#theodor gradl

[caspia-writes]

Valentine's Writing Tag (in... June?)

For reasons I still do not entirely understand, I have decided to stay up until almost 6 in the morning answering something from almost four months ago. Because that is a very good and normal use of time. Luckily I don't have anything else to do today, or I'd be screwed at this rate....

I was tagged by @sleepy-night-child for this! I would tag other people, but I don't know who the heck I'm going to tag for this normally, much less almost four months after the fact. If anyone else is similarly bored though, I won't rat you out for saying I tagged you.

Anyway, here are some romantic details for the story Verräter!

1. Which of your characters have some romantic chemistry?

Look, I wouldn’t recognize romantic chemistry if it fell out of the sky and fractured my skull on its way down. But based on my essentially non-existent understanding of this sort of thing…

Helmina and Theodor

Ernst and Lina

Sophie and Hans (???)

2. Which of your characters do you think readers will ship?

Ahh… well. There’s always going to be ships. But romance is still not really my thing, so I’ll take some wild guesses. Since almost all of my characters are already in established relationships (and I’m only getting around to answering this during pride month), I guess I’ll assume we’re mostly doing non-official LGBTQ+ ships now.

Otto and Johannes

Otto and Ernst

Otto and Paul

Theodor and Hans

Ernst and Hans (gotta get that enemies-to-lovers dynamic in somewhere)

Löhlein and Hans

Johannes and Hans

Johannes and Dr. Drittich

And, knowing shippers, literally every other permutation, some of which will probably involve Jaeger somehow. Regrettably. (But seriously, please don’t ship the dachshund….)

3. Which of your characters are slated to be an endgame relationship?

Ernst and Lina, for now. Most of the others are paired off already, and I’m not enough of a romantic to bother with the minor characters’ love lives.

4. Are there any established relationships in your WIPs? If so, how did they meet?

Yep, there are several!

1. Johannes and Magdalena

Johannes finally managed to seize political control of Großsachsen, but the rest of his Party (let’s be honest, it was like 95% Otto) thought he needed a wife to be ‘relatable’ and to have someone to consult for matters requiring a ‘feminine touch’. Magdalena was suggested for being a well-bred woman with the correct political views, and a meeting was arranged at a local coffeehouse.

2. Otto and Josephine

Otto hosts a lot of parties. Like, a lot. Theodor used to attend them, and eventually started bringing his then-girlfriend sometimes. Eventually Otto decided to inquire about this new woman, and then they at least knew the other existed.

3. Theodor and Helmina

Theodor got completely drunk off his ass one fine night. So drunk, in fact, that he ended up knocking on the door to the townhouse his grandmother used to live in and essentially shoving his way in, ignoring that Helmina was quite clearly not his grandmother. And then he proceeded to blather about how terrible his love life was going for the next two hours or so.

Eventually, out of desperation to get the random sobbing drunk out of her home, Helmina “agreed” to go on a date with him on the condition that he went and sobered up somewhere else. For better or worse, Theodor was still just sober enough to scrawl it out in his diary, so Helmina ended up going on that date.

4. Hans and Sophie

Hans went to a bakery intending to purchase some bread. But then he saw pretty girl and, being a testosterone-fueled 20-something, naturally decided he rather liked pretty girl. After several minutes of flirting, he finally bothered asking her name. She… was not initially terribly impressed with him, obviously, and wanted his name to try to ignore him. Unfortunately, Hans is a very, very common Großsächsisch name, so that didn’t help much.

5. What’s your dream love confession scene between your characters?

Not sure how applicable this is for me, but I came up with a scene that I may or may not be semi-planning on using, possibly.

A and B have been lightly dating for some time. Neither side has quite gotten to saying the magic words, but things seem to be going fairly well anyway. A has every intention of saying it, but they just haven’t quite worked up the nerve to spit it out yet. Perhaps there are some moderately elaborate plans, or lots of practicing in the mirror, but anyway A just can’t quite say it yet.

However, B thinks A doesn’t actually like them. Maybe just not romantically, maybe not at all, but at any rate B thinks that A just doesn’t have the heart to break things off and is hoping the relationship will just sort of whither up and die on its own. After thinking a few hours longer, B goes to A and decides to end things, admonishing A for being too cowardly to just tell them if it wasn’t working.

Cue A panicking and finally managing to spit it out. Profusely. While very much trying not to cry, and only almost succeeding, because... what does B mean, B doesn’t think they love them?!

#verräter #romance #tag game #johannes wieck #magdalena wieck #otto burkhardt #josephine burkhardt #ernst schneider #lina schneider #theodor gradl #helmina gradl #hans pfitzner #sophie pfitzner #drittich??? #jaeger

[caspia-writes]

Fanbase Quiz Tag

I found this as an open tag on @writingingraves's blog and decided to give it a go. Not that I anticipate Verräter ever having a particularly large fan base, but hey. Quizzes are fun!

Rules: Use this this uquiz and take it for your OCs to find out what kind of fanbase your character would have.

---

Johannes Wieck

...I'm deeply concerned for people if a balding fascist dictator with violent colitis now qualifies as a 'tumblr segc man', but... okay then. Whatever floats people's boats. Let's just move on.

Otto Burkhardt

Fair enough. It wouldn't be too far off from Great Gatsby aesthetics, really. Not sure how unproblematic he can really be considered, given his job, but he is one of the less ideologically-insane of the characters and everything's relative, so I'll go with it.

Ernst Schneider

I really can't argue with this one much. He does deserve better than what he got. Plenty of bitterness opportunities to be had with him. Very much an expected result this time.

Theodor Gradl

I mean, he could definitely have something of an aesthetic. The Staatspolizei as a whole definitely would count for aesthetics. That much I won't argue. But unproblematic?

Theodor Gradl, the Chief of the Staatspolizei... unproblematic?

Hahahaha... Nope.

Hans Pfitzner

And... now people want it with the man whom every other character despises, including his own wife? But on the other hand, I suppose he is somewhat conventionally attractive, especially if you ignore the whole 'tortures people horribly for a living and has no functional moral compass' bit... and he doesn't give you any wolf-smiles... and he's not on drugs that day. Still better than people wanting Johannes!

---

Also, would you look at that. The results are palindromic. Strange.

Anyway, I suppose I should tag some people, so here goes: @sleepy-night-child, @sleepyowlwrites, @drippingmoon, @whither-wander-whump (by the way, I'm still ever-so-mildly salty about that "quiz" on April Fool's—you got me good!), and @cactusprincewrites. No pressure, just throwing out some tags! And, as always, open tag for anyone who is in need of a quiz to do.

#tag game #quiz game #verräter #writblr #writeblr #not writing #chatter

[caspia-writes]

This tag totally isn't from 3+ months ago. Of course it isn't! Why would anyone ever accuse me of such a preposterous thing?

But seriously, thank you for the tag @sleepy-night-child! This was pretty fun to put together. Here is a highlight reel of some incorrect quotes (I might have to do a sequel to this with as much fun as I had).

Since this is a tag game, I should go ahead and throw some tags in here. I'll tag @cactusprincewrites, @sleepyowlwrites, @drippingmoon, @starry-sky-stuff, @cassie-writes-things, and @pimclementine.

And, as always, anyone sees this and is so inclined is welcome to say I tagged them!

Rules: Go to this site and put your MCs' names in. Generate until you find some that fit & post your results! (Post at least 1, but more than that is welcome.)

Now, for a highlight reel of some Verräter incorrect quotes:

#tag game #incorrect quotes #sleepynightchild #verräter #ernst schneider #johannes wieck #otto burkhardt #theodor gradl #hans pfitzner #sophie pfitzner #writing #writeblr

[caspia-writes]

Verräter Incorrect Quotes: Johannes Wieck Edition

Because I have some time and had entirely too much fun with it the first time, I've decided to make even more of these.

(And, as the title implies, I intend to do this for all the main characters. Eventually. Maybe. Depending on whether uni behaves or not.)

Anyway, I'll go ahead and tag @sleepy-night-child because I can. And if anyone sees this and wants to pretend this is another tag game, go for it! I used this website: https://perchance.org/incorrect-quote-generator

...

Johannes: God has let me live another day and I'm going to make it everyone's problem.

Johannes: Maybe the real monster was the friends we both literally and figuratively murdered along the way.

Johannes: If I stay in bed I'll be warm. If I get in the shower, I'll also be warm. But the distance between the bed and shower? No. That is not warm.

Johannes: Don't ask me what I'm talking about. I don't know, okay? I'm just the vessel. The message has been gifted. I've moved on.

Johannes: I have been tricked, I have been backstabbed, and I have quite possibly been bamboozled.

Magda: Did you miss me while I was gone? Johannes: You were gone?

Johannes: FUCK THE CHAIR. PARDON ME FOR MAKING MYSELF COMFORTABLE DURING A SINCERE HEART TO HEART DISCUSSION WITH A DEAR FRIEND IN NEED! Johannes: BUT THE TIME HAS COME FOR ME TO CEASE STRADDLING THIS DEEPLY OFFENSIVE PIECE OF FURNITURE! AWAY WITH YE, FOUR LEGGED TEMPTRESS! DISTRACT US NO MORE WITH THE MOST BASIC AND UTILITARIAN FORM OF COMFORT YOU SUPPLY! Otto: Johannes just threw a tantrum about a chair. Otto: I just won Johannes Tantrum Bingo.

Johannes: Ernst, I sense hostility. Ernst: Good, because I hate you.

Johannes: Here is my wall of inspirational people. Theodor: Is that a picture of you? Johannes: Yes, I am big enough to admit that I am often inspired by myself.

Johannes: *in a jail cell* What about my Miranda rights!? You’re supposed to say I have ‘the right to remain silent’”! NOBODY SAID I HAD THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT! Hans: *in the cell next to them* You have the right to remain silent, what you lack is the capacity.

#incorrect quotes #verräter #ernst schneider #johannes wieck #otto burkhardt #theodor gradl #hans pfitzner #writing #writeblr #magda wieck #johannes

[caspia-writes]

Verräter Incorrect Quotes: Miscellaneous

For this one, I've returned to https://incorrect-quotes-generator.neocities.org/, and it's not focused on any particular character. I'm still tagging @sleepy-night-child though (sorry about your notifications). And since I originally got that website from a tag game, also from @sleepy-night-child... anyone who wants to and isn't ready to burn my blog to a crisp from the incorrect quote spam this morning is welcome to give this a go!

#incorrect quotes #verräter #ernst schneider #johannes wieck #otto burkhardt #theodor gradl #writing #writeblr #josephine burkhardt #hans pfitzner #anneliese pfitzner

[caspia-writes]

Verräter Incorrect Quotes: Hans Pfitzner Edition

As per the other times: anyone can feel free to use this as some sort of tag game if so desired, and the URL of the website I used is https://perchance.org/incorrect-quote-generator.

And still tagging @sleepy-night-child!

(Admittedly, I went a little quote-happy here. Hans lends himself surprisingly well to this for the sort of person he is.)

...

Hans, to the squad: And remember, if I get harsh with you it is only because you’re doing it all wrong.

Hans: And I’d love to be sorry for that, but we all know I’ve done much, much worse.

Hans, after having a nosebleed: Welp. Time to wash the blood off my hands.

Hans, at the slightest provocation: I came into this earth screaming and covered in someone else's blood and and I'm not afraid to leave the same way.

Hans: Sometimes I wonder if I’m hearing voices. Hans: Then I remember that’s the last bit of sanity I have trying to get me to fall asleep at a reasonable time.

Hans: I lost Ernst. Theodor: How did you LOSE Ernst?! Hans: To be fair, they are very small.

Hans: Something’s off. Subordinate: Maybe you’ve finally developed human emotions and feel bad for hurting people. Hans: No, but that’s funny.

Subordinate: Hi- Hans: Leave before there's a terrible misunderstanding between my foot and your ass.

Hans: I don't know how to tell you this, but... I love you. Sophie: That's great, Hans. Especially considering the fact we've been married for 6 fucking years.

Sophie: You are an absolute fucking dork. Hans, singing: Yeah, but I'm your dork! Sophie: *sighs* Yeah, you're my dork.

Hans: What situation is not instantly improved by the addition of fishnets, I ask you. Sophie: Being a fish. Hans: Well, shit.

Hans: Who hurt you? Sophie: *snorting* What, do you want a list? Hans: ...Yes, actually.

Hans: *running towards Anneliese with open arms* Anneliese: *moves out of the way* Hans: Hey, why'd you move?! Anneliese: I thought you were going to attack me. Hans: I was going to hug you! Anneliese: Why would you hug me? Hans: WHY WOULD I ATTACK YOU!?

Anneliese: *lying down and crying* Hans: There, there. Why don’t you take some time off to not be around me while you’re like this?

*at a zoo* Anneliese: What are they in for? Hans: Anneliese, this isn't prison. Anneliese: So they can leave? Hans: No, but- Anneliese, pointing at a meerkat: I bet that one murdered someone.

Anneliese: Why should I make my bed, when I'm just gunna unmake it to sleep in it anyways? Hans: Why should I feed you if your just gunna die anyways? Anneliese: Anneliese: I'll go make my bed-

#incorrect quotes #verräter #theodor gradl #hans pfitzner #writing #writeblr #ernst schneider #sophie pfitzner #anneliese pfitzner #hans

[caspia-writes]

Verräter Incorrect Quotes: Otto Burkhardt Edition

Another collection of incorrect quotes, but this time with Otto Burkhardt. Once again tagging @sleepy-night-child (I apologize in advance for the utter destruction of your notification), and once again, if anyone wants to treat this as another incorrect quotes tag game, here's the URL: https://perchance.org/incorrect-quote-generator

...

Otto: *watching their house burn down* Otto: Otto: *starts filming* Waddup, guys, welcome to my vlog, today's topic: how to get away with accidentally committing arson because you forgot Spaghetti O's cans are metal and thus non-microwavable! Step one: deny everything.

Otto: Sometimes I'll start a sentence and I don't even know where it's going. I just hope I find it along the way.

Otto: I dunno if I'm ready to process the ramifications of this bullshit.

Otto: I was born for politics. I have great hair and I love lying.

Josephine: When I was your age- Otto, mocking Josephine: When I was your height. Josephine: Josephine: Listen here you little shit-

Otto They couldn't find their way out of a paper bag. Fritz: That's not true! I found my way out of a paper bag yesterday!

Otto: Did you buy eggs like I asked? Erika: Even better! Otto: What the fuck did you- Erika: *holding up a chicken* Her name is Fluffy.

Otto: I'm not mean. Name one mean thing I’ve ever done. Alois: When I was younger, you convinced me eggs weren't real. Otto: They're not. Alois: Haha, very funny. Otto: I'm serious. Didn't you hear? Alois: No... what happened? Otto: ...Why would you fall for this again-

Johannes: I couldn't do this without you, Otto. Otto: Sure you could. Not as stylishly, of course.

Ernst, sniffling: Calm down, I’m probably not sick. It might just be allergies. Otto: Okay, tell me this: are you like, really tired? Ernst: I have depression, what do you think?

Theodor: Otto, remember when you said you weren’t going to interfere with my love life? Otto: No, that doesn’t sound like me at all.

#incorrect quotes #verräter #ernst schneider #johannes wieck #otto burkhardt #theodor gradl #writing #writeblr #fritz burkhardt #erika burkhardt #alois burkhardt #josephine burkhardt #otto

[caspia-writes]

Last Line Tag

I've been tagged by @sleepy-night-child again! (I still have a *lot* of tags from you that I really should get around to trying to do one of these centuries. Sorry!) And yes—I have, in fact, been writing a little bit today!

“First of all,” Theodor said through gritted teeth, “I never want you to hear you degrade yourself to that two-faced syphilitic tramp again, understood? Never!”

Helmina nodded and sniffled. “Understood.”

I'll tag @a-series-of-whumpy-events, @thejostenator, @vivian-is-writing, and @corkythewriteblr! No pressure, and as always, open tag for anyone who wants to join in!

#chatter #last line tag #writing #Theodor #Theodor Gradl #Gradl #Helmina

[caspia-writes]

Summer of Whump #19 — Fear

Summary: After an unpleasant phone call, a man finds his work life bleeding over into his marriage.

Content warnings: Domestic abuse, foul language

The phone call ended with Hans slamming the receiver down. He would have sworn at it, if he hadn’t already exhausted his supply of such words berating the idiots on the other side of the line. Of course the lowest ranks of the Staatspolizei couldn’t be expected to be quite so competent as the men he usually worked with, but the Staatspolizei was supposed to be an elite organization. Perhaps Gradl knew something Hans didn’t, but Hans had thought that part of being an elite organization was the implication that even the newer recruits would have the sense not to arrest the wrong person entirely. Much less proceed to torture them for eight consecutive hours!

A few seconds after Hans walked across the room and pressed his forehead against the wall, a soft voice broke the silence. “Is everything all right?”

No, everything was not all right. Sophie knew everything was not all right, or she wouldn’t have asked anyway. He glanced over and saw that she’d brought a glass of water. It was better than a list of complaints, but that didn’t mean he wanted it. Or her company just now.

“Go away.” The words came out as a snarl as Hans pressed his forehead harder against the wall. “I don’t want water.”

He didn’t need water, he needed an excuse. Something to explain how his officers had managed to arrest the wrong person. Unless he didn’t. Maybe he just needed to come up with something the person had done and pretend that was it. Been caught purchasing books of questionable ideology. Something. Anything. He didn’t have the luxury of caring what.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Sophie was still there. Just one more thing to go wrong, he supposed. First his subordinates couldn’t get the right person or use the slightest bit of common damned sense, and now his wife wouldn’t listen to him. But as long as she just stood there and didn’t say anything, maybe he could tolerate it.

But she didn’t just stand there. She spoke. “Schädzchn, what’s wrong?”

His blood flashed hot and he spun to face her. “Damn it, I told you to go away!”

Then Hans reached back and—

—And what the hell was he doing?

That was his wife staring back at him. The woman who had mothered his children. The woman he loved. The woman he’d sworn to love and protect and cherish for the rest of his life. The woman who was meant to trust and love him in return.

Not a criminal. Nor a traitor.

And yet he was about to slap her across the face.

The glass slipped out of Sophie’s hand and shattered on the floor. Sophie herself wasn’t far behind, crumpling into the floor in an unceremonious heap of lilac fabric and beginning to shield her face with her hands.

Maybe Hans was still on his feet, but that was the only advantage he could claim. He wanted to crawl out of his skin, rip it off like bloodied clothes. The longer he looked at his hand, the deeper the pit in his stomach grew. This wasn’t who he was, was it? He wasn’t the sort of man who hit his wife for only being a little too inquisitive. Right?

It had to be right. His mother had raised him well. He knew better than to hit a woman. Especially Sophie. And he knew he loved her. That was why he’d married her. So why was his hand poised to strike her?

Several seconds later, Hans sunk to the floor, staring as his hand began to shake.

“Sophie...” Hans tried to put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched away.

He couldn’t bring himself to blame her. If he were faced with someone who had a third of a meter’s height advantage and was twice as strong as him, he didn’t think he’d be very interested in their affections either. Not when they had just threatened to slap him across the face.

“Sophie, listen. Please.” She seemed to agree insomuch that she lifted her head. Lifting her head, however, revealed inky trails of mascara running down her cheeks. Hans hadn’t realized she was crying yet, but knowing that she was, he found he could barely meet her eyes now. “I...”

What? He was sorry? A lot of good that would do either of them. Now she knew that he was the kind of man who would even consider that, and he knew that he couldn’t keep work at work half as well as he’d thought. Sorry wasn’t going to do much for that. Nothing he could say would.

“...I’m going for a walk.” For the sake of finishing his sentence, those were the words he decided on. “Should I bring back anything?”

Sophie shook her head. She still didn’t say anything. Maybe there was nothing for her to say either. If there was, it was nothing Hans could think of.

So instead of urging her for a goodbye or a quick peck on the cheek, he got out of the floor, put his coat and hat on, and walked out onto the sidewalk to mull over the unavoidable truth.

His wife was afraid of him, and she was right to be.

#writing #writeblr #summerofwhump #summerofwhump19 #fear #tw domestic abuse #tw cursing #tw swearing #Hans #Hans Pfitzner #Sophie #Sophie Pfitzner #Theodor Gradl

[caspia-writes]

You have been visited from the random oc questions tabby kitten!!💙

If your character got in a fight, would they be the first one to try to resolve the issue, or would they wait for the other person to make the first step? Would they apologize for something they didn’t do only because they want to resolve the issue? Would they refuse to admit they were wrong even if they knew they were wrong?

Now that I've posted one thing, I may as well try posting other things--like an answer to this ask, finally!

The name wheel decided this question was for Theodor Gradl, the interior minister and chief of federal police in Großsachsen. This should give you a pretty good idea of how much of a wonderful, upstanding person he is.

Theodor Gradl is not the sort to extend the olive branch. Like many of the top officials of Großsachsen, he considers himself a direct extension of the Großsächsisch state and its interests.

In his case, he believes he directly represents the national security, so if you're against him, you're against the security of the entire nation, and thus a traitor. The Staatspolizei doesn't negotiate with traitors, and neither does he. Either you do the apologizing and 'fix' whatever you did wrong, or he makes your life hellish. Better yet, if he's in a bad mood and you won't be missed too much, you're charged with sedition, evidence is found/fabricated, and you're summarily executed. Maybe you'll even end up in the papers to justify another round of late-night police break-ins!

The only person he'll apologize to, sometimes even if he hasn't actually done anything, is his wife. Most of their arguments are along the lines of "I told you to change the lightbulb and you didn't!" or "You said you'd help weed the garden!", so it's usually easier to just agree that she probably did tell him and do what she's asking than argue with her for three hours and end up getting nagged into doing it anyway. That, and Theodor does love his wife enough that he would prefer that she not spend half her life wanting to punt him out a window.

As for everyone else, they get a potentially decades-long grudge if they also refuse to apologize for falsely accusing Theodor. Even if they'd rather forget about it and move on, Theodor will remember it and even provide frequent reminders. It's happened before, and it could happen again if someone he can't just execute says something sufficiently provocative.

Admitting that he did something wrong is not something Theodor is inclined to do if he can at all avoid it. He'd rather spend hours pouring through someone's files trying to prove a crime was committed than admit that he arrested an innocent person. With how strict the laws in Großsachsen are, he almost never has to resort to fabricating evidence--not that he has any real moral qualms about doing so if he truly cannot find anything. In fact, the fact that he can't find something can usually be bent into espionage or at least providing false information to the police, neither of which will end especially well for the accused....

For obvious reasons, Theodor is not winning any popularity contests with his colleagues. Or his boss. Or anyone other than his wife, really. And even she acknowledges that he's a nasty piece of work to basically everyone but her.

#ocs #wip #ask #random oc questions tabby #writeblr #gradl #not writing #tw execution #tw police violence #theodor #theodor gradl

[caspia-writes]

Summer of Whump #14 — Hand Gagging

Summary: A boy accidentally reports his parents to the police over a piece of chocolate.

A/N: I could definitely be happier with this piece, but after several attempts to figure out how to fix it, I've decided that I've probably just been looking at it too long. Maybe I'm just not used to this much dialogue?

Content warnings: None

It was always interesting to see how the children at the park responded to Theodor’s presence. The ones he knew personally, the ones who called him Onkel Theodormore than anything else, ran over immediately, all clamoring for a piece of chocolate. Naturally the other young ones, old enough to understand the chants of Bitte ein bisschen Schokolade?, were never far behind. After all, why should they let the others have all the treats? Even the older ones would eventually come over, forming a somewhat more orderly mob as they held their hands out and asked if they might have a piece too—before fleeing back to some other corner of the park to eat it and watch him unblinkingly.

But today there was an exception in the form of a young boy who was still shying away, even as the other children were almost climbing over each other to try and get some chocolate. When he didn’t think Theodor was watching, he stared; when he realized he’d been caught, he looked down at the ground in front of him. Almost guilty, except what could a boy of six or seven have possibly done to break the law?

Probably nothing. But Theodor intended to be sure of it.

It didn’t take long for the boy to notice what was happening, but he didn’t run. His face went pale and Theodor could see him almost beginning to hyperventilate, but he stayed right where he was, watching as Theodor got closer. Even at the point when almost anyone with the slightest fear of him would’ve dashed away, the boy simply stood there, stupefied, gazing at Theodor with eyes so wide they barely seemed to fit in their sockets.

Slowly, taking care not to do anything that might startle the child further, Theodor pulled a square of chocolate and held it out to the boy. Instead of taking it, the boy yelped and cowered. Curious. He’d never seen a child afraid of candy before. And in fact, he didn’t think that was the problem—so he took the boy’s arm, pried his fist open, and pressed the chocolate square into his palm anyway.

After a few seconds, the boy opened his eyes and began examining his present. The boy frowned at the chocolate, trying to look at it from every angle and even sniffing at it. Not having accomplished whatever he had set out to do, he shot a half-second glance up and whispered, “Is it poison?”

So that was what he was trying to figure out. The answer was simple enough. “No.”

And now, having found an excuse to eat a piece himself, Theodor reached back into his pocket and began pulling the foil off another square. That seemed proof enough to the boy, who immediately tore the wrapping away and began devouring his chocolate. Which, hopefully, meant that Theodor had built enough rapport to be able to talk to him.

“What’s your name, boy?”

The boy hesitated, making a point of eating the rest of his chocolate before answering. “Florian Quenstedt.”

“Well, there’s a good, proper Sächsischer name.” It seemed Florian took well to the comment. Or perhaps he was just happy to have had chocolate. Either way, he met Theodor’s eyes again and smiled. “So why, Herrlein Quenstedt, were you afraid of me?”

Florian looked away again and began sucking the melted chocolate off his fingers. “My Vati says he hates you because you’re evil and want to kill him.”

Now that captured Theodor’s attention. Many people didn’t particularly like the Staatspolizei—but hate? And openly admit as much to their children? That was unusual.

“Really? And why do you suppose that is?”

Florian frowned. “He said it’s because he’s—um, that he’s a demo... dema...”

“Perhaps he’s a democrat?”

“Yeah, that!” Florian beamed up at Theodor. “My Vati is a democrat! And he says you really hate democrats, and that’s why you’re evil and want to kill him. But I don’t think you’re evil.”

This time his voice must have carried across the park. All of ten seconds later, a woman—his mother?— dashed over, her face pale and sheening with sweat as she almost fell to the ground trying to grab her son by the collar.

“Florian!” she yelped before meeting Theodor’s eyes. “Good evening and—and please don’t listen to him, Herr Reichsminister. I don’t know where he learned that awful word. Or this awful habit of telling lies!”

“But Mutti, I wasn’t telling—!”

The mother slapped her hand over Florian’s mouth before he could finish. As if there was any more evidence Theodor needed to investigate the entire family. Besides, refusing to let the child talk now, after he’d told all, only confirmed that Florian had been accurate, or close enough to it. Not that Theodor intended to let on.

“Well, this is simply how some children are.” Honest, loyal, and entirely willing to sacrifice their family for the good of the nation. Even if most of them didn’t consciously realize the last part. “You never know what they’re going to say or to whom. But surely this is all a misunderstanding of some sort?”

To that, the mother nodded frantically. Of course she did. Criminals always loved any story that made them sound innocent. And what could be more innocent than a child not understanding a word they were using? With her enthusiasm, she may as well have begun to confess right then.

Nonetheless, if Theodor wanted more information, just to be sure, he would need to find a way to drag this out a little longer.

“Now—Florian, wasn’t it?” The boy glanced back at his mother, then nodded at her lack of objection. “Would you like another piece of chocolate?”

“Yes please!” This time he didn’t bother seeing what his mother thought of it. If he had, he would’ve seen her trying to force a grimace into a smile. Frankly, she wasn’t doing a very good job of it.

“All right, you can have one more piece.” Florian’s eyes lit up, then dimmed as Theodor held up a finger. “But only if you can tell me what the National Syndicalist Party slogan is first.”

“Alles zum Wohle der Nation!” Florian immediately yelled, even managing a halfway decent salute.

But der Nation? That was an odd error to make. Every child his age should’ve known it was actually der Großsachsen. And this error in particular sounded suspiciously like the sort of bastardization that a child raised around democratic criminals would make, what with all the talk of ‘self-determination’ and ‘freedom of the individual peoples.’ But all the better for Theodor’s case against the family.

As for the boy and his candy, he’d been close, and it wasn’t his fault his parents were traitors. He had the necessary enthusiasm and national spirit to become a good citizen, that had been clear enough. And his salute had been quite good for a boy his age. Once he was liberated from his parents and learned that it was der Großsachseninstead, he’d be well on his way to becoming a model citizen.

“Well...” Theodor still drew the word out, cupping his hand on his chin. Florian’s entire body deflated and he turned his eyes to the ground before Theodor gave his shoulder a pat and presented him with another wrapped square of chocolate. “I suppose it’s close enough for now. But it’s der Großsachsen, not der Nation. Remember that next time, all right?”

“Don’t worry, Herr Reichsminister, I’m sure he will.” The mother forced her grimace into an even wider smile. It was almost becoming grotesque, how desperate she was to appear pleased with this interaction. “Alles zum Wohle der Großsachsen!”

Theodor smothered a laugh as the woman grabbed Florian’s arm and vanished into the crowd. She wasn’t fooling anybody with that. Or at least not Theodor, and he didn’t need anyone else convinced when it came to these matters. Certainly not after the thorough damning her son had provided.

On that note, Theodor thought he rather liked that Florian boy. For all his parents’ efforts to the contrary, he was still well on his way to becoming a good, loyal, Großsächsisch citizen. Just as he should have been.

Children really were little wonders.

#writing #writeblr #summerofwhump #summerofwhump14 #theodor #theodor gradl

[caspia-writes]

You’ve been visited by the random oc questions tabby kitten!!💙

Who did your character last say 'I love you' to? Did they mean it? Did the other person say it back?

Thank you for the ask, @random-oc-questions-tabby! Sorry this took so long.

It ends up being relevant that German has two (main) sentiments of ‘I love you’—‘ich habe dich lieb’ [more familial/platonic] and ‘ich liebe dich’ [decidedly romantic].

Also, because I answered this for four characters, I'm going to put the actual answer beneath the cut.

Johannes uses ‘ich habe dich lieb’ much more often than ‘ich liebe dich’, mostly because whether he and his wife are on good terms changes on a daily basis.

Most days there’s at least one argument between him and his wife—that he’s a workaholic, that he never spends time with their children, that she never knows whether to make him dinner at night, that he broke some promise he made. It doesn’t help that she thinks he’s having an affair either.

The last time he told his wife ‘ich liebe dich’ was after a long argument, and it was more a reminder that he still wants to stay married to her than an actual declaration of love. Magdalena said it back... about three hours later. This was at least a year ago.

The last person he said ‘ich habe dich lieb’ to was his oldest daughter, Ada. This statement tends to occur in weekly or so intervals. He meant it that time. While he hasn’t been as involved as he wishes he’d been able to be, he is proud of his daughter and he does care for her. Being a teenager, Ada doesn’t generally say it back.

Otto makes regular use of both phrases.

Otto and his wife get along well. They don’t religiously tell each other ‘ich liebe dich’, but it gets said a few times a week at least. It’s reciprocated and truly meant when it is said.

Most of the times that Otto says ‘ich habe dich lieb’, it’s to one of his younger children. Between the three of the younger ones, it ends up getting said on a daily basis. His family life is actually one of the nicer ones in the upper government of Großsachsen.

Ernst doesn’t say either very often, but he writes ‘ich habe dich lieb’ much more often than he says ‘ich liebe dich’.

Generally, he writes ‘ich habe dich lieb’ in every single letter to his parents, as a reminder if nothing else. He thinks he means it, but it’s hard for him to be certain how he feels about people he hasn’t seen since he was three. His mother will write it back in her letter; his father won’t unless there’s some special occasion calling for affection than usual, which hasn’t been since he was conscripted in the Großsächsische Reichswehr. (Unfortunately, Ernst doesn’t know this during the actual war; there’s no mail getting out of Nordpreußen into Großsachsen, so none of his parents’ letters are making it through.)

The last person he said ‘ich liebe dich’ to was a woman he was romantically involved with during his bachelor’s degree about six years ago. He was in love at the time, and so was she—at least enough to say the same. Since that relationship ended, he’s been too busy to take any romantic relationships past light flirting.

Theodor says ‘ich liebe dich’ to his wife on a daily basis, entirely heartfelt, and unless he’s done something to deeply annoy her, she says it back.

Despite very much caring for them, Theodor is considerably colder to his children; he said ‘ich habe dich lieb’ to his son before the boy was to have his appendix taken out, but other than that he doesn’t ever say it. He does mean it when he says it though, and he doesn’t begrudge his children too much for not saying it back.

#ocs #wip #ask #random oc questions tabby #writeblr #not writing #chatter #johannes #wieck #johannes wieck #otto #burkhardt #otto burkhardt #ernst #schneider #ernst schneider #theodor #gradl #theodor gradl

[caspia-writes]

Verräter Incorrect Quotes: Theodor Gradl Edition

Yet more incorrect quotes. @sleepy-night-child. URL: https://perchance.org/incorrect-quote-generator. Situation usual, let's get this thing going!

...

Theodor: I’d like to live through a week that’s not a whole new verse of “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

Theodor: Is this a good idea? Theodor: Probably not. Theodor: Do I care? Theodor: No.

Theodor: Don’t weep for the stupid. You’ll be crying all day.

Theodor: Oh, so when crows remember people who wronged them and hold grudges, its “intelligent” and “really cool”. Theodor: But when I do it, I’m “petty” and “need to let it go”.

Theodor: I'm not creepy. Theodor: I'm petty. Theodor: There's a difference, ya' know.

Theodor: Valentine’s day is just a consumerist holiday that holds no real value other than drive people insane buying heart shaped chocolates for their significant others and pos- Helmina: I wrote you a poem. Theodor, already crying:You did?

Theodor: I can’t believe all these people are wearing black. black is supposed to be my thing, they’re all just posers. Helmina: Theodor, for the last time, we’re at a funeral.

Helmina: Theodor, what does IDK, ILY, and TTYL mean? Theodor: I don’t know, I love you, talk to you later. Helmina: Alright, I love you too, I'll ask Hans. Theodor: Wait- Helmina, no-

Johannes: You have to apologize to Otto! Theodor: Fine! Theodor: Unfuck you, or whatever!

Johannes: How many children do you have? Theodor: Biologically, legally, or emotionally? Because there is a difference.

Theodor: I have issues. Otto: Finally, you admit it! The first step to redemption is accept- Theodor: With you.

Johannes: I think Otto is in trouble. Theodor: Alright. Struggling to give a fuck, if I’m honest.

Theodor: Ernst, fuck off. Theodor: And by "fuck off" I mean "fuck off right back here and listen", you insufferable prick.

Theodor: My only talent is being stress. Hans: Don't you mean stressed? Theodor: No.

Theodor: I need you to come meet me, and I need you to come alone. Hans: And I need you to be less vague and weird.

Theodor: *Answers phone.* Hello? Hans: It's Hans. Theodor: What did they do this time? Hans: No, it's me, Hans. It's actually me. Theodor: What did you do this time?

#incorrect quotes #verräter #johannes wieck #otto burkhardt #theodor gradl #hans pfitzner #writing #writeblr #helmina gradl #theodor

[caspia-writes]

Verräter Incorrect Quotes: Ernst Schneider Edition

Same thing as the last two times—@sleepy-night-child, anyone can feel free to use this as some sort of tag game if so desired, and the URL is https://perchance.org/incorrect-quote-generator.

. . .

Ernst: *seductively takes off glasses* Ernst: Wow... Lina: *blushes* Haha... what? Ernst: You're really fucking blurry.

Ernst: I only have two emotions: exhaustion and stress. And I’m somehow always feeling both simultaneously.

Ernst: I'm not a morning person. I'm barely even a person.

Ernst: I don’t think the therapist is supposed to say ‘wow’ that many times during their first session with a client, but here we are.

Ernst: Let’s write Drittich a friendly note, shall we? Dear... Incompetent... Dumbass...

Teacher: Your child was in a fight. Lina: Oh no, that’s terrible! Ernst: Did they win?

Ernst: What the fuck is wrong with you?? Johannes: What? No good morning? Ernst: Good morning, what the fuck is wrong with you??

Otto: When do you usually go to sleep? Ernst: Whenever I collapse is entirely up to the gods.

Ernst, sniffling: Calm down, I’m probably not sick. It might just be allergies. Otto: Okay, tell me this: are you like, really tired? Ernst: I have depression, what do you think?

Fritz: What is your favourite mythical story? Ernst: The Story Of My Will To Live. Fritz: I don’t think I’ve heard of that one before.

Ernst: Not gonna lie, I'm kind of afraid of Hans... Theodor: As you should be. Ernst: No, for real, they're kind of- Theodor: As. You. Should. Be.

Ernst: What’s your favorite color? Hans: Stop asking stupid questions. Ask me something logical and mature. Ernst: How many moles of sodium bicarbonate are needed to neutralize 0.8ml of sulfuric acid at STP? Hans: My favorite color is pink.

Patient: You... you saved me. You're not a beast at all. YOU'RE A HERO, AN UGLY UGLY UGLY HERO! Ernst: Call me ugly again, and maybe I will eat you.

#incorrect quotes #verräter #ernst schneider #johannes wieck #otto burkhardt #theodor gradl #hans pfitzner #writing #writeblr #ernst #drittich #lina

[caspia-writes]

Scented Candles Tag Game

Rules: Describe a scented candle your characters would like and tag at least five other people

I decided to do this for all of my main characters!

Johannes Wieck

Johannes would want something that he thinks smells like Großsachsen (or Altenstadt, more specifically, ignoring pollution). In other words, with tree scents (linden, hazelnut, maybe oak or sycamore if that fits in), warm bread, apples, and coffee. The result is something like a coffeeshop/bakery in the middle of the woods.

Otto Burkhardt

Otto would go for a similar idea as Johannes, but with a more upper-class touch. So more along the lines of coffee and tea, tobacco, musk, vanilla, and undertones of flowers—roses, lilies, lavender.

Ernst Schneider

Ernst would be the odd one out, seeing as he does not care for Altenstadt and he would not want his home to smell like it any more than it has to. His idea of a good candle would be more along the lines of birch/pine, sea salt, and cinnamon. Relatively simple, and more like home to him.

Theodor Gradl

Theodor would want something relatively light. Probably a mix of various herbs, tea, honey, and maybe a bit of a vanilla-leathery touch reminiscent of old books. Something that smells like an herbalist’s library.

Hans Pfitzner

Hans would go for an almost entirely forest-scented candle. All the trees (sycamore, oak, linden, hazelnut—heck, why not add a little fir in there too?) along with a good number of other plants (grass, lilies, tulips maybe, clover, and moss). He just really likes how forests smell.

I'm going to tag @sleepy-night-child, @corkythewriteblr, @princeofthecactus, @onedayiwillwritestuff, @a-series-of-whumpy-events, and @thesecretscribe! Anyone who sees this and wants to make candles is also welcome to do it!

(This link has an itemized list of scent suggestions if that helps anyone tagged: https://rollforfantasy.com/diy/scent-guide.php)

#ocs #tag game #wip #chatter #not writing #main ocs #writeblr #writblr #writerblr

[caspia-writes]

💮🥀 for any oc(s) of your choice? :D

Thank you for the ask! Sorry it took so long--between sleeping, real life, and having to think pretty hard about some of these, it took a while!

I'm fairly bored (and still maybe procrastinating on writing just a bit), so I decided to do all the main OCs. The answers will be under the cut because there's no need to ruin people's dashes like that.

💮 What are your OC’s best skills? Johannes Wieck:

Johannes is talented both in his powers of persuasion and in his ability to think on his feet.

Otto Burkhardt:

Otto’s best skills would be public speaking and his understanding of crowd psychology.

Theodor Gradl:

Theodor’s main talents are being good at filtering information and excellent pattern recognition.

Ernst Schneider:

Ernst has both a very good memory and is a very good marksman.

Hans Pfitzner:

Hans’s most remarkable skills are his ability to speed-read and an almost uncanny understanding of body language.

🥀 Have your OC’s dreams ever been crushed, or their heart broken? When and how?

Johannes Wieck: Yes

Originally, Johannes wanted to be a baker. His parents were very insistent that he not become a baker, to the point of sabotaging an apprenticeship he had with a baker in Altenstadt. Dream crushed.

During a considerable political schism in the Party, three or four of Wieck’s old school friends were killed. Johannes was heartbroken.

Since he became the dictator of Großsachsen, he’s also had to have one of his close cousins executed for being a communist. Once again, Johannes was heartbroken.

Otto Burkhardt: Yes

When Otto announced he was going to Altenstadt to become a journalist, his parents called him insane and disowned him. There’s some heartbreak right there.

Once he was there, he faced the usual xenophobia (not helped by his accent). More than once he was told he would never become a journalist because of his accent—that is, no one would ever answer his questions—and highly questionable grammar. Dream crushed, but Otto was too stubborn to quit (and had nothing else to fall back on).

Things went well for some time, but then his first wife, Anja, died in childbirth along with the infant. Otto was, understandably, heartbroken.

Theodor Gradl: Yes

Theodor’s had three major incidents in his life.

The first was after Wieck managed to take over Sachsen and was promoting his Party supporters to government positions. Theodor was pretty excited; he’d been the Party accountant for some time and figured he was going to be given a position as an economic minister. Instead, he was made the Minister of the Interior and the Chief of the Staatspolizei for his ruthlessness in collecting dues and skill at “encouraging” members who were reluctant to pay up. Dream crushed.

Shortly after being given his new position, Theodor fell in love with Josephine. He was right about to propose to her when she left him for Otto. (Yes, the Otto mentioned above.) Heartbroken and still mad at Otto about it some fifteen-ish years later.

Afterwards, Theodor was quite happy being married to Helmina, but it turned out that Helmina was infertile. This qualifies for both; he was heartbroken for his wife and his dreams of having a child of his own were also crushed. Eventually the two adopted instead (it’s not too hard to find some orphans in Großsachsen), but he’d always figured that his kids would be his both biologically and legally.

Ernst Schneider: Yes

The first time he got his heart broken was when he was three. His parents decided to send him off to a private boarding school. Ernst was still heart-broken about it all. Lots and lots of crying ensued.

After he finished college with his medical degree, he decided to try and join the local medical syndicate. Unfortunately, he was barred from joining. From there, any hopes of using his degree to get home were gone. Dream thoroughly crushed.

Not being one to curl up and die, Ernst went back to college and got a Ph.D.! Now he could try for the local chemists’ syndicate! ...Except that he immediately got drafted into an ongoing war as he was no longer a student and thus no longer exempt. Dream of going home anytime soon, if ever? Crushed. Again.

Once he got conscripted, Ernst was told to be a field surgeon, which meant watching a lot of people die. Which is also heart-breaking, especially on the semi-rare occasion he knew the person.

That’s brings us to his current point in life, where he’s ready and primed to have his heart and dreams stomped again.

Hans Pfitzner: Yes

His father died of cancer while he was fighting the first Anglo-Sächsisch War. Heartbreak ensued.

People die in wars, and this included some friends Hans made and one of his cousins. Even more heartbreak.

Despite wanting to go on to become an officer, he was dismissed from the Army. Dream crushed, yes, but he moved on fairly quickly.

Not too long after that, his (at the time) youngest son was struck and killed by a car. More heartbreak.

#corkythewriteblr #ocs #wip #thanks for the ask! #ask #ask game #chatter #not writing #main ocs