You're never too old to learn something new!

[bravelyplucked]

Who | Torin and you! Later, Torin and Felicity.
What | Torin learns about fanfiction. Torin wishes he could unlearn what he has learned.
Where | The Tribute Center lobby and the Yoshidas' apartment.
When | After the airing of Panem Nightly.
Warnings | Discussion of common badfic tropes, pretty much.

[Tribute Center Lobby - Open]
Torin had been a little concerned about his niece's proximity to the Tributes as of late with the way she'd been mooning over Gary Epps. Sure, it was the sort of thing that teenage girls were wont to do, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He didn't like the idea of her getting mixed up in anything related to the Games, and there she was, getting more and more involved on the fringes every time he turned around.

Oh, some of it couldn't be helped, like when she'd gotten some of the press from that party they'd thrown to show appreciation for the District 2 sponsors. That was sort of a necessary evil, and it made sense from a networking standpoint. That didn't mean Torin had to like it. That didn't mean she had to go get involved with Tribute pop singers and now this fanfiction mess. Naturally, Torin needs to look and see exactly what this means before having a talk with the young lady.

This was how he ended up on a couch in the lobby of the Tribute Center, trying to keep an eye on the Games on the lobby TV while poking at a tablet. As he poked at the tablet, looking at this fanfiction stuff, his expression moved from befuddlement to unease to outright disgust. Vanity--and a bit of morbid curiosity--led him to run a search on himself in the fanfiction archive he'd found. He lasted all of two minutes before looking utterly horrified and hurling the tablet across the room, heedless of who or what he might hit with it.

[The Yoshidas' Apartment - Locked to Felicity Yoshida]
Well, Torin's figured out the whole fanfiction thing. It is not a very happy looking Uncle Torin that's come knocking on the door of the Yoshidas' apartment at a time he knows Felicity should be home from school. He probably should have called first, but he's had a very disturbing past few hours.

Comments

[lionhearted_victor]

Leonidas had no intentions of getting beaned by a tablet as he dodged the incoming flying object before it hits him in the face. Yeah, he heard that Panem Nightly mess and it was only a matter of time before Felicity's shenanigans would get to her uncle and her parents' ears. "You know, there's a place to do target practice, sir," he pointed out rather calmly, "It's called the Training Center."

Let the bird have his moment, Cora's common sense told him, and for once, he listened to it. Only because this was the D2 mentor he respected, he'd yet to meet the new one.

[bravelyplucked]

"Perhaps I should have done my reading in there, then," Torin grumbles, getting up to retrieve the tablet. "Glad I didn't hit you...I'd rather save it for the ones who wrote that...drivel."

If Leo's fast enough, he can definitely get to the tablet and see what's got Torin so bent out of shape before Torin picks it up.

[lionhearted_victor]

Leo quickly swooped in and grabbed the tablet then made a face at the titles of the things his poor mentor was reading. Oh God, he found his fanfiction section, Cora silently sends his sympathies to the broken neurons.

"Paleo-love? Love in the Triassic? Pride and Prehistory? Torin, why are you here reading these?"

Not that he knows what they're all about, come on.

[bravelyplucked]

"Because I have made terrible decisions tonight." He runs a hand down his face. "When I found out my niece was writing this fanfiction stuff, I decided to take a look...and I wish I'd stopped before I decided to look myself up." He sighs. "Vanity will be the downfall of us all..."

[lionhearted_victor]

"I'd invite you to a shot of tequila but even that won't erase some of the things the fans write," Leo sighed, he's seen some of the things the mentors have and they're not for the faint of heart.

"At least know that whatever Felicity has writen? Probably not to that sort of level. She has a good head on her shoulders, all things considered."

He can only hope.

I just realized I must have lost the notif for this; I am so sorry about the delay!

[bravelyplucked]

"There's no amount of tequila that could purge that from my memory." As soon as Torin says that, he realizes it's a dad overdramatic, so he adds, "at least, not without a new liver. I'd like to avoid that if I could."

And whatever Felicity has written had better not be that bad. "I'd also hope she doesn't even know what half of the drivel I just read even means." Torin scowls. "She's too young for that. Much, much too young."

don't worry about it!

[lionhearted_victor]

"As long as you didn't head into the Adults-Only section, don't ask me what I saw in there. Some of my students back home thought they could use the classroom signal to read the tripe."

And their parents were quickly notified, so much data scrubbing had to be done on his dime.

"Felicity is a sensible young woman with her head on her shoulders. Maybe she could pursue a writing career..." And away from certain tributes like that Gary twerp from District 11. He's seen the way he looks at Felicity and like hell a Cadet of his will commit an illegal act, pop star or not.

[bravelyplucked]

Torin shakes his head. "I do hope you gave them the appropriate sorts of punishments for that...and I can also vouch that you never, ever want to approach the Adults Only section."

He sighs. "Oh, she'd make an excellent writer...it's just that at this rate, I'm afraid she'll end up on one of the tabloid rags."

[lionhearted_victor]

"They were suspended from participating in that year's reaping and their parents were tasked to pay the damages," Leo shrugged, the punishment was harsh for the time and those students were much more respectful with him. Torin's worry was well-intentioned and a small curl of his lips is proof of it.

"I wouldn't worry about that, sir. She can be allured with the easy money but she knows better, she can pick where she wants to write. Maybe even Celebrus."

Here we go

[talltaleteller]

Felicity had thought that her life was going great. She was starting to get a toehold in her school's social scene, she had so many chances to get up close and personal with so many famous figures, and her writing was coming along even better than ever... and then her name made Panem Nightly when the discussion turned towards fandom and fics. Crap crap crap crap CRAP.

Her whole day has been one spent on pins and needles, keeping her head down and her beloved writing notebook closed. It was one thing to post her stuff under a pseudonym and get praise for clever words and sappy romance and giving people the feels. But it was under a pseudonym! Everyone was usually nice enough to pretend that there was some mystique and mystery to the whole thing! Someone somewhere hauled out her real name because... because.... because reasons, horrible reasons, she was sure!

So she was home from school and sitting in the kitchen, clutching a container of Cornucopia Crunch ice cream and spooning out mouthfuls, trying to figure out to un-screw her life when there comes that knocking on the door. Knocking is... probably good, because that means it's not a troupe of Peacekeepers here to haul her away for grammatical errors and/or treason, but she is still toting her ice cream along with her when she opens the door.

"...uncle!" Torin gets a brief look of considerable guilt before she manages to plaster on a great big smile. Smooth, Felicity. Smooth.

[bravelyplucked]

That big smile does absolutely nothing to fool Torin. He's going to waste no time in getting inside. Getting the door closed behind him. He's not even commenting on the ice cream, probably another red flag. "Tell me, Felicity, did you happen to catch the latest Panem Nightly?" No, he's a little wound up. No attempts at pleasantries today; he's getting straight to the point.

So this is still a thing, isn't it?

[talltaleteller]

"Uhhh...." Darn it, darn it, should she lie? No, he'd catch the lie. The truth it is! "I did! Wow, there was just so much exciting stuff, wasn't there? D...did you catch it?" She shuffles back a few steps, grinning so hard it almost looks like she might bite someone by accident. "M-m-my namedrop? That... that itty bitty one? That... that no one really is going to remember?"

This is already going horribly wrong. Oh no.

Yes!

[bravelyplucked]

Wow, he didn't even have to try any further weaseling it out of her. Didn't have to try approaching the subject himself. "It was still a namedrop! For writing this...this...fanfiction stuff!" Look, if he sounds distasteful about the whole fanfiction concept, having his fanfiction innocence ruined was somewhat traumatic. A little irritation is perfectly natural.

[talltaleteller]

When looking back on this later, Felicity will claim that she wanted to just face the firing squad head on and be brave. But right in the moment? She is panicking and fearful and her uncle's anger is just making that worse. She actually cringes backwards and hugs that carton of ice cream with both hands. He'd never raise his voice to her. Never. That kind of thing was saved for fights that were always almost out of earshot. She doesn't know how to handle this at all.

"That... that means I'm really good at it! But, but not so good that it's gonna be a problem, I, I mean..." There's a quick gasping breath in, and it's let out in a burst of panicky laughter. "....I didn't write that one, though, no way, I don't write that stuff! Never!" ...never that she posts, anyhow.

[bravelyplucked]

Torin takes a deep breath, forces himself to calm down a little. He doesn't really want to be frightening her--even if that might be what she needs at this point--

"Good enough to get noticed has consequences, at times." Like being closely scrutinized for anything rebellious..."Do your parents know?" He's leaving what they know vague. Do they know about the fanfiction? The namedrop? He'll let her figure that out.

[talltaleteller]

"I knoooooow!" And then, another gasp for breath, and she backs up a few steps. "....I know." That's quieter. That's something that she figured out for herself years ago. She didn't want to be too fast, too strong, too clever, too trainable.... and now she was too much anyway?

"...Mom knows. I mean, that I write stuff. Dad just... didn't really care because as long as it wasn't boys or drugs or boys with drugs, that didn't b-bother him? Right?" The next attempt at laughter is more of a squeak, and she's just grimacing.

[bravelyplucked]

Torin sighs. "I suppose that's about right for both of them, really..." No, he can't say he's surprised. "I've been through the media circuit more than a few times around here. I've got a fairly good idea of how it operates. I didn't want you to get involved in this." And he'll just leave that "this" vague as well. The Games. The media. The Capitol itself. Everything. "It can be vicious."

Or her mom saw it as just a normal social climbing thing to do and would be perfectly okay with that. He can see that discussion playing out...

how could i not

[69problems]

The tablet manages to miss Signless but it does catch the attention of his miniature lusus as it skids across the floor. The tiny white crab strains at its leash in desperation to go investigate the unfamiliar object, chittering and clicking its claws. Signless gently holds it back with one foot and bends to pick up the tablet, and it takes only a glance at the screen for him to recognize what's on it. He's seen plenty of this, most of it in tribute magazines and some of it shoved into his hands in stapled sheaves of paper by blushing Capitolites.

"Here," he says, holding the tablet out (screen down, out of sympathy). "Don't tell me no one warned you?"

yes get in on this mess

[bravelyplucked]

"Thanks." Torin takes the tablet back, even if he feels he should probably run it under boiling water or dunk it in bleach or simply consign it to an incinerator in order to purge it of its fanfiction taint. "I'd always thought that was just along the lines of the tabloids. Nothing quite so involved or explicit."

[69problems]

Signless takes a seat next to Torin on the couch, perhaps sensing that Torin is going to require a sympathetic ear to get through the initial crisis that comes with the shadier parts of fame. The miniature lusus scrambles up into his lap, hunkering down and curling its long tail around itself.

"I'm surprised you've escaped it for as long as you've been here," he says. He can't imagine this is something that arrived in the Capitol with the offworld tributes. "Most of it's like that. Think of it this way -- you still have it better than me. No one is having heated debates about what kind of genitalia you have."

[bravelyplucked]

Torin grimaces. "I try not to pay too much attention to the...fanworks. I've known it existed, just not that it was this...graphic." The grimace intensifies at the genitalia comment. "I suppose I should be glad that the worst I've gotten is that they seem to think I have an, er, uncrushable pelvis." Because really now, with the dinosaur sex...

[69problems]

To the Signless's credit, he manages to stop himself from laughing at this poor man's fanfiction-induced trauma. Save for a split-second grin he holds his amusement back rather well and keeps his face politely blank.

"That isn't so bad as Capitolite rumors go. At least it's... flattering?"

[bravelyplucked]

"In some deranged way, possibly..." Torin snorts. "You'd think they could find more productive uses of their free time."

[69problems]

"Oh, now. Some of them are very productive. I know of at least one whose total pagecount is into the thousands now. That must speak to some sort of work ethic."

Or some sort of obsession. Steve is... well, he's a certain kind of fan.

[bravelyplucked]

Torin grimaces at that. "If only that power could be applied to something less...unsettling." He glances back at the tablet. "If I have any like that, I don't want to know."

Really, he wishes he could continue being blissfully ignorant about all of this.