#only when lifes were at stake. no arrogance or similar.
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Why do I love The Seven Dials Mystery more than the similar in many aspects and slightly more well-known Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
(CAREFUL, hints of the villains' identities ahead)
These novels do indeed have many similarities: they both belong to Dame Agatha's early adventure mysteries, they are full of humour, they have a cute hero couple consisting of a dashing girl and calmer humble boy and a villain couple consisting of a charming rascal and a pseudo-gentle damsel. They were even adapted to film by same filmmakers one immediately after the other and had some same actors involved.
I do enjoy Why Didn't They Ask Evans? too, it's good fun, but there are several reasons why I have warmer feelings for The Seven Dials Mystery:
First. Besides being fun, The Seven Dials Mystery also gave some good serious potential you don't realize immediately. The story of the victims and why they died turns out to be surprisingly realistic, a story of romanticized adventure dreams of inexperienced youth meeting harsher reality and betrayal. The main investigation by the central heroes also takes an unexpectedly realistic tone to the end, and has dramatic potential. The novel does a very good job at deconstructing spy novel cliches. Why Didn't They Ask Evans? doesn't have such a layer.
Second. The mystery itself. In SDM the solution turns everything on its head while making perfect sense, Dame Agatha even does one of her special tricks of letting us see glimpses of the main villain's (and occasionally their ally's) thoughts and perspectives and sincere conversations between them while making the wording so ambiguous that a naive reader sees nothing when it's just under their nose. In WDTAE, the identity of at least one of the villains is pretty clear almost from the start even to the characters until they get briefly distracted with a false lead, and there's no such play with POV snippets and ambiguous dialogue.
Third. The heroes' motivation. In SDM, they actually have stakes to be involved - Bill was close friends with the victims, Bundle gets pulled into it by fate strongly when the first death happens in her house, the second literally in her arms, and she gets hold on really important information about both (and the victims are connected to her friend/household circle). In WDTAE, Bobby witnesses a death of a stranger but becomes actually involved into anything when an attempt at his life is made (for no good reason, he wouldn't be able to prove anything actually incriminating to the villains at this point, meaning they just dug their own graves) and Frankie is in it mostly out of curiosity.
Fourth. The heroes' narrative. In SDM, we see most of things from Bundle's POV, and Bill stays in background because he's narratively supposed to, he has much more important information than we are allowed to know at the start, which plays a crucial role in the culmination, and in the final he finally is able to tell his part of the story. In WDTAE, we have focus on both heroes' adventures, but if I recall right we aren't allowed in Frankie's thoughts, only Bobby's. (I once encountered a fan work/alternative analysis where Frankie is the villain's accomplice instead of the canon one, and I couldn't help but noticing I can't really prove otherwise... For reasons described in the next paragraph too)
Fifth. The main romance. Bundle and Bill, just like Bobby and Frankie, are childhood friends who develop romantic feelings for each other during the story. But Bundle and Bill kind of... feel more natural? There's Bundle's slight prickling of jealousy when Bill seems to be infatuated with other women (he actually isn't) but she still finds him adorable even if mildly annoyed at his "silliness", Bill being indignant and protective when Bundle is courted by an elderly arrogant official (whom she absolutely doesn't like), Bill adoring Bundle and being afraid to confess for low self-esteem reasons and confessing when emotional during the final. In WDTAE, the ship is externally complicated with the heroes crushing on other people, who just so turn out to be the villains, as well as stereotypes for "attractiveness to the other gender" (a Charming Bad Boy and a Damsel In Distress). The chemistry the heroes have to the alternative love interests looks in fact so genuine that - if those two weren't secretly evil, would the heroes come to romantically like each other? Especially considering that the alternative LIs seem to develop/expand out of the stereotypes, the guy "showing a caring side for his family", the girl "showing a brave side" (yes after all it was all an act, but if it wasn't? They would have no issues becoming healthy couples with the heroes)
Sixth. The villains' romance. The villain couple from SDM genuinely are devoted to each other, while those from WDTAE betray each other without an issue in the end. Also, in SDM they actively interact on screen and have their dynamics shown, while in WDTAE they don't. And like I already said the SDM villains are more defined as individuals due to their POVs being shown at times, which WDTAE doesn't do.
Seventh. The suspension of disbelief. The SDM story while having its minor holes is not that implausible. Plot-relevant coincidences happen mostly to start a plotline, not to resolve it. But WDTAE relies on coincidences a bit too much. Especially when there's a tense scene where the heroes are captured by one of the villains and escape due to... right, incredible coincidence. During my first read I was hoping that Bobby's friend happened to be there not accidentally, that like Bill from SDM he's smarter than he looks and was having their backs secretly the entire time - but nope. It was literally a non-foreshadowed accident with no dramatic/character potential. And this isn't the first incredible coincidence that could be easily avoided (the attempt to poison Bobby failing because he turned out to have incredible natural immunity to the poison? Even in the modern film adaptation they did better by simply having him vomit the poison).
Eighth. The humour. In addition to humouristic scenes and dialogues with the central characters (Bundle, Jimmy and Bill and occasionally Superintendent Battle's irony), SDM has a lot of colourful and fun supporting characters written in best traditions of English humour (Lord Caterham, the Cootes, Rupert Bateman, George Lomax, Socks Daventry, the gardener at the Chimneys, Jimmy's manservant, Bundle's aunt). WDTAE has humour mostly in the protagonist dialogue (plus Roger), two small scenes of protagonists talking to their fathers in the early chapters, and some situational comedy when Bobby inquires Sylvia's acquaintance when impersonating a lawyer, and I think that's it. Not going to say WDTAE did it bad, it did pretty good, but the SDM humour feels to me more... nuanced? And more diverse?
Overall, in my opinion, SDM does everything that WDTAE does but does it better, and does more than the latter.
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***Sending this again in case you didn’t get it the first time (so if you did, feel free to ignore it 🤭)
"ps did you read the riccardo and amadeo fic? did you like it?" I DID x2. It was both insanely hot and peak comedy lmao Amadeo was SUCH an unbearable brat and Riccardo knew exactly how to handle him. They were babies! And they were so content in each other’s arms, before it all (literally) burned down in flames. Just babies!!!🥺
"or what seems like ages- months, years, time has no meaning here in the magical city of Venice" this line legit made me burst out laughing. Amadeo was really out there living Sharon Stone’s life in Casino for a while wasn’t he?😭 but also as someone who’s been in both Venice and Vegas, I can 100% confirm this is a thing.
“Does that feel good? Tell me how you like it, Amadeo,” Riccardo murmurs into his skin. There’s concern there but there’s a hint of arrogance too; confirmation that Riccardo knows exactly what he’s doing to him. It thrills Amadeo to his core, it reminds him of his master, so effortlessly self assured." PLEASE 🥵 The way they kept teasing and daring each other to escalate things further as they became more desperate for each other, so so good 🥵
And this, my heart 🥺 “This kind of boyish game could only happen between the two of them. They’re equals, he and Riccardo. There’s no stakes to this game. Just pleasure. Fun.” Such a perfect summary of their friendship. They were equals. Riccardo would’ve gone to hell and back (and he did) for Amadeo, but they were equals from the start.
I also loved how you noted that despite Ricardo’s efforts, Amadeo would never truly be satisfied, how the blood had made it impossible for him to ever feel like he got what he wanted. 10/10 absolute perfection xoxo DA ❤️
Also salivating over that medical kink fic preview!! can't wait to see Daniel's insides getting wrecked yet again 🥹
ahhhh I didn't get the first so thank you for sending it again!! ♥
Amadeo is SUCH a brat haha But it really sets up his future exploits with Daniel, how when he lets his guard down he can be just as bossy and demanding (and can handle catching hell right back from his partner too)
I just love this brief period of his life and getting to have someone show him a good time with no ulterior motive. Like he can be normal with Riccardo! They can banter and one up each other and then really enjoy the things they're doing because Riccardo is his equal, he doesn't want anything beyond having fun in the moment. And I think Amadeo needed that even if it didn't fulfill him in the end.
And not even because Riccardo couldn't satisfy him. Just that unacknowledged trauma, constantly having the goal posts shifted with Marius- it's a void in him time never seems to heal.
And now I really can't stop thinking about how similar Riccardo and Daniel could be (and the notes they could compare on Armand lol). I just really want to do more with this guy.
And oh! The medical fic! It's really gone off the rails haha There's going to be two versions, the usual explicit fic but also an uncut X-rated version with some more extreme kink that maybe like five people will enjoy lol
But because you indulge me and my begging for your reviews, here's another little preview-
[...] It’s hard to think with Armand placing the speculum into his nostril.
Embarrassing, this. Daniel’s face goes red hot as Armand peers up inside his nose, taking far longer than should really be necessary to do this little exam. Daniel glances between the drop-tile ceiling and Armand’s dark brown eyes; his own eyes watering when Armand cranks the instrument open wider.
His nose aches. His cartilage feels stretched beyond its limits but Armand just keeps looking. Daniel grips the edge of the chair and holds his breath, as if that will somehow make it feel like his skin isn’t about to break from this inspection.
“Armand-“ he begins.
“Just another moment, Daniel. Relax. Don’t you trust me at all?” Armand asks.”I’ve inspected more delicate parts of you without injury.”
Yes. Armand has run his fingers over his gums and examined the ridges of his teeth. He’s scrubbed the spaces between Daniel’s toes in the bath, has washed the most intimate parts of him. But those were with careful fingers. This is with a cold metal instrument. It’s a type of penetration Daniel can’t shake his awareness of and so he can’t get comfortable, not with this chrome piece of technology separating him from Armand’s hands.
“It’s just different, that’s all. Intrusive,” Daniel complains. “It’s-”
And then, before he can complete his sentence, the metal instrument is removed. Daniel barely has a chance to heave a sigh of relief before Armand is inserting it into the other side.
The annoying part is that his body is aroused by this. That his blood rushes from the pain, his cock twitches in his jeans from the utter loss of control. The shame of having Armand peer into parts of him that no one was ever meant to see is outweighed by the thrill of Armand knowing some secret about his body. When Armand’s latex gloved hand pats his knee and he mutters a “you’re doing very well, Daniel,” that touch sends a jolt of heat straight to his groin.
xoxo ♥
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Theories Are Just Fantasies | The Lost World (Jurassic Park #2)
RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💡 REVIEW
Admittedly it's been around a year since I last found myself adventuring through Crichton's fictional world, so I wasn't super fresh on the details of what happens in Jurassic Park. That's okay, though; the second installment is written well enough to stand alone. It's enhanced by your knowledge of the events in Jurassic Park but you can absolutely read it by itself and still enjoy the hell out of it.
Spoilers below. Please keep spoilers out of the comments!
😍 WHAT I LIKED
This was an incredibly quick read (a couple of hours on a flight + an hour or two, cumulatively, in the car back and forth while visiting family) and was gripping from start to finish. I didn't find myself glossing over paragraphs like I sometimes do with science fiction; indeed, I almost hesitate to label this sci-fi because it's so character driven and spends very little time on the intricacies of InGen's meddling, or Dodgson's ultimate plan, or Malcolm's chaos theory. I would've liked to read more into that, honestly.
The book's pacing is breakneck; once you start, you won't want to stop. Even the setup of the dilemma (Levine returning to Costa Rica and Malcom & Co. following to save him) seems fun and fast-paced as we unravel the mystery of what's happening despite already knowing what's going down (seriously, how does Crichton pull that off?) on Isla Sorna. We're invested in the characters from the jump and understand what's at stake--and feel the tension almost immediately.
Also, Ian Malcolm on morphine is an absolute treasure.
💩 WHAT I DISLIKED
Having the perspective of younger children again (a boy, Arby, and a girl, Kelly) helped make the science feel a little more accessible as a layman; however, having similar players to the first novel (two male scientists, a male bodyguard-type, a female scientist, and two kiddos) made this iteration feel very similar to the first book in a not-great way. I also cringed a bit at Sarah's girl power quips throughout the book (for example: "Absence of proof is not proof of absence. All your life, other people will try to take your accomplishments away from you. Don't you take it away from yourself.") as they felt a little forced and a little weird coming from a male author. Having Dodgson return as the smarmy, no-good villain was...okay, but it was the same motivation as the first book, and I'm glad that he was bait for the Rex babies.
On that note, the dinosaurs involved are...one note. We've got the typical flashy Velociraptors, the annoying (and dino-rabies-ridden) Compys, several herbivore species, a couple of nesting T-Rexes, and a couple of chameleon Carnotauruses. The interactions between our heroes and these animals are always high octane, which is fun for a screenplay but not so much for a book, and I found myself wanting to know more about the animals and how they got there, even though a LOT of the book is centered around learning about their behaviors and way of life. At one point there is even a moment when a blood sample is taken--and nothing really came of it. I WANT MORE DINO SCIENCE DAMMIT.
In conclusion, this was a fine, fun read that got me through a very boring pair of flights and was familiar enough that one could zoom through it without paying too close attention and still come out on the other side feeling like they hadn't missed anything. It is my understanding that this is the only sequel Crichton had ever written for any of his works, and I can definitely see why he would be hesitant to give it another shot. It's a good popcorn book: it wouldn't be satisfying enough to serve as a full meal, but it's great as a snack or a quick bite in-between more full plates.
🗝️ THEMES
The arrogance of educated people
Survival of the fittest
"You were so preoccupied with if you COULD that you didn't bother to stop and think about whether or not you SHOULD."
📖 TROPES
Returning to a dangerous place
"Ah shit here we go again"
Life-or-death stakes
Will-they-won't-they romance
Smart but callous guy gets schooled
Bad guy gets his come-uppance
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Father Dearest - Takashi Utsui x Reader
Summary: Ushijima makes it clear that he’s not interested in you but you find something better. (~1.1k words)
Warnings: age gap but consensual adults, sorta vanilla nsfw i guess it’s all about the mind games
A/N: this could be better and smuttier but I have to go to sleep lmfao. This is my first old man smut. Shocking.
---
Being friend-zoned was hard enough after pining as intensely as you did but damn, you had really outdone yourself this time.
For starters, you had only unintentionally meandered your way into Ushijma’s tight circle, a feat that was already remarkable enough on its own. The athlete’s resting facial expression was always intimidating and he kept the number of people he engaged with emotionally low, even if over time you realized he was a lot softer and sweeter than he let on.
Yours was an odd sort of friendship that had begun after being paired together for a school project. You’d been irritated enough that you were still doing group work in the second half of your junior year of college, and terrified once you realized you’d be doing it with him of all people, but a small camaraderie had bloomed after you’d gotten to know him for what he truly was - a kind, sweet, and unfortunately for you, very attractive soul.
But then you’d gotten too comfortable and furthermore, just a bit too bold, and you made the mistake of developing a crush. Even worse - you had actually told him how you felt.
Polite yet direct as he was, he let you down gently but to you, it was possibly the harshest thing you’d ever heard in your life.
“I’m just not interested in dating right now, and we are certainly better suited as friends.”
You were shocked that you’d managed to not burst in tears, and somehow you’d remained stone-faced. It was even more shocking that in those few words, that was the end of that conversation. In fact, once the words had settled in the air between you, he gave you a sympathetic but un-invested look and immediately thereafter, he’d flipped the page in his textbook in an inadvertently symbolic fashion to return promptly back to his work.
A singular focus - you’d admired that about him, but the rejection was harsh, especially when he acted as though nothing had happened on that day and days afterwards.
But could you really fault him?
You’d still agreed to meet him at his dorm for another studying session - or rather a tutoring session, since you were the only one who knew what was going on in class at this point and Ushijima wouldn’t risk his athletic scholarship in a million years.
So here you were, making your way through the hallway at the end of which was Ushijima’s suite which you had visited quite a few times but never as the kind of guest you had hoped to be. A frown came to your face as you dwelled on this thought as you waited after a text and a knock on the door.
Maybe after today you’d put some appropriate distance between you just for your mental health, you considered as you rocked on your heels idly.
He was taking longer than usual to get to the door, you thought, only to hear the door whisk open and reveal someone who was in no way Ushijima, and yet…
“And who do we have here?”
There was now a much older gentleman standing before you, one that looked vaguely like Ushijima, but slightly scaled down and noticeably more approachable. Warm even. His smile was wide and reached his eyes, similar to Ushijima’s own smile, but more accessible.
Ushijima eventually appeared behind his father while you tried to piece two and two together to the realization that they were likely related.
“One of my friends, ___,” he said, with a smile, and your heart ached.
---
But not for long.
And for a reason far beyond what you’d anticipated.
It sounded almost lecherous if you said Takashi Utsui had taken an interest in you, occupying himself with a book in the corner while you tutored the son he’d come to briefly visit from overseas. You’d thought it odd that he had stopped Ushijima from canceling your meetup, peering with a sort of curiosity at you and him ever so often as you worked quietly together. You wondered if he had been gauging his son’s interest during that time, and when he finally decided his son hadn’t staked a claim (if he cared at all), deciding at that moment to proposition you with a night out.
It sounded even worse that you’d sensed the attraction the older man had to you barely twenty minutes into your review time, and had decided you were equally as interested. After all, you wondered just how much Ushijima had taken after his father, and you had missed being wanted.
You hadn’t been expecting humoring an older man for a date would turn out with you breathing heavily and soaking wet: from perspiration, from arousal, from tears of overstimulation from orgasms wrenched out of you by the end of the night.
You remembered briefly that Wakatoshi had told you superficially about his parents’ divorce on a late night snack run, and now all you could think was, Holy shit, Ushijima’s mother had left this?
Thick, veiny cock burrowed into you repeatedly, splitting you, splaying you, and if there was any sound you could focus on, it was the earthy grunt so close to your ear, timed with every thrust.
The years had clearly treated Takashi well, because you were pleasantly surprised by how firm his body was now pressed against you, and his energy was no joke - in fact, he had already outlasted the other men you had been with and you were already starting to wonder if he was a better fuck than his beast of a son.
When his angle shifted, and he went from fucking you horizontal to fucking you semi-upright, you knew he had to be better.
Experienced hands played your clit like a violin, and neither your nipples nor the sensitive space behind your ears, nor the soft crook of your neck, were neglected as he continued to piston in and out of you.
But his persistent smile, friendly when you’d first met as the cute friend who hung out with his son, was now arrogant, deepening as he drew moans and mewls out of you. It was almost threatening - here you were, barely able to speak, caged in by your crush’s father, and already you knew your feelings would be hard to manage after this night.
How would you proceed?
When your back arched almost violently in your last orgasm of several, dark spots briefly dotting your vision before settling back into Takashi’s mature face, he held you tightly, waiting for you to settle before rubbing your thighs gently to start much-needed aftercare.
“You know… when my son told me someone had a crush on him I couldn’t imagine he’d be silly enough to rebuff someone as beautiful as you.”
His hands were still rubbing your thigh and you were now resting against him, still as a painting, and heart beating softly despite your slightly restless mind.
Your lips curled into a smile despite your mild exhaustion. Takashi was right. He was silly.
And just to prove how silly Wakatoshi was, you would go one step further: if he’d put you in the friend zone, you’d put him in the step-parent zone.
And you’d enjoy every second of it.
#takashi utsui x reader#ushijima's dad x reader#ushijima x reader#but not really#takashi utsui#haikyuu smut#tw age gap#haikyuu x reader#not sfw#fic: father dearest#mae.writing
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Hello! i dont know if you’ve gotten this before but i would like to request hcs of a jealous sukuna like if he were to see some guy flirt with y/n how would he react and how would he handle his jealousy?
P.s i really love your writing keep up the good work!!!💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕
notes: hi angel! funnily enough, this was the second request for a similar scenario - i hope you both like it! and thank you for the love 💖
warnings: nsfw/18+ below the cut, exhibitionism, forced voyeurism, orgasm denial.
it takes a lot for sukuna to actually get jealous. between an infuriating amount of arrogance and a tendency to dismiss anything that isn’t worth his time, it just isn’t in his nature.
but, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible or that when it happens, he’s any good at dealing with it. in fact, because it’s so rare, he has little to no control over himself when it does.
someone else flirting probably doesn’t cause it. he thinks it’s hilarious when someone assumes they can approach you, so he will usually just watch it happen, grinning wide with his cheek against his fist because there’s no doubt you’re going to reject them.
what does get him going is how you react to others. you’re easy to read, particularly for him, and he keys in quickly to the things that draw emotion from you.
so, consider this: you meeting someone you admire — another sorcerer, perhaps, or a regular celebrity a la toudou — and while sukuna is only there because he has nothing else to do, there’s a schoolgirl way you have about you that gets his attention.
that’s new.
you look closer to a teenager than your actual age with the way your eyes have lit up, starry and round as they watch the other person. your hands fold delicately in front of your chest and you don’t realize it, but you’re even tipping towards them, like a plant turned towards the sun.
a sickly feeling starts to take him then, gnawing and persistent, and sukuna doesn’t even attempt to hide it. it starts with an eerie silence; he hadn’t been talking much to begin with, but now it feels that he’s not even breathing beside you. before long, there’s the razor-sharp focus of his eyes, pressure you feel all over, and when you finally turn to him, you realize something is very wrong.
but by then, it’s already too late.
from there, things could go a lot of ways. once he’s jealous, sukuna isn’t going to try to be the bigger person. he’s disgruntled, petty, and needs to reassert his presence in your life for both you and the other person.
it becomes the only thing on his mind, an all-consuming need.
at its tamest, he makes a mess of you in private, but deliberately pushes until you’re crying out for everyone to hear. or he may leave marks in every visible place he can manage - bites on your neck and shoulder, bruises around your wrists.
if he’s worked up enough, there wouldn’t be much stopping him from bending you over right then and there so that person sees who you belong to for themselves.
your head is in a fog; swimming as you try — and fail — to ground yourself. he’s been going for what feels like hours now, splitting you open until you’re near the edge, only to reel you back just as harshly.
you’d ask why he’s being so cruel (rather, more cruel than usual) but the answer isn’t far off. in fact, the answer is not even ten feet away: a sorcerer weighted by sukuna’s power so that he must watch while the king of curses takes you.
you’ve never known him to be jealous, but you imagine that there is a lot you still don’t know about him. the intimacy between you is still relatively new, and he isn’t normally an open book like you are. but tonight, he’s laying himself bare; there’s no shame in this open admission to his jealousy. in fact, he’s enjoying himself --- enjoying the thrill of fucking with an audience, of littering your skin with bites and bruises to stake his claim.
“eyes open,” sukuna breathes against the back of your neck, pinching one of your spread thighs to make you listen. “look at him.”
you hadn’t even noticed that your eyes were shut. it doesn’t surprise you, though — it’s bothersome to have to do anything but feel him after this long without relief. but, sukuna isn’t taking no for an answer, an open palm coming down against your thigh as his hips drive up in a deep thrust. “open,” he hisses, so close to your ear you can feel his teeth scrape them.
it’s a feat, but you slowly lift your heavy lids, blinking past tears to focus on the other person in the room. you’d only really known him for a few hours ; before that, he was just someone you’d heard about, a sorcerer from kyoto with a unique type of jujutsu. you admit that you may have fawned a little, but you never would have expected that would land you here: back to chest, legs held open as you face him on sukuna’s cock; senses overloaded, desperation mounting.
you’ll be embarrassed when you come down, you’re sure of it. but right now, all you can think about is the man behind you. the way he knows your body, your needs and unravels you so easily because of it. the way he clings to you now, connecting your bodies at every point to send a message to anyone who needs it: she is mine.
and the way you couldn’t belong to anyone else, even if you tried.
#sukuna x reader#ryoumen sukuna x reader#jjk x reader#jujutsu kaisen x reader#jujutsu kaisen#jjk fanfic#jjk fanfiction#sukuna headcanons.#Anonymous
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One last one for the moment; top five superheroes who definitely AREN'T Pulp Heroes, but could be with a little tweaking?
Oof, that's a hard one. It's a hard one because, again, there ultimately isn't that much separation between the two to the point there's enough of a hard line in there to work with, but I guess the cat's out of the bag now that I've staked claims on there being differences between them.
Okay so, not counting superheroes who are deliberately modeled after actual pulp heroes, so no Tom Strong or Night Raven here. I'm sticking mainly with comic book superheroes (barring one oddball exception) since the medium separation is important), who I think could become pulp heroes with some tweaking.
5: Captain America
Sort of cheating because I already covered it here, but I definitely have to include Captain America in here, especially in the stories they actively go for a "pulp" vibe as well as the earliest ones.
Fun fact about Marvel: As Timely, they actually began life as pulp publishers. Not just pulp publishers, but specializing in some of the sleaziest, ghastliest magazines of the era, and you can bet this carried over to their superheroes. Where as DC's superheroes took inspiration from the big pulp heroes such as The Shadow and Doc Savage, Timely's superheroes seemed instead much more inspired by Weird Tales stories and Poverty Row horror films, and even in the 60s, Marvel never really abandoned their horror roots, the trick was just using them as a baseline to create superheroes. In DC, the world's first contact with superheroes begins with the world looking in wonder at a friendly strongman. In Marvel, it began with the world looking in panicked horror at a flaming monster rampaging through the streets desperately trying to not burn everything it touches. It should come to little surprise then that the majority of characters I'm including in this list are Marvel characters.
People think Captain America's first comics largely consisted of him fighting Nazis left and right, but they were actually much more often based around him encountering monsters and creatures of horror, like the above panel where it looks like Cap's staring down the beginning of Berserk's Eclipse (RIP Miura).
The early Captain America comics pretty much consisted of Kirby dipping his toe into the monster comics he'd make in the 50s which would later bleed into the 60s Marvel entourage. They even tried repackaging Captain America into a horror anthology in the 50s titled "Captain America's Weird Tales", just imagine how different the character would be today if that somehow stuck.
Imagine a world where Steve Rogers never became leader of The Avengers, never got to become the shining beacon of heroism of an entire universe, and instead, when he was unfrosted, he woke up to find a world running rampant with crawling nightmares and Nazi tyranny, and he has no idea what's become of his former sidekick. That definitely sounds like the start of a promising pulp adventure.
4: Namor
Another Timely creation. In Namor's case, he didn't so much encounter horrors from beyond imagination, as much as HE was the terrifying thing beyond us ready to rampage upon mankind, whose first on-screen act consists of the calculated slaughter of a ship full of innocents. The first true villain protagonist of comic books. Not just an anti-hero, a villain intent on wiping out the human race.
And not just a cardboard supervillain, but the beautiful prince of a race of ugly fish monsters, a momma's boy who's doing what he thinks is right by warring with surface dwellers. While Namor's become largely defined by his gargantuan arrogance, here, he's almost childlike, despite being much more brutal and villainous here, spurred on by the whims of his mother, who even acknowledges that Namor had no real reason to kill the divers but did so anyway, and now encourages him to genocide. His mom even tells him "Go now, to the land of white people!", and the very last panel of the story even states he's on a "crusade against white men".
The massacre of explorers at the hands of something beyond their understanding. A monster born of an interracial coupling. A race of fish monsters with bulging eyes, antagonistic towards humanity but are shown to have positive traits just the same. A dash of racism. There is no mistaking The Sub-Mariner's pulp horror influence.
A non-white superhuman warrior born from a Lovecraftian horror story, who gradually moves away from his villainous crusade into becoming more of an anti-hero, never truly putting aside his hatred for humanity, remaining a temperamental, unpredictable outcast, with a strong, palpable undercurrent of anger in his stories. I could very easily buy Namor as having crawled out of a Weird Tales story and I can't think of other superheroes whose origins are as steeped deeply in pulp horror.
3: Doctor Fate
Technically we already have a pulp hero version of Doctor Fate in Doc Fate, and I'll get to him separately, but even besides him, the earliest Doctor Fate stories in particular feel very much like he's a character steeped in the worlds of pulp and pulp horror who decided to put on a superhero costume and show up in comic.
He's got a similar set-up to The Shadow, from the pulp Shadow in the sense that he's a mysterious, eerie crimefighter who dwells as a presence more often than an active character and who kills criminals without remorse, always watching and waiting for the right time to strike as a a wrathful old-testament force of vengeance, and from the radio Shadow due to him using superpowers to fight crime while being accompanied by a smart, fierce love interest.
Originally, Fate was not a sorcerer, but instead a scientist who discovered a way to manipulate atomic structure, of his and other things, thus making it appear that he can do magic (although we never see his face, and he's implied to be thousands of years old, before they settled on the Nabu origin). And going back to Lovecraft, a lot of it appears in the earliest Fate stories. Fate was given powers not by a sorcerer, but an alien worshipped as a god. He barely encounters traditional monsters, but instead contends with hidden races, zombie slaves, abandoned alien monoliths, and half man and half fish creatures. Fate may have actually been the very first pastiche of Lovecraft in pop culture.
And of course we can't forget the gloriousness of Doc Fate pulling an Indiana Jones on us.
2: Wolverine
I don't even think you'd have to tweak Wolverine at all. You'd just have to get him out of the costume and Avengers/X-Men associations (although the X-Men have a substantial background in pulp sci-fi stories like Slan and Odd John, so they aren't really at odds here), maybe tone down his powers a bit and, that's it. Logan's already the kind of character who has such a varied sandbox history, whose powers can lead to so many different scenarios, that it's not a stretch at all to picture Wolverine in the usual pulp hero scenarios.
You can have half-naked Wolverine running around in the jungle with animals Tarzan-style, take him to Savage Land if you wanna throw dinosaurs in there. He's already Marvel's foremost "wandering samurai/cowboy" character which was one of the stock and trade types of the pulps. Western? Done. Samurai? Done. Wuxia? Just put him in China and add a couple extra fantasy elements. Wanna make a sword and sorcery story with him? He already comes with a bunch of knives and savagery and ability to survive grisly injuries. Horror? The MCU is crawling with them, or alternatively, tell a story from the perspective of someone who's being hunted down by Wolverine. Wanna tell a detective/noir/post-apocalypse story? Logan's right there.
Wanna have him crossover with pulp heroes? He's lived through the 1800s and 1900s and traveled all over the world, you could feasibly have him meet up with just about any of them. Logan may actually be the purest example of your question, because he's very much not a Pulp Hero, and yet, he definitely feels like a character who could have been one, at just about any point in the history of pulp magazines. He's perfect for it.
1: Wario
WAAA-okay, look, bear with me for a second here, I'm not just picking Wario because I love oddball choices and he's one of my favorite characters, I got some logic to this.
Okay so, the first question here: is Mario a superhero? While I'm usually adverse to calling characters prominent outside of comic books superheroes (hence why I'm definitely not interested in debating whether Harry Potter or Goku or Link or Frodo are superheroes), I do think it's a pretty shut case that, yes, Mario is a superhero. Superheroes don't just come in the form of skintight crimefighters, right from the start comic books have had varied types of superheroes appearing in comics and comic strips. For example, the "funny animal" superheroes are a type older than superhero comics, and they were arguably not only the most successful type of superhero of the 40s-50s era, but arguably defined trends dominating nonfunny animal superheroes, traits that predated or influenced Captain Marvel as well as Otto Binder's reshaping of Superman that defined much of superhero convention as we know it. It's part of why the question of "Is Sonic a superhero" has a very clear Yes as an answer.
So upon establishing that, yes, funny cartoon characters can be and are superheroes too, is Mario one? Well, I'd say yes. He's got an iconic uniform, he's got superpowers, he goes on fantastical adventures, he is both a nebulously general do-gooder as well as having a clear mission as protector of the Mushroom Kingdom. His adventures span multiple storytelling formats, he's got catchphrases, he even dresses up in Superman's colors and has a Super prefix iconically associated with him. Not a superhero the way we usually think of, but a superhero nonetheless.
And Wario? Well, putting aside Wario-Man who's more of a running gag than anything, Wario does just about everything Mario does. He's got all the traits that define Mario as a superhero short of a Super prefix and the selfless mission (which isn't exactly a rule). He goes around and gets into crazy adventures, he picks up items, beats bad guys, conquers the odds, and gets some kind of prize for it. He's got Mario's physical traits, and Mario's costume, and just about the same name short of a single letter. The caveat being, of course, that he's Wario, and so everything Mario is or does has to be exaggerated to gross extreme.
Mario is paunchy and strong, Wario's round and built like a powerlifter. Mario's got a friendly face and a fluffy mustache, Wario's got a massive horrible grin and jagged razors for a stache. Mario is a bit of an overeater, Wario can and will eat anything in front of him. Mario gets around with acrobatics and magic power-ups, Wario brute forces his way through everything and just rolls with whatever injuries he picks up along the way.
Mario gets fire powers by consuming magic flowers. Wario sets himself on fire and barrels around destroying everything in his path. Mario harnesses the elements or abilities of beings around him to clear obstacles and solve puzzles, Wario gets turned into a zombie, a vampire or a drunk to get the same things done. Mario befriends and rides dinosaurs who raised him from infancy, Wario piledrives dinosaurs and then uses their bodies to beat up more dinosaurs. Mario pals around with fellow heroes, princesses and friendly fantasy creatures, Wario pals around with aliens, witches, mad scientists, cab drivers, and lanky weirdos. Mario always ends his adventures joyfully leaping to the next one, Wario usually ends up either cackling in a pile of treasure or completely broke.
Mario races through plains to rescue princesses, Wario invades pyramids to hunt for treasure. Mario jumps through planets with baby stars guiding his path, Wario crashes into the Amazon jungle and fistfights the devil. You can see where I'm going with this.
If you were to take one of Nintendo's heroes to make them into pulp heroes, Wario, specifically the Wario Land Wario, may be the only one who really could do it, because in essence, he's the videogame equivalent of Professor Challenger. He's Bluto moonlighting as Indiana Jones, the weird brute adventurer for weird brute adventures where everything's off limits and you can trust our intrepid hero, who really shouldn't be a hero on all accounts, to deliver us a good time, give or take a couple deaths, scams, shams and oh-damns to complete said mad treasure hunts.
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If you were to sort the Infinity Train cast(s) into the Major Arcana a la the Persona games, which Arcana would you give everyone?
anon I had SOOOOO much fun thinking about this, thank you so much for sending me this. I sorted all the major characters, plus a few other entries, based on a mix of Arcana symbolism, Persona series character archetypes, and general vibes. I came up with answers I feel pretty good about for all but four of the Arcana. (Was really tempted to say Strength is every human character who doesn't board the train because they can handle their problems on their own lol.) This is going to be a long-winded post, so I thought I’d post just the list as an image (which hopefully won’t be too blurry!) rather than wrestle with Tumblr formatting trying to make a short list, and put a big text wall under the readmore talking more about my picks.
If this list does end up illegible, the same info is under the readmore as text! Plus some characters for Magician, Strength, Justice, and Death that I didn’t want to add to the “official” list because they’re more based on headcanon. (Although my reasoning for some of the “official” picks is pretty weak lol.)
One-One as 0. The Fool
Oh my gosh, what am I?
IT is great at fleshing out character backstories and families, so One-One at the beginning of S1 is one of the few characters who really feels like a blank slate. He's got a lot of his baggage back by the end of the season, and I think One and One-One are more similar than they seem at first glance, but S1 does seem to have been very formative for One-One and how he thinks about what he's supposed to be doing and how he relates to other people. So it does kind of feel like his fool's journey.
Alrick Timmens as I. The Magician
The magician begins the journey... by beefing it on a dirt bike, dying, and sending his wife flying off the deep end. Rip.
Alrick was an engineer like Amelia, so I could see him suiting some of the themes of the Magician, like conscious thought and manifesting ideas. His apparent playfulness and insecurity are similar to the Magician characters in Persona.
Kez as II. The High Priestess
“We can’t make this decision for you, Kez.”
“You know what to do.”
I thought really hard about making Kez the Magician because just like every Magician since Persona 3, she's dumb, horny, and insecure dlkjasfdkl
(and also her showing up at the start of the story arc and being helpful but also super needy is very Magician)
But the idea of "intuition" really does suit Kez. Sometimes her intuition is as bad as her conscious reasoning, but I think that's a lot because she's so confused about what happened with Jeremy, and Morgan making Kez feel like she did a bad thing by helping him.
Tuba as III. The Empress
She made me feel like I was warm all the time.
Tuba's a mom. Sorry, this one's not that deep, haha.
Simon Laurent as IV. The Emperor
Highest number! I'm the leader now.
Simon has a lot of issues, but the one that felt the most prominent to me was his unhealthy relationship with power, authority, dominance, and rules. Another quote I considered using here was what he said in Grace's memory of meeting Amelia: "I never thought I'd get to see the Conductor with my own eyes. He's perfect! Everything finally makes sense again." In his emotional crisis, he thought everything could be fixed just by the existence of a huge, scary, powerful, male authority figure, even if they weren't doing anything helpful or informative.
Atticus as V. The Hierophant
I like to think that our stones are sturdy and handsome, like the Corgis that crafted them.
Atticus is a figure of traditional authority who deeply loves the history, society, and culture of his people. He often provides spiritual wisdom and encourages Tulip to get out of her own head and engage with the world around her. Also in Persona, Hiero is the Dad Arcana so it's very funny to me (a) to make the little dog be Hiero and (b) that the little dog really does have the strongest Wholesome Dad Energy of the whole cast.
Jesse Cosay as VI. The Lovers
Don't tell me what to do. I'm not going to be a part of anything like this, on or off the train.
This was my first and easiest pick lol, Jesse is sooooo Lovers. Like, the focus on choice and personal values and relationships? Yep, that's Jesse. It works on an "actual meaning of the Arcana" level and a "vibes with the Persona characters" level lol... popular, upbeat, and having such an identity crisis.
Lake as VII. The Chariot
I'm my own person, who is getting off this train!
I don't know if Chariot captures all the ways Lake grew over the course of S2, but I feel like they had the most externally focused conflict of all the IT characters, which suits Chariot. They've been fighting to stake out their personhood from start to finish, and they took action and used their willpower to achieve that goal. Also they have at least a little jock energy which is a prereq for Chariot tbh.
Frank as VIII. Strength
I dunno, I kinda imagine him as a simple man and easily underestimated, but with a lot of heart. The Cat may say they're keeping things casual but I don't think she'd take him with her on her private vacation unless he had some kind of inner toughness that would let him stand toe-to-toe with her.
Morgan as IX. The Hermit
I need to be alone right now. Kez... maybe... we can talk later.
I like that Morgan embodies toxic self-isolation and stonewalling and rejection, but that she seems to be moving towards the positive aspects of Hermit and taking some time to calm down and process and think. I like it when characters can embody the best and worst of their Arcana.
Tulip Olsen as X. The Wheel of Fortune
We have to adapt to the changes in our lives. It's the only way things can get better.
Tulip has a lot of themes and conflicts, but this one is a clear standout as the most important. I also like it for Tulip because, while she has to handle a lot of difficult and even traumatic situations, some of the change that challenges her isn't as unambiguously bad as e.g. the death of a loved one. It really is just change itself she's struggling with, and that's Fortune babey. Also, from the perspective of the train itself and lots of other characters, by reversing Amelia and One-One's positions again and changing how One-One administrates the train, Tulip is the one giving the wheel a spin. That's fun.
Lucy as XI. Justice
One of my friends once described the Justice characters in Persona as "the ones the player character is ultimately accountable towards", and I like to think of Lucy as kind of being that for Grace (...since Hazel has excused herself). Lucy is the Apex kid we see Grace interact with the most, the first Apex kid Grace admitted to herself that she had harmed (see Grace very briefly showing distress and then regret when Jesse points the harpoons at his face and she stops him), and the first person to confront Grace when she came home in The New Apex.
Min-Gi Park as XII. The Hanged Man
I don't know if we'll sell a single album, but we'll figure that out as we go.
Min-Gi sacrifices his "realistic", "sensible" goals for a more personally (spiritually, even?) enriching life that's beyond his control and outside of the expected norm. Like the Hanged Man, who dangles foolishly upside-down, but as a deliberate choice and in a state of serenity and enlightenment. I also think this arcana suits a reading of Min-Gi's character development as starting off going slower as a way to stall and live in denial, but then going slower with deliberation. Compare his arrogant insistence on refusing to act in The Astro Queue Car to his patience and care in The Castle Car and The Train to Nowhere.
Jeremy as XIII. Death
This isn't about the death of his family - I'm thinking of his reluctance to admit his number was going down. He cared about Morgan and Kez, and it's possible both that he may have really wanted to stay with them despite his exit and that that might even have been a healthy choice - they're real ass people with feelings and everything, not holodeck characters. But I also think Jeremy was using his life with them to avoid moving on out of that fog (because it was hard and it hurt and he didn't want to think about what that would mean for him and Morgan) and Morgan was enabling him.
Ryan Akagi as XIV. Temperance
Maybe the experience is the point. I wasn't just rushing you. I was rushing myself.
I think this one speaks for itself. Also, the other quote I considered putting here, from The Art Gallery Car: "You told me I can't appreciate the song without taking in the rest of the album. I need the whole package."
The Cat as XV. The Devil
I always do the right thing.
Honestly, this is one I really wasn't sure about. The Cat isn't a great pick for a lot of the meanings of Devil. She is definitely consumed by material comforts, and the short-term rewards of ignoring her issues at a long-term cost, though. This is more of a "vibes with Persona characters with this arcana" pick... Devil characters tend to start off being somewhat exploitative or even antagonistic towards the player character, and gradually showing a more conflicted and genuine side.
Amelia Hughes as XVI. The Tower
There's a hole in the universe where Alrick used to be.
Amelia's life is defined by catastrophe and upheaval - both those she's suffered and those she's inflicted on others.
Hazel as XVII. The Star
I'm going to keep loving you like you're still here.
When I think of "The Star" as a small but inextinguishable light in the darkness, Hazel seems like the obvious choice. Although we left her deeply wounded, I think she still has a flicker of her hope, faith, and purpose.
Grace Monroe as XVIII. The Moon
But it's unfair for me to tell you how to understand yourself. I mean, I don't even fully understand me.
Grace is probably the most complex and dynamic character on the show and hence one of the most difficult to place. I considered Empress, Strength, Devil, and Judgement for her... I think ultimately, lies and illusions are the most unifying theme of her character arc. Also, from a Persona angle, her pursuit of status out of a lack of true self-worth reminds me of Ai and Mishima.
Alan Dracula as XIX. The Sun
Brought together by the majesty of a superpowered deer!
I'm sorry dkjasfklads this is largely because I thought it was funny to have this completely inexpressive dead-eyed deer as Sun akfk but also... like... it kind of works okay!!! Think about the genuine joy and comfort and positivity he brings to Lake and Jesse (and me)!
The New Apex as XX. Judgement
"Then what are we gonna be?"
"Guess we'll have to figure it out?"
This is kind of a Persona mythology gag again because of Judgement being a group social link near the end of the narratives of P3 and P4, when the protagonists have pierced through the lies and actually figured out who the villain of their game is and are ready to really start making progress.
0 as XI. The World
Ah, train does it again!
It's an ending and the completion of a journey, but also the beginning of a new one. And the world is literally what the passengers receive at the end of their train journey. Welcome home.
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LOVE ME WHEN YOUR WRISTS ARE BOUND (18+ SMUT)
A/N: I’ve had a feral-ish predator/prey smut idea roaming around in my head for the past couple of weeks now and I finally figured out a premise for it to exist on which has lead to this sinful post.
Prompt: You’re Pro-Hero Prisma, the name speaking for itself as your quirk is being able to turn yourself and others around you invisible just by touching them. Hawks, your on again off again fling that is far too arrogant for your liking, is sent off to go to a training retreat where you’re there. An old age game of hero and villain tag goes underway...but what happens when the stakes are raised?
word count: 4,957
warnings: rough sex, feral sex, sex.
Your hands smooth back any flyaway hairs that might have come out of your slicked back ponytail. When dressed in your pro-hero costume, you try to remain as sleek as possible. It makes being able to turn yourself invisible far easier when there isn’t as much for you to focus on turning invisible. You’d been in the pro-hero game for a few years now, having your own fair share of rescues and criminal takedowns that has quickly procured you in the top ten heroes. While the listing isn’t as important to you as managing to do the job you’d dreamt of doing since you were a little girl, it is a nice ego booster to know that the public thinks so highly of you. Being able to help people, to bring peace to a troubled community, had done a lot for your confidence and journey of self-love, and you’re in a place of your life where you feel content with things in your personal life the way they are.
When the commission had told you that you would be heading to a resort with a handful of other heroes to get some training out of the way, you were stoked. It wasn’t as much of a vacation as much as it was a chance to reconnect with some pro-heroes and old friends that you didn’t get to see half as often as you would have liked given the demanding nature of your job. You’d packed your bag for the week long course and had jetted off to the foliaged location that kept the exact location of the hero training grounds a secret from any prying criminal eyes. And just as imagined, you got to see plenty of your old friends who were assigned to different distracts of work that you hadn’t since your days at UA.
And then...
“Well, well, well.” There was that infamous drawl that could send shivers down your spine when it was right at your ear. A voice that was so silken and rough around the edges at the same time just earring it sent a spark down your spine no matter how annoying the owner of it was. Son of a bitch. Or in this case, a hawk. “I see they’re just letting any old talent in the resort now.” And as arrogant as ever.
You turned around, your bag bumped against your hip. Hawks somehow managed to look as smug as he ever had, being none too subtle about the way that his body swept over your frame until he was looking you in the eyes. Damn those honey glazed eyes that had always managed to suck out the air in your lungs. But that wasn’t a temptation you were going to give into right now. The last thing Keigo Takami needed was a boost in his ego. You did the same, looking him up and down while you crossed your arms under your bust. “Look who it is, a lost chicken.” Your tone was drenched heavily in sarcasm, not one to have ever backed down from Keigo’s taunting and arrogant status. In response, Keigo stuck his tongue against the corner of his mouth, letting loose a dry chuckle. “You should go back to the city before a fox makes you lunch.”
“So hostile, kid,” Keigo murmured, coming to stand close to you. Close enough that his thigh bumped the edge of your bag and you were glad for that bit of buffer. It’d never been easy to have him close to you. “I’m just here for a little bit of fun.” His eyes dipped over you once more, the sun rising and setting in how he did. Damn him. Finally settling over your lips, Keigo smirked. “Among anything else worthwhile I might find.”
Hawks pushed past you, his shoulder brushing past you. While you’d been able to keep your cool at hearing his voice after months passing since the last time you’d seen one another, the physical contact between you stole a breath from you the moment the electricity crackled from the curve of your arm. You turned after Keigo, mouth hung open, expression narrowed at the audacity of this man.
Damn him. Damn him and everything that he was.
That interaction had been two days ago, and thankfully nothing had happened with Hawks. You were each given your own room to settle in for the next week, and you were living in the lap of luxury. Mount Lady was on the resort with you and you’d been spending most of the group training exercises with her. Strengthening your quirks, decreasing the weaknesses that came with overuse. It was similar to the ones you’d went on as a kid with UA, though this one was far more intense and there was less leniency with messing up as there was when you were still a student. But you didn’t mind. It drove you to be better, to refocus your purpose on why this was your calling. You felt good about the progress you made, the blinding spots and lights that came with overuse of your quirk fading quicker than they had in the past.
And, much to your determination not to give him the damn satisfaction, you’d only been mildly distracted by the bird man who knew how to drive you up a wall. It was hard not to watch him speeding through the air, the way he moved so graceful. Hawks had always been impressive even before he’d become a pain in the ass. His frame was lean, not exactly the type of body that you saw unless it was on a power quirk. But there was hidden strength in muscles that were hardly shown due to the jacket he wore as part of his costume. He was a show off, of course, but it was hard to ignore moving art in the sky.
Today was a different day in the training course, and as the group of pro-heroes lined up outside of a deep foliaged area, you had a twisting sensation in your stomach. This wasn’t going to just be a group training idea, there was something special about this one. And for some reason...your eyes went to Hawks. He was talking to Masaki Mizushima, otherwise known as Manual, when his eyes flickered to you. There was that dangerous curve of a closed-mouth smile that had your eyes snapping away. You chided yourself for even looking.
“Alright heroes,” your attention turned back to the instructor leading your training exercise today. “Today we’re doing capture and releases. You’ll be teamed up with a hero that has a quirk meant to makes yours difficult, and vice versa.” Your eyes widened, that sensation in your gut twisting. Son of a bitch. “This is to help adapt you to situations you’ll be in as pro-heroes where you’re not always the best suited quirk to take on your opponent’s.” The instructor’s voice faded away. This was some sort of karmic punishment for something that you’d done in a past life, you just knew it. You knew who the opposite of your quirk in that line up was, and it’d been the one person that you’d been trying to avoid all week. You listened as the instructor went down who was paired with who, and what role they’d be taking in the touch and go. You were grimacing, knowing what was coming.
“Prisma and Hawks, you’ll be teamed up. Prisma can turn herself invisible and will challenge Hawks to use his vision to the best advantage to spot her through the foliage. Hawks, you’ll be the Hero.” you gave a small groan. “Prisma, you’ll be the villain.” You turned to look at Keigo, letting out a sharp exhale through your nose to see that it was now he who was watching you, that smug expression larger than what it’d been several minutes ago. There was a waggle of his brows as he pushed his goggles over his nose and slapped his headphones on. If you were playing the role of villain through this exercise, it’d only make sense for the character if you killed him, right? Right?
You walked over towards the section of foliage you were assigned for your specific training exercise, Hawks watching you like a starved man as you swaggered over. One of his favorite parts of your body had always been your hips, curved and full, what your mother and grandmother had always stereotyped as ‘birthing hips’. He’d never been able to get enough of it, hands digging in at any given moment the two of you were together. There’d even been a point in time where he’d bit your ass because he’d been unable to help himself. Keigo Takami was a man who knew what he liked and had no problem showing it, and considering that your hero costume was as skin tight as it could possibly be due to your quirk, he was practically drooling. Frankly, you wouldn’t be surprised if he had some part in this.
“Shut up.” Is all you need to say before Keigo chuckles, zipping his mouth shut with his fingers and tossing the key. You know it’s not something that’ll last for long, but it’ll give you enough time to get over the blush you feel at your cheeks and ears.
“Prisma, Hawks. The objective of this training exercise is to exploit your weakness and strengthen it. Hawks, your weakness is that you can fly high up with great speed, but rely on your feathers too much. You’ll be challenged to look with your eyes on something you can’t see. Prisma, your weakness is that the longer you stay invisible, the worse your eyesight gets until you can’t see. You’ll have to focus on using your quirk intermittently with staying out of Hawks’ line of vision from the sky. You have until nightfall to either, as the villain escape, or as the hero apprehend the villain.”
You tip two fingers against your forehead in a lazy salute, sighing as you center yourself on what you’re about to do. Like hell you want to be caught by Hawks, dedicating your focus to avoid getting caught. You want to win, you want to work on straightening the limitation you have on your ability so you can help serve better. The two of you are stood at the entrance to your training area, a thick forest with trees of varying height that are either going to work to your advantage or disadvantage depending on how Hawks uses them. Speaking of the devil...
As your instructor walks away, Keigo comes to stand behind you, leaning forward just enough that he’s not touching you, but you can hear his voice in your ear. That same sarcastic drawl, dripping in arrogance like he’s already won. “How about we raise the stakes, kid?” Your stomach drops lower to the spot between your hips, and your back goes rod straight. “How about if I catch you before you make an escape, I get to fuck you where I find you.”
Your breath caught as the shivers raced up and down your spine. The feeling of Keigo’s fingers whispering against your hips almost enough to make your knees buckle. If there wasn’t a worse person that you could have been paired up with. It had to be the on again off person that you fucked. Your eyes rolled to the sky, taking in a deep breath. “Because you know...” he continued, breath hot against your ear. “I’ve always been a fan of catching prey when they’re on the run.” Your heart is hammering in your throat and you’re sure he can hear it. It’s hard to remember what it is to breathe in that moment, and you almost lean back into his body because, after all, old habits die hard.
“Who says you’re going to catch me?” you ask, turning your head so that you can catch his eye over your shoulder. That feeling hits deep in your belly once more once you see the narrowed slit of his pupil. Usually round, you know this look on Keigo. It’s predator, it’s hunter, it’s Hawks. And you know in that moment you’re going to be fighting more than one enemy in that simulation. It wasn’t just your weakness with your quirk that you were working against. It was your weakness with Keigo Takami as well.
“Because, kid,” Keigo’s eyes drop to your mouth. “I don’t lose.”
Damn.
“Well, Hawks,” you turn to him, taking slow and measured steps back into the foliage that was going to either aid you or ruin you. You made sure to lean into your hip heavily, swaying back and forth that had Hawks’ attention almost immediately. “Catch me if you can.”
And with that, the two of you split your separate ways. Hero and villain. Hawks shot into the sky in a flurry of red wings, and you coated yourself in invisibility as you ran into the foliage, careful not to step too heavily as you darted under the trees. Looking up, it was near impossible to spot Hawks speeding through the sky, dipping down and flying up as he looked for any sight of your impressions on the ground. Your terrain was an uphill one, and soon enough your trek uphill had left you out of breath. You dipped under a tree, letting your invisibility fall as you became visible to the outside world. Except, of course, you were not foolish enough. Keigo’s words in your head were still settled deep within your belly, but you weren’t about to lose just yet. You shed your boots, setting them at the base of a tree before you took coverage in a tree that you climbed. With your eyes turned towards the sky, it’s only a matter of time before Keigo’s wings come into focus, beelining straight for the boots.
He extended a gloved hand as if to grab for the boots and snatch you out, only to stop short and skid along the ground as he realized there was nothing attached to them. “Clever, kid.” He called out, doing a quick swipe around. Luckily, you’d cloaked yourself once more before he’d spotted the tree you were in. That would have been game over, though watching the sweat that clung to his forehead...didn’t seem too bad. You pinched yourself, reminding yourself that you were a villain and it was your objective to get out. “You’re somewhere here, aren’t you?”
But that didn't mean that you couldn’t have a little fun...right? Slowly, carefully, you lowered yourself from the branches you’d been hiding away, wincing at the slight rustle of ground gave in when you hit. Hawks whipped around again, eyes wide, pupils narrowed. “Come on songbird, let me hear you sing.” That static ripped through your belly again, and you took measured steps closer to him. You bent over, cloaking a rock once more before chucking it off on the other side of you that hit a tree. Hawks spun around again, a couple of small red feathers shooting out from his wings to try and pin what he thought was you against a tree. It took everything not to laugh in that moment, looking at how focused he was.
You were doing your best to ignore the feral look in his eyes. How windswept his hair was from his flying. How you knew what Keigo was like when he wanted to win at something. And to see how determined he was when you were the prize. You squeezed your thighs together, rolling your lower lip between your teeth. “What’s the matter, Keigo?” you asked, doing your best to throw off your voice from your current location, slowly edging up the steep incline. “I thought you wanted to fuck me.”
Hawks shot out from where he’d been, coming for where you’d been only seconds before. You took off running up the hill, ignoring the pain searing through your thighs at just how much you underestimated the sleepiness of the climb. Still, you pushed through it, your vision starting to dizzy as you ran. How long had you and Hawks been at this? It didn’t feel incredibly long, but then again the sun was in a much different positioning than when you’d started, and the sky was starting to turn shades of purple. Almost nightfall. Had the other pro-heroes finished their courses already? Maybe it hadn’t been the wisest decision to take off your boots, either, as you came in contact with a patch of wet mud. Your footing slipped, and with it your invisibility cloaking. A gasp hit you as you saw your hand clear as day, and in that moment you knew you were down for. In a last ditch attempt to redeem yourself, you cloaked back up but the sharp yank to the right as one of Hawks’ feathers tore through your hero costume.
A yelp escaped from your throat as you found yourself pinned to a tree at the nape of the neck, leaving you dangling from the trunk of the tree. With the gig finally up, you dropped your invisibility as you folded your hands under your chest. On one hand, you were pissed you’d been unable to outlast Keigo. On the other hand...you’d been taunting him just moments ago and knew what that did to him. The sound of rustling feathers came and Hawks sauntered around the tree, looking at you with that same infuriating expression from the beginning of the exercise.
“So close too, kid. So close.” He teased, running his tongue over his canine tooth. Keigo came to rest his hips against yours, your mouth dropping open at the presence of him there. It’d been so long since it’d been like between you two, but how could you forget that? “And you would have won, too, except you just had to go on teasing me like that. You know what your teasing does to me, kid. Damn near maddening.” he pulled off his glove with his teeth, coming to grip your jaw. “So damn mad.”
Your eyes widened as he dug his hands into your chin, holding you so tight that you couldn’t look either way. Only at him. Your throat was tight as you swallowed, Keigo continuing on as he pulled your hands apart, using a spare feather to pin your wrists to the bark above you by the fabric of your costume. Keigo, despite his earlier disposition, is serious now. And you know how in trouble you are. You can see it in that narrowed slit of his eyes, the color of the sun burning there. “Can’t let that go, songbird. I’ve gotta remind you not to fuck with me.” He leaned in, the hand that wasn’t gripping your jaw in an iron lock trailing down the curve of your side, coming to thumb the space between your thighs that you’d been ignoring ever since he whispered into your ear down at the base of the mountain. “Gonna have to remind you of that,” Keigo murmured, eyes lowering as he leaned in over you. You could feel the length of him against your thigh, instinctively angling it out so you could feel him closer to your core.
“Keigo-” you gasped as he rolled his hips in against you. “Keigo what if we get caught?” Though by the feeling of his presence, you didn’t know if you’d mind that much if you got your itch scratched.
“And what about it?” he breathed. His thumb slipped over you again, causing you to shudder. “You really think I give a damn who sees me fucking you? Claiming you like the little slut for me you are?” You squirmed against the hand he kept between your thighs, letting out a harsh exhale. “Already so needy for me. I’m starting to think you lost on purpose, kid.”
You opened your eyes, glaring at him. “I lost because I slipped.”
Hawks chuckled, giving a shrug. “If that’s what you wanna say there, kid. All I know is I won...and now I’m claiming my prize.” The static runs straight from your brain to your core, and you let out a whine. Keigo hummed, reaching up behind your back and leaving you with cool air against the heat that had been growing between your thighs as he undid the back of your uniform. “What a fuckin’ prize, huh, kid? I get to ruin this body all over again.”
The feather that had been pinning your wrists together removes itself, reforming to Hawks’ wings as he yanked you around, pressing your face in against the bark. It burned, but it was the furthest thing from your mind as Hawks pushed down the skin tight fabric of your pro-hero costume, his hands finding their way under the fabric and rolling it further and further down until it was just beneath your ass.
You yelped as the sound of a smack sounded through the air, the stinging sensation hitting your backside seconds later. He’d just landed a sharp slap across your ass and you were about to make another comment when another came again, causing you to squirm. “This is what you get for teasin’ me, kid.” he said, and you were able to catch the way that Hawks was leaned back, his eyes dragging down the length of your exposed back and skin. The leather of his gloved hand struck again, causing you to whine. Keigo’s eyes flashed to look up at you, the look there positively feral. You can feel the heat starting to seep through your legs, and that has Hawks’ attention in a matter of seconds. “So filthy, aren’t you? You like it when I slap you on the ass. You want to be punished for being such a filthy little slut,” the slap came again and your groaning, attempting to push your backside in against his hips. “So fuckin’ eager, kid.”
Keigo places his hands on your hips, pulling you back against his hips so you can feel how hard he’s gotten in the time he’s caught you. This is the whole thing. The chase is what excites him and the most and what better example of his highest fantasy is there then getting to chase you through foliage like the bird of prey that he is? And true to his word, he’s going to fuck you as his victory claim. You grind your backside his, angling yourself so that you can feel the full length of him slipping between you. You groan, your head falling back against your shoulders as Keigo realizes this, pushing up into you.
“I wanna hear you beg, kid. Swallow that fuckin’” a sharp slap comes across your behind again. “Cocky attitude you had earlier.” He slaps your backside again, and you can’t fight the moan that escapes you. “Your mind kid, I’m always gonna fuckin’” another slap. “Win.”
At this point you can feel the wetness between your thighs, and your squirming as he rocks his hips back and forth as if he’s already fucking you. “Keigo-” you whine pushing your hands against the tree so you can be flush with his hips. “Please.”
“Please, what?” You hear the sound of his belt coming undone, the buckle slumping.
“Keigo,” you breathe, only to feel that sharp leather across your backside that causes you to cry out.
“Please, what?” he repeats. His voice is hardened as the cock between his legs. The zipper of his pants sounds, and you can feel the rawness of him against your lips. He’s teasing you. He wants you to beg. To ask nicely. “Beg for it, songbird.”
“Please fuck me,” you gasp just as he pushes himself up and down the length of your lips again.
Keigo’s hands find their way to your hips again, fingertips digging in as he lines himself up. “Since you asked so fuckin’ nicely...”
You hold your breath in anticipation. Keigo’s wings puff out on either side of you, providing little coverage for what he’s about to do to you. You catch yourself admiring the beautiful red color of them before he’s slamming his hips in against yours, throwing you forward at the shock and power behind it. The sound of Keigo’s groan behind you turns your knees to putty, almost enough to cause your legs to give out from underneath you. “Ahh, fuck, there it is.” he groans, slowly pulling himself to the edge of his length before slamming back into you with the same intensity. You lurch forward again, hands pressing into the tree in front of you to keep from ramming in against it. “Feel so fuckin’ good, kid.” He fucks into you again, your head dropping to your shoulders once more. Eyes shut, you don’t see Keigo reach out with that gloved hand, and hook two fingers against the side of your mouth.
The sound of skin slapping against skin starts to fill the area between you along with the sounds of Keigo’s breathlessness and the small whines falling from your mouth. Despite his erratic breathing, he’s kept a good pace, your inner thighs positively soaked from what he’s done to you. He’s entranced by the way your skin bounces and moves each time he comes slamming back into you, filling you up with every ounce of his cock. “You like that, songbird, you like how fuckin’” slap “Good I feel inside of you?”
You struggle to answer him, your head wrenched back at an angle with Keigo’s leather wrapped fingers pulling out your cheek. Your legs are shaking, and it’s everything you can do to keep your muscles from collapsing underneath you as he fucks into you, creating a mess of your insides. Finally, you moan as a response, reaching an arm back just to be able to touch him in some respect. Keigo, not the complete asshole, leans forward so that you can grab onto the front of his jacket. The hand he’d been using to steady himself against your hips slips down to your front, massaging at your clit. This sends you into a spasm, wrestling against the overstimulation that your body was currently being sent through, desperately whining as he continues to tap, circle, and stimulate your clit meanwhile continuing the fluid motion of fucking in and out of you.
Keigo’s got the advantage here too, and seeing you struggle against getting him to lay off before you come, only sends him into more of a fury. His thrusts become faster, more erratic. They starting hurting as they hit into you, causing you to moan in pain and pleasure each time. You’re squeezing your legs together, clenching down around him as he fucks in and out of you. Your high is close, and your knees start to falter under you as it does. “K-Kei-” you’re unable to get his name out as another wave of pleasure rolls through you, threatening to push you over the bridge right there as Keigo starts to fuck you even faster, the wetness on your thighs crawling down further.
“You gonna cum, songbird? You gonna cum around this fuckin’ cock just like you always do?” The whine pushes through you as he yanks on your cheek. “Go on then, sing for me, you’re my fuckin’ songbird.”
And with the permission granted, you unravel around his finger and his cock, your legs spasming as you cry out, your inner thighs becoming even wetter than before. Your moan is none too quiet as it rips through you, your back arching as the shivers run up and down your spine once more as you ride out your orgasm. You’re panting, breathless, dripped in sweat, but Keigo isn’t done. “What a good fuckin’ slut, (Y/N).”
You moan as he returns both ands to your hips, spreading you further as he quickens his pace once more. “Gonna fill you up so good, so fuckin’ much.” You whimper as he buries himself in you, his thrusts sloppy and hurried now. He’s close now, and in order to help him reach his own orgasm, you lean back, body flush against his. “Fuck yeah, ah, fuck yeah.” he’s panting in your ear now, his face buried in the crook of your neck. Once you reach back and feel the space under his jacket and shirt where feather meets wing, it’s game over.
“I’m gonna cum, fuck, I'm gonna cum,” his voice is gravely, pained as he loses the last of his momentum. The sound of your moans mingle together as he does just that, spilling himself inside of you. His drip joins the slow race down your thighs, and with one final thrust, empties the rest of himself in the folds of your heaven.
The two of you remain there in silence for a period of time before he pulls out of you, leaving a mess between your lips. You’re immediately on your knees, unable to support yourself anymore from what he’d just done to your insides. Your breathing is still labored, as if you’d just run up and down the mountain without break. Your legs are spent, still riding out the tidal wave that was your orgasm. Behind you, you hear Keigo zipping up his pants, adjusting the buckle.
He looks as spent as you feel, and he pulls his glove on with his teeth as you lock eyes. That feral look is still there, and you doubt you’re done with one another for the night. You sure as hell don’t think you are. “What’s wrong, kid?” Keigo leans over, landing a gloved slap to your ass. “Get up, gotta go tell the instructor what a good hero I was in apprehending such a bad, bad villain.”
#keigo takami smut#Keigo Takami fluff#Keigo Takami angst#keigo takami#Keigo Takami x reader#Keigo Takami x you#keigo takami x y/n#bnha#bnha takami#bnha keigo takami#boku no hero x reader#boku no hero headcanon#boku no hero imagines#boku no hero x you#boku no hero x y/n#hawks#hawks mha#hawks x y/n#hawks x reader#hawks x you#boku no hero#boku no hero academia#my hero academia#my hero academia x reader#my hero academia x you#my hero academia x y/n#mha x reader#mha x y/n#mha x you#mha headcanons
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WHAT IF: Goku Black Turned Good? (My Thoughts) What IF: Goku Black was a Turles Origin Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl-DMTjlbnU
In the link above is MasakoX’s WHAT IF: Goku Black Turned Good? oneshot episode, and I really enjoyed it, but I feel like it had a bit of an underwhelming conclusion.
On top of my head, Zamasu forcing Black in non-consented Fusion with the rest remaining the same until the split from the Spirit Sword severing the Fusion. With the Mortal Black helping Trunks get a better shot at the vulnerable immortal Zamasu who needs to be hit before his body fully resets. By pinning him to the ground. Both of them die, but with one fully repented for his atrocities to Trunks and welcomes this divine justice being deliverd by his hand. Since it’s so fitting for Trunks to be the one to deliver the final blow to him. Goku Black and Zamasu meet again in the after life and make up. Gowasu gives his pupil a chance to start over by granting him his very life the same way Old Kai did for Goku and convincingly ensures how he will do everything in his power to allow Goku Black to not be erased by the higher ups.
I wanted to share my comment to it.
This is much closer to how I would have handled the Zamasu and Goku Black scenario with Goku's body rejecting Zamasu in small bursts like you said with passion and fleeting memories, but his memories being the more major ones for a change. Give Zamasu an arc learning 'what it's like walking in someone else's shoes'. Learning what it means to be mortal first hand and realizing where their purpose in the universe is for.
Granted, I would have taken more advantage of being in the Future timeline where Goku is a Fallen Savior, but his footprints are still ingrained in the people that Goku Black is killing. Black is influenced by the likes of Roshi, Oolong, Puar, Chi-chi, Ox-King, Baba, Korin, and Bulma, if not in the moment, in hindsight because they are planting seeds in him from Goku’s life.
Goku's innate purity and goodness teach Zamasu the mortals' potential through these people and how his body responds to their words and reactions to him. Future Trunks with the Resistance and Goku/ Vegeta hammers it home even further for Black to realize the error of his ways. I think he shouldn't die, but live on and live out a mortal's existence while just barely squeaking out from erasure for being instrumental in halting the arc, doing the Divine equivalent of community service for his crimes. He is the go-to errand boy for the Gods when they need him, but is acclimating to Universe 10 lower realms and forming relationships with the mortals that live there. He is no longer Zamasu, but he isn't Goku either, so he might go by Black from now on, or choose a Saiyan name to fit his body. He is going to take a few more pages from Goku's book. Maybe try martial arts since Universe 10 is filled with various martial artists and we can see how this blossoms in the next arc with the T.O.P.
The twist ending of Black being a Master Class Rebooted Turles
With a new lease on life, Black could give himself an appropriate Saiyan name for his story moving forward. It’s a fresh starting point for Turles.
In many ways, Goku Black was heavily inspired by the original evil Goku, Turles, So it stands to reason that we could just go all the way and just combine them.
This would have the audience recontextualize the arc and looking back to see all of their similarities as foreshadowing and looking forward to how this newly actualized character would be like. The name acting a tease to make people eager for what’s to come.
We could watch as a more open-minded Black had befriended some of his fellow competitors on the Universe 10 team and bonding with others as the T.O.P. progresses. In fact, he could be U10′s poster face like Hit is for U6 or Jiren is for U11 that gets us invested in the other Universes, at least as a threat and at most endearing us to them before they are erased to push the stakes of the arc. These guys could even act as a reference to both groups that fought in the Tree of Might. The loyal followers with varied backstories that Turles surrounded himself to display his open-mind and the Z-Fighters who were entirely made up of Martial Artists back then during the Tree of Might movie.
Movie Turles was hung up over the conflict of Goku’s and Gohan's purity vs the Saiyan's evil nature under the popular misconception that the Saiyans are supposed to be evil, but Toriyama mentions in supplemental materials, in actuality, Saiyans of old were more like Goku. So while the message is taking a different angle, it remains intact through Zamasu being a person who has had his life permanently changed by the 'true nature' of the Saiyan race which isn't evil, but ever striving for self-improvement.
Turles animosity toward Vegeta and his family from the games have been repackaged with Black being Future Trunks’ living nightmare and killing Future Bulma, and being a pale imitation in Vegeta’s eyes by using Goku’s body. So the multiple fights with Vegeta were very personal, but for the other side. Originally it was personal for Turles who had something to prove due to the social hierarchy putting the royalty in a much more favorable status than him being born a low class Saiyan, but Vegeta looked down on him for not training / earning his power in battles like a true Saiyan would.
Turles is better known for his signature Tree of Might, which always had Divine roots which are expanded and explored by making him a full on Kai.
Even right down to Black’s air of sophistication stemming from the Kais having proper manners being more intellectual types not only reflects Turles’ character being a clever Saiyan
Black rebelled against the Divine system in the same way Turles rebelled against the Saiyans by deserting the army
They also share the character flaw of skipping steps for power while looking down on others and being self-absorbed and closed-minded on certain viewpoints.
Goku Black and Turles have similar traits in their arrogance, but also their passion for battle coming out in troubling circumstances due to the Saiyan instincts.
Even right down to the way Zamasu and Turles are defeated are the same after having ravaged the planet and seemingly stripped it of all life and hope. They are both poetically defeated by the power of Earth's remaining living creatures finding hope as they come together in their darkest moments. One is a Spirit Bomb the other is a Spirit Sword. (Granted most of us ignore the Xeno Button)
#dragonball#dragon ball super#goku black#zamasu#gowasu#turles#reboot#dbz#headcannon#masakox#what if#dragon ball what if#tree of might#dbz movie villain
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Surrounded by the Moon and Stars • 10
Pairings: Sirius Black x [F]Reader, Remus Lupin x [F]Reader
Content: Language, possible errors, introducing more Marlene, unreliable narrative-ish
Author’s notes: Ngl, I had to rush this one.
Masterlist: Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Chapter 9: One Hundred and Fifty Points
❉───────•~❉•᯽•❉~•───────❉
November rolled around signifying the start of the new Quidditch season. Inside the great hall was flooded with the smell of sausages and fried eggs along with the cheerful chatter of students looking forward to the first match.
Gryffindor and Slytherin were the first teams set to play and their relationship had never been so tense until now; even the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs who liked to join in on the playful raillery decided not to participate.
Whenever a Gryffindor was to pass by the Slytherin table to get to their respective seats or simply walk through the entrance, a hassle of insults and boos would follow and vice versa.
While both houses had their own tactics to mess with each other, the Slytherins had tactics that transpired off the pitch and were brought into daily life. It was a smart move, and some of the newer Gryffindor players allowed it to bother them even before stepping foot onto the field. The insults built over the past couple of years, largely because Gryffindor had yet to lose a single game since James joined the team a little over three years ago.
And since James was newly appointed captain, they were relentless.
In the days leading up to the match, whenever Y/N accompanied James through the halls, whispers of childish remarks like, “I bet Potty is going to go to the potty after Talkalot throws him off his broom,” and other insults follow him, varying from his abilities or his capability to lead his team to victory.
Despite the relentless jeers, James managed to take them in stride, constantly donning a bright smile. Not once had it wavered him or chilled his blood. If anything, he took it as a compliment and even bounced off of it with a witty response. A few times, he even repeated the insult, announcing it loud enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear before turning the joke on them.
But today, he finally cracked. Marlene, who joined the team last year as a chaser, was beyond ecstatic while James’ smile was non-existent. It was fairly evident to everyone who knew him that his smile and body language faked confidence in an attempt to mask nervousness.
As his first year as captain, James had an extreme burden on his shoulders. Stakes were at an all-time high to continue the three-year-long title holder of the Quidditch cup. He was under a constant microscope. Everyone was curious to see how James led his team. Not only did he have to prove his abilities as a leader but was also in jeopardy of staying captain for next year. His status depended on these games.
Additionally, the potential loss would be devastating. James was not the first pick as captain for this year. Charlie Bell, a seventh year, was supposed to take his place with James coaching the year after he left, but Bell stepped down, preferring to spend his time focusing on NEWT revisions. Although due to his time studying, Bell’s abilities were admittedly sloppy and began to worry James as he was not up to his standards.
Although in Y/N’s (biased) opinion, James had nothing to worry about.
He insisted on daily practices ever since try-outs were held in early September. It was even hard to catch Marlene who’d been James’ left-hand man of sorts. Today, the two players woke up bright and early in preparation for the first game. They woke up at six o’clock in the morning, to Marlene’s dismay, and went for a light jog and a quick exercise. The rest of the Gryffindor team was there and went over their ground plan again.
Y/N had seen a few of their practices to support them and bring any food incase they missed breakfast or dinner. James was absolutely merciful. Like any good captain, he listened and attended to the needs of his players, but he held Marlene’s opinion higher than the rest.
Rumours floated around the two and she was excited to see if they held true. Both players had become great partners and were almost unstoppable on the field. Because of this, it was highly anticipated that Gryffindor was going to win, especially with how gruelling James’ coaching methods were compared to former captains. Bets were placed ranging from Knuts, Sickles and Galleons.
Due to the overwhelming pressure, James was at a loss for words, for once. His anxiety spiked and the only person who could talk any sense into was Marlene; both sharing an odd, yet special bond.
Even in the days leading up, Mcgonagall, who she’d found out was very gifted and a huge fan of the sport, took notice of his unusual and quiet behaviour. McGonagall let loose, avoiding giving out homework for the week. She had even opted to avoid giving James any.
It was quite clear McGonagall had a soft spot for the marauders, often letting them do as they pleased while at harshest, taking away house points and sparingly handing them detentions. James, of course, had been using this to his advantage as he pleaded to give the entire Gryffindor team no homework using the famous ‘but we have practice!’ excuse.
When she arrived in the hall with Dorcas, the moment they walked through the entrance, the Slytherin table booed in their direction but was rivalled with a thunderous welcome from the Gryffindor table. Everyone in sight wore red and gold.
James had a vice-grip on Quidditch Through the Ages while in the other hand, tried but failed, to shovel potatoes in his mouth. Marlene sat on his left, reviewing several techniques they could use last minute that the Slytherins may not expect coming. They were already wearing their jerseys. Plastered on Marlene’s chest in bright yellow was the number 6 while James was 7. Their uniforms were identical aside from the pin on James’ shirt that caught everyone’s attention. A shiny new captain’s badge sitting proudly on his chest.
Both were talking to each other rapidly, barely registering their friends sitting down beside them.
“Don’t be thick,” said Marlene, “This is going to work. Stop second-guessing.”
“I’m mental. Abso-fucking-bloody-mental … What was I thinking?”
“Potter,” she scolds, “get it together. Now, in about an hour, we’re going to be walking on the pitch. We’ve practiced for hours — days even — much more than the Slytherins have. You were made captain for a reason and we have back-up plans. We’re beyond ready.”
He sighs, taking a deep inhale. “Okay… Okay.”
Within a few seconds, the air around him shifts and James' assertive and authoritative side takes over. “What were you suggesting earlier?”
“We have to go underneath and cut them off. Trust me, they won’t expect it.”
“Where do you want me?”
“What broom model do you have?”
“Nimbus 1984.”
Marlene scoffs, “Should’ve known, Mr. ‘Trust fund’ Potter. Anyway, yours is the fastest and newest — ought to be the first one to cut ‘em. Lead the way.”
James stops to ponder before bobbing his head in agreement, “Sounds good, but Bell?”
“— do you think he can do it?”
“Not sure. Maybe he will once the rush comes — no — we can use him as a decoy then.”
The sudden uproar of cheers and boos of both Gryffindors and Slytherins attempting to drown each other reached the table’s ears again, James looked down at his lap. Even Marlene’s leg started bouncing up and down.
Lily was about to make a harmless jab before Marlene’s eyes shot up to her, shaking her head warningly.
James was truly losing his shit inside and out.
“Mental,” he grumbles out. He barely registers his body move on its own accord. Marlene followed his lead, getting up with him before his attention was drawn back to everyone in front of him.
“You coming, right? Gotta see my moves,” James tries to joke, looking at Y/N.
“She better or I’ll drag her onto the field.” Marlene cuts in. Judging by the burning look in her eyes, Marlene was far from joking.
“Of course I will.” She then directs the next sentence mostly to James, “You’re going to crush them.”
A nod of approval comes from both players. Marlene’s chest puffs out from the praise, even going as far to dramatically flick her hair over her shoulder while James seems to relax considerably.
“Of course we are. You are talking to the King of Quidditch.”
“Hem hem — and queen!”
“My bad — and queen. We’re going to win.” It was nice seeing his arrogant side back.
“Pff— that’s not even a question,” Marlene says, “I’d rather fling my body off a tower if we lose this game.”
❉───────•~❉•᯽•❉~•───────❉
At eleven o’clock sharp, the entire school sat in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. From there, she could smell the fresh-cut grass, filling the air as cold steel filtered through her lungs. It was refreshing and tickled the inside of her nose. The seats were raised high, a warming charm placed on them, courtesy of Flitwick.
Flakes of dewey frost coated the field and stands. The wind howled as a few brooms whipped back and forth, checking to see if everything was in proper condition before the start of the game. Unfortunately for the players, stormy grey clouds were raised high and there was a high risk of rain or snow. It surely was going to make catching the Golden Snitch harder.
All the girls were there to support Marlene. Lily and Dorcas went all out and brought a huge poster. Streaks of red and gold were painted underneath their eyes as leftover gold tinsel from the Halloween party was woven into Lily’s hair. Many other students also held large signs, waving flags; even Y/N and Mary had binoculars secured around their necks.
A large lion was charmed onto the sign, moving back and forth before opening its mouth to roar. In bold letters, it read Gryffindor’s Weapon, McKinnon! Dorcas placed another charm on so the letters interchanged between red and gold, flashing similar to a new-maj diner sign.
Madam Hooch stood in the middle of the pitch. In a flash, the two teams came out, shouldering their brooms in a single file line from two hidden doors beneath the stands. At the front, the team’s respective captains led them to the middle. A deafening applause greeted them. Some players even waved back to the crowd for louder cheers.
A few rows down, sitting in the very front was Sirius and Peter, rapidly waving their arms around and cheering. Peter bent down, pulling up a sign that read Potter’s Preeminence . Even with the distance, Y/N could hear Sirius’ screaming. He wore a paper mache lion head while Peter wore the body of a lion.
‘YOU GOT THIS PRONGS! FUCKING CRUSH THEIR TINY LITTLE SNAKE BONES— LET’S GO GRYFFINDOR, LET’S GO WOOWOO!”
What caught her eye was Remus’ absence. She was under the impression that he and James were close friends, so surely he would have been there in support knowing that this game was immensely important to him.
Back on the field, the captains shook their hands. James’ head was held high, determined not to break eye contact first. However, the other captain simply smirked and leant in to whisper something in his ear before Hooch scolded her. When she pulled back, Y/N could hardly see James’ expression but she managed to catch a small glimpse.
He looked, well, she didn't know what his expression meant. Angry? Nervous? Annoyed?
This was her cue, “DON’T LET THEM GET TO YOU JAMES!” She shouted so loud that it managed to travel down to him. Sirius’ head whipped back, even looking appreciative at her encouragement.
James managed to hear and his head perked up. His head swivelled towards her, his frown wiped off as his confidence returned. Behind him, Marlene looked up to the stands and Y/N, along with the other girls, shot her a thumbs up.
Madam Hooch continued to give her speech. James looked determined, his head tilting towards Marlene as they nodded to each other in encouragement. Y/N was unfamiliar with the rest of the Gryffindor and Slytherin players, but surprisingly, Regulus Black was standing there. Unlike the other warm brown and golden brooms, Regulus’s broom was black, accented with silver metal. An odd mark was engraved on the widest part of the base.
Due to the distance, it was hard to make out what was engraved or what position he played before Madam Hooch grabbed her silver whistle, which was comically too big.
“Mount your brooms,” she said, the entire crowd hearing. She lifted the whistle to her mouth and gave a loud blast. The game began.
Fifteen brooms flew high into the air. The clouds covering a couple of players passing by.
The announcer’s voice fills the air. “Anddd we’re off! Gryffindor’s newest captain, James Potter, 7, has the Quaffle and— he passes it to Charlie Bell, 2. This is his last year on the team so everyone give him a loud cheer— he sends the Quaffle back to Potter— and he passes it over to Marlene McKinnon, 6, and— no— the Slytherins swiped the Quaffle! Captain Emma Vanity, 21, flies away and she dives— she passes it to Rhys Calwald, also a seventh year— McKinnon comes back and takes it! She’s— a Gryffindor is down! Bell was hit by a Bludger and— he’s back up, perfectly fine— Potter is by the goalpost and blocks off the Slytherins, speeding up. Above, Phoebe Dawson, 1, joined as the Gryffindors newest seeker. She’s high in the clouds, neck and neck with Regulus Black, 8, Slytherin’s seeker and— there’s a clear shot to search for the Snitch. The Quaffle is taken by Bell and— Slytherin’s chaser takes it! Chaser Lucinda Talkalot, 4— their beater bats it away from an incoming Bludger— Talkalot is rounding on Gryffindor’s goalpost— she’s close, Vanity is there— she dives— she shoots— and… and— SLYTHERIN SCORES!”
Gryffindors groan while Slytherin cheers and wave their signs higher. A roar of claps goes around.
Now Lily is screaming, her hands are stretched out, waving her large sign above her head, blocking the unlucky students sitting behind her. “THAT WAS ONLY TEN POINTS! GET THEM MARLS— YES! LOOK AT THAT DIVE!”
Down below, Peter and Sirius are mirroring Lily. "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT POTTER?! COME ON WE KNOW YOU CAN GET EM! YOU'RE DOING AMAZING! FUCKING CRUSH THEM!"
Y/N grabbed her binoculars, bringing them to her eyes. Marlene was high up, open for James who had the Quaffle tucked under his arm. He does not look over to her, but rather looks at Bell before he throws it to her, his eyes still trained on Bell. Marlene catches it and from the trick James pulled, she has an extra few seconds before the Slytherins catch her. Marlene speeds away as a Bludger is directed at her. Luckily, one of Gryffindor’s beaters already flung it away as Charlie came rushing close to Marlene’s side, warding off any Slytherins as best as he could.
The commentator cuts in again. “Gryffindor is back in possession of the Quaffle. McKinnon and Bell are flying closer to the goalpost—Slytherin's keeper is standing tall at their net, Ashworth, 3— they’re speeding towards— look! It’s the Snitch!”
The two seeker’s heads shot up. A low murmur spreads through the crowd as they caught sight of a flash of gold. Only for a second, they saw the little ball, its wings fluttering madly before it disappeared back into the clouds.
Slytherin directs a Bludger towards Phoebes before Gryffindor’s beater comes rushing up to swat it away.
Gryffindor still is under the possession of the Quaffle. Marlene and Charlie have been passing it back and forth while James comes back around. His body is pressed close to his broom. He does a funny hand movement, signalling to the rest of the chasers before they swoop down suddenly. Everyone is confused and Charlie is flying in the opposite direction, some of the Slytherins follow him before Marlene passes the Quaffle at James and shoots.
"— GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"
Another round of cheers echoes through Gryffindor’s side. Lily’s clapping slowed. She wanted to show support for Marlene, her house, but not for James. As the Quaffle is sent back up to the air, James and Marlene high-five each other discreetly before returning to their positions.
The Slytherins rush back towards Gryffindors goalpost; they're zigzagging through the air, violent swishes to avoid chasers from cutting them off again.
"Slytherin's in possession. Vanity is on Talkalot's right— passes it to her— shots— misses! Talkalot gets another rebound—
Y/N's attention is drawn back to the seekers. A beater is rapidly swatting away Bludgers as Phoebe is neck and neck with Regulus. Her eyes are stuck through the binoculars.
All of the sudden, a Bludger collided hard with James' broom, so strongly that Y/N swore a chip of wood was knocked off. His broom vibrates hard but his grip is still secured tightly to prevent bucking off. The Bludger was so close to his face that for a split second everyone thought it might've broken his nose. The crowd was cheering on intently while Sirius and Peter screamed.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?"
"FOUL!" Madam Hooch yelled. Gryffindor gets a free score on Slytherins goalpost. Marlene is the one to score.
"NICE JOB MARLS!" Lily bellows. Her voice is high-pitched and cuts through the air loud enough that Marlene looks over and gives a thumbs up.
By now, Slytherin has scored eleven times while Gryffindor was merely in the lead by ten points. Slytherin was rapidly gaining on them. Vanity and Talkalot were great at their positions.
"Gryffindors in possession! Bell’s got the Quaff— a Bludger is coming towards Potter again—” The iron ball was barrelling towards him, again. A beater shouted, warning him before James zoomed across the field as fast as he could. A beater trailed after him and swatted it away, narrowly avoiding being hit.
James ducked as another Bludger was rocketed in his direction.
"— BLOCKED! YEAH, SCUMBAGS — Sorry McGonagall!— Bell is gaining on the Slytherins and aiming at Ashworth. McKinnon is seconds behind— the seekers spotted the Golden Snitch!"
There was an edge of panic that soared through everyone’s hearts as both of the seekers dived down so fast that the chasers and beaters had to move out of their way. It was neck and neck, both flattened to their broom and the crowd only saw the glimpse of golden sparkles. Both reached out their hands.
It was only then a Bludger hit the back of Phoebe's broom, similar to James, causing her to lunge forward and off her broom.
Both seekers were laid on the ground. Everyone peered at the crash worried about their safety before Regulus lifted his hand, waving it above his head.
"I got the Snitch!" Regulus pants out.
James came rushing down to his teammate's side to make sure they weren't badly injured. He screamed for Madam Hooch.
After careful deliberation, Hooch ultimately decided that Slytherin won, awarding them the extra one hundred and fifty points. Gryffindor lost by thirty points.
"That was an illegal Bludger attack!" Marlene says.
"What the fuck?! That's rubbish!" Sirius screamed. Mary, Lily, Dorcas and Y/N groaned with the rest of the Gryffindors. The Slytherins chanted, waving their banners around and screaming as the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws clapped.
“Bell shoulda been cap, what were they thinking, picking the so-called King of Quidditch!” The Slytherins sang.
James, while still upset at the ruling, was more upset at his team member’s pain. Nobody knew what happened, but James seemed to leave Phoebe's side once he knew she was okay and stormed off in the direction of Vanity. Marlene grabbed a hold of his uniform to pull him back.
“James, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” She seethes into his ear, "Don’t start muggle duelling!"
“Are you fucking joking?” He bits back, “I’m not going to hit a woman!”
“Then calm down now.”
Whatever it was, James felt himself cool down considerably as he looked to Marlene. “Right, sorry. Just wanted to talk some sense into her.”
“Dreadful temper you’ve got there Potter.” Vanity spits out. She walks up to him, a pitiful smile on her.
“You need to keep your beaters in check,” he spits. Sparks fly from his nose as he marches back to Phoebe. By now, Madam Pomfrey has her laid back on a stretcher. James helps her, picking up the other end and walking back through the hidden doors. The team shuddered, trailing after them.
❉───────•~❉•᯽•❉~•───────❉
It was a devastating blow for Gryffindor. Everywhere Y/N looked, angry or disappointed faces would pop up. The team themselves were dejected while the Slytherins have begun planning a party.In the halls, students that made bets disappointedly slapped money it into the palms of students.
Nobody had seen James for hours. He’d left right after the game and all the marauders had disappeared, only reappearing for dinner. Only Sirius and Peter were at the table.
“— We were so close,” said Marlene numbly. “It must have accounted for something, using an illegal move like that.”
“You did amazing, it’s not your fault.” Lily cuts in, patting her on the shoulder.
“Now Potter is going to be ruthless for the next practices.”
A roar of laughter came from the Slytherins, a song chanting from their lips.
“Potter can hardly score a goal, he almost plummeted on the floor! He calls himself the King of Quidditch, well we call him the second option! Bell shoulda been cap, what were they thinking, picking the so-called King of Quidditch!”
“Shut it!” Sirius yelled, “You cheated! Bunch of gits.”
“Knock it off!” Followed Peter.
“Potter can hardly score a goal, he almost plummeted on the floor!"
Marlene cringes, watching the scene play out. Her grip on her fork tightens that for a moment Y/N thought she would have shattered the metal pieces. “They already won, what more do they want? A bunch of ugly toads...”
“Just ignore them,” Dorcas says. Marlene looked back at her, smiling reassuringly but with effort.
“He calls himself the king of Quidditch, well we call him the second option!”
“I don’t even like him,” Lily says dully, “But this… this is just mean.”
“Bell shoulda been cap, what were they thinking, picking the so-called King of Quidditch!”
No wonder James skipped dinner. Y/N turns her head to look at Sirius and Peter, both upset. A thought passes, perhaps it would be good to see how James was doing, but a small seed of doubt settled in her. If his best friends weren’t with him, then it probably would be better to leave him alone. But starving himself shouldn’t be the other option. As the Slytherins continued to sing, with teachers and prefects starting to get up to stop them, Y/N grabbed a nearby empty plate before piling on spaghetti and bread along with slipping a few utensils in her pockets. She excused herself, nodding to Marlene for comfort and slipping her way out effortlessly as teachers swamped the Slytherin table.
The common room was empty aside from James who was huddled up with his invisibility cloak, staring miserably out a window. Only his head was visible, the rest covering his body. It made her feel a bit queasy.
The fireplace crackled with every step she took. There were a few options Y/N could broach this situation,
She could walk around him like there were eggshells,
Or treat him normally.
She sat down beside him, a bit unsure, handing him his plate. His gaze moves to her, a quick smile flashes.
“Thanks.” He says, taking it from her. He ate in silence for a while, Y/N deciding to talk to fill the silence.
“I was thinking we should play exploding snaps-”
“Hey, look, “ he cuts off fast, nodding stiffly. His smile faded and a hard edge crept in his voice, “you don't have to try and cheer me up—”
“Relax, I’m not here to baby you. You’re doing that already.”
A small huff of amusement comes out, “Well then, mind if I play with you?”
“Of course!”
Whenever James won, and quite honestly he wasn’t the best, he’d make a small whooping sound. Even a few times she lost purposely so he would win.
That is until he spoke again, almost inaudible “You know… I care what people think of me- well certain people and I let them down today.”
“James, you didn’t.”
“I did —”
“Nobody is mad at you. If anything they’re mad at Madam Hooch.”
“Still,” he looked down embarrassed. “What are they saying about me down there?”
Her brain short-circuited for a moment; he would have to find out eventually. “They’re singing.”
“Great.” Although he didn’t look bothered, just annoyed. However, he gained a rush of enthusiasm with his next sentence, “Whatever, I’ll show them next year.”
A few games later, James left before the swarm of students came back to the common room. Again, he covered himself with the cloak and disappeared into the hallway. The spring in his step was noticeably lighter.
#sbtmas#the marauders#young marauders#hp marauders#the marauders imagine#Harry Potter#harry potter fanfiction#harry potter marauders#HP#hp series#hp imagine#Remus Lupin#reader#remus lupin x reader#Sirius Black#sirius black x reader#reader insert#quidditch#marauders era#James Potter#fanfic#remus lupin imagine#sirius black imagine#Lily Evans#friends to lovers#enemies to lovers#sirius#remus
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I love your writing 🥺 Can you do a Sokka imagine where the reader is a firebender so Sokka doesnt take well to her joining the gaang at first, and they always bicker/ throw sarcastic comments at each other and the gaang is so sick of it! But one day they are forced to be alone together (they go on a mission?) and sparks fly n they kiss or something 😳 they return to camp and the gaang is like... ok why r u guys tolerating eachother and u guys r inseparable and super couply from then on!
hi!! sorry i’m just now getting to this!! i like to put lots of effort into my requests so i wanted it to be the best it could be :D hope you enjoy!!
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(Y/N) had always been very proud of her firebending. Not everyone in the town she had grown up in were benders, so being able to bend one of the elements was a great honor. Because of her powers, she was on track to join the Fire Nation military. These plans changed of course, as soon as she met the Avatar and his friends. She had helped them escape capture and joined them on their adventures. They were all pretty hesitant about her joining, but eventually Toph vouched for her by saying that she wasn’t lying when she told them all she had ever wanted was to help people.
(Y/N) had been traveling with their group for a few weeks and was slowly starting to build friendships with the other members of her group. Aang absolutely refused to learn firebending from her, but watched and laughed as she made little dragon puppets out of fire after dinner. She and Toph became fast friends, as they both had a similar wit and nonchalance about life. Katara took a bit to fully warm up to her, but (Y/N) was relentless and eventually they could exchange pleasant conversation as they cooked dinner. Even Appa licked her when she brought him hay, and Momo had started sharing his berries with her. The only person who didn’t like her at all was Sokka.
“I don’t want a firebender joining us,” He had said pointedly when she first joined the group. He had been outvoted, of course, and now whenever (Y/N) did anything, he had something to say in return. If she arranged the sleeping bags, he complained about their positioning. If she made dinner that night, he complained about the taste. It seemed like he went out of his way to make her feel bad.
Initially (Y/N) had tried to understand. The Fire Nation had hurt his people, so it was only natural that he was apprehensive toward her. But then his words started to hurt. One day, he had mentioned that she had betrayed her own people, so it would only be a matter of time until she betrayed them, too, and (Y/N) had had enough. She threw her bowl of soup to the ground and stood up. “What’s your problem?” She demanded.
“My problem is with you,” He spat. “You’re Fire Nation, you can’t be trusted.”
“Don’t you think that if I had even thought about turning you all in to the Fire Lord, I would have done it already?”
“I don’t know what goes on in your little spy brain!”
“I know what goes on in your brain: absolutely nothing!” She let out a frustrated scream and turned on her heel, marching into her tent. The rest of the group stared at Sokka awkwardly.
“She’s such a piece of work,” He grumbled, sipping on his soup. “Can you believe her?”
Over the next few weeks, whenever Sokka said an insult toward (Y/N) she’d shoot one right back. If he wanted to be a pain in her side, fine. She’d be one in his, too.
“You sure your twig arms can handle that firewood?” She asked him as he brought wood for their campfire.
“Hey, at least I’m doing something. What, are you too busy plotting how to take over the world to help?”
Their conversations were just insults and sarcastic quips, and eventually the rest of the group started to get sick of it. One night, as they sat at dinner, (Y/N) and Sokka were bickering because they had been forced to sit beside each other. Toph drove a piece of earth between them and flung them in opposite directions. “Would you guys quit it!” The girl shouted. “I only have four out of the five senses and you guys are driving them all crazy!”
“Sorry, Toph,” (Y/N) apologized, brushing herself off. “You know how he is.”
“Me?” Sokka exclaimed. “Toph, you know how she is!”
“You arrogant, good for nothing--”
“Ow!” Aang shouted, clutching his foot. The group stopped to look at him. “Ow, ow, ow, I think I stepped on something. My foot really hurts!” Katara rushed over to take a look and furrowed her brows.
“I don’t--”
“Oh, Sokka,” Aang sighed. “I don’t think I can go on that mission with you tomorrow, my foot just hurts too bad!” He gave Katara a big wink.
“Oh, of course!” She said, finally getting what Aang was trying to do. “I have to stay here and help Aang heal. I’ll need Toph’s help, too, so (Y/N) is the only one who can go on the mission with you.”
“I’d rather go alone,” Sokka said, crossing his arms.
“Please, how are you going to defend yourself if you don’t have a bender with you?” (Y/N) asked with a roll of her eyes. Sokka balled his fists and stormed off to his tent, mumbling angry, incoherent sentences. (Y/N) yawned and retreated back to her tent for the night.
“I’m not really injured,” Aang said.
“Really?” Toph deadpanned. “Couldn’t tell.”
“I just wanted a break from the two of them. They’re always fighting!”
“Who knows,” Katara said with a smile. “Maybe the trip will bring them closer together.”
The next morning, (Y/N) and Sokka begrudgingly walked side-by-side to their mission. They were doing a stake out of some Fire Navy ships to see what kind of weapons they were storing on them. They climbed up to a tall hillside, where they could comfortably watch the ships. As long as they were quiet, they wouldn’t bring any attention to themselves.
Sokka’s plan was to stay there for a full twenty-four hours. Every time (Y/N) thought about being around him that long, she nearly gagged, but she had to swallow it down because she knew this mission would be for the greater good. Hopefully, there would be more watching than talking.
They set up their tents behind some rocks so they would not look suspicious. And then, they sat. And they sat for a long time. (Y/N) was growing increasingly bored, just watching soldiers go in and out of the ships. She sighed, laying back down on the grass.
“What exactly are we looking for?”
“Nothing.” She propped herself up on her elbows.
“Excuse me?”
“We aren’t looking for anything. Well, not anything specific. I just want to know what kind of weapons they’re using so I can write to the Mechanist to create better ones for us.”
“So...we’re just going to watch?”
“Do you not know what a stake out is?”
“I do! I just didn’t know it was going to be a full day of doing absolutely nothing.”
“Look, if you don’t want to be here, fine. You can go back to the camp. I can handle myself.” (Y/N) scoffed.
“I’m not leaving you here alone, Sokka.”
“Then I suggest you stop complaining.” (Y/N) rolled her eyes and reached into her bag. She pulled out two sandwiches and laid them beside her. “What are those?”
“Food,” She said, sliding a sandwich over to him. He took it suspiciously. “It’s not poisoned, you dummy. I got up early this morning and went to the market so I could make stake out snacks.”
“Oh, thanks. I guess.”
“You’re welcome.”
They sat in silence for what felt like a lifetime. (Y/N) watched the soldiers intently and had even made up backstories for some of them. The smaller soldier was named Lee, and he was a fiesty little fellow, but he was a new recruit. He had good ideas, but no one really wanted to listen to him because he lacked authority. (Y/N) sighed as she watched him talk to his commanders. Poor Lee.
“I recognize that one,” she said suddenly, pointing at one of the soldiers. “He and I went to training camp together one summer.”
“Oh, so that’s your friend. Great.” (Y/N) furrowed her brows.
“I never said he was my friend.”
“I just assumed, since you were both all ‘Go Fire Nation!’“ He sarcastically pumped a fist into his air.
“You make a lot of assumptions about me for someone who doesn’t know me.”
“I know exactly who you are. You’re a spoiled girl from the Fire Nation who wasn’t satisfied with her life and only wanted to join us to run away from your probably mean family. You don’t want to make change, you just wanted an out.”
“That’s not true at all, Sokka. I grew up poor. Dirt poor. And when I say that I mean it, because the floors of my house were literally dirt. No one asked me if I wanted to join the Fire Nation military, they told me I was going to. I was brought up my whole life surrounded by people who told me how great my nation was. If everyone’s telling you something and you have no reason to believe otherwise, you start to believe it. I know I’m not perfect, but I’m really tired of you thinking that you know who I am.” She pulled her knees into her chest and tucked her chin on top of them.
Sokka sighed. The sun was setting behind them. “It’s obvious I don’t like the Fire Nation. They’ve caused a lot of pain to me and Katara and to thousands of other people. So when you joined, I guess I just projected that anger onto you.”
“I understand. But I’m not the entire Fire Nation.”
“I know, it’s just hard to separate the two sometimes. I can literally see the Fire Nation inside of you. You’re decisive and strong and stubborn--”
“I’m just going to focus on the first two. You really think those things about me?”
“I mean, yeah. I’ve seen you talk your way out of fights but also kick some major butt. As much as I hate to say it, you’re pretty cool.” (Y/N) smiled and opened her mouth to respond, but her eyes widened as a giant fireball plummeted toward them.
“Look out!” She shouted, tackling Sokka out of the way. They both grunted in pain as they hit the ground.
“How did they even see us?” Sokka asked. He grabbed (Y/N) by the hand and led her up the hill. They abandoned all of their camping stuff (as it was currently on fire) and ran down the backside of the hill, away from the Fire Navy ships. (Y/N) spotted a cave and pulled Sokka inside. They both leaned against the cool rock, breathing heavily.
“Well, so much for the stake out,” (Y/N) said. Sokka laughed.
“We’ll have to wait here for the night. The ships are supposed to leave at dawn tomorrow, so we can travel back to camp then.” (Y/N) nodded. The sun had fully set behind them and the cool chill of night was setting in. She shivered. “I can get a fire going,” Sokka said, and began to collect the debris that was scattered around the cave. (Y/N) giggled.
“Sokka, I got it.” She kicked some leaves and sticks into a pile and kicked a flame on top of them. They sat across from each other with their backs against the cave walls.
“So, how’d you know you were a firebender?” He asked. (Y/N) shrugged.
“I think I started coughing fire one day. My family expected it though. My father had been a firebender.” She pursed her lips and stared at the ground. “He was sent to fight in the war. He didn’t end up coming home.”
“I’m so sorry,” Sokka said quietly. She shrugged.
“I feel torn about it, you know? Because he fought for hatred and injustice, but I also never got to find out if he supported the war or not. The Fire Nation doesn’t really care if you want to fight. They make you do it anyway.”
“I always wanted to fight, ever since I was little.” Sokka said. “But now while I’m living my dream, I see how nasty it actually is and understand why my dad didn’t want me to.”
“Well, you’re a pretty good fighter, so I’m sure he’s proud of you.” Sokka smiled.
“I’m sure your dad is proud of you, too.” (Y/N) grinned. “Listen, I’m sorry for being so mean to you. I guess I was projecting feelings on to you that I had towards the Fire Nation, and it wasn’t fair. But in my defense, everything you did just made me mad. Like the way you cooked soup, or how pretty your eyes were, or how nice your laugh sounded...” Sokka trailed off, a blush appearing on his cheeks. “I said that all out loud, didn’t I?”
(Y/N) nodded, trying her best to contain her smile. “Alright,” Sokka said. “You can just kill me now, I guess.” (Y/N) burst into laughter.
“It’s really okay, Sokka. I’m sorry for being mean to you as well. Everything you did made me mad, like how you constantly teased me, or how cute your ponytail looks, or how funny your jokes were...”
“You...you really think my jokes are funny?” (Y/N) nodded before sliding to sit at his side. “Can I try something?” (Y/N) nodded again. Their faces were just inches apart and she could tell the fire was dying by the dim glow it left on Sokka’s cheeks. He touched her own cheek with his hand, before pulling her close and slowly connecting their lips. (Y/N) felt her face grow hot, but she still let her eyes close and reveled in the feeling of his kiss. They stayed like that for a while, long after the fire went out.
When they returned to their friends the next morning, they walked hand in hand. Aang and Katara’s mouths dropped open and Toph stamped her feet on the ground. “There must be something wrong,” She said. “Are they...touching each other?”
“Hey, guys!” Sokka said, a bright smile on his face. “Aang, how’s the foot doing?”
“Uh, pretty good,” Aang said, pretending to lift his foot as if it were injured.
“What’s um...going on here?” Katara asked.
“Sokka and I had a pretty good stake out,” (Y/N) said. She let her hand slip from his. “I’m gonna get started on lunch.”
“Alrighty,” Sokka said before planting a kiss on her cheek. He sighed happily as he watched her walk away. “Aang, I really have to thank you for pretending to hurt your foot.”
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Fandom: Sk8 the Infinity
Characters: Kyan Reki, Shindo Ainosuke, Kikuchi Tadashi, Kyan Koyomi, Kyan Chihiro, Kyan Nanaka, Shindo Ainosuke’s aunts
Warnings: Minor character death (Kyan Masae), funeral, car accident, drunk driving, adoption, family drama (Adam’s aunts are involved, of course there is)
Word Count: 2k
Summary: When Reki’s mother dies in an accident, he and his sisters are adopted by the Shindo family in order to give them a reputation for supporting humanitarian/charitable causes. However, since Ainosuke’s aunts cannot stand the children, they are relegated to the servants’ quarters, where Tadashi is assigned to help take care of them when he’s not attending to Ainosuke. While he struggles to take care of his siblings, Reki finds himself growing closer to the quiet, enigmatic man who serves the popular politician.
Chapter 1: In which the Kyans bid farewell to their mother and start a new life with the Shindos.
[Written for TadaRekiWeek2021 | Day 1: Family]
Reki felt numb. It had already been a week, but he still couldn't believe that this was real. Koyomi clung to him, sobbing, while Nanaka and Chihiro wailed in the arms of two women he'd only just met. They handled the twins awkwardly, as if they'd never held children before, and their efforts to soothe them were largely fruitless.
"Mom! Mom!" Koyomi cried desperately, her tears soaking into the front of Reki's new suit. The tie was also too tight, but he couldn't find the strength to reach up and loosen it as he stared at the memorial photo of his mother. She was smiling at them, oblivious to their misery, and looking far more at peace than she did in the casket, her body mangled almost beyond recognition.
A drunk driver. A freak accident. They'd been orphaned by nothing less than sheer bad luck, and Reki had no idea what was going to happen to them now.
And he glanced sideways at a somber, older man whose head was bowed as they faced the altar. Shindo Ainosuke. He hadn't known anything about the man until he came into their lives, swooping in like some sort of hero to adopt the unfortunate children who were just as equally victims of the drunk driver. After they'd met a few days ago, though, Reiki had looked their savior up online, discovering that he was a member of the National Diet, elected to represent Okinawa. Even though Shindo was young, his political career seemed promising, having been active in writing and pushing through several bills on environmental issues. He was popular and handsome, and he seemed to be generally taken seriously even with a mostly female fan club that quickly caused tickets for any of his fundraising events to be sold out quickly.
Though Reki could understand why. He'd watched a couple interviews that had been uploaded online, and his new father--who wasn't even a decade older than him--seemed to be naturally charming as he demonstrated a breadth of knowledge and a sense of humor while explaining policies in a way that even he could understand. And more than that, Shindo's words could stir up his indignation or appease it. He was incredibly persuasive, but in a way that at least appeared to be entirely genuine.
What he couldn't understand, though, was why the man had decided to adopt all of them.
Shindo had been strangely tight-lipped on the matter, asking for the public to respect their privacy and grief, which was considerate of him, but the web was on fire with rumors. Of course, some of them were patently ridiculous, such as the one that had said the man had been having an affair with Reki’s mother, and others that claimed the twins were actually his children, even though they looked nothing alike and were clearly Reki and Koyomi’s siblings. But then there were others, the ones that said he was doing it for political clout, so that he could trot out the orphans and profit off their tragedy. Those ones seemed much more likely, even though the man had invested plenty of resources in keeping the media away: putting them up in a hotel when the paparazzi began to stake out their house, renting a private car service to drive them around, and and generally catering to their every need. In the appearances on TV that Reki had seen, Shindo always declined to discuss the siblings, deflecting the conversation to other topics and appearing appropriately somber.
But that wasn’t to say that he wasn’t deriving some sort of benefit from it. Even though Shindo didn’t discuss it, other programs did, some praising his generosity and humanitarian ideals while others took a more critical view of his decision to do so. So Reki didn’t know what to think. But he was sure that he’d figure it out eventually, since he was going to be living with the man.
When the funeral finally ended, Reki let Shindo lead them out to the car, a comforting hand laying on his shoulder. Koyomi’s cries had subsided to soft sobbing as she clung to her brother, and the man’s other hand rested on her head. He let them climb into the backseat first, with Koyomi half-falling over Reki, before taking a seat as well and accepting Nanaka and Chihiro from the women holding them. The twins had fallen asleep, exhausted from their wailing, and they stirred a little during the transfer, but the man gently rocked them until they were still again.
“Get the curtains, will you, Reki-kun?” he asked, his voice soft so as not to disturb any of the girls, and Reki nodded dully, reaching up to tug the curtain over his window while Shindo did the same on his side. And then Shindo leaned forward to speak to the driver.
“Bring us home, Tadashi.”
The other man nodded, and the car purred to life, pulling out of the temple and easing past the crowd of reporters outside until they reached the clear road. But Reki wasn’t looking at the passing scenery, just staring down at Koyomi sniffling in his lap as he patted her head mechanically. Home. It wouldn’t be the house that he’d grown up in for seventeen years, or the hotel that he’d lived in for the last few days. It would be somewhere new, somewhere he didn’t know, and he wasn’t sure how he was going to handle it.
Father. Dad. Papa. He glanced at the man sitting next to him with the twins settled on his lap. What did he call him? And as if he felt Reki’s glance, Shindo looked over at him, raising his eyebrows slightly.
“Can I do something for you?”
"Uh. No, it's fine," Reki mumbled, looking away again. He was sure that Shindo was still staring at him, but he didn't look back, staring at the dark curtain until the sound of the engine shutting off announced their arrival. But Shindo didn't move to open the door: instead, the driver--Tadashi--stepped out and opened it for his employer.
"Take one of the girls?" Shindo asked quietly, and Tadashi obeyed, bending over to gather Chihiro into his arms while Shindo got out with Nanaka. Reki had to wake up Koyomi so she could stumble out of the car ahead of him, and the two of them stared up at the enormous mansion that towered above them. This was where they were going to live from now on?
Another car pulled up beside them, disgorging another chauffeur who opened the door for three women. Two of them had been the ones who hadn't known how to handle the twins, and the third looked similar enough that they all had to be related: sisters, perhaps? Originally, Reki had thought they were other members of Shindo's staff, maybe part of his political entourage or something. But seeing them here, emitting a sense of confidence that bordered on arrogance, made his heart sink. There was something about them that he just didn't like, though he couldn't put his finger on it.
"Ainosuke. We've discussed this issue together, and we are in accord. You will keep the children in the servants' wing," one of the women declared. "They are simply too ill-mannered to be allowed in the main house as we had originally planned. We've never seen such awful behavior before in our lives. If they can learn to act like civilized people, then we can revisit this issue."
Reki's eyebrows snapped together at the insult to his family, and he took a step forward, only to be stopped by Shindo shifting his weight slightly to get in his way, a move that the man seemed to disguise by adjusting the girl in his arms.
"My dear aunts"--they were his aunts?--"please consider their circumstances. They are all still children, and they have all just lost the only parental figure that they know. If they are to become part of our family, then they must of course reside in the main house. We've already prepared rooms for them."
"Don't talk back to us, Ainosuke," the woman retorted. "We were against this from the beginning, but you insisted. We have already compromised this much for you, so you can do this for us. I'm sure that Kikuchi can find somewhere to get them settled. Handle it."
Then she turned on her heel, heading toward the entrance, and Shindo sighed, glancing over his shoulder at Reki with an apologetic expression.
"It's fine. I'd rather not live with her," Reki interjected before the man could say anything. "Just tell us where we're supposed to go."
Shindo seemed to hesitate, but then he nodded, glancing at Tadashi, who also nodded before starting to walk around the side of the house. There was an entrance there, and Tadashi shifted the girl in his arms to pull out a set of keys to unlock it and push the door open. Shindo let Reki and Koyomi follow the man inside before taking up the rear, and they walked in silence until Tadashi turned off the hallway into a room.
It was sparsely decorated, with a bed in the corner, a dresser with a mirror, and a wardrobe. Another door was slightly ajar, leading to what Reki assumed was a bathroom, and Tadashi carefully lay the girl in his arms onto the bare bed.
"This will be your bedroom, Reki-san. Please excuse our lack of preparedness; I will see to it that it is properly furnished and decorated by the end of the day. If there is anything else that you require, please inform me, and I will endeavor to fulfill your request, so long as it is reasonable. For larger requests, I may need to discuss it with Ainosuke first to receive his approval. Koyomi-san, you and your sisters will share the next room, and the same offer is extended to you. We have already hired additional staff to help take care of Nanaka-san and Chihiro-san so that the burden does not fall upon the two of you. Do you have any questions?"
Tadashi's formality, in addition to Shindo's aunt's statements, made Reki shake his head, feeling intimidated and out of place. But he caught Tadashi's glance at Shindo before Tadashi nodded slightly.
"Then I will go take care of that now. Please excuse me."
The man left, and Shindo stepped forward to lay Nanaka down next to Chihiro before crouching down to look at the other two.
"I'm sorry. This probably isn't the best first impression," the man apologized, grimacing slightly. "But I do want you to know that I really do want to be here for you. I'm too young to be a father to the two of you, so if you would like to treat me as an older brother, I'd like that. If you have any problems, if you need any help... just let me know, okay? Don't be shy, please. I am fairly busy with my work, but I'll always try to make time for you if you need it; for the times that I really can't, you can talk to Tadashi. Do you understand?"
"Yeah," Reki mumbled, a sentiment echoed by Koyomi, and Shindo smiled, a little sadly, as he reached out to place a hand on each of their shoulders.
"I truly am sorry for what you went through. I wish that this wasn't necessary. And I'm sure that you've already realized this, but... it's probably best if you stay away from my aunts."
Reki and Koyomi both nodded, and Shindo squeezed their shoulders reassuringly before he straightened up.
"Then I'll give you some time to settle in. If you need anything and you can't find me or Tadashi, just ask any of the other servants and they'll let us know."
Reki watched Shindo leave, passing by Tadashi as he came in with his arms full of linens. He still felt out of it, but he helped the man make the bed before they moved on to the girls' room to prepare that one as well.
#sk8#SK8 the Infinity#skate the infinity#fanfic#fan fic#sk8 reki#kyan reki#Reki Kyan#sk8 adam#shindo ainosuke#ainosuke shindo#sk8 snake#kikuchi tadashi#Tadashi Kikuchi#mine
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NAME. Lila Yıldırım
AGE & BIRTH DATE. 32 & November 5th, 1988
GENDER & PRONOUNS. Female & She/Her
SPECIES. Witch ( Water + Sensory Scrying )
OCCUPATION. Thief
FACE CLAIM. Melisa Aslı Pamuk
BIOGRAPHY
( tw: death, murder ) When someone wears so many masks, eventually, the face underneath gets lost as they all start to run together. That’s who Lila Yıldırım is, a coalescent of different acts she’s put on, different names and roles and personalities, none any more real than the one before. If there’s anything left of the person the water witch used to be, she doesn’t know anymore. But hardly any of that matters, deemed useless to help her now, so it’s been discarded away along with every other identity she’s held over the years. Now, there is only Lila. But that isn’t the way that her life started.
First, there came Gulizar Candan into the world. She was the second child of a family of witches, born on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, near the Sea of Marmara. Though her older brother took after their mother’s fire element, Gulizar was her father’s daughter, and never felt more at home than when close to the sea. Perhaps that is where her story went wrong, from the very beginning. The home she was born into was not a happy one, the product of an arranged marriage between two people that hardly knew each other. While her mother had been eager to attempt to make the match work, her father had been in love with another woman, and resented the life he found himself in. His detachment was quiet and cold, rare to show affection to anyone in their household, not even his children. And one day, when he simply disappeared and never returned, she might’ve seen it coming all along.
Gulizar had been seven at the time. It was a change she handled remarkably well, for being such a young child. But the person who did not was her mother. She had become bitter and resentful over the years, and with her husband no longer around to as the fixation of her unhappiness, it was to her daughter that fell her ire. She was too much like her father, both in appearance and nature, and whenever the Candan matriarch looked upon her child, she only saw the man that had refused to even attempt to love her. She was not cruel to the girl, except only in her negligence. While her son had always been her favorite, due to their mutual element, such favoritism only increased with her husband out of the way. It was because of that, she found herself blind to any of his flaws.
But Gulizar saw them. Her brother had always frightened her, there was a wicked streak inside of him that had been there as long as she could remember, but with their father gone, he only became emboldened. There were accidents around the house, injuries that the young girl would need to see the local coven’s healer to fix, explained away with excuse after excuse from her mother’s lips. She wouldn’t see her son as a budding monster, even as his antics became more and more dangerous, to the point of nearly burning their house down. Demir was the golden child who could do no wrong, while Gulizar was the scapegoat, always at fault.
Because of this, the young girl began to spend less and less time at home. When wandering the streets of Istanbul was safer than the roof she had been born under, she learnt how to get by on her own, with sticky fingers and big sad eyes to bat at the adults around her. Still, it never became a matter of true survival until years later, when Gulizar was sixteen. She’d spent a long night out in the city, only to return home in the early morning hours. But something was... wrong. The house was half destroyed to fire, the smell of blood and ash in the air. Inside, she found her mother’s charred corpse, her brother standing nearby with his soul stained with dark magic. He’d reached out to the god of death, and offered their mother as sacrifice for the ritual, emerging the other side as a genasi. But he had no intentions of stopping there.
He wanted to test his new powers, and Gulizar happened to be the perfect, unfortunate guinea pig on which Demir’s sights were set. Though she tried to flee, he moved faster, grabbing a hold of her in his arms as his body turned into fire. The flames cooked against her skin where it connected, her screams filling the air surrounding them. It was only her magic that saved Gulizar, calling forth water from the kitchen sink to her aid. Though it wasn’t enough to completely douse her brother, it gave her the opportunity to pull away, her feet carrying her in a sprint towards the sea that offered her protection. Fortunately, he did not follow.
With what was left of her home now gone, she knew there was nothing left for her in Istanbul. And so the water witch made a run for it, out of the city and country entirely, landing in the UK before her feet finally halted. It was terrifying, truly out on her own for the first time, but her childhood antics came back to serve the teenager in her time of need. Adopting a new name, a step away from the past she didn’t want to remember, she became Serra Adanır. What first started as lifting wallets off the street, stealing enough money to put shelter over her head where no one would ask questions, quickly became a way of life. While her actions were done for survival in the beginning, it became clear to the water witch that she had a talent for such things. Her dark eyes could conceal dozens of secrets, bat innocently and pull in near anyone with her charm. She became good at reading people, at estimating what they wanted to see of her, and adjusting herself accordingly.
She was nineteen years old when she committed her first larger theft, already moved onto a new country. She was Giorgia by then, an Italian woman who conned her way into a villa by playing the role of mistress to a wealthy gentleman. He saw her as a pretty, lost young woman, with big innocent eyes and the need to be protected — with the benefit of sex as well, of course. It was a role that the witch found easy to play, but she had her sights set further, with no intentions to spend the rest of her life under a man’s thumb. So the young woman collected every piece of jewelry he gave her, everything of value in the villa, and pawned it all, right down to car he had loaned her to drive. Disappearing into the night, she was off with her newfound money and onto the next life, taking a new name just as easily as the last. If the man were to ever go looking, all there was to be found was a dead end.
Her travels took her across Europe for a time, running similar thefts and cons against anyone who caught her attention for too long, before the appeal of North America offered new prospects to the Turkish native. At first glance, she was not so easily identifiable, allowing her to blend in among the masses of larger cities. Her accent was a deliberate thing she fought to lose, adapting to the world around her with precision, always playing the role she had cast herself in.
As she got older, her thefts became more and more elaborate, with higher stakes on the line. Her specialty had developed long before, back when she was still a teenager, and only lent to her natural skills as a thief. She could reach into the minds of others, sliding inside like the backseat of a car, allowing herself to experience things the things that they went through. Though she could not steer, that was far beyond her ability, she could still see whatever her host did, and used it to her advantage with little hesitation — whether it was to case a place, or to become more familiar with her target. It made for an already good thief to become great, and nearly unstoppable. For a woman who had felt so little power in her own life for so long, she took a sense of satisfaction in the knowledge that through her cleverness she could make fools of arrogant men and women who considered themselves wise, that she could take something valued so highly with slick fingers. If she would not be given what she felt she deserved, then she would take it by force — whether by stealth or by smile.
But eventually, the price of such actions began to take a toll. She had been wearing so many masks for so long, the water witch began to lose sight of the woman beneath them before she ever even realized it. Gulizar was long gone, replaced with so many different names over the years, she hardly remembers half of them anymore. But even more than that, it felt as if she had become something fake. Pieces of herself, even small actions, she forgot whether it was something she truly enjoyed, or had been something she picked up in order to carry the character she portrayed with conviction. Though she would never admit to spiraling, anyone paying close enough attention, who knew the young woman for long enough, could see that she was slipping.
Perhaps matters were only made worse, then, by the time she made it to LA. It was meant to be the same as any other, a young man with bright eyes and a charming smile happened to own a painting that a client wanted for their own personal collection. So she took the name Dorothy Vale, flashed a charming smile, and weaved her way into his life. But the more time she spent around him, the more muddled her own feelings became. Letting emotions conflict with her targets was a rule that she never broke, and yet his sincerity and kindness managed to slip it’s way beneath her armor. It was not love — not on her side, no, though he professed as much of his own feelings. But it was something. Something that ate away at her insides, even as she gained access to the painting that was her goal. She could’ve stopped there; could have cancelled the arrangement, give in to the temptation of a normal life with someone that promised to love her. For a moment, she could almost envision it. Instead, she made the steal and took off running for her life.
It was too close, too much, and the feeling terrified Lila. So she kept to what she knew, even as it continued to consumed her whole. In the end, she had become a creature of habit, and to change that would be to split herself in half and go digging around for anything left of the girl she used to be before. That would mean confronting the demons that she had left behind in Istanbul, so long ago. So she buried it instead, as deep and as far back in the depths of her mind as she could, and hoped on a flight to Greece. Lila Yıldırım was born there, returning to her roots when so close to her home country. The fake passport and papers were all secured with ease, the same as all her identities before. Nothing that would ever make anyone look twice, so long as she did not give them reason to. Not unless she wanted them to.
There’s a lot of magic to be found in Corinth Bay, which means inevitably the chance for money to be made as well. Artifacts of the magical variety always carried a heftier price than other relics, even if the danger is also amplified. But such an idea does not bother Lila. Someone is always willing to pay to get it, without having to get their hands dirty themselves, and she needs the opportunity to get her head screwed on straight; to lean into this identity that she’s created instead of allow the past to swallow her whole. As with anywhere she lands, Lila has no intentions of making this a permanent residence. But she intends to make the most of the city and what it offers while she’s here, before it’s time to run again, with a bag full of cash and the next job on the horizon.
PERSONALITY
+ charismatic, disciplined, perceptive
- conniving, apathetic, materialistic
PLAYED BY ABBY. CST. She/Her.
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I heard you wanted more Sabo fanfics, @akemichan007, so here you are (I’m sorry in advance).
This short story was inspired by the “whump” prompt in my card for the One Piece Bingo hosted by @op-pirate-fleet.
Dying Flame
Sabo woke up to the metallic taste of blood in his mouth.
He slowly opened his eyes but couldn’t see anything in the complete darkness. He tried to stand up despite his aching body, but he was chained to a wall and could only twitch his fingers or turn his head. As soon as he did the latter, though, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach and coughed more blood. An internal injury, probably.
I feel weak…ad cold.
Cold? Since when could he feel cold, now that he was fire itself? He had eaten his late brother’s Devil Fruit, the Mera Mera no Mi. He could turn into fire now; he had even mastered the fruit! His flames were so hot they turned blue-white, so why was he trembling?
Am I dying?
If he had an internal haemorrhage, probably he was. Sabo pulled on his chains with all his remaining strength, but he couldn’t get free of them.
Seastone?
That substance made Devil Fruit users like him lose their strength and feel a horrible sensation similar to drowning. Sabo felt nauseous, but he still tried to focus on his surroundings: he couldn’t see anything, but he still had his other senses.
And Observation Haki.
He could smell blood and some other unpleasant things. Probably, he was locked into some prison. Where, though? His best guess was Mary Geoise’s underground, but he couldn’t be sure of that yet. He felt dampness on his kin. Naked skin. Someone had removed his clothes and boots—his hat, even! He only wore his pants now, but their fabric was tattered and dirty. Next, he focused on sounds. The silence was almost absolute, only rarely broken by distant sobs and cries. Just once, he heard a high-pitched scream. He didn’t want to think what it was about, even if he probably knew the answer already. Finally, Sabo used his Haki. He could feel his “ambition” slipping away, but he was still able to detect the presences of a few other people in the dungeon—or whatever that place was. Some of them were just feeble presences—probably coming from injured or tortured prisoners—but others belonged to guards. He didn’t feel maleficence radiating from them, but just cold indifference—which was even worse. Anyway, he recognised those auras.
I’m still in Mary Geoise, and I’ve messed up.
The original plan was to declare war on the Celestial Dragons, but then he and his comrades had decided to save Kuma as well: a revolutionary like them whom the World Nobles had enslaved. It had been risky, but the rescue had been successful. However, another unexpected event had made things go downhill for them.
But I couldn’t let those bastards kill Luffy’s friend!
So, he had rushed to save Nefertari Vivi after leaving Kuma to Karasu and the others.
I hope you made it out of this damned place safely…
Mary Geoise reeked of arrogance, prejudices, and injustice. There, slaves died day after day both under the sunlight and in the depth of darkness, unseen by anyone.
And they have the nerve to call this place the “Holy Land”!
Sabo spat blood mixed with disgust. He needed to be out of there, but how? At least, he had managed to save Vivi. The princess of Alabasta should have left the Red Line at this point and should be searching for his brother using the vivre card he gave her. Her father hadn’t been that lucky, though: when Sabo had arrived on the scene, he was already dead. The late king had shielded his daughter, saving her from the CP0 members that had attacked them.
Sabo wasn’t fond of monarchy, to put it mildly. There were better forms of government, and monarchs were horrible people for the most part. However, the Alabasta rulers were different. Their ancestors had refused to leave their people behind, and instead of becoming Celestial Dragons like the other families that had created the current World Government, they had remained just regular nobles. Sabo grimaced, remembering some very different nobles—his family.
No, they have never been my family. The Revolutionary Army is.
The Nefertari, however, were admirable people. Now, Vivi was the last living member of their dynasty, and she would search Luffy for help.
What are you doing now, little brother?
Sabo tried not to think about him but to no avail. To make matters worse, his predicament was probably similar to what his other brother had gone through before dying.
Did it hurt so much for you too, Ace?
Luffy would be devastated to learn that his only remaining brother had been sentenced to death too, accused of a crime he had not committed. Sabo gritted his teeth, remorse and pain clutching at his chest. The weight of his failure and its consequences was suffocating, and his rapid breathing and heart rate made him feel dizzy. He couldn’t accept the idea, but he wouldn’t survive long enough even to step on the scaffold—one last chance to get his freedom back somehow. No, he would die in that dark cell, alone.
I’m sorry, Luffy. I’m sorry, Dragon, Koala…my friends!
Sabo had often asked himself what Ace had felt in his last moments, and now he probably knew. He wanted to scream all his frustration and pain but felt too weak even for that. He pulled at his chains again, desperately, only gaining more wounds around his wrists. He panted in that damp, lonely darkness until his breathing returned normal, trying to calm down. However, all he could think of was his failure, his comrades in the Revolutionary Army, his younger brother.
Forgive me, Luffy…everyone!
Since joining the revolutionaries and even before getting his memories back, Sabo had known that his life would have been probably short. As a pirate, Ace must have thought the same, too. They all chose their own path, and there was no point regretting it now. Sabo knew it, but it still hurt. It hurt that he hadn’t been able to taste full freedom in his life yet. It hurt that he hadn’t been able to party together with Luffy. It hurt that he had never completely opened his heart to his closest comrade.
Will you cry, Koala?
Heck! Probably Dragon, their stoic commander, would cry too upon learning about his death. Sabo owned him everything: a new life, a place to belong, a goal. He closed his hands in tight fists as he realised that, without him, the whole army was at risk. Dragon’s lifetime goal itself was at stake: Sabo knew he was the strongest among them, but he was getting old.
And I won’t be next to you in your final fight.
The awareness of that hit him hard, especially now that he knew the time of reckoning was near. The Celestial Dragons had gone too far by killing the king of Alabasta and attempting on his daughter’s life. They had grown too arrogant—even for their standards. They wanted to suppress any flame, any spark of rebellion, but that would make the freedom-seeking spirit always latent in people only grow stronger. Sabo’s only consolation was that, even if Dragon’s plan would fail, there was no way his younger brother at least wouldn’t change the world.
A world so rotten that any change would be for the better at this point.
Sabo coughed more blood as numbness was slowly replacing pain. That wasn’t a good sign.
How much do I have left? Days? Hours?
Sabo smiled bitterly. All of his life, he had searched for freedom and its meaning; yet, he would die in an underground prison.
Away from the sun, away from the people I love, away from the wind and the waves...
Even if it didn’t make any difference, he closed his eyes. No, it did make a difference. Now, instead of darkness, Sabo saw his memories. His precious childhood memories with his beloved brothers, when they were still young and untainted by the cruel world.
No, we were tainted even back then.
Sabo had met Ace not long after running away from his home, and Ace had been distant and cold at him at first—aggressive even. His first brother had suffered for the “sin” of being the late Pirate King's child, despised by most people even before they learned of his existence. Sabo, instead, had lived in a cage, unloved by his own parents and with his whole life already planned for him. And Luffy, despite his smiles and eyes always brimming with life, had had something dark buried in the depth of his heart, too.
Loneliness.
Sabo didn’t blame Dragon for cutting ties with his son, but Luffy had suffered because of it. Without a mother, without a father, and only a rude grandfather taking “care” of him sometimes. But then, the three of them had become brothers, and Luffy hadn't been alone anymore. Unrestrained, tears fell from Sabo’s eyes and flowed down his face, slightly warmer than his skin.
At least I’ll see you again soon, Ace.
Sabo reclined his head on his chest, feeling his life draining away.
Farewell…little brother.
After that last thought, the young revolutionary stopped fighting the torpor pervading him.
Later that day, the brightest of flames died in the underground of Mary Geoise: far from the forests full of adventures, far from the ocean overflowing with dreams, far from the freedom-whispering wind.
That same day, historians agreed, marked the start of the Revolution.
#opbingo2020#sabo#onepiece#one piece#opfanfic#opfanfiction#oprevolutionaries#revolutionary army#blood tw#torture tw#death tw#long post#majoraop#(As usual feel free to comment and also point out typos or any error you may find! Any feedback would be really appreciated!)#queued
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Why Byakuya Togami Is A Misunderstood Character
In the Danganronpa community the antagonists of each game remain fan favorites and Togami is no exception however the difference in how they are perceived is how much focus is put in their ideology. While people love Komaeda and Kokichi everyone focus on their ideology for example people will praise Komaeda for his belief in absolute hope regardless of the methods which is a interesting ideology but with Togami people tend to boil him down to being a run of the will arrogant rich kid which I think is a shame because there is depth beneath the surface that gets under explored. Togami is my favorite antagonist in the series and my second favorite character in the series behind Ibuki so in this essay I hope to spread light on why I think he’s a great character.
One reason I love Togami is because he is the only antagonist to get a proper character arc from the beginning of the game to the end of the game. Just because a character has an arc doesn’t make a character inherently better than characters without an arc but I think his was well handled. Some people think of it as an arrogant character learning some humility while still being arrogant but I think was more of a major change to his worldview than that but to understand his change of worldview we have to understand his worldview in the first place.
Togami as a person sees all people as inherently selfish and as much as they would like to think of themselves as selfless there just lying to themselves. As an example there’s this quote from chapter 2 "Did you already forget? This isn't a co-op game. It's every man for himself. What good does it do me to go out of my way to help you?”. Though the gaming comparison seems a bit out of character in retrospect it does offer insight to his ideology. I think it serves as an interesting extreme to the distrust one would feel in a setting like Danganronpa. Speaking of parallels I think he serves as a great foil to Makoto. Makoto is optimistic and trusting to a point of naivete whereas Togami’s relentless cynicism makes it so he doesn't trust anyone. There is also a contrast to Makoto’s humility and Togami’s arrogance. Putting aside Togami’s role as a foil, there is another important component to Togami’s personality: his desire to keep winning. This can be seen in this scene from chapter 2 "Shut up. I would never stoop to the level of a childish criminal like you. Let me just say this... After I have achieved complete victory...you're up next. I'm going to find you and kill you. Understand? In the name of the Togami family, for which victory is a foregone conclusion... I swear, whatever it takes...I will kill you!". What stands out here is the fact that he says that in the name of his family which means that due to him being a member of the Togami family he was raised to value victory so he wishes to win the killing game by any means necessary. Another interesting point is he does legitimately see
the killing game as a game with the expectations of the masterminds and arguably Kokichi .Kokichi fans will say he hated the killing game but he definitely seemed to be having fun during the first three trails and to a lesser degree chapter 4 but that’s a can of worms for another day. With Togami it’s far less ambiguous when he specifically states "But it *is* a game. It's a game of life or death, which can have only one winner. That's all there is to it.”
You may be asking okay I understand his ideology but why does he think this way? I’m glad you asked because if you played his free time events you get a clearer picture. I’m going to transcribe most of his fifth free time event because it gives us the most information on his backstory. ”It has to do with the secret to the Togami family's prosperity.
Our success comes from our family's rather...peculiar inheritance system. You see, our family head never takes a wife.
Rather, he couples with exceptional women the world over, in order to bear as many children as possible. They then make the children compete, and only one can come out on top.
And whoever it is...earns the right to become the next head of the family. For my battle, there were fifteen of us in total. When all was said and done, only one was still standing—the youngest brother. Me. In the entire history of the Togami family, the youngest male had never won. So, now do you understand? I won my title in open combat. *That* is how l became the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. I was not born into greatness. I had to earn it. I put my life on the line, and I *earned* the right to be called the chosen.”-Togami
“You put your life on the line...? Then...what about your siblings?”-Makoto
Dead. I don't mean that literally, of course. They become dead to the family, unfit for the name of Togami. Of course, for them it really is like death. They're forced to become one of the 99%.
That was a lot to take in so let’s break down what all of that actually means and how it affected Togami’s character. First the section where he had to compete with fifteen of his siblings to gain the inheritance. His cutthroat desire to win stems from the fact that he needed to compete with such high stakes from a young age. With the inheritance system he was made to have a survival of the fittest mentality which explains in behavior in game. He described those who didn’t get to inherit the Togami name as dead which shows the absolute value he puts into winning. The fact that he won this competition also is responsible for his superiority complex because he managed to overcome such adversity he sees himself as better than the 99% of people that live normal lives. Once you put it into perspective Togami was a product of his environment which really humanizes him but I don’t blame people for missing optional content.
Now let’s move on to the turning point for his character chapter four. In the book Creating Character Arcs By K.M Weiland she explains that to create a positive change arc there is a misconception about the world or themselves that they believe and external forces change that idea so they must accept reality. In this case the lie Togami believes is that all people are inherently selfish and the reason he stopped believing that is because of the selfless actions of Sakura and Hina. Sakura’s sucide was because she wished to stop the in-fighting caused by her being revealed by the traitor along with the fact she wanted to save her dojo. Togami despite being intelligent couldn’t figure out that it was a sucide because of the way he views people. In a similar fashion he also couldn’t figure out that Hina wasn't the true killer because he couldn’t see why anyone would be willing to sacrifice their own life for the sake of a friend. These truly selfless acts made him change his worldview which can most clearly be seen with the quote “"This is a life-or-death elimination match. The only way to survive...is to win. There can be no doubt that those are the rules of the game. Which is why...I am bowing out of the game. Sakura and Hina were both willing to sacrifice their own lives to deny the reality of the game. Thanks to them, it would appear the others have cast aside their fear for this game. There's no point in participating in a game which has lost that sense of excitement. Which is why I will no longer be participating in it. Now I have only one thing to look forward to. And that is to heap the harshest possible punishment onto the one who thinks they can control me!” Although the way he phrased it was backhanded, this showed genuine faith in people and will no longer participate in the killing game which is major development for him. It also helps prove while does get him into trouble sometimes like that time he got framed by Sayaka that Makoto’s belief in people is not misplaced.
In conclusion despite him often being dismissed as another arrogant antagonist Byakuya Togami is an interesting character with an interesting way of thinking that helps him serve as a foil to the protagonist ,an often overlooked backstory that humanizes him and give proper explanation for his actions along with a great character that the other Danganronpa antagonist lacked that he stands out as a stellar character in a game series with an already excellent cast. I hope this essay gave you a new found appreciation for the character.
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i actually am planning to write a superhero au... i already have the character and their backstories but i have a problem, superheroes having a goal to save the world from an apocalypse is kinda cliche for me already,, uhm do u have some any other prompts to suggest, thank u in advance for answering the question!
Superhero (AU) Prompts
“saving the world from an apocalypse” is a big goal, and superheroes don’t always have to have massive goals with worldwide implications. sometimes something like “saving their hometown from a supervillain” or even just “saving a person/small group of people from a situation” can be equally high-stakes, and give you more room to find a unique story to tell.
Here are a few ideas:
→ superhero is in their civilian identity when they are involved in a big-scale robbery/shooting/hostage situation etc; some extras you can add to up the stakes are
super’s SO/best friend/family member etc. are with them. this other person doesn’t know super’s true identity
the general public’s sentiment about the super is mixed. perhaps exposing themselves could pose a risk to their safety
they know the person/one of the people perpetrating the crime in their civilian life – do they reveal themselves? or do they try to help in the guise of an ordinary person? (The closer they are to the perpetrator the more angst potential there is btw)
→ a (super)natural disaster hits. Type of disaster can depend on the established rules for your world: does magic exist? monsters? Or is this some nefarious plot courtesy of the supervillain? OR this is a natural disaster of unnatural proportions (with possible SciFi elements) a la 2012 (2009), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), San Andreas (2015) or Geostorm (2017).
superhero is on a day out in their civilian identity when a disaster strikes. they must keep their family/loved ones safe while trying to save as many people as they can
supervillain has created chaos across the country a) with some sort of machine, b) released mutant creatures, c) engineered a terrible disaster, or d) some other similar event. superhero (and their team?) are stretched thin trying to help with relief efforts and stop the villain.
superhero is cut off from all outside help, forcing them to work with what they have at their disposal, but inevitably feels as if despite their powers they are now powerless
→ Superhero has failed; they must now pick up the pieces. Heroes failing is my favourite trope so I am extremely biased here, but there is something so *chef’s kiss* juicy about someone with a lot of power (and usually fame) being faced with the consequences of their own fuck-up. (Your mileage may vary on whether the failure is actually the hero’s fault though).
mind control-related shenanigans lead to the hero bringing destruction to the world/their home/their loved one(s). Play with the scale to get maximum oomph out of this: did they hurt or kill a loved one? bring about a massive-scale disaster? utterly decimate their own hometown that they have fought so long to protect? And the biggest question of all – does anyone know that the hero wasn’t in control of their own actions?
superhero fails due to their own arrogance & hubris. They were powerful! Everyone loved them! They had a statue in their honour! they believed blindly in their own abilities and consequentially got a lot of people hurt. now has to go through some of that tasty personal growth.
due to circumstances outside of their control or an insurmountable enemy, the superhero fails to stop the apocalypse. they now lead a band of survivors in a quest to rebuild and find some semblance of safety in the changed world (the world that they failed to save).
Superhero walks away from a battle with a powerful supervillain, victorious, only to find out that someone they cared about was hurt in the carnage caused by the fight
→ Superhero is forced out of their comfort zone while a high-stakes threat hangs over them. YMMV on what that comfort zone is – loss of powers; an enemy who cannot be defeated by violence; a situation that requires brute force rather than subtle tactics OR a situation that requires subtle tactics over brute force. The key is the adrenaline, fear and uncertainty that can make even the most seasoned superhero lose their head.
superhero has discovered that a new villain has a terrible plan. unfortunately, this villain is content to play a long game instead of fighting on open ground like the hero is used to. Cue the espionage, heist, undercover work or infiltration that puts the superhero into a position they are wildly unequipped to handle
the supervillain has disabled the superhero’s powers and issued a public threat: unless the hero defeats the villain, something terrible will happen; failure to show up will ruin the superhero’s reputation, cause the public to turn against them, and get a lot of people hurt
superhero and their team/friends get stranded somewhere (i.e., plane crash in the middle of a forest, shipwrecked on a hostile island, captured and dropped in a desert etc.) and must try to survive. having powers is all very well, but what on earth is the hero supposed to do without a clear enemy to fight? OR due to an injury, hero must face this situation without their powers. bonus if they’re usually the leader.
superhero has finally figured out the identity of the greatest supervillain they have ever faced. there’s just one problem: they have no evidence, and this villain daylights as a massively popular philanthropist who is much beloved by the public. how to take the villain down without a) looking like a villain themself, and b) undoing all the good work that the villain does?
Thank you for this ask! I had a lot of fun with it ❤
I also recommend that you take a look at @gingerly-writing ‘s blog for a glut of excellent hero- and villain-themed content & prompts.
[If you found this helpful and want to support what I do here, you can LEAVE A TIP (Ko-Fi), or check out MY PATREON for more of my content.]
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