#he’s playing the role his father decided for him long after his fathers dead

[sammygender]

trans headcanons of the winchesters are always extremely fun to play around with and i can see most of them. but one that always rings slightly false to me, despite a love for it due to self-identification and the fact it’s definitely interesting, is transmasculine dean. simply because if you’re going according to canon this would require him to have transitioned at some point prior to johns death, probably much prior, probably as a youngish kid. and i genuinely do not think that ever could’ve happened. he values johns approval too much and is too scared of demanding too much of him.

like even aside from whether john is Actually transphobic (i doubt he’s like Cartoonishly transphobic he probably would be annoyed by it slash not care much, interpret ‘not caring’ however you want) just the whole Thing of coming out where you’re like. “Hey dad im actually a human person who has an internal sense of self and such that doesn’t happen to be You 2.0 and am not the gender you thought i was and i feel emotions to such an extent that i actually like need to transition”…….

no fucking way dean would ever be able to do that to john while he’s still alive. please. teenage transmasculine dean would be like Well yeah sure i want to be a guy but that’s not an option for me whatsofuckingever. and crucially he’d be like that even if he knew entirely about trans people. now this is why transfemme dean works so well. because you just know it would take her at least thirty years to even consider it for a singular second.

on the other hand transmasc sam works so well because you can picture teenage transmasculine sam realising he’s a boy and promptly making it part of the whole entirely justified and very cool and fun teen angst rebellion FUCK YOU DAD thing. he could let spite carry him to the point of coming out. dean? he is burying that shit deep.

[baiabay]

No Role Modelz (ATSV Black Cat Variant! Reader Insert)

Chapter 1: Scaredy-Cat

Prologue

Chapter 1: Current Chapter

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

^^links 2 chapters!! this story is also on ao3, wattpad, and quotev under the same name ! <33

------------------------------------------------

A/N: Spot is here!!

 Hey all! Okay so first things first thank you so much for all the support of the last chapter! It honestly means alot given that ive never written before lol. Alsoooo sorry for the radio-silence after the last release, i just graduated highschool! So yay for me :) also means that ill have much more time to write since its summer break for me now. Lastly,sorry if this chapter seemed kinda slow, I wanted to try to incorporate what this universes’ Felicia Hardys “canon events”(or what would be of her canon events) would look like in this chapter to set up a bit of backstory, as someone who doesn’t read the comics nor play the games, pls forgive any inaccuracies in Felicias lore as I am only going based off of wikipedia (plus in this story reader is a minor so I wanted to exclude the nsfw trauma that Felicia goes through in og story) I also wanted to find out a way how to integrate reader into the main plot which is why i decided to feature Spot in this chapter :D thanks again for the support and don’t forget that this chapter along with any future ones will be posted to ao3/tumblr under the same title!

P.S. Much more Spider-Miles/Black Cat interactions next chapter!!

Word Count: 1844

---------------------------------------------------

You remembered it like it was yesterday.

Seven months ago, Brooklyn, New York.

Your father - The Black Cat’s face on every screen in the country, but most importantly yours.

BREAKING NEWS: WORLD-RENOWNED CAT BURGLAR CAUGHT IN THE ACT : IDENTITY SHOCKS THE NATION

…huh?

LIVE ON THE SCENE: ‘BLACK CAT’ REVEALED TO BE MULTI MILLIONAIRE WALTER HARDY AFTER RUN-IN WITH SPIDER-MAN

…no, this-

THIS JUST IN: CAT BURGLAR WALTER HARDY PRESUMED DEAD AT HEIST SCENE - POSSESSIONS TO BE TURNED IN TO OFFICIALS

This can’t be happening.

It was all too much at once. 

He never kept it secret from you. You knew about your father’s job.

You knew all about what he did. The planning, the heists, the reselling, he had done it for years. And you knew all about it.  But he had been doing this for years. Long enough to allow your family to live very comfortably. Long enough that you believed he would never be caught.

But yet there you were, all that you knew burned to the ground in a matter of minutes.

You remembered it like it was yesterday. Frantically packing everything you could into any bag you could find; clothes, money, pictures, weapons, anything - before they could take it away from you. 

And when they did, it was brutal. 

Live-streamed news coverage of men raiding your home, rummaging through your stuff- your father’s stuff- as if he never existed. 

Soon enough there were auctions. Bids, worth millions, on your father’s items, broadcasted across the nation, with drinks and music and finger foods - they made a fucking sport out of it. 

You remembered it like it was yesterday, the cheers in the street after the big-bad-black-cat was pronounced dead. The endless praise Spider-man received, that of which he took with a smile on his face. You had wished you could kill him.

You remembered it like it was yesterday, the day Peter Parker died.

You laughed.

.    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .  

Seven months later, Brooklyn, New York.

Ugh.

Muscles aching, you stretched up in your bed, and groaned. Ruffling the bedhead out of your hair, you reluctantly trudged out of your mattress to open a window. Coincidentally, one of your many cats was perched perfectly on its sill, wide-eyed and tail flicking in your direction.

“...This whole heist stuff is really catching up to me, huh?”

The cat stared. You sighed. You really had to get yourself some friends.

Ever since your fathers passing, you’ve basically been on your own. Shortly after all his (and your) possessions were seized, you hopped around until you managed to find shelter in a shitty apartment on the west side of town. You, fueled purely by spite (with a tasteful teeny tiny dash of vengeance on the side), inherited the criminal persona of your father, along with his criminal tendencies, and took upon yourself the name of The Black Cat. 

All this time you’ve managed to keep your identity completely secret, not even your resellers knew who you were. That came with one major drawback though… you were extremely lonely.

Even with your frequent charity rounds around the community, noone really knew who you were. Even though Black Cat was nonviolent, the name was widely feared seemingly everywhere you went. Even with your days at school, the school you’ve been going to for months now, you made your way around the halls unnoticed. 

Speaking of school, you were late. 

Shit. 

Spending ample time dazing out your window, you’ve completely lost track of time. You disregarded your hair and rushed to pull on your uniform. Stumbling around your complex you hastily dumped too large of a portion of cat food into the automatic feeder, something you’re sure the cats will be grateful for. Shoving a few snacks into your bag, you simultaneously shuffled into your school shoes, proceeding to dash out the door. 

Sprinting down the stairs, nearly tripping once, twice, you whipped out your phone to check when the next bus route would arrive. 35 minutes.

Shitshitshit.

You paused, still in the stairwell, before turning to sprint in the opposite direction, towards the rooftop terrace. Creaking open the door, you checked to make sure noone else was up there before making your way towards the edge of the terrace. To anyone else but you, it would look like a young student was about to make an unfortunate decision and jump. And jump you did. 

You fell for a few seconds, relishing in the way your stomach dropped. You’d never get tired of that feeling. Seeing the ground get closer, you released your grappling hook and latched onto the nearest building. Pulling and releasing, you quickly fell into a swinging pattern, towards Brooklyn Visions. 

Hidden from the eyes of civilians, you swung yourself through the shadows. Everyone looked so small from up there, and for a brief second, you found power in your lonesome. In the corner of your eye you noticed what seemed to be a lanky white figure clumsily flying through the air. (You paid it no mind).

Dropping down into a dark alleyway much closer to campus, you continued your mad dash towards the main entrance. Winded, you finally made your way inside the building, a thin layer of sweat shined on your forehead. The hallways were empty, class must be in session. You took a few steps forward, making your way towards your classroom until being knocked over by a student, very evidently in a hurry. 

“Sorry! Sorry, I didn’t mean to-I’m just in a rush, I didn’t mean…”

The boy reached out his hand to help you up.

“Hey, it's no problem, I get it.”

You smiled, and took your hand in his. He hesitated for a moment, staring, brows furrowed at your now interlocked hands, before nodding and continuing his sprint down the hallways. 

You took in his disheveled appearance, his wonky tie, his half-tucked shirt, untied laces, dark eyes, curly hair, brown skin, sweaty palms…

Your thoughts were quickly interrupted with the shrill ringing of the school bell. Suddenly, the hallways flooded with students rushing towards their next classes, you decided to follow suit. 

On the other side of the hallway, Miles Morales lingered on how his spidey-sense flashed alarms in his head when his hand touched yours. Every nerve in his system telling him to run, fight, dodge, anything to get away from you-he couldn't put his finger on why. (He paid it no mind). Blaming it on nerves, Miles shoved his way through the packed hallways, dreading the meeting waiting for him in the guidance counselor's office. 

.    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    

School was a bust, as always. Nothing new, you made your way through the rest of the day unnoticed. As always. But you didn’t have time to think about that right now.

At the moment, you were in the middle of going through numerous number-codes on a padlock blocking the vault door to an extremely expensive gemstone. You’ve been salivating over this stone for weeks now, planning out how and when exactly you would strike to get this thing in your hands. You could see it now, the headlines, the chaos, after some rando millionaire’s little rock was taken from him…

“Woah, hey, you’re new!”

You flinched, hard. Whipping around towards the source of this unusually chipper voice. You were met with… a cow? … Man?

You stared, hard. 

“Okay, hey. The ogling isn’t necessary… I just-”

The cowman’s sentence was cut short with a quick lash of your whip, that of which he caught…? Your whip seemed to phase right through a large black hole on his torso, the opposite end appearing in a similar black hole right behind you, the whips end striking your back. You cried out, hit with the full force of your lash.

Sinister giggles emerged from the spotted figure, pointed towards your pained form. You trembled, in shock. 

“It’s rude to interrupt.” 

Spot stepped slowly towards you, his…well, spots, whirring aggressively, pointedly. You were frozen on the ground. Staring up at him, your lips trembled open.

“What,” You coughed. Once, twice. “-what are you?”

The black and white figure straightened, only to then fold over into a dramatic, hilariously unthreatening pose. 

“You, can call me… The Sp-”

“Some sort of cow?” You snickered. It was now his turn to flinch, hard. 

“I am NOT a-” The cow cleared his throat. “I am not a cow…whydoeseveryonesaythat…I, am the most dangerous villain you’ve ever seen, The Spo-”

“I mean, what’s with that getup?” The grin on your face grew. “Is that… is that supposed to be a costume? Orrrr…” 

The Spot sighed, defeated. “...it’s skin.”

“It’s skin?” 

“Yes, yes, now I-”

You stood up, energy back and eyes crinkled. 

“Wow, that’s…hm, interesting…skin, that’s skin? Sorry, sorry-listen man, I uh, I really gotta get back to this, so if you don’t mind?”

Stepping backwards in offence, the spotted figure shook in anger before swinging out his arm, releasing numerous dark voids around the room. Hitting practically every surface, but one most importantly, landing on the vault door, separating you, from your stone.

“Ah-wait-”

Swiftly, The Spot weaved his way through his holes, limbs popping up and out around the room in a way you couldn’t even begin to reach for your whip. 

No way was he about to take it from you.

But take it, he did.

In what felt like seconds, the whole room was engulfed in black. Stumbling backwards, you fell through one of the voids, flailing ungracefully, swimming through nothing. 

It was hard to breathe. 

A shrill crackling terrorized your ears, and before you, appeared a very disheveled Spot, now fully black with white spots, facial dot whirring and trained on you.

Gem in hand. 

Panic.

You were panicking. The sound of blood thrummed in your ears as you squirmed around in nothingness. Fuck the rock, you just had to get out of here. 

A cold hand grabs your wrist, dragging you upwards, towards the crackling form. 

For the second time today, you were frozen.

“I am not a cow,”

The form spoke lowly.

“I am not some villain of the week”,

Frozen still, you did nothing but stare straight into his glare.

“I. Am. The Spot”.

Suddenly, you were dropped. For the second time today, your stomach dropped with you. Next thing you know you’re falling through another void, leading not into darkness, but through the city skyline. Seeing the ground get closer, you released your grappling hook and latched onto the nearest building. 

As soon as your feet reached a solid surface, your legs buckled. Heaving, you failed to process what just took place, heart pounding in your ears. 

“...the fuck was that?”

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   

Miles received word of commotion taking place downtown, something to do with spots. He had hoped it wasn’t what he thought it was, and it was. It was, and was so much worse. 

Dark spots littered a large manor, maniacal cackling emerging from its center. In the corner of his eye a familiar masked figure hunched over, breathing rapidly, staring straight ahead at the mess of spots.

(He paid it some mind.)

------------------------

Ppl that asked me to tag them!(thxx 4 the support!)

@nightshxdex

@itszzmoon

@blackcat-kittyblogs

@vxxxb

<3

[ugotnojamzzz]

Rulers of Ruin

Chapter 6

Genre: Mafia!au , Slowburn, Angst, Hurt, eventual smut, TW (it is a mafia!AU, after all)

Pairing: Mafia!Jungkook x reader

Synopsis: There will come a day when I will sit down and write an alluring synopsis for this series. But that day hasn't come just yet lol. Stay tuned for more chapters to come.

Disclaimer: English isn’t my native language. Also, don’t come for me over the theme, people. It’s an Alternate Universe, which means the bangtan boys are essentially what I like to call meat puppets to serve the storyline. This is obviously not a projection of their actual real-life personas.

Wordcount: 1.7k

Masterlist

Chapter 5

After her altercation with Jimin, YN’s frustration only grew stronger. For someone who supposedly played an important role in the upcoming feud, she’d never felt more sidelined. Always kept outside of the loop.

She found herself more restless and defiant than ever. Taking advantage of Taehyung’s occasionally distracted nature, she spent the following week slipping out of his line of sight every chance she got, exploiting the slightest opportunity to explore—or test—the limits of her captivity.

One evening, as she was escorted to the mansion's library for a new book to distract her from her boredom, Taehyung's attention was momentarily captured by a conversation with another agent, a young woman whose laughter seemed to echo distractingly down the dark hallway. Seizing the moment, Y/N discreetly slipped away, her steps silent on the plush carpet.

She wandered down the corridor, not expecting much, really. Only she stopped dead in her tracks, her ears picking up the muffled tones of a serious conversation seeping through the thick door of an adjacent parlor. Her curiosity piqued, she pressed closer.

"…seems they’re gearing up for war," She recognized Namjoon’s distinctive baritone, “We may need additional eyes out there soon."

“Maybe Hoseok?” another voice spoke, “"He's returning soon with Kookie, right?"

"Stop that,” Namjoon chided, his voice sharp, “you know he hates that nickname."

“Aish, you don’t need to fight his battles,” the voice said, “if your father was here-“

Her heart thudded with the thrill of the forbidden knowledge just within her grasp. She leaned in, straining to catch more.

“While on the topic of my father,” Namjoon’s voice grew tenser, “any updates?”

“He’s alright, for now,” the voice spoke, “but…”

Y/N's mind raced. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the conversation inside had ceased until the door suddenly swung open.

Namjoon’s piercing gaze met hers immediately, a frown creasing his brow. Behind him, YN recognized Seokjin standing in his white blouse, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Y/N," Namjoon's voice was a blend of disappointment and irritation. "Spying requires guile and vigilance," he paused, “it appears you’re lacking both.”

Her response came quick, tinged with defiance. "Maybe I need some lessons from your agents," she retorted sharply, her voice echoing slightly in the spacious hallway, “they’re clearly doing such a good job at keeping track of me.”

He chuckled dryly, not out of amusement but as a prelude to a sharper critique. "Watch your attitude,” he shot back, his eyes narrowing slightly as he assessed her, “it’s unbecoming."

She exhaled a frustrated sigh, feeling cornered yet defiant. "I've been kept in the dark for two weeks, Namjoon.” Her voice rose, a clear note of irritation threading through her words, “How long do you expect me to sit around waiting for you to decide my fate?"

Namjoon stepped out, closing the door behind him with a soft click. "Information is dispensed on a need-to-know basis," he stated firmly, approaching her. "And right now, you don’t need to know anything."

Y/N bristled at the dismissal, her anger flaring. "So, what do I need, then? More guards? An ankle bracelet, perhaps? Shall we test how tight this leash can get?"

Before he could respond, rapid footsteps echoed down the hallway. Taehyung appeared, breathing heavily, his usual composed demeanor unraveled by exertion. "Sorry, Boss—I lost sight of her for just a minute," he panted, casting a wary glance at Y/N.

Namjoon’s eyes flicked between Y/N and Taehyung, his displeasure evident. "Ensure it doesn’t happen again," he warned, then turned back to Y/N. "As for you, try to remember your place. If you keep this up, I won’t hesitate to make your conditions less... comfortable.” His threat hung heavily in the air, a stark reminder of the power he wielded. “Or perhaps I’ll simply ship you back to your brother, see if you prefer what he’s got in store for you.”

Before YN could utter a response, the broad-shouldered leader went back in the parlour, firlmy shutting the door behind him.

YN's anger boiled over as she stormed off, her heels clicking angrily against the marble floors. Behind her, Taehyung hurried to keep up, his own frustration mirroring hers but tinged with resignation. "Come on, don't do this," he called out, his voice barely cutting through her tirade.

"This is all ridiculous!” YN shouted back over her shoulder, her words sharp as daggers. “Complete, utter bullshit!" The cool night air did nothing to temper her heated words as she burst through the double doors into the garden.

She stomped outside still ranting to herself.

Taehyung sighed, dodging low-hanging branches as he tried to keep up with her brisk pace. "Ranting isn’t going to change anything," he called out, his voice barely cutting through the sound of the wind.

"And what would you suggest, huh? Compliance? Silent obedience?" she snapped back, turning to face him with a glare, “Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? You miserable pieces of shit!” she shouted

Taehyung sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's raining, Y/N. Let’s go back inside before you catch your death," he tried reasoning with her, his voice calm but firm.

“Oh sure, it’s the rain that’s going to kill me,” she rolled her eyes. "Last time I checked, a little water has never hurt anyone," she snapped, dismissing his concern with a wave of her hand. Her focus was solely on venting her frustration, paying little attention to where she was stepping. The garden path, slick with rain, was a treacherous terrain for her furious pacing.

Before Taehyung could warn her, YN's foot caught on the edge of a stone near the koi pond. Her balance lost, she stumbled with a startled yelp, arms flailing as she tried desperately to regain her footing. It was no use; gravity took over, and with a splash that echoed louder than her shouts, YN found herself submerged in cold murky water.

“Ah, shit,” Taehyung rushed to the pond’s edge, suppressing a chuckle as he extended a hand to help her out. “Looks like a little water might hurt after all," he remarked, trying to infuse a bit of humor into the situation.

Soaked and shivering, YN grasped his hand, her earlier fire doused by the icy pond water. "Very funny," she muttered, pulling herself up with his help. She stood dripping beside the pond, the rain mixing with pond water, her elegant outfit ruined and clinging uncomfortably to her skin.

Taehyung’s expression softened as he draped his jacket over her shoulders. "Come on, let’s get you inside and dried off," he said, guiding her back towards the mansion. "And maybe skip the midnight garden walks for a while, yeah?"

"Fuck off," she muttered under her breath, even as he escorted her toward her quarters, his jacket still wrapped around her.

--

In the warm embrace of the shower, Y/N let the hot water cascade over her, washing away the pond's chill and the night's frustrations. As the steam clouded around her, so did her thoughts, swirling with the events of the evening.

The steam seemed to seep into her pores, attempting to soothe the sting of humiliation and the cold realization of her helplessness.

Her mind replayed Namjoon's words, sharp and cutting, echoing against the tiles with every droplet that fell.

Remember your place.

the fall into the pond had been a jolt back to a reality she’d been trying to ignore. It wasn't just the physical shock of the cold water but the absurdity of the situation that gnawed at her. Here she was, a pawn in a game of power, maneuvered by people who saw her not as a person but as a leverage point—a tool in their negotiations and strategies. The very idea that she could be discussed as part of a war strategy was infuriating.

With every drop that washed over her, she pondered the bitter irony of her safety. Here, in between the tigers’ claws, surrounded by those who viewed her as little more than a bargaining chip, she was, in a twisted sense, probably safer than she had been in a long time. The thought stung, a reluctant admission that clawed at her pride.

Her last encounter with her brother had been under circumstances shrouded in shadows and tension, their parting more a series of harsh whispers and hurried steps than heartfelt goodbyes. The memory was a sharp jab to her conscience, a reminder of unfinished business and unresolved conflicts that lingered like ghosts in her mind.

The steam fogged up the mirror, and for a moment, she imagined it clouding out the world, giving her a momentary respite from the watchful eyes and calculated moves. But as comforting as the warmth was, it couldn't wash away the reality of her predicament.

She needed to be more than just compliant; she needed to be cunning. If they were going to use her as a piece in their games, then perhaps it was time to learn the rules and play back. Tonight, however, she would allow herself just a few more moments of solace in the simple, searing heat of the shower.

The comforting rush of warm water was abruptly overshadowed by some noise coming beyond the bathroom door. Y/N's muscles tensed beneath the cascade. "Taehyung,” she began, her voice, sharp with annoyance, echoing slightly off the tiled walls, “I told you not to—"

Her sentence was abruptly cut off as the door swung open with a force that suggested urgency—or a complete utter lack of care. "Jesus Christ—" Y/N exclaimed, a mix of surprise and irritation in her tone. She instinctively spun around, her eyes squinting through the billowing steam. She could make out a figure, distinctly different from Taehyung's lean silhouette.

Before she could fully shield herself or demand an explanation, a deep, unfamiliar voice cut through the mist.

"And who the fuck are you?"

--

guess who? lol

Anyway hope you liked it. If some of you are intrigued or interested in finding out more, don't hesitate to interact and I'll start posting some more chapters! Also questions and remarks and feedback are welcome xxx

Chapter 7

Masterlist

Taglist

@princess-sunshyn

@loumin908

[go-river-flows]

The Lone Hunter

Summary: The following day, the kids want to hear the rest of the story of the lone hunter. Featuring Tsu'tey who is not dead after the first film.

Part 2 of 3

<–Previous Chapter | Next Chapter –>

Jake and Neytiri sat on the bank of the river, watching their kids play in the water. Tuk started to cry from the loud noise, so her mother started humming a tune and swaying her daughter. Jake watched his wife as she hummed. His good friend Tsu’tey arrived announcing himself to the family, sitting beside Jake. 

“Brother, where’s your wife?” Jake asked him, looking around.

“She’s out hunting, even though I told her to rest,” Tsu’tey grumbled slightly, peeved that he lost in their argument before she took off.

Jake chuckled as he glanced at Tsu’tey’s battle scars. 

“She’s more than capable of taking care of herself, brother,” Jake reassured him. Neteyam turned to his Uncle Tsu’tey, taking a few steps toward him and gave him a shiny rock that he found in the water.

“Hello Uncle ‘Tey!” Neteyam greeted him as Lo’ak joined his brother, also doing the same. Handing his uncle a smooth pebble. The two men chuckled at the children in front of them. “Have you heard the story of the lone hunter? Dad told it last night,” Neteyam asked his Uncle, who raised his brow at Jake.

“No, I have not heard about it,” he smiled at the kids, though he already knew it.

“You know kids. I didn't actually finish the story,” Jake confessed to his children, little Kiri now joining them.

“Ooh, can you tell us the rest?” Kiri bounced up and down with a sparkle in her eye. “Sure I can…” And with that, Jake continued on from where he left off…

*

After the palulukan chased Jake and Neytiri down, the voice of the lone na’vi called out. 

“Hona! Return!” But Jake and Neytiri didn't stay as they proceeded to run back to Hometree. Unsure about what happened, they decided to enquire about it to their Olo’eyktan, Eytukan.

The leader was reluctant to tell them at first, but when asking about a Palulukan Makto, Eytukan looked at them confused.

“We don't have a Palulukan Makto in our clan,” Eytukan confessed, to Jake and Neytiri’s bewilderment.

“But father, there was a woman,” Neytiri confirmed, “We heard her voice, her command. If not for her, we would be dead.”

Eytukan’s brow furrowed, slowly piecing the picture together.

“I think we should tell them,” Mo’at’s voice interrupted. Eytukan looked to his mate. “I think we should tell everyone. We shall have a communal dinner tonight, everyone will be present.”

The word spread to all in the Omatikaya clan. The hunter’s sent to catch a large titanothere for the meal. And when the eclipse came. The clan gathered with their meals, and Eytukan began the tale of two traitors. 

  Many many moons ago, before Eytukan was leader, there were two na’vi. One of them, a female na'vi. And the other, a male who was but a simple hunter. The man named Ha’nim, the woman, Luö’hwep. 

   Luö’hwep was already engaged to another na’vi, they courted and eventually mated before Eywa, they had a child, and raised her for twenty years. But one day, Luö’hwep had lost herself in the deep Pandoran jungle whilst searching for herbs. She asked Eywa to guide her home, and Eywa did at first. But as she returned to Hometree she met a man. Ha’nim, who was hunting not too far away. They had never interacted before that moment, but have seen each other in passing. That night as Ha’nim guided Luö’hwep back to Hometree, he confessed to her that he liked her. Had been watching her for a long time. In fact he had fallen in love with her, but could not tell her as she is already mated. Luö’hwep, in revelation revealed that she too had been watching him, and had too fallen in love with him. But she could not confess her feelings. 

  In light of this, Luö’hwep revealed to him that her engagement was arranged by her parents. That she had no choice but to do as her parents said. They played a large role in the clan and demanded of her to follow in their footsteps. Even the marriage played a part in their roles. But Luö’hwep did not love her mate. Nor did her love her.

  When they arrived back to the village, they bid each other good night and parted ways. But they would meet again. Night after night, they would sneak away and meet in the same spot, where they had found each other. One night, they decided to visit the tree of voices. And by then Luö’hwep’s mate had grown suspicious of his wife, following them. It was there at the tree of voices where the two followed their heart. Where the two would bond their queue’s, mating before Eywa. Luö’hwep’s mate, outraged and decieved confessed their crime to the Olo’eyktan and Tsahik. And upon hearing the news, banished Ha’nim and Luö’hwep from the clan. But Luö’hwep’s daughter, who knew of her parents relationship would defend her mother. 

  The clan’s leader, angered and who felt betrayed by his soon to be daughter-in-law, banished her too. That would be the clan leader’s downfall. His son, his second of three would take his leave too, choosing to be by his mate’s side.

It is believed that sometime after their banishment from the Omatikaya clan, the young couple mated before Eywa, and were blessed with a child. But they never returned to the Omatikaya clan, and were belived to seek uturu (sanctuary) someplace far away. No one knows what truely happened to them. Even til now. It was believed that this story was made up so that na’vi should only seek out one mate. A warning of sorts.

Neytiri and Jake were saddened by the story. Mo’at upon seeing her daughter’s sad expression, would acknowledge that it is possible that the Palulukan Makto is the granddaughter of Luö’hwep. That the Palulukan Makto is a descendant of an  Omatikayan. But for now, it is just a tall tale.

“Only Eywa knows,” Mo’at finally said, not wanting to speculate any more. 

That night when Jake’s avatar slept, he would wake in his human body. The story, still fresh in his mind would tell Grace and Norm.

*

Tsu’tey remembers that story as that day replays in his mind. 

“That's it?” Kiri whined.

“That's the whole story?” Neteyam added. Tsu’tey chuckled at the two children.

“No, it hasn’t finished yet. But eclipse is almost upon us,” Jake paused. “Let’s all have dinner first, then I’ll tell you the rest. Brother, will you be joining us?” Jake turned to Tsu’tey.

“No, no. I should return to ma yawne,” Tsu’tey began to stand, patting Jake’s shoulder before giving a knowing look, to which Jake returned.

<–Previous Chapter | Next Chapter –>

Taglist: @barbecuetiddy @cumikering @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed

[arklay]

RESIDENT EVIL → THE WESKER FAMILY

To the public, little is known of the families behind some of the world’s most renowned bioterrorists, but the question remains: did they play a role in causing their children to walk down the path that they did? Or are these individuals simply ambitious criminals with delusions of grandeur?

For Diana Wesker (née Afanasyeva), her introduction into the bioweapons black market trade was upon discovering her employers were using her research into limb regeneration with salamanders to further their experiments in creating enhanced soldiers, instead of developing human therapies with which she was recruited for. Although the prospect of using biological weapons in the military did not appeal to her, the concept remained fascinating for her own selfish endeavours. Born on the 27th of October, 1963 in Sydney, Australia to Russian immigrant parents, Diana had harsh expectations placed upon her at a young age, ones that no matter how hard she tried she could never live up to. Her mother, Tatyana, was an unfeeling woman, absent for long stretches of time with little regard to how it affected her daughters, much more concerned with her craft as an accomplished opera singer. Viktor was no better. A strict man whose role as father and ballet master blurred, he pushed his girls to one day follow in his footsteps. Whilst Sofia enjoyed ballet, and went on to become a professional ballet dancer, Diana’s heart was set on going into the field of biology. She wished to make a name for herself, separate from her family – to which she succeeded.

Diana was married to former U.S. Marine, Dave Monroe, for only a year until he was declared dead in 1992 after succumbing to injuries sustained in a horrific car accident. Foul play was ruled out while Diana played the role of the grief-stricken widow, but in reality, she had snapped after years of mistreatment at her husband’s hands, and opted for something she could pass off as an accident to be free of him. For years she believed he was dead – and he was, legally – but that proved to not be the case when he found his way back into her life again in 1999. Unbeknownst to her, she had been lied to by the police and coroner, who were paid off by her employers when they took Dave’s body for themselves and used him as one of their first test subjects in developing supersoldiers. Before he could ever hurt her again, Diana’s second husband, Albert Wesker, tracked the man down, captured him and tortured him, before allowing Diana to get her violent and bloody revenge.

The origins of Albert Wesker’s involvement in bioterrorism, alongside his twin sister, Alex, are much different than that of Diana’s. The two hail from London, Canada, but unfortunately, they hold no memories of their lives there, nor what happened to their biological parents when they were eight years old. Agents of Oswell E. Spencer, an aristocratic billionaire and eugenicist, took the twins from their home and executed their parents as per Spencer’s orders. Albert and Alex were then placed in a home funded by the Spencer Foundation where they were given new names and a privileged upbringing. They had access to the best education possible, free to pursue whichever field they decided, but it was by no accident they both went into virology and bioengineering; at home, their adoptive parents – agents whom they believed to be their real parents – instilled them with the beliefs of Oswell E. Spencer, harbouring disdain for war and pestilence, and believing humans to be an evolutionary dead-end in need of a rebirth. They were only two of the hundreds of children “adopted” as part of what is known as Project W, a plan intended to develop an advanced race of human beings. The most promising candidates were headhunted by Umbrella Pharmaceuticals, the twins amongst them, where they went on to create bioweapons for the company founded by none other than the man who had handpicked them for his plan. The final stage of this was to infect the thirteen Spencer saw fit, however, only two survived; Albert received the intended effects, now possessing superhuman abilities, however, Alex was only offered more time to live due to her terminal degenerative illness.

In the summer of 1995, Diana was working undercover within Umbrella to gather development data on their projects for her company. Here, she had a chance encounter with Albert, an intelligence officer at the time, which permanently altered the course of her life. The two were never seen far from one another’s side, marrying in 1998, and they went on to become notorious in the bioweapons industry. The development of the Uroboros virus was where things took a turn for the worst. Although Diana’s infection was successful and she bore abilities that rivalled her husband’s, the plan itself did not succeed as they had hoped, and almost cost Albert his life at the hands of his former subordinates.

Now, they work within the shadows, with Diana declared missing and Albert believed to be dead. Their legacy, however, lives on with the mark they left on the world. As visionaries in their field, they influenced bioterror attacks carried out by countless individuals and organisations. In turn, they also inspired others to fight against such atrocities. One such person happens to be Albert’s son from a former relationship, Jake Müller, whose existence he was unaware of.

[sleepingdeath-light]

what kind of dad he’d be hcs ; zeke yeager

requested by ; anonymous (10/10/23)

fandom(s) ; attack on titan

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; zeke yeager

outline ; “Hello! Can I request a dad headcanons (as in reader is his kid) about Reiner or Zeke [you can do both of them if you feel like it] (AoT)? What kind of father would he be and how would he deal with being a single parent. Those dudes have some issues, so I'm curious how that would impact their parenting styles. Have a nice day or night!”

note ; very shaky characterisation as i haven’t written for reiner before — also this spans from pre-rumbling to just before his death

warning(s) ; canon typical references to violence and angst, but mostly fluff!

though he is a notably ruthless and cunning tactician on the battlefield, when it comes to his role as your father zeke does his best to be just about everything his own father wasn’t — sometimes this translates to his patience when helping you learn about the history of your world or another fundamental skill, and other times this means him greeting you with warmth and affection after a successful mission with his fellow soldiers (giving you all of the attention he was denied growing up… or, well, as much of it as he can afford to give due to how all consuming his role can be)

when he’s out on missions or training it’s his grandparents that take care of you, making sure that you’re well loved and supported as you learn and grow as a person — they’re also the ones that keep track of any milestones you reach in his absence so that he’s able to quickly get back up to speed whenever he comes home

every second that he has to spare is spent doting on you: playing games together, helping you with your homework, helping you read that new book he bought you, eating together as a family, and giving you every little gift he collected on his missions away — it’s hard to find something that’s not charred and broken after he’s attacked a town, but he somehow always manages because in zeke’s mind you only deserve the best

he deals with an immense amount of guilt for bringing you into a world where you’re seen as a threat for your heritage and while he does go through a period of deliberation just after your birth, in the end he still decides to go through with his plan of sterilising all eldians — he loves you, adores you even, but he’s well and truly set on doing what he perceives to be the right thing for all of humanity… even if it means negatively impacting you in the process

zeke is all too aware that his time on this earth has been massively shortened by his adoption of the beast titan form, and naturally he started putting in measures from your infancy to ensure that you’d be well taken care of after his inevitable death — he arranged for his grandparents to formally adopt you and take you in, starts writing letters to you in his free time for all of those milestones he’s going to miss, sera aside some clothing and other items of his for you to keep as reminders of him, and even goes and gets a formal family picture done when you’re old enough to remember it

he doesn’t talk to you much about your grandparents, diana and grisha, but you learn the basics from your great grandparents — who they were, what happened to them, and what their relationship with your father was like (of course zeke leaves you a letter with a full explanation about your heritage to read once you’re old enough, and he’s long dead, but for now all you need to know is the ‘who’ and that they died a long time before you were born)

of course he isn’t perfect and, as much as he tries to emulate the positive example set by his grandparents, there are times when he makes mistakes and lashes out at you for something you’ve done (usually interrupting him when he’s in a meeting or doing something dangerous without realising just how risky your behaviour was) — in those moments he’ll scream so harshly that you can’t help but be terrified, and the moment you start crying and he notices it you’ll see him freeze as he snaps out of his anger before he goes to comfort you and apologise

he refuses to be like grisha

he’s extremely protective and secretive about you and isn’t above threatening or killing people that try to leverage your existence against him — in fact he’s so keen on keeping your existence as his child as much of a secret as possible that there are only a small handful of people that know about you (namely your family — including eren when zeke was trying to get him to sympathise with his cause — and a few of his most trusted fellow warriors)

[evilpenguinrika]

Laurel Lyre Moodboard (a Candela Obscura character)

I finally finished creating the mood board for my character that I will be playing with my friends! If you wanna learn more, her bio is under the cut! It's a bit brief since I don't want to make it too long, but the more important beats are included!

Name: Laurel Lyre (born 楊小麗 / Siu Lai "Lorelei" Yeung) Age: 29 (born in 1883) Occupation: Performer - Magician/Illusionist Role: Face - Sweet Talk Specialty: Magician - The Prestige (change appearance)

Catalyst: Laurel joined Candela Obscura at 18 after witnessing her mentor shatter into glass fractals after touching a crystal pearl necklace.

Personality:

Laurel is showy and lives for the spotlight. She loves to perform tricks and wows the audience with her impeccable showmanship and sleight of hand. She's cunning, quick-witted, gregarious, confident, and assertive. But that’s Laurel--that’s her stage persona.

Lorelei is completely different. Lorelei is closed off, reserved, untrusting of others, and builds walls around her. She's self-serving and will do whatever it takes to survive, even if it means pulling others down.

She also has a bit of a saviour complex due to her past with her mother.

Background:

Lorelei grew up with a single mother, Shuyi (雪儀 Syut Yi) and lived in one of the speakeasies at the Red Lamp. Lorelei was like a daughter to the other workers and other girls at the speakeasy and always loved the atmosphere there.

One of the ladies--Caroline Salazar, would look after Lorelei when her mother was preoccupied. Auntie Caroline would teach the girl sleight-of-hand magic tricks to pass the time. But aside from learning illusory magic, Lorelei had real magick as well, though she never got a chance to fully utilize her inherent magickal abilities because her mother instinctually told Lorelei that magick was bad and to never use it again.

Growing up, Lorelei's mom had these grand delusions and unrealistic fantasies about their futures. She had instilled these ideals in Lorelei, and unfortunately, even instilled a saviour complex in the young girl. Lorelei was always told that she was going to save them, that once Lorelei's father saw her, he would immediately know she was his and would bring the two of them back with him to become a family.

Lorelei was eleven when she found her mother's dead body from a drug overdose.

Auntie Caroline adopted Lorelei soon after, but the transition was rough on the girl because she saw all the other Aunties as nothing but mean bullies who failed to save her mom. This also caused Lorelei to believe that she failed to save her mother. After all, her mother had told Lorelei she was going to save them both--that she was going to bring her father to them. But that was no longer going to happen because her mother was dead and Lorelei failed her.

Lorelei became more closed off and jaded to the rest of the world, always believing in the worst. Her idealized version of her mother slowly cracked away the longer she experienced the cruelty of reality, realizing that her mother's delusions of grandeur were nothing but childish fantasies that she never grew out of.

She got dragged into a few shady dealings and business after her mentor, Anna Margaret Moore saw potential in Lorelei. They did a few petty crimes, mostly stealing and reselling. But it wasn't until Anna Margaret saw Lorelei use magick for the first time did the older woman decided to use Lorelei even further. They were after a particular artifact of interest when they encountered members of the Red Hand. Lorelei used her magick to protect the two but accidentally incapacitated one of the Red Hand members. Anna Margaret ordered Lorelei to kill them but the teen refused as she never killed anyone before. Anna Margaret finished the job instead and found the artifact, a crystal pearl necklace. But when the woman touched it, she began to shatter like fragile glass and essentially died.

Not knowing what to do, Lorelei ran away.

[moxie-girl]

I wanted to just put together a post with all of my ideas so far for the straw hat Uta au… (under the cut cause it's long)

the gist of the au is that the main strawhats are all replaced by other characters from their backstories/islands/etc? it's a little confusing to explain but here's what I got so far: (list is in recruitment order, not by role)

Luffy -> Uta (Captain) Uta in this AU ate the gum-gum fruit instead of Luffy (who then ate the sing-sing fruit.) her dream is to be the pirate king, but she doesn't have quite the same deal with Shanks as Luffy does, mostly because I think it'd be funny if the crew was ambushed by Pirate Emperor Shanks and Uta was just like "oh!! that's my dad!!! :D" Uta also grew up on dawn island in this au, because after she ate her devil fruit, Shanks thought it was too dangerous to keep her on the ship (since the WG was kinda after her.) she's a little less than a year older than Ace+Sabo b/c I messed w/ the ages a bit and I wanted her to be the older sister (like half of the crew in the beginning are all older sisters lol but that wasn't even on purpose…) Uta's fighting style is pretty similar to Luffy's, but she has a bit of a head-start on Haki since she spent so much time with Shanks.

Zoro -> Kuina (Swordsman) Zoro's not actually dead in this au, just fyi, because I didn't want to kill off any of the canon strawhats, but his accident did put him in a coma for a while, and he kinda lost most of his ambition and is still struggling with his lost dream… Kuina picked up 3-sword style to "take him with her" and prove to him that it's not an unachievable dream. she's got a bit of a complex still from some of the stuff her father said, and insists on being a "swordsman", not a "swordswoman," which is why when Uta approaches her and says she wants to be the pirate king, that is part of what convinces her to join. Kuina also uses Wado Ichimonji more than Zoro does - I noticed in canon he typically uses his two other swords and only uses Wado when he needs to use three-sword-style, so Kuina is kinda the opposite - she uses one-sword style more as well.

Nami -> Nojiko (Cook) I wanted to not keep all the switched characters' roles exactly the same as their canon counterparts, so I decided to play more with cocoyasi island's tangerine groves and make Nojiko a cook who specializes in tangerine dishes. I imagine she learned to cook to try to make the simple foods she had growing up more appetizing, and continued after Belle-mere died because she had to keep Nami fed. She still worked as a thief for Arlong, same as canon Nami, but instead of his navigator, her role was basically his servant in that she cooked for him and the other Arlong pirates. she fights with Belle-mere's rifle, mostly a mid-range fighter, but she can also use it as a blunt weapon Benn Beckman-style, and does this more after Uta mentions that her dad's first mate fights like that.

Usopp -> Kaya (Doctor) this one's kinda a no-brainer role-wise, and also I really can't believe the canon strawhats didn't get a doctor until like 90 episodes in like?? how are they not dead tbh. Usopp in this au grew to hate Yasopp for leaving instead of admiring him, but Kaya as a kid would also listen to Usopp's mom's stories about Yasopp and was excited by the idea of being a pirate. Kaya also wants to be a doctor because Usopp's mom died from a disease that was potentially treatable, but the doctors on syrup had no idea how to. this Kaya also chafes a lot more under Kuro's strict rules, and he was particularly upset because she kept "squandering" her family fortune on things like medical textbooks and expensive tutors. Kaya fights mostly with scalpels, because I'm an absolute sucker for characters that use scalpels like knives, and at some point on their journey (maybe Drum?) she learns to coat the blades in poisons/paralytics.

Sanji -> Reiju (Navigator) Reiju in this au is the sibling who the enhancements didn't work on, which Judge hates even more because Reiju looks so much like Sora. Sanji is technically Stealth Black, but he actually secretly does have emotions, the physical enhancements just worked on him. He still wants to be a cook, and one of the reasons Reiju wants to map the world is so she can find the All Blue for him. Reiju has a pretty similar backstory to canon Sanji, as in dungeon -> escape to a passenger ship -> shipwrecked with attacking pirate, etc, but the (currently unnamed) pirate she was shipwrecked with wanted to map the way to raftel, and instead of being stuck on a rock, they're stuck in a wrecked lifeboat, where they could theoretically get to an island if they had any navigational gear, but they didn't. Reiju is a bit paranoid about getting lost, the same way Sanji is about wasting food, and she aslo fights with kicks, because how could she draw detailed maps if she damaged her hands? (the only difference is that she wears sharp stiletto heels and tends to stab people with them.)

Chopper -> Vivi (Strategist/Diplomat) (+ Karoo) When this au's strawhats go to drum, they technically already have a doctor, but since Kaya can't treat the bug bite they still need help. Kaya learns a lot from Kureha, but since they don't need a doctor, Chopper stays on drum (for the time being.) Instead, at the end of the alabasta saga, Vivi entrusts her kingdom to her father and Kozha, and decides she'd rather be free and joins the strawhats. her job is kinda vague, but it's basically to try to deal with any situation the strawhats get into diplomatically, though they end up resorting to violence most of the time anyway. she's also the crew's planner, since Uta has a little more respect than Luffy for a well-thought-out plan (but not much!) Karoo also joins the crew, and is their "cute animal mascot" in place of Chopper. I imagine the fact of Vivi having the "will of D" is better-known or leaked somehow in this au, because there has to be someone on the crew who's a "D." Vivi fights using her peacock slashers, obviously, though they get a couple major upgrades at some point.

Robin -> Bon Clay/Bentham (Intel Officer/Entertainer) Robin still betrays Crocodile and helps the strawhats, but she runs off and joins the revolutionaries for a time instead. Instead, Bentham also betrays Crocodile, since he's grown to like Uta and the others, and joins the crew. he has two roles: his devil fruit allows him to gather intel when the crew needs it and confuse enemies, and he enjoys dancing and storytelling and does this in free time on the ship. the crew doesn't have an official musician, since Uta still loves music and grew up with this au's Luffy, who has the sing-sing fruit, so Uta and Bentham both play that role in a way. since both he and Vivi were in baroque works for a while, they often make references to that time like: "hey remember that time we did [super fucked up mission story none of the crew are willing to ask if is actually true]." Bentham's dream is not only to find the okama kingdom, but also to spread the okama ideal around the world so that more people understand it, which stems from his backstory - his parents disowned him because they weren't accepting of his identity :(. he fights with the okama kenpo style, and often trains with Reiju since their fighting styles are very compatible.

Franky -> Paulie (Shipwright) Paulie also wants to build a ship that sails the world, though he's less open about this ambition for fear of ridicule. after enies lobby - where Franky and Iceburg are captured to find the pluton blueprints - Franky decides to stay (for now) to help rebuild the galley-la company and fix up the sea trains with Iceburg. the ship the strawhats get built isn't the Sunny (if/when this au's Luffy sets sail, he'll eventually end up on the Sunny.) since I'm discarding most of the movie canon, their new ship is the Tot Musica: the figurehead bears a resemblance to the demon, and it's a bit more steampunk in design, since Paulie draws more inspiration from the sea trains and his style isn't the same as Franky's more high-tech designs. the Tot Musica's special features draw from stored solar power to work steam engines (like those in the sea trains) and to make an allusion to the sun since the ship isn't named after it. Paulie has a hard time at first on a ship with so many girls since he's so easily embarrassed lol… also he fights using a variety of ropes of different widths/strengths and with different weights/other objects tied onto them.

Brook -> Perona (Archeologist) the crew still help Brook out, but he decides he wants to sail a bit on his own to see how the world has changed. instead, they pick up Perona on thriller bark and she decides to join! I'm playing around a bit with how Perona's devil fruit works, and saying it also allows her to speak with ghosts to some extent. Perona gained an intrest in history because of this, and at one point in her childhood asked a ghost she knew to teach her lots of languages - this ghost was an oharan who died before the island was destroyed, so they taught her how to read poneglyphs without thinking it was a big deal. this ghost taught her enough that she is considered an honorary oharan archeologist, and she meets up with Robin at some point in the story and they get along pretty well. Perona's personality is still pretty close to canon, like her obsession with cute things (she loooves Karoo) but her dream is to find out more about the void century, since not even any ghosts she talks to can tell her about it. she fights using her devil fruit pretty much the same way, but she also has a tendency to see ghosts following people around and comment on it to unsettle them, like "oh your grandma is so disappointed in you :("

additionally, while most other canon characters stay the same, there are two other characters I'm adding, who also serve the purpose of rounding the supernovas up to an unlucky 13…

Lami Lami and Law both live in this au, and they're unhealthily codependent and attached at the hip. Lami is the Heart Pirates' first mate, though she's basically the co-captain. she and Law were both rescued by Corazon, since while both he and Doflamingo saw Doffy in Law, Cora saw himself in Lami. she's more of a medicinal/chemical based doctor as opposed to Law, a surgeon, and she fights using chemical concoctions and bombs - think a little like Honey Lemon from BH6? Lami originally doesn't have a devil fruit, but during dressrosa, since I haven't worked out how but I know Ace lives, the coliseum prize is Cora's devil fruit, which she obtains and eats.

Vicky "Punk Vicky" Victoria (the girl from Kidd's backstory who died & he named his ship after) is the captain of the Kidd Pirates, who are called the Punk Pirates in this au. Killer is still her first mate, and Kidd is the shipwright/mechanic/main fighter(?). Kidd still has the biggest bounty, due to property damage - something she's very frustrated about. I don't have much to work with for her, considering there's only one canon doodle of her, but to fit in with the punk-rock designs of the rest of the crew, I imagine she wears heavy/dark makeup, dyes her hair different bright colors (the mental image I have is her having a different hair color every time the strawhats meet her) and wears clothes with lots of spikes and patches. Vicky's main weapon would be a spiked baseball bat, and she's also skilled in hand-to-hand combat.

[foxydivaxx]

ZOSAN: End Of Pardise Chapter 1

ZORO'S POV

I must admit, I've been skating on thin ice of luck. My old man, Mihawk, kept me sheltered from the gritty underbelly of the mafia scene for ages. Sure, I knew what pops was up to, but I minded my own business. Getting tangled up with those unsavory types was never my cup of tea.

Or so I told myself. Then along came Sanji. Curse that stupidly handsome Sanji. The day he sauntered into my life was etched in my memory like a tattoo; September 15, a day to remember.

Everyone in the hallway stopped dead in their tracks as Sanji strutted past, paying no mind to the gawking masses. Confidence dripped off him like sweat on a summer day. And why wouldn't it? He was hotter than a furnace. Decked out in rebellious glory—long tees, shredded leggings, boots bedazzled to the nines, and a touch of eyeliner that screamed rockstar.

Silent as the grave, too. Almost eerie. Rumor had it some poor soul ripped his tongue out for getting too cozy with the wrong girl. To add to the mystery, nobody knew a lick about him. He was a lone wolf even during lunchtime.

Intrigued, I decided to play detective. During class, I'd catch him shooting glances my way, a smirk playing on his lips. Was he interested in me, or was I just imagining things?

The mystery deepened during lunch one day. My buddies and I had just polished off our meals when I spotted Sanji slipping out the door.

"Where's he always sneaking off to?" Luffy wondered aloud, his gaze following Sanji's disappearing act.

"Maybe he's a loner," Robin mused.

"Yeah, noticed how he shies away from girls," Nami chimed in.

"Maybe that tale about some dude punishing him over a girl is true," Usopp shrugged.

"Alright, let's play detective," I declared, rising to my feet, Luffy and Usopp trailing behind me.

Call me nosy, but I had to uncover the mystery behind that blonde bombshell who'd been renting space in my head for weeks. Why'd it always have to be blondes, anyway?

But as I followed him, I stumbled upon something I hadn't expected. An older man, stepping out of a sleek red sports car, escorting Sanji away without a word. The sight left a bitter taste in my mouth. Was this guy Sanji’s sugar daddy?

Sanji's POV

Leaving school midday was always a gamble, especially when my dad summoned me with a text during lunch. Being the Consigliere of the Mafia, though, it was par for the course. While others in the gang had their roles, there were certain tasks only I could handle. Maybe it was because I was the youngest member, or maybe it was my knack for blending into the shadows and slipping through the cracks.

“So, what's my mission, Pedro?” I asked as our car sped away from the school.

Pedro, my silent companion and fellow spy, glanced at me from the driver's seat. “Your mission this time is to infiltrate the Charlotte's party.”

Years ago, Pudding had played me for a fool, her deceit staining our once-promising connection. Now, Dad spoke of arranged marriages and alliances as if my heart were just another piece on his chessboard.

But this party—just the mention of Blackbeard sent a chill down my spine. His name carried weight, a dark cloud looming over even the toughest of us.

“Blackbeard,” I repeated, feeling the gravity of his influence.

Pedro nodded gravely. “It’s risky, Sanji. But your father insists.”

“This is going to be one risky assignment. But we have no choice here. I don't know what Father's intentions are, but there's only one way to find out.”

As we returned home to prepare for the mission ahead, I braced myself for the storm brewing on the horizon.

Father greeted me with his usual stern demeanor, and I steeled myself for the conversation to come.

“Did Pedro brief you?” he asked, his eyes piercing through me.

“Yes, but I'm still unclear. Why him, Father? Going after Blackbeard will only stir up more trouble for us.”

“Indeed, but I've made a shocking discovery, son,” Father began, his voice low and intense. “Remember your accident years ago? Turns out that bastard was keeping tabs on you.”

He handed me a document, and as I scanned its contents, my blood ran cold. “Your mother was informed by her sister, Isolde—part of the Italian Mafia, by the way—that Blackbeard wanted to kill her as punishment for a bad trade.”

The revelation ignited a fire within me. “What's the plan, Father?”

Normal POV

Sanji arrived at the party venue dressed in a sleek black tuxedo, his disguise of choice for blending into the shadows. It was situations like these that made his job as an assassin all the more convenient. After all, who would suspect a blonde teenager of harboring such deadly secrets?

That's why they called him the Angel of Death—his presence unnoticed until it was too late. It was his double life, navigating the treacherous waters of high school by day and the dangerous underworld of espionage by night.

Being homeschooled had shielded him from prying eyes, but now, as he mingled with the crowd, he couldn't help but feel exposed. His father's decision to send him to high school had seemed odd at first, but then he met a certain Marimo—a certain Zoro—who added a new dimension to his life. But thoughts of Zoro had to wait; now wasn't the time.

To protect his family's secrets, Sanji had adopted a facade of silence, distancing himself from his peers. So imagine his surprise when he spotted Zoro standing next to who he suspected to be Mihawk Dracule—his own father. Mafia ties, it seemed, ran deeper than he'd realized. His mission to observe Blackbeard suddenly became more complicated.

As Zoro's gaze met his own, Sanji felt a flutter in his chest. What was he doing here? Before he could contemplate further, Mihawk approached him with boisterous greetings.

"Ah, Sanji! Look at you, all grown since the last time I saw ya!"

Zoro's glare didn't go unnoticed as he questioned their connection. Sanji, deciding it was time to drop the act, revealed his true self.

"Our fathers know each other. No big deal," he said with a nonchalant shrug.

Zoro's surprise at hearing Sanji speak was evident. "Why the silence in school, then?"

"Some secrets are best left hidden."

Zoro's attempt at lightening the mood with a joke about "sugar daddies" earned a chuckle from Sanji, though he quickly corrected the misunderstanding.

"Dad's driver, Pedro, is hardly a sugar daddy," Sanji retorted, the tension easing slightly.

Their moment was interrupted by the arrival of Helmeppo and Pudding, casting a shadow over the conversation. Zoro's protective gesture didn't go unnoticed by Sanji, who appreciated the support.

"The only losers I see here are you and your companion. Seriously, that suede suit? It's so outdated, it hurts my eyes. And don't even get me started on that princess outfit—it looks like something a child would wear to a tea party. Do yourselves a favor and upgrade your wardrobe, pronto."

With a well-timed insult, Zoro deflected the awkwardness, leaving Pudding and Helmeppo fuming as they retreated.

"Thanks," Sanji murmured, a hint of gratitude in his voice.

"Don't mention it," Zoro replied, the tension between them momentarily forgotten in the heat of the moment.

"You know, you clean up nicely in a tux," Sanji observes. Zoro chuckles. "Funny, considering I despise formal wear. But since Papa Hawk insisted on dragging me here tonight, I had no choice."

Sanji nods, suspecting that Zoro's father wants to gradually introduce him to the Mafia world. "You look stunning tonight, Curlybrows. Quite the departure from your usual rocker look at school."

Sanji laughs, knowing Zoro would bring that up. "Oh, this? I enjoy dressing up. I don't attend many events like this, but when Dad needs a representative, I'm the go-to person. So I make sure to look my best."

"Your beauty truly shines when you're all polished, with minimal makeup," Sanji smirks. "Is it just me, or do you have a soft spot for blondes?"

"Maybe," Zoro replies.

Pedro watches their interaction with a grin. Compared to the other potential matches Judge had suggested for his son, this one feels different. The fact that Sanji chose Mihawk’s son over the others is significant.

He always knew Sanji had a type, but he never imagined it would be Mihawk’s handsome son. He immediately informs his boss.

"Boss, I think we might need to reconsider marrying Sanji off to that girl."

"Has someone caught his eye?"

"Mihawk’s son Zoro. He's at the party, and he and Sanji seem to have great chemistry."

"Is that so? Perhaps we should invite Mihawk and his son over to solidify the relationship, then."

At that moment, the party's host arrives, and fear grips Sanji as memories flood back, overwhelming him until everything goes blank.

This is the first part of the story. Things are heating up as you can see.

[waspredteeth]

using this site as a notes board to shop around my Bette Kane-Battle for the Cowl AU which I will now be lovingly regarding as the “Flamebird&Not-Robin in: the dangers of dead fathers, two (2) different spy organizations run by our evil-except-not-really-mothers, and somehow everything always is either a Wayne or a Kanes fault.”

Starting off this au with a general list of the characters in it and their roles as of Battle for the Cowl:

(((Edit: I changed the format to make this easier to read)))

Bette Kane - Flamebird

I’m throwing around the idea of her being a forensic scientist/or a pro-athlete

I hc her as being the same age as Dick i.e around 26

she’s back in Gotham bc Bruce died, stays in Gotham bc she sees the absolute mess it’s in & decides to help

even if it’s dubious if anyone really wants/needs her there

still an established LA hero with a public reputation so she’s not totally unknown to Gotham

finds Damian basically homeless in Gotham/breaking into places to stay and offers to take him in

he only accepts bc he knows she’s a Kane/related to his father

correctly regards Damian as an abused child / but doesn’t have the prior extensive knowledge or experience with the League to cloud her judgement on Talia or Damian (they’re equally both victims in her eyes)

while she is leagues more adjusted emotionally than the other Bats (she almost never interacts with Bruce outside of her childhood) - she’s still a lil traumatized and unhealthily copes regarding her parental situation and Kathy Kane

also has a little bit of trauma-related amnesia with a certain section of her childhood (that will come into play)

She does remember being Batgirl vaguely, very vaguely

Damian al Ghul-Wayne - not Robin in this au

at least not yet

he goes out on his own without a definite vigilante identity until later developments

came to Gotham to see Bruce after leaving Talia

Bruce is “dead” so Damian decides to wander Gotham on his own before Bette discovers him

tentatively stays with Bette bc they are related and he needs shelter

is secretly still insecure about Bruce (bc of how they last interacted) ((Batman#655-657)) /and whether or not Dick would have accepted him, as they haven't met before this au (Resurrection of Ras al Ghul is heavily altered)

tolerates Bette, Tom, and Rory’s friendly affection but will not hesitate to leave in the early months

is struggling with his place in the world bc Bruce is gone, Dick doesn’t know who he is, and Tim still hates him. So he’s not on the best terms with the main Bats.

Tom Bronson - Wildcat (the third)

If you don’t know who he is (I think only JSA fans know if his existence), he’s the third-ish Wildcat of the 2007 Justice Society, the estranged son of Ted Grant, following the long-ago death of Yolanda Montez and way-longer ago death of Jake Grant.

And yes, he is the one that transforms into an anthropomorphic black jaguar (he got it from his mom)

Ted will make an appearance and somehow I WILL bring Yolanda back from the dead/maybe even Jake too

Tom goes to Gotham to help his dad with the city shenanigans of BfTC

jury’s still out on whether I’m making him a love interest for Bette (my brain will make crack ships of the most random characters, don’t mind it)

decides to stay in Gotham even after his dad leaves bc the Bats really are stretched thin (in his opinion) (he’s used to the large size and scope of the JSA)

becomes a brother figure for Damian

accepts him as a annoying little brother in the sense of someone taking care of a stray kitten that bites your hand

lacks literally all experience with anything Batman related before going to Gotham / so he has Opinions about the family

is constantly anxious about Gotham (he is from Brooklyn) (someone pls tell him how this dysfunctional group of people manages to do anything at any point in time in This Fucking City)

a non-Bat POV into the insanity of Bat-events happening

what’s the League of Assassins? or Leviathan? Or Spyral? Or a Red Hood? Fuck if he knows

In my mind, Grant Emerson never died (he is happy and thriving OK) (fuck u Blackest Night) (he will make an appearance) (alongside Maxine)

Rory Regan - Ragman

our favorite underrated Jewish hero

originally from Gotham, I’m surprised he isn’t used more

for those not in the know : Ragman is a magical/mythical Jewish hero consisting of a costume made of rags which contain the countless souls of sinners who will eventually gain redemption within the rags if they help the current Ragman

Rory can use their strength, minds, and skills to help him as Ragman

Ragman (the suit) was canonically created to protect the Jewish population of Europe around the 1500s after the Golem of Prague was also made

Bruce makes an appearance in his 90s series actually / and Rory makes a cameo in a couple issues of O’Neil Batman

I’m planning on making him a more homegrown hero who tends to the homeless/poor/criminals that the Bats don’t get to- the whole “Tatterdemalion of the Justice” thing

is here bc we need another non-Bat pov of Gotham (he’s way more familiar with Gotham than Tom)

and I also like Gotham being more diverse in terms of vigilantes

bonus mentor for both Bette and Damian

he likes Bette bc shes 1. Jewish 2. a lighter hero than the other Bats 3. is a little easier to communicate with

he knows Damian is struggling and tries to support him in any way he can (as Rory also has daily struggles about his own morality bc of the Ragman suit/entity)

has been in Ragman in Gotham for about as long as Bruce has been Batman / he has seen some shit

The Ragman suit canonically slows the aging of the user, so Rory is older than he looks

he only just now started working with Oracle bc he understands the need for a semi-formal organization of Gotham heroes (he does appear in BfTC: The Network)

Kathy Webb-Kane - Agent 0/Headmistress

The leader of Spyral

not a child of a n*zi/ Otto Netz does not exist in this AU

still the first Batwoman

not romantically involved with Bruce bc ew

formerly married to Nathan Kane - the oldest Kane sibling of the little dynasty (Martha’s older brother)

after he died, she inherited what fortune he had that wasn’t taken by the Kanes

formerly Bette’s legal guardian/adopted mom after her dad died when she was 9

yes there will be mommy issues/familial conflict bc Spyral is an antagonist

conflicted about Bette bc she does still care for her, but she has a mission that she was committed too long before Bette was even born

clearly remembers being Batwoman

Spyral is still a spy organization connected to St. Hadrian’s Finishing School

currently targeting Talia/Leviathan, Damian, and Jason

also begins targeting Bette after she starts investigating in search of Kathy

Talia - Head of Leviathan

okay so. Resurrection of Ras al Ghul happens, but not the same way. Talia tries to go against Dusan on her own with Damian after learning of the body snatching plot

Inevitably, Ras comes back. He manipulates Talia and Damian into staying for a little longer. Things do not work out, and Talia deliberately sends Damian to Gotham bc Bruce isn’t dead (yet).

Bruce dies, and Talia loses hope in trusting any of the Bats to help her and Damian (she and Dick never got along, her relationship with Jason is strained)

So she creates Leviathan as a way to combat her father

BUT it’s not the same organization at all. It’s more of a spy organization with the direct purpose of taking down Ras/implementing a better version of his ecological agenda without as much murder and bloodshed.

Leviathan also is technically against Batman bc obviously Talia has never aligned completely with Bruce either. But she doesn’t purposefully try to kill him or Damian.

She’s a very conflicted character here, and she’ll show up in person to see Damian and learn of his status. As a mom, not a villain.

She’ll have a bigger part later on as Leviathan comes into conflict with Spyral.

Wants to take Damian back but is terrified that she’s not a good mother, that’s she’ll only make her precious son worse, and that Ras will just take something else from her permanently again (familial trauma x2)

So she flip-flops between helping Damian and trying to stop him from being a vigilante out of fear for his safety - which Damian detests (mommy issues 2: electric boogaloo)

Leviathan becomes a target for Spyral after it starts gaining followers that aren’t former League traitors and gains a wider influence among the eco-conscious and those who genuinely want Ras al Ghul gone forever

Dick - Nightwing/Batman

basically the same as og Battle for the Cowl

he becomes Batman and struggles under the mantle

doesn’t take in Damian so Tim stays Robin and in Gotham longer

he doesn't meet Damian until after Bette starts taking care of the kid so they don't have the same connection as in canon

he slowly becomes endeared to Damian the more they interact as the plot goes forward

while he’s still dismissive of Bette at the beginning, he’s forced to trust her when it comes to Damian and Spyral

He comes very close to like seventy mental breakdowns over the whole story

Tim - Robin

stays Robin bc Damian doesn’t need the role when he gets to Gotham

so no, there isn’t any conflict regarding the mantle until way later, and by the time Damian becomes Robin - Tim is already Red Robin

Bc Tim is Robin, he stays in Gotham for a while after Dick becomes Batman

that doesn’t mean there isn’t any tension bc there’s still the whole “Bruce isn’t dead” thing

Unlike canon though, Tim has words and can communicate before he leaves so Dick actually knows that Tim has at least a barebones theory of what happened to Bruce (doesn’t mean that Dick fully completely believes him and he’s still grieving so he doesn’t want anything dangerous to happen to Tim)

(this also means that the zombie Batman thing doesn’t happen)

Tim still leaves on his League pilgrimage and becomes Red Robin out of necessity

He still pushes people away, and he still is an asshole to Stephanie

Ras is very clearly manipulating him out of his own goals to strengthen the League and act against Leviathan

When he comes back to Gotham, Tim fights with Damian over the issue of Talia and Leviathan (bc he sees it as another fully evil organization, slight bias put into him by Ras)

Stephanie - Batgirl

the same as the comics

technically more on Barbara’s side than Dicks after BfTC

still a sister figure for Damian

will eventually meet with Bette bc it’s a crime that they never know each other in canon

is carving out her own legacy and path as a hero and Batgirl

still dealing with insecurity over Bruce

Cassandra - not Batgirl or Black Bat

will eventually become Batman

doesn’t show up until after the initial Battle for the Cowl

becomes Batman entirely on her own (for a bit there’s like three Batmen running around)

exclusively works with Oracle and Steph, comes to work together with Dick

doesn’t interact as much with Bette or Damian until they cross paths investigating Leviathan

Barbara - Oracle

still the same

does not interact as much with Dick&Tim bc she’s still running the Birds of Prey on top of training Steph

will interact with Kathy and Bette eventually bc I need the Batgirl interactions

Jason - Red Hood

is Batman briefly during BfTC

still takes in Scarlet as a pseudo-child

he won’t play a big part in the Bette/Damian part of the story

will eventually become a target for Spyral bc Red Hood is a crime boss with some wide connections

Bruce - dead (lol)

still time traveling and everything

tim will still investigate

the omega sanction/Barbatos hullaboo still happens

[greatideas-badwriter]

SasuSaku: Sacrificed To The Banished Prince Ch. 15

MATURE/POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING CONTENT WARNING! 

(Also, for story-telling purposes, this chapter will jump between points of view, but it will only be for this chapter and not those going forward.)

Days passed after Sakura and the prince returned to his manor in the Winterlands. Being back in the familiar environment helped the woman stomach more food, but it did little to aid in ridding of the nightmares filled with dark green eyes, blood-red hair, blazing pain, and terror. 

It was only a few days after their return that the ache between her legs faded. She kept telling herself that these awful feelings of disgust and hate would go away if she suffered them long enough, but it wasn’t helping. The physical pain was the only thing that disappeared. The mental remained strong and steadfast. 

Everything Sakura thought she knew about her life had been turned upside down, including her plans for the future. When her father told her to properly play her role as a wife when consummating her marriage to the prince, she’d stupidly agreed because she didn’t know what the word meant. Now that she does, she couldn’t sort her hysteric thoughts out enough to come up with a plan. 

‘I have to tell him that I am not pure,’ she agonized while staring out the window of her room at the falling snow, feeling cold, sad, and helpless. 

Their wedding date was soon to be decided, and when that day came, Sasuke would find out anyway. Sakura didn’t think she’d be able to take it if he discovered that she was a whore then, after all the time and effort, so she told herself she had to come clean, but couldn’t work up the courage. 

‘He’ll be rid of me,’ she wiped at her watery eyes, ‘It’d have all been for nothing because he won’t care about me anymore, so his curse won’t even lift.’ Sakura looked down at her legs, recalling the bloody mess that’d coated them the morning after Hihara’s visit. 

Her lips moved with a thought she didn’t even fully comprehend until the words met the air, ���If I’m going to die a useless death anyway, why am I even here?” 

The tears in her eyes became thicker and fell more quickly because she knew she was right, no matter how hard the pill was to swallow. Whether she died today, next week, or on their wedding night, the outcome would be the same. She’d be dead, Sasuke would be cursed, and it’d all be her fault for being an idiot and allowing what Hihara did to happen. 

‘I have no purpose in life now. I can’t be a wife because of my tainted blood. I can’t be a mother because you need to be a wife to do that. I have no talent to provide for myself,’ Sakura rose to her feet, trudging dazedly toward the door, ‘If I keep living, all I’ll be doing is wasting Sasuke’s resources and taking up space.’ 

She padded barefoot downstairs and into the kitchen as though hypnotized by her own thoughts. ‘All of this pain will go away, too, so it won’t be that bad, right? Maybe I’ll be sent to purgatory and meet Akuma if Sasuke someday manages to send him back. …What a reunion that would be.’ 

A few staff members gave her curious glances as she passed by, but she ignored them, not mentally capable of paying them any mind. When she grabbed a knife from the silverware drawer, she was taken from her trance by Ino’s familiar voice. Swiftly, Sakura slid the knife up her arm sleeve and turned in time to see the blond enter the room. 

“Lady Haruno, what are you doing here? I’ve been looking all over for you. It’s time to wash up for lunch.” 

“Right,” she said, glancing around to ensure none of the others would give away that she’d stashed a knife. 

She received a few quizzical brows, but nothing more, so she followed her maid back upstairs to the bedroom where her clothes were changed, her hair was elegantly styled, and a small bit of makeup was applied to her face. In a moment when Ino wasn’t looking, Sakura slid the weapon between the mattress and boxspring. 

The prince did his best not to stare at her during lunch. If her life wasn’t in shambles, Sakura would appreciate his attempt at being considerate. ‘This will be the last time I see him,’ she thought while glancing at his handsome face. 

Before she could stop herself, she said, “Thank you for showing me such kindness,” out loud. 

Sasuke met her gaze with a silent question that she ignored, looking at her plate again. She did all she could not to cry. The only thing she had to mourn with her decision was that she’d no longer get to be in his calming presence, and she was no longer useful to him. 

‘If he knew, he wouldn’t be worried about me,’ she swallowed the lump in her throat, blinking quickly, ‘I really am disgusting, sitting before him as a fraud.’ Sasuke tried to speak to her after lunch, but she quickly excused herself because her composure was falling fast. 

By the time she made it to her room, her breath was ragged, and her face was wet with salty tears. Her hands shook so badly that it was hard to lock the door and pull the knife from beneath the bed. At the last moment, Sakura hesitated, looking at her sad reflection on the blade. Her voice croaked out between sobs as she entered the bathroom, “I-I’m sorry, Lord Sasuke.” 

Sasuke paced in the dining room. Just now, during lunch, Sakura behaved even stranger than lately’s usual. She actually looked at him, for one, but she also spoke without having to be first addressed. It was what he’d hoped for for over a week now, but for some reason, it felt incredibly wrong. All of it. Everything in his blood was saying not to let her out of his sight, but he couldn’t justifiably demand such a thing without a better reason than a gut feeling. 

“My Lord,” a raspy female voice broke his agonizing. 

He turned to see one of the kitchen staff members, a middle-aged woman he believed was named Tachibana, standing there with a serious frown. She looked unsure, but she still bowed, whispering while glancing in the direction of the staircase, “I apologize if this is out of line, but I’m concerned for Our Lady’s safety.” 

The prince faced her fully, more alert due to her words, “Continue.” 

“Earlier, before the meal, a few of us saw her take…um….” “What did she take? Tell me.” That terrible feeling was growing substantially with each passing moment. 

Tachibana covered her mouth with her fingertips, shaking her head with watery eyes, “A knife. She took a knife, but you don’t think she’d-!” Before he could fully comprehend what was likely about to happen, the Uchiha man ran for the stairs. His senses were going crazy, the panic rising when he made it to the second floor to see Maid Ino attempting to enter Sakura’s bedroom and failing because the door was locked. 

‘Please don’t be what I think it’ll be!’ 

“Move!” He barked at the bewildered blonde woman. Once she was out of the way, he banged on the door, “Lady Sakura, open the door!” 

He put his ear to the wall and tried to bate his breath. After a second, the soft sound of sniffling met his comprehension and he cursed under his breath before taking a few steps back and throwing all of his weight against the door. It bursted open, the door frame’s wood chipping in the process, but Sasuke couldn’t care less. Dark eyes scanned the room before landing on the cracked bathroom door. 

“I’m coming in!” He yelled as he approached. The sound of Ino and some other staff came behind him, obviously beginning to piece together what was happening. ‘Don’t let fear get in the way. She needs someone strong right now,’ he told himself when he hesitated at the door. 

The air in Sasuke’s lungs evaporated when he opened the bathroom door to see his fiance laying on her side, pink hair loose and messy on the tile. He saw the blood and then he was at her side, fumbling to turn her onto her back. Sakura’s face was as pale as it was flushed because she’d been crying. Her midsection was drenched in blood. 

“Sakura….” He breathed, searching for the source of the blood. ‘Wrists, no. Arms, no. Neck, no. Stomach….’ 

Obviously, the situation was life or death, so etiquette and rules were out the window. Almost frantically, the prince tore Sakura’s dress from where she’d stabbed through to see a single, deep wound in her lower abdomen, below her navel. 

Ino gasped in the doorway, tears in her eyes. Sasuke barked at her without looking away from the pinkette’s face, “Get me healing potions. Now!” The few women in the room disappeared to follow orders, leaving Sasuke with the bleeding woman. 

He couldn’t help himself, then, and a bit of his frustration slipped out. He nearly spat at her with how angry he was, how close he was to shouting at her, “Why? Why do this!” 

The woman blinked slowly, the corner of her lips turning up into a bitter smile. She weakly responded, “I can’t break your curse.” 

He stopped trying to put pressure on the wound and stared with wide eyes, “...What?” 

She gestured with heavy movements, her hands landing loudly on the tile when she couldn’t bear to lift them anymore, “You’ll never care enough about someone like me now.” 

Unbelievable ire flooded the prince and he grabbed her shoulders, coming to glare right into her eyes. His voice was low and dangerous, “You do not get to decide that on your own, Sakura.” 

A familiar dullness met her eyes, and his anger turned to ice. He shakily cupped her cheeks, gaze dancing over her face and down to her bloodied midsection. “Heal it…” he breathed out. She didn’t respond in any way. Sasuke shook her once, “Do it! Heal yourself like you did in the forest.” Quiet. 

This time, Sasuke didn’t bite back what he truly wanted to say because there might not be another chance. He squeezed his eyes closed and pressed his forehead to hers, hissing almost inaudibly, “Please stay alive, Sakura. I’m not ready for this.” 

‘If this is what has to happen to someone to be rid of The Curse. I don’t know if I’m capable of going through with it.’ 

A gasp came from the doorway, causing the man’s eyes to open. He pulled away to see the three maids had returned with health potions, but they were staring in awe. Sasuke followed their gazes to his fiance, a sigh of relief passing his lips when he saw that same faint green glow emitting from the stab wound. Sakura’s green eyes were still half-lidded and unfocused on the ceiling, but her chest was moving ever so slowly with breath. 

He held out a hand toward the doorway, gaze not leaving her, “She’s healing.” 

A glass vial met his skin and he uncapped it before straddling the woman’s hips and lifting her chin. He glared angrily while pouring the potion into her mouth, “We need to talk.” 

Sakura’s eyes shot open. She gasped, hands fumbling down to feel for where she’d stabbed herself, only to run her fingers across a thin scar. 

“My Lady,” Ino’s voice was soft and sad. 

The pinkette turned her head to see the maid sitting bedside with tears in her pretty blue eyes. She paled, realizing what’d happened, “....I-I’m alive….” 

The blond nodded, sniffling with a frown. She glanced toward the closed bedroom door before leaning forward and whispering as her crying picked up, “Why would you hurt yourself like that, Sakura?” The Haruno woman’s mouth clamped shut, her chin quivering as the memories of Sasuke finding her in the bathroom resurfaced. Ino asked in a borderline hysterical voice, “Are you so unhappy living here that you’d take your own life? If there is something I can do to make things better, please tell me because I can’t bear to see something like this again!” 

“No! No, living here has made me happier than I’ve ever been in my life!” Sakura winced at the pain in her midsection but managed to sit up, making soothing gestures with her hands. 

“Really?” 

Sakura nodded, wiping at her own tears, “Yes.” 

Ino hesitantly grabbed the woman’s hands in her own, shaking her head, “Then why would you…?” 

The Haruno woman had no choice but to confide in someone since her attempt of dealing with the situation alone failed. She glanced at the doorway to verify once more that it was still closed and they were alone. Then she lowered her head and voice so only Ino could hear, “I was…um….” 

Slowly, understanding began to meet Ino’s face, and then she was sobbing, trying to deny the truth, “It can’t be true!”  

Sakura told Ino only parts of what happened, leaving out that she knew the person who’d done it and where the event took place because her family and the Uchiha’s could be negatively affected if the truth were revealed. When she was done, Ino climbed onto the bed and guided her to lay her head on her lap, where she soothed her hair and spoke reassuringly, “Oh, Sakura, I’m so sorry this happened to you. No one deserves to go through something so terrible.” 

The feeling of being comforted was foreign to the pinkette, but she immediately liked it. Slowly, she began to relax into the position, letting her tears fall slowly and naturally. ‘It feels good to tell someone about it. I might be able to stomach this if I’m not alone.’ 

“And you’re wrong,” Ino said. 

Sakura focused again on her words. 

“Lord Sasuke would never blame you or find you disgusting. You are not ruined, and you are definitely still deserving of kindness and care.” 

“...Do you really think so?” Sakura mumbled, still unsure because just over a week ago she had no idea what sex even was, much less the intricacies of inter-personal relationships involving such things. 

“I know so,” the blonde replied. The room became quiet and comfortable for a while before she broke it, “As much as you want to keep this a secret, we should at least have a doctor come look you over.” 

The pink-haired woman sat up, wiping at the last of her tears while nodding, “Yes. I understand.” 

“And Lord Sasuke should be notified, as well.” 

Sakura’s nods turned into shakes, “I-I don’t think I-” “I can tell him everything if you’re scared, Sakura.” Her lips became a soft smile when the Haruno girl gave her wide eyes of disbelief, “It’s okay to rely on friends when times are hard.” 

Slowly, she gave in, her shoulders slumping, ‘There’s no other choice. He’s going to find out no matter what I do to prevent it.’ 

[applecarecale]

✨✨✨✨Bittersweet book of life au ✨✨✨

Part 1 Seth and Alphonse

(Short ik)

~Alphonse~

Upon careful consideration and multiple viewings of "Bittersweet," I have developed a new concept for this alternate universe. In terms of the parental situation, Alphonse will have tragically lost both parents, leaving him with only his grandparent to care for him and guide him in the ways of bullfighting, following in his father's footsteps. Alphonse's character remains relatively unchanged, with the addition of his grandparent playing a significant role in his upbringing and imparting important wisdom to him during the Day of the Dead festivities where Rook and Auron select champions.

The grandparent will be the ones who tell Alphonse this line, "Just be still, and you can feel it. Your mother is here, along with all our ancestors. As long as we remember them, they are with us. The moment we forget them, they are truly gone." Despite these alterations, Alphonse's essence as a character remains consistent in this alternate universe. However I’ll let you guys decide if we have him take Maria’s role instead as it fits Sugarboo and Seth fighting for Alphonse love instead of them fighting for boo as we look back onto chapter one first parts.

~Seth~

Seth here is a slight change in this au and its orginal story, mixing it a bit with the bittersweet one . After having his mother who unlike his father in the small town was a the hero of the village who landed with a drunken old fool, before she left the place for who knows what reason. And Seth not wanting to deal with his fathers shit probably avoided home a lot and just made it seem he had no one there for him other then Alphonse and Sugarboo , doing crazy stuff a lot would have been encouraged by him if I’m honest.

Oh and another thing is that the ex boyfriend thing we see in chapter one will mostly be more shown in this au. Like for example, while Sugarboo is gone ( as Maria) the same thing happens like what happens in the real series the only difference is how they break up and that they didn’t end up working for Derek either how they broke up is up to you crazy angst people to come up with.

That is all for now until I have another dumb thought come to my head.

[lizardrosen]

How Is It that the Clouds Still Hang on You

Bridgertons performing Hamlet, part one! This wouldn't have been possible without @glintglimmergleam!

Pre-play, Anthony’s Hamlet is the eternal student, the idle rich somewhere between seventeen and thirty who still doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up. First sons really only have one job, and that’s to someday be their fathers; and Hamlet, like Anthony, is sure he’s getting it wrong no matter what he does. Anthony at least has the estate and his younger siblings to look after, but Hamlet only has the vague notion of someday being king, and looking through the script for hints of who Hamlet used to be, Anthony thinks for the first time that the prince must have been lonely even before his father died.

His only recourse was to take nothing seriously and sell himself as the clown of any group, and he usually managed to believe what he was selling and even enjoy himself. When Claudius popped in between the election and his hopes, those hopes curdled inside of him and he started putting up firmer, spikier walls, where before there was only wordplay and multi-layered classics references. (Anthony is actually hopeless at this kind of thing; he had to ask Benedict about “When Roscius was an actor in Rome” and “Jephthah, judge of Israel, what a treasure hadst thou!” but what was he going to do, not make Hamlet a classics nerd??)

Gregory memorizes the roles with the most lines first, of course, so he’s already gotten the bantering rhythm down for playing both halves of a comedy duo attempting to be spies. “My lord, you once did love me” is regret for the distance in age with his oldest brother, and the distance in social status for Rosencrantz and Hamlet. Osric, he unlocks when he decides this vain and silly courtier idolizes both Laertes and Hamlet in much the same way that Gregory looks up to his oldest brothers, so he and Benedict talk about it and come to the conclusion that Laertes might trust Osric enough to ask him to help kill Hamlet, but Osric would never go along with it, which means that in this production Laertes didn’t tell him what he was getting Hamlet into.

Now he has to bring the soldiers on the watchtower to life. He whirls as if to face an unexpected noise, and answers himself rapid-fire.

— Who’s there! — Nay, answer me. Stand and unfold thyself! — Long live the king! — Barnardo? — He.

It’s almost a knock-knock joke but the truth is that no one in this play really knows who’s there or if they can be trusted, and it’s an uncertainty hidden in plain sight right from the opening lines. For this dialogue to work, it has to be two people meeting in the dark and he can’t just play both roles like he does for Ros and Guil.

“Hey, Daphne, my favorite sister, how would you like the second speaking role in Hamlet?”

“Hold still, your collar’s askew, I need to fix it. Only the second role?” she asks. “Not the first?”

“Daaaph, cut it out, my shirt is fine! And Barnardo can pretty much be combined with Marcellus and not much will change because they’re both there to back up Horatio’s story, and he’s there to back up theirs. Francisco’s more like Gertrude, he never gets to see the ghost.”

“Not a mouse stirring,” she quotes. “But he’s wrong about that and so is the queen — there’s so much more stirring in her kingdom than she’ll allow herself to see. Yes, I think you’re right about giving me Francisco. You’ll make a good director for next year’s play.”

“Titus Andronicus?” he asks with a bloodthirsty grin.

“Well, we’ll talk about it.”

At first Francesca has trouble deciding how to distinguish Claudius from his dead brother — are they more alike or more different? No face paint for the ghost, she decides, and in fact they should have almost the exact same costume with perhaps a different colored sash, and it’ll depend on how she carries herself.

Claudius is personable and popular except when he’s alone and the thought of his own sin wraps around his neck, while King Hamlet has forgotten everything but the purgation of his sins, and the vengeance he must see visited on his killer before he may rest. The ghost is not all there, still half in the fires of hell, but he also has a supernatural gravity that snaps all the attention in a room to him. It’s a kind of authority Claudius wishes he could project, but as good at public speaking as he is, he always seems a little bit desperate and out of his depth, so he turns up the charm even more.

Francesca finds what they have in common, too, more than either would care to admit. “Of life, of crown, of queen, at once dispatched” says one; “my crown, mine own ambition, and my queen,” says the other. Both kings save Gertrude for last, which could either mean that she’s an afterthought or that she was the most important thing to lose or gain.

Francesca is a Bridgerton which means she’s a romantic, so she decides it’s the latter. They both just really love their wife, enough to kill a man, enough to tell Hamlet not to contrive against his mother aught, enough to come back from the dead for a few more moments in her bedchamber, enough to send Hamlet away to be executed in England instead of imprisoned in Denmark simply because Gertrude asked.

By the time Claudius gives his speech about marrying Gertrude, Hamlet has a permanent clench to his jaw whenever he’s in public or in the same room as Claudius — that shouldn’t be too hard, says Eloise, since that’s his default expression, and Benedict, who’s probably seen Anthony laugh more than anyone else, has to agree with her. But when he’s left alone, though forbidden to go to Wittenberg, he can at least relax enough to stop trying to hold back the things he shouldn’t say in front of the nobles. “How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable, seem to me all the uses of the world!” is just full of bitter laughter, giving in to the cosmic joke that Nothing Matters. But his aspect changes completely when he sees Horatio, and he picks Hyacinth up to spin her around, even though she’s almost gotten too heavy for that.

Hamlet cannot believe that Horatio would lie to him about a ghost, or tell him anything until he’s sure of what he’s seen, but he still warns himself not to hope too hard, in case nothing comes of it, it’s something he wishes he had not seen. And despite the dull but persistent heartbeat of “nothing matters, nothing matters,” always singing at the back of his head, his father’s spirit does appear, and when Hamlet follows, he learns that there is a meaning — an awful, perfidious one, but still.

So what if he has to kill a man (so what if Anthony had to decide, eleven years ago whether they should try to save his mother or his sister), at least it’s a purpose, and when he wipes clean the tables of his memory he can fall backwards into his prior persona of taking nothing seriously, but now with the bitter armor of actually not caring what happens next.

[charonyx]

Crowley braninrot mess (not coherent) (all over the place)

Just to get thoughts out of the way, I want to analyze the Crowley card because this is definitely BIG (and I hope the rest of the staff may get their cards too). Fair warning, this is all speculation, theories and just whatever my brain is spilling out

So, THIS

My first thoughts were "Oh my gosh, really????", then I started to consider what this meant for the story, as in, why release his card NOW? Yes, this is an event card, but this is the first staff card and well this makes me suspicious of him coming into the main story. I mean, of course, he'd have to intervene somehow considering the suspicious smile he gives in the opening (which reminds me of Malleus' smile, but not getting into that, more people have analyzed that probably)

Anyway, his role will be made apparent, but I can't think of a way he'd organically waltz into Chapter 7 and become important right now. Which is why the Crowley = Levan theory would make sense where it would be this emotional meet up of a biological father that Malleus has never known and Lilia would have to deal with the fact someone he long thought was dead is right now playing the role of a goofy headmage. The thing though, is that I have a feeling that isn't where the story is going. Do I think they have something that's connecting them together? Yes, but there's something I can't quite explain that's preventing me from fully accepting the theory. Imma just try to write out (more) thoughts and try to digest my stance on things.

So, Malleus' conflicting thoughts on knowing his biological dad is alive, yet considering Lilia his real father since HE'S the one who took care of him, HE'S the one who had suffered hatred and rebuke trying to raise him and honor Meleanor's wish, spicy stuff.

Lilia's thoughts and emotional rollercoaster of knowing that one of his best buddies/Meleanor's partner/whatever relationship they had, is alive and hasn't considered contacting him, to reach out after grieving for his loss. Also spicy.

But also

The fakeout of a parent death. Many pieces of media do it, but I don't know if it feels right that Malleus gets to have a parent be fine and alive unless they make it tragic like Crowley has amnesia and doesn't remember anything about his past yet he has some sense of determination to keep going and find stuff out even if he's not sure why. THAT would be something.

There could also be a turnaround where Levan, a kind soul, fell into grief after his wife's death and has been trying to get her back/get her soul? that he places all his energy on that and places on an incompetent and silly act. As for his feelings for Malleus, there are multiple options. He either doesn't care for him, only cares for Meleanor and doesn't pay attention to him. This doesn't seem likely to be in Levan's character from what little we hear of how he was, even if he was suffering from heartrending grief. It could also be that he somehow knew Lilia, Baul and Maleficia were caring for him and he was certain his son was in good hands so he focused on other things (idk I'm just pointing stuff out). Could also be he thought his son died with Meleanor since he was out who knows where as a diplomat and got lost/captured/something that impeded his return (paralleling how Maleficient's plan for prince Phillip was to lock him up for 100 years and later release him once he's old and frail to save princess Aurora?). So, he never knew about Malleus' existence, never went back to Briar Valley and one day found his way to NRC where he later became headmage. And, seeing Malleus in his first year look identical to his late wife, he feels heartstricken to know his son survived and he had lost many important years in his development, so he would feel no connection to his biological father. Knowing that, he decides not to interfere, what would Malleus think of a father who was never there? A stranger claiming to be his father, yet feels his son would never accept him into his heart. It's too late.

While this could be in line with Levan's personality, it does seem a bit fanficy, especially the part I added with him seeing Malleus enter NRC. But this is speculation! So YEEHAW!

Now, how would Lilia, someone who spent so many decades with Levan, not recognize him right now? The only explanation I can think of would be he either 1) has a totally distinct personality that Lilia wouldn't even consider him at all, even if the hair color seems to be similar to Malleus' or 2) he's using glamour (although TWST hasn't shown people using glamour, it's a possibility) that would make it so Lilia doesn't recognize him

Also, his cane saying "RAVEN" is real interesting since it could be for NRC or his name being similar. Wild theory, but I feel like someone gifted him his cane, I don't think he was the one that engraved Raven onto it, at least, that's considering the latter option of it being his name.

I don't know, every time I try to think of Crowley's deal, thoughts keep popping up due to the possibilities of what he COULD be.

Anyways, this wasn't a concrete post or some genius "I'VE CRACKED THE CODE!!!". Just brainworms and thoughts I had to write out and make myself accept what I consider to narrow down future events. But TWST could throw a curveball, completely blindside me and I'll be gobsmacked. Who knows!

[allwaswell16]

A fic rec of One Direction fics where Louis is a luna as requested in this ask. A luna in a/b/o or wolf fics in general refers to an omega who is in a leadership role in a pack. If you enjoy the fics, please leave kudos and comments for the writers! You can find my other fic recs here. Happy reading!

🌕 -Larry- 🌕

You Smell Like by mystic_believexx

(M, 185k, friends to lovers) The one where Louis is the Alpha’s mate and everyone is aware of it except for Louis and Harry. 

The Wolves Den by tonystankyall (orphan_account)

(M, 87k, family secrets) Louis is the first born Omega in centuries and he doesn’t know this, an important fact. 

Canyon Moon by delsicle / @eeveelou

(E, 40k, Lion King au) For as long as Louis has remembered, he has been promised to be mated to Harry, his best friend and the future pack alpha. But Louis’s heart belonged to the forest and to the hunt more than he could ever imagine it belonging to Harry.

Follow Your Arrow by LadyAJ_13 / @ladyaj-13

(T, 36k, canon) They said Louis playing alpha wouldn’t affect anything. It was the best thing for the band, so he doesn’t really regret it except deep in the dead of night, when he bites down on his knuckles to swap the echoing ache of depri for a sting of pain. 

These Hallowed Woods by snowcaplou

(NR, 35k, secret relationship) Louis becomes Luna of the Tomlinson Pack after the untimely death of his father, the Pack Alpha. Saddled with his newfound responsibility and an unpleasantly demanding pack council, he finds secret respite in the arms of a rogue wolf that camps out just outside his territory.

Mark my word (we gon' be alright) by harioandlouigi

(E, 35k, pining) an A/B/O AU featuring an oblivious Harry as the pack leader, a pining Louis as his second-in-command, and an entourage of friends and family who are a little too good at keeping their mouths shut.

Compete Against the Stars by amomentoflove / @daggerandrose

(M, 30k, uni) An A/B/O au where Louis finds out he's claimed to another Alpha. Angst ensues.

The Last Great American Dynasty by TreywisKrucks

(T, 15k, series) After being bartered to Harry to save his kingdom, Louis is on his way to the Alpha's homeland

Calling Out (For Somebody To Hold) by liberty_barnes / @liberty-barnes

(M, 12k, arranged bonding) the one where they're definitely not perfect for each other, and the only reason they even mildly get along is for work purposes. It's all perfectly platonic and for convenience's sake, really

Oranges, Whipped Cream and Blueberries by Jennifer_Kaid / @poetsreprieve

(E, 9k, arranged marriage) Louis was an omega of a pure bloodline. He had known since he was merely eight years old that he was to be bonded with a high ranked alpha.

Out With The Old, In With The New by @jaerie

(E, 7k, exhibitionism) Harry becomes the pack's new alpha and Louis can't wait to be bred

🌕 -Rare Pairs- 🌕

I wanna scream, howl at the moon, but the reason that I'm howling is you by WeAreTheLuckyOnes

(E, 6k, Louis/Liam) Liam needs a pack and a mate before the council makes an example of him, and Louis needs an alpha before someone takes his pack from him. They decide to help each other out.

[insertsickusername13]

ahem. After some deep introspection, I have decided it is long past time to share the details of my absolutely horrid pjo au. Long post, I apologize, but I've been dramatically playing sudoku while plotting this out for far too long and the world simply must know every terrible thought I've been thinking. I start by giving all their godly parents then I just list off awesome little headcanons/scenes. there's no plot. it changes daily, depending on my sudoku game.

Godly parents:

Jeremy Heere - Apollo. I've seen a lot of content of him as a son of Demeter and honestly, half of me agrees with you. But when I put him into the actual plot, he always ends up playing the role of an Apollo kid. His social anxiety means he prefers fighting from a distance (archery) and I always imagined him as the healer of the group. Not in a metaphorical or emotional sense (that's Brooke), just that Jeremy can find his friends after the battle and help them. This also fits with my personal headcanon that Jake and Jeremy dislike each other---of course they do, Jeremy needs Jake to trust him in order to properly treat him, and Jake hates that this acquaintance expects Jake to trust him.

Michael Mell - Hades. He's interested in 'dead' trends. Ha, get it? Right? No, but also the fact he's a loser and has just come to accept it. People won't let him into their groups no matter how sweet he is because there's something about him that just doesn't fit in, and that's the fact he will gladly tread on the edge of death. He controls it. (the dead trends is the main thing tho ngl)

Christine Canigula - Poseidon. I know technically Dionysus makes more sense, but despite what many may think, I actually associate her more with the ocean than I do anyone else. She's dramatic, she's breathtaking. She can destroy you if she so pleases, but by god she doesn't want to. She's gentle and blue and beautiful. Most importantly, though, she reflects. She reflects the stars in the night sky like she reflects Ophelia's sadness. She reflects the adrenaline rush a surfer desires just as she reflects the desperation and adventurous youth in Juliet.

Rich Goranski - Zeus. Two reasons: Instinctively my brain went to Ares and Hephaestus, but no. Absolutely not. Hephaestus is an absolute no because Rich is not the fire Rich is not the fire Rich is not the fire. Ares is a bit more questionable because, in the pjo world, Ares is pure anger and spite and ego and his kids tend to reflect the same personality traits and god, Rich already does that in the canon world. It's implied his father is abusive and you know what? This is an au. I'm still giving him a shitty father but I am not giving him Ares, the god of War. I chose Zeus because a) plot. His being able to fly is incredibly important to many, many scenes in this mental fic and b) I like the idea of him holding the aura of a king. Not necessarily a leader, that's Jake, but he can walk with a self-entitlement that drives you to trust him even as he's rash and dangerous. His feelings are lightning bolt strong; quick, breathtaking, deadly, flashy. Storms follow him when he's sad and thunder roars when he's angry. He doesn't crave violence in the way a kid of Ares would, but he often ends up causing it anyway.

Jake Dillinger - Aphrodite. This one's always been obvious to me. Jake's main thing is charm---I mean, Model UN, talking his way into a relationship with Christine. He's well-liked and hot. His parents being criminals in the canon world means he's probably accustomed to lying and twisting others' words against them. AKA, he talks and seduces so no one will see his flaws or insecurities, just as any kid of Aphrodite learns to do. Also I did give him charm speak and I took away the whole thing about needing to be attracted to him for it to work because Jake's got that kind of charm where adults like him too much (not in a sexual way, I mean in a he's just so easy to deal with kind of way) and I feel like he'd just make it work on anyone. (also you'll see why Chloe isn't the kid of Aphrodite in a moment)

Chloe Valentine - Unclaimed. I already posted about this a while ago. She already grew up insecure but loud. Then she got to camp and paraded around the fact she was probably a kid of Aphrodite or Zeus for weeks. No one claimed her. She stayed in the Hermes cabin even as she integrated herself into the Aphrodite crowd, painting herself to be beautiful and snarky until people began to forget she was just an unwanted kid. She lashes out to hide it, sure, but it's mostly because she feels so isolated and alone, and she's convinced that if she screams loud enough, bites hard enough, that her victims will feel the same terrible loneliness she does. Realistically, she's probably a child of Hecate.

Brooke Lohst - Athena. I think it's probably the blonde thing, but I'm going to pretend it's not. I've always imagined her as so introspective and deep. You can look at her and just know there's so much more going on underneath the surface. She knows you and she knows herself more than you could ever hope to. People often forget how smart she is because, for starters, she's always overshadowed by Chloe. Mostly, though, it's because she's so soft. She lacks the pride of most Athena kids. She'll smile like sunlight and laugh like wind chimes and flit from place to place like a breeze-blown cherry blossom dancing to the ground. Her? A strategist? A warrior? It doesn't make sense until you hurt someone she loves. She honed that sweetness. She fought for it. She bled to make sure her friends experienced that gentle kind of love and if you take that from them she will trick you into tearing yourself limb from limb and she will smile as you do it.

Jenna Rolan - Hermes. Duh. She's a messenger, she's a traveler. Important note about travelers, though, is that the second they leave, their existence is usually forgotten. She walks into a room, declares her purpose and her message, and the second she steps out it's as if she was never there. Is it because she's fast? Because she never tells details about herself, only others? You don't know. She doesn't know---no mater how many nights she overthinks it and questions it, she doesn't understand why she's nothing but a shadow to everyone else.

Favorite Headcanons:

the main reason Rich is a son of Zeus is because I have a very clear image in my head of the eight of them on the Argo II or this au's version of it and the scene starts with Jake just barreling down a hallway and onto the main deck screaming his ass off and Jeremy's chasing after him, red-faced and angrier than anyone has ever seen him and Jake yells Rich's name and then just. Jumps off the ship and into the clouds. Ofc Rich like summons a cloud to catch him, and in the distance you can hear Jeremy, who just found out Jake hooked up with Michael their second night on the ship, "YOU CAN'T HAVE THEM BOTH. NO. IT'S NOT FAIR. ONE OR THE FUCKING OTHER. YOU CANNOT HAVE EVERY SINGLE PERSON I LIKE JAKE WHY????"

Oftentimes being a demigod comes with trusting only yourself, which means Jeremy has to work hard to get any of his patients to really come to him when they're injured and in this world, everyone was kind of separated before into groups (either two or three) and jake and rich were together so there's obviously a level of trust between them Jeremy simply can't get between, and at one point Chloe gets injured and Brooke tries to take care of her (stealing medical supplies from Jeremy) but, despite being smart, she's not a medic, and at it's the middle of the night and Brooke shows up at Jeremy's room with a half-unconscious Chloe in her arms begging for help and of course, Jeremy provides it, but then he just. Goes fucking off on Brooke. And it's so important because Jeremy is quiet and anxious, but "I am the medic here. I can take care of him. No, no, it's not just that I can. It's an obligation. it's my fucking job, Rich. That is all I can bring to this team. I'm a fucking coward. I would rather die than put myself into a battle, so it's my fucking job to pick up the pieces when you all come back bruised and battered, and you stole that from me. You took all I had left. If she dies, that's on me. Only me. It doesn't matter if he was in your care or someone else's, it's my job." Anywho, after that they routinely check up on Jeremy to make sure he's mentally okay.

Everyone capitalizes on Christine's ability to talk to fish just because it's so entertaining. They're in the middle of a quest but they're all so exhausted they stop at an aquarium and spend six hours sitting in front of a single tank of lame fish while Christine acts out the conversations between them and they're all deliriously relieved to be there.

Jake, Brooke, and Rich are the most dangerous team to go up against. Brooke can think of the right plan, the right words for Jake to say, and Jake can say her words to charm speak their enemy into destroying themselves. And Rich is there to physically support them both---Jake can always jump slightly too high because the wind is on his side and Brooke is slightly faster than her opponents because, for some reason, air resistance doesn't apply to her.

I noted earlier that they were all separated into small groups at the beginning and were forcibly united for their quest. Jenna was the only one of them alone, and Christine and Brooke both work so hard to eventually make her feel welcome on the ship with everyone else

So Jake is a child of Aphrodite, right? at one point there's a mini-quest they have to go on and the group decides it's smartest for Michael, Jake, and Jeremy to go. Jake immediately turns to Chloe with puppy dog eyes like "PLEASE, CHLOE, PLEASE TAKE MY PLACE" and she's like dude. no. no one likes being alone with them, it's barely even third wheeling. they make you feel like you aren't even a wheel. and Jake's like "YOU THINK IT'S BAD FOR YOU?? I'M A CHILD OF APHRODITE, CHLOE, I CAN PHYSICALLY FEEL THE PINING BETWEEN THEM" and that's how Chloe is convinced to go on a quest alone with Jeremy and Michael. It's miserable.

Jake won't charm speak his friends, which is why he had to actually convince Chloe to go on that quest. The reason why is so sad and traumatic I'm not going to add it to this post because most of these headcanons have been relatively amusing, but it's bad enough that on some days he's selectively mute (that's the right term, right?) just in case he accidentally charm speaks one of them. He and Rich can communicate in rudimentary sign language.

Rich is most skilled at fist fighting. Like yeah, he could use a sword or knife, but he's super super dangerous just with his fists.

And finally, because it's 11:15 and I have a test tomorrow: Brooke had a crush on Christine for the longest time and I have a very clear image in my head of them hanging out together under the argo II on the ocean under the stars and Brooke hesitantly confesses her feelings and Christine rejects her because she's ace and heteroromantic but she still hugs Brooke and is the sweetest person ever about it. She checks up on Brooke, lets Brooke set all the boundaries between them, and eventually, after a month or so, Brooke has to be like "Christine, I'm okay. I had a crush on you, I wasn't in love. You can stop now." and Christine is so fucking happy because she's been trying to distance herself from Brooke to give her time to heal and now she can have one of her best friends back!!!