#and she became a captain so…. one step left in the arc

[butchreyes]

I actually thought it might be Nancy who was holding Mateo’s neck in that one picture! It inspired a fic and I’m hoping it’ll manifest Mateo living through season 5

if mateo dies i would be devastated but in a way it would be kinda fierce…. like to just straight up kill somebody? do they have the balls???

but no i don’t think he’ll die because i’m still holding onto my pregnant nancy theory…

[mosylufanfic]

Mosy, what are your thoughts on the Andor finale? 😬

The finale arc was . . . hmmm.

I loved episode 10. Loved it. One of my favorite hours of this entire show, seeing how Kleya and Luthen became who they were, the give-and-take of their fascinating relationship, how it had seeds all the way back to how they met and built to the choice Kleya made in the end because she had no other choice and Luthen would not only have realized that, he would have agreed.

11 and 12 blur together for me, and mostly felt like they were trying to move pieces into place to be ready for the start of Rogue One. So I'm going to talk about the season as a whole because now that we have a whole we can step back and look at it.

After letting it settle in for a few days (and, um, doing a lot of yelling on Discord), I have to say that I liked most of it. Really, truly, I did. I still think the first season, while not flawless (and other people have written lots about why) was some damn good TV, especially with how well Cassian's character changed throughout it, each segment flowing into the next, broadening his view of the galaxy and the futility of trying to ignore the Empire.

I think that the second season both continued some of the flaws of the first season and additionally was too crowded with stuff. It felt kinda like they wrote some big, interesting, impactful events first - Leida's wedding, the events on Ghorman in arcs 2 and 3, Mon's speech and escape from the Senate, all the events of episode 10 - and then put them in a line that had an endpoint of Rogue One.

I understand about getting cut down to one season from four. I feel like with that level of compression, the writers wanted to keep too many of their favorite things from the four season plan, so they smushed them together and then sat down to figure out where to put the connective tissue and how to run Cassian's storyline through it.

The connective tissue, however, wasn't connecting. We barely caught our breath between arcs before we jumped again. The characters and relationships that suffered the most for me were Bix and Cassian, and that's really sad, not just because I like both of them as characters, but because aside from a couple of sweet or funny moments, it failed to get me invested in the relationship between them that was posited as very, very important.

Now, before people tell me I'm just a silly shipper, I'll point out that in s1 they were slightly antagonistic exes, he left for something like seven episodes, and he rescued her at the end. That was where they were at. And suddenly they were married in season 2. We never saw that shift in what she thought of him, we never saw him decide to commit, we were just asked to believe that it had happened. And we were asked to believe that similar shifts (if not as monumental) happened between the other arcs. We got things like Cassian's overprotectiveness and Bix's trauma reaction(s) but they never seemed to go anywhere outside of the arc that they were in.

It's been covered extensively by others, but we always seemed to see Cassian's personal life at a crisis in each arc, without the necessary setup and follow-through that would have made the resolution of it land with the full weight.

Now I will say, anytime Cassian stepped out of his personal life and into tasks the Rebellion (mostly Luthen tbf) asked him to do, something clicked into place and I could believe that this was Captain Andor of Rebel Intelligence. Slick enough to pose as an Imperial pilot and steal a prototype, (okay, his escape was less slick but he got bad intel), savvy enough to manipulate the dipshit brigade while in chains, expert enough to assess a local rebellion, in line to be promoted, trusted enough to get called across the galaxy direct from a genocide to secure one of the Rebellion's most important assets. But what worked so well for me in s1 was that the personal was political, and he ultimately went all-in ("kill me or take me in") because of shifts going on in his interior self. In this season, his personal life was something he (literally) came home to after his work was done.

And I've yelled about how Bix's storyline, particularly in arc 3, didn't seem to follow logically from her character, either in season 1 or even in the previous arcs. I've read takes that Bix was focused on trying to create a home (making a home doesn't make her less of a mechanic or less of a rebel or less traumatized by Dedra), knew they weren't working out, etc, and I like those ideas, but that's not what I was seeing on the screen. And looking at the personal as political . . . In arcs 2 and 3, Bix had both all personal and no personal life. She didn't seem to be involved in the Rebellion except in a couple of missions that happened off-screen, and murdering Gorst in a segment that took about three minutes and went shockingly well with little to no prep. She served as Cassian's personal life, but her own seemed to morph between arcs into what was needed to create his story.

And . . . the ending. The two endings of that relationship.

When Bix left, she said, "Come find me after this is all over," implying that their great love story was just on hold while he did More Important Things. That said, Cassian did seem to have put the relationship behind him in the fourth arc. So it could be argued (if we'd been shown any kind of difference in the way they viewed their relationship with each other) that she believed he would find her, and he decided to let her go.

But even with that, the last shot with the baby strongly implied that if not for his sacrifice on Scarif, that great love story would have been picked up again. He would have been given a Hero's Welcome, his service to the Rebellion and the galaxy rewarded with a wife, a home, and a family - things he was trying hold onto throughout both seasons, in different iterations.

Since he didn't get that, they were his legacy . . . except Bix is not a legacy, she is a woman, with a life before him and a life after him. And his child is not a legacy, they are a human being who will grow up to live their own life and make their own choices.

His legacy in Rogue One was the galaxy and the Rebellion and the destruction of the Death Star.

(I really dislike child-as-symbol, by the way. I work with kids. Not a single one of them is Parent 2.0 or "a little piece of them" or their legacy. Not even one.)

There's a lot more I could say, but this is already a novel, and since I watched the show for Cassian's journey toward the man we got in Rogue One, that's what I focused on.

(Also? The Force Healer bit was weird. Just . . . weird.)

[moistvonlipwig]

OUAT Week Day 1: Favorite arc

Let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time, there was an enchanted forest filled with all the classic characters we know. Or think we know.

But they were never trapped in a place where all their happy endings were stolen. They were never trapped in our world. They just kept living in the enchanted forest forever, same as they always had been.

And they were so much worse off for it.

Snow White and Prince Charming never had to confront the worst parts of themselves or their society. They never had to learn to accept and love a daughter who wasn't exactly how they'd imagined her. They never had to reflect on their past actions or learn to forgive the past actions of others. They built a kingdom that, much like their own selves, looked like a fairytale but crumbled like sand the moment it was challenged.

Emma grew up with her parents, but they coddled her and taught her only to look pretty and pick flowers and sing. She never learned to believe in her own ability to solve problems, never learned the importance of fighting back against wrongdoing, never learned how to do anything but surrender in the face of a challenge.

Henry, like his Storybrooke counterpart, wanted to be a hero. But he never had to learn empathy or compassion for villains. He never had to face the fact that people are more complex than their fairytale labels make them out to be. He never saw the consequences of black-and-white thinking. He became a knight and then a king who prized violence over kindness, vengeance over forgiveness.

Regina never cast her curse, and thus never learned what a hollow victory it truly was. She never adopted a child or learned that there were more valuable things in life than her quest for vengeance. Indeed, that is how we leave her: on the deck of the Jolly Roger, forever in that moment of pure confusion at the idea that anything could be more important than revenge.

Captain Hook, on the other hand, left the Wish Realm and did learn there were more important things in life than revenge. He had a child, and he gave up everything for her. But when he made a mistake and lost her, he had no support system to fall back on, no one to catch him when he fell. He returned to the Wish Realm, slid into depression and desperate schemes, and only clawed his way back to a better life once he joined up with the characters from Storybrooke.

Robin Hood lost Maid Marian early and never had a child with her. He kept stealing for himself and never chose to put his skills towards helping others. He lived a lonely and selfish life, without purpose or fulfillment, until he stepped outside the Wish Realm and was forced to consider what kind of person he really wanted to be.

Rumpelstiltskin lost both his son and the woman he loved. In fact, it's not clear that he was ever even reunited with his son at all. Thus, he never came to appreciate the value of making oneself vulnerable to love or the importance of doing the right thing even if it comes at a cost. Instead, he sought only power over others. He lost the humanity he once had and gave every part of himself over to the anger and fear within him. He became the ultimate Dark One.

The Wish Realm is fundamentally unchallenging. No one is forced to change or to reckon with their past. No one learns to empathize with their enemies. Everyone stays the way they were prior to the first episode of OUAT in perpetuity, calcifying into caricatured versions of themselves. It is a fairytale without depth, a fantasy world without humanity to ground it in reality. The only way to grow past its stagnation is to escape.

There are some strange and inconsistent wordbuilding choices in how the Wish Realm was written, to be sure. But thematically, the Wish Realm arc is coherent and powerful. It is a celebration of the journey these characters have taken with each other. An acknowledgment that the things you go through in life, good and bad, matter to who you are; that sometimes things we think are curses can be blessings in disguise; that, as Regina will put it in 7.20 "Is This Henry Mills?", "scratches are a part of life." The ultimate thesis of the Wish Realm storyline is that the characters of Once Upon a Time are better for having been a part of each other's imperfect, messy lives. I'd like to think that all of us are better off with these imperfect, messy fictional people in our lives, too.

[betsybraddockagentofstrike]

Postface — Excalibur: Crimson Dawn

Scars don’t vanish. But they can stop bleeding.

After Angels and Demons, I knew my journey through Marvel’s magical corners wasn’t over. So I dove straight into researching the next one.

I’ve always been fascinated by the Crimson Dawn storyline. Let’s be honest, who could forget Joe Madureira’s stunning art in the '90s? Even though the concept added yet another layer of convolution to Psylocke’s already tangled continuity, it always struck me as incredibly cool. The shadowporting. The crimson mark. The cold detachment it brought to her personality. It wasn’t just a power-up. It was a descent. Another step in the long road of self-erasure and identity loss.

To me, that era marked Psylocke’s lowest point. So of course I wanted to revisit it now at her full maturity.

But here’s the catch. Today, Psylocke is two women.

There’s Betsy, now Captain Britain. The original mind and soul. And there’s Kwannon, whose body was the one saved by the Crimson Dawn all those years ago while she was dead.

That detail always stuck with me. A mystical dimension left its mark on a body and soul. But what happens when that body and soul split?

Who does the Crimson Dawn remember?

That question became the seed of this story.

Betsy Braddock and Kwannon are two women shattered and rewritten. Victims of mysticism, manipulation, and editorial mandates. But comics never properly explored what happened after their wars. When the mirror no longer lied. When the face staring back was truly their own, but still carried the pain they once shared.

So they were my dual leads. Not rivals. Not echoes. Just two survivors of the same wound.

While Betsy has finally learned to let go of the guilt of having, even if not by choice, worn someone else’s skin, Kwannon still wrestles with the lingering imprint of what was done to her.

And then there’s Matsuo Tsurayaba. Kwannon’s former lover and the man responsible for merging her soul and body with Betsy’s.

In Psylocke (2009), Betsy gave him his end. But we never saw Kwannon’s side of it. We never saw what it felt like for her to know her great love was killed by the woman who had once worn her body, her face, her life.

Last we saw Matsuo, he had been mutilated by Wolverine. Hands gone. Face disfigured. And Betsy made sure he wouldn’t return by frying his mind and letting him fall from a cliff.

Maybe the Crimson Dawn was the only force dark and powerful enough to bring him back. So why not use it?

This new version of Matsuo is built as a synthesis of eastern warlords and mythic vengeance. His voice borrows from Claremont’s poetic antagonists. His dialogue is meant to linger like smoke. Here, he returns seeking to awaken the spirit Hadaruma Kuragari, a figure meant to embody all the rage, grief, and obsession of the dimension itself.

But the real villain is never just a man. It is the past. The inability to grieve properly. The seductive weight of what could have been.

I reimagined Hadaruma Kuragari as something more than a forgotten villain. Something closer to the Phoenix Force. Cyclical. Sentient. Reborn through trauma. Not just a demon, but the dimension itself given shape and eyes. The flame that consumes all identity until nothing is left but obsession.

Structurally, this was a descent-and-return arc. A classic hero’s journey, inverted. The real danger wasn’t what they faced inside the Crimson Dawn. It was what it reflected back at them.

Kwannon is offered dominion, not as a victim, but as a queen she would never choose to be. Betsy, once again, is asked to carry a burden that isn’t hers. And she accepts. Not out of guilt this time, but out of gratitude. Because she believes she owes that much to Kwannon.

Once again, I had to remind myself that this isn’t a solo. So while the spotlight stays on the two women, the rest of Excalibur embarks on a parallel journey. A mystical, dimension-bending detour through the deeper lore of the Crimson Dawn and its canonical link to the Crimson Cosmos of Cyttorak.

The temple. The stone Juggernauts. They came from a crossover game idea I sketched as a teenager. A Tomb Raider and Psylocke fan concept where Lara and Betsy hunted a relic hidden in the Crimson Dawn.

Sometimes old ideas just wait for the right moment.

In the original Crimson Dawn arc, it was Doctor Strange guiding Angel and Wolverine. This time, I brought in Doctor Voodoo. After teasing an alternate version of him in Angels and Demons, I wanted to finally write the real man. And I probably will again.

I also brought back Gomurr the Ancient. A character I find criminally underused. He is wisdom without ego. Mysticism without condescension. A little mad. A little kind. And deeply human beneath all the power.

As for the big victory — I didn’t want it to come from a final blow. I rarely do. I tend to favor endings that surprise, that bloom from where you least expect. That was true in Angels and Demons, and it wouldn’t be different here.

Gomurr had told Betsy that her connection to Otherworld and the magic coursing through her had long since begun to repel the Crimson Dawn. It had purged the arcane energies from her in the past: slowly, instinctively.

In my story, when Matsuo lay dying at Kwannon’s hand, Hadaruma Kuragari began to claim her as his next vessel. But Betsy didn’t let it happen. She intervened killing Matsuo before the pact could complete, and took the flame for herself.

She embraced the full essence of Hadaruma Kuragari, not to wield it, but to contain it. To extinguish it. To protect what was still worth saving of the Crimson Dawn.

At least for now.

In a nutshell, if Angels and Demons was mythic and loud, Crimson Dawn is quiet rage and spiritual weight.

It is about debts never paid. Scars that never faded. And the complicated grace of choosing who you are...

The final scene was always going to be Kwannon reuniting with John Greycrow. Finally as herself.

But the scene readers have enjoyed the most so far almost didn’t make it in. The ending had to be rewritten at the last minute to include the astral therapy session after a very dear reader asked for a moment of psychic healing between the two women.

And he was right.

Because if Crimson Dawn did its job, Then maybe, just maybe, they’re finally free.

*Dedicated to Mohammed, Tee, Pablo, Alice, Joanne, Alan, Hakka, Josue, Tony, Miguel, Matt, Vitor, Felipe, Will and to all the other readers who joined me in such thoughtful and pleasant conversations about this project.

[ninjaturtlecosmo]

Made this because even though I haven't watched Bleach in a decade yet, I'll forever be salty about that arc where Rukia was almost executed for giving her powers to Ichigo 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

CW: If you don't like reading about highschoolers smoking weed, this probably isn't for you

*Ichigo, Rukia, Uryu, Orihime, Chad and Chiyo are all smoking weed in a circle together in the basement of Chiyo's house, doing what's essentially a therapy circle as they share random bits of trauma before smoking a joint and passing it around*

Ichigo: So..... Yeah, my mom died protecting me when I was almost killed by a Hollow..... I've pretty much lived with the guilt for a long time. *smokes from the joint then passes it on to Orihime*

Orihime; I lost my big brother years ago, and then his spirit came back and became possessed by a Hollow.... Ichigo and Rukia helped me save him, and I've had my healing powers ever since that night..... *smokes from the joint then passes it to Uryu*

Uryu: My mom died, and my dad dissected her body multiple times to try and figure out who or what killed her....... I think he knows, but he won't tell me, cause the bastard is so protective and doesn't want me involved with it, or anything related to our heritage as Quincies...... *smokes from the joint then passes it to Chad*

Chad: My parents were also killed by Hollows when I lived in Mexico, and for a while I pretty much took my rage out on others because of it, until my mentor stepped in and taught me to use my strength for good..... *smokes from the joint and passes it to Chiyo*

Chiyo:......... ^v^ I'm actually pretty happy with my life. Nothing really crazy has ever happened before I knew about all this crazy shit..... Sure, I was shocked my mom hid her being a Soul Reaper from me, but, considering the complicated relationship between her and my grandpa, and that she seems to hate the Soul Society with a passion, I understand why she never told me. *smokes the joint then passes it to Rukia*

Rukia: Where the hell do I begin? Uh...... Oh, shoot..... Heh....... There was that time, 2 months after I met Ichigo, when i was arrested for giving my powers to him....... then I was scheduled to be executed for it, and nearly died before most of you guys saved me........ *laughs, somehow clearly more high than anyone else in the room* The worst part at the time though was that besides Renji and Hanataro, no one in the Soul Society fought that hard to save me...... Sure Byakuya tried to make an appeal to stop my execution, but he basically gave up at first when they said no....... It's fine though, once I was pardoned because Aizen revealed he was behind the whole thing, he and I started to get closer and develop a better relationship as siblings.

*Just then, Junko appears and walks up behind Rukia, her hands on her hips. Cue everyone else looking up at Junko with an "Oh shit, we're busted" look on their faces*

Rukia:...... What?

Junko:........ I came down here because I smelled Marijuana and I was going to give you all a lecture about bringing this and smoking it in my house.

Rukia: !!!!!!! *turns around and looks behind her to see Junko*

Junko: But what the fuck did I just hear? You were WHAT for giving your powers to Ichigo? And your brother did fucking WHAT NOW?!

Rukia:.....................

Junko: Oh HELL no! *marches out the basement* Where's that damn communicator Rangiku left for me if I needed to talk to one of them?! I'm having a word with ALL the fucking Captains! Especially my dad and that bitch Sui Feng! Knowing her she just went along with it like she does everything, didn't she?! BYAKUYA IS GONNA HEAR IT FROM ME TOO!

Rukia:...... I.... am in HUGE trouble....... *can't help but laugh a little, the effects of the weed strong on her*

[katgametable]

TAZ Balance Episode 21: Petals to the Metal Chapter 4

Written 23 Apr 2025, shortly after relistening, having listened to the entire Balance arc some time ago.

The three are outside with the Goldcliff Militia, tended by medics and watching the vines retreat. Captain Bane is a little disappointed but not surprised at their defeat. He is, however, surprised that she didn’t just immediately attack them. He’s not heard of people resisting the thrall of the Grand Relics before; he speculates that she must be a good person trying to resist. Taako mentions that he resisted the Gauntlet, but Bane confirms that he never actually used it.

Bane tells them they have an in-road to get more information on the Raven – his lieutenant, Hurley, the Halfling who rescued them. She’s been somewhat reticent about the Raven previously, but maybe the three can have more luck. So they go to find her.

Out of character, they have a brief discussion about terminology for races and genders in DnD, and what Monks are in DnD.

Hurley is healing some people, like she had them back on top of the tower. They discuss their conversation with the Raven, although the static comes out at one point. She’s not surprised that Raven seemed concerned for their welfare, but is very reluctant to say anything. She says she picked up her name during her investigations, but tries to leave before they can ask more questions. They block her, and Merle casts Zone of Truth. Hurley admits that the Raven used to be her partner; they worked together. Hurley used to try to apprehend her, but they became close. Magnus declares their intention to help Raven if they can. Hurley does have a plan to help her, but needs help.

She leads them to a less nice part of town and lets them into a garage – it’s a little messy, but in the middle a huge tarp covers what might be a wagon, possibly with weaponry. Hurley talks about the local illegal battle wagon racing, and how she found out the Raven, Sloane, was a racer, and they raced together as the Raven and the Ram, incognito as everyone was. But about a month ago, Sloane started change, developed powers, became violent on the track, and caused the deaths of two rival racers. Hurley stopped racing with her after that. She never said anything about the source of her new powers. Hurley refuses to hurt Sloane, but Sloane can’t give up the power by herself.

One of the last conversations between Hurley and Sloane, Sloane was concerned by how the power was taking her over, and wanted to be proven she wasn’t totally consumed. Hurley thinks that if Sloane can be beaten at something, Sloane might be reachable. Hurley’s a very talented martial artist, but Sloane’s also really good, but Hurley thinks she can beat her with her new battle wagon. It’s the best she’s ever made, but she needs one more item to finish it – an arcane core, to power the engine and other features. A rival racing gang the Hammerheads have just received a shipment of them, so the three need to steal one from them. She also would rather no killing, as she is still a law enforcement officer.

They come up with a whole bunch of approaches. They all head over to the Hammerheads’ base to try some out. There are some ruffians hanging around outside, and Merle goes first, to try evangelising. Unfortunately, this comes across as threatening to drive a train over them, so he casts Thaumaturgy, and scares one of them into running away, but the other chases Merle away. There are two left on guard.

Magnus approaches and asks to join, but he has to pay admittance. He and one of the ruffians haggle, and the ruffian steps in to talk to the boss. Magnus slips away. Taako Disguises Self as the scared ruffian who ran off, and “comes back”, but complains about needing the bathroom; the last ruffian escorts him to the bathroom, but just as he turns away, the real scared ruffian returns.

While this episode sets up what will be happening next in the story, it’s also a bit of a blah episode. Yes, Hurley revealing her and Sloane’s backstory is interesting, and the sidequest to the Hammerheads promises to be fun, but…maybe it’s just that I found the initial forays into Hammerhead turf rather cringe, and that’s souring it. I dunno. There definitely are a few interesting moments talking about gameplay – such as when Griffin called for a Bluff check and they had to check what’s called in 5e – but in terms of the game, this episode was a little dull. But hey, you gotta have dull moments, and with shorter episodes, it just happens that they can take up more of an episode.

[eternitas]

Beasts of Nuvella

A small introduction to Zarria as a character and a small big prologue to Reborn! Next-> or the Unseen Varias Training Camp Arc

Squad 4 gets led into a trap and ambushed, being completely out of their element, so HQ sends Zarria to get them out of there.

Leave it to your seniors

The sky was clear, aside of a few mystical fluffs around the fullmoon that illuminated the entire area. Peaceful, some may have called it, if it weren't for the bestial screeching in the background.

He could feel every cell in his body aching as breathing became harder and harder. The simple act of keeping his eyes open was strenuous and as if he was fighting 20 armies at once. Damn it... I-... have to tell them...

Sergey bit his teeth together and inhaled, before he pushed himself to roll onto his stomach, the wound gushing out more blood and causing him to spit out blood with his exhale. He was breathing in liquid, coughing hard, but he was the only one who could still move. If they were lucky they weren't dead yet. Agonizingly he propped himself onto his ellbows and dragged his body behind him, inching closer and closer to the earpiece in the grass while leaving a trail of blood wide as his hand. His exessive bodyweight in muscles was dragging him down and he could feel his lungs on fire as gradually his life seeped out of him. What was driving him now was pure adrenalin. He managed to grab the earpiece with his hand and pulled it close, breathing hard as he shakily pushed down the connection button, as hard as he could, unable to gauge how much strength he still had left.

"C-Captain..."

"Ser! Voi, what's the situation?!"

He could hardly focus his thoughts. The world was growing colder and colder, freezing setting into his limbs.

"We---... we've been.... tricked..."

"What?!"

He couldn't help a hapless laugh as the last bit of strength left him. Drop. by. drop.

"We-.. were... am-...bushed---..."

Ah... there it was.... Unconsciousness. His body grew limb and fell to the ground, beathing shallow and heart barely beating.

"Shit! Ser! Sergey come in! FUCK!"

An uncharacteristic panic arose in Squalo as he slammed his hand onto the table in front of them, holding the receiver with quivering hands. The mere thought of something happening to them- to him--

Lussuria whined before he leaned closer to the receiver.

"Zarriaaa! Hurryyy!"

"On it." A few agonizing moments seemed to pass, seconds that felt like whole decades.

"Zarria!"

"200 meter."

A loud screeching as if it came from hell itself echoed through the small clearing, the earth trembling steps of the beast echoing their own rythm as it returned to swat the body that had just moved again.

"Engaging."

The sound of metal whirring through the air could be heared, before it hit flesh. The disgusting noise of cut flesh, bloodsplatter and cut bone echoed through the illuminated night before the beast let out an eardrum shattering cry. It was deep and gutteral and full of rage.

Zarrias gloved hands were on her weapons handle and she twirled it around once, watching the beast flail in agony and taking the moment to unbelt a healing box, feeding it her sunflames and letting it hover over Lorenzo who's body she stood next to. Luckily the boy was on his back already and the soft golden glow shone down on him, slowly saving his life.

The beast now finally turned to her and she spun the scythe around herself. Judging by the destruction in the forest, she had just sprinted through, the marks and wounds on her colleagues and this things size- Mh. Yeah. She had this thing figured out.

It charged at her, now slightly off balance with one limb missing, giving Zarria the opening to slide by under it at the unlimbed side as she stuck her blade into the ground, the sharpness cutting through the earth for a few more meters. The weapon stuck after all and Zarria stepped on the handle, with one foot, then the next onto the edge of her scythe , it's staff making a turn, as she stepped back onto the ground. She grabbed her weapon again, hands now shorter on the handle so she could twirl it and gain momentum.

The beast came closer, charging at her, her body making a spin, angling her scathe and swinging. The blade lodged itself into the back of the neck of the batfaced creature, stopping it in it's tracks. Zarria jumped into the air, using the curve of her blade to go around the beast, and as she was in the air, her scythes blade directly under the beasts throat, she stepped on it's back for proper resistance and then pulled.

The sharp blade cut through the beast as if it was made from butter, decapitating it completely and suffocating it's screech in the middle. She jumped off it's body watching it fall- quickly she lodged her blade into the monsters chest to stop it and pulled , to make it fall into another direction. She also lodged her scythe into the skull of the decapitated head and with a swing threw it away, off of her junior.

They look miserable. I should heal them, but there is no way a beast like that could attack such skilled fighters without sustaining any injuries itself. Meaning, it didn't lead the attack.

She heared something in a tree further away. A rustling and a hushed "Fuck- it's the reaper!"

There you are.

The unseen figure tried to discreetely leave the scene, fear running through their body when they heared harsh footsteps and the whirring sound of a sharp blade cutting down wood like it was paper. Something grabbed them by the back of their neck yanking them backwards before they were thrown towards the clearing, crashing to the ground and rolling a few more meters, disoriented and groaning in pain. Just as they managed to get up, they saw the blade of the scythe lodge into the ground next to them, close enough that one yank would kill them straight away. The figure started to shake and moved their mouth, only to have ungloved fingers shoved between their lips to pry her teeth apart. The fingers scratched at her teeth before pulling out the cyanide capsule.

"As I thought." Zarria said calmly, her entire body relaxed enough to be still threatening and ready for any movement, but not strained.

"Now, tell me. You're a Nuvella member, aren't you?"

The young womans eyes widened at that and her shaking got worse.

"Thought so. You will come with me. You have quite some explaining to do-"

The figure made itself fall towards the blade, Zarrias grip slipping from the figure just enough for them to get a deep cut to their throat, enough that they'd die in a moment.

"Shit!"

Zarria yanked the girl away and pulled out a healing box, pressing her hands against the cut to prevent too much bloodlosss. If they lost this woman, they'd lose their lead onto who caused the attack- well... technically speaking Zarria knew who this was the moment she had heared about her juniors mission. After all this wasn't the first time she had encountered this trap or such beasts, spliced and modified by people with no regard for decency.

The healing box did it's work, barely managing to save the girl and Zarria quickly pulled out a pair of flame supressing handcuffs to put on the young woman, to prevent her from doing anything weird. For safety reasons she dissolved her blade back into her box and then walked over to the body of Ava, feeling his shallow breathing. Still alive. She opened the third healing box and let it hover over the boy, before she looked to the body closest to them. Sergey.

I have only one healing box remaining, because I used one on that Nuvella kid.

She approached the lying body and turned Sergey onto his back with her foot. She would have to make a call here. Depending on how bad Leonards wounds were-

A hand reached for her long skirts trail and unalarmed, Zarria turned to see Leo, gasping for air, having pulled himself towards her, hand against the gushing wound in his side. He was shaking with how much he forced himself to function. A cold shudder ran down Zarrias back.

He should be dead at this point. How is his body able to withstand such insane attacks and damges? He's inhuman. Something's wrong with this kid.

She watched as the young man shakily signed to her. Save-him-please.

"You want me to use my last healing box on Sergey?" She asked for clarification and he nodded, looking right into her eyes and holding contact. She rarely saw such seriousness from this young man.

"Fine. Don't die on me." She answered and unlocked the box, letting it hover over Sergey who seemed especially receptive to the healing.

Leo managed a small smile before his strength gave in and he fell back to the ground.

She turned her earpiece back on.

"-ARRIA! COME IN!"

"I am not deaf, Captain, I just turned off the communicator to focus on the mission. Reporting in: we have 5 heavily injured, 4 of us and one enemy that tried to kill themself. I had to use a healing weapon on them, so Leonard is without any first aid."

"Nooo! Not sweet Leo!!!" "How bad is it? What even happened?"

She looked around the clearing.

"They were lead into a trap set by enemies and had to face of a mutant beast controlled by a Tamer."

"What...?!"

"This is Nuvellas doing, I am sure of it."

The name let Squalos breath hitch and his blood run cold for a second. Nuvella. He knew that name too well.

"Nuvella you say? Are you sure?"

"Pretty much, but you may interrogate the hostage I made yourself."

"Zarria, if this is true, we will have some real shit hitting the fan, you know that."

"I know that better than any of you, Squalo."

Lussuria looked a bit confused to the captain.

"Nuvella?"

"An old enemy of the Varia, they already caused trouble when Tyr had still led. That's how Zarria knows them. She shouldn't be wrong about something like this, but-... why should they suddenly rear their heads again now?"

"Isn't Tsunayoshi Sawada about to start the transition from italy to japan? I doubt someone like the Nuvella would let such an opportunity slide. They and Serpente will likely be Sawadas biggest adverseries in this change."

Squalo took a minute to think. If this was true--

"Return to HQ, Zarria." A deep and raspy voice behind them said and Squalo was torn out of his thoughts, noticing the intense rage radiating from Xanxus.

"Boss!"

"Xanxus."

"What about the injured?"

"We'll send a crew to get them back and into Nonos care. I want you to return with the hostage right away. And bring the monsters head while your at it."

"Head?" Lussuria asked curiously, but made a small "oh!" as he realized himself what it meant, Xanxus still answered.

"There's no fucking way she hasn't decapitated that thing."

"I'll be on my way then."

It was hot. It was unimaginably hot. Seering, burning, completely hellish heat, like feeling pure magma on his flesh. And among the pain, he could feel a sudden wave of water wash over him, before a scream tore through his head.

"Lorenzo!"

"AVA!"

He shot up in bed, eyes wide and a cold sweat running down his body.

"Lay back down, if your suture opens up, I'm going to kill you." Nono said in his usual slightly annoyed tone, as he put gloves away and pulled his mask down. Really not in the mood to argue with the overseeing medic, Lorenzo layed back down n the hospital bed, turning his head and noticing that he could look out of the window. So he was back at HQ? He tried to remember what happened. They went on a mission for a target that was supposed to run a deal, they arrived, but then Ava noticed that the whole scene was an illusion. Next thing he remembered a big beast attacked them. He got clocked in the head straight away and ... the last thing he saw... was Ava getting skewered by that beasts claws....

"How is-"

"Your friends are fine." Nono assured him, cleaning up his desk.

"They will all come through, but Sergey and you might take a while. You got a heavy concussion, so you're on watch."

So much fucking work will pile up. I already hate it.

"You guys are lucky that Zarria doesn't abide by protocol that much, or you'd all be dead now."

"Yeah, I'll remember to thank her later." Lorenzo said a bit uninterested. So Zarria had got them out of there. He'd have to ask her a few things.

"You need to rest. Lorenzo. Turn off your damn workaholic brain and just chill for a second. There is nothing you can do right now but lay there and wait for recovery."

"How fucking boring."

"Should'nt have gotten your brains pinballed by a giant bat-bear."

"Bat-bear?" he asked a bit unbelieving, Nono just gave a nod.

"At least that is what I could clearly isolate from it's blood sample."

"Actually, I don't wanna know."

"No, you don't."

The door swung open.

"Nono, did Lor- Lorenzo!" Avas voice immideatly jumped in excitement when he saw Lorenzo awake, catching himself right the next moment, cheeks flaring red and looking away.

"The fuck are you doing walking around?! Ya want your damn organs to spill out?!"

"But I-"

"But I nothing! Get your ass back to bed before I tell your brother!"

Ava slumped in on himself at that, looking like a scolded child. He turned around, but hesitated, sending a last look to Lorenzo and a gentle encouraging smile.

"I'm glad you're okay."

Lorenzo completely ignored the feeling in his chest.

"All of you are the same brand of annoyingly uncooperative. Oh wait! except for Leo! The only sensible guy in this fucking building!"

Lorenzo completely ignored Nonos further rant.

[vindextra]

My Agents

So, like a lot of splatoon people, I've got my own takes on the Agents. They started out as just a few additional character traits on top of the canon agents, but quickly spiraled out into a lot more fully formed characters.

These characters are presented as they are in the middle arc of my story Breakpoints [insert link]. The first arc retells the stories of Splat 1, 2, and OE, if you want to know how they got to where they are, check out the story!

Agent 3: Quinn

(unfortunately Quinn does not have a ref yet, though one is currently being produced!)

Quinn moved to Inkopolis to get a new start as a new squid. It admittedly wasn't going so well until he followed a weird old man through the sewers and became Agent 3 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. (Earning himself a surrogate grandpa, and later two surrogate sisters in the process.)

Quinn is light hearted, but direct. He intends to meet problems head on, and is willing to plant his feet and be stubborn when he needs to.

Unfortunately, as a result of the partial sanitization in the metro, the connection between his brain and the muscles in his face were severely damaged, leaving him unable to emote or talk without explicit and deliberate effort.

Quinn remains doggedly committed to the NSS, staying as the only 24/7/365 active member, a trait that doesn't go unnoticed by Captain Cuttlefish.

He/Him

22 years old

Arrow Squid

Can win a blindfolded 4v1 turf fight with just a splattershot

Agency Member

1 vs Many combat specialist, Survival specialist

Known for defying odds for fun

Agent 4: Nora Sheller

Art by Nalina-nw!

Nora left her home of 5 siblings to try and make a name for herself. As a result of co-parenting her 4 younger brothers, Nora is compassionate to a fault, a trait that actually doesn't backfire when she chases a strange woman through a sewer grate. From there, she settled into a comfortable routine with this apparently famous woman, trying to save her cousin.

Nora's emotionally intelligent, save for her own emotions, which she's almost completely blind too. She's lighthearted and quick to joke around, she easily becomes best friends with Callie after she's saved. An accident on a mission leaves her leg permanently injured, which ends up causing an entire torrent of quiet self-worth issues in the background.

She/Her

24 years old

Hooked Squid

Dualies Master

Agency Member (benched due to leg)

Infiltration Expert

Known for her 'guns blazing' style

Agent 8: Clover

Art by Scratch-o!

Arai, as was her name in the domes, was a brutal, no-nonsense soldier, who just wanted to push through and get done with her service. Repeated instances of her faith being shaken in octavian society around her, as well as a particularly biting betrayal from one of her squadmates leaves her utterly disillusioned with the military.

When she falls into the metro, she loses her memory, but those negative emotions still linger. Now dubbed Agent 8, she resolved to complete the tests so that Craig can make it to the surface, but ultimately she doesn't see any worth in her own freedom. During the fight with sanitized Agent 3, nearly being perma-killed inspires a desperate need to live, which now fuels her every step on the surface.

She takes the name Clover when she reaches the surface. (Mostly) gone now is the brutal, no fun attitude from before, now Clover basks in life and all the small joys it can bring.

She/Her

24 years old

Mimic Octoling

No Weapon Preference

Agency Member

1 on 1 combat specialist

Happy-go-lucky, until it's mission time

Agent 9!?: Mavi

(Pictured here without her glasses) Art by Antsyandpantsy!

Mavi's life fell apart when her dad died. She spent several years in a mental fog until her home situation got so bad she was broken out of by sheer necessity. She still has a stutter as a result of that time, which coupled with her already timid nature paints a rather unassuming figure.

Her friends, both in and out of her turf team, helped her get her feet back under her. She lived rather passively for a while, working as a cashier at the official Squid Sister's merch store, until her close friend Nora needed her help. The world of the New Squidbeak Splatoon is revealed to her, and Mavi is left to make a choice.

She chooses to take some hold over her life, joining the Splatoon to enthusiasm all around! Now she has to learn how to catch up with the other agents, and hopefully before the octavians try to pull a new stunt...

She/Her

22 years old

Arrow Squid

Brella Master

Stand-in Agency member

New to non-turf combat

Timid and stuttering, until her temper flares

[the-bar-sinister]

Deicide (12394 words) by VickytheSnake, thesavagesabretooth

catch up here

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Wano Arc (One Piece) Spoilers, Possession, straw hat pirates polycule, Action/Adventure, Power of Friendship, Established Relationship, Kaidou Lives, basil hawkins lives, caesar clown joins the straw hats, Nefertari Vivi is a Member of the Straw Hat Pirates, Smart Monkey D. Luffy, Cuddly Monkey D. Luffy, Drinking, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags May Change

Summary: Realizing something is very, very wrong after the fight with Kaidou, Luffy seeks out Robin for comfort and advice. What he tells her is unsettling.

Luffy is hearing the voice of a god, and he wants it out of his head.

-

O-Kiku had rested enough. Sure, the doctors attending her had told her otherwise– certainly, Kin and the other Scabbards begged her to heal while they took care of solidifying Momotaro’s rule as the new Shogun of Wano. But she had more than rested enough.

Her brother was dead. Gone for longer than she experienced on an adventure she couldn’t understand before he came home and died in the line of duty. A proper samurai’s death– and a silent goodbye to the sister who missed him terribly.

Her arm was severed, aching still with the thrum of missing nerves and fingers that still felt like they could grip her sword despite the fact they simply were not there. Wano was saved, but she was adrift. Sitting and pondering in silence would do nothing, so she had taken to wandering the halls on silent footfalls.

Somewhere along the way she had found Otama pacing around outside the room she knew Luffytaro was previously recuperating in. The poor thing was clearly at a loss, brow furrowed as she chewed on a few strands of her soft purple hair.

She had urged her to follow, the teenage kunoichi relenting when it became increasingly obvious the object of her nerves was bound to be tied up for a good long while. Together, they wound deeper into the stately home, a halfhearted conversation about the way Wano would soon be changing on their lips as O-Kiku continued her aimless wander…her solitary arm raised to her lips to cover the lower half of her face with her sleeve.

Did she have a place with the scabbards any longer? Their duty was done and the fight had left its mark upon her. As she looked sidelong at Otama, she wondered as well– what sort of place would the kunoichi find for herself? As the sole survivor of the Kurozumi clan, a woman of her own in her 18 years of age, what place would the scion of a house Wano declared as cursed find in their changing world?

Deep in her thoughts she nearly barreled straight into another person as they emerged roughly and suddenly from a room along the corridor. Captain Kid– one of the pirate leaders from the assault on Onigashima drew himself up and backwards as nearly collided with him, his fiery eyes blazing, metal fist clenched.

O-Kiku looked down at him with a warm smile from behind her sleeve.

“Ah. Captain Kid.” She bowed her head in greeting before tilting her head. “This one thinks perhaps you look bothered…are you quite alright?”

Otama let the strands of hair she was chewing on fall from her lips as she pointed. “You’re that metal captain! Speed told me about you!” 

"Hmph." He took another step backward, and leaned against the wall, a slice of a smile crossing his chiseled face. "'That metal captain', yes that's right."

He glanced at O-kiku with a penetrating gaze– perhaps deciding whether or not to even bother to answer her question. 

He didn't. Instead he said, "what are you doing here? Am I in your way?"

“Of course not.” O-kiku chuckled softly before lowering her sleeve with a smile. “I have no 'way' to get in the way of at the moment.”

Otama huffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a puff of her cheek. “I wanted to see if Luffytaro was okay, but he’s– he’s busy. So we’re just walkin’ and thinking a bit.” 

"He's busy?" Kid grimaced, and snorted with annoyance. O-kiku watched the complicated fingers of his metal hand shift and click. "There goes my 'way' too then." 

“Ahhh…” O-kiku folded her arm around her stomach, an old gesture now missing its other hand as she ducked lower to try and properly meet Kid’s eye level, making herself small for the comfort of another. Something she’d often done in the past. “You were planning on seeing him?”

“He’s kissing Law.” Otama said glibly, giving O-kiku a start. 

Kid choked and his face turned as red as his hair for a moment, looking away. 

"Oh so that's what they're up to. I guess I won't bother for some time then." His lip curled for a moment before he composed himself, smothering his expression back into a hard line. "I was planning to see him. Business about our alliance."

O-kiku’s brow furrowed for a moment before she tilted her head. “This one has heard of that…it wasn’t just for the Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance? You’re going to stay allied when you leave Wano?” 

"I intended that to be the topic of discussion," he said, inclining his chin. "I have some guesses what Law intends. Straw Hat however, is a mystery."

“Luffytaro is a bit of a mystery , isn’t he? Unpredictable,” O-kiku mused with a shake of her head.

Otama ran her hand through her hair, smoothing it away from her face with another on her hip “and here I was gonna try and convince him to let me sail with him again.”

O-kiku’s eyes widened. Wano was to be re-sealed for a time before it finally opened its borders…at the moment, it was still illegal to sail away…

Like her brother and Oden had. 

Kid raised his eyebrows, his gaze immediately drawn to the teenage kunoichi. "You're planning to turn pirate, then?"

Otama shrugged her shoulders. 

“Yeah, I was talking to Speed about it…and I’d talked to Luffytaro about it a little too but…” She trailed off, and flashed a bright smile at him “I’ve seen the good pirates can do first hand, you know? I’d love to be just like them– I’m a kunoichi, which means I’ve got the skills to make myself useful on a ship, as well as being a rudimentary seamstress and hatter!”

O-kiku was struck for a moment before she found her voice. “This one is surprised to hear you say that, Otama…you’re really thinking of running off to be a pirate?”

Kid snorted, his shoulders squared up against the wall, and he clicked the fingers of his metal arm again, looking off down the hall. "You're not the only one surprised about this. Speed was with the beast pirates, wasn't she? I'd think she'd tell you what pirates are really like. We aren't all do-gooders."

O-kiku’s dark eyes flicked down, her hand reaching up to rub the pained stump of her shoulder. “No, they aren’t all do-gooders. My brother told me a little of the life he’d had in the moments before I lost him again. This one understands it’s a life of combat and strife.”

“Well…yes.” Otama crossed her arms. “Speed told me all about that too, ya know? How the Beast Pirates were pillaging and ravaging Wano…I even saw a lot of that firsthand! But…at the same time, don’t you think there’s unique good that can only be done by people like you, Captain Kid? Pirates…who ain’t beholden by the laws of society an’ propriety?"

"Sure," Kid smirked meanly. "The laws of society and propriety are just there to serve the world government and let them be the ones to pillage and ravage without resistance. Pirates at least are honest about it. "

“Exactly!” Otama put her finger to her cheek with a radiant smile. “And I like that sort of honesty. Wano..”

O-kiku wondered just how she’d meant to finish that statement. Her own mind filled in thoughts, feelings. Both nostalgic and stifling as they flickered through her mind– she pressed her hand to her head with a shake of her head. “Did you know this one’s brother was a pirate, Captain Kid? I don’t know if you were there to hear that.” 

Kid shrugged. "I don't remember if I was. I've had a lot on my mind. Your brother was a pirate? What drove him to sea?"

“Chasing after our daimyo, frankly.” O-kiku laughed as she shifted on her feet. “He’d gotten it into his head to explore the world outside our walls…and he wound up dragged behind the ship of a pirate named Whitebeard…”

She closed her eyes. “This one’s brother joined his crew in his attempt to protect our daimyo, even after Oden came home from Roger’s ship. I think there was something about the life that called to him.” 

"Something like getting off this rock of an island?" Kid laughed cruelly and ran the fingers of his flesh hand through his hair. "This place with all its rules and codes and hierarchies and politenesses? I can't imagine how anyone wouldn't feel smothered here. I'm looking forward to sailing away."

Otama nodded with wide eyes. 

“I love a lot about my country…and I love my people, and being a kunoichi…but..well.” She chewed her nail “it can be stifling, especially when people start looking at you different due to the consequences of your birth.”

O-kiku’s fingers tightened against her wounded shoulder. “...Captain Kid? Might this one ask if we can sit down for a moment?” 

Kid's expression was somewhere between a grin and a sneer. "Surprised you want to keep talking to me. Sure, why don't we go sit down somewhere. Maybe we can have a drink."

After the encounter in the hall, Kid had followed along after O-Kiku and Otama for that drink. He was, as he had expressed, surprised they were still interested in his company. Usually after a few minutes of his rough demeanor people were looking for any reason to leave– especially he'd noticed– the polite people of Wano.

Otama followed apparently without a care in the world, unbothered by his demeanor entirely. O-kiku the samurai however seemed to have something heavy on her mind with the way her delicate fingers clasped over her mouth and the furrow of her brow.

She hunched, bending down more to his level as she shuffled just in front of him out into the street. A moment later, she pointed towards a hunched series of wooden shops ridged with flapping banners. “There's a bar down that way…one that is likely not to be heavily populated at this time of day.” 

"Less heavily populated suits me," Eutsass grinned. "Fewer people means fewer possibilities someone will piss me off without Killer around to cool me down."

Killer. His first mate. His best friend. His emotional support masked man. Despite his name, it was often Killer who stayed Kid's hand when he was charged up. And for the moment, he was out of commission

O-kiku chuckled quietly before she slipped on some footwear and started walking with visible exhaustion towards the bar. She probably should have been out of commission too, it was clear she was pushing herself.

Otama however turned to look up at him with wide eyes. “Do you get pissed off a lot?” 

"Constantly." He grinned nastily at her as he followed along. Maybe he was trying to scare her a little. Hearing that she was thinking of turning pirate was interesting– but the idea that she thought of pirates as potentially some kind of force for justice, rather than what they were– people who did what they wanted and took for themselves– set his teeth on edge.

O-kiku stopped before a wooden door, sliding it open across the street and gesturing them inside as Otama half circled Kid to look at him with her hand on her chin.

“Have I pissed you off yet?” the teenage kunoichi asked with a tilt of her head. 

"You're still breathing, aren't you?" he smirked. "I'm in a generous mood today."

Kid swaggered into the bar and didn't even bother to look around before he sat down. As long as there were drinks, it didn't matter to him what the place looked like. He was hoping to get out of Wano soon enough anyway. He was hoping not to get attached to their aesthetics.

The girl behind the counter startled, looking for a moment deeply afraid before O-kiku waved her down and ordered a run of sake for the group.

After that Otama popped herself down at the strip of polished wood ringed by cushions, her legs folded under herself as she laughed. “Gosh, a pirate in a generous mood huh?”

O-kiku sat opposite her, hand once more on her missing arm’s stump as she looked up at Kid with a half smile. “Do you dislike Wano, Captain Kid?” 

He sneered again, and let his true feelings spill from his lips. "I dislike the national character. The country is beautiful. The aesthetics are charming. Its people are sheep. Brave sheep, a few of them."

Otama tilted her head to the side, pursing her lips. “Kind of a broad statement to make, mister Kid.”

O-kiku accepted the sake from the waitress, who’s eyes were boring into Kid with a barely restrained disgust.

She poured the alcohol with one hand into a series of cups, and placed it down before handing him his with a low chuckle. “This one supposes she can see what you mean. Our ways must be stifling to an outsider used to unrestrained expression, freedom of a sort.” 

Kid sneered back at the waitress before accepting the alcohol from O-Kiku and taking a long drink.

"The 'way of life' on the island I was born on was too stifling for me, samurai," he said, taking another long drink. "And it was a lot less rigid than yours. There's a reason I took to the sea rather than stay at home."

“And did the sea hold the freedom and purpose you were searching for?” O-kiku asked as she picked up her own drink and raising it to her lips.

Otama took her own, sniffing it before taking a hesitant sip. 

"No question," he said, watching Otama and her drink. How old was the kid anyway? 15? 16? Older than he'd been when he set to sea, or younger? He wondered if she'd ever drunk before or was just doing what the 'big kids' she was following around were doing. "I feel alive as a pirate in a way I never felt before I left home. I take what I want. I kill people who need killing. My crew fights for me, and I fight for my crew."

Otama looked up at him with a tilt of her head, before she seemed to stare him down just as hard as he was staring at her. She tipped the drink down with a slight shudder. 

“...you know most people in Wano couldn’t get sake except during festivals?” she murmured before she looked up at him. “So you’re tightly knit…like a band of samurai! And you’re living the way that makes you happy!” 

The idea that they were killing people, stealing from people…either didn’t seem to faze her, or went over her head.

O-kiku’s smile took on a slightly amused quality as she tipped her drink back. 

“Not quite like a band of samurai. Not ones who still hold official titles and duties, anyhow.” She pointed her shallow cup Kid’s way. “Captain Kid…This one has been a samurai for a long time. Before that she was a dancer, a musician, playing as part of a traditional troupe alongside her brother. She’s been constrained by people’s ideas of her– just as this one has been constrained by the ideas of gender and status. This one has pushed past the expectations once placed on her to find her true self, but the specter of the past still rears its head with her old legacy.” 

Kid hunched forward over the low table toward her, with his sake cup in his good hand. He finished it off, looking her over. He wondered if she was leading up to what he thought she might be leading up to.

"Well that sounds like an extremely shitty position for 'one' to be in, samurai."

She smiled. “Especially a samurai whose purpose has been…damaged. My goal, my mission, was the protection of Oden and the freedom of Wano from Kaidou’s control. In the process, I’d lost my arm.”

She’d spoken more plainly, the first person pronouns leaking back in as her brow furrowed. “I’d lost my honor. I’d lost my brother. But the duty was done– Momotaro is shogun, the land is rejoicing…but what is a samurai without a purpose? Momotaro has the rest of the red scabbards protecting them now yet I am left disarmed and dwelling on my brother’s choices. My brother’s tales of the open sea.” 

"Disarmed," he repeated dryly. He touched his own shoulder, above the scrap he had used to replace it. "Seems to be going around. So you've been thinking about your brother's tales."

He knew what she was dancing around. He wasn't going to make it easy for her. She'd have to ask.

“If freedom and a purpose can be found on the sea…” O-kiku began, her eyes lidded as she poured Otama more sake. “then I wonder if I can find it myself before the jaws of Wano snap back shut until the time is right.”

"No one's going to answer a question like that for you," Kid said. He reached for the sake bottle, taking it from her and poured himself some more. "Only you can decide if you're going to be satisfied with what the world gives you– or try to take what you really want from it."

“You really don’t like Wano’s way, do you?” O-kiku’s amusement leaked into her voice as she smiled, her shoulders shaking despite it. “This one has been thinking of leaving home. Oden once said Wano was too small– too stifling. Kin has seen the world, the traitor has seen the world, my dearest brother has seen the world…”

She bowed her head “when will it be my turn? The answer it seems is ‘when I take the chance’, don’t you think? What better time to take the chance than now?”

Otama nearly spit out her sake “YOU TOO, O-kiku??” 

Kid laughed roughly and slapped his metal arm on the floor. "So you're both thinking of turning pirate. Do you really think either of you has the stomach for it?"

O-kiku looked up at him with surprisingly hard eyes, her smile grim and rictus on her face. He’d seen her briefly in the fray of Onigashima, wearing the mask of a demon and dancing through the corpses she’d left in her wake.

Kikonojo of the Lingering Snow, framed in falling droplets of blood. “Don’t mistake my kindness and demeanor for weakness, Captain Kid. I’ve seen horrors in Wano, and committed many deeds in the service of Lord Oden. I’m not one to have a weak stomach for what must be done.”

Otama put her fingers to her lips. “What do you mean, ‘the stomach for it’? I’m not some child…” 

"Heh," he waved his hand. "If you say so. So, which pirate crew are you planning to ask to sail under? I imagine that's why you were looking for Straw Hat?"

“I’d already asked Luffytaro,” Otama frowned as she messed with a lock of her hair “...he said no, at least before Onigashima. I was going to ask him again, but he’s too busy.”

O-kiku closed her eyes. 

“I wouldn’t impose on him, myself. Not with Yamato already planning on joining. I’d heard him speaking of it before and while I do like him quite a bit…things may be a bit difficult between this one and himself, for a time.” She sipped her sake “This one was wandering without an intention until now– still unsure on if to take the chance until we spoke..”

Kid put his sake cup down on the table with a rough clack and looked between the two of them.

"Ask me, then. If you're going to ask."

He'd already resolved that he wasn't going to ask a second time. It was only for the sake of these Wano people and their strange way of communication that he even raised the question.

O-kiku reached out her shaking hand, blood soaking through the bandages against her shoulder as she smiled warmly. “May I join you on the open sea, Captain Kid? May I find purpose amongst the pirates…your pirates?”

The kunoichi opposite her pressed her hand to her face for a moment, thinking hard for a moment. “Luffytaro already said no…” she murmured, before looking up with a sunny smile, “so will you allow it, Mr. Kid?”

A shadow fell over the sun, darkening the bar in which they drank. It shadowed Kid's eyes as he grinned widely. 

"I'll allow it. Sail under my flag. Leave Wano behind and take what you want from the sea."

O-kiku grabbed her mask from her hip, and raised it to her face as the demonic smile upon it bathed in shadow. “O-kiku of the Lingering Snow will do just that…her blade is your blade…and she shall take all the sea has to offer.”

Otama grabbed his arm suddenly and grinned. “And Otama, kunoichi of the village of the village of kasa weavers, will do it too! Horsalina will be so happy to be back on a pirate ship, too!” 

The crew was growing today. Good. More crew to carve their legend across the face of the sea.

"Welcome to the Kid Pirates."

[gay-bookshelf]

ARC Book Review: Wish You Weren't Here by Erin Baldwin

Rating: 3 Stars

The summary: "Juliette doesn’t hate Priya Pendley.

At least, not in the way teen movies say she should hate the hot popular girl. They don’t do cat fights, love triangles, or betrayal. To survive their intertwined small town lives, they agree to a truce: complete group projects without fighting, don’t gossip to mutual friends, and stand on opposite sides of photos so it’s easy to crop each other out.

Priya seems to have everything during the school year—social media stardom, the handsome track captain boyfriend, and millions of adoring fans. And Juliette is at peace with that, because she has Fogridge Sleepaway Camp, the one place she never feels like “too much.”

But Juliette’s dreams of five Priya-free weeks in paradise are shattered when her rival shows up on move-in day... as her cabinmate, no less. Juliette is determined to enjoy her final summer at camp, even if it means (gag) tolerating Priya Pendley, but fate seems has other plans. If Juliette can’t find something to like about her situation—and about Priya—she risks hating the only home she’s ever had, right before she says goodbye to it forever."

So, you've seen the rating, you knew my winning streak had to end somewhere. I wanted to like this book, so so much. As a young kid whose own summer camp genuinely changed their life, I was excited. I also read That Summer Feeling, I am not immune to nostalgic summer camp romance stories!! And I love a good YA novel as well, so this was shaping up to be a home run. From the start though, this book set itself up to be the definition of fine. Good at points, confusing at others, and unfortunately left a sad taste in my mouth. However, lets talk about the good first, because there is good! One, Juliette's struggle with her feeling "too much" is incredibly relatable to how I felt at her age, and how, genuinely and truly, my own summer camp help me feel more secure in who I was and my own identity. And Priya was a character who I loved getting to see more and more of as she became a fleshed out character as Juliette learns more and more about her.

The negatives I feel like can be summarized by saying that it is a debut author (not saying that all debut novels have this problem, just that it is a common one!). I think the books biggest flaw all comes down to pacing, in figuring out where to let a story line breath, in letting itself expand and contract. Not saying the book should be longer! (As that is a problem right now in the YA world, books being too long while saying nothing), but rather that Baldwin has not yet figured out how to pace out a story in the time that she did have. And the good thing is? That this is a debut novel, and I believe that Baldwin has the talent to take the steps into becoming an even better writer. Because if she could give the time to dive more into the characters she has? This would have gone up in rating for sure. There are aspects that I didn't like, that are more subjective, such as it being fairly fanfic-y in tropes (a common theme right now, and not my brand of tea particularly), and overall not the fun read I wanted, even though it shows promise. I hope to see more of Baldwin's work however, if only to see how it evolves. Also this is the most inane complaint but I was being driven up a wall the entire time when they were talking about college applications. That??? Isn't how they work?? You don't apply before you've even gone on summer break your junior year??

[mytheoristavenue]

Straw Hats Reacting to Seeing You with Short Hair HCs

Summary: After two long years away from your friends, you are excited to reunite with them and see how they've changed (and vice versa).

Warnings: Fem!Reader, reader had long hair before the timeskip, plutonic!Chopper and Jinbe, no preestablished relationship (just silly crushes)

(Sidenote: I realize that Jinbe was not officially apart of the crew until the Wano arc, but I wanted to include him because I wanted to share my Dad!Jinbe HCs too.😅)

Intro:

You sat on the railing of the Sunny, smiling happily to the sidelines, watching your friends buzz around each other, greeting one another. You silently observed them all, noting ways that they'd changed physically, or shifts in their demeanors as you'd known them. Looking out to the sea, you beamed, letting your hood fall lax against your shoulders, revealing a shaven head, with what may have been a mere inch of the length you'd had the last time you were seen. You blinked in surprise at the silence that fell over the ship. A few had the curiosity to comment on the drastic change, prompting you to explain:

"Oh, I buzzed it about a month ago. It got in the way of my training. Do you like it?"

Monkey D. Luffy:

"What'd you do to your hair?" he asked frankly, cocking his head, a bit puzzled. "It's so short now, like a boy." You giggled a bit, before explaining. The captain circled you, inspecting you closely for any other startling changes. "Will it grow back?" Your heart sank a tiny bit at his disapproval, making you feel a mite insecure.

"Well, yeah. It's just hair, Luffy." you scoff, crossing your arms at his dramatics.

"Are you gonna shave it again if it does?" He interrogated you, face inching closer with an accusatory glare.

"I don't know, maybe?" you barked back, backing away from him, only to be trapped between him and the railing of the ship. "What's with the second degree, man?"

"Well, that's just not gonna work." he tutted, backing away and giving you your space before grinning ear to ear with hands on hips. "As your captain, I command you to keep your hair short. It makes you look way more intimidating and I need crewmembers that are gonna strike fear in the hearts of my enemies!"

Loves it, thinks you look so cool. 9/10

Pirate Hunter Zoro:

You fell under Zoro's perpetually annoyed gaze as he studied you before smiling a bit. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were copying me." he teased, earning a blush from you.

"Oh, don't flatter yourself, moss head!" you snarled before explaining why you'd done it in the first place.

"Mhm," he snickered. "It definitely wasn't for attention." he chided, eyes resting for a moment before flickering back open and over to you. "I'm just messing with you. I actually like it, you should keep it that way."

You became bashful under his stare and tried your best to play yourself off as unaffected by his compliments. "Yeah, whatever, we'll see."

Likes it, thinks it's cute. Respects the reasoning behind it. 8/10

Cat Burglar Nami:

"Oh my Gosh, what did you do to your hair?" she shrieked, rushing over to you, rubbing her hands all through what little there was left, tears in her eyes. "(Y/N), you're pretty hair!"

"Will grow back," you laughed, taking her by the wrists to pry her hands from your head. "I bet it'll be long long yours was within a few months." A part of you was a little hurt that she didn't seem to like it. Though you didn't do it for the sake of fashion, you did like the way it looked on you, and you wished she shared that sentiment.

"You're right..." she pouted, still a bit disappointed. "I'm sorry, I'm just gonna miss playing with your hair."

"You still can," you joked. "Now it'll be even more of a challenge."

Not thrilled, but she'll live. A bit excited to gel/spike it, just for fun. 3/10

God Usopp:

He stared at you intently for a moment before stepping up to you, fidgeting nervously. "You cut off all your hair?"

"Yep!" you chirped, hopping off the railing and leaning against it, ruffling your own scalp while explaining why. "What do you think, Usopp?"

He was hesitant to answer, wanting to choose his words very carefully. Ultimately, he decided to try and play things cool, clearing his throat. "It's cool or whatever." he brushed it off, his face contorting weirdly as he tried to settle on a manly expression.

"You can tell me if you don't like it, I won't care. It's already gone, it's not like I can put it back." He continued his charade for a few moments more before releasing a deep breath, looking up at you timidly.

"Okay, I like it." he admitted, glancing away, feeling a tad defeated. If he was going to tell the truth, he might as well tell the hole truth. "You look really, really pretty, actually."

"Awe, Usopp, you're so sweet!" you gushed, pulling him into a humiliating hug, squeezing his face to your chest. "Maybe I should keep it like this."

"I-I'd like that."

OBSESSED. Thinks you've never looked better. Can no longer look at you with a straight face, though. 10/10

Black Leg Sanji:

He smiled at you softly, stepping up to you. It worried you that he was no longer swooning over you as he always had. Maybe you looked too boyish now. "This is...different." he cooed, reaching up to caress the side of your temple.

"Is different bad?" you asked, cringing a bit as you waited for his answer.

"Not necessarily in this case. " he answered vaguely. "Change is good sometimes."

"I suppose you don't like it as much as I do?" you asked, a bit saddened by his short answers this far, but elated at the way his fingers continued to play with the short strands they could find.

"What makes you think that?"

"You're not fawning over me like you did with Nami and Robin. Or even how you used to with me." you pointed out a tad too somberly.

"That's because I only swoon over pretty girls." You could feel your heartstrings tightening after hearing those words tumbler over his lips. How could he be so rude?

"Sanji! What the hell?" you spat, but his serene demeanor never faltered. "Just because I don't look as pretty as I used to, doesn't mean you can just openly insult me!"

"My apologies, I like to take the time to properly appreciate true beauty when I find it, so you'll have to excuse my staring." Your cheeks caught fire as you processed what he'd said. Was he calling you...beautiful? Was he saying he was more attracted to you than other women? "And a beauty such as yours is a most rare treasure indeed."

Adores it. Can't even imagine you with longer hair now. 10/10

Tony Tony Chopper:

"Oh no, (Y/N)!" he scuttled over to you, instantly taking your hand to drag you away. "What happened to you?!"

"What do you mean, Chopper?" you asked, halting in your tracks, knowing he couldn't move you on his own. With a gentle smile, you crouched to his level and let him come into your arms, his little hooves on your knees. "Now tell me, what's got you so riled up?"

"All your hair fell out! Did you get sick while we were gone?" he fretted, eyes glossy with concern. Try as you did, you couldn't help but snicker at his naivety. "It's not funny, (Y/N)! Tell me what's wrong right now! If we wait, I might not have enough time to treat you!"

"I'm not sick, I promise!" you giggled as he tried to pull at you again, only to freeze in his tacks.

"So where'd all your hair go then?"

"I shaved it." you smiled, explaining your reasoning as to why. Afterwards, Chopper felt very foolish, pouting with crossed arms and back to you. "It was giving me headaches because it was too long." you fibbed, bringing him back into your arms.

"So you did it so you'll feel better?" he perked, glancing at you over his shoulder.

"I did. It was the best I could do." you explained with a sigh. "I didn't have the best doctor on the Grand Line to treat me anymore, so I had to improvise."

"Oh, shut up!" he gushed, swaying back and forth a bit, a bashful heat in his cheeks.

Not excited about you taking your health into your own hands, (especially at the loss of your pretty hair) but he's happy you're feeling better. 5/10

Devil Child Robin:

She had been eying you from across the ship for a while now. Even before the big reveal, ever astute, she could see glimpses of your scalp, and took note when your hair had yet to fall over your shoulders when in positions that should have allowed for it. Now that the hype was beginning to die down, she slowly inched towards you with that serene smile that always rattled your bones. "Quite the chop," she remarked, circling you to get a good 360 view of you.

"Yeah," you replied nervously. Robin was always good at concealing her thoughts and feelings. She could find you repulsing and never let on. It was one of her most terrifying attributes. "What do you think?" you asked, knowing that if nothing else, she was honest, sometimes brutally so. That, you figured, was much better than this state of wondering.

"I have to admit, I thought you're longer hair looked exquisite on you. It always framed your face so nicely." she smiled, reaching up to ghost her fingertips over the shocked ends of your buzzcut.

"O-Oh," you faltered. "I appreciate your honesty."

"But," she continued, her gaze falling from the (H/C) fuzz down to your eyes with the most genuine expression. "I like this much better. I've never seen anything more (Y/N)."

Your face lit up at her compliments, knowing how true they were if it was her saying them. "You really think so?"

"I do, this suits you very well."

Loves how unique it makes you look. Thinks it's very 'you'. 8/10

Cyborg Franky:

"Where'd all your hair go?" he asked, couching down to inspect you. You explained with a laugh, running your fingers though it before looking back up at it. After a moment of contemplation, he cracked an enthusiastic grin. "Well, I think it's pretty badass!" he shouted, scooping you up into his mechanical arms and hoisting you to sit on his shoulder. "Hey, ya know what we should do?"

"What?" you asked with a giggle.

Suddenly, his pompadour fell lax and reshaped itself into a row of spikes. "We should get matching leather jackets and when your hair grows out a little more, we could do mohawks! How cool would that be? Ride into to battle like that, we'd be the scariest lookin' guys out there!"

Obsessed with it. Will not leave you alone now about spiking it, and every time you port, he tries to get you to go shopping for biker gear with him. 10/10

Soul King Brook:

His head tilted as he stared at you though curious hollowed sockets. You felt a bit uncomfortable under his silent gaze, and tried to inch yourself out of it, to no avail. "Are you going to say anything?" you asked, features cringing at his creeping. Still, he continued his act, slinking toward you until he was inches away, towering over you.

His lanky spine bent, cracking as it did to try and meet your height, and his skeletal fingers found themselves under your chin. Unsure of what he was planning, your cheeks began to glow with embarrassment. Eventually, he'd seemingly given up on leaning over, opting to simply crouch, his knees popping as they fell into place. "Why aren't you saying anything...?" you wondered aloud.

"I'm studying." he simply answered. "I want to remember ever bit of you after your gone."

Why the hell was he being so cryptic? You'd never heard Brook say a romantic thing in your life, he's always just been a creep to you and the other girls. "So, do you like my hair?" you asked cautiously.

"I don't care about your hair." he reassured. "I think your lovely no matter how long or short it is." It was at this point you realized that his sockets were not trained on your face or your hair, but your cleavage. You immediately delivered a ripe smack to his cheekbones, before assaulting's him with a barrage of insults.

Doesn't really care. Prefers your longer hair, but when he's looking at you, he's rarely looking at your face, so it doesn't matter. 5/10

Knight of the Sea Jinbe:

He looked down on you lovingly as you came to him, enveloping him in a hug. "I missed you," he smiled. "So very much."

"I missed you too." you sniffled as you pulled away. You had grow very close to him in the recent years, fighting alongside him many times and exchanging letters during your time away. He had been the only one to know where you'd gone to train, and he often sent you your favorite snacks, or even little trinkets when he could afford the risk. He had been the only one you'd told about your chop. He was like your dad, how could you go without talking to him?

"I've never seen a more beautiful little girl," he remarked, cupping your cheek, and resisting the urge to let his emotions get the better of him.

"I'm not a little kid anymore." you reminded him, nudging his large hand away.

"I know," he sighed, memories of his first time seeing you as a small child flooding back to him. "You've grown up entirely too quickly. I hardly even noticed.

You rolled your eyes at his sentimentality. "How do you like my new do?"

"It's not how I imagined it, from how you described in your letters." he replied, putting on a falsely curious face and ruffling it to 'test' it. "I may need to inspect it before I get you an answer."

"I had to keep some mystery about it, right?" you laughed. "How else am I supposed to keep you on your toes, old man?" You both shared a hearty laugh as you embraced once more.

"I don't think you could look prettier."

Adores it, but only because it's on you. Just happy to see you again. ♾/10

[footygirl114]

Chicas de Oro (Leah Williamson x Reader)

Part 2 of My Leah Euros fic! Thanks to everyone who has supported me these last few weeks as I’ve worked through some stuff. But I have a few ideas on the run right now so hopefully I can get a few more fics out for y'all this week :)

The one thing you would never compromise on was consent, and you respected the hell out of Leah for wanting to focus on her captaincy and the European tournament. Mind you this didn’t mean it made it hard to be around her, but you were both professionals and were not going to let it get in the way of winning this thing. 

As a newer player on the team you didn’t see any playing time in the first game, you spent it on the bench, but you made sure you were the best bench player there. You cheered, you yelled at the ref, and you gave every player who was subbing on or off encouragement. While doing all this you also had a hard time not focusing on your captain. 

The way she played was magical, she commanded the field better than anyone you had seen before, and watching her take charge when the refs made bad calls did something to you. You never thought you had a thing for someone with power, but watching Leah awakened something inside of you. The first time she was in the refs face for a bad call you could feel your self heat under the blush that dusted your cheeks when all you could picture was her pining you to a wall. 

Squeaking out a 1-0 win in the first game was not enough for many of your teammates, the next few days between the games were tense and involved a lot of strategy and video sessions. Watching Leah again in her element leading this team became a fascination for you. 

The second game you didn’t expect to see any playing time either, you knew your role and you were okay with gaining the experience. What you didn’t expect was for the game to be 6-0 at the half. It was something no one expected but the team was buzzing. It also meant that you would get a chance to sub in during the 55th minute. 

Standing on the touch line beside 2 of your best friends waiting to be subbed in to a European championship game was a feeling you dreamed of but never thought you’d ever experience. When Kiera ran over and reached out to double high five you a pull you into a hug kicked you into motion. “kick ass Y/N” you head Keira say as she pulled away and you jogged towards your spot in front of the defences.

As you jogged to your position you met Leah’s eyes and she offered you a smile, thumbs up and a wink. Looking at the confidence she had in you made you believe you could really do this. 

It was only a few minutes later that your team was awarded a corner, as the centre backs jogged in to get a head on the ball, you remained slightly further outside the 18 ready to assist on any fast breaks. 

You watched as Beth swung a beauty of a ball into the 18 yard box, watching the arc you thought Alessia would be getting her head on it, but at the last second the goalie got a fist to it and knocked it out. The ball was now heading directly towards you, as you stepped up to it you took a half second to shoulder check and saw you had a second before anyone would be on you. As it came in to your left foot you immediately one touched it across your body and lined up with your right and hammered it. 

As soon as the ball left your foot you knew it was a goal. You had an uncanny ability to hit a target from almost anywhere near the 18 yard box. You knew this was going to hit the inside of the left post. As you looked up and confirmed what you already knew, you immediately jumped up and fist bumped the air. 

Before taking off towards Leah who had been coming right to you, you jumped and she caught you, wrapping your legs around her waist you could feel the rest of the team surrounding you. As you slowly lowered your self from her body, her hands remained on your hips and you could feel her breath on your ear as she whispers “I am so proud of you” You would’ve thought she pressed a kiss below your ear but you couldn’t be sure. 

When she finally pulled back she kept one arm around your waist as you both walked back towards your half for the restart. You met Alessia’s eyes as you were walking back and as she raised her eyebrows in a suggestive manner you immediately could feel the blush on your cheeks as Leah squeezed and pulled her arm away to move to her position. 

**

Unfortunately for the team, but fortunately for you, Kiera went down hard in the final round robin game against Northern Ireland. Luckily the team had already clinched a round of 16 spot, which meant when you were subbed in for her you didn’t feel too much pressure to preform. You still met Leah’s eyes as you subbed in and could see the confidence she has for you in them. 

Yet, when the night before the quarter final game against Spain the team was in a meeting room before dinner when Kiera walked in with a walking cast on her ankle. You could feel your stomach immediately knot with nerves as you listened to the announcement that she would be out for the rest of the tournament. 

You felt Alessia place her hand on your hand and squeeze, and you met Leah’s eyes as she was standing at the front of the room with the coaches. You could feel the support and confidence but the nerves and anxiety were crushing you. As soon as the opportunity arose at the end of the meeting you leaned over to Alessia to let her know you were going to your room and not wait for you for dinner. 

Alessia was the only person who knew how nerves and anxious you could get so you trusted her to make sure that you got the space you needed. As soon as you were in the elevator away from prying eyes you could feel the pressure tighten in your chest and had to hold it in to make it to your room. 

Sprinting off the elevator you got to your room as quick as possible, and once you were inside you felt the little hold you had on your emotions finally break. Feeling the tears track down your cheeks and your breaths start to become heavy you found the darkest corner of the room and sat down with your head between your knees. 

Hours, minutes, seconds you had no idea. All you could focus on was your breathing and getting your self under control. You were so focused on it you didn’t hear the door open or Leah’s soft voice calling out to you. It wasn’t until you felt her hand on the back of your neck did you realise someone else was there. 

Jolting sightly you turned your head enough to peak out and see her sitting beside you, she was sitting cross legged with one arm on the back of your neck and the other rubbing up and down on your shin. Shaking your head to try and send her away you were interrupted by her before you could send her off “Y/N, its okay. I am just going to sit here until you feel better. We don’t have to say anything.” 

Nodding you turned your head back down as you continued to try to control your breathing. Minutes passed of her rubbing the back of your neck and up and down your shin. She kept her promise and didn’t say anything just sat there and comforted you. When you finally felt like you were able to breath you broke the silence with a whispered “I’m sorry.”

Immediately Leah is shaking her head a she says “Do not apologise for having feelings and emotions Y/N.” 

“I do, I should be able to handle it better.” You tell her quietly, finally lifting your head to wipe your tears. Before you can Leah has reached her hands out and used both her thumbs to wipe the tears from under your eyes.

She keeps one hand on your cheek and moves the other to cover your hand that was on your knee with hers. Squeezing your hand she says “I am here for you, and if you want to talk about it, I am also here for you.”

All you can see is the comfort and understanding in her eyes. “I dont know if I can do it Leah.” 

“Do what?” She asks softly. 

Breaking eye contact you look down as you say “Be the player you need me to be, be Keira’s replacement” 

“Oh Y/N” she says in a soft tone. She uses the hand that is still on your cheek to force you to meet her eyes as soon as she’s looking into your eyes she says “Listen, you know I want to win more than anything. And you know I would not let anyone who I didn’t think was going to help us win play. Y/N do not repeat this but I am almost glad she got hurt. I need you out there with me.” 

As she’s speaking you can feel the knot that had started in your stomach start to loosen. Her unwavering faith in you to play well brings you a bit a hope that you can do this. You grasp her hand that still on yours as you ask “Do you really mean that?” 

“Y/N, I have 110% faith that you will be the key to us winning this thing. You are an amazing player and I am so glad you will be playing right in front of me.” She says with a small smile to you. 

“Thank you” you say to her quietly. 

She smiles as she leans forward towards you and says “no need to thank me, you playing in front of me gives me confidence but also gives me the opportunity to watch your cute butt.”

You can feel the blush on your cheeks as she presses a kiss on your cheek and continues to pull you into a hug. Sinking in to the comfort of her hold you again feel like you can do this. 

It why when you start the next game and are waiting for the ref to blow the whistle you turn toward Leah and when you meet her eyes you realise hers were really on your ass, and when she does meet your eyes she offers you a smirk and a wink. You can feel the blush, but you also feel the nerves settle and you know she was doing it to settle you and it worked. 

**

Winning the quarters was a feeling you will never forget, but the tension you feel the next few days building with Leah almost tops it. It starts the day after the quarter finals, the team has just finished training and is doing recovery. 

Alessia, Ella and yourself decide to head to the ice baths for recovery, the three of you are laughing and distracted when you walk into the room. When you finally look up you meet Leah’s eyes who is submerged in an ice bath watching the three of you. Your Manchester team mates have no idea about what’s been going on with you and Leah so when Ella asks “You almost done Captain?” you think nothing of it. 

Immediately Leah looks at her watch and responds “Not quite but you guys are welcome to join me” 

Nodding Alessia responds “Sounds cool” 

Laughing you hear Ella say to her “Nerd” as you whack her arm for the silly pun. 

Meeting Leah’s eyes you can see the smile on her face as she clearly finds the three of you amusing. As you are watching her you see her subtly nod to the end of her tub. Since there is only 2 ice baths one of you will need to share with her and based on Ella and Alessia already getting in the other one together you know it will be you. 

As you move towards the end of her tub you hear the girls still going on about puns and jokes about the cold weather. Leah hasn’t looked away from you and her heated gaze is locked on you as you pull your tank off leaving you in a  sports bra. You lower yourself into the cold water with a hiss and settle across from Leah who still hasn’t moved her eyes off of your body. 

“Y/N will agree with me!” you hear Ella say breaking the spell you and Leah were under. 

“What do I agree with?” you ask looking over at your two friends in the other ice bath. 

Alessia rolls her eyes but says “that California is the best vacation spot” 

“I do like the beaches there, but prefer more south like Mexico” You respond back. 

Ella responds to you both with a flick of water at you “but all the celebrities in LA” 

You laugh as Alessia tries to go on as you disagreed with Ella. But all you can see is that Leah’s timer has gone off and she is lifting her self out of the water, revealing the almost see through sports bra and the tiniest pair of spandex shorts. The water droplets that are dripping along her abs have drawn your eyes and you feel your mouth drop open. 

Ella and Alessia are still distracted arguing about vacation spots when Leah wraps a towel around herself and as she breezes by you to leave she runs her hand over your shoulder and leans down and whispers in your ear “You may want to think about a cold shower Y/N” her warm breath giving you shivers that do so much more than the water. 

It takes you an embarrassing amount of seconds to come back into reality after he display and it isn’t until Alessia splashes you with water that you come back to it. “Did you like the show Y/N?”

Turning towards her you see her and Ella both looking at you with amused expressions on their face. “What?” you ask them

The look at each other and decide to ask “Do you want to tell us about your massive crush on Leah?” 

Blushing hard you deny it “No, there is no crush.” 

Laughing Alessia says “Y/N it’s fine, we get it. We do not need to talk about it.” 

“There’s nothing to talk about.” you tell them. 

They both look at each other again and Ella laughs and says “Sure Y/N.” 

**

The next moment comes a few days later, you both have spent a lot of time with the team and it was a mutual understanding that you both kept the flirting to a minimum when the team was around. Ella and Alessia being the exception apparently. 

It was after the epic semi-final blowout that the team is in the change room celebrating. Alessia scored an unreal goal and you, Ella and Alessia are dancing it out. It was post game and all three of you are in your game shorts but have lost your jerseys and are just left in sports bras. Most of the team was in the same boat. 

Finally relaxing after having so much pressure on you, you let the celebrations take over you and relax. You loved to dance, but this was more bouncing around to the beat. Almost half the team was up and dancing and the rest were scattered around the change room, it wasn’t until Alessia spun you around the you locked eyes with your captain. 

She was frozen across the room, sitting on a bench with Mary and Beth who seemed to be in deep conversation over Leah as she was sat between them watching you. You couldn’t believe the desire you could see in her eyes. It was like she was looking deep into your soul and was ready to rip you apart. 

You wanted to get lost in that gaze but when you see Ella making her way towards Leah you knew it meant trouble. She wondered over and dragged the three of them on to the makeshift dance floor. Trying not to be obvious you turned back towards Alessia who had seen the whole exchange was watching you with a smirk on her face. 

Shaking your head you go to say something when you feel a body wrap around your back as Ella drags you back to the group. Her and Alessia squeeze you into a circle with the team ensuring the tyou are pressed up against Leah. 

As the volume gets turned up more you feel Leah’s hand settle low on your waist as she turns towards you and leans in to your ear and says “That wasn’t fair Y/N” 

You laugh as you continue to jump and dance and you can see her eyes still drag down your torso where you are still clad in your sports bra, abs on full display. Following her eyes you smirk and whisper “You know you could have had me already.” 

You can feel the shudder run through her as she says “you are killing me here Y/N” 

Before you can respond the music is turned down and the team settles to leave the change room, you pull away from her but not before you feel her hand run right across the small of your back. 

Later when you are back in your hotel room after dinner you had come up to FaceTime home and shower, while you know they had a captains meeting. You knew that Leah was in a meeting and you would be alone for a bit. Music on while you showered you never heard her come in. 

Walking out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around your waist and airpods in your ears you walk right out of the room and right into Leah who is in her underwear and sports bra changing for bed. 

She immediately grabs your upper arms to steady you and if it wasn’t for the fact that you were pressed against her your towel would have fallen right off. Pulling your AirPods out of your ears you say to her “I am so sorry, I thought you were in your meeting.” 

Still pressed against you she moves her hand down to grab your hand and the other to place on your hips over the towel. “It’s okay, it ended early.” 

You move your arms to readjust your towel and then place your hands on her arms and you ask “Leah?” 

Nodding she looks at you questioningly. 

“Please tell me I am not alone in this.” you almost plead with her. 

She looks at you again and says “You know you are not Y/N” you can see the but coming as she says “But I cant.” 

Nodding you pull away and grab your pjs to get ready for bed, as you go to close the bathroom door your hear her say “I wish it was different Y/N”

Closing the bathroom door behind you, you take a moment as you sit on the edge of the tub thinking about what you just did. You kick your self for even doing that in the first place. You shouldn’t have asked and enjoyed the banter you both had together without the added pressure. Deciding then to just focus on the final you buried the feelings. 

**

The next few days pass and you distract your self with Alessia and Ella’s antics and you are mostly able to avoid Leah. She has been in a lot of pre game media and meetings that she is not around as much which helps. As you are walking out at Wembley you feel the nerves settle in again and you can feel the tightness in your chest. 

After the team pictures when your settled on the field you do one last spin and meet Leah’s eye who offers you a small smile and a wink, and it helps to settle your nerves. 

35 minutes in and you are not on your game, after a silly foul that gives Germany a free kick out side your box you know you are a bit in your head. 

As the trainer comes on for the injured German you feel a hand on your arm and turn towards Leah who looks at you as she says “Y/N, I need you. I need you to focus for me.” 

Looking at her you see that same unwavering belief she had for you even before it all blew up. You know that if anything you owed it to her to go out and kick butt. 

It helps, her unwavering faith gives you the confidence you need to finish this game in the way you know how. And when the final whistle goes you immediately feel Alessia on your back and as you wrap your arms around her leg you spin her around. It was and unreal feeling to do this with your best friends. 

As the team starts to gather you feel Alessia hop off your back, and you start to work your way around the team with congratulations and hugs. Going through all of the after game celebrations was one of the best things you have experienced the atmosphere at Wembley was unreal. Of course the celebrations continued into the change rooms. 

The dance party started, and as you were bouncing with the girls you felt eyes on you again. Turning you knew it was Leah, and as she was standing across the group and you locked eyes it felt like everything else faded away. You froze you could feel the connection but it was not for you to break, she needed to be the one to do it this time. 

As you thought this she was across the room in front of you in a second. One hand reached out to grasp your hip, and the other on the side of your face both pulling you in. As she did this she did not look away from your eyes. You place both your hands on her ribs and nod slightly as she bridges the gap and presses her lips to yours. 

Everything else fades away and all your senses are invaded with Leah. Hours could have passed and you wouldn’t have noticed. When you did break the kiss it was because you both were getting sprayed with champagne. As you pull away she keeps her hands on your hips and keeps you close. 

“Called it” you hear Ella and Alessia arguing behind you and you can hear Beth yell “Yes Leah finally!” 

“I am sorry it took me so long” she whispers in the space between you. 

You look deep into her eyes as you tell her “It was worth it in the end, you got the trophy and the girl.” The smile that light sup her face is blinding and she closes the distance and presses her lips to yours in a  deep kiss. 

[howlingday]

Jaune can’t help but find it a bit odd that his girlfriend Winter will only allow him into her panties if he’s cosplaying as Captain America.

The Winter Hero

Jaune Arc was a man of principle. He was raised to be a gentleman; kind, generous, and sensitive to a woman's needs. His mother and sisters groomed him to be the perfect boyfriend for anyone lucky enough to have him.

Chocolate ice cream at 3 AM, even though all the stores are closed? Done before dawn.

Need some guy to stop stalking you? Jaune wasn't a man of violence, but he had his ways to deter creeps.

Need another girl for your sleepover? Not a problem, even though he got a few awkward glances from his sister's friends.

However, almost as soon as he left the nest, his first girlfriend was completely independent. Any offer to help was completely shut down. But this was to be expected from an officer of the Atlas military. Yes, Winter Schnee never made any requests to her boyfriend.

That is, until one Halloween night...

Jaune looked himself over in the mirror at his costume. His blue spandex bodysuit was slim, if not constricting. It featured a white letter "A" on his forehead with a pair of wings just behind his temples, a star in the center of his chest, and a design of red and white stripes over his abdominals and circling around the back. He looked down to the flat, metal disk shield that weighed about thirty pounds. Not all too heavy for him, but it still weighs down over time. Yes, he was the hero of life and liberty, Captain America!

He sighed and shook his head as he looked over his ridiculous outfit. When he asked about their plans for Halloween, Winter explained she already ordered his and that she intended to go to a costume party with him. He knew better than to question it, but did it have to be this superhero?

Jaune has read his fair share of comics, and when asked who his was, he would answer Batman. Unfortunately for him, though, Winter was a Marvel fan, so his favorite superhero would have to stick to the sshadows tonight.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Picking up the shield, he walked over to the door and opened it. The sight in front of him almost made him drop his shield.

On the other side of his apartment door stood a beautiful woman with snow white hair, cascading down over her shoulders like an avalanche. She wore a silver body-suit, reminiscent of the ones worn by special forces, that hugged all of her curves perfectly. Around her waist was a gray belt designed to look like it had multiple compartments.

"Is there something wrong, Jaune?" He blinked and gave a nervous chuckle. She looked him up and down and smiled. "I see your costume matches the measurements I provided."

"Uh, actually, it feels a little tight." Jaune replied, tugging at his collar. "I can breathe just fine, but-"

"Good." Winter turned around and began walking towards the stairs. "Let's go. It's time for the party."

"Uh, yeah, sure!" Jaune shut the door behind him and followed her. "I like your costume. Who are you supposed to be?" Being a gentleman, Jaune asked, since he was certain it would tie to her interests.

"Silver Sable." Winter replied without looking back. "Russian mercenary. Leader of the Wild Pack. First appearance in 'The Amazing Spider-Man Issue #265'."

"Oh, she sounds... intense." Being a man, Jaune's eyes wandered to her hips, where her ass lightly swayed with every step, leaving nothing to the imagination. His costume felt tighter.

At the party, Jaune struggled to keep his shield up. He had shifted between his arms twice since he started carrying it. He could set it down, but every time he did, Winter would find out. The first time, she lightly chastised him, saying, "I thought you were supposed to be a hero." The second, and last time, she hit harder, telling him, "You're supposed to be a hero. So be one." She knew one of Jaune's dreams was to be a hero, someone who helps others and can be looked up to with pride. He sighed as he looked over the crowd.

The costumes varied, but he recognized everyone as someone from Winter's command. Elm Ederne, a specialist of Atlas' Ace Operatives, was dressed as some kind of monk, she explained, and carried a set of drums on her waist. He thought she was a hippie at first, but was swiftly corrected. Their commanding officer, General James Ironwood, was luckier than Jaune and dressed up as Batman. Jaune was green with envy. Or he was when Councilman candidate Robyn Hill showed up, dressed as Orchid from Killer Instinct. He never played the game, but he recognized the costume from... research.

"Jaune," he looked to his left and saw Winter standing with her arms crossed, "do you want to leave?" Jaune blinked, but before he could say anything, she spoke first. "I know that look on your face. You're bored. If you wish to leave, I won't force you to stay."

"I'm fine," Jaune replied, "I'm just... reading the room." Winter sighed, leaning against the wall next to him. She had an annoyed look on her face. "Are you okay, Winter?"

"I'm fine." She replied without looking at him. Instead, she was looking at the attention Robyn was getting. With a scowl, she huffed under her breath. "Pigs."

"Svin'ya." Winter looked to Jaune, who was wearing a smile on his face. "Svin'ya is pig in Russian."

She chuckled at that, gracing her lips with a smile. Jaune liked making people smile. Well, maybe not make, but help smile. She leaned closer, forcing Jaune to shift his shield to his other arm. She held his arms and sighed. Jaune felt his suit grow even tighter.

"Do you want to leave?" Winter looked up to Jaune. With a smile, she replied.

"Yes."

Winter and Jaune arrived at her apartment door. The walk home was certainly brisk, but made warmer with their body heat combined as they held close on their trip, as well as Jaune holding the shield against the wind. She reached into her belt and clipped open one of the compartments and pulled out her keys. Jaune held the shield behind her, pretending to protect her from some evil or another.

As she opened the door, Jaune stepped away. "Good night, Winter."

Winter turned to face Jaune. "Won't you come in? After all, it's cold outside tonight."

"I'm sure I'll be fine." He replied with a red-cheek and -nose smile.

"At least warm before you go." Winter gestured for him to enter. "I couldn't bear to think of you becoming hypothermic because of me."

"Just another part of being a hero!" Jaune chuckled.

"Actually," Winter said, placing her chin between her index and thumb, "I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but your costume has an interesting feature."

"Feature?" A stray wind blew in, chilling Jaune where he stood. "On second thought, maybe staying a second to warm up wouldn't hurt." He stepped inside, setting his shield down by the coat rack inside. She shut the door behind him.

"I'm glad to see you've come to your senses." She stepped further into the apartment, Jaune following close behind.

He had been here twice, but the size always amazed him. It was at least three times the size of his, and included it's own washer and dryer set. It was only a balcony away from being considered a penthouse. With the click of a button, Winter summoned a fireplace from the darkness.

Following her to the couch, Jaune sat down next to Winter. She leaned closer to him then nuzzled against his chest. She leaned up, kissing him as he leaned down. She prodded tongue past his lips, and upon receiving invitation, grabbed him by the back of his head and pulled him into her. Their breathing became heavy as the two pulled themselves closer to the other, their make-out growing more intense by the second.

Pulling away, Jaune groaned. "Damn."

"Something wrong?"

"This costume's in the way." Jaune tugged at his collar,causing Winter to chuckle.

"No, it isn't." Before he could ask, Winter slipped to her knees, kneeling in front of Jaune's crotch. "I custom-ordered this, you know." She traced her middle finger from the couch up to his groin. "I needed to get," she dug into a flap he never noticed, "your exact," and she pulled down the zipper he never knew, "measurem- Ack!" Winter recoiled as she was slapped by Jaune's dick.

"You okay?" Jaune asked.

"I'm fine," Winter waved him off, "I just... got my measurements wrong." She eyed his penis with a critic's glare. It was larger than the average she suspected, possibly six-and-a-half, if not seven inches in length, with a girth that made making her index and thumb have difficulty meeting. "But I'll adapt."

Before Jaune could say anything, Winter wrapped her lips around Jaune's head, tracing over it with her tongue. He lightly gasped as she pumped his shaft and she moved her head in a rhythm up and down his cock.

"F-Fuck!" Jaune grunted. "I'm gonna-!"

Winter pulled away and pumped with more vigor. With a moan, Jaune came a thin rope onto Winter's costume, a stream of white oozing onto her hands. She turned around, looking back to Jaune.

He squinted for a moment, then took notice of the zipper at the top of her back. He reached forward and pulled down. The costume came splitting in half as he dragged the tab closer to it's destination. As he reached the end, Winter stood up.

"Jaune," he couldn't see, but she looked at him with a sort of predatory gaze, as if he were a breathing meal for her to devour, "do you want to keep going?" With a gulp, he answered.

"Uh, I don't have any condoms."

"No?" She chuckled. "Check your shield." Jaune stood up and walked over to the hat rack where he placed his shield, his now flaccid cock swaying in the air with every step. Felling around, he noticed a hatch near the center, behind the handle. With a click, it opened and he found box of condoms. He couldn't see the brand, but the box felt small. That was fine, though, since he wasn't expecting to burn through ten or so condoms tonight. "Did you find them?" Winter called out.

"Yeah, they were behind the han-duuuuuh..." Jaune's jaw dropped at the sight in front of him. Bathed in firelight, Winter removed her soiled costume and laid back against the couch, her legs spread, her hair wild, and her eyes hungry. She became instantly erect.

"Then come here, my hero."

Winter moaned loudly as Jaune thrusted himself into her from behind. Every movement forward by him drove her further over the edge. This may have been their first time, but Jaune was clearly experienced. Some way, somehow, this man had a lover before her, and they perfected him into the breeding bull slamming into her.

With a grunt, Jaune came into the condom and pulled out. He huffed as he removed the rubber from his semi-stiff staff. Winter whirled around and slurped on his phallus until he was nice and hard again. Once he put the next condom on, she pushed him onto his back, then slipped him inside.

She bounced up and down his rod as she moaned and gasped. Jaune tried to match her pace with his thrusts, but she was moving too fast for him. He panted as she rode him like it was a rodeo. He settled his hand on her hips and took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, she was above him, her hair acting as a white veil to hide themselves from the world. Her mouth split to a predatory grin.

"You like it?" She growled.

"Y-Yeah!" He grunted.

"You like it?" She repeated.

"Yeah!" He whined.

"You want me?" She leaned closer, slowing her pace.

"Y-Yes!" He panted. She leaned next to his ear.

"Then take me."

Jaune flipped Winter onto her back and held her legs above her in a mating press. She screamed as Jaune pounded with greater vigor into her, grunting as he did so.

"Fuck me!" She shrieked as she held her ankles. "Fuck me! Fuck me! Fuck meeeeeee!"

With a grunt, Jaune came again, panting hard. He pulled out, pulling the condom out with him. He removed the prophylactic the his cock, setting it down next to it's seven siblings.

Eight condoms. The couple's box held eight condoms. With eight used condoms, Jaune sighed as the night's activities drew to a close.

SHUP!

Jaune looked down to see Winter bobbing her head up and down his shaft again. He groaned and pulled her off. With a sigh, he told the truth. "I can't anymore."

"No?" She tilted her head to the side.

"No." He stepped away and gestured to the condoms. "We went through a whole box, it's only a few hours until dawn, and I... I don't think I can do it again."

"I see." She said looking down. She almost looked sad.

"It's nothing against you, but I don't think I can do a round nine like this, condom or no condom."

"Like this?" She tugged on his bodysuit, now soaked in sweat and, in the lower region, genital fluids. "With the suit?"

"Yeah."

"Well, in that case," she reached behind Jaune and pulled down his back zipper, "here." She tugged on his sleeves and helped him out, peeling the it free from his skin. He shivered as the cold air rolled over his bare skin for the first time all night. She stepped free of the suit and sat down.

"That's much better." Winter was about to walk away, but felt him grab her hand. "We're not gonna cuddle?"

She smiled and sat down next to him. They embraced for a moment, then felt him pull her down, so they were laying on the couch. His body felt hot; clearly from the body heat trapped by his suit.

Winter closed her eyes, momentarily thinking about fucking her favorite superhero, Captain America, until she slipped into her dream where she was held in the loving embrace of her hero, Jaune Arc.

[meloneta]

Once Upon A Time-family tree

meet Cora. when cora was young she hooked up with Jonathan and got knocked up, giving birth to (and abandoning in the middle of nowhere) Zelena (aka the wicked witch of the west). at the very beginning of that pregnancy, though, she met king Leopold and they fell in love or something and got engaged. but then cora stole some stuff so they broke up the engagement. instead, leopold married Ava, and they had a dauthter together. that daughter is Snow-White.

cora eventually married a man named Henry, and they also had a daughter. that daughter is Regina (aka the evil queen).

when regina grew up, cora killed ava. regina then married king leopold (yes, the same leopold who was engaged to her mother), making regina snow-white’s step-mother.

meet Ruth. ruth was married to someone (we don’t know him, he died), and they had twin sons-David (aka prince charming) and James.

meet George. goerge was married to someone (we don’t know her, she died), and they weren’t able to have biological children together. ruth and her husband were poor peasants, so goerge and his wife made them give him one of their son, to be raised by him (george) and his wife. ruth gave them james and kept david. and thus-james became a prince, while david was just a simple shepherd (get it? david?).

meet Malcolm, who was married to The Black Fairy (yeah that’s her name). together they had a son-Rumplestiltskin. when rumplestiltskin was a kid, malcolm abandoned him and turned into Peter Pan.

rumplestiltskin grew up and married Milah, and together they had a son-Baelfire.

milah left rumplestiltskin and baelfire and ran off with Killian Jones (aka captain hook). rumplestiltskin got magical powers after a while, and found and killed milah in front of captain hook, making the two mortal enemies. at some point baelfire got seperated from rumplestiltskin and got to “our world”.

rumplestiltskin later meets and marries Belle.

david and snow white met and got married, and then had a daughter-Emma. making regina emma’s step-grandmother. emma was then sent to “our world”.

in the meantime, baelfire changed his name to Neal Cassidy.

emma grew up and met neal (baelfire), and they dated for a while. she got pregnant from him and gave birth to a baby boy. she gave that baby up for adoption.

in the meantime everyone got to “our world”. regina wanted a kid, so she adopted a baby who happened to be emma’s son, and named him Henry. making regina both hernry’s mother and his step-great-grandmother.

time goes by, regina gets a redemption arc and gets together with Robin-Hood. zelena then pretends to be robin-hood’s dead wife so he break up with regina and goes back to his wife, who is actually zelena (regina’s half sister). zelena gets pregnant from robin-hood and they have a daughter together. robin hood and regina get back togetyher later on, and robin and zelena’s daughter is named Robin.

killian comes over to “our world” in order to kill rumplestiltskin, fails at that and starts dating (and later marries) emma.

so leopold was both with cora and cora’s daughter regina. robin-hood was both with regina and regina’s sister zelena (though under false pretenses). emma was both with Neal and neal’s mom’s ex-boyfriend killian. alternatively, killian was both with milah, and the ex-girlfriend of milah’s son (who is the mother of his mortal enemy’s grandson).

THUS CREATING THIS:

ID under the cut

[ID: a picture of a family tree depicting the relationships between characters from Once Upon A Time. each character has a picture of themselves and their name written underneath. the relationship of each character and another is represented by lines in different colors drawn between characters.

in the bottom there's a box with the meaning of each color:

pink=romantically involved.

red= romantically involved until one's death.

gray=previously romantically involved

blue=parent

purple=adoptive parent

yellow=step parent

green=sibling/half sibling.

the characters included in the family tree are are (left to right, top to bottom):

first line: Jonathan, Cora, Henry, Leopold, Ava, Ruth,?, George,?, Peter-Pan/malcolm, Black-Fairy.

second line: Zelena, Regina, Robin-Hood, Snow-White, David, James, Killian/Hook, Milah, Rumpelstiltskin, Belle.

third line: Robin, Neal, Emma, Neal/Baelfire, Gideon.

fourth line: Henry.

(the question marks, representing unknown characters, are beneath a blank black photo).

pink lines are drawn between:

Snow-White & David, Killian/Hook & Emma, Rumpelstiltskin & belle.

red lines are drawn between:

Cora & Henry(the first), Regina & Leopold, Leopold & Ava, Regina & Robin-Hood, Ruth & ?, George & ?.

Gray lines are drawn between:

Jonathan & Cora, Cora & Leopold, Emma & Neal/Baelfire, Peter-Pan/Malcolm & Black-Fairy, Milah & Rumpelstiltskin.

blue lines are draw between:

Jonathan + Cora & Zelena, Cora + Henry(the first) & Regina, Zelena + Robin-Hood & Robin, Leopold + Ava & Snow-White, Ruth + ? & David + James, Snow-White + David & Neal + Emma, Peter-Pan/Malcolm + Black-Fairy & Rumpelstiltskin, Milah + Rumpelstiltskin & Neal/Baelfire, Rumpelstiltskin + Belle & Gideon, Emma + Neal/Baelfire & Henry(the second).

purple lines are drawn between:

Regina & Henry(the second), George + ? & James.

Yellow lines are drawn between:

Regina & Snow-White, Killian/Hook & Henry(the second).

green lines are drawn between:

Zelena & Regina, David & James, Neal/Baelfire & Gideon.

End ID]

[along-came-atsushi]

The search for yourself – An analysis about Tachihara

Several characters in BSD express a wish for home and family. Most of them have either lost their families or were abandoned by them. Especially for those characters, the word ‘family’ expands the definition of being related by blood.

In BSD ‘family’ doesn’t mean people who are related to you, but people who accept you for who you really are and who truly care about you. Some examples would be the relationship between Fukuzawa and Ranpo, or Sigma and how he sees his customers.

Tachihara’s arc deals with the same theme and his search for who he really is.

[Beware: Spoilers for the whole Hunting Dogs Arc!]

His Past:

It’s been shown that Tachihara and his older brother are granted with a similar ability: The ability to create and/or manipulate metal. But Tachihara seemed to be less talented or able to control his ability than his brother, at least in the eyes of his family. When his brother died in the war they were outraged and sad about his death. At the same time, they openly told Tachihara to be the one that should have died in his stead, showing complete disregard for his existence:

Tachihara’s brother thinks positively about his family, given how he talks about them. He knows that they miss him and he himself wishes to return back home. Due to this it’s possible that he doesn’t even notice the difference in his family’s treatment between him and Tachihara, since he never addresses that problem anywhere. Tachihara on the other hand has to feel that no matter who he is and what he does, even ultimately if he’d die, they wouldn’t care for him.

He has been compared to his older brother his whole life and was never accepted as his own person, which leads to him in not understanding who he is and what he should do.

[Side note: I’m not a psychologist, but I read that parents that treat one child as the golden egg (Tachihara’s brother), while treating the other as the black sheep (Tachihara) is a trait found in narcissists. With this they try to have one person who admires them (Tachihara’s brother) and the other who fears them (Tachihara). Considering this and the way Tachihara has been treated by his family, it is highly possible that he is the victim of a narcissistic upbringing. It might be that one family member was a narcissist and with their treatment of Tachihara influenced the other family members to do the same. They joined the narcissist in their behaviour out of fear (acting as enablers), so that they themselves wouldn’t get viewed and treated by the narcissist and others the same way.]

.

Joining the Hunting Dogs:

After his brother’s death Tachihara ran away from his family and decided to live a life on the streets, trying to survive by stealing and doing other criminal activities, where he then was found by the Hunting Dogs and invited to join them:

The Hunting Dogs highest priority is to protect their country and its citizens, no matter what it takes. They have been shown to let people join them when they realize that those people have an intention to protect others, or are willing to self-sacrifice in order to protect something. (e.g. Jouno offering Kunikida to join after he saw that Kunikida wanted to protect the ADA, Fukuchi offering to train Akutagawa after he realized he was fighting for something.)

.

But the problem of the Hunting Dogs’ mentality is that they have a black and white view regarding “justice” and “crime”, or people they perceive as “good” and “evil”. They immediately hunt down the ADA without further investigation on their assertions (that they’re innocent and all was a set-up), even expressing joy about torture and killing, when a person is a “criminal” and therefore “evil” in their eyes.

The only way to get rid of your crime is to join them and in this way being useful to them. This results in people involuntarily joining them, because they have no other way, which has been the case with Tachihara. He was found being guilty, because he stole something from them, and then offered of being freed from his crime, but only if he joins them. Which means that he doesn’t join them on his own accord and is then pressured into their black and white morale.

[Side note: Tecchou seems to be the only one able to look on a more greyish view regarding “good” and “evil” people, as seen when he talks with the café owner and promises to not kill Lucy and the ADA. Fukuchi feels guilty for at least having to kill children in the past.]

.

The Hunting Dogs seem to stick together because they have to, less because they want to. Jouno is annoyed with Tecchou’s behaviour and Tecchou is annoyed by Jouno’s actions. Teruko dares Jouno not to read her heartbeat and with that tries to keep him from getting to know how she truly feels. She also seems to be afraid of Fukuchi for some reason, hence why she butters him up in an extreme and exaggerated way:

Ultimately, Fukuchi their own captain, is the one who plays them all and lies to them the most. They are bound together by their duty and have no real trust in each other.

Tachihara has been shown to feel somewhat uncomfortable when being with the Hunting Dogs and is sometimes weirded out by their behaviours. Even though he is the only one who has no quarrels with his colleagues and gets along with them pretty well, openly expressing concern when Teruko is wounded. But at the same time, he keeps his distance to them and addresses them formally or by their ranks.

While Tachirara talks with Yosano it can be understood that he didn’t join the Hunting Dogs out of his own conviction, but because that way they wouldn’t kill him for his crime. By joining and fighting for them he had a purpose in life and people who needed him because of his ability. He claims to have turned into someone who was “neither my older brother nor his opposite” and that “orders make me who I am.”

.

Infiltrating Port Mafia:

When Tachihara joins the Port Mafia as a spy and works for the Black Lizard, he is met with a different mentality regarding loyalty and justice. As explained above the Hunting Dogs have a black and white view regarding justice and crime, and people they consider to be good or evil. They express joy about killing and torturing, even though they are considered to be “the good guys”. While the Port Mafia is also known to be extremely cruel, they are not considered as “the good guys”. In other words, the Port Mafia are represented as the “villains”, and the Hunting Dogs are represented as the “heroes” in the eyes of the government.

Although it’s been mentioned that you shouldn’t get too close with anyone in the Port Mafia, forming a close bond with others is still possible. Something that differs the Black Lizard from the Hunting Dogs is that they stick together, e.g. when Higuchi saved Akutagawa, despite the fact that she could’ve died doing so alone, which is something that Tachihara was concerned about:

In the end, the Black Lizard stood behind Higuchi’s decision and followed her, saving Akutagawa in the process. They did so not solely because she was their superior, but because they have trust in her and respect her.

Tachihara playing the Double Agent is similar to Ango’s role during Dark Era. They both joined the “evil” side as a spy, but found people they got close with and care about. Both of them aren’t able to shake off their feelings regarding these people who became dear to them, despite their original orders and mission.

Characters in the BSD universe make friends with people who are on the opposite side or who are their enemies. They also tend to ally with their actual or former enemies, if it means to achieve the same goal.

Tachihara acts way more casual with his Black Lizard colleagues. He calls Hirotsu “gramps”, Higuchi “big sis” and Akutagawa “big bro”, suggesting that he sees them as his family, even though he may do so unconsciously. The Black Lizard have shown to truly care about Tachihara as a person as well, even without knowing about his ability.

They are relieved to know that he isn’t hurt or dead. Furthermore, Hirotsu highly compliments Tachihara and admires him for his mindset and actions. In return, Tachihara feels guilty for having to hurt Hirotsu and Gin, back then already not able to fully betray them.

.

Playing the Double Agent:

Later on, Tachihara’s true intentions for joining Port Mafia get revealed. He realizes that he used his brother as an excuse, and understands that in reality he was just trying to find his true self. Before that, he told himself that he joined only to get close to Yosano for revenge. During his whole childhood he had been compared to his brother, which left him with major self-doubts and a lack of self-identity. If he wasn’t as good, as useful, as heroic like his brother, he would be nothing. He would have no value:

Tachihara states several times that he “wanted to become someone”. Too insecure and afraid to identify with who he is, he simply decided to take the opposite way his brother took, and identified with the role he was given. First, he was a delinquent and simply “bad”. As a Hunting Dog he was then given the role of a military officer, whose job was to catch terrorists. When he got his order to infiltrate Port Mafia as a spy, he probably tried to identify with just that. But this given mission helped him to get away from his role as a Hunting Dog, and he found a place where he feels he truly belongs to.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that throughout this arc he gets portrayed in a mirror-like way:

It’s supposed to point out his search for himself, and which side he will choose in the end, now that he is learning to trust his own instincts. He slowly steps out of the shadow of his brother and accepts the person he is.

This is possible for him to do, because he has the support of the Black Lizard. During his time with the Hunting Dogs he simply followed orders and had no opinion of his own, but a purpose in life. He did this to please them and being accepted as someone worthy by them. When he rejoins the Hunting Dogs, but secretly still works as a spy in the Port Mafia, he realizes that his mindset already follows that of a Port Mafia member:

Since the Port Mafia has a more greyish view on crime and justice and have clashed with the ADA several times in the past, they turn out to be the ones to truly believe that the ADA were set-up by someone and are not terrorists.

Hirotsu and Gin both encourage and support Tachihara to form an opinion of his own, when he asks them about the ADA’s case, and not to simply believe the false facts:

This is furthermore emphasized by Mori as the Port Mafia’s boss discussing the ADA’s case with the Black Lizard and with this, stating his trust in them:

Due to the circumstance that Tachihara is treated as an equal among his Black Lizard peers and treated with trust, he’s starting to be able to question the accusations against the ADA and comes to the logical conclusion that something is wrong. This later leads him to take the search for the real mastermind into his own hands, instead of simply following orders.

It’s his own opinion and own choice what leads to the tearing of the page and its power, and with it the Decay of Angel’s plan:

This in itself is a very nice twist, because it was something neither Fyodor nor Dazai could know about or orchestrate. They both could only make people go so far and act in a certain way, but not tear through bonds people share with each other. Which gets confirmed when Dazai said that it’s the people on the battlefield making the world turn, and not those planning schemes.

In the end, it’s Mori as the Port Mafia’s boss to decide whether he keeps or kills Tachihara for his betrayal. It’s a rule to kill those who have betrayed the Port Mafia. But Mori already knew which side Tachihara will choose and which side he feels he belongs to, even before Tachihara himself did.

- - - - -

Last but not least, I want to thank the person who requested this meta from me. I hope you enjoyed reading this and that it was worth the wait. I had immense fun writing about characters who usually aren’t on my radar that much. Thank you very much!

[Edit: “he simply followed orders and had no opinion of his own, or a purpose in life” was changed to “he simply followed orders and had no opinion of his own, but a purpose in life“. Which was phrased wrong by me in the original post!]

[sashi-ya]

interested to know what you're thoughts are on how law's character arc will end in op? his alliance with luffy, his ability to obtain the one piece, anything really.

i'm convinced he's going to die. idk why, and i really feel like it'll have something to do with the eternal life surgery. hopefully i'm wrong! but as resident law lover, i want your opinion!

Hi babe!! thank u for asking! It is a liiiilte bit (a lot) long so I hope you don't mind ♥

Well, first in first I HOPE HE DOESN’T DIE because Idk if I can handle losing him. That being said, let me tell you what I think…

As much as Law tries to hide it, Law is Luffy’s friend. So no need to have an alliance anymore. He has found in Luffy someone who wants the same as him. Law is not interested in the One Piece treasure at all. His true motivations are a little different from being the “pirate king”. Let me tell you why….

Spoilers from “One Piece Novel: Law” (canon) and Manga under the cut. -And a LONG theory -

The novel tells us about what happened after Cora’s death, how Law managed to cure himself and how he ended up meeting Mr. Wolff, Bepo, Shachi and Penguin. In the novel it is stated that Law didn’t really care about being a pirate, but his true reasons to set sail were no other than taking down Doflamingo (What Law believed was Cora’s purpose). So, in order to fulfil Cora’s will he spent two years training not only his df powers but also as a surgeon working at a local hospital. Bepo, Shachi and Pen did the same, of course. So, to be honest, I don’t think Law's first purpose was in no way to become the Pirate King.

After the battle of Dressrosa, once Doffy was defeated and Law spoke to ex admiral Sengoku, he understood that;

First, as we all know, Cora’s love was beyond any type of revenge or plan against Doffy.

And then, the unknown meaning of the D. That meaning he was probably not really interested in until he saw how Doffy reacted knowing he was a D. And of course I’m sure he asked himself a lot about why Luffy has the same secret name? Is he supposed to do something similar to Mugiwara-ya? What does that D hide?.

Then, in Wano… he states his intentions to know about the meaning of the D clearly on ch. 995 of the manga. He even asks Robin if she knows about it.

But, let’s discuss something else here. His relationship with Smoker, X-Drake and Koby. (And ofc his step grandad Sengoku)

So, as you may know before the alliance with Luffy, Law was a Shichibukai right?

So, what happened in the two years of time skip for him to become a warlord? Most of the people accepted the quick explanation that this little emo doctor one day appeared at Marineford with a box of 100 PIRATE hearts and so the marine said “Oh amazing, let’s make him an ouka shichibukai”. Weird, right? Specially when it comes to One Piece. And mainly because how the fuck did they check if those hearts were from pirates? And what does that even mean? Did Law want to show the Marine how strong he was? or...

In the same chapter Law is presented as “Trafalgar D. Water Law, Surgeon of Death & Mastermind of the Rocky Port incident”. WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT? WHAT HAPPENED THERE?

So, the only information we have about it till now (+10 years) is that it also involves Koby. Koby was decorated as Hero and Captain of the Marine after that because he “saved many civilians' lives”. So, we could say that if Law was the one who planned the incident and Koby fought in it at least they have met each other -at least once-.

And of course we all think Law was probably the bad guy, right? But, there are NO proofs of it whatsoever. What if Law AND Koby worked together against the 100 pirates Law left heartless? What if Law is not a real pirate, but perhaps has something to do with the Marine? Maybe the idea of creating this incident was to show fake information to the Marine. One possibility is that they wanted to show Law as a rival to hide his connections with some marines (Koby, X-Drake, Smoker) or maybe just the opposite, like "hey, this guy helps the marine" let's give him the Shichibukai title.

And by this I’m not really saying Law is a Marine. I don’t really think so. But, maybe he has something to do with the S.W.O.R.D. project where Koby, X- Drake, probably Smoker and Tashigi and Kuzan are involved.

From here I think it is important for me to clarify that -in my opinion- there are two sides of the Marine. The “bad guys” who let’s say are represented by Akainu; people who use the word “justice” WRONGLY. Those who work in the Marine just to protect nobles and tenryuubitos. And then the "good guys" those represented by Smoker, Cora, Bellemere, Koby, Garp, X-Drake, Ishoo who fight for TRUE JUSTICE. Even though if that depended on fighting with and not against some pirates.

A good example and I think Oda wanted to show this as a foreshadow of the future big war was these specific moment at Punk Hazard

Marines + SWORD + Pirates together against people sent by Doffy (a former Celestial Dragon). Or even during Dressrosa!

Aaaand what about Law’s relationship with Smoker? Remember how Law saved Smoker ass during his fight against Vergo? Remember how Law told Smoker about Green bit? Why the fuck would Law tell a marine about his plans? There is some info missing here that I hope Oda will enlighten us with it sooner.

Another of the many reasons Law might be involved in the SWORD project is his relationship with X-Drake. Back to Dressrosa arc, specifically during Cora’s flashback, X-Drake literally saved Law’s life indirectly. How? Well… the Ope Ope no mi was stolen by Cora from X-Drake's father. Little Drake was there too.

When Doffy heard the Marine radio stating they had found a child he thought it was Law and so they escaped. But in reality, the child was no other than X-Drake. Drake was adopted by Sengoku, just as he did with Cora and became a Marine. Drake and Smoker TRAINED together.

And then again, up until the current arc, with the help of Drake I think Law was able to escape Wano prison and attacked Hawkins.

And why would Drake help Law to escape if after all his dad was killed because of the events that involved little Law?... well, maybe because they are more than fellow supernovas… and what's Drake? A marine from Sword like Koby.

(Not to mention how Drake got even with Law because of his past by hitting the shit out of him during the “acting” at Wano prison in from of Hawkins).

So… to not make this text endless (even though I have many other reasons to believe Law is not a pirate at all) I'm sure Law FIGHTS for TRUE JUSTICE (besides him wanting to know about the will of D) for many reasons; 1. To avenge his family deaths, 2. To end up with the endless night the WG has brought into the world… after all he is a D, right?

But if you ask me about what's gonna happen with Luffy? I don't think he will get mad when he learns the truth about his precious Torao. After all Luffy is used to fight with the good marines against injustice! He even accepted X Drake to join them during Wano raid (Ch.990)

About his possible death, I really hope he doesn’t die, but to be honest, Oda has the power to decide it so… let’s pray this won't happen. And as he said many times “the moment someone makes a theory that’s true I will change it”.

So I could make this theory ENDLESS but for the sake of your sanity I won't go any further hahaha.

Thank u for asking, darling! ♥