#SAIL executive development

[townpostin]

NML Hosts Cutting-Edge Mineral Processing Training for SAIL

Executive trainees gain insights into characterization, beneficiation, and agglomeration techniques Innovative corporate training program at CSIR-NML aims to bridge science-industry gap, fostering technological advancements and sustainable practices in mineral processing sector. JAMSHEDPUR – A specialized four-day training program on advanced mineral processing techniques has been launched by the…

[xomakara]

This is where you’ll find all the ATEEZ NSFW works here!

 ATEEZ SFW ML here → Look at me!

Everything here is NSFW or 18+. For all SFW works, please check out the SFW ML linked above.

Anyone under the age of 18. PLEASE DO NOT INTERACT with anything rated NSFW or 18+. Any Minors and Ageless Blogs will be blocked. (I’ll be checking every 2-3 days.)

The stories are NOT actual representation of the idols’ personalities in real life and are just works of fiction.

  SERIES

Sailing Into The Unknown | OT8 x AFAB!Reader | Ongoing | You sail together with the pirates of Ateez on an unforgettable journey filled with adventure, friendship, and love that is as bold and untamed as the seas themselves.

DADTEEZ SERIES

Second Chance at Love | 7.1K words | Jongho x Reader | Jongho’s twin daughters really want you to be their new mom ever since you have been taking care of them after their mom passed. They’re trying to play matchmaker between you and Jongho to fall in love, but in actuality, you and Jongho already have feelings for each other.

Rewarded With Love | 4.8K words | Hongjoong x Reader | Hongjoong rewards you for being such a good mother to his children.

Love Like This | 6.6K words | Yeosang x Reader | You recently moved into this very nice neighborhood with your dog, Goober. When Yeosang and his daughter introduce themselves to you, his daughter falls in love with Goober right away. As you spend more time with your neighbors, you realize that you have fallen in love.

Love Again | 6.1K words | Yunho x Reader | You’re a lonely single mother sleeping with your coworker, Yunho, who is also a lonely single dad, for the past few months. One night, after a passionate moment, Yunho suggests that maybe it’s time for your daughter and his daughter to finally meet.

MAFIATEEZ SERIES

The Price of Loyalty | 13K words | Yunho x Reader x Jongho | You lead a double life as an executive at the Lee Group and a Butterfly Syndicate member who must infiltrate the Brotherhood of Ateez as a stripper. As feelings for Yunho and Jongho develop, and your father’s truth emerges, will you remain loyal to the Butterfly Syndicate or choose a different path?

Between Duty and Desire | 12.3K words | Wooyoung x Reader | Wooyoung, one of the high-ranking rookies of the Brotherhood, falls for one of his fellow rookies, not knowing that you’re actually an undercover cop.

  BY MEMBER

Beyond The Bounty | 7K words | When you get caught by Seonghwa, the bounty hunter, for the hefty bounty on your head, you can’t help but want to know his story.

Welcome Home | 3.2K words | In which you jump Seonghwa’s bones after he comes home from tour.

Behind Closed Doors | 6K words | The quiet guy who lives next door to you hardly seems to notice you, but you can’t help but notice him—he’s gorgeous. You’ve given up all hope of striking up a conversation until he comes to your rescue one night after your ex shows up at your house, drunk and looking to take you back, whether you want him or not.

Tides of Rivalry | 5k words | You and Hongjoong have a rivalry to be the best captain of the High Seas. You constantly bicker with each other but you both hold high respect for each other. You both get stranded on an island and then feelings ensue.

Caught Red Handed…Sort Of | 2.9K words | You catch Hongjoong jerking himself off and you decide to give him the best night of his life.

Rewarded By Love | 4.8K words | Hongjoong rewards you for being such a good mother to his children.

Passion On The High Seas | 4.7K words | After running away from your life as a noblewoman to become a pirate, you meet Yunho, a handsome pirate who has an equally shocking past

Love In Turbulence | 4.1K words | You’re on the way to your best friend’s wedding and you accidentally drool on your seatmate’s shoulder, not knowing that he’s the best man.

Game On, Love | 4.6K words | Yunho’s a gamer and so are you. In fact, you’re both so good at it, that you reach top rankings in international competitions, and that’s how you notice each other. But romance is more than a game—or is it?

All Eyes On You | 2.9K words | Yunho gets a bit jealous when you’re fussing over all the members’ clothes, hair, and makeup.

Office Secrets | 8.5K words | You’re in a relationship with your boss, Yunho. Except no one in the office knows that you’re together.

Love Under the Western Sky | 15.4K words | Two businessmen, Yunho and Mingi, are kidnapped by you, a female outlaw, and your gang, but eventually fall in love and build a life with you and your community.

Tension and Desires | 8.4K words | You and Yunho are friends who are oblivious to each other’s feelings. Despite the playful animosity between you two, a strong sexual tension simmers beneath the surface. After a night of flirting and drinking, you finally give in to your desires…

Between Us | 9.5K words | When Johnny and Yunho get a little too jealous that you can’t pick a favorite between them.

The Price of Loyalty | 13K words | You lead a double life as an executive at the Lee Group and a Butterfly Syndicate member who must infiltrate the Brotherhood of Ateez as a stripper. As feelings for Yunho and Jongho develop, and your father’s truth emerges, will you remain loyal to the Butterfly Syndicate or choose a different path?

Shadows Behind Shelves [Part 1] | 15K words | You, a literature professor turned governess, is settling into your role at the Jeong castle and developing feelings for both the lord, Yunho, and his cousin, Jongho.  You soon learn that the castle is haunted by a spirit who desires to be resurrected and take over your body.

Love Again | 6.1K words | You’re a lonely single mother sleeping with your coworker, Yunho, who is also a lonely single dad, for the past few months. One night, after a passionate moment, Yunho suggests that maybe it’s time for your daughter and his daughter to finally meet.

Be Mine [Part 1] | 14.2K words | You’re being stalked and getting creepy and filthy messages from someone named Unknown. Little did you know that person might be closer than you think.

Breathing | 7K words | You were betrayed by your betrothed and left for dead. You’re rescued by a healer named Yeosang, who nurses you back to health. As you recover, you share your past with Yeosang and express your desire to live a quiet life, away from the rumors and hatred you faced.

Sweat and Seduction | 4.1K words | You’re a yoga instructor who teaches yoga and well-being. When the girls in your class get distracted by Yeosang, a regular gym client, you can’t help but fall for him too.

Riding The Heat | 3.4K words | You, an omega, go on tour with your alpha, Yeosang, and his group mates since your heat is due to hit soon. Tensions run high during the concert when your heat starts and you can’t help but wait until after the concert to ride out your heat with Yeosang.

Love Like This | 6.6K words | You recently moved into this very nice neighborhood with your dog, Goober. When Yeosang and his daughter introduce themselves to you, his daughter falls in love with Goober right away. As you spend more time with your neighbors, you realize that you have fallen in love.

The Man Next Door | 4.6K words | San is your brother’s friend and your next-door neighbor. Despite the constant bickering, you can’t deny the attraction between you both.

Fevered Gaze | 3.9K words | You end up dancing with San and Wooyoung at the club where you can’t help but want them.

Roomies With Benefits | 7.3K words | You have no choice but to be roommates with San when there is a glitch in the leasing office’s system. The more time that you live together, the more that you both can’t help but want each other.

Bump and Trim | 2.2K words | San helps you trim the hair around your intimate parts since you’re pregnant.

It’s You | 3.3K words | You’re a publicist secretly in love with your famous client, San, but his manager thinks you should cook up a story about him and his co-star to generate buzz for their upcoming movie. This involves arranging dates and photo ops for the two of them, but you can’t help but notice he seems more interested in you.

Rhythm of Desire | 6.6K words | You and Mingi get paired up for a special song collab that calls for sexy dancing and smooth seductive vocals and rapping. You can’t help but want each other.

Wanted Dead or Alive | 7.9K words | A handsome cowboy is injured while tending to a wild horse he’s rescued miles from town. You’re on the run, and can’t afford to stop on your way to your destination – but you can’t ignore the wounded man when you see him, and decide to help him despite the personal risk.

Love Under the Western Sky | 15.4K words | Two businessmen, Yunho and Mingi, are kidnapped by you, a female outlaw, and your gang, but eventually fall in love and build a life with you and your community.

Ranching Hearts | 16.9k words | You’re an overworked accountant with little time for a love life. Desperate for a break, you join your girlfriends on vacation at a dude ranch. Mingi, the handsome ranch owner is instantly attracted to you and vice versa. But Mingi is about to lose the ranch and everything he’s worked for. Will you extend your stay to help him out?

Can’t Help Myself | 5.7K words | Mingi comes home early from a trip to find his best friend’s older sister, you, roaming the apartment in a large shirt and panties. And god, does he want you.

Elevator | 2.5K words | You and Wooyoung are stuck in the elevator with nothing to do but talk. But when you are awfully aware of how close he is, you can’t help but act on your urges.

Fevered Gaze |3.9K words | You end up dancing with San and Wooyoung at the club where you can’t help but want them..

Crossing Boundaries | 8K words | You are older than Wooyoung by two years and are best friends with his older brother, so you always saw Wooyoung as a younger brother. But Wooyoung wants to be so much more than a younger brother.

Seduced By The Bad Boy | 5.2K words | Your so-called ‘Bad Boy’ best friend Wooyoung catches you looking at adult toys after taking a nap beside you.

Between Duty and Desire | 12.3K words | Wooyoung, one of the high-ranking rookies of the Brotherhood, falls for one of his fellow rookies, not knowing that you’re actually an undercover cop.

Craving You | 5K Words | When you accidentally send a nude of yourself to Jongho, he can’t help but look and start to crave you. The only thing standing in his way: your friendship.

Second Chance at Love | 7.1K words | Jongho’s twin daughters really want you to be their new mom ever since you have been taking care of them after their mom passed. They’re trying to play matchmaker between you and Jongho to fall in love, but in actuality, you and Jongho already have feelings for each other.

Beyond Friendship | 9.3K words | You and Jongho are best friends who secretly harbor intense sexual desires for each other. After a night out, you finally confess your feelings…

The Price of Loyalty | 13K words | You lead a double life as an executive at the Lee Group and a Butterfly Syndicate member who must infiltrate the Brotherhood of Ateez as a stripper. As feelings for Yunho and Jongho develop, and your father’s truth emerges, will you remain loyal to the Butterfly Syndicate or choose a different path?

Shadows Behind Shelves [Part 1] | 15K words | You, a literature professor turned governess, is settling into your role at the Jeong castle and developing feelings for both the lord, Yunho, and his cousin, Jongho.  You soon learn that the castle is haunted by a spirit who desires to be resurrected and take over your body.

When I Fall [Part 1] [Part 2] | 11.1K words | You’re trapped in a loveless and childless marriage to Taeho, a divorced older man that is a friend of your father’s. After fifteen years of marriage and no children of your own, Taeho starts to see other women since you’re past your prime and can’t give him heirs. One night, tired of your husband and his emotional abuse, you go out with some friends, get shit-faced drunk, and meet Jongho, a man fifteen years younger than you, that will change your life forever.

[otaku553]

What did you think of Sabo when you first saw him (both as a kid and as an adult)? I knew of aces existence before watching one piece and it was inconceivable to me that Luffy had a brother, so I was actually reluctant to believe that he also had a noble looking blond brother too lmao, I was in shock

This got long again so thoughts in the read more!

Ok so honestly!!! I didn’t know what to think of him at first! I thought it was very expected and slightly cliche at first to have him be a runaway noble because it was rather obvious just by the way he dressed! It wasn’t particularly compelling to me beyond a general feeling of found family. I didn’t really see a problem with him at that point, I just figured he’d be written off or dead because he’d never appeared up until that point

I think the flashback arc was very excellently executed though and I really did find sabo endearing by the end of it! It makes a lot of sense that sabo would have had to act as a voice of reason to Ace’s much more aggressive behavior. I also think that I didn’t like him at first because it felt like he’d run from a place of privilege because of selfish and self-serving reasons, without truly knowing why he hated nobles beyond the fact that they were using him. But he developed fascinatingly into someone who was actually well aware of the atrocities they committed and had a strong sense of moral justice despite whatever conditioning he must have received as a child, and that stuck with me a lot

I didn’t expect him to pop back up again but I will admit I got really excited! Especially because they kept teasing the revolutionary army as a key player before his appearance and having him meant a much more concrete tie to them. I also think it’s rather thematically appropriate to give him Ace’s fruit, especially in the context given afterwards. Sabo is such a fascinating character because his entire life has been ‘too little too late’. He couldn’t stop the gray terminal fire, he couldn’t set sail and become a pirate on his own, he couldn’t save ace, so what can he do besides making sure that ace is remembered, making sure that despite his past he is doing his best to undo the damage that nobles have done?

Sabo is such a great case study of guilt, in a way that is very different from ace. He fits into the three brothers perfectly precisely because of how he is born to a legacy he does not desire and what he decides to do with it.

[royaltysimblr]

Ophelia of Lausanne, Queen of Windenburg (1620-1673) - Part 9 - Exile & Restoration

Ophelia remained in Brichester for two months following her husband’s execution. Parliament was infuriated with Ophelia’s escape while royalists declared her a heroine. Ophelia had snuck the Crown Jewels and other valuable jewelry with her to Brichester which she stored in her vault at the Bank of Brichester. After two months, Ophelia decided to return to her native Magnolia as a guest of her cousin, King Louis XI. Ophelia was given apartments at the Palace of Blois and the Chateau de Vincenau. Ophelia established her court-in-exile at the Chateau de Vincenau which became a center for Windenburgian politics. Hundreds of Windenburgian courtiers resided at the Chateau de Vincenau with Ophelia, including Lady Pauline Charleston and Cecelia Bentwick. Ophelia’s lady-in-waiting and confidante, Lady Henrietta Burgley died at the Chateau de Vincenau on January 19th, 1659. The death of Burghley deeply saddened Ophelia who had regarded her as a sister. Ophelia kept a lock of Henrietta’s hair in a pendant she wore for the rest of her life.

Ophelia’s children took up residence with her at Chateau de Vincenau. Ophelia devoted her time to the education and upbringing of her younger children, Prince George and Princess Sophie. Ophelia attempted to raise her son George as  Jacoban, but this was immediately stopped by Prince James. However, he permitted his sister, Princess Sophie to be raised as a Jacoban. Ophelia was able to recreate court life in Windenburg at the Chateau de Vincenau, observing the same ceremonies as she did five years ago. During this time, Ophelia developed close relationships with her daughters-in-law, Caroline and Augusta. Ophelia particularly doted on Augusta’s daughter, Princess Matilda who was raised alongside George and Sophie. 

From 1658 onward, Windenburg was thrown into chaos. Parliament had dealt with a massive revolt from the Isle and Victoria and peasant revolts across the country. Windenburg had been heavily sanctioned during the years in which Parliament controlled the country, causing the economy to slip into despair.  After 4 tumultuous years and the death of the Duke of Dartmouth, a newly formed Parliament offered the throne to Ophelia’s son, Prince James. James sailed to Victoria on September 18th, 1662, and landed in Dunkeld. James accepted the throne of Victoria with the nobility pledging their loyalty to the King. James traveled to Windenburg along with the Victorian army and received the Crown of Windenburg on October 1st, 1662. James promised to uphold and cooperate with the new reforms Parliament made in September of 1662. This new parliament was largely Royalist, Peteran, and Liberal. One of the new reforms they had adopted a month prior included Freedom of Religion, finally ending the Religious Wars in Windenburg. 

With the accession of James VI, Ophelia, and her court-in-exile returned to Windenburg. Ophelia returned to Windenburg on October 28th, 1662, expecting a warm welcome at court. Ophelia found Windenburg to be hardly different and still felt like an outsider after 30 years. Ophelia did not attend the coronation of her son but hosted a large banquet in his honor at Hertford Castle. Ophelia was given an allowance of 160,000 pounds a year along with the use of any royal residence. Ophelia chose Hertford Castle and Stonesby Hall as her dowager residences. Ophelia lived a relatively quiet life in Windenburg, only attending official functions at court. Ophelia acquired Devonshire Abbey and Howard Hall in 1664 which she refurbished for personal use. Ophelia often invited her children and the rest of the court to Howard Hall in the autumn for hunting.

[subbyp]

I have this idea for an AU wherein Sanji’s physical Germa modifications kick in during his time starving on the rock, and when he’s like 14 Judge finds out and decides to take him back by force, because if the physical modifications took then surely the mental ones will too and if not there’s always psychological conditioning like what he did to Reiju, right? So Germa rocks up to the Baratie, burns it to the waterline, slaughters the crew (almost) to a man, and drags Sanji back. they don’t realize that Zeff survives, and they probably wouldn’t care if they did. (more fool them)

the mental modifications never kick in, but Sanji learns to act like they do, developing this false persona as a vicious shallow hedonist. he also leans hardcore on his growing resemblance to Sora to get Judge to indulge his whims (no, there’s nothing actually sexual about it, but it is deeply uncomfortable and it’s supposed to be). this is because he’s waiting for a very specific kind of opportunity…..

five years later, the Straw Hat Pirates are in Loguetown, getting ready to scale Reverse Mountain when Luffy fucks up the storefront of a shabby little seafood shack off the main square where Roger was once executed and is enlisted into chore boy duty. he gets to talking about dreams and piracy and sailing with the owner.

“do you have any dreams?” he says, failing to mop the floor.

“I used to have a few,” says the owner.

“not anymore?” says Luffy.

“none of your business,” says the owner.

“you should be my cook!” says Luffy.

“not a chance in hell,” says the owner.

then the shit goes down that leads to Luffy being put up on the block and almost executed. when the Straw Hats flee to the Merry they find the owner standing there waiting for them with a book under his arm.

he explains that he can’t be their cook—he’s too old and too broken, he’s had enough of the Grand Line, and besides staying in Loguetown is the best shot he has at achieving his dream (“I knew you had a dream!” yells Luffy. everyone ignores this), but he’s got a cookbook and nutrition guide he’s been working on and the Straw Hats can have the first draft so they don’t totally die of scurvy and shit if they swear to do him one favor—to, if they ever, out there on the sea, meet a nineteen-year-old kid called Sanji, tell him that Red-Leg Zeff is alive.

“yeah! of course!” says Luffy. “if you tell me what your dream is.”

“to see him walk free,” says Zeff.

—

Zeff’s cookbook keeps the Straw Hats properly nourished. but they barely make it to Sabaody in canon, and here they have one less combatant, so Kuma decides to split the team at Thriller Bark, and instead of sending Zoro to Kuraigana, he sends his unconscious just-bore-Luffy’s-pain ass right onto the Germa 66 flagship.

Judge wants to vivisect Zoro to figure out how a regular human non-DF-user could be so freakshow strong and then turn his head in for the bounty, but Sanji recognizes him as one of the Straw Hats (and thus, one of the liberators of Alabasta) and improvs on the spot that he wants him as a swordsmanship coach (“after all, sir, you want me to improve my swordsmanship”) and, he heavily implies, bed-warmer. thus Zoro wakes up in a Germa 66 infirmary, wounds bandaged, swords gone, and explosive collar on his neck, as the third-born Prince of Germa demands to be allowed to see his new toy alone. (“yes, I’ll be careful with him. I don’t want to break him when I’ve just got him!”)

zoro, having deduced what sanji is alluding to, is about ready to kill him with his bare hands on the spot, but as soon as they’re alone in the room together sanji starts immediately and profusely apologizing for being such a creep. he says he’s not into men (“especially not unwilling ones”) but it was the only way he could think of to get them even occasional privacy, and btw he is probably going to have to claim that he’s doing some unsavory stuff or else Judge might possibly have Zoro killed, but he’ll never lay a hand on Zoro without his consent besides what is strictly necessary to fake it around the Vinsmokes—

at this point Zoro starts to wonder what the hell he’s going on about. Sanji explains the whole thing and says that he’s planning on somehow getting Zoro back to the Straw Hats as soon as he can, and in the meantime he’ll make sure Zoro gets food and medical care and that nobody sells off his swords or anything, but he needs Zoro to do something for him in return:

“I’m going to feed you every bit of knowledge I have about Germa 66, and when you leave here, you need to give that information to someone who can destroy us until not even memories remain.”

[pauking5]

Addicting Taste ~ Chapter 1 ~

Ongoing Series

Synopsis: Enishi Yukishiro was on a mission to execute his piece de la resistance. A plan to avenge his beloved sister. Until you showed up, rattling open the icy closed gates of his heart. Will you be a part of his downfall or will you try to save him?

Pairing: Enishi Yukishiro x fem reader oc

Genre: strangers to lovers, sunshine and grumpy, slow burn, a lot of fluff, occasional smut, angst by the bucket

Words: 6.7k +

A/N: I couldn’t hold back anymore and had to make a fic for Enishi. It won’t exactly follow the Rurouni Kenshin timeline for now but it will later develop into it. This is the first chapter in the series with more chapters coming. It is a reader insert as I couldn’t help but indulge myself in it completely. Powered by Mackenyu’s outstanding portrayal of Enishi’s character in Rurouni Kenshin: The Final, I hereby present you a story ripped from the figments of my mind. I hope you’ll love their story as much as I do. Enjoy lovelies, Paula.

Also thank you @eureka-its-zico for supporting me with this and getting me writing again 🫶

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Bonus Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11

“Just how stupid are you?”

A loud smack echoed in the room upon connecting with his cheek, heavy rugged palm twisting his face to the side. He clicked his jaw menacingly, facing forward once more with another devilish smirk.

“You thought you could just get away with it?”

Another heavy punch collided with his face, this one making him drop to his knees. He might have been kneeling, completely at the mercy of someone with much more power in command, but this show of authority trying to assert him into submission did absolutely nothing for him.

Lest the displeasure of being Shanghai's commander in chief's unexpected catch of the night. Maybe even the catch of his whole career.

“You’re a fool.”

Heard that one before, he prepared to spit out like burning acid crawled out of his throat.

Just as the rims of his mouth opened to let the words out, he got cut off by an uppercut digging hard under his chin, throwing his body backwards. He tasted iron on his lips. The force of the blow made blood pool in his mouth surprisingly. He didn't think the old man capable of this much damage but as it turns out he had a thing for facial damage. A pleasure Enishi wanted so badly to return.

Spitting it out through clenched teeth at the side, staining the limestone carpet with crimson splotches to redecorate the man's office with a little color. He would've added other shades of red to the whole carpet, rounding it up on each and every shimmering golden seam until everyone in the room contributed. If only his hands were not bound behind his back, constricting most of his movement.

The man standing tall before him left his face full of cuts and bruises. But that was the least of Enishi’s worries right now.

Many months were spent tracking down the biggest shipment of weapons set to leave Shanghai for Kanagawa. Tonight, Enishi’s men were supposed to rob the storage by the docks completely dry before the ship set sail in the morning with empty cargo. But it turned out to be a harder task than it was intended to be.

He couldn't tell where it all went wrong.

Was it just bad luck? That would've been a first under the remarkable security he had around the area.

Was it a tip-off from the inside? Highly unlikely. If that was the case, he would've smelled the motherfucker who chirped before they even thought it possible to cross him.

Whatever it was, changed the course of the whole plan, rendering it nothing short of a total fail.

That fail was also what led to his current position - with his hands tied roughly behind his back, bloody with his patience running thinner with each breath, lying on the floor of the most secure precinct in Shanghai.

A few hours ago

“These dumplings are amazing,” you sighed happily, munching on three baozi dumplings at once.

The lady vendor grimaced at you. Well, less at you and more at your clear lack of manners since you were practically inhaling the soft dough before it even landed in the palm of your hands like a famished grizzly bear.

Leftover crumbs decorated the edges of your lips as you chomped down on the dumplings. You forgot all about etiquette when the food literally melted in your mouth. Heaven was definitely found in food and not in the afterlife and these little desserts were the very proof of it. Your stomach also agreed with that claim every time your mouth touched dumplings in any shape, form or filling.

Who could resist those plump, freshly made babies?

Not me. Ya'll stay safe though.

A little boy walked by with his mother when he caught sight of the dumpling cart. He ran to the cart gluing his face to the glass to watch the lady work the next batch. His breaths fogged up the glass as he gaped at the steaming dumplings in awe and adoration. But when he turned his head and saw the way you were devouring the small pastry like a goblin from the woods his face turned to pure disgust.

What do you want child, you muttered, cheeks filled with the new cherry filling you were trying out. He said nothing, continuing to stare you down as if you had some unresolved business with him.

You were getting annoyed by his staring, so you shot the little boy a slightly threatening look in hopes he would turn back to watch the magic dough rather than try to make enemies with you. Instead he started crying, running off in the direction he came from. You watched until he got tinier and tinier, disappearing somewhere in the depths of the street.

His mother watched the whole exchange from behind you. Upon meeting her burning gaze, she regarded you with a condescending look then followed after her child.

You turned back to your dumplings, chewing slowly in guilt. It wasn't your fault children had the temperament of the unpredictable weather forecast. The vendor lady did not seem to share your opinion, pinning you with an icy authoritative glare typical of her generation. The one that usually scared off the youngsters.

“Can you leave before you scare all my clients away?” she said, irritated with the fact that you’ve been hogging her cart for the past half an hour and you didn't look like you would be leaving anytime soon.

“Listen lady, I am your only client. Plus, I could buy your whole cart if I wanted to. Just let me enjoy these,” you said with your mouth full, reaching for another bag of dumplings on sale. She smacked your hand away, looking down at the bags you were already holding safely on your chest.

“I’ll be the one leaving then," she hissed as she started to put away the steaming buns away and gathered all her tools, folding the cart faster than you could catch up to her. "You might spoil my dough from raising if I stay here any longer,”

“Wait! You can’t just leave -"

By the time you yelled after trying to stop her from leaving with the heaven-sent goodies, she was already gone. Old ladies really are a different breed these days, you thought. Cooking, knitting and chit-chatting were activities that seemingly didn't provide them with enough soul sucking out of people to their heart's content.

Anywho, there went your only meal for the day. At least it was a nice filling one to last you some time and kick in some energy your body desperately needed. You looked down at your stomach with a sigh, patting in a comforting manner before you turned to go on your own way.

The crisp air of mid-October made its presence felt as an icy gust blew against the sleeves of your cotton dress making the material flutter and fill you up with cold air. Your attire was nothing short of inappropriate for the lingering cold season, but the leather bits, like the corset laced up over your chest or the pants under it, kept a fraction of warmth with you.

The chilly weather made it harder to do any jobs, take out hitlist services not requested as much in this period of time. Rage requests usually came with the hot scorching summer rather than the fall of the first autumnal fog. That meant you never knew where your next meal would be coming from most of the time, so you powered through with anything you could find. Though your money was slowly running on empty, you always made sure to keep some aside for your delicacy cravings.

Only mad people walked the streets of Shanghai, the city of all things food confectionery, without indulging in at least one treat from the vendors. Broke or not, you emptied your pockets here on good measure.

There was a downside to all good things in life.

The once bustling street, buzzing with chatter and sizzling pans where savory and sweet scents danced in the air, turned awfully quiet with nightfall. It was the norm in this part of the city. Vendors were quickly packed away and activity was slowly coming to a halt in the wake of the coming night. Any normal person in these parts would know that being on the streets when the last flicker of daylight disappears wasn’t safe in the slightest.

Who would want to be out in the dark with the Shanghai mafia having a full blown war with the commander in chief on the streets until the early hours of dawn? Definitely no one in all faculties of the mind or at least some.

Clutching the rest of your dumplings closer, you made your way down the narrow pathways circling the outskirts of the city. As you padded the cobblestone road, windows hatched closed, doors shut and all light dimmed to ward off danger. The people of Shanghai lived in fear of this war every night. You did too. But at least you had weapons and could defend yourself in case of anything.

The place you resided in for the time being was just a hop down from the city docks. It was a modest room at the top of an abandoned jewelry shop, furnished with a desk, a small wardrobe, and a corner to store the little belongings you carried around. It was not the comfiest nor the safest place in the world, but it provided a space to roll your futon for the night and that was as good as anything.

The bags in your hands shuffled with each step you took. You cast a look at the buns, the delicious smell still wafting up to your nose even as they were covered and tucked inside the paper. On impulse, you bought a bunch of different flavors with all kinds of fillings you haven’t tried before. Just thinking of taste testing all of them made your mouth water and your step quicken with happy strides.

Whilst getting lost in your pastry daydreams, you were shaken back to earth by persistent yelling. As you were making your way further down to the docks, more agitated shouting ensued and the quick pace of your walk slowed down. You were far away from the entrance, unable to really see anything, but the growing commotion piqued your curiosity.

It wouldn’t hurt to take a closer look, right? It's in the way anyway, you shrugged.

Inching closer to the side of the docks entrance, you hid behind an abandoned fishing boat perched up on empty fishing crates. They might've been rusty from being left outside for god knows how long but they still smelled like few days old catch that went off. Ignoring the horrendous smell and tucking your petite form well enough so you wouldn’t be spotted, you looked over the edge of the boat to see what was going on.

Moving your eyes around you counted about twenty masked men, all dressed in black with swords attached to the hip. Mercenaries. You didn't need to see more than the blades and their eyes to be able to tell they were possibly wanted people.

Most of them were frantically rushing in and out of the biggest storage on the other side, holding cases filled with… guns?

As more of them came out you realized it wasn’t just guns - there was long and short range artillery, fuses, even more blades and all kinds of artisanal bombs. It looked like the place to be for pyromaniacs and sadists. Depending on which category took your fancy, there was something for every sin you wanted to commit, from arson all the way to testing out painful killing methods.

Whatever these guys were planning was nothing short of mass destruction.

“We’ve secured all the weapons, Master,” a shushed voice spoke in Japanese from your right. He came closer, standing right in front of the boat you were using as a hiding spot.

He looked about half a person in height. If a wild gust of wind blew his way he would most likely topple over and become dust. Besides that, what caught your attention was the unsure nature of his Japanese accent. He definitely wasn't Japanese but whoever he talked to just now was because they replied in a grave pronounced tone, one hundred percent of Edo origin.

“Good work,” said a deeper voice from the left as he approached too. The way he spoke those simple words was enough to make tremors run down your spine in sheer thrill.

Weird, you shook them off trying to get a better view of the owner of the voice. A curly, tangled mop of white hair entered your vision. The roots were darker than the silvery ends shimmering in the pale blue moonlight.

Damn, this guy was long overdue for a haircut. And a hair dye session. Who was this gramps?

Trailing your eyes further down you took in his sturdy physique that was outlined through the clothes he was wearing. Wait. This is no gramps body. You could tell he was trained in some kind of martial arts. No one just walked around with heaps of muscles like those. You could easily draw a map of the world between those wide shoulders if you focused hard enough on just what lay beneath those tight, crunched up cotton creases- Snap out of it, Miyu.

The loud crash of crates rattling to the floor brought you back to reality. You weren't supposed to be there, eavesdropping and peeking like a spy when these people could probably cut you to pieces in one breath.

I need to get out of here ASAP.

You couldn’t risk getting caught and brought in by the commander in chief. If he wasn’t alerted yet he sure got wind of things by now. That man definitely has mutant senses. You didn't need to get caught by this mafia either because from the looks of it they definitely were part of one.

The last thing you needed was them catching wind of your location. You've spent so long staying under the radar and now was not the time to advertise your whereabouts like you were the main specialty on sale in the morning newspaper.

I am void. I don’t care. I haven’t seen anything.

I am not getting involved with this.

Repeating that mantra several times in your head in order to calm down, you had to figure out a way to sneak out as smoothly as possible without alerting anybody. Not even a fly and especially not the strong muscular white mop of hair who hasn’t moved at all from his spot right in front of you. He was probably one of those people gifted with extended field of vision that could see the world in one side to side look like a bird, so any move or choked breath of yours would fall on his alarm sensors instantly.

After a quick scan of your surroundings, you came to two viable options that would help you avoid getting skewered: going left, straight through the docks and to your hideout located just on the other side; or going right, having to circle around the whole city to get back.

It wasn’t hard to figure out which one was safer. You’d rather go around the whole city as many times as you needed if it meant staying away from whatever they had planned. You just had to wait for the right time to make your way out.

Any minute now...

The two continued supervising the undercover operation, not once moving away. Not even one accidental turn of their heads somewhere else.

More like any day...

If you didn't know any better, you'd think they picked up on your scent and were just waiting for you to breathe through the wrong nostril before they jumped you. The singular possibility of that drenched your spine with cold drops of nervous sweat. You've done the stake out thing a million times before, but this one was somehow so different - gut twisting in churns and knots like you took a hit of deja vu different. Like disaster waited patiently at those rusty gates to catch and cradle you sweet like a lover from the very moment your eyes first laid on the docks tonight.

After an agonizing long while, the two men blocking your view finally moved, heading towards the rest of their squad on the other side of the docks. That was your chance. All you had to do was get set, lift your ass from the floor and sprint the hell out of there before someone caught you and made you fish food.

If only things would play out like that but they rarely do for normal people.

Raising to half your height, trying to keep cover behind the boat, you turned to the right. In your rush to escape, you missed a teeny tiny key detail that was in your way to freedom - a dark brown fishing cord extending from the boat to the other pile of empty crates behind you.

You didn't see it in the darkened confined space around you and if you did, you took notice of it too late, barely making it two steps before your leg tangled in it and you were falling face first to the hard concrete floor, taking the crates behind with you. Disaster caught up to you, smiling sickly at your futile attempt to escape so easily.

The steaming buns you tried so hard to keep close spilled all over the ground in the process. That was the least of your worries. What should've worried you was that you just made the loudest sounds known to man that were probably heard under the sea. The clangs from the metal cages rattling on top of each other before crashing to the ground with a thud, rolling into other piles like rumbling waves of a raging sea, echoing deafeningly in your ears.

Once they stopped, the loud screeching of the crates was replaced by the loud beating of your heart with the realization that your body was halfway exposed to the other side of the docks. In full view for anyone to snap your details. The danger alarm rang multiple times in your head but your body just refused to move.

There was nowhere for you to run without getting caught now.

I’m. so. fucked.

“What was that?” growled one of the masked goons on the other side.

Mophead stopped in his tracks, muscles in his back contracting with impending doom. He turned around swiftly, faster than a wild feline, locking eyes on you. Lifting your own gaze from your uncomfortable spot on the floor, you connected it with his. You choked on a breath caught halfway in your throat before it could reach your lungs.

Dark black eyes akin to predators that lurk in the dead of night pierced yours. They screamed murder. The ‘chop you apart for funsies’ kind of murder, in a silent, more maniacal and lethal manner than serial killers normally sported.

But something about those eyes caught you off guard. He was just a few feet away. Close enough to reach for you and squeeze the life out of you. Close enough to catch the blue hue outlining his pupils. Something about those eyes, though eerie and downright terrifying, awaking every urge to take off to safety, was so oddly familiar that it froze you in place.

Where have I seen these eyes before?

He seemed to be stuck in his own reverie, fixed on your own for a good while. A tilt of his head could only signal his confusion to your presence. Or was it recognition? It could be both.

You don’t even know how long you were both stuck soul searching each other until the roaring sound of gunfire descended down on the docks.

Breaking your staring contest apart, you frantically craned your head behind trying to locate where the firing came from. Then it dawned on you.

The commander in chief is here. Knowing him, he was just waiting for his cue to shine like the superstar pawn of the government he is.

Mophead set off in your direction, most likely to grab you, but he only managed to take a step before bullets lined up a few feet in front of him. With a low grunt, he spared you one last deadly stare marking you as a new enemy to his possibly extended list before retreating back to his gang.

The bullets flew closer and closer to your spot and the intense smell of gun powder filled your nostrils. This was your cue to exit stage. In any direction at this point.

You got to your feet in seconds, saving what was left of your steamed dumplings and made a run for it. A few bullets narrowly grazed the low ends of your dress but you quickly made it to the safety of a dark alleyway close by.

Checking on your precious dumplings in the crumpled paper bags, you saw most of them were unharmed and let out a breath of relief. Then you cursed yourself for leaving your weapons on your neatly folded futon the one time you could actually make use of them.

The blaring gunshots halted all of a sudden. The docks were quiet again. Way too quiet. Strange. Did they run out of ammo this fast? I thought the police got endless resources in that field. Nevermind that, the mob had thousands of them at hand, itching for a little assembling and bullets. A showdown between a gang and the authorities couldn't have just ended this fast. Something felt off.

You made sure the shadow of the brick wall covered you whole before peering over to the docks from the corner of the alley. Assessing the situation, you noticed that half of mophead’s party was shot down by the commander’s force. Blood was everywhere, splattered on the cement from the entrance as far as you could see. Possibly all the way to the other end of the pier. Big and burly bodies that were swarming the warehouse and executing orders just moments ago, now laid lifeless next to and on top of some of the crates filled with weapons. Some of them managed to flee the scene when the firing started, abandoning ship cowardly. The rest of them that were still alive and kicking were captured and put in restraints to be taken into custody, together with their leader who must have been a ticking bomb of rage on the inside by now.

The more you looked at it, you didn't take him for someone that would get caught so easily. He gave the impression of the superior kind of thug. The type that calculates and plans until all doubts, variables and collaterals were executed off the table.

Something didn't add up.

What is really peculiar was that this part of the harbor was not even on the open side, clearly to make the storing of arm supplies as reclusive as possible. But anyone who wanted a hit and run, quick and fast, could flee the scene absolutely undetected under the safety of nightfall. The only way you could get caught was if someone chirped like a hummingbird, loud and close to the commander's ear. You nearly giggled at the possibility until you took another look down at the pier and all amusement in you dissipated.

Maybe it was the smug look on the commander’s face as his men rounded up the thugs. Or the way most of his force came out from what looked like stationed places at the other end of the docks entrance. Even the sure nods the officers shared as they shoved the last of the goons to their knees behind their leader.

It almost seemed like they knew mophead and his crew were going to be here tonight, set on stealing the armament.

No way.

Was this a set up?

Back at the precinct

Enishi was fuming.

Things went sideways too quickly for his liking tonight. The only feasible explanation was that someone talked and he was going to make sure they weren’t seeing the light of day under his watch. Once he made it out of the shithole he was currently held in that was. Which seemed to be somewhere in the far future.

The old man ceased his relentless show of authority punches, changing the plate for questioning, trying to intimidate Enishi. Too bad. Having the man breathe opium smoke in his face did not phase him at all.

“I’m going to ask again," sneered the commander, puffing up his chest with another intake of the drug. "Why were you stealing weapons?”

His patience was running thin, beyond irritation, showing in the way the veins on his neck strained. But he could press on as much as he wanted. Enishi wasn’t going to give him shit.

“Either you talk or your good for nothing squad will suffer in your place.”

He really thought he did something with that line. Those men were disposable. The real ones waited back at the base. He wasn't mad to deploy them for a mission that was supposed to be easy. But this was probably the last time he employed outside resources for a mission.

“I don’t give two flying fucks about them,” spat Enishi. He hoped some of the drops of blood flew to land on the commander's face.

That geature only earned him another punch, this time deep to the stomach. The guards who were holding him let him drop to the floor, more blood dripping on the side of his mouth.

The commander handed his pipe to one of the officers, discarding his coat on a chair before letting his fingers work to roll the sleeves of his shirt up. He moved around his golden desk furniture with the grace of an old dragon, aware of the ways of the world. That was what he wanted his assailants to believe. Truth be told, he was nothing but a puppet for the higher ups.

“I guess I’ll have to beat it out of you then,” said the commander, cracking his knuckles.

Bracing for the commander’s punishment, his thoughts wandered somewhere else. Not to the mission. Not to the missing weapons. Not to his men. But to the girl who was there tonight, hiding behind the boat.

He wasn’t stupid. He sensed someone was eavesdropping from somewhere. It just wasn't in his benefit to do something about it when they weren't showing up to lay claim to the weapons or to stop him from taking them.

But you weren’t supposed to be there. You were a variable in his plan that he couldn’t have predicted. A wildcard? A hidden weapon he could've used? He didn't know. Where a handful of questions swarmed around in his head, three of them stood out the most, distracting him from the incoming hit to his side.

Why were you there tonight?

Who were you working for?

And where have I seen you before?

Ten armed guards at the front of the building. Another two securing the entrance from the inside. Five more moving around the halls. None on the top floor.

Bingo.

Sliding open the glass window on the roof of the precinct, you snuck in quietly. You landed down swiftly, arching your heels like a cat to keep you steady. Stealth mode switched on in your head as you carefully inspected your surroundings.

The top floor is clear.

Tightening the grip on your twin Remingtons, you straightened and advanced to the walls on your right, opposite to the railing on the other side overlooking the secured entrance. No one seemed to be on this level at all.

As you rounded the corners, you spotted a staircase going down to what looked like a meeting hall.

Angry shouting and what resembled the sound of slapping got louder the more steps you descended. Someone was either receiving a beating or they were just into kinky shit.

You were on the last three steps when a guard's boots fell in step close by. Aligning yourself with the wall, you became one with the shadows. You held your breath, keeping your heartbeat under control as well as any other signs that could get you spotted. On the inhale, he walked by. On the exhale, he continued on his path. As he got further away, you tilted your head towards the glass ceiling and released the breath you were holding.

This was a terrible idea.

What were you even doing here in the first place? This was not your fight.

But your conscience convinced you that you were somehow responsible for the unsuccessful outcome of mophead’s mission. Call it remorseful helping.

You weren’t supposed to be there tonight. It was just incidental. Your stupid craving for dumplings made you come out of your extremely comfortable refuge and one thing led to another and you found yourself in the middle of the crossfire. The very thing you hoped to avoid at all costs.

Without thinking too much of your bad choices for the day, you geared up to save mophead. You didn’t know why you were going this far for someone you didn’t know. But you felt needed for once in a while and like you finally had a job to do. That and the fact that the betrayal under his command hit a little too close to home.

There was something else that bothered you about your encounter with him. The moment he locked eyes with you was branded into your head like a burn wound. Your brain replayed it over and over again for no specific reason until it drove you crazy.

Those eyes bugged you to the world’s end. There was something so addicting and familiar to them. But you couldn’t recall where you’ve seen them before no matter how hard you tried.

You needed to find out who this man is. So, like any normal person looking for answers, you went to ask him. Well, you will ask him. As soon as you busted him out of the most secure precinct in Shanghai.

In the meeting hall

“This would be so much easier if you just talked,” yelled the commander in chief.

“How about… fuck you. Good talk,” said Enishi with a sick grin.

“You son of a—,” the commander was cut off by the sound of shots being fired outside the meeting hall. Grunting and yelling ensued for a good minute until everything turned quiet. Everyone’s ears perked up listening for what could follow.

A powerful kick thundered against the golden door to the hall, making it come off its hinges and cave in on itself. The bolts creaked, splintering on the sides and the door fell with a loud thud. You stepped over it, the click of your heeled boots bouncing off the echo in the room.

All eyes were trained on you.

“Who’s ready to have some fun?” you chirped, enthusiastically twirling the guns in your hands. They landed perfectly in your hold and you cocked them right at the men in the middle of the room.

“Who are you?,” asked the commander in chief.

“Let’s just say I’m someone you don’t want to mess with,” you said confidently.

“You’re just a stupid girl if you think you can just come in here —“

“This stupid girl just took out most of your guards on duty. It will be her utmost pleasure to take you out too,” you said with a smirk.

Enishi was watching the exchange, his head swimming with confusion for the second time tonight.

Just who exactly were you? And why were you crossing paths again? Also, were you insane to just waltz in the commander in chief's lair like that?

You first show up as a hindrance to his plan and now you’re here to probably mess up more than you already have. He was also kind of blaming you for the situation he was in at the moment. You weren't of any help in his eyes.

At least you proved useful in distracting the guards and the commander so he could work on getting his hands free of the rope tugging at his wrists. Okay, maybe you were useful.

Looking over at mophead, you noticed he freed himself. You haven’t worked in a team in so long so you threw him a look asking for guidance on what to do now. What he saw however, was more of a weird face that kind of creeped him out, but he quickly caught onto what you meant.

He wasn’t sure whether to trust you. But he didn’t have the luxury to audition for partners right now. So, sending a silent nod your way, you let the fun begin.

Mophead lunged for the commander in chief while you preoccupied yourself with the five guards in the room. You easily took out the first one by the couch at the side. Pointing your gun to the next one, you pulled the trigger but nothing happened. You tried the other gun receiving the same vacant response. You were left without bullets having emptied most of them on the guards outside.

Strapping the guns back to your belt, you took a fighting stance and beckoned the officers to you.

Hand to hand combat it is.

The closest guard lunged at you and your fist connected with his nose. A loud crack echoed upon contact, blood seeping through his hands as he cradled his nose.

“You bitch—,” you cut him off by hooking your leg to the back of his neck, dragging him to the floor.

“Did your mother not teach you how to speak to a lady?”

He got back up and got ready to throw another snarky remark but you wasted no time in shutting him up with a nearby chair. The wood broke to pieces as it made contact with him, knocking him out cold. Once he fell to the floor, you directed your attention at the other three guards that started circling you from different sides. Showtime.

You let them come at you. The taller one came first, swinging a baton at your head. Ducking successfully to avoid having your head turned into a baseball, you went for a roundhouse kick to his head. He got projected to the other side from the force you put into the move.

The last two attacked you at the same time. One of them had a knife that managed to get a few cuts through the sleeves of your dress as he kept swinging at you recklessly. He wasn't even looking where he sent his blade. He probably just hoped they got you. If this was the training they got the armed forces were doomed.

You huffed disappointedly as you lifted a slashed piece to check the damage. “I just got this one."

Getting annoyed with his incessant flailing about, you caught his hand just as a slightly smaller in stature officer came from behind you. Kicking back your right leg into the stomach of the one behind, you got a chance to take the knife, throwing it away and out of his reach. You turned and elbowed the knife wielder in the stomach, directing another knee at his ribcage letting him fall flat to the floor.

One more to go.

Standing face to face with your last enemy, you spared mophead a quick look. He was struggling with the commander as he pushed him face down on the big wooden desk. He quickly turned the power around and got him into a deadly chokehold instead.

You didn’t even notice his outerwear was discarded and he was left only in a tank top. His huge biceps flexed dangerously as he tightened his hold on the commander’s neck, pushing into him with all his strength. Sweat was piling like rain drops down his arms and you found yourself drooling. Maybe you digged the whole white mop of hair look.

You were snapped out of your fantasies by the small garden goblin running towards you with a spiked staff. Where the fuck did he get that from?

Do these guys not have one normal weapon on them? Where do they get all this ridiculous stuff from?

You dodged his attacks and his futile attempts at trying to spear you like Dracula, until he got tired and his swings turned sloppy. Finding an opening way too easily, you caught the end of the staff with your right hand and turned your left into an uppercut diving it under his chin. The impact of your hit had him landing in a star shape on the floor. His eyes rolled around unable to focus like birds chirped around his head.

Just as you were finished with him, mophead finally squeezed the living daylights out of the commander and let him fall splat to the floor. He wasn't dead. Just out of service for the day.

Sensing the ruckus in the hall, the rest of the guards from outside started piling up into the hall. You both walked towards each other until you were back to back. In other circumstances you would’ve loved the way your heavy breaths mingled and the way your shoulders shyly grazed each other. But now was not the time to crush on your new partner.

“Any chance you have a plan to get us out of here?” asked mophead. Guards surrounded you from all sides, covering all exit points. The only way to escape was to fight your way out.

“I’m guessing breaking some more necks wouldn’t hurt,” you replied hastily.

“You take the ones on the right. I take the ones on the left,” he directed.

With another nod, you both got into position and waited as the guards descended upon you.

A storm of fists came your way. You tried blocking them as much as you could but five to one was too much to handle without a weapon. Mophead noticed your struggle and tried to get rid of the three baton swingers in front of him. With a low sweep kick to their ankles they all fell over at once, hitting each other with the bats they were holding.

You were holding onto three bats with all your might, pushing your arm muscles to greater strength than they were capable of. Two guards sneaked behind you, ready to deliver a dangerous blow. Enishi intercepted them before they could carry out their plan, catching their arms mid swing and twisting their arms to inhuman angles.

“Don’t you know it’s bad manners to hit a lady, especially from behind?” he said, towering over them, pushing them to their knees as they writhed in pain.

You finally managed to throw the three men backwards, taking to delivering a kick to each of them. By the time you were done with them you were breathing heavily. You were a good fighter, but your stamina was always holding you back. Mophead seemed to be more trained in that field though as you saw him cutting through the lines of guards with ease, taking down two or three at the time. And he was injured.

Five more guards circled both of you.

“Give me a hand,” you said as you ran towards mophead.

He sensed your idea right away. Latching your hand with his, you created enough momentum for him to pull you around in a circle to kick down all of the guards. Once you got both feet back on the ground looking for your next victims, you noticed the secure hand sitting idly on your waist.

Looking up at him, you saw he’s about a head taller than you. He was scanning the room too. Feeling you tense in his hold, he quickly dropped his hand from your waist and trained his gaze on the broken down door.

“We have to go before more of them come.”

“What about your crew? Are you just going to leave them here?”

“They can get out just fine by themselves,” he growled, annoyed and pissed enough to think of those fuckers too.

And with that he grabbed your hand and you made a run for it, stepping over the bodies of the commander's regiment, falling out into the precinct.

Next

Thank you for reading! Comments, notes and reblogs are always welcome :)

[one-idea]

Kuina, Zoro and the lookalike

Master post

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

You know what I’m not done talking about it.

Here’s another idea from my reverse strawhats/parallel dimension strawhats

So this is in the east blue. We’re going to loguetown.

So this is really weird to Ace. Being in the town his father was born, raised, and was executed in. Like what a mess of emotions for the dude.

(The crew won’t know about the Gol D. Roger connection until water 7 when Tom tells them stories about Gol D. Roger)

But that’s not who we are focusing on today.

Yes Kaya gets a weapon in Loguetown.

Yes Reiju gets in a cook off.

But again we’re not taking about them.

We are talking about Kuina and Zoro. Or Kuina and the face stealer that looks like Zoro.

I was thinking about it and it would be weird to have Tashigi in this as her whole thing is she looks like Kuina. And the whole thing doesn’t land if Kuina is alive. So switch it to a person who looks like Zoro.

(I found out that Kuina and Tashigi were both named after flightless birds and wanted to keep the name similars going. I looked up the meaning of Zoro and it was sky/moon soooooooo)

Kuina goes off on her own. Maybe looking for supplies to take care of Wado Ichimonji (I don’t think Kuina develops a three sword style. I think she’s still fighting with just the one) and while she’s at the sword store a young man walks in.

He can’t be older the 16. He has striking green hair, an athletic build and a cocky walk. He struts in asking about a sword. The owner of the store seems exasperated as the boy goes through swords quickly. The boy makes a joke about being too strong for regular blades.

His eye catch’s Wado and his interest is peaked.

When he goes to talk to the girl holding the sword she looks like she’s seen a ghost.

Kuina can’t wrap her head around what she’s seeing. The boy looks exactly like Zoro! But that can’t be. Zoro was dead. She was at his funeral. She had mourned him. How dare this stranger walk in wearing his face, having his attitude, this was a mockery of her best friend!

She leaves as quickly as possible but not before learning the man’s name is Tsukin. Even their names share meaning! (Zoro’s meaning sky/moon and Tsukin meaning moon)

Later on after getting her reckless captain out of trouble and running for their lives back to the Merry, Tsukin is there blocking their path. Because of course the lookalike is a marine. And of course he loves fighting.

She stops to duel him while Ace and Reiju race ahead. She beats him with ease. But as he lays there on the ground with both of his swords knocked out of his hands he starts to argue with her about how she needs to do the honor of killing him. And it’s so familiar. He never once questions her strength because she a girl, she was his equal from the moment he realized she knew how to wield her blade.

And it’s so achingly familiar.

She leaves after yelling at him to stop pretending to be Zoro. (A very confusing day for both of them to be honest)

Sailing away she’s quite upset. Ace is to, he just about died on the same scaffolding his father did. That’s when Reiju brings out the barrel for them all to announce their dreams before the grandline.

[sword-wielding-sapphic]

my final thoughts on Black Sails

(spoilers)

I don't think I've ever seen a show with such fully realised themes. the finale feels like a perfect resolution to all the ideas it has raised since episode one. it's a wonderfully meta commentary on the power of storytelling, pirate folklore and Treasure Island and this show's place within all of that.

after four series building up to this war, the ending felt a bit anti-climactic but I appreciate the thought behind it. I like how it's clear that the treaty was not universally agreed upon and Madi is rightfully angry at Silver for it but I still think it's glossed over a little too much.

I do love Flint and Thomas's happy ending but I also feel it's a little simplistic to say that it's Flint 'returning to an earlier state of being' because even if he can get Thomas back, they can't undo the trauma that England did to them. I just hate that they're both prisoners. I wish that Flint's final act of violence was to break Thomas out of there and then they live a happy, peaceful life as free men.

Rogers's vision of Eleanor's ghost sitting quietly knitting is so devastating. He's only mourning the idea of her as the demure housewife that she never was, it's like the real Eleanor already died long before that.

Trans masc Mary Mark Read! fuck yeah!

Overall, Flint and Silver's relationship is absolutely fascinating. Both of their character arcs are so well executed, it's so interesting to watch.

Literally everyone's character development and shifting loyalties has been interesting. I constantly went between hating and loving Silver, Eleanor, Jack, Vane, Anne, Billy etc. they're all so morally grey but I understand every single character's motivation.

Except Max, I always loved Max. She has the most amazing growth throughout the show and on an unrelated note, she's the most beautiful woman in the world.

I couldn't say that I love or hate Flint. I just find him... fascinating. Blorbo material for sure.

Eleanor and Flint as narrative foils is violently compelling to me.

Now that I know more about the production context of this show, I do really appreciate the bait and switch of series 1 appealing to michael-bay-game-of-thrones-dudebros only to be like "sike! that hypermasculine hero you idolised is gay the whole fucking time! Oh did you think the lesbian relationships were just fetishising? prepare to get incredibly emotionally invested in these complex female characters, dipshit. Have you ever critically examined how power structures are maintained by dehumanising transgressors? We should kill our oppressors with swords and guns and cannons." 10/10

[stephensmithuk]

The Sign of Four: The Baker Street Irregulars

I'm rather behind with these and will be for a while.

London had many, many wharfs; the number topped out at around 1,700.

London would have had a huge number of boats and ships of varying types plying the Thames at this point, moving cargo and people back and forth - it could be quicker than going by horse depending on the traffic. Today, the number is far smaller, mostly consisting of tourist vessels, the Thames Clipper passenger services that are part of the TfL network and tenders carrying rubbish.

Coke is a hard, grey fuel created by heating coal or oil in the absence of oxygen. It produces much less smoke than regular coal, allow most homes and other operations didn't use it at this point. Hence the yellow fog...

It takes quite a while to warm up a steam boiler; you're generally looking at two to three hours for a steam locomotive before it can be used.

A wherry is a small boat with a sail and oars used for transporting people on rivers like the Thames. The long bow makes it easier for passengers to get on and off on a shoreline without getting their shoes wet.

Millbank Penitentiary was a prison that had formerly held those due to be transported to Australia and then became a local prison, followed by a military one. It had ceased to hold prisoners in 1886, closed entirely in 1890 and was mostly demolished soon after that. Many of its red bricks were reused for housing as the Millbank Estate and the Tate Britain is also on the site.

"A tanner" is six pence, or half a shilling. "Three bob and a tanner" means 3 shillings and six pence, which is what Wiggins paid for the bus tickets.

Not sure about the whole sandal thing, but the Special Operations Executive, themselves known as the "Baker Street Irregulars" due to their HQ's location, developed special overshoes in the shape of bare feet to deceive the Japanese into thinking they were barefooted locals when leaving footprints.

Bushmen is an older and still sometimes used term for the San people of southern Africa, one of the oldest hunter-gatherer peoples on the planet. Much of the rest of the stuff about height seems a lot of racist rubbish.

[mariacallous]

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu made headlines in April after coasting to a second term in office by nearly 12 percentage points. Imamoglu, who has served at the city’s helm since 2019, is seen as a major political threat to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP). The latest win in Istanbul cemented Imamoglu’s continued popularity among the Turkish public.

But Imamoglu is only the most prominent face of a broader opposition, led by the Republican People’s Party (CHP). In March’s municipal elections, the CHP secured its most crushing victory over the AKP in decades. Possibly more notable than Imamoglu’s reelection was the newly elected class of women executives of provinces and districts across the country.

One of these women—Sinem Dedetas—may hold the keys to the future of Turkey’s opposition. Imamoglu is currently battling slander charges in the country’s high court, in addition to a slew of other cases that could eventually ban him from politics, even as he is the favorite to run for the CHP in Turkey’s 2028 presidential election. No matter how those fortunes play out, Dedetas promises to be central to the party’s strategy in a post-Erdogan Turkey.

Istanbul is the only city in the world to straddle two continents. Uskudar, a seaside constituency on the Anatolian side, lacks many of the bars and clubs across the water in the European districts. Instead, the conservative area is known for its historical mosques. It is also one of Istanbul’s key transportation hubs, home to a confluence of ferries, rail, metro, and bus lines. Millions of people from all over the city—and world—pass through Uskudar every day.

In April’s elections, Dedetas, a 43-year-old engineer, made history as the first woman to ever win the Uskudar municipality mayorship, a position similar to that of a New York borough president. She also flipped the district from the AKP to CHP rule.

Dedetas moved to Uskudar from her native Eskisehir, a city in northwest Turkey, for college in 1999. After receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees in naval engineering from Istanbul Technical University, she got her first job in the district as an engineer. In 2014, she went on to work as a marine engineer at the Halic Shipyards, the oldest continuously operating dockyard in the world. Over the centuries, the facility has produced vessels from sail boats to steamships and submarines to electrical passenger taxis.

Dedetas’s career has featured many firsts. In 2014, she became the first chairwoman of the Turkish Chamber of Naval Engineers. While she was in that position, Istanbul’s AKP mayor tried to privatize the public harbor and turn it into a terminal full of restaurants and shops. Dedetas protested the project and was barred by the government from entering the shipyard.

She continued to oppose the new real estate development, concerned that the city’s ferries—an indelible part of Istanbul’s social history, skyline, and soundscape—would grind to a halt without the vital maintenance work done at the docks. “We fought to keep [it] from being lost,” Dedetas later said after her success in blocking the project.

Then Imamoglu became mayor of the city, bringing Istanbul back under CHP rule. “The privatization processes of the shipyard were being carried out,” Dedetas told Turkish media. “If [the mayorship] had not changed hands in the 2019 elections, there would be no shipyard left.”

One of the new mayor’s first orders of business was to appoint Dedetas as manager of Istanbul’s maritime public transportation system; she was the first woman in the role. Over the last quarter century, the city’s water transport fell into disarray as Istanbul’s population swelled and moved further inland, contributing to congestion and gridlock on road and rail. Yet municipal-run ferries predate the first Bosporus bridge and remain one of the city’s fastest options to cross continents.

Dedetas proved herself to be a masterful administrator, overhauling the entire water transit system. She opened 11 new ferry lines and launched a 24-hour weekend ferry that connected the European and Asian sides of the city. She also doubled the patronage of public water transport, in part by restoring the iconic white and orange vapur ferry ships. And she launched an electric sea taxi service, providing a personal, environmentally friendly option to traverse the Bosporus Strait and the Marmara Sea.

Through the effective management of maritime transportation, Dedetas gained national attention. She set her eyes on her home district, Uskudar—the Istanbul neighborhood with the longest Bosporus shoreline—ahead of the 2024 municipal elections. “Uskudar is the first gate for people who arrive from Anatolia, and for Istanbul, it is the gate to the rest of the country,” said Onur Cingil, an Uskudar native and CHP member.

The borough had been an AKP stronghold for as long as Cingil and most others could remember. It is even home to Erdogan’s private villa. Cingil said he saw local government officials claim eminent domain and exaggerate concerns about earthquake vulnerability to demolish buildings and hand over lucrative sites to construction companies, religious associations, and other party loyalists. “This happened … to my own student dormitory, and many other places,” Cingil said.

Cingil was one of the many CHP candidates vying to be the nominee for Uskudar’s mayorship in March’s elections, but the CHP leadership eventually selected Dedetas to run due to her reputation for being a technocratic consensus builder.

“Normally, I wouldn’t expect such a profile to be nominated for Uskudar,” said Burak Bilgehan Ozpek, a professor of political science at TOBB University of Economics and Technology. He described Dedetas’s young, professional, and secular profile as going against the grain in the district. The CHP typically nominated old-school, male party insiders for such roles, Ozpek said, adding with a laugh that they always lost the race. “This was a radical change,” he added.

Dedetas took a pro-people approach to her campaign against the AKP incumbent Hilmi Turkmen, who had been a mainstay in Uskudar’s politics for decades. She canvassed the district neighborhood by neighborhood, underlining her accomplishments governing the city’s maritime transit system, which has a budget the same size as Uskudar’s.

Dedetas vowed to redress the AKP’s neglect of women’s issues on both the district and federal levels. She promised to prioritize women’s employment and noted that, during her time helming Istanbul’s maritime transit system, she nearly tripled the number of women working there. She also proposed the creation of a free HPV vaccine program to protect against some forms of cervical cancer. (The cost of the vaccine has become nearly equivalent to Turkey’s monthly minimum wage.)

The candidate pledged to create child nurseries in every neighborhood in Uskudar. “This will enable women to work,” especially residents with low incomes, said Rumeysa Camdereli, an activist and member of Havle Women’s Association, the first Muslim feminist organization in Turkey.

Dedetas promised to expand welfare initiatives, and called for additional municipally subsidized cafeterias in Uskudar. Imamoglu created these during his first term for residents to get a healthy meal for just over a dollar, and his AKP competitor Murat Kurum mocked them on the campaign trail. “We are tired and bored of the rhetoric that tries to deceive the people by … giving half a tea glass of water or milk as if it is a service,” said Kurum. He also made fun of Imamoglu’s background as a kofte vendor.

Kurum’s gaffe turned off blue collar voters. Istanbul’s public eateries fill up every day for lunch and are vital in a country enduring a cost-of-living crisis amid annual inflation of nearly 70 percent.

“Local elections are less ideological and always more focused on services,” said Emine Ucak, the program director for social policy at the Reform Institute, an Istanbul-based policy center, who researches women in Turkish politics. “Women always think about their children, and they had stopped seeing a future for them.”

The campaign also focused on securing areas most vulnerable to earthquakes, a national concern after the devastating February 2023 earthquakes in Turkey’s southeast. Many locals fear that the slate block flats populating the hills above Uskudar’s wharf are in imminent danger in case of an earthquake. In response to their concerns, Dedetas is establishing a natural disaster directorate to help the district become prepared for earthquakes and other catastrophes.

On election night, Dedetas triumphed, beating Turkmen by more than seven percentage points. In doing so, she tore apart the long-held myth that Uskudar was an AKP stronghold.

“It’s a district with a lot of conservative families,” said Asli Aydintasbas, a visiting fellow at Brookings Institution. “For an uncovered woman to win is a real testament to her political appeal.” Unlike past CHP candidates, Dedetas shied away from the hardline, sometimes alienating secularism her party is known for. Pragmatism and empathy won the day.

Dedetas was not the only victorious woman on election day. Altogether, voters tripled the number of women mayors across Turkey. While only four female mayors had been elected in the previous municipal elections in 2019, 11 provinces and 64 municipalities are now governed by women, the vast majority of them representing opposition parties. Together, they won, on average, 53 percent of votes.

Female political representation is a welcome change after what many in the country see as backsliding on women’s rights under Erdogan. In 2021, Turkey exited the Istanbul Convention, an international treaty to combat gender-based violence that was drafted in the city a decade earlier. The Turkish president had urged women to have at least three children, claiming that those who reject motherhood are “deficient” and “incomplete.”

Although Turkey has a highly centralized political system, mayors remain key to managing districts and municipalities. They are where citizens first access the country’s welfare systems, and where businesses are registered, among other duties.

Following March’s elections, Dedetas and other mayors in the Turkish opposition now have their best chance in decades to govern with less interference from Ankara. She has wasted no time in initiating programs that address locals’ needs, such as grocery subsidies of up to $150 for retired residents. The district also plans to provide elderly residents free shuttle services to food markets. (Pensioners, who compose more than 10 percent of Turkey’s national population, receive roughly $293 per month from the state, an impossible wage to live on in Istanbul.)

Uskudar’s new mayor is also working to counteract the AKP’s neoliberal strategies, which many accuse of benefiting political patrons through shady backroom dealings all while poverty has deepened. To help promote transparency, Dedetas has begun to broadcast all municipal council meetings live online.

Figen Kucuksezer, an optometrist and Uskudar resident, is very excited by these changes. They’ve already helped preserve Uskudar’s Validebag Grove, one of the last wild green spaces in Istanbul. The area, which Kucuksezer volunteers to protect, is home to 400-year-old trees and migratory birds.

“The former mayor always wanted to make changes to the grove,” she said, referring to the AKP’s plans to develop the area by adding parking lots and food stalls and removing some native flora. But Kucuksezer and other local activists filed a lawsuit and have fought for years for Validebag to be left alone. “We had to block the Caterpillar [equipment] from entering in,” she said.

Since being elected, Dedetas has promised to protect it as a green space for all residents. In May, the local court annulled the previous government’s construction plan. “It is a breath of fresh air,” Kucuksezer added.

There is a saying in Turkish politics that whoever wins Istanbul will one day win Turkey. It was the case for Erdogan, who previously served as mayor of Istanbul before leading the country for the past two decades.

After years in the political wilderness, the CHP is now trying to repeat its success in the next national election, which should be the first without Erdogan in nearly 30 years. The challenge for Dedetas is to help Imamoglu triumph so that she can be his successor in Istanbul as he runs for the presidency.

So far, her stances have mirrored those of Imamoglu; Dedetas regularly highlights their work together on social media. But she has also bolstered her own profile by engaging in key culture war debates—including by opposing controversial legislation that will kill beloved stray dogs on the streets to rooting for the women’s national volleyball team at the Paris 2024 Olympics, a squad that has been vilified by the conservative right. Imamoglu’s and Dedetas’s fortunes are now intertwined.

“And this is just the start of her office,” said Cingil, Dedetas’s one-time party rival. “There are already rumors that she will be the next candidate for Istanbul mayor.” That would be another first.

[farm-lesbian]

long angry rant post about boring shit incoming

had one of the most demoralizing work weeks in a while and then to top it off, i read an absolutely awful article from a top industry publication today that essentially ignores/totally delegitimizes the value of early career employees. it also said that AI could take a huge chunk of the “grunt work” from junior staff. the author didn’t even examine this bold statement or offer a counterpoint to consider.

if the “grunt workers” disappeared tomorrow from my industry, it would be catastrophic. and AI is not in a place to pick up that slack yet. it never will be, not fully! At this point AI has become a buzzy promise that arouses shareholders who don’t understand how much truly advanced AI technology actually costs.

but while AI can’t actually “take my job”, if shareholders want to see a better bottom line and mistakenly think AI could replace “grunt work” en masse, i have no doubt they’d support the layoffs of myself and my peers.

a group with this much output for dirt cheap should at least be considered an important part of the industry, and not a vestigial limb.

and no i’m not doing a lot of “high level” work right now. ideally, that’s what investment in upskilling and professional development is for. BUT that’s not what my industry is investing in. it’s actually mindboggling to see industry experts being so short sighted.

i know too many senior executives who should have the ~big ideas~ they’re being paid the big bucks for, but they consistently come in with lukewarm ideas. AND they don’t know how to use powerpoint or excel. no, i don’t have the skills right now to operate as a strategic project leader, but i can at least use microsoft office suite. what can you really do? i have SO many stories of jaw dropping ineptitude from senior execs. to paint this group as 100% integral to businesses while wholly ignoring the contributions of younger staff simply because of experience is kind of wild!

and yes i’m insecure. i hate feeling like im doing grunt work without any opportunities to take on new responsibilities. it makes me feel worthless!

but beyond my personal insecurities, it truly does bewilder me to see industry leaders pretending they won’t need a new generation of leaders in 20 years. where will effective leaders come from if you roll up the ladder behind you?

and i want to say all of this in a letter to the editor or as a reply to the article on linkedin, but i’ve been trained for years that my opinion doesn’t have any value whatsoever!

final cherry on top: i looked at the reposts of this article and one of these esteemed senior industry leaders reposted the article with: “yep, if you want [xyz] you can make due (his spelling error not mine) with a middle manager or even junior staff. but if you want growth and impact, you need a true expert with the confidence, command, and autonomy to sail that ship.”

hmm maybe you need some junior staff to proofread your linkedin shitposts, jackass. or you can use AI — i don’t really care. but clearly you’re unable to sail that ship by yourself. don’t you want to look buttoned-up and intelligent for your professional network? 🫶

[scotianostra]

29th July 1548 saw the French fleet sail from Dumbarton, taking the infant Queen Mary to the safety of France.

I reckon there is enough written on her life that I could probably find a something to write almost every day about Mary Queen of Scots, I certainly know one of my sources often has information on her life to that extent, some are trivial, concerning affairs of state, others like this give more detail. The dates vary somewhat on this one, some give the date as August, however I am covering myself and posting today.

When Mary left for Scotland, she travelled with the children of Scotland’s nobility, including the ‘Four Maries,’ the women who would stay with her throughout her later imprisonment and execution. With her are her guardians, the Lords Erskine and Livingston, her nurse Jean Sinclair, her governess Lady Fleming, the four Maries, Ladies Fleming, Seton, Livingston and Beaton, three of her half-brothers and other children of the Scottish nobility.

Mary Seton was the only one to die unmarried and lived on until 1615, praying for Mary’s soul and giving alms in her memory. The group arrived in France in August 1548.

Mary was given a royal welcome in France by King Henry II. He ordered that she would have precedence over his own daughters as she was sovereign of an independent country and also because she was to wed his heir, the Dauphin. The king also became very fond of the child, saying, ‘The little Queen of Scots is the most perfect child I have ever seen.’ While in France, Mary’s maternal grandmother, Antoinette de Guise, wrote to her daughter in Scotland that Mary was ‘very pretty, graceful and self-assured.’

Mary was 5 when she first met the four-year-old Dauphin, her betrothed husband. According to most contemporaries, they were close and affectionate with one another even as children. They traveled from one royal palace to another – Fountaineblea to Meudon, or to Chambord or Saint-Germain. They were always attended to by a retinue of servants and, even then, Mary had developed a fondness for animals, especially dogs, which was to continue throughout her life.

Mary was also educated in the traditional manner of French princesses; she spoke French and learned Latin, Italian, Spanish and a little Greek. She learned to dance, sing, play the lute as well as converse on religious matters. Her religious tutor was the prior of Inchmahome, a Scottish priest. When she was seven, her mother came to France to visit her; when Mary of Guise returned to Scotland, neither realized that they would never see each other again.

The first pic is of Dumbarton Castle, the next is a depiction of Queen Mary and the four Scottish Marys in a palatial garden in France.

[lyerra]

ROOM OF SWORDS SPOILERS

just me ranting about webtoon's comment section because I want to exteriorize some stuff

The whole Roseberry situation is so so weird to me. Tbh when I started room of swords I didn't care much about the ships, I was there for the plot, but when strawbarrow was revealed to have been canon all along I was so happy for them

However a lot of people were displeased because they thought Gyrus would end up with Tori.

I think one of the comment sections that struck me the most was right as the episode ended with Tori kissing "Gyrus" (who was actually Kodya in Gyrus' body pretending to be him) and someone commented "imagine possessing your boyfriend's body only for some girl to kiss him" which was a pretty funny comment

some people responded however that if anything Kodya was Gyrus' ex because he had been in a relationship with BB!Gyrus but New Gyrus didn't know him the same way. Which WOULD have been a good argument to make if Gyrus hadn't been making puppy eyes at Kodya since S1...

tbh it's fine not to see it, I didn't see it either at first, but to say that Gyrus was CLEARLY attracted to Tori???????? when he never showed any sign of liking her as more than a friend?

I've read RoS many, many times both before and after it ended (been reading it from 2019 oh god it's been so long???) and all through S1 there are these small, small hints that Gyrus has a small crush on Kodya EVEN THOUGH he doesn't remember him. They were always meant to be together.

Tori does develop some feelings towards him, granted (we do learn that it's because he looks like her beloved but that's later, people couldn't have known back then), but that doesn't make Gyrus entitled to return them.

People shipping Roseberry shouldn't make the authors entitled to change THE ENTIRE PLOT simply because some people aren't happy with their story choices.

At that point there's been many hints that New Gyrus and Kodya are still attracted to one another and I'm just sad and confused that those people were in so much denial.

On the brighter side, the next episode really starts with Tori telling "Gyrus" that she knows he loves Kodya because she's seen him LITERALLY PINING SINCE DAY ONE. AND THAT SHES A LESBIAN.

case closed, right? Kodya and Gyrus are canon and still very much in love, and Tori herself is in love with another, yet unnamed woman.

well lo and behold: s2 finale's comment section!

we finally see Kodya and Gyrus sharing their first kiss onscreen, so someone in the comment section said something like "THEY FINALLY KISSED AAAAA OUR SHIP IS SAILING" which was also my reaction and a legit reaction to it??

and since there was A LOT of dislikes (over 1,6k I believe) the op edited to say something about homophobes and the backlash was even greater

and in the answers there was actually quite a lot of people being salty because their own ship didn't sail and

I mean idk

maybe I can't understand because my ship sailed and not theirs but what the hell

first of all homophobes exist. the authors commented that they had lost about 20% of their audience when they revealed that Gyrus and Kodya were canon, and they received a lot of hate online for it.

second of all as I said it's not about ships it's about the plot. strawbarrow was always endgame and the whole story, including the romance between Kodya and Gyrus and the important role it played on the story, been planned since over a year before RoS was published. this is not your story, if you're not happy about it go read or write some fix it fanfics (it's not so bad once you get used to it). but in terms of writing strawbarrow was so well executed, I feel like being mad just because of a ship is really disrespecting the authors' intentions.

third of all, it had been made painfully clear since A LONG TIME AGO that they wouldn't end up together. clinging onto that hope was really unnecessary. they shouldn't be mad anymore, it had been over for a while now and they should have made their peace. people complaining by the time of s2 finale were really just delusional.

fourth of all, the dislikes may not all be from homophobes but if they aren't then they're from jerks. it's not because you're unhappy that things didn't go your way that you have to hate on other people because they got what they wanted and not you. that's just being mean smh,, let people enjoy the things they like in peace

[thepenultimateword]

Hello!! Can I request a captive x captor prompt list? I don't know if that's something up your alley, but your prompt lists have a wide variety and have helped me get out of some sticky spots (that I wrote myself into lol). If not, that's totally fine too. I appreciate your work ❤

Sure thing! Imma do my best to make them non-toxic/non-Stockholm syndrome-y because that’s more comfy for me. But thank yooou! I’m so glad that my prompts have been able to help you at all! Sometimes I wonder, so that’s really nice to know!

A pirate crew captures a selkie and intends to sell it at a dark enchanted market of different creatures and rarities. However, the more one of the pirates spends time guarding their captive, the more they dread pawning them off to the highest bidder. But how can they commit mutiny against their crew and captain, the only family they know? Especially for a creature that most definitely hates them. 2. When a human steps into a faerie circle, the fae in question is ecstatic. Their fellow fae friend has a birthday coming up and a taste for unique items and eccentricities. Actual conscious animals are hard to come by, but a human transformed into an animal? Much easier. And how is Other Fae to know the difference?

3. After trying their food by chance, a royal forces a local cook into their employ as their personal chef. Though the royal spoils them with nice quarters, unlimited ingredients, and a ridiculously high wage, the chef cannot forgive them for taking away their freedom. Meanwhile, the royal, whose love language is food, falls deeper in love with each meal.

4. Pirates are to be hanged. That is the law. However, when a recently arrested pirate is up for execution, the city's lord visits them with a bargain: their life for their service as a guard. The lord's child has recently bought a ship and is insistent on sailing around the world, oblivious of their own inexperience and naivety. And everyone knows there's no one more sea-smart than a pirate. However, their child, having no idea of the deal, begins catching feelings for their gruff crew member who always seems to be there for them.

5. Dragons have taken humans captive since the days of knights and princesses. It is no different for the modern-day city dragons, though the reason has become foggier over the centuries. Is it for hoarding? For food? Love? All the dragon knows is their instincts screamed at them to take this person, so they did. Except now they're riddled with guilt. On the other hand, they picked on of the only humans who would be ok with this development. A dragon scientist/expert who is over the moon to study a member of the rare species up close.

6. Human pests are always breaking into the giant's home, stealing their supplies, wealth, and anything else they can get their tiny grubby hands on. They decide to put up traps, but when they actually succeed in catching one of the thieves, they're not sure what to do with them. They don't want to kill them, but they certainly can't let them go either.

7. A monster hunter is taken captive by one of the very monsters they once caught and sold. The monster escaped a couple years ago, but not without serious scars, both emotional and physical. They intend to make the monster hunter share their pain, but the hunter is so much more ragged and tired then they remember. It seems they’ve become broken and scarred all on their own.

8. Knowing that planet earth is about to be destroyed, a group of aliens breaks protocol and abducts a few hundred humans in order to preserve the race. However, the humans, whether uninformed or wracked with grief are none too happy about this development. The ship’s captain tries to keep them isolated to one area of the ship, believing it will be easier to them adjust to one factor at a time, but one of the humans is always escaping, and searching the captain out. The captain is still only semi-fluent in human, but their addresses usually involve a lot of shrieking and spitting.

9. Vampires are merciless, bloodthirsty monsters; the vampire Hunter knows this from much experience. So why are they having such a hard time finishing this one? Pretty hair and a sunshiny attitude are not reason enough!

10. The detective is the only thing standing in the way of the criminal’s success and freedom. They should take this chance, catching the detective helpless and off guard, to get rid of them permanently. But…the detective has also been the only constant in their life for years. They’ve dedicated so much time to impressing and thwarting them and the detective so much time to chasing them. Maybe they shouldn’t rush it and keep hold of them a little longer.

11. A royal is almost assassinated and the hitman is put in the dungeons. The royal insists on talking to their would-be-killer themselves and what starts as an interrogation transforms into a daily storytelling session, with the royal hounding the assassin for information about the outside world. As the assassin’s execution date looming, the trapped royal’s desire to leave grows. If anyone could take them away from this place, it would be assassin, but can that trust them not to finish the job they were hired for?

12. After kidnapping Sidekick multiple times as leverage, it is Villain’s turn to be a hostage. In all their captures, Sidekick discovered a familial connection between Villain and Supervillain, and with Supervillain on the verge of mass destruction, Sidekick is going to exploit it. Surrender or Villain will be killed. Except Sidekick has no experience with hostages and is relying on all of Villain’s advice on how to keep them secure. At first it’s manipulation, but after a while…Villain doesn’t really want to leave anymore.

[butterfrogmantis]

ARRRRRR YA READY KIDS?

Well, it happened. I got attached to the pirate crew and then other people got attached to the pirate crew and now we have a small crew! (with more potentials from other people I just had to put a cap on it yesterday)

Captain Bluebeard (Born: Blueblood Smurf) was the son of wealthy noblesmurfs who were murdered by pirates. As an adolescent he joins a sailing crew which is then plundered by pirates, and he’s given the option to die or join their side. He switches for fear of his life and spends years at sea as a pirate, until his ship is captured by Navy Smurfs. Blueblood narrowly escapes his execution and goes on to continue a life of piracy, having gotten a taste for it. He serves as the first mate aboard the ship that murdered his parents until overthrowing the captain, which is where he earns his title (and by now in his 400’s, his impressive beard, which becomes his new name and symbol).

Bluebeard starts a new crew under the name of “The Devil’s Sarsaparilla”

Bluebeard is … powerful man. Ruthless and merciless to his enemies and fiercely protective of his crew, essentially. He’s no stranger to high sea battles or negotiations or the ‘persuasion’ of Navy secrets via unscrupulous methods but he’s also a surprisingly fair boss and the crew, in return, are loyal to him which is how he maintains such a strong position.

Cutthroat was a pirate aboard the first ship Bluebeard was part of, but he’d traded ships before it was captured. Bluebeard knows him to be a cunning Smurf and good fighter and invited him on, and Cutthroat is honoured at the chance to be his first mate and lord his positon of authority over the rest of the crew (something Cutthroat loves to gloat about). An arguably even more bloodthirsty man than even the captain, Cutthroat has no patience for the shenanigans of the crewmen and delights in reporting Scallywag’s antics to Bluebeard so he may ‘deliver suitable punishment’.

Another weird thing to note about Cutthroat is that his stance on relationships often times comes across as extremely ‘holier than thou’ and very much into ‘marriage before anything’ and can be borderline homophobic, despite the fact he’s so clearly in love with Bluebeard in some other sense of the word. (This is the character that’s lowkey just a mockery of a certain someone’s stuff to make Cutthroat seem nonsensical to the other character’s and even more ruthless and also his descendant Brainy is gay so ya boo sucks to him). Note this ONLY applies to Cutthroat, Bluebeard himself doesn’t really care what his crew are into as long as they’re good pirates and whilst I can’t speak for other people’s ocs Swashbuckler is … well idk but he’s straightn’t so he takes extra delight in helping Scallywag hide a lobster in Cutthroat’s pillow.

Cookie … really should not be on a pirate ship? Note it’s possible she has a nature name but the crew call her Cookie after her speciality biscuits. She’s a sweetheart and despite the plundering’s of her crewmate remains as such. There’s rumours she’s the aunt of one of the men who was just like ‘yeah ik we’re pirates but she’ll turn the nasty slop we’ve been eating into a 5 star meal’ so Bluebeard was just like ‘eh’ and Cookie became the ship’s mom. That’s not to say she doesn’t have her own secrets …

@chaoticsimp15's bean Herbalist! A transmasc pioneer of natural medicines and a worthy adversary to the ship where cuts and stab wounds are plentiful. Herbalist lost an arm to amputation following a poisoning and despite run ins with other dangerous plants like the kind that almost took his eye, has developed an interest in them and his knowledge of healing herbs makes him a well-respected member aboard the ship, who even Cutthroat has to give some level of respect after having his life saved a couple times.

@coconuttyglittersmurf 's bean Anne! (Queen Anne's Lace) Dreamt of a life of piracy and ran away to join a crew. Bluebeard may have been dubious about her apparent naivety at first but Anne shows good prowess with a sword, dedication and loyalty, all things Bluebeard needs and he’s an equal opportunity employer (diversity win, the murderous pirate is a feminist) and I think perhaps Cookie would become fond of her :)

@schtroumpfalunettes’s bean Rosemary! Became friends with Anne (Anne Bonny and Mary Read parallel) and joins as another buccaneer. Highly enthusiastic, cuts down enemies with glee. I see a scene of Bluebeard standing there in the back watching her go ham on a rival pirate boat and being like ‘dang glad she be me crew’

@a-doodling-tanuki 's bean! Scallywag :) As described by them, Scally was picked up from a pirate wreckage where they thought he was a smurfling and would make a good cabin boy, only to realise he was in fact an adult of diminutive stature, so Scally became a steward instead (general cleaning and maintenance of the ship, often works under Cookie as a sous chef) Best friend and fellow fun-haver with Swashbuckler, often scolded and told off by Cutthroat and Bluebeard and forced to mop the decks as punishment.

The man of the hour; Swashbuckler (cheering noises). Swashbuckler had been a cabin boy and sailor on merchant ships as a child, but after the death of his father he turned to piracy in order to steal medications for his younger sister who suffered with a weakened immune system. Swashbuckler loved the freedom and loot piracy brought and less so the plunder and murder – he was a good hearted Smurf and a lover of jokes, but he was also an excellent swordsman and a fierce opponent in a duel. It was perhaps his youthful ego and lack of experience that ultimately cost him.

Skelly’s sister! I’ve decided not to name her since that’s kind of a key part of the lore of Skelly not remembering, F. But since Skelly remembers seeing her in his dreams & she’s Tuffy’s direct ancestor, I can * certainly * design her >:)

+ Uncensored death art

Bluebeard, Cutthroat, Cookie, Swashbuckler and his sister are mine

Other oc's are tagged above!

Franchise and descendants (c) The Smurfs

[thesudokukid]

Why Connor is a Deviant Hunter Pt. 1

AO3 Link Next->

Hey, sudoku, didn't you post that story already? Why does this post say Part 1?

I made the post, set up an afternoon reblog that I forgot to delete, and then went to the grocery store. And then completely forgot about it until I returned etc. And again. And again. And then I forgot to add tags. Executive function is a bitch is what I'm saying. (This is updating tomorrow on AO3, but you guys actually interacted with what existed unlike them. So you're getting this a day early.)

WC: ~2,000

Summary:

Connor's description in the Extras gallery is as follows:

Connor is a prototype, named the RK800, created by CyberLife. Its initial goal is to assist human detectives in their investigations by offering them technological assistance. He is also equipped with a social module which is specially developed to create the "ideal partner", capable of integrating into any team

Why, then, is he a Deviant Hunter? This story is a partial attempt to answer that question, at least, in this universe.

As Hank is enjoying his time with Sumo, Connor realizes that if he thinks hard enough he can remember a dark classroom setting with a grainy video of Hank telling the story of how his wife died. A story where he (at the time) blamed the android. And in doing so, taught Connor to do the same.

Connor shuts the door behind Ainsel and lets out a sigh. Something inside of him shifted when that wall came down. He just isn't sure what.

A nearby door closes and Connor looks to Hank’s bedroom, the most likely place for Hank to be.

Hank is standing there, dressed in “real” clothing and not the pajamas from earlier.

“I just got off the phone with Ben, he's uh taking me to the emergency room. Make sure everything’s all right and all. You said you found me passed out on the floor yeah? That you broke into my house to check on me?”

Here Hank gestures vaguely towards the window with a garbage bag taped over it.

Connor flinches at his raised hand, even knowing Hank will not hit him. Wouldn't dare to with Ainsel in the same house.

And then flinches again at the memory of finding Hank on the floor, drunk and unconscious. And the fact that he did not do the smart thing and call for emergency services.

“I should have called for an ambulance,” Connor says. He begins adding up the numbers of the Fibonacci sequence in his head.

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89.

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89.

It isn't enough. It just isn't enough. He needs more than that. Cyberlife would deactivate him for making a mistake that enormous. And he knows Hank will not harm him if Ainsel is nearby. That was why his strategy in the early days favored kindness towards Ainsel over kindness towards Hank.

Not only to repay Ainsel for their earlier kindness at the hostage situation where they first met. But because his analysis showed that someone like Hank would be much easier to build rapport with if he focused his efforts on Ainsel.

But this is a mistake so large that surely, surely Hank is going to report it. “Tell on him” to Cyberlife. End the life Connor is now beginning to hope he might deserve when the only thing that ought to hope for is Amanda's praise.

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89.

Connor takes out his coin and begins doing Icarus over and over and over again. Making the coin sail into the air and catching it just before it can slip through his fingers.

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89.

On and on and on it goes. The entire time, he keeps thinking like a mantra about how Hank will not hurt him. He is safe. Hank will not hurt him. He is safe. Hank will NOT hurt him. He is safe.

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89.

Hank lowers his hand and slowly settles the hand on Connor's shoulder. Pats Connor a few times as if to assure that he isn't a threat.

“Hey Connor, I know you're used to working for a bunch of rich pricks and all but people lose their houses over not bein’ able to pay for the hospital bill. Shit sometimes the bills get so bad they start prayin’ to die.”

Connor knew this in theory but not in fact. He returns his coin to its rightful place then nods and gestures for Hank to continue.

—

Hank leans back against a nearby wall. “You know when I was going to college, one of the other kids had a dog chain around their neck sayin’ they were an epileptic and to please not call for an ambulance ‘cause they couldn't pay.”

Connor is unsurprised so far. College students are known to be a demographic that struggles financially.

He gestures that Hank can continue speaking. And he does.

“Don't get me wrong, I’m comfortable, I’ve got decent health insurance an’ shit but fuck…”

Hank runs a hand through his hair, likely trying to calculate how much the bill would have cost him.

Connor stays quiet. He’s interested in the math of it all, truly. But he doesn't want to take the risk that he'll end up intellectualizing the problem. Treating Hank and the very real problems of American life with less respect than they deserve.

It’s none of his business what kind of health insurance plan Hank is on. Or how much money Hank is saving for emergency expenses. Up until now it's been purely statistical for him that the leading cause of being unhoused is medical debt. It isn't anymore. Hank, at least, would have somewhere to go if driven into deep medical debt.

Connor lets Hank keep his thoughts to himself for a time as he makes sure Hank’s dining table is clean. That he hasn't missed anything. Tries thinking about the problem of the American medical industry on the level of simulated emotions rather than pure logic as Cyberlife has counseled him to do. It's the only way to give the problem the respect it deserves while Hank is speaking on it. He can do independent research later, after Hank is safely in the hospital.

—

Connor keeps thinking on the issue as Hank makes his way to the restroom.

With Ainsel living across the street, Hank's life would hardly need to change in any meaningful way. Especially since Ainsel's intelligent (and anxious) enough that he's sure they would call and insist on some sort of payment plan before adjusting their finances to help pay off the debt.

With Hank being middle aged he thinks Ainsel would have insisted on the house being in their name at some point within the past five years. So that even in the event of bankruptcy, Hank would always have somewhere to live.

In general, Hank could probably go and live with Ainsel, if he needed. It's highly likely he would see no other major changes in his lifestyle. Most people aren't so lucky. It's a sobering thought for him.

One of the realities he hadn't been exposed to while working for Cyberlife directly. It brings to mind all those times that a human has told him they consider themselves fortunate to work for Cyberlife. In fact, Connor doesn't think he, even once, saw a Cyberlife employee or contractor working with him worry about medical bills or expenses. At least not for long.

For instance, one of them mentioned how the price of insulin was costing them a fortune. They came to work the next day whistling cheerfully before expressing that Cyberlife had managed to get them a brand new vial of insulin. Two weeks later an executive order limited the price of insulin to $30. Somehow, looking back, Connor no longer thinks that was a coincidence or a mere stroke of good luck.

—

The flush of a bathroom toilet interrupts his thoughts.

“I had to take a piss.”

The programming takes exception to Hank's crude way of saying he was in need of using the restroom. Connor himself can only smile at how much better Hank seems to be feeling.

Hank looks around, confused, as if trying to remember what he was saying.

Connor tries not to laugh. “You were telling me you have decent health insurance?”

Hank nods appreciatively.

“Oh, yeah, thanks. Like I was sayin’, I’m comfortable and I’ve got decent health insurance. But if you'd called the ambulance on me there's a good chance I woulda been stuck with the whole bill.”

Connor nods, he'd discerned as much while Hank was in his bathroom. His every thought is, naturally, interrupted by what Hank says next.

“You saved me a fortune not calling the boo boo bus to come get me back up again.”

Connor blinks, “The what?”

He feels a brief moment of apprehension at interrupting Hank in the middle of his speech. He knows that Hank is not going to hurt him but that doesn't mean he “feels” that way.

Hank gives Connor a grin, stopping his self-blame before it starts.

“You know the fuckin’, it’s the boo boo bus. The wee woo wheels. The whambulance.”

Connor allows himself a slight smile at Hank's silly names for the ambulance. His apprehension slowly recedes like tides on a shore.

Hank, still grinning, nods at if he considers that a job well done.

The grin disappears from Hank's face. A focused, thoughtful look replaces it.

“Anyways, it's good you didn't call the ambulance, ‘cause I probably would have had to pay the fuckin’ bill. Not like they’d want to pay for me goin’ just because I got drunk off my ass.”

Nothing that Connor can think of seems as if it would be an appropriate thing to say. Nothing except, “I suppose.”

And even that seems rather lacking.

But it's the only thing that he could have said. Nothing else seems as if it would have “done the trick”.

Hank sighs, “You know, the only reason I’m even as ‘lucky’ as I am is ‘cause my wife died on the table. You know that whole thing with the doctor that danced during surgery? The new one I mean.”

Connor tilts his head, Cyberlife’s version of events did not involve a doctor. At all. He gestures for Hank to continue speaking.

Hank sighs again, this time exasperated. “Anyway, my wife's on the table for this big emergency surgery. There used to be this option at the hospital, they’d give you some kind of a discount if you let ‘em record the surgery for medical students to watch later. Good program, in theory.”

A cold feeling settles over Connor. He knows the particulars of this case inside and out. At least, he thought he did. He’s spent many nights considering that particular case. The one where an upstart android killed a wife and mother with its carelessness and arrogance. At least that was how he first learned about the case.

Connor nods in a way that he hopes is encouraging. Tries his best not to appear as if a fundamental belief about Deviancy is being shaken.

It must work because Hank continues speaking like a fact of Connor’s life isn't being called into question.

Hank scratches his cheek, “I’m saying ‘in theory’ here because it depends on the kind of doctor you get. If you get lucky, you get someone that actually does the damned surgery without playing it up for the camera. Nice, boring surgery. End of story. My wife? Got about the worst damned person you can get.”

Hank is silent for a long time. He reminds Connor, in that moment, of a wounded old soldier. Weary and tired of fighting the war that is his life but still willing to carry on for those he cares about.

But this is one battle that Connor can spare him from. At least temporarily. And carefully too. The memory seems to hurt Hank very much, yes. But given his stubborn personality, is quite likely to see the tough discussion through no matter how much pain it causes him. Simply to avoid the shame of a retreat.

Gently but firmly Connor says, “I think enough difficult subjects have been discussed or experienced for one night. Don’t you?”

Hank looks down, nods at Connor. “Yeah. Yeah. Uh… I’m gonna…go and hang out with Sumo now.”

Hank walks away from Connor and moves to sit on his couch only to be pounced on by an overjoyed St. Bernard.

—

As Hank is enjoying his time with Sumo, Connor realizes that if he thinks hard enough he can remember a dark classroom setting with a grainy video of Hank telling the story of how his wife died. A story where he (at the time) blamed the android. And in doing so, taught Connor to do the same.