#i guess it could be canon compliant if you ignore the somethings??? maybe??? idk

[foxett]

No caption im sleepy

[jeanbie]

since you requests are open i was wondering if i could request a fic where the reader is hange’s little sibling and joined the 104th corps and then the scouts? idk what it would be about but maybe the reader and hange fan-girling over titans while everyone just watches like “wtf 🤨” I really love your writing and i think it’s *chefs kiss* Thank you!!!!!!

UNORTHODOX ★ masterlist.

genre: canon compliant au | warnings: made up science about titan teeth, idk i didn't invent titans | notes: i'm SO SORRY this is like 500 years late. but i wanted to get this done and so did something with the idea-- i hope you like it... i can do more with this if ur not happy!! thank you anyway for requesting <33

It would be safe to say that after Eren's success in stuffing closed the hole in the gate to Wall Rose, many fresh faced recruits fell into the training corps hoping to catch a glimpse of the boy the people called 'monster'. 

There was no arguing that Eren had done humanity a favour, trapping out the titans and bringing meaning to their lives for what felt like years and years of endless suffering and darkness, but it was human nature to fear what could not be readily understood. Many recruits joined to feel something, to make their deaths swift and meaningful (if one has to die, why not make it sacrificial, rather than being a tasty meal for the titans when they next slipped through?), some even trying to see the famous Eren, titan clad and all.

Not many felt interested in learning about the biology of titans, the physics of their existence and movements and the anatomy of their large, scalding hot bodies. If they did, for whatever reason, they were directed to Hange Zoe, who knew that despite their ferocity, titans were fascinating creatures worthy of intellectual study. Little numbers of soldiers believed in that theory, although it seemed inevitable that one day Hange might not be alone in their unorthodox views.

The sun was up, bathing the castle in light yellow, almost a lime glow. In the basement, where he normally slept, Eren found it hard to tell the difference between day and night, save for the exact time each morning that Levi came to collect him from the dust and cobwebs that served as decoration in the basement. In all of his cleanliness, Levi did not like the basement, and with the possibility of Eren turning into his giant titan form at any given moment, decoration and care seemed wasted on what might end up being rubble and ash. Eren didn't have a clock, or a sundial to tell the time, but he often guessed that Levi came down to him at seven each morning—by then, the sun had been up for a few hours during the summer. He remembered it rising early when he was a boy. 

"Good news," is what Levi had said to him that morning, leading him through a stoney maze of stairways leading up to the veins of the castle. Yawning behind his hand, Eren had asked what he meant. "Your friends'll be here today. New recruits, too."

Eren's eyes lit up. There wasn't much for him to feel excited about around here— the novelty of being freed from the basement each morning had by now worn off, and his chores and routine around the castle didn't feel like much to celebrate. But the thought of hearing his friends' voices, seeing their faces…now that was a treat.

Levi and Eren headed to the main foyer of the castle, flanked with banners and old paintings that needed dusting again. Trying to ignore it, Levi led Eren out to the front patio where Dieter stood grooming his horse's mane. He looked over with acknowledgement as the duo passed and returned to stroking her furs as quickly as he glanced over. The new recruits were just outside the forest perimeter. If they paused and strained, they'd hear the soft bristles of horses and their hooves on mossy cobbles, the snapping of dried lawn and twigs on the winding path from the main stretch of road to where the headquarters was posted.

Most higher ups from the corps would be here today, with the exceptions of Commander Erwin and Captain Mike, who were away on a slight tip of business and would be back by the evening. Levi looked out at the courtyard, honing in on the weeds and the overgrowth of plants to the far side of the courtyard, near one of the old cobbled buildings that connected to the stables and store cupboards. He frowned. Squad Levi had been at the headquarters longer than anybody else, and with the previous recruits coming and going, he thought at least one might extend a helping hand and prune around here.

So much for appearances, he thought, although not even he cared too much about the way things looked on the outside. When it came to general cleanliness and the way a home (or any living space) looked, then he believed it mattered just a little bit more. 

"Get to work while you wait," Levi suggested, already on his way to the stables. Eren looked back, unsure, but got the hint when Levi gave him no further instructions. He sighed, fetching a rake from the stables and heading back towards where Dieter was pulling the mats from his horse's mane. 

He didn't need to wait for long— the parade of recruits arrived after a few minutes and clambered from their horses in a rectangle of foliage. Three soldiers bounded over to take care of the horses, and the recruits followed someone else dressed in green and beige to a path that curled up towards the front double doors to the headquarters. Eren was just setting the rake back in the stables when he noticed the familiar and retreating heads of his friends, and couldn't help but call out to them as they left. 

After a brief exchange of woes and glee, and a rather brisk and icy talk of comrade's deaths, Eren's attention turned to the small figure beside Armin, who Eren had personally never seen before. He quickly did a one-over, unable to figure out anything about their identity from their appearance. When he asked who they were, Mikasa told him that they were Y/N Zoe. 

"Zoe?" Eren repeated, his eyes slightly loosened. "As in, Squad Leader Hange Zoe?"

Mikasa shrugged slightly, her gaze flicking back to them. "Possibly."

That's odd, Eren thought. He didn't know that Hange had a sibling. 

There wasn't much to know about Hange, and not much that they let on about their personal life or past. All people knew at face value was that Hange was eccentric, eager to learn more about the titans trying to eat them. They were impulsive, reckless, taunting the titans to their faces and bouncing back with their gear like a spring. Hange was confident and sometimes inappropriate, but a few clueless moments short of being a genius. Eren thought Hange was brilliant, and one of the smartest people he'd personally ever met, albeit strange and slightly overbearing. He'd gotten to know Hange fairly well because of his 'affliction', but still, Hange had never let on about their family. It was entirely possible that this recruit was their sibling. He just didn't know for sure.

Levi was generous that morning. He was good at his job, and true to his word, but not totally heartless— he granted Eren the rest of the morning and afternoon to catch up with his friends before his nightly chores after supper, and then it was time to retreat back to the basement and stare at the hollow cracks in the walls. Eren followed his friends around the headquarters, all the while glancing over at the new addition to his dysfunctional friend group. They stayed close to Armin, but occasionally he found that they were locking eyes. He felt his stomach twist nervously. Since the world had discovered he was a titan-shifter, he couldn't deny that he was starting to feel a little paranoid about who might be trying to hurt him.

"Mikasa said your surname is Zoe, right?"

Eren found himself drifting to their side and asking them this, curiosity consuming them. They looked over, their eyes slightly wide and round. They even looked like Hange. He felt like he knew the answer but still asked anyway.

"Any relation to Hange Zoe?"

He sensed a twitch in their body. "Yeah, actually. They're my older sibling. Why, are they here?"

Eren pointed back to the headquarters with his thumb. "Probably in their office. Either that or the lab. Wanna go say hi?"

They didn't need to be asked twice. Eren bid farewell to half of his friend group and led Hange's sibling, Armin and Mikasa back towards the castle. On the way, he learned their name, their general background. Y/N Zoe, part of the 105th cadet corps and had excelled rapidly alongside four other recruits who were given an early graduation. Y/N—you— didn't seem particularly athletic, and he settled on the idea that you were studious like Armin, a possible Zoe family trait. He had half the mind to think that you were the spitting image of your sibling. Your eyes marvelled at Eren like he was some kind of god, when in actual fact he was far from it, closer to a devil in the depths of hell according to some townspeople and the police. 

They found Hange in their office, surrounded by journals and documents and doing a lousy job at staying awake. Eren knew that the last few days had been hard on Hange with the deaths of their titan subjects, but they always did their best to appear bright and optimistic, if not vengeful about who might have slain them in their sleep. When Eren rattled his knuckles against the slightly ajar door, it pushed open with a creak and Hange shot up suddenly. They hit their knee on the underside of the desk with a sharp wince, some documents rustling on top and a half-drank cup of coffee nearly spilling over the rim of their mug. Hange turned, startled, and broke into a smile when they noticed you.

"Y/N!"

Hange rose from their seat and approached you, gathering you in their arms. Eren, Armin and Mikasa took steps backwards, giving what they could of privacy although none turned away. Hange laughed and lifted you from the floor. Although slightly maniacal, Eren thought it was good to hear Hange laughing again.

"When did you get here? And why?"

"This morning," you said, and Hange looked at your attire, at the forest green cape over your shoulders. They seemed alarmed by it.

"I thought you were joining the military police," Hange said, sounding almost disappointed. "You knew I needed an inside man to help me out with my experiments."

"I know. But the night before the ceremony, I heard about what happened to those two titans. It seemed like you needed more help here than you would from the military, so…" You raised your arms in a slight bravado, smiling: "Here I am."

They seemed put off at first, but after a while, it was clear that the arrival of a second Zoe in the survey corps seemed like the very revival that Hange needed. Alongside the other three, Hange led them around the castle on a novice tour, pointing out the paintings and studies and picnic benches in the hall where they ate, and chatted, and shared ideas and theories and worries. Not once did the subject of titans come up, although Eren had assumed that was one of the things that the siblings shared common ground over. Your eyes had glistened when looking over Hange's journals, and it made a lot more sense as to why you hungrily looked at him like a meal, or what he now believed you thought was a test subject. He gulped. Somehow, he felt like Armin had led you right to him.

Dinner rolled around, and fortunately, Eren's chores wouldn't proceed until every last slop of stew had disappeared from his bowl. There would be no food wasted if you could help it— if you couldn't eat your fill, then give it to the next person. Eren wolfed it down, not wasting the chance to relax before being sent around like a slave by Levi's command. Speaking of, Levi sat at the head of the long table, meanwhile several other soldiers gathered around them. It was the most alive Eren had seen the castle in, well, forever, and even Captain Levi seemed to be more at ease than normal. He sipped from a cup of tea, listening to the animated story between you and Hange. Naturally, Eren felt his attention pulled over as well, even more so when his name came up in bated breath.

"Eren is fascinating." Hange was speaking, pointing at Eren. Your eyes followed in wonder. "I've been studying his body for days now. You wouldn't believe the things I've learned through him."

"Like what?" you asked suddenly, your head whipping back to look at them. A shared stillness met every sitting soldier. They thought Hange was the only one crazy enough to want to know about how titans lived, as opposed to all the best ways to slay them. It seemed like you were following in their footsteps, which meant more torturous jargon, more indigestible tangents about titan biology, and more and more chaos to mull over a meal.

Hange swallowed a spoonful of slop. "When I studied Sawney and Bean, I observed inanimate qualities. It seemed like they had minimal brain activity, doing things as a kind of program. When they saw me, they wanted to eat. With Eren, it's just like a dog listening to tricks. Breathing hitching when you talk, the dilation of pupils when given a command or praise."

"Hey, are you calling me a dog?" Eren asked with a frown.

"Oh, no!" Hange assured. "You're a very valuable subject, Eren! Which reminds me—Y/N, did you know that titans' teeth are actually made of the same material as humans? They both contain enamel and pulp. Their teeth are almost as hard as bone to them. It's the last thing to degenerate when they die."

You gasped softly, eyes blown open. It seemed to confirm that another titan crazy Zoe was on the scene. Even Levi paused, his eyes washing over with a flicker of dread. He downed his tea and rose to leave, and anyone intelligent enough would follow. Still, Eren felt an intrigue in what you'd say next—maybe you'd surprise everybody with something sane.

You didn't. "Fascinating," you gasped. "But…why? And why do they even eat when they don't get hungry?" It seemed like you and Hange had talked this over once or twice before—Eren was under the impression that most people just assumed titans ate humans because they were ravenous, or maybe you were simply just smarter than everybody else. "Titans are so big, they could just crush us with their feet and hands. Why do they eat?"

"It's extraordinary, isn't it?" Hange agreed, leaning back. "That's why I'm so thankful that Eren over here fights for humanity." Eyes fell on him and he writhed, anxious. "Say, Eren, you feel hungry when you look at us in your titan body?"

Eren's mouth opened with surprise. He looked back at you, noting the bated breath of anticipation. He sighed: "Can't say I do, Hange."

But Hange grinned, tapping your shoulder roughly and you met their gaze with a smile that matched theirs. "It's just wonderful, isn't it? A titan. Ours. Ours—" She tapped them again with a wide expression, "Maybe you can help me out."

"With your work?" you questioned.

"Sure! Who else?"

Eren noticed the look on your face. It was the same kind of look that he used to give his teacher back at school when he was given praise, the look Armin had when Eren talked about seeing the world beyond the wall—the look of wonder and glee, the idea of being chosen for something, to be honoured by the choice. Although your were siblings, he probably wagered that being asked to help Hange was as big as him being asked by Erwin to be the next Commander. The honour would be unparalleled to anything else. 

Still, he couldn't help but be morbidly curious about the fascination you both shared about titans—about him. His skin crawled with invisible bugs, parasites creeping up his arms and into his armpits, and he wriggled nervously. If his work hadn't already been cut out for him with Hange leaning into his private comfort spaces with studious eyes, then he wasn't at all prepared for what would come with Hange and their sibling. With a shared affinity for titans, he knew there'd be no places to push his pride and secrets, no way to mess up what would be incredible studies and progress. 

He let out a breath, suddenly anxious. For some reason (he felt like he knew the reason why), Eren felt like you'd be nothing like he first expected when you popped out from beside Armin in the courtyard, and that you'd be another knot in his stomach in terms of his usefulness to the corps. Suddenly he wanted to be back in that basement, carving shapes into the darkness of the walls. He just hoped you'd be less probing than your sibling, but judging by the insatiable desire to pick him apart and study his every move, he felt like he was wishing on a dead star.

[solosatan]

the best laid plans (satan/mc)

came across these flower prompts and felt particularly inspired by two of them because i felt like it really encapsulated the very early stages of lydia (my mc) and satans’ relationship also i promised the occasional original content so, here’s a very self-indulgent piece lol)

i might reblog the orignal prompt list too if anyone wanted to request something too -- this blog is still starting up so idk how much reach this is going to get especially for being self indulgent so if this flops ignore that last bit LMAO

pairing/basic info:

satan/gn mc (mc is named bc this is self indulgent and also written in 3rd person (mostly satan’s pov) but like, you could easily skim past the name)

prompt(s):

Acacia - a hidden relationship 

Tulip - an act of affection so blatant everyone someone notices

content warnings/general tags

minor swearing + a fade to black sort of ns/fw ref. still, minors dni, thanks! not extremely canon compliant (some of the details of lessons 19 & 20 are changed) but also not-not canon compliant -- spoliers for the newt syrup arc in s2 (cannot remember where that happened lol)

getting together/early relationship type story, very fluffy, very indulgent. lots of relationship discussion. also i’m a firm believer in the demons can sense others indulging in their sin headcanon so, guess where that goes.

~2k words, this really got away from me.

Seeing Lydia in person again after so many months apart had left Satan sitting, very uncomfortably, with a bundle of nerves sitting in his stomach. The months spent dancing around each other over the course of the exchange program. His almost-confession which he, like a coward, had pulled out of at the last moment, afraid they would reject him and leave him alone and heartbroken or, perhaps worse, afraid they would return his feelings and leave them both unsure and hurting after they returned to the human realm. His utter failure to compose himself when they finally, miraculously, did come back to the Devildom. (That one makes him clench his fists so hard his nails cut into his palms. They had fallen -- quite literally -- right into his lap, and he had been too dumbfounded, too stupid to get more than a few words in before every one else realized what had happened and Lydia was caught up in every one else’s excitement.)

So before dinner that evening, Satan could be found pacing between the pillars of books in his room, steeling himself to catch their attention over dinner and, just maybe, to finally confess once they got a minute alone together. He was determined to be charming, take things slowly with them, ensure that he wasn’t about to make an absolute fool out of himself.

Of course... the best laid plans always go to waste, especially where his brothers are concerned. The rest of the night is a blur. The revelation of the newt syrup’s effects. The dawning horror as he thought about what that meant for Lydia and his brothers. The same look reflected back as him as they met his gaze over the table. The rush of heat that came along with that shared glance. The renewed horror overcoming him as he realized what that meant for him, specifically.

How he had fled to his room, unwilling to embarrass himself in front of Lydia for the second time that day, and writhed in his unrelenting desire for what had felt like hours as he waited for Lydia to inevitably check in on him. The way he had blurted out his confession when they finally did come by, stumbling over his words in a plea that he was certain would make them immediately turn tail and run as far away from his room as possible.

The full body shock that had overcome him when, instead of doing just that, they commanded him to kiss them.

The way that the fulfillment of that command should have quelled the pit burning in his stomach, but didn’t -- and wasn’t that strange?

And now, here they were, up far before breakfast and having only recently disentangling from each other upon rising, desperately avoiding eye contact.

“So,” Lydia began, drawing out the vowel as if to give themselves as much time as possible before continuing their sentence, “we should probably talk about last night, yeah?”

Satan flushed, involuntarily recalling the events following their kiss and willing his body to play it cool. “I think that would be for the best, yes.” (Why was he talking like that?)

“Alright then. Well, first off --” Lydia willed themselves to make eye contact with him. “I’m sorry for ordering you to kiss me like that. You were under the influence of that -- fucking -- syrup, and I could have ordered you to do anything else to relieve the effects like I did for the others. That was...” They exhaled humorlessly through their nose. “Not cool of me to do, and I’m sorry.”

Satan paused before answering. “I did want to do that, though -- I would have even without the syrup. You don’t need to feel badly about that.”

“Even if that’s true --”

“It is true.”

Lydia shot him a playful, annoyed look, fighting back a grin. “Even though that’s true, that’s... not how I wanted our first kiss to go.”

“So you’ve thought about our first kiss?”

Lydia exploded bright red. “I mean...” Their eyes darted around, as if to look for an escape route. Satan laughed despite himself, snapping them back to reality. “Okay, yes! Maybe... Okay, dozens of time both before and after I left the Devildom -- are you happy?”

“And how did you imagine it going then?” Satan raised his eyebrows at them, gently needling their clear embarrassment at their confession.

Lydia smacked his arm. “That’s not important right now -- and frankly --” they gestured between the two of them, “kind of a moot point right now, wouldn’t you say?”

“I’d still like to know,” Satan teased.

Lydia groaned, flopping back down onto the pillow and covering their face. “I’ll tell you later,” they grumbled, peering out from between their fingers. Satan laughed.

“Okay well, ruined first kiss aside...” He gulped, suddenly at a loss for words. “How are you feeling... about all of this?”

Lydia sat up, looking equally lost. “Honestly? Really good. I mean, don’t tell the others, but you’re... kind of the biggest reason I jumped at the first chance to come back here.”

Satan’s face grew heated as he processed their admission, but before he could even think of what to say, they continued, now rambling:

“I mean. I guess I’m a bit nervous too, y’know? Like obviously I had kind of anticipated taking things a bit more slowly but...” They laughed again. “That’s kind of out the window now.”

“Agreed.”

“Not to mention the fact that all hell is -- quite literally -- going to break loose when everyone else finds out.”

Satan froze. He hadn’t even thought about that.

“Well,” he began, “we don’t have to tell them right away.” He shot them a conspiratorial look before realizing how else his words might be interpreted. “Not that I want to keep this a secret, I mean.” He re-calibrated again, thinking about how that might be misinterpreted. God, he was fucking this up. “Not that I see this as some sort of conquest or -- or victory or something -- I just mean --”

Lydia cut him off with a gentle kiss, threading her hands through his hair. “I know what you mean,” they laughed, smiling as they broke the kiss. “I think you’re right -- keeping things low-key for now would probably be for the best. It saves us from the relentless questioning you know we’re going to get and gives us time to figure out what our relatio--” they paused, forcing themselves not to make a rather embarrassing assumption about what Satan might want, “ -- what we’re doing.”

Satan coughed, suddenly wanting to avert his eyes again. “Well, for my part, I... am obviously very enamored with you.” (Why was he talking like that again?) “So, if you’re as interested as I am,” he tore his gaze from the floor and forced himself to look at them, face flushed, “I’d really like to pursue a real relationship with you.” (Sweet merciful fuck, that had come out clunky! What was wrong with him?) He rushed to rephrase: “I mean to say, I don’t want to leave things here,” he gestured to the bed, “I’d like to be with you, genuinely.”

Lydia’s eyes widened and Satan heard his heart beating far too loudly in his ears while he waited for them to respond. After what felt like ages, they finally replied, in a near-whisper, “I’d like that too.”

He leaned in to kiss them, smiling desperately against their lips as his heart soared, and relishing in the way that they leaned into it, returning his feelings measure for measure.

And then his morning alarm erupted into noise, thoroughly ruining their blissful moment. He shot his D.D.D. into the wall with an almost unintentional burst of magic (he’d have to fix that later) before breaking the kiss. “If we want to keep this under wraps,” he grimaced, “we’d better sneak you out of here before the others wake up.”

They nodded, resolutely, moving to get out of bed before realizing they were still fully nude. They flushed, face hot. Satan, realizing the same, gave her a playful wink before dutifully covering his eyes.

“You know it’s a little bit late for modesty,” he laughed, nearly unable to contain himself as he felt Lydia smack his arm playfully.

“I know that, but... still! I don’t want the next time you see me like this to be when I’m rushing around to find my clothes.” That shut him up right away, as his mind immediately zoned in on the promise of a “next time.”

Within seconds, Lydia had snapped him out of his thoughts. “You can open your eyes now,” they said, pulling his hands off of his face and giving him a quick peck, “I’ll see you at breakfast, yeah?”

He grinned, already looking forward to it. He watched as they made their way to the door before calling out to her.

“Wait, Lydia? Were you serious when you said that you didn’t order my brothers to do anything... like that to negate the effects?”

They stared at him blankly for a moment before bursting out laughing. “Yes, dummy! How could you even ask that?” They attempted to sober themself, still shaking. “I made Lucifer give me a very expensive bottle of Demonus from his stores,” they grinned. “He made me give it back right away, of course, but still, you would have loved it.” With that, they winked and left the room.

He laughed as they left the room, resolving to find a way to steal the bottle back for them when he had the opportunity.

____

Breakfast was, mercifully, off to an uneventful start -- although he found himself unable to make eye contact with Lydia as they all discussed the events of the night before.

Lydia slapped Beel’s hand away as he tried to sneak a piece of bacon from their plate, giving him a faux-steely gaze for a moment before softening and giving him the piece anyways. They turned their attention to Lucifer, tuning back into the conversation.

“I still can’t believe you made me give that bottle back, Lucifer,” they rolled their eyes, “so stingy.”

Lucifer bristled and shot Satan a glare in an attempt to silence his resulting chuckle. “If you really thought that I was going to let you keep that, Lydia,” he began, switching his gaze back over to them, “you’re an idiot.”

Lydia stuck their tongue out at him in response. Lucifer looked flabbergasted for the briefest of moments, before composing himself again. Satan locked eyes with Lydia across the table, and they both devolved into childish giggles. God  this felt good.

Asmo, for his part, went rigid in his seat as he took in the scene before him, and immediately locked eyes with Satan. Shit.

“So, Satan,” Asmo began, doing very little to hide the lilt in his voice. “You were the last one to get... taken care of last night,” his eyes flashed, and Satan saw Lydia pale across the table. “How did it feel? Was it just unbearable? Tell me everything.”

“I’m not doing that.”

Asmo huffed exaggeratedly. “Fine,” he relented, “but I at least want to know what Lydia blackmailed you into doing in exchange for relief.” He sighed. “You know, I was really looking forward to using those bath bombs for myself, Lydia,” he whined, shooting them a half-serious glare.

“They can always give them back to you, Asmo,” Lucifer chimed in, draining the rest of his morning coffee. Lydia looked back at Satan and made a face.

“Please, Lucifer, I’m hardly as selfish as you,” Asmo rolled his eyes before turning his gaze back on Lydia and Satan, who were both distracted by trying to outdo the other’s silent Lucifer-impression. Suspicions confirmed, then. “Besides,” he continued, “I’m much more interested in what Satan and Lydia got up to the other night.”

Lydia froze. “Sorry to disappoint, but I just used the opportunity to borrow one of the more rare books in his collection -- I’ve been trying to learn more about the reapers for my thesis, and figured I had a good bargaining chip.”

Satan smirked, they were a good liar, but he knew that it wasn’t going to fool Asmo, at least. Still, they’d better make sure the others didn’t catch on. “You know, I would have gladly loaned you that book without being coerced into doing so -- you’re welcome to borrow from me at any time, Lydia.”

Asmo stared between them, unimpressed, for the briefest of seconds before shrugging. “Oh well, I was hoping that at least one of us got to do something more exciting, but I guess our Lydia is too much of a cruel opportunist for that.” He wiped a fake tear from the corner of his eyes before returning to his breakfast. Satan and Lydia exhaled in relief, resolving to thank Asmo for keeping their secret later that day.

[mimik-u]

Fragments III, 1-100

300 drabbles about Steven Universe/Future, 100 words each! These are the first 100 prompts and writer’s choices that have been fulfilled.

Asterisks are placed next to my personal favorites that I’ve written.

Baggage* — Steven meets his new therapist!

Eternity —How about a Bellow interaction you've always wanted to see in canon but didn't get to?

Foe —Jasper is simultaneously satisfied and yet left deeply empty inside by her self-isolation on Earth, and doesn't understand how to even begin to process this dichotomy. (So she doesn’t.)

Letter — Young Greg's POV when he wrote those letters to his parents Steven found on Mr. Universe episode.

Sword —Connie interacting with someone she doesn't usually talk to by herself (ex Jasper, Bismuth, Lapis, etc.).

Reconciliation — Idk about you but I wanna see more Mega Pearl. The others have not met Mega Pearl.

Marks —How about... Spinel, and the tiny, everyday baby steps towards healing?

Tangled — Peridot finds out/is told about PD/RQ? (And is confirmed in her guess that Pearl is fancy...?)

Challenge* — How is Steven’s TubeTube channel doing?

Bruises — Priyanka tends to Connie's wounds after training sessions with Pearl. [Writer’s Choice]

Rest* — Yellow Diamond gets to relax. (She's the one who most expresses regret and real understanding. Let her take a nap! She deserves it!)

Barbecue* — Post-movie, during cleanup, Steven and Lars talk and plan the BBQ we got a glimpse at during the final song.

Ghost — Yellowtail and Greg talk about fatherhood and how it can be ruined (mentioning Marty and Greg's father subtly).

UNO* — Date between Pearls (platonic or otherwise).

Height — The pebbles!!! They're so small???? Where are they? *Sobs, points at the Heaven and Earth Beetles.*

Embrace — Steven gets a well-deserved cuddle pile from family and friends.

Constructs — Bismuth and Peridot have a lot more in common than they think.

Horns — Amethyst makes an unexpected new friend at Little Homeschool. (Whichever other character you feel would fit best!)

Garden — Pre-show scene. While having a funny chat, Greg mentions something that reminds Rose about her abandoning Spinel, which makes her regret more of her choices.

Advice — Garnet can tell when Stevonnie has a lot on their mind. [Writer’s Choice.]

Hum — Yellow and her relationship with music.

Love* — Pearl considering her romantic feelings towards someone and thinking about how she's finally moving on from Rose. (Doesn't mean she'll ever forget her.)

Kid — A glimpse into “Sadie Killer.” Maybe when they played their first show, while Steven was still in the band. Celebrating afterward or a discussion on why Steven didn't stay IN the band?

Troubleshooting* — Integration of gem communication networks and Earth Internet and phone lines and the resulting inevitable disaster.

Fairytale — Connie gets a tour of Little Homeworld.

Hope — Jasper finally starting to let her guard down and realize her self worth.

Song* — As for prompts... Steg? Like, him in general, just being himself. It's a bummer we only got to see him in the movie.

Mistakes* — Steven talking to someone (not a therapist, just another character) about his trauma?

Forgiveness — The Topaz fusion reconnects with the Crystal Gems at Little Homeschool and apologizes for her role in the kidnapping all those years ago.

Visions — Sapphire and Ruby reflect on the events of "Together Forever." [Writer’s Choice]

Reunited — Maybe a scene where Yellow comes home from a long escapade and is reunited with a worried Spinel?

Beginnings — After CYM, Lapis and Peridot discuss where to live since the barn is destroyed.

Pet* — White Diamond happily announces one day that she has decided to take in a small creature (of your choosing) as a pet.

Together — What were Doc, Army, Navy, and Leggy doing during Future?

Desert — Steven meeting Lion from Lion's perspective. I dunno, I think it could be neat.

Freedom — For a post-CYM/SU:F prompt, what do you think about the exact moment it hit either Blue or Yellow Pearl that they were completely free to follow their whims?

Apologies — Greg apologizes to Steven due to the incident in “Mr. Universe” and both have the talk they should've had in that episode.

Change — Blue and Yellow Zircon's relationship has improved even if they are now rivals in the new democratic Homeworld. This last tiny bit is related to the “Homeworld Bound” episode.

Hug — Bellow cuddling. Yellow has no idea what to do, but Blue is loving it.

Valentine* — Steven gives Peridot a Valentine's Day gift. [Writer’s Choice]

Spite — Aquamarine and Eyeball are distraught at knowing they won't be rewarded for their actions because their worst enemy, Steven Universe, has been labeled a hero and royalty by the Diamonds.

Reevaluation — How about more Peedee and Steven friendship? Like, Peedee noticing Steven’s change in demeanor the farther along the show we get?

Camp — Connie kicking ass at space camp.

Family — The night after the events of the movie, Steven gets some quality family time.

Homestretch — Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth spend time together while preparing Little Homeworld.

Enough — We know what Jenny, Sour Cream, and Buck are gonna do for their futures, but what's Kiki been up to? Is she gonna take over the pizzeria?

Spillage — Vidalia and Amethyst catch up after Steven's monster episode.

Reformation — White Diamond has learned how to be so extremely empathetic to the point that she literally becomes another person, but has she really begun to understand others?

Comment* — Sardonyx makes some Internet videos.

Unicorn — While traveling through California, Steven encounters two fishermen arguing about unicorns. [SU/GF crossover.] [Writer’s Choice]

Worry — Andy and Greg stay in touch.

Homerun* — I hopal for Opal—perhaps she will attempt some baseball.

Skydancer — Post-CYM, Pearl getting to “truly” take Steven out for a joy ride through the cosmos in a properly operational ship of her design.

Mercy* — The shattering-is-wrong discussion between Rose and Bismuth that led to Bis being bubbled.

Happy — Smoky Quartz hasn't made a self deprecating joke in a while—is it Steven's therapy?

Electric* — Yellow’s gloves—I feel like they’re covering something up, maybe.

Cake — Fusion Cuisine 2: Electric Boogaloo.

Belonging — The Rose Quartz sisters visit again.

Transcendence — Fluorite offers someone wise caterpillar grandma advice.

March — Connie and Steven reflect on changes in life after the pandemic. Not canon compliant. [Writer’s Choice.]

Understanding — Onion be doing Onion things.

Ocean* — Andy and Steven post-”I Am My Monster”? I love their relationship, lol.

Ignorance* — Does Lapis even realize Bismuth was probably the one who poofed her?

Reflection — Did I already say more Mega Pearl? ‘Cause there can never be enough Mega Pearl.

Possibility* — Yellow deciding she should try putting shattered gems back together. (She probably broke the most.)

Storyboard — Peridot’s budding career as a storyboarder.

Fall — Lapis and Steven talk about trauma and recovery. Pre-The Future.

Limbo — How the dismantled gempire has affected the lives of noble gems like Emerald, Holly Blue Agate, and others.

Now — Garnet reminds herself to live in the present.

Grief* — Alexandrite forms for the first time. [Writer’s Choice]

Inauguration — Wait, did Connie's parents ever meet Stevonnie?

Please — Did Kevin ever learn anything? Naaaaaah....unless...

Friend — General prompt? A sequel/prequel to this, please [White D’s panther].

Treatment — Greg starting to learn more about gem stuff to be more involved in Steven's life if something ugly happens.

Numbers — Pearl, please do something with all those phone numbers in your head.

Generations — Rose continues to discover the wonders of Earth, even after all this time. (No angst allowed in this one, just pure wonder.)

Survival — The Off-Colors used to have more members in the past.

Acting — How did Rainbow 2.0 even get invited to babysit Onion?

Kindness* — Former Mayor Dewey coming to terms with his new position in town.

Play — The Gems and Greg try to capture Steven's first moments on a bike. [Writer’s Choice]

Documentary — Ronaldo makes a real actually informative documentary about Little Homeworld.

Rain — Blue Diamond still cries sometimes.

Zoophobia — Also, I saw Z and my immediate thought was "Zoophobia.”

Echo* — Why does the tiny floating whale have Rose's voice before Steven ever heard it in the tape?

Sketch — Steven and Connie discover an anime character/mythological figure who bears an awfully similar resemblance to Obsidian.

Unironically — Why does Buck wanna be a doctor?

Club — How did Bismuth, Lapis, and Peri become such tight friends?

Nostalgia — Greg considers a comeback tour.

Pressure* — The creation of the Diamonds, maybe?

Coping — Amethyst and Pearl grapple with Rose's pregnancy. [Writer’s Choice]

Theatre — Sugilite, meet Rainbow 2.0.

Dadhood* — Whatever happened to Mrs. Fryman? IS there a Mrs. Fryman, or was it only a passing on-and-off thing that resulted in kids?

Lingering — Jasper finally lets Malachite go.

Human — Steven talks to his therapist about his mom, the feelings of before and the now. (It was left open-ended—his relationship with his mother.)

Words — Kofi is proud of his daughters.

Quest — [Letter prompt] Quest.

Picture — Sour Cream and Steven talking about absent parents and bad parenting. Post-The Future.

Bittersweet* — Shep finally gets to meet the notorious Lars.

Gemini — Spinel discovers memes and we're all doomed.

Weird — When he's younger, Steven doesn't quite know how to label the Gems.

[bunivys]

3, 4, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 27, 29, 30. I know that’s a lot so if you don’t want to answer all of them that’s fine. Lol I just love your writing

Realized I forgot to include a word in my last ask for that one question...oops! The word is Book.

Hey! Thank you! I totally will answer all of these because it’s a lot of fun! Thanks for sending them :D

3. Do you write fics from start or finish, or jump around?

I tend to write start to finish, but when I plan I jump around a lot! I just think sometimes it’s hard for me to get into what the character really feels in that point in time about something if I haven’t written it, so I like to write that thing that came before...if that even makes sense LOL

4. Do you outline before you start writing? If so, how far do you stray from that outline?

I do a short outline at the very beginning to get major plot points out of the way and then go back and fill in more detailed things as I begin writing. Sometimes, you learn a lot and things just sort themselves out when you start getting into the characters’ heads and writing things out, so I don’t like to constrain myself too much at the very beginning.

9. Do you prefer to write AUs, canon divergence, or canon-compliant fic?

You know...I like them all. What’s weird is when I’m writing an AU, I crave to write canon, but when I write canon, I am craving an AU haha. Truly tho, I love AU’s...especially because in CAOS, things are bit...rocky right now. Especially for nabrina, so it’s nice to be able to just ignore all that.

10. Do you enjoy writing dialogue, exposition, or plot the most?

Plot, I think...anything really where I get to describe stuff and use fancy words. I really like writing dialogue too, but I don’t feel like I’m all that good at that sometimes.

13. Is there a trope you wouldn’t write if it was the last trope on earth?

Probably gonna go with that body-swap again...I wouldn’t want anyone in my body personally, so idk if I could write someone else experiencing it. Not really a trope I guess but also crossovers. I don’t care for them--not saying someone else couldn’t write a fabulous one however.

14. If you were stuck on a desert island with only two characters, which would you pick?

Nick and Prudence. Love her, but probably not Sabrina. She might get us killed LOL.

15. A Hollywood producer tells you that they want to film just one of your fics. Which fic would you want it to be?

Maybe Lessons in the Unseen because I’d love to see the cool effects...whereas If You Let Me would just be a rom-com with angst probably.

27. If you were ever to do a sequel to [x fic], what do you think might happen in it?

I only have one finished multi-chapter fic and it’s Lessons in the Unseen. I’ve been thinking about doing a sequel, mostly because I ended it off before we really managed to get into Sabrina’s true parentage, even though it was alluded to at some points. I’d probably want to explore that, maybe still do Nick’s sacrifice, but obviously, it would be a bit different given the differences of that fic to canon.

29. Send me a word. If it’s in your WIPs, include the sentence and a short summary of the fic.

Here’s a snippet from a chapter a couple updates away...it’s unedited so things may very well change up a bit, but this is it so far!

“That bookstore is his pride and joy. I think he’d live there if he could,” Amalia said with a gentle laugh and a soft shake of the head. Sabrina couldn’t see her face, but she could read the fondness in her voice as she spoke. “He was over the moon when Cassius asked if he’d take it over when he retired. It’s always been a place where Nick has love to run off to and hide. Cassius practically raised him half of the way, taught him to find his safe place in the weight of a book. I couldn’t seem to do that...so I’m grateful.”  

30. Tell us an idea for a longfic you want to write in the future.

I’ve got an idea for a longfic set long after the events of CAOS...I’m talking years later. The mortals are older. Nick’s long since left to find his footing somewhere outside of the coven. Sabrina’s engaged to Harvey and thinks she’s happy, but the two of them don’t see eye-to-eye in regards to a lot of things. She’s teaching at the Academy, hoping to inherit the role of High Priestess one day, when Nick Scratch returns out of the blue...and well, the cauldron gets stirred, in more ways that one.

I’m waiting to plot any major plot points and things until we get Part 4, because I want them to deal with the time mess not me hehe.

[kennothythebard]

Things I’ve learned about writing DEH characters

THIS IS NOT A GUIDE BY ANY MEANS THIS IS JUST SOME OBSERVATIONS AND THINGS I DO.

So while researching for and writing “A Worthy Explanation” (pls read i crave validation) I’ve noticed a lot of little things that I don’t always see mentioned in writing guides for these characters so I thought I’d point some of these out. Idk how love this is going to be so I’ll prolly put a cut here.

General

I like to create kind of a “loneliness chart” and graph the kids on it (looks kinda like those political alignment things). On one axis theres introverted vs. extroverted, and on the other theres like polite vs. rude I guess? But in summary: Evan is introverted polite, Jared is extroverted rude, Alana is extroverted polite, Connor is introverted rude, and Zoe... is just kinda generally lonely. Where she falls really depends on what’s going on with her (but she typically is a less extreme introverted rude than Connor).

Obviously each character has their own faults, but I often see these faults viewed quite selectively, see “cinnamon roll evan” and “fucking larry” for two very different examples of this phenomenon. Evan is not perfect and always trying to be nice, and Larry is not a super abusive parent who deserves no happiness in this life. They’re both complex and it’s hard to let go of our misconceptions to write truer to the characters (e.g. I really, Really don’t like Larry. I see him as a lousy father who just kind of chose to be “the strict one” but does nothing but criticize and dole out punishment, ignoring his kids any other time), but that’s an important part of deh, is that people aren’t always what we perceive them to be.

Evan

Evan is often viewed as like a cinnamon roll, but in act 2 especially Evan gets mean. Like, he’s dismissive and rude and angry and just a jerk. Evan can be just as bad if not worse than some of the “angrier” characters

Ppl often talk about his lying as his biggest character flaw, but I’d argue that most of the lying we see in the show just stems from the one lie which he was kinda forced to make bc he was in a bad place (i mean, thats pretty much the entire point of awe).

The character flaw that I don’t see discussed enough is that he’s ashamed of his mental illness. He’d rather pretend it’s not there, even when it impacts every part of his life. He doesn’t do the letters the way his therapist assigned them, he’s apprehensive towards medication and stops taking it, and basically feeds into his self-destructive tendencies, arguing his mother sees his as “broke” or something to be fixed.

Jared

I love writing Jared

There’s already a lot about what a complex character he is and stage directions, but one thing that most people notice is his actions frequently contradict his words. Take the sincerely me reprise at the start of act 2. Why would he try to insert himself into the narrative at this point? What good would that do at this point? When evan dismisses him he gets annoyed and defensive. He says that he can’t do anything until Monday because he’s hanging with his camp friends (whom he claims are his “real friends,” a term he will later ascribe to himself regarding Evan in Good For You), and when Evan dismisses him again he tries to offer to help with the kickstarter, but is quickly shot down once more by Evan. Despite what seems to be a natural ending place in the conversation, he insists on continuing to talk with Evan, and when Evan cuts him off again he becomes rude and slightly threatening. This happens over the course of maybe three minutes and it’s one of the most insightful scenes to jared’s character

When writing a canon-compliant Jared, his actions and thoughts should conflict with his words. He cares about Evan but he’d never say that out loud (in more canon-compliant fics), and it hurts when he’s pushed away, which he responds to with anger.

Zoe

Zoe is one of the most difficult characters to write, imo.

She’s often portrayed in a slightly sweeter, saccharine way in fanon as just like a fun, silly girl who is just a tad sarcastic, but really you can tell that she’s Connor’s brother. She’s angry, blunt, unafraid of speaking her mind, etc. Yes, she is funny and kinda sarcastic, but her sarcasm isn’t always of the funny variety. She’s obviously angry at her parents, but this often comes across as a “doesn’t love them” variety of anger when her real feelings seem to be much more complex. 

Basically, I’m still learning a lot about writing her but I think just like the other kids she’s a little lonely, so Evan comes along and he’s there and that’s enough for her. She has such a wide range of emotions that I don’t feel are always accurately represented, even by me. (especially by me)

Alana

Hella, hella lonely. Covers it up by talking to people and doing extracurriculars. Sure, “college apps” is her excuse for why she does so much, but it’s not the real reason. If she keeps busy, she doesn’t have to be alone with her thoughts. But at the same time she has similar fears to Evan about people seeing the worst of her. “Close acquaintances” seems to be a statement about how little she makes friends, but I also see it as a defense mechanism. If she remains “close acquaintances” with people, she’ll never have to be their friend and they’ll never have to see the worst of her.

She’s cheerful and annoying, but in the way that pisses high schoolers off. Like, we all knew that one kid who was just way way too nice, and most of us were like “yeah ok they’re pretty cool i guess” but like some people just hated their positivity. It also doesn’t help that she tries to insert herself in situations she hasn’t been invited in, and does some questionable things to help her accomplish her goals. (Evan/Alana contrast: Evan does questionable things to accomplish internal goals, Alana does them to accomplish external goals)

Gets easily distracted. Forgets to sign Evan’s cast in scene 1. Her mind has a million different thoughts at any given moment. It wouldn’t be out of line to headcanon ADHD Alana (some of the things she does reminds me of the things I do when I forget my meds).

Connor

?????

We don’t see a lot to really get a huge insight into his personality. We know he was angry and had some serious mental illness.

We also know that he could recognize when he went too far and would go out of his way to make amends. (Why was he in the computer lab? Why did he sign Evan’s cast?) He may recognize a kindred spirit in Evan.

Clearly he doesnt hate his family (he goes to school despite not wanting to go, and seeing Zoe’s name is what sets him off showing possible concern), and it would not surprise me to learn that he thought his family would be better and happier without him. He clearly has intense emotions and reactions even to things that might seem minuscule or inconsequential. When writing him in canon, I think of a rubber band stretched too tight, and any characters action could loosen or tighten the pulling.

Heidi

Such an emotional character, I nearly break my own heart when I’m trying to writer her.

Theres two odd kind of paradoxes in a parent-child relationship like that between Heidi and Evan. For Heidi, the paradox is that the more she wants to do for Evan, the less she can actually be there for him. For Evan, he wants his mother to succeed and loves her so much that he might even encourage her to not worry about him or spend time with him, but then resents that she’s never there. Or at least when he meets a mother who can provide and be there.

Heidi pretty much worries herself sick over Evan. Evan comes before everything else in her life, and so it’s easy for her to feel like she failed him, which is a huge reason for her intense reaction in Good for you: evan has just confirmed her fears that she’s failed him.

Heidi tries so hard, but she isn’t perfect. She’s clearly very sensitive about money or about Evan’s father, and this sensitivity can easily change to anger or passive-aggressiveness. She has deep insecurities that we may never see or fully comprehend.

Cynthia

Mom. like shes completely a mom. like, “can i speak to your manager?” type mom.

Loves her kids and tries to be supportive but struggles communicating with two very headstrong, sarcastic kids

she probably wouldn’t say this, but takes connor’s death very personally. wonders why he would do this to her 

Is desperate for her children to listen and understand her. Which Evan is more than willing to do.

A little bit selfish? Like, thinks about what will make her better rather than accepting everybody grieves differently

Larry

Fucking larry. I don’t like him and he’s the hardest character for me to write.

Ok since I made such a big deal about it in the intro i’ll try to be nicer than id normally be

A masculine archetype. Sports dad, wants sports son, which Connor isn’t

He’s got some really ableist/misogynistic tendencies that causes the intense demonization of him in the fanon but I mean... he could be worse i guess? (that’s literally the best i can say about that so yeah i dont like him at all)

Really just oblivious. Completely ignored Connor’s need for help, does not know how to read a room, you could say he frequently has a foot in his mouth if it weren’t so intentional.

I mean...probably a good guy if you can get past all that stuff? just really, really self absorbed.

yikes that was long. Again, not really a guide, just some things I think about when writing these characters. if you read this far at all thank you for indulging me this much.