problem.

"Well don't you two seem awfully close. Did the on-screen chemistry match the off-screen one?" Another interviewer asks.

"Oh, well you know. On-screen chemistry often translates off-camera too." Hange leans in closer to the mic, their voice low and teasing, confidence in full display as they answer the question. They even add a wink after answering.

"Oh, you flirt," You tap Hange's arm playfully, "Ignore them."

Hange laughs at your interjection, "See what I mean?" Hange pulls you closer to them, "This one keeps me in line."

As they pull you closer to them, you realize you're not exactly sure anymore if Hange's flirtatious character is just a front or if they're being serious for real. Sure, there's truth to their words: You do have great chemistry on and off-screen, but how much of Hange's flirty answers are true? Are you their next victim? Were you willing to be, anyway?

In the midst of this excruciatingly tiring event, you don't miss the way Hange's concerned eyes land on you as if to ask if you're okay. It's one of your first big events as an actor who mostly does small, indie projects after all. You smile at them throughout the night as a silent response.

During the movie premiere itself, you and Hange talk occasionally. You two make fun of your own characters, pointing out which scenes were hard for you two to film, which moments in the movie you loved best, and the likes. Sometimes, and yet again you think you're seeing things, but it looks like Hange's eyes are not on the screen but on you instead. You try to catch them, but the frame of their glasses and the darkness make it hard to see exactly where they have their eyes on. And even then, by that time, Hange's eyes are already back on the screen.

Before long, the moment of your character's betrayal was shown. Hange watches, their eyes almost sparkling in excitement.

"You were absolutely brilliant in this scene." Hange whispers, eyes glued to the screen. You mutter a thanks to their praise.

It was rather intense, the confrontation scene. Your usually apprehensive character's demeanor changed into a defiant, cheeky troublemaker the moment Hange's character figured out your plan. Much to the dismay of their character, your character wasn't exactly eager to spill out their secrets, leading to a bit of heated argument and some physicality.

Things resolved in a way that you were already sure would lead to split opinions in the community. This much you've discussed with Hange, but fan theories and scene dissections aside, you two were happy with how your characters resolved their own arcs in the end.

During the afterparty, Hange doesn't leave your side either. You were glad for this, as there's still a lot of people you didn't know aside from the filming crew.

"Thanks for sticking by me," you mutter, "I don't exactly know what to do during these events. It's all such a headache."

"Oh it's no problem, darling," Hange's hand settles back down on your waist as they speak in a low voice. "I'm more than happy to accompany you."

But it's not long before someone else calls for Hange's attention. Of course, it's to be expected. Hange's the more popular one in this industry, in this event. They excuse themselves from you with a wink, slipping their arm away from your waist and reluctantly leaving you alone for the meantime to talk to another actor.

As you wait for Hange, someone else comes up to talk to you. You try your best to engage in conversation, but you're more than eager for this to end so you can go back to Hange's company again. You spot Hange in the corner of your vision, and they're just as aware of your new chatmate.

Hange watches with a slight tension in their shoulders, their eyes occasionally darting to where you and the other actor are talking. Hange tries their best to maintain a cheerful conversation of their own, but their eyes remain watchful and annoyed at the fact that someone already talked to you the second they left you alone. It's not unexpected, it's a social event after all and you're the main star as well. But it does irk Hange to no end.

After what seems like hours, Hange's conversation ends first. They keep their eyes locked on you as they make their way over to where you are, excusing themselves along the way as they bump into other people.

"Hey! Hi, sorry, I just need to borrow this one for a second," Hange exclaims sweetly as they interrupt your conversation, "Mind if I steal them away for a bit?"

"Oh, of course, no problem."

And with that, Hange happily snakes their arm back around your waist and leads you away somewhere with less people.

"Was that a bit of jealousy I heard in your tone?" You tease Hange as you two settle somewhere quiet.

"Me? Jealous? Hardly." Hange teases.

You two walk around for a bit, greeting some guests and some crews. After some time together, you finally bring up what's on your mind. All that staring during the red carpet, their flirty behavior, even the way they whipped you away just now, it all comes flooding back to you.

"So, all that staring you've been doing." You turn to face their tall figure. It didn't really register to you how good Hange looked tonight— they had a dashing coat on, colors fitting to the aesthetic of your film.

"What about my staring?" Hange crosses their arms, a smirk appearing on their already smug looking face.

"You know what it does." You look at them, stern yet playful.

"And?" Hange urges you to continue, that smug look never leaving their face.

"Well, I would just appreciate it if you dropped the act."

"What act, darling?" Hange tilts their head, which you grow a little annoyed at. But you can't deny that it's an endearing sight too.

"The flirty comments, the…" You wave your hand around in an attempt to express yourself better, "the lovesick gaze…?" You cringe at your own words.

"Oh, darling." Hange drawls out, their tone playful yet serious, "I wasn't acting at all. I'm not playing pretend here."

Hange leans closer, close enough to the point where you can smell their perfume on them. It smells expensive, and it takes every single fiber in your being not to squirm where you stand.

You're seeing it again, up close and personal— Hange's pretty face so close to you, a sly smile tugging at the corners of their lips. The last time they were this close was during the shooting of that damned confrontation scene. After what seems like an eternity, they finally speak up, their voice dangerously low and sultry.

"Unless… you want it to be part of the act?"

It takes you a second to reply, but even then you stammer in your own words.

"Wha-"

Someone calls out to both of you, distracting you momentarily. Apparently, the afterparty is done and the cabs are here to take everyone home. Hange looks at you, that smile still etched on their gorgeous face before taking you away, back to where the people are. Your little conversation will have to be postponed for now. You're not worried for the lack of time at all, for there will be plenty of promotional interviews this week with Hange. But the suspense will be enough to leave both of you with a bit of tension until you two see each other again, with the perfect amount of privacy for you to talk your feelings out.

"I'll see you soon." Hange murmurs before kissing your hand. Their lips linger a second too long, and so do their eyes as they look at your stylish outfit.

"See you, Hange." And with that, the waiting game begins.

—

It takes a few days and a bunch of interviews before a long string of messaging happens between you two. It was Hange who reached out first, with a rather interesting message.

Hange: Have you see the edits?

You smile to yourself before replying to their message. For sure, they’re talking about how your movie is all the rage at the moment, including online.

[yeah. they're definitely something, aren't they?]

Hange: It's like they can't get enough of our chemistry. Hange: I guess the fans just see us and can't help but ship us. But it is kind of flattering, isn't it?

[its entertaining, yeah]

Hange: Though I guess that means we make a good pair, huh? 😉

[we do :)]

From your message alone, Hange already has a hunch that you two had totally different ideas in mind. After a few minutes, you receive another notification from them, confusion obvious from their message.

Hange: Wait, which edits have you been seeing exactly?

[the interview ones. what else?]

Hange responds rather quickly. From their end, they’re grinning mischievously from the newfound knowledge that you haven’t seen everything yet. They keep their message short and cryptic.

Hange: Oh.

You grow confused. What other edits could Hange be talking about? You wait a few seconds before receiving another message from them.

Hange: So you haven't seen the ones of us during the confrontation scene?

[the confrontation scene?]

Hange: So I take it that you haven't.

[,,, no? why would they be making edits about that ?]

Truth be told, you haven't exactly been online too much since your movie had shown in theaters everywhere. But from your social media's algorithm, that's really all you've been seeing: edits of you and Hange during past interviews this week, the videos cutting to when you two locked eyes and what the fans say is you acting shy from Hange's actions. Nothing more, nothing less.

Hange sent a link.

Hange: So you haven't seen these kinds of edits??

[no.??? wait i'll watch them now]

And watch them, you did. It takes you a second to get it, but you know what it is. You've seen these kinds of edits float around before; clips of movie scenes together to make a narrative, sometimes even to fit a certain song. And these fans certainly outdid themselves when it came to your movie, specifically catering to that scene where Hange’s character finds out and confronts you about your betrayal on them.

You scroll past a few of them, but another very particular edit grabs your attention. You make a mental note to never mention it to Hange and bury it in your mind. After a few minutes of replaying that edit, you decide to reply to Hange.

[ohhhh. those kinds of edits]

Hange: Ha! See? Aren't those cool?

[they’re certainly creative, thats for sure]

You hide the fact that that one particular edit makes your heart swoon a bit.

Hange: Come on, give them more credit than that. Hange: Or maybe you’re saying very little because you’re flustered from watching them?

[no, no, they’re good, really. im just surprised, i didnt know abt these.?]

Hange: They’re amazing, is what. I definitely see it now, how that confrontation scene can ultimately look a rather different kind of… intense 😉

[u are a joke. but i dont disagree]

You leave the conversation at that, and Hange lets you be. Unbeknownst to you, Hange has been uncontrollably smiling all the way from start to finish of your conversation. They already miss your presence and the time you had on set. In fact, their mind has already wandered back to how you looked in the red carpet. They just couldn't let you go, and you didn't let them.

After a few busy days, you decide to revisit some of the edits on social media. But before you could fully succumb to sleep, you decide to view that one particular edit that caught your attention. Yes, you did replay it a bit. Was it so wrong? It’s not like anybody will know. It’s not long before sleep takes ahold of you after the last replay of that video.

Soon you wake up well and refreshed, that is until you read Hange’s message. It's not like there was anything wrong with it, but it was odd enough that your gut tells you otherwise.

Hange: You sure are amusing

[good morning to you too. and what does that mean]

Hange: Well good morning! Looks like someone forgot to log in to a dummy account last night

[???]

Now you’re not only confused, but nervous as well. Nervous enough to double-text Hange.

[Hange??]

Hange sent a link.

It's a tweet of your activity online, a screenshot that you've liked that one particular edit of Hange from a different movie of theirs, a scene where they were alone and the scene itself being rather impure. The edit itself is a 2 month old upload, and netizens are going crazy for your unexpected interaction on such a late upload, additionally the fact that it's an edit of your co-star, and most especially the fact that its in the middle of your promotion for your movie with Hange.

When Hange saw that tweet, they were more than ecstatic to talk about it with you. It took everything in their bones to not post anything exclaiming their happiness of your sudden activity, especially that it's content of them.

You distinctly remember clicking like on it after multiple replays before dozing off to sleep. It happened quickly. So much for keeping your attraction to it under wraps.

[fuck]

Hange: Hehe Hange: I'm coming over

[???]

Hange doesn't reply anymore, making you nervous. The fact that you know they live pretty close to where you are puts you in such unease.

In the meantime, you look at how people are reacting to your activity, and in some ways it soothes you. Most are shocked, obviously. Who wouldn't be, when edits of your movie are going all around and here you are, barging in with an interaction on an old, and rather spicy edit of Hange.

It worried you, what this might do to Hange's reputation. Are they coming over because they're pissed? Probably not, they put a 'hehe' there. But still, you're worried how this would unfold for both of you, but especially for Hange, being the more popular actor they are.

Some reactions are… excited? Looks like some already shipped you two the moment some behind the scenes photos were posted. You're just thankful there's not a lot of negative feelings and thoughts being shared.

After some time, your doorbell rings. Hange's here. From your peephole, you can see that they're wearing a mask and a cap, most likely to hide from any paparazzi. You let them in with a guilty look, averting their gaze.

As soon as Hange walks in, they take off their disguises and the hoodie that they were wearing. They're wearing a white blouse that looks good on them. In addition to that, they're also wearing that stupid smug smirk on their face that also, unfortunately, looks good on them. After closing the door, they turn to you with their arms crossed, grinning as they speak.

"So looks like someone liked a pretty steamy edit of me in one of my older films." Hange says, their tone a matter-of-fact.

"Hange, I-I'm sorry if that weirded you out or anythi—“

"No, no. It didn't, don't worry about that. But I do want to know, though…" Hange cuts you off, leaning a bit closer again with their folded arms, the same way they stood when you accused their lovestruck gaze as mere acting. The same way they stood when you smelled their perfume the night of the premiere, only this time they smell a bit like a part of home.

Hange's lips curl up a bit slightly before they speak again.

"Tell me darling, was I a good actor there?" They ask, their voice low and raunchy, and you find you can't give an answer the way they just explicitly asked you such a bold question with such a tone, right after entering your apartment.

Your mouth remains hanging open as Hange chuckles softly, leaning a bit back to give you more space.

"Sorry, too much? But you do look cute all flustered like that. But really, you must've found it good if you liked such an old post of me like that."

It takes you a while to compose yourself. You sigh and let your shoulders down a bit.

"Fine, you were a good actor there. Happy?"

Hange nods, "Very. Although pestering you to the point of blushing about that post wasn't the only reason why I wanted to come here," Hange fixes their glasses before mumbling under their breath, "But it made for a very good reason, too."

"Okay… so why are you here exactly?"

"I wanted us to continue our conversation from that night. You know, the red carpet? movie premiere?" Hange looks at you warily, gauging your reaction to their words.

"Oh, when you were looking at me so dearly?" You say, your tone fully dipped in sarcasm.

"Exactly." Hange smiles at your remembrance of that night despite the sarcasm.

"Okay. What about it? Didn't I tell you to quit it?"

"You did, yes." Hange adjusts their stance, "It's just that I also told you that I wasn't acting."

"Right. So where are we going with this?"

"Darling." Hange sighs before looking into your eyes, "Is it not obvious how much I'm pining for you?"

You look at them warily but don't stop them from continuing.

"You know, ever since filming wrapped up, I just couldn't keep myself from being curious about you," Hange admits. From the way they look right now, so unsure and cautious of their own words, you wouldn't even be able to tell they're an actor with such a confident reputation.

"Well, honestly, even towards the end of filming, I think there were some obvious signs that I had some feelings for you," Hange adds, their hand scratching their nape bashfully, "But I think everyone was too busy on the project to notice. Including you, of course."

"Don't fuck with me," You tilt your head at them, still confused about their sudden admissions, your mind rejecting the fact that this confession will make you fall bit by bit for them, "You're acting."

"Do you think I'm acting?" Hange bows their head, a smile dancing on their lips.

They walk closer to you, taking in your hands as they speak in a soft voice.

"Maybe you think I'm acting, maybe you think I'm playing around," their thumb draws circles on the back of your hand, their touch light and soothing.

"Maybe you think I don't mean any of these words or these touches. But I'm not acting. I'm not playing around. I know I started liking you in the middle of production, but…" Hange locks their eyes with you, their gaze unwaveringly soft and stern.

"I tried my best not to let it show even during our time on set. I only acted a bit on my feelings after, and that was way after filming too."

"So you really are serious then…" You take a deep breath, looking down at your hands then were being held by Hange's before looking back up to meet their gaze. They nod their head with a smile.

"Yes, of course. I'm not messing with you. I'm not playing some kind of game with you. Why do you think I've been looking at edits of us? I'm not that egotistical, darling. I'm watching them because I… guess I wanted to see more of you. You don't even know how happy I was to see that news about your activity last night, with that edit of me," Hange chuckles.

"It's good to know you're serious… but shit, why tell me all of this now? We're in the middle of our promotion." You squeeze their hand a bit, furrowing your brows, "I was here worrying about how me liking that post would do to you or… ruin your reputation or something. And here you are confessing to me right after I did that."

"You didn't ruin anything," Hange chuckles lightly, "And, well, even if there's going to be some.. dating allegations after that…"

Hange chucks their head side to side, a smile playing on their lips.

"Well, they're just fan theories. Mere speculation. Just harmless gossip, don't mind them too much. Unless…" Hange ducks their head to meet your gaze once again, their eyes visible just below the frame of their glasses.

"Unless you want to disprove them, darling?" Hange chuckles again, "Because after all that confession I've been doing, I didn't exactly hear any rejections."

"Well…" You ponder for a second. You have had your eyes on them for a while now. And who knows, maybe it'll be fun, hiding this relationship for a bit, having Hange to yourself before the world's speculation proves themselves right. "I'm not rejecting you, no."

Hange smiles, a glint in their eyes appearing.

"Good, good." Hange kisses your hand softly. "So…" Hange straightens their posture and looks at you with a rather mischievous, playful look in their eyes.

"What do you say we recreate our confrontation scene and make our own spin on it?"

[minnielvrr]

Not Ticklish~

Lee: Chan Ler: Hyunjin, (lil bit of Lixie) Word Count: 2.4k

A/N: I'm really sorry if this is bad guys, I'm not feeling too well rn and I'm kinda struggling to write well😭😖 Lemme know if there are any mistakes or anything and hope you enjoy~🤗💞

Chan had lost a bet against Hyunjin and now, lying on his bed, with his hands tied above his head, he wondered if he was going to make it out alive. Hyunjin’s evil smile certainly wasn’t promising longevity.

And to top it all he’d chosen today of all days to wear short shorts and a sleeveless top. He had been really confident he’d win after all.

“Are you ready hyung?” Hyunjin asked with a giddy smile.

He was perched on Chan’s hips, slowly drawing his nails all over the leader’s sides and suddenly digging in after a few minutes just to hear Chan squealing.

“No wahait Jihihinie! I’m not reaheheheheady yehet!”

“Too bad!” Chan bit his lower lip tightly when Hyunjin began his conquest, thrashing and squirming on the bed as he tried to stay quiet. The black sheets underneath them quickly bunching up and becoming messy.

Hyunjin’s nimble fingers dove into the older’s ribs, applying a firm but gentle pressure that seemed to work wonders.

Muffled giggles fell from Chan’s lips as he wriggled around, making Hyunjin tsk at the leader. “C’mon hyung laugh~ It’s no fun if you’re being like this!”

Chan just poked his tongue out at him defiantly and Hyunjin frowned. Fine. If he was still able to be bratty, that meant Hyunjin wasn’t trying hard enough, right?

So the artist decided to have his own fun, roaming his hands all over Chan’s torso, every touch light enough that it kept Chan fighting to suppress his giggling but not so overwhelming that he was screaming for mercy….yet. That would come later.

“I know you wanna let it out hyungie~ Don’t be shy, let me hear you~” Who on earth had taught Hyunjin to be so…so stupidly good at teasing?!

Hyunjin stalled, dragging it out. He knew if he played his cards right, he’d have Chan begging in no time. So, placing his hands at Channie’s elbows, he started to scribble his way downwards….towards the lee’s ticklish armpits.

Chan squeaked once, quickly dissolving into the giddiest giggles the artist had ever heard from him, “There, much better! You’re so cute like this hyungie. We really should tickle you a lot more.” Chan’s laughter only went up in pitch at the unbearable teasing.

Chan felt like his brain got scrambled from the artist’s sweet, velvety voice, his cheeks flushing with a pretty blush that had Hyunjin cooing adoringly at him.

“Aren’t you just the cutest, hyung! Look at you, I’ve barely done anything but you’re blushing and out of breath already~” Hyunjin gushed, a strange glee in his system that turned his words into weapons.

Chan yelped, goofy cackles leaving his lips, eyes keenly watching the artist’s hands to try to predict where they would go next. Not that that would make any difference.

Hyunjin kept this torture up as he started his mock interrogation. Unbeknownst to the two a certain blonde boy wandered down the hallway, curious about the source of laughter and was now watching the scene in amusement.

“So, tell me hyung… what’s your worst spot? You know that one place that would have you screaming and begging for me to stop? Everyone has one.”

The artist was very good at setting the mood and the leader giggled nervously, hands twitching in their bonds any time the younger merely glanced at a spot.

Hyunjin pushed the older’s t-shirt up and splayed his hands on his belly. Chan flinched, shrieky giggles escaping at the feeling of hands so close to such a sensitive spot.

“I-I swear, I’m not ticklish! You-you’re wasting your time, Jinnie.” Chan hurried to say.

Hyunjin gave him a deadpan look, making him giggle at the sudden seriousness of the ferret, breaking out into an evil grin as he gave the bubbly leader a real reason to laugh.

Fingers that had been resting at his tummy, now folded into claws that dragged all over his bare torso. Chan threw his head back and laughed, the sweet sounds bringing a smile onto Jinnie’s face.

“You were saying, hmm?”

“I lied! I lahahaahaaid! Plehehehease!!” Chan gasped out between giggles. Well, that didn’t take long.

“Please what hyungie? Please tickle you more? Of course! I was planning on doing juuust that.” He dug his fingers into Chan’s abs, the older bucking wildly at the feeling.

Hyunjin scribbled up and down the lines of his abs, dipping his pinky in Chan’s navel and kneading at his sides.

“Noo, Hyuhuhuhuhune PLEHEHEHEHEASE!! AHAHAHAHAAHAA.” Hyunjin giggled along with him, admiring how red Channie’s face already was. “Just admit you’re ticklish hyung~”

As Chan's frantic cackles bounced off the walls, Felix, who had been observing quietly from the doorway, couldn't resist joining in.

Walking into the room, he sat next to Hyunjin, an arm hooked around the artist’s waist. “What did hyungie do this time?” He asked Hyunjin with a laugh.

“He lost a bet! And now he’s claiming that he’s not ticklish. The nerve!” Hyunjin’s voice was smug. It wasn’t often the kids won against Chan. “Ooh tough luck Channie~ Jinnie, want some help with him? I know a few secrets~”

Whispering to each other, Felix scooted down to sit on Chan’s knees, keeping his only free limbs pinned under his weight. And quick as a blink, they begun the torment.

Lixie’s fingers kneaded harshly over Chan’s thighs while Hyunjin peppered soft kisses all over his stomach.

It was a new feeling and something about the contrast of the two techniques had the poor lee howling with laughter, tears of mirth trailing down his rosy cheeks.

“Where should I tickle you next~?” Hyunjin lifted his head up for air, his hands moving to Chan's sides, nails grazing ever so lightly against his waist while Felix continued relentlessly.

“Plehehease Hyune, Lihihixie, staHAHAHAP!” He whined; lips formed into a pout at how mean they were being.

“Keep his eyes closed for me Jinnie. I’ll show you something.” Felix jumped off the bed, rummaged around in a drawer and grabbed something from it before making his way over to Channie’s feet.

Chan’s eyes widened comically when he heard that and he shook his head pleadingly at Felix. All he got in return were twin smirks from the two.

And then Hyunjin’s hands closed over Chan’s eyes and he felt his remaining senses heightening as his vison went dark, nervous anticipation pooling in his stomach. What was Felix up to?

Chan felt the bed dip at his feet seconds before a weight was added on his ankles, then fingers were dancing over his socked soles. The leader let out a screech that startled Hyunjin enough to let go of his face in alarm.

“Shihihit! Noahahahah. ARGHHAHAAHAAHA!!” The poor lee was hysterical, quivering like a leaf as he laughed uncontrollably.

“Hyung!” Jinnie scolded. His heart was racing from the sudden scare and so he did what anyone would have done in his situation; Hyunjin shoved his hands in Chan’s underarms.

The leader felt like he was going crazy. He was helpless as two of his worst spots were wrecked simultaneously.

A wide smile was permanently plastered on Chan’s face, eyes shut tightly as he let the sensations wash over him. He hadn’t been wrecked this bad in months. It was about time.

Chan’s back arched off the bed, hands tugging helplessly at their restraints but the held firm. He really couldn’t handle so much at once, and so, he gave in.

“FAHAHAHA- PLEHEASE JIHIHINIE LIHIHIXIE!! I’M TICKLISH! I’M TIHIHICKLISH, GODS PLEASE!!”

The two fairies stopped to give the leader a break, gently rubbing over his abused skin and cooing at the squeals and flinches that resulted from the tender touches.

But the fun was just beginning. Hyunjin and Felix weren't about to let such a wonderful opportunity to slip through their fingers.

“Save your voice for later Channie. We’re just getting started with you~” Felix’s sing song voice only made things feel so much worse.

After giving Channie some time to recover, and resting their tired hands, Hyunjin clapped. His eyes were practically shining as he announced his grand idea.

“New game hyungie! Now you’re gonna admit that you’re the best leader ever and that you are lovable. And until you do, we’re not going to stop.”

They were not going to give their hyung any time to argue about it. It was a fact and Chan would just have to accept it.

Hyunjin smiled brightly, pressing his fingers into the leader’s ribs and vibrating them at every word, making sure the leader knew that he meant it.

Felix barked out an amused laugh, then switched to the hairbrush he’d acquired earlier, using it to scrub the soles of Channie’s feet.

It was his first encounter with the tool and Chan couldn’t hold back the scream that was ripped from his throat, body convulsing with panicked laughter.

It was torture beyond anything he’d experienced before. Was this how Hyunjin felt when he was tickled?

Gods he didn’t know how the ferret had taken it. He couldn’t stop laughing, so much so that he couldn’t even gather himself enough to even try to beg.

The artist noticed this, both stopping immediately and rushing to cradle Chan’s face. “Hyung? Hyungie are you okay? Was it too much?”

Question after question hurtled form their lips but all Chan could do was pant. Once he caught his breath, he looked at the worry etched onto every feature of the fairies faces and felt a little bad.

“It-it was okay. Why did you stop?” Chan rasped with a shy smile and the pure bewilderment on their faces had him giggling.

“So, you want us to continue? To keep tickling you that hard and rough?” Chan’s face slackened with how flustered he got, little giggles leaving his lips as Hyunjin looked him dead in the eyes, waiting for a reply.

A blotchy red color was seeping down his neck and disappearing under the collar of his t-shirt as he tried to form one coherent sentence.

“I want a proper answer hyungie. Or I’ll just have to leave you here like this for whoever comes along~ You’d like that wouldn’t you?” He teased, and Chan had never wanted to agree with a statement more but that is a story for another time.

Instead, he shook his head, parting his lips, ”I-I don’t mind it…”

“Is that all? Guess we’ll just have to stop now then. We don’t want to do anything that you don’t want.” Hyunjin pretended to get up, ”Okay! Okay! I want this alright?! Now stop teasing. Please.”

Hyunjin grinned and suddenly flipped Chan onto his stomach, draping himself over the lee’s back. “Channie hyung is your back ticklish?” He hummed, fingers drawing small circles over the older’s shoulder blades.

Chan squeezed his eyes shut, wriggling a little. “N-no it’s not tic-ticklish at all, so you should try another spot.” He lied breathlessly, praying that Hyunjin wouldn’t try it out for himself.

Hyunjin did exactly that. With an amused ‘Oh?’, his fingers pressed into the bone, relishing in the squeal and cackle that followed the action.

“Were you lying to me hyungie?” Channie just laughed, body jerking left and right to no avail. Hyunjin lingered on the spot for a couple of minutes, basking in the sweet sounds the leader made.

Then he curiously moved his hands outwards, closer and closer to Chan’s vulnerable underarms. The poor lee’s figure jolted, arms tugging harshly at the bindings to cover the sensitive spot.

Felix on the other hand was going to town on Channie’s feet, having peeled off his socks earlier, he used the hairbrush on one sole while dragging his nails over the other.

Hyunjin’s fingers curled in his armpits once, then again, the movements quickening each time and driving poor Channie crazy.

“PLEHEASE JINIE PLEASE OHO MY GAHAHAD I’LL DO ANYHYTHING!! JUST MOHOVE SPOHOHOTS!” The leader’s breathing was erratic, his body squirming and thrashing under their combined attack.

The duo paused once more, when Channie’s laughs had turned into harsh wheezes and after tending to him for a little, Lixie decided to let Hyunjin work him magic on their stubborn leader and took off in search of his own prey.

When Hyunjin’s fingers finally lifted off his body, the artist surveyed the state of his victim. Channie’s tummy was pink where he’d scratched at the sensitive skin, his cheeks and ears and neck bright red.

Little tears escaped his closed eyes and sweet residual giggles still left his smiley lips and Hyunjin suddenly wanted to keep tickling him.

A few taps of Channie’s waist got the leader’s attention as Jinnie asked if he wanted to continue. Throwing his head back with a groan, the cute lee nodded bashfully.

Hyunjin was just so good at knowing exactly what to do to make Chan feel ecstatic. Fingers walked their way up his sides, slowly, torturously, occasionally wiggling at an especially sensitive spot as they made their way up again to his underarms.

“OHOHOHO MY GAHAD JIhiNIEHIE PLEASE!!” Channie’s hands clenched into fists in their restraints. Hyunjin used only his index finger to scratch at the reddened skin.

Chan was just so ticklish there. The leader gasped, little hicuppy giggles leaving his lips.

“Not gonna admit it hyungie~ You really do love this huh?” Hyunjin had caught on to Chan’s plan earlier but seeing him laugh himself silly as he tried to take it had been too fun to point it out.

He tried to stay still; his body worn out from the wrecking he’d gotten but still craving a tad more.

So, he held onto the words that Hyunjin wanted him to say. The younger had convinced him, but he still wanted those mean fingers to have him begging.

It took him a while to feel satisfied enough to bark out the magic words, his voice wobbling and stumbling over the words until he finally got them out through uncontrollable giggles.

“Fine. FINE. I’ll sahaHAY IT! IHIHIM THE BEST LEADER EVER AND I-IHI AHAHAHAM LOVABLE. NAHAHOW ENAHAHANOUGH!”

Hyunjin stopped immediately, his aching fingers fumbling with the restraints as he hurried to set Chan free.

Once he massaged the older’s wrists and gave him some water, the two cuddles together on the ruffled sheets and Hyunjin wiped away the lasts of Channie’s tears from his face.

He smiled fondly at their leader. Chan could be such a handful sometimes, but the kids were there just for that. They would make sure Chan got the love and praise he deserved.

And of course, all the tickles his shy lee side craved.

I'm sorry if the ending wasn't that good, it was a tad rushed😣

[raayllum]

You think I've done awful things, and I have. But I'm not evil. It's me. You know me. I'm still the same person.

I actually think these lines / scene from Claudia is one of her most interesting in the entire show, so let's talk about it, beat by beat.

You think I've done some awful things, and I have.

This line, along with others from Viren (his "I had to" is another form of justification, and what's to justify if you done nothing 'wrong' or nothing to be blamed for?), i.e. "In the name of love, you will perform acts so unforgivable, you will never forgive yourself" as well as Claudia's explanation in 4x01 ("I had to do things... I never imagined I would be able to do" with tears in her eyes) and Terry's assertion ("I've seen you do a lot of awful things, dark magic things") is like... while Claudia still doesn't see the error, I'm willing to bet, with the bulk of her actions (elves and dragons are still clearly not wholly people to her), she's still done things that she considers awful. Things that crossed her previous moral lines, beginning, I'd bet, with the deer in 2x09, and that which only escalated from there.

Claudia still thinks she's a good person (which we will get to in a second, believe me) but she doesn't think she's squeaky clean. She knows, just as Viren knows (and just as Callum knows/believes) that she's done genuinely awful, terrible things.

A character feeling bad about doing something, or a character recognizing that something they've done is terrible ("It's horrific, Viren" "We have no other choice"), is not a get off scot free card in this show, and it never has been. Not for Claudia, and not for anyone else.

While Claudia has been manipulated by Aaravos, everything she's done is of her free will, and without lying to herself about the exact nature of them (even if there's still plenty she's in denial of like the plague, but I digress).

Claudia is like 5 different cognitive dissonances in a trenchcoat, but she's not stupid, either.

But I'm not evil. It's me.

This to me shows the mask slipping the post, because if there wasn't even a hint of possibility at being evil, you would feel no need to declare otherwise. I forget where I've said this before but Claudia cares (esp in arc 1, less so in arc 2 but it's not nonexistent) about being a good person. It's kinda like how Viren doesn't really care if he's good or not, but he wants to be important (matter). Bonus points for Claudia's hypocrisy/shields being worn down over time ("She kidnapped you and Prince Ezran, how can she be good?" -> attempting to do the exact same thing an episode later). She's cracking, but desperately trying to convince them (for mostly manipulation reasons) and herself (genuinely) that she's not, that instead...

You know me. I'm still the same person. I am.

TDP has always been very interested in identity, most notably for characters like Callum, Rayla, and Soren in arc 1, but it's fun to see it be expanded and interrogated further by looping Claudia in during arc 2. S5 and arc 2 places a lot of emphasis in particular on the idea of knowing yourself ("That's not my name. I am Elmer") or knowing others ("She's not the elf, she's Rayla") / preserving your sense of self in the face of change or hard circumstances ("But violence tests us" "Callum, you're the 'destiny is a book you write yourself' guy").

Claudia highlights this twofold. She asks the boys to know her, despite how much time and bad blood has gone by. She appeals to the many years of friendship they had in contrast to their few months turned years of being foes. It's barking up the wrong tree (Callum's Spellbook asserts that even as of s2/s3, "I feel like I don't know who she is anymore" on his end) but I am actually inclined to believe her.

This may be a misread, simply because from S1 but especially S2 onwards I always figured Claudia would end up precisely where she is now, so I don't know if it's the consistency influencing my judgement call possibly clouding more intense changes (she refused to use Harrow against the boys in 2x02, to a degree) but... I don't think almost anything Claudia does in S5 is something she wouldn't have done the bulk of in S1, other than threatening the boys, and she's done that multiple times by the time the end of S2 and S3 rolls around, most notably towards Ezran.

She's still the same person, but her circumstances and therefore her responses have gotten steadily, consistently worse. But this has always lived inside her. She's the same person (but worse), they know her and see her more clearly than they ever did before, and both of those things are precisely the problem.

[coldresolve]

are you a torture apologist, or are you just dumb

... said with all the due diligence this subject warrants, etc etc. i’ve written posts about this before, it’s fallen on deaf ears, people either aggressively ignore it, or they go out of their way to take me in bad faith, and when the latter doesn’t work, they fall back on ye olde reliable: tone policing. but we’ve had that conversation too, haven’t we? it’s my culturally determined value of blunt honesty versus your culturally determined value of politeness. i express my opinions in a way that’s admittedly harsh and hyperbolic, and in so doing, my intention is to treat you like someone who is mature enough to distinguish my point from its delivery, and emotionally well-adjusted enough to deal with whatever the fuck some rando on the internet has to say about what you wrote. i also do it because its more fun this way. are we still cool? ffs lol

the thing is, right, it’s fucking easy not to write torture apologia. very straight-forward and simple, in my humble little opinion. you learn what the usual arguments are, and then you try to avoid accidentally making them – a bit like how, when you learn that white supremacy is a thing, you typically then go on to try and not write some wildly racist shit. same principle.

and i genuinely don’t understand why people are so opposed to this, specifically. they don’t know they’re doing it, which is fine, but then when you try to let them know they’re doing it, on the off-chance they even acknowledge that you said anything, they’ll hit you with an “its just for entertainment,” or “it’s not that deep.” so you tell them they sure seem to spend an awful lot of time weaving torture apologia into their vapid, shallow entertainment. and they don’t like that, jesus. but what else are you supposed to say?

i figure i just havent bullied people hard enough about it, honestly. and by bullied i mean pointing out the mindless use of torture apologia as plot points in the slop everybody writes. i would happily tell all of this directly to the writers of 24’s jack bauer, but those guys aren’t here, so.

you probably won’t be surprised to learn that the majority of the myths surrounding torture are rooted in facistic, reactionary thinking. might makes right is big among people who endorse corporal punishment; the ends justify the means is in play when governments try to excuse the use of t-, ahem, enhanced interrogation tactics. allegedly.

and among a much, much longer laundry list of bullshit i’ve seen spewed – oh, not by shady governments, but by you:

torture as an interrogation method yields reliable information

some forms of torture are more sophisticated than others

torture makes people obedient

torture used as a punishment deters unwanted behavior in others

brainwashing is a thing that is possible (usually through torture)

it’s not torture unless it leaves a physical mark on the body

see to me, it’s fucking easy to rework that scene in your story where torture results in the perpetrator gaining trustworthy intel. fucking easy to reconsider that arc where a character gets rewired by torture into passive obedience. fucking easy, when writing a story, to not accidentally send the message that torture is a tool that works. but hey, allow me to really dig my teeth in.

you drumming up your torturer as “skilled” in the “art” of torture feeds real nicely into the myth that torture works as an interrogation method, here under the condition that you should at least do it properly. is that what you believe? or do just believe that there’s an extra special way to cause extreme physical or emotional destress in a person which, for vague unspecified reasons, superceeds all the other, more amateurish ways one could go about it? the former would make you an direct torture apologist – the latter, a fucking twat. ask yourself why “some torture methods are more sophisticated than others” is an idea that needs to be perpetuated. who benefits from that idea? who would feel really validated by that idea? which government on this green earth of ours, hypothetically speaking, could use this idea as a way to paint their own acts of torture as more cultured or civilized than, say, hypothetically speaking, the torture used by those other nations where the brown people live? allegedly.

alternatively, your little good boy slave fantasy seems to imply that being subjected to torture will make a person obedient. is that what you believe? is it true that might makes right? say, wouldn’t state-sanctioned corporal punishment be justified as a tool to make people obey the law, then? no? okay, hear me out then, cause this is really out there, but. could the idea that violence is a tool that makes people more compliant with the demands of their aggressors, possibly maybe perhaps, be something you only find it acceptable to greenlight as the result decades of war propaganda? naaaaah. fiction isn’t reality, and it means nothing, and victims of torture are weak and malleable and broken, and also what they say can’t be trusted cause they have no real fucking agency anyway. fuck me.

“but elias,” i hear you say, “how am i supposed to write an interesting story that features torture in a way that’s in accordance with scientific consensus on its effectiveness and/or consequences? realism and compelling storytelling are diametrically opposed to one another!”

here’s my take: you just straight up lack creativity. cope and seethe.

if you’re interested in writing about torture, read up on what it is, instead of assuming everything you’ve been told by military-sponsored action movies is true and valid. we’re talking about some pretty extreme facets of human behavior and psychology here, but ones that none the less exist in reality. the bare minimun is to not buy in to the myths and propaganda surrounding it. the next step is to write what it can look like in reality. the big boy galaxy brain move is to write torture in a way that challenges the status quo on how we culturally view torture, and how all these false myths affect victims and perpetrators alike. you just have to fucking think about it.

torture for information doesn’t work – but your perpetrator might be convinced that it does. so instead of going the easy route and proving them right – explore how they're wrong. show torture failing. show your perpetrator’s desperation as they gain nothing. they conceptualize their actions as the lesser of two evils, but whoops, there is no second evil. hows that for a change?

is there such a thing as “torture lite?” does it make any real difference whether it leaves a physical mark behind or not? where do we draw the line between interrogation and torture? is that question not interesting enough for you?

is complying with demands under threat of torture the same as genuine obedience? maybe your victim is forced to pretend in certain ways, through feelings of absolute powerlessness. their survival is pitted against the guilt that comes from following the demands of their perpetrator/s. the sense that they’re betraying themselves, the hatred they feel against their aggressor for making them obey, which is otherwise completely uncharacteristic of them. they’re never reduced to a blank slate, there’s always an internal conflict. what if they reach a point where they have nothing left to lose? real torture makes people more defiant. human beings are amazing at adapting to impossible situations. how is that not a wicked fucking cool thing to explore?

brainwashing isn’t real, but your victim’s loved ones believe that it might be. this means that their attempts to talk about their complex feelings toward the more humane sides of their torturer, or recount moments of a strenuous mutual understanding, are met with vehement denial from the people who are supposed to facilitate their recovery. “don’t talk about him like that, he hurt you.” and a desperation to get people to understand that it’s just not that simple. they’re not just saying it because they’ve been brainwashed – people just aren’t black and white, torturers included. the way they feel compelled by the pressure of their loved ones to just… keep quiet about that aspect of their trauma.

here's a fun fact: not only is torture absolutely useless at everything it sets out to do, but rates of PTSD are equally high among victims and perpetrators. the latter is something called participation-induced post-traumatic stress, or perpetrator trauma. you see it in murderers, too. nobody talks about that. and i get it, it’s a touchy subject, we wouldn’t want to portray torture as something human beings do. but, and here’s my counter-argument: maybe reality is just messy and complicated. and maybe exploring that messy complicated reality in fiction can serve as something interesting and worthwhile. emotionally cathartic. no?

if you read up on torture in psychological studies, regarding the psychology of both victims and perpetrators – and possibly also read some sociological studies about how governments have used a lot of the myths i’ve mentioned about torture to excuse their own actions (allegedly) – you start to get an idea for just how comprehensibly it fucks with people, and how effective that propaganda machine has been. real life torture is not rare. torture will continue to not be rare as long as people believe in the idea that it is useful. so maybe it’s a good idea to approach the subject with a little bit of thought beforehand, you know? we could approach fictional depictions of torture with the same amount due diligence we take with the topic of rape or child abuse, instead of, you know, literally affirming all the myths that justify its use and then brushing off criticism like mine in that aggressively uncritical fiction-isnt-reality,-depiction-isn’t-endorsement,-zero-further-introspection way.

or whatever. maybe im just a big meanie, i must be fun at parties, etc

[sapphosewrites]

top 10 ds9 fan fics you've written, ranked?

Oooh, tough question, friend! I don't even know what the criteria for this would be, because the most AO3 popular ones are not always my favorites... Okay, you know what, here we go. I'm just going to go for it and make some decisions. I'm giving myself a rule, though, that I can only chose one from a series, so I'm not just listing everything in the Terok Nor AU. I'll also try to hit different kinds of fics I've written.

10.) After the End of the World: A Survey of Seminal Works of Cardassian Post-Apocalyptic Literature from cross-posted to tumblr. 533 words, "An examination of the Cardassian post-apocalyptic literary genre before and after the Dominion War." This isn't my most popular or my best written but it's one of my favorites; I like in-world diegetic texts and worldbuilding and I'm obsessed with the idea of post-canon Cardassia as post-apocalypse.

9.) Never Have I Ever from The Game Is Afoot, 1,294 words, T, "Julian introduces Garak to the human game never have I ever." This was fun to write and is fun to reread every time! I often spend a lot of fic space on angst and identity and all the reasons why it's a bad idea for Julian and Garak to get together, but in this one we just get to spend time seeing them be clever and enjoy each other's company.

8.) Tribbles, Togetherness, and the Great River, 1,742 words, G, "In their shared quarters, Nog and Jake discuss tribbles, pets, and telling their families about their relationship." This is my only full standalone Jake/Nog fic, and it's another that was a pleasure to write and still makes me smile. It's fun to spend a sweet moment with two young people figuring out how they fit together.

7.) Del Floria's Tailor Shop, 336 words, also known as the space tumblr one. I think this is possibly the funniest thing I've ever written.

6.) Push Me Til I Break, 4,653 words, M, also known as the one where Garak interrogates Julian, and the role play goes wrong. Maybe the most tense thing I've ever written, and really leans into the ways in which two deeply hurting people can choose to hurt or hold.

5.) Growth, 45,843 words, T, "Julian and Garak grapple with their pasts and their feelings for each other at the end of the series." My super long post-canon Cardassia fic, back when I had no idea how to string a multi-chapter idea together. There's a lot I would change if I wrote this now (I've grown as a writer in many ways, including my ability to have scene transitions), but some of the conversations and moments in here are still absolute favorites of mine, particularly around ideas of self-forgiveness, the clash between values and actions, and the importance of choice.

4.) Predetermination, 22,200 words, T, Mirror Bashir arrives at the station and suddenly the nature/nurture debate has never had higher stakes. This is one of the places I think I've been most successful in using sci fi to ask big questions that hopefully resonate in the modern day, about who we are and how we become. Also, the ending takes inspiration from one of my favorite TNG episodes, and that was cool too.

3.) Especially the Lies, 13,019 words, T, "Something is going on with Garak, and no one knows what, except for possibly Julian Bashir." This is my only archive-warning-applied fic and it was really important to me to tell a story about care, for a character who I think doesn't believe he's allowed to have any, in a real world circumstance that too often people have to go through alone.

2.) Necessary Storms, 15,149 words, T, Julian and Starfleet Spouse Garak get entangled in Trill politics. I feel like this is one of the things I've written that most feels like it could be an episode of Star Trek, and is also a fairly unsubtle (though initially unintentional) way to explore populism, demagoguery, resource distribution, and revolt at a very particular moment in national politics with the aesthetic distance that sci fi offers.

1.) Old Friends: An Enigma Tale from Terok Nor AU. I'm exceedingly proud of this whole series, which started as just "what can I do with the idea of dabo boy Julian" and has turned into a sweeping journey covering how Terok Nor becomes Deep Space 9. This most recent installment is perhaps not indicative of the series as a whole, but it was a lot of fun to write and is also a dip into my other favorite genre aside from sci fi (murder mystery).

[utilitycaster]

but you do have to admit that you write your 2k meta's mostly because you want (negative) attention? otherwise I don't understand why you are not writing more of your faves instead?

Sure! I can explain why I wrote this piece, which I assume is the reason you're asking this now.

I wrote it because I naturally had thoughts about the group dynamics of Bells Hells after the episode and started thinking about why this group is so disconnected this far into the campaign when, for example, the Mighty Nein, who had far more friction and conflict early on in the campaign, were positively ride or die by this point. I also really did genuinely find the degree of pressure that Imogen and Laudna have been putting on Fearne to be excessive and had been quietly thinking about it since episode 75 - they were the ones to initially make a big deal about "Emperor and Empress" (the fact that Ashton mentioned the party's positive reinforcement of the shard's retrieval being a factor in their choice is relevant here), I was reminded by someone else regarding Laudna's immediate shutdown of Fearne's attempt to tell the truth in episode 77, and then they called her out in front of everyone after she had expressed that she didn't want it to Morri. It made a clear pattern that I felt was interesting to explore, and in doing so I started asking myself if there were other patterns of behavior. I linked to someone else's post as well in there that talked about how Imogen and Laudna pretty much always act together in group discussions in my post because that was also an inspiration, and I've also talked a lot in the past about how Imogen and Laudna rarely bring up their own sources of conflict with each other, so the fact that their accusations towards Fearne are in the same scene where Imogen expresses disgust about Delilah's presence also is very relevant to their general group dynamics, since their own relationship with each other is very central to how they interact with the group.

I do write about my favorite characters as well. I wrote pretty extensively about Ashton after episode 78, as well as a bit about their conversation with Orym, but Ashton just had their big moment of explosion and I need to let that simmer or something else to happen before I have any longer posts. I've also, if not written anything myself, reblogged a lot of great posts about Chetney's fantastic reveal which I think tied up that whole exercise beautifully with a truth that was not a passive-aggressive accusation of others nor a self-flagellation but a realization of his own behaviors as well as an explanation to the group without expecting anything in return. In talking about the shard I did touch on my main feelings about Fearne in this situation but again I think I need to see how she actually reacts to the information she received here to actually have meta of substance, rather than "oh, interesting." And you can go through my archives if you'd like to see more; I'm usually pretty good about tagging by character.

But also: I like writing criticism, specifically. It is fun for me. I find that writing helps me arrange my ideas and understand them better, and sometimes I even change my opinion when I revisit the text or find my argument doesn't hold together on an intellectual level, even if I feel something emotionally. I've changed my mind about characters before through writing meta! Sometimes more positively, sometimes more negatively, but it happens, because the act of writing meta, if you do so well, is an act of interrogating your own pre-existing opinions and making sure they make sense to people who aren't you.

I also think there's value in writing things that aren't universally positive. Again, it forces you to actually think through what isn't working for you or what you dislike or what traits characters have that you think are causing problems for people around them rather than just saying UGH THIS SUCKS. But also, writing up how you'd fix a plot you don't like or how you'd resolve a conflict requires you have empathy for the creators or for the characters. Sometimes, even if a piece isn't, in your opinion, good, writing criticism of it helps you understand why a creator may have made that choice you didn't like. You can disagree or dislike something while still respecting it, and making yourself explain it to other people is a really good way to process your own feelings rather than stewing in them. I find people who never express any negativity openly are often deeply resentful and unpleasant and passive-aggressive. Indeed, that's arguably the whole point of that honesty exercise! This party keeps trying to smooth things over and so a lot of valid concerns or complaints they have about each other have since metastasized into something far more hurtful.

I can't speak for everyone, but a lot of meta writers write meta because it's genuinely a fun hobby for them. When I was writing my piece about Dimension 20's genre experiments I stayed up later than I should have several times because it was interesting and I wanted to make sure I didn't forget how I was planning out the piece. I like writing a lot, and I've always preferred to write essays and criticism to fiction - I like to think I have a knack for the former that doesn't come as naturally for the latter. My brain jumps to analysis more easily than the invention of plot.

If you don't like the things I chose to write about, that's completely valid. But I'm not doing it for negative attention. I'm doing it because it's enjoyable for me. How you respond to it and how it makes you, specifically, feel, doesn't enter into my consideration. It's 2k words because that's how long it took me to say what I was thinking and it's about Imogen and Laudna's effect on the group dynamic as I understand it because that's what I was thinking about since it was very present in this episode, and I wrote it because I like writing.

Hopefully that explains it!

[slutforln4]

˗ ˏˋ watch me ´ˎ˗

✎ synopsis. your mission to vanaheim went differently than planned; instead of a calm mission to rescue freyr, you ended up in the Vanaheim Crater, fighting the god everyone feared.

✎ authors note. tysm to the lovely person who requested this fic :) i had so much fun writing it. i hope you enjoy! (might write a part two to this fic, post-ragnarök, where heimdall and reader interact more outside of fighting. let me know if you'd want to see that!)

✎ word count. 2.1k

✎ warnings and tags. heimdall being an asshole, mentions of blood, reader is atreus' sibling and is replacing kratos in this scene. gn!reader, no pronouns used. not proof-read because i'm too cool for that B)

If it wasn't for the circumstances at which you're there, Vanaheim feels welcoming.

The chirping birds and vibrant greenery that made the air feel clearer than any other realm made you calm. Calmer than you were before you travelled here. But, this time around, the air feels thick and a mist of something is in the air. It’s making you uneasy, despite the greenery that used to always keep you calm.

Freya walks by your side, her bow ready in case an enemy approaches. Even though Vanaheim is her home, Freya’s tense. And you’d be lying if you said you weren't tense, either.

Atreus had wandered off to Asgard one last time, to make amends with Odin and gain his trust, and your mission was to retrieve Freyr from wherever in Vanaheim he was.

The air feels thicker when you approach a forested area that leads to the crater with the exit you were desperately searching for. Freya jumps down and so do you, both of your weapons tightly grasped in your hands, ready.

“We're coming for you, Yngvi.”

She shoots an emergency flare up into the sky, the firework-like sparks giving signal to Freyr and the others. Almost as soon as she shoots it, you’re knocked back by something big, something angry.

Using your shield to protect Freya and yourself, you slide back a few feet, and when it’s safe to look, your eyes meet none other than a beast. Though, the beast wears a golden helmet, ropes attached to it for control, showing that it’s with an owner. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk,” you hear.

That’s when the beast starts walking, turning to the side, and you see the blond braids on the head of an Aesir god. His fuschia eyes glare at you, then at Freya. “Completely giving away your position. What idiots.”

Freya shoots an arrow at his head, but his right hand swiftly rises to catch it before impact. Her bow is ready to shoot again as she walks around, in front of the beast.

“Oh, if it isn’t Queen Mistletoe herself—” he pauses, “hilarious by the way.” And throws the arrow he had caught somewhere behind himself. “Been a while.”

“Heimdall.” Freya’s ice cold voice pierces the air, and even though all she says is the Aesir gods’ name, her tone makes your bones shiver. Heimdall doesn’t waste time speaking to his half-mother, instead focusing his bifrost eyes on you.

“And you must be here for the half-breed.” He says, interrogatively. “Lucky day. You have a lot to answer for, sunshine.”

You only knit your brows together, frowning at the god in front of you. Freya is walking at a slow pace, bow ready. You join her, pointing your spear at Heimdall. “Go,” you say. “The burden is mine.”

“I can help.” Freya turns to you, cold eyes softening when she sees yours. A responding flare shoots up from the same direction that Freya shot it, signalling that Freyr was there and that he’s okay.

“I know. But you are needed elsewhere.” You give her a reassuring smile, but it turns into a frown as soon as Heimdall speaks again.

“The half-breed is right, you know. Sizzles wasn’t looking so hot the last I saw.” He teases, cockiness running deep in his tone.

Freya sighs. “I know you didn’t want this. But we know how this ends.” She hesitates. “See you soon.” Her footsteps inch further from you, and the protection you felt suddenly disappears.

“Oh, we both know that’s not true.” Heimdall rolls his purple eyes at Freya’s confidence in you. “But don’t worry, Frigg. I’ll be coming for you and your brother as soon as I am finished here.” He shouts for the Queen that’s already left.

And then his attention is back on you. “Now. Whatcha got?”

You feel your anger rising, eyes narrowed on the annoying asshole of a god that’s in front of you. You launch a spear at the beast he’s sitting on, and spawn another one in your hand. The end of your spear hits the ground and the previous spear you threw explodes against the beast's helmet.

“Gosh, so aggressive.” Heimdall taunts. “So angry!”

Heimdall’s beast shoots bifrost at you, and you manage to dodge it by doing a quick jump to the left of it. Though, the next shot of bifrost manages to stun you.

“Really?” The laugh that leaves Heimdall’s lips enrages you even more. “You are the one who killed Baldur?”

The ground trembles as Heimdall’s beast jumps, roaring at you and preparing to shoot bifrost at you again, but you quickly pull your shield up, protecting yourself from more hits.

Heimdall raises an arm up, summoning all his bifrost power and shoots it at you. There’s little to no time for you to dodge, and a shield like yours isn't durable enough to handle such power.

When he shoots the bifrost your way, you tumble backwards and land on your stomach. Panting heavily, you raise yourself up with your right elbow and left knee, head low and lungs aching. The bifrost is so cold it burns, but the few seconds of rest that you feel make it more bearable.

“With the reputation you have, I thought I’d at least break a sweat.” Heimdall taunts. “Seems like I thought wrong.”

You rise to your feet and summon the Draupnir spear into your palm again, huffing. “You and your beast can both go to Hel.”

The Draupnir spear is launched into the air, unleashing a rain of spears which explode on the beast, but seem to do nothing to Heimdall.

You decide to put the make-shift Blades of Chaos that Brok and Sindri made you, to use and begin spinning them around to deal more damage to the beast than the Draupnir spear was doing.

“Whoa! What did Gulltoppr ever do to you?” Heimdall says, sarcasm lacing his tone.

You can tell Gulltoppr is close to dying, the beast’s stamina is running low and Heimdall hasn't been able to control it as much.

“Have some Bifröst, on me!” Heimdall shoots another orb of bifrost on you, but you move out of the way just in time.

You deal a few more hits to Gulltoppr before it picks you up with its horns, aggressively pushing you against the stone wall. You don't have the strengths like Kratos, so pushing Gulltoppr does close to nothing. Heimdall stands above you, his foot stepping on your face and kicking it into the wall. You notice a stone thorn in the wall, making up a plan on how to get rid of the beast.

“Having fun yet?” He shouts, clearly annoyed. The beast picks you back up again and throws you to the ground, but you quickly recover with whatever stamina you have left and brace your hands on either of its horns. The beast begins fussing, and the look in its eyes basically begs you to do something, anything.

You pull the beast toward yourself, and then launch it towards the wall where the thorn was, impaling its chest. One of your blades is stabbed into its neck, and its sweet soul evaporates into nothing.

Heimdall steps up to it, investigating. “Ah, well. You and me then.” He stretches and you take that as a perfect opportunity to throw your spear at him. He catches it with no effort, but you hit the bottom of your spear against the ground and it explodes in his hand.

He groans, an angry voice piercing the air. “What the—”

You run up to punch him, but that he dodges. He dodges every punch you deal after that, swiftly moving to the side. Frustration pumps through your veins, droplets of sweat running down your back.

“Mmm. I can feel your frustration. It is immensely satisfying.”

You roll your eyes, annoyed with how arrogant he is. He yawns, you throw your spear again, he deflects it with his sword. You get close enough to hit him, or at least attempt to. He uses his forearm to protect himself from a punch.

Heimdall jumps back, further from you. “Careful! These are new bracers.”

A groan leaves your lips. “Do you ever shut up?”

“Never.” Heimdall smiles, arrogantly and calmly, gold teeth sparkling in the night. He’s very calm for someone who’s about to die. The Draupnir spear deems useful for stunning him, so you throw a few of them at his feet and explode them.

“Oh wait— you expected the stick to give you an advantage?” Another one of his annoying taunts pierce the humid air.

“Does it not?” You sneer, looking at him from behind the sharp end of your spear. His fuschia eyes narrow in on you, a small smirk planting itself on his lips.

“Finally,” he hums. “Time to have some real fun.”

You launch a spear at him and, with no effort, he catches it. The spear he caught is dropped to the ground behind him before you get the chance to explode it.

Heimdall reaches for his sword and you take that as an opportunity to strike again. Your fist is so close to him that you might just hit him. It’s so close, and then it's not. His head dips to the opposite direction whenever you try to hit him, an arrogant smile on his face.

But then, in that split second of arrogance, your fist strikes his face. Heimdall’s fingers came up to touch the cheek you managed to punch, a slit of blood appeared after impact, and he drew back the fingers to inspect the blood with an angered look on his face.

“You—” he takes a moment to recollect himself, “you actually hit me!”

You say nothing, eyes narrowed at him. He shouts slow down and time actually stops, but he doesn't. He speeds up and takes a lunge at you, sword in hand. You block it with a shield and use the rim of it to hit him, and then use your spear to impale him once more.

“The scion of Aesir, brought down by an old geezer’s cane!” The fuschia eyed god exclaims, drawing his sword out of the scabbard and manages to give you a matching wound on your thigh.

Heimdall gets sloppy with his moves and you have another opportunity to wound him, so you take it. Your fist hits the surface of his face and you continuously attack him, punching his stomach, then his face, before he blocks your hits.

Heimdall pushes you to the ground, his foot in your face again. “Better hope the rescue is going better than this fight.”

It takes a moment for you to get up, rage you never knew you had. When you look at him, there’s nothing on his face other than pride, arrogance, and idiocy.

You use the spear to help yourself up, panting heavily. Heimdall can sense the anger running through your veins. “Oh, you’re mad now, aren’t you?”

“I am more satisfied than mad,” you huff. “But mad nonetheless.”

“We both know your madness will do you no good.” He taunts, like he has a million times during this fight. “You strike like a sloppy cow.”

That’s when you approach him, chest to chest and your face inches away from his, your eyes burning with anger and his eyes — with impatience. Heimdall’s frown stares down at you, and you’re trying your damn best to not show the intimidation you feel.

“You think you can bring Asgard down?” Heimdall’s voice is colder than Fimbulwinter in Midgard, the iciness to it nearly piercing your heart.

You hiss at the tone of his voice and swiftly use the end of your spear to sweep at Heimdall’s legs, thus making him fall to the ground. You use your foot to push his shoulder to the ground, making him lay on his back, and place that same foot on his chest.

He laughs, a throaty and thick, mocking laugh. But he doesn't find it so funny when the sharp end of your Draupnir spear is pressed up against his neck,

Leaning down, forearm resting on your knee, you speak. “Watch me.”

The intense eye contact he holds with you makes you feel big. You have a god beneath your feet, literally. There’s fear in his eyes. Like he’s afraid of something— afraid of you.

You don't waste any more words on him, leaning down to unclasp the Gjallarhorn from his hip and stabbing the spear right next to his neck. Heimdall exhales a shaky breath, and by the time his angry and impressed fuschia eyes look for you, you’re gone.

[chocolatepot]

Re: my point in that other meta post about assuming that scenarios people write fic about = their expectations for canon -

@pearwaldorf's tags: #fans' sense of story is not always the creator's sense of story#the narratively interesting as opposed to the desire to resolve a fan's most pressing issue

@bizarrelittlemew's tags: #oh yes and the last point is especially important tbh#even when i write canonverse fics it doesn't mean that's what i think should happen in canon#or what i think did happen (in case of missing scene fics)#it's just playing in the canon sandcastle within the bigger sandbox where i usually build my own castles#it annoys me to no end when people assume non-existent intent on the author's behalf

This is something I started thinking about at some point during Prisons of Our Own Perceptions or maybe something else angsty. Because, for one thing, canon just doesn't have that kind of angst! I don't/didn't expect the canon to get very explicitly dark in the way of angsty fic - compare how things go down with Ned Low to what happens in whump fics where another pirate comes in, tortures people, and causes trouble.

I interrogate my characterization/dialogue A LOT, so I'm always asking myself, "Can I hear Rhys saying that as Stede? Would Ed throw another 'fucking' in there?" And this step gets difficult when writing a non-canonical level of whump, because I'm trying to figure out what they'd say in a situation that would never happen on the show.

Some people do write their version of what might happen in the next season of canon, or something like that. But I think most of us are writing what seems fun to write for various reasons, and "actually feels like a plausible episode/chapter of canon" doesn't really come into it. Even fic that's more plausibly canon, there's often a wayyyy bigger emphasis on comfort or explicitly exploring trauma than you'd ever see on a show (which is half the reason we're writing it). Often, I think, this kind of departure from canon gets treated as a fundamentally different category from darker fic because the idea is "this is what canon would do if it slowed down and gave them breathing space," but ultimately they're the same - the writer is creating a scenario that pleases them that wouldn't be how canon would do it.

I've written multiple reunion fics, and none of them were what I thought canon was actually going to do - they weren't attempts at prediction. Momentum was about getting them into position for Feriowind's artwork. Sweet Damsel was likewise based on a particular image, but one I had in my head. would the sun for thee more coldly shine was for a vague prompt about injuries, and I liked the idea of Ed finding Stede while Stede was hurt, to put his concern up against whatever negative feelings he might have about Stede leaving, because I thought that would be an interesting story. Likewise, I seemed not one for such man's love was about Ed holding onto his negative feelings but also getting sick and being tended by Stede (closest thing to a true prediction, but I certainly didn't think it would be). And First Night Home imagined a way less fraught reunion than canon got, for once, because it was for a domestic fluff fic fest.

In all of these, the way the reunion went was to serve the point of the plot and relationship dynamic rather than to guess at what might actually happen. The same thing is true of other types of fics, really. The story comes first.

[tsarisfanfiction]

So about Apollo Brats au, is that something like Cabin 7 (and maybe Meg or Nico too) getting trouble or annoying the hell out of Apollo until he cries on floor? Sounds like something that will finallyn convince Apollo to use protection maybe?

Congrats on hitting the one that doesn't actually exist as a doc yet but that I've been marinating in my head for ages because this is so much fun. Buckle in, because this post is probably going to take me until bedtime to write *eyes the time nervously*. It's getting put under a cut because it's long.

Apollo Brats specifically refers to two characters and one of them isn't an Apollo kid at all - hence why I haven't called this AU the Apollo Kids AU.

This AU (and it is, tragically, an AU) actually has its roots in SON, specifically when Gwen is killed and the narrative decides to point fingers at Octavian, despite this never actually making sense to me (but if I go on my Octavian was Wronged by the Narrative rant we'll be here until tomorrow so I'll save that rant for later). This also then springs forward to look at BOO, when the onagers fire without Octavian ever giving the order, and got me thinking (with the wonderful, enabling assistance of @fearlessinger) about who could actually be responsible for these acts, which both frame Octavian as evil but also don't actually match Octavian's character?

This had us stumped for a few minutes and I was beginning to worry that there was no-one in canon that could take the heat (and at this point, this was just a discussion about Octavian's character, not intended to spark an entire AU). Then I remembered one certain character who always seems to be floating around in Octavian's vicinity, and could be argued (if looked at in the correct light) to have motive for framing and then killing Octavian: Michael Kahale.

Now we spiral all the way down the rabbit hole of who is Michael, really, and what does he have to gain from sabotaging not just Octavian, but also Camp Jupiter - and the answer we came up with was Michael being one of Nero's demigods. He never appears in the same room as Meg (notable, given Apollo's apparent inability to not name every other character in the scene), and when he goes to head off the approaching army of the Triumvirate, there's never a sign of a battle, and we never get a body (the most we get is the nature spirits "seeing what happened" which is extremely nebulous and could easily mean "Michael betrayed you" if that's how we want to twist this).

Where does this spiral into an Apollo Brats AU, though?

Well, what if - what if - Will didn't give up on saving Octavian. Oh, don't get me wrong, Will still hates Octavian with a passion here, but Will knows Apollo and he knows that Apollo wouldn't actually be happy if one of his descendants died. So what if he keeps warning him, doesn't let Nico or Michael or Octavian stop him, and manages to actually tell Octavian he's all tangled up?

Octavian is not stupid. He is many things, and despite my pro-Octavian stance, morally grey is certainly one of those things - but he is not stupid. He is actually highly intelligent. Michael, his right hand man, the man he trusts, not telling him he's about to kill himself? After the weapons have been fired not on his orders (but obviously on the orders of someone high enough up the hierarchy that good Roman soldiers would obey without a second thought?). Octavian realises that he has been betrayed.

From there, it is only a few steps of logic to realise that the Triumvirate have not been helping him, but rather using him, and Will is right there as a handy source to be interrogated regarding what's actually going on with Apollo. No, Will is not impressed about this in the middle of a battle but also we all know Will doesn't stand for Apollo slander and will be ruthlessly fixing all of the misconceptions the Triumvirate have been slowly building up in Octavian through Michael.

Octavian respects Apollo a lot. He's his ancestor, for one thing, but also he's met him, he was willing to help Apollo in his plan (presumably to unite the camps, not pit them against each other - in this AU that's certainly the case but I will also claim that's the most likely reason in canon, too). Realising he's been manipulated into betraying Apollo? Oh, Octavian is pissed.

So is Will.

Not on Octavian's behalf - not in the slightest, as established Will really, really, does not like Octavian and his great-whatever nephew effectively changing sides is not going to magically wipe this slate clean in the slightest - but again, because of Apollo. Because of the slander this is putting to his father's name.

And so the alliance begins. The "the enemy of Apollo is my enemy" alliance. Octavian and Will set their sights on taking down the Triumvirate.

And poor Nico gets dragged along for the ride, because someone has to stop them getting themselves or each other killed and apparently he's ended up in that position. Therefore, we have the brilliant dynamic of Octavian, Will, and Nico. With no adult supervision, because Octavian might be eighteen but he certainly doesn't count as adult supervision here. If anyone's the adult supervision, it's Nico (who is biologically and mentally, if not legally, the youngest).

Highlights of this dynamic include:

Octavian being a smug bitch whenever anyone looks for the "adult" in the group because he's clearly the oldest, and Will being mad about this

Octavian being the only one that can drive. Nico gets so fed up of the posturing and gloating that he pulls out Jules Albert and designates him permanent chauffeur, and dares Octavian to argue with a pissed off son of Hades and his zombie driver. Octavian knows which battles should not be picked.

Will refusing to let Octavian's clear anemia continue - you're a descendant of Apollo, how have you let your health get this bad - and all the iron suppliments in Octavian's diet. Octavian is not happy about this but also can't deny it's doing wonders for his health and is mad that Will's right

Octavian and Will being unable to agree on any single thing and constantly about two seconds away from tearing each other's throats out

Nico ending up as the mediator and wondering when the hell did his life turn into this

Neither Octavian or Will are actually warriors, so Nico is the one primarily responsible for keeping them alive and constantly threatens to abandon them to their fate (but never does)

Likewise, Octavian and Will have mostly grown up inside the safety of their relative camps, and while they have some familiarity with how the real world works, they also haven't really had to nagivate it without a responsible adult (Naomi) before. Somehow, Nico ends up being the leader here, too.

Octavian getting really fed up of the awkward tension between Nico and Will as the Solangelo dynamic starts to develop and becomes the wingman for both of them to stop the damn teenage pre-relationship nonsense already (no, he still does not like Will. But he hates being stuck between two clearly falling for each other but refusing to admit it teenagers even more)

At some point enough time has passed that they unite with Lester-Apollo sometime between THO and TDP. As soon as he is convinced of his legitimacy, Nico hands the metaphorical leashes on these two Apollo Brats over and claims they're no longer his responsibility.

Then Nico discovers that actually Apollo is no better than his Brats and now Nico is holding three metaphorical leashes. He's very pleased to hand Apollo's over to Meg when she rejoins them during the TDP events.

Apollo, meanwhile, is panicking a lot. Firstly, because he's heard Will has allied with Octavian and last he knew, because he doesn't know at this point about the Triumvirate's manipulation, Octavian was betraying him and does that mean Will's turned on him, too?

He is relieved to learn the truth. Until he realises he now has another problem.

Because he's always been the kinda goofy clown dad in Will's vicinity. Nothing to be taken seriously, bit of a well-meaning idiot, Will has no reason to expect stuff from him. Meanwhile, with Octavian he was always the more serious, intelligent god.

Now, he cannot play the fool without getting side-eyed (and called out) by Octavian, and he cannot be serious and aloof and pretending to not actually care on a personal level without getting side-eyed (and called out) by Will. His facets and lies and masks are being shredded by the moment because these two were never meant to gang up on him - certainly not in a situation where he couldn't just poof and disappear in a shower of sunbeams - and now he's being forced to be honest because anything less is getting called out. He's been snared in a trap of his own making and he doesn't know how to get out.

The events of TDP also give us the one moment that makes everyone sit up and take note, and that's the one moment that Octavian and Will agree on something.

Georgina.

The instant the claim is made that she's Apollo's daughter, both of them are scoffing in tandem.

Dad would never forget one of his children, says Will with the same conviction he once declared Apollo would never instigate or want a war between the two camps, firm in his belief that Apollo does love them all and that forgetting one of his children, even with mortal memory issues? Impossible.

Octavian, on the other hand. Oh, ho, Octavian. Don't be ridiculous, he says, because to Octavian, a legacy of Apollo, ancestry is important. Octavian knows the names of every single legacy of Apollo that has ever been in New Rome, not just his own line but the others as well, and he recognises Georgina. She's got the same face as Camilla, a third-generation legacy of Apollo from a different branch who left New Rome for the mortal world a decade ago, it's beyond obvious that this is her daughter. Georgina is a legacy, not a child, of Apollo, and that makes all the difference.

When Will and Octavian agree on something, only a fool would ignore them. So far the only other thing they've agreed on is that the Triumvirate is going to go down and with this duo on the warpath it's clearly a matter of when, rather than if, they'll succeed (as long as they don't kill each other first).

This is about as far as I've got with this AU so far, but I'm having so much fun messing around with the idea of Octavian and Will working together to take down the Triumvirate with their chaperone Nico present to keep them alive (which involves not letting them kill each other), and Apollo having a panic attack or several about the entire situation in the background.

[leonawriter]

I've had several thoughts of P5/DCMK crossovers lately, and one of the biggest roadblocks has often been how diametrically opposed their views often are, in ways that would cause a lot of conflict.

Namely, the DCMK side being primarily (Kaito notwithstanding) about upholding the law; Shinichi's hand in hand with the cops since before the series began, and when it's suspected that the Black Organisation might have a member (or more) in the police my recollection is that they were shocked, rather than, y'know, "ah, for a criminal conspiracy that only makes sense."

Detectives in the series have a very strong sense of right and wrong, which is good - in the context of their own series. However, there's a sense of... while they do sometimes show other outcomes, and they do sometimes "bend the rules" when a case calls for it (fudging the details of a crime on a report so that an innocent but used party doesn't feel guilty for something that wasn't her fault, not arresting a man who'd been stealing and giving him a job instead so that it improved his life so he didn't have to), the general outcome is "bad people (murderers, usually) go to jail."

The police are usually shown as Always Good Guys. There are a many police protagonist-adjacent characters (Takagi and Sato, Shiratori, each of the Inspectors from each region). Most of them are shown to be good-hearted. Bourbon, who's in Public Safety, is one of the good guys - more of a grey area than some, but still there. Even the incompetent ones have their hearts in the right place. They tend to want to believe the best in people (the Red Horse arson case, for example).

The Kaitou Kid Task Force, too, is largely considered to just be playing tag with the thief rather than... anything harmful. They know he's (mostly) harmless, so they treat him with respect. Nakamori is angry when he thinks someone's out to hurt Kid.

DCMK shows what people want the police to be like, in an almost ideal world. Yeah, there's bad apples (ha) but they don't soil the overall sense of what the Force is. In some ways I like it, because it's like a fairy tale - a glimpse of how things should be. Very easy to see where the lines of good and evil are, here.

But compare that to Persona 5, and like... of course there's going to be conflict, because the two series are set in the same location, but have a wildly different take and experience with the police.

Detective Conan doesn't tend to go into "what happens when the police arrest the wrong person" much, because the genius detectives get there first - the closest tends to be "oh no, we have to solve this fast!" - compare to Persona 5, where the whole premise is built on "what happens to someone whose crime isn't even a major one, but whose reputation gets tarnished with the stain of a conviction."

It's difficult to imagine the cops from P5 existing within DCMK at times. Akira spends the entire game traumatised by his experiences; first from his (falsified) assault conviction, during which he must have been protesting that he wasn't guilty and not a single person listened to him, and again on 11/20 when he was arrested and treated as someone who'd done far worse, along with the cops in the interrogation room being under Shido's pay, and not afraid to assault him.

So... although I'd personally love to write fun adventure stuff where the casts meet and get along, with shrunken people and long-lost relations and so on, the idea that came to me with all this in mind is more akin to that scene near the start of P5 Strikers, with Zenkichi talking to the Phantom Thieves, and Haru bluntly stating "We simply hate the police, is all."

Like - how would that go down? How would they get along - or not, as the case may be?

Would Shinichi/Conan (as the protagonist) understand their stances, or would he have a hard time accepting that anyone could hate the police for entirely justified reasons? Would they constantly butt heads due to the idea that Criminals Should Go To Jail, or would he understand that some things have to be done?

If he does understand some of that, then how far can he take it before he reaches his limit?

What about any of the other teen detectives (Hattori, Hakuba, I know Sera's a quantity but I don't know her so well)?

How would Akechi factor into any of this? As someone who's killed (regardless of how, or why, or whether he was under duress) there's the risk that these detectives may or may not see "murder" and Akechi's own desire to pay his time and not... see that it's what would actually benefit him to grow and become a better, more free and healthy person.

Often I feel like Shinichi gets a murderer (or an attempted one) arrested, and then it's just... maybe they'll get a mention of "there's a trial in progress" but- the implication of the consequences of it all? How many of them are going to prison, how many are going to get the death sentence? How many won't be able to move past their mistake? The series doesn't tend to look beyond that arrest, so we don't tend... know, really. There are a few times (lemon tea bride is one, but the victim recovered) but not many.

So - would Akira start arguing with a (supposed) seven year old? Because of how (canonically) attached he is to Akechi, they'd have different views on how things should go.

At the very leat, I figure that Makoto would have a good time, because this, I think, is how she sees "how the police should be."

[tokuvivor]

8, 11, and 38?

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

From A Mutual Understanding Between Oldest Siblings…

“Huey-“ Lena interjected.

“Yeah?” Huey asked.

“Not to be dramatic or anything, but…WHY ARE YOU NOT MAD AT ME RIGHT NOW?!” Lena interrogated.

“From a personal standpoint, yeah, maybe I was a little,” Huey explained. “But there’s a difference between frustration and anger, and during the challenge-and this is not just because of you or Violet-I was definitely feeling the former a lot more. Because at the end of the day, even without the smack, would it have been enough to ensure my victory over Violet? Probably not. Because I wasn’t racing enough to actually win.”

The episode this fic is based from, Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchucks!, has resulted in Lena and Violet getting a little too much crap for what they said to Huey. Fans demonize them (though I’ve mostly just seen this on AO3) without really stopping to think about why they did it, as well as Huey’s frame of mind during the episode, beyond just the smack talk.

This excerpt shows exactly why I wrote this story: trying to convey that Huey, while thrown off mentally by the smack, absolutely understood why Lena taught Violet those jibes in the first place, and that he was as frustrated, if not more so, with himself during the Challenge as he was with them.

11. Is writing your passion or just a fun hobby?

Hobby. Writing is fun, but I don’t think I could necessarily make a career out of it.

38. Talk about a review that made your day.

I got this one on the first chapter of The Power of Three…

It made me realize that this story is so much more than just something to write for fun (at least to some people). I spent the first chapter gradually building up Huey and Violet’s dynamic, and seeing as it was my first published story, I was worried about whether I’d done a good job writing them, especially the whole neurodivergent aspect to their personalities. But this endorsement rang out loud and clear to me that I had done just fine.

[thewriterthatghostedyou]

Shadows and Scars

Chapter 26

Two chapters in two days?!?! I’m as surprised as you are. I forgot how fun it was to write this series, and hopefully I’ll get more time to write during break. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I know I’m enjoying where this story is going. 😉

Enjoy!

Trigger warnings: it’s an interrogation and death so there’s that, attempted kidnapping?/ non con? It’s a few men being grabby, and death and violence.

Never beta read so all mistakes are my own, and formatted on my phone so hopefully the formatting isn’t screwed up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aleksander’s POV

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Have they talked?” He asked, evenly, striding into the dungeons.

“A lot of lies. But Volkov hasn’t said a word. Ivan’s with them.” Zoya responded.

The two men were both chained to heavy wooden chairs in the middle of the large room. The shooter seems to look exhausted, sweat clinging to his whole body and head hunched over. Volkov, on the other hand, was just smiling maniacally.

“I’ve been swindled. Hoodwinked.” The shooter pleaded. Volkov snorted and shook his head at that.

“My guards told me that they caught you fleeing the scene of the crime.” He accused.

“Yes, I followed them.” He turned his head to look at the man next to him. “All of them, but-“

“Followed whom?” His voice dropped lower.

“Him, and these people. They come from the other side of the fold. From the start, they seemed, just a bit off to me, so when they left our stage at the fete, I followed them to see what they were up to.” He breathed heavily to catch his breath. “And at the time that I walked into that room, they were gone and…” He huffed a nervous laugh. “Saints, it was unspeakable. So- so I ran-“

“How much of that is true?” He demanded, making eye contact with Ivan.

“He did cross the fold with the others. The rest were lies.” Ivan said as he gave a menacing stare to the shooter.

“What?” The shooter squirmed in his seat nervously. “That’s- No-“

“Your heart gives you away.” Volkov said from next to him. Watching the entire scene with subdued interest.

Aleksander stiffened at the sound of his voice. This is the man you thought was so important? So admirable? He’d deal with him later.

“Do you know we keep records of everyone who crosses the fold?” He said evenly.

The man in the seat opened his mouth to talk, but Aleksander spoke over him. “For the winter fete, we had ambassadors from Kerch, Novyi Zem, the Wandering Isle, but you didn’t pass with them, did you? No. You and your crew, you have another way.” He spat the word crew out venomously.

“I don’t know what you mean. I-“ The man stuttered.

“He does.” Ivan said simply.

“I’m an entertainer!” The man shouted desperately. “Oskar. Oskar Krepkov.”

He didn’t even need to look at Ivan to know the man was lying. It was a trick he had plenty of time to master over the centuries.

With one smooth movement, he strode over and ripped up the sleeve of the man’s shirt. There on his shaking wrist were fifteen tally marks.

“Well.” He said slowly. “This is certainly entertaining. You are the conductor.” He moved his face closer to the conductor’s as he spoke. “Arken Visser, are you not?” His voice became dangerously low as gripped his wrist tighter before shoving himself off of him.

“You smuggle Grisha out of MY PALACE!” He whipped around and yelled at him. “You help them abandon the war effort.”

Arlen’s face grew serious as he dropped his act. “No. I deal in legal indentures, I don’t mess with Grisha.”

“Lie.” Ivan said lazily.

“I don’t need him to tell me.” He spoke mockingly. “I had a spy. Nina Zenik. Ring any bells?”

Arken’s face morphed into an angry scowl. “Nina?”

“Last report we had from her was that she’d be crossing the Fold with the conductor and three rogues from Ketterdam.”

Arken’s face fell as he knew there was no way to talk himself out of this.

“What their mission was, she didn’t know. She was waiting to meet you all. Now poor Nina.. has not been heard from since. Might that have something to do with you, Mr. Visser?”

“No.” He breathed out instantly. “I don’t!” He looked at Ivan to confirm what he had said, which he did with a small shrug.

“See? I don’t know what happened.”

“My guess,” Aleksander started. “You struck a deal with these three thieves to kidnap Alina Starkov. But..” he leaned towards him slowly. “You have a stronger relationship with a certain West Ravkan general who has notions of ruling his own country.” With a small tap on Ivan’s shoulder, the man walked away quickly and Zoya followed without hesitation.

“So long as the fold separates him from us. So you made another deal. You put on a disguise. And you played at being assassin.”

“That’s right.” Arken said lowly. “The prize to bring her back to Ketterdam was a million, split four ways. But Zlatan offered me the same number.. to kill her. So.. give me half that. I’ll get revenge for you, I can get close to Zlatan.”

“No.” Aleksander said quietly. “I think I’ll handle that myself.” And with one smooth flick of his hands, the shadows that inhabited the dank cellar began to move and slithered towards him. He begged for his life of course. They always did, but that never changed the outcome.

Aleksander watched with a sick satisfaction as they crawled onto the man like snakes and began to force their way in his mouth and ears.

“Now. Mr. Volkov.” He spoke loudly over the sound of Arken gagged and choking on the shadows that went deeper and deeper into his throat and head. “I believe we have much to talk about.”

—————

Y/n’s POV

—————

“So are we just going to ignore the light seeping out of the trunk or…” Jesper gave a weird face as the four of you watched light spill through the locked trunk.

Kaz just rolled his eyes at him as a slight click was heard.

You all held your breath as the trunk cover slowly lifted and Alina climbed out quickly.

Jesper reached for his gun, but Alina wasn’t paying attention to him. Her eyes seemed you out, worry etched on her face as she took you in.

“We don’t want any trouble.” Jesper placatingly held out his free hand.

“Neither do I, so we’ll just be on our way. Y/n get behind me.” She whispered seriously.

“Let’s just all calm down-“ You were interrupted by the sound of Kaz’s cane hitting the carriage to block her escape.

“Clearly you both want out of East Ravka.” Jesper and the two others stayed still as Alina slowly stepped in front of you. “But we can help you.”

Inej nodded enthusiastically as Hesper continued. “We have a secure route through the Fold.”

“We’re fine. We prefer to travel alone.” Alina gave you another worried look before turning back to face the crows.

“Y/n you know Ruslan trusted us, you can too.” Jesper pleaded, turning his attention to you.

“I’m sorry,” you sighed sadly. “I can’t get caught again. I can’t go back there, neither of us can.” Your cane brushed against your leg as you gripped it tightly with both hands. “You need to let us go.”

“Don’t be rash, if you stick with us, everybody gets what they want.”

“We are not being anyone’s captive ever again.” Alina hissed out. “So step aside and let us pass.”

“I’m afraid we can’t let that happen.” Kaz finally spoke up, glaring at Alina in what seemed to be his usual fashion.

Before you could move, a burst of light flashed from Alina’s hands into Jesper, blinding him and Kaz. As the light disappeared, you noticed Inej covering her eyes before looking at Alina with reverence and holding her hands up in surrender.

“Let’s go.” Alina said, grabbing your arm and dragging you away from the carriage.

“Shit!” Your leg wobbled, unused to being without your brace as you hopped to catch up to her pace. “Alina I can’t run.” You heaved out, gritting your teeth in pain as the two of you ducked into an open alleyway.

“What do you mean? Where’s your brace?” She frantically whispered.

“It’s too noticeable.” You breathed heavily, as Alina stuck her head out of the alley and looked for the crows.

“We need to go. Now.” She whispered urgently. Taking you by the arms again, gentler than before. “Walk as fast as you can.” She led you out of the street and your eyes brightened as you noticed a stall selling cloaks.

“Wait.” Your coins dangled in your pocket as you hurriedly pulled them out and slammed them on the table. “We’ll take two of the black ones.” Alina gave you a small smile as she grabbed what you had paid for and wrapped one of the heavy cloaks around your shoulders.

“Good thinking.”

You discreetly pointed out Jesper ahead of the two of you, before taking her down another street corner. “This way.”

“Are you ok?” Alina blurted out.

You shrugged as the two of you continued slowly towards the outskirts of the town.

“I’ve been better. I’m not sure that treason is a good look on me.” You joked, huffing out a grunt of pain and trying to disguise it as a laugh.

“Why did you run?” Alina asked, securing her own cloak on and pulling up the hood.

“I haven’t been completely honest with you Alina.” You said softly. “I’m not just part of the General’s guard.” You paused as the two of you stopped when your breathing became too labored.

You squeezed your eyes shut before continuing. “I’m his whore.” You said sadly, trying to ignore Alina’s look of betrayal.

“I don’t know what he did to me, or why me, but somehow he can control my body and-“ You blinked away tears as you continued. “But that’s not the point. He has plans for you. And knowing him they can’t be good, I wanted to look for you, but I needed to get out. To be able to think clearly without him pulling the strings.”

“Is he?” Alina’s eyes widened as she backed away from you. “Is he still pulling the strings?”

You shook your head frantically as you noticed a small tear fall down her cheek. “No. I can’t feel him. Not anymore. Baghra said that the further I am from him the more control I have.”

“Please.” You begged, grabbing her hands tightly. “We need to go. If he finds us…” Your mind didn’t even want to finish the sentence as Alina nodded. Part of you knew he could have been good to you. But that part was the one that became complacent. That fell to his influence. That forgot what kind of a man he really was. What he had done to Anya. To Ruslan.

“Y/n.” Alina cupped your face with her hand and you blinked in surprise at the sudden warmth. “I won’t let him get us.” You briefly noted that her pupils dilated as she looked at you and you blushed at your close proximity. “I won’t let him hurt you.”

The two of you were shocked back into your surroundings as a man hobbled slowly towards your alcove and puked on the side of the street.

“Hey! Hey you!” He shouted, pointing to Alina. “So far from Shu Han, aren’t you?”

“We should go.” You said, forcing out a fake smile at the man before turning to head down the street.

You froze as the First army man grabbed Alina by the wrist and spun her back to face him. “Why don’t you come inside? You can bring your friend too.” He leered at her before dragging her towards the door.

Without thinking, you swung your wooden cane at his leg, as Alina punched him in the jaw.

“Hurry!” You caught yourself from saying her name as you gripped your cane like a bat as two more First army soldiers came to their friend’s defense.

Your eyes widened as one of them shoved Alina into the wall and tried to hit her head on the hard surface.

“She’s got some fight in her yeah?” The other man laughed at you as your heart beat rapidly in your chest. “We’ll at least you can’t run away.” He pulled up his trousers with a lazy smile before quickly lunging at you.

“Leave us alone!” You shouted, swinging at him with your cane, but missing as he jumped back to dodge it.

“I’m going to have fun watching you try to crawl away when I-“ You saw red as a bird launched itself at the man’s head, knocking him back with more force than you thought was possible for such a small thing.

He hit the ground with a dull thud as the man you attacked Alina screamed in agony as she shined her light into his eyes.

“Stop! After them!”

“Saints. We need to get out of this town now.” You said, grabbing Alina’s warm hands and letting her pull you away from the scene.

Perhaps if you had stopped to actually look at the bird that laid next to your attacker's head, you’d have noticed the sizable bullet hole through its eye.

[letstalkwhump]

Let's Talk Whump

Welcome to Let’s Talk Whump, a series of interviews that spotlight the amazing people in our whump community! I’m Malice and I’ll be your host today. 

Today I’m talking whump with the amazing @studyofwhump!

Welcome to the show! Do you mind starting with a fact or two about yourself?

I’m Kay and I just turned 26 a few days ago! When not torturing my ocs, I am studying planetary geochemistry and having fun playing with spicy chemicals. I also really enjoy cooking, jewelry making and pen pal letters!

And what does whump mean to you? 

I’ve often thought of whump as a facet of the hurt/comfort genre, with a greater focus on the physical, psychological, and emotional hurt and trauma inflicted on characters. Whump looks into not only characters experiencing intensely painful and overwhelming circumstances, but the hard road to recovery that comes afterward. There can be a lot of overlap with ‘angst’ in that regard, but it becomes whump when direct harm to the character’s well-being comes into play (for me that includes more of the physical harm).

How did you find the whump community? What made you want to join?

I followed the bad things happen bingo tumblr blog for a few years, writing down their prompts for my own story ideas as a little checklist. Then through that, I came across @whump-tr0pes Honor Bound series in its early stages and found the term ‘whump.’ Turns out, it was a concept I had enjoyed nearly all my life and had a flourishing online community! I decided to create a dedicated whump blog since a few irl friends followed my main and weren’t fans of fictional violence, and it’s been one of my favorite pastimes ever since!

That’s awesome as! Do you think your view on whump changed since you joined? 

I started out mostly making generic prompts and reblogging whump art, not really sure about sharing my own fics since I barely shared my writing with anyone irl. I enjoyed fandom whump more, but as I started reading more original work from other whump writers, I grew a greater appreciation for it. Sharing more of my writings for my alien sci-fi series Titan Guard brought some positive feedback, and I’ve felt encouraged to open up my stories to a growing community as well.

And now everyone’s favourite question: Favourite whump tropes? 

WHIPPING (favourite since I was a kid and whipped my Polly Pocket and Lego figures for the plot!), interrogation, used as bait, bound and gagged (again, tying up all my toys for the plot haha), manhandling, stress positions, slavery, POW situations, isolation, nightmares, forced to watch or choose, caretaker turned whumpee, whumpers who are cold and calculating and don’t hold back, and so many more!

Torturing your childhood dolls is such a universal whump experience! Would you mind sharing a favourite piece you've written? 

Ooh that’s a hard one…

Alek’s First Whipping was one of the earliest scenes I had for Alek’s backstory in Titan Guard that I was really excited to share. It’s one of the first instances of Alek experiencing intense and body-altering pain that is public and degrading. It was a fic I had written several years prior to sharing it, and while some minor changes were made as I developed the story more, it’s still largely the same as the original which I really enjoy. And of course, it uses one of my all-time favorite tropes!

The explosion arc I’ve been writing has also been a favorite because I wanted to use the circumstances of that arc to show how dire the situation for the Pax Rebel group stranded on Earth is, essentially showing one of their lowest points. This arc also is the most effort I’ve dedicated to laying out more of the actual plot for Titan Guard and what it’s about. With this, I’ve also tried including some morally gray situations where there’s no clear answer to dealing with a friend’s impeding death, and opening it to readers to think on what they think is ‘right’ in just a scenario.

Public whipping is so good! And I loved Alek’s reaction, the poor guy. Do you mind sharing what your writing routine looks like?

I try to write 200 words a day in one form or another (although the past couple of weeks I’ve definitely fallen behind), and usually like to work on one WIP to fill that quota. I’m not a morning person at all, so I’m writing mainly in the afternoon or evening. I’ve found that if I’m able to sit outside while it’s nice and dark, that’s actually the most productive time for me!

Do you find that your ability to write varies between topics?

I have the most fun writing dialogue, both spoken between characters and internally, and especially if the two contradict each other. The dialogue for a scene is usually the first thing that comes to me, revealing an oc’s inner feeling and fears that guide their actions through the rest of the scene. I’ve been writing more arguments between characters recently, which has been really interesting sorting out group dynamics and complicating relationships.

I’ve also been told I’m good at delivering soul-crushing angst suddenly during an already whumpy moment!

And is there anything you're working on at the moment? 

I’ve got a list of fics I’m trying to work on at the moment! Now that I’m over the hill on graduation and family stuff, I’ll hopefully have more time to get working on them. Alek and Lulan are in the line of fire right now, and the next few fics with them will be pretty pivotal! Some of their defining moments are coming up…

I’ve also tried to start focusing more on worldbuilding for my verse and the history of the main conflict leading up to the main story. Part of that is trying to get back into conlang, which is one of my favorite things!

Do you have a joke or pun you would like to share to spread some smiles today?

Of quartz I have good puns! As a geologist, I must never take puns for granite. And it’s always gneiss to spread smiles and laughter when schist happens and things get wacke. Not to get too sediment-al, but the whump community is like geology puns…

They rock.

I’m dying at that last line. That was awful but also very good! Is there any writing advice you’d like to share?

If you’re planning a larger project, let the ideas flow. I’m sometimes pretty rigid when it comes to sticking to the main canon of my own writing, but I still try to create alternate scenes for my own enjoyment and to help get through writer’s block. Even if you have a set plot or idea in mind for how you want the story to go, if a cool idea gets stuck in your head just write it out or take notes or do whatever even if it’s completely random! Write that AU, create alternate endings and any kind of ‘what if’ scenarios. You never know what random little ideas you’ve collected over time will become the answer to a writing block or a new idea you love.

Are there any blogs you’d like to shout out?

@whump-tr0pes @ashintheairlikesnow and @wildfaewhump for being the first few whump blogs whose original work I found captivating and inspiring as an introduction into the whump community!

@for-the-love-of-angst @noirineverysense @justplainwhump @aprilwaters @sableflynn @actress4him @tormentum-ab-intra @clockworknightmares @sweetwhumpandhellacomf @winedark-whump @straight-to-the-pain and @lektricwhump who are all amazing creators and lovely people I’ve gotten to know over the past couple of years. Go check out their work!

A special shout-out to @gritpyre, connoisseur of buff women and lycanthropic turmoil who I’ve commissioned artwork from in the past and is seriously talented! Frankie is truly amazing!

And while not whump specific, my two irl writing fiend friends @chaotic-tired-cat and @buggy-about-town who have enabled my whump obsession and found some connection to the genre as well! I love you both!!

And finally, anything you'd like to add? <

Just to say that the whump community has been there to help me get through some pretty tough times, and I am so, so grateful for it. I’ve met some truly kind and wonderful people here I can call friends, and I look forward to seeing what creations are coming in the future!

Thank you for joining us, @studyofwhump! 

And to all you lovely folks at home, have a whump-derful day!

[oscarwrites]

06/23/23 Update

Hello!

I’ve started feeling better this week and I’m writing again, which is a relief. I’ve decided to try out a new routine, both to be more productive and to accommodate my needs. Instead of doing only drafting or only editing/coding for an extended period of time, I’m doing both every day: drafting when my brain is still fresh in the morning and editing/coding in the afternoon when my brain has a harder time focusing.

Turns out I can get a lot more done that way. I still have the same goal of writing 500 words each morning and I edit and code 5 passages every afternoon on top of that. Which means the Nevers scene for Gonzague is coming along nicely and I started to code Lonnie’s interrogation scene for Better Off.

Drafting-wise, it’s starting to look like the scene with nevers will be longer than the one with Chartres, with a wider amount of variations. But I’m happy with it, I’ve had a lot of fun writing some very dramatic moments lol.

As for Better Off, I just finished the interrogation scene proper today and will start on the aftermath scene next. I’m trying to mark off where I will need to add variations later on, but the first version of the scene shouldn’t take too long to code.

I hope to continue at the same pace next week and I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going.

Have a nice weekend!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Jade, Kalim: Leaves from the Vine

This is the Jade and Kalim content I’ve been waiting for and wanting 😤 We haven’t seen them interact with one another much (the longest interaction is probably in Jade’s School Uniform vignette and/or the interrogation scene of episode 4), which is a shame because I think their dynamic is hilarious. Jade just feeds Kalim all these lies and Kalim 110% believes him…

I was pretty much expecting Jade to be flying low to the ground, but it’s nice that they linked Floyd’s hand in to tease Jade 😂

Side note: writing 2 birthday fics in the same day going to be difficult for me (this weekend is busy), so the Floyd one will be out later! Please be patient; I haven’t forgotten him! (And yes, for those who are wondering, the title for this Jade fic is a reference to Avatar: The Last Airbender!)

***Spoilers for episode 4 of the main story; this fic is meant to take place AFTER episode 4, as some events from it are referenced.***

A Boy in Bloom, and his Flowering Future.

“What do you do for fun on your days off?”

“I create my own tea blends.” Jade’s smile was easy as he offered his response, dangling it like a tasty morsel over Kalim’s head. “I use a variety of sources for my leaves: the Botanical Gardens, plants I’ve raised, and, of course, those I’ve collected on mountain excursions. I find that there is joy in preparing one’s ingredients just as much as there is in experimenting with them.”

Kalim sunk his teeth into it, hook, line, and sinker.

“Oooh!” The dorm leader blinked back, his mouth in an “o” shape--a mixture of both obliviousness and total awe. “Wow, you put in so much effort to do something you really love!”

“Fufufu. One might say that once something captures my interest, I devote myself mind, body, and soul to pursuing it.” Jade inclined his head to one side, thoughtful. His left eye glinted like gold “The Mostro Lounge occasionally features my tea blends as limited time items. Devotion, as Azul says, ‘pays’ off in the long run.”

“Whoa, that’s SO cool!! Brewing your own tea, making your own potions, mountain climbing, helping out at the Mostro Lounge... There’s nothing you can’t do!”

“You flatter me.”

“No, I’m serious! You’re amazing, studying and working hard for yourself and for others...” Kalim shook his head. “You’re a lot like Jamil!”

A light laugh passed between Jade’s lips. “We are both vice dorm leaders, no? It naturally falls to us to support our respective dorm leaders.”

“Gahahah! You two always seem to be way ahead of me. Azul too! You’re all super smart and accomplished and...”

Kalim continued to ramble, singing the birthday boy praises. But Jade had already sensed a change in the air, and a shift to his interviewer’s smile. Lingering doubts, words not spoken.

Sadness to his sunshine.

Sometimes... I wonder if I can catch up to where you guys are.

Yet Kalim wore a brave face. His smile, his suit of armor. The sadness squashed down so as to not rain on the birthday celebration.

How selfless of him. How kind, Jade chuckled to himself, to worry about such a thing after experiencing the ultimate betrayal.

In the recesses of his heart, something stirred. Notes of sorrow and compassion floated to the surface, coloring his mild amusement with a different shade.

Pity.

“... Kalim-san,” Jade piped up, “do you know what the trick is to brewing delicious tea?”

“Huh? No, I don’t think so.”

“Then allow me to share my secret with you.” Extending a hand, Jade caught a leaf passing in a breeze. It was just an ordinary little thing, ragged at the edges, and set in an inconsistent color. Scarlet to orange to sienna to yellow. “It’s aging.

“Most commercial teas derive their leaves from the same plant: the camellia sinensis. Depending on how long they are left to dry in the sun, they will produce a different kind of tea. Green, black, red, white, and so on and so forth. Different methods of preparation are optimal for different kinds of tea.”

Jade held out the leaf to Kalim.

“Think of each of us as a leaf. At our cores, we are the same. We have blood, flesh, and bones. We breathe the same air, attend the same school... but we all have our own strengths and weaknesses, our own courses in life. Steeped by time, we can become teas that are unexpectedly delicious.

“We are different, and we are all the more interesting for it.”

He set the leaf free, and it was carried up, up, up over their heads, and out into the world. The two of them, trapped under a beautifully blue sky.

There was silence, with only the whispers of the fickle winds lapping at their ears.

“… Thanks for the advice, Jade,” Kalim said at last. “I feel like I learned a lot about you today!”

“I am always happy to assist a peer.” Jade executed a bow. “It is thanks to those such as yourself that I am able to have so much fun at Night Raven College.”

After all, life would be ever so dull for me without these small, simple pleasures.

“You got it!!” Kalim beamed, the full extent of his cheer having returned. He eagerly thrusted the broom he was holding to Jade, his eyes glimmering. “And now it’s time for you to have fun on the birthday road!”

“Oh dear… I’m afraid that flying is not my forte,” Jade sighed, reluctantly accepting the broom. He positioned it parallel to the ground, but hesitated in sitting down. “I worry that I will embarrass myself before you.”

“Eeeh, so there are things that even you aren’t good at?” (Jade tactfully decided to not point out how indirectly rude that comment was.) Kalim pumped a fist. “Don’t worry, you can do it!! I believe in you!! Oh—I know!! I’ll cheer you on, maybe that’ll help you focus on flying!”

“Oh no, there is not need to…”

Kalim was already stomping and clapping his hands and wiggling his arms in odd waves. His voice spiked up. “Go, go, Jade!! You can do it, Jade!! Close your eyes, summon a WHOOSH, and blow’m all away!!”

“… Pfft.”

Such a juvenile chant—but one that is full of heart.

“Very well. I will do my best to meet your expectations.” Jade gingerly seated himself upon the broom—teetered to one side, then repositioned himself securely. With an uncharacteristic gulp, he let a warm spark of magic run from him to his handle.

A moment later, and the broom shakily hovered off the ground. It stopped a few centimeters up, then crawled off with Jade (miraculously) still mounted on it. Leaves kicked up in a trail behind him.

(Kalim continued to cheer through the fumbling.)

Well, now. This isn’t so bad.

Jade allowed himself a tiny, triumphant smirk as his broom began ascending a stairwell.

It seems that I’ve improved over the past year!! I—

“Jaaaaaade!”

Suddenly, Jade felt his wizarding cap being yanked off of his head. Fully exposed to the glaring sun, he craned his head and stared at his assailant: a boy with a face so close to his own.

Floyd expertly hung upside down from his own broom. He flashed his twin a crooked grin when their gazes met.

“Eheheh!! Made ya look!”

“Fufufu. Indeed you did.”

He laughed, Floyd laughed—even Kalim’s laugh carried to them, riding upon an autumn gale. Different people, mingling and seeping into his closely guarded heart, and the secrets that he kept locked up within.

The memory of today, another secret to store. Something precious to Jade.

Yes, it is because of everyone that I am able to have so much fun here.