#SoC Chapter 18

[stromuprisahat]

“Do you trust Specht?” Kaz cast her a sideways glance. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t?” “Not at all, but if the Ferolind isn’t waiting for us in the harbor…” “I trust him enough.” “He owes you?” Kaz nodded. He glanced around then said, “The navy threw him out for insubordination and refused him his pension. He has a sister to support near Belendt. I got him his money.” “That was good of you.” Kaz narrowed his eyes. “I’m not some character out of a children’s story who plays harmless pranks and steals from the rich to give to the poor. There was money to be made and information to be had. Specht knows the navy’s routes like the back of his hand.” “Never something for nothing, Kaz,” she said, her gaze steady.

Six of Crows- Chapter 18 (Leigh Bardugo)

Oh look, an opportunist, who isn't constantly judged for doing "nice" things with ulterior motives!

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Okay maybe this is a known thing and I’m just spouting nonsense or both Idek it’s half one in the morning and I was meant to be getting an early night but YOU GUYS I was just listening to my Soc audiobook and in chapter 18 when Kaz is remembering the coffee shop and the Hertzoon scam we learn that the first trade major trade Jordie and Kaz were privy to and I’m pretty sure Jordie put a little money into was A CHANGE IN THE SUGAR MARKET.

And of all the things Kaz might have been able to manipulate the market for to try and profit off Van Eck’s destruction at the start of crooked kingdom HE CHOSE SUGAR.

The failure of the Sweet Reef job doesn’t only represent, to Kaz, the foolishness at being hoodwinked by Rollins again that he describes as causing such anger within himself whilst at the Van Eck house but also LITERALLY REFLECTS AND PROBABLY SERVES AS A CLEAR CUT REMINDER OF THE HERTZOON SCAM. We know Kaz is a pretty big on poetic justice (see Fillip and the wind up dogs torture/murder, stealing from the bank that was involved in the scam, the use of Alby against Rollins, etc) and I can’t help but wonder if that’s what this was intended to be in his mind, but there’s also the possibility that this wasn’t an active decision he made and only occurred to him afterwards when he saw Rollins and had that strange “sense of doubling” and saw both situations and both failures so clearly reflected and

okay I may have lost my point here I’m very tired idk how to end this um ta-dah and goodnight

[generic-enthusiast]

any outsiders foster au fic recs?? Please 🥺

Ooh yes, I have a few

1. Where the Sun Meets the Storm by Legends_Never_Die

(You've probably heard of this one but just in case)

Incomplete, 16/? chapters. It’s an AU where Ponyboy is Dally's brother, not Darry and Soda's, very well written

2. Fight Your Corner by ominousfreds

Incomplete, 10/? chapters. It's a modern AU, but really only technology wise, the Soc-greaser conflict is the same. Technically only Darry and Soda take him in, but it focuses on the relationships between Ponyboy and almost everyone. (I have like fifteen screenshots of lines I like, it's really funny and the author nailed the dynamics between characters)

3. Permanent by itsrllynotA

It only has one chapter so far, but it's really good. It's about Darry taking in both Soda and Ponyboy. Ponyboy is selectively mute, I think. I can’t really say much more yet, but it looks good.

4. Temporary by Legends_Never_Die

Complete, 37 chapters and 137K words. SO so good, Darry and Soda take Ponyboy in and it's supposed to be temporary, but of course we all know how that goes, and there's a couple parallelisms with canon that are really cool.

5. Home by FeFe_the_cat

Complete, 48 chapters and 22K words. I haven’t finished it, I actually found it while looking for fics for this post, but I'm really liking it. Darry fosters Soda, Dally, and Ponyboy. Fair warning: Soda's been r*ped in past homes, and that is mentioned quite a bit, but it focuses more on the trauma and his response, and there haven’t been any explicit scenes, and it doesn't seem like there will be (I can't guarantee there won't be, though).

6. Invisible string by Lovelylillies157

Incomplete, 18/? chapters. The Curtis parents died when they were younger, so the three brothers got separated, and now Darry is trying to find his brothers. There are some absolutely heartbreaking flashbacks to when they were separated and I really like the premise, tbh.

7. The Runaway by Emily_F6

(Their other works are also absolutely marvelous but not foster AUs)

Complete, 51 chapters and 215K words. This fic is just... Perfection. I loved it so much. Ponyboy is put into foster care after they stab the Soc, and things go sideways real quick. The focus of the story isn't actually on his time in foster care, but it is a part of the story.

[yadigokbaby]

wishing on dying stars ~ chapter 1

tags: general content warning 18+, alternate universe canon divergence, time skips, post canon, canon typical violence & behavior, gang violence, angst, slow burn

summary: what if johnny cade didn't kill bob sheldon? years after the incident at the park, the tulsa gang scene is reaching it's boiling point.

"Next!"

“Tulsa, Oklahoma—“

“One way,” 

The man withheld a scoff as the ticket was punched. While trading paper, his eyes met yours, revealing pity on your behalf. 

"There you are, miss, terminal three–“

“Next!"

Your daze was broken, his words abruptly signalling your legs to terminal three. With the woven paper between your fingertips, your actions somehow seemed more permanent than they did moments ago— a fresh start. 

The dreams of being a free spirit would fade at the sound of train gears screeching to a halt. A line of businessmen and children accompanied by mothers formed in front of you, leaving a daunting pit in your stomach of what could have been. But defeat would linger in your footsteps, a new reality settling in with a blaring departure horn. 

A summer wind blew steady over the Great Plains, and you went with it, heading south. Despite your uncertainty, the sun would come up and around you two times. During this, you would bide your time, smoking cigarettes in the back seat while trying to hide your sorrow from onlookers. 

It was a rather long ride of solitude, your nerves clashing with your confidence and chewing a hole through you. The vast prairies were hypnotizing, turning into an abyss of yellow, green, and blue as the train chugged along. 

As the one-horse towns and signs of civilization contorted, somehow you knew your ride was nearing its end. 

Not too far down the tracks lived a humble railway station, with morning gleams embracing its vibrant brick walls. Perhaps it held more optimism than its blue collar inhabitants, merely being a place where lost souls drifted to, a last ditch attempt to search for a deeper meaning Tulsa refused to give. 

Against the station pillar stood Johnny Cade,  contemplation etched into the creases of his ticket. The rumbling in the distance had his blood pumping, a mighty beast of a train shot towards him like a bullet. 

Johnny’s calloused fingertips tightened on the paper as a sea of people emerged and disappeared from its door. He would not be one of them, losing the never ending battle to doubt. While Johnny was a lot of things, a coward wasn’t one of them— but whenever his hand touched the sleek metal of the guardrail, it was as if he were hexed. 

Defeat loomed around him like an aura as he slunk away,  fists jammed into his worn denim. The world moved fast around him, not daring to stop for anyone. What was keeping him here?

The gang all had their own lives now, nothing was the same. No Mickey at the Curtis’, no Dingo, no Nightly Double, no hunting action— they were now a memory, an ode to adolescence. His time with the gang had turned into a rare spur of the moment, but like the stars on a clear night, they too would fade away.  

— “Hey!”

Deep in his thoughts, Johnny had bumped into you upon turning the corner, causing your belongings to scatter onto the station pavement. 

Johnny took a brash step back, an instinctual attitude coursed through his veins, ready to give you a hard time if you were one of Sheldon’s girls, or anyone who resembled one, in fact. 

As his fight or flight settled, so did his better scenes. You weren’t no soc, nor a sleazy Shepard hang-around, just some townie, he reckoned. 

“I’m real sorry, miss,”

Johnny mustered up the most respectable tone he could, frantically collecting your stray items. The last thing he wanted was for you to call the fuzz. 

“didn’t mean none no harm,” 

He reassured genuinely, a slight sneer tugging at his lips. A horizontal scar outlining a part of his jawline flexed in response, emphasizing his mischief.  

But you didn’t buy it. Your gaze shot daggers through him, it wasn’t your first time around the block when it came to pick-pocketers. Hadn’t he seen you?

Despite his cool outward demeanor, glints of shock peppered the dark wells that hid behind his well-greased bangs. Whether he was sizing you up, making sure you weren’t hurt, or checking you out wasn’t clear. It all happened too fast. 

“It’s fine,”

You begrudgingly muttered, preoccupied with smoothing out the fabric of your jacket and recounting your belongings. This wasn’t exactly the welcome you were expecting. 

With a spin on his heel, Johnny swiftly departed into the crowd. A small wave of embarrassment creeped up his neck from the absolute fool he made of himself.  

By now, the disgust from other folks was expected, a second nature engraved into his bones from the class he resided in. But embarrassing himself in front of girls he would never get used to, especially the non affiliated pretty ones 

Kicking a stray rock down the road, Johnny reached his thumb out to passing cars, mumbling curses as each one steered clear. Like most things, hitchhiking never came easy to Johnny, he didn’t play a good part. 

Now that he thinks of it, he wouldn’t pick up a fella who looked like himself, either. Dressed in old hand-me-downs Sodapop left behind, the bottom of his jeans tattered from dragging under his shoes before hitting that growth spurt— later than the gang, of course. Not that he could complain, he held an ounce of pride being nearly the same height as Dallas—

But alas, Johnny didn’t have Two-Bits wit, nor Soda’s charisma, and he especially couldn’t afford to keep his denim blue and his leather shiny, like the Tigers. 

Despite this, his luck would sometimes turn, an old farmer let him catch a ride to town in the bed of his truck every so often. The smell was always thick with manure, a mangy herding dog sunbathing next to him, happier than a pig in shit— Johnny wishes he could relate.  

Just thinking about it made him cringe in despair, maybe he’d rather just walk. 

[lunarthecorvus]

Inej Ghafa parent's fanfiction recommendations part of Lunar's soc fanficiton rec series

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what a mother was by @cameliawrites

Wordcount: 62k Chapters: 8/8

Characters: Inej Ghafa's Mother, Inej Ghafa's Grandparents, Inej Ghafa's Aunt, Inej Ghafa's Father, Inej Ghafa, Kaz Brekker

Tags: Mother-Daughter Relationship, Motherhood, Family, Romance, Coming of Age, Prequel, Time Skips, Suli Culture & Religion, Canon Compliant, Original Character(s), Canon-Typical violence, Period Typical Racism, Sick Character, Grief/ Mourning, Attempted Sexual Assault, First Love, Implied/ Referenced Homophobia, Eating Disorders, Bittersweet, Angst, Eventual Happy Ending

Author's summary/notes: "She could recount every detail of the day she married Kolhat: the geraniums her sister had embroidered along the sleeves and hem of her dress, one of her father’s old handkerchiefs tucked into her pocket, her mother’s silk veil draped over her hair. She could recall the day she met him, when she was all of twenty years old. Inej was not yet twenty. Shanta still felt as young as all that, and she felt far older." . . . Before she was Inej’s mother, Shanta Ghafa had a mother too. or: ten years and six suitors in the life of Mama Ghafa. My summary/notes: A beautiful retrospective of Mama Ghafa's past, the life she has lived, and all she has loved and lost. Camelia is just an amazing writer and every part of this fic was beautfully written. You can feel the grief and joy of Shanta's life and it added levels and depth to her character that I never would've expected. While reading this I couldn't believe that this wasn't canon and its own book. I would kill to read this for the first time again.

---------- ☾₊ ⊹

Sankta Margaretha and Other Tales of Sorrow by @oneofthewednesdays

Wordcount: 18k Chapters: 8/8

Characters: Inej Ghafa, Inej Ghafa's Mother, Inej Ghafa's Father, Kaz Brekker, Jesper Fahey, Wylan Van Eck

Tags: Post-Book 2: Crooked Kingdom, Hurt/Comfort, Family, Angst, Implied/ Reference Rape/ Non-con, Canon Typical Violence, Graphic Description of Corpses

Author's summary/notes: When his daughter was stolen from beneath his nose on the outskirts of Os Kervo, Samir Ghafa lost his faith in the saints. After a letter arrives bearing the insignia of the Lantsov double-eagle, he finds his hope rekindled. But when he learns of the demon of Ketterdam, he begins to fear once more… My summary/ notes: I'm not sure how to write this without directly spoiling it.. but a certain opinion Inej's father has about someone is surprisingly uncommonly found in fics and its so interesting to read how the opinion is formed and how Samir acts because of it. Then consequently how the others act and feel because of Samir's actions. (I was laughing my ass off while writing this so vaguely)

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Ten Minutes in the Life of a Pear by @oneofthewednesdays

Wordcount: 8.9k Chapters: 4/4

Characters: Inej Ghafa, Inej Ghafa's Mother, Inej Ghafa's Father, Kaz Brekker, Asha, Hanzi

Tags: Panic Attacks, Healing, Implied/ Reference Rape/Non-con, Canon backstory, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Post-Canon

Authors summary: Four glimpses into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert with the Ghafa Family. My summary/ notes: A heartwarming fic reflecting on the pain and the way relationships both platonic and romantic can develop and grow throughout the different points in life.

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Runs in the family by DopamineAddict

Wordcount: 99k Chapters: 16/18 (hasn't been updated since march)

Characters: Inej Ghafa, Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa's Mother, Inej Ghafa's father, Wylan Van Eck, Jesper Fahey. Tante Heleen, Specht, Roeder, Anika

Tags: Revenge, Family Reunions, Canon-Typical violence, Coming of Age, Inej Ghafa needs a hug, Past Rape/ non con, Post-Book 2: Crooked Kingdom, Kaz is scared of Inej's parents he knows hunger for revenge when he sees it, the Ghafa's might be a bit non canon but we only see them from Inej's pov in canon so..

Author's summary/notes: As the Ketterdam harbour grows closer, Priya and Devnand Ghafa steel themselves for the truth of whatever their daughter had been through over the past two years. And for what they might do about it. My summary/notes: Priya and Devnand meet their daughter again after years, they learn about her and what's she's been doing, but the other question that will be answered is what have they been up to since Inej has been taken. (This fic is just incredible, it changed how I saw her parents)

[aaronstveit]

20 questions for 20 writers!

tagged by the bestie @afaramir abby thank you so much for giving me an excuse to avoid writing tonight <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 45!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 492,078 and literally a solid quarter of that is from c&b oh i'm laughing.

3. What fandoms do you write for? right now only for les mis but most of my works are trc and in 2019/2020 i wrote a bit for soc and aftg.....

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? oh i'm laughing these aren't even GOOD.... 1. [redacted soc fic] 2. makes me feel a little bit closer to you - pynch clothes sharing fic 3. c&b (my most beloved this is the only valid entry on this list) 4. i ain't gotta tell him (i think he knows) - pynch ithk songfic 5. all the time, all the time (i think of you all the time) - pynch fic where ronan is tutoring adam in art

5. Do you respond to comments? mostly yes! for like a solid 2 years i didn't but now i do again <3

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? ummm i think the only actually angsty ending i have is all too well adansey fic? i'm such a happy ending girlie that's the only one i can think of that doesn't end happily. for obvious reasons.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? i like to think pretty much everything i write ends happily but c&b proposal fic is what comes to mind since i finally finished it THREE ENTIRE YEARS LATER very recently

8. Do you get hate on fics? no i have been very lucky so far actually!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? no because i am afraid

10. Do you write crossovers? i do not!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? not that i know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? nope not yet!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? only the theoretical AUs that coco and i like to talk about but never commit to writing <3 although really you could consider coco my cowriter on most of my fics (especially c&b) like so much of them comes from her fr. love you coco <3333

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? oh i can't pick. that's like asking a mother to pick her favorite child. right now those dead gay french revolutionaries have my heart but tomorrow, who knows?

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? ugh i hate admitting defeat but. but. i am aware that beloved beloved pynch band fic will probably never be finished. which is a SHAME because i have soooooooo much of it planned out i mean like. i've got full albums designed. most of the beats are mapped out. i've got fake tweets written up, i've got chapter titles and scene drafts. like the entire concept is there and i'm so obsessed with it. but i just. after all these years it is extremely unlikely that i am going to actually, you know. write it.

16. What are your writing strengths? beginnings. i am so good at beginnings. that's why i have so many wips. also i like to think i'm good at dialogue. i try to write conversationally even when it's not actually a conversation and i think that translates well to actual dialogue it's fun.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? endings. i can't end anything to save my LIFE. also just plots in general escape me. and i always end up writing 10k more words than i meant to.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? um other people who can do it definitely should! i however cannot do that. i did however use my extremely limited knowledge of the french language for the section headings in my most recent fic and i like the effect it produced i think.

19. First fandom you wrote for? all evidence of their existence has been wiped from the face of the earth but my very first fics were one star wars fic and one agents of shield fic circa like. 2015.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? legally i'm obligated to say c&b but right now actually i'm still very very happy with how exr rooftop fic turned out. literally the entire time i was writing it i was just having a blast. i love writing angst and stuff it's like chewing on a polly pocket toy. now that i'm evil i never wanna write fluff again. i'm torturing those fictional guys fr.

tagging besties @television-bodies @gingerpeachtea and anyone else who wants to do it! ♡

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Jesse Singal

Published: Jun 25, 2024

When the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s Standards of Care Version 8 was released in September 2022, a very strange thing happened: WPATH removed references to minimum age requirements for various medical interventions, describing the change as a “correction” in a notice that now reads, weirdly: “This correction notice has been removed as it referred to a previous version of the article, which was published in error.” Whatever happened, exactly, it’s clear that until late in the game the document did have age minimums until, suddenly, it did not.

The SoC 8 was supposed to have been created via something called the Delphi process. As the document itself explains: “Consensus on the final recommendations was attained using the Delphi process that included all members of the guidelines committee and required that recommendation statements were approved by at least 75% of members.” Suffice it to say that making a sudden, major change so late in the game calls into question whether that process was fully adhered to.

Thanks to a rather remarkable document just unsealed as part of Boe v. Marshall, one of the many American lawsuits over youth gender medicine, we now have a potential explanation for why the age guidelines were removed: direct pressure from assistant secretary for health of the Department of Health and Human Services Admiral Rachel Levine (who is a trans woman herself) and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The document is titled “Appendix A To Supplemental Expert Report Of James Cantor, Ph.D. In it Cantor, a Canadian sex researcher, critic of youth gender medicine, and frequent expert witness on behalf of those attempting to ban or restrict it (including in this case), claims that “Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Rachel Levine strongly pressured WPATH leadership to rush the development and issuance of SOC-8, in order to assist with Administration political strategy.”

He backs this claim up with the following internal communications from WPATH members involved with the creation of the SoC 8 (here and elsewhere in the document, the names of the people who wrote the words in question are redacted):

I have just spoken to Admiral Levine today, who—as always is extremely supportive of the SOC 8, but also very eager for its release—so to ensure integration in the US health policies of the Biden government. So, let’s crack on with the job!!! 

I am meeting with Rachel Levine and her team next week, as the US Department of Health is very keen to bring the trans health agenda forward.

The failure of WPATH to be ready with SOC 8 is proving a barrier to optimal policy progress and she [Dr. Levine] was eager to learn when SOC 8 might be published. 

[T]his should be taken as a charge from the United States government to do what is required to complete the project immediately. 

More worryingly, Cantor charges that “Assistant Secretary Levine also attempted to and did influence the substantive content of SOC-8, based on political goals rather than science. Specifically, Assistant Secretary Levine, though [sic] a staff member, pressured WPATH to remove recommended minimum ages for medical transition treatments from SOC-8.”

Here, too, he has evidence from anonymized emails written by those involved in the SoC 8:

Sarah Boateng, who is Adm. Levine’s chief of staff [said the] biggest concern is the section below in the Adolescent Chapter that lists specific minimum ages for treatment, she is confident, based on the rhetoric she is hearing in DC, and from what we have already seen, that these specific listings of ages, under 18, will result in devastating legislation for trans care. She wonders if the specific ages can be taken out and perhaps an adjunct document could be created that is published or distributed in a way that is less visible than the SOC8, is the way to go. 

The issue of ages and treatment has been quite controversial (mainly for surgery) and it has come up again. We sent the document to Admiral Levine. . . She like [sic] the SOC-8 very much but she was very concerned that having ages (mainly for surgery) will affect access to health care for trans youth and maybe adults too. Apparently the situation in the USA is terrible and she and the Biden administration worried that having ages in the document will make matters worse. She asked us to remove them. We have the WPATH executive committee in this meeting and we explained to her that we could not just remove them at this stage. 

[W]e heard your [Dr. Levine’s] comments regarding the minimal age criteria for transgender healthcare adolescents; the potential negative outcome of these minimal ages as recommendations in the US [. . . ] Consequently, we have changes to the SOC 8 in this respect. Given that the recommendations for minimal ages for the various gender affirming medical and surgical intervention are consensus-based, we could not remove them from the document. Therefore, we have made changes as to how the minimal ages are presented in the documents. [Note: “your” may well refer to an aide of Levine’s rather than the Secretary herself, though it’s unclear.] 

Cantor also includes emails from SoC 8 contributors expressing surprise at the sudden change, including this one making. . . well, the same point everyone else made after news of the late-stage “correction” broke:

I don’t see how we can simply remove something that important from the document—without going through a Delphi—at this final stage of the game [. . . ] I realize that those in favor of the bans are going to go right to the age criteria and ignore the fact that we actually strengthened the strictness of the criteria to help clinicians better discern appropriate surgical candidates from those who are inappropriate [. . . ] It’s all about messaging and marketing. 

I’m actually crashing on a different but related freelance story at the moment. Check out Leor Sapir’s Twitter timeline for more details about this and another just-unsealed document. Next week, when I’ve caught my breath, I’ll write a little bit more about this as well as yet another damning claim Cantor makes, that the American Academy of Pediatrics “issued an ultimatum to WPATH: Should WPATH not delete the age minimums, AAP would not only withhold endorsement of SOC-8, but would publicly oppose the document.” 

But I wanted to at least get this short piece up, because the Levine angle is important and alarming. It demonstrates an indisputable conflict between how WPATH has portrayed the SoC 8 — as a document steeped in evidence and careful deliberation on the part of experts — and how the guidelines were actually formulated.

==

This is rather remarkable political interference in what WPATH have pretended is both appropriate and evidence-based.

[sky-neverending]

ok so im going through all my google docs rn and making a list of the premises. (see list below). based on the premise of the fic, pick a number and put it in my ask box, and i’ll share what i’ve written for it so far, no matter how long or short it is!

1. Stranger Things Modern AU

2. Stranger Things Chatfic

3. Steddie 7 minutes in heaven

4. The Party (kids) as the 5 stages of grief

5. Post Vecna, Dustin’s mom falls ill and Steve takes him in

6. part 3 of my flowers of 86 series, Steddie and some of the kids go on a road trip in an RV (direct follow up to Roadside Roses)

7. Steddie valentine’s day date, friends to lovers

8. Steve adopts Dustin

9. Literally just Steve admiring things about Eddie and crushing on him hard

10. Steddie They Both Die At The End AU

11. heartstopper x hunger games au

12. Steddie Summer Camp AU

13. Steddie, platonic stobin, and familial dustin & steve soulmate au (steve has three soulmarks)

14. Wylan finds a note from his dad- angst

15. Will Byers angst, Byler

16. Steddie unhappy ending, hospital room romance

17. Steddie childhood friends AU

18. Young Royals Prince Simon AU

19. The Party goes to the beach

20. Malec secret relationship

21. Wesper coffee shop AU

22. Crows roommates AU

23. Wylan and Kaz friendship, hurt/comfort

24. Kanej letters

25. azicrow watches call me by your name

26. chapter 2 of my stranger things x soc crossover

27. crowley angst

None of these are complete! most of them are only a handful of words, but I thought if i shared them maybe it would make me want to work on some of them! so don’t be afraid to put a number in my ask box!!

[deepspacedukat]

Icing

I’m actually really nervous about this one! I didn’t intend for a challenge fic to be the way I debuted Kollos on his own, but here we are! I did the same thing with Jorik, and that turned out alright. ANYWAY. This is the first time Kollos has taken center stage, so I hope you’ll all enjoy my mature Pointy Boi’s debut! 💖 It should be stated up front that this is an AU of his multi-chapter fic (that I haven’t posted yet 😅) which will be Kollos x OFC. This was just an experiment, albeit a fun one! Anyway, enjoy!

Day 11: Cinnamon Bun (coming on a pregnant belly)

SoC prompt list here. SoC Masterlist here. Cross-posted to AO3 here.

~*~

Kollos (OC) x Reader

[A/N: This is smut, so 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI!!!]

Warnings: Interspecies sex, Human/Vulcan sex, dirty talk, breeding kink, pregnancy kink, possessive language, cinnamon bun, coming on a pregnant belly, oral sex (female receiving).

~*~

“Adun, please, I need you.” The plea came from far above his seeking lips, but he wouldn’t be swayed. Not just yet.

“You’ll have me, ashaya. Be patient just a few moments more,” Kollos replied as his unrelentingly slow kisses up her thighs stirred his wife into a desperate fog.

Through their bond, he could feel her affection for him mingling seamlessly with her desire. He was fortunate enough to have a mate with a sex drive that was a match for his own, and she was even more amorous now that she was carrying his child. It was his responsibility and honor to attend to her pleasure, especially during this time.

Reaching up, Kollos carefully caressed his wife’s swollen belly, moaning hungrily against the soft skin of her upper thigh. She’d already come twice while riding his face, but he intended to give her much more than that.

The former minister slid out from beneath her and helped her lay on her back, making sure she was properly supported and comfortable. She was a vision spread open for him like this. Surrounded and luxuriating in a veritable pile of pillows atop their bed, Kollos’s heavily pregnant wife reached her arms out for her husband. He grasped one of her hands as he knelt between her spread legs, looking down at her in awe.

He would never get used to this. When his ex-wife was pregnant, he hadn’t been allowed to explore the primal urges that swirled within him. Their marriage was no more than a political alliance between their families. The intimacy they had shared was no more than perfunctory performance of a perceived duty - to have a productive union and appear to be a true family. Despite their marriage, they had never completely confided in one another. Outside of Kollos’s instances of pon farr and the conception of their child, there was almost no intimate contact between them. Such an exploration of what it meant to have a pregnant mate would not have been welcome.

He could indulge those particular urges now, though. The desire to hold his lover, to feel the life they had created together growing within her, to prove that he was a worthy mate by tending to her pleasure throughout her pregnancy and beyond...she had made it clear that she was open to all of that and more. This second marriage was a love match. Kollos and his new wife were undeniably compatible, both physically and mentally. The necessary attraction had been there from the beginning, and now he could truly experience what a marriage should be.

“Look at you. You are already full of me, yet still you beg for me to fuck you,” he crooned. A fierce possessiveness roared within him as the tip of his lok brushed through her soaked folds, prompting him to lift her legs carefully in his grasp. He probed their bond to check that she wasn’t in any discomfort, and when none could be found, he began pushing relentlessly forward, splitting her open on his length. “My beautiful, accommodating wife. You take me so well.”

“Kollos, p-please,” she called out, covering his hands with hers where they gripped her thighs. “Please...Please, I need you!”

“You have me.” His promise was accompanied by his lips on her one of her calves. The soft, tight warmth of his mate around him made Kollos groan as he began moving in slow, deliberate thrusts. Bracing her legs on his broad chest, he reached between her legs and gradually began stirring her passion further with swirling circles over her clit. “You will always have me.”

Her fingernails dug into his skin as she clung to him, and Kollos let out a deep, rumbling growl as he began to lose his composure. Leaning into this sort of savage desire meant that he’d have to spend a little longer meditating tonight, but that was a sacrifice he was more than willing to make if this lovemaking brought his spouse pleasure. It was the least he could do to make sure that she was comfortable and satisfied while she was carrying their child.

He’d promised when they were married that she would want for nothing, and to date, he was proud to be able to say that he had kept that promise. He had demonstrated himself to be a capable provider, and he was happy to continue to do so for her. She deserved the best, after all, and although he was no longer a member of the Vulcan High Command, he still wished to give his mate the best life possible - that included as many orgasms as she could ever desire.

As she cried out for the third and fourth times that night, Kollos felt his own end approaching. Close to completely unhinged with desire, he coaxed her through a fifth peak and pulled out. Standing quickly on the bed, he fisted his lok, roaring as his pleasure gushed through his fingers and splattered on his wife’s stomach. His seed dripped down the sides of her rounded belly while he moaned above her.

Mine. Mine, mine, mine! The word repeated over and over like a drumbeat in his head, his heart, and even in the core of his katra. Easing himself back down onto the bed beside his wife, he found his lips immediately claimed by hers.

He still had to clean his spend off of her, and soon a desire that began somewhere in the post-orgasmic haze thrummed between them until they were both ravenous with desire yet again: his tongue would make a suitable and efficient tool to do the job.

Kollos was more than happy to fulfill that desire.

~*~*~

Vulcan Words:

Adun = husband

ashaya = beloved

~*~

Taglist:

@android-boyfriends @attention-bajoranworkers @bigblissandlove1 @darkmattervibes @emilie786 @horta-in-charge @live-logs-and-proper @slutty-slutty-vulcans @starrynightgardens @toebeans-mcgee

[littlelcvestory]

thank you @wesperbrekkered for tagging me even though im so inactive on like all my fandom accounts 😭😭😭

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

i have 13 :)

2. What is your AO3 word count?

29,858 words 😭 thats kinda crazy for me ngl

3. What fandoms do you write for? 

my main is six of crows! my ao3 still has my fics from when i wrote solangelo tho lmao

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

sparks fly (whenever you smile) with 268 (wesper)

we were in screaming color with 244 (solangelo)

Doctor Death (god this fic is so old i hate it 😭) with 236 (solangelo)

i wanna teach you how forever feels with 221 (wesper)

time can't stop me quite like you did with 205 (i wrote this for a school assignment, it's from the book they both die at the end)

i strongly dislike this list mainly because of solangelo being on there and how long ago i wrote those fics because theyre really bad now 😭 perhaps leave more kudos on my wesper fics :)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? 

YES it makes me so happy that people enjoyed what i wrote. i'd like to say it's author fuel but i have not touched any of my fics since august but they ARE author serotonin

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

it's either time can't stop me quite like you did (because he literally d!es) but none of my SoC fics have angsty endings, because none of them have endings. haha

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

uhh i'd say it would be i wanna teach you how forever feels purely because it's a cute domestic post-ck wesper

8. Do you get hate on fics?

i dont think im widespread enough to have haters on my fics tbh 😭

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? 

nope, i am literally 16 !! although i have written a few very intimate passages but theres also taught you the way you call me baby which is the closest i'll ever get for now

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

my wesper romeo and juliet au like fire and powder that i havent touched since august! this was like my most big brain idea ever but i'm torn between discarding it and starting from scratch or continuing as it is right now

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? 

i dont think so, and i hope not !

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

no :)

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

also no

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship? 

wesper. next!

15. What’s a WIP you’d like to finish but doubt you ever will?

THE ROMEO AND JULIET AU I AM CRYING i need to continue it as soon as possible oh lord

16. What are your writing strengths?

not sure tbh! i do find writing dialogue easy but it also leads to my downfall sometimes which i'll explain in the next question

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

inner monologues, because they jump around too much and i eventually stray from the original thought. or anything thats not closely tied to a character ... i'm really strong with character driver things but if you hand me a plot, i'm gonna struggle (which may be why the r&j au is failing LMAO) and how i said with dialogue, it ends up being dry and makes the scene move a little too fast. i'm really bad at slowing down scenes 😭

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? 

never done it before hehe

19. First fandom you wrote for?

percy jackson, i think

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

my romeo and juliet au because its the most ambitious thing i ever tried to accomplish. i really want to get back to it because i'm still so intrigued by the idea of it and i was shocked i wrote 10k for the first chapter but it felt like it was being squeezed out of me... i'll do my best to get back to writing i've had insane weiters block (no thanks to school 🙄)

thanks for tagging me rae :) i'm tagging @artsypretzel @jazzythursday and anyone else who sees this and wants to do it :)

[sixofsol]

@johaerys-writes tagged my main (@heypax) for this, but since ive talked about my fics more on this blog i decided to do it here instead !

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

26!

2. What is your AO3 word count?

151,778

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I mean, I haven’t written anything for anything but six of crows since like year back… But! I do miss writing patrochilles, and tsoa is the fandom i’ve written the absolute most for! If we’re looking back, I’ve written hadestown, steven universe, haikyuu!! and a bunch more years ago.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

we were shotgun lovers // I’m a shotgun running away - six of crows, wesper, 772 kudos

like moss climbs a tree - song of achilles, patrochilles, 446

i want someone to try, and let me down easy — six of crows, wesper, 405 kudos

from the outside looking in - the song of achilles, patrochilles, 371 kudos

twisted roots and sunny days, the song of achilles, patrochilles, 363 kudos

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

YES if i dont miss when i get them (i dont have the email motifs on) i always do ! it means so much someone commented and i always love having a lil conversation about this thing that i wrote.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

as much of an lover i am of hurt no comfort i very rarely write it lmao but a lot of my tsoa fics had sad endings. autumn’s coming around is the first one that popped into mind, but that’s at least slightly open ? i’ll hold your hand while you drown, less so.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I feel like a lot of my fics have equally happy endings haha, the one that came to mind was our hair tangled in the breeze, simply because its a happy ending canon complaint tsoa fic which is a feat lmao

8. Do you get hate on fics?

nope the closets ive ever come was when i was 12 and people were like nice story but god your grammar and spelling is terrible! which was fair!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

nah I’m a fade to black kinda girlie

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I never anymore but well,, Once upon a time i was 14 and obsessed with glee and sherlock and well….

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not as far as ik

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope !

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

nope, but I would enjoy trying!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

…this is hard because wesper has been running around in my head for a year but simply cause ive been obsessed with patrochilles longer im still gonna say them

15. What's a WIP you'd like to finish but doubt you ever will?

I’d love to continue for everyone im about to prove wrong, and I think I even have a mostly finished chapter lying around somewhere, but I’ve just not had the inspiration rip.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I’m good at writing characters in general, especially when it’s from their pov. first person pov my beloved.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I’m not really a person who uses a lot of metaphors of writes flowery language, but i wish i was!! i love very beautiful language and poetic writing but i just don’t do that that much im pretty straight forward, which isn’t a bad thing but I wish i could expand a bit more.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

takes me out the story way too much, it’s fine if it’s like one word every now and then but nah. ive read a couple of young royals fics, and as a swedish speaker its a bit jarring to suddenly have swedish words there lmao

19. First fandom you wrote for?

If non published count, harry potter. if only published, glee!

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

i’m gonna be fair to myself and choose one for soc and one for tsoa.

autumn’s coming around for tsoa and a fire died last winter for soc, which ironically are my least popular fics in the respective fandoms!

thank you !! and im tagging @leglesslouie @jackwolfes @wesperbrekkered @deathless--aphrodite

[stromuprisahat]

... Ketterdam wasn’t safe for children on their own. There were thieves and pickpockets and even men who would snap up little boys and sell them to the highest bidder. ...

Six of Crows- Chapter 18 (Leigh Bardugo)

Oh shit, antis are right- you don't need to be Grisha to end up badly in Katterdam! What a lovely land of equality!

[grishaverse-chaos]

I don't know why people say she was 17 in the books. 😭😭 She was canonically at least 18. They mention she was 8 when taken to the orphanage and that she had spent more than 10 years at the orphanage. Direct age is nowhere mentioned in the trilogy.

In the Nikolai duology it is mentioned that Alina was a few years older(when Nikolai gave her a ring)than this other girl who was 16. A few years is definitely not just 1 year.

ravkan draft age is 16 and alina says in the first chapter of s&b that she and mal have been in the first army for a year. also soc confirms that alina was 17 when she faked her death!

[ghosts-of-love]

18 and 30 for the fic writer asks

thank you!! <3 <3 <3 <3

18. What is a line/scene you’re really proud of? Give us the DVD commentary for that scene.

oh my god i've obviously completely forgotten everything i've ever written now haha. i'll go with an answer i've said before but i think that i will always like the comparison between the beginning and the end of lost then found.

'he’d been freefalling ever since, searching for anything that might help him find his balance again' and 'but surely this couldn’t be it for him'

versus

'This really was it for him and he knew he was going to hold on to it for as long as possible.'

genuinely remember being so proud that i was able to tie those first and last lines together so well and properly summarise the emotional journey. because this is the life he's always wanted and he never thought he'd get there. there's a certain peace there.

i don't know how to explain it but i also wanted to have sort of an immortal vibe to the ending? just like,, the ghosts are stuck in that house forever, time stretches on for them. i wanted it to be the same for the end of lost then found - you could get the impression that they never die, either preserved in that moment or that the au just goes on forever. (this is ruined a bit by the fact i wrote some shorter follow-on fics afterwards haha) i think i aimed for the same thing at the end of adored as well.

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

the only reason it's in the future is because i've not written enough of it yet to publish but i've been slogging away at a uni au for months now - probably actually a year to be honest. but i'm currently stuck not enjoying my writing and being very tired from life in general so i've been prioritising other fics.

the first chapter is basically done. a bunch of the other chapters are more than planned but not quite fully written. but then i've also written a couple of other random shorter fics (which also aren't finished lol) and they've taken up the small amount of time i have. but idk i like this fic because they're all silly 19 year olds (apart from Fanny, who is a mature student thank you very much) and they have such ridiculous drama and emotions but also they're family. the premise is that the captain joins their uni house and they're all members of or on the committee for the lgbt soc and he gets gradually and grudgingly roped in to their shenanigans and comes out of his shell. it's sweet and wholesome and i'm trying to capture the emotional journey like i did with lost then found but struggling because yeah, write not good and got no time. but we're getting there :)

Behind the Scenes of Fic Writing: 30 Questions for Authors

[iotexpo]

[IOTE2025 Shanghai Exhibitor] The leading narrowband IoT communications manufacturer made its debut with domestically produced LPWAN technology

IOTE 2025, the 23rd International Internet of Things Exhibition Shanghai, will be held in Shanghai New International Expo Center from June 18 to 20, 2025. This time, it will join hands with MWC Shanghai to write a new chapter in the Internet of Things and mobile communications!

Shanghai Taolink Technologies Corporation (referred to as "Taolink") will be present at this exhibition. As the exhibition is about to open, the organizers of IOTE 2025 have the honor to have an in-depth dialogue with Taolink, and revealed in advance the highlights and innovative achievements that the company will display at this event. The following is the transcript of the interview:

Exhibitor Introduction

Shanghai Taolink Technologies Corporation

Booth number: N5B29

June 18-20, 2025

Shanghai New International Expo Center

Company Profile

Founded in 2019, Taolink is an IoT infrastructure provider, technology innovation driver, localization and safe control leader, customized solution provider, and ecological co-construction promoter that focuses on the research and development of a new generation of LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) technology - TurMass™.

The technology has completely independent intellectual property rights, covering chip design, system solutions and ecological construction. The company was founded by a team with rich experience in communication technology, IoT and semiconductor industries, and is committed to filling the technical gap in the field of narrowband low power wide area networks, and providing efficient and easy-to-use connection solutions for the development of global IoT applications. At present, the company has successfully completed multiple rounds of financing and is actively considering the possibility of listing on the capital market in the future.

Product Recommendation

At the IOTE Shanghai Internet of Things Exhibition, Taolink will focus on displaying a full range of products and solutions based on TurMass™ technology, including:

1. Chip: Domestically produced wireless terminal SoC chips, such as TK8620, TK8622, etc.;

2. Module: A series of modules based on the company's wireless terminal SoC chips;

3. Gateway: A dual-channel and multi-antenna gateway that supports flexible configuration, which can cover hundreds of square kilometers and serve tens of thousands of devices, suitable for industrial Internet of Things, smart parks and other scenarios;

4. TurMass™ Link system: Based on the company's different models of wireless terminal SoC chips and product solutions, it is an efficient and flexible wireless communication protocol designed to meet the needs of various Internet of Things scenarios, supporting star, tree, Mesh Network (hybrid) and other networking forms and topologies can provide reliable and stable communication capabilities and resource management services;

5. Innovative application cases:

Smart park solution: TurMass™ technology is the best bridge to connect various devices, devices and sensors in the park. It has many significant advantages such as massive device access, ultra-low power consumption, ultra-long distance, and safe and reliable information mechanism. It is an excellent choice for smart park solutions.

Multi-person wireless intercom solution: PolyTalk multi-person full-duplex intercom solution, based on TK8620 chip, can realize centerless multi-person full-duplex intercom, and provide a complete set of hardware + software TurMass™ wireless voice transmission solution prototypes for customers to carry out secondary development or rapid integration. Compared with the original solution, it adopts a lower voice coding bit rate, has multi-encoding and multi-decoding processing capabilities, has better voice quality, and supports mixing, noise reduction, rebound cancellation and other functions.

The current industry trends are changing rapidly, and it is crucial to seize opportunities and seek cooperation. Here, we sincerely invite you to participate in the IOTE 2025 23rd International Internet of Things Exhibition Shanghai Station held at Hall N5 of Shanghai New International Expo Center from June 18 to 20, 2025. At that time, you are welcome to visit the N5th Hall of Taolink Booth No. N5B29 to discuss the cutting-edge trends and development directions of the industry with us, explore cooperation opportunities, and look forward to your visit!

[lunarthecorvus]

Alternate Universe - Soulmates Kanej fanfiction recommendations

part of Lunar's soc fanficiton rec series

-------------------------------✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧----------------------------------

I carved out a place in this world for two by linascribbles

Wordcount: 22,543 Chapters: 12/12

Characters: Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey, Nina Zenik, Wylan Van Eck, Pekka Rollins

Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, POV Alternating, Canon trigger warnings for both Inej and Kaz’s backstories, Haphephobia, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Waving book and show canon like its macramé, Canon Background Pairings, Emotional Constipation, Murder, No beta we die like Matthias, Canon-Typical Violence

Author's summary/notes: "I can help you," she whispers, poised on the tip of her bell-clad feet, slim body an arched bow of tension. Her heart is hammering inside her ribcage, revealing more emotion than she has allowed herself in a long time. His dark gaze finds her like a lighting strike, fast and sure. A part of the Lynx braces herself to hear thunder when they make eye contact. Or: an alternative take of Kaz and Inej's story with soulmate marks thrown in. My summary/notes: I love a long soulmate au and this one is no exception, the writing is amazing and so is the storytelling. Seeing pre-soc Kaz and Inej interact and their bond grow to be closeish was so fun to read.

---------- ☾₊ ⊹

Identity Crisis by seven0fcrows

Wordcount: 2,941 Chapters: 1/1

Characters: Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Mutual Pining, But they are idiots, especially kaz

Author's summary/notes: Everyone gets the initials of their soulmate somewhere on their body when they turn 18. Inej believes that she will get KB for Kaz Brekker. He is her best friend, who else could her soulmate be? On her birthday, however, she gets a surprise. Who the hell is KR? My summary/notes: This fic was so cute in the fluffy moments and I will admit that you will want to punch sense in Kaz while reading and a whole bucket load of pining on both ends. Would definitely recommend checking out the authors other fics <3

---------- ☾₊ ⊹

we're living in dens of thieves (rummaging in the pages for answers) by MaryaDmitrievnaLikesSundays

Wordcount: 13,280 Chapters: 4/4

Characters: Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Tante Heleen, Jesper Fahey, Wylan Van Eck, Nina Zenik, Matthias Helvar

Tags: Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Pre-Canon, And during Canon, Canon Compliant, Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Pain as a romance device,But not in a fucked up way, in a soulmates au way, no beta we die like jordie, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Angst with a Happy Ending

Author's summary/notes: Inej knows that soulmates share pain. She has always known it; she has always thought herself prepared. It doesn’t take long for her to realize that life—and love—are far more painful than she could have possibly known. -- Or, the Kanej soulmates au, where soulmates can feel one another's pain. My summary/notes: This one hurts in a good way. Its gut-wrenching to read as Kaz and Inej go through trauma and feel each other's pain, but its so fascinating especially reading as to how it adapts around their canon stories. There is some comfort in the pit of angst...

---------- ☾₊ ⊹

Coins by stefaniegm

Wordcount: 6,382 Chapters: 1/1

Characters: Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey

Tags: Soulmate AU, Mostly Canon Compliant?, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault

Author's summary/notes: The Suli saw soulmates as two halves of one soul – two sides of one coin. “One day, you will meet them and you will understand. Love means strength, chotta sah. They will help you be strong as you might help them, if that is your choice.” My summary/notes: The writing of their soulmate bond is so incredible and the amount of lore building they did to show the connection between Kaz and Inej is so captivating. You can just feel the raw emotion and pain that they feel and go through. You will finish this fic wanting more.