#YES THIS IS ABOUT STINA AND FITZ

[camelspit]

this series is so long that theres time for incredibly written and beautiful character arcs to take place. the problem is that everytime there is one, shannon reverses it for petty drama that no one cares about.

[valewritessss]

The best part of reading books when I was younger was not knowing there was a fandom for it and getting to form my completely own opinions and having no one but myself to fuel my imagination

[the-great-gullon-incident]

I had the random thought of “What if a young 8 year old Fitz accidentally brought back a random 6ish year old human girl because when he asked if she was an elf she said yes. Wouldn’t that be funny.”

And now it’s divulged into an entire au where she stayed in the lost cities for the rest of her life and Sophie didn’t come there until she was about 17 when the black swan originally wanted her to move and since they can’t really go “hey here’s another girl raised by humans don’t question how we knew to look for her.” She gets brought to a black swan base where she hangs out and ends up befriending Dex and Stina(who get along moderately better then in the main story due to being both older and bonding over figuring out both their parents are secretly apart of a rebellion) as the only people her age that the Collective trusts enough to know about her without telling everyone, and the human girl befriends Marella and Jensi since they’re all “talentless” by the time they graduate.

[alaydabug2]

Kotlc tallest to shortest based on vibes and slightly inspired by cannon

1. Wylie: he seems like he'd be six foot something another, very tall

2. Fitz: at least six foot, could be a few inches taller

3. Keefe: like five eleven or smth

4. This is where it gets tricky, but I gotta say: Dex

5. Linh: she seems really tall to me, maybe five nine or ten

6. Stina: idc about cannon she is shorter than Linh

7. Speaking of being shorter than Linh: Tam, and he's salty about it, cause he ain't actually short, but compared to linh he's a dwarf.

8. Sophie: I don't get where short Sophie comes from, compared to others yes, but in general height, no, probably around five five

9. Biana: yeah she's short, five three maybe

10. Marella: at a whopping four foot eight

[myfairkatiecat]

KOTLC Songs

(ft. a lot of Olivia Rodrigo, but there are some other artists)

@iggydancebreak since you mentioned living these sorts of things!

(Feel free to add onto the list)

FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS! Fitz’s Olivia Rodrigo breakup music with Sophie!

Traitor (“you talked to her when we were together” and “guess you didn’t cheat but you’re still a traitor” and “remember I brought her up and you told me I was paranoid” and “I wish you would have thought this through before I went and fell in love with you”

Happier (“I hope you’re happy but not like how you were with me, I’m selfish I know, I can’t let you go, so find someone great but don’t find no one better, I hope you’re happy but don’t be happier” tell me that’s not his reaction to Sophie and Keefe)

Drivers License (“and you’re probably with that blonde guy who always made me doubt”)

Deja Vu (different lyrics but basically about how Keefe gives her gifts and chats with Sophie telepathically but that was Fitz and Sophie’s thing first)

OK NOW THAT FITZ HAS GOTTEN TO SING HIS ANGSTY BREAKUP MUSIC

Next up, Keefe Sencen’s complicated everything feelings!!

You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift (specifically in the early books!!) (“can’t you see that I’m the one who understands you, been here all along so why can’t you see, you belong with me” also that song talks all about being with that person who is perfect on paper but isn’t the right person)

That’s what makes you beautiful by One Direction is just objectively a Sokeefe song! (“You’re insecure, don’t know what for, you’re turning heads when you walk through the door” and “Everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else but you” and “you don’t know you’re beautiful, that’s what makes you beautiful”)

Enough for You by Olivia Rodrigo is Keefe to his parents, all you have to do is change the early lyrics about dating !! (“You say I’m never satisfied but I don’t think that’s true, you say I’m never satisfied but that’s not me it’s you, cause all I ever wanted was to be enough, but I don’t think anything could ever be enough, for you”)

The Grudge by Olivia Rodrigo is Keefe singing to his mother (“the trust that you betrayed, confusion that still lingers, you took everything I loved and crushed it in between youre fingers” and “I hear your voice every time that I think I’m not enough” and “I try to be tough but I want to scream how could anybody do the things you did so easily” and “I say that I’m fine, but you know I can’t let it go, I’ve tried I’ve tried I’ve tried” and “I try to understand how you could do this all to me” and “I know in my heart hurt people hurt people, we both drew blood, but man those cuts were never equal” and “do you think I deserved it all, your flowers filled with vitriol”) just ahdkfhskahddk

ALL THE THINGS SHE SAID!!! I cannot stress how KEEFE this song is. But specifically the bridge: “mother looking at me, tell me what do you see? Yes I’ve lost my mind… daddy looking at me, will I ever be free? Have I crossed the line? All the things she said, all the things she said, running through my head, running through my head, running through my head…” especially with “have I crossed the line” being the betrayal and “all the things she said” being his mother talking about Keefe’s legacy, embracing the change……… IT’S HIM.

Family Line by Conan Gray I have already mentioned before, but just. “All that I did to try to undo it, all of my pain and all youre excuses, I was a kid but I wasn’t clueless, someone who loves you wouldn’t do this” I’m gonna cry it’s him and I’m gonna cry

And now onto random Olivia Rodrigo songs that make me think of kotlc!

Lacy is Stina singing about Sophie. (“Lacy oh lacy, skin like puff pastry, aren’t you the sweetest thing on this side of hell. Lacy oh lacy, eyes wide as daisies, did I ever tell you that I’m not doing well” and “I care I care I care” and “you’ve got the one thing that I want” “aren’t you the greatest thing to ever exist” and “Lacy oh lacy, it’s like you’re out to get me, you poison every little thing that I do”) IS THAT NOT PROVIDING SO MUCH PERSPECTIVE. IS THAT NOT HOW STINA FEELS

Can’t Catch me Now is Jolie haunting Brant. (“There’s blood on the side of the mountain, there’s writing all over the wall, shadows of us are still dancing, in every room in every hall” and “all of the messes you made, yeah you think that you got away” and “I’m in the trees, I’m in the breeze, my footsteps on the ground, you’ll see my face in every place, but you can’t catch me now” and “you think I’m gone cause I left” and “you can’t, you can’t catch me now, I’m coming like a storm into your town, you can’t, you can’t catch me now, I’m higher than the hopes that you brought down” and “sometimes the fire you founded don’t burn the way you you’d expect, oh you thought that this was the end”) SCREAMING CRYING IS THAT NOT RUEDACTED IN A SONG

I WANT TO HEAR EVERYBODY’S THOUGHTS

[shadowuserannie]

KOTLC Miraculous AU

So it goes without saying;

Marinette: Sophie

Adrien: Fitz

I know, I know. (prepares to get attacked, holds up shield) BUT THINK ABOUT IT. FITZ BEING FORCED BY ALDEN TO BE PERFECT. FITZ GETTING TO UNLEASH HIS INNER ANGER AND INNER KEEFE AS CHAT NOIR (because YES, let Keefe infect all the people that love him)

This is FANFICTION I CAN MAKE A NONTOXIC FITZ AND DO WHAT I WANT

Besides, I want a character journey where Fitz learns his true personality; not the jaded but joking Detruire (it means destruction in French, I like the name) and not the picture-perfect Fitz Vacker. A guy toeing the line between both. Being pessimistic but not too jaded, learning to let go of the mask of optimism and finding people still like the person underneath. Being sassy but kind and still TRYING HIS BEST BUT NOT PERFECTLY. Let him find who he is!!

So the rest are a little more complicated, but;

Alya: Dex. Let Dex create the Ladyblog and get popular as a result. Let him associate the Ladyblog with being liked and chasing Sophie's secret identity as a result. Let Sophie smack some sense into him and CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT TO MAKE HIM A GREAT BESTIE (because it'd be boring if they were all perfect at the start of the story)

Nino/Chloe: Keefe. HEAR ME OUT. Keefe growing up with Fitz because Alden approves of his family, but then Keefe becomes more rebellious and they can't meet up as often anymore BUT KEEFE REBELS. AND GETS FITZ TO REBEL MORE. AND GETS FITZ ENROLLED AT FOXFIRE NEXT TO HIM. Keefe rebelling against Cassius and accidentally becoming a bully because of it. Keefe realizing there's a line between pissing off his parents and hurting others to do it. Because THAT COULD BE GOOD. Keefe canonically goes pretty far in his attempts to piss off his father.

Also a possible Chloe: Stina. Stina got her own half-assed bullshitted redemption (wow Astruc, thanks SM) and DESERVES BETTER.

Oh but fun fact about Sophie; she's actually quick to categorize people as 'good' or 'evil'. So having Stina be mean to her and getting categorized as 'evil' as a result, but that eventually changing over time, would be a good application of her KOTLC character development to this AU.

So ik that on a surface level, Keefe fits Adrien's role better than Fitz-daddy issues, blond hair, et cetera. BUT. I realized that while it would be fun, a story with Fitz would be harder to write and thus more interesting-plus I realized that somehow I have to integrate the other characters PLUS BIANA in, so a wild ride overall! It'd be the same refresh, repeat, if they were all exactly like their roles.

ALSO THEY ARE CANONICALLY DIFFERENT AGES. LEMME JUST-(screams internally)

(@tiana4evahh I am so sorry I got sidetracked reading the KOTLC graphic novel I might just publish the KOTLC human! superhero! AU first)

THIS IS MY FIRST DRAFT/RUNTHROUGH. STUFF MAY CHANGE IN FUTURE POSTS

(or I may also scrap this AU entirely?)

[the-way-astray]

if you were the author of kotlc, what would be different? (besides keefe)

i'm so sorry this is so late, anon, but every time i feel like i'm done and up to posting i feel the urge to add something else. here's a (long) list:

representation/diversity stuff

it would be completely normal to be queer in the lost cities. you tell the matchmakers what your sexuality is and if you don't know then they just assume you're pan and are cool with any gender. also, they don’t care if you’re trans and there are plenty of elixirs (temporary and permanent) to help with transitions and dysphoria. the elves are still scared of blood and sharp things though, so instead of top/bottom surgery, there’s permanent elixirs that can change . . . what you’ve got down there. recovery time is also zero

fitz and dex becomes canon. but don't you ship keefitz- yes, sir, i do indeed. but the sad truth (for me) is that fidex is more suitable for canon and keefitz is more of a fanon daydream. it brings both fitz's arc about learning the world isn't perfect and dex's arc about not judging vackers just for being vackers to a satisfying close

stina is non-binary and goes by they/them

sophie is a (straight) trans girl, mostly because it would be funny as hell. alden and fitz spend twelve years looking for a boy, but sophie’s on puberty blockers and goes by sophie, so they miss her completely. forkle has to send alden the article on sophie three times before alden realizes the “boy” they’ve been searching for might be a girl. sophie’s transness was the best defense against being found by the neverseen all along. sophie’s also alienated by her senior class’s transphobic thoughts towards her. when she goes to the lost cities, they treat it like it’s completely normal and della gives her a gender-affirming elixir with her birth fund. this is never brought up again and is completely irrelevant to the rest of the story

talked about this a tiny bit in my keefe rant but the sexism in the supposedly un-sexist world really grates on me. i would take it all out. sophie wouldn't be forced into wearing girly clothes all the time, either by herself or by anyone else. women frequently do/wear "masculine" things and vice versa. oh, and alden wears a dress at one point. also, foxfire uniforms are unisex. definitely no weird sexist comments made by keefe or anyone else. the lost cities are truly and really gender-equal

alden and della are t4t

the women aren't all housewives that get like one over-the-top girlboss-y moment because shannon realized she was being unintentionally sexist

female characters are allowed to be angry instead of sad more and are allowed to yell instead of cry more

della is a more prominent character. edaline is a more prominent character. juline is a more prominent character

cut down on poc stereotypes (like quinlin and livvy's crumbling marriage, prentice being in jail for his son's entire teenagehood, tiger parent songs, comparing tam and linh to both k-pop idols and anime . . . )

the main vacker family are all poc

the main heks family are all poc

bronte is a poc

tiergan is a poc

the elves have normal-colored eyes and the thing that makes sophie different visually is that she's the only elf not to have pointed ears (and i would erase the whole “elves only get pointy ears as they age” thing). all the poc have brown eyes, including the vackers (i'm so sorry, fitz). sophie tries to cover her non-pointed ears with her hair as a sign of insecurity, which could be related to the way she used to hide behind her hair in her high school senior class

the poc don’t all have dyed hair (tam, linh, maruca) and are allowed to keep their natural hair color

despite the lost cities’ progressiveness when it comes to gender and sexuality, polyamory is not socially acceptable because it is considered “imperfect”. sophie learns about this and campaigns against it

there's two polyam relationships: alden, della, grady, and edaline, and tiergan, prentice and cyrah

vacker stuff

alden and della's trust issues and generally fucked up relationship are explored (but minus the forced gender roles because i took out the sexism)

alvar is closer emotionally to sophie (kind of like alden), making his betrayal feel less cheap

the pressure for vackers to be perfect in every way is explored more

fitz is not demonized just because he and sophie didn’t work out

fitz and biana are twins, actually. alden and della just hid it really, really well

alvar knew that fitz and biana were twins and tried to use this as blackmail to get them to join the neverseen because he genuinely loved his little siblings and hated betraying them (his gripes were with his parents and the immense pressure put on him because he was a vacker). when they refuse, he makes good on his threat, leading to actual repercussions that affect the story (alden and della are kicked out of the nobility)

brant is a vacker and that's why his name is redacted (could still happen) and alden and della know his parents

tiergan and alden used to be best friends canon for real for real (could still happen, i guess)

biana's scars arc is given the time it needs to feel like a full arc and not a half-baked two-scene wonder. also she has scars on her face, too

fitz actually kills alvar (could still happen, i suppose)

biana's feelings with regards to alvar are explored more

keefe and alvar lore is expanded upon

ruewen/dizznee stuff

more stories of jolie. we don't really get to know her for her. maybe from brant, or grady and edaline, or someone. stories of mundane things, like her worst subject and her hobbies and her ex-friends and her conjuring classes and what she got her friends for midterms and how she got in trouble and grady and edaline's parties and how she picked a fight with anyone that put brant down

grady and edaline's parties are talked about more when people bring up how different they used to be

the fact that jolie died in an everblaze fire is actually acknowledged

the ruewens are just as prominent a family as the vackers because on the original council, just like fallon vacker was a member, there was also a ruewen

ruewen is juline and edaline's name, which is why grady took edaline's and also why juline took kesler's because that is a sign that she's literally forsaking her incredibly prominent noble family for a life of scorn. it's also why edaline and grady hoped jolie and brant would end up together (because a vacker and a ruewen together is like. the ultimate noble couple)

juline's struggles with adjusting to a life of scorn are acknowledged because it couldn't have been easy to be the top of the top falling all the way to the bottom of the hierarchy. she beats herself up about this, too, thinking it means she doesn't actually love kesler. he reassures her that he understands but she still feels guilty

the triplets act like actual twelve-year-olds instead of six

dex's family is more relevant, as the primary bad match couple and an example of the lost cities’ injustices (the main point of the story)

the lost cities inequalities/other worldbuilding stuff

sophie campaigns for rights for pyrokinetics, shades, talentless people, twins, bad matches, polyamorous people like the moonlark she's supposed to be and the entire point of the story isn't forgotten

the fact that councillors are the only ones allowed to elect and impeach other councillors is called out and fixed (could still happen, i guess)

the elvin justice system is fixed (vackers are not let off easier just because they're vackers, the council's say isn't what decides a person's fate) (could still happen, maybe)

exile is made out to be the horrendous prison it is and in the end, is banned. sophie heals the minds of everyone with a broken mind in the end (i honestly don't think shannon's going to do this. but hey. she might)

controversial: the elves' relative beauty is emphasized more. i think it should be immediately obvious to humans that something's off when an elf is around. they look too beautiful, almost ethereal, and it makes humans uneasy, but they can't quite put a finger on why that is. this is also why sophie had no friends and even her family felt strange around her. that scene in nightfall where the girls are staring at tam and fitz? well actually, they’re trying their hardest to avoid the group. humans are fleeing left and right at the sign of the group, but they can’t really put a finger on why they feel so off

shades are not allowed to take the elite levels. the ability isn't banned or anything, but they are barred from the elite levels anyway. sophie and co call this out

vanishing and flashing is one ability. hydrokinetic and cyrokinetic is one ability. mesmering and beguiling is one ability. empathy and inflicting is one ability. also there's an earth ability and it's not just given to the dwarves because man, that's cheap

the dwarves and gnomes are one species that can control plants and are really good with minerals. they are still in charge of exile, though, because plants roots can go that far deep or something. this means there are no gnomish slaves servants

there is confirmed to be a third school where you go if you aren't a noble and also not a criminal

the segregation that happens between the classes with regards to mysterium and atlantis is acknowledged

other types of couples are explored, such as talentless-talentless matched couples and talented-talented bad matches. nuance is acknowledged

that rule about councillors not being allowed to be married is challenged. i don't care whether it actually gets revoked or not, but i want it to be challenged (could still happen, i suppose)

if it does get revoked, councillor fitz! (could still happen, maybe)

at the end of the series, a multispecial council with two representatives from each species is formed with the goal of promoting equality among all species. this is different from the actual rulers of each species (could still happen)

talentless people are allowed to serve in the nobility at the end (probably will happen, would be weird if shannon didn't do that. but just saying in case)

controversial: cognates are erased. i don't like the concept of cognates very much. i find it makes telepathy too overpowered compared to other abilities. i'm so sorry, keepblr

the council are called out publicly for their unfair treatment of talentless people, pyrokinetics, shades, twins, bad matches, and polyamorous relationships by the neverseen. this leads to the sophie and the black swan being conflicted

black swan/neverseen stuff

gethen is kenric and oralie’s secret child. this gives gethen an interesting motive, makes us question kenric and oralie, characters we are supposed to like, makes sophie have to grapple with the fact that her half-brother by blood is a neverseen member, and gives oralie an internal conflict

glimmer is keefe's twin sister and lady gisela's daughter, explaining why she's so loyal and how she ended up with the neverseen (she was kicked out by cassius, who didn't want the shame of twins). keefe is forced to grapple with this

. . . or maybe glimmer just. wouldn't exist. i don't know

brant, vespera, umber, and possibly alvar wouldn't have died such anti-climatic deaths

vespera and biana face-off. brant and edaline face-off. umber gets a proper backstory (which still might happen). umber and trix are a bad match (which still might happen)

cut the keefe’s legacy plotline. fintan stays the main villain the entire series instead of randomly being hijacked by gisela halfway through

cut the forkle twin reveal

cut the trolls and everglen plotline. fitz kills alvar a different way

cut the timeline to extinction plotline and silveny/greyfell. i'm sorry, but it adds nothing to the overall story besides "the neverseen are evil and want to control the council"

cut the lodestar symbol plotline. it was interesting, but took too much page time for a plotline that effectively ended up changing nothing about the overall story

cut the criterion plotline. it's never brought up again anyway and takes too much time for something that goes nowhere

cut the gnomish plague plotline. it didn't have much of an impact on the overall plot. all it proves is "the neverseen are evil", which is kind of the point of the story. also dimitar's project is never brought up again

cut team valiant. it never should've happened

cut the lodestar initiative plotline. It’s too vague and hasn’t affected anything important to the overall story in a while

cut the boy who disappeared plotline. it added nothing except "alvar is evil". also, don’t have fintan purposefully spill the beans about alvar. the black swan find out he's part of the neverseen a different way

cut the unmatchable sophie plotline. instead have the elves do matchmaking by dna. the point of this plotline is to show why matchmaking is unfair, but the system targets talentless people and pyrokinetics more than anyone else, so it feels forced to try to have sophie be a victim of it. sophie has a (non-pyrokinetic) ability, so she can’t be oppressed by the matchmaking system. sophie isn't affected by the matchmaking system in the way that it's supposed to target its victims, so the plotline fails to showcase the real reason matchmaking is unfair

instead, have the black swan and sophie actually listen to the povs of characters who are directly affected by matchmaking and fix it

marella's dad pushed marella's mom off the balcony (he’s not trix, though) (could still happen, i suppose)

fintan ends up being sophie's biological father (could still happen. pretty likely actually. but just in case)

the black swan are actually competent and don't throw away the entire point of their organization by working with the council

the black swan actually fight for change instead of hiding in the shadows

sophie realizes that forkle sucks over the course of the series and never talks to him again after the end

fintan is confirmed to have long hair and a flat ass from the start

fintan and vespera are confirmed to be childhood friends and fintan is confirmed to be the councillor that threw her in the dungeon. this means that there is tension between them when fintan breaks vespera out

the black swan learn about this and sophie comes up with a plan to divide and conquer by taking advantage of this rift and worsening it. this gives sophie a chance to actually use her brain to fight the neverseen instead of her abilities. the black swan hatch a plan to subtly worsen fintan and vespera's relationship: through the use of a double agent, keefe

this leads to the keefe double agent storyline, where keefe learns to listen to other people and consult them on his plans, and actually works toward a very specific goal (try to split the neverseen into two neverseens: fintan’s neverseen and vespera’s neverseen by subtly turning them against each other). the plan actually ends up working, but there are serious repercussions that actually affect the story (in the process, keefe is slightly indoctrinated by the neverseen and starts to sympathize with them and even bonds with fintan a little bit, which alarms sophie and co)

the neverseen actually act like a found family (with the exception of fintan and vespera)

the collective hire people to throw the council off their scent

bronte and fintan are confirmed to have had a thing that didn't work out

fintan is thrown in jail by a heartbroken bronte at the end of the story

after fintan’s captured, he still trains marella in pyrokinesis

livvy opens up a medical school

instead of dying, vespera is locked up again. this is her worst fear, and a fate worse than death for her

the neverseen are not a large group, like shannon implies. it's no more then twenty people. this actually makes them more terrifying than not, because if such a small group can cause such large scale damage, then that is alarming and the council looks extra incompetent

writing stuff

multiple perspectives. but not evenly. like 80% of the story would still be sophie's pov, but here and there there are chapters sprinkled in from other characters' perspectives as a break

a few chapters from the adults' povs that go into stuff they got up to before the series

a few chapters from the neverseen members’ povs

a few chapters from sophie and co's povs

the love triangle takes a backseat to the actual plot

keefe and fitz actually act like best friends

the cast is cut down significantly to just sophie, fitz, keefe, biana, dex, marella, stina, and wylie (i’m so sorry tam, linh, maruca, and jensi). there are just too many characters. instead of tam and linh being from exillium, have marella manifest earlier and get kicked out to exillium, highlighting the injustice against pyrokinetics through someone in sophie’s own friend group and making the injustice much more jarring and in-your-face. sophie, biana, fitz, dex, and keefe go to exillium later as well and meet marella there

stina's arc would not have been undone. instead, there would be a conversation between her and dex about how stina apologizes for bullying him and we learn that the reason she did that was to deflect attention off of herself and her own parents' shaky match status by pretending she was better than dex, a "real" bad match's child (the book would be multiple povs, so this would be possible)

dex and sophie never kiss and remain purely platonic friends for the entire series. erase dex's crush on sophie entirely. because we need a single purely platonic male-female relationship goddammit

sophie ends up single, but takes away something from both her relationship with keefe and her relationship with fitz

prentice and sophie's first conversation after prentice wakes up is actually meaningful

the series is only four books long because please shannon i can't handle this anymore

move the lumenaria-collapse climax to the second-to-last (third) book. that plotline slapped so hard and shannon had no business losing it in the middle of the series like it was just some random neverseen plan. it needs to be given the proper weight, so it needs to be the climax that truly showcases the neverseen's might and wit that finally kicks sophie and co into gear and motivates them to knock out the neverseen for good in the last book

i don't know where shannon's going with this yet, so this is tentative, but: move the elysian/ability-to-strip-elves-of-their-abilities plotline to the third-to-last (second) book's climax, so that sophie and co can have a proper reason to not rely entirely on their abilities all the time and actually use their brains for the rest of the series (like the divide-and-conquer-the-neverseen plan)

first book's climax is still the kidnapping

last book's climax is they take the neverseen down for good and fix the lost cities' problems (i assume this will still happen)

miscellaneous stuff

terik is talentless. i'm going to be so honest: i don't think shannon's going to do it. the series isn't done but i feel like i know shannon's style well enough to be able to tell how far she's willing to go with regards to plot twists

keefe is adopted by elwin (could still happen)

the great gulon incident was such a great triumph that it actually made alina quit. she's elected to the council a few years later

whatever stina's parents did to get matched is finally revealed and they fall out of favor with the public. stina gets character development and a reason to help sophie fix the world

alden and della and grady and edaline actually all act like friends (partners?) with inside jokes and not coworkers that only come to each other with problems. sophie wakes up and comes downstairs for breakfast and della and grady are chatting about dinosaurs. she goes into grady and edaline's room and alden's there, helping them pick a new wallpaper. she goes to everglen after school to play with fitz and biana and goes inside and edaline and alden are chilling on the couch talking about how that team got absolutely crushed at the latest bramble match. she goes outside and sees della getting thrown around by verdi and grady, edaline, and alden are laughing at her. and this is like. normal stuff. they're the kinds of friends where they can just show up to each other's houses and it's not a big deal. edaline and grady's dna is on everglen's gate

everglen's gate is explicitly said to also have security measures protecting it from levitators, because that is currently a plot hole

alden is not a century older than della. this is not because i think it's toxic. this is because i want alden, della, edaline, grady, tiergan, prentice, cadence, and quinlin to have all been foxfire friends and that's kind of not possible if alden and della are a century apart

grady, edaline, della and alden's blind spots with regards to the way society is laid out is acknowledged and actually a major part of the story. they are prominent nobles, after all. at the end they all become more aware of the lost cities' problems and are at the forefront of change

timkin and kesler end up best friends by the end of the story somehow. they realize they are in the same situation in different lightings. timkin (and vika) help out at slurps and burps by the end of the story as an apology

that's all for now, but there's probably something else that'll come up that'll make me go "oh, shannon should've done this instead!!!" so. there may be a part two, i don't know

[autistic-daydreamer]

Was thinking about what weapons they'd use in the pjo au so here are the ones I have so far (and these aren't all at the beginning of the series, just generally their staple weapon):

Sophie: a spear, I imagine that it's made out of a material that makes it easy for her to zap people with it (so basically metal) and is about as long as a lacrosse stick. <- when on quests it's kept in a lacrosse stick looking case so it isn't suspicious (the mist would make the spear look like a lacrosse stick)

Fitz: something akin to a falcata sword? Like that sort of shape but longer. I'm not very knowledgeable about swords and fighting techniques so that might change idk

Dex: comically large hammer. Yes I am serious. I imagine he would do something to make it compact and carry-able (mix of machinery and magic) and can take it out and make it change into the hammer so he can beat up monsters. Element of surprise, ya'know? (he has a lot of upper body strength so he can wack monsters with the very heavy hammer)

Stina: bow and arrow, arming sword for closer range. Not much to it. In my au Stina is really good at archery and even teaches the class occasionally. Again, not very knowledgeable abt swords so idk if that's the best option for close range but I don't think she'd use a dagger unless it's a last resort.

[sunshinerainbowpeace-blog]

Stellarlune’s characterization: my thoughts

It’s funny, there were a lot of complaints about the characterization of characters in Stellarlune that I was expecting something much worse...am I seriously the only person who thought the characterization was not only fine, but REALLY GOOD? Linh was good, Fitz was good, everyone was good, (I’m a bit iffy about Stina but I get the dynamic she provided and the reasoning for it). And I love how basically every character got their own focus and little moments to shine. Especially considering the sheer size of the core cast.

Linh’s reaction to Glimmer makes sense. We literally had an entire short story from her perspective about how much she doesn’t trust Glimmer. Her anger came from a place of worry and concern for her brother, and it’s not like she doesn’t have valid reasons for it (I mean, Glimmer let Gisela go! That can’t be overlooked!). She’s worried that his time in the Neverseen changed Tam, and doesn’t know how to deal with how he’s changed so much (to her). I loved getting to see this new messy and insecure side to her, it felt like she’s gotten new depth and development (personally I felt her character was a little stagnant since Nightfall). I enjoy seeing the strain on the twins’ bond, and I know they’ll make it through this and come out stronger than ever.

And Fitz. He was written so well??? I’ll admit I’ve never been the biggest Fitz fan, but I enjoyed the direction taken with his character this book (then again my second favorite portrayal of Fitz in the books was in Legacy so maybe this says something more about me?). Anyways, it felt like a final clearing the air of everything that’s happened between him and Sophie, full of raw honesty and learning to rebuild their relationship back into a strong friendship. They’re not quite there yet, but it is getting there. We get to see how he feels about being the golden child pushed aside, his discomfort with Sophie’s new way of handling the Neverseen, and yes, even his thoughts on the love triangle. Which is important! We could clearly see the thick, awkward tension surrounding him, Sophie, and Keefe in Legacy, and we’re finally dealing with it! And it’s uncomfortable and messy, but that’s because that’s how things like that go. Even Sophie admits to herself that she would probably feel the same if their roles were reversed. The whole point of their cognate plotline was learning that Sokeefe AND their cognatedom CAN coexist, with communication, talking things out, and (in the future) knowing what doesn’t need to be said.

So yeah...I liked Stellarlune. I honestly think it’s one of the books where the character writing is the best. I only talked about Linh and Fitz, but I could pretty much go on and on about every character.

[crymeariveronceagain]

If the world was ending, would they try to stop it?

Sophie Foster: Yes. Of course. Is this even a question? She'd die for anyone. She'd kill for anyone. It's the only way to live, anyhow.

Keefe Sencen: Not anymore. If the world was ending, he'd go home, and simply let it.

Fitz Vacker: probably. He'd never be able to forgive himself if he didn't try, right?

Biana Vacker: No. If the world is ending. The world is ending. Are you not content to enjoy your last few moments of life?

Tam Song: No. Let the world fend for itself. Let it fight its own battles. He's done. It's useless, anyways.

Linh Song: Yes. She'd bite her tongue about how useless it is, this is the end of time, the end of reality, and yet. She would make the last few hours worth it to whoever's around to see it.

Marella Redek: absolutely not. The world has never done her a single favor. Why would she ever fight to defend it.

Dex Dizznee: Yes. There is something in him that pushes him forward to fight for the good in the world, even as it falls to pieces around him.

Stina Heks: Yes. She'll complain the whole time, but she is loyal, and deep down, she's terrified of what's coming next. She'll fight to her last breath to stop the world from ending.

Maruca Chebota: Yes. But only because she doesn't want to do nothing.

Glimmer Alenefar: Yes. Her heart's too big for her body. And, really. She can't accept the fact that the world is going to end.

Wylie Endal: no. He's going home. It's been too long a life already, and he's only 24.

[just-a-honey-badger]

could i request some marelliana and first kiss please?

so. yeah i did it! finally! it took two months but i did it! beta read by @the-blender-of-the-genders

it's under the cut btw <3

Biana laughed as ae watched Fitz awkwardly squish himself onto Keefe’s lap as a dare from Stina. Ae could tell they both secretly enjoyed it, even if they’d never admit it. Keefe’s face was flushed bright red and Fitz was touching the middle of his palms, something Biana noticed he only did when he got nervous. 

"Fitz, your turn to do a truth or dare," Stina told him. Unfortunately, he wasn’t paying attention, as he was too busy admiring Keefe. 

"Fitz!" ae called. He turned toward aer. "Stop staring at Keefe, dude, it’s your turn to go!"

"In my defence, I wasn’t staring," he said, trying (and failing) to regain his composure. "Anyways, uh, Marella! Truth or dare?"

Biana quickly looked at Marella, immediately regretting it after Sophie gave aer a suggestive eyebrow raise. Ae rolled aer eyes in an attempt to hide aer fear of Marella finding out. 

Although, aer inner voice began, it might not be the worst thing to happen. They could like you back! Or they might not, and that’s okay. It would suck, but at least you don’t have to keep this secret anymore. 

Ae shook the thought away. Ae wouldn’t dare tell them, even though there was an 80% chance they already knew. Anyways. 

"Hmm, that’s hard." Marella sighed, before eventually making their choice. "Dare."

Fitz’s mouth stretched into a grin that made Biana want to curl up into a ball. He was almost definitely thinking about how he could humiliate aer as much as possible. Ae started to regret telling him about aer personal life. 

"I dare you," he began, "to propose to someone in this room—like the humans do—completely seriously."

Ae sighed with relief. No uncontrollable blushing for aer, right?

Wrong.

———————————————

They didn’t have to go over to Biana. They could’ve just gone with someone like Keefe or Tam, just for the joke. But to be honest, it felt good to make aer flushed. 

Marella walked over to Biana and smirked. Ae rubbed aer hands down aer face, but Marella could see that ae was smiling underneath. 

"Hold on, gimme a sec. I need tears," they said. They proceeded to try and fake-cry by widening their eyes and staring at the ceiling, but after about fifteen seconds they gave up.

They knelt down in front of aer and straightened their imaginary bowtie. "Biana Amberly Ae/aer-fuck-the-gender-binary Vacker, will you make me the happiest person in the Lost Cities and marry me?" 

"Oh my god," cried Biana, through tears of aer own—probably from laughter; everyone else was laughing and Marella was barely keeping it together. "Yes, yes, a million times yes! Oh, I can’t even say that with a straight face. I’m too gay for this." That’s what it took for them both to explode into laughter, leaning on each other for support. 

They made eye contact, and suddenly everything else faded into the background. The world was made of just them, and for that brief period, everything seemed perfect. Marella wouldn’t have changed a thing.

"I don’t want to break up you lovebirds, but it’s your turn, Marella," said Linh, trying to cover up vir giggles. 

"Oh. Shit, okay. Biana." They turned towards aer, trying to put on a suggestive smirk to cover up how flustered they were. "Truth or dare?"

"Fuck you, darling," ae said. 

"Shouldn’t we wait a bit for that? I mean, we just got engaged. Our friends are all here." Marella grinned smugly as Biana rolled aer eyes.

"I pick dare," Biana decided. 

"I dare you to spend ten minutes in a closet with me."

"Sure." 

———————————————

Ae almost cried when they said that. All of it. It seemed surprisingly genuine—almost rehearsed. 

Marella sat down next to Biana. "So. Hi," they said quietly, in stark contrast to their normal loud, energetic voice. 

"Hi," ae replied. 

"You’re probably wondering what the fuck that was."

"Very much so."

"Basically, uh, I. I like you. A lot." They paused, awaited aer reaction. Biana has no idea what ae looked like in that moment, but it probably wasn’t the calm smile ae was going for. Could they actually be telling the truth? Probably not. It was most likely just a stupid prank. 

Marella continued, oblivious to Biana’s deprecating thoughts. "Some would even call it love, should they know how intense it is. I love you more than you’ll ever know. Since Level Four, when we both had these new, queer feelings and didn’t know who to talk to so we turned to each other. I felt like you understood me better than anyone else in the world. I still do. No offense to Keefe."

"None taken. Continue your love confession," he replied through the door. 

"Thank you. Wait." They looked back at the door before resuming their rant. "Actually, I don’t care. As I was saying, seeing you smile alone can make my week. Everything about you just feels so perfect and I don’t understand how you don’t think so. I was so dedicated to you, to our friendship, and I felt my heart ripped in two when we drifted apart. Our relationship is something that I cherish so, so much and I don’t want to lose that—I never have—but then I did. And, after months of therapy and coming to terms with myself and my identity, I came to the rather huge realization that I love you, Biana. I really, really do. And you don’t have to do anything about this now, or at all. I just want you to know."

Biana tried to suppress aer grin, still plagued with the worry that it could be fake. Ae felt aer face burn brighter than ae thought possible. "Really?" 

"Yeah, duh," they teased, but there was no real teasing behind it. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it." 

They sat in silence for a few moments, sharing a glance or a smile every now and then. Biana didn't mind. Ae could have stayed like that forever and still be content. 

"Can I kiss you?" ae blurted out suddenly. "Sorry. That was random. Can I, though?"

"…Yeah. Please do."

Ae leaned forward, nervous and unprepared. Ae closed aer eyes—that’s what you’re supposed to do, right? Ae had no idea—and pressed aer lips against Marella’s.

It wasn’t perfect. Obviously. But it still meant something. It felt… different. New, exciting, good. Ae wanted to do it again. And again. And again. 

"Can we…" Marella looked shy, something ae still wasn’t used to. "Can we do that one more time?"

Biana nodded so quickly it hurt.

———————————————

[spaceagebachelormann]

INSTRUMENTS THEY WOULD PLAY

 ੈ✩‧₊˚ FANDOM: keeper of the lost cities

 ੈ✩‧₊˚ FORMAT: headcanon

 ੈ✩‧₊˚ WARNINGS: none

kotlc masterlist || masterlist || navigation

Sophie Foster

she plays trombone, but she’s really bad at it. imagine sitting next this short little blond girl desperately trying to hold up the trombone which is basically almost the same height as her while also trying to play it. she also plays flute, but she prefers trombone.

Keefe Sencen

so, he can play bass guitar, but he doesn’t?? instead of playing guitar which he’s very good he decided to play the tuba so he could follow fitz around while he walked.

Dex Dizznee

my man is a musical genius. plays multiple instruments. keyboards, flute, electric guitar, ukuele, you name it he’s played it atleast twice. he sticks with electric guitar though (totally not self projecting btw)

Fitz Vacker

i don’t care what you say he plays the cello. very sophisticated and advanced music. he’s putting mozart to shame with that oversized violin.

Biana Vacker

she doesn’t really play instruments, other than trumpet, she prefers to sing. but she does love that trumpet.

Jensi Babblos

he doesn’t have a good enough attention span to stick to one instrument, he just switches between them. he’s rather fond of the drums though

Tam Song

SAXOPHONE. tam playing sax lives rent free in my head. oh also he unenthusiastically played tambourine in his school band when he was 8

Linh Song

was forced to learn mandolin, but eventually she picked up recorder so she could piss off her parents. and yes it works.

Marella Redek

plays trumpet with biana. she’s very good at it and has played in orchestras. she tells people she doesn’t care about this, but really it’s her greatest achievement

Stina Heks

plays everything. she’s magical. she is the musical mastermind. puts dex to shame. no im jk she plays french horn

Maruca Chebota

clarinet. plays in the orchestra with marella. has probably won an award for her beautiful clarinet skills

Wylie Endal

didn’t have time for music, but would like to learn piano. rayni is thinking about offering to teach him

Rayni Aria

piano!! learned from her mother and stuck with it, some neverseen members liked to hear her playing the keys after a long day

[that-multi-fandom-mess]

!!Stellarlune Spoilers!!

more rambling guys, i have lots of thoughts

i can’t believe that sophie confessed first, like oh my god she has changed so much i’m like a proud parent rn

also, the way sophie kept assuming keefe would be mad about things because fitz was mad about those things (matchmaking, being a leader, etc) is just really sad i had to take a moment

Rayni is actually the most beautiful elf i’ve ever known and i want to know so much more about her

ummmmm why the hell am i suddenly sad about kenric and oralie??? like damn i never cared that much and honestly he’s kinda messed up but the fact that they could’ve been perfect for each other is just so bittersweet

and also edaline offered for keefe to sleep in jolie’s old room, my heart can’t take this, and when he was like, “that’s what a mom’s supposed to sound like” i- i can’t do this. 

GRADY AND KEEFE WORKING TOGETHER YES

ALSO I FUCKING KNEW THAT COMB BIANA DIDN’T WANT WAS GONNA BE IMPORTANT I KNEW IT I KNEW IT

THE WAY THAT DEX GOT MORE PAGE TIME

oh my god i hope jensi doesn’t die, it’s so nice to have him back. it’s horrible how he’s being judged by those stupid ass mfs

stina was kinda being rly annoying tbh like damn i thought she changed a little bit in legacy

fintan is back and insane as always

vespera is dead, i kinda wanted her to stay alive but oh well

okay but gisela being that violent was so..... idk how to say it but it was kinda.... cool? idk

bronte having curly hair was actually the best part of the book for me tbh like, he has curly hair. yes it makes him look soft but i really need him to grow it out again. for science.

the fact that i pictured keefe staying in some rundown motel and he was basically living like royalty most of the time is hilarious

fitz needs therapy is all i’m gonna say, yes it does hurt when your ex moves on so fast but come on man you were such an asshole to her

i can’t remember if alden and della ever made even one single appearance, they got the dex treatment

i fr thought sophie would commit more arson but we can’t have everything and we got sokeefe and gay ass tiergan so

[kindling-of-sorts]

looking for the shapes in the silence

a/n: if you squint hard enough this is the prequel to my kam superpower au that i haven't posted yet,,,, enjoy!

[ao3]

pairing: keefitz

TWs: none

summary:

“I swear that I loved you,” Fitz blurts, words nearly incomprehensible but determined nonetheless. For a moment, Keefe wonders if he’ll crumble. He hesitates a moment longer, and finds himself intact. “I know,” Keefe says, because he does.

Or: Keefe and Fitz are exes and Eternalia's greenhorn superheroes. They go out stargazing with their friends, and talk about their past.

word count: 1.5k

Their eyes meet, and the world does not end. 

Keefe and Fitz pause as the rest of the group stumble out of the van excitedly. The night sky is brilliant and sharp, and half a year ago, it would have reminded them of the other.

They smile at each other, and not at the reflection of themselves in the other’s eyes. If they rip their gaze away quickly enough, the mirror inside is easier to ignore.

Keefe looks away first. It doesn’t feel like victory or defeat, but quiet understanding. Silence is kinder to him, these days.

Biana calls for Fitz’s help on setting up the blankets, and the magic evanesces, if there was any at all. He’s getting better at letting go.

“I’m never trusting any of you ever again,” Stina announces loudly. “Stargazing, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. We literally drove twenty minutes to my backyard.”

“We asked you and you said yes,” Biana calls out, laying down on her back.

“I was playing Candy Crush!”

“No, you were supposed to be doing paperwork.”

“Shut up!”

Sophie sighs wordlessly, head in hands as she pulls Stina and Biana apart. Keefe thinks she might be tired of babysitting in case they start bickering. She’s running on three hours of sleep, which she excitedly told Keefe this morning, much to his chagrin.

“You guys are kind of killing the stargazing vibe right now,” Keefe says, thinly veiling a grin. The city sky is brilliant, but also just as bare as it has been for its very polluted history.

Once everyone settles down, Keefe sees Fitz has been kicked out from Biana’s. Fitz doesn’t fight back, even with Sophie’s equal, if not slightly less, exasperation across his face, though it’s hardly malicious.

Keefe doesn’t hide his smile this time. He’s never stopped being jealous of the Vackers, even after the tense glances and tenser arguments. As one of the rare insiders—if barely—Keefe saw their picture-perfect frame whole, then shattered, and then he realized the fractures were always there.

Still, the jealousy never dissipated. He’s a lot less ashamed of admitting that, now.

Fitz and Biana are a lot happier than they were half a year ago.

He’s proud of them, really. As heroes, as friends, as the closest thing to family he’s ever known.

He’s proud of Fitz. He loves him still.

They never stood together. That’s okay. One day, they will.

Keefe waves Fitz over when he catches him staring. Fitz’s eyes widen, a little, and tilts his head. Keefe recognizes the habit perhaps a moment too quickly.

Yet he doesn’t look away. He shouts, “If you stay there you’re gonna get your ass wet again!”

Fitz huffs, like the huff he always makes when something mildly amuses him. He rolls his eyes, even. Keefe counts it as a win.

Just as Keefe is about to speak again, Fitz stands up and stumbles his way over to Keefe’s blanket. 

“My jeans are already wet,” Fitz almost complains, but his tone is light enough that it sounds like an observation. It’s actually a bit more disconcerting that way. “Biana is ruthless.”

Keefe snorts. “We all know.”

When their laughter fades, they let their friends’ quickly moving attention span entertain them. Their current debate topic is the validity of the artificial cherry flavor. 

“The city’s most promising up-and-coming heroes,” Keefe muses, “arguing over whether cherry flavored Twizzlers actually taste like cherry or not.”

“You would be there waxing poetic about your burning passion for Twizzlers right now if I wasn’t here,” Fitz mutters, head tilted back to observe the spanning, empty night.

“You’re wrong, I hate Twizzlers.” Keefe flashes his teeth unabashedly. “You haven’t left me yet.”

Fitz’s gaze softens, and Keefe might just melt with it. He did, not too long ago, a lifetime before tonight.

“Yeah.” Fitz gulps. “I haven’t.”

The following silence is awkward, but not cruel. It follows, yes, but it doesn’t chase.

They never stopped talking. It’s hard to, when they’re both in every other mission together. Their friends are the same, though that’s kind of inevitable, considering their group is the only heroes around their age.

“Do you remember when we went stargazing in the countryside when we were eight?” Keefe asks. 

Fitz’s expression brightens in recognition. “Of course I do.”

“You were so excited, you fell asleep by the time we could actually see the stars, and I had to wake you up.” Keefe nudges Fitz with his arm. The touch doesn’t spark anymore.

“I lived in Eternalia my entire life and couldn’t leave! Of course I was excited,” Fitz says.

Keefe tilts his head. “You weren’t wrong. It was one of the only interesting things in that town.”

“It’s your hometown.”

“Exactly,” Keefe drawls. “Not my home anymore.”

Fitz offers an indecipherable hum. “It was beautiful. I remember it being beautiful.”

“You went home crying. I think that was, like, a life-altering moment for eight-year-old you.”

Fitz drags his hand across his face, but the sheepish smile is impossible to miss.

“Why do you think I came here today in the first place?”

“Uh, Biana manhandled you across the city?”

“Stina’s house is not across the city.”

“Did I lie?”

Fitz doesn’t dignify that with a response, and shakes his head. That smile hasn’t left. “No, I—I wanted to think, I guess. Just sit down and think.”

“Me too. I guess.” Keefe is at a loss for witty responses. Fitz has a way of making people lose their words.

The reminiscing pauses, and the quiet feels tenser. Keefe fidgets, drawing the blanket closer to himself. He opens his mouth to say something, anything—

“I swear that I loved you,” Fitz blurts, words nearly incomprehensible but determined nonetheless.

For a moment, Keefe wonders if he’ll crumble. He hesitates a moment longer, and finds himself intact.

“I know,” Keefe says, because he does.

“I still think about you.”

At that, Keefe laughs. It sounds more genuine than any he’s shared today. “I know.”

Since they gave up.

Fitz’s eyelashes flutter against his cheek as he studies a particular star, or so Keefe guesses. Keefe is following Fitz’s eyes again. Old habits die hard—but slow.

“I still miss you.” Fitz looks like he musters all of his courage as he fixes his eyes on Keefe’s. There’s resolve in the stare. Strength. Not walls between them.

Keefe opens his mouth, and finds it dry. Still, he speaks. It is the only thing he knows.

“I know.”

“And I know I’ve said it a hundred times, but I’m—I’m sorry.”

The desperate boy in front of Keefe is not Fitzroy Vacker, but something more intimate. Perhaps more than the one he kissed.

He still remembers how Fitz’s lips felt on his own. Everyone marvels over their softness, but Keefe remembers them chapped and trembling.

Keefe has ruined so many secrets. He won’t let this one become one of them.

“You’re an idiot,” Keefe declares, “and I love you.” Now. Present tense. Because it’s true.

Fitz looks at him again. Shit, those eyes. Keefe can’t forget those eyes, burning, hurting, exciting. He doesn’t want to.

“And we’ll be okay.” Keefe grabs Fitz by his shoulders, limbs twisting oddly in the uncomfortable position. “Promise.”

A minute passes, then another, and Keefe has half a mind to start shaking Fitz. He worries he said something wrong. Fuck, did he cross the line? He shouldn’t have—

“I can’t really give you my pinky like this,” Fitz mumbles, and there’s that huff again.

Keefe smiles. “I don’t care. Promise.”

“I promise.” Fitz doesn’t hesitate.

“You’re going to be so good, and I’ll be right there cheering you on,” Keefe says firmly, because it’s easier than, I won’t stare at your back all day anymore, or, I’m sorry I can’t let you go, or, I hope I can love you in a way that matters.

“We’re going to be so good,” Fitz counters, “most promising heroes, and all that.”

“I think I might have heard you say more run-on sentences today than in the past sixteen years.”

Fitz sputters. “You have a way of making people ruin perfectly good grammar.”

“I think you’re just easy to make fun of.”

Fitz laughs, not huffs, vivid and lilting. Keefe breathes, and decides Fitz is the brightest star he could ever gaze at tonight.

“Linh Song, you are a filthy traitor.” Dex seethes, who Keefe finds to be drawing twenty-four. “I cannot believe I ever trusted your innocent act.”

Linh shrugs with a polite smile. Dex continues wallowing as everyone groans and finished their round of Uno. The champion is Linh. Again. For the fourth time in a row.

“Oh, I am going to obliterate everyone,” Keefe says.

“I’m sure you will.”

“You are literally the worst at every board game ever.”

Fitz’s eyes gleam. For all the prim and proper facades he’s managed to plaster, his competitiveness has been left untamed.

“Thank you,” Fitz says, gentle, and the words unsaid are not hidden.

“Me too,” Keefe whispers, and corrects himself: the magic never left.

[bookwyrminspiration]

Hi i have some shipping questions just for fun! What're your favorite kotlc ships? which ship do you think has the most creative potential when in your hands? Are there ships you like to read about but wouldn't write about?

(yes this includes fanon interpretations of characters/ships and the canon ones, you always have cool commentary so i'm ok if you talk about either side!)

hope you have a good day!

I also hope you have a good day! I'll preface this by saying I'm the kind of queer where romance doesn't interest me/I don't often notice it, so I'm not super involved or opinionated. I can still answer the questions, just letting you know where I'm coming from :)

I think my favorite ship is keefitz, there's something compelling about them. It's something to do with how long they've known each other, what they've been through together, the "perfect" boy and the trouble maker finding out they aren't as many worlds apart as they thought. From Keefe's pov its about being loved and cared for by someone he always saw as untouchable and so far above him and realizing he has worth, for Fitz it's about embracing imperfection and realizing he can be loved and cared for for his imperfections, not in spite of him. And for both of them, that there are people who can and will weather their rough patches by their side without having to ask. with all they've gone through and the ups and downs, it also adds a sort of ambiguity at times as to who/what they are to each other that I very much appreciate--I love undefined but incredibly meaningful connections

(addition: i'm also fond of tiertice because of the fandom, and have a soft spot for sokeefitz because of lucas, but right now keefitz is my favorite)

As for creative potential in my hands, I'm not sure! I think ships/characters I enjoy more have more potential because I'm more motivated to create and try new things with them. I will say I've been increasingly thinking about titz recently (because fitz and tam are my favorite characters), so I'm curious what I could do with them. There's also more potential not just for characters I like, but for ones I know better. I know Sophie and Keefe much better than say, Marella and Stina, so it's easy to play around with them even though they're not my favorite because I can keep them in character in different situations better. So I wouldn't say there's one with the most creative potential, just that I can do more with dynamics/characters I'm familiar with because I'm comfortable writing them. Which includes Sophie, Keefe, Fitz at the top, since they've gotten more focus in the series

And I don't think there's any ship I really read but wouldn't write for--I have to admit, for being a fic writer I don't actually read a lot of fics just in general. And since I'm not a romance person and a healthy portion of fics are ship focused, I end up reading fic even less. I'll do it for fun from time to time if an interesting sounding one crosses my dash or to support a friend (I say, still not having finished Summer's keefitz fic), but reading fic isn't a big thing for me. I prefer writing it. But back to the point, for keeper nothing immediately comes to mind that I'd read but wouldn't write. I'm pretty open to writing a variety of ships :)

I hope those answers are satisfactory, but I'm always down to talk more! And thank you for the comment about my cool commentary, nice to know I have interesting things to say sometimes!

[an-ungraceful-swan]

have a rough draft for a scene from a fic I will never finish

The table rammed into Sophie’s hip- or rather, the other way around, and she pitched forward in slow motion, slinging her food directly onto the chest of the student sitting there. She cringed her eyes shut, bracing herself for a verbal barrage.

In a cruel twist of fate, Sophie opened her eyes to none other than Stina Heks herself.

Stina looked from her soiled clothes to Sophie, a look of unbridled disgust upon her face. She shot Sophie a glare full of loathing as she stood. The relentless eye contact was terrifying, to say the least.

“Haven’t you anything to say, Foster?”

“S-sorry,” she stammered out, pink filling her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to-“

“It happened regardless of your intention.”

Words failed Sophie, cowed under Stina’s stare. She couldn’t concentrate enough to respond, taken in by full lips and commanding eyes.

“Consider this your first warning, New Girl. There won’t be a second.”

“Ye-yeah,” she managed, watching as Stina swept away, regal in her exit.

She couldn’t help but wonder what would happen after an inevitable second blunder.

What seemed like an eternity later, she registered Keefe talking to her. Or, at her.

“Earth to Foster? Ground control to the Mysterious Miss F? I just have to say, I’m not thrilled by her use of my nickname for you. Who gave her the right?“

“Uh, it’s my last name though? So probably my birth certificate or something?”

“Rhetorical joke, oh dear one,” he clarified, sighing in mock exasperation. “Let’s get you a new lunch.”

Sophie nodded, and let herself be pulled away from the scene, eyes still glued to where Stina had left.

“Exams season is coming up,” Keefe continued. “Fitz is always first in my level, with me second. I have a photographic memory, so I have nothing to worry about.”

“So do I,” Sophie blurted.

“Then you’re set! Stina always comes first, so she’s who you’ve got to beat.”

“It’s not a competition, is it?”

Keefe side-eyed her.

“No,” he said slowly. “It isn’t. But there's a pretty good incentive. If you don’t pass, you get kicked out.”

Sophie’s jaw dropped, eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. She’d always been good at school, but it was harder here. The curriculum was faster-paced, and material more advanced.

“Did the Ruewens not explain this to you?”

“Clearly,” Biana retorted, rolling her eyes. She fell in beside them, having only caught the last bits of their conversation. “Is she in shock?”

“I believe so.”

“I am not in shock,” Sophie snapped. “I’m mentally reviewing my grades.”

“Don’t bother. The rankings are on the wall.”

She turned towards where Biana had waved to at breakneck speed, eyes roving over names and numbers.

Biana Vacker - 7th Dexter Dizznee - 5th Sophie Foster - 2nd

And, as promised:

Stina Heks - 1st

"I thought I'd be lower, after what happened in Chemistry."

"I talked to my Dad, and since you misunderstood due to regional differences, you aren't getting marked down," Biana explained. "Lady Galvin even admitted you had done everything correctly up to that point, so it won't have an impact on your grade. She said the burn on your hand was punishment enough."

"You should be rewarded for the entertainment, if anything."

"Okay, don't be rude," Biana said, laughing as she elbowed Keefe.  "She doesn't need a reminder. If it were me, I would be hiding in my dorm room out of embarrassment."

"You would not! You'd be flaunting it, Miss Popular. Don't be so modest."

Sophie took a new tray, filling it with the same things she'd gotten before. 

"I can't believe I spilled food all over my new roommate," she groused. "Why couldn't it have been literally anyone else?"

"For a minute there, I forgot you were rooming with her. Did Marella tell you about how her last five roommates demanded to be switched?"

"I'm sure that's an exaggeration. She's not that bad, just really . . . focused."

"Focused."

"Yeah, like tunnel vision when it comes to school. I don't think I've ever seen her break routine."

"A hedgehog, honing in on the kill," Keefe narrated, dark and serious.

"Why a hedgehog?"

"Because she's so prickly. Like a cactus!"

"Which am I, a hedgehog, or a cactus," Stina deadpanned, walking briskly past.

"What is she, Wonder Woman? How'd she get changed that fast?"

"I don't know, but I'd pay good money for the ability," Biana affirmed.

"I mean, our dorm room is the closest to the mess hall.”

“Still not enough,” Keefe decided. “She’s a witch.”

Oh shit I’m in love with this