#Snowfall Upon Sophroniscus

[little-de-vil]

As recompense for me taking forever to respond to @tumblingghosts, I offer you My Ficlet. This is my first time posting about my Silly OC Thoughts, I'm terrified so please be nice!

This takes place during the 73rd Hunger Games, the main characters in this fic are Cassia (Slip Name) "Harlow" (Home Name) Sophro, an 18 year old tribute reaped from District 2 and middle child to Vance (SN) "Hawk"(HN) Sophro, the Victor of the 44th Hunger Games and a historic one as the first of the Cutters, and Dardanius "Dani" Bollard, another 18 year old tribute from 2, but a Volunteer. He's originally from the south, but his family moved up north after a tragedy. He's what's called a Cutter by Blood, someone who still holds onto the Cutter traditions but works (or in this case, his father) as a Keeper. He's trained as a Career, whereas Cassia has been trained by various Victors, those from 2 and not. @thegreatmelodrama let me know if I did your baby Dani justice! She's also a Snow but that's a topic for another day!

Sand continues to trickle into the cave as the storm destroys the supplies at the nearby Cornucopia. What a rarity, for the whole lot of Career tributes to be cornered and beginning to starve. Starving softly, unlike the chronic harshness other district children are so used to. Like the pair from 3, who are tangled together in wires and sparks bleeding out from a corner most camera.

“Why can’t we just destroy each other?” Dardanius asks Harlow softly. 

The question throws her off and she’s been so focused on perfecting the nose of the stone version of her district partner that it takes a moment for his question to register. She is, however, certain that he’s broken his nose more than once.

Who is the “we”? The pair from 1? The lone boy tribute from 4? Certainly not the ones from 3, who no one can really tell why they’re still alive, let alone with the Pack.

Or does he mean himself and Harlow? Are they the “we”?

He must mean them. Because if the years of watching District 2 pairs reach victory has taught her anything, it’s that those from 2 are loyal to their community. Of masonry or military. And that it’s the worst part of watching The Games in District 2, how much the animosity grows amongst the crowd at even the slightest difference in trade or birthplace is put to question the chance of triumph as one tribute falls. 

But is the answer so simple? A mere difference in industry? In home? The Cutters: hewer and layer masons, quarry-folk, stone and crystal miners, blacksmiths. The Keepers: soldiers—the common grunt and almost unheard of 2 born general—, cadets in schools, Peacekeepers stationed throughout the country never to return for 20 years, the hundreds working in The Peak. The southern desert folk and their blunt nature, intrenched in tradition that mirrors what it was before. The northern mountain people and their river sweet ways, creating new rituals after living so close to their invaded neighbors. 

No, nothing as simple as that. Their mutual destruction is not an echo of past rivalries, but of present vows.

A small piece of granite crumbles under the light tap of her brother’s chisel, and she looks back to see that Dardanius’ stoney eyes match his own. “Because we both made promises that work against each other. You promised my brother that you’d protect me. And I promised my father that I wouldn’t become him. Those two don’t work well together.”

He nods, but his brow tightens in concentration, mind locked deep in thought. His voice is soft and filled with sadness or maybe remorse, unlike its usual deep, assured cadence, “So what will we do if it’s just us?”

She blinks, having not considered this point until this very moment. But something deep inside her quickly finds the answer, “I give you permission to kill me.” She says sternly, mirroring his typical tone.

That comment can’t be playing well with the audience. What sponsor would back a tribute so unwilling to see their own victory? Hasn’t the Capitol been so generous to give these poor tributes the opportunity to better their life? And her especially, who has grown up in the greatest Capitol family of them all her whole life? What joy comes from watching someone fight who will never want the crown?

But this must also be playing horrifically among the Cutters back home. Self-sacrifice isn’t a Keeper trait, but Cutters aren’t known to back down from a fight when it comes to dishonoring their people. By allowing even this possibility to happen, she’s just repeating the cycle of those loyal to the Capitol can claim victory, and those traitors are always bound to fall at their hands. 

But her father must be proud of her for lasting this long, for sticking with her partner, for still Saying her Stones? Was he proud of himself when he was in her position 29 years ago, or did that pride diminish once his partner crumbled in his arms and the trumpets of victory rang? She wonders if he will still be proud of his eldest daughter when she returns cold and lifeless, sprinkled with hard tact bread given to her by a joint sponsor of the Master Mason and Head Peacekeeper of 2, spread generously at the end by her partner. Or will he be filled with disdain and fury for defying his one wish to not become like him, like her cousin of the 66th, like her neighbors of the Village who practically raised her. Only time will tell, she supposes, to whose promise will be kept. Or if District 2 will have two tributes sprinkled with bread.

[little-de-vil]

A little gift for @persephoneprice and anyone else who gives a shit about my OCs. Behold: THEIR INSTAGRAMS! This changes DAILY, but I always have some form of consistency when it comes to each one. This wouldn't be possible without @caesarflickermans' Instagram template!

For Celeste, I focus on very front-facing pictures with a warm, creamy color palette. Nothing extreme!

For Vance, his is very geared towards his native District 2, with little to no posts related to the Capitol. That was intentional because of both his image as a Victor, but also because it's where he's most comfortable. All of the pictures of his kids are in nature, which isn't what they focus on in their own accounts, but is where they are most comfortable too (at least for the two older ones). The picture in the far left middle row is the exception to the rule with young Celeste (FC'ed by Anya Taylor-Joy) in her extravagant wedding dress.

For Wren, he goes by his mothers theme of very front facing pictures, but doesn't have the same organization. Very much a current moment/hodgepodge of whatever is going through his mind. I purposefully gave him the most recent picture (top far left) as one of a mountain in 2, which he posted after he found out that he and his family wouldn't be going home for the Harvest festival that year and wanted to give the people of the Capitol a glimpse of his home. I am also partial to the middle picture of the middle row since that's a picture of Swan House (Snow's Mansion) that I took the first time I visited there!

For Cassia, she doesn't post too often, only on special occasions (like her father's birthday) or when she's told to by her team (like that top far right picture showing off a dress she wore for the Victory Tour that she hated). I also wanted to give her hints of her romantic life with the middle video of her and her partner, Angus, another Victor from District 10 (I think I made him the 69th? Idk, he's still a huge WIP).

And last but not least, Marina Livia Snow! I just finished hers up yesterday and this was the most difficult one to do by far I’m still not entirely sure if I like it! I wanted for her to have this eternal image of youthfulness and innocence as she is a literal child, the most Capitol of the trio, and she's also Snow's favorite so double whammy! And as we all know, it is only the children in the Capitol who are allowed to maintain their innocence. I wanted hers to be very bright, very social and very materialistic (I think I succeeded in the latter in an earlier draft of it, but that's neither here nor there). I wanted hers to mirror her mothers the most in terms of content and color, as a proximity to whiteness.

I wanted their story highlights to all have a similar format, from parents to children.

For Celeste because she is always "on," I decided to start with her prep first before going into her family. The pictures she chose for them are equally beautiful and presentable. I also wanted to her to have a sense of ownership over them, hence "my" XYZ for everyone.

For Vance I had him start with "quarries/mountains/rivers/rocks" based off a Peacekeeping funeral song I wrote. As for his family, I made sure that Celeste was still a bit more Capitol as that is her area of comfort, and for his two eldest children to be out in 2, along with their district nicknames.

For Wren, I wanted there to be joy and laughter seeping out of the pictures of his family, as a ways to remind himself of those times [the last one is of his partner in District 7, more on him later].

For Cassia, I wanted the pictures of her parents to be very one-dimensional and distant since that's more or less how she feels about them post-Games. Another silly picture for Wren, of course, and another hint to her partner, who the people nicknamed "The Butcher." I also wanted to have a Pre-and-Post story highlight for her to have everyone be that much more aware of the shift in public image after the Games.

And finally, for Marina's story highlights of her family, I wanted them to be very casual, with Celeste's seeming as such as it's still heavily manufactured for this sense of casualness (think "Beauty Base Zero").

[little-de-vil]

19, 20, & 22 for dealers choice!

Babe, this took me so long so I really hope you like it!🥺🥺🥺

From this ask game:

19. How do they silently/subtly express their love for each other? I’ll be talking about both The Happy Couple (Celeste and Vance) and 27 (Madon and Lathe Sheraton) I have a thing to S last names, I guess, his partner from 7. I wanted to differentiate they way each couple expresses their physical love not just because they are their own couple, but because of their circumstances and the way they move about the world. For Celeste and Vance, I wanted their relationship to be around consent. When Celeste first saw Vance after he won, she asked if she could take his hand; from then on, I realized that their love comes from consent and autonomy, especially with Vance! To quote my girlfriend 3 times when I first told her this: “like the idea of acknowledging that u will never fully know another person’s comfort levels within a specific moment is so real! and genuine and humble!!!!” / “and Lest asking that question is such a lovely question bc it’s telling the other person: i have your best intentions in mind and this is not a solely self-serving, righteous act i’m going to do by offering comfort. and acknowledging that they’re going to do what’s best for the other person.” / “BECAUSE THEY UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCEEEEE (of consent). AND NEVER MAKE IT SEEM LIKE A HASSLE. ITS HOW THEY SHOW LOVE!!!” I really just wanted them to be open about how and when they are confutable with showing their love. As for 27, they are the opposite side of the spectrum depending on their location! If they’re in 7, they are not as open with their physical affection because they don’t really need to be, they don’t have to prove their love. Not to say that the Happy Couple needs to prove theirs, but it’s different for the boys. They aren’t watched the same way they are if they had met in the Capitol, it’s honest, not voyeristic. They’re usually apart, not physically close, but they treasure quiet moments together, whether it be working side by side at Lathe’s family shop or just in the woods, a few yards apart, taking in the beauty. But when they’re in the Capitol it’s a whole different ball game! They are not overly affectionate, but they can seem t overcompensate their love by being very physical.  Wren is so antithetical to his parents love. He's so aware of him and his partners body and how their love is so open and unasked; so fully known by both parties. To once again quote my girlfriend, “at some stage in a relationship, there’s blanket consent. like u don’t have to ask ur partner every time if u can kiss them bc it’s implied yes :’).”

20. What clothes/accessories do they steal from each other? This has been so hard for me to answer because I’m so not silly/goofy about my OCs, I take this very seriously & this is such a cute silly/goofy question lol. But if I really had to think about it, I would say Lathe usually steals Wren’s fancy jewelry in the Capitol, which he doesn’t really care about EXCEPT FOR HIS EARRINGS, DON’T TOUCH THOSE! Madon tends to take Lathe’s flannels so much so that Lathe’s grandmother stitches Madon’s name onto one of his to designate it as his own. His old Peacekeeping buddies there joke around that he looks more like a tradesman than an army grunt, but then again he’s never been one for uniforms.

22. How do they apologize after arguments? This is usually the case for the Happy Couple, after lots of separation to process not only the argument but their response, they tend to come together and just talk. A lot of their relationship is based on communication and honesty, and because they are both two people with vasts knowledge and experiences of truly horrific things, they know it’s best of not hold that all in. So, they talk over a few drinks and maybe a cigar when the kids are asleep, sometimes late at night walking around the gardens.

[little-de-vil]

11 & 12

It's so funny that you're sending this right as I'm working on your other ask. STOP FOLLOWING ME /s

a WIP you'd like to finish someday Oh God, where to start? I have so many, but the one I love & know will be the most cathartic to finish is Not Going Home for Harvest. I found a year old audio message I made at like 1 in the morning & I forgot how great this one scene is. I hope I can show it to the world one day.

a trope you're really into Idk, I'm not one for tropes. My go-to is just working off of *insert villain here, boom father!* But since this is something I've been working on for over 10 years, it feels a lot deeper than that. I love focusing on legacy and the impact and pressure it brings, how others react to it. Not much of a trope though, is it? Just a niche, I think.

[little-de-vil]

Some Vance lines that just popped up in my head. They’re all very sad, all mostly filled with the guilt of fatherhood, so tread with caution. I wanted to focus on that guilt, but also touch on how it stems from him being a Victor, because being a Victor is all about a lack of autonomy which I’ll touch on in a larger monologue if I ever get to it. A little gift for @tumblingghosts who was in her Vance feels the other day.

“I don’t want her to become like me! Like Whrancliffe. Who can barely look at our wives and children in the eyes knowing that the only reason we have them was because we murdered innocent children. I can’t let her have that.”

“I love you with all that I am, or whatever remains of me, Celeste…but there are days where I regret marrying you. It’s that much harder for me to pretend knowing that I’d be happier if you had let me suffer. My life would’ve been better if you hadn’t found me so interesting.”

“Cliffe, I ain’t asking you if Slough wants ‘em, I know she does. I’m asking you. Now, you keep this between the rabbet* but I never wanted kids. The last thing I wanted in my life, especially after those trumpets, was to become a father. Your Auntie was so happy when she told me she was pregnant. Babies are different in the city, a thing to slap your name on, little dolls to dress up. Here, we put ‘em to work the second they can move on their own, and barely bat an eye when they die in the mines, in their old age, or in the Games. She couldn’t understand that a baby here means an extension of your work and suffering, not a gift. And especially not to a Victor. But you might be different! Just…think of who you are now and who you could become after ‘em.”

*groove, or recess cut out of the edge or face of a surface, intended to receive/insert another rabbet

**usually used as an insult to refer to people who try to insert themselves into business that ain’t theirs, but in this case, it’s used to refer to Hawk (Vance’s HN) and Cliffe as the connecting pieces of wood at the edge

[little-de-vil]

i’m curious about the trio!

Good morning, darling! Have a fun day at work! Don’t forget to eat, drink water & take a break!

The Trio is a mini fic centering around each child’s life during certain impactful moments. For Madon, that’s him in 7 just after Johanna’s Victory & the joy of freedom from Peacekeeping coupled with Johanna’s torment. For Cass, it’s the sweet, slow months of her back in 2 after her Games & before the Tour & how her connectedness to what she considers her home has shifted. For Marina, it’s life in the Capitol & how she attempts to master & move throughout the world as a girl with immense power as her grandfathers favorite, & with immense ostracization/ridicule as a daughter of the districts. This will mostly focus on her decision to calling herself by her middle name, Livia.

I picture anything that I write for the series as vignettes, and this is no exception! 

[little-de-vil]

Hi! 29 for the ask game?

how easy is it for you to come up with titles?

Short answer: easy enough, I go based on the themes of whatever I have in my head even if I haven’t committed it to paper. I can see almost every detail of the story in my head, so the themes are easy to parse out and pick a title of.

Long answer: Lots of Fucking Research.

So for my main story, which I just like to use for everything, and whatever comes after that that I make its own little separate ficlet, I still place it under the main story title.

The title for everything that I’ve made is Snowfall Upon Sophroniscus, which I usually call Snowfall for short. It took me a while to decide on the title, more specifically the Sophroniscus part. This is one instance where I had decided on a character name based off of research for important Greco stonemasons in history, and stumbled upon Sophroniscus, Socretes’ father and actually helped build the Pantheon. I wanted there to be a connection between masonry within a powerful family and a powerful/important legacy, but one that is mostly forgotten for the son. I have decided on shortening the name to Sophro and kept the full name as the title. I always picture this as a show, I don’t think it would do well as a film because it’s just way too bloated, and I know that that tile wouldn’t work for film or television. Maybe just calling it Snowfall will work for that, but for now Snowfall Upon Sophroniscus is the full name.

[little-de-vil]

I’ve been seeing this everywhere but I just caught it with @maidstew & I wanna join in so here I go! All Silly OC Thoughts for my longfic Snowfall Upon Sophroniscus (which in my head is a just a TV show cutting back-and-forth in various times)

rules: list the names/titles of docs in your wip folder + open your inbox to asks about them!

Not Going Home For Harvest

New Spaces, New Faces

44 and Up

The Trio

& of course, the Lorata WtYGB kinda fic but with my Victor OCs

[little-de-vil]

A silly OC thought I just remembered that I know ya'll will get a kick out of:

To keep with the cyclical nature of @thegreatmelodrama reading the books and the connectedness of TBOSBAS, I’ve decided to give the kids the old Plinth apartment. As a retreat from the mansion. A bit more their style. Plus, Snow sees it as belonging to those from 2, no matter how "powerful" they are, so it’s only fair he give it to his grandchildren from 2 whom he will never see as Capitol, just as he never saw the Plinth’s. And it has the sharpness of 2 that their family works so hard to create with their hands. Though they come from an architecture background, so they're more used to studying a mix of foundations, structural integrity and aesthetics, but the mansion is far too classical for their tastes. This idea mostly came to me because I knew that if I put the Sophro family that is coming in for Harvest into the Capitol for this year(75th) that it would be way too many people living in that fucking mansion, and it would be very stuffed. So I thought it would be best if I put them into the old Plinth apartment where the kids usually stay when they don’t feel like being in a mansion.