strangcrthanfictiona said: i will always cry in happiness about the college au~
alrighty, let’s see what college au hcs i haven’t yelled about with everyone yet
- freshman matthias had long blonde hair. there’s a photo of him like this, standing in a pool of sunlight with a flower crown photoshopped onto his head, circulating in the group chat
- it’s a running challenge for jesper to get photos of wylan and kuwei looking like they actually like each other. in 3.5 years, he gets exactly three (they insist those were photoshopped too)
- some poor soul, gesturing at kuwei/wylan/jesper: so are you like together
- wylan and kuwei, pointing at each other: no i hate him
- nina, in the background: y’all have been dating for a YEAR
- i have a doc titled “incorrect college au quotes” and my absolute favourite is
- nina: my relationship is none of your business. you’re going to make plenty of mistakes with wylan and kuwei
- jesper: i doubt i’ll ever leave one of them behind in a foreign city
- nina: i thought he was with kaz, alright?
- my second favourite is
- inej: you have to treat EVERYONE, no matter what they believe, with equal respect!
- kaz: what, even idiots?
- they’re both from outnumbered, i don’t even care, i love them
martiantigers-blog said: Can you do wesper for 6?
6 - things you said under the stars and in the grass
“i think i want to go to ravka.”
it’s been on his mind for weeks, even months. somehow, it’s only away from ketterdam that jesper finds himself able to say it, at the edge of the farm with wylan’s head in his lap. fingers tug absentmindedly at golden curls, and it feels a million miles away from what he’s come to think of as his life.
their life.
things feel less real out here, or– maybe more vividly real than before. whatever it is, it lets him speak now and the words come out in a rushed breath, misting slightly in the night air.
“hm?” wylan blinks up at him, only half-awake. blue eyes turn darker, more luminous in the moonlight.
“ravka,” he repeats, and he can see the second wylan comes awake properly, eyes all ridiculously lit up. wylan’s been waiting for months to hear him say it. “i want to go.” there, he’s said it. deep breath. “see what it’s like.”
train, maybe. learn to use his powers properly, talk to other grisha. maybe not, but it could happen, if not soon then one day. he could visit for a while, just as a tourist, as a guest, come home, go back. one step at a time.
wylan looks delighted (of course he does, most days he’s more excited about jesper’s powers than jesper is) but somehow manages to keep his enthusiasm to a manageable level. “if that’s what you want… i think that’s really good.”
i’m proud of you.
it’s one thing to say it out there, throwing the future up to the sky and dreaming up possibilities. in three days, they’ll be back in ketterdam. jesper doesn’t know how he’s going to feel about it then, if he’ll even keep the nerve to see it through.
he’d like to try.
martiantigers-blog said: Can you do wesper for 6?
6 - things you said under the stars and in the grass
“i think i want to go to ravka.”
it’s been on his mind for weeks, even months. somehow, it’s only away from ketterdam that jesper finds himself able to say it, at the edge of the farm with wylan’s head in his lap. fingers tug absentmindedly at golden curls, and it feels a million miles away from what he’s come to think of as his life.
their life.
things feel less real out here, or– maybe more vividly real than before. whatever it is, it lets him speak now and the words come out in a rushed breath, misting slightly in the night air.
“hm?” wylan blinks up at him, only half-awake. blue eyes turn darker, more luminous in the moonlight.
“ravka,” he repeats, and he can see the second wylan comes awake properly, eyes all ridiculously lit up. wylan’s been waiting for months to hear him say it. “i want to go.” there, he’s said it. deep breath. “see what it’s like.”
train, maybe. learn to use his powers properly, talk to other grisha. maybe not, but it could happen, if not soon then one day. he could visit for a while, just as a tourist, as a guest, come home, go back. one step at a time.
wylan looks delighted (of course he does, most days he’s more excited about jesper’s powers than jesper is) but somehow manages to keep his enthusiasm to a manageable level. “if that’s what you want… i think that’s really good.”
i’m proud of you.
it’s one thing to say it out there, throwing the future up to the sky and dreaming up possibilities. in three days, they’ll be back in ketterdam. jesper doesn’t know how he’s going to feel about it then, if he’ll even keep the nerve to see it through.
he’d like to try.
Anonymous said: 3, 8, 9, or 11 for wesper!!! (I love ur way with words????)
3 - things you said too quietly
jesper doesn’t look up when wylan joins him, overlooking the side of the ship. he’s used to it by now. the sea, the stars, the silent side-by-side. it’s peaceful – some might even call it romantic – and wylan hates as much as treasures it because jesper doesn’t even know it’s him.
ninety-nine percent of the time, wearing kuwei’s features is a relief. wylan can’t even recognise himself in the mirror, except as a stranger, and it makes him feel freer than he can remember. people have always told him he looks like his father. familial resemblance be damned, there’s nothing familial about it.
sometimes, just once, he wishes jesper could realise who it is standing next to him.
of course, wylan would never have the nerve to do this looking like himself, so maybe the fact that he’s here and able to do it at all is a blessing. there’s no point, though, when jesper looks at him and sees kuwei, gives him the polite smile reserved for a reticent stranger, with none of the warmth and brightness wylan’s come to know and he feels a second behind the rest of the world.
jesper doesn’t know. he doesn’t know, but– wylan hates the feeling of being a stranger among people he’d begun, tentatively, to feel at ease with.
they never talk. wylan doesn’t know much shu, and his kerch (unaccented, fluent) would give him away. jesper’s content to stay silent too, which is strange, but wylan can’t push it because he can’t speak, although he wants to ask. he wants to ask so much the need of it almost chokes him, to say something, anything.
jesper, it’s me.
would jesper care, even if he knew? now that they’re set for home (home?), going their separate ways, three million kruge richer, would he care who’s at his side when there’s nothing left to bind them together? it’s not like there’s much of a chance to find out.
just girls? no. not just girls.
did they really survive the ice court just to end up here?
“what did you say?”
jesper’s staring at him, full attention - quizzical, surprised, a little bit uncertain. shit. wylan said that out loud. muttered quietly enough that, small blessings, jesper probably didn’t have time to recognise the voice or even realise what he said, only that he said something. that’s why he’s staring, wylan reminds himself. he thinks it’s kuwei talking.
that’s why he’s surprised.
words dance on the edge of wylan’s tongue, but he swallows them down. the tips of his ears are flushed and his heart beats in his throat as he drops his eyes from jesper’s, turns back to the sea.
he can feel jesper’s eyes on him a minute longer, considering and then dismissing. what’s one more strange passenger in a crew of thieves and criminals, after all?
what’s one more could-have-been in sixteen years of not good enough?
nothing. and so they say nothing at all.
pls throw ur cutest soc headcanons my way i’m havin’ Anxiety
i’ll start:
brought to you by me spending midnight to six thirty am in the airport, the obligatory “dregs stuck overnight in an airport” post, written by me on no sleep
- nina heads immediately for the late-night coffee shop
- matthias is that friend who’s like “we should probably try and sleep” and insists that sleeping on seats in the departure lounge is manageable, also refuses to admit that nobody can fall asleep on them and lies there for a good three hours just to make a point
- jesper spends a good amount of time just walking around and exploring, wandering in and out of all the shops, going up and down stairs and corridors just to see what’s there (until an irate security guard pointedly redirects him back into the central departure lounge). he probably drags wylan with him
- there’s a small twenty-four hour restaurant that they both end up at and spend most of the night in. they order full meals and drinks just because they can, and stay way past the time the staff should have made them leave. wylan falls asleep sometime after four, lying across one of the benches with his head on jesper’s legs
- jesper is more than alright with this arrangement. sitting there absentmindedly running a hand through wylan’s hair and people-watching is more peaceful than you might expect a relatively crowded airport to be in the early hours of the morning
- after a few hours, matthias finally admits defeat and joins nina at the coffee shop. she grins and wordlessly slides a mug over to him. they have a makeshift date in the early hours of the morning (matthias tells nina about the book he’s reading. she makes him listen to an entire album of obnoxious pop music she stole from jesper.) and it’s actually matthias’ favourite part of the whole trip
- kuwei’s been in the corner with his headphones and a book since they checked in, but will occasionally look up to complain about how uncomfortable the seats are or how long they’re waiting. he’s also that asshole that can fall asleep anywhere and eventually does just that, curled up on one of the airport seats in the most uncomfortable-looking position, but he’s fine
- nina finds out the duty free shop is open all night and almost misses boarding with how long she’s in there. she emerges with armfuls of new purchases and has to sit on her suitcase to make them all fit
- kaz is Not a fan of airports. they’re too busy and bright and crowded and there’s nowhere comfortable to sit if you can even find an empty seat, there’s too many tourists, everything is overpriced,
- he probably just sits in the least-crowded area he can find, sipping coffee and scrolling on his phone. after a while, inej joins him. she doesn’t sleep well in airports so they spend a couple of hours just sitting together in silence, until at one point kaz looks up and sees inej has fallen asleep, head resting on folded arms and hair falling across the table. it doesn’t affect him in the slightest, not at all, he’s definitely not staring
- (he certainly doesn’t drape his jacket around her shoulders before going back to his coffee and his phone. nina didn’t see a thing. shut up, nina.)
i’m reading through my college au outline right now and my favourite thing i’ve read is
- matthias: i hate this weather but look how happy nina is, god i love her, she’s so beautiful and excited
- kuwei, to wylan and jesper: i would literally give you both to the highest bidder for it to snow every day goodbye
second favourite:
send me a pairing and a prompt! → “hold + wylan and kuwei (it can be romantic or platonic i’m Down either way)” requested by @pippims
one character wanting to hug the other
listen, the ugly woollen scarf was jesper’s idea. a joke present on the morning before his departure from ketterdam, so long it trails on the floor when he walks but surprisingly soft and, most importantly, warm. jesper had made some quip about protecting wylan’s porcelain skin from the freezing ravkan winter, but actually? it’s working.
the oversized jumper and winter coat, though, that’s on wylan.
very funny, he’d said, unable to hide a fond grin, and then packed a suitcase full of winter clothes anyway because if previous visits have taught him anything, it’s to be prepared.
there’s still a good five seconds after kuwei catches sight of him and gets that look on his face when he seriously considers turning around and going home.
or: inej and nina make out in a library for fun
the ketterdam library is high walls and thin, winding balconies, bookshelves built to the sky and dusty light falling across the floor. nearer the entrance, people are milling gently, silence broken only by shuffling feet and the turning of pages. further back, though, it’s emptier, the silence somehow quieter. inej melts into the shadows like a ghost, but when nina’s fingers brush against her wrist, she’s warm to the touch. nina can feel the other girl’s pulse beneath her fingers.
it’s one of the things she misses most about her powers, as they were. she never needed to reach out before, not like this. but inej understands, and lets her do it, although nina can hear the way her breath catches even as she remains perfectly still.
inej’s hair is tied back. the bare skin of her neck suddenly feels hyperaware, and she suppresses the urge to shiver. when nina’s hand comes to rest there (gentle, barely touching) she can feel herself tense. nina feels it too, pauses, ready to pull away if inej asks.
inej doesn’t want her to move.
or: inej and nina make out in a library for fun
the ketterdam library is high walls and thin, winding balconies, bookshelves built to the sky and dusty light falling across the floor. nearer the entrance, people are milling gently, silence broken only by shuffling feet and the turning of pages. further back, though, it’s emptier, the silence somehow quieter. inej melts into the shadows like a ghost, but when nina’s fingers brush against her wrist, she’s warm to the touch. nina can feel the other girl’s pulse beneath her fingers.
it’s one of the things she misses most about her powers, as they were. she never needed to reach out before, not like this. but inej understands, and lets her do it, although nina can hear the way her breath catches even as she remains perfectly still.
inej’s hair is tied back. the bare skin of her neck suddenly feels hyperaware, and she suppresses the urge to shiver. when nina’s hand comes to rest there (gentle, barely touching) she can feel herself tense. nina feels it too, pauses, ready to pull away if inej asks.
inej doesn’t want her to move.
or: inej and nina make out in a library for fun
the ketterdam library is high walls and thin, winding balconies, bookshelves built to the sky and dusty light falling across the floor. nearer the entrance, people are milling gently, silence broken only by shuffling feet and the turning of pages. further back, though, it’s emptier, the silence somehow quieter. inej melts into the shadows like a ghost, but when nina’s fingers brush against her wrist, she’s warm to the touch. nina can feel the other girl’s pulse beneath her fingers.
it’s one of the things she misses most about her powers, as they were. she never needed to reach out before, not like this. but inej understands, and lets her do it, although nina can hear the way her breath catches even as she remains perfectly still.
inej’s hair is tied back. the bare skin of her neck suddenly feels hyperaware, and she suppresses the urge to shiver. when nina’s hand comes to rest there (gentle, barely touching) she can feel herself tense. nina feels it too, pauses, ready to pull away if inej asks.
inej doesn’t want her to move.
send me a pairing and a prompt! → “hold + wylan and kuwei (it can be romantic or platonic i’m Down either way)” requested by @pippims
one character wanting to hug the other
listen, the ugly woollen scarf was jesper’s idea. a joke present on the morning before his departure from ketterdam, so long it trails on the floor when he walks but surprisingly soft and, most importantly, warm. jesper had made some quip about protecting wylan’s porcelain skin from the freezing ravkan winter, but actually? it’s working.
the oversized jumper and winter coat, though, that’s on wylan.
very funny, he’d said, unable to hide a fond grin, and then packed a suitcase full of winter clothes anyway because if previous visits have taught him anything, it’s to be prepared.
there’s still a good five seconds after kuwei catches sight of him and gets that look on his face when he seriously considers turning around and going home.
send me a pairing and a prompt! → “hold + wylan and kuwei (it can be romantic or platonic i’m Down either way)” requested by @pippims
one character wanting to hug the other
listen, the ugly woollen scarf was jesper’s idea. a joke present on the morning before his departure from ketterdam, so long it trails on the floor when he walks but surprisingly soft and, most importantly, warm. jesper had made some quip about protecting wylan’s porcelain skin from the freezing ravkan winter, but actually? it’s working.
the oversized jumper and winter coat, though, that’s on wylan.
very funny, he’d said, unable to hide a fond grin, and then packed a suitcase full of winter clothes anyway because if previous visits have taught him anything, it’s to be prepared.
there’s still a good five seconds after kuwei catches sight of him and gets that look on his face when he seriously considers turning around and going home.
send me a pairing and a prompt! → “hold + wylan and kuwei (it can be romantic or platonic i’m Down either way)” requested by @pippims
one character wanting to hug the other
listen, the ugly woollen scarf was jesper’s idea. a joke present on the morning before his departure from ketterdam, so long it trails on the floor when he walks but surprisingly soft and, most importantly, warm. jesper had made some quip about protecting wylan’s porcelain skin from the freezing ravkan winter, but actually? it’s working.
the oversized jumper and winter coat, though, that’s on wylan.
very funny, he’d said, unable to hide a fond grin, and then packed a suitcase full of winter clothes anyway because if previous visits have taught him anything, it’s to be prepared.
there’s still a good five seconds after kuwei catches sight of him and gets that look on his face when he seriously considers turning around and going home.
send me a pairing and a prompt! → “hold + wylan and kuwei (it can be romantic or platonic i’m Down either way)” requested by @pippims
one character wanting to hug the other
listen, the ugly woollen scarf was jesper’s idea. a joke present on the morning before his departure from ketterdam, so long it trails on the floor when he walks but surprisingly soft and, most importantly, warm. jesper had made some quip about protecting wylan’s porcelain skin from the freezing ravkan winter, but actually? it’s working.
the oversized jumper and winter coat, though, that’s on wylan.
very funny, he’d said, unable to hide a fond grin, and then packed a suitcase full of winter clothes anyway because if previous visits have taught him anything, it’s to be prepared.
there’s still a good five seconds after kuwei catches sight of him and gets that look on his face when he seriously considers turning around and going home.