Rotates young garp in head

A really rough sketch for the Worm/One Piece au I've been Ponderin' for a while now. Some random ideas for the main crew under the cut:

Let's start by making things clear: this is not for any kind of fanfic or anything of the sort. I have been known to write those when I was 14 and very into RWBY, but I still struggle to write anything too complex in english and I have since given up on the hobby anyway. I just like rotating Worm characters in my head and combining them with any other brainrot I am going through at any point of my life, y'know.

As for how the au actually works, I simply deleted all the characters from the One Piece universe from existance and then tried to apply every Worm character to the preexisting societal structures and dynamics of the Three Great Powers, whilst staying as close to the currently established canon and with making up as few new Devil Fruits as possible (currently on just 1, but I haven't gone through many side characters).

Now, as evidenced by the use of Haki and presence of Imp, this fanart portrays the crew at quite a later stage of their journey - I imagine the Underside Pirates (it is a butt joke, to be clear) started off somewhere in South Blue openly working for the mysterious Captain Coil, a man trying to make a name for himself before moving to the Grand Line. What the Underside Pirates didn't actually know is that they were slowly being set up for betrayal from the very start - Captain Coil is Thomas Calvert, a retired Marine, who works under a pseudonym solely so that he can build up the persona of Captain Coil as a threat to the World Government, fake arresting himself and gain the title of a Shichibukai (and with it, the entrance to the Holy Land Mary Geoise).

For the actual crew, let's go through them one by one:

Taylor D Hebert - newest recruit of the crew, starts off as quartermaster, before being promoted to the first mate and eventually captain further down the line. The user of Jou-Jou no Mi (shamefully, the only original Fruit I made up for this au so far - it possesses about the same capabilities as Taylor's powers do in canon). Not a lot to say here - take her Worm backstory, substitute being into heroes for being inspired to join the Marines and bosh, done. After the discovery of Haki I imagine she would start gathering bugs into shapes of objects and covering the entire swarm in armament Haki for some improvised weapons (she's doing that very thing and forming a katana in the art, coincidentally). Her attack name are references to english literature (I am polish so I cannot think of an example). Possibly gay for Rachel but, since Oda writes both romance and queer people weird, it's this very anime kind of crush where she acts normal 90% of the time, but then turns into a blushing mumbling idiot when Rachel is too close. Kind of like Kuroko from Railgun but with 100% less sexual assault, y'know.

Rachel Lindt - a dogfish fishman raised outside of Fishman Island, Rachel had a pretty tough life travelling the seas alone, always narrowly avoiding whichever slave hunting crew that confused her for a mermaid at any given moment. She has no fruit powers and minimal Fishman Karate skills due to never having a proper teacher. In combat she always relied mostly on various marine life companions she gathered throughout the years of travelling the sea - in many ways, her only family. Works as the crew's helmsman. Her attack names are hilariously simple and straightforward, often said after she delivers them, rather than during action (eg. she'll just calmly punch her opponent into the ground as they are mid screaming their attack name, dust herself off and calmly say 'Right Punch' before walking off). Mostly inspired by the fact, that it always annoyed me horribly how few female fishmen there were in the series. Completely unaware Taylor has a crush on her.

Alec Vasil - son of a Yonko and an ex-Celestial Dragon, Alec was one of the many children Nikos Vasil has produced with his various mistresses. There isn't much information about the Heartbreaker in Worm proper, but I imagine him as a Doflamingo kind of figure in this au - his connections and information about the Holy Land stops the Marines from ever attacking him directly and the powers of Ito Ito no Mi, whilst limited, let him marionette people around however he wishes to fulfill his various schemes. Alec himself is no Fruit user but, due to his mother being a Mink, can use Electro. Thanks to years of experimentation with the fighting style, he developed a technique which allows him a limited control over the electricity in his enemies' muscles, purposefully mimiquing the powers of his father - both to get his father's attention and to mock his abilities ('I can do everything you can and more without being a Celestial Dragon or a Fruit user' type deal). No one really knows what his job on the ship is supposed to be and, when asked, he just usually makes up whatever lie let's him laze off some more at any given moment (usually, 'Oh, yeah, I'm on permament Lookout duty, actually'). At first I thought his attack names should be in french, but nah, this dude is just screaming the most atrocious pun attack names known to mankind probably. Responsible for making up the crew's name.

Lisa Wilbourn - the crew's de facto unofficial captain in the early days, she also doubles as a navigator. A noble of a small kingdom in South Blue, her story plays out very similarly to the canon Lisa. At some point of it all she accidently gets her hands on Giro Giro no Mi and, when her family wants to exploit her mind reading abilities for business when she's still in mourning over her brother, she escapes her home island and gets scouted by Coil. I think that a lot of the time snipers are done real dirty in One Piece, so Lisa mainly uses long range weaponry (and later Observation Haki) during combat - she simply never puts any time into mastering Armament. Honestly not much to say here, I think she was one of the most obvious Devil Fruit fits in the entire crew. Out of every person in this drawing, I am the most disatissfied with her design and thus will probably do something about it shortly.

Brian Laborn - fills the role of a first mate, cook, quartermaster, doctor, canon master, shipwright and sometimes also a ship, if need be. My friend and I discussed whether to give him a Fruit power, as the only one that fits him - that being Yami Yami no Mi, which not only visually mimics Brian's power, but also makes the user literally suffer more in combat - is way too powerful for a small ass crew. So eventually I settled for just amking him the crew's boringman Haki user and martial artist. I mean, someone does need to fish out all these dumbasses from the ocean and Rachel isn't always around, I guess. A not zero chance he steals Yami Yami no Mi from Jack's crew later on or something of the like. He may use fullbody Armament at some point, purely because I think it gets REAL bad rep in One Piece and he would make it work, I bet. His attack names are all references to real life boxing history.

Aisha Laborn - there was much debate in my head whether Aisha should be the user of Memo Memo no Mi or Suke Suke no Mi - the latter eventually won out, because I believe Aisha going unnoticed by both foes and allies is more important than actually referencing the memory aspect of her powers. She got her hands on the Devil Fruit due to one of his mother's boyfriends, who was a pirate and robbed it off of someone on sea. Aisha ate the Fruit, angering her mother's boyfriend and, after being severly beaten up, managed to activate the Fruit's abilities to become invisible and call for Brian. The following sequence plays out similarly as in canon. Aisha would be on the ship from the very beginning, but Brian usually leaves her in some town when the Underside Pirates go on any kind of mission and it's not until later that she actually joins them as crew (or rather she sneaks onto their ship claiming to be their second permanent Lookout so many times that it just became easier letting her stay).

Ship - considering the crew's size, most likely a caravel. I'm firting with it being named Atlas, but are not sold on it. Jokingly referred to is as Shrugging Atlas in my head once. I think Atlas should be their second ship, something they gain after Taylor becomes a more prominent member of the crew, and they should start off with something else. No clue what tho.

Hello!! Congratulations on 300!! Love your writing could I request Ace and #47? Hope you a nice day!!

Hiya! Thank you!!! Some freckly boi goodness for the final scenario of this event! Thank you for participating (and please check your PM for your giveaway prize) I hope you like this scenario!! Enjoy! 

4th time is the charm - Ace x Reader 

Cliche with bae prompt #47: “I have loved you for years” Character: Ace - Word count: 2k 

The first time you were children. A marine ship had come into town, and curiosity had taken over: the vice-admiral leading the ship had brought with him two young boys, his grandsons, who seemed less than impressed with the trip their grandfather took them on. You loudly heard them declare something about pirates and trying to sneak away from their grandpa. And you, a child on the island often running away and hiding, knew just the places to get the boys to! Only the eldest saw your motions and ditched his younger brother without a trace of doubt. 

You learned his name was Ace, the younger brother’s name was Luffy. Ace cared about Luffy, but like many brothers, he didn’t always show. “Besides, he’s got grandpa looking after him.” The two of you (and sometimes the three of you) always ended up playing together on the island for hours on end, oftentimes either their grandpa or your parents looking for you around dinnertime. When they eventually left the island, you hugged him tightly, telling him to visit again if his grandpa would come to the island again. You even cried a little after the ship disappeared from the horizon. 

The second time was when Ace had just become a pirate. You were both just teenagers, just starting to figure out what you wanted in life, but he was already so strong, so determined. He was traveling island to island, trying to recruit people for his crew. When you recognized him, you spent multiple days catching up. But at the end of his visit, he wouldn’t take you along on his travels. “You’re too weak y/n, I wouldn’t want you getting hurt because of the pirate life”. 

You were incredibly hurt, more than you thought you’d be. You asked him if he’d by come again if he would take you along when you were stronger. “You’ll have to prove your strength y/n”, he said, “but if you are strong enough, I’ll take you along.” That was enough to set your heart ablaze, and you wished that the hug goodbye would never end. It did, unfortunately, but you did not cry as he left the island this time. You were determined to get stronger.

And thus you trained every single day, no matter how sore you were from the day before. And you did get stronger. Became skilled with many weapons, started learning Haki. You were contemplating leaving the island to go look for a devil fruit. But you couldn’t really leave now, not when Ace might come by again and take you along on his travels.

Years went by and you kept an eye on the newspapers and saw how he became more and more notorious. He and his Spade pirates were making a name for themselves. He’d eaten a devil fruit and had even refused a position as a shichibukai, and even though it made your heart swell with pride and even maybe even a little love, it also made you worried. You were strong, but not that strong, and it had been years now. Maybe he’d never return at all. 

The third time you met was after he’d already joined the Whitebeard pirates and you had started traveling on your own. Tired of waiting for him, and half-convinced he was not going to show up anymore, you were now going from island to island, combining low-level bounty hunting with each and every little job you could find in order to keep in shape and earn money to support your travels and upgrade your weapons. You were not sure what your long-term goals were exactly, maybe you wanted to join a pirate crew eventually, but for now, you settled for exploring the world. You had seen amazing things already and you were sure there were plenty of adventures still to come.

When you heard a ruckus outside, you were pretty sure another pirate crew was on its way to the bar where you were working at the moment. It was one of the biggest in town, and you had seen your fair share of pirates. You just hoped they weren’t the angry types of drunks. Not that you couldn’t handle them, they were just a way bigger pain to deal with. 

When the door opened, you looked up smiling, ready to greet the new guests, but fell immediately speechless when the first thing you saw was the freckled face of the man you had been waiting for at home. He was just as surprised to see you as you were to see him, and long, firm hugs were exchanged, with plenty of unnecessary comments from his crew. You provided him and his friends with drinks and spent the entire night almost neglecting other customers in order to catch up with Ace. 

He apologized for not coming to get you and explained how he had found this crew, or family, as he’d like to call them. He told you of his adventures so far, and you told him about yours. Yours weren’t nearly as impressive as his were, but he still listened to you intently, asking questions and praising your strength and skilled that you had honed over the years. You didn’t dare tell him it was all for him, in hopes he’d take you along after that. You didn’t get to explain too much, somewhere halfway through one of your stories his head suddenly drooped and he fell asleep right then and there. The crew laughed and explained to you that it was quite a common occurrence and to just wait it out. 

By the time he woke up, it was nearing the morning, everyone leaving so you could close the bar for the night. Ace apologized profusely, and you told him he could make it up to you by meeting you again the next day. His ears were turning red and he looked positively embarrassed, but he did say yes, avoiding any and all eye contact before he waved you goodbye and followed the rest of the crew back to the ship. 

The next day he met you at the back of the bar, and you took him to one of the more quiet places on the island, enjoying the view together. There were no awkward silences, conversation flowed so easily and it had been as if you were talking for years on end, not these random faithful encounters that made your heart flutter every single time. You were wondering if you should tell him how you feel, but now that you were on your own adventure, it would not be as easy to keep up a relationship as it would have been all those years ago. Besides, he had his own family now, no use in trying to work your way into his world, which was always so different from yours.

You were sitting together for a while when he suddenly stopped talking, his head falling onto your shoulder, and because you weren’t prepared and flinched when it happened, slipped onto your lap. He was fast asleep again, in a position that didn't really seem comfortable. You tried to gently shake him awake but to no avail. You tried to move his body as much as you could to make him at least a little bit more comfortable and made sure his neck wasn’t bent in a funny way that could potentially hurt him when he woke up. Not wanting to move now that he seemed relaxed, and softly snoring, you settled for raking your hands through his hair. Although he was sleeping soundly, Ace seemed to lean into your touch a little. 

When you grew tired of curling his locks around your fingers -you didn’t want to mess his hair up too badly-, you settled for counting his freckles, softly tracing those on his shoulders. You felt him shift a little and pulled your hand back when you looked down and saw his eyes were open, something in between a gentle smile and a full-on grin on his face, mixed in with some embarrassment, out of all times to fall asleep, this wasn’t the best possible moment.  

A few moments of slightly uncomfortable silence and some insanely intense eye contact later, Ace sat up straight again and was on his feet. You followed suit, walking back, it had become quite late and he didn’t want to worry his crewmates. You understood but felt the pang in your heart as he said goodbye. You pulled him in for a hug, which he returned. When you let go, he still held onto your arms, as if he wanted to say something more, the words ready to roll off his tongue. And yet he seemed to swallow them. You couldn’t get yourself to spill your feelings either, so heartfelt goodbyes were all that was exchanged that night. 

You regretted not saying or doing anything from that moment on. The next morning the big ship was nowhere to be seen, and you had no idea when you’d ever see him again. With both of you actively traveling, the possibility of you running into each other again was insanely small. But you moved on nonetheless. 

The fourth and final time was when Ace was solo traveling as well, and you did not recognize him as you were sprinting to get the final spot in an overcrowded bar. You jumped onto the barstool only to bump right into a muscular chest who’d been just a little faster to claim that final spot for some drinks and dinner. You cursed loudly and were surprised when you heard someone call out your name. Ace. 

He quickly offered you the spot, and another evening of catching up ensued, and he told you all about how he was going after someone from his division that had killed another of his family. You listened intently as you saw the pain and guilt on his face when he blamed himself for not being able to catch this man. Your heart made all sorts of jumps when he placed his hand on yours and told you not to worry. You made up your mind right then and there. 

“I want to come along with you” “y/n… I don’t think..” “I won’t get in your way, I won’t fight if you tell me not to, and even if you say no, I’ll just be happening to travel in the same direction as you are.” You shrugged and he couldn’t help but laugh at that statement. “Don’t you have your own adventures to live?” “Oh Ace, I initially traveled to seek you out.” His smile faded as he looked at you confused. “I have been in love with you for years now. Please take me along, I cannot take another goodbye.” His mouth opened and closed a few times to say something, his brain obviously not catching up with what you had just said, and you made the bold move of leaning forward and softly pressing your lips to his in order to put some action behind your words. You were careful though, so he could still reject them in case you had completely misread the situation. 

You had not: once he got over the initial shock of the situation, he wrapped one arm around your waist, the other sneaking to the back of your head so he could deepen the kiss. You only pulled back when the bartender made a clicking noise, not the best place to share an intense kiss while other people were just trying to enjoy their meal. You both were blushing as you looked in each other’s eyes. 

“I thought I’d never get you to travel along with me. I love you y/n. Always have, for all these y-” His head slumped forward and you managed to catch it right in time before it landed in his plate. You giggled. Maybe it would be a good idea that someone came along on his travels.

Looks fun. Thanks for the tag @alegnasix!

Rules:- post the file names of all the files in your wip folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous the name;- send me an ask with the title that intrigues you the most and I’ll post a little snippet or tell you something about it;- tag as many people as you have wips

Oh boy... I have a lot of WIP concepts it's almost embarrassing. I just immediately write down any thoughts or it wouldn't leave me alone otherwise... Some have working titles, some are random words, some are already pretty descriptive so yeah... Believe me I've already trimmed this down. It isn't really as bad as it looks because usually the ideas do end up merging anyway. Still feel free to ask about more than one at a time. :D

Here they are:

Crossword Confessions

A Devil For a God

Bellamy Law

Corazon

Cruelty

Dark Law

Death is a Kindness

Law's consciousness goes back in time

Permit to Haunt

Single Dad Doffy

Coin Collecting - or that time the Hearts tried to steal...

Little Law wakes up from a dream...

Flevance Hires Germa

That one time Sora-san came to visit Flevance

Germa Law

A Subordinate's Blunder

Camouflage - The Captain and His Disguises

Captain's Notes

Davy Back

The Captain and His Dreams

Flightless

Heart Pirates and Interrogations - Take No Prisoners

Heart Pirates Article

Fic about that one Heart Pirate with the twin braids

Hearts But Things Are Not Fine

Hearty Joke Sequel - Outsider POV

Hunting Methods

Jolly

Law Is A Substitute Kindergarten Teacher

Loyalty

Medical Equipment

Notoriety

Ship Vision

Stability Training

Sturgeon of Death

The Whimsical Captain Trafalgar Law

Uni Bepo Sweater

What's in a Name

Drunk North Blue Boys Tend to Get Pedantic

Kaido Adopts The Rooftop Pirates and Yamato Is Done

Kingmaker

Law and Bible Stuff

Never Have I Ever - But Messed Up

Organ Donors and Law

Reverse Hanahaki Disease

Trauma Team AU

Undercover Nobles

When The Hunted Prey

Homing - Otohime

The Struggles of Responsible Sons

Embers

Hot 100

Punk Hazard Dance

Wings

Marine Pet AU

Shichibukai Application Forms

Doctor Doctor

Gargoyle AU

Gargoyle Rivals AU

Monsters Inc Follow Up

Waking Nightmare

Courting

Lullaby

Supernova Recruitment

Laundromat

In Which A Certain Captain is Bewitched

Moon Flower

Yeah... I'm not tagging that many people so anyone interested feel free to just do it.

ooc: Alternate Verses/AUs for some of the Muses:

Fire Emblem Three Houses Diana: Diana’s mother is a noble knight of Faerghus, retired now after having a child, her father a Monk who used to be an adventurer. Diana would hear stories from both about serving the kingdom and seeing the world. Though adventuring around the world seemed fun, she decided to strive towards a path of being like her mother. At first she trained under her when young, then when old enough was accepted into the Academy under the Blue Lions house.

Knowing Dimitri is the heir to the throne, Diana tends to sway to training her hardest to impress him since she is aiming to be a knight of his someday once she graduates. Her hardworking and studious nature has some students frowning upon her, thinking her an overachiever, while others admire her.

Tsareena Gijinka Iyumi: (A Pokemon Gijinka version of Iyumi where she is a Tsareena. Prissy and can seem stuck up but is actually willing to help others. If you’re charming and caring, her personality flips and she becomes a lot more friendly and adoring.)

Genshin Impact Iyumi: Iyumi is a Electro Fatui mage on the prowl for someone cute she can call hers. To most she acts vicious and snobby, ready to electrocute them should they get on her nerves. But should she find the someone she wants, she becomes more adoring and flirty, chasing after them until she can have them. Which can turn into an aggressive chase should the other not want her.

Iyumi is a talented Fatui mage from Snezhnaya, obeying the Tsaritsa though sometimes goes off on her own in search of someone to play with and be her lover should they catch her interest. However her aggressive behavior and the fact that she is a Fatui has scared multiple people off, making her a bit hot tempered and grumpy towards others.

Pokemon Sword/Shield Diana: Diana is a trainer from the Galar region, aiming to become champion and quite strong already. Because of her knight themed team, she’s been called Lady Paladin by random trainers. Her team consists of Aegislash, Sirfetch’d, Escavalier, Bisharp, Gallade, and Ninetails.

She is friendly but serious in battle and can seem stuck up. But she loves her Pokemon and is loyal to them and her friends, willing to throw herself in a fight to protect someone.

One Piece Xia: Xia started off on an island of rich folk and snobs. She was given everything she could have asked for except one thing. Freedom. Her parents were terrified of the outside world, even of some of their own neighbors thinking they would try something drastic to get their fortune. She was kept inside for the most part, couldn’t make friends, could barely even set foot outside. It drove her crazy. She could take care of herself! Nothing would harm her. She tried every way she could to break free of the cage she was in. And then, she finally saw her chance when a pirate crew came to her shores.

The crew fell for her charms and looks and made her captain, blinded by their lust for her. Though she had never been a pirate or captain, she led them on one mission, to simply go place to place and have the fun she could never have when she was held like a captive bird back home. Knowing how easily her small crew succumbed to her wishes made her decide to branch out and use it more against others. Obtained the Inu Inu no Mii: Fox Model fruit on her travels.

One Piece Kyana: Kyatana or Kyana as she prefers to be called lived in a humble town. Days were peaceful, all thanks to the Marines. Or so she was told by her parents. She listened to stories of famous Marines and saw them as heroes, desiring strongly to be one. She read as many books about them as she could, trained herself to at least wield a sword, and anxiously waited for herself to be old enough to join. Then the time came and she was recruited as a bright eyed rookie with dreams of becoming legendary and famous.

Demon Iyumi: A demon AU for Iyumi where she is a demon princess wanting to find her king and become a queen! Though her stuck up, snobbish attitude tends to scare away others. However, if she has interest in you, her personality switches and she’ll be nice and adoring towards you, possibly even flirty. Though watch out, when she sets her eyes on someone she wants, she’ll do anything to get them. Also has a Disgaea verse where she is a wannabe Overlord!

Goddess of Darkness Iyumi and Goddess of Light Miyuki: Twin goddesses with not only polar powers but polar personalities. Iyumi is a snob and a bit of a brat, seeing herself as above all others (especially mortals) though secretly wants to find someone to love (and dominate over) and has a secret soft side as well. Miyuki is sweet and kind and has a very sympathetic heart, willing to help any mortals she comes across that are in trouble. Though she is also quite gullible and naive. The two bicker at times but try to work with each other.

Angel Miyuki: Miyuki or Miyu is a young angel of heaven. She watches over humans with great curiosity but also a sense of duty to protect them. She is quite interested in the mortal world and wishes to visit it one day. Though she is no warrior, she wishes to use her healing abilities to help anyone in need. Miyu cares a lot for all living things and sympathizes easily with others’ struggles, even demons and fallen angels. The innocent angel only wishes to help whoever in need in whatever way she can. Face claim: Nasse from Platinum End

Fairy Miyuki/Miyu: Miyu is a friendly fairy that lives in the forest. Since people who come there sometimes get lost, if she finds anyone with such a case, she tries to help them in any way she can to find their way out and be happy. She feels sorry for them and also as someone who was born in the forest, finds it her duty to help those who don’t know the area well. Miyu is however naive and desires to help everyone even if they might have hidden intentions, and is rather innocent in nature. She could never hurt anyone even if they were to try and hurt her.

Fate Series Emilia: Emilia is from a family that has some mages, but none of them have participated in the Holy Grail Wars. When she was born, they decided she would be the first to participate once she was sixteen. It sent her family into a feud, some saying that she was much too young to join the Holy Wars, others saying she would be old enough to handle it.

Her family is counting on her to summon a strong Servant like Saber and carry their wish on her shoulders, a wish to make their family famous with a name that will go down in history. But Emilia decided on another wish. Realizing how deadly the Holy War was, she decided on the wish to never have it happen again so no one else would be forced to participate like herself.

Final Fantasy 15 Diana: Diana grew up wanting to become a knight like her mother, her father a black mage she met on her travels. She was granted her wish when she showed great prowess in sword fighting and magic and was determined to do anything to protect her country. When trouble was heard brewing from the kingdom of Insomnia, Diana decided to start her journey as a knight early despite not being officially recognized as one and is traveling with her family friend turned her guardian, a moogle named Vico. Now she helps whoever is suffering under the empire and hopes to meet the prince one day to help him as well.

Club Singer/Information Broker Xia: Set in a time of gangsters like Al Capone, Xia is a infamous club singer, beautiful and willing to sell information she gathers from the patrons there for good amounts of money. She may be willing to pull other favors as well if there is something interesting for her to gain.

Villain Kyana: Kyana is a villain, her parents both villains but are rather comical about it. She is as well, coming up with catch phrases, monologues, and nicknames for the heroes who go against her. She never murders or kidnaps anyone, rather steals jewels or other cliche villain things.

249. Sonic the Hedgehog #180

Oh, come on, cover page! There's no way in hell Sonic would end up as friends with Eggman! This has the same vibes as when older cover pages would try to tease something like "Has Sonic the Hedgehog actually died? Find out in today's issue how super dead he is!" Like oh, sure, of course he's dead! I totally believe you, Cover Page of a Sonic the Hedgehog Comic!

Preparations for War!

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Jason Jensen

Eggman is back to take revenge for his victory being stolen away from him last week, hoping to use his latest invention to upload a virus to Nicole's systems to take her out and leave New Mobotropolis vulnerable. Sonic, however, isn't even totally interested in fighting Eggman, as there's something more pressing to worry about right now.

Inside the castle, the Council of Acorn is having their first meeting to hear Dimitri's testimony about the danger of Enerjak. By the way, it's worthwhile to list off who's on the council: Elias of course, then Uncle Chuck, Rotor, Rosemary, and to round it off, Hamlin, Penelope, and Dylan! Nice to see these guys again, it's been a long time! No sign of Arlo, unfortunately, but he was the only one out of these four to end up injured outside of battle, so we can assume he had to retire and go back to being a civilian. Anyway, Dimitri tells the story of his initial transformation into Enerjak and how he was eventually stripped of his powers, a story which to his credit he tells frankly and with no attempts made to minimize what a power-hungry tyrant he was. He then admits that once his cybernetics started to fail after Knuckles' sacrifice to save him from Mogul, he in desperation went to Finitevus in the hopes of continuing to hold onto his life and regain his former power. However, when he realized that Finitevus betrayed him and was looking for a different candidate to become Enerjak, he came straight to New Mobotropolis, hoping they'd be able to put up a sufficient fight against this ancient and evil force. Sally, who's standing down on the floor to help hear Dimitri's testimony, immediately offers to mobilize the Freedom Fighters to go to Angel Island, but the council vetoes this in favor of keeping their own city safe first. Dimitri then suggests the Chaotix since Angel Island is their home, but the council still seems reluctant - and Charmy, who's been listening to the proceedings the entire time from within an air vent, reports all this back to Julie-Su, who adorably is using her cybernetic dreadlock as some kind of communication device.

Outside the city, Sonic has finished relaying what he knows of Enerjak to Eggman, who true to form is mostly concerned with the idea of someone else finishing off the Freedom Fighters before he himself can get to them. An exasperated Sonic offers Eggman a temporary truce - to work together to defeat Enerjak as a greater threat before going back to being at each other's throats. Eggman decides to agree in the creepiest and least-trustworthy tone possible, which of course makes Sonic leery.

Sonic is somewhat disgusted with himself for even agreeing to form an alliance with Eggman in the first place, but with that problem out of the way, he begins to rush back into the city to let everyone know of the new situation. However, Nicole pops up to warn him that the Chaotix are currently busting some heads at the airfield looking to jack a plane to Angel Island, so he runs over there to do some damage control. Meanwhile on Angel Island, Fiona (sporting a new black leather look) and Scourge call Finitevus with an update on the situation between the island's various factions. The dingoes, still led by General Kage, are making a move on the last of the echidnas, while the Flame and Frost Legions of the Dark Legion have called a truce between themselves to go after Finitevus, feeling he's a bigger threat to their plans. Finitevus thanks them for the update and tells them they can basically do whatever they want from here on as he doesn't need any more info, so Scourge dutifully sits his butt right down against a tree to "enjoy the show" while Fiona becomes frustrated that he's not taking this seriously, as she thinks Finitevus is way too creepy to trust. Maybe should have considered the kind of company your new boy-toy is keeping before running off with him, huh, Fiona? Back in New Mobotropolis, Sonic does his best to subdue the Chaotix without actually hurting any of them, while trying to convince them that they need a plan before they rush to Angel Island. Wow, if Sonic thinks you're rushing a little too quickly into things, you know it's serious. However, Julie-Su doesn't feel his opposing them is justified.

At this moment Sally shows up to talk to them all, agreeing that running off to Angel Island without a plan is a bad idea and informing them that Nicole's sent a probe there to gather information. Julie-Su becomes hostile and angry, certain that Knuckles has already been captured or worse by Enerjak and that waiting for info from a probe isn't going to help, but Sally isn't finished speaking.

Well there ya go, Julie-Su! See where a little waiting gets you? However, things are a bit worse than they perhaps realize - as Scourge and Fiona suddenly find themselves with a front-row seat to Enerjak returning in a blast of golden light - but if it isn't Dimitri in that golden armor, then who is it…?

Sonic Rush Adventure (High Stakes on the High Sea)

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Stingray GW

Welcome to yet another one of those "we're gonna tease this upcoming game and make a version of it canon within the comics but not actually adapt the entire game into comic form leaving people who haven't played the game totally lost" stories! This time, we're looking at the very beginning of Sonic Rush Adventure, starting off with Sonic and Tails waking up feeling woozy after a storm caused the Tornado to crash onto a beach. Out of nowhere, a small raccoon zips up and immediately tries to recruit them as her "swabbies" so that they can all sail and explore the high seas. Literally, this happens within half a page, this girl ain't messing around. Sonic and Tails are understandably baffled and get her to slow down long enough to explain what she's going on about, so she introduces herself as Marine and tells them that they've landed on Seagull Island, and that there's a band of roving pirates that's been looting this island in search of treasure, something that actually gets the two Freedom Fighters' attention.

Who is the individual that's stolen this giant pretty gem? Why, Johnny the Robot Pirate Shark, duh! Apparently he's some… speedy guy or something, blah blah blah, look at this point we know that Sonic's designated rivals tend to always be Fast Guys with a penchant for proving that they're faster than Sonic, and clearly this Johnny is just the next in a long line of other speedsters looking for a challenge. Naturally, Sonic is ready to go to battle for the Chaos Emerald (hey, how did it get out of Feist's clutches within the Special Zone, anyhow?), and… the end?! Come on, I know these little adaptions are always incomplete, but they didn't even show Blaze! She's literally one of the main characters of the game! I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised, though. Sonic Rush Adventure has always baffled me because every single promotional description I've ever seen for the game makes it seem like some random action romp where Sonic does nothing but fight pirates, instead of an actual sequel to the first Rush game where Blaze is an integral part of the plot. The good news is that I think this is the last one of these weird non-adaptions, as far as I can remember at least - from here on they're replaced with the "In Another Time, In Another Place" stories, which we're not gonna bother covering due to their non-canon status.

Sanji and Zoro Bodyswap (Dream 2020-3-5) by VampiricYoshi

First of all, I apologize for my handwriting. I was in draft mode and forgot that people might wanna read it XD I haven't drawn One Piece style in a while... it's like it has to work a certain way, but at the same time the regular rules of drawing don't matter (like proportions in the arms and legs and mouths, for instance). I also haven't read it in a while because.... it's so intimidating now >w>

Note: Dialogue and the dream’s story below cut. Please do not remove Artist’s comment. 

Anyway... the dream: Sanji and Zoro had swapped bodies - I don't know why, but Sanji was actually Zoro and Zoro was actually Sanji (tried to convey that in the drawings there with facial expressions and fashion choices). This apparently took place before the time skip, so both boys were nineteen. And I was wearing an bomber hat and some goggles (instead of my glasses). Somehow Zoro lost his swords - they were confiscated by some Marines - and so we infiltrated a Marine submarine that was patrolling below some kind of aircraft carrier in the ocean. We pretended to be Marine hopefuls and Zoro was trying to charm his way in, which was really awkward but somehow it worked. He was a favorite of some of the new recruits while I searched for where his swords could be. I found a sort of specialty armory and there was a female Quartermaster who looked sort of like a relaxed Geisha - like, battle-ready, I guess. Zoro and I decided to speak with her more traditionally with Japanese-style etiquette. At one point while her attention was on Zoro I started to search through the swords and arms, trying to find Zoro's. There were so many arms to go through. When we did find them and we were trying to escape, we fought our way out. I was trying to scrape up whatever money I could, somehow knowing that Nami was going to ask about it, and I actually did ask some of the Marine cadets for 'severance' (because we were kind of working for the Marines and, as pirates, it goes unsaid that we're 'fired'? I guess??) and surprisingly it worked and I got some change. And that's about it.... Sanji was barely in it (but I drew that grin on Zoro because I love it when Sanji smiles big and wide like that. It's so precious~). Text and dialogue: Body Swap Sanji Zoro Zoro Sanji Referee Nakama [Undercover as Marine hopefuls] Me: At least try to act like Sanji! You want your swords back, don't you?? Zoro: It's not exactly easy going down to his level... not to mention cooking... Formal Sitting (A Marine Quartermaster dressed like a Geisha had the swords) Sanji's boyish grin on Zoro's face Random Marine Me: Hey. Since we're done with our ruse, is there a chance for severance pay? Please say yes or our ship accountant's gonna have my hide. (Nami) Marine: Uh... yes? This is a weird way to pillage after an undercover mission... -- DeviantART Link Twitter Link -- One Piece (c) Echiro Oda Art by me - please do not repost without permission

A Proper Proposal

This is for @floralpeaceofmind, who requested a smutty proposal from Billy Russo! I tried to make it fluffy and smutty, a smuff piece, if you will. I hope you enjoy it! WARNING: SMUT AHEAD!

*gif by @willmcavoys*

Billy loved waking up with you in his arms. He used to think he just liked having another body next to him—it didn’t matter who the body belonged to. Really, Billy could sleep fine next to Frank—who he’d known for years and cared about—or next to some stranger at a bar who’s name he didn’t even remember; it didn’t matter…or so he thought. It wasn’t until you, until your wit and sarcasm and warmth, that Billy realized he had didn’t just like waking up next to someone, he had been practicing how to wake up next to someone…practicing how to wake up next to you. 

He almost always woke up before you—the Marines had set his internal clock to early, while you could sleep like the dead. Billy didn’t mind, though. He liked being able to look down at you, warm and safe in his arms, cuddled up against his chest. He couldn’t keep the smile from his face as he looked at you; you were wearing his shirt from last night and your hair was wild and all over the pillows. He kissed your forehead, pulling you even closer, as he thought back to the night before.

It had been a rough day for Billy. Frank and Curtis were mad at each other, which left Billy—of all people—to be the mediator. He was…not qualified for the job. While Curtis was giving Frank the cold shoulder and Frank was trying his hardest to get Curtis’ attention by barking extra loud at the recruits, Billy was up to his elbows in paperwork and had to deal with two new recruits who were having some kind of diva-off that ended up with Frank with a bloody nose, four broken appendages on the recruits, and a destroyed locker room. So he was very happy to come home to you. He didn’t wait, as soon as he walked through the door and saw you, he grabbed you by your hips and pulled you in for a kiss. Billy loved kissing you, he loved feeling your body pressed against his.

“Mm,” you hummed between kisses, “I take it work either went really well or really bad today?”

“Curtis and Frank are fighting,” he said back, kissing the side of your neck, “now I have to choose which one I’m gonna live with.”

“Oh,” you nodded, holding his shoulders to press his body closer to you, “I remember when my parents got divorced. I’m here if you need to talk.”

“You’re so sexy when you’re being supportive,” Billy kissed you again before lifting you up and carrying you towards the bedroom.

“And you’re just sexy,” you had grinned back as he dropped you on the bed.

Billy crawled over to you, pressing kisses on your neck while his fingers danced down the length of your body. You giggled when his fingers slipped past the waistband of your pants.

“You really can’t wait, huh?” You said, smiling up at him.

“Nope,” he answered, pressing his lips to yours in a kiss.

Billy didn’t wait for a reply, he knew you wouldn’t be able to form words when his fingers were in your underwear. He pulled back a bit to watch your face as his long fingers curled in and out of you. Your mouth was open in a silent, pleasurable scream and your nails were digging into his arms. Billy loved you like this, at his mercy while you were enjoying his touch. He watched you, breathing heavy, as you came on his fingers.

“Holy shit,” you breathed out.

Billy chuckled. He pulled your pants off of you and kissed you again. “I love you.”

Your answering smile made his heart beat faster. “Love you, too.”

He took no time in taking your shirt and bra off—okay, he took some time to make sure he gave every inch of you the proper attention it deserved—but once he was satisfied that you were satisfied, he was ready to move on. He pressed another hard, long kiss to your perfect lips before sitting up again. Billy liked watching you watch him, and he did so as he shed his clothes. You stared up at him, eyes wide with lust, and Billy couldn’t wait to love you.

“Shirt,” you said, holding your hands out.

“Why?” He asked, immediately handing his shirt over to you.

“I like it,” was your simple answer.

Billy had watched you with interest as you sat up and pulled his white button-up onto your naked shoulders. He licked his lips at the sight of you; mouth bruised from his kisses, hair all over the place, and face still glowing from the orgasm he’d driven you to. His shirt was too big for you, and it fell perfectly between your breasts, giving him only a peek of the lovely mounds he’d just had in his mouth. “Yeah,” he said, voice thick with lust, “I like it too.”

Billy spent the next few hours making love to you. He started out fast, with your legs up in the air as he pounded into you, then transitioned into a slower pace with you on your side as he kissed your neck and whispered “you’re doing so good, baby” and “you feel so fucking good” while he twisted your nipples before he picked you up, flipped you onto your stomach, and started taking you from behind. You had cum five times already, and he was trying his hardest to last long enough to get you to a sixth, but the way you were clenched around him had him seeing stars.

“Billy,” you were gasping out, “fuck, baby, yes, yes, yes.”

That did it. Billy came hard, gritting his teeth as he released inside of you. He took a minute to get his breathing back under control before he reached out for you. You cuddled into his chest easily, and he admired the way his shirt stuck to the sweat on your skin. You hadn’t taken it off the whole time.

“Jesus,” you sighed, running your hand up and down his bare chest, “I’m sorry you had a bad day, baby, but… Jesus.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled back.

“I bet Frank and Curtis have already made up by now,” you said, kissing his chest.

“They’re a bunch of drama queens.”

Billy and you had talked for a while after that, but soon enough, your eyes started to get heavy and all Billy had to do was pull you half-way on top of him, drape the covers over the two of you, and give you one last kiss…

And then you were out like a light.

You had been right, of course. Billy had checked his phone right before he’d fallen asleep last night to see a text from Frank saying that he and Curtis were heading to the bar and seeing if you and Billy had wanted to come. Drama queens. Although, Billy really couldn’t talk… He glanced over at the dresser across the room. Deep in the third shelf, where he kept his old military fatigues, worn-out shirts, and other old, but memorable clothes was a small black box wrapped in his first Anvil sweater. In the box was a ring…an engagement ring. He’d bought it nearly a month ago and crapped out on proposing to you every single day since. His original plan had been to propose to you on the rooftop of your favorite restaurant while Frank, Karen and Curtis took pictures to commemorate the moment, but he ended up nixing that idea. Then he was gonna do it at random, like on the street or something, but the thought of a bunch of strangers and tourists gawking at the two of you turned him all the way off. His next idea was to ask during one of Karen’s game nights, where it would just be the core group, but even that was too many people. He was worried that you wouldn’t say yes—he couldn’t help it—and Billy knew himself. He wouldn’t be able to bear the rejection if it happened in front of a crowd, he might be able to survive if it was just the two of you, but with everyone? There was no way. But he had to ask. Billy loved you so much—more than himself, which was saying a lot—and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you. In the past, before he met you, he’d never thought of himself as husband material, and he had no interest in being married but now… That was all he wanted, to be a family with you and to have and protect you until he died, so… he had to ask.

But he had no idea how he was going to do it.

Billy was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt you move against him. He looked down and smiled as he watched you wake up. You looked so sweet. His smile widened once you opened your pretty eyes and looked up at him.

“Hey,” he greeted you softly.

“Hey,” you said back. You stretched and then settled back against him. “Oh,” you looked down at his shirt, “I forgot I was wearing this…”

“It looks better on you anyway,” Billy kissed your forehead.

“Yeah, I think so too,” you agreed smugly, making him laugh. Billy felt himself turn to goo when you reached up and kissed him. Your lips were soft and inviting, and he titled his head to get better access to you. You pressed your breasts against Billy’s chest and he groaned. Your body was warm, and he wrapped his arms around you, bringing you closer. He closed his eyes when he felt your lips ghost across his chest, and he let out a full out moan when he felt your hand grip his hardening cock. You giggled as you stroked him. “Mm,” you said, kissing his neck now, “I don’t think you’re gonna last, babe.”

Billy smirked. “Wanna bet?” His hand slid in-between your legs, poised and ready to go.

“Yeah, I do,” you sighed, already spreading your legs for him.

Billy paused. Hm. “Yeah, okay,” he sat up a bit, “let’s make a bet. If I win, you have to say yes to anything I say.”

“The Billy Russo wetdream,” you smirked. “And if I win?”

He shrugged, plopping back down on the pillow,“If you win, I’ll do that thing you wanted me to do.”

“You’ll open Anvil for a women’s self-defense class?” You asked.

“I will,” he answered, “so is it a deal?”

You grinned. “Loser comes first.”

Billy kissed you on the nose. “I love you, loser.”

You scoffed. “Yeah, yeah, love you too,” your hand was moving again, “Game on.”

Billy’s head fell back on the pillows as you stroked him. Your grip was always perfect—firm but not She-Hulk strong with a good rhythm and a nice amount of caressing his balls. He licked his lips as he stared up at the ceiling. God, it felt good. He was fully erect now and he wanted nothing more than to have your mouth join the party your hand was throwing around his cock. But he was in it to win it. Billy knew what you liked and used his knowledge to his full advantage. He curled three fingers into you and was rewarded with your breathy moan. He grinned, lowering his face into your neck and sucking at the skin there. His other hand went to cup your breast.

“Oh,” you breathed, making Billy smile.

He flicked his thumb against your clit and laughed when you nearly jumped off the bed. He chuckled, biting your neck, as he rubbed your clit with his thumb and pushed his fingers in and out of you. “Feel free to cum, sweetheart,” he mumbled against your neck, “God, I want you to cum.”

You whimpered, and Billy felt your grip weaken for a moment. But you weren’t going to be beaten so easily; you turned to Billy and gave him a filthy kiss that had his toes curling. He almost found himself begging—almost—for you to kiss him again when you finally pulled back. You grinned at him and moved your hand from his cock. He felt it cover his own hand as he continued fingering you, and for a moment, he thought you were going to move him away, but instead, you sunk a finger into the mix. The noise you made when your finger and Billy’s fingers started moving in tandem inside you made Billy’s cock twitch with arousal. You took your hand away after a while and returned it to Billy’s cock, and he groaned when he realized what you had done—your hand was wet from your own lust and you were using it as lube to stroke him more efficiently. That, mixed with the moisture from his pre-cum, helped you speed up the pace and Billy was definitely starting to feel like he might lose the bet. You kissed him again, and Billy bit you lip—making you gasp in excitement.

“I can’t wait for you to cum,” you said, your voice breathless, “Just cum for me, baby,” you kissed him again, “I want you to cum.”

“You first,” he groaned, squeezing your breast and trying not to focus in on the way you purposefully grazed the veins on his cock.

“Nope,” you smirked back, “want you to cum first. I want to feel your hot cum in my hands, baby,” you nicked at his neck, “and then I want to lick it off.”

That got him. Billy came into your hand, cursing loudly as he did. You gasped, then giggled, kissing his neck and pumping the last few spurts out of him. Billy flung his head back into the mattress when he came down, satisfied but pissed at himself.

“Yay,” you licked the thick material off of your hand with a grin, “I won.”

Billy glared at you. He sat up quickly and grabbed you by the hips, slamming you onto your back. He gripped your legs and ripped them apart, and you gasped again at the force. You were already dripping wet from him fingering you, but he could tell you liked his aggression now, too. Billy took no time in plunging his face between your thighs, and he licked a long, wet stripe that had you screaming in seconds. He licked and sucked at you and enjoyed not only the obscene noises he was making, but the exalted breathing and moaning you were doing with each motion. Billy lifted his chin, wanting to get as much of your essence on him as possible before pursuing his lips and sucking on your clit. He threw an arm over your stomach to keep you in place—you were wriggling so much—and pressed home his advantage. While his lips were on your clit, he pushed four fingers inside of you. He felt his dick twitch when eh heard your scream of absolute pleasure. It didn’t take much more to have you cumming around his fingers and into his mouth, one hand clutching his hair and the other over your mouth, trying—and failing to stifle your screams.

Billy lay his head on your stomach as you both came down and closed his eyes. Now that your orgasm had rocked through you, you were running your fingers through his messy hair and humming quietly to yourself. Normally, Billy would have been ready to start round two, but he was disappointed in himself. There goes his chance to ask you to marry him—obviously, he wouldn’t force you to marry him on a bet, but that would have been the perfect opportunity to bring it up. Now the ball was in his court again and he had no idea what to do with it. He sighed, and he wondered why he even thought he could marry you in the first place. He was too much of a coward to even ask…

“Baby?” Your voice broke him out of his thoughts. “What’s wrong?”

Billy sat up and joined you at the head of the bed, plopping down on the pillows with what you would probably describe as a pout on his face. “Nothing.”

“Try that again, but with the truth this time,” you ordered gently.

Billy sighed again and looked over at you. You were still wearing his shirt, though it was hanging off of your shoulders now. You were so beautiful. “I wanted to win,” he admitted.

You giggled, rolling your eyes at him. “You’re such a brat,” you joked. You paused when you saw that he was still pouting. “You really don’t want to do the self-defense class, huh?” You asked, a little concerned.

He sat up. “No, it’s not that. I actually think a women’s self-defense class is a good idea, I already ran it by Frank and Curtis and we were gonna turn it into a bi-weekly thing, but…” He sighed again, flopping down on the bed, “Fuck, baby, I really wanted to win.”

You leaned over him and brushed his hair out of his eyes. You had that look on your face—the one you got when you were confused and concerned at the same time. Billy was already unhappy, but he felt even worse knowing that he caused you to make that face. He was being a coward and overly dramatic and worrying you and none of that was acceptable. “Why’d you wanna win so badly?” You asked.

Billy lowered his eyes.

“You really want me to say yes to anything you say?”

“Not everything,” he grumbled, “Just one thing.”

“Okay…” You said slowly. “Okay… Well, tell me. What do you want me to do?”

“It’s fine,” he sighed again, sitting up and running a hand over his face, “don’t… Don’t worry about it, baby, it’s nothing.”

“Billy,” you said, voice stern, “it’s not nothing. You’re on the verge of a full on meltdown now and don’t think I haven’t noticed…” You paused, stopping yourself.

Billy’s head turned as he looked at you. “Noticed what?”

Now it was your turn to sigh. “You’ve been acting really weird lately,” you replied, “like you’re on edge and I don’t know why. I asked Frank and he said not to worry, and it feels like everything’s fine between us, but…”

“Hey,” Billy held your hands in his, “hey, no, wait… Everything is great between us, baby, I swear, it’s not you… It’s…” Billy looked into your eyes, so full of love and concern for him and he knew—now was the moment. He couldn’t stand making you question your relationship, his love for and happiness with you. He’d die before he’d let you think he didn’t want you more than life itself. So, he kissed your hand, took a deep breath, and walked over to the dresser. You were silent as he opened the drawer and pulled out his Anvil sweater, walking back to the bed with it in his hand.

“This isn’t how I wanted to do this,” he said, his voice uncharacteristically shaky, “To be honest, I’m not even sure how I wanted to do this, but,” he took another breath and looked you in the eye, “I love you, Y/N. I love you so much and I know I don’t deserve you, but I want to. And I want to be with you for the rest of my life,” he didn’t break eye contact with you, even as he began to unravel the sweater, “And I’ve known that for a long time, even before I bought this…” He watched your eyes go wide as he brought out the little black box.

“Billy…” You said, eyes filling with tears.

“…I swear, I will never stop trying to make you happy,” he went on, “and I will do anything for you, Y/N, I’ll do anything to be with you, so…” He licked his lips. “…you don’t have to say yes, but… I have to ask…” He looked up at you again, and his dark eyes were electric with emotion, “Will you marry me?”

You answered him with a shriek and a tackle off the bed. You landed on top of him on the floor, and Billy laughed as you kissed his face all over. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,” you chanted, kissing him and wrapping your arms around his neck, “Yes, Billy!”

It felt like the weight of the world was just lifted off his shoulders, and Billy finally understood what the saying ‘floating on air’ meant. He kissed you—not as a boyfriend and girlfriend, but as fiancés—and it felt like the start of the rest of his life. You were crying when he pulled back, and he wiped your tears tenderly. “I love you,” he said, his heart so full he thought he might burst.

“I love you, too,” you sniffled, then smirked, “…loser.”

Billy kissed your nose. He picked up the ring, which had fallen out of the box when the two of you had tumbled onto the floor and slid it on your finger. “Mrs. Loser.”

You laughed, and Billy picked you up and carried you back to bed, where you enjoyed your engagement the proper way for the rest of the morning.

*******************************************************************************************

Some fun facts about this one: I wrote it all just now while watching Bob’s Burgers and I was originally going to call it “Loser” but thought...nah... I kept getting interrupted by my family and I just wanted to be like “YO, I’m writing smut, please leave me alone!” Haha, so anyway... Requests are still open! Come holla at me!

“No Omen, No Country’s Cause” Ch. 11

Sorry this is late, y’all. I became suddenly ill this weekend, and I’m still pretty x_x Hopefully this chapter is not weird because of it. I wanted this chapter to be dual perspective, but it just didn’t happen. This chapter follows Marín as she inadvertently discovers Nova’s mission and defends the Tyrador system against the UED, Stukov, and the Tal’darim.

Marín couldn’t sleep. In the darkness of her quarters, she laid staring at the grey, metallic ceiling above her. She tried to count the rivets to calm her mind, but she kept going back to the battle ahead and the plans, and choices they had made. Marín was still disheartened by their decision to not help Stukov. Asking for help from Artanis and Vorazun would even the odds, but they would need extra time for the evacuations of both Tyrador IX and VIII, and Stukov’s help would increase the UED’s momentum. Other than the protoss, nothing had really changed on their side. Her fleet had been able to replace what they had lost (and were working to add to the fleet), but the Republic had not—they had lost a lot of their production when Tarsonis was captured. The shadowy Moebius Corp. was the only fleet that had increased its number, pulling resources from somewhere beyond Umojan and Republic territories. Marín had encountered possessed Moebius troops during the End War. Controlled and abandoned by Amon, those who hadn’t died had been left to the Void. But Valerian still owned the laboratories and had a majority share in the company. He quietly began recruiting again when the dust settled—another sketchy detail that had been exposed by her government, the Umojans. With such mercurial allies and unpredictable enemies, the battle for the Tyrador system left her uneasy.

     Marín looked at the clock on her nightstand. It was three hours before she was due on the bridge. She decided she would go ahead and get up. She slipped quietly out of bed, trying not to disturb Vermaak who slumbered next to her. His sleep was untroubled by worry; he was steadfast in his duty and unquestioning of his orders in a way that she was not. Snoring like the engine of his vulture, he didn’t even move as she grabbed a uniform from the cabinet, dressed quietly in the bathroom, grabbed her datapad, and left.

     As she neared the lift to the bridge, she found herself going back over Stukov’s extraction plan and the information he had included about his son—what he looked like and where he was being held. Stukov had identified a crucial weakness in the carriers which could be exploited in other ways, and even an abortive attempt would have most likely put him on their side. She had toyed with going slightly rogue and assembling a rescue herself with those loyal to her—Ahlberg, Barre, Jansa—but if any of them were lost because of it, she couldn’t live with herself. Disobeying Augustin was also something that she was loathe to do.

     The night bridge crew greeted her with surprise. She told them that nothing was wrong; she was just going to her office—but then she was distracted by what the bridge crew was watching. Projected holographically was a field of thousands of golden orbs, glistening in the light of Tyrador’s distant star.

     “Is that the protoss minefield?”

     “Yes,” a commander on the watch said, “the last few are being set now.”

     “This is Karax, phasesmith to the Golden Armada. The last mines are away. Initiating shadow mode.” The globes disappeared in a wave of gossamer colors as if they had never been there. Marin stood staring, trying to pick them out against the dark of space. But she of course could not. The orbs were undetectable

     Marín had always been in awe of the protoss and their technology. Umoja had always been slightly more advanced than the other terran colonies, but the protoss made them all look like Neanderthals. And despite the Olympian task they had undertaken—enclosing both planets with a self-replicating shield of mines—they were ahead of schedule. Marín walked into her office and sat down at her desk, pulling up all the Core Fleet requisitions for the battled ahead. It didn’t hurt to make sure that there were no mistakes. She thumbed through them, page by page. But then she stopped; something wasn’t right. Among the orders was one for her wraith—and not for her use. She didn’t normally even submit a requisition for it; it wasn’t even in the normal manifest. The authorization code that had been used was hers, but there was no pilot attached. Her wraith was set to be prepped and launched in thirty minutes—before both she and Jansa were on duty.

     Marín activated the comm unit on her desk to see if she could get in touch with the engineer that was slated to oversee the hangar at that time. There was no response. A feeling of foreboding set in, and she wasn’t sure why. It was most likely a mistake. A weird one, but a mistake. Someone missed a digit somewhere—or I did—and the wrong bird was pulled. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that multiple mistakes would have had to have been made for something like this to happen, which made it very unlikely that it had been an accident.

     She called Jansa in her quarters. The comm rang more than a dozen times before Jansa answered. When she did, it was obvious that Marín had woken her. Her light-blond, curly hair that was usually trussed into a tight bun, radiated from her round face like a halo from a medieval Earth painting.

     “Do you know what time it is?” Dani said grumpily.

     “Is that any way to speak to your commanding officer?” Marín said sarcastically.

     “Do you know what time it is, Admiral?”

     “That’s better… You know anything about someone else needing to fly my wraith?” Dani looked at her drowsily, not really fully comprehending what she was saying.”

     “No…”

     “There’s a requisition in for it, and I didn’t place it. Will you meet me in the hangar? It’s slated to leave in twenty-five minutes.”

     “What?” She said, still confused. “Okay? I’ll… I’ll be down there in a minute. I gotta… get on pants.”

     “Yes, that’d be a good idea. See you in five?”

     “Eh. Yeah.”

     Jansa ended the call. Marín stood to walk to the door, but she hesitated. Thinking better of it, she opened the bottom drawer of her desk and took out her stun pistol, affixing it to her belt. She wasn’t sure what she would find when she got there, but she didn’t want to be caught by surprise.

     Marín met Jansa outside the hangar. Jansa hadn’t taken the time to pull back her hair. It bobbed as she jogged down the hallway. She finished fastening her coveralls as she stood next to Marín.

     “Show me this requisition order.” Marín handed Jansa her datapad. Jansa looked at the order. “That’s your authorization code. But no pilot? How would you even make an order like that in the database? It shouldn’t let you.”

     “I know. That’s what I thought.”

     Marín and Jansa walked into the hangar bay. It was still early, and so it was eerily quiet.

     “Who’s on duty right now?” Marín asked.

     “Uh, Erik, I think. Let’s see who’s in the shack.”

     The shack was what Jansa called her office, which was a large shipping container that she had converted for her use and shared with the other engineers. Jansa entered, followed by Marín. There were shelves lining either side of the windowless room with random parts and scrap stuffed into every inch. Cables hung from above and everything was covered in oil.

     “You know, you could get someone to clean in here. We have people who do that.”

     “I did!” Their camaraderie was interrupted by Jansa’s yelp of surprise. On the floor behind her desk was Erik, her night subordinate. He was out cold. Marín checked his pulse.

     “He’s breathing. His pulse seems fine. He doesn’t look injured…”

     “I’m going to call a med—”

     There was a sudden crash from outside in the hangar. Both women instinctively crouched down lower.

     “What was that?” Jansa whispered.

     “Do you have a surveillance feed?”

     Jansa quietly stepped over Erik and pulled up the hangar’s security feed on her console. The perspective flipped a few times before it landed on Marín’s wraith. A tall, blonde woman in the uniform of a Terran Republic ghost was preparing to board it. She was stooping over to pick up her rifle and lean it against the wraith again. It must have fallen over. The wraith was not on the path of the launch rack yet and was still resting on its docking supports.

     “Do you recognize--?”

     “No idea who that is. You stay here. I’m going to go find out.”

     Marin took her pistol from her belt and slowly and quietly made her way out of the shack. She crept towards her wraith, ducking behind liberators, banshees, and tanks while keeping in line of sight of her wraith. Carefully, she inched forward, making sure to keep an eye on the ghost. If she didn’t, the woman could cloak and get the best of her. Between them was the rack’s deep-set track, yellow “DO NOT STAND” sings on either side of it. The woman continued to place items in the wraith—grenades and other armaments, she realized—until Marín was a few meters from her. She raised her pistol.

     “Hands up! Put your hands where I can see them!”

     The woman’s shoulder’s slumped, and she let out an annoyed sigh.

     “You Umojans sure are a nuisance.”

     “I’m going to be a ‘nuisance’ to anyone who injures my people and tries to steal my bird. Turn around and face me—slowly.”

     The woman turned. Her goggles were down, but the coldness of her gaze made Marín’s stomach flutter.

     “Kick the gun towards me…”

     The woman deftly touched her rifle with the tip of her boot and pushed it towards Marín. It skipped over the launch rack’s grooved path in the floor and slid next to her.

     “You’re making a mistake,” the woman said. “I have an important mission. And I’ve been ordered to let no one stand in my way—even you, Admiral Marín.”

     “Why do you need my wraith? How did you get my authorization codes? I need to know now.”

     “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you.”

     Marín felt invisible fingers tightening around her neck. She took a deep breath while she still could and fired at her. The woman tipped Marín’s hand at the last moment, and the shot went wide. The ghost angrily stepped forward, tightening her telekinetic grip on Marín’s throat and taking her weapon out of her hand. Marín’s vision started to tunnel. But then there was a sudden rush of wind and a deafening roar—and the woman and the sensation of being strangled were gone. Marín took in gasping breaths and looked around. The woman was lying in a heap on the floor several meters away. The booster on the launch rack had engaged without the wraith and had hit her. Then the emergency brake had engaged because the hangar door was closed, catapulting the woman down the hangar. She should have been much further away than she had landed. In the seconds before the impact, the woman must have been able to telekinetically slow the rack. Marín heard Jansa’s heavy boots pounding the hangar deck as she ran to her.

     “That was quick thinking.”

     “I was just waiting for that bitch to step on that track.”

     Marín laughed and started coughing. “You call that med team?”

     “No…”

     “Well, call them now and tell them we need some psi disrupter restraints. Let’s get whoever this is patched up and maybe we can get an explanation out of her.”

     As the med team came in, Jansa directed them around, leaving Marín to sit on the floor and rest. Her neck was badly bruised, and it was still hard for her to breathe. She watched as they loaded the ghost onto a gravsled gurney, restraining her and putting a psi disrupter collar around her neck. A nurse came, scanned Marín’s neck, and gave her an injection for pain, telling her she’d be fine. Marín got up, retrieved her datapad from the shack, and followed the gurney to the med bay. Ahlberg, her XO, was waiting outside. His face was flushed as if he had ran all the way there. He had obviously dressed quickly; the asymmetrical zipper on his uniform jacket was unzipped.

     “I got a call… You were down…”

     “I’m okay, thanks to Dani.”

     The gurney passed by him as they glided her into the med bay. His eyes widened.

     “Is that a Terran Republic ghost?”

     “Looks like it.”

     “They sent her to assassinate you?” Ahlberg said angrily. “Did Horner do this? I’ll bet it was Valerian! What do they think they are doing sending…” Marín watched as his blood pressure started to rise, the reddening of his skin even visible under the short-cropped hair at his temples.

     “Anders. We have no idea why she’s here, and I have no idea what her mission was. And I’m going to need your help finding out.” She slapped his broad chest with her datapad. He reflexively caught it. “Go in there and get her prints and run them through the Republic database. I doubt anything will come up, but even a response of ‘classified’ will tell us whether she was actually working for them or not. I’m going to call Vermaak. I need a shadowguard down here.”

     “Right!” Ahlberg stomped into the med bay. Marín put her hand to one of the unbroken line of touchscreens that ran along every hallway on Umojan ships. A UI popped up on screen, recognizing her handprint. She opened a comm to her own quarters. A brief thought came to her: Why did Vermaak not come to the med bay? Surely someone thought to tell him I had been injured. But maybe not. It was logical to notify her second if she was incapacitated, but not “next of kin.” She hadn’t died, after all.

     Vermaak sleepily answered the call, shirtless and having just rolled out of bed.

     “Hello?”

     “Hey, uh, there’s been an incident down here. I need a shadowguard.”

     “What? What do you need a shadowguard for?” Vermaak said, his eyes narrowing.

     “We had a security breach. There’s a Republic ghost down here that was messing with my wraith…” Vermaak looked irritated, which Marín thought was odd. “She attacked me.”

     “She what?” he exclaimed. There. That’s the right reaction. He paused for a moment and sighed. “I’ll send Baze. Where are you?”

     “Med bay. They’re working on the ghost right now.”

     “Okay. I’m coming down there.”

     “You don’t have to…”

     “Don’t argue with me.”

     “Fine. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

     Vermaak started struggling into his uniform as he cut the comm. Marín wandered back into the med bay, questioning the doctor on call about the ghost’s status. She learned that she had a few broken ribs and a slight concussion, but that she would be fine in a few moments. As a precaution, they were keeping her heavily sedated. “Baze” arrived soon after. Marín was not familiar with any of the shadowguards on her own vessel, which was by design. She could make requests for their deployment, but they were under Vermaak and Oyaleni’s control. Even then, shadowguards would sometimes deny requests from them because of their own internal command structure. No one knew any of them on sight, no one knew their true leader, and no one knew their real names. He appeared in traditional shadowguard garb with a mask and breathing apparatus obscuring his face. She had probably seen him before in the mess, cleaning the deck, Or, heck, pouring me a pint in the bar. All of them live on the ship, and I have no idea who they are in their “real” lives—if their more mundane lives are their “real” ones.

     “Baze?”

     “Good morning, Admiral.” She shook his hand as he calmly extended it. All of his movements were controlled. He was short but lithe, his presence ominous in his black environment suit. “This is her? The Republic ghost?”

     “Well, we’re not entirely sure of where she came from, but her uniform would suggest it. I was hoping you could… Get something from her.”

     “I can try. She’s sedated?”

     “Yes, and we have a disrupter collar on her.”

     “You’re going to have to take that off… It will disrupt me as well.”

     “I can’t do that…”

     “But I can activate her neural inhibitor… Take her down a few notches.”

     “What’s that?”

     “The Dominion implanted most ghosts with inhibitors as a way to shut them down if they go AWOL. We don’t use them, but we also don’t brainwash our operatives, so they… Don’t tend to go rogue as often. I can activate and tune it to try and shut down her defenses. We used to do this if we got in range of Dominion ghosts all the time—but you have to get really close.”

     Marín considered this for a moment. She was unconscious, so it should be okay to take them off.

     “Remove the collar please, nurse.” Once it was removed, Baze pulled up a chair next to her bed. He removed a small tool from his pocket and placed it against her forehead. It buzzed slightly. The ghost’s brow furrowed.

     “I’ve activated the inhibitor. Now, let’s take a stroll…” He sat there unmoving for several minutes. Marín didn’t know what to do with herself. Could she speak to him? Was she disturbing him? She locked the outside med bay door and ordered the nurses away. Finally, he sat back in the chair. He shook himself briskly, as if waking from a deep sleep.

     “Anything?” She said. He sighed.

     “This is a dangerous girl. I… Haven’t seen someone like this in a long time.”

     “What do you mean by ‘dangerous?’”

     “PI of somewhere around ten, more or less.”

     “What? That’s…”

     “Extremely high. The highest, actually. Her name is Nova. The mission wasn’t about you. Something about the zerg? That’s all I’ve got. Sorry.”

     “That’s better than nothing.”

     “And you’d better get that collar back on her. That inhibitor won’t be enough once she’s awake.”

     “Thanks for the heads up.”

     “If you need anything else, let me know… And if you end up keeping her around…”

     “Yes?”

     “I’d like some time with her… Just to see what someone like that… Is like.”

     “I’m not keeping her on this boat any longer than I have to, sorry.”

     “Understood.”

     Baze left quickly. Ahlberg slipped back in through the door as he was leaving. Marín called a nurse in to replace the psi disrupter collar.

     “Was that… a shadowguard?”

     “Yeah, I thought one might help.”

     “Did he?”

     “Yes and no. You get anything?”

     “I confirmed she has a record. It appears to be Dominion, so she’s been active a long time. And, of course, it’s classified.” He returned the datapad to her.

     “Sounds like Horner and I need to have a little chat.”

     “You think he ordered this?”

     “No, but he has to at least have known about it.” Marín looked at her datapad. The UED fleet was due to attack in thirty minutes. She needed to be on the bridge. “Let’s get out of here.” Marín told the nurse on duty to call her if Nova awoke.

     Just then, Vermaak entered. She waved Ahlberg on.

     “Is that the ghost?”

     “The one that tried to strangle me? Yeah.”

     “Strangle you?” Vermaak said, more loudly than he intended. “Are you okay?”

     “Some bruises, but you probably can’t see them now.” Vermaak stroked her neck gently.

     “Faintly. They’re there. What did she want?”

     “My wraith? I don’t know what for.”

     “Why didn’t you call me,” Vermaak said. “I would have dealt with it. Security here is my concern.”

     “There wasn’t time.” For the first time since it happened, Marín allowed herself to be scared. The attack, she realized, would be something that would haunt her. She was used to gunfire, she was used to death, but psionic powers were something that were outside her frame of reference. They were something invisible and unobservable; they were something she felt shouldn’t exist like magic or the supernatural. But the fingers around her throat had been as real as if they were Nova’s fingers, her flesh-and-blood hand at her throat. Noticing her fear, Vermaak pulled her in and held her.

     “You’re fine. You and Jansa handled it. But…” There’s always the “but,” Marín thought. “You need to quit going off on your own. You’re the commander of the Core Fleet. People depend on you. You can’t go off in your wraith or walk right up to a ghost. Let your people handle it. That’s what we’re here for.” She pushed him gently away.

     “I had no idea there would be a Terran Republic ghost waiting for me in the hangar bay. That wasn’t me ‘going off on my own.’”

     “I know. But you worry me.”

     “And I worry about you. And you’re right. I have people depending on me. I need to be on the bridge right now, actually.”

     “Yep. Next time someone tries to requisition your wraith, you’ll talk to me, okay?”

     “Yes, fine.” She squeezed his hand, “I’ll see you later.”

     Marín left and headed towards the bridge. The UED would appear soon, but she needed to talk to Horner. Something nagged her as she entered the lift to the bridge. “Next time someone tries to requisition your wraith…” Did I tell him that? I don’t remember. I must have, she thought.

     As she walked onto the bridge, she felt ready to confront Horner.

     “Barre, get me the Hyperion.”

     “Aye.”

     “Oh, please bite his head off. Please, Admiral. That’s something I need to see,” Ahlberg said from the other side of the bridge. She shushed him.

     Horner’s face appeared above the holographic war table.

     “Admiral Marín, what can I do for you?”

     Keeping her face as neutral as possible, she began her interrogation. “You could answer some questions. Do you know a ghost… By the name of Nova? I believe she’s one of yours?” Horner went white and suddenly looked very uncomfortable. “That’s what I thought. What were her orders?”

      “I’m… Not at liberty to say…”

      Marín could feel the anger rising in her. She had a lot of respect for Horner, but she had no time for him hiding behind whatever security the Terran Republic had hiding this mission.

      “You’re the president-in-exile of the Terran Republic. If you’re not at ‘liberty,’ then who is? Is Valerian who’s really in charge of the Republic’s fleet? Wait, you know what? It doesn’t really matter. Because both of you are in a lot of trouble. Your ghost assaulted a flag officer, which makes you in violation of our treaty.”

      The bridge crew started murmuring behind her. Barre looked on with rapt attention. He’s always been a gossip. He’ll get out the popcorn in a minute.

       “What? Who?” Horner shouted, panicked.

       “Me! You sent her here to steal my wraith and you didn’t think I’d figure it out? What the hell do you want with it, anyway?”

       “The mission… It didn’t involve you; you weren’t the target. You have the last working wraith in the fleet, and that’s what Nova needed for the mission…”

        “What mission?”

        “To… Eliminate Stukov.”

        “You can’t help him, but you’ll kill him? How was she going to do that?”

        “Nova… Was going to use your wraith to get close to his vessel if he got past the minefield. Moebius’s techs figured out how Stukov was seeing through our cloaking technology. She… made some modifications to it... Even without them, after your meeting with him, Nova thought she could bluff her way onboard… Her mission was to get on the Aleksander and take him out. With the new cloaking system and her abilities, he wouldn’t have known what hit him.”

      “So, not only were you going to have her use my wraith, but you were also going to have her impersonate me and squander what good will I had been able to build with Admiral Stukov?”

      “I wouldn’t… put it that way… Look, it wasn’t my idea.”

     “If it wasn’t, does she work for the Terran Republic or Moebius?”

     “Neither. Both? Mostly Valerian.”

     “Well, that explains a lot. I could think of a thousand better uses for a ghost that powerful…”

      As she said it, half of an idea came to her.

     “Look, I’ll recall and reprimand her. I admit… Valerian’s getting a bit out of hand.”

      “No, she’s staying here until she can answer for her crimes. And she’s in no shape to go anywhere anyway. We’ll discuss the ramifications of Valerian’s actions when we’re not about to battle the UED. And the next time you two rub what few braincells you have together and come up with something stupid like that again, maybe inform your allies, okay? Marín out.”

      She made a motion across her throat for Barre to end the transmission. Ahlberg started clapping slowly.

       “That’s just like the Dominion… I mean the Terran Republic. Just do whatever they want whenever they want and deal with the consequences later.”

       “We’ll just have to remember that when it’s our turn,” Marín said.

       “We got that on video, right? I mean, on the bridge recorder?” Barre said.

       “Yeah?”

       “I’m gonna watch that again later. Maybe do an edit…”

       “Please don’t. Okay, enough. How much time’s on the clock?”

       “Ten minutes.”

       “Get us a visual, Barre.”

       The visual feed above the war table changed to that of the “minefield” outside, hidden from view, and the protoss fleet sitting just behind it. Beside them was the combined might of Moebius, the Terran Republic, and the Umojan Protectorate. For the first time, she felt as though they had a chance. And if they successfully defended the Tyrador system, they could push the fleet back to Tarsonis, cut off their supply chains, and force them to surrender there.

      She addressed the fleet as she always did, and let the clock run down. Right on schedule, UED ships began slamming into view on the other side of the minefield as they dropped out of FTL. Karax had positioned them in such a way that getting any closer in FTL would be perilous because of the two planets’ gravity wells. Beside them, bloated leviathans appeared, and the flying monsters of the zerg. She knew that among the battlecruisers, infested ships, and leviathans was the Aleksander. And just hours ago, they had been discussing a peaceful accord. But once again, they were on opposite sides of the conflict.

     “Hold, everyone. Wait until they’ve entered the minefield.”

     The UED ships first started striking the mines. A few battlecruisers were taken out. A science vessel tried to EMP a small area but ended up EMPing a few of his compatriots—the ships were too packed together for EMP to work effectively and any mines struck by a EMP were replaced through replication by a neighbor. The zerg units held back, as if considering their options. Or waiting for something.

     Another vessel, large and dark, dropped out of FTL. Its black hull and the clutter of UED ships around it made it take her a few moments to recognize it—the vessel was a Tal’darim mothership.

     “The Tal’darim?”

     Gasps of horrified surprise echoed across the bridge. At the same time, Tal’darim interceptors began launching from the mothership, creating a cloud of destruction in the minefield. The rest of the Tal’darim fleet, starting with void rays, began warping in behind the mothership. And then, suddenly, the Mothership was gone. All at once, the Uhuru’s visual field changed.

     “Barre, what am I looking at—,”she said, then realized what the red glow that was taking up the entire holographic image was: the underbelly of the Tal’darim mothership. “They blinked right on top of us! Get us out of here!” Proximity klaxons began ringing, and liberators started screaming by chasing the Tal’darim interceptors. “Fall back!” As the Uhuru backed away, Marín’s hope for Tyrador began to fade.

The Other Brother

“I miss her in my bones...I was her big brother. I was supposed to protect her—I could not…. It very nearly destroyed me.”

“But you were only 20. You weren’t even living in Colorado,” I said. “How could you have protected her?”

“It’s hard to explain. It’s not rational. But it happens anyway. I know a lot of people who’ve lost their siblings and blame themselves.” When he was able to let his guilt go after many years, he began to recover, though the hurt remains. [x]

By the time she realized what you’d done, sought out her real family, the only one left was her brother– a Marine. A Marine. Protecting his country in an effort to atone for failing to protect his sister. - 3x16

I’m bingeing Frasier at the moment and saw someone comment on the actor’s tragic family history. Which I knew nothing about. His sister was murdered.

His statement made me think of the Caretaker line. 

In the past, I have thought that I would totally theorize that imposter Red was Kat’s brother if not for one line. 

“As much as it pains me to say it, he was probably the only man she ever really loved.”

This reads too much like a man who is in love with her. Or was at one point.

But you could read it other ways if you had to. Perhaps he was merely against their relationship. Perhaps he tried to break them up and that’s what started all of this. 

He could be a half brother. Dom not his real father. We don’t know anything about Kat’s mother. 

He could have been adopted. So having a romantic feeling or two towards his technically unrelated sister might come into play. It’d be on the edge of what a television audience would accept, but they had Deb falling for Dexter. Of course that was Showtime. 

The adopted angle could help to explain something. What Red said over Fitch’s grave. About missing their talks, about still having so many questions. About wondering whether he’ll leave Liz with any answers or just more questions when he dies. 

Perhaps Fitch recruited him with much the same bait. ‘Work with me and I’ll tell you things about who you are and where you came from.’ Maybe that’s where Red got the formula.

I’m not sure a Russian spy family would be adopting people, but who knows with this show.

Maybe if you go the half brother route, this could still work as he could be looking for information on his real father. His mother died, we know that much. Or do we? lol Since he apparently can randomly go back and forth between himself and the character he’s playing.

None of this explains the Carla/Jennifer stuff. Unless my other random theory about Red being the Tom to Carla’s Liz were to hold up.

find me in the drift (FiKi)

FiKi Week Day 4: Science Fiction or Fantasy.

Anyone who knows me knows that Pacific Rim has slowly consumed my life and I am trapped in the perpetual hellscape that is Newmann. So of course I’m going to pick sci-fi and finally write my Pacific Rim AU that I’ve told @safarikalamari that I’m going to write for over a year. I wrote this in one sitting again like a crazy person.

If you’ve never watched Pacific Rim, I tried to explain the best I could within the fic so watching the movie isn’t necessary but it sure would help. Plus I need more people to join in the sadness of Newmann.

Pairing: Fili/Kili Rating: T Words: 2k-ish Summary: Pacific Rim AU. K-Scientist Killian Durin is thrust into a new position when his uncle is injured and his brother needs his help. The drift reveals some things.

2025. Hong Kong Shatterdome.

Other worldly creatures, known as the Kaiju, have been terrorizing cities on the Earth’s Pacific Rim for nearly ten years. The human world has not sat idly by and let these monsters destroy the world. Jaegers, large human operated robots, have become the saving grace of the world. These Jaegers are each powered by two human pilots through a neurologically controlled processed called the Drift. The Drift allows the pilots to move in sync to operate the Jaeger, but not just any two people are able to drift. A compatibility process is necessary. Jaeger pilots often being siblings or lovers. While the Jaegers, their pilots, and the science around them are important, there are also scientists dedicated to understanding the Kaiju and how to help the Jaeger pilots find their weaknesses and eradicate them for good.

Dr. Killian “Call me, Kili” Durin was one of the leading K-scientists in the world. He held several doctorates in several fields of biology having gone to and taught at some of the most prestigious universities of the world.

While he was proud of his job and the research he had provided toward the Kaiju Wars, he was still the black sheep of the family overall.

Back when the Kaiju had first attacked ten years prior, his two uncles became the heroes of the First Kaiju War as the top Jaeger pilots. It was assumed that he and his brother would follow in their footsteps, but that didn’t seem to be his plan.

On the other hand, his brother Philip “Please don’t call me, Fili” Durin was perhaps the best Jaeger pilot to have ever existed, or so he thought. After their Uncle Frerin’s untimely death at the end of the First Kaiju War, Fili became his Uncle Thorin’s copilot.

The Second Kaiju War had unfortunately began, the giant Godzilla-esque monsters had been spotted outside of Sydney and all hands were back on deck after a decade of relative silence.

Kili was excitedly elbow deep inside part of a kaiju carcass when one of the floor assistants came in with a worried look.

“Dr. Durin, there has been an incident with Oaken Shield. It was severely attacked by one of the Category 3 kaiju. Your uncle and brother are being transported to med bay as we speak,” her voice is worried and a little frantic.

Kili hardly has time to clean himself off before he is running off to the medbay demanding to see his family.

Fili turns out to just have minor injuries that will heal up over a week or so of rest (Kili heard that as a day or two, knowing Fili). His uncle however was not as lucky. He was suffering from some major, but not life threatening injuries.

His piloting career was over at the worst possible time.

Kili knew that there would be knew kaiju coming any day, any moment, and they were officially one Jaeger team down.

Fili had healed up in a matter of days and was already back training. He had been a Marine recruit when the First Kaiju War started. He immediately was deferred to the PPDC’s Jaeger piloting bootcamp. He was never on the deployed teams, having struggled to connect with another pilot.

It was the cruel twist of fate that his career began at his uncle’s end. He finally made a drift compatible match with his uncle. They were able to take down some of the smaller Cat 1’s and the random kaiju sighting over the past decade.

This kaiju was the largest either of them had seen and it was their undoing. While their drift was compatible, it wasn’t the strongest. Now he again was copilot-less and would have to try to find some random pilot to try and bond with.

It was his first day back from the accident, he was healed up but his muscles and body were still sore from a combination of disuse and the injury itself. Many other pilots and crew members filled the on-base gym full of machines as well as a private sparring room.

Kili is working on a punching bag with another scientist when he sees his brother walk him. He excitedly launches himself in his brother’s direction, hugging him tight.

“Look at you! Good as new!” Kili grins patting his cheek teasingly.

Fili chuckles and peels him off gently.

“I need to spar, but I need to start easy. Think you can handle it?”

Kili scoffs in offense crossing his arms.

“May I remind you that I went through all the same martial arts classes as you when we were kids. Ask Hae-Won, I was tearing that bag up over there,” he scrunches his nose.

Fili grins clasping his shoulder and pushing him toward the sparring floor.

“Well then you have nothing to be scared of then!” He pulls his own curly blond hair into a bun and slips padded gloves onto his hands.

“Jiu jitsu rules?” He offers to his younger brother who shrugs with a smile and a nod.

“Sounds good to me.”

The two meet on the middle of the floor, one of the other pilots playing referee. Kili ignoring the whispers of mostly the other pilots.

“He’s a scientist, Philip is going to kick his ass.”

“Ah, he’s injured. I bet the kid gets a good hit or two in.”

“Injured or not, I wouldn’t want to be on the opposite side of Philip.”

They bump their padded knuckles against one another before the reffing pilot signals for them to begin.

Fili easily takes Kili down on the mat within the first few second, Kili nervous about hurting his already injured brother. The knock of air out of his lungs is enough to light the spark in him.

Kili is surprised himself when he is able to go toe to toe with his brother, each fighting and maneuvering easily around one another on the floor. When Kili finds an in and has Fili pinned to the ground and having to tap out, there is nothing but a bit grin and excitement.

Less than an hour later Kili finds himself in his uncle’s hospital room as Fili and Thorin are in the throes of an argument.

“It only makes sense Thorin! Who else better for me to drift with?”

“He isn’t like us Fili! This isn’t the life he signed up for!”

Kili clears his throat realizing he must be the topic of the argument.

“He can talk for himself, you know? Fili, you want me to...drift with you?” His voice is almost incredulous.

“You’re an amazing fighter, Kili. Sure, you need some training and some finessing, but I think you could make an amazing pilot.”

“But I’m a scientist.”

“Yes, but you can be more too! Please Kili, we can do a practice drift and if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. But I can’t not let us try,” Fili begs with a renewed energy.

“I don’t like this,” Thorin says resolutely from his bed.

“You don’t have to like it, Kili just has to. You’ll give it a shot, won’t you Kee?”

Kili looks between the two of them before focusing on Fili.

“One time. I’ll give the practice drift one shot, if I don’t like it, I’m not doing it,” He says seriously to his brother, “I’m only considering doing it because I want to see a kaiju up close and personal.”

Fili rolls his eyes but is beyond excited at the idea of having a true drift partner.

They schedule the test drift in one of the Jaeger practice pods the next day. Fili unable to wait any longer.

Even though it is just a practice, the idea of drifting has always scared him a bit. He’s heard the pilots coached enough to know that you don’t hang onto anything in the drift, you just let it ride through.

The drift exposes each pilot to the memories, thoughts, feelings, and emotions of the other. There are no secrets in the drift. Both pilots share an intimate and genuine connection where their minds temporarily become one.

Kili swallows nervously as he steps out in the Jaeger operating outfit, his worried eyes finding Fili who offers a reassuring smile.

“These outfits are ridiculous,” Kili nervously laughs as some of the J-tech crew shows him how to get set up in the mock Jaeger unit.

Fili laughs a little in response, needing no help himself. “Yeah, they are. Hopefully, you’ll get used to it.”

Fili’s voice switches over mid-sentence to the comm link within the helmet.

“Okay Kili, just trust me. Follow my lead and don’t hold onto anything in the drift.”

“I feel like I should start a confessional for all the fucked up things you might see in the drift, so I’m apologizing now.”

Fili laughs again as he speaks in to the mic, pushing in buttons on the HUD of the Jaeger interface, “Activating neural handshake. In 3...2...1…”

Kili gasps as a wall of blue hits his vision and he feels like he may be sick from the spiraling feeling as memories and feeling flood him.

He sees first days of school, Fili fighting bullies, their first martial arts classes, their sleepovers they share as children, Thorin yelling at them.

“You are teenagers! This childhood dependency stops now.”

Fili being sent away for military school. Both sobbing at night, the intense heartache, emptiness.

They feel their first hug in Hong Kong, they hadn’t seen each other in years. A decade spent making up for lost time in their childhood.

Accidental drunken kisses. Fear, shame, they have to hide, if anyone were to know. Their lives would be over. He’d ruin Fili’s life. Fili he loves Fili but he can’t love Fili. Brothers, they are brothers and brothers aren’t like this why is he like this? Why can’t he be better? Fili don’t go-God, ithurtsithurtsmorethananythingwhycanttheyjustbetogetherwhydoesithurtsomuchmakeitstoptheblueisswallowinghimmakeitstopbrotherfilifilifilifilif-

“Kili, let it go! Kili you have to LET GO!”

He surges forward, gasping for air as he makes it onto the other side of the drift. Fili looks concerned at him from behind his helmet.

“Kee, you okay? You made it through. You’ve let it go, now let’s focus on the mission okay?” Fili orders in a reassuring tone as Kili nods catching his breath.

“Yeah, I’m good,” his breath evens out some before he pushes a smile on his face, “Let’s kick some virtual kaiju ass.”

Kili isn’t surprised when they take down the kaiju with relative ease, his mind feeling clear and strong with the guidance of Fili there. It’s reassuring and calming. Like he doesn’t have to think as hard with Fili doing half of the work as well.

Kili however is surprised when the J-tech crew excitedly clap them both on the back.

“You guys just beat the current record of beating Knifehead! With minimal damage at that! It was incredible!”

They both are helped out of the mock Jaeger, the drift ending. Kili searches Fili’s face when he hears a soft rushed voice in the back of his head.

So proud. I love him so much. Kili, I love you.

Fili takes off his helmet not saying anything at first.

“Well then.”

“Well then what?” Fili says softly looking at him.

“I’m going to really, really miss my lab,” Kili sighs holding the helmet under his arm.

Fili couldn’t possibly grin brighter hearing in his own head a soft, I love you too.

Tell me about Donya'Savval and Tulinia!! 🖤

thank u!!

give me one or multiple ocs and i’ll give u 5 random facts abt them

donya’savval

1) her right arm from her elbow down is a robotic prosthetic. she caught a live grenade during a fight with some mercs, and needless to say it didn’t end well. luckily the wound was self-cauterizing…

2) kalige’zahiya was her best friend growing up, and they went on pilgrimage together. he supported her during her transition, and helped her raise enough money for top surgery. they had mutual crushes on each other, but both were too shy to say anything for fear of making things awkward.

3) she’s been on the neema nearly as long as the senior officers have, and is sort of an unofficial leader among the marines; she’s technically a chief, but is so relaxed nobody really remembers until formal occasions roll around. gerrel and the rest of command generally trust her with keeping everything peaceful while they do their own work.

4) she had a crush on xala when she was a young recruit, but it faded with time and with learning he was gay.

5) she’s one of those people that will pour hot sauce on everything. literally everything. one time she dumped a ton of hot sauce on a cookie and ate it*, and you could see the steam coming out her ears and the regret in her eyes.

*note: an actual thing a friend of mine did in high school. that was a fun day.

tulinia calposcus

1) she grew up on korlus, the junkyard planet in me2. her family made a living scavenging the wrecks left there, and she’s very good with machines as a result.

2) she never went into the military, instead getting combat training from her parents so she could defend herself and her finds; she was invited for spectre training when she came across a strange scent on one of her wrecks and was able to track it halfway across that region of the junkyard. saren thought she was an assassin; she just wanted to know why he was sniffing around her turf.

3) she rides hy-cycles, the 2100s equivalent of motorcycles. her first one she built herself from scrap in the junkyard. after her first spectre paycheck, she went out and bought herself a top-of-the-line designer model.

4) she has a little brother, stracolus, who’s still on korlus. he dreams of breaking into the galactic hy-cycle racing circuit someday, but for now he sticks to korlus planetary races. tulinia visits him and their parents often, and she’s always sure to race him at least once (and yell at him to wear his damn helmet, spirits)

5) she tries very hard to be all tough and practical and voice-of-reason with her girlfriend mariya, but mariya is just… so cute……. she can’t resist her charms no matter how hard she tries. mariya has her wrapped around her outer finger.

Building up to Arlong Part II

 In my previous post I started my analysis of the East Blue Saga, looking at the arcs leading up to Arlong Park to see how Eiichiro Oda grew as both an author and an artist in those early chapters as he built the series slowly towards the first “epic” moments of One Piece. 

I ended that post with Orange Town and how Buggy managed to do something no villain before him had done (be memorable and interesting). It’s interesting to see how Oda follows up on this breakthrough with...well, this guy

I don’t really have much to say about Gaimon’s arc...chapter...whatever the heck it is. It’s completely random and doesn’t fit well with the rest of the East Blue chapters.To be fair to Oda, he does  cut loose and show off some of his wacky creativity, and there is some world building as the Red Line gets its first inauspicious mention.

There’s also something to be said about Luffy and Nami getting to know one another better and further insight into Luffy as a character, but it’s not anything that isn’t accomplished better in other places

I will admit this made me laugh, though

Syrup Village

Moving on, we jump to Usopp’s recruitment arc. This one is one of the more intriguing of the East Blue arcs (intriguing not equaling good) in that I liked a lot of the individual pieces but found the overall product to be a little lackluster. 

I think part of this is the setting. One Piece is at its best when it’s exploring wild and crazy new places, but Oda hasn’t gotten to that point in the series yet. This arc’s supporting cast is also pretty generic. Usopp’s Pirate Gang aren’t the most annoying little kids I’ve ever seen, but they are annoying little kids. Kaya is...okay. She shows some real gumption after Kuro shows his true colors, but I’m not sure that makes up for all the time she spent being boring early on.

Usopp himself can be hard to like, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Usopp is the everyman of One Piece. He’s not a power fantasy like Luffy or Zoro nor supernaturally talented like Nami. He has the greatest personal flaws of any of the Straw Hats, and his dream is the only one in the crew to be internal rather than external. With that in mind, firmly establishing Usopp’s foibles and his weaknesses makes his victories - both in this arc and later in the series - all the sweeter, even if it makes these chapters a bit of a slog to get through.

This arc does manage two things that would later become staples of the series, and once again we have our villains to thank

There are some very specific trends in One Piece’s villainous organizations. Most are headed by the main antagonist of the arc and are fought by Luffy. Below the leader there’s usually an annoying, but decently strong character taken out relatively early on (think Pearl, Mr.5/Miss Valentine, Satori, etc). This character acts as both hype and a teaser for bigger fights to come, but also carry some narrative weight by giving insight into the plans/mindset/priorities of the enemy organization as a whole. 

Lastly, Oda usually adds a lovable, quirky villain who, if not the second in command, is one of the strongest fighters in the arc. These characters humanize the Straw Hat’s enemies, add levity, and are generally really fun - so much so that more often then not they return later in the series as a recurring character.

The Nyaban brothers fit into the annoying but decently strong category, but Jango steals the show as the first lovable, quirky minion of the series (I think Oda tried with Buggy’s crew, but they lack the necessary charm to pull it off). Heck, the first thing we see him do is accidentally hypnotize himself after moonwalking down the path to Usopp’s village. Later on it’s hard not to feel at least a little bit sorry for the guy when we see the hopeless position Kuro has put him in. Jango may be an antagonist, but he’s fun and likable and honestly having him join the marines through the power of dance is amazing.

Gin, Hatchan, Betham, and Kaku all fit to one degree of another into this mold, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Jango.

Secondly, Kuro is the first cerebral villain of the series. Alvida and Morgan relied on brute strength, and while Buggy exhibited a certain amount of cunning he, too, was focused on overwhelming firepower and his Devil Fruit to win the day. 

Kuro of a Thousand Plans. His epithet says it all. Kuro is conniving, sneaky, underhanded, and without a shred of honor to hold him back as he meticulously plans to murder a sickly girl for nothing more than his own peace and comfort. 

All of Oda’s most memorable villains have this Machiavellian mindset. Crocodile, Doflamingo, and most of all Blackbeard are all chess masters to one degree or another. Though their end goals are completely different, you can see a lot of Crocodile especially in how Kuro built up an unshakable reputation while biding his time to strike. They even share a penchant for breaking speeches

It’s such a little thing, but the words “I suffered” elevate Kuro to one of my favorite East Blue villains, well above even Buggy. It’s so needlessly cruel, twisting the knife right where he knows it will hurt most, just because he can, and I freaking love it.

As a side note before moving on, Oda’s attention to detail is also to be commended during this arc. The way Kuro adjusts his glasses makes for an excellent and chilling re-read bonus, and connecting Morgan’s past to Kuro’s gives the former a little more depth than before.

The Baratie

It’s interesting to compare the Baratie to Syrup village because in many ways these arcs have opposite strengths and weaknesses. Where Syrup village had strong antagonists and a weak setting/side characters, the Baratie is the most memorable locale of the East Blue Saga and has an extremely strong secondary cast.

The Baratie as a concept brilliantly fits into the world of One Piece. The idea of a floating restaurant in a world that’s 90% ocean makes perfect sense, and it’s one of the times that Oda integrates the setting with his characterization. It’s not creativity for creativity’s sake, and unlike Gaimon’s sub-arc...chapter...whatever that was there’s a method behind the madness. 

This excellent setup is the backdrop to some superb character writing. Sanji is by no means my favorite Straw Hat, but his strained relationship between Zeff and the rest of the Baratie is done extremely well. It’s one of those situations where no one is 100% right or wrong and you just wish they’d all enter counseling or something so they could figure out how to talk to one another without resorting to violence.

It doesn’t hurt that this is when Oda figures out how to properly use the power of Tragic Backstory (tm) to its most devastating effect. While no (named) characters die, Sanji’s backstory is raw, painful, and emotional in all the right places. It’s in expressing these extreme emotions where Oda’s cartoony style is at its most effective. Oda’s characters don’t just cry, they cry ugly, and that’s so important when setting the tone of these heavy moments.

I don’t have much to say on Kreig or his crew because he’s boring and I despise Pearl with every fiber of my being, but once again we get some fun fight choreography. I especially like the sequence when Sanji spits his cigarette into Gin’s face before kicking him halfway across the deck, only to get a tonfa to the ribs for his effort. 

Also this happens, and it’s soooo satisfying to see Kreig get punched in the face. 10/10, would watch again

But the one thing that the Baratie does best of all the East Blue arcs - better than even Arlong Park - is world building. The entire series people have been telling Luffy and co. that the Grand Line is super dangerous and that he shouldn’t go, but it’s only here that we see that we see that played out in real time with Mihawk’s introduction to the plot. The Straw Hats have thus far been presented as invincible badasses when they’re nothing more than a big fish in a little pond.

All the stuff with Mihawk is big-picture storytelling and one of Zoro’s best moments. I don’t think that anyone who follows One Piece needs to be told how well Oda does at developing his world. More important to the build up to Arlong Park is Oda’s use of immediate foreshadowing. Right about the time Mihawk shows up Johnny and Yosaku catch Nami checking out bounties, specifically Arlong’s though he’s never named and we don’t see his picture. Immediately after Nami steals the Going Merry so she can run away, and we see her facade start to crack a little under pressure. Note especially how utterly exhausted she looks in this panel here

This all happens in the same chapter Zoro challenges Mihawk, and the action cuts between the swordsman’s pre-fight banter and the story of how Johnny and Yosaku lost the Merry. Zoro’s fight is the more immediate concern, but when constructing the chapter, instead of going out on that high note Oda cuts back to Nami a second time, this time sailing alone on the open ocean

If it weren’t already obvious by the whole rest of the series, this scene proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that there’s more to Nami than meets the eye. This is the first time we see her truly vulnerable, almost to the point of being broken, and it puts a completely different meaning to all her actions previous and what we’ll see coming up in later chapters.

I do think there is some significance to putting the Nami scene last over Zoro’s, because as the last thing the audience reads it’s what tends to stick in their mind longest week to week. We don’t see Nami again for a long time, and when we do all her defensive walls are firmly back in place. This is the Nami Oda wants us to remember when she’s going around Cocoyashi village telling Luffy to leave her the hell alone.

The Conclusion

What really stands out to me when going over these early chapters leading up to Arlong Park is Oda’s vision for the series from the word go, even when his execution isn’t as consistent as later on in the series. The whole East Blue saga exists to do two things 1) build the core of the Straw Hat Pirates 2) answer the question Who is Luffy.

Each antagonist from the lowly Alvida to Arlong himself has a weakness in their leadership ability that directly foils Luffy. These chapters show us what kind of pirate, what kind of captain, and most of all what kind of man Monkey D Luffy is, and what values he will and will not stand for. 

Arlong Park is the emotional peak of the East Blue saga, and it works because Oda has taken the time to build up to that peak. The impact would not have been the same if it had been placed earlier in the series because it would not feel earned without seeing Nami interact with the rest of the crew for as long as she did. Nor would it have worked if Oda hadn’t placed the breadcrumbs of her story for the audience to pick up along the way. 

It’s impossible for every arc to hit all the high points that Arlong Park does, because not all arcs are designed to do so, nor should they. That being said, there’s a steady increase in quality seen even in these early chapters as Oda gets his sea legs and figures out exactly what story he’s trying to tell.

> > CLASSIFIED DATA REQUEST . . .

NAME: Simon Fielding  //  AGE: 30  //  SUPERPOWER: Aerokinesis

> > OPENING CONFIDENTIAL RECORDS . . .

{{ Aerokinesis }} - User can shape and manipulate air. Since air cannot be seen by conventional methods, neither can the attacks and derivatives formed by/from it, making it an invisible and versatile weapon that is very difficult to block and dodge.

> > ACCESSING ARCHIVES . . .

“Military Brat” was what Simon was called quite often as their family never stayed in a place for too long. With both of his parents, George and Macy, enlisted for deployment in the Navy, both he and his sister Amy found themselves only spending a school year – sometimes less – in the same spot. So, naturally the two of them did whatever the hell they could – they skipped classed and learned to shoot out in the middle of nowhere with one of their father’s guns (that he didn’t know they had) and empty beer cans. The two of them believed that it didn’t matter what they did in their life because it would be uprooted again. They had no roots, no real friends, only a picture of what could be if they had just stayed.

However, this didn’t mean that they were bad kids, merely the fact that they were way too advanced for any public school setting as they always had to teach themselves. The two of them were bright kids, their parents teaching them to think for themselves and to anticipate different outcomes of a situation. They grew up with respect, of course, and when a teacher or any adult approached them they were immediately called ‘ma’am’ and ‘sir’ with their spines straight and their eyes locked with whomever they were talking. Military brats, obviously, knew how to take responsibilities for their shitty actions because they were totally aware.

Eventually, Simon graduated from a high school in the US when his father was stationed in Virginia. Already enlisted for boot camp, he shipped off the next month for the Marine Corps boot camp and the rest was history. Soon he had become a Scout Sniper and deployed to various places around the world – Afghanistan, Korea, Japan, and other places which are classified. Simon excelled at what he did and soon after his second tour as a Scout Sniper (which was his third tour altogether), the boy was asked to join the Force Recon team. Covert missions were given to him, mainly to serve as backup for others with his sniper ability. Despite the fact that their team had a good record of completed missions, they had lost their fair share of teammates and it was then, after finishing his fourth tour that he had decided to return to the civilian life.

Adjusting to the life of the civilian back on US soil was something that was vastly different for him. At the age of twenty-eight, he had killed and lost more people than he could remember during the ten years that he served with the Marines. It was not just that, however, what made adjusting back to civilian life so hard was the fact that people were going about their lives for themselves. Simon had spent years of his life working as a team, there were no lies between them and if there was tension that tension had to be thrown out as soon as they hit the battlefield. People had no respect for each other and looked out just for themselves. They lied just to get by in their lives, lying about what’s on their resume or simply where they had graduated from.

It was the reason why he had went back into serving something – he had become recruiter for the Marines. It was through there that he could talk about what he did, what kind of life he led, and how being in the military (with whatever branch) could really help out. Mostly he was assigned work with schools from poverty-stricken areas or those with discipline issues. Still, he finds solace with helping kids and young adults find their way to the military for some kind of purpose. Simon was the best at their branch, he was able to connect with kids that other people couldn’t seem to do.

That was, at least, until a few weeks ago when Simon had suddenly been taking random days off or asking other people to cover for him. Something strange happened to him, he was suddenly waking up floating in the air or finding himself moving, almost sliding, with the breeze from the trees. After his two weeks of freaking out and having a friend run tests on him, he had finally decided that he was going to keep things quiet on his end. Two weeks after his first random levitation in bed, he went back into his work. Although, people are starting to gossip about the gust of wind that appears from nowhere when Simon is upset. This is what drove him to start learning how his powers work – which he does, late at night on the roof of his apartment complex where no one could see.

> > ENCRYPTED PERSONALITY FILE . . .

POSITIVE: Integrity, Initiative, Respectful

Integrity: Growing up in a military family and being a veteran himself, he grew to know what taking full responsibility for his actions meant and he does not lie. What comes with the military is that, ‘when you lie, people die’ so even if there are shortcomings and he has failed something, he will always be forthright and honest about it.

Initiative: People who know Simon aren’t sure if it’s his initiative or impulsivity that gets him to go above and beyond. He always puts himself at risk in order to help others and he does his best to complete a task with much haste and minimal guidance or direction from his seniors. The goal in the military is to surpass expectations and training and being deployed with the Marines, he did just that.

Respectful: The fact of the matter is that he grew up calling his mother and father, “Ma’am” and “Sir”, therefore those characteristics and quirks are ingrained within him. Respect was the first thing he learned growing up and he was told that he was to give it to every person he came into contact with. It didn’t matter if they were older, younger, smaller, or taller – respect was what he gave out no matter what. Some people in his platoon said that it was one of his downfalls; others said it was his greatest asset.

NEGATIVE: Pessimistic, Private, Logical

Pessimistic: Because of his time served and growing up with the distant, strict, military family, he finds himself always looking to the downside of things. Simon tries to keep his negative thoughts to himself because he knows his negativity does no one any good, but he is always thinking of the worst scenario that could happen in any given situation. However, some colleagues would say that was what made him a good soldier – always looking at the different outcomes.

Private: Despite spending years deployed and spending days, weeks, and months with the same platoon, not much was found out about Simon as he tends to keep to himself. He is more of a listener – he listens to other people as they tell their stories and doesn’t tell too much of his life. There are only three people in his life who know what his middle name is and they’re his family. What is his life is his life and he doesn’t see the need to share with others.

Logical: Simon’s ability to look at things from a logical instead of an emotional side is what drew him towards the Marines. The Marines were hard hitting, made snap decisions, and did more work than the other branches of the military. Emotions were not part of that capacity – he had to do what was in the best interest of his people even if may have not been the ‘ethically right’ decision. Logically, he did what made sense.

> > UPLOADING RESOURCES . . .

FACE CLAIM: Dan Stevens

CHARACTER PLAYED BY: Karen

the end of my four and half year long relationship

hi, this is the story about my relationship. I’m writing this in hopes that it will give me some closure and help me cope with the recent events in my life. being this vulnerable in front of people i don’t know is absolutely terrifying, but it feels right. i was 14 years old. a freshman in high school. I was at a basketball game with a friend. these two boys were behind us discussing “who were the hottest girls in school”. classic convo. they’re chatting it up, and suddenly i hear my name thrown in the mix. “really dude? i don’t see it…” “she is gorgeous, id give anything to talk to her”. and that is the night i met Tyler. at the time i was in a relationship (not a very good one) with another guy. but tyler was patient. he took his time, didn’t pressure me, and he became my best friend. i think that is why we lasted as long as we did, and also what contributed to our falling apart. eventually i lost the loser and tyler and i began talking. after parent approval issues and drama among schoolmates we finally got together and made it official. like any couple, we had our issues. he was a jealous hot head, and i was a naive, secluded girl. i would say we definitely went through more than most couples our age. regardless of the problems we went through, we were always there for each other and never gave up on each other. we went through hell and back and never left each others side. my senior year of high school, everything changed. he had graduate and was working his days away. he had no idea what he wanted to do, and with impeccable timing, a USMC recruiter called. he signed the dotted line in October and was off to bootcamp in January. my heart was broken the day he left. i felt so alone. hardly any of my friends could understand what i was going through, my parents tried to be there for me but i often felt like they thought it was a mistake to stay in the relationship. for three months we communicated through letters only, and then i finally got to see him for his graduation. i got him back for a wonderful 14 days, and then he was gone again. that became the norm. i see him for a few days every 5-6 months. it was awful. we struggled with the distance. a part of me was trying so hard to figure out how to move out to him. marry him, go to school out there, or do both. you’ll find that to be pretty common with military relationships. we were definitely the odd balls for not eloping and uprooting everything we’ve known to some random place the government chose. i, luckily, have parents who care far too much about me and my future. they wouldn’t ever allow it. which is why i never mentioned it. i thought maybe i could get away with going to college close to him, but that would still be risky. however, i fell in love with a tiny liberal arts college in the middle of nowhere Nebraska, and they offered me an opportunity to play collegiate soccer. one of my childhood dreams. i decided that the best opportunity for us was to let each other follow their own dreams and passions, and try to make it work during the journey. so tyler was stationed and i went off to college. it was a long bumpy road with tears, fighting, laughter and love. seeing him during his leave made me feel like everything we were doing was all worth it. i finished my freshman year of college and he was still doing his thing with the Marines. when summer ended and school started back up, i started to notice some problems. once i was back into the swing of school and my schedule got crazy, we hardly talked. it was easy when i wasn’t doing anything, because i could just sit around and wait all day for him to get off work or be done with his friends. now, it was getting harder to spend time together. i stayed in some weekends in hopes of a FaceTime date night or anything at all. but he started to go out more, not wanting to talk as much. i bitched him out for it. i felt like if i was giving up a Saturday night, he should be able to as well. that was one of my mistakes, i wanted too much and i wasn’t willing to compromise. i felt neglected, and i felt ignored. i just felt like i wasn’t worth it to him anymore. we fought and fought and drove each other nuts and said things we should’ve never said to someone we claimed to love so much. we kinda broke up a few times; him initiating it and me balling my eyes out begging him to not leave me. i just want to interject here for a second and say that you should never have to beg someone to stay in your life. it may hurt like a bitch to watch them go, but there is no point having someone occupy space that doesn’t want to pay the rent. i told him maybe we just needed to back off each other and breathe for a second. so we did. we hardly talked for a few days and everything seemed to get better when we made the talking more consistent. then the talking faded again. before i knew it, we hardly spoke anymore. we would exchange maybe 6 messages a day. we stopped face timing. no more dates, no more movie nights, nothing. i was hanging out with my friends every minute i wasn’t in class or at soccer, and he was with his buddies at the casino or at a restaurant to watch sports. i felt like i was dating someone who had no idea who i was, and that i was dating someone that i didn’t know. i called my mom and told her everything about how i was feeling and what was going on with tyler and i. after my mother gave me her wonderful motherly advice, i decided for my happiness i needed to break it off. my friends told me those weeks were i hardly spoke to tyler were some of the happiest days they’ve seen me have. they said my mood was just so lively and light. and all of these things really poked at me. i called tyler and we talked and i told him how i felt. we mutually agreed to end things. not gonna lie i was kind of hoping he would try to fight for me, but i was determined to not beg him again. so things ended and i was distraught for the first couple days. but then i was doing well. moving on, enjoying my friends, school, soccer. my entire outlook had been changing and was continuing to change. i was becoming a happy person; someone i hadn’t been in awhile. about a week later tyler and i were in contact and basically he was trying to get back together. i said no. i didn’t want to lose my progress and my self discovery. selfish i know. but this was the most selfish i had been in almost five years, and i loved who i was/am becoming. we had a heart to heart and told him he needed to become happy and accept where he was in life, because he had become a very negative person. i wanted him to better himself and be happy for himself, first and foremost. he truly does deserve the world and i wanted him to be happy. he said he was going to do whatever he could to make himself better to make things work. we stayed separated and agreed to be each other’s best friend again. then, i made a decision after a night of drinking and partying. i slept with one of my best friend at school. tyler asked me if i had done anything with anyone, and i told him the truth. i couldn’t lie to him, we had a very honest relationship. he was crushed. he lashed out, and the things he said to me… they did a number on me. I’m still fighting with myself trying to convince myself I’m not the worst person in the world. i tried to defend myself saying we were broken up and we had the freedom to do that. which yes we both had the option. but i regret that being the first thing i said to him about the issue. i should’ve shown that i cared about him and that what i did hurt him. i was more worried about being attacked for my actions that i couldn’t swallow my pride for two seconds to just say i was sorry for hurting him. the way he handled the situation, to an extent i understand because he was upset, but he really cut deep and did some damage. another piece of advice: do not let anyone develop your confidence. find your confidence on your own. if you let someone else develop it for you, just remember they can take it away as quickly as they built it. so now, tyler and i do not speak much. usually see what petty comment each other is making on twitter and trying to decipher if its about the other. i wish things would’ve been different. i wish i would’ve changed what i needed faster, to be better for us. i wish he would’ve had the desire to keep our relationship going before it ended. i wish i would’ve found this happiness with him, and he could find his with me. i wish i hadn’t hurt him. im grateful for the 4 and a half years we spent together, regardless of good and bad moments we shared. i still love him with everything i have. he was the man i planned baby names with, i planned on marrying, the man i wanted to grow old with. but, life takes unexpected twist and turns and you’ve gotta go whether you want or not. if you read this entire novel, thank you. i appreciate your time to learn about someone you don’t know. if theres anything you take from this let it be these things: 1) do not take anyone for granted. eventually they will leave and you have no idea what it does to them to feel unwanted.  2) appreciate the pain you go through in breakups or any disappointment in life. pain is growth.  3) love yourself and always strive to find happiness in your life.  4) take in to consideration the people in your life and your actions affects on them… just take everything into consideration first.

ooc: Alt. Verses/AUs!

Fire Emblem Three Houses Ai: Ai Malificia is a Golden Deer student. A little shy but friendly and kind to all, Ai mainly focuses on magic, studying Reason and Faith. She can be seen in the library or the courtyard but especially the greenhouse with all the flowers. Ai loves flowers, especially pink roses. She also has a twin sister who has run away from home that she hasn’t heard from in a long time. The two were dotted on by their overprotective parents as both had Crests.

They feared what could happen to the two and though Ai didn’t mind, her sister had enough and decided to run away. Ai was sad for days until she heard about the Monastery. It took some convincing for her parents to let her attend as a student but finally they let her go. Now on her own, Ai strives to do her best and learn to be a healer in order to help others.

Goddess Ai: Ai is kind-hearted, gentle, soft-spoken, nature goddess who loves flowers as well as relaxing activities like painting or reading with tea. She is quite naive about the world though, only knowing little from books and hasn’t been outside much due to worrying that there is danger out there. Ai is sweet and could possibly never harm anyone no matter the danger she may end up in.

Fire Emblem Three Houses Diana:

Diana’s mother is a noble knight of Faerghus, retired now after having a child, her father a Monk who used to be an adventurer. Diana would hear stories from both about serving the kingdom and seeing the world. Though adventuring around the world seemed fun, she decided to strive towards a path of being like her mother. At first she trained under her when young, then when old enough was accepted into the Academy under the Blue Lions house.

Knowing Dimitri is the heir to the throne, Diana tends to sway to training her hardest to impress him since she is aiming to be a knight of his someday once she graduates. Her hardworking and studious nature has some students frowning upon her, thinking her an overachiever, while others admire her.

Tsareena Gijinka Iyumi (A Pokemon Gijinka version of Iyumi where she is a Tsareena. Prissy and can seem stuck up but is actually willing to help others. If you’re charming and caring, her personality flips and she becomes a lot more friendly and adoring.)

Genshin Impact Iyumi: Iyumi is a Electro Fatui mage on the prowl for someone cute she can call hers. To most she acts vicious and snobby, ready to electrocute them should they get on her nerves. But should she find the someone she wants, she becomes more adoring and flirty, chasing after them until she can have them. Which can turn into an aggressive chase should the other not want her.

Iyumi is a talented Fatui mage from Snezhnaya, obeying the Tsaritsa though sometimes goes off on her own in search of someone to play with and be her lover should they catch her interest. However her aggressive behavior and the fact that she is a Fatui has scared multiple people off, making her a bit hot tempered and grumpy towards others.

One Piece Xia: Xia started off on an island of rich folk and snobs. She was given  everything she could have asked for except one thing. Freedom. Her parents were terrified of the outside world, even of some of their own neighbors thinking they would try something drastic to get their fortune. She was kept inside for the most part, couldn’t make friends, could barely even set foot outside. It drove her crazy. She could take  care of herself! Nothing would harm her. She tried every way she could  to break free of the cage she was in. And then, she finally saw her  chance when a pirate crew came to her shores.

The crew fell for her charms and looks and made her captain, blinded by their lust for her. Though she had never been a pirate or captain, she led them on one mission, to simply go place to place and have the fun she could never have when she was held like a  captive bird back home. Knowing how easily her small crew succumbed to  her wishes made her decide to branch out and use it more against others. Obtained the Inu Inu no Mii: Fox Model fruit on her travels.

One Piece Kyana: Kyatana or Kyana as she prefers to be called lived in a humble town. Days were peaceful, all thanks to the Marines. Or so she was told by her parents. She listened to stories of famous Marines and saw them as heroes, desiring strongly to be one. She read as many books about them as she could, trained herself to at least wield a sword, and anxiously waited for herself to be old enough to join. Along the way to getting recruited however, she had some hiccups. As a child, she found a strange fruit that bullies were hiding and she decided to take it for herself, thinking they didn’t deserve it. She ended up being chased and in the middle of it all, swallowed the fruit as fast as possible. At first nothing happened. Then a burst of flame came from her. Her parents weren’t the type to give up though and made things work out, even if they weren’t sure what to think about their daughter’s new abilities. But they knew everything had been an accident. They encouraged her to train her new abilities and keep aiming to join the Marines. That was nine years ago and now much older, Kyana was ready to be recruited, feeling like she had control over her flames. Has the fire fruit.

Demon Iyumi: A demon AU for Iyumi where she is a demon princess wanting to find her king and become a queen! Though her stuck up, snobbish attitude tends to scare away others. However, if she has interest in you, her personality switches and she’ll be nice and adoring towards you, possibly even flirty. Though watch out, when she sets her eyes on someone she wants, she’ll do anything to get them. Also has a Disgaea verse where she is a wannabe Overlord!

Goddess of Darkness Iyumi and Goddess of Light Miyuki: Twin goddesses with not only polar powers but polar personalities. Iyumi is a snob and a bit of a brat, seeing herself as above all others (especially mortals) though secretly wants to find someone to love (and dominate over) and has a secret soft side as well. Miyuki is sweet and kind and has a very sympathetic heart, willing to help any mortals she comes across that are in trouble. Though she is also quite gullible and naive. The two bicker at times but try to work with each other.

Angel Miyuki: Miyuki or Miyu is a young angel of heaven. She watches over humans with great curiosity but also a sense of duty to protect them. She is quite interested in the mortal world and wishes to visit it one day. Though she is no warrior, she wishes to use her healing abilities to help anyone in need. Miyu cares a lot for all living things and sympathizes easily with others’ struggles, even demons and fallen angels. The innocent angel only wishes to help whoever in need in whatever way she can. Face claim: Nasse from Platinum End

Fairy Miyuki/Miyu: Miyu is a friendly fairy that lives in the forest. Since people who come there sometimes get lost, if she finds anyone with such a case, she tries to help them in any way she can to find their way out and be happy. She feels sorry for them and also as someone who was born in the forest, finds it her duty to help those who don’t know the area well. Miyu is however naive and desires to help everyone even if they might have hidden intentions, and is rather innocent in nature. She could never hurt anyone even if they were to try and hurt her.

Fate Series Emilia: Emilia is from a family that has some mages, but none of them have participated in the Holy Grail Wars. When she was born, they decided she would be the first to participate once she was sixteen. It sent her family into a feud, some saying that she was much too young to join the Holy Wars, others saying she would be old enough to handle it.

Her family is counting on her to summon a strong Servant like Saber and carry their wish on her shoulders, a wish to make their family famous with a name that will go down in history. But Emilia decided on another wish. Realizing how deadly the Holy War was, she decided on the wish to never have it happen again so no one else would be forced to participate like herself.

Pokemon Sword/Shield Diana: Diana is a trainer from the Galar region, aiming to become champion and quite strong already. Because of her knight themed team, she’s been called Lady Paladin by random trainers. Her team consists of Aegislash, Sirfetch’d, Escavalier, Bisharp, Gallade, and Ninetails.

She is friendly but serious in battle and can seem stuck up. But she loves her Pokemon and is loyal to them and her friends, willing to throw herself in a fight to protect someone.

Final Fantasy 15 Diana: Diana grew up wanting to become a knight like her mother, her father a black mage she met on her travels. She was granted her wish when she showed great prowess in sword fighting and magic and was determined to do anything to protect her country. When trouble was heard brewing from the kingdom of Insomnia, Diana decided to start her journey as a knight early despite not being officially recognized as one and is traveling with her family friend turned her guardian, a moogle named Vico. Now she helps whoever is suffering under the empire and hopes to meet the prince one day to help him as well.

Club Singer/Information Broker Xia: Set in a time of gangsters like Al Capone, Xia is a infamous club singer, beautiful and willing to sell information she gathers from the patrons there for good amounts of money. She may be willing to pull other favors as well if there is something interesting for her to gain.

Villain Kyana: Kyana is a villain, her parents both villains but are rather comical about it. She is as well, coming up with catch phrases, monologues, and nicknames for the heroes who go against her. She never murders or kidnaps anyone, rather steals jewels or other cliche villain things.