#like. pre the current story.

[shalpilot]

What happens ate Port Anaty...?

you've opened the flood gates. Mildly tipsy, this is gonna be a ramble.

So for my oc crew I have a few arcs vaguely planned out/set into a timeline. Port Anaty takes place after the ~seeeeeeconddd~ish... arc/saga where they've picked up one extra crewmate. begrudgingly. Like, he's not even official by the time the arc starts but he definitely earns his place by the end I can tell you that much.

To set the stage: We are already on the Grand Line. Tyro (left) + Kuri (right)

are the sole (official) members of the Nautilus Pirates and have pretty much just set off. They made a brief stop in Alabasta where they got roped into burning down the records room at Rain Dinners by Habba

who kinda owes like. a lot of money to the casino. and is also a very recent ex-member of baroque works. So they cut their trip a little short because there's assassins after them for helping this guy out and also maybe a warlord??? for some reason????? why is he involved???????

So they make a very quick getaway. they pull up in Port Anaty, which is attached to a large island with a pretty odd landscape. Sheer cliff faces out of nowhere, steep drop offs, and four seasons on one island? at once?

they reunite with Habba and are yelling at him when all of a sudden they. get mugged.

this is Roethbar. (with a slightly different design- he won't have the white tuft in the rest of the images!)

He politely asks for all of their valuables, and when Tyro explains that they don't have anything; they're just researchers (lie via omission- they just also happen to be pirates. and habba is also there.) he gets VERY excited and brings them to see his daughter, who is in a tower that looks over the port town. "brings them to see" is a little misleading, though. basically what he does is

yeah !

When they regain their bearings, Roethbar insists that they tell Odette, his daughter, stories from their travels.

after a little bit of discussion,

Tyro takes over. She doesn't tell a story from their past travels, though, and instead gives a story about a queen who cried pearls and her escape from the king. Roethbar questions her about where she heard that tale, and she waves it off as just being an old fairy tale she heard growing up. Roethbar concedes that they've done what he asked of them, especially since Odette enjoyed listening to Tyro. Before he escorts them out, Odette asks if she can invite the trio to the play tomorrow night.

Roethbar is ultimately swayed and agrees to let them come watch the show.

He then throws them off the tower.

Kuri catches everyone- (His Devil Fruit lets him change the state of matter of his body- so he can make himself liquid/gas/some weird in-between states) and him and Tyro grumble about whatever the hell it was that just happened. Habba, who's been surprisingly well-behaved this whole time, is like... you guys. We Have To Go To That Play. Kuri (who does NOT like Habba, like, at all, ever since he almost got his sister killed in a fire (sort of on accident)) scoffs and insinuates that he wouldn't peg Habba as the kind of guy to be interested in plays. Habba says he's not, but that guy was Roethbar. You don't just turn down Roethbar. He gets two blank stares in response. ...C'mon, guys, Roethbar? Captain of the Eclipse Pirates? You- oh my god you are newbies. Habba gives them the gist- you don't want to piss this guy off. His mood changes on a whim, and he is an incredibly powerful Devil Fruit user. You cannot let him get the upper hand on you, no matter if you're in a fight or not. Honestly, it was probably a good thing that Kuri and Tyro had no clue who he was- if they'd known and been afraid of him, he could've used that to his advantage. But yeah, they have to go to that play so Roethbar doesn't get pissed and completely annihilate them all. Also, they should do their absolute best to not piss him off in any other way, so its time for an outfit change, baby!!!

While out outfit shopping, Tyro actually runs into someone familiar- but when she tries to say hello to Odette, she shushes her and pulls her into an alleyway. See, she's not supposed to be out here, especially not when she has a performance tonight, but Tyro's story was just so inspiring she had to give freedom a shot. Odette's mostly talking to herself, justifying sneaking out, promising herself that she'll be back in the tower before she has to start getting ready for the play, clearly stressing herself out, and Tyro asks if Odette's... ever? been out on her own before? Odette tells Tyro that no, when she does go out it's only for very short walks and she's always accompanied by someone on her father's crew. For her own safety, of course! She's so beautiful that who KNOWS what could happen to her if the wrong person saw her. (Tyro admits to herself that yeah, she is pretty.) Tyro then offers to escort Odette around the port town- they probably have about the same amount of knowledge about it, so they'll both have fun exploring together! And they do :D The whole time, Odette is switching between having the time of her life and fretting about getting caught. Odette's also dumping quite a bit of info about her dad- he's barely home, and when he is, it's to see how Odette's rehearsals are going and barely anything else. He usually sets right off back to sea as soon as her performances are done. The whole situation has been setting off alarm bells for Tyro since they got launched into her tower, but what finally cements that she wants to do something for Odette is when she spots someone from her Father's crew out on the town and runs away to keep from being seen. When she catches up to her, Tyro offers to take Odette along with Kuri and... nope, just her and Kuri! No One Else Is On Their Crew. I mean, Roethbar leaves as soon as the play's done, right? And then he won't be back for how long? By the time he finds out Odette's gone, they'll be halfway to the New World. Odette balks at the suggestion, but says she'll consider. Tyro does tell her that her life here is safe, but it's not right. In the end, it is her decision, and Tyro wants her to do what she wants.

Odette doesn't realize, but that's the moment she made her choice.

The play that night goes pretty well. It's a massive spectacle piece, the auditorium is packed. Odette is a star. Tyro is completely enraptured by her acting, Kuri is also having a good time, and Habba hasn't fallen asleep! Probably because he's on edge about Roethbar being in the audience, but heyyy a win's a win. Everything is coming to a close in the play, then Odette stumbles over her line. Instantly, everyone can feel a shift in the atmosphere.

Someone very, very strong, is very, very mad.

Odette scrambles to get back on track, and though she's nervous, she pushes through and doesn't make any more mistakes. Once the play is over, Tyro rushes backstage to find her to see if she's made up her mind. While she's looking for Odette's dressing room, she overhears Roethbar yelling. He's angry and disgustingly disappointed in his daughter for making a mistake- clearly, she needs more time to practice, and less time running around outside. Odette is trying to apologize to him this whole time, but she can't get a word in and is clearly upset. Tyro barges in on them, not caring (or believing, at this point) how "dangerous" Roethbar is. She yells at him for not appreciating what a talented girl his daughter is, and for locking her away like she's some treasure to be kept in a chest.

Roethbar laughs.

That's exactly what she is.

He draws his sword, and as he does, back in the auditorium, audience members rise from their seats and surround Habba and Kuri.

Roethbar explains to Tyro that his Devil Fruit allows him complete, total control over anything he owns. He conquers so he can control everything. The people on this island? All his. The islands themselves, smashed together from four different original locations? All his. And his daughter, of course, is his. And he's not going to let a little pirate fill her head with thoughts of freedom.

Obviously, there's a fight. Kuri and Habba are fending off the audience members and members of the Eclipse Pirates while trying to find Tyro. Tyro is face to face with Roethbar, who's daughter is begging him to let her go. Odette gets shaken off to the side, and Tyro is barely able to dodge Roethbar's attacks while she grabs Odette's hand and runs.

Obviously, they try to run. Unlike the port, Odette knows the auditorium like the back of her hand. It's directly connected to the tower, so she's spent countless hours inside. They run into Habba and Kuri, and keep up the pace through the halls while looking for the exit. Odette directs them, and finally, they reach the doors. Habba breaks them open and tries to push everyone through, when suddenly the floor shatters and they're separated again. Kuri and Habba can only look on from above the massive sinkhole that's opened up as Roethbar descends on Tyro and Odette.

Obviously, there's no way they could win. They've only just started their journey. And now it seems like it's going to come to an end. Roethbar hisses at Tyro. How dare you try to steal my daughter away from me. How dare you fill her head with thoughts of freedom. How dare you try to escape. Tyro tries to fight back, but her harpoon gets shattered and cast to the side. It's all over. Roethbar raises his sword.

And Odette takes the blow.

Both Roethbar and Tyro scream. The ground quakes again, but this time, it's not from Roethbar's Devil Fruit. No, this time, in a burst of shock, rage, and absolute terror, Tyro has unleashed a power she didn't even know she had. Roethbar collapses.

Habba and Kuri struggle to keep their footing and consciousness. Habba tells Kuri to run, which he refuses to do until his sister is safe. Habba refuses to let him go down in the now ever-expanding pit and scooping up a still wailing Tyro. She screams at him to let her go, to take Odette with them, but Roethbar is already starting to stir. Habba apologizes, truly, deeply, but he can't let Tyro go back.

There's no saving her.

Habba grabs Kuri as well and gets them all far, far away as fast as he can. They're back on their ship and setting off before Tyro can even begin to process. She's furious at Habba and screams for them to turn around, but Kuri stops her. Kuri hates, hates that he has to tell his sister that there's nothing they could have done, but it's true. They're new. They're weak. There's only two- No, only three of them. Truly, there was nothing they could have done except not go in the first place. And now all they can do is run.

[utilitycaster]

tbh it does feel like the early setup for Bells Hells was a cool experiment but ultimately had some ongoing drawbacks because I do agree with Matt here that there has been time for watch conversations - there were plenty of opportunities for that or for just regular conversations in Whitestone, the Shattered Teeth, the Feywild, and their most recent long rest - but it's just not something the party got into the habit of doing because of the early pacing. It's just not a party that naturally falls into easy conversation with each other for the most part, and I think because he's never had to do this in prior campaigns, particularly this late in the game, Matt hasn't been very obviously laying out "anyone want to have a scene now, during downtime" the way one might with newer players.

[clit-a-cola]

Periods are probably more likely to be irregular in the wasteland due to radiation and the various levels of food insecurity and S T R E S S.

But I wonder if everyone's just free bleeding or if they've reinvented pads.

Cause like depending on where you are you don't wanna waste clean water on cleaning reusable pads. But at the same time I can not IMAGINE the sort of wasteland fuck off diseases and mutations that'd result from pads cleaned with dirty AND irradiated water with who fucking knows trace amounts of FEV floating in it with the microplastics

[spookywriters]

I can't recall atm, but I THINK I set a goal of five books this year??? And if that's the case then wow, I've already met the goal which is wild actually!

[mossflower]

loki season two has me screaming crying throwing up trying not to get dragged back into the mcu trenches

[rubythecrimsonwriter]

Flipping Legacies, middle/end part of Chapter 8, yes this is out of order shush

Snacks are churros grabbed from a street vendor, mostly because they smelled divine while passing by. Natasha grabs enough for six, plus a few extra. Between the super soldiers, the immortals, and the growing children, someone will eat them, she’s sure.

Arms full of churros, she lets herself into the apartment and holds the door open for Nightwing. Drakov’s head pops up from the breakfast nook at the second set of footsteps.

“Drakov, Nightwing,” Natasha introduces shortly. “Nightwing, one of my first trainers and the only one left alive, Drakov, also known as the Winter Soldier or Bucky Barnes.”

Nightwing slows for a second and visibly winces. “...how is Captain America taking that?”

“Mm,” Natasha hums with a mouthful of churro, passing a bag to Drakov.

“Badly,” Drakov says dryly.

“He doesn’t know Drakov is here right now,” Natasha says.

Clint exits the bathroom and works his way down the hall. About halfway down the hall, he registers the vigilante that doesn’t live there and starts grinning.

Natasha raises an eyebrow.

Nightwing catches the look and turns around. Natasha edges her way around because she desperately wants to catch this entire interaction.

Sue her. She’s a spy. Nosy is literally her job description.

Nightwing beams. It’s the only proper word for it.

Clint launches himself at the vigilante, and what follows can only be described as a casual roughhouse. It’d be deadly for most anyone else facing either of them. It’s fast, full strength, and utterly silent.

They break apart as fast as they started, grinning, neither out of breath. They’re both grinning like loons.

“Churro?” Nightwing offers.

“Fuck yes,” Clint says.

This is a normal interaction. Alright. Natasha is not asking.

“I gotta know,” Drakov says, amused. “How long have you two known each other?”

Clint smirks, a bit. Oh. Oh no. Bozhe moy.

“Your call, my dude,” Clint says. “I’m not the one with a secret identity.”

Natasha honestly forgot that no one but her and JARVIS had put everything together to then threaten Batman in the daytime.

“I’ve known him,” Nightwing says, with a deliberateness that speaks volumes, “for longer than Batman’s had Robin.”

Natasha very carefully does not choke. Clint does.

She pounds him on the back while watching Drakov, whose eyebrows have nearly hit his hairline.

“You do realize that you can’t be saying that to just anyone, right?” Drakov says.

“He was trained by Batman,” Natasha says dryly. “I’m pretty sure that’s a challenge to say, come discover my secret identity, I dare you.”

Nightwing laughs. “If Clint reported my involvement with his mission, I’ll eat Batman’s cowl after a bad night.”

“Of course I fucking didn’t,” Clint coughed out. “I would have been laughed right back into jail if I reported a fucking nine year old doing anything but flips on a trampoline.”

Natasha exchanges a look of resigned horror with Drakov. Her own words from the previous morning haunt her: Imagine if Clint couldn’t turn off the assassin like us. So lethal, so graceful, so talented, so obvious. So ripe for HYDRA’s picking, way back in 1996. Imagine if Clint didn’t have Coulson as a handler, who was notorious for going back for his agents no matter what and had the Director of SHIELD’s ear.

Coulson would have believed Clint. Which meant Coulson was not his handler.

Oops. Agent Barton had a tragic accident on a mission. We have to bury an empty casket, her own words echo back at her again.

“Where was your handler.” The words basically fall out of her mouth without permission.

Clint does a double take at her. She doesn’t know what she looks like, but based on the fact that she’s swiftly relieved of everything she might drop, she must look like she’s about to pass out.

“I ditched him,” Clint admits, grabbing her by the shoulders and shoving her into a chair. “Considering I later wound up killing the guy they sent me to protect, I’m okay with that mark on my record. Unfortunate failure is better than intentional sabotage.”

That old Winter Soldier has had his fun, but he’s a little too feisty.

Nightwing quirks a smile at her. It looks rueful. “However bad you think it is, I can guarantee it was worse.”

“Dick,” Clint hisses. Natasha knows it’s his name. It’s said as an insult.

Natasha buries her head in her arms. “How close did you come to being serumed up and brainwashed into doing some shadowy underground totalitarian government’s bidding?”

Nightwing rocks back on his heels. “Actually, you’re right on the money. How did you do that?”

Natasha pops her head up so fast her eyesight can’t compensate. “You. Don’t talk.”

She grabs Clint. “Where the fuck was Coulson, and why didn’t you refuse a handler that would deliberately fail to catch you?”

Clint looks like he’s doing complicated math in his head and he’s losing track of the numbers. “I’m definitely missing something,” he finally says.

“She’s talking about the fact that if the Black Widow was willing to run with a normal human, and have the normal human not be dead weight, then the normal human would be utterly spectacular as a super soldier,” Drakov says levelly.

He’s just. Like. Us. But he’d be better if he was serumed up and had all five senses fully working.

Clint and Nightwing exchange a glance. She knows that glance. That’s a, wow, shit was even more fucked than I originally thought it was glance.

“Oh my god,” she says faintly.

“It’s a long story,” Clint admits. “And not one we really have time for, or, uh. Patience. On the plus side, we killed them, their undead serumed monsters, their bosses, and like ninety-five percent of the underlings, too, so unless they reinvent the wheel--”

“They did,” Nightwing says.

“—we’ll be—I’m sorry, what was that?”

“They did.”

“What?”

“They revived the Court of Owls,” Nightwing says patiently. “And Batman and I took care of them. Again.”

“Oh, well--”

“And so did Robin, again.”

Natasha looks at Drakov despairingly.

Clint opens his mouth and shuts it. He looks at the ceiling and mutters something Natasha doesn’t quite catch, but makes Drakov snort.

Nightwing has a smile on his face that’s a threat. It lingers in the corners of his mouth, around the edges of his domino. It’s a smile that Coulson would be envious of. “Gotham’s a little...much for the Mainlanders. But Clint’s welcome to run with the Bats anytime. Birds of a feather flock together, right? Especially the ones that get stalked to be brainwashed assassins.”

Natasha puts her head back onto the table and gives quiet thanks that even Hydra wasn’t willing to fuck around with Gotham’s brand of crazy.

She pushes back from the table and stands up. “You crazy kids have fun. Drakov, don’t enable them. I’m going for a run.”

“Bye!” Nightwing calls after her. “Don’t forget a rebreather!”

She shakes one as she escapes out the door in response. Get her out of here. Now.

[chuchayucca]

Tbh I'm surprised nobody else has brought up the idea of Richard being abused too

It feels like a lot of potential for it and an explanation (aside from their status) as to why Roy never got help for it either -- Richard thought it was normal.

Now this is just making me imagine a scene where Carmen remarks that Roy will "grow out of it" (it being his behavior) like Richard did in front of the other Hatz and Ross and Robert just share a Look

Anddd now I'm wondering how much Carmen knows

TW for discussions of fictional CSA/SA and mentions of alcoholism

Me too, I thought it would be an obvious assumption but I guess not.

Exactly, I’ve seen the fandom explore Carmen and Roy’s relationship regarding his CSA but never with Richard. I think it’s ashamed because there’s a lot you can write for the relationship, even outside of their CSA.

Omg that’s a good scene idea. The Hatzgang are realized there is a deeper issue, and Roy has to unfortunately unpack that generational trauma. I can see how learning his dad is a possible CSA victim, like him, starts pushing Roy to tell his parents but also discourages him because basically Richard unknowingly knew Roy was SA but never recognized it because he doesn’t know he was SA too. I also believe Richard normalized his brother’s actions too. It’s truly devastating how Richard indirectly contributed to the normalization of Roy’s abuse but he doesn’t know it’s SA. He believes those fun “games” him and his brother played were normal family bonding activities and is happy to hear his son is getting along with his brother, a brother he admired when growing up.

These headcanons might change as the series continues and the deeper I get into research.

I headcanon Carmen doesn’t know anything but has suspected something was off a few times. She never thought anything of Richard’s behavior at first because he alway been this way. When they became adults, she started questioning as Richard still had issues with intimacy at that point in their relationship and his alcoholism was at its worst. (Short ver: Richard started drinking at a young age to cope with trauma of his SA and the Uncle encouraged this, buying him alcohol for various reasons. Modern day, Richard is a functional alcoholic but has gotten better with his drinking)

As of the moment, Roy’s parents are unaware of Roy’s CSA. The day the Uncle died, Roy did get in trouble but for separate reasons. Carmen and Richard were mad at Roy for hanging out with “plebeians” and sending them to one of his uncle’s private properties. Roy doesn’t feel comfortable telling them yet because they’re snobby, judgmental people, so he assumes they won’t react well.

[slightlytoastedbagel]

I could write a whole analysis on fes Kohane just watch me.

[thelaurenshippen]

Hello ! I just listened to The Bright Sessions and I loved it ! It was my first podcast ever and I want to thank you for creating this world and thoses characters (although I do NOT thank you for the angst). I'm currently reading "The Infinite Noise" and I was wondering would you ever consider writing a book on Owen and Joan past ? He is my favorite character and I need more of him ! (and them !) And I think that you kind of owe it to us after what you did in The AM Archives (as compensation for the emotional damage ). Thank you again for one of my new favorite things !

hello!!!! oh my gosh, I'm so glad you found TBS (and that it was your first podcast!) and that you're reading TIN!!!

so, yes, I HAVE considered this actually! several times - the original concept for writing TBS books was writing a joan prequel but then I wanted to write a lurrrvvvv story (with a happy ending). and you're right, I do owe you for what I did in TAMA - owen is one of my fave characters too tbh.

that said, I don't think this book will ever come to be. part of why I abandoned it in favor of TIN is that....I don't know how to explain it, the story didn't really work that well as a book! that's not to say I'll never write it or I'll never tell the joan/owen story in some other medium but....for now, I'm finished with the TBS universe and don't see myself returning to it in the near future. I've told the stories there I feel really strongly about telling. but I highly encourage folks to write fic about it, and there is probably some joan/owen stuff on ao3 already!

[re-alku]

goober

[atlantic-riona]

big fan of things ending. for good, even.

[void-kissed]

For some reason I kind of find it fitting that it's my Kingdom Hearts self-insert who has the most different appearances, out of all of the self-inserts I have

[humanmorph]

phrygian never got to use that whistle for kalar to come help........ do you think that carries over

[sabraeal]

My personal favorite fic of yours is obviously To All the Ghosts - it carved out a tiny little bedroom in my heart even before I laid eyes on it - but lately I’ve been thinking about All Pain Will Turn to Medicine. The way the tension builds through the chapters is delightful.

To All the Ghosts is one of those fics I'm dying to get back to because knowing how much of a disaster Soowon is going to be is such a big carrot 🤣 But All Pain is definitely one of my favorites. It was supposed to be SO much shorter, with only a few timestamps, but there's something so fun about the childhood friends-to-lovers track for Obi and Shirayuki. Especially since their age gap is juuuuust enough that it feels like it matters when they're teens, and then has absolutely no meaning at all as adults. Gap between 13 and 16? Huge. Gap between 19 and 22? Small.

[ectonurites]

man im still just thinking about how fucking cruel timing is in this world for me specifically sometimes

[this-is-a-name-dont-worry]

season 3 finale making me go from "awwww" to "OH NO" very fast