#you’re acting as if pirating doesn’t exist

[eightmakesonebraincell]

ateez as pirates who fall for you (hyung line)

read maknae line here

genre: pirate!ateez x gn!reader (fem!reader for hongjoong), fluff, angst, crack, and as always - a brainrot of every pirate trope to exist

length: 10.4k

c/w: heavy and mature themes - mdni, explicit language (swearing, insults), death, violence, blood & injuries, weapons, illegal acts (piracy, ransoming, verbal abuse, abduction), alcohol, pet names

a/n: maknae line will come yes but who knows when 🤷‍♀️ work has been really testing my dopamine vibes this year 😔👎 thank you @sorryimananti-romantic for keeping a detailed hitlist for me ♡

hongjoong

pov: you're a royal princess rescued by him

“captain, are you sure we can’t toss her overboard?”

jongho and hongjoong watch as wooyoung’s face falls after you pointedly ignore his attempts to make conversation once again

for someone who is technically their guest aboard the arriba, it seems as though you are hellbent on being as difficult as you can be

“unfortunately, we can’t,” hongjoong grouches to the younger, “not unless we want to exchange our payment for a hefty bounty on our own heads”

when jongho sighs, the captain squeezes his shoulder in comfort and adds on, “trust me, i’ve thought about it too”

hongjoong and his crew are privateers - pirates in theory, but technically excused so long as they have their letter of marque to state that they are authorised to attack other vessels

rescuing a royal princess was never explicitly part of the contract, although he thinks that not rescuing you would have pretty much been equivalent to a blatant show of insubordination

you had been taken ransom by one of the merchant ships the arriba had been plundering

needless to say, they had been close to tossing you overboard too; your kingdom had never paid for your ransom

the lack of response from your parents wasn’t anything you weren’t expecting but it’s a sore spot nonetheless

so it’s certainly hard for you to play friendly when you’re quite literally shucked off from stranger to stranger faster than a hot potato

san tugs wooyoung closer towards him and gently says to you, “he’s just trying to be nice - we all are”

the movement doesn’t go unnoticed by you

“i don’t need your pity,” you answer, the only sentence you have spoken today

you’ve lived two decades of your life pretending you don’t see the pitying gazes of your maids and butlers

you certainly don’t need pity from these people - pirates no less

“it’s not-” wooyoung starts to say

but the captain steps in before he can defend himself

“if this is how you’re always acting, i’m starting to see why your kingdom never paid for your ransom”

had hongjoong been less preoccupied by your words, he would have realised that your tone is candid, as if it is only natural for the people around you to pity you

but he’s clouded with his mindset as captain, unable to stand by idly while his own crew put up with your attitude, and so the words come out anyway - shards of shrapnel that bury themselves into your heart

there is only a fleeting second when your eyes dilate with hurt

you conceal it immediately, replacing it with a steely gaze, yet the image has already seared itself into hongjoong’s mind

“maybe you should throw me overboard, then,” you counter, “i’m sure my family will thank you for it”

and even if you have completely neutralised your expression, no one misses the wounded tone of your voice before you disappear down into the lower deck

mingi lets out a low whistle after the resounding slam of the hatch closing

“you fucked up, captain”

hongjoong doesn’t need anyone to spell it out for him

the heavy feeling in his stomach is telling enough

it isn’t until the moon has long since risen that you emerge through the hatch again

you had bypassed the sleeping quarters to the hold, wedging yourself between barrels of grain until you were sure no one would find you

not that they would have tried to anyway - seonghwa had told them all to give you some space

you had run your finger up and down the sides of the barrels repetitively for hours on end, mind simultaneously void and filled with thoughts

the walls you had built around yourself kept you safe, but it had started to become awfully lonely after a while

when it had become a little too suffocating in the hold and you guessed that most of the crew was asleep, you had softly padded back up the stairs and across the main deck

you now sit on the foredeck where the endless expanse of the sea stretches out in front of you, closing your eyes and letting the swaying of the ship lull you into tranquillity

tonight, the moon winks down fondly upon the waters

hongjoong watches you from the quarterdeck

he’s seen you sit at the front of the ship on many nights when you should really have been asleep

he wonders if you’ve always looked so small and fragile with your knees drawn up to your chest, or whether it’s because the flash of hurt in your eyes and voice is still fresh in his mind

“go, captain,” yunho murmurs from where he’s at the helm, “it’s a quiet night”

hongjoong startles at having been caught gazing, clearing his throat and dragging his eyes away

“why should i, if she’s just going to ignore me?” he scoffs

but he knows he’s just being petty at this point and his chest churns in agreement

“maybe,” yunho hums softly in response. “did seonghwa ever give up on you, though?”

it’s rhetorical - hongjoong knows the answer better than anyone

the captain doesn’t say anything but after several beats of silence, he sighs and makes a move to the foredeck where you are

yunho smiles to himself

you and hongjoong may be more similar than his captain realises

your shoulders stiffen when the sound of hongjoong’s footsteps approaches

you’re not sure what to expect and you don’t exactly want to find out and risk getting hurt

but having spent all day swimming alone in your thoughts, you do want to show that you feel apologetic because admittedly, you were being an ass too

getting up to walk away when he’s taken the first step certainly won’t help your case

you hold your breath in awkward silence as he settles down beside you, leaving a respectable distance between your hunched figures

only now is hongjoong realising that he hasn’t actually thought about or decided on what he wants to say to you

but he can feel the confusion rolling off of you in waves, so he grits his teeth and says fuck it

“i won’t apologise for defending my crew, but i’m sorry for how i did it and for what i said”

he hopes you know he is sincere when he continues, “we all have our prickly edges. i can’t fault you for yours”

compassion is a foreign concept to you and so you’re a little stumped for words

hongjoong isn’t sure whether your silence is a good or bad thing, but you have yet to stand up and walk away from the conversation

“there’s only about a week left until we reach port and we’ll leave after you make it back to your kingdom and we receive our payment. i’m not asking for you to be friendly, but let’s at least be civil with each other until then,” he says

you want to nod, agree, anything

and yet you can’t seem to make your head move or the words to come out of your mouth

rome was not built in a day. but neither did its walls fall in a day

hongjoong doesn’t push for an answer when instead, you ask, “how many people have you actually tossed overboard before?”

he resists the urge to laugh at your question, suddenly endeared by the fact that you’re still bothered by his very empty threat

“none, but my offer still stands. you’re welcome to be my first,” he deadpans

you let out a snort and although you quickly turn your head away, hongjoong sees the hint of amusement in your eyes

no further words are exchanged between the two of you and you do not acknowledge him when he eventually stands to rejoin yunho at the helm

but it’s a start

and as with any relationship, be it friend, foe, or lover, there is always that

a beginning.

hongjoong isn’t really expecting much to change immediately so he doesn’t pay you much mind when you walk into the mess hall the following morning

you hesitate at the entrance when you see most of the crew are already present, the conversation you had with hongjoong last night replaying at the forefront of your mind

you chew on the inside of your mouth

wooyoung stops mid-conversation at the scrape of a plate on the table, looking up to find you sliding into the seat beside him with a tight-lipped smile

to your surprise, he greets you with enthusiasm and immediately drags you into the conversation

hongjoong watches as you slowly warm up and add one or two comments of your own in between bites of your hardtack

and when he catches your gaze after staring for too long, he gives you a smile to convey his appreciation; to acknowledge your efforts

you return it with a small smile of your own and unbeknownst to you, it stays on your face for the rest of the day

slowly, there become more and more reasons that elicit a smile out of you

you still sit out on the foredeck when everyone else has gone to sleep, but on most nights, hongjoong will join you even if just for a while

the two of you are content to sit side by side with nothing but the steady pulse of the ocean and intermittent creaks of the ship’s hull to break the silence of the night

tonight though, you find curiosity burning through you

“what’s it like?” you ask

“being a pirate?” he clarifies

you shrug vaguely, unsure yourself either, “being a pirate. being at sea. sailing with your crew”

he takes a moment to gather his thoughts - not because he doesn’t know what to say, but because there is too much he wants to say

when hongjoong answers, his voice rumbles softly from within his chest, tender and heartfelt

“there’s a sense of freedom that you can’t obtain when you’re bound to land and society. sailing the waters, the only limits are those of the open seas and of your own compass… the sunrises, the storms, the moonlight - it all becomes part of your home”

hongjoong leans back to rest on the palms of his hands, tilting his gaze up towards the twinkling sky

he reflects, “you experience brotherhood and gain a family that is worth multitudes more than the treasures you can accumulate, even if you were to live as a pirate for several lifetimes”

you’re enraptured by his words, like poetry that swirls off the pages of a book and drifts into your very soul

“i may be the captain of this crew, but they make me who i am. without them, i am nothing”

his words wash over you and unearth vivid memories

“that’s what the queen always says to me,” you reveal

a small smile starts to grace hongjoong’s face, but it falls just as quickly when he hears your next words

“that without her - without her title - i am nothing”

it’s funny, how the same phrase can hold such different meanings; can evoke such different emotions

you don’t elaborate any further, but hongjoong doesn’t think he needs you to in order for him to understand

he just wishes he had more time to show you that your mother is wrong

he can’t though

tomorrow they reach port and you will return to your rightful place in the palace

“tell me more about your crew,” you attempt to change the topic, “how did you all find each other?”

so hongjoong tells you

he talks for hours and hours and you listen all the while with a heavy heart, clinging onto his every word

on your final night, you two stay like that until the stars disappear and the horizon becomes streaked with the pale hues of sunrise

after the ship docks mere hours later, only hongjoong accompanies you to your kingdom after goodbyes are exchanged

wooyoung doesn’t take it well, and you find yourself holding back tears of your own as you are let through the palace doors with the captain by your side

but you blink them away when you approach the throne room because vulnerability is not an emotion you are willing to display

“y/n”

the queen addresses you curtly when you enter, and hongjoong wonders for a split second whether he has brought you back to the wrong kingdom

he knows your mother does not treat you fondly, but it’s still staggering to see it before his very own eyes

the monarch glances distastefully over him before her eyes flicker back to you

“i did not expect your return,” she states

your eyes remain impassive as you merely answer, “neither am i delighted to be back”

hongjoong recognises this look

he’s seen it when you first boarded his ship; he’s seen it when your hackles were raised

he’s seen it in himself, when he had been a teenager filled with nothing but growing resentment, before he had met seonghwa

your mother sneers, “then you should have made yourself useful and stayed with the pirates. as a whore or a dog, whatever it took.”

hongjoong has understood you since learning of your demons, but right now, he is you

he sees fifteen-year-old kim hongjoong, standing before a couple who are his parents only by title

he sees fifteen-year-old kim hongjoong, who doesn’t know what he has done that deems him undeserving of love

he sees fifteen-year-old kim hongjoong, all alone with no one to take his hand

“or really, you should have died on the ship”

hongjoong is close enough to you to hear the small hitch in your breath at your mother’s final jab

he may not have had someone to save his younger self, but he can do that now

he can be the person he so desperately needed years ago

and so he does just that.

hongjoong grabs your hand and drags you out of the palace

no one stops the two of you from leaving and he is unsure whether his heart hurts for you or sings with relief

you can only stutter in shock as you try to keep up, “hongjoong, what about your payment?”

his determined steps do not slow down, even as he looks back at you with a sure smile, “i told you before. some things are worth more than money”

the comforting squeeze of his hand conveys that you are worth more than any amount of money

the form of the arriba grows bigger in the distance and you think you can see the movement of excitement on deck when the crew spots your figures

hongjoong has slowed down his steps, but he has yet to let go of your hand

“and you deserve to know that. welcome to the crew, y/n”

to a family and love that you never had

you think you like the sound of that

“thank you, captain”

seonghwa

pov: you're a royal navy officer in disguise

you lay awake in your hammock, listening to the soft snores of the crew members around you

sleep doesn’t come easy to you anymore

particularly tonight

you contemplate whether it’s worth the risk to simply not show up

you know what the consequences are if they capture you - a slow and painful death - but you’re unsure whether you want to put ateez on the line too

your ship is currently docked for the night, having made a port stop at alcarres following one of the crew’s wishes to retire the pirate lifestyle and settle in the small town

their last night with ateez had been celebrated with sloshing rum and rowdy jigs, something you had found strange

there’s none of that in the royal navy

when one leaves, it is shameful and through one of three options only; old age, crippling injury, or…death

you had asked seonghwa, the quartermaster, why he and the captain were so accepting when crew members left as they wished

he had simply smiled and answered, “better a small but loyal crew than a large and unpredictable crew”

his words are like a sharp stone in your shoe as you finally slip out of your hammock and make your way off the ship

as ordered, you head to the tavern addressed

you salute the person in front of you and ease into your seat with a formality only when he disregards you

“admiral jang”

“you’re late,” the royal navy officer raises an eyebrow

“sorry, sir. i had to make sure everyone was asleep”

it’s not exactly the truth, but no one needs to know that you had spent an hour in your hammock questioning your morality

he ignores your excuse, jesting as he asks of your captain, “has the pirate king found the chart’s whereabouts yet?”

the charts

centuries ago, a crew of experienced sailors had travelled the six great seas and created the original navigational charts

the charts had become scattered and lost over time, but its value only increased exponentially as more and more sailors became victims to the sea trying to map its waters to the same detail and accuracy as the original charts

of the six originals, only the whereabouts of five are known, with most of them within the possession of the royal navy

it’s rumoured that hongjoong - the pirate king - has his hands on two of them and is currently tracking down the lost chart of the aurorian sea

the only sea that has yet to be chartered after its original map due to its dangerous and unpredictable sailing conditions

you know that your next words can hold an inexplicable amount of possibilities

“not yet. the last lead didn’t get him anywhere. turned out the last of the ahn clan had passed a decade ago”

his lips flatten at the lack of worthwhile information

“where’s the captain headed to next, then?” he probes

for a split second, the thought of lying crosses your mind

you can’t provide a different location - it would be much too obvious and would raise immediate suspicions

but you could give him a different time frame

after all, it’s not uncommon for navigational routes to be one to two weeks off should the waters be unpredictable enough

you find the truth spilling out of you anyway once you’re looking into his stone-cold eyes

“vlasgar. in about three weeks’ time”

for a moment, time stands still as your heart pounds and you attempt to slow your breathing, the officer staring back at you calculatingly

then he finally hums in satisfaction

you think that he is going to dismiss you, but as you make a move to leave, he leans back in his seat

the split second of hesitation was enough

“remember where your loyalty lies, y/n”

the air feels cold with the underlying threat

seonghwa’s words flit through your mind

better a small but loyal crew than a large and unpredictable crew

you swallow, “of course, admiral”

and then you’re dismissed with a nod

the unsettling feeling follows you all the way back to the ship and every miniscule creak of the floorboards underneath you seems to be amplified in the silence

you let out a short gasp of surprise when you’re about to climb back into your hammock, only to see seonghwa blinking blearily at you

“couldn’t sleep ‘gain?” he mumbles

you choke out a response, “yeah”

“i’ll make you tea b’fore you sleep ‘morrow,” his words slur with sleepiness

“okay,” you whisper

but you know it won’t make a difference

after all, there’s no remedy for guilt

it continues to fester the next day, as you linger outside the captain’s quarters

you can’t remember why you had come down to the lower deck, but it doesn’t matter now, not with seonghwa and the captain discussing what you think is related to the aurorian chart

“do you think he’s still in vlasgar?”

“min taesoo? it’s hard to say. but i’m sure he’ll have acquaintances still on the island who may have an idea of where he’s gone”

min taesoo

your brain tries to carefully file the name away, knowing that it’s what admiral jang would want to know, but at the same time, your heart tries to pretend it doesn’t know what you have heard so that you can forget about it

you find yourself scratching the name onto a scrap of paper anyway

unbeknownst to you, at the almost-imperceivable sound of your footsteps walking away, the two men behind the doors share a look

the crew sets sail again in the afternoon towards the next destination - vlasgar - and the scrap of paper in your pocket weighs you down so heavily that you feel off-kilter as you absentmindedly follow jongho up into the rigging to unfurl the sails

you’re near the top of the ropes when a sudden wave lurches the boat to starboard

it’s only a small push, really, but with your mind elsewhere, it catches you off guard and you miss your next step

the feeling of your hand dislodging from the sudden drag of your body weight brings you back to the present with a yell of surprise

(whether it’s your own or jongho’s, you can’t remember)

your sailing experience takes over and you try to swing your body back towards the safety of the rigging

you barely manage to grasp the ropes again but your hands slip down with your weight until they hit the next knot, the hot rush of friction threatening your grip

with adrenaline rushing through your body, you shakily climb back down, where there are several pairs of hands waiting to help you down the rest of the rigging

seonghwa’s hands do not leave you even after your feet are planted on the deck again

dread and shame heat the back of your neck and curl around onto your cheeks, knowing that a mistake like the one you had just made - accidental or not - would lead to a punishment like confinement in the lower deck back in the royal navy

except, when an apology starts to form on your lips, seonghwa bursts out in dismay

“y/n, your hands!”

you let out an unintelligible noise as seonghwa gently turns your palms over and you realise that the ropes have grazed some of the skin off

“it’s fine,” you want to say

but you’re silenced when he leads you to the small sick bay on the orlop deck

even if there is no surgeon on board, there is a small chest fastened to the wall that is home to their few and valuable medical supplies

you sit as he fusses over you with alcohol and strips of cloth

although he does a good job of wrapping your hands, your insides start to bleed with how intensely guilt eats away at you, like a maggot deep inside the core of a festering apple

that night as you shuffle towards your hammock to sleep, you flinch when you find seonghwa already sitting in his

he’s fighting the heaviness in his eyes as he carefully cradles something

upon seeing you, he wordlessly hands it to you with a sleepy smile before he finally sags into his own hammock with a content sigh

you look down and the warmth of it seems to burn through the padded dressing that the man before you has tenderly wrapped around your palms

the sensation travels upwards to burn your heart too

because in your hands is a cup of warm chamomile tea

and yet, despite the emptied cup, you find yourself unable to fall asleep

but in the darkness of the sky, with no witnesses other than the waves and sea foam themselves, a small piece of crumpled paper gets tossed overboard that night

the closer their ship approaches vlasgar, the more distant seonghwa notices you become

he worries

seonghwa thinks he worries for the reasons that he should be

he is the quartermaster; entrusted to protect the crew as the captain’s right-hand man

if that means ensuring no one will compromise the rest of his crew, even if it’s you, then so be it

that’s what he justifies to himself as he walks through the cobbled streets of vlasgar, slinking through the shadows as he follows your figure from a safe distance

(in reality, seonghwa worries for the reasons that he is not quite ready to admit yet)

he follows you into the dim bar of a tavern and carefully situates himself where he can watch over you without being discovered

he orders a mug of common ale as you approach someone

the man is dressed in civilian attire, but seonghwa can tell straight away from his demeanour and expression that he is not as ordinary as he appears

it’s confirmed when he hears you say, “admiral jang”

and then he sees it

the small but striking lapel pin on the breast of the man’s coat - the royal navy’s insignia

seonghwa feels for the sash that’s hidden underneath his own jacket and his fingertips meet the cool metal of the pistol tied inside

“you better have updates for me, y/n. what’s the pirate king’s purpose here in vlasgar?”

seonghwa knows he only has about five seconds to make a decision - one that could jeopardise the crew, or one that could jeopardise you

but you surprise yourself and the both of them when you answer steadfastly, “i don’t know, sir”

despite the din of drunker patrons in the tavern, it seems to fall deathly silent

“am i hearing wrong, officer?” the admiral questions with a disbelieving scoff

to your credit, your voice does not waver when you state again, “no, sir. i believe the captain and quartermaster are lying low. they have not revealed anything to me nor the rest of the crew”

seonghwa suddenly understands why you have distanced yourself

the admiral’s jaw tics

“is that so.”

you do not respond, only focusing on the spot between his raised eyebrows as he leans forward across the table

“where does your loyalty lie, y/n?”

neither the admiral nor seonghwa need to hear your answer to know the truth

a small crew may be outnumbered, but they have strength in loyalty and devotion

there’s a glint of movement from underneath the table as the admiral inches something out from his belt

seonghwa makes his decision

you flinch, eyes wide as there’s a deafening gunshot and the table beside you splinters and scatters the tankards of alcohol onto the floor

instantaneously, chaos erupts

there are drunken yells of fright and weapons clumsily brandished, tables upturned and chairs hurled across the room

it only takes one other misfired shot for the tavern to descend into hellfire as customers who were previously drinking together now turn on one another

nobody notices the two pirates dashing out, not even admiral jang, who is busy wrangling two inebriated men off his arms

your composure dissolves the moment you are dragged into an alleyway several streets away and you look up in shock to discover-

“seonghwa?! why are you here?”

“i could say the same about you,” he counters, hardly out of breath

you’re stunned by the fact that he seems completely unfazed by the mess that he has just dragged you out of

something clicks

“was that you? did you know all along?”

seonghwa smiles, “let’s just say you’re not as subtle as you think you are when you sneak around. plus, it’s uncommon for sailors to have the experience that you do without having had some sort of training”

you curse under your breath and wince, “does hongjoong know too?”

the quartermaster nods and you fear the answer to your next question

“then why has he not…why have you not…”

“killed you yet?” seonghwa chuckles. “i’m sure you’ve realised by now how skewed the royal navy’s beliefs are”

you’re quiet

the royal navy has always been cult-like in preaching the ruthlessness and barbarism of pirates, drilling into the officers the belief that pirates are the scum of the sea

but everything that you’ve known has been proven false since you’ve joined ateez; ironically, the pirates are more humane than the royal navy themself

their crew stand at attention whenever hongjoong or seonghwa walk onto the deck - not out of cultivated fear but genuine respect

when jongho is sore and tired from handling the riggings on a particularly rough and windy day, the others will offer to cover for his chores instead of flogging him into submission

and when mingi is divvying up the shares of the provisions and loot, the others will slip an extra bar of soap for seonghwa, the shiniest ring for mingi, or the largest bottle of rum for yunho, because they want to make each other happy

“hongjoong is the pirate king, yes, but a king should not take the lives of others for his own power. a true king uses his power to change the lives of others for the better…like yours…and like mine”

you frown with a jerk of your head

“what do you mean?”

you can’t see seonghwa as a broken man whatsoever

he gives you a weak smile, “i, too, used to be part of the royal navy”

your jaw drops

everything clicks into place - how he had figured out you weren’t just a common sailor and why he hadn’t confronted you about it

the shame and guilt come rushing back over you in a storm that is much too familiar by now

“i’m so sorry, all i’ve done is betray your trust-”

“but that’s what second chances are for, no?” seonghwa cuts you off, playfully flicking your forehead as he reminds you, “and i’m pretty sure you’ve chosen me over the royal navy”

your cheeks grow hot

“not you. the crew,” you mutter

he laughs and it’s a wonderful sound

“come on, it’s late,” seonghwa beckons. “let’s get some sleep”

when he sees that you’re still rooted to the spot, unsure whether you are deserving to go back, he decides for you and moves behind you to gently nudge you forward by the shoulders

you let him guide you

his hands are warm, you note, even through the linen of your shirt

his hands are also pretty, you observe, when he tries to fluff your hammock once you two have crept your way back to the berth

seonghwa helps you up into the hammock and you watch as he climbs into his

his hands are also teeming with love, you realise, when he wordlessly extends his arm nearest to you in a silent invitation

if you both reach out, you can just entwine your hands together from your respective hammocks

the burns on your palms have healed nicely and without the need for them to be wrapped, you can feel every expanse of his hand covering yours

he doesn’t retract his hand and neither do you, even though it’s not the most comfortable position and you both lose feeling of your arms soon after

but you lay in your hammock, drifting to the soft snores of the crew members around you and the soft tug of seonghwa’s fingers in yours

sleep comes easy to you

particularly tonight

as it will for the rest of your life

yunho

pov: you're the crew's navigator

you know it’s going to happen even before it actually does

you can feel it in the air and from the way the baby hairs around your hairline start to frizz

but you never say anything because you wouldn’t trade it for the moment when the first raindrop hits the back of yunho’s neck and he abandons his duty at the helm to drag you out onto the upper deck

(hongjoong only sighs in defeat before he stations himself at the helm instead)

you don’t like the rain

not like yunho does

you are already looking up from the map spread out in the captain’s quarters, a knowing smile on your face just from the sound of his bounding footsteps alerting you of his presence, when yunho appears with the beckon of rain

you pretend to let yourself be dragged to your feet along to his urges of come on!

but then you dash forward towards the hatch with yunho chasing after your bright laughter

in the short span of time that it has taken him to fetch you, the sprinkle of rain has steadily grown and the weathered planks of the deck are already a dark grey

you feel the coldness of the raindrops hitting the crown of your head and the spreading chill as your clothes start to become damp

but that’s not what makes you feel alive

yunho catches up to you easily and then he is snaking his arms around your waist to lift you up into the air

you barely have time to squeal and steady yourself on his broad shoulders before he is spinning the two of you around, the world blurring away as the spotlight shines on him and he is all that you can see

the deck is your stage and the sea is your audience

rain with yunho is twirling hugs, tiptoed kisses and tinkling laughter. it’s soaked shirts and rosy cheeks and the only thing that matters in the moment

you don’t like the rain, but it’s easy to like the rain when it’s with him

(hongjoong lets the two of you be - so obviously and hopelessly enamoured by each other - because when one sees people in love, one cannot help but watch and smile)

the rain eventually peters out and you and yunho must return to your respective duties, but not until you two have changed out of your drenched clothes and sneaked in a few more kisses

a few hours later, you hear the racket above the deck as a ship pulls up beside the arriba and ropes are thrown across from both sides to lash the vessels close together

hongjoong comes down to join you in his quarters, but he’s not alone

behind him is the captain of the silver light, dae jihoo, and his quartermaster, with seonghwa entering last

you note that this crew doesn’t have a navigator of their own

but you suppose that’s one of the reasons why their captain had implored an alliance for this particular raid

the crew of the silver light are wanting to target the prosperity triangle - an area between three large ports that is frequently trafficked by wealthy vessels transporting valuable goods

it’s a raid that would prove difficult for a smaller pirate crew like your own and the silver light, and especially if they have no navigator

but it’s not uncommon for pirates to form temporary alliances for such purposes, and together, your crews have a good chance of plundering a fortune

you nod your head in acknowledgement when hongjoong introduces you to the two pirates as ateez’s navigator

you don’t miss the way jihoo’s eyes seem to linger on you for a second too long before he flashes a crooked grin and gestures towards the navigational map spread out on the oak table

clearing your throat of discomfort, you step forward and flatten the creases out with your hands

“this is the most open spot within the triangle that the vessel we’re after will pass through,” you tap an annotated spot on the chart, “and this is where we are now”

you slide your finger across, “we’ll follow the rhumb line west to avoid the shallower waters and when we can catch the trade winds, it should be smooth sailing from there”

jihoo challenges you, “how can you be sure we’ll catch the ship within the triangle?”

“they’ll need to sail past the equator and i’m almost certain their ship will be slowed down by the doldrums. we can easily gain knots on them”

he squints at the scribbles you’ve made noting down what you’ve gathered of the wind patterns

you know for a fact that it will mean nothing to him, but whatever he sees must satisfy him because jihoo appears to make up his mind

“when do we set sail?” he directs his question to your captain

“three days from now”

he grunts a noise of affirmation and stands, which hongjoong takes as the cue to see them and the rest of their crew off your ship

you trail behind the group as you all head back to the upper deck

you prepare to emerge from the hatch with a playful wink, knowing that yunho will be craning his neck from the helm to get a glimpse of you, when a sudden holler surprises you out of your thoughts

it’s immediately met with the answering cries of several other pirates - none from your crew - and you hurry to clear the hatch to gain your bearings

you’re thrust right into the throes of battle as ateez are forced to unsheathe their cutlasses to defend against silver light’s sudden attack

having been caught off guard, basically none of your firearms are loaded with gunpowder, rendering them unusable

you will have to make do with the short sabre at your waist

there’s no time to account for the whereabouts and safety of your crew members and you just have to pray that you all make it out of this unscathed

especially yunho

but as ateez retaliate, you all notice something is off about the situation

your crew is very quickly overpowering the other pirates - it was a losing fight for them from the very beginning

it makes no sense to you nor the rest of your crew

the losses of breaking the alliance before the planned raid, much less through betrayal, far outweigh any gains they could possibly make from their choice of action

it makes absolutely no sense

until it does.

you are blocking the swing of a sabre with your own when you are tugged backwards harshly by the collar of your shirt

there’s an angry snarl in your throat as you prepare to turn around, but it’s quickly silenced by the warning shot of a pistol right beside your ear

the cold ring of metal is then pressed to the back of your head

you know that firearms require time to reload and there’s a chance that this pistol is now useless

but, like wooyoung has taught the rest of the crew to do, they may have pre-prepared several pistols and you are not willing to play with fire - especially when you are only the flex of a finger away from death

you vaguely hear someone yell out your name in panic, but you’re not quite sure you hear correctly over the clamour of cutlasses clashing, warcries resounding and your own heartbeat pounding

“stand down or your navigator dies,” the voice behind you thunders

it’s jihoo…and he wants a navigator for his crew

“ateez,” one of your men commands, “lower your weapons”

your crew may make decisions fairly, but in battle, only hongjoong has the power to make commands

yunho has never spoken against his captain or disobeyed orders

until now

the words do not come out of your captain’s mouth but yunho’s

the rest of the members hesitate - they will not stand down unless hongjoong commands them to, yet, they are unsure whether they will be able to follow should he demand them to fight on, even if it means endangering your life

but there is no guarantee jihoo will let your crew go unharmed even after you all surrender, and as the captain, hongjoong must make decisions in the best interest for the crew

“captain!” yunho yells desperately

yunho never yells

“stand down,” hongjoong commands

silver light’s captain steps in closer behind you until you can hear and feel the noise of intriguement that leaves his mouth down the back of your neck

“that your loverboy, hmm?”

he smirks

there’s a false moment of primal relief when the press of the pistol is removed from the back of your head, but it is immediately replaced with fear that is irrevocably worse as he aims it in yunho’s direction and shoots

“no!”

you shriek and pull against the tug of his hold, still fisted around your collar, your pupils blown wide with terror at the sight of the clean hole in the mast right beside yunho’s head

“it’ll be pretty boy’s head next if you don’t come with me,” jihoo coos into your ear

the fight slips out of you immediately

because if you can save him, a life for a life, then you will

even if the sight of mingi holding yunho back from lunging forward when the pistol’s barrel returns to your head makes your heart clench painfully

“y/n, don’t you dare,” yunho pleads, voice filled with anguish

you’re barely given enough time to lock eyes with him and say resolutely, “remember what you said to me,” before you are tugged away to the boarding plank

ateez can only watch helplessly as the planks are removed from over the bulwarks and the last of the ropes are untied, releasing the silver light from their ship for good

jihoo tugs you down the hatch as the ship starts to pull away, and just like that, you’re gone from their sights

“fuck!” yunho shouts furiously, unable to contain his emotions as he turns around and connects his fist with the mast

right where the musket ball had made a hole

his hand pulls away with bloodied knuckles from the splintered wood and the sheer force of his punch

a concerned whine leaves seonghwa’s mouth and he tries to approach the taller, but yunho shakes him off and looks determinedly at hongjoong

“we’re sailing to the banver isle just east of the triangle. we’ll ambush them there”

seonghwa looks between the two, hope flickering in his chest at the potential plan, “you think the silver light are stupid enough to try taking on the prosperity triangle alone?”

yunho chuckles darkly, “they were fucking shitbrained enough to take y/n, so yes”

nobody disagrees and hongjoong smirks dangerously

“ateez, ready the sails for banver isle,” he commands. “prepare for battle”

because not only have the silver light taken you away from ateez, but they have also annihilated the light from yunho’s eyes

gone are his warm brown orbs - they are now black holes thirsty for retribution

there will be lives to pay and even that will not be enough for the void

unaware of what your crew is capable of, jihoo looks down at you with a triumphant leer

“you’ll navigate us to the triangle in three days’ time. don’t even think about lying - you’ve already shown me where the location is”

with an even nod you reply, “of course”

it’s true though - you have absolutely no intention of navigating them somewhere else

because you know yunho will be waiting there for you

amidst chaste kisses exchanged between plush lips cold from the rain, yunho tells you in a brief moment of seriousness

“don’t show them where the real location is,” his breath is warm across your cheeks. “you know the coastal island roughly ten nautical miles away? show them that instead”

you tilt your head to look up at him, “you think they’ll betray us?”

“no,” he reassures you with a deeper, slower kiss, “but we can never be too safe”

and even if your vessels miss each other this time, you have complete faith that yunho will sail to the very ends of the world just to find you

two days before the originally-planned raid, the arriba sails as closely to banver isle as possible without risking running aground

yunho has navigated the ship around the back of the isle so that the form of the rocky terrain conceals them from sight

once the anchor is lowered, the crew members use every ticking moment to make preparations

swords are sharpened and firearms cleaned

mingi distributes the gunpowder and ammunition, which is pre-loaded into muskets, pistols and swivel cannons ready to be engaged

the ship’s sails and riggings are checked and yeosang keeps a keen lookout in the crow’s nest

and it’s as if the world itself can sense the brewing storm that grows inside yunho

the sea is eerily still and silent, but the sky is an omen to something impending, its rolling clouds dark and angry with the threat of rain leering over the waters

yunho doesn’t actually like the rain

he only likes it because it’s with you

rain with you is barefoot dancing, breathless confessions and bashful giggles. it’s drenched locks and fluttering eyelashes and the only thing that exists in the moment

but as the profile of the silver light finally approaches the isle two days later, the heavens split open and you are not by his side

rain without you is falling pinpricks, frigid winds and flaunting mockery and yunho despises it with his entire being

at yeosang’s call of, “vessel approaching from starboard,” up in the lookout, yunho smothers the fervid desire to barrage the other ship with cannonballs like hail from hell; to unleash an inferno that blazes through their hull as he sadistically watches the crew jump for their lives

he stamps out the hunger to shoot the ones that make it into the sea, not to kill, only to maim and induce a long, painful struggle in the open waters until death becomes inevitable - until there is enough blood spilt that it becomes the only stench in the air that stretches across for miles

yunho leashes his monsters with an iron fist

because he will not do anything that could even remotely endanger your life

even if it means that he has to hold back - to sit and wait like prey instead of advancing on the other ship like a predator

at least not yet.

silver light do not know, but this is the calm before the storm

the heavens may be crying, the winds may be howling and the waters may be roiling

but this is nothing compared to yunho

yunho is a tempest of unparalleled rage and their ship is in the eye of his storm

as the bowsprit of the silver light starts to appear around the isle, the members ready their grappling hooks and yunho draws his cutlass with a menacing whisper of unsheathing metal

you are his treasure, and pirates never lose sight of their treasure

today…you return to him

yeosang

pov: you're a tavern keeper

watching the ale reach the brim of the tankard you are holding, you’re about to step away from the barrel when the voice of a patron sounds behind you

“‘scuse me, could i get a mint-”

you look up and turn around in confusion as their voice cuts off

only to have the question taken right from the tip of your own tongue as you’re met with the face of the person you had loved for years

the same person you have spent twice as long trying to forget

eyes searching each other’s in a surprised stupor, seeing kang yeosang standing right in front of you takes you back to those memories that you have tried to remember and simultaneously bury

it thrusts you headfirst into what used to be of your shared love - like the feathery remnants of a dream, so distant from the fingers of your consciousness, suddenly returning to vivid existence when you least expect it

“hey, mint leaf. i’m back”

yeosang at least has the perceptiveness to appear a little apologetic, immediately pulling you into a hug and pressing soft kisses against your hairline uncaring of the other people in the tavern

it’s been several weeks since you last saw him, and whilst he had warned you he would be gone for longer this time, you hadn’t expected it to mean two whole months

he’s a small merchant who also fishes along the coast to earn enough to make ends meets, so he’s often gone for a few days or a week or two

you knew what you were in for when you first made it official with him, but just because you become accustomed to something, doesn’t mean it gets any easier

and he’s never been gone for this long

something must have happened - something good - because he looks alive, cheeks glowing and eyes fiery

“i met the crew”

“the crew?” you ask, hands reaching for the bourbon to prepare him a drink as he lets himself behind the counter to stand beside you in your workspace

he nods excitedly, "wooyoung’s pirate crew, ateez"

you think you know where this is going to go and you hate that your stomach sinks at the thought of what your future may become, because yeosang looks so happy to tell you about this and a happy yeosang is all that you could ask for

“the captain offered me a position as their lookout”

you pick out your next words carefully as you hand him his finished drink - a mint julep with two sugar cubes, just the way he likes it

"aren't…isn't being a pirate dangerous?"

“not as dangerous as you might think, actually. they’ve been showing me the ropes the last couple of weeks and…and i think i want to join them. officially”

there it is

the forked end of the road

you wonder how far two people can keep walking with their hands intertwined before the distance becomes too great and they have to let go

his words become a little muddled when he goes on to tell you about how they divvied up their recent loot to include his share too

how he’s gained more money than he’s made from the last two years of working as a merchant and fisherman combined

if he joins his old friend and his crew, he could earn enough to buy his parents a proper house; earn enough to build you your very own tavern

you want to tell him that you don’t need the tavern, just him, but you also know just how important his family is to him

his filial desire to take care of his parents was one of the very reasons you fell in love with him in the first place

before you can say anything though, the tavern keeper is interrupting to let you know that your shift is over

yeosang immediately perks up and herds you out of the place, claiming that there is a new fishing spot he discovered that he has to show you

and so you sit while he rows his modest boat, only the splash of his oars disturbing the peaceful stillness that has settled over the waters as the sun dips below the horizon

the waning light casts a soft, warm glow over him, like a gentle kiss against his skin and birthmark

if angels graced the earth, there would be one sitting right in front of you

“i missed you, mint leaf,” he confesses, gaze shyly averted. “i thought about you when i was gone”

“did you think about showing me this place?” you feel a little breathless

he nods, “every single night”

and that’s enough for you

it feels like everything is okay again

it doesn’t matter if you’re standing at a forked road

you think that perhaps, for him, you can walk on an unpaved path - just so that you can keep holding his hand

“y/n”

yeosang’s voice is deep

the word sounds foreign to your own ears but you don’t dwell on it

(because if you do, you’ll wonder whether it’s because you’ve forgotten the sound of his voice or because you want to hear him calling you something else)

“what would you like to order?” you ask

(because it’s easier to pretend that he’s just another patron than to admit that he used to be all that you ever knew)

yeosang fumbles a little but then regains himself, “oh, um- just a mint julep, please”

you turn your back to him to prepare his drink, hands reaching for the barrels lined along the bottom shelves without needing to look

you’ve made this drink too many times to count

half of those times were in the safety of the darkness that midnight offered; when the tears could flow freely without anyone seeing

it’s only when you start to mix his cocktail that yeosang realises he didn’t ask for his sugar cubes, but he figures the drink will taste bitter tonight either way so he opts to watch you instead

he wishes that he could walk past the counter like he used to and wrap his arms around you

he wishes that he could whisper endearments into your ears and press them against your lips

he wishes that he could show you that he still loves you

“do you still love me?” your voice wavers with hurt as you stand in front of him

he’s finally back after being gone for four months this time and you hate this conversation as much as he does, but it was bound to happen eventually

yeosang pleads, “more than anything”

“then why does it hurt so much? loving you…and being loved by you”

he doesn’t have an answer

but god be damned if he doesn’t try to find a way to fix things

“tell me, mint leaf, what can i do?”

you blink back your tears furiously, having already made up your mind while he was still at sea

“let’s break up”

because in the end, unpaved paths have too many rocks, too many thorns and too many arched roots; they were never meant to be walked along

you pass yeosang his finished drink without another word and then move further down the counter to serve a different customer

his eyes linger on you wistfully before he tears them away from you

it’s a good thing his hair has grown long enough to cover his face when he looks down

because his eyes start to grow wet at the sight of the mint julep you have made him

with two sugar cubes in it, just the way he likes it

perhaps, once you’ve loved somebody, you never really stop loving them

yeosang shows up again the next day and seats himself at the bar

you don’t serve him though, actively avoiding his end of the counter and letting another of your staff tend to him

he orders his usual but he leaves out his request for additional sugar cubes

it feels wrong for him to order it from someone that isn’t you

but you’re watching out of the corner of your eye as the worker mixes the bourbon, sugar and water, topping it with a few mint leaves and then sliding it across the counter for him

you let out a little sigh, half amused, when he takes a small sip and smacks his lips together at the bitterness

you take two sugar cubes and drop it unceremoniously into his pewter cup before you realise what you’re doing

yeosang immediately seizes the opportunity to talk to you

“my crew’s docked for the fortnight…” he waits to see if you’ll respond. you don’t, but you also don’t move away, so he continues. “we’re making some repairs to the hull and sails before our next raid”

you have half a mind to walk away after you reply, “i didn’t ask” 

he forges on regardless

“we’re going to work with another crew for this one. it’s going to increase our chances of a successful raid because-”

your voice comes out a little harsher than you mean for it to when you hiss again, “i didn’t ask”

yeosang’s mouth closes as he pulls away slightly, back straightening

then he says in a softer voice, “i’ve been doing well. wooyoung still takes care of me, even though i’m not new to the crew anymore. i also saw my parents today and they’re happily retired now…”

you don’t stop him from talking this time

because how many sleepless nights have you spent sitting outside your tavern looking up at the stars; how many times have you served a mint julep to a patron and accidentally added sugar cubes; how many moments have you been consumed by the thought of him, simply wondering if he is living well?

this is everything that you have ever wanted - yeosang in the flesh letting you know that, yes, he has been well

but it is also everything that you have ever feared - that he has been well even without you

you don’t know what to feel

“my parents asked about you,” he says gingerly. “how have you been?”

his voice is barely audible, as if he is afraid of what you might say

or perhaps, afraid that you might not say anything at all

“good. excellent,” you force a small smile, your eyes still focused on the mint leaves floating in his drink. you don’t think you can look at him. “i own this place now”

his body loses its tension, cheeks rounding as he looks at you with genuine relief

“that’s…that’s really good to hear”

his words sting

you are unsure if it stings your ego or if it picks at the wound in the shape of the person you have lost

but it hurts to know that he has worried over you in the exact same way you have over him, the whole time you two have been apart

you’re suddenly overwhelmed by the realisation and hot tears well in your eyes almost immediately

your bottom lip starts to crumple so you rush into the back room to escape

“y/n!” yeosang calls out after you, alarmed

when you don’t stop, disappearing into the storage, he jolts up from his seat and follows

your body shudders with every heaving breath you take, unable to stop yourself from crying even harder when you feel him tug you into his chest

you try to pull away but his sturdy arms tighten around you

yeosang refuses to let you go once more

“i hate you,” you sob, struggling against his hold as you hit his chest weakly

he hushes comforts against the crown of your head, soothing noises as he endures your fists

“you have every reason to”

yeosang holds back tears of his own

he feels your body gradually losing its fight, sinking into his embrace instead, hands desperately holding him close

your voice is so impossibly small when you tearfully confess, “but i still love you”

“oh, mint leaf,” he brushes the stray locks of hair away from your face and cradles your jaw tenderly, “i still love you, too”

he presses a soft kiss against your forehead, pulling away once only to reaffirm, “so, so much”

when he kisses you again, his lips taste salty against your own, but nothing has ever tasted sweeter than this

your breath no longer stutters but the tears continue to run down your face because your heart finally feels right after all these years apart

and yet-

you pull away

“we can’t do this”

yeosang feels his heart shattering

“why not? i don’t understand,” he whimpers

“you know why,” you say distressingly, “my life is here, yeosang. i can’t just leave and return whenever i want. but you, on the other hand? you can. you go where your crew goes - you belong with them”

“but my heart belongs to you. please, y/n,” he begs

his arms are still wrapped around you and you feel his desperation as his fingers cling onto you like a lifeline

you look earnestly into his bloodshot eyes, your own vision blurry, “yeo, you’re not the one who gets left behind here. you’re not the one who waits weeks, months, years on end, just hoping that the next person to walk in is the person that you want to see”

he wants to plead that he waits to see you, too, but he knows that he’s the one who leaves, too

“you’re the right one for me - the only one for me - but it’s not the right time,” you tell him gently

slowly, his arms lower themselves from around you

“it wasn’t the right time then and it isn’t the right time now,” he repeats, “then when is the right time for us?”

you shoot the question right back at him, “when is the right time for someone whose life is to sail the world?”

neither of you know the answer

nobody does, because loving a pirate has no certainties

but yeosang doesn’t give up

“if we can’t ever be sure, why don’t we just make it the right time ourselves?”

you caress his cheek sweetly, and despite having stepped away from you earlier, he leans into your hand, starved of your loving touch and affection

“yeosang…what if we’ve already had it? what if…meeting each other was already it? what if we’re just meant to love from a distance, not side by side?” your voice is poignant but resolute

he brings up a hand to cover yours, still warm and tender against his wet cheek

how is it that he can be touching you yet simultaneously feel worlds apart from you

“okay,” he accepts with a whisper

if loving you silently is the only way he gets to love you, then he will choose it in a heartbeat over losing you entirely

he thumbs away the remainder of your tears

“can i kiss you? one last time?” he asks

you nod

“one last time”

your lips slowly meet, slotting together as they find their home in each other’s dips and curves

his hands cradle the small of your back and neck and your own hands rest against his chest

the kiss you share is steady, longing and bittersweet

it conveys everything that you want to say to each other, and even then, it is hardly enough

thank you

i’m sorry

i love you

goodbye…

you can feel your eyes burning up again, but you focus on the feeling of yeosang’s lips against yours instead

because you know that the moment one of you pulls away, that is it forever

in the world of love, there are people who are ill-fated

they meet the right person, but at the wrong time

and then there are people like you and yeosang

not ill-fated, but star-crossed lovers

the right person…

but just not meant to be

[flashyfools]

months ago, while mindlessly scrolling through twitter, i came across an analysis of this particular panel from chapter 434 (i can’t remember who wrote the thread, i’m so sorry </3), and i really want to talk about it too.

(EDIT: original author of the thread is @goingbuggy!!! go check out their metas, they're amazing)

the thread was focusing on the way the speech bubble covers shanks's scar completely, and how it can be seen as a sign of vulnerability. oda is using shanks’s own words to hide his suffering, letting his physical scars be representative of his emotional ones, even though the event he’s talking about is completely unrelated to the way he got his scar.

in fact, we know shanks is not ashamed of the scar, since just a couple of pages after this one he mentions it directly as a way to start the conversation about blackbeard:

he doesn’t have a problem with the marking itself, it’s just used as a narrative device, a tool to highlight (in an extradiegetic way) his emotional wounds and the pain he always tries so hard to hide, in an effort to keep his usual composure.

the original author of the thread compared the panel from chapter 434 to another, way older one, from the very first chapter:

this takes place right after shanks loses his left arm to save luffy’s life. it’s obviously a very emotionally charged moment, which means the best thing to do would be showing a close-up of shanks’s reaction to everything that’s unfolding in front of him at that moment (luffy’s cries, or even his own reaction to his sacrifice). oda, however, chooses not to do that; instead, he hides half of shanks’s face, just like he did in chapter 434. the way the moment is portrayed tells the reader shanks is willing to hide his pain in an even deeper way than what he’s showing by smiling at luffy right after getting his arm chopped off.

it’s a great way to explain an important characteristic without stating it right away. it's a focal point of shanks's character: it's his way of showing luffy he cares about him and would much rather hide his suffering than pass it onto him, but it's also oda's way of conveying that shanks is much more vulnerable than what he allows himself to show.

having said that, the reason oda chose to bring back this framing in chapter 434 appears obvious: shanks misses buggy.

it’s plain to see, especially if we look at the whole page.

shanks tries so hard to act collected when talking about buggy, but it’s obvious that he’s hurting. his wording makes it clear he’s trying to detach from him (“that’s the end of it” + “rumors have it”); he acts like buggy doesn’t exist in his thoughts anymore, when it’s obvious he still does. he feels remorse, he regrets letting buggy go. he’s scared he might have been in the wrong. he knows he hurt buggy, but he desperately wishes he didn’t.

all of this weighs on him in a way he isn’t used to, so he locks these feelings up, thinking of them only in relation to something that happened in the past, and as so, stays in the past. he smiles while talking about him and buggy, but it’s a remorseful smile. he cuts the conversation short even though he vividly remembers what happened between them, and as he does so, his words hide the scar. he desperately tries to patch things up in his mind by exclusively clinging onto the good memories they share, but the remorse always creeps up on him. he always smiles when talking about buggy, even when he’s talking directly to him. but his smile always ends up looking sour.

this is exactly why i hate it when people say shanks doesn’t care about buggy. oda wouldn’t have given these panels so much depth if he didn’t want to show just how much shanks actually cares. even just the fact the panel we are focusing on directly mirrors a panel from the first chapter, one so important and impactful, should tell you everything you need to know.

buggy will always be shanks’s weakness. caring so much about someone when you’re a pirate of that caliber is difficult in itself, even more so when that someone is so far away from you now.

[ilguna]

Expired Medicine Pls! Bucky & #5?

☼ left behind but never forgotten (Bucky Barnes) ☼

warnings; swearing, death, death mention, gun use, grenade use, fighting, injuries.

wc; 3.5k

prompt; 5. "I'll come back for you, I promise."

notes; spoilers for captain america the winter soldier.

--

 The halls of the hospital are busy, swarming with doctors and nurses. They flip through pages of documents, some of them dodging in and out of rooms. If there’s any bad time to be on a mission, it’s now. In a place that’s supposed to be secure and safe from danger. 

You told Steve that you’d come inside by yourself to retrieve the flash drive, but he didn’t trust you, wanting to make sure that he got it, himself. So, you follow behind him, letting him lead the way. He has his navy blue hood pulled up to block the view of his blonde hair and to shadow some of his more notable features. You know that he wants to avoid drawing attention, but you think it makes him look more suspicious than not. 

His pace comes to a slow pace as he stops in front of the vending machine. On the way, he told you that he put the flash drive behind three sticks of bubblegum while the employee was stocking it. He wanted it here for safe keeping because he’d gone back with some of the SHIELD members. And with Fury’s warning, he didn’t want to take any chances. 

You come up beside him, looking over his shoulder. Your eyes search the entire machine, looking for the aforementioned bubblegum. You even take a step back to get a bigger picture, but you come up with nothing. 

You glance at Steve. “This is a problem.”

“I know.”

The sound of popping behind you makes you turn to see where it’s coming from. It’s Natasha, loudly chewing the pink gum, eyes switching between you and Steve. He lets out an annoyed sigh before he steps at her, placing a firm hand in the middle of her chest to push her into the empty room across the hall.

The door opens with a slam as the blinds rattle against the glass.

“So much for not drawing attention.” You mutter, reaching to close the door behind you.

Steve pushes Natasha against the nearest wall, trapping her with one hand as he pulls off his hood with the other. “Where is it?”

“Safe.” She says.

“Do better.” 

“Where did you get it?” She counters.

“Why would I tell you?”

You glance out the window, watching another medical staff member pass by, completely oblivious of the three of you.

“Fury gave it to you. Why?” Her eyebrows are drawn in.

“What’s on it?”

“I don’t know.” She shakes her head.

“Stop lying.” Steve tells her.

“I only act like I know everything, Rogers.” She says, as if it’s obvious.

Steve looks over his shoulder at you, maybe for assurance. Or to make sure that you’re standing nearby. When he looks back at Natasha, you step in closer. “I bet you knew Fury hired the pirates, didn’t you?”

Natasha’s mouth opens, no words coming out for a second while she thinks of a response. “Well, it makes sense. The ship was dirty, Fury needed a way in, so do you.”

Steve grabs her shirt. “I’m not gonna ask you again.”

“I know who killed Fury.” She finally says, Steve’s grip loosens. “Most of the intelligence community doesn’t believe he exists. The ones that do call him the Winter Soldier. He’s credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last fifty years.”

“So he’s a ghost story.” You say, shaking your head. 

“Five years ago, I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran. Somebody shot out my tires near Odessa. We lost control, went straight over a cliff. I pulled us out. But the Winter Soldier was there. I was covering my engineer so he shot him straight through me.” She pulls up the bottom of her shirt, revealing a scar on her left side, a few inches away from her bellybutton. “Soviet slug. No rifling. Bye-bye, bikinis.”

“Yeah, I bet you look terrible in them now.” Steve remarks.

She gives him a halfway smile before it drops. “Going after him is a dead end. I know, I’ve tried.” She pulls out the flash drive from her pocket, holding it up between them. “Like she said, he’s a ghost story.”

“Well, let’s find out what the ghost wants.” Steve backs off of her, moving so that you can see them both. “Are you still in?”

“‘Course I am.” You cross your arms over your chest. “This sounds like fun.”

—

If you’d known you’d end up in a car, squished between Natasha and a HYDRA agent, you think you might’ve told Steve that he could figure this out on his own. It probably wouldn’t have gone over well. He might’ve even begged you a little bit to change your mind, but with Sam here, there’s really no need for you to be.

“Natasha, why don’t we switch spots?” You ask, eyeing Sitwell for another moment before looking at her. “I don’t feel comfortable sitting next to him. I think this is more your specialty.”

She gives you an amused look. “I told you not to get in the car first.”

Sitwell blinks, drawing his attention from the cars passing you by on the freeway, to you. “Afraid all that training is going to fail you?”

Your eyes narrow, “No.”

He sighs. “HYDRA doesn’t like leaks.”

“Then why don’t you try sticking a cork in it?” Sam retorts, looking at him in the mirror.

Natasha leans over you to speak to Steve, who’s sitting in the passenger seat. This pushes you closer to Sitwell. “Insight’s launching in sixteen hours. We’re cutting it a little bit close here.”

“I know. We’ll use him to bypass the DNA scans and access the helicarriers directly.”

“What? Are you crazy?” Sitwell asks, eyes wide. “That is a terrible, terrible idea.”

A loud thud on the roof of the car makes it cave in a little. You only have enough time to glance up, before the window shatters next to Sitwell, sending glass flying all over the interior of the car. You shield your face, feeling the glass pelt your jacket and jeans, before landing on the now-empty leather seat.

Sitwell is gone, he screams briefly as he’s thrown into oncoming traffic on the other side of the concrete barrier, where he’s hit by a honking truck. You watch as a gun appears in front of the open window, the safety being turned off, before being pulled away.

Natasha leaps from the back seat to the front, landing in Steve’s lap as she pulls his head down. A bullet pierces the leather where she had just been, you slide there as another bullet slams in your seat. With two hands on the back of your head, you duck, listening as two more shots are fired.

When you raise your head, you catch Steve reaching forward to the emergency brake, yanking it back. The brakes screech against the asphalt, slamming the car to a hard stop. The man that had been on top of the car flies from the roof, somersaulting in the air so that he lands on a knee pad and a singular arm. A metal arm.

“What the fuck.” You breathe, watching as he dislodges his hands from the asphalt to rise to his feet. 

For a few seconds, it’s a stand-off, as the cars around you weave in and out of the lanes to avoid hitting the car you’re in. Natasha tries to whip out her gun to shoot at him, but an armored truck hits you from behind, making you jerk forward, forcing the car in his direction.

He jumps, landing back on the roof. Sam slams on the brakes, trying to stop, but the truck is too strong. A metal arm comes flying through the windshield, fingers wrapping around the steering wheel, breaking it off.

“Shit!” Sam screams.

Natasha tries shooting at the roof, but the Winter Soldier jumps off, onto the truck behind you. You turn, wanting to keep your eyes on the threat, and find him on the hood of the armored vehicle. 

“He’s accelerating!” You shout.

The trunk crumples further as you’re rammed again, this time throwing the car off course. It turns, wheel running up the side of the barrier, before forcing you back on the freeway. The car begins to wobble from side to side, growing more violent by the second.

Steve pulls up his shield, placing it on the passenger door. “Hang on!” He shouts, grabbing Natasha. 

The car begins to twist, you reach for the window that Sitwell had been forced out of, grabbing the edges and pulling up as you go airborne. Steve, Natasha and Sam must escape together out of the door, because when you look down to launch yourself out, they’re gone.

And so are you.

You cross your arms over your chest with fists, holding on tightly to the body of your jacket while you’re thrown into the air. You gain several more feet, and in that time, you duck your head, ankles locked together, until you come crashing down to Earth.

With the world being one giant dizzying blur, you have to guess how far away you are from the freeway. You hesitate, waiting for the best possible moment to land without hurting yourself. Unfortunately, it’s a second too long, because when you throw out your left foot to throw you into a roll, you land on it sideways.

The pain is immediate, but it takes up the back of your mind as you hit the concrete, rolling for several feet. When the momentum is gone, you sit upright, clutching at your ankle, eyes searching for your friends.

You find the overturned car, and then Natasha and Steve, who are still sitting on his Captain America shield. Beside you is Sam, who’s eyeing your ankle, worried. You’re more focused on the Hydra vehicle, and the fact that the Winter Soldier now holds a grenade launcher.

In one solid move, you grab the front of Sam’s shirt, throwing him down as a grenade is sent in your direction. Steve holds up his shield, intending to deflect the explosion, but he ends up triggering it instead. The blast sends him ricocheting off of a car behind him, and over the side of the overpass.

You jump to your feet while you can, ignoring the piercing pain in your ankle as you try to run to hide behind the van. Sam is right beside you, you can feel his hand on your lower back, but then it’s gone, as he goes to hide behind the silver car a few feet back. 

Natasha glances at you, gun in her hand. “Got any tricks up your sleeve?”

“Not really.” You tell her.

She pops up, shooting back at the HYDRA agents that are slowly advancing in your direction. You look back at Sam, and watch as he makes a run for it down the freeway. You suck in a breath, springing up to hurl yourself over the side of the barrier. A car whizzes by, and Natasha lands next to you.

You swear the whole bridge shakes when another grenade explodes. 

She grabs your hand, passing one of her guns over. “I’ll distract him, you shoot when you get the chance.”

“Just to be clear, this is the Winter Soldier, right?” You ask.

Natasha makes a grave face, nodding. When there’s a break in the gunfire, she crosses three lanes of traffic, rolls over a car, only to be thrown off the side of the bridge when he launches a bomb.

A car comes to a screeching halt a foot or so away from you, inadvertently shielding you from the enemy. You turn to the left, climbing on your hands and knees while you try to get a better spot to shoot. It’s eerily quiet for several seconds, you slowly creep up to look over the wall, finding him aiming below the bridge.

When you’re sure that the HYDRA agents aren’t watching, you stand up, popping the safety off. You hold up the gun, aiming for the back of the Winter Soldier’s head. And right as you go to pull the trigger, a shot is fired, his head whipping to the side. When he turns to drop down, you can see that Natasha got him in the goggles.

He pulls them off, fist tightening around the black material. Then, he gets back up, spraying bullets at Natasha in response, pissed. They get into a brief gunfight, where you wait for the better opportunity to shoot.

As soon as the other HYDRA agents get to their feet, you fire. They’re solid shots on all three of them. So solid and precise, that they’re dead as soon as the bullets hit their bodies. You let out a breathy laugh, surprised that you still have that in you, but the celebration is gone when the Winter Soldier begins to turn.

You hit the cement, but you must be the least of his worries, because he doesn’t come after you. When you’re sure of this, you get back to your feet and over the barrier to retrieve one of the HYDRA guns from the bodies. You find a hook embedded into the hood of a car, attached to a thick black wire that hangs over the side of the overpass.

First, you check to make sure that there’s not an agent attached at the bottom. Then, you attach the gun to your body with the strap to keep it on you. After you’ve pulled your jacket sleeves over your hands, you slide down the wire, joining Steve, Natasha and the Winter Soldier below.

Except, there is no one.

You stand in the middle of the street, eyes sweeping the area, but all you’re coming up with are civilians running away. You head toward the anger to start, keeping a sharp eye out for any of the HYDRA agents that might be lurking around nearby. 

There’s a distant sound of gunfire, followed by an explosion. You pick up the pace, jogging down three blocks before you’re met with a busy intersection. You hoist the gun up, one eye peering through the scope before you pull the trigger.

The Winter Soldier moves, making you miss by barely an inch. Steve runs at him to keep him from shooting back at you, swinging the shield up in time to block his punch, causing the metal to sound like a gong. Steve gets kicked off of the car, landing on the road, where he covers himself with the shield. 

The enemy rolls off the car, pulling out a machine gun to shoot at Steve. When the bullets run out, Steve swings himself over the top of the car, foot knocking the gun out of his hand. You reload the rifle, waiting for the right moment to shoot, while they engage in hand-to-hand combat. 

He shoots, they go back and forth with the punches, and block. The gun is put away, Steve is twisted out of the shield, now in the Winter Soldier’s grasp. It’s placed between them to keep a distance, but eventually yanked from Steve’s rip as the HYDRA assassin uses it to his advantage.

When there’s a pause, you go to pull the trigger, until the shield comes flying in your direction.

You jerk to the side, watching as the shield lodges into the back door of a white van behind you. With wide eyes, you look back at Steve, only to find him fighting once more. You reach, yanking the shield free, and also retrieving your gun as you move closer.

Steve seems to have a knife now. He tries to take multiple stabs, but ultimately it’s taken from him, and he ends up dodging once more. The Winter Soldier makes the mistake of swinging over Steve twice, allowing him to counter with a hook and a kick. The soldier slams back into a car, Steve runs at him, slamming him into it further, causing the door to dent and the glass to break.

He goes in for a punch once again, but the Winter Soldier blocks it, backing Steve away as he tries to fight back. Steve flips him over, standing over him for just a second, before the Winter Soldier grabs Steve’s neck, squeezing.

You let the gun hang against your chest, fixing the shield in your hand. You swing back, and then launch it forward. Steve’s eyes dart to it, ticking off the Winter Soldier, so he throws Steve over the hood of a car, turning just in time to grab the shield before it hits him. By then, you’re firing bullets, watching as they bounce off of the metal.

The gun jams.

“Shit.” You pull it off of you, hurling it in his direction. He catches it in his metal hand, clenching his fist around the material, breaking it.

He turns his attention back to Steve, who’s on the other side of the car. They go back to fighting, you continue to advance, a little annoyed that he doesn’t see you as a threat enough. He pulls out a knife, going to stab Steve, but the metal pieces a grey van, slicing the paint vertically.

Steve grabs the Winter Soldier, throwing him back to get him off, and swiping the shield in the process. The enemy swings, hits metal. He swings again with the knife, hitting metal. The Winter Soldier punches Steve successfully, trying to kick but he’s met with the shield, so he swings again.

Steve slams the shield into the metal arm of the Winter Soldier, and then forces it up, hitting him in the face. Steve wraps his hand around the mask, flipping him over backward, but it's too much momentum, because the Winter Soldier somersaults.

You walk around the truck, going to join Steve, finding the black mask lying on the asphalt. The Winter Soldier rises, back to you at first, until he slowly turns his head, allowing you to see what he looks like.

The blood runs from your face, lips parting as your eyes lock on. 

Bucky.

He looks… different, but not in the bad sense. His dark hair is messily long, just barely reaching his shoulders. When in the past he’s kept it shorter, cleaner. There’s a shadow of a beard forming on the lower half of his face. And there’s this emotionless void in his eyes, as if he’s looking right through you.

This can’t be him, though. The last time you saw him… 

Steve stands up, panting through his teeth. “Bucky?”

“Who the hell is Bucky?” He asks, turning toward the two of you fully. 

He pulls up his gun to shoot at either of you, but Sam kicks him over, sending him tumbling over the asphalt. That small move does basically nothing, as Bucky gets back to his feet, you take a step toward him, even when he goes to shoot again, but you’re interrupted by a grenade flying over Steve’s shoulder.

A red truck explodes. You look behind you to see Natasha, barely holding herself up against a car with the grenade launcher. Bucky is nowhere to be seen.

There’s sirens approaching, presumably the police, a firetruck, a couple of ambulances, but all you see are black SUV’s approaching. Your eyes catch a figure disappearing into an alleyway.

“I’m going after him.” You dig into your pants pocket, pulling out the singular smoke bomb that you’d brought with you.

Before Steve can stop you, you pull out the pin, tossing the bomb in the middle of the intersection. In the matter of seconds, the grey haze is taking over the street, concealing your escape. Either Steve is too shocked or knows better than to go after you, because he stays there with your other two friends, letting you run off.

Your ankle is slowing you down, but that doesn’t make you stop. You chase Bucky down several streets until he jumps out from behind a car, fist swinging at your face. You catch it, fingers wrapping around his hand, eyes boring into his.

The two of you stand like this for a very long second. If he knows who you are, he’s doing a very good job of hiding it, because you’re none the wiser. If you had to guess what happened to him, you’d say Zola experimented on him. And you think that Steve would even agree with you.

He tries to punch you with his metal arm, but you block it with your forearm, holding him there for a second longer. You can’t do this, not here. He’s not stable enough to have a conversation, especially since he was trying to kill you. He is trying to kill you.

“I’ll come back for you, I promise.” You tell him, despite knowing that this means nothing to him. “I’m not letting you go so easily, Bucky.”

--

this was part of my 3k celebration!!

[queermediaanysis]

How Izzy’s Death Could’ve Made Basic Storytelling Sense

Just to be clear, Izzy is my favorite and I wanted him to live more than anything. This isn’t about that, and that is NOT why I hated his death. Had it served the narrative in a way that made even the most basic storytelling sense, while I’d admittedly have been devastated in a different way (i.e. the character whose queerness was relegated to the subtext in s1 and as soon as it’s textual and his whole arc is that he’s killed, but that’s a whole separate post…), but at least there would’ve been a correctly crafted arc from a surface level narrative standpoint that ended in the death of my favorite character. But that’s not what this is about. It’s is about how the show could’ve actually made the death actually make sense and work effectively. (Also, if you want my unasked for thoughts on how most of the existing plot of s2 (minus 7-8) could’ve easily been adjusted to fix the narrative as a whole and keep Izzy alive, I wrote this)

But. For those in the fandom insisting that Izzy HAD to die, including DJenks who has said as such in interviews (for reasons I do not understand), from an objective developmental editor standpoint, this is what I think needed to change to make Izzy’s death serve the narrative, character arcs and dynamics, pacing, structure, and thematic elements correctly.

It’s about 2K words just so you know what you’re gonna get into. Spoilers under the cut.

Issue 1. Izzy’s relationship with the crew and how they truly became his family this season totally vanished during his death scene. The same crew who he protected from Ed during the later, worse parts of the Kraken phase. The crew who banded together to save his life by hiding him from/lying to Ed about it, and amputating his leg to save him. The crew he saved by crawling up those stairs during the storm, hobbling out into the rain with one leg and shooting Ed before he could shoot a cannon ball through the mast and kill them all. The crew who called him “our dick”. The crew that then banded together with Stede’s half of the crew to him the leg and the new unicorn (aka the figurehead of the ship). That crew didn’t cry a SINGLE tear when he died. What?? Fang sobbed most of episode one and really lost it when Izzy got shot. Where was that when he died?? Izzy’s last speech to Ricky had something along the lines of: piracy is about belonging/family. We are Good. (Forgive me, I’m paraphrasing, but that’s the gist). Izzy truly did find his family in the crew outside of Ed. That was absolutely fantastic, especially in the first four episodes and episode six. It VANISHED when he was dying and dead.

The fix: To make the death impactful, effective, or even to make it make sense on a very basic acting and writing level, the crew should’ve been utterly DEVASTATED. At least heartbreaking music and like 30 seconds of everyone breaking down and holding each other. At least some of them crying and holding each other in the background when he was dying. Come on.

Issue 2. Thematically speaking, is piracy Good or Bad? Again, Izzy tells Ricky that they (the pirates/his crew) are capital G Good. Yet Ed has spent a lot of time maintaining piracy is capital B Bad. He tells the urchins as such. Here’s some money that I never had, now you don’t have to be pirates. Don’t be pirates. He doesn’t want Stede to kill Ned Low in cold blood. Ed just doesn’t want to be a pirate. Even at the end AFTER Izzy dies telling Ed he’s with his family (implied that this is the crew) and they love Ed, Ed LEAVES THAT FAMILY AND LEAVES PIRACY IMMEDIATELY. We’re left with him and Stede watching the family Izzy swore was Good and loved Ed sail away because Ed thinks piracy is Bad. Which is it?? The death served nothing in convincing Ed he could be happy with his found family on the sea as Ed, not Blackbeard, so the dying words were pointless. The thematic elements are all over the place (for the whole season but that’s another post) and that needs changing to make the death scene make sense.

The fix: Izzy should’ve told him he sees he doesn’t want to pirate anymore, he’s glad he’s found love with Stede because Izzy isn’t going to make it, go run your fokkin’ inn, you twat (affectionate).

Issue 3. Izzy died of bad planning and bad luck. Why didn’t they take the gun from Ricky? Between Spanish Jackie, Izzy, and Jim, SOMEONE would’ve thought about it. If not those three, someone else would’ve, but come one. One if not all of those three would’ve known better. Yeah, Izzy happened to be standing in front of Ed and he got shot instead of him, but you’ve gotta be REALLY looking for that to even be aware it’s what happened. It wasn’t even on purpose unless Ed strategically placed himself behind Izzy (which I doubt was the intent). Izzy didn’t position himself protectively/take the bullet for anyone on purpose. It was just happenstance and you only notice it if you’re rewatching and hyper-analyzing everything (which a lot of us, me included, in the fandom do, but casual watchers don’t. It’s totally unclear as far as the surface level narrative goes) Any sort of “heroism” is not acknowledged, it’s barely even noticeable in the shot. If that was the intent, it HAD to be clearer and acknowledged by the characters so the audience would realize the stakes and repercussions of clear choices. As it is, I don’t think it was intentional. If Izzy HAS to die, it should truly have rounded out his arc in a way that CLEARLY changed the course of the scene, leaving him to protect people he’d put in danger at the end of s1. It didn’t. It just read as terrible planning to the point of it being out of character for more than one character, and bad luck.

The fix: Izzy should’ve saved someone. I personally don’t like the idea of it being Ed. I’s have rather he save Stede (Not really, but it’s better than Ed I guess) But really Izzy should’ve died saving the crew. The crew makes the most sense to me, narratively speaking. He’s their figurehead, he’s protected the Kraken Crew for months and they should’ve been fiercely loyal to him, he blames himself for what Ed did to them (more on this later) so it makes sense for him to fiercely protect his crew. His family. Who should’ve been devastated that it happened because Izzy is the one character of the main three who’s managed to earn that status this season.

Issue 4. The death did not serve to move the plot along. There are literally zero things that would’ve been different for the end of the episode, save Izzy being alive and on the Revenge in his rightful role he earned with his crew as the captain, if he’d have lived. Ed and Stede aren’t partnering with Zheng to go after the guy who killed him in the next season. Nope. They got the offer but nah. They’re running an Inn. Which Izzy would’ve supported based on literally everything we’ve seen from him in episodes 5-8. The crew who Izzy protected fiercely and who viewed him as their leader? Not one tear during his death or the the funeral. Happily sailing away to do presumably more Muppet Treasure Island hijinks. No character development happened. No plot development happened. The season could’ve ended literally the EXACT SAME WAY with Izzy alive aboard the Revenge!!! No stakes were changed at all. No one was impacted enough for it to seem like it was even going to be a plot obstacle next season. It just happened, Izzy’s toxic situationship who maimed him multiple times over the course of months to the point of his leg needing to be amputated was sad for one (1) scene, then we moved on and did not seem sad at all at the funeral. What.

The fix: The plot should’ve been driven by the death. Ed and Stede (but especially Ed), and DEFINITELY the crew should’ve been sailing off plotting to avenge the death and defend piracy against Ricky and the British, especially with Zheng who lost her whole fleet. Ricky and the British are clearly (or so I hope, nothing’s clear here anymore tbh) the primary antagonist for the theoretical third season. No one should be running an whim-based inn for fun or sailing off happily into the sunset after the death of the most major character aside from Ed and Stede, who beyond proved himself a major part of something every character (his family) should’ve cared about this season. If he HAD to die, that death should have furthered the plot. But instead, it seems everyone shrugged it off with tears exclusively from Ed.

Issue 5. Izzy got shot in the left side. The side in which canonically NO ONE DOES FROM BEING INJURED ON IN THE OFMD UNIVERSE.

The fix: Yeah I know this is just too nit-picky but it was also just SO sloppy. Like just shoot him on the other side if he has to die, because this was a very memorable plot point more than once in s1. Like, come on y’all.

Disclaimer: Issues/fixes 1-5 would all need to happen together to truly fix it and make the death serve the narrative correctly. Issue/fix 6 is a totally separate route, which I personally hate, but at least the narrative would’ve made sense this way.

Issue 6. The idea that Izzy had to die so that Ed could be free of Blackbeard makes no sense at this point in the story. Ed already threw away his leathers and gave away his treasure to symbolically get rid of Blackbeard, and Izzy very sweetly encouraged him to follow the feeling that throwing out the leathers gave him. Izzy told Stede that he and Ed were good for each other. They balance each other out. Izzy is on good terms with both of them and their relationship, so Izzy “having to die” so Ed could flourish as Ed genuinely makes no sense and came totally out of left field.

The fix for 6: This one stands alone and is my absolute least favorite option, but if it HAD to happen without the 1-5 fixes, here’s how it could’ve made sense. If THIS is truly the way it was going to end, Izzy needed to be continuously antagonistic or avoidant to at least Ed and actually be shown holding Ed back from happiness until that last second. He wasn’t. He was so much better. Izzy clearly does blame himself (that’s for a separate post because I have lots of thoughts there) but to be fair they were both abusive in that relationship, for years it seems. Although I think by the beginning of s2, the power dynamic has clearly flipped and it was Ed who was doing most of it and Izzy was exhausted and knowingly “reaping what he’d sewed” (I don’t Blame Izzy for his abuse but I think this was his mindset) so the crew wouldn’t get the brunt of it.

If he seriously HAD to die because the writers just had to have it that way, those are the changes I think would’ve made the narrative work/make sense, served all the character arcs and dynamics correctly, and actually driven the plot as fictional deaths are supposed to, compelling things into a third season. Seriously, this season finale was a mess of baffling choices the most series finale season finale I’ve ever seen.

Anyway. There’s my unsolicited two-cents. Now back to hoping Izzy’s in the gravy basket waiting to be sea witch necromancied back by seagull Buttons in season 3. I love this show and I hate hating what I hate hating about it because it’s my absolute favorite and I can’t stand it because it’s fantastic and the worst thing I’ve ever seen. (Also, Izzy should’ve lived).

[blueathens]

Once Upon A Time - Chapter One

Summary: Charles was never allowed to leave the castle, until one day he, and his best friend Pierre, decided to break the rule and leave the castle walls, only to bump into the well-known criminal, Robin Hood, who doesn’t see them in the same golden light that they were raised within. But Charles decides to ignore her hatred and becomes the bane of her existence.

Song: Whistle Shop by Roger Miller Quote: ‘You’re invited to The Royal Leclerc’s Masquerade Ball.’ Word Count: 9819

TW: A direct narrator (only at times, then switches to third person - give the feel of a book being read to you like someone usual did for us when we were children), mention of death, mention of murder, 

A/N: Not proof-read or edited. A/N 2: Taglist and detailed references found in reblog!

Masterlist//Main Masterlist

          ACT ONE, CHAPTER ONE

(Ah, where to begin? How about once upon a time…

…How many times have you heard that to begin a story? Let’s do something else.

In a far-off land, where – what? That’s been done too? In fairy tales? Ha, no, this story is far from a fairy tale, in fact it isn’t even one. Nor is it a legend or a myth, or even a bedtime story that you were grown and raised on as a child, this isn’t a story that you’ll know line by line, and this is not something that will be turned into a film or tv show.

No.

This is simply life.

With our Planet Earth that holds vast oceans, forests, and lands such as England, Greece, Monaco, Zosnurg and – you’re kidding…you don’t have a country called Zosnurg on your version of Earth?

What about pirates? Mermaids? Sirens? Dragons? Fairies? Krakens? Vampire Mermaids? Chimeras?

…None?

So, this would be like one of your stupid fantasy books then? Okay…well, let’s just get some things straight then before we start this boo – these lives that I’ll be talking about.

(Which I suppose in some way is a story if I’m talking abo– I, as a narrator, will stop talking now…)

(I do apologise)

Rule One.

This is not a fairy tale.

Yes, we have witches and princes’, and balls, and enchanted forests, and adult-eating witches, and even the children-eating witches too, mermaids of all forms, dragons, chimeras, and even werewolves and lycans, pukwudgie, and dryads.

And yes there is a yucky love story.

And yes there are sword fights, and war, and love and hatred, and death and –

Alright, I know this may sound like a ‘fairy-tale’ but isn’t everything a fairy tale? You have two love interests who have to go through a lot to be together? Sounds kind of like one to me…Only difference is that we don’t need to battle a dragon, well talking to my mother sometimes feels like I’m battling a–

Anyways, life is a fairy tale, a rubbish one, but a fairy tale, nevertheless.

But this isn’t the typical annoying fairy tale where the knight in shining armour goes and rescues the princess from her tower and shares a true loves kiss once the dragon is slayed.

No, that’s just fucking lame.

Instead the prince befriends a dragon, and he doesn’t save a princess, there are no princesses, well there are, but they aren’t important, this isn’t about them.

This is about the prince and the criminal and – what on earth are you talking about? You’ve seen fairy tales like this before? Get lost.

I told you once, and I’ll tell you again, this isn’t a fairy tale – this is real, not make belief, but real.

This isn’t so called Aladdin or Rapunzel – I mean Tangled – this is real life.

This isn’t a fairy tale.

In fairy tales life is presented as blissful and magical and makes you want to gouge your eyes out because you know you can never live a life where birds will get you ready for the day. Whilst in other fairy tales you feel like you are on the spinning teacups, and nausea creeps up on you from what you’re experiencing.

(Cause I’ll come clean now, I’ve never had any of my grandmothers be swallowed up by a wolf or ever seen a man become blinded by brambles).

No, these lives I’ll be telling you about will either leave you crying or smiling or perhaps even laughing – but most likely you’ll be crying, cursing my name for ever telling you about these people.

I am not sorry.

But just a pre warning – this is not a fairy tale.

Rule Two.

Don’t worry, you won’t have to hear my lovely narration voice all the time, I chose not to.

(I don’t get paid enough for that).

But when I do decide to talk with you I will do so in italics and in brackets (as so illustrated) – I have a few notes about these people for example how bloody stupid our main female character is and –

Rule Three.

We do not, and I mean, do not break out into a musical number, we don’t do that here. Absolutely not. And no singing birds are going to help get anyone dressed either or clean their house – they aren’t lazy – life doesn’t allow anyone to be this lazy.

There are no such things as true loves kiss – a little kiss is not bringing anyone to life – unless magic is involved of course, but that’s an entirely different story.

There is no happy endings too, that doesn’t exist, never has, never will, people will die, we will cry, but then we’ll move on and carry them with us.

Even she will di–

Rule Four.

No spoilers.

(Now, that’s all the rules I can read in my messy handwriting across this coffee-stained napkin that obviously didn’t contain the pretty barista’s number.

…

There was no pretty barista

It was just Sue, the sixty-old woman who knows my order off by heart, but claims to dislike me – however, she did smile at me earlier after I spilt coffee all over myself, so guess she doesn’t hate me…)

Oh and –

Rule Five.

This is not a fairy tale.)

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This is the story about a girl named Y/n and it starts with the sun.

Most are unaware how the once worshipped as a god by various of religions and cults ever came around, and just like the star that’ll burn the believers who venture too close, no one could remember how their King became King and when the Queen fell pregnant three times, gifting their world with three beautiful boys.

The first passed the crown down, the third shall remain a prince, and the second is deemed to be king one day.

To the world, this families beginnings felt like a fever dream – a gorgeous one though, and most carried such a strong love for them, but not all, some carried a strong hatred for them and had been wanting a revolution for ages.

A passerby once told his children, after a trip to Eynsworth one spring, that he never had much thought of their sun being a star, he knew it was, but he never felt like it was. Not until he, after meeting the royal family, had the pleasure in holding their second born, a few months after his birth, and my, the passerby never felt so close to the sun, nor did he fear being burnt. In his hands he was holding something golden; something godly. Just like the sun. But it wasn’t the sun, no, it was a gift from the golden beams above them, he was a star. He was their new star, their sun.

On the 16th of October a son was born. A prince. And he was given the name Charles.  

Their future king.

Our star, our sun.

It was hard not to love the prince who found himself trapped within castle walls, barely venturing out into the world, but when he does he’s constantly close to his father as they enter new lands (for him at least) where all hand his gifts to his knights – his protectors – with flowers and gifts. Only soft smiles were what he was allowed to retrieve, no other gifts of any sorts should be handed to him directly.

(There were many soft smiles which later turns into flirty looks from those his age as he grew up).

Along with growing older, where falling in love was more on someone’s mind, Charles never become blind in seeing how his best friend and his first knight-in-training, Pierre Gasly, wasn’t shy of the extra attention that was given when Charles was allowed to see the world outside the castle walls. Little winks thrown around and bright smiles whilst the prince watched in disgust before taking a strong interest in the world around him, watching how the clouds glided through the sky, forming different works of arts for all to enjoy, and how the branches of the trees waved them off for their travels, knowing the next time they are seen a new image will be formed, quite possibly a picture of what they saw on their travels.

(All in all, one person stayed on his mind, the one he meets growing up, the other main character of our stor–of these lives).

Once, at the age of seven, he saw the sea for the first time, and he wondered what it would be like to feel the salty air tickling his skin, embracing him in a warm hug where his cologne is replaced with the smell of the sea. He even wondered what life as a fish would be like, swimming endlessly through the waves as it dodged every obstacle in their way. He wondered if they felt lonely down there just as he does within the palace walls, hoping for a struck of bravery to hit him to just leave and see the world for a moment, even just for a second, just to go on an adventure without anything bothering him.

He wondered if the sea felt grateful to be holding such beauty in their arms, cradling it, kissing it, and bringing it deeper into their warmth, with some even grazing the sandy fingers of Poseidon. He imagines that the graze occasionally turns into a handshake, welcoming those to a new view, begging them to lie down in the pit of darkness to try and spot a single beam of light – they never do, they’re in too deep.

Charles questioned his breathing ability, the young boy would hold competitions in the pool at home where he timed himself on how long he could hold his breathe as he sits on the bottom, he thinks maybe one day he could be like those aquatic animals that reach the bottom to shake Poseidon’s fingers. Poseidon’s ‘spot the sun’ game would eventually become to easy then, as the sun would be in his grasp, smiling brightly at him as he whispers, “I did it.” And all Poseidon would do is nod as he looks at the boy’s eyes that (of right now) resembles the colour of the sea on postcards that grandparents send to their grandchildren.

The sun child even wondered if the sun felt any different if he was elsewhere, maybe it feels warmer if he was in a place he loves instead in one of the many gardens of his castle or the small amount of times he’s with his father in a different country doing something of work – which his father calls father and son bonding.

Maybe his skin becomes painted in various shades of gold, letting him stand with a cheery smile whilst looking like a lost jewel in a faraway land. Where he watches the clouds shift and change like a person’s mood and observes the sky’s colour platter shattering from the phenomenon of the sun setting.

The Prince of England, Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc of many of the Grandale Islands (a group of various places, islands, and countries that the family have ownership over. One of the most recent ones that the Leclerc’s took ownership of was when Charles was just five years old, after a neighbouring (and independent) country (Zosnurg) became littered with destruction, gore, and weapons as England battled them for land. (Charles’ second home country, despite being born in Monaco, his father decided to move the family to England after the birth of his last son) The air of Zosnurg was filled with numerous of smokes that contributed to the deaths of many on the battlefields. An army of rebels and an army of warriors would once constantly fight each other to the death for the land that both kings desired. It was unclear of what side would win; it formed a tiresome fear for those nearby as they dreaded to think of the war becoming never-ending. The fighters were grimed with pain, exhaustion, and their spirits were broken. The war was soon ended by King Raphaël (the father of the Leclerc’s) killing the King of Zosnurg with his sword.)

Charles recalls growing up with some of the kind souls around the castle, watching with a frown as the lower statuses had to clean the mess up, rebuild the economy that was destroyed by the war with the rich bossing them around. He remembers watching them nearly everyday from his bedroom window, or from the carriage as they rode through the towns like Aramore (a poor town that was mainly affected by the war as it was often targeted with bombs for a few months). Most of England was left undamaged though, only a small percentage of the country was damaged, it was Zosnurg that carried most of the destruction and those of Zosnurg had to rebuild their country like the first citizens of their country once did.

It was the Leclerc’s property now.

He wasn’t allowed to do anything about the mess, nor ask to help, or even ask his family about it. All he got told was it was not his business yet and that he was far too young to worry about such a thing.

So, growing up, trapped in the castle, and venturing out as little as possible, he watched as far as he could see get rebuilt, and become better than it once was. Soon, he was allowed out, it was about a year later, his godfather – his older brother’s best friend – Eric Russo– was given the permission to take him out karting in their city, Eynsworth. He grew to love the sport, later watching Eric, from the TV, travel the world to race.

Along with karting, the prince took up other activities to keep him occupied within the castle walls, even going as far as painting, but was quick to discover that was not his forte.

Charles was ten years old though when he first heard of a person who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. And it was a month after the discovery that he learnt how much his father hated this mysterious figure who’s blacked out silhouette littered the tea-stained wanted posters that was flown to country-to-country, hanging round in various places.

Wanted for £3000. Alive. Name: Robin Hood

That was the name the whispers would call them after the fourth robbery. It was a cool spring evening, and the robbery affected a close family friend, Mr Clive. They took anything that was valuable, and when discovered that there was a robbery, the bells of the townhall began to ring, people of Eynsworth then began to venture out and onto the streets in the early morning, sleeping dust prickling their eyes as they stood in the breeze. They were all dressed in their pyjamas as they watched Mr Clive – the man who was robbed – walk around in nothing but boxers as he stormed right towards the castle with his very young-looking wife begging him to do this at a better time.

No, the only good time was of right now. He demanded for the thief to be found, and the King agreed as he stares at the barely dressed man in the front gardens of his home from Arthur’s (his youngest son) bedroom window.

The following week new wanted posters were being sent out.

Wanted for £10,000. Alive. Name: Robin Hood. Presumed Description: Professional man around the age of twenty to thirty, who’s a skilled thief, fighter, and archer.

The days after Mr Clive’s robbery, many more got robbed, some even finding arrows outside their houses or even watched how the thief dodged the thrown slippers, wooden spoons, chairs and even vases sent their way.

Many questioned on the presumed age of this criminal, but they never thought on the matter long as they presumed that due to everything happening so quickly they couldn’t quite judge on how old this criminal may be.

However, at first thought they believed the criminal was too small to be of around presumed age, but as mentioned before, they never allow themselves to dwell on the matter long enough.

The week after new wanted posters were sent out along with a new wanted poster for Robin Hood’s partner.

Wanted for £30,000. Alive. Name: Robin Hood. Presumed Description: Professional man around the age of twenty to thirty, who’s a skilled thief, fighter, and archer.

Wanted for £5,000. Alive. Name: Little John. Presumed Description: Professional man around the age of twenty to thirty, who’s a skilled thief and partner of the notorious Robin Hood.

It was discovered that the archer was partnered with someone after Mr Clive got robbed once more. After falling down his stairs, hurrying down to capture the intruders with a broken torch in his hand, he watched the moment he swung his front door open with a throbbing head, as the pair, already at such a great distance, carried sacks of money over their shoulders, laughing with their heads thrown back as they pushed the other around.

On his 13th birthday, the discovery of Robin Hood and Little John being children were uncovered. No one was quite sure who leaked this piece of information, some say that someone accidently let it slip, some even mentioned that perhaps the duo robbed them and then they caught sight of how young they looked, some even suggested that maybe the duo wronged the anonymous person and they wanted to get their revenge.

Charles believes none of the suggestion were the correct reasons.

Robin was 12, nearly 13, (an age that was incredibly shocking and was being slowly processed by the world) and Little John was just 15.

And once again, prices were raised.

“Your dad should hire them to be one of his knights,” Pierre suggested one night in Charles racing themed bedroom, all of his brothers, Pierre and Eric being locked in there whilst a meeting was being held right outside about Robin Hood and Little John after they easily battled and escaped the King’s best men – no injuries were occurred, nothing but bruised egos and dignities.

Lorenzo, Charles’ older brother, scoffs whilst Eric shook his head in disagreement. “Why would someone who sounds like they hate the rich, join them?”

“People change,” the young French boy tries to argue. “Right amount of money and he could be running to Raphaël’s side.”

“The price over their head is a lot already. I don’t think they–”

“He?” Charles arched a brow as he looked over at Pierre, who sat on his bed whilst Charles sat on the windowsill to watch the chaos below him. “What do you mean he? I don’t think it’s a he by how people talk of their movements.”

“It’s a kid our age, Charles, they’ve been doing this for years, they aren’t going to be noisy.”

“Still don’t think it’s a he though. Doesn’t make sense – maybe Little John is, but Robin Hood can’t be.”

“What are you–”

“I think Charles is right…” Arthur looked up from the game device he was playing on, handed by Lorenzo to keep the 11-year-old entertained. “I heard whispers that it is a she.”

“You went out?” Lorenzo’s firm voice came, laced with concern. “You’re not supposed to–”

“No way,” whistled Pierre. “Impossible.”

“Cool.” Charles nodded. “Maybe she can give you all a tip or two on how to fight, shoot an arrow and not be as noisy as a Heffalump.” He teased as he looked at Eric, Lorenzo, and Pierre as he mentioned the skills they’ve been lacking most in.

“Mate do not relate me to those things in the forest,” Pierre groaned. “They’re not cool.”

“How are purple elephants not cool?” Arthur piped in, furrowed brows as he stared down the older boy.

“Are you trying to say you are cool?” Eric smirked as he folded his arms.

Heffalumps are said to be dangerous creatures, but Lorenzo had told Charles about the whispers among the caring citizens (the poor who lived in their lack of riches town; Aramore) that those hunter’s stories are all false, that these creatures were actually rather friendly, and they are cruel to the hunters as they are the ones trying to kill them.

He even told Charles the story of how he even was lucky enough to meet and touch a Heffalump with these three children of Aramore that was around Charles’ age. It was a few years ago, but it was a memory Lorenzo would carry forever as for once he wasn’t treated as a prince, or a knight in training, he was just treated as himself, as Lorenzo.

He felt free.

Charles and Arthur envied him for it, envied how he was allowed to go out and do what he wishes whilst they befriended the paintings on the walls.

Charles looked away from the group and turned to look back out the window only to find a butterfly pressed against his window, his vibrant coloured wings not at show, and Charles begin to hate the insect he was staring at.

Hated how it was allowed to sore the grey skies, hated how it was allowed to taste the sweet nectar of the plants around and he wondered if he would ever be deemed lucky enough to taste something as lovely as that. He wondered if he was beautiful like a butterfly, if someone looked at him like Aphrodite herself, and be able to memorise every part of him with their eyes closed.

Charles doesn’t think he’ll ever be that lucky, so he left himself wondering if a butterfly knew everything about flowers, wondered if they knew which one had the sweetest nectar, and which ones to stay away from, he wondered if they ever felt safe in those cocoons they break out of after the transmission from a caterpillar to a butterfly was complete – he wondered if they felt that change, if they realised they were now a beautiful and elegant insect that everyone admired from afar but were too scared that a simple touch would shatter them.

It was a month after his birthday that two faces were placed onto the wanted posters after they attempt to rob from Eynsworth Castle. Failing to do so due to the amount of protection these places were gaining over the years, his home being the most. A knight caught them, and after a difficult battle that ended with an arrow in the Knight’s thigh, he was able to give the King and Queen a detailed description on their Robin Hood and Little John.

No name was given, and no name was being found out any time soon. But his parents and those of riches were ecstatic with this newfound information.

Wanted for £50,000. Dead or Alive. Name: Robin Hood. Age: 12 approx. Gender: Female

Above the silhouette changed to a drawn picture of the girl and the presumed personal description was ripped out and in came her age and gender. And after the attempted Eynsworth Castle robbery, King Raphaël and Queen Anna agreed that they didn’t not care how this archer was handed in.

Death may even be better as there was no way she would be able to escape.

Wanted for £10,000. Alive. Name: Little John. Age: 15 approx. Gender: Male

And just like Hood’s, his silhouette was changed to a drawn image of him.

Everyone was still in shock about the age, but now their shock grew at the thought that it was a female who was causing them so many problems for so many years. Charles and Arthur were the only ones who weren’t shocked as they collected their packets of chocolate buttons from those around the castle who all disagreed with the idea of Robin Hood being a female.

“It’s not really criminal though, is it?” Pierre asked as he, Eric, Lorenzo, Arthur, and Charles laid on the grass in one of the many gardens of the castle. “It’s more deviant, no?”

“I wouldn’t say it such a bad thing,” Lorenzo muttered, arms under his head as his eyes stayed on the stars above them.

“How bad is it out there? For the poor?” Charles asked curiously, never truly knowing how bad it was for them, only seeing small sights of it when he did go near those areas.

“They have it bad,” Arthur muttered, eyes closed as he too rested his folded arms behind his head. He could feel Lorenzo’s eyes burning into the side of his head at the mention of his little trips outside the castle walls without anyone. “It’s like dad forgets they exist and just shoves them to the side.” He shifts to French casually as his mind thought on the way they live.

“Oh,” he nibbles on his bottom lip as his eyes counted the stars.

He loves the stars, truly does, he wishes he could join them for a moment and just sparkle and dance up there as they guide people home, forming little imagery onto the sky too. He wouldn’t want to stay forever, would find it too boring, but he’ll like to know what being a star was like.

He even wanted to know how to find these constellations, he reads books and searches the web for tips on how to spot them, but still, as night passes he still finds himself struggling to even find the beginning of one.

“When I’m King I wouldn’t push them to the side…we’ll be equals.”

“Cute vision,” Eric utters in French. “But that isn’t as easy as you make it out to be.”

The boys laid in silence as they watched different things. Like for Arthur he was seeing those weird dots you see when your eyes are shut. For Lorenzo, he was still admiring the stars along with Charles. For Eric, he was watching the trees wave in the gentle breeze. And Pierre was sat up, knees brought to his chest as he pulled out strands of grass and twisted them around his fingers to act as a ring.

“She’s quite pretty, no?” Pierre whispered in French, loud enough for them to hear, but they knew the question was more aimed towards his best friend than any of the others.

“Who?” Charles asks, responding back in the same language, oblivious to what Pierre was getting at as he connected the dots his own way to form a future for himself.  

“This ‘Robin Hood’ girl.”

“Does it matter?” Pierre sighed as he looked up from the strand of grass, only to stare at his friend’s side profile as he babbled on in French and avoided a simple question. “I’d prefer if she’s a good person than if she looks nice.”

“But she’s pretty, no?” Pierre arches a brow, corner of his lip pointing up into a smirk as he hears his friend sigh and close his eyes.

“Oui.”

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                             Present Day – February.

 Leather boots walked among the cobblestones, dressed in a cream shirt, dark trousers, and a navy hooded jacket, with the hood over their heads, the two now fourteen-year-olds moved beneath the ever-blue sky with lacy, white-edged clouds that formed a perfect line-up in the blue, as if they were boats safely moored in a celestial harbour, with the singing birds soaring above as they acted as the fishes of the skies.

Across the cobbled streets, critters ran across, dodging the horses trotting down, nodding their heads side-to-side. One of the fourteen-year-olds had to resist the urge to stroke the horses’ head, as they didn’t know what would happen if they were caught outside the castle.

The two made their way towards a concluded alleyway and as they grew closer to the towering brick wall at the end, they decided they would climb over it once they reached that issue. The taller one of the pair, kneeled down first, linking his hands together as it hovered over his propped up knee, the other placed their foot on the other hands, feeling them boost them up for them to be able to grab ahold of the top edge of the wall, their hand brushed against a tea-stained paper hanging on the wall, but before it could move up any further, an arrow whistled past them, skidding the side of the shorter one’s fingers as it hit and wobbled in the poster beside him.

The action made the pair pause, the kneeled down one looked up whilst the other looked over his shoulder to try and find the one who shot the arrow. The taller one let the shorter one down before he takes a watchful step in front of him as they watched the alleyway’s self-crafted shadows in front of them carefully.

Approaching out the shadows was a slightly shorter, and hooded figure, the bow in their hand was still raised whilst the other was over their shoulders, plucking out another arrow from their brown quiver. They stepped into the light more as they nocked their arrow, drawing the string back as they made the pair their target. The archer was dressed in a dark forest green cape with black cargo trousers and ruined boots. Their clothes were already covered in mud, and they watched as the figure instructed with their head for the two to lower their hoods and raise their arms.

“Money, now.” The hooded figure demanded.

“You can shove that arrow right up where–”

“That’s not very princey of you,” they smirk under their hood. “Did the King never tell you how dangerous it was out here?”

“Princey isn’t even a word,” the tallest of the pair folded their arms, muttering.

“Money, now.” They released the arrow; it skimmed past and shot threw the first arrow they released.

One of the two threw a small satchel of coins and the hooded figure just sighed as they placed their bow over their head, nestling it at a safe angle across her back.

“You’re Robin Hood.” The Prince breathlessly says as he watches her pick up the small satchel of coins.

She hums, bowing down dramatically as she grins up at the pair. “It is I,” she then raises from her bowing position and places a hand on her chest as she takes a step closer to the two. “And you two are Prince Charles Leclerc and his…Pierre Gasly?” The figure now stands a few feet away from them now, pushing down her hood for the pair of them to look at her. “Shouldn’t you two be…I don’t know…anywhere but here?”

Pierre mouth fell agape at the sight of her.

“You must know,” she continues, “we don’t like your type very much?”

“And what is our type?” Charles arches a brow, arms mimicking his best friends as he folds them across his chest.

“Rich pricks,” she offers them a fake smile, as she rounds them, ripping the poster off from her arrows as she inspects it, the two boys didn’t dare to make a run for it. They knew the stories already, even if they ran she would still catch up with them.

Her brows raise. “Still just £50,000? Is that all I’m worth to you guys,” the corner of her lips quirk up. “Suppose I should do something soon to make that go higher, ay?” The pair stayed silent as she span on her heel and moved closer to the wall to take down the other poster from the wall.

Their eyes were on her back as she looks down at both posters, they hear an airy laugh leave her lips.

She now turns back to face the two as she presented the two posters to them, as if it was the first time they ever saw them. “At least they can get my nose right,” she comments as she peers over at the other wanted poster. “Unlike Danny’s.”

“You just–”

“Told you Little John’s name?” She looks up, a smirk still playing at her lips. “Thought our little rat told the royals that already?” They shook their heads as she hummed in surprise. “Well, it be rude to not introduce ourselves, no? Considering we’ll be the ones who will take down your type of people.” She scrunches the posters up in her hands before stuffing it into her trousers pocket, she then holds out her hands for the pair to shake. “I’m Y/n – Y/n L/n, and my mate is Daniel Ricciardo.” She awaits for them to shake her hand, but their pair just stays staring at. “Suppose you don’t shake a peasant hand,” she puts her hand down, “proves to show why we don’t respect you.” She spat out before shrugging her shoulders as she too mimicked the way their arms were crossed against their chest. “Do what you wish with our names, no doubt that little mole be telling that King sooner or later.”

“You’ve got quite the reputation.” Pierre couldn’t help but say.

“Reputation?” She tilts her head, smirk still playing at her lips, they thought it was painted on as not once have they ever seen it fall, except the small falter of it when neither of them shook her hand. “I have a reputation?”

“Yeah, the steal from the rich and give to the poor reputation.”

She lets out another airy laugh.

“I’m just doing what the King can’t do.” Y/n half-shrugs as she pulls her hood back on. “We aren’t lucky like you, Princey.” Her eyes shifts to just focus on Charles.

“It’s still not a word,” Pierre comments next to Charles.

“Still don’t care,” she rubbed her dirty hand down her face. “We don’t have people running us a bath and we don’t have someone baking my bread, but at least I know that I earned that bread; and my god do I deserve it.”

“They say you’re a common theft.”

“Can’t be common with that price over my head.” She teased, sniffling her nose slightly as she looked around before looking at Charles again, the one who was mainly speaking to her now.

She noticed how clean the pair looked and how well put together they were. They didn’t look as slim as she did as they were able to get the food they needed. Their hairs were slightly longer than she expected it to truly be, she thought their highly paid hairdressers would be there giving them a nicer cut, but instead they looked like two teens who were just experiencing different styles for their hair.

The thirteen-year-old girl looked at the two fourteen-year-olds curiously, examining every difference they had over her. They held themselves tall, but their eyes held a sense of disorientation in them, it was like they were a lost puppy, not knowing what to do or where to go.

“Do you think I’m a criminal?” She questioned. “It wouldn’t matter if you do. We’re not going be friends,” she rambles. “Just curious to know how you see u–”

“No.” Charles answered over her short rambling, and she stopped and looked over at them. “I don’t think you’re a criminal for trying to keep everyone alive.”

Y/n titled her head to the side.

“You don’t know what it’s like do you?” She asked quietly, and for once in their meeting she wasn’t carrying that smirk. “You really don’t know how bad it is, do you?”

They just shook their heads.

“It’s best you don’t,” she cleared her throat. “Don’t need to save anymore of you guys.”

Pierre raises a brow. “Who have you saved?”

“Eric and Lorenzo,” she purses her lips, “more times than I can count on one hand.”

“My younger brother, Arthur,” Charles begins, “he hasn’t been around here, has he?”

“Why? Scared we’ll do something?” She rolls her eyes. “I haven’t seen him, but I hear he’s with Wyatt and Lando a lot.”

“Who are they exactly?”

“Good kids that you won’t ever go near,” she narrows her eyes at them. “In fact, it be best if the pair of you leave Aramore and don’t come back. Tell those three that too. Stick to your little rich friends and the things you know, alright? And I’ll go home and tell my folks that I hit the jackpot, that I robbed the Prince and his knight in training.” She takes one more step closer to them. “If this was a story, I’ll die in the end. You know, with being wanted and all. They know enough and I’m surprised they haven’t caught me at least once yet.” Y/n shook her head as she walks past the pair. “Go back to your little castle.”

“Huh,” Pierre unfolds his arms. “She really don’t like us.”

Charles shakes his head, “but perhaps we can change her mind.” He states as he too puts his hood back on, Pierre copying before they walk out of the alleyway. Despite her leaving mere seconds before them, she was nowhere in sight when they exited the one-way alleyway.

“Get your Daily News right here!” A voice yelled as he held a stack of newspapers whilst the boy next to him waved one in the air, holding his cap out for change to fall into. “Get your Daily–”

Charles hits Pierre in the arm, nodding his head towards the two, what he presumes, are twelve-year-olds. They swiftly make their way towards them, standing in front of them as Charles places two coins into their cap.

“Bonjour,” Pierre greets with a smile as he takes down his hood, watching as the boys faces drop at the sight of his hood falling, their eyes then switch to Charles, who also pushed down his hood. “We’ll like a paper, s’il te plait.”

The boys looked between one another in confusion before they handed the dark-haired boy a paper.

“Not to be rude but what you doing here?” One of the British boys asked as the other elbowed his side.

“Lando!” He whispered loudly.

“Wyatt – they shouldn’t be here. What if Y/n and Daniel–”

Pierre and Charles looks at one another at the mention of the boys names. These must be the ones that Arthur sneaks out to hang out with.

“Oh,” Pierre smiles, “we’ve met that Robin Hood friend of yours. Robbed us and everything.”

Wyatt looks into his hat with a frown, “clearly not well enough.”

Charles tucks the paper under his left arm.

Lando carefully looks around to see if anyone else has noticed the Prince and his Knight in training with them, he then leans forwards slightly to speak with them quietly. “Aramore doesn’t like your family very much, your highness,” Lando quips.

“But our Robin Hood and Little John have always held the highest of hatred for those in Eynsworth and spits at the names of the Leclerc’s who has wrong us all,” Wyatt continued off from Lando.

“My father is a good man,” Charles tries to convince the boy, perhaps even try and convince himself, but the two Aramore boys just shakes their heads with laughter.

“Suppose she is right after all. All you rich folks are as stupid as it comes.” Charles and Pierre share a look.

“But you met her?” Lando speaks up again. “Like you actually met her?”

They both nod.

“And she didn’t knock either of you out?” He watched the pair freeze. “Oh,” Lando pauses, “I only asked because of how much she hates your – your type. But Y/n isn’t a bad person. Sure, she’s made mistakes – but she’s a good person.”

“Thought you be more careful with sharing other’s names like that.”

Wyatt shrugs at Charles’ pointed look. “Don’t need to when the whole city now knows it,” he nods his head to the newspaper under Charles’ arms. “It’s the headline today – Y/n L/n and Daniel Riccardo are the Robin Hood and Little John. The King doesn’t want this shared with the whole world yet though, perhaps that’s the smartest thing he’s ever asked.”

“So the mole has already told my father?”

Wyatt only shrugs.

“You two should really leave though,” Lando stutters out slightly. “Aramore won’t be safe for either of you and when night comes it will only become even more dangerous.”

“It is a full moon,” Wyatt smiles and now Lando elbows his side.

“Dude!”

“What?!”

“You saying that werewolves be out tonight?” Pierre laughs slightly. “Ah, werewolves don’t exist.”

Lando and Wyatt share a look.

“Just,” Lando starts again, “just return to your castle, your highnesses’.”

                                             ❥๑━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━๑❥

(As long as anyone could remember, it has always been the Leclerc’s throning their land, but it is to be known that they aren’t all as bad as Raphaël and Anna, in fact, they are the only two that anyone could remember being so terrible. His father was a good man – a good King who died far too soon, and then there was Raphaël’s older brother, but no one can remember what happened to him, one moment he was there preparing to be King himself, and the next thing they heard was that he left and wouldn’t be returning and that Raphaël shall be King instead.

Many things crumbled when Raphaël become King, our Robin Hood was about two years old when life become worst, never seeing what life was like before, only knew them from the stories others would tell her, and those stories sketched the idea of revolution into her brain, one could argue that it’s always been in her blood and all she needed was a single lit match to guide her to see it.

So, for as long as she could remember, she always had a desire for revolution, to overthrow Raphaël Leclerc in any way possible and bring back the life that only her ears were ever blessed with hearing. Bring back the world where one shouldn’t be afraid that in a matter of a second they could be stabbed, or questioning if that snap of a twig was a person following them instead of an innocent deer, and even bring back the world where everyone isn’t just waiting for another war too happen.

She wants to bring back the world where others were seen more as equals, the world where the poor was being helped and weren’t clinging onto their last seconds of life, and the world where the rich weren’t so greedy and treacherous and kissed the ground for a man who usurped the crown.

Robin Hood was the people’s only hope. She robbed from the rich to feed the poor. She was beloved by all people from England, and by the age of twelve, she was known and loved in other countries. Robin and her best mate Little John – also known as Y/n L/n and Daniel Ricciardo – are found hidden in Aramore, one of England’s poorest town’s.

King Raphaël has heard rumours on this information, but it is yet to be confirmed to the rich if it she truly awaits in Aramore.

You know, there’s been a heap of legends and tall tales about our Robin Hood. All different too. Well, fellow readers, here is the true version).

                                               ❥๑━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━๑❥

“This is the story of how I died.”                                                                                                  

“Y/n!” Daniel shoved the younger girl’s shoulder who was left chuckling at the frozen states of youngster’s with their mouths wide open.

“How can you be dead?” One questioned, tilting their head. “You look alive.”

“Because she is.” Daniel gave a short glare to his best friend before turning his head to beam at the kids. “She just messing with you,” he elbows her side. “Jokester this one.” The children looked between the two. “Now, Y/n, tell the real story.”

“Fine,” she rolls her eyes, “this one is more boring though – Once Upon A Time…”

(Y/n L/n and Daniel Ricciardo weren’t originally from Eynsworth, instead they were from a town called Neverland – which was a small island in the region of the Harsano Islands. They were both raised in an orphanage that was ran by some very cruel people. They all evacuated though when their country got overtaken by Raphaël.

They all escaped to England; Y/n was just nine).

The Orphanage – The Lost Boys – were a worldly known orphanage that many thought to be a good, well-run place, instead, for the children that lived there, it was like a game of survival. Y/n L/n and Daniel Ricciardo were always trouble, even back then, both being secretly taught how to survive by a woman who was only meant to teach them English, but instead she was their mentor for fighting, how to use a bow and arrow, and basic survival skills.

It happened away from eyes that would hurt them terribly if they ever discovered the truth, whether that was children that will tell on them or if it was Peter Pan and Cruella De Vil themselves catching sight of this little self-made club.

Growing up, they were taught on how to be everything wrong – in the eyes of the owners it was everything right – with being raised with the wrong thoughts of the poor and how they should be mistreated, that creatures out there should be killed, and even the fact that if one isn’t hurt then they will never learn.

Children shouldn’t have parents, and they shouldn’t grow up either.

They shouldn’t know how to survive in the real world, and they shouldn’t be able to protect themselves.

Y/n was told she was wrong in the way she thought, that children have a mind of their own, and that they will all grow up and leave Pan and Cruella here in this huge building alone – Pan didn’t like what the six-year-old was telling him, not one bit, so in front of everyone’s eyes, he bashed a rock into the side of her head until she fell unconscious, only waking up at the feeling of a cold flannel being pressed against her head by Daniel and their mentor – Tania – checking her over.

She still carries that scar on the top of her head.

She was six years old when Peter Pan and Cruella De Vil saw her as their main target to hurt, Y/n didn’t mind though, as long as the other children were left unharmed, then she’ll carry as many scars that will tell her tale.

“My mother wasn’t a good person,” Y/n mentioned one day in her training, when she was just seven years old, Tania raised her brows in surprise that Y/n knew this, she wasn’t meant to know but here she was talking about it, “She – it was mentioned in my file.”

“You read your file?”

She nods. “I just wanted to know more about…I just wanted to find out–”

“No,” Tania shook her head. “You shouldn’t have looked at that.”

“I didn’t think it be bad,” Y/n frowned, looking down at her feet as she kicked a piece of gravel from the ground away. “Why did you agree to do this after what my – what she did? I could be the same, you know.”

“You aren’t,” Tania was quick to mention. “You aren’t the same and you never will be. Your mother was a bad person, I know this to be true. I know this as she was the one who slit my daughter’s throat. But if I’d seen even an ember of that cruelty in you I never would’ve agreed to mentor you,” Tania took a step forwards, rubbing a gentle thumb across Y/n’s cheek before holding her hands in a motherly hold. “She may have given birth to you, but she doesn’t get to decide who you become – you do that.”

“Was my father a better person at least.”

“He was one of the greatest men I have ever met, he just, he fell for the wrong person and death caught up with him sooner than we would have liked.” Tania squeezes the youngster’s hand. “He would have loved you and would been so proud of you.”

“Maybe not,” Y/n shrugs, “maybe not because if he was still alive then I wouldn’t be here, I would be living with him and I would be a different person.”

Y/n was still seven years old when there was news that Cruella’s new fur-coat belonged to the creature that she yells to all on how she believes they’re all bad, and all should be skinned alive, she never was quiet on her hatred for werewolves. It was still the same day when a friend of hers questioned her opinion on werewolves – Wyatt Poitier.

“Are they bad?” The girl shoots them a confused look. “Werewolves? Are they bad? Cruella says they are – says they deserve nothing but painful death. She always said that when she finds one, she will kill it, and wear it as a fur coat.”

Y/n doesn’t think they are. Not all at least. She knows a few, all nice and all just scared humans who have extreme attributes that the average human do not carry, and perhaps their even more terrified of themselves than others are of them, because each time the moon is full they must go through the painful transition that causes others to call them a monster.

However, she was never clueless on the horrifying one that lived over in England.

Her werewolves’ friends never asked to be who they are though, they never asked to be something people find only in their nightmares. Where once someone discovers that secret, most will treat them differently, will want their death to full upon them, and some will begin to silently judge them before a simple hello is ever spilled again.  

“No,” she shakes her head. “I don’t think they are. They’re just people who also happen to be wolves. Some are good. Some are bad. Just like people.”

“Pan agrees with Cruella.”

“Well,” Y/n sits up, and leans her back against her headboard of her bed. “They would say that when they’re just the same as the bad wolves.”

The two days before they evacuated to England, Y/n and Daniel’s mentor was found dead, the news the next day insisted she died from the fire of the orphanage burning from the children – but Y/n knew it couldn’t be right as she knew no one was left in the building when she lit the match to start the amber glow.

Y/n carried the belief that it was Pan, Cruella, and the King – who was seen in Neverland earlier that week.

Y/n was just nine when she escaped to England, and she was still only nine when she become the Robin Hood who had revolution fogging up her brain.

 “And just at that moment, the ugly little frog looked up with his sad, round eyes, and pleaded, ‘oh, please dear princess, only a kiss from you can break this terrible spell.’” Y/n spoke to the kids as she told them a story she had memorised in her brain due to the amount of times the children of the orphanage read it to one another. “And–”

There was a sharp three knocks that echoed throughout the small, stoned room, all the kids that sat cross-legged on the ground whipped their heads round to look at the door, whilst only Daniel and Y/n had to lift their heads up a little. They all await for the handle of the door to be pulled down, but yet, it never does, not until Daniel calls out a “come in,” did the handle move and the door was pushed open ever so slightly, enough for young Wyatt to nervously poke his head in as he looked at the duo.

“Er,” he looked over his shoulder at something, “you two won’t like this but,” he looks at them again, “there’s a visitor for you,” he mutters before moving away and slamming the door shut.

The pair moved away from the self-crafted beanbags as they moved towards the door, ignoring the pleads from the children as they asked them to come back and finish the story. Daniel was quick to reassure them that they be back after they see who was outside. Slowly, the children moved from the floor and went off to play with some of the toys in the room.

The two slowly moved out of the door, but a hand was quick to land on Daniel’s chest as they tried to push him back into the room before he could even close the door behind him.

“Wyatt what are you-”

“Change of plans, they only want to see Y/n right now.” Wyatt whispers as he pushes Daniel back into the room whilst Wyatt followed closely behind, closing the door as he goes, leaving Y/n outside, hands on her hips as she squinted to try and find this visitor.

“This is ridiculous where is,” her eyes fall on a slightly taller figure standing in front of her, her face scrunches up in disgust. “What are you doing back here?”

The figure removes his hood.

“I’ll keep my hood up if I were you, don’t want anyone to pass by and see who you are.” She utters as she takes a look around to see if anyone was close by whilst he pulls his hood back over his head. “I thought I told you earlier that you should return back to your castle. And where’s that friend of yours? Not out here is he? Better not be causing any trou– ”

Charles rolls his eyes. “He’s with the horses.” His fingers nervously reach to the side of his cloak, running up and down the steam of it as he looked at the girl in front. “I wanted to come back and apologise.” Y/n raised a brow. “Look, I just think we got off on the wrong foot.”

“Well, I think we did too.”

“Okay–”

“But I appreciate your apology.”

“Apology?” Charles breathlessly laughs before scrunching his face up. “Who said anything about an apology? I was just saying–”

“Please don’t talk anymore, okay?” She crosses her arms over her chest as she turns to look away from him. “It’s only going to upset me.”

“Well you have already me upset so–”

“Is this about robbing you?” She turns to look at him, hands dropping to her side before raising her right hand to gesture towards him. “Come on, like that’s going to hurt your bank account.”

Charles chose to ignore this as he put his hand into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, he held it out for Y/n to take.

“So you wouldn’t shake my hand, but you’ll happily hand me things?”

“Your really annoying, has anyone ever told you that?”

She pinches the other side of the envelope, leaving it to dangle down as she held it from a corner. “What is this?”

“Real mature–”

“Hey if you didn’t want to shake my hand, then I don’t even want to touch you.” She eyes the golden colour of it, it almost matching her reward posters. There was no cursive writing addressing to who it was for, but it did have the blue royal stamp sealing it shut. She had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at it, but she should have guessed it was an envelope from the Leclerc’s due to it being handed to her by one.  

As she ignores the colour of the envelope, she notices, without much surprise, that it was made of high-quality paper with a slightly rough feel to it – it wasn’t like the recycled stuff with bits in it like the people of Aramore use. It was just thick and heavy like letters from hundred of years ago.

Well, it be no shock if they were still using material for letters that they once did many times ago, the rich liked the traditional, they weren’t ones for big changes, so it should come to no shock that their paper felt like a rich metal, or that they weren’t even with the times and recycling their paper.

“I wanted to give you one,” Charles shrugs. “I thought it be a nice thing to do and–”

“This isn’t going to be the leading cause to my death is it?”

His eyes widen, “I hope not.” He responds in French, watching as Y/n’s face scrunches up from not understanding a word he just said. “Oh,” he frowns slightly, “I said I hope not.”

She clicks her tongue at the root of her mouth as she continues to eye the envelope and the boy in front. “Can you go now?” She questions, and before she could even watch if he does leave this time or not, she was already heading back inside to the small room she once was in, coming face-to-face with an annoyed Daniel and a Wyatt wouldn’t stop shifting on his feet.

“What’s that?” Daniel points to the thing that was still pinched in between Y/n’s thumb and forefinger.

“Poison,” she mutters, still eyeing it up in disgust.

“O-Oh, Y/n,” Wyatt stutters, “You must go,” The duo’s brows knitted together at Wyatt’s wording as they watched his eyes lit up at the sighting of what she was pinching. “You must! It be an amazing opportunity for you and, oh, Y/n, you can’t run forever; he’ll find you one day,” Wyatt warned. “Just go and have some fun and do what you do best; steal.”

“Who says I’m running?” Y/n lets out a scoff, which was slightly merged into an airy laugh too, “I’ve been here for the last five years, and if he ever gets the courage to come for me, I’ll still be right here.”

She understood that Wyatt must have figured out that this was from the royals, and by he, he must mean the King, and perhaps Wyatt thought this was a letter personally from the King, and maybe he believed this letter was going to mend everything.

But it wasn’t – that only happens in fairytales.

“But Y/n–”

Her finger slides underneath the lip of the envelope, tearing it open. She watches how the royal blue stamp that had a golden rose engraved onto it and is then surrounded with an aureate circular frame, splits into a near perfect half.

She tugs the folded black card out; she then holds it in one hand whilst the other crushes the envelope into a ball.

With her other hand, her thumb slips up from the bottom of the card, pressing down on the lined spine to open it up. Swiftly falling down like snow on a winter’s morning came two glistening silver and black tickets. The silver glitter littered across it shimmered like those elegant mirror balls found hanging from those darkened ceilings, producing thousands of different circular lights around the room.

She ignores them, but Daniel doesn’t as he bends down to collect them, eyes widening just like his friend’s as they read the same word, however one read it from the tickets, and the other read from the letter itself.

 You’re invited to The Royal Leclerc’s Masquerade Ball.

References (in order of appearances): reference to chicken little || reference to tangled || reference to swan princess || reference to robin hood || reference to robin hood || reference to tangled || reference to robin hood || reference to tangled || reference to peter pan || reference to peter pan || reference to peter pan || reference to 101 dalmatians || reference to the princess and the frog || reference to anastasia ||

Detailed References and Taglist found in reblog Likes/Reblogs/Comments always appreciated along with any ideas one may have as this very long series proceed. 

Act One Masterlist//Character Profiles//Playlist

[swampstew]

Trafalgar Law's Yellow Submarine Prison

Oh shiiit its Yandere time! The Surgeon of Death has taken an interest in you, he hopes you're worth the effort. Law is a Diva.

WC: 611 CW: Spicy; not-gender specific reader; Yandere Trafalgar Law; kidnapping reader; consent/non con/dubious consent and maybe Stockholm syndrome?; murder and unhealthy relationship dynamics; reader is either prisoner or willing captive.

Law is honestly pretty annoyed at first. He knows he’s been taking his time with trying to find the One Piece, but he really didn’t need you as a distraction. Well, he wouldn’t be able to just leave you there now that he knows you exist. Can’t bear the idea of anyone else trying to get close to you, flirt with you, to…to kiss you! NOPE. Not on his watch, not on HIS New (Unsuspecting) Partner. He calls out to you and makes conversation with you, “oh you’re going that direction? I’ll walk with you.” Next thing you know, you’re by the pier and he holds out his hand, “room!”

You suddenly land in a very confined space. “Welcome to the Polar Tang,” he leers at you. It takes Bepo restraining you before you calm down. You were scrappier than he imagined and he was riled up. He lays it all out for you as Bepo soothes you from the anxiety attack and adrenaline rush. Apparently, the Surgeon of Death is in love with you and has decided to make you his no. 1 and you don’t get a say, also welcome to your new home; the submarine was already moving and you are officially a kidnappee, but uh try not to focus on that too much.

Law keeps pretty busy for someone who can appear so lazy and lax. For the first two weeks you mostly interact with his crew and learn more about Law through them than you do by the pirate captain himself. When you finally have more than an hour together where he’s not rushing off to scheme and plan, you’re less afraid of him than you were on day one but you’re still wary. This is fine for Law, he knew that you’d have an easier time adjusting to your position if you understood how things worked around here from the fairly decent people that made up his crew. Bepo always by your side to offer you comfort when you feel overwhelmed. Now that you’re face to face, you ask him two questions. Can you ever go back home? Will he ever hurt you? “No. No promises.”

Now that that’s out of the way – Law hopes you’ll sleep with him immediately; he’s been alone for a while and is touch starved. You decide to go the path of least resistance and he decides then and there that he’ll move heaven and earth for you. You’ll want for nothing as long as you stay loyal to him and his ambitions. Law will take care of you and shit he might even be willing to give his life for you if he had to. But that’s only for a good partner. Brats get a different version of him. Brats will be bent to his will. He doesn’t have time for his quest and to babysit your stubborn ass. He might humor you for a month or two at best, but if you don’t fall in line, he’ll start working on ways to make you compliant. You will not like all of them.

Is jealousy an issue? Yes without a doubt. Don’t ever invite trouble to find you, don’t wear anything too scandalous to invite pervs. Doesn’t matter if you didn’t do anything except exist – if someone makes a pass at you, you’re both getting his wrath. Law will crush the offender’s heart in his hands and you will be made to beg for his forgiveness. He also holds grudges worse than a Latin mother. You’re in for a lot of groveling, begging, and acts of service to get back in his good graces.

[cockadilf]

I feel like the Zelda fandom is so funny because we all seem to be actively fighting against Nintendo at every turn, since Nintendo clearly does NOT care about consistent lore that makes sense or is interesting, all they care about is making a fun game. Which is totally fine btw don’t get me wrong, I care more about gameplay than story too but it’s funny to me how the Zelda fandom is so focused on story to the point of complete disregard for canon.

Zelda fans will really be like “I’m going to invent the most wild theories for why chain chomps exist in this universe” when Nintendo was just “Wouldn’t it be funny if we included chain chomps in this game?”

Zelda fans will act like Nintendo writers are geniuses for coming up with all the Zelda lore when Nintendo just said “Let’s make this one a pirate game” and that’s the real reason Hyrule is flooded in Wind Waker.

To be clear I’m not making fun of Zelda fans for this. I’m a Zelda fan, after all. I just think it’s funny. Zelda fans are doing all the work Nintendo refuses to do.

I think the only time Nintendo put story over gameplay was Skyward Sword, because I think they really wanted to make an origin story. But even then I don’t think the ideas of loftwings and floating islands are in the game because the writers thought it would be interesting lore, I think they did it because they were like “what if Wind Waker but in the sky, that would be so fun.” The only reason loftwings exist is because flying would be fun gameplay.

Lore has always come secondary. Nintendo has always made the concept first and then tried to shove it into the timeline afterwards. They gave up with that by the time BotW came out and that’s why TotK doesn’t make sense as a sequel in any way, because Nintendo does not care about making a coherent timeline.

I don’t think either side is in the wrong for this, again I just find it funny how Zelda fans will act like the theories they came up with were always Nintendo’s plan. No it’s just that you’re smarter than Nintendo and you should be proud of that.

Anyway bye

[vergilbergart]

- Maybe it’s like you said. Maybe there is something out there that explains why, no matter what, I still want to be here with you. I will always ... always ... want to be here with you.

- So what? You’re just gonna ignore everything else? You could be anything, anywhere. Why not go somewhere where your ... where your grandson is more than just ... this?

Everything Everywhere All At Once x One Piece AU

more thoughts under the cut < 3 (includes more explicit spoilers about the movie btw)

I have so many feelings about Garp and Ace’s relationship .... it made me think of parallels between them + Evelyn and Joy in EEAAO

The AU doesn’t follow the movie exactly but Ace become Jobu Topaki-esque because in his universe (the Alphaverse), Luffy actually dies at Marineford instead and that’s what splits his mind across the multiverse. Ace blames both himself and Garp for Luffy’s death, and upon learning about the existence of other universes + giving into his subsequently amplified self-hate, trauma, and nihilism, he starts reaching out to other multiverses to keep himself and Garp away from Luffy out of a deeply misguided desire to protect him.

But much like EEAAO, the reality is that Ace is searching for a Garp in the multiverse that understands his feelings self-hatred and pain and anguish and loss. Removing himself and Garp from Luffy’s life is ultimately secondary to this.

Luffy actually kind of turns out to be the Waymond of this. He is the one, out of his bright optimism and ways he finds happiness in the small things, who shows Garp (and eventually Ace), that there is a life worth living out in the world and there's hope and love out there for them too.

Sabo's also here but he fits multiple roles. Him in the Alphaverse is close to Alphaverse Gong Gong (seeing it necessary to remove/kill Ace for the sake of the multiverse's stability, and so the Everything Bagel doesn't consume everything), but him within the Protagonistverse fills in the role of Waymond as well. Not as much as Luffy, but he does want to save Ace in the Protagonistverse rather than kill him.

The Protagonistverse version (so the version we follow) of Garp, I like to imagine, quit the Marines to raise Ace and Luffy on Dawn, and ofc Sabo showed up along the way. But the sort of Gong Gong-esque force that drives him is the sort of concept of him questioning if it was the right decision to leave the Marines behind and if the Marines ever was actually a good choice in the first place considering how they acted when he decide to retire (also the whole thing of him taking in Ace + having to hide it from them), and him still sort of enforcing his idea of Luffy + Ace (and maybe Sabo idk) becoming Marines, even though he himself isn't one. Because he has an actual presence in Luffy and Ace's lives rather than just Makino or Dadan or even Shanks, they don't actually ever like, leave to become pirates, but they're not Marines either - they're sort of just civilians, which lends itself to a lot of the mundanity + boredom that Ace and Luffy and Sabo experience. But this also makes Ace stew in his feelings of being undeserving of love and his feelings of being a disappointment more since he doesn't meet Whitebeard. Garp, as much as he loves his grandbabies, is an imperfect guardian - his expectations for the boys (either become a Marine or lead a civilian life) do not help Ace at all and it creates conflict between them since they don’t see eye to eye on anything ):

I’m still trying to figure out Protagonistverse Garp’s entire deal so if this point conflicts with the previous one then Oops but like ... he’s dealing with the boys growing up (they’d be the ages they’d be pre-timeskip, so Sabo and Ace are 20 and Luffy’s 17), their desire for independence while simultaneously wanting to stay close with him bc that’s their grandpa yknow?? He’s also still hiding Ace from the Marines (you could even say he’s hiding Luffy from them bc of Dragon, and he’s hiding Sabo from his parents in Goa too) so the idea of them going off on their own could be so terrifying to him. There’s also the matter of him feeling disappointed in himself for not being as good a grandfather as he could’ve been - wondering if he’d raised the boys well - and even like ... the Marine side of things potentially being disappointed or angry at him for trying to raise these boys only for them to become pirates. And kind of like how Evelyn questions her decision to leave her family to be with Waymond, Garp questions his decision to leave the Marines to raise Luffy and Ace and Sabo ..... THERES LAYERS, OKAY.

I’m not sure who the Deirdre of this would be either. I am imagining Sengoku though but the lead up to him showing up in Garp’s life again considering my ideas is up in the air right now. Part of me thinks he’s showing up at Dawn as a half-favor and half-last ditch attempt to get the ASL bros to join the Marines. Like, Sengoku is just generally grumpier than Garp and the idea of the two of them ending up together in other universes is so intriguing to me ... also the exchange in the movie of like “it’s unlovable bitches like us who make the world go ‘round” and then the “you’re not unlovable! there’s always something to love!” ..... but with Garp and Sengoku ..... yeahhhhh. Maybe in this case it’s not a divorce tht leads Sengoku to believe that, but instead its a wedge was driven between him and Rosinante bc he’s putting his Marine duties before his family like Garp had been doing........ hmmmmmm!!!!

I have more thoughts about this AU but this is all I’m gonna write under this lol. I might actually write a fic of this heehee we’ll see! ur free to like, send asks about stuff btw im down to answer any. 🤷

[the12thnightproject]

Can I have a request for the Warlords reaction to an MC who has culinary skills like from the anime "Food Wars"? (Just in case you're not familiar with it, its an anime about cooking. Really fun to watch. There are clips on Crunchyroll and Youtube). I know that when the Warlords would dig into MC's food, their kimonos would fly off (its part of the show-if a meal is SO good, clothes would fly off- sans under garments).

Hope this is a good one! 🍛🥙

Hi Anon!

Thank you for the ask - I wasn't familiar with the anime, but I did find some youtube clips, which were helpful...

An MC whose cooking is so good it causes spontaneous random acts of nudity and flying kimonos…

Nobunaga: (Is caught raiding the kitchen for leftovers) Hideyoshi, “My lord, haven’t I told you to stop eating sweets late at night?”  Nobunaga, “I’m just getting a glass of water.” Hideyoshi, points to the kimono hovering near the ceiling. “Uh huh.”

Hideyoshi: First experience of MC’s food was on a picnic. Won’t be making that mistake again. Still has flashbacks (emphasis on flash) of creeping back into Azuchi, holding the picnic basket in front of his … picnic basket.

Mitsuhide: Sadly, Mitsuhide’s lack of tastebuds means that he cannot experience MC’s food the way everyone else does. But that just means he can have fun secretly feeding MC’s cooking to random people (Hideyoshi) at random (inconvenient) times and laughing when their (Hideyoshi’s) kimonos fly away.

Masamune:  Wants to learn MC’s cooking secrets. Learns MC’s cooking secrets. He and MC spend happy hours in the kitchen, tasting as they cook. Both have some rather… intimately placed burn scars. Neither cares.

Ieyasu: Doesn’t think MC can possibly make food hot enough for him. Learns lesson when kimono doesn’t just fly off him – it spontaneously combusts.

Mitsunari: Devours an entire dish while reading. Doesn’t notice loss of kimono. Walks around naked for several hours before Hideyoshi finds him and throws a haori over him. Thinks that he possibly forgot to get dressed this morning? (It… wouldn’t be the first time).

Keiji:  Upon discovery of the properties of MC’s food, perfects a magic act that culminates in the entire audience losing their clothes at once.

Ranmaru: Is such a wee sprite that when his kimono flies, it carries Ranmaru with it. They call him “The Flying Bun.” Is now a regular feature of Keiji’s magic act.

Kennyo:  Eats the food. Presumes his kimono has entered a higher plane of existence.

Motonari: Philosophical conundrum. MC’s food is the only food aside from his own that he is willing to eat, however nudity on a pirate ship is neither safe nor sanitary.

Kicho: “No thank you. I’m not hungry right now. I’ll do take out – I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept of takeout aren’t you, Future Girl?”

Kenshin: Why eat food when there are pickled plums to be had? Can you make pickled plums, MC? Upon discovering that MC can indeed make pickled plums, and what happens to him when he eats them, he puts MC in the dungeon, so that she will only make pickled plums for him, and to protect her from naked warlords.

Kanetsugu:  “What did you do to Lord Kenshin, MC? I’m sorry but your cooking is TOO dangerous. We’re going to have to banish you. What’s this? Mochi? Well… perhaps just a taste…”  *poof*

Shingen:  “Let’s feed each other.”

Yoshimoto:  As he is unphased by casual nudity, and likes good food, ends up spending a lot of time walking around the castle naked, and startling the maids.

Yukimura: Stop feeding people! It’s winter! What, are you crazy? We can’t walk around Kasugayama naked. We’ll freeze to death. And stop staring at me! It only appears small because I’m cold, dummy.”

Sasuke: “Fascinating…” designs a series of randomized double blinded experiments with different dishes to compare the trajectory, velocity, and total distance travelled of flying kimonos.

@mllorei

[systastic]

hello!!! can we have a level 3 of sorbet shark cookie please??

oooh, from cookie run?? meow haven’t thought of that game in furever… anyways, enjoy! id wanna be friends if he wasn’t so edible meow 3: -🍥

name :: shark cookie, mako, guppy, gill/gillie, shark/sharkie, cleor (h2o reference), sir chomps-a-lot, fang, blahaj, and any other nicknames his sysmates give him! he can’t tell them what he prefers verbally [mako], but he doesn’t mind nicknames. they’re fun!

age :: 1 year old in cookie form, his human form is 10 to 12

pronouns :: he/him, it/its, ou/ou/ous/ous/ouself, sea/sim/seas/seas/seaself, fin/fins, gup/gups, glub/glubs, chomp/chomps

roles :: accodare — comedian (very good mime), beauheur, thailean/optimist

species :: living gingerbread cookie & gummy shark hybrid!! sometimes takes on a more humanoid form, but is still 100% sweets and candy

gender identity :: sharkgender, bitelexic, sillygender, sillysharkgender, sharkcomfic

orientation :: just a little guy. a baby. please do not the child. ace-spec && biromantic if he gets a little older.

source :: cookie run kingdom

aesthetic :: pirate, tropical, vacation dadcore (when it is not actively pretending to be a pirate)

appearance description :: sharkie is a cheerful little guy who loves to play dress up and make-believe. ou is almost always in his pirate gear with ous sword at hand ready to fend off other pirates who seek to take ous treasure. gillie has molded hair similar to a lego figure in the shape of a shark’s fin. this hair is made of gummy candy and smells sweet when standing nearby. don’t try to take a bite out of it, though: jaws will cry and scream and hit you with its wooden sword until you stop trying to eat it. it has a darker skin tone and white eyelashes, earning gill the nickname “prettyboy” among its friends when playing pirate.

personality description :: mako is an absolute goofball who hates taking things too seriously. cleor is non-verbal, so glub can’t exactly speak in anything other than ooo sounds — but this doesn’t stop glub from goofing around, having fun, and dragging everyone else into glubs games of pretend. it is relentlessly optimistic, rarely (if ever!) having a negative thought, and always down to play make-believe. sure, mako can be a little bit airheaded at times and hopelessly naive (what do you mean gummy sharks don’t come from the sea?? next you’re gonna say that gummy bears don’t live in forests!!) but that’s to be expected from a child his age. blahaj is constantly energetic and loves to play with other children his age irregardless of how old the body is. plus, he can speak when in front!! speak he does — blub either speaks in only “ouu”s or is a gosh darn motormouth when driving the bus. mako can and WILL infodump everything he knows about sharks onto the people he meets. everybody loves sharks!!

likes :: SHARKS. everything about sharks!! he loves jake and the neverland pirates, captain hook and mr. smee, sea shanties (even if he can’t really… yknow… sing the words). he also loves ice cream and gummy candies! turns out that cookies need to eat the components of what they’re made out of to keep existing and sharkie has a monster of a sweet tooth. tropical fruits are just as good. coconuts, mangos, and pineapple are way more fun to bite into. also the ocean, the beach, pool floaties, playgrounds, the song “mr blue sky”, the pirates: an adventure with scientists, pirates of the caribbean, and splashing around in the water.

dislikes :: humid weather (makes him melty), cold weather, snow days, wintertime in general, being stuck inside, having to act like an adult, having to sit still (he needs to MOVE, gosh dang it!!), adults who’ve lost their sense of wonder, people who call pirates “bad people”, people who think sharks are scary or evil creatures (they’re not!! they’re just misunderstood!!), movies that demonize sharks [jaws, the meg, the shallows, bait, open water, 47 meters down], scary movies, and overly serious pirate movies or shows

front triggers :: pirate media, sea shanties, being on a boat, open water (lake, river, sea), swimming, the ice cream truck/cart jingle

signoff :: 🦈, 🍧, 🏝️, ⚓️, or 🏴‍☠️

image source here

[everlasting-rainfall]

I’ve decided to call this idea, the Pages AU as I honestly think that it sounds cool and it’s shorter than Pages Keep Turning AU but anyways time to get on with what I wanted to talk about

MINORS DNI: DO NOT INTERACT

!-Trigger Warnings-!

Yandere, Stalking, Breaking and Entering, Corrupt Police Officers, General Creepy Behavior, Destruction of Property, Lying, Being Scandalous in Public

!-Trigger Warnings-!

Imagine that before he initially showed himself to you, the stalker kept breaking into your house every other day either while you weren’t home or when you were fast asleep in your bed looking like you had not a care in the world

They would do things around your house like I can imagine that a character like Sanji or Akainu tries to check the progress on the pregnancy that they think you have with Akainu rubbing at the skin with his warm hands wanting so badly to feel the babies feet press up against him (but he never will because there's nothing there and there won’t be until Akainu actually knocks you up)

Akainu also definitely used his status as a Marine to delete most records of the stalking as “It’s not stalking if they’re my wife” and now I’m honestly just imagining him crouched by a filing cabinet with magma dripping from his hands onto the floor as he burns yet another file on your stalking then just pretending that he has no clue what anyone’s talking about when they mention the semi poorly covered up scorch marks on the floor

I’m not gonna lie though as when it comes to Akainu, there is no way that you are keeping him out of your house as the first time that he broke in, he melted the lock to where the door opened without trouble. It didn’t take him long to find the extra house key and make a copy of it so he can come inside whenever he wants to do so

He may have also taken a look at the new drafts for your story and if it is about a pirate romance then you can bet that he is going to burn that shit exactly like how he burnt the records of your police reports, Akainu only wants you to write about Marine romance as he refuses to let you be tainted by Pirates

Even though he himself has watched you sleep more times than he can count and would love nothing more than to crawl into bed with you and hold you close but for some reason that is beyond his understanding, your bed is simply just too small for this big man and it upsets him. He’ll just have to get you both a bigger one later

Man probably looks at you like this while he watches you sleep in all honestly

Sanji definitely brought things with him to either leave for you and apply to you like some cream to help with your non-existent stretch marks which usually makes you wake up the next morning with a strange feeling on your stomach that goes away after a good shower or bath

He might also leave you some nice foods to eat in your cabinets like nice treats that a pregnant person might like and also replacing any expired foods while throwing out the stuff that you shouldn’t be eating like all of your coffee has been thrown into the trash leaving you to wake up grumpy and ordering from a local coffee place only to find that your phone was mysteriously unplugged during the night. How odd!

Sanji has also definitely approached you while you’re grocery shopping acting like a kind but oddly creepy stranger as he makes conversation with you when he’s actually noting what kind of things that his wife likes to eat and also making comments on the kinds of things that you get like telling you certain things are unhealthy or were recalled much to your confusion as why would coffee grounds be recalled

You’ve tried to avoid him but god if he doesn’t have a tendency to just pop out of nowhere acting like he hasn’t seen you in years when it’s actually probably been just a day because he snuck in and tossed out the “dangerous” foods again so now he just comes out of nowhere looking like this

Also is your underwear going missing mysteriously? Well don’t check the washing machine or the laundry baskets because it’s actually in Sanji’s back pocket tucked away because he could not help himself when he saw it just lying there in the dryer on top of the rest of your clothes like it was begging him to take it with him! You really have to see where the guy is coming from

Sometimes it’s in his back pocket slightly sticking out while he’s talking to you in the grocery store because he’s secretly excited at the thought of you seeing it and getting all flirty with him when you realize that it’s there promising that he’s going to be punished like a bad boy when you both get home

Regardless your stalker fanboy has been in your house more times than you can count and it’s only been recently that you’ve managed to realize that something is going on and your stalker has been doing this

Maybe moving really is a good idea after all...

Like that would change anything

[wings-of-flying]

if you couldn't tell, i'm literally obsessed with niklaus hendrix and how he came to be who he is. so have this backstory fic thingie with all my theories/headcanons:

Your name is Niklaus Hendrix. You forget when and where you were born; you forget your mother’s name. You’re not even certain if your name was given or whether you chose it yourself. It’s all irrelevant. 

You were raised in an orphanage on an island that hasn’t existed for centuries. You left as soon as you could: no one wanted you there anyway. You snuck onto some ship and were thrown off at the first place they passed. Liquidis, though it wasn’t named that then. Someone found you, some member of the Temple of the Moon, and they took you to their church. They were kind, listened to your tale, to your wants. You wanted hope, to know you mattered somehow. They helped. You’ve long forgotten their name.

Back then, the Goddesses were far more willing to speak to their followers, far more benevolent and immanent. You called out for help and Lunadeyis answered. She heard your ambition and fed it. You were young and naive when you made your first deal: the deal that granted you magic. A promise to help her in the future in exchange for power. It seemed too good to be true.

You felt free. You developed your magic, growing in power and respect. You became widely known and loved, as you used your magic to help those around you.

RAFT was set up a little while into your youth. Pirates had grown too powerful, or so they said, and someone needed to enforce the laws. You didn’t mind them too much, until they started passing rules against certain arcane acts. Acts which you often indulged in. You decided then and there to ally with the pirates.

Years passed and the alliance turned into a union: you weren’t simply aiding the pirates, you were one. Captain Hendrix. The Captain without a crew. You played the part perfectly. So perfectly that they named you one of four Pirate Lords. Once again, your power and respect grew.

It was around then, when everything appeared to be going perfectly, that you realised something. Your magic was of a certain kind, a certain brand, that placed a finite limit on your abilities. As a warlock of Lunadeyis, your power is derived from the night sky in which the moon dwells. She named you her Wishing Star. Granting wishes, of course, is wonderful and useful, until you realise you can never grant your own, that your own ambitions and wants must be discarded for the sake of others’.

Perhaps you forgot, then, all that the adoration your powers brought had earnt you, all that you had to be grateful for. Perhaps you were blinded by greed and desire. Perhaps it doesn’t matter.

You concluded that if your Goddess could strike deals – giving a service in return for some reward – then so could you. You became distant and cold to everyone who thought they’d known you. Captain Hendrix was no longer known as a caring and kind hero, but a trader of wishes. That worked for a while.

But the issue with the trade was that you never got anything you actually wanted. The people that came to you had little to offer but flimsy promises and cheap trinkets. Anyone who would’ve traded in magic was often powerful enough to fix their own problems. Still you were dissatisfied. But you kept those treasures you were given, hoarding them. Not on your ship, like other pirates, but in a pocket dimension. Somewhere safe.

By this point, they stopped calling you Captain Hendrix. Another title was given: Wish Doctor. Quietly, they replaced you with a new Pirate Lord. Anyone who cared enough to know you stopped bothering to learn your name.

Time passed, as it always did. You grew restless. Tired. Bored. All you had was useless, worthless junk. Nothing valuable. Nothing you wanted. You didn’t have anything.

The deals became repetitive. The same old stories again and again: someone’s dying, save them; my people aren’t happy, fix it; I want power, give it to me. It was like being stuck in a time loop. 

You began forgetting names, forgetting faces. There was nothing more humiliating than being tricked within your own deal simply because you forgot the terms you’d set. So you started to write it all down. You kept a list of every deal you made, every person you encountered. And you started noticing patterns. Deals would connect together. A woman would come seeking aid for her sick brother, offering her most precious magical items in return. The brother would come by weeks later, recovered and seeking to repay his sister’s debt. Your deals weren’t isolated. They showed glimpses of a wider picture. It was exciting when you recognised names. Like it was telling a story.

Like it was telling a story.

An idea struck, somewhere along the line. You knew by now what role you played in people’s lives. You were the helper, both good and bad, both kind and cruel. But what if you could be more than that? Instead of merely helping the stories along, what if you shaped them, changed how they played out?

For the first time in decades, a smirk teased your lips. It would certainly be fun.

You began not only answering people’s pleas for help, but also seeking out deals. Choosing customers deliberately and becoming much more specific with your prices. Gold and enchanted things would no longer do. You set events into motion years before they happened by asking for a simple errand or whatever you had come up with that day. All the while you thought of the story, you thought of the world and the characters you were building. The hole in the sea was one you were particularly proud of.

Part way through your construction, some years before you sent the Midnight Rose to its doom, Lunadeyis called upon you. She gave no warning, no alert. She just appeared. You listened to her, but only because your deal demanded it. She spoke of a prophecy, and you were immediately intrigued. You had never heard of this particular one before, which was surprising considering its importance. She explained everything: the feud between moon and sun, sea and land; the battle over the rights to this world; the prophecy that claimed one Champion would finally put a stop to the arguments and choose between the land and sea. She told you that this Champion had been born, and commanded you to watch over him and ensure no harm came to him. You agreed. Partially because you had to. Partially because this was a story in itself.

You kept on with your plotting, all the while keeping an eye on the Champion’s advancements. Occasionally you interfered with him, arranging with his parents for them to hand him to the Elders (which was easier than you would expect) and keeping his sister away, but for the most part you left him be. You turned your focus to the Navy, setting everything into place there to ensure your chosen would do as you wished. A little death wouldn’t deter you from your plans. It hadn’t before.

Then the Champion was banished. You switched all your attention to him, immediately. You weren’t relying solely on deals anymore – you hadn’t been for a while – and so personally ensured he rose to the surface in a certain direction. Even when you ran into his sister, you carried on, passing it off as merely being in the area in time to save her from a leviathan (foolish girl, you’d thought to yourself, meddling with things more powerful than she understood).

It seemed a miraculous moment of fate and chance when your chosen three collided. You laughed to yourself, knowing that fate had no part in it.

Then came the waiting. You couldn’t control every element of the story, after all, else you’d tire of it quickly. It had to be new and surprising and real. So you waited, picking a nearby island at random, one you’d dealt with before, to ensure they needed your assistance (because you were never going to write a story in which you played no role).

You wait perhaps a week. But you know it was all worth it when you see them approaching your hut. When you call them in, announcing that only one could enter. When you face the Champion himself.

You grin your devilish grin. Now it begins.

[hexagonalhavoc]

Can I request The reader falling in love With sado And Being embarrassed to tell her How they feel

Unheard Words

Sado x Reader 

Reader is gender neutral unless said or requested otherwise! 

[Author’s Note: Oh my god yes I love Sado! If she’s not in the next game I’m gonna cry, she’s such an underrated character

⚠️ This is a little angsty and Sado is a bit insensitive to reader’s feelings]

     Being a college student and working part time meant you were very frugal with your money. Because of that, thrift stores were your sanctuary. It was easy to find good clothes and even decor within those places. Sometimes you would go there just to look at all the books. You had gone there so often that you made friends with the cashiers and the other thrifting regulars.

Your best find happened to be an old, busted up laptop. You were in need of one and this one was extremely cheap. It was from a good brand and came with a charger. You enthusiastically bought this laptop and took it back to your dorm.

You were delighted to find that the computer already had some games downloaded on it most likely by its previous owner. Super Weasel Kid, Cooking Granny, Secrets of Legendaria, Combat Arena X, even the demo for Waste World! A lot of these games were hard to find now, most of them were taken off Steam and your only chance at playing these games was to pirate them from very questionable websites. Somehow you had gotten this lucky! 

After digging around your laptop and playing different games you found out that your laptop came with an unexpected surprise. 

She scared you at first with her uncanny appearance but she seemed harmless. She had total control over your device but she never did anything bad or breached into private information. You don’t know how it’s possible for something like Sado to exist but she was fun to be around. As long as you had your phone or laptop with you, she could go anywhere with you. 

“You’re not very good at this game.” Sado teases as she watches you play some puzzle game. As someone who had been in over a dozen different games, she could have helped you out but decided not to. Watching you struggle was funny. You roll your eyes as if you’re annoyed with her but she can see you resisting the smile that wants to spread on your face. “Oh come on, I’m trying my best.” 

Your friend hasn’t exactly lied to you but she hasn’t been very truthful either. She has feigned innocence, pretending that she doesn’t even know how she’s alive or what she’s been created to do. She smiles sweetly and plays games with you, she makes you think that she’s just some ai assistant. In reality Sado is much more than that. She’s a lot smarter than you think she is, a lot more malicious. Would you look at her the same way if you knew about all the things she did? 

Sado isn’t a fool, she knows how you feel about her. She knows what that goofy smiles means or how you get bashful when she compliments you. You’re in love with her and she finds it absolutely hilarious, you really think she doesn’t know how you feel? Oh Y/n, you aren’t as slick as you think you are and you’re terrible at keeping secrets. She wasn’t made to form attachments so she plays with these feelings of yours. She gets your hopes up and then talks about how she’s lucky to have such a great “friend.” She’ll praise you with sweet words and then pretend she doesn’t understand why you act so fidgety afterwards. Every time you think you have a chance to confess she’ll talk over you and change the subject. 

It’s Friday and both of your dorm mates are out with their own friends and lovers. It feels nice to have the dorm to yourself. You can finally relax after a long week. You flop on the couch and grab your laptop. Like always, someone’s face greets you whenever you open the lid. “Someone has been awfully busy, you couldn’t even make time for your dear friend?” 

“Oh don’t be so dramatic, it’s finals week and I don’t have much time to relax.” You’re still on your desktop, watching the miniature Sado float around your screen carelessly.

“That’s why I think we should watch a movie. I’ve pirated some good ones.” She says in a way that makes her sound proud of her misdeed. “It’s been so long since we’ve had a nice movie date.”

You know she doesn’t mean it like that but it still makes your heart feel light. You wish your friend wasn’t so flirtatious, she’s making it really hard for you not to swoon over every little thing she says. You wonder why you couldn’t fall in love with someone you could actually confess to, someone that you could actually tell others about. There were many eligible bachelors on your college campus and even more in your city but your heart had stubbornly chosen Sado. 

You wonder what having a date with her would actually be like. Would it be any different than the hangouts you have? Would she treat you any differently than she does now? You know that even if you two were together that you wouldn’t be able to hold her head or lay your head on her chest but you would still be fine with it.

“Yeah it has been.” You say after a noticeable pause, your hand on the mousepad as you look at the selection of movies you and her could watch together. 

Maybe it was time for you to confess. Everyday these feelings became stronger, pushing them away wasn’t something you could do anymore. You were scared at the chance you may ruin your friendship with her but you’ll never know how things may go if you don’t do this. 

“Hey Sado?” 

“Yes?” 

“…You can pick the movie, I’m just happy to hang out with you.” 

Once again, you back out of it like a coward. Maybe all the stress of finals was getting to you but you want to cry. You tried to tell yourself that you were just happy that Sado was your friend, that you didn’t need more from her. 

Maybe if Sado knew how much pain you were in she would be acting differently. 

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 165

Blood Brother/Let’s Kill Hitler

“Blood Brother”

Plot Description: After Dean’s vampire companion in Purgatory, Benny, gets brutally beat up by his own kind, he calls Dean for help in going after his maker

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes??: No. I don’t think I’d put up much of a fight if several vampires wanted to attack me. And not in the fun way. In the “guess I’ll die” way

You know…Benny is probably also A reason Dean let the girl go last episode

Holy shit…Benny did kill them all. FUCK. Also him calling Dean while heavily injured and Dean dropping the “Winchester Holy Grail Close the Gates of Hell Forever” quest (in Sam’s near exact words) to go to himmmmmm. Look, Destiel is real to me and canon to Spanish speakers, but this isn’t NOTHING between them

Step one: find Kevin Tran. Step two: ___________. Step three: Prophet.

Oof. You know…I was gonna be on Sam’s side because WHO could Dean know who needs his help that Sam doesn’t also know (WE know who), but then Dean came back with him having taken a year off of the job and Dean’s only taking a day

Dean, maybe don’t have these flashbacks WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING

The differences between Dean’s year and Sam’s is so stark

Now they’re just making up pointless stuff for Sam to do while Dean’s hunting

Vampire pirates. Vampirates. It is the third thing you say, sorry Benny (I’ve been waiting for that line)

Benny’s tragic backstory would be cool to actually watch. It’s beautiful and romantic and it ends so bloody

OMG HIS CREATOR DIDNT KILL THE WOKAN HE LOVED. HE TURNED HER.

I like that she’s risen in the ranks but I don’t like how the writers made her get there

Oh…Sam and Amelia were just two

Eugh…I don’t like how weirdly young the progenitor of this vampire nest looks. He’s not doing a good job of acting ancient…

When your ex-something kills your even older flame……..yeah, guess you do go through a bit of an existential crisis

Did Dean just commandeer that boat?

Mmmm, yeah. I’m not surprised Sam’s not happy with this turn of events once he found Dean.

“Let’s Kill Hitler”

Plot Description: the search for Melody Po sees the TARDIS crash land in 1930s Berlin

You know, upon rewatch, it’s rather obvious Mels is Melody/River from her introduction

Mels and Rory not super liking each other is so funny to me. They’re just kind of meh about each other’s existence

Oh right. The shapeshifting robots piloted by miniaturized people. I forgot about them

Interesting. I really would have thought that they’d have the Doctor listed as the war criminal not River.

Ok…she was trained to kill the Doctor. But she couldn’t have been doing that for long, and then she grows up with Amy and Rory, and then……..she regenerates into River and she goes right back to wanting to kill the Doctor?? It just seems a bit weird

Having two forms of techno-Amy repeatedly telling you you’re dying must be a fucking trip

There’s just a lot of stalling and pleading in this episode. It’s a good one but…it’s just like…there’s one thing that happens at the beginning and then the end

The Doctor gifts her the journalllllllll

[bad-girls]

Roll Call! All the Girls

Today we’ll be showing and exploring every Bad Girl! Enjoy!

1: Furia (Wrath)

Furia is a Furious Punk girl with a lot of spite and hate, particularly to authority like you. Her first choice for dealing with any problem is violence, or just anything she doesn’t like in general. She’ll probably swing on you a few times at least…

While animalistic she’s also loyal and will always be there for her friends.

Beneath her raging, primal surface lies a sensitive heart that’s lost faith in the world and doesn’t want to show it’s inner sadness. It’s up to you to get her to open up and heal from her past.

Tsundere Alert!

Likes: Pizza, Exercise, Punk Rock, Karate, Skating, Pirates, Wrestling, hitting things/people/you

Dislikes: Bullies, You, School, You, Sweets, You, Authority, You, Math, You

Crime: Murder (With a weapon we couldn’t possibly think would be deadly but somehow was)

Her Link:

2. Esme (Pride)

As egotistical as she is pretty, Esme is a spoiled rich brat who thinks she’s the best at just about everything. You’ll probably enjoy knocking her down a peg and getting rid of that pride.

While she may appear confident on the surface she’s far more insecure inside and has a need for validation. Whether or not you give her that will change her treatment of you.

It will take time, effort, and discipline to get her to open up. She needs some strictness to learn.

She isn’t all bad, she may have been spoiled but she was never given her parents love. This created a need for validation and attention.

Likes: Volleyball, Gum, Fashion, Social Media

Dislikes: Bugs, Nerds, Trolls, Discipline, Work, Country music, Being told no

Crime: Assault with a Firearm

3. Redi (Lust)

Unlike the last two, Redi likes you… a lot. She desires you badly. She has a lot of desires, power, pleasure, and more, but you’re the biggest. Careful because she’s charming disarming and sweet but way more cunning and manipulative than appears at first glance.

She’s never truly had a home in her life nor someone who truly cared for and loved her. She sees being in the facility as a chance for both and hopes you will love her as much as she loves you as well as her alone. If not she’ll definitely try to get your attention hardcore.

As she’s quite lustful, the usual punishments will not be so effective and will only serve to excite her, so you’ll need to get creative about discipline and rehabilitation.

Likes: Hearts, Chocolate, Spicy food, Samurai Movies/Games, Exercise, Bunnies, Making Jewelry, Racing

Dislikes: School, Boredom, Being Alone, Rudeness, Bitter Food, Her Past

Crime: Theft

4. Eris (Envy)

Eris is as jealous as they come but acts cute, sweet, and innocent. Most people consider her a pure and kind little Neko who couldn’t hurt a fly. In reality, she is as evil, corrupt, and cold as they come.

Her personality is a fake persona. She’s really a violent ruthless and uncaring girl who would kill you without a second thought and not feel guilty or really anything after.

Fortunately for you, she doesn’t want to hurt you. Very unfortunately for you, she is obsessed with you and highly possessive and envious. You are the one thing left that brings her a genuine feeling of love and comfort, and she’s going to have you be hers alone no matter what it takes.

Yandere alert!

Also yes, Neko’s exist in this universe.

Likes: You, Her Mom, You, Sewing, You, Stuffed Animals, Apple Juice, Violence, You

Dislikes: Her Dad, Wealthier People, Cuter People,

Crime: Murder and Conspiracy

5. Plum (Gluttony)

Plum has an addictive personality. A really bad one. Her addictions include eating, alcohol, partying, the internet, shoplifting, and party favors too. Especially Xans. Dang!

Her parents were both overweight alcoholics and she picked up their habits at much too early age. They were loving and raised her well otherwise so she is compassionate and social. Honestly she doesn’t need to fix her personality like most the other girls so much as she needs to kick her habits and stop being impulsive. And get over her deep guilt over what she did that got her sent her…

She’s still very rebellious and not going to just sit back and listen to you, she’s moral but she’s bold from standing up to bullies in her past, you’ll need some time and probably punishments to get her respect. She also has a big secret I won’t spoil…

Likes: Anime, Video Games, Comics, Partying, Cafés, Archery, Excitement

Dislikes: Orders, Bullies, Police, Gossip, Religion,

Crime: Crippled Someone

6. Ava (Greed)

Ava is well, frankly impossible. Super greedy, absolutely entitled, and completely raised to be ruthless and self-assured. She’s got as high confidence as she does IQ but she sees kindness as weakness and sees her as above you.

She’s the heiress to the Ziria Corporation, an international multimillionaire Hardware company that’s not exactly known for their compassion. They’re corrupt and vicious. The current CEO, her father, I taught her that the only thing that matters in life is success, be it in money, power, or progress. Everything else is nothing, all that matters is upwards mobility and gains. She’s as cold, calculated, and manipulative as he is.

To make things way worse, her dad has donated a lot of money to the facility and as a result she has both privileges and authority no one else has. She’s more than willing to use her power over you to her advantage.

A spoiled, material girl who thinks kindness is weak is definitely going to need some serious discipline to change but her position makes discipline basically impossible…

Likes: Money, Power, Judo, Jewelry, Milk, Sci-fi movies, Cars, Drones, Computers, Stocks, Art, Feeling superior

Dislikes: Feeling Inferior, Being Questioned, Bugs, Meat, Compassion, Weakness, Bad Manners

Crime: (File Mysteriously Erased)

7. Lunar (Sloth)

Lunar, the little Fox girl, sleeps all day and night, only staying up for about three hours a day (And not consecutively) and spending all that time watching Mecha Anime and playing video games. She lacks any real motivation or direction.

Her parents never gave her any attention no matter what she did, be it good or bad. She gave up and realized since she was never rewarded nor punished she could just do whatever she wanted, and so she became very lazy.

Unlike most of the other girls, Lunar doesn’t have any reason to dislike you nor the facility, and so she is not hostile. She’s still very lazy and refuses to do any type of school work or work in general, as well as refusing to stop being lazy.

Truly kind at heart, Lunar is a pure fox girl.

Likes: Strawberries, Smoothies, Naps, Anime, Video Games, Gems and Stones, Plushies

Dislikes: Exercise, Punishment, School, Spicy Food, Realistic Movies, Loud Noises

Crime: Assault with a deadly weapon

8. Jules (Youth)

Jules is unique from the other Bad Girls in that she is not based off a Deadly Sin but on a big theme of the Bad Girls series, redemption.

Jules grew up to be a miserable criminal and ended up shot dead by her crime boss. As she died she thought about how miserable her life was and how much she regretted. She wished she could have led a different life and closed her eyes ready for her end, but when she opened them she was over ten years younger and in the juvenile facility of her past. It was her second chance! The powers above gave her her dying wish.

Now she’s ready to listen to you completely and try to work on herself as a person until she has healed from all her past trauma and get rid of her flaws. A sharp contrast from the other girls she is ready to work on herself. The challenge is not in her resistance but in helping her face her demons and win.

Mature, insecure, gloomy, but hopeful and bold she is a complicated individual with many layers she’ll need to work past. She also is not resistant to discipline or punishment as she sees it as necessary for growth so she’ll be fine with it and may even request or enjoy it…

Likes: Painting, Writing, Singing, Animals, Nature

Dislikes: Her Past, Herself, Pasta, Crowds, Judgement, Insensitivity, High Heels

Crime: Murder with a potentially deadly weapon

And that’s all folks! (For now)

More girls are planned to be added in the future but this is the starting 8 girls. I hope you enjoyed getting introduced to each and their various traits and vibes. Expect more content including more detailed looks at each and stories/Epic Art soon!

Here have two special images for you before you go! You deserve it for reading all that. Starring Furia and Redi!

[jackiestarsister]

OUAT Rewatch: Season 7

I finally finished my rewatch today!

Overall thoughts:

~ I was thoroughly prepared to dislike this season, since it started with such a weird and repetitive premise, and got rid of some of the most important characters (Emma, Snow, and David). To my surprise, I really enjoyed the season, and it actually had some of the best bits of writing and acting in the whole show!

~ The actor playing adult Henry does a pretty good job of maintaining the same mannerisms and personality as young Henry!

~ Lana Parilla really shines in this season!

~ I can’t believe I’m saying it, but this season felt kind of like the first! It captured some of the sense of intrigue and suspense that characterized Season 1, when there were so many stories coming together and so many mysteries being unraveled.

~ The biggest plot hole is the existence of Henry’s book. Did he really write it? Did he really publish it? How does it exist within the cursed Hyperion Heights? It seems like part of Henry’s cursed persona, but it wouldn’t make sense for that to be part of the curse, because it reveals so much. Did fate or other forces make it appear, like the first storybook, so the curse could be broken?

Episode 7x01 “Hyperion Heights”

~ Regina wearing purple!!!

~ If Henry has just finished high school, and he was 14 at the end of Season 6, then about four years must have gone by! What was it like for his extended family? Did he split his time between Regina’s house and Emma and Hook’s? How did he and Hook get along as stepfather and stepson?

~ Henry seems very much like Steven Universe, in the way he strives to help others find their happy endings, yet feels out of place and unsure of his own.

~ I have such mixed feelings about Henry and Regina’s scene. On the one hand, it’s natural for emerging adults to want to leave home for a while, and Regina letting Henry go shows her amazing growth from the first couple seasons, when she was doing everything she could to keep him with her. But for Henry to say he doesn’t belong in Storybrooke sounds contrary to everything he did and said about himself and Emma belonging there in the early seasons, particularly the end of Season 3.

~ Where did Henry get the motorcycle? Did August give it to him and/or teach him how to ride it? And what was Regina’s reaction when she found out he was learning?!

~ How can a realm be “new”? Can they simply be created, like the Wish Realm?

~ Henry really brought a motorcycle to a fairy-tale land?

~ Total The Devil Wears Prada homage!

~ It’s so strange to have Regina/Roni witness the same kind of feud between a biological parent and stepparent that she and Emma once had!

~ Victoria referring to “this street” makes it sound like a turf war rather than gentrification!

~ “When someone needs help, I help them.” Nice sentiment but could have been better written. Katara did it better in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

~ “You’re waiting for the perfect first sentence, but no story is perfect. It just needs to start.” Now that’s a great line!

~ Why did Alice bother trapping Henry if she just let him go?

~ Where did Cinderella learn how to fight? And how could anyone fight in a dress like that?!

~ So this cursed version of Hook has a functional left hand?

~ “Operation Glass Slipper is a go” made me laugh! Henry may have grown up, but some things about him haven’t changed.

~ I can’t believe that Regina is now the character giving inspirational monologues!

~ That last shot seems a little too upbeat. Roni’s cursed life is framed as though it is her real life.

Episode 7x02 “A Pirate’s Life”

~ The name of this episode sounds like an unoriginal reference to the silly song from the Disney ride, but it actually has a dark element since Wish Realm Hook tries to steal original Hook’s life!

~ I love that Hook continues training Henry in swordfighting! But Henry’s self-deprecating angst feels so OOC.

~ Such a sweet scene with Hook and Emma!

~ I love that when Henry is in trouble he immediately calls for his parents—all three of them!

~ Finally a Captain Cobra hug!

~ Hook has no patience for other versions of himself, whether past, future, or alternate reality!

~ Hook is still way too easy for other people to overpower and/or capture. You would think a “survivor” like him would be better at defending himself and evading capture.

~ I’m surprised that it’s so easy for Wish Realm Hook to permanently take on the appearance of original Hook, to the point that it carries over into the Land Without Magic. What happened to “magic always comes with a price”? And if it were that easy for a non-magically-gifted person to take on someone else’s appearance, wouldn’t lots of people take advantage of it?

~ “You never have to see me again” sounds like a callback to Snow White’s words to Charming when they first met!

~ Weaver’s words about a daughter being the greatest vulnerability is huge foreshadowing when spoken to Rogers/Hook!

~ Whose little cottage is that? Did Regina and Henry just find an empty home and decide to use it?

~ I never thought I’d see Regina telling Hook to act as a father to Henry in any way, let alone to give him “a pirate-y heart-to-heart”!

~ Henry is wise to be suspicious of someone not acting like themselves: he and his family have encountered many people who were impostors or controlled by someone via their heart.

~ Emma is so nervous and excited, and sounds like she is repeating her own train of thought about becoming a parent!

~ “Let’s see who you are” seems to be the theme of Hook’s arc throughout the show, and now of this Wish Hook too!

~ Each Hook learns to have compassion for his other self!

~ Who ever would have thought that Henry, Regina, and Hook would form their own fellowship? It’s odd, but I love it!

~ Was that ballet music from Swan Lake? That would be quite fitting!

Episode 7x03 “The Garden of Forking Paths”

~ If Cinderella drove the motorcycle from the ball, how could the knights or Tiana have caught up to her?

~ I didn’t expect Henry to find Cinderella so quickly!

~ I can’t believe they recycled the plotline of Archie and Henry in the mines, and acknowledged it in the script!

~ Cinderella should have realized it was way too easy to get into Lady Tremaine’s manor.

~ How did Cinderella guess that Henry was the one with the purest heart?

~ Why would Jacinda trust such an offer from Victoria? She should at least get it in writing that there would be a condo for her and Lucy.

~ Burning the petition is actually a betrayal of everyone who signed it.

~ Regina stopped someone from making the same mistake(s) she made, particularly sacrificing her father’s heart! So great to see!

~ Jacinda’s speech scene is really cheesy, and kind of overdramatic. Little to nothing has been shown about why the community garden really matters.

~ It’s amazing to see Regina acting as a mentor to someone, and I wouldn’t have expected it to be her future daughter-in-law!

~ They act as though a petition would immediately resolve everything, but that kind of red tape takes time to process!

~ This episode almost feels like a movie.

Episode 7x04 “Beauty”

~ How fitting that Belle’s first episode was called “Skin Deep” and this one is called “Beauty”! I think those are the only episodes of the show that take place on a holiday, and each one is appropriate to its theme: the Rumbelle romance starts during a Valentine’s Day episode, and Belle dies in a Halloween episode. And both episodes reveal Rumplestiltskin/Gold to be “awake,” that is, aware of his true identity!

~ Belle and Gold always talk about how she wanted “to see the world,” but there are actually several worlds they can visit!

~ “I’d rather eat carbs” = They’re totally milking the Devil Wears Prada parallels!

~ Never thought we’d see a blonde Regina, or a Regina who gives “hope speeches”!

~ They seriously used a Frozen costume?

~ Tilly seems like the “wise fool” archetype.

~ THEY FIXED THE TEACUP!

~ I wouldn’t have expected Up to be paired with Beauty and the Beast, but it works for these characters!

~ How sad that the same action that sparked their attraction in her first episode, Belle falling as she opens the curtains, is what signals her death in this episode!

~ Someone walks by in a (cartoon) Belle costume!

~ The scene between Henry and Ivy could have been better written. She wouldn’t open up to him that quickly.

~ So, according to Belle’s interpretation, the only way she and Rumple can be together forever is in death? That’s pretty bleak in one sense.

~ How could Belle continue to age if time was practically still? In other worlds like Neverland, or situations like the Dark Curse, no one ages when time is frozen.

~ Was Gideon offering to kill Rumple with the dagger?!

~ Rogers moves the rook next to the knight!!!

~ Henry and Ivy’s scene at the end feels unnecessary. They already hit the necessary theme and character beats. The episode could have ended with Weaver and Victoria’s scene, which would have been more ominous.

Episode 7x05 “Greenbacks”

~ Comparing belief to a weed is an interesting, unusual analogy. I doubt it’s meant to tie in with the Parable of the Sower; it kind of implies the opposite meaning.

~ Tiana being a fairy-tale princess from birth feels weird.

~ Tiana’s mother’s lines are too expository, telling rather than showing.

~ Wouldn’t “chaos in the land” create more opportunities for heroes to show up?

~ Tiana and her mother pinning their hope on finding a prince to save them, through marriage or otherwise, seems way out of character for them. Movie Tiana did everything she could to pull herself up into a better life all by herself.

~ Why would Tiana seek out Dr. Facilier’s help if she had no way to pay him? Couldn’t she give her necklace or earrings?

~ If Dr. Facilier wanted the ruby in the medal, he could have just named it as the price for his service.

~ Drizella/Ivy being a double agent and playing both sides is a pretty good twist!

Episode 7x06 “Wake Up Call”

~ Henry really kept his Tron lunchbox when he left home for his adult adventures?

~ Regina looks like a completely different person, like a warrior instead of a queen or witch!

~ It’s so funny to see Regina ready to swoop in and protect her son, only for him and his girlfriend to protect themselves!

~ Whereas Regina wanted to crush Henry’s belief in the curse, Roni wants to encourage Lucy’s belief in the hope that it will fade on its own.

~ The season's theme of plants and gardening really becomes apparent in this episode! Drizella refers to magic as something to “cultivate,” and the next scene deals with gardening! And the missing girl’s last name is Gardener!

~ Henry is still drawing on old movies for his real-life actions! Was that fist pump an homage to The Breakfast Club?

~ Regina teaching Drizella to lift rocks = obvious Star Wars reference! But instead of threatening Drizella’s safety, as Regina did with Emma and some Star Wars villains used with their apprentices, Regina endangers herself instead, showing trust that Drizella will save her.

~ “Things are always more fun when you start in the middle.” Sounds like the writers justifying their own story format!

~ “A curse is never worth the cost” seems to go against how it worked out for Snow and Charming when they cast the Dark Curse to return to the Land Without Magic.

~ The way Roni snarls as Ivy leaves is her most Regina-like moment so far this season!

~ Roni is now in a similar situation to Jefferson in Season 1, knowing the truth that her child does not.

Episode 7x07 “Eloise Gardener”

~ Was Victoria aware that Lucy knows/suspects the truth about her?

~ “Abandoning people just isn’t my thing.” Hook proves the truth of his words in this episode!

~ Good setup/payoff with the lullaby!

~ Gothel pretending to be a victim of Victoria is kind of like Hook pretending to be a survivor of Cora’s attack in Season 2.

Episode 7x08 “Pretty in Blue”

~ I didn’t expect Alice and Hook to find each other so quickly, or for their reunion to be shown so soon after the revelation that she is his daughter!

~ That dialogue between Jacinda and Lucy is pointless. It would have been enough to just show them hugging and crying as they say goodbye.

~ Henry and Ella getting caught in the net together is not only a callback to Snow White and Charming, it’s also a nod to the net trap in Return of the Jedi—especially when one of them asks the other to reach for the sword!

~ “No one wants to be the Kathryn.”

~ Lucy sounds so grown-up and mischievous when she says, “I think I know another dragon you could slay.” It’s the kind of line that Emma, Regina, or one of the other adult protagonists would say.

~ Hook being given a possibly poisoned cake is so ironic, since that’s how Captain Hook tries to kill Peter Pan and the Lost Boys in J.M. Barrie’s novel! Regina even gets rid of the cake with the excuse of “Too much sugar isn’t good for you,” just like Wendy!

~ So many parallels between Henry & Ella and Snow & Charming!

~ Another person named Jack who had a bad run-in with giants? That makes him the third.

~ (Spoiler Alert:) Henry and Jack imitating Han Solo and Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back may have been foreshadowing the eventual betrayal!

~ Henry not being there when Jacinda comes to see him is so sad, particularly because it didn’t result from some miscommunication, just from lack of communication.

Episode 7x09 “One Little Tear”

~ I really like that they drew on the original story of Rapunzel, beginning with the theft of the witch’s garden by a desperately poor family and the deal they make with her.

~ Lady Tremaine being Rapunzel was NOT something I saw coming! Now their interactions with Gothel as her prisoner make so much more sense. But how can Drizella be working with the person who took her mother from her?

~ Rumple/Gold/Weaver manages to put Victoria off-balance by revealing that he knows the truth about her at the same moment when he admits the truth about himself.

~ Rogers questioning Victoria about how she escaped, and her saying that she didn’t wait for anyone to help her, perfectly describes the preceding scene of her escape from the tower!

~ Throwing objects at mirrors is supposed to be Regina and Snow’s thing, not Rapunzel/Tremaine’s!

~ Sisters building a snowman harkens to Frozen, but sisters falling through ice harkens to Jo and Amy in Little Women.

~ How did they retrieve Anastasia’s body from the ice? For that matter, how did Marcus and Ella survive their dunk in the water? They both would have died from hypothermia without immediate care.

~ It’s really interesting how Victoria doesn’t try to destroy Lucy’s belief in the fairy tale reality; instead she tries to destroy her belief in happy endings. It’s like the difference between faith in God and faith in God’s goodness; in fact, having strong faith can make the disappointment of suffering even harder to bear.

~ It’s nice to see that Rumple/Gold/Weaver is aware of and cares about his great-granddaughter!

~ I wasn’t expecting Anastasia to awaken and Lucy to be at death’s door so early in the season! Those seem like the kind of events that would happen in a season finale.

Episode 7x10 “The Eighth Witch”

~ I’m so confused by the opening scene. Did Henry and Ella get married before having Lucy? Did Lady Tremaine team up with the resistance against her? Did Henry, Ella, Regina, and Wish Realm Hook really stay with the resistance throughout Ella’s pregnancy? Did they raise Lucy in that realm, or were they just visiting Tiana’s castle for Lucy’s birthday?

~ What makes Drizella’s threat a “prophecy”? She doesn’t have clairvoyance, does she?

~ Is Lucy really supposed to be eight years old in the present day? She looks like she could be ten or twelve!

~ Why would Tiana keep statue-Drizella in such a prominent place in her courtyard?!

~ The Wicked Witch of the West running a cycling class is so OUAT!

~ That was a pretty great entrance for grown-up Robin! It’s nice to see that she has a good relationship with Regina. But I have to wonder what she knows about her father, and whether she knows her brother Roland.

~ “She sure has grown up fast.” “Not in our realm.” What is that supposed to mean?! Which realm did Zelena settle down in, and which one are they referring to?

~ “I’m not here to discuss timelines.” What a cop-out!!! The writers really don’t even care about the passage of time anymore, despite the fact that this show’s theme and structure are centered around time!

~ Zelena is now in the position that Emma was in with Walsh and her fake life in New York!

~ So Zelena is the one giving heroic pep talks now?

~ I’m surprised they showed that flashback scene again!

~ It seems odd for Ella, Henry’s own wife, to stop the others from going after him in order to focus on the bigger problem.

~ So Regina doesn’t have to give up the heart of the thing she loves most again? It’s enough that she did it once?

~ Regina and Henry are basically in the same situation Emma and Hook were when she made him a Dark One to save his life.

~ Hook gave up the chance to be a father to Alice so Ella would be able to remain Lucy’s mother! That’s an incredibly selfless sacrifice.

~ They really decided to make Alice and Robin a couple without any prior buildup.

~ It’s ironic that Gothel once imprisoned Rapunzel in a tower, but now throws her into a pit!

Episode 7x11 “The Secret Garden”

~ “… and we’re going to do it together” is Snow and David’s line, not Regina’s!

~ What makes Zelena suddenly change her mind about teaming up with “Nook”?

~ It makes sense for Hook to decide to trust his gut, since that is the same advice his counterpart gave to Emma in Season 3. But the gut feelings in each situation are opposites: Emma’s told her something was wrong, but Hook’s is telling him that the illusion is the truth.

~ Hook saying “Memento mori,” Latin for “Remember your death,” is pretty ironic—almost uncharacteristic—since everyone talks about how he is a survivor!

~ I laughed out loud when Madame Leota was revealed! Now they’re drawing on Disney rides, not just movies? What’s to stop them from including Jack Sparrow, then?

~ Who was Gothel trying to raise in the séance?

~ “I won’t let them take you” could be interpreted two ways, as protection or imprisonment!

~ The Resurrection Amulet looks like something out of a Marvel movie, not a fairy tale. It reminds me of Tony Stark’s arc reactor heart or the Eye of Agamotto.

~ The part when everyone is shouting at each other while Gothel tries to kill Zelena doesn’t come across well. But the action sequence afterward was cool.

~ “You were going to risk your life for me.” No, she was going to outright sacrifice her life!

~ It’s interesting that Robin met both of Alice’s parents before meeting Alice herself!

~ Once again, the show breaks its own rules. Characters have said before that no magic can bring back the dead, but apparently the Resurrection Amulet can do exactly that.

~ Robin is the first “next generation” character we see dealing with the legacies of her parents.

~ I can’t believe the writers made Gothel the one to wake Lucy, and gave Victoria the “atonement through sacrifice” treatment.

~ I totally saw the blood test confirmation coming, but not Dr. Sage’s death, though in hindsight it was clearly foreshadowed!

~ This might actually be one of the best episodes of the season!

Episode 7x12 “A Taste of the Heights”

~ Henry producing a podcast makes complete sense! If he had been a bit older at the start of the show, he probably would have done that kind of thing about Storybrooke!

~ I knew that man was Naveen as soon as he appeared onscreen!

Episode 7x13 “Knightfall”

~ It’s fascinating to see a version of Hook approach a version of Rumplestiltskin for help, without them having any shared adventures or mutual friends or relatives.

~ I’m surprised to see such a young Ahab, young enough to call Hook an “old man.”

~ Now Maui is real too? Does that mean Moana is real?

~ I love young Alice and the glimpses we get of Hook raising her!

~ It’s so good to finally see Regina and Lucy together, both knowing the truth!

Episode 7x14 “The Girl in the Tower”

~ Alice blowing out the birthday candle is a clear parallel to Emma in the pilot episode!

~ Ivy is actually quite sweet with Henry in this episode.

~ It seems like the writers really like the trope of future lovers attacking and/or trapping each other when they first meet.

~ I’m very surprised that Rogers and Henry would leave Tilly unsupervised, even if they believe in her innocence.

~ Regina letting Lucy snoop around a dangerous voodoo doctor’s lair … seems quite risky, and miles away from the Regina of the first few seasons!

~ Robin hotwiring Sheriff Emma Swan’s yellow bug = a truly legendary feat!

~ So the yellow bug just showed up without a driver to provide a getaway? Like the Weasleys’ car in Harry Potter?

~ How is the tower still intact? Wasn’t it in ruins before Alice and Hook saw each other and Henry and Ella went on their Wonderland adventure?

~ So many actual Alice in Wonderland lines and allusions in this episode!

~ The question of whether you actually exist is more relevant for Alice/Tilly and Wish Hook/Rogers than anyone else, since they come from a realm that only exists because of a wish someone made!

~ I love how this episode explores Alice’s complicated and contradictory emotions about leaving the tower.

~ Alice says “bloody” just like Hook!

~ OMG Alice and Robin read each others’ books!!!

~ Finally, someone offered Tilly an actual, safe place to stay!

~ This may have been one of my favorite episodes of this season!

Episode 7x15 “Sisterhood”

~ It seems weird that Henry has probably spent more time with Wish Hook than with his actual stepfather Hook, to the point that Wish Hook is one of his best friends. How does OG Hook and the rest of his family feel about that?

~ Lucy is just like Henry in the way she sets people up with phone messages and fake invitations!

~ Henry says he “can’t tell if Jacinda and I are meant for each other anymore.” When did he ever feel that they were?

~ I was not expecting Jacinda to walk in after Henry agreed to that ridiculous rom-com-style challenge!

~ So many different characters talk about fate in this episode!

~ Is Henry quoting Star Wars again when he says it’s “an impossible shot”?

~ Gothel is just like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, making people turn on each other by planting fear and doubt about each other’s intentions.

~ The special effects used for Anastasia’s magic are pretty awesome! We don’t often see those kinds of feats in the Land Without Magic, or practical effects in the series as a whole.

~ Drizella’s lines at the climax with Anastasia are uncharacteristically cheesy. And her final line, “I guess you underestimated the power of sisterhood,” is completely unnecessary, just verbalizing what was already implied.

~ I’m surprised that they took Tremaine/Victoria, Drizella/Ivy, and Anastasia out of the story at this point. Was there simply no more room for them?

~ I knew something big would happen with Nick, but I wasn’t expecting him to be the “candy killer”! I had actually wondered, when Gretel talked about her brother traveling under another name, whether Jack/Nick might be Hansel.

Episode 7x16 “Breadcrumbs”

~ This episode plays a lot with what is real and what is fake.

~ Ella kissing Henry for luck is definitely a Star Wars reference!

~ Would it really be so bad to be a character in someone else’s story? It seems rather self-centered for Henry to want to be the heroic main character. And many great stories are about not just one person, but two or more; that’s how it is with most love stories.

~ Why would the killer leave his annotated book behind at the scene of the crime? Did he want it to be found? It seems far too convenient.

~ Hook/Rogers is basically doing the same thing in both timelines, trying to help his kids!

~ If the map and the ring were real, why couldn’t Hook take Henry on a real journey to find Davy Jones’ locker? Just so Henry could have the satisfaction of beating a pirate captain?

~ “I don’t need a great story. I just want a great life.”

~ It’s great to see Henry, who has always been into great stories and grand gestures, to realize he does not need all that to impress Ella or get what he really wants, a family.

~ Is that realm simply called the “magical kingdom”?

Episode 7x17 “Chosen”

~ How can there be starving children in Arendelle? How dare that witch malign Elsa that way!

~ That teaser seems positively cartoonish.

~ Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes!

~ It’s interesting to see Zelena be one of the characters that is trying to move on from her past but feels it catching up to her, like Regina, Rumple, and Hook in previous seasons.

~ Shouting that Kelly has a real daughter and fiancé was a really dumb move on Henry’s part.

~ I was wondering when Chad would show up; but I’m surprised that he turned out to be a truly normal guy, unconnected with the fairy tales. This show has made me expect twists.

~ I guess the title “Chosen” refers to both Weaver’s joke about Zelena and Chad choosing to be with her.

Episode 7x18 “The Guardian”

~ Weaver saying “Be my guest” probably wasn’t an intentional Beauty and the Beast reference, but it’s still funny!

~ That rotating shot of Alice entering Facilier’s house is pretty cool!

~ I had wondered whether Alice could use magic, since her mother is a witch!

~ Alice’s test scene is fascinating! Rumplestiltskin’s impish form comes out as he slips into that old, crazy way of talking. It’s also kind of the opposite of how he pushed Regina to crush hearts in order to turn her evil; instead he’s trying to prove that Alice is pure of heart.

~ Aside from the irony that this series actually showed the Underworld, it’s interesting to see characters in a TV show talk seriously about what the afterlife might be like.

~ Belle’s echoed lines might have been better delivered as a flashback in Rumple’s head.

~ It’s amazing that after all the times Rumple grasped at the dagger because he was afraid of losing his power, he now chooses it against his own self-interest, because he does not want to burden someone else with it.

~ I wouldn’t have expected any Hook’s child to have Rumplestiltskin as a father figure, but that’s what their dynamic ends up feeling like! I guess Alice/Tilly is like the daughter Rumple/Gold/Weaver never had.

~ What I don’t understand is what Hook and Rumple did for the eight or so years before the curse. Did they simply put their respective quests on hold?

~ Regina/Roni and Weaver’s scene is amazing! Regina is finally fed up enough to cut ties with him.

~ They just had to give Henry another Star Wars allusion!

Episode 7x19 “Flower Child”

~ It’s so exciting and satisfying to see the various characters piecing together the truth! It’s a different direction than the first season went in.

~ Why/how would the curse bring Henry’s belongings from Storybrooke and Ella’s glass slipper into Jacinda and Lucy’s home?

~ So, Gothel is the origin of the magic beans, and the Land Without Magic? But how does she fit into the Wish Realm?

~ I wasn’t expecting Samdi/Facilier to actually do something good! I thought he was using Lucy for his own ends.

~ So, Jacinda just lets Lucy run off unsupervised?

~ I don’t like that Facilier was killed off. We never get a definitive answer about his intentions, whether he was good or evil at his core. I guess he’ll forever be a mystery.

Episode 7x20 “Is This Henry Mills?”

~ Regina was part of that coven?!

~ So Storybrooke has a college! I had wondered about that, since no one aged during the first curse. Did it open after the curse was broken?

~ How does Lucy even know Weaver? Is she aware that he is her great-grandfather Rumplestiltskin?

~ GRANNY!

~ Time travel?! So that’s why the story is still in the “present day” rather than a decade or two in the future. But wasn’t that supposed to be impossible, outside of the one time Zelena succeeded in casting such a spell?

~ Regina and Henry’s scene in the bar might be one of the best in the whole series! The writing and emotional acting are fantastic.

~ I guess if Alice from Wonderland had magic, she would use it to change people’s sizes!

~ Tiny was the one who gave Henry the magic bean!? Where has he been since Season 2?

~ How can Regina/Roni say she has nothing left to lose? Her family is still alive!

~ I knew Henry was going to break the curse by kissing Regina!

~ Henry’s letter to Regina is beautiful!

Episode 7x21 “Homecoming”

~ They never provide a caption for time or place when it would actually be helpful! I spent the whole teaser wondering if it was Henry from the Enchanted Forest or the Wish Realm.

~ Friendzoning is painful no matter what realm you’re in!

~ Starfish sounds like such a silly nickname, but Colin O’Donoghue manages to deliver it with so much sadness, it’s heartbreaking!

~ How long was the curse in effect? How long did it take Lucy to figure out that they were cursed?

~ It’s so weird to see Rumplestiltskin, with scaly skin and old-fashioned clothes, in a modern-day setting!

~ Regina, Gold, and (a version of) Hook—the three villainous protagonists throughout the series—drinking together and toasting to revenge is oddly fitting!

~ Why would Hook assume that this rescue mission is a last grand adventure?

~ Cruella de Vil using a sword is not something I ever expected to see!

~ The music during Henry and Cruella’s fight is my jam!

~ I love that Henry raises the question, “Who really deserves a happy ending?”

~ “The one enemy I can never defeat is myself.” So relatable!

~ This finale feels like Avengers: Endgame, with all different minor characters making appearances and past formative events being revisited!

~ I can’t believe how self-aware these lines were, while still managing to sound poetic: “That is indeed a complicated story. The timelines alone would make one’s head spin. Only a true Author could weave such a tale.”

~ I love the Apprentice’s next line, “Every story an Author has ever written lives in his heart.”

~ The way the Apprentice leans on his sword at the end of his scene makes it look almost like the Sword in the Stone!

~ Ever since Regina killed the Wish Realm versions of Snow and David, and took Emma back to Storybrooke, I wondered what happened to Wish Realm Henry. No one ever seemed concerned about what happened to him, which was really weird. I’m glad they finally addressed that!

~ ABOUT BLOODY TIME they got back to Storybrooke!

Episode 7x22 “Leaving Storybrooke”

~ Grumpy/Leroy is unusually cheerful!

~ Having a “Leaving Storybrooke” sign for the title sequence pulled at my heartstrings!

~ Pulling others to wallow in one’s darkness sounds like the Devil being lonely in Hell.

~ Regina and Robin Hood’s dream scene is beautiful!!! “Our story was so short.” “That doesn’t make it any less epic.”

~ Regina finally got the feather from Robin!!! It only took two seasons!

~ Rumple saw Hook as the closest thing he had to a friend? I can’t really buy that.

~ Was there some deleted scene of Zelena helping Robin and Alice get to the Wish Realm? And how did they get Maui’s fishhook to the others?

~ “Aren’t spells just stories of a kind?” More like the other way around: stories are basically spells that entrance the audience. I’m pretty sure there’s an etymological connection.

~ They brought the Blue Fairy back just so they could kill her off?

~ Hook and Robin’s scene is so sweet! Since she grew up without a father, it’s nice to see her gain a father figure.

~ Wait, so Snow and David came from Storybrooke to help Henry? Why weren’t they with Zelena, Robin, and Alice when they arrived in the Wish Realm?

~ Does that roundtable meeting at Regina’s castle take place in the original Enchanted Forest, or the Wish Realm version?

~ How did Snow and David get the storybooks without Wish Rumple or Wish Henry noticing?

~ How would Wish Rumple’s plan work, if there are alternate versions of everyone across the realms?

~ “You don’t do the right thing for a reward. You do it because it’s right.”

~ Rumple giving his heart to save (a version of) Hook and Hook’s child is an amazing twist, given their history with hearts and children!

~ If they were taken back in time, how was Rumple able to be reunited with Belle? Wouldn’t she still be alive at that point in the timeline?

~ What about Gideon?! He and Rumple never got to say goodbye! Does he spend the rest of his life without either of his parents?

~ So, the young version of Henry seen at the end is the Wish Realm version, right? Because the present-day young version is off having his adventures in other realms?

~ How do they reconcile Regina becoming the Good Queen and all the future and alternate versions of everyone being in Storybrooke, without messing up the timeline? They pretty much let go of all the Back to the Future logic that characterized Emma and Hook’s time-traveling.

~ Did they really hold an election for a single person to rule all the realms? What about the established leaders of the various realms? And how could Regina be elected without knowing about it?

~ Regina didn’t want to be crowned without Emma and Hook there!

~ Smee is back!!! But is it the original Smee or Wish Realm Smee?

~ That ending montage of flashbacks with Regina’s voiceover was beautiful. This season began and ended with voiceover monologues from Regina.