Can i submit the word Heartbeat for a drabble bcos that has Teri potential
This is actually a big break from my normal style of writing - I can’t say I’m happy with it, but I’m certainly happy with myself for trying it! It’s very much experimental, and honestly I think I may re-write it soon. The tags should make it pretty clear what’s going on to people in the know about her what’s going on, but i’d love to hear people’s interpretations! I want to know what worked and what didn’t for trying to convey it to an audience.
Despite the fact that nothing is explicitly described, I do want to give a Content Warning for Abuse.
… Please, not right now.
A fist grows in your chestYou can feel its fingers —
noyou can’t
You can’t afford to feel right now.Can you even afford to think?
you know what to do just as you practicedrunaren’t you luckyyou’re already dressed for this
Has it an hour, or has it been a minute?Stop running, find a bag.
Hit, step, duck, repeat.Hit, step, duck, repeat.Hit, step, duck, repeat.Keep time with your —
fuckpleaseyou can’thelpAs you fall to your knees The ground shakes as your tears hit. Almost as much as you; you can’t take a single step.Why is it so easy to be a sitting duck?You’re fucking tired of hearing it repeat.
you’re better than thisget upYou don’t need a routine for this.You only need a couple more hits.
Whale and whale and WAIL.
Can you try to crush it while it’s inside you?Can you can’t push it out your throat?
why is this taking so longi wish you’d just choke
…Wait, who? What’s with this “I,”, with this “you?”You’re getting dizzy, confused.
of course you don’t understand who you areyou don’t know anythingbe a dear and lay down for mejust a little while longer
Okay so, I’m p sure it’s covered in her bio BUT for some background — Ketspa’s current occupation as an antiques dealer largely has her in contact with well off highbloods, which in turn, tend to be either hemoist or closely aligned with the empire. (This is exacerbated by the fact that a lot of her name recognition comes from her ancestor, who was Known As An Asshole.) Despite the fact she’s doing her best to unlearn hemoist actions and beliefs, being in such a situation really prevents her from really internalizing or embrancing anything more radical than “be nice to lowbloods also theyre probably owed reparations.” Aware the system is fucked, but unwilling to really address the root causes. She’s basically a hemo-liberal.
ANYWAY — she currently has a budding pitch ship with @ghostytrolls’s Kamuuk. Kam is a pit fighter, and one that makes his boss quite a bit of money, due to being a massive ass Fuchsia with a fucking thagomizer, BUT he’s kind of realizing he doesn’t want to be one. Along with that, in the near future, Liam’s character Bubble is going to team up w/ Ketspa’s ex moirail in a move that is going to SPECTACULARLY backfire and result in Ketspa tearing off one of Bubbles legs, something her ex tried to do to her (but failed,) and that her ex will CONGRATULATE her on! This’ll be a big blow to her mental health, viewing herself as monsterous but trying to figure our how she can atone for that by protecting others. Which’ll cause her to go to Kam’s manager and “buy out,” his contract — half upfront and half with her own labor, offering to take his place as a fighter. (This meddling incident will also be what causes Kam to realize his feelings for Ketspa and for them to become official!! 🖤♠️🖤♠️)
So this this all just a really long build up to say THAT currently the plot I’m super excited about is Ketspa becoming a pit fighter! It’s going to really put her in a different perspective, not only making her literally lower that others and a consumable spectacle, but really putting herself in the face of her ancestor’s “legacy,” of violence and coming to terms and “fighting” that. Plus, it’ll put her in closer contact with a wildly different demographic than she’s used to!! Along with that, this stint runs the risk of damaging her relatively respectable reputation among highbloods, and reemphasizing her ties to her ancestor, likely making her want to run away from her reputation in “polite,” society entirely. It’s great, love it.
(Plus it means we’re going to see feral!Ketspa which HOO BOY IM EXCITED FOR THAT ART LEMME TELL YOU)
Honestly? A proper sparring match. (Which isn’t to be mistaken for an all-out fight.)
Ketspa’s very much about physicality, and has a bunch of pent up emotions of all sorts, meaning that she’s usually down for a good fight especially given her lowkey masochistic streak. She really wants to push herself to the limit, both for the catharsis and growth. That said, she doesn’t have an innate desire to hurt others, and would be devastated if she caused proper harm to her kismesis. Which, in turn means that while she tries to avoid such people, her ideal partner is someone stronger (or at least more skilled,) than she is.
To be able to go up to against someone, lay it all out on the floor, and know that she wouldn’t hurt them, and that they wouldn’t kill her, would be a source of great comfort to her. Every insult to her form would satiate her need for attention; every blow, her need for touch. She’d genuinely enjoy it and have fun, being able to sort her feelings out without having to go to go through the trouble of thinking about them.
Yet at the same time, being faced against an opponent she knows is better than her would be infuriating, ensuring that as satisfying as their fights are, she’d never start feeling flush for them or get other mixed up emotions.
Ketspa smells of saltwater and red cedar. (Though if you get close to her, her hair smells lightly of coconut from her shampoo + conditioner.)
While the cedar is cut with the brightness of the sea, the cavern air still clings to her. She smells like a cellar: cool and well-maintained, but isolated and headache-inducing after prolonged exposure.
[Send me ☆ + a troll for me to tell you what they smell like!]
Marone taking care of one of her “contractors!” There are so many fighting trolls, it would be nice to better explore a situation where such a fighter is cared for, rather than spit on or lionized.
Would be super interested in a chance to see Ketspa trying to show off and having confidence rather than the reserved-albeit-stern-and-awkward demeanor she’s rockin’. That usually only comes out around genuine pitch interests though… run in with a former lover? Hateful meet-cute? Hanging around highbloods for the first time in a blue moon and feeling threatened? Who knows :v
[Send me a ✍️ or “Plot” for a plot idea on my wish list!]
Ketspa, what kinds of food do you enjoy cooking most? Baking? Making something exquisite? Maybe throwing in some quick salads?
S^l^ds ^re fine, but I’m not th^t fond of b^|{ing. Too much of it is w^iting – it’s ^lmost like you’re offering ^ meal to your lusus ^nd hoping th^t you didn’t fuc|{ it up so they give you something in return th^t isn’t… y’know. Shit.
Cooking things th^t ^re “exquisite,”… m^|{es it seem like I’m better than I ^m, but gener^lly that sounds closest to what I do. I’ll tone it down with cert^in ingredients, but over^ll I prefer to wor|{ with plenty of spices. I tend to s^mple things ^s they’re coo|{ing to see if I need to ^djust ^nything ^s well, so most of the time I’m by the stove.
When you h^ve that v^riety of flavours to wor|{ with, ^nd you h^ve the ^bility to monitor and ^djust ^t every st^ge, you get ^ sense of control. Th^t’s why I enjoy coo|{ing, so I ^void coo|{boo|{s unless ^s just ^ reference point.
💗 At which point do they realize they’ve fallen in love?
Ketspa — OH BOY. Honestly there’s only two points where she will realize it, as she’s terrible with dealing with her own feelings and more so examining them in a healthy manner. A) When someone says they love her and she just realizes she can’t go without saying it back. B) When someone sits her down and lays out all the reasons why she obviously fancies someone, how it’s clear the person reciprocates her feelings, and how she will indeed be enhancing the other person’s life by admitting she reciprocates. Sometimes charts and photo evidence will be necessary.
Jetmae — When she realizes she’s in love when she notices she’s actually doing something to gain someone’s approval as an individual rather than a member of some class or group + also finds herself remembering little comments that the object of her affection made weeks or months later. She’s always cared about what everyone thinks, but never really about pleasing a single person.
Marone — When she starts to actually feel guilty about pushing them away emotionally :’)
