#Since Naomi has no powers

[yourbestgenius]

Gift 4 max design pro😸😸😸😸😸😸

[theamazingannie]

We need to pull a Morbius but with Power Rangers (2017) but like actually successful

[softgrungeprophet]

me designing characters: turquoise! purple! black! red and gold!

[notmoreflippingelves]

So I know, I know, we all hate it when people add comments and especially lengthy ones to posts that are no openly encouraging them. Nevertheless, I'm gonna do so in this particular case because the novel that I was writing in the tags just got too too long and I was frighteningly close to the tag limit.

The things that would fix Esteban Flores are (in roughly this order)

A found family (preferably one totally divorced from connections to his bio family) and/or a small child to take care of.

A heartfelt apology from his biological family (definitely Luisa, probably Elena, and maybe Francisco as well).

A hug x1000

Being shaken

Enough sleep

But most especially the first two.

Esteban's issues stem from being made to feel like an afterthought and/or an obligation to his family of origin. In his mind, he was not chosen or wanted. He was liked, loved even--but he was loved because he was familia--not because he was Esteban. He was not enough in and of himself, especially not when compared to Elena.

Do you know why he continued to tend the cacao trees during the Dark Times? Yes, it was out of love for his family, but I think there's a bit more to it than that. His abuela shared something private and meaningful (i.e. how to take care of the cacao trees) with him that she didn't also share with Elena. He was welcomed into Luisa's world--if only for a moment. This was his, the rare thing that he didn't have to sacrifice to or share with Elena. No one could take this away from him--the moment of feeling seen and chosen. Not even the fact that this moment was very very much an anomaly and the rest of his youth (and his adulthood) consisted of him being shoved into the corner of some family portraits and left out of others entirely---and no one noticing this for years.

In "Something I Would Never Do," Esteban outright states "Years ago/ I did not know/Just how much they cared for me." He's just now realizing after 40+ years that his family just might love him (50+ years if you go back to when Esteban moved into palace); he's genuinely surprised about it and terrified that he's going to fuck it all up. Yes, Esteban has atrocious self-esteem, but these impressions did not come from nothing. Even now, his family keeps him largely at arm's length. He doesn't appear (or isn't even mentioned) in the two family vacation episodes, suggesting he was left behind. His Navidad plans (the ones he has been dreaming of , all alone for 41 years!) are rejected outright by Luisa, and no one even bothers to ask what the Dark Times were like or how he is coping. Everything has changed and yet nothing has changed. He's there, sometimes he is shown attention and affection, but he's still made to feel that he's not really a part of the family in the same way the others were.

All this is pretty bad in and of itself, but it's made worse by the fact that he's not getting his emotional needs fulfilled from outside the family any more than he is within it. As far as we can tell, Esteban's only real friends as a child were Elena and Victor. (Maybe Felicia as well, but she was far more Elena's friend than his). And neither Victor nor Elena could give Esteban what he needed: the feeling of being liked and chosen for himself and that alone.

Elena is family--the same family has made Esteban feel like an afterthought and obligation, merely liked at best and tolerated at worst. But that's oversimplifying things. Elena is also the impossible gold standard that Esteban will always be measuring himself against. (And it's especially galling that she was 1-2 years younger than him, and he was still nowhere near her level). She's the favorite (and Luisa is not subtle about hiding that fact), the priority, the important one. She's the one who has always been and will always be secure in power and confidence and their familia's love--the exact opposite of Esteban.

Victor, meanwhile, was a horrible influence on Esteban, and not just where Shuriki was concerned. His selfishness rubbed off on his amigo, and his competitiveness and callousness brought out every one of Esteban's insecurities and worst tendencies. It's also very strongly implied that their friendship (at least on Victor's side) was rooted in how 'useful' Esteban was. Through El Segundo, Victor got closer to power/the crown and also found someone that he could feel "superior" to. Someone that Victor could consistently beat at races, so that he could feel like a winner. Someone who wouldn't tell Victor to go to hell if he subjected unflattering nicknames upon.

So yeah, Esteban's childhood primary source of affection/attention outside his family were two people who exacerbated Esteban's already huge inferiority complex. One of whom was part of said family that enabled said inferiority complex in the first place, and the other of whom is wrapped up in the event that caused Esteban to lose his family as well.

And then, Elena was trapped in the amulet and Victor was banished from Avalor, and Esteban was without anyone at all for 41 years. His primary source of attention and affection during this time was the woman who conquered his kingdom and took away his family. Someone who had preyed upon his vulnerabilities from the very start and who kept him alive only so long as he remains obedient and "useful" to her. There's nothing even remotely close to equal or mutual about this dynamic, and Shuriki did even more damage on Esteban's already battered psyche than all of the others combined and multiplied by ten.

Even after Shuriki is gone, Esteban still doesn't have anyone in his life that voluntarily chose to be in his life. His entire social circle is comprised of people that he knows through his family and/or his role as chancellor (and later his magical abilities). There's Naomi, except there isn't, because their dynamic is rooted exclusively in their shared devotion to Elena and their roles on the Grand Council (which is also directly tied to Elena).

Similarly, Doña Paloma interacts with Esteban almost exclusively in reference to his role as Chancellor. Would she give him the time of day if he had no political power or influence?. Doubtful, especially as she seems to really dislike him most of the time. There's a bit more potential for a genuine friendship to develop with Julio or Professor Mendoza, but again, these connections were formed through Esteban's job and we don't really see any interactions that aren't in service to that.

Higgins is explicitly Esteban's employee and given how insensitive he can be to Esteban, it seems unlikely that he has any real non-professional loyalty or affection to him. Same with Armando, except things do seem to a bit more cordial between them.

Esteban seems to have a good rapport with Avalor's allies, especially Toshi and Shoji, but these are unlikely to be anything more than friendly diplomatic connections and ones separated by distance.

So yeah, my boy literally does not interact with a single character on the show without at least one of them doing so out of obligation/duty/job requirement and/or ulterior motive. Fifty years later and almost nothing has changed, Esteban still has nothing and no one to call his own.

[the-moon-devi]

American Sweethearts

Idk what it is... but literally almost every cancer I've seen is always attractive and considered beautiful. Whether it be woman or man, or cancer sun, moon, or ascendant. They always tend to be physically attractive to most people. I read on one of @zeldasnotes post that whatever country has your asc sign as their Venus sign, you tend to be conventionally aligned with their beauty standards. I believe this to be especially true in America! Since Americas venus sign is cancer! So many cancer Ascendants , but cancer placements in general and even moon/ceres dominant people are generally considered timelessly beautiful 😍

Saweetie: Cancer Sun

Angelina Jolie: Cancer Asc

Pop Smoke: Cancer Sun

Kehlani: Cancer Asc

Keke Palmer: Cancer Asc

Mariah The Scientist: Cancer Asc

50 Cent: Cancer Sun

Sofia Vegara: Cancer Sun & Moon

Ariana Grande: Cancer Sun

Keith Powers: Moon 1h

Rihanna: Moon 1h/ conjunct Asc

Whitney Houston: Moon 1h

There's so many others I didn't include, Venus energy seems to play a significant role in creating beauty standards. It appears that these individuals have a more noticeable impact on their looks within this particular country. Many of them are often encouraged to pursue a career in modeling without needing to work hard – just be pretty, which is exemplified by Saweetie's career. People often say she should model instead of pursuing music. A lunar-influenced ascendant tends to show "pretty privilege," and this applies to having Ceres in the 1st house or conjunct the ascendant, as well as having the Moon as a dominant planet. Marilyn Monroe had Ceres in the 1st house, Kim Kardashian is also Moon dominant, and so is Nicki Minaj. Even if these individuals are not conventionally physically attractive, they are usually socially accepted. Additionally, both men and women are often sexualized.

I've also noticed that natives with lunar-influenced midheavens tend to be very successful in America, especially in business, because in America's chart, there is a sun, Jupiter, and Venus conjunction in the 7th house. This shows business, but with the sun, those with these placements tend to shine and become noticed for their talents, beautiful work, and abundance of wealth....*cough cough* Bill Gates, Tyler Perry, etc... These people know how to touch the hearts of people, whether that be good or bad.

Beyonce: Cancer Mc

Britney Spears: Cancer Mc

Leonardo Di Caprio: Cancer Mc

Tyler Perry: Cancer Mc

Denzel Washington: Cancer Mc

Stevie Wonder: Cancer Mc

Venus Williams: Cancer Mc

JFK: Cancer MC

Kendrick Lamar: Cancer Mc

Etta James: Moon 10h

Kylie Jenner: Moon 10h

Bill Gates: Moon 10h

Naomi Campbell: Moon 10h

Tina Turner: Moon 10h

Tyra Banks: Moon 10h

Idris Elba: Cancer Mc

I also find it funny how Barack Obama was one of the most liked president's if not the only most likable president's of The united states. And he has a Cancer Venus, making America's Venus & jupiter conjunct his Venus. So this explains alot, people with cancer in prominent places are usually seen as very iconic, and as trailblazers. This makes sense since Cancer is a cardinal sign and is also ruled by the moon. Moon is really what brings us peace of mind, and in a way, happiness. I have more coming out on this topic so don't think this is all ya'll!

𝐷𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝐷𝑒'𝐿𝑢𝑥𝑥𝑒 ☆ 𝐵𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝐴 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 ☆ 𝐻𝑜𝑡 𝐴𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦

[irlplasticlamb]

some hotd succession au headcanons… i beg…

so! none of the hotd characters in this u are 1-1 equivalent to the succession ones, more of amalgamations of certain character traits/plot points/tropes hahah

— aegon ii is majorly roman coded ofc as in: terrible sense of humour, NO moral backbone, sex issues, daddy issues, mummy issues, issues in general, he doesn’t want to be the ceo, he just desperately wants daddy to be proud of him. he’s also kendall coded as in suicidal, with massive addiction problems, in and out of rehab constantly. but also a little bit of connor coded as in “i am the (eldest) first son. i AM the first son and i’m not considered”. a failure tbh, he lashes out a lot because he wants people to pay attention to him (LOOSEEEER). his relationship with alicent is a bit similar to kendall’s with caroline, aegon wants that deeper connection but it’s very hard for both of them to communicate. his relationship with larys is very romegerri coded.

for miscellaneous, aegon’s an annoying microinfluencer who gets cancelled every other week. he can’t dress for shit. sunfyre is his gigantic dog who drools EVERYWHERE. he’s a bit trans fem in the „i’m probably trans but i have a company to take over so can’t think of that rn” way.

— rhaenyra is majorly kendall coded as in: groomed to be the ceo and promised the position since she was a child, which OF COURSE messed her up a little (a lot). if she doesn’t end up the ceo then who is she? suddenly her position is compromised after the targtowers are born and she’s majorly FUCKED. she loves her siblings somewhat but she resents them for existing at the same time. rhae’s also shiv coded because she’s a woman in power (but not ENOUGH power) and she’s privileged enough to ignore feminism unless it is in her advantage. a little bit naomi pierce coded but her „scandalous” past is based in many messy romances and kids out of wedlock.

for miscellaneous, she’s a part time model, a very fussy eater and a passenger princess. she’s also a bit trans masc in the „i’m probably trans but i have a company to take over so can’t think of that rn” way.

— alicent is A BIT stewy coded in context of rhaenyra because they were inseparable homoerotic coke snoring (yeah, her religious conservatism happens later in this story as a coping mechanism) best friends slash lovers in high school, until she got forced by otto and groomed by viserys to marry him. yeah, the terrible age gap is still there and she has aegon when she’s seventeen* because i feel like early motherhood is a very important part of who alicent is and becomes. she’s miserable as always. she’s also marcia coded in the “you’ve been careless of me” way, she tries very hard at the beginning to be a perfect little wife and mother. it eventually breaks her.

for miscellaneous, she used to be a model, HATED it. wanted to become a writer but it never came to fruition because of how quickly she got married. she’s a good cook but rarely gets to cook anymore.

** the rough timeline is: she has aegon at 17, helaena at 18, aemond at 20 and daeron at 22. aegon is 32 in this au, hela is 31, aemond is 29 and daeron is 27. alicent is 49, viserys is 70, rhae is actually 47 because i want to close the gap between her and the targtowers at least a little bit. rhaenyra and alicent still went to the same class together because rhae started school 2 years later than she „should’ve”, let’s just say viserys didn’t want his little girl out of the house as quickly because he was so shaken after losing aemma, or they went travelling when she was a kid and that put her two years behind, or smth. idc!

— aemond is uhhh a mix of everything. “i AM THE ELDEST BOY” kendall coded, spit and desperation everywhere, because i think in this au his reliability and skills would get somewhat recognised by viserys and by the company, and it would GET IN HIS HEAD HARD. he’s definitely the parentified son like connor. but he is not the eldest boy. he’s the fucking fourth kid. he knows, not matter his skills, his diligence, his discipline, the position will never be his. he kills a kid like ken (rip lucerys drowning in a nasty ass body of water once again). shiv coded because of his cunty ass bob. roman coded because of possible ed issues (actually i think all of them struggle with food and body image to certain degree because that „summer of competitive eating disorders” line in the succession script book never left my head ever).

for miscellaneous, he’s a part time actor, he trained ballet for a while and loved it but was very quickly forced to switch to fencing and shooting lessons. he makes a mean cup of coffee and refuses to ever buy it. has a minor coke problem but is VERY good at hiding it.

— helaena is a hard one. a bit willa coded when it comes to her love for arts and creative expression. a bit connor coded as in secluded, living on a ranch, not partaking in the business side of the family unless necessary. she sees the unnecessary pain this fight for the ceo position brings to her siblings and wants nothing to do with it. alicent tries very hard to include her, quite forcefully at times but it never works for long, so she’s mostly left to her own devices. helaena probablymhzs the best relationship with rhaenyra out of all the siblings because rhae doesn’t see her as a threat.

for miscellaneous, she trained ballet with aemond, then switched to gymnastics. now very into pilates and yoga. she makes her own wine and jam, has an extensive herb garden and is a little insane about naturopathic medicine.

— daeron is kinda stewy-ish? he’s good with business, he knows his stuff and he usually makes VERY good choices but he doesn’t take it as seriously as his siblings. then again, because daeron’s the youngest, he doesn’t get to make a lot of big decisions anyways. that takes a lot of pressure of his shoulders! he’s also stewy level of loyal, „i’m team aegon baby!” even though he knows how messed up his older brother is about this whole business stuff.

for miscellaneous, he’s VERY into street racing. that gives alicent a gigantic headache. he’s allergic to cats but owns one anyways. never cooked in his life.

[aroaceleovaldez]

Any headcannons about Will Solace? he's an underrated bby (I think?) and I personally hc that he used to be a very moody kid but then decided to turn off all of his negaive emotions (most of the time)

oh i have SO many Will Solace headcanons built up from writing him on Deadangelos so much. Below the cut cause this is very long (and tumblr started glitching about the list format so manual it is):

- His roles at CHB are basically "Every possible medical personnel Ever™." He's camp medic, physician, surgeon, pediatrician, pharmacist, psychiatrist, therapist, dentist, optometrist, veterinarian, etc etc etc. Technically Chiron is also All Of That, but ever since Will joined camp most of the responsibility falls to him (at least in part because campers generally feel a bit more comfortable dealing with somebody their own age versus an immortal centaur), and Chiron just mentors him on it (unless they're running low on hands, in which case Chiron does pitch in, and sometimes the other Apollo kids help staff the infirmary if Will needs. In the past though it was usually just Chiron and whichever camper he pulled in that week to do first aid training with. Mr. D only really handles therapy stuff if Will isn't able to for one reason or another. Will gets very individualized training and has has own schedule separate from the rest of his cabin to account for all of that. Chiron basically personally took Will in under his wing as his apprentice and a not insignificant portion of Will's personal training is gross anatomy lessons with Chiron in the camp morgue. Will does not question where Chiron procures the cadavers for that. He probably should. They aren't campers. They are sometimes demigods, but not always. Most of the rest of camp doesn't even know there's a morgue, let alone that Will does gross anatomy dissection. It's not technically a camp "secret," Will isn't secret about it at all, but most campers treat it like it is and like to use it to try and spook new campers. The ones who find out about the gross anatomy portion and that there is exactly zero information about how Chiron is procuring cadavers are Mildly Concerned.

- Photokinesis and plague powers Will are both extremely fun. I love making him a son of Apollo Smintheus specifically and giving him pet rats and/or the ability to talk to rats and mice. He thinks they're soooo cute and is definitely the type to brag about how intelligent rats are. I also like to think he maybe had a pet snake at one point, like a big ol' boa. Will with a sunglow boa or something? yes? (I also just in general love the idea of Will's house back in Texas being a cute little ranch cause Naomi is rich and also a cowgirl and Will having a ton of different animals over the years. He probably originally wanted to be a veterinarian before he settled more on medic.)

- I just generally love playing with Will (not-so) subtly being the exact opposite of what people would expect from an Apollo kid. Initially he looks like the gold standard for an Apollo kid - sunny, friendly, chill, medic/healer, interest in science/arts/fandom, etc etc. Then you speak to him for more than 20 minutes and find out he loves snakes and rats and guts and gore and is fascinated by disease and mold. He takes gross anatomy classes taught by Chiron. One of his favorite hobbies is just dissecting stuff. He's into vulture culture. His idea of a perfect date is holding hands over a cadaver he is actively cutting into and passing the other person cool stuff he's fishing out. Also he's very vocal about thinking monsters are hot and the combo of all of that is exactly why he's into Nico. Everybody else thinks Nico's inherently cursed or something? Will doesn't mind being cursed - in fact he wants to be cursed, for science. He's swooning over the idea of Nico sacrificing him for some dark ritual in the middle of the night. He daydreams about Nico being a vampire that's gonna romantically kill him. The rest of camp is waiting for the day Will does something stupid and gets himself killed like, flirting with a monster (or the Hades kid) or something. Nico just generally doesn't know how to feel about the whole situation but is? (hesitantly) flattered?? that somebody is enthusiastic about him while recognizing and appreciating his Underworld aspects. Will is out-weirding him, somehow, and Nico never knew this was a thing that could happen.

- Related to that - I have a whole headcanon about "Bad Omen" demigods, which are basically the other main CHB cabin's versions of Hephaestus kids with fire powers being bad luck. For Apollo kids their "bad luck omen" super rare power is a plague-powers kid, and Will showed up during the Titan War, just a couple months before the Battle for Manhattan when nearly all his cabin died. He is very acutely aware of this superstition and fully believes he is a bad luck charm for the cabin and feels SUUUUPER guilty about it and so hides his plague powers. It's not that he feels bad about his plague powers specifically - he thinks plague stuff is really fascinating and his powers are cool and can be used for healing too! - he's just really concerned about how others will view him. (Very strong parallel dynamics between how Will views his plague powers vs the stigma around them & how Nico views his Underworld powers vs the stigma around them. They are handshake emoji).

- TTC implies that Apollo kids are more often than not summer-only campers, and I think it's fun to have Will's backstory being: He may or may not have "accidentally" caused a plague/pest outbreak at his old school early into the year and between that school having to shut down for a couple of months because of that and his mom maybe going on tour, they decided it was time for him to move to CHB and go there year-round. Except he goes from Texas to New York in the middle of winter and he's a son of Apollo, so he gets there and it's like sleet and slush and all cold and he's the only Apollo kid at camp and he hates it so bad. He eventually gets used to it but it is awkward when all his siblings come back in the spring/summer to find they have a new youngest sibling who's just been chilling all by himself for a couple of months. But then Austin and Kayla join so at least he's not the newest/youngest Apollo kid. (But then nearly all of Cabin 7 immediately dies in TLO and Will's right back to being in a mostly empty cabin and being in charge.)

- He definitely puts on an approachable/friendly, or at the very least calm, face 99% of the time, partially because it's expected of him and it's also maybe a little bit masking (it's a lot masking) cause he knows he can be a bit much. He is 100% the type of guy who feels like he has to solve all his problems himself and can't let anybody else know he has problems, and also that he has to help everybody else with their problems because that's his job, right? So he's constantly stressing himself out to the point of breakdown. He also half lives in the infirmary (which he totally has his own little office in) and he'll just shut himself in and spend like, a couple of days straight in there and probably not sleep. He's a workaholic just as bad as Nico and a total hypocrite about it/about overexerting one's self but he's working on it. Nico's too much of a take-no-shit kind of guy (and also him and Will are way too similar) so usually when Will nags Nico about that kind of thing it turns into Will looking in a mirror or Nico turning it back around on him and Will going "ah shit i need to take my own advice >:T"

- He's best friends with Drew Tanaka and he lets out his bitchy side when he's hanging out with her. they are bitching friends. they love to bitch. It's a great venting environment for him cause he knows Drew loves to hear him complain and talk shit so he can just let out all his pent-up frustrations and she'll just enthusiastically eat it all up. The two of them will gossip endlessly. Drew is mildly concerned about Will's romantic tastes though (again: monsters. cryptids. the Addams family. evils from the shadows. the guy from The Shape Of Water. Nico) and keeps trying to talk him out of flirting with things that might kill him. He does not listen to her.

- His only normal crush is Paolo but everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop about how Will could possibly be weird about this one (there's an ongoing camp bet with different theories). He also dated Drew for like, all of a week but they both decided they totally hated it and preferred to stay just besties (bonus points: That was what Drew considered as her passing the whole Aphrodite-kids-breaking-hearts thing. literally neither of them cared).

- I know his full name is William but it's really funny if he lies about that and his full name is actually Wilhelm, named after the scream.

- ...He is a Swiftie. He's been a Swiftie since he was younger back with like, OG-era country music Taylor Swift and he's just stuck with it.

- Trans!Will is fun and I love it lots. Drew helping him with transition stuff is also very near and dear to me.

- His crush on Nico originates from them meeting for the first time during the Battle for Manhattan. Nico's attempt at flirting with Percy misfired and hit Will instead lmao. Nico parts the Titan Army in cool thematic armor and with three gods in tow, says a dramatic one-liner, and then is super badass in battle and Will is head-over-heels for him immediately. He then proceeds to spend the next year obsessing over Nico and being tormented by Nico never being at camp and never being able to talk with him. Ergo why when Nico shows up in BoO, Will is immediately like "HOLD MY HANDS. THREE DAYS IN THE INFIRMARY. HANG OUT WITH ME PLEASEEEE-" (and that's why Will was under the assumption that Nico was actively avoiding people rather than being ostracized, cause he had heart-eyes tunnel vision). Him in BoO though really is just seeing his crush and losing all his cool.

- For some reason he is just an absolute magnet for chthonic demigods. Nico, Lou Ellen, Cecil (who i hc is a chthonic Hermes kid), etc etc. He thinks Underworld stuff is super cool though (again, see: Will being super into spooky/gory stuff/etc). Also all the ex-Titan army kids decided they were his personal body guards immediately after the war cause he was nice to them.

- He is a HUUUUGE nerd. Specifically a sci-fi and disney nerd. They're his hyperfixations (/special interests if you lean more autistic!Will) <3 His favorite franchises are Star Wars and Avatar (the blue one). He loves conceptual alien biology/ecology and could go on about it endlessly. He will also very enthusiastically infodump about Disney history (both the art/animation side and theme parks side) and other sci-fi series. Ask him about Doctor Who (you will be there for several hours).

- Will being a micro-celebrity cause of his mom is very fun to me. He's been on talk shows and stuff before cause people love how snarky this country star's kid is. He has an extremely popular Instagram and Austin uses him as clickbait in his Youtube videos extremely often (including forcing him to guest-star or do like react content and stuff) (Will is more than happy to indulge him though cause he finds it funny).

- I also love the idea that Will and Piper have actually known each other since they were little, from Tristan and Naomi meeting at some point and realizing they had kids the same age and encouraging them to be pen-pals. Once social media becomes more of a like, Proper Thing™ they become mutuals on Instagram but just use it to periodically send each other silly memes (Piper's instagram is private and basically all she uses it for is dm'ing people). It takes them a solid week of being at CHB together to realize "WAIT, YOU'RE THAT [PIPER/WILL]?!" One of their hobbies is going into the city and seeing if people will recognize them/if paparazzi will see them and making games out of it (who can ruin the most photos, what types of fake gossip can we get them trying to circulate, etc etc).

- I am a firm believer that Will is an extremely loud out-and-proud type of guy and has been for awhile (again see: him being a micro-celebrity) and he spearheads or runs a lot of pride stuff at CHB ever since he joined. If there is a pride parade/event at CHB he helps organize it. If there's a GSA club at CHB he is the head of it. He keeps pamphlets in the infirmary of queer educational material and guides to different identities and stuff and is very passionate about making people feel welcomed and comfortable. Because of this, when he found out Nico was from the 1930s and severely not up-to-date on terminology and stuff, he considered getting Nico up-to-date his greatest challenge yet. It was a personal quest for him. There was also definitely at least a week before that where Will thought Nico might be homophobic or something and was going "I CAN FIX HIM" before Nico managed to explain that no, he's... very supportive (muffled coughing coming from closet), he's just also extremely behind and doesn't know what any of those words mean, thanks. Will set up the most extensive queer crash course possible for him and poor Nico was just going "slow down please,,,," the entire time. Will gets him up mostly up to speed eventually. I just love Will being that type of guy who will start explaining misc queer history with citations at the drop of a hat. It is probably another hyperfixation of his.

- Will and Annabeth both consider Chiron an adoptive father-figure and joke about being siblings and which of them is the favorite child, cause they both know they're definitely Chiron's favorite campers. They both get him father's day cards/gifts.

[sillyteecup]

The Wrong Way

Roman Reigns x black!o.c,

Jey Uso x black!o.c

Chapter 1

Warnings:

18+

Taglist: @nbanenefrmdao @wrestlingprincess80 @lensilver

A.N: This is more of a Roman fic but because Lori has a number of interactions with Jey as a "couple" it felt right to add them as a pairing. Anyway, this is the first chapter of The Wrong Way, and I hope you like it. Please let me know if you wanna be a part of the taglist. Enjoy❤️

Power. One of the most sought after things in history. Countless of wars have been fought to obtain and maintain it, leaving pools of blood in their wake. Those on the outside have dreams of claiming it as their own, while those born into it cling to it for dear life.

Most of those born into it anyway. Loreal on the other hand loathed it. Loathed what it had done to her family and the hand it had in her upbringing. Her father's obsession with growing their family's power and influence had resulted in their household being a cold one, devoid of love and compassion, yet never teetering into hateful and abusive territory. Her family spoke to each other only out of necessity, and Lori preferred it that way.

Until of course, it was her that they needed to speak to.

That morning she had woken up to Minerva and Claudia standing at her bedside holding an extravagant looking black and silver silk gown, and a diamond headpiece, while Willow and Indiana waited by the windows, ready to open the curtains. Another marriage arrangement to likely, yet another deviant from across the seas was afoot. Unfortunately at the ripe age of 27, this was an expected and recurring event.

Maybe if I just died-

Usually before the meetings, Lori bathed and dressed in silence despite the ever looming company of her maidens. The chatter usually began after the other family had left, but this morning the young ladies assisting her were feeling particularly jovial much earlier than usual. Almost as if they were the ones being auctioned off to yet another power mongering clan. Another change was that they were actually putting more effort into her look than usual. A strange occurrence since they knew how much she hated these meetings and preferred the silence when they came around.

"I'm inclined to assume that this one is attractive or particularly wealthy," Lori said, piercing through the particularly light silence. Willow's grin spread even wider as she decorated her madam's hair with pearls.

"One hell of a looker, that's for sure," commented Claudia with a sly smirk while she applied Lori's makeup.

A curious frown painted Lori's face. A handsome suitor was nothing new in the last 3 years. In fact they were the more common breed, and yet her maidens had never expressed even the slightest positive reaction at them. Something must be different. This one must be famous.

"Tell me," she gently demanded. If there's one thing Lori knew, it's how her maidens loved a good gossip.

The young ladies began to giggle uncontrollably in excitement. Each of them sharing knowing looks before focusing back on Lori's expectant expression staring at them through the mirror of her vanity.

"Well ma'am, we aren't exactly sure who it is, but we are inclined to believe that he hails from the Bloodline," Minerva shared excitedly. At the revelation Lori flew into a state of contemplation.

A member of Bloodline? And they aren't sure which one?

Lori was pulled back from her thoughts by the speculative chatter happening around her. "My money is on Jimmy," Indiana guessed confidently. But Jimmy is already married...

"Wrong and loud is what you would be Indi because tribal prince Jimmy is already married to the lady-well, now princess Naomi," Minerva corrected, agreeing with Lori's silent reasoning.

Willow was next to bring forth her own guess. "Oh but what about tribal prince Solo? I believe him and ma'am would be perfect together, after all they are both quite standoffish," she said earning a playfully offended glare from Lori and boisterous laughs from the other ladies.

"I am not standoffish. I prefer strong and silent," said Lori, defending her character. Her maidens all chuckled at her reply, knowing all about her character.

"Okay, I know this might be far out but, what about The Tribal Chief himself?" Minerva guessed, earning weary looks from everyone in the room.

"Is he not married?" Willow asked. Not much was known about the Tribal Chief apart from whispers across the shores.

The only reason that Lori even shared the same curiosity as Willow is because her maidens were quite up to date with the latest gossip. As means of staying ahead of her father and his rather devious options for husbands, she encouraged the ladies to share the gossip with her. Something that had been working in her favour for 3 years now.

Minerva smirked mischievously before sharing what she had recenty heard. "Well, word across the shore is that The Tribal Chief and his wife are actually in the middle of a fallout of sorts. They're saying it might be a divorce," she said in a hushed tone, as somethings just couldn't be said out loud.

The rest of the maidens remained unconvinced however. Still keeping their speculations on the other members. Even Lori knew that her father's connections, although powerful, could never secure her a marriage with the Tribal Chief himself. And if she was being honest, she was grateful. The man had a reputation of ruling with an immovable iron fist, and dealing with insubordination in manners so ruthless that no one dared to speak of them in public.

He was also notoriously unapproachable and cold towards those outside of his family. Hell, no one even knew his real name. Perhaps that's why his marriage is falling apart...

"Perhaps it's-" Claudia's guess was interrupted by Lori's door opening abruptly. Lori turned to see who it was while her maidens bowed their heads in case it was a member of her family.

And they were right. Her mother stood in the doorway, wearing her own diamond headdress and dressed in a silk gown similar to Lori's, except hers was a deep violet. Her posture was straighter than a steel ruler as she waltzed into Lori's bedroom, likely to inspect her daughter's appearance and determine if she was presentable enough.

The maidens made way for Lady Azaelea to pass through while Lori stood up to face her mother. Her mother grinned, a sign that she was pleased at the work Lori's maidens had put in. "Magnificent indeed," was all Azalea said before holding her hand out for Lori to take.

The pair made their way out of Lori's bedroom, across the halls and downstairs to the foyer where 6 unfamiliar men stood with her father and some of the house staff. Lori observed the men discreetly, careful not to stare for too long.

The first to fall into her line of sight was an older and rather plump, tanned but white (likely Italian) man with a hairline that had receded far back to the nape of his neck. He wore a navy blue suit as opposed to the others who were adorned in black.

The second one was another white man, this one much paler. Are those girls sure that they heard right about this being the bloodline? The lower half his face was covered by a large, yet well groomed beard that matched the color of his slicked back red hair. He was taller than the first man and had a rather fearful yet excited gleam in his eye.

The next two were a set of twins. Both of their heads shaven on the sides to leave long curly hair out in the middle. One had half of silky curly hair dyed red, while the other one's hair was fully black. These men looked Samoan and confirmed the maiden's statement. They both stood tall with perfect posture, faces covered by salt and pepper beards. How old are they? Both of them with congruently shaped brown eyes, and identical facial structures. Literally the only difference she could spot at the time was their hair.

Next to them stood another Samoan man also with bone straight posture. This one was slightly bigger than the other too, both in height and in muscle. While he looked relatively different from the twins, Lori could see the resemblance in his eyes. There wasn't much time to look for more. His hair was shorter than that of the twins and blonde. His beard was plain black, meaning he was younger than the twins. He looked like he could crush a man's head with his bare hands without breaking a single sweat. They all looked scary but this one? This must be Tribal Prince Solo.

And then finally her eyes landed on the 6th man, the one standing at the forefront of the group with an Ula Fala around his neck. The Tribal Chief.  Suddenly the air had become thicker, so much so that Lori almost choked. The Tribal Chief was tall, for starters, with a broad chest and shoulders that filled his black suit to perfection. His facial features were set in a neutral expression. Cold brown eyes digging into her her curious ones, almost as if daring her to challenge him or his authority. Must be an automatic thing. His long jet black hair was tied into a bun at the nape of his neck, sides shaved like the twins. His beard, also salt and pepper colored.

They were all handsome (apart from the man in navy), but the Tribal Chief? His appearance was godly. Beautiful but ever intimidating.

And Lori was hardly ever intimidated

"Loreal," her father, Byron's voice called, cutting into her thoughts. She turned towards the older man, head briefly bowing in respect. "This is the Tribal Chief. He has come here with the Tribal Princes and his Wiseman with an exciting proposition," Byron said, stating everything Lori already knew.

She fought the urge to roll her eyes and prayed that they, like the rest, would do or say something to displease her mother and just end this meeting already. She didn't think she could spend another hour in the same room as the Tribal Chief.

"My Tribal Chief, this is my wife, Lady Azalea and my daughter Loreal, the one that Tribal Prince Rikishi has requested for his son," Byron said, introducing Lori and her mother to the stone faced man before them.

Tribal Prince Rikishi? They never mentioned him or his son?

Lori and her mother bowed their heads, unsure what to expect of the leader. Lori had never been so nervous for a marital discussion.

"A pleasure," the Tribal Chief said curtly, before turning to the man Lori assumed was his Wiseman.

"Lord Byron, it is our utmost pleasure to introduce you to your daughter's fiancé-" Wait, what do they mean fiancé? Has this already been finalized? Without me getting to at least know the man's name? "The Tribal Prince, Jey," the Wiseman concluded.

As Lori wondered which one was Jey, one of the twins, the one with the fully black hair stepped forward with his hand held out for Lori to take it. He bowed gracefully before her, leaning in to kiss the back of her knuckles. As their eyes locked, Lori was met with a sight she knew all too well. Arrogance.

"It's an honor to meet you, Princess Loreal," he said huskily, sending a shiver down Lori's spine. Unlike The Tribal Chief, who made Lori nervous, Tribal Prince Jey elicited a feeling of uncertainty. She was unnerved and to her, that was far worse than being afraid.

Yet still, Lori's head floated in a space of disbelief. There was no way that her father had sealed the deal for them to marry. Surely they were speaking out of turn and there was still some deliberation to be-

"Loreal, this is your fiancé. You are to be married in a month," her father stated proudly. His words made her ears ring and her vision blur. She grew light headed as the reality set in.

Loreal was getting married.

[book--brackets]

Simon Snow by Rainbow Rowell (2015-2021)

Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters.

Gentleman Bastard by Scott Lynch (2006-present)

An orphan's life is harsh — and often short — in the island city of Camorr, built on the ruins of a mysterious alien race. But born with a quick wit and a gift for thieving, Locke Lamora has dodged both death and slavery, only to fall into the hands of an eyeless priest known as Chains — a man who is neither blind nor a priest.

A con artist of extraordinary talent, Chains passes his skills on to his carefully selected "family" of orphans — a group known as the Gentlemen Bastards. Under his tutelage, Locke grows to lead the Bastards, delightedly pulling off one outrageous confidence game after another. Soon he is infamous as the Thorn of Camorr, and no wealthy noble is safe from his sting.

Passing themselves off as petty thieves, the brilliant Locke and his tightly knit band of light-fingered brothers have fooled even the criminal underworld's most feared ruler, Capa Barsavi. But there is someone in the shadows more powerful — and more ambitious — than Locke has yet imagined.

Known as the Gray King, he is slowly killing Capa Barsavi's most trusted men — and using Locke as a pawn in his plot to take control of Camorr's underworld. With a bloody coup under way threatening to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the Gray King at his own brutal game — or die trying...

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (2020)

Piranesi's house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house. 

There is one other person in the house--a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin (2015-2017)

This is the way the world ends. . .for the last time.

It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester. 

This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (2011)

Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that don't quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight, when he wakes, there's a visitor at his window. It's ancient, elemental, a force of nature. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.

Patrick Ness takes the final idea of the late, award-winning writer Siobhan Dowd and weaves an extraordinary and heartbreaking tale of mischief, healing and above all, the courage it takes to survive.

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman (1990-2003)

In PRELUDES & NOCTURNES, an occultist attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. After his 70 year imprisonment and eventual escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On his arduous journey Morpheus encounters Lucifer, John Constantine, and an all-powerful madman.

The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang (2018-2020)

When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.

Villains by V. E. Schwab (2013-present)

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (2015)

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

Legacy of Orisha by Tomi Adeyemi (2018-2024)

They killed my mother. They took our magic. They tried to bury us. Now we rise. Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie's Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers -and her growing feelings for an enemy.

[tsarinatorment]

Do you have any backstory headcanons for the other canon Apollo kids?

Not to the extent I did for Michael, but most of them I have at least something, yes!

Going in age order...

Will [disclaimer here that I do not consider TSATS canon; most of this contradicts the weird stuff TSATS tried to claim which didn't actually make any sense...] We know Apollo met Will's mother, Naomi Solace, in Austin, and I do headcanon that Will grew up there. Like most demigods, school wasn't fun for him, although Will was never actually in enough trouble that he got expelled - he was too much of a generally sweet kid for that, who got on well with the other kids in school. His home life was... fine. Naomi loves Will a lot, but trying to make ends meet with her music career whilst raising a son as a single mother was a lot (especially a son with ADHD and dyslexia) and Will often ended up not quite being given all the attention he needed at home.

However, we also know from canon that Will is an unusually powerful son of Apollo, so the monsters picked up on his scent much earlier than they usually do. His first attack was an entire hoard of snakes when he was seven, and with no-one else around close enough to intervene in time, Apollo snatched him away from the attack in person, before telling Naomi that it was probably time for Will to go to camp. She didn't protest, guiltily relieved that looking after Will wouldn't be on her shoulders anymore and that she could fully follow her music career again, and Will ended up at camp aged seven.

He remains a year-rounder because Naomi's career keeps her too busy to give him the attention and stability he should have, although they remain in frequent contact and Will has been known to leave camp for a weekend or even a week, occasionally, to stay with her while she's free between career commitments.

Austin Austin's mother, Latricia Lake, is a music theory lecturer (canon) who met Apollo while she was lecturing at Oberlin College (canon). I have her as being a guest lecturer, who moves around various colleges and universities on demand, which leaves her lifestyle rather an unstable one for raising a child. So instead of lugging around baby!Austin everywhere with her, Austin was mostly raised by his maternal grandparents (location not entirely certain but I'm kinda leaning towards Louisiana, maybe?) to give him a stable place to call home. He ended up at camp the same way most Apollo kids do - the snakes came crawling along and a satyr identified him as a demigod and brought him to camp. Austin got rather a nasty bite (or few) from the snakes on the way, which almost killed him, so his phobia of snakes is worse than most Apollo kids'. He arrived at camp in the period between BOTL and TLO, so he never knew Lee and was still a fresh camper for the Manhattan battle. He now stays at camp year-round because his grandparents are getting a little too old to really raise a hyperactive teenage boy, and Austin doesn't want to bring the added danger of monster attacks to them.

Kayla Kayla, as we know, has two fathers. She's one of the less common children of a male god who was birthed by their godly parent, but Apollo and Darren Knowles had several long conversations about it before she was conceived, because Apollo doesn't do the "drop random unexpected kids on partners" thing. Darren did really want a kid, though, and Apollo was more than happy to oblige. She calls Darren 'Da', while Apollo is 'Dad', and always knew that she had two fathers, and that her other father was an amazing archer. Darren kept her with him most of the time - Kayla's been around archery her entire life, has been shooting bows ever since she was big enough, and is well-known amongst the Olympic candidates in Canada, who are all eagerly awaiting her sixteenth birthday, when she can join their ranks - although they're a bit worried that now she's away at 'boarding school' in America, she's not getting as much training time (if only they knew!) She stays at camp all year because Darren's coaching career does take him across the country, and in some cases the world, to various tournaments, and it's safer and more stable for Kayla to live in one place. (Darren also tries not to let it reach her too much, but not everyone is particularly accepting of a girl with two fathers; she's also away from the bigotry in camp.) She will visit him as often as she can get away with, though!

Yan Yan is canonically from Hong Kong. As they're never given a gender in the books, to me they are nonbinary. They also don't have a canon surname, so I use 'Cheung', which has the same roots as Zhang and means archer! When they were twelve, their mother made the decision to evacuate them from Hong Kong due to the political unrest, and they went to live with a host family in England, enrolling in a local school. This was fine for a year, but then they found themselves being attacked by monsters and were forced to be displaced again, this time to Camp Half-Blood. Their host family knew nothing about them being a demigod - most of it was arranged by proxy of the mother of a kid the year below them in their London school. They later discovered that said kid was also their younger half-brother!

Jerry Jerry is a London kid (canon!). As 'Jerry' is usually a nickname, and considering the fact that he's British, I have his full name as being Jeremy (not that he ever goes by it) and gave him the surname Allen (meaning 'harmony'). Jerry's mum is a massive stress baker by the name of Gwen Allen. Her actual job is that she's a nurse - which is a stressful job, so Jerry was never short on homemade goodies as a kid! Jerry is a huge cricket fan, and grew up near Lords Cricket ground; his dream is to play for England one day. When he was twelve, he and an older kid at school were attacked by a monster and saved by the school's janitor, who was revealed to be a satyr. Jerry did not take well to the idea that he had to move to America for several years (not least because it meant he had to stop playing for the local kids' cricket teams, but also because it meant leaving his mum behind), but Gwen arranged everything with Chiron - and for Yan, too - and saw them off from Heathrow Airport. The pair of them were escorted by an adult demigod onto American soil, but unfortunately the last leg of their trip was rather eventful, culminating in the satyr guide that had picked them up at the airport being killed protecting them, and leaving both Jerry and Yan rather traumatised when they finally reached camp. The pair of them are thick as thieves.

Gracie I don't have much for Gracie yet - we know she's from Idaho, and at this point that's really all I've got, except the headcanon that she's a drum kid. Give her something to bash rhythmically and she's delighted! I'll work something out for her eventually, though! As for her name, like the rest of the TON trio we're not given one, so I gave her the surname 'Crowe' as an acknowledgement of corvids being sacred to Apollo.

[serpentarii]

M O R D L U S T ; september 22nd, 2024

finally getting around to doing these more often now that i'm making money moves in the draft (this is a lie, i am making moves into my friends' dms to scream) so that means i have an excuse to make self-indulgent WIP edits.

my primary protagonist vératre, formerly known as voir, has been made sufficiently weird, and i think i've found a way to smoothly integrate all of the new scenes i added when i reformatted her half of the plot.

i've also been in my overthinking era to make sure that everything from color symbolism, animal motifs, to the specific variations of words characters use has a purpose. 90% of it will not be apparent in the actual draft so, to paraphrase myself, i'm like gay sisyphus opening and closing notion.

but, i do plan on making some character aesthetic intros, tv show edits, and finally getting around to that animal symbolism post 🐯

transcript below the cut:

Pale blue light flooded into the crate as the lid was pried off, then abruptly overturned, sending Aleksander tumbling out between a set of familiar armchairs. His attention traveled up the front of a familiar desk and landed at an unsmiling familiar face.  Sitting quietly on the other side of the desk was Lady Kos, regal as a queen and ten times wealthier, with pearl droplets woven into her dark braids, dressed in chiffon and lace from trailing hem to high, starched collar.  She was melting wax, her movements swift and assured as she poured a small pool onto the folds of an envelope and stamped it with a sigil Aleksander knew to dread. She took a sip of riesling, soundlessly replacing her glass onto the wood, before setting her sights on him.  “Herr Aleksander Fox,” she said at last. 

and since i haven't done this in like 4 years, surprise bitch. i'm doing a novel prep tag in here now.

first look ;

describe your novel in 1-2 sentences (elevator pitch) ;

a businessman-turned-thief finds himself entangled with a pair of opposing assassins and the roles they unknowingly play in a much grander conspiracy.

how long do you plan for your novel to be (novella, standalone, series, etc.)? ;

a standalone, thank god. the technically term would be roman fleuve, since i am planning future standalone works that take place within the same universe.

what is your novel’s aesthetic? ;

ancient buildings overtaken by nature, cemeteries at midnight, poisonous flowers, venomous snakes, whispering in shadowy alcoves, masquerade balls, bloodstained feathers, veiled truths

what other stories inspire your novel? ;

the his dark materials series by philip pullman, uprooted by naomi novik, classic gothic lit, fairy tales in general, and uh,,,,,,,exodus.

share 3+ images that give a feel for your novel ;

main character ;

who is your protagonist? ;

my two main protagonists/POVs are liferuiner and wannabe businessman aleksander fox, and vératre, a notorious poisoner struggling her way through a quarter-life crisis.

who is their closest ally? ;

aleksander's closest ally, at least in the beginning, is his friend heidi, an information broker with a secret :) and vératre begrudgingly accepts the help of salicaire, another assassin, since they are both nosy and want answers.

who is their enemy? ;

aleksander vs. the ospirin family (a fight he is nawt winning) and the church

what do they want more than anything? ;

so, to be cryptic, 3/4 of the leads in mordlust are all reflections of each other, what they could have been and what they want to be. the last of them is the mirror. they see in him what they want to see. and what they want, shockingly, is prestige, power, belonging, etc. they've always felt like strangers in their own skin and will go to terrible lengths to fit themselves into a society that was not made for them.

why can’t they have it? ;

dirty dirty politics for which they are mere pawns ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

what do they wrongly believe about themselves? ;

that because they've been hurt, they are justified in hurting others in pursuit of their goals.

draw your protagonist! (or share a description) ;

aleksander is a classic dandy with a hyperfixation on his vintage fox fur coat, which he wears even when it's wildly out of season and out of fashion because it's the nicest thing he owns. he's also usually seen wearing kid leather gloves and a golden cravat pin he received from his patroness. he's got green eyes, short auburn hair, lots of freckles, and more people would find him handsome if he didn't smile like he knew your fly was down and was refusing to tell you.

vératre's lips are stained purple due to. reasons. and so she wears a veil, which is not uncommon for particularly devout women. she has medium length brown hair she keeps pinned up into tight plaits and a notably long neck. also, she has pretty privilege because shits fucked and having attractive lay servants representing the house/church is common practice. since she works as a kitchen maid most of the week, she's often wearing her uniform w/ an apron. and sometimes she wears isme's black feathered cloak.

drawing wise, i do have this chart, courtesy of alex @bitethebard:

plot points ;

what is the internal conflict? ;

aleksander and vératre, being parallels of each other, have somewhat similar internal conflicts. they both came from nameless villages out in the countryside and share a burning desire to be more. in vératre's case it's v much a "be careful what you wish for" situation, because in receiving everything she thought she wanted she's no longer herself and unhappier than ever. aleksander is younger and earlier along in his journey, but barreling down the same path. except the choices he makes fucks shit up for the people around him more than they effect himself.

what is the external conflict? ;

again, cutthroat politics (literally). everyone has something they'd kill for.

what is the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist? ;

other than dying horribly, probably being tethered to an uncaring master, praying to uncaring gods, and trying to find comfort in an uncaring church for the rest of their miserable lives.

what secret will be revealed that changes the course of the story? ;

aleksander is entangled in a pseudo-liar revealed plot, which i kinda hate, but as an extremely unreliable narrator his priorities are not in proper order... vératre is witnessing the horrors.

do you know how it ends? ;

yeah

bits & bobs ;

what is the theme? ;

blind faith is dangerous. you must learn to take responsibility for both the good and the bad actions you take, and attaching yourself to someone or something at random to validate your own existence isn't healthy. holiness exists not only in gods but in small moments of happiness and in the people we love. and lastly don't fucking steal someone's skin and sell it on the black market.

what is a recurring symbol? ;

thorns.

where is the story set? (share a description!) ;

niederbrinn, the capital city of falkenreik, which is loosely inspired by pre-german empire prussia. it's filled with tons of gothic™ architecture and fun locations like cathedrals, catacombs, and creature shops. it's situated closer to the malevolent eldritch forest than most would like.

do you have any images or scenes in your mind already? ;

hell yeah

what excited you about this story? ;

mostly isme. and then the other 3 protags ig 🙄

tell us about your usual writing method! ;

these days, i usually write a rough outline and expand it using the snowflake method, incorporating ideas, themes, and worldbuilding along the way. then i make a proper outline where i figure out chapters, acts, the dreaded midpoint, etc. i don't write in chronological order so this helps a ton with out-of-context lines since i have a reference for where i want them based on the location/emotional state of the characters. getting myself to actually sit down and WRITE the damn thing is the problem, shout out to my fellow procrastinating perfectionists <33

if you made it to this point you are sexy and i love you, byeeee !!

[sir-yeehaw-paws]

"The Reason Was Always You"

AKA: The timeline of Metal Gear Solid as per Ocelot’s intervention. Even more specifically, this is my attempt at helping a friend understand what Ocelot was about, and all the nonsense he got up too and why. Of course, the why in this case is simple: Big Boss. Big Boss has been the singular motivation for absolutely everything Ocelot does in series since the day he met the man, and it remained so up until his death.

Yes, all of this.

So. How to explain? I've gone with a general "summary and timeline" compilation that I'll do my very best to keep concise. But given that this is me don't quote me on that eh? ;)

So let's get to it!

Below is a quick-notes version of people and agencies that’ll serve as a sort of fast guide for who I end up talking about that show up more than once in the summary. It’s very messy and if I’ve forgotten anyone or anything I’ll have it included later.

People and Agencies:

Ocelot himself (okay that’s not funny I just included it because it was to me for ten seconds shh)

Big Boss (obviously, ‘father’ of Solid and Liquid Snake)

Colonel Volgin (AKA the Man on Fire: Colonel commanding the GRU during the time of Operation Snake Eater)

EVA (AKA Tatyana, AKA Big Mama: Chinese Philosopher Agent who later became the surrogate mother for the twins)

Paramedic (AKA Dr Jane Clark, the main creator of Les Enfants Terribles, and later the Genome Project which is part of what turns Gray Fox into the Cyborg Ninja, as well as having a driving force behind the PMC’S in 2014, during the events of MGS4. The ‘perfect soldier gene’, more on that later)

SIGINT (AKA Donald Anderson)

The CIA Director

Major Zero (AKA David Oh: The Founder of FOX, The Patriots and Cipher)

Kazuhira Miller (MSF and Diamond Dogs Sub Commander)

Dr Strangelove (A scientist who specialises in AI, works with the CIA and the MSF, she creates the AI that powers the unmanned weapons Big Boss fights in MGS Peace Walker, and eventually the AI that powers the Boss in the mammal pod in the 1980s’. She marries Huey Emmerich and has their son, Hal Emmerich aka Otacon with him. Killed by Huey Emmerich sometime between 1983 and 1984)

Skull Face (Originally the XO of Major Zero, and the head of XOF)

Venom Snake (aka the Medic, later the commander of Diamond Dogs and Outer Heaven, killed in 1995 during Operation Intrude N313 by Solid Snake)

Solid Snake (Dave, a Foxhound Soldier who kills Venom Snake, and later assumes to have killed Big Boss in Zanzibarland in 1999. Meets Ocelot in 2005 during the Shadow Moses Incident)

Liquid Snake (Eli aka The White Mamba, meets Ocelot in 1984 when he's with Diamond Dogs as a captured child soldier, later works with him in 2005 under the 'new' Foxhound

Solidus Snake (aka George Sears, aka the third clone 'the perfect' clone of Big Boss aka the 44th President of the United States)Dr Dr. Naomi Hunter: (Part of the New Foxhound and the creator of Foxdie, a virus that attacks a certain gene to kill the infected person very quickly. Said Foxdie is implanted in Solid Snake as revenge against him for killing her brother, Gray Fox, during the Zanzibarland Incident)

Sergei Gurlukovich (Head of the Russian Mercenary Faction the Gurlukovich Mercenaries)

Olga Gurlukovich (Daughter of Sergei, takes over the Gurkulovich Mercenaries after his death)

Raiden (AKA Jack the Ripper: Former child soldier adopted by Solidus Snake, later a Foxhound agent unaware it's not real, per se)

Agencies (I couldn’t think of a better word for them but ‘agencies’ is a kind of loose term in this sense)

I have not included the CIA and the GRU but they are there.

The Patriots 1.0 (Not an official way of terming them, I’m just trying to distinguish between that and the later, AI only version of the Patriots)

Cipher (Another name for The Patriots when it was under the command of Major Zero)

XOF (Assumed to have been Cipher, they are a rogue faction of Cipher headed up by Skull Face, originally the XO of Zero, he breaks apart from him)

The Patriots 2.0 (After Major Zero becomes non-functional due to being infected with parasites by Skull Face, SIGINT takes over the Patriots before they slowly begin to fully convert to being an AI controlled system. By the 2000’s, the Patriots are little more than AI, and only AI)

MSF (AKA Militaries Sans Frontiers: The first PMC created and headed by Big Boss)

Diamond Dogs (A PMC created by Kazuhira Miller and Revolver Ocelot, later commanded by Venom Snake)

Outer Heaven (A PMC under Venom Snake that absorbed Diamond Dogs and became something 'bigger' or new. This is a touch confusing, as Venom Snake refers to Diamond Dogs base as 'Outer Heaven' and Solid Snake storms Outer Heaven in 1995 but it's moved inland by that point)

Foxhound (A special forces group headed by Big Boss within the US military)

Zanzibarland (A private military nation headed by Big Boss. Where he is 'killed' by Solid Snake)

The 'New' Foxhound: (Foxhound after it's been created for a second time, with Liquid Snake in charge)

Dead Cell: (A faction Ocelot works with designed to bring about the SSS Project, aka the Solid Snake Simulation project, more on that later)

Who's Ocelot? (Speedy Ass Biography)

Revolver Ocelot aka Adamska aka Adam aka Shalashaska and eventually Liquid Snake was born in Normandy, on D Day. 6th June 1944. He is the son of the Boss, and the Sorrow. Both part of the elite COBRA Unit.

Ocelot was removed from the Boss very shortly after his birth and raised by the Philosopher's as one of their agents. Up until being sent to infiltrate the GRU for the CIA sometime before 1964.

Then, Ocelot was established as a Major under the command of Colonel Volgin. His birth aside, there are almost no confirmed details of his life before this.

Ocelot dies in 2014, of the new Foxdie virus, after fighing Solid Snake. He's 70 years old at the time.

The world's fastest biography out of the way, let's get into the more nitty-gritty of it-the timeline.

RUSSIA: 1964

*One of the few times Ocelot wasn’t doing things for the sake of Big Boss, as they don’t meet until Operation Snake Eater. (That I'm aware of at any rate)

Key Events:

The Virtuous Mission ( Late August)

Operation Snake Eater ( Early September)

As quickly stated above, Ocelot is a Major within the GRU under Colonel Volgin but secretly working with the CIA. (In the post credits, Ocelot reports directly to the CIA director in the USA.) He was sent in to recover part of the Philosopher’s Legacy. He succeeds, and gives the USA blueprints that are assumed to be Metal Gear.

EARLY 1970’s:

NOTE: Portable Ops canon is in debate within the fandom. I personally take it as canon, but some don’t. So Ocelot’s actions in this time period get argued. The way Portable Ops often gets argued. Since I take Portable Ops as canon, I included it. I’m using Wiki Fandom’s summary of events here, so again-there is interpretation that could be up for debate.

This could also be another portion of events that are not directly for the sake of Big Boss. But when the Patriots are formed, Ocelot helps them use the Legacy in it’s funding. The Patriots operated (at least originally) to ‘execute the Boss’s will’ post-humus for her. And create what they believed to be her desired world.

Ocelot recovers the second half of the Philosopher’s Legacy, and assassinates the DCI.

Foundation of the Patriots with Major Zero, Big Boss, Eva, Paramedic and SIGINT.

1972:

This is what I believe is the turning point for where Ocelot begins to put almost all of his focus into making sure everything he does serves Big Boss and his efforts.

Solid and Liquid Snake are born as the first successful experiment from Les Enfants Terribles. Big Boss leaves the Patriots. Ocelot remains.

Big Boss founds the MSF, and eventually takes on Kazuhira Miller as his sub-commander. Ocelot is not directly involved with the MSF. During the days of the MSF, Kaz forms a secret deal with Major Zero, which is how Zadornov (a KGB spy under the alias of Professor Galvez) and Paz Ortega Andrade (A Cipher Agent posing as a Latin American school-girl) are able to get Big Boss into Costa Rica. This is also where Chico (a kid Big Boss meets who is the younger brother of Amanda, the new commander of her late father’s rebel unit) meets Big Boss and is taken into the MSF.

1975:

XOF attacks Mother Base when Big Boss is coming back from his mission to save a captured Chico and Paz. Paz jumps from the chopper and dies before XOF shoots it out of the sky, killing Chico and the pilot, MORPHO in the process. The Medic jumps in front of Big Boss to shield him from the worst of the blast, but Big Boss ends up in a coma for the next nine years. Kaz is left with only minor or non-life-threatening injuries.

"This is an emergency, otherwise I sure as hell wouldn't-"-Ocelot, when Major Zero contacts him after the attack. The betrayal of Big Boss has forever left a sour taste in his mouth, regarding Zero.

Sometime later, after Kaz has been released from the hospital, Major Zero gets in contact with Ocelot and fills him in on a plan he has to keep Big Boss safe from his enemies. First, he has Big Boss and the Medic transferred into Cipher’s care through Eva, at the military hospital in Dhkelia, Cyprus. He proposes to Ocelot the idea of turning the Medic into a body double for Big Boss. Ocelot agrees and this begins the creation of Venom Snake through (as Ocelot puts it ‘powerful hypnogia’) and intense plastic surgery. In addition, he also spends the next nine years creating Diamond Dogs with Kazuhira Miller. The intention being that while Kaz, himself and Venom work with Diamond Dogs, Big Boss is free to get himself back up and running with his own base and men safely, away from the radar of XOF. With Diamond Dogs and Venom at the helm, nobody will know Big Boss is alive and building his own army (what eventually becomes Foxhound and later Zanzibarland) and will be safe.

XOF ATTACK ON DHKELIA, 1984:

Sometime in late February, Big Boss awakes from his coma and is filled in on what Ocelot has been up too. Ocelot and he prepare for the upcoming attack on the hospital, and when the Medic (now officially Venom Snake) wakes up two weeks later, Big Boss ‘helps’ escort and protect him from the hospital. XOF annihilate the place searching for Big Boss. Leaving nearly (if not every) occupant killed in the line of fire. The assault on Dhkelia is deemed necessary by Ocelot, and serves as a way to get Big Boss and Venom Snake out and free, without XOF continuing chase.

After they escape, Venom is left briefly unconscious. Ocelot retrieves Big Boss, then Venom. He puts Venom on the Heiwa Maru for transport to Afghanistan to save Kaz (who has now been captured by the 40th Russian Army and needs to be saved by Venom) and says his goodbye’s to Big Boss before joining up with Venom. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Big Boss before Ocelot lights his cigar, 1984.

"We'll meet again."

At some point, Ocelot hypnotises himself, to keep up the ruse that Venom Snake is the ‘real’ Big Boss, so that he won’t blow his cover to soon.

After Venom rescues Kaz, the three of them work with Diamond Dogs and take down Skull Face. During this time, the vocal chord parasite is present, and Venom eliminates Skull Face, XOF and the virus. Around this time they also have Huey Emmerich (after having ‘saved’ him from Skull Face, who he’d been working under since the attack on Mother Base back in the 70’s)

"I maintainted limited contact, though in truth, we were just keeping tabs on each other." -Ocelot about his relationship with Major Zero, after LET and the dissolution of the Patriots. Keeping tabs on Zero was of course, useful for keeping Big Boss safe. Including from Zero.

I’ll also note real quick that it is around this time in the early 1980’s that Ocelot is dubbed ‘Shalashaska’ due to his torture techniques being so feared amongst guerilla’s he interrogated during the Soviet Afghan War. A monikers he’s given before Venom Snake is awake, and one that’s fully established by 1984.

TIMELINE UNKNOWN (Assumed to be sometime in the 80’s)

The details are unknown and undetermined, but at some point Ocelot reveals to Kaz that not only is Venom Snake a body double of Big Boss, but that Big Boss is alive and ‘safe’ doing his own thing to establish himself with Foxhound. Kaz, infuriated at being mislead and lied too, vows his revenge on Big Boss. Ocelot, simply says that eventually there will only be one Big Boss, and if Kaz wants to keep that vow, so be it. They’ll fight when the time comes (against each other, that is).

Venom Snake (at another undetermined time) learns the truth about himself. He remains in his role until his death.

At some point between 1984 and 1995, Kaz and Ocelot both exit Diamond Dogs/ Outer Heaven. The time period for when they do this, is unknown.

OPERATION INTRUDE N313, 1995:

Outer Heaven is no longer necessary, and is in possession of a Metal Gear. The time for there to be ‘only one Big Boss’ has come. Venom Snake fights Solid Snake, and is eventually defeated and killed by him. Venom Snake’s exploits are absorbed and attributed into the legend and legacy of Big Boss, leaving Venom to be forgotten. Having ‘done his job’ and outlived his usefulness.

THE 90’s:

Ocelot does some mercenary work around this time, after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Ocelot does not directly work within Foxhound, or the later Zanizbarland with Big Boss, but supports him in other ways during this time period. He is keeping a close eye on the Patriots 2.0 and establishing what will become his eventual take down of them completely.

But why take down the Patriots?

At the risk of veering off into headcanon territory (which a lot of this post already does so I’m not even sure why that’s a concern as it isn’t) I believe Ocelot wanted to eliminate and dismantle the Patriot’s because they wronged Big Boss. The Patriot’s harmed him, and later served as a threat to him. In many respects they threatened the world too; but for Ocelot, I believe Big Boss matters to him far more than the world ever did.

Leading into,

ZANIZBARLAND DISTURBANCE (Christmas Eve, 1999)

It is assumed that Solid Snake managed to kill Big Boss. However, the Patriot’s swoop in and steal his remains, placing him in a coma before he can expire. Following this, Ocelot teams back up with EVA, and they form a plan to eventually steal Big Boss from the Patriot’s. A process that ends up taking decades. And during which ends up requiring Ocelot to eventually make new ‘alliances’ and later, even develop into Liquid Ocelot.

But, before all that, comes a slow, methodical take down. Starting with Ocelot joining the New Foxhound in 2000.

I like this summary of it the best.

26th February, 2005

Death of Kazuhira Miller.

Canon has never confirmed if Ocelot killed him but I headcanon that he did and I stick with that headcanon. Kaz’s glasses are given over to Liquid, to help him take on the impression of Kaz to fool Solid Snake with the ruse. Ocelot would be one of the most efficient people to achieve that, and they have that talk about it in the end of MGSV so ANYWAY. That is a bit of a ramble.

Shadow Moses Incident 2005

The elimination of the New Foxhound. All but Ocelot are killed via the Foxdie virus that is implanted in Solid Snake by Dr. Hunter. This also ends up killing Liquid Snake. Ocelot reveals (to the audience) in the ending, to have been working behind the scenes the entire time as well with the then-President George Sears. Solidus Snake.

The Arm, 2005

Ok.

So. Bare with me. The Cyborg Ninja (Gray Fox) takes off Ocelot’s right arm with his sword during their fight. Sometime after the Shadow Moses incident, Ocelot has the right arm of the then-deceased Liquid Snake surgically grafted onto himself. This arm, ahem. Takes on the soul or spirit of Liquid Snake, and it can possess Ocelot periodically. Creating the character of Liquid Ocelot that is first seen in 2007. Two years later. When Ocelot is working with the Gurkulovich Mercenaries to steal Metal Gear RAY, before Ocelot betrays them. The “Liquid Ocelot” persona is up for debate.

2007

Mentioned quickly up above, Ocelot steals Metal Gear RAY and the Tanker Incident.

2009

“Sergei was my best friend!” Ocelot to Olga during Big Shell in 2009, when she accuses him of betraying her father and killing him (which he did). Loyalty to no-one is important. Unless it’s Big Boss.

Big Shell and the Solid Snake Simulation. Ocelot believes that the Big Shell is an experiment by the Patriots to establish any old person as Solid Snake. In this case, the unwitting patsy being Raiden. Dead Cell being a replacement for Foxhound. However, the Patriots are now completely an AI and they claim that they mislead Ocelot, and that their real goal was something else entirely. A system to control all people in the world. It is also revealed during the events of Big Shell that the Patriots are in control of every single aspect of society. And that the presidents are little more than Patriot selected plants, that are meant to exert their will unto society. Solidus Snake is killed by Raiden. Post Big Shell: The Creation of Liquid Ocelot.

Following the events of the Big Shell, Ocelot and EVA (now operating under the alias of Big Mama) are covertly working to dismantle the Patriots. By this point, the Patriot’s are in full control of society. The control PMC’s and other militaries with nanomachines that are a step up from the Genome Soldiers, and are an even more ‘perfect’ establishment of the Perfect Soldier Project. This is a project that used DNA from Big Boss to create the best soldiers. As said before, the Patriot’s are also a fully AI system. It is assumed that around this time, Revolver Ocelot is ‘possessed’ completely by the spirit of Liquid Snake (via the arm). And that Ocelot as he was known up until that point no longer exists. (While I’ve also found it kind of fun to toy with this theory, especially because the Sorrow was a medium and I really like the idea of Ocelot being supernaturally inclined) for the sake of this, I need to go with the way Ocelot himself ends up describing what happened. Ocelot is an extremely skilled hypnotist. (At least in Metal Gear’s lore sense of hypnotism). We already know that he hypnotized himself back in the 80’s, and it was using a more advanced version of this technique that he put himself ‘away’ and took on the persona of Liquid Snake. Said persona included the creation of more PMC’s, to help fight in a society of near total war. By 2014, an aged Solid Snake and Otacon are working to bring down the Patriot’s as well, but they have different motives. Ocelot wants to recreate Outer Heaven (in a sense) for Big Boss and the world he would’ve wanted. Philanthropy is for the salvation of the world and society. While I do still believe that Ocelot had a personal beef with the original Patriot’s for betraying Big Boss, I imagine that both things can be true. Ocelot knows the Patriot’s AI has infected everything in their society. Liquid Ocelot is created as a way to fool and interrupt the system. By working within the system itself, Ocelot takes it down from the inside, deliberately going against the AI’s predictions and algorithm to annihilate it. Solid Snake and the new Foxdie killing him, helps to bring about that goal. In the process, EVA is killed by the New Foxdie. Liquid Ocelot and Solid Snake fight, culminating in the death of Liquid Ocelot (and Ocelot entirely) via the new Foxdie. Outer Heaven 2.0 does not come to pass, but the Patriots are destroyed thanks to Philanthrophy’s efforts (and a worm created by Sunny Emmerich, the adopted daughter of Otacon and Solid Snake). Around this time as well, Big Boss briefly comes back to life (using body parts from the deceased Solidus Snake, I think Eva and Ocelot helped with that one but don’t quote me) and kills Major Zero (who is barely alive and only functions with life support) and dies of the new Foxdie virus. Thus a lifetime of betrayal and deceit, or torture and more alliances than one can shake a stick at, comes to a close.

"She's in love with the legend." "What makes you so sure?" "I was the same way, once."- Ocelot and Kaz arguing during Quiet's interrogation. Only for all the lies Ocelot tels, he was never lying about that. Except he loved the man, not just the legend.

CONCLUSION

So, at the end of the day, if one looks to the question ‘what was Ocelot’s motivation’? The answer is simply “for Big Boss” the motivation is sometimes debated, thrown around, tossed up, etc. So, for the sake of my own personal argument I say it’s because he loved him.

Not the purest kind of love no. We’re talking the devotional (one could even argue obsessive) intense kind of love that has a lot of toxic or ‘dark’ to be blasé about it kind of love. The kind of love that drives a person to do countless immoral, sometimes world-ending things in the face of it. From the time Ocelot met Big Boss to the time he died, nearly everything was in service of him. It did not matter to Ocelot how long that took, or how much ended up destroyed because of it.

It did not matter that it had a body count in the thousands. It did not matter who became necessary collateral along the way. Or whether Big Boss could ever even appropriately acknowledge or reciprocate it. At the end of the day, at the end of it all. For Ocelot it was all for him.

Everything.

I probably didn't need this entire post to explain it but I am who I am and here we are.

[probablyasocialecologist]

What is unique, at least since the era of open colonialism and its genocides, is the unity this carnage has inspired among political elites in the Global North, and to some extent beyond it. After all, when fascism rose in Europe the 1930s, it had powerful supporters in our political classes, but it also had powerful opponents. That is far less true today. All across what passes for a political spectrum, from the rabid far right to the mealy-mouthed centre left, we have witnessed powerful actors putting their partisan differences aside to come together in active support of these crimes against humanity. Far from fracturing our political class, this iteration of fascism has united it: Donald Trump agrees with Joe Biden; Rishi Sunak with Keir Starmer, Emanuel Macron with Marine Le Pen; Justin Trudeau with Giorgia Meloni; Viktor Orbán with Narendra Modi. And so, we must ask: On what precisely do they all agree? What are they uniting behind? What are they all defending when they speak of Israel’s ‘right to defend itself’? It’s too simple, I’m afraid, to say they are united in defense of a single state. They are, of course, but they are also united in defense of a shared belief system. Amidst the reality of global economic apartheid and accelerating climate breakdown, they are united in a shared supremacist vision of safety and security for the few. This vision is the flip side of their steadfast refusal to in any way address the underlying drivers of these crises: capitalism, limitless growth, colonialism, militarism, white supremacy, patriarchy. As Sherene Seikaly puts it, we are ‘In the age of catastrophe’ and ‘Palestine is a paradigm’. 

[starlightshadowsworld]

Thinking about if Atsushi wasn't saved in time. Fukuzawa orders the Agency to go after him but it's too late.

The ship he's on has left their waters, they have no legal jurisdiction.

And because Dazai hasn't returned, they don't know about the Guilds involvement.

There's nothing they can do but Fukuzawa doesn't give up hope. Neither do Junichiro and Naomi who were all for rescuing Atsushi from the start.

Fukuzawa says how proud he is of them, and that quite frankly, he's disappointed in the rest for letting their comrade down.

That hurts more than anyone is willing to admit.

The ship is seized by the Guild, seeing the explosion.

Atsushi is captured.

A Port Mafia helicopter comes to collect Akutugawa but Kyouka has gone into hiding. She hates leaving Atsushi but knows there's nothing she can do right now.

Fitzgerald does his gloating and Atsushi is sent to his cell.

The only one he sees on the regular is Lucy who says nothing to him. She only slides a tray of food under his door at random times.

He thought about using it to count the days but gave up. Atsushi's used to the sporadic nature of the Orphanage.

Having time stolen from him so much so that the lack of knowing what day or time it is doesn't freak him out like it should.

The only thing he does know is that every time he wakes up it's 5am.

Because it's always 5am.

Lucy looks at him like she can't quite figure him out.

Until one day she snaps "why haven't your friends come to find you yet?!" She doesn't get it, because her idea of Atsushi is that he's someone who's been prized since birth.

Atsushi just looks at her.

"Why would they?"

Is he suprised? A little, he had really started to buy into this whole Agency = family stuff.

But maybe family just never included him?

No yeah that sounds about right.

It's so easy for Atsushi to convince himself that he was just there for his ability to be controlled. The second he became a burden he was going to be abandoned.

His parents did it.

The Orphanage did it.

Why would the Agency be any different? No one has ever wanted him, he knew this from the start.

... Than why does it hurt so much?

Atsushi doesn't notice the tears falling until Lucy hands him a tissue. The confusion in her eyes has cleared to understanding.

Along with handing him his food, she starts to talk to him. Atsushi usually listens but they learn they have more in common than they realised.

Someone else starts to visit him too.

Lucy introduces him to Poe, someone who seemed rather intimidating for all of five seconds.

Not that Atsushi thinks Poe couldn't be intimating, but he's nice if awkward at times.

Something Atsushi understands. When they do talk it's mostly about books. Apparently Poe's a writer who met Ranpo years ago.

But for all Poe's respect and devotion to him, he sounds... Disappointed when Atsushi reassures him Ranpo that wouldn't try to find him.

"I mean it's hardly worth his time, greatest detective and all."

"Hmm.. I suppose so."

Atsushi does try not to ruin Poe's image of Ranpo. It's not like he's lying either, Ranpo would never choose a case like this.

He pretends that knowledge doesn't hurt.

Karl slips through the tray gap and given Atsushi hugs. Poe was suprised at first, apparently Karl takes a while to warm up to anyone.

It makes Atsushi feel warm to be trusted like that.

His food had something in it,. And he knows Lucy knows because she always looks apologetic handing him it.

But Atsushi never comments on it, he thanks her anyway. They make it so he can't sleep much. Which definitely doesn't help any hope of keeping track of time.

Poe and Lucy often have to repeat themselves, he can't get the words to work sometimes.

And the Headmaster hasn't left the room.

His arm hurts, he watches it impssively as his hard grows back. Fitzgerald wanted to see how just how powerful his ability was.

Atsushi hadn't really cared to fight back, not that it would've done much the man was powerful.

It's a while later he learns the true plan. He doesn't look at not speak to Lucy or Poe after that. It brings him no joy to see their sadness.

They were the enemy and he let himself get attached.

It was his own fault.

Most things were.

He wonders if he'll be doomed to die behind bars. If he was always meant to be locked up in a cage like this.

Like a monster.

The rescue is unexpected.

Atsushi doesn't register it, not at first. He thinks he's hallucinating, it wouldn't have been the first time.

Junichiro sighs in relief, Kyouka at his side who runs to him. Atsushi hugs her automatically even if he's more confused.

"Why are you here?"

Junichiro frowns "to save you I'm sorry we took so long." Atsushi shakes his head "that doesn't make sense..."

He doesn't notice he's said that out loud.

"Atsushi?" Says Kyouka, concerned. Than it dawns on him and he nods like everything makes sense now.

"The Agency knows about the plan, that's why their here." He nods to himself, it's so obvious. Because why else would they come to save Atsushi.

"Gonna put me in another cage so I don't ruin everything."

Junichiro shakes his head "no, that's not why we're here." Atsushi snorts, "why else? What? You came cos you feel bad? Cos the Agency cares about me?"

He laughs, because it's truly the funniest thing he's ever heard.

The saddest part is Junichiro knows he wouldn't have gotten this far if the President hadn't ordered everyone to help.

He wants to say that he cares. That Kyouka cares, Naomi cares, Dazai had been horrified and done everything he could as had Fukuzawa.

But he knew that won't reach Atsushi. Maybe later when the drugs were out of his system and he'd gotten some rest.

He'd make this right, somehow. They all needed to make this right.

Because Atsushi was part of the Agency. And they were supposed to protect their own.

[killerpancakeburger]

Bloody nose // Miguel O'Hara

Pairing: Miguel O'hara x female reader

Summary: You find out that your 14yo niece is spider-woman and are very pissed about her keeping it a secret from you. But as you're lecturing her, her boss from the spidersociety shows up. Needless to say you are not happy to see him.

Warnings: canon violence, swearing, mention of alcohol drinking.

Tags : comedy, action, slow burn, Reader has superpowers, but is neither a hero nor villain, BAMF!Reader, Reader takes no shit, Miguel takes a beating but he's fine I promise, no use of Y/N.

Words: 2539.

A/N: Haven't written fics in years and its my first time writing one in English so, uh, go easy on me i guess? 😅

Part 2

The night was falling on New York. The booming laughs of your coworkers were resonating in the bar where you were spending your evening after work.

Being a bodyguard/security guard meant working in a field oversaturated with testosterone, but you made it work somehow. After all, a demonstration of your powers was always enough to deter any doubts on your abilities, and the rare stubborn ones left who harassed you about it were eventually convinced by a good beating. You quickly gave up on hiding your powers, since no one who saw you get shot and walk away with bruises would believe you were normal. But that's when NDAs came in handy. All in all, you liked your current company, your boss, and your teammates. To the point of spending time with them outside work, which meant a lot coming from you.

You're sipping your beer on a stool as usual, listening in on the conversations, when a notification makes you look at your phone. It's a text from an unknown number with a file attached. The text, laconic, says: "Thought you might wanna know about this."

When you recognize what's happening on the picture you received, you spit out your beer in shock and start choking.

"What the fuck!" You manage to groan.

Unfortunately your behaviour haven't gone unnoticed by your coworkers, and before you can say anything else, they start poking fun at you.

"What's happening to you? Can't handle your alcohol anymore?

"I know the beer is bad but its not that bad. You're gonna give the barman a complex."

"Did you receive a thirst trap or something?"

You do not grace them with an answer.

Beyond the good-natured mockeries, you see your closest colleague discreetly checking that you're not really choking to your death.

You have no time to lose. You finish your glass in one shot and gets up. Protests and falsely upset booing rise around you.

"It's way too early to leave!"

You cut short the argument with two words: "duty calls", which everyone of them know is code for “urgent private family matters”.

You grabs your leather jacket, your helmet, you dump a bunch of cash on the counter than is enough for your drinks, tips, and more, and you get out of here like the devil's on your heels.

Once outside, the fresh air helps to clean your mind. You take a deep breath before you start texting the number from earlier.

"Surely you wouldn't sent me this without coordinates?"

You can hardly stay still waiting, but the response comes up barely a minute later, with coordinates and a sarcastic message: "She's on top of an abandoned building of 50 floors. So have fun with that."

You swear at the new information. "Great! Just fucking great!"

You straddle your motorbike and take off like a shot. As you drive, the photo you received is stuck in your mind. Naomi, your 14 years old niece, wearing some kind of superhero suit, sitting carelessly on the ledge of a building. Between her recklessness and the fact that she kept being apparently a freaking superhero from you, when you've always been close, you feel your blood boiling. You imagine how the upcoming confrontation will go. Will she be ashamed? Panicked? Angry?

Not sticking exactly to the speeding limits has you right where you want to be in a short time. You inspect the building from outside. Abandoned means no electricity, and no electricity means no elevator for you... You leave your helmet and your bike behind. You assess the building, noticing large enough grips for climbing, and figure out how high you can get just by jumping. Then you walk backwards a few meters, take off running, gathering speed, and leaps as high as your superhuman body can. As soon as you reach the peak of your jump, you grab the closest ledge. Secure in your climbing, you start your ascension, going as fast as you can. Missing Naomi because you were too slow is out of the question.

You soon reach the top and dust yourself off a bit before going after your niece. The bright colours of her suit makes her easy to catch. You sneak behind her, ready to catch her if she falls, and calls her full name in a tone that betrays your frustration. You hate sounding like a parent grounding their kid – there are reasons why you’ve never had one after all –,  but it's too late now.

She has more or less the reaction you were expecting – she flinches hard, and turns to look at you with a melange of shock and horror that makes you feel like the Grim Reaper coming for her life. She puts a hand on the back of her neck in embarrassment, and offers you a smile that looks like a grimace more than anything else.

“Au-auntie… what… what are you doing here…?”

She lets slip a nervous little laugh as she gets up from the edge but keeps a distance from you.

You cross your arms and looks at her sternly, trying to communicate with your glare that she better not try to bullshit you.

“I’m the one who should be asking you that question.”

The grimace widens and she avoids your gaze. You notice beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

“Oh well it’s a funny story, see-“

“What the hell are you wearing? Are you trying to be a superhero?”

“I’m not trying-“

She seems insulted at the assumption, and regains a bit of confidence for the first time since you arrived.

“You really thought you could hide this from me?”

You are her only family member with superpowers, even if you never tried to be a superhero.

“Oh auntie, it’s not like that…”

She looks genuinely sorry, like she understood that you felt hurt by being shut out.

“Then what is it? I can’t believe you hid this from me. I’m not your dad. I wouldn’t have been mad at you. Did I make you feel like you couldn’t tell me?.”

You sigh and bow your head with a disappointment you can’t contain.

Naomi makes a step towards you, worry on her face, extending her arm like she wanted to comfort you.

“Listen, it’s not that I didn’t want to tell you, but they made me promise not to…”

Your eyes open wide in horror and realization dawn on your face. Your whole body tense.

“They? Who the fuck is they? Are you being blackmailed?!”

You can’t help from raising your voice. Panic surges through you. You’re not one to lose your cool easily, but your niece is the exception to the rule. You’ve loved Naomi unconditionally since she came into this world. She could probably become a murderer and your feelings wouldn’t change. However, since her mother died – since your sister died –, she became the apple of your eye. You’ll be damned before you let anyone harm her.

Meanwhile Naomi panics too, but for what seems to be considerably different reasons. She grabs her hair and start walking in circles.

“Damn it! That’s not what I meant… I’m not supposed to… I promised I’d… Crap! Listen, I’m not being blackmailed, I swear!”

“Oh yeah? Then what-“

You’re interrupted by an incessant beeping that you quickly identify as coming from some kind of watch Naomi’s wearing. You narrow your eyes in defiance. You’ve never seen that thing before.

“What is that?”

Before you can finish, Naomi hurried to, quite uselessly, hide the watch behind her back.

“NOTHING!”

Another nervous laugh.

The beeping doesn’t cease.

You pinch the bridge of your nose with a mix of irritation and weariness at her shenanigans.

“Naomi. Whatever this is, make it stop.”

Reluctantly, Naomi brings the watch before her and pushes a button on the side of it. A flip screen deploys. Immediately, a male voice blasts from it. Its owner sounds riled.

“Naomi. I was expecting your report three hours ago. Explain yourself.”

 His commanding and uncompromising tone immediately rubs you the wrong way.

“Oh, hi Miguel… I just… uh… I’m about to send it, I just ran into some… trouble…”

You post yourself at your niece’s side and get a peek of  “Miguel”.

His striking red eyes are the first thing that catches your eye – you’ve never seen a hero with ones. Only villains. His face is broad, his features defined and his jaw unyielding. His thick, dark eyebrows are frown and his full lips aren’t smiling. Dark brown, pushed back hair that reaches the back of his neck frames a visage that must be pretty when not stuck in a perpetual expression of irritation.

Before he can formulate in response what obviously seems like criticism, you grab Naomi’s wrist, bring the watch closer to your face and articulate as clearly as possible :

“Consider this her official letter of resignation, dipshit.” You end the call.

Naomi instantly starts screaming in protest.

“Auntie! What the hell! Why did you do that!?”

“Is that fucker pressuring you? Who does he think he is, talking to you like that?”

“No! It’s not like that!” She sounds intent on defending that rude asshole. “He’s just… argh, I’m not supposed to tell others about the Spider Society!”

As soon as she finishes her sentence, she puts both hands on her mouth, as if it could stops her from blurting out more classified information.

“The Spider what?”

She shakes her head, mimicking the action of zipping her lips, and keeps a stubborn silence.

You roll your eyes at her childish antics and decides that enough is enough.

“I’m gonna get answers about this, whether you’re the one telling me them or not, are you aware of that?”

Silence. You put your hands on your hips and sighs.

“Whatever. I’m bringing you back home. And I’m telling your father about this.”

Suddenly her lips come undone.

“What! NO! Auntie, come on!”

You shake your head, implacable, and starts leaving, knowing she’ll end up following you anyway.

“This is not a negotiation, kid.”

“Nooo, you can’t do this to me! Please! He’ll ground me til adulthood! I’m begging yo-“

Naomi’s whining suddenly come to a halt as you start hearing some kind of… music? Coming from behind you.

*Spider-Man 2099’s theme starts playing*

[Insert "Why do I hear boss music?" meme.]

You turn around to see some kind of unstable orange-red hexagon floating over the ground and the man from the watch exit from it. You stay speechless, blinking in incomprehension.

“What the fuck.” You let slip under your breath. You’ve seen more strange phenomena than the ordinary mortal but this is something else entirely.

Unfortunately “Miguel” didn’t wait for you to come back to your senses and took advantage of your silence to start admonishing Naomi.

“Not only you let a civilian discover your identity but you showed them your watch? How much did you tell them?”

Miguel’s appearance seems to have turned your niece into a frightened mouse. She takes one step back for each he makes towards her, and you’ve never seen her so thoroughly shaken. Each words coming out of her mouth sounds like it’s tripping over her teeth to get out.

“I… I didn’t tell her anything… w-well I said the word Spider Society once but…”

Miguel grunts in frustration.

“ I knew it was a bad idea to take you in.”

You post yourself protectively in front of Naomi and are forced to note the size difference between him and you. He is massive. But you quickly pull yourself together – your strength always put you on top, even when your enemy had 30cm and 30kg on you. You narrow your eyes and throw a murderous glare at the man in costume.

“Leave her alone. She did nothing wrong.”

He immediately argues back.

“You-“

“I followed her here. There’s nothing she could have done to stop me.”

“Auntie has powers too”, pipes up Naomi behind you.

“Great, fantastic. Does that mean you’ll keep your mouth shut about this?”

You can feel your anger raising in your chest like a wave.

“There won’t be anything to shut my mouth about, because Naomi’s superhero’s business ends here and now.”

“But-“ starts Naomi.

“It’s out of question. This world needs a spiderman to protect it.” Announces Miguel like it’s law.

“Then find another spiderman!” you exclaim, exasperated.

“There is no other Spiderman.” He hisses back.

“Aren’t YOU a spiderman?” You gesticulate in direction of his suit.

He passes a hand over his face like explaining this to you is the bane of his existence.

“I’m the spiderman of Earth-928. There is no one else who can do this.”

“Tough luck.” You snap back. “My niece isn’t going anywhere.”

The tone between you two keeps raising, and soon you’re engaged in a shooting match.

“It’s not up to you. Her being spiderman is a canon event.”

You look at him like he’s insane – he must be.

“It’s a WHAT? No, wait, I don’t care. Deal with your own shit and leave my family out of it.”

You illustrate your words by shoving him hard in the chest, and he’s pushed back a few meters. His eyes flashes a bright, menacing red, and you swear he’s about to pounce on you when Naomi get between you two, arms outstretched in each of your directions.

“Don’t fight! We’re all on the same side!”

“He wants to use you!”/ “She can’t be reasoned with!” you both shout.

“The town needs me, insist Naomi in your direction.

You take your head between your hands.

“Can’t the town wait til your majority?”

But as the words leaves your lips, you already know how senseless they sound.

You sigh hard. Pinch the bridge of your nose. Knowing you are going to regret immensely what you’re about to suggest.

“What if I did it instead?”

“No.” reply instantly Miguel, a harsh expression on his face.

You roll your eyes. He could at least hear you out.

“Think about it for a second, smartass. I have had years to master my powers, contrary to a teenager. I have combat experience with both humans and supers. I’m a bodyguard. It’s literally in my job description to identify threats and neutralize them while protecting other people. I know how to work with a team and on my own. You won’t find a better recruit anywhere else.”

Never in your life you would have imagined presenting your resume to Spiderman, but looks like things are only gonna get crazier.

Miguel grunts, like agreeing with you was physically painful for him.

“Fine.”

“See, I knew we could come to a compromise!” Naomi beams. “Miguel is meaner than he looks, she adds to your intention. Well except for the time he threw a desk at me but-“

“He threw a WHAT at you?!” you scream in astonished rage. The fury who accumulated inside you all evening boils over.

“You fucking piece of shit!” You snarl at Miguel. He doesn’t have the time to react. You punch him in the jaw hard enough to send him flying through one, two, three buildings before you stop counting.

[atlabeth]

now that the dust has cleared from the chaos for me irl, i want to officially thank you all for 3000 followers!! because wow. where do i even start?

this isn't a milestone i thought i would ever reach. i made this blog during my junior year of high school when i was bored as hell in online school, not knowing what would come of it, and honestly not expecting anyone to read anything i’ve written. i exclusively wrote avatar fics (kind of embarrassing that a series i started at the beginning of my blog still isnt finished huh?) because it was what i had been watching most recently. i started to gain some recognition, made some friends, and slowly but surely i carved out my little corner of the internet. and now, 3 years, 3000 followers, and almost 500,000 words later, i’m going into my junior year of college with some of the best online friends a girl could ask for (shoutout to my day 1 @simplysolo for still being around and still being the best ever, and shoutout to all my other tumblr friends that have deactivated over the years</3 i miss you guys) a whole array of fandoms that i’ve dabbled in, and a newly discovered thing for middle aged men. cool 

i truly cannot thank you all enough. i’ve always been a writer, but this blog has given me a sorely needed creative outlet and made me more confident in my writing skills than ever. at the end of the day i’m just writing silly little x reader fics, but i’ve truly had so much fun doing it! every single fictional man im in love with is also in love with me isn’t that crazy!!!

a special, extended shoutout to the loveliest mutuals i’ve picked up over the years. i wouldn’t be half the writer i am and i wouldn’t have half as much fun on here without you all. @simplysolo for being around since the beginning and truly being the greatest person on this app, i love you intensely, @sokkadora for being another one of my ogs (we dont talk anymore but i see you every so often on my dash and you’re doing great!!) @mcallmestiles for being one of the first avatar fics i ever read, traitor encouraged me to be a better writer and i hope you’re doing well with your medical career!! @tangledinlove for being my most famous mutual, the kindest person in the world, and being brought together through the power of lockwood, @giyuji and @milkiane who are both inactive but who i have to tag because i love them and i hope they’re doing well; naomi you got me into the grishaverse and liane we were in the trenches of the stranger things revival together, @boneblushed for dealing with so much but still being phenomenal and lovely in every way, @tommymcartney for being so sweet all the time, my biggest cheerleader and encouraging my insanity in every fandom ive been a part of, @nghtwngs for being the only person who loses it over nikolai lantsov as much as i do, to all my new/more recent mutuals @hotchfiles @ma1dita @moowithmidnight @emiliehornby @supercutszns i can't wait to get to know or keep getting to know you!!! you're all so lovely!!! and all the mutuals i don’t talk to as much as i should, i love you all and cherish you in my heart regardless of if we talk every day or have never said a single word to each other!! i don’t want to tag you all because i don’t want to bother you, but if you’re looking at this and thinking am i talking about you, i am. i love you. it takes a village and im so lucky to have you all as mine 

i can’t believe it’s been 3 years, i can’t believe i’m halfway done with college, and i can’t believe we hit 3,000. truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for reading my fics and letting me be some small part of your lives. i can’t wait to write more for you all. keep a lookout for my 3k celebration post!