#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?)

[moonlightswritingandstuff]

maybe the real elysian was the friends we made along the way (well, i mean. it's definitely that island there. but it could also be the friends we made along the way)

Sophie and Fitz are rival pirate captains, in perhaps the loosest sense of that word. Nonetheless, both have found themselves on the hunt for Elysian, the mysterious treasure beyond all treasures.

wordcount: 9.7k

for best results (and notes): read on ao3

for @keeper-big-bang-2024, with @wow-youre-so-pretty and @fanartofthelostcities

Sophie has never been one for dramatics. Her lovely, amazing, absolutely splendid first mate Marella can be, though.

Which is why it is not a particular surprise when Marella bursts out into all smiles when she greets Sophie in the captain's cabin.

(Sophie has never been particularly good at getting out of her own head, occasionally. Too many years, before the call of the sea, in which Sophie spent time where none tried to or wanted to speak to her. She still counts it no small miracle that she became captain of The Moonlark.)

Marella unfurls a map upon her map-table, grinning ear-to-ear. "I believe, my dear Captain, that we have found where Elysian may be."

Sophie feels her eyes grow wide and her mouth mold to a smile. "If we find it, we're set for life."

"First place to go to," Marella says, "is Havenfield, back where we formed our crew!"

«»

"I think I found Elysian," Biana tells Fitz and Keefe one day. "Not quite sure, though."

She points to the map on the wall, and grabs a couple of pins. "I'm pretty sure we have to start here," she says, outlining the route. "Avoid the whirlpool, of course, wouldn't want to get caught up in that, of course."

"Of course."

"So, our first location is, unfortunately, Everglen."

Fitz makes a face, and Keefe frowns. "Be ye certain, arrr, matey?"

(They all know not to question Keefe about his weird speech now.)

"Yes."

«»

There's nothing Sophie loves more than her ship, the Moonlark. When the cogs start turning, and the gears creak, and the steam releases from the chutes, Sophie has found home. The sea beckons forth, and Sophie and the Moonlark move as one.

The Moonlark is her ship, painted red and black with iron long rusted-over. The oil drips and leaks, sometimes, and the boiler door is almost impossible to open, but the Moonlark is Sophie's home and heart.

The crew, too. Besides her beloved navigator and first mate Marella, she has three other crew members: Stina, the treasurer; Dex, the cook and official technician; and Jensi, their doctor.

Sophie loves the Moonlark, and if Elysian lives up to the rumours, it can handily allow Sophie to ensure the Moonlark keeps sailing until she dies, and that Dex can get all the material he needs to fix up the crew and build them necessary robotic implements.

Elysian could very well ensure the Moonlark's survival for decades.

So Sophie needs Elysian.

(And if the crew of the Sea-Sparkle tries to stop her, they'll have a very bad time indeed.)

"Set course for Havenfield!" Sophie shouts, and a cheer goes up in the crew as Marella switches the navigation towards the place they all came from.

«»

Fitz loves the sea. It is tandemb to home to him, and his ship, the Sea-Sparkle (Keefe and Biana, unfortunately, are a collective menace when they've ganged up on him), is a manifestation of his love for the sea.

Fitz can't go back to who he was before, when he and Biana were grounded. Fitz has his beloved crew - Keefe, his first mate and treasurer (he's surprisingly good at managing their funds); Biana, his sister, second mate, and navigator; Maruca, the cook; Tam, their doctor; and Linh - and all of them understand what it feels to be grounded. What it feels to be unable to leave somewhere, what it feels to be trapped.

If Fitz can help it, he's never going back - which is why he needs Elysian. The treasure from Elysian could mean that Fitz and his crew never have to go back to where they were.

And although he hates it, they come to a consensus together - they will go back to Everglen.

"Set course for Everglen," he orders, and the gears start grinding, the steam goes off, and Fitz is able to relax, just a little.

(The mood is subdued; everyone knows why they're going to Everglen. Ideally, they'll find Elysian a good few years before the Moonlark hears of any rumours.)

«»

They linger in Havenfield, probably longer than they should. Sophie catches up with her parents, Marella pays for more years for her mother's care, Stina visits her parents and, perhaps more importantly, their horses, Dex picks up ingredients and materials and shares new recipes with his father, and Jensi spends some of his time getting sloshed with his friend Valin in the town pub and some of his time buying an increasingly incessant amount of stationary.

Havenfield is where they all came from. Well, Sophie ran away and was adopted by her parents, but everyone else was born in Havenfield, and they all set out together. Havenfield is no pirate heaven, but Sophie and her crew adore the moving island. The Moonlark is but a offshoot of Havenfield, even with its distinctive chipped red paint and rusted over bronze.

When they finally find what they're looking for - a luckily unwaterlogged chest in a barely hidden cave. It has a single stone, the biggest pearl Sophie's ever seen, but orange in a way no other pearl is, and a piece of paper.

<i>One of six.

When the lady of the moon glows full,And the sky hangs high and dark above,

A favourite resting of your kind, as we know—

And, one more thing, follow the silver-white dove.</i>

"That is an abysmal poem," Stina says.

"But it tells us our next clue," Sophie replies, and reads it twice over. "I think that we have to go to Alluveterre."

Alluveterre is one of the crew's favourite places to go, so no one protests - it will be nice to catch up with other pirate crews and find somewhere they have no chance of being stolen from.

Alluveterre is a haven, in short, and Sophie thinks that this is one of the easiest treasure hunts she's ever been on.

«»

Fitz hates being back at Everglen. The duchy is beautiful, vibrant, and rich - there's no doubt of that - but it aches of <i>Vacker</i> wealth, and it reminds Fitz exactly why he and Biana left.

They look too much like Vackers, anyway, so Biana and him are stuck, moored to docks a full league out to shore as Linh, Tam, and Keefe go out. Maruca is also a familiar face in Everglen, and they don't want to get attacked for being too familiar.

"I hope they're not away for much longer," Biana mutters, tapping at the table. Fitz hopes so, too - Linh's prosthetic arm isn't very conspicuous, with what it drips oil occasionally and lets off steam, the brass gears grinding away.

And to those who live in Everglen, the steam powered ships and locomotives and life of the people outside is... a stark difference. Everglen is clean, clean, spotless, stifling.

Fitz loves his ship, and it is the opposite of Everglen: the Sea-Sparkle has rusted over copper and chipping teal paint, brass gears and dirt in its corners. The sails are fraying a little - Keefe has promised to sew them up - and the piano is a little off-tune, and its ivory keys are yellowed, but it still works.

Fitz hasn't been to Everglen since him, Biana, and Maruca left, arriving incidentially at Alluveterre, meeting Keefe, and having enough money to buy a boat between the four of them.

(Linh and Tam joined later, when they found two more like them, who were running from gilded cages.)

Biana stands up, sits down, and starts playing on the piano. It's a nervous habit she developed after years of lessons. Fitz bakes, instead.

Maruca pets Lady Sassyfur, their ship’s cat.

They sit in silence (except for the tune on the piano) for a little, all of them nervous. They don't want Keefe, Linh, and Tam to get caught, and Fitz knows that they're overdue for a visit to Alluveterre so that Linh can get her arm properly fixed.

After a couple more minutes of tense silence, Maruca shouts that she's spotted the three missing members, and Biana abandons the piano in the middle of a piece.

And there they are, whole as they can be.

“We found this!” Linh exclaims, and drops a practically soaked chest on the deck. “We haven’t opened it yet.”

She then proceeds to smash the lock with her metal hand.

Fitz opens the chest, and inside is the largest pearl he’s ever seen, black with an undertone of green. Even without Elysian, the pearl itself could line their pockets for years, maintain the ship, and ensure they all have the latest medicines.

Biana holds the pearl in her hand, needing two hands to stabilize it. “My heart, dear lady,” she says, brandishing it towards Linh while dropping on one knee.

Linh blushes.

Fitz exchanges a glance with Tam. <i>That’s new.</i>

“Ooh, it be a riddle!” Keefe exclaims, fishing out a previously acknowledged piece of paper. “An' it be nearly ilegible.”

He shows it off to Fitz.

<i>One of six.

When the lady of the moon glows full,And the sky hangs high and dark above,

A favourite resting of your kind, as we know—

And, one more thing, follow the symbol of love.</i>

“So,” Fitz says, “Alluveterre at night?”

“The symbol of love has to be a heart,” Tam says.

“It be a stupid riddle,” Keefe adds.

"We need to go to Alluveterre anyway, with my arm's recent malfunctions."

Keefe nods, the pauses. “Bought me a little ship,” he says, showing them, “reminds me o’ me mam. ‘Tis important.”

Fitz smiles at him, as much as he wishes that Keee would let go of his parents, who never loved him like he loved them, and spurs the Sea-Sparkle on, and the familiar sounds of the steam escape into the air.

«»

Alluveterre is always breathtaking. Sophie doesn't know how she ever lived without it, the moving behemoth of a mechanical island, greenery growing in the cracks left over, ivy tendrils over precious ivory sacrificed to add aesthetical value to the structure.

Alluveterre is a safe haven, too. People live, unprovoked by the pirates who they, in turn, never turn away. No one attacks each other, and this safe haven is run entirely by Captain Forkle of the <i>Black Swan</i>. He styles himself Pirate King, even if no one listens and only acknowledges it out of care for Alluveterre.

Sophie and her crew pay thirty gold coins - two for each member of the crew and ten for the ship to dock - and enter Alluveterre.

They wasted quite a bit of time at Havenfield, so they follow a symbol of a silver-white dove through Alluveterre, through the markets and the gardens, to come out to a small garden, where a pearl, this time white with purple undertones rather than orange with flecks of yellow, and a slip of paper greet them.

<i>Three of six.

Go to the place where the lady of music sits,

She'll give you the next one, from her chest of wood,

if with you are your wits.</i>

"Another bad riddle," Marella sighs.

"It's got to be Lady Mai Song of Choralmere," Stina says. "It can't be anyone else. No one else would be referred to as the lady of music."

"Choralmere, then?" Sophie asks.

"I suppose," Dex says, "but did you see those goggles? I need new ones, I swear."

"Sure," Sophie says. "It's not like we need to pay more to stay longer."

And so they stay a little longer. Alluveterre is a beautiful place, and they only run into the crew of the Sea-Sparkle once, who seem occupied anyway, and Captain Fitz is still... everything.

And then they wake to the sound of a canon.

«»

Compared to Everglen, Alluveterre is paradise. The clean and sterile environment is nothing compared to the moving isle, with greenery dripping off ledges freely and natural. Fitz feels like he can breathe again, out of Everglen. They pay thirty-two gold coins on entry, and the clutter and noise and unkempt greenery is ease itself.

The hearts are easy to follow. They bump into the crew of the Moonlark once, but besides that, nothing interesting happens. Captain Sophie Foster is as intense as always.

They find the treasure easily, and its pearl has a sort of luster to it that tells Fitz it must be from the distant South Sea.

The slip of paper, too, seems consistent, given the two chests they have. Spirits are rather low on their trip, but it's okay - some time in Alluveterre will cheer them all up.

<i>Four of six.

Go to the place where the buildings glitter of jewels,

Find the lady wreathed in pink, and she'll give you the next one -

if among you there are no fools.</i>

"The place must be Eternalia," Maruca pieces together.

"The lady wreathed in pink is probably Councillor Oralie," Linh continues.

"Riddles?"

"Yeah, probably."

"Arr, matey, sounds fun!"

Everyone gives Keefe a look. He holds his hands up in mock surrender. "Ai, none o' me mateys care..."

"We do," Fitz says, "but please."

Keefe frowns, and Fitz immediately realizes his mistake.

"Oh, Keefe, I'm sorry," Linh says, and Fitz follows with it, and everyone else does, because when Keefe frowns like <i>that</i> they all know what it means.

«»

Alluveterre's inns are wonderful. But one day Sophie wakes up to canons, and gunfire, and she realizes harrowingly that for once, Alluveterre isn't rocking back and forth on the waves. It's anchored, it's still.

She shoots up in bed. Puts on her clothes. Grabs her rifle.

Her crew's outside already, and they all rush down, with everyone else. There's too many pirates. People wearing the uniforms of the kingdom of Everglen, teal and gold.

Sophie panics, a little.

Gunfire sounds.

Everyone scatters, Sophie included, and she doesn't even realize she's lost her crew until she's three blocks and one floor away from where she started.

She hides in an alleyway, only to find Captain Fitz Vacker in front of her, also without his crew, also panicking.

"Captain," he says.

"Captain," she replies, and if there's scorn in her voice, it's fine. It's fine. Alluveterre is going up in flames. Everglen has found it. She's lost her crew. "What do you want?"

"Please don't," Fitz says, than hesitates. "Can we work together? Twice the chances of getting out, right?"

Sophie pauses, and nods. "Sure."

Fitz nods, and opens a secret doorway. "The exit is on the path to a secret area my crew discovered. There's a boat, we can probably get out fast enough."

"Is it conspicuous enough?"

"I think," he says, "but if not, we pump the pipes as much as possible."

Sophie nods, and they rush into the door, locking it behind and barricading it for good measure. Fitz leads her through a narrow corridor straight to their other side of a building, and hesitantly opens the doorway.

He steps out. Sophie follows.

"Oh, it's good to have your acquaintance," none other than the prince of Everglen says.

«»

Fitz freezes. It's Alvar. It's Alvar. Steam and gears, it's <i>Alvar</i>.

"Alvar Vacker," Sophie spits, and Fitz admires her ability to do that at all, to forgo titles like they were nothing.

"Captain," Alvar nods. "I'm more concerned with my brother, however. How are you doing, Fitz?"

"Get away from me," Fitz says, and it comes out a little to stiff, a little too scared.

Sophie raises an eyebrow. Fitz can tell she's surprised about this.

"And how is our sister?"

"Far away from you and Everglen."

"Oh, but she isn't. What a coincidence, actually - some of your crew members in Everglen! Do give Keefe our thanks for purchasing that little model of a ship. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here."

Fitz's blood turns cold. How dare they, how dare they use his best friend to destroy his safe haven. How dare his brother come back in his life, his tone deceptively light, almost like small talk.

Alvar holds his sword in his hand, and Fitz sees the moment he registers everything. "It's a shame, Fitz. You always had a lot of... potential growing up."

How dare he, really. How dare he bring up the reason Fitz wanted out in the first place.

Sophie looks at him, and the little alliance they've built up registers, and Fitz shakes his head, a little, bringing out his own sword.

Alvar attacks. Fitz parries, Sophie stands to the side, ready to jump back in.

Alluveterre is crumbling around them, and parts of it fall from the lofty sky above, and crash on the ground. Gunfire, too, sounds around them, and the reliable sound of steam escaping to the air is gone.

Fitz is focused on Alvar. He blocks, parries, and suddenly - a sheet of brass, heavy and indescrutable, falls right on Alvar's head in between one second and the next.

Suddenly what was Alvar is crumpled under the brass, and Fitz barely stops himself from screaming. He rushes forward, and tries to haul the sheet off, Sophie running to help him, but then he pauses.

"What if I don't?" he whispers, and Sophie nods, for just a second, and so he pulls his hands away, and lets Alvar die.

«»

They run along secret passages that Fitz and Sophie know, either one or both, and eventually they reach what Fitz was talking about - a small edge of Alluveterre, there rests a single boat. Fitz turns it on, and Sophie accepts his hand to hop into it.

He's brimming with tension as they steer away from Alluveterre. Sophie told him that if they headed towards Havenfield, her crew would most definitely be there. And then they could help him find the Sea-Sparkle.

Sophie swallows. She hopes the Moonlark wasn't destroyed. She doesn't know what to do without her ship, with its chipped red paint and brass and bronze and wood, with her stuffed animal Ella in the corner of her bed, with her crew and the wide open sea in front of her.

But Fitz.

"Do you want to talk about that?" Sophie asks.

"Can I trust you?" Fitz shoots back. And, well, he has a point.

"I suppose not. But you have my word, on my ship, that I won't tell anyone."

"Lady Sea, our <i>ships</i>," Fitz swears, and Sophie registers it.

"What if they're destroyed?" Sophie says quietly, like the peace being made as Alluveterre burns could be shattered. "I can't... the Moonlark is mine. She can't be gone."

"My sister and my best friend named the Sea-Sparkle," Fitz says just as quietly, as Sophie looks behind her and finds Alluveterre out of sight, an island Fitz steered them around blocking the trail.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. They ganged up on me. Biana and I... we left Everglen for a reason, and now that's why it's burning."

Sophie lays a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault."

"I left Alvar there, and..."

"Fitz. It's okay. I don't blame you. You don't need to tell anyone."

"I've got to tell Biana, at least."

Sophie nods. “I’ll make sure you can.”

“What if she’s dead? What if they’re all dead?”

Sophie swallows. “Don’t go there.”

Fitz shakes his head, like he’s clearing his thoughts. He shuts his brown eyes.

Wait.

“If you’re a Vacker, why do you have brown eyes?” Sophie asks.

“Contacts,” Fitz replies. “Otherwise we’d be found in seconds.”

"I suppose," Sophie says. What she does not say is that she finds them quite lovely, the brown contacts, and she's sure his natural eye colour is beautiful, too.

Silence stretches between them, but Sophie is surprised to find it comfortable, not awkward.

«»

They arrive at Havenfield three days after Alluveterre burns and Alvar lays dead, and Fitz recognizes the Sea-Sparkle immediately, missing half its parts and barely staying afloat, but miraculously whole.

Sophie sees her Moonlark at the same time. She lets out a sound, somewhere between the release of a held breath and a sob, and she increases the speed of their little dingy until they are at max speed, racing towards their boats.

When they get close enough to see shore, Fitz lets out a shout as he sees his crew. There's Keefe, Tam, Maruca-

Fitz's world comes to a stop when he realizes that Biana isn't there. His sister. Is Fitz an only child now? Is he an only child because his siblings (may) be gone? He cannot be no one's brother. And Biana. Just days ago she was alive as ever, tipping her top hat with goggles on it, playing jigs and singing and smiling.

And she's no longer there.

She can't be dead. She can't be dead. She can't be dead. She can't be dead. She can't be dead. She can't be dead.

Please.

Please.

And suddenly they're docking and Fitz gets swarmed by Keefe and Tam and Maruca and Linh but not Biana. Not Biana. She's not here. She can't be dead.

Then they let him up, because they know something's gone wrong, and Fitz only has time to choke out his baby sister's name and—

"She'll be okay," Keefe says, for once not speaking in his odd vernacular. "Biana's okay, Fitz, she'll live."

"What happened?"

"She's..." Linh trails off, like she can't say anything.

Please let his sister be okay. The stars, the universe, the sea, even the gods Fitz left long in his childhood—

"Mirror glass scarred her all over," Tam tells him, "and she is swaddled in bandages. But she'll live, Fitz. We promise. The crew of the Sea-Sparkle led us to this doctor, and he's taking care of her."

Fitz can breathe again.

But he cannot stay here. He must leave the sea to see her. He has not, for many years, left the sea. He will now.

"Take me to Biana," he says, letting authority fill his voice, and they pull him along.

«»

Her crew is okay. The Moonlark is okay. They're all alive. Sophie could cry with relief.

"The Moonlark isn't in working order," Stina tells her, bluntly, when they're done being thankful they all still live.

"It can be fixed," Sophie says, confidently.

"We're missing a couple vital parts," Dex continues, "and so is the Sea-Sparkle. It’s not the greatest solution, but if we combine the ships we may have one very large, full-functioning ship. Add on the little ship that you and Captain Fitz brought, and we’re golden.”

“Do we trust them?”

“Trust is a two-way street, and between getting out of Alluveterre together, I don’t think the crew of the Sea-Sparkle will necessarily kill us.”

Sophie nods. “I suppose we can trust them. What about Elysian?”

“We still have our pearls,” Marella tells her. “And Ella, by the way. We knew you’d be devastated without her.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

«»

Fitz lets out a cry as soon as he sees Biana. She’s swaddled in bandages all along her side, and the man gives him a sad look when he sees her.

But she’s smiling, and playing with Lady Sassyfur, who scrambles out of the way when Fitz collapses into Biana’s arms.

“Oh, I’ll be fine, Fitz. Doctor Elwin is good, and I’m not going to get infected. Linh already came by, she's going to be just as annoying as you about this, I bet.”

Fitz is dimly aware of everyone leaving the room, leaving him and Biana alone.

“Did something happen?” she asks, slightly awkwardly, as Fitz doesn’t let go.

“Alvar led the attack,” he tells her, and Biana freezes.

“I let him die,” he continues, a coarse whisper.

Biana stays frozen.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “If you want to leave the ship or leave me here-”

“Fitz,” Biana says, softly, “it’s okay. Alvar-” she stops, like she’s unsure what to say, “Alvar… he was gone the day that he tried to stop us from leaving.”

She hugs him tighter, and Fitz collapses after three days of virtually no sleep, slipping out of consciousness next to her.

«»

The Moonlark is not doing well, for as far as Sophie can see. The boiler is open, leaked, unable to be used. A couple of the gears and pipes are unsalveagable.

Half of its port side is missing, too.

It'll take a bit of work. Sophie's already spoken to the crew of the Sea-Sparkle quite a bit, and has found that they have a perfectly functioning boiler, and good pipes and gears, but one of their masts is missing.

"Ours is fixable," Linh says, "it's not doing too bad. Just a few supplies, money we do have."

Sophie considers that and ends up drawing the logistics out for the Moonlark's purchases.

Well, until she ends up collapsing from lack of sleep.

When she wakes, she's in a familiar bed - her childhood one, Ella safely next to her.  It smells like home.

More specifically, it smells like her mother’s perfect mallowmelt, a true Edaline special.

It’s the first thing that Sophie ate after she was adopted. Her birth mother... Sophie doesn't usually think about her birth mother.

Edaline and Grady are much, much better.

Sophie walks down the stairs and smells the mallowmelt and knows she's home.

«»

The people of Havenfield are kind, and Fitz is able to buy a mast off them for what he knows is practically stealing at how low the price is.

(Fitz is a pirate. He has no qualms against stealing.)

His crew affixes the mast to their ship, and with another thank you and a little help for the Moonlark, they leave Havenfield.

They know where they're going next. Eternalia.

Now, it's not like Eternalia is a bad place, per se. It’s actually rather lovely. But it is like Everglen, obsessively perfect. The buildings are made of crystal. Last he checked, they had solid silver and plated gold everywhere.

It’s nauseating. And they surely must look for Councillor Oralie, one of the rulers of the sea and skyforsaken place. She is known tangentially for loving pink.

Luckily, the Councillors live in the sea-side, so it is a matter of ease to contact Councillor Oralie, who has her secret dock.

Oralie greets them, with no fear. Her arms are lined with gold bracelets, her hair filled with matching pins. Sparkling pink crystals on every one of them, mixed in with pale blue and shining white. Her gold hair glints in the light.

She looks like a doll.

She looks like a doll, like how Biana looked before they ran away. She looked caged.

Oralie looks like she has turned her chains into weapons.

"Greetings," she says, "I assume you are after Elysium."

"We are," Fitz confirms, and steps in front towards Oralie. "Captain Fitz Vacker of the Sea-Sparkle."

Oralie smiles. "May I request tea with you?"

“I suppose,” Fitz says, and thirty minutes later, Oralie has sat six pirates at her dining table. Linh’s mechanical arm is whirring as she drinks from her teacup. It’s much louder than out at sea, in Oralie’s picture-perfect silent dining room.

“I assume you’re here for the pearl,” Oralie says, with a prim, aristocratic Eternalian accent. She doesn’t blink twice at Linh’s arm, nor does she seem to mind the dirt they’ve inevitably tracked in. She’s more than Fitz expected.

“We are,” Fitz confirms.

“What do you plan to do with it?”

“Get a better ship. Get upgrades for Linh, a new piano, maybe. Retire, if it’s enough.”

Oralie smiles. “It may be unlike what you expect.”

“Is it a bad thing?” Maruca asks.

“It depends on if you think it is a bad thing," Oralie says. "I would not."

Fitz suspects she's being vague on purpose. Frustrating, but Fitz knows how to play the game, and so does his crew.

But what would Oralie consider a good thing that is not wealth? She is a politician - it could easily be defeating her enemies. Is Elysian a curse?

Fitz struggles to imagine his enemies. Many people may hate the crew of the Sea-Sparkle, but that is general disdain for pirates in general. The crew of the Moonlark were rivals, but Fitz does not think that he hates them, or that they are enemies - especially after they saved Biana's life.

No. It cannot be that. Oralie knows that many of the people of Eternalia hate pirates, and Fitz hopes she would have a little more of a self-preservation instinct.

But then again, she could be poisoning their drinks.

Fitz takes another sip of his tea. Given the hints, Fitz doubts Oralie would poison them.

Then what? It cannot be too much of a benefit for them, for any benefit for pirates is an immediate drawback for Eternalia. However, Oralie could be gambling that Fitz's crew would spare Eternalia if she helps them...

And that could imply that Elysian would help all pirates, not just Fitz and his crew - on that idea, Oralie's gamble makes sense. If Eternalia is how Elysian is discovered and it is a benefit to have, Oralie may be gambling that the pirates spare Eternalia in turn.

So what would Elysian be?

Fitz scrambles for an answer.

And then it hits him. Elysian could be like Alluveterre. Not only has Aluveterre made the crew of the Black Swan riches, it also provided a necessary safe haven.

But Fitz could also not be thinking of something. But he thinks it's the most probable thing.

"Here's your test," Oralie says, and Fitz's attention snaps back to her, "have I poisoned you?"

Keefe immediately bolts up. "If ye 'ave poisoned them, I swear ta the sea, sky, an' earth-"

"No," Fitz says, interrupting him, because he knows it's true. His crew all give him small smiles, and Fitz knows that they're going to let him handle this.

"How do you know that?"

Fitz tries to retrace his thought process. "I presume you signed onto this endeavour, and therefore would not poison us. Poisoning us does you no good in the long run, too. We're hardly the only pirates sailing on the sea. Plus, why would you, in this hypothetical situation, set up all these clues and rumours? You would have discovered Alluveterre - why not just storm that? That is, when it was still around?"

"Good," Oralie says. "You're correct. I have not poisoned you. What do you think Elysian is, then?"

Fitz hesitates a moment, unsure if he's right or not. "Another Alluveterre," he settles on. "You're gambling that the safe haven Elysian might provide with your assistance will be enough for most pirates to leave Eternalia alone."

Oralie offers a smile. "You know how to play the game, don't you, Fitz Vacker?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees most of his crew tighten up. He does too. "Not anymore."

Oralie shakes her head. "I know. I was hoping for something, though, a small favour, I suppose."

Fitz raises an eyebrow. "Give us the sixth pearl first."

Oralie nods, and walks over to a cabinet, opening it. She taps something a couple of times, entering in a passcode, and draws out a chest, just large enough for the right sized pearl.

She gives it to Fitz. "Here."

"What's your favour?" Fitz asks.

"I have a daughter," Oralie says, "and she ran away many years ago, around four. It was warranted, I'll admit, but I have always suspected she became a pirate. Please, if you see her, give her this note."

She hands Fitz a note. "You can read it. It's private, I suppose, but I don't care, as long as you find her."

"What's her name?" Fitz asks.

"Sophie," she says. "But I've kept you too long. You've got an island to find, don't you?"

Fitz hides his surprise at the name Sophie - it's very, very uncommon, and Fitz can name only one pirate named Sophie.

But he and his crew leave nonetheless.

(He peeks into the note.

<i>Dear Sophie,</i> it reads, <i>I love you. I always have and I always will. And for my failings, I am sorry, so deeply sorry. I know this is not much. I know it is not enough, and I know it will never be enough. All I ask for is another opportunity to see you, just once. If you do not want to see me, I won't search for you. I just miss you. You know where to find me, the same place as always. Love, your mother.</i>)

«»

"Onto Choralmere!" Marella declares.

Sophie smiles at the declaration. Choralmere is beautiful, of course, filled with nature and the sweet sounds of harp and lute and song.

But Sophie also knows of the story of its Lady's two children, who disappeared one day.

(If she thinks about her own mother, she refuses to acknowledge that. Oralie had been... not the best, but she had loved Sophie, for all her faults.)

But the Lady of Music, who rules over Choralmere, is said to be lonely now. Her husband dead for three years and her children gone for four.

Perhaps her heart is soft with grief and time, and it will be easy for them. Sophie doubts that.

But in any case, Choralmere is not hostile to pirates, and for that it is less attacked. In Choralmere, the only merit you recieve is through music.

Luckily, Sophie has Dex <i>and</i> Stina on her side, and they like music. It's not too difficult to gain passage, and Sophie momentarily wonders at all the different people here. So much talent in one place.

And at its crown, the best musician in the world. Lady Mai Song. A position in her court is beyond prestigious, and many musicians boast of their admittance to it, whether that is true or not.

Sophie has a different experience. She says she seeks Lady Song, and when questioned why, hesitates before saying it is for Elysian.

The messenger hurries along, and thirty minutes later Sophie and her crew are sitting in the splendour of Lady Song's dining hall, full of golden ornaments.

Sophie eyes them.

"Don't try," a voice says, and Sophie whips her head around to see Lady Mai Song.

She is as indomitable and as immaculate as the stories say. She is beautiful, too.

Her smile is as sharp as the knife Sophie has in her boot.

"It is lovely to meet you," Mai says, and she pours them all tea. It is the tea that Sophie knows is native to Choralmere - jasmine tea, she suspects it is the highest expense here.

"You too," Sophie says. "We are here for Elysian, as I'm sure you know."

"Indeed," Mai says. "It is not the treasure you may hope for, though, although it is a treasure many would seek."

She's never been the best at figuring out people, but she is still the daughter of Oralie, no matter how she tries to ignore it. And Oralie... she always knows how to figure out people.

Stina and Dex strike up an idle conversation with Mai about music. They're buying time for Sophie, she realizes.

It will only work for so long.

Mai knows what Elysian is, and she has been drafted to help them. That means that she likely doesn't have anything to lose by helping them and she doesn't want or need Elysian. Therefore, it's likely that Elysian isn't material wealth. Also, Mai is probably assuming that Sophie wants material wealth, but that's not the right type of treasure.

And Mai also thinks that it's something to be coveted, which means it's not useless, either, but it has to be something Mai has no use for.

And something that would be useful for a pirate.

And then it clicks.

Alluveterre is destroyed, but it was a center for trade, repair, and all kinds of pirate activities. An island like that would be useful for anyone, but Mai has no use for it because she already has an island and a large one at that. She is known for music, not naval capabilities, and Choralmere is more than an island. It is a myth. It moves, like most islands, but Mai does not need another. She just wants more music.

But Sophie could use it.

"But to the point," Mai ends. "I believe your captain has an answer for my questions. What is Elysian, Captain?"  

"It's an island," Sophie says, "like Alluveterre. A potential haven."

Mai nods. "And why would I not take it for myself, then?

"You have no use for it," Sophie says. "What else do you need? Choralmere is large enough, and you already have everything you could ask for. All you search for is more music, and another island will not help you with that."

Mai smiles. "Correct, Captain, on both points. I believe you have gained your next pearl."

She draws a chest out of a cabinet, and opens the lock with a key she had in her pocket. "Here is your pearl. But before you leave, I have a request."

"Of course," Sophie says.

"If you see my children, give them this note," Mai says, handing Sophie a piece of folded paper. "I suppose you can read it. I have always suspected my children ran off to be pirates. Their names are Tam and Linh."

Sophie knows Tam and Linh, and Mai seems to read that on her face. Mai just smiles.

Sophie lets the letter stay closed, and opens the chest. There sits a pearl, the darkest one she'd ever seen.

She draws out the note in it.

<i>Five of six.

At last, your treasure is on the horizon—

It will take more than what you have,

But if you can, go to the place with the weeping willows and golden path.</i>

"Now, go along," Mai says. "I shouldn't keep you waiting.

So Sophie and her crew leave, and as soon as they sail off, she reads the note out to them.

"I think it could be over in the west," Marella says.

"The west?" Sophie asks.

"Near Aster," Marella says. "Aster is where many willows grow, apparently. If there's anywhere it would be, it's near Aster, where they're native."

"Let's go," Sophie says.

«»

When they arrive at Aster, the Moonlark is already there, and Fitz can see Sophie smile into the breeze at their ship's entrance.

"The Sea-Sparkle!" Sophie calls. "I suppose you found Elysian too?"

"Oh, yes," Fitz calls back. He supposes that they're friendly now. "I don't suppose you only have half the pearls?"

"Oh, naturally! And you have the other half?"

"Of course. I suppose we'll need six, then."

Fitz, Keefe, and Biana hold their pearls; Sophie, Marella, and Stina hold theirs.

They find a golden path, just like the note says, lined with weeping willows. At the end is a gate, a thick wall that Fitz doesn't want to even begin climbing.

Plus, it has six pearl-shaped holes.

Fitz nods at Sophie, and they place their six pearls into the six notches. The gate shudders open.

«»

Beyond the gate is a mechanical island. Wisteria and weeping willows grow on it, intermixed with green copper and brass. It is large, larger than Alluveterre. It has a weird shape, too - a bulb on the top, a fan at the back.

"I suppose it's large enough for us to share," Sophie proposes.

"It most definitely is," Fitz agrees, and they embark onto the island.

It is beautiful, and Sophie watches Fitz man the steering wheel, and he turns it on, the eleven looking towards it.

It lifts up into the sky.

Sophie's heart goes to her throat. The world is so small, she decides, from up high. Fitz steers it towards the ocean, and lands it, everything growing larger as Elysian touches back down onto the water.

"This is amazing," Fitz says.

"It could be another Alluveterre," Sophie says, quietly, and the ten other people around her smile and agree.

It is theirs, now. It can rise to the sky if attacked. It is beautiful. It is everything.

Well, they need to grab their ships first, but Marella's studying a map with Biana.

"There's dry docks inside," Biana says. "I'll bet all my gold that we can put our ships in them."

Sophie would, too.

«»

<i><b>Five Years Later</i></b>

Fitz is profoundly glad that he went on the hunt to find Elysian. It's odd to say everything that has happened since.

Elysian is a hub of travel and trade for pirates. Dex runs a guild for repair. Biana and Linh are getting married - he never thought he'd see the day. Sophie visits her mother every once in a while. Tam and Linh have visited Mai once, but only for closure. They're glad that their mother is a better person than before, but it is too late for any relationship, Fitz thinks.

But solidly the best thing that's happened because of Elysian is Sophie. Fitz did not expect what he has with her now, but he knows their relationship is steadily changing, shifting away from friendship into something more romantic.

Fitz still sails, sometimes. But he no longer has to, and he values that more than he'd ever expect. Elysian is freedom, Elysian is not just the sea but also the sky.

Now, only if it could traverse the earth, too...

[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.

[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

[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

[rayniscatstatue]

“Kisses Before Parttles”

Word count: 732

Prompts: 17. “Gah! You have cold hands!”

30. “Did you just kiss me and run?”

63. “Somebody’s in love!”

Character relationships: Marella Redek and Linh Song (romantic), Marella Redek and Keefe Sencen (platonic)

Description: Linh kisses Marella in the school cafeteria as their first kiss then she races away. Marella is stunned as Keefe helps her figure things out.

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I tap my foot on the marble flooring as I wait in the incredibly long lunch line. I hate how many people go to this school sometimes. Like can teh council calm down on how many people the admit here.

Linh is waiting beside me, honestly the girl looks like she is about to dump water on my head.

“Hey, Linh.” I elbow her arm to get her attention. Her black a silver hair flying as she turns her head towards me.

“Yeah?” The girl asks.

Oh, I forget to mention that I have secretly had a crush on her since I knew her. I mean who can blame me? She flooded a city, she saved another, she is absolutely stunning and kind.

“Whatcha panning on getting?” I smirk at her.

“I don’t know, probably some parttles.” She shrugs.

“Ooo, share some with me then! I was planning on getting a mooncake and some lushberry juice.”

“Yeah, sure!” She smiles. I am praying that a blush isn’t rising up on my cheeks. We step forward in the lunch line, finally.

I can see Sophie, Tam, Biana and Jensi already seated. Maruca and Stina are before us in the line. While Keefe, Fitz and Dex are after us.

Honestly who knows how the four of them got through so quickly. I mean they snagged our usual table.

“Thanks!” I twist a braid around my finger. “I hate this line.”

“I mean, don’t we all?” Linh asks.

“Yeah I guess so.” I notice that the girl has taken a step closer to me. Something is about to happen.

I have always wondered if she liked me back. Then the next thing I know she presses her lips to mine.

My eyes fling shut as she runs off a second later, towards our usual table.

What. The. Fuck. Just. Happened?

“Did you just kiss me and run?!” I shout out after her as I see her sitting down next to her brother in the distance.

“Damn, Redek is pulling people.” I turn my head to see the person of the voice.

Keefe Sencen fucking skipped the line.

“I-I don’t know what happened!” I wave my arms around in disbelief as we take another few steps forward.

“Oh snap, your stuttering.” He laughs as Fitz and Dex don’t notice his disappearance. “Somebody’s in love!”

“Shut up!” A red flush crawls up my neck.

“Lies.” Keefe rolls his eyes. “Are you going to go after your girl or what?”

“I’ll get her some prattles first.” I shrug. “And myself a mooncake and lushberry juice.

Another few steps forward. We are slowly getting to the front of the line. Stina and Maruca have gone to sit down at this point.

“Good point, bribe the answers out of her with prattles.”

“Keefe, you suck.”

“I am so offended!” He fakes gasps are we take some more steps forward. One more person then me.

“Are you though.” I elbow him in the rib cage. Turning back to the lunch lady.

“What would you like dear?” She asks.

“A box of prattles, one mooncake and a lushberry juice please.” I request as she conjures everything up on a tray. I grab the tray as I wait for Keefe. Standing next to him.

“You dear?” She asks him.

“Uhmm, Sweetberry swirls and some cinnacreme.” He grabs the tray as it appears. “Appealed to see you waiting for me Redek.”

“I am actually being kind, now shut up.” I start fast walking away from him towards the table.

What will I say to Linh? She just kissed me.

“Hey!” I take a seat between Linh and Jensi.

“H-hi.” Linh stutters, her face red.

“You two, figure out that kiss we all saw.” Keefe comes up behind me.

“I’m sorry-“ Linh starts to apologise.

“No need to apologise, I like you too.” I grab her hands. “Gah, your hands are cold!” I flinch.

“Really?” Linh asks in disbelief as I start to wram up her hands.

“Yes, really.” I take one hand away as I cup her cheek. Pulling the taller girl into a kiss.

I bet you everyone in the cafeteria is staring at us but I couldn’t care less.

“I like you too.” Linh pulls back.

“Prattles.” I slide the box over from my tray towards her.

“You didn’t have to.” She looks at me, a lovely look.

“I did.”

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Ps. Ooo, a bold Linh I see!