p2 of taking bridgerton siblings and switching their respective love stories. I don't know if I'll do all the siblings, mostly because it's hard to reimagine FGH's stories with anyone else. If u can't tell, im tryna keep their core personality, just briefly changing the ways in which they got together. instead of Polin's friends to lovers this is more... complicated.
(Rivals to friends to almost lovers to strangers before going right back to rivals to friends to lovers)
Kathani Sharma, at nine and twenty, was most assuredly a spinster and all the happier for it.
With her sister wed to a most wonderful prince and settled into a life of enviable comfort, Kate had long ago relinquished the ton’s narrow expectations. Rather than languish in the shadow of dwindling prospects, she had spent the better part of eight years in India as a governess. Warm weather, a delectable array of actual spices and curiosity aplenty kept her well and hale. Distance from the dreary British Isles had suited her. Freedom had suited her better.
Thus the unexpected missive that arrived in what she knew to be the end-Season for the ton had unsettled her more than she cared to admit.
Her sister’s hand had trembled across the pages. Grief seeped into every line, her usual careful writing wrought with ink blots and misspelt words. The loss of her youngest child had hollowed her, and Kate, for all her proclamations of independence, had never been able to deny her baby sister anything. Within the fortnight she was aboard a ship bound for England, bracing herself for the suffocating embrace of society once more.
She arrived months later hurried and dusted with travel, her thoughts fixed entirely upon her sister’s sorrow. It was all the more unfortunate that she had arrived on a night where her sister was stuck in her guest quarters, unable to receive company in thanks to another dreadful ball. Her sister was due to end her official mourning period soon, even so, Kate knew Edwina's request was made having known how long it would take for her to return home.
So despite the rather ghastly glamour of the Queen's Ball, Kate straightened her shoulders and handed her sealed letter to the palace steward. A footman joined her, taking her to the spot that had apparently become Edwina's and her husband's most treasured hideaway. A temporary place of rest until the Ball cleared out and she was able to once more greet her baby sister.
And there, in the gardens of the palace, she encountered the once bane of her existence.
Anthony Bridgerton. Thirty and two. Arrogant, insufferable, possessed of a face that invited a most satisfying slap.
Their rivalry had been forged in youth, sparked by a careless remark about his Eton readings and fanned into flame by her scathing indictment of his privilege. What began as... A spirited debate, had hardened into years of barbed exchanges, each determined to outwit the other. And yet, time had softened certain edges. In her girlish naivete she had once considered him a friend. His challenges had sharpened her; his laughter burning a fire within her soul.
At the close of her second Season, years before Edwina’s debut, she had even permitted herself a dangerous thought.
That he might be a man of honor.
A man capable of treating her as an equal.
A man who, despite her sharp tongue and surly disposition, might one day court her.
She had imagined companionship in him. Imagined a shared understanding of what it meant to shoulder a household in the wake of a grieving mother. She had read meaning into the flick of his wrist as he signed her dance card. Mistaken invitations to Bridgerton gatherings for interest. Forgotten her own flaws when his smile curved in her direction during their walks in Kensington Gardens.
The illusion had not survived the Season.
“Court Kathani Sharma? Are you mad? If one desires a painful end, there are far easier ways to achieve it.”
The words had reached her ears with brutal clarity. They had scoured her of girlish hope in a single stroke.
In the years since, Kate had come to cherish a spinster’s freedom. She had shed the ton’s expectations like an ill-fitting gown and grown wilder, wiser, more wholly herself. Whatever true anger she once harbored toward the Viscount had long since burned itself out. Indifference had replaced it, cool and clean.
She wished him neither ill nor joy. His daily pursuits mattered little to her.
And yet, as she felt his gaze upon her across the lantern-lit gardens, steady and unyielding, something old and unruly stirred within her chest.
Annoyance, surely.
Nothing more.
Anthony Bridgerton, for his part, at the age of thirty and two was once more faced with the shackles of his privilege. The weight of his duty. His younger sister's marriage was most fortunate in that the scandal of it had not been revealed and that his best friend had managed to only barely escape a bid for his life. But the reality of their marriage had merely impressed upon him the weight of his own responsibilities. He was close now to outliving his father, without heir and with no proper training afforded to his brothers should, God forbid, a tragedy take him away as well.
Sienna had proven that Anthony has no room for love in his future, so he wades through these vapid waters, looking for an exceptional and agreeable Viscountess to be. A Lady shrewd enough to maintain his household, if fate proved unkind. An obedient Lady, willing to defer to his decisions. One of good repute and able to bear him an heir.
And then, at the Queen's opening banquet, he spies the strangest thing in the distance.
Miss Kathani Sharma.
She moved through the dark palace gardens with a single footman trailing as her chaperone, her smile bright as struck flint beneath the lantern light and her laughter obvious even if he could hear nothing of it. Kathani Sharma who, last he had heard, was employed as a governess. A baffling prospect, considering her sister’s advantageous marriage. Kathani Sharma who had all but relinquished her place in polite English society when she absconded to India years ago.
And now she was here.
Older. Unapologetic. Radiant.
Anthony should look away.
He should despise the impropriety of her easy familiarity with the palace staff. Should resent the way she tilted her head back when she laughed, unguarded and unafraid, the enticing lilt of her neck visible in thanks to the brightly lit hall behind him. Anthony needed to remember that Miss Sharma was the exact opposite of what he needed in a Viscountess.
A spinster, spoken of poorly among polite Society. Stubborn to a fault. Vexing and argumentative and all the more alluring for it.
Eight years he has not given her a single thought. Longer even, if you count the way they had gracefully side-stepped each other before her sister's debut.
For a while, long ago, he remembers her fire consuming him. Driving him to her side at every event, invitations sent, letters and gifts gone with his footman to her residence and their banter shared in hushed murmurs through daily promenades. Now he can't quite remember why they had ever stopped their friendship, sharp and unique a friendship though it may have been. Can't recall what had dimmed her fire, what had iced her personality to a frigidity that both bored and annoyed him.
Now though.
Now, her fire had sharpened. Even from afar he could tell. And his traitorous feet could not steer clear of her, could only follow after her, hung up on her every step, her every word that faintly flew his way as he neared her.
Her wit cut cleaner. Her beauty devastating in a way he had never before allowed himself to see when they were in their youth. And when she turned to spar verbally with the footman, teasing him about some minor misstep, Anthony felt something treacherous stir in his chest.
She was everything he could not be.
Free where he was bound. Reckless where he was rigid. Untamed where he was shackled by duty.
She could never be his Viscountess.
She would never bend. Never soften herself into agreeable silence. Never make herself small for his comfort. Kathani Sharma would set his orderly world ablaze simply by inhabiting it.
And yet his soul—traitorous, disloyal thing—sang for her.
He willed her wandering gaze to find him at the Garden Arch. To lock onto him. To recognize him not as the distant Viscount but as Anthony, her Anthony; the boy who had at ten and three, at ten and six, at twenty and three, raced her through fields and lost with poor grace.
As if hearing his prayers, her eyes flickered up. Narrowed tightly with familiar challenge, the press of her brows delicate and enrapturing.
Her words faltered, her smile dropped.
Kate could never be the Viscountess he needed. He knew this intimately, as surely as he knew the exact spark flickering in her stare. As surely as he knew the barely there tilt of her head. Not a greeting. Not an acknowledgement. Instead a challenge, subtle and goading as always.
A provocation to close the distance instead of observing her like a coward prone to lonely shadows.
Anthony quite suddenly saw her. All of her. Every vexing, provocative, tempting bit of her and his stomach knotted. He knew then, with a dreadful sort of clarity, that he did not want her obedience.
He wanted her defiance.
He did not want a life carefully measured and stripped of all passion.
He wanted her.
And God help him, for the first time in months, duty did not feel like enough.
If it required him to realign the sun and coax the stars from their courses to win her favor, he would. If it cost him every spare pound from his private accounts, he would pay it without hesitation. If it demanded the labor of a thousand men to shift the rigid judgment of the ton and restore her standing in their narrow world, he would undertake it gladly.
He would move heaven and earth, bend society to its knees, and remake the world as she deserved it to be.
Before now he had never known the depth of his feelings for Kathani Sharma. And he will spend now and forever more showing her this depth of feeling.
Everything and more, if only to make her his wife.
bit more story like this one. i kinda got too into anthony's part and then had to do a rewrite to match kate's part to his, which is annoying since I wrote her first and i deffs vibed more w/ her part. and mans was not supposed to be bended at a knee as soon as he saw her. at most he was supposed to be intrigued and finally viewing her as a woman. instead he went "she's gonna be my wife" like ok bro calm tf down. you havent even talked to her. you haven't even truly considered the ramification of this kate being your intended. and Anthony was like 'naww, she's way too hot and cool for that. i want her to be mine' so then. this. also if its not obvious asf, they've both been down bad for years but early 20s anthony was a loud mouth, drunk idiot and a Rake and 19/20 yo Kate's reaction to that was to cut him out of her life. except he was too busy to really care, or at least, consciously acknowledged he cared until he saw her again.
idk man. this one escaped me a little. Was supposed to be a blurb length au switch that wouldn't leave my mind. thought some of the characters would have sweeter love stories if they were in different stories. became a bit of a monster instead. enjoy?
Daphne becomes acquainted with Simon while he is still at Eton many years before her anticipated debut, when he comes to visit Anthony for a period during their last Summer break. Following the unexpected death of Edmund Bridgerton, Simon stays for a moment to comfort the grieving family and to ensure Anthony is well before he departs. In a brief show of kindness, Simon comforts a distraught Daphne who fears she may have to Mother her younger siblings now that her own mother is without smile and despondent following her father's death. Simon does not truly know how to comfort her, so he tells her not to worry about mothering her siblings, that all she can do now is be the best daughter and the best big sister she can possibly be, time will tell what will happen next.
As not to disturb their period of mourning, Simon leaves mere days later. However at her shy request, he stays in touch with Daphne and throughout the years they begin to correspond infrequently. Mostly he sends letters of update addressed to the whole family, to which a giddy Daphne will send a response on the family's behalf. Daphne falls in love with Simon through these letters, though he thinks of her as nothing more than a friend's sister and then, through time, a friend of his own. Because of her feelings for him, Daphne pushes her debut out for two years, waiting for Simon to return to London to finally prove she has become an eligible, perfect marriage candidate.
In the third year when she is of marriageable age, Daphne resolves to give up on her crush, if only because she knows she must set an example for her younger sisters. Except, that very same summer finds her with horrible news. The former Duke of Hastings is dead.
All her life, Daphne has been the perfect daughter. The perfect, most well-behaved daughter. The best older sister she can be…
However upon hearing of the death of the former Duke's death, an uncharacteristic streak of rebelliousness courses through her. With nothing more than her allowance and a hired hackney, Daphne makes her way to Hastings duchy, accepting the potential for ruin and intent on comforting the one friend who has been there for her throughout the years. Almost ten years ago Simon had offered her comfort when her own father passed away. In the years since he has become her dear friend. Even if it means she can no longer be the perfect, gently-bred Lady she has always wanted to be; even if she knows there is no lost love from her friend to his father, Daphne cannot stay away. Could not fathom a world where she could not help her dear friend.
For his part, Simon is shocked and scandalised when Daphne Bridgerton unexpectedly announces her presence at his home. He is even more shocked at how easily he agrees to her continued presence and how amusing, daring and lively she has become since he last laid eyes on her. To speak nothing of her beauty or inherit thoughtfulness. Simon has lived with the unshakable faith that his line ends with him. However in the face of the whirlwind appearance of the young Miss Bridgerton, he finds his faith undoubtedly shaken by her typical Bridgerton chaos.
As her stay lengthens, Simon must grapple with three unbearable truths…
Firstly, no matter his happiness at the freedom from his fathers expectations, he is still shackled by the chains of their peerage. The Duchy is his now, wholly and irrevocably, and he must prove he is not the man who raised him.
Secondly, though Daphne's presence is meant as comfort, it is a risk. An unmarried lady beneath his roof invites ruinous gossip, and it is her reputation at stake. A true friend would send her away, quietly and gracefully. Not bask in her light.
Thirdly, perhaps the most damning truth of all: he loves her. Not suddenly, not accidently, yet also not in a way he ever planned for or wanted.
Perhaps he has loved her for years now, in every letter he responded to, directed at her family yet asking more of her own thoughts and opinions as time passed. In each word they exchanged, then and now, when he sees her kindness, her optimism shining despite the relentless waves of insecurity and grief that often threaten to sink him asunder.
Simon loves Daphne and in the months she stays in Hasting duchy he finds himself unwillingly imagining a future with her at his side, with children at their feet. It is a cruel fallacy, a reality he has sworn himself against. But it is a fantasy he cannot hide from for it haunts his every waking moment. More than the ghost of his father and his own tragedies, Simon finds himself plagued with a quiet yearning for peace.
The summer is coming to a close and Anthony, exhausted by his months long, expansive search for his wayward sister, sends notice that he is to visit the Duchy, hoping to offer his sincerest, if not belated condolences to his best friend. Simon knows he must make a decision. Will he follow his boyhood promise of ending the Hasting line? Or will he allow himself to finally seek happiness with his father no longer haunting his every move? He knows he loves Daphne and he suspects she may well love him too. However will their love be enough to prosper in face of a restless Duchy, a sea of torrid memories and an understanably protective older brother?
Just vibing with this one, it seems fun but I have no concrete ideas or time line for it. For now tho I tentatively call it
The One Where Roger Crashes Tf Out
Buggy, freshly 40 and dead, is magically and inexplicably transported back to his childhood body.
Buggy comes to with a devil fruit and a treasure map in his hands
Not totally convinced that this isn't a dream, Buggy decides he needs to hide the map safely then get tf off this nightmare ship before the dream transitions into its next scenes (usually his Captain's execution and his break-up fight with Shanks)
Not giving Dream-Shanks any time to find him, Buggy boards his stolen boat and sails away from the Oro
By the time he's docked in on the nearest island (three days later) Buggy realises this might not be a dream because things don't usually go this well, even in his dreams
And now that its not a dream he realises he can still swim, he's got his devil fruit in his hands and oh right- the world is gonna end in about 30 years and somehow he's the only one who knows about it
Everything thereafter is Buggy yo-yoing between 'I gotta save the world, because if not me then who?' and also 'Fuck the world, I just wanna be rich and alone and live my own goddamn life'
He's also in the body of a 9 y/o, so he can't really do much
Anyways, his misadventures on seas leads him to somehow (and completely against his own will) confront nearly every great pirate in this era and the golden era
I imagine he makes allies (again completely unwillingly) by doing something (inadvertently) helpful, like he doesn't fully recognise these future pirates and he shows them a glimmer of kindness or teaches them to be more selfish or to be more flashy and they remember him for it
Cba thinking of how or who he meets unfortunately, but prime candidates are a clumsy Rosinante who learns about make up, Charlotte Mont D'or who he fights with and somehow defeats (it's a story-telling fight and the person with the flashiest story wins. Mont D'or thinks he'll win because he can just pull people into the story and thus tell it better. Buggy does his normal, bullshit speech and the world turns in such a way where his story almost comes to life behind him to win) and lastly baby/tween Marco; don't know what he and Marco do but its deffs shenanigan worthy and greys Newgates hairs that lil bit more
I imagine he meets a tween Mihawk and impresses him by not being scared of his sword technique, convincing Mihawk that obvs the clown is stronger than he acts (he is not, he just forgets that he's now weak to swords again)
Buggy after a few months does end up eating his Devil Fruit, because even with the whole swimming curse he can't really think without a devil fruit now, it's instinctive of him to think he could punch people from afar and to try and pickpoctet with hands that can de-attach
Anyways all of this is happening and aboard the Oro Jackson is a crew of dangerous, deadly and furious pirates who are convinced that someone stole their precious, kind, hard-working cabin boy
And Roger is furiously accosting all of the ex-Rocks crew, accosting Garp and the Kuja pirates because someone had to have stolen his baby and he's gonna kill the one responsible
Shanks is throwing tantrums and crying and being generally angry because his Buggy is missing, someone needs to find him, what if he gets hurt? And he forgot his beanie and they don't know that Buggy never leaves his beanie behind, what if his head gets cold? what if they try and give him a new hat but they don't know Buggy's already got one?
Not a concrete idea, but I also like to think this somehow leads to Roger forcing Newgate and Linlin to fight him (he heard Buggy was with them/their kids so obvs they stole him) Bullet is around so it's an even more deadly fight and people get called in which somehow leads to Shanks meeting Shamrock and trying to kill him, because obviously this Fake Evil-Twin of his stole Buggy because he didn't have his own Buggy (in the distance Gunko sneezes at this accusation, but dismisses it easily)
Sengoku is holding Garp back on the sidelines with the mentality that great, these Pirates can kill each other and as long as the idiot in his arms doesn't keep running to them, gearing for a fight, they can finally have a semblance of peace
And then he realises that wait, this clown boy... He met Rosi... HE CORRUPTED SENGOKU'S SON. Probably tried to lure his brilliant boy away to a life of crime at sea with his make up tips and his devil fruit and his stupid, stolen treasures (Buggy shivers as he finally reaches Sabaody and he doesn't know why, but like, that's not an important thought. After all, he needs to make his way back to the calm, beautiful East Blue)
To which Garp has to hold Sengoku back from entering the fray (and after exactly 15 seconds he stops and tries to run into the fight WITH Senny)
Tsuru curses both of the idiots she trained with as she hangs them with her own devil fruit powers, snapping at them as they pout at her with big, dumb, desperate eyes
vaguely, if I ever turn this into a series, I think the best way to get a good ending from it would be slowly 9y.o Buggy and 40 y.o Buggy start combining, in a like, lose some memories of the future, gain more childish instincts and it begins a slow realisation that Buggy wasn't time-looped or given a second-chance/regressed, but that he managed to filter his memories into the past
which could answer why he doesn't recognise some pirates and why he's being so silly from the word go, as opposed to his usual wait to cause chaos sorta goofy ahh shit
because he's technically still 9, but he's also unwilling been given a whole life-times worth of memories and has not had the chance or ability to shift through these memories
maybe a cool subplot can be he realises this memory merger thing a little bit before the Roger Pirates finally find him, but by the time they do find him, he's passed out and dying and living on hope in Drum Kingdom
Kureha who found the brat, ends up telling the Pirates that whatever the kid did, it's fucked his brain up completely, like as far as she's concerned he has actual scarring in his mind and he's basically brain dead
and then the Roger Pirates find the Most Convenient Win ever, via an elderly person who can transport people into minds
so obviously Roger and Shanks invade Buggy's mind and they find an adult Buggy crying and apologising to a silent, pale kid buggy held in his arms and Adult Buggy explains something along the lines of no one lived- I couldn't- I couldn't be the only survivor which is why he did his desperate kid gamble, and now he's killed kid him and the future
Cue screaming match with Roger for therapy purposes and then the trio (Convenient DF user included) have to help Adult Buggy sort through his memories, split both Adult and Kid Buggy's memories up and encourage Kid Buggy to keep living before they leave his mind
Which gives them the opportunity to A) change the future in a good/active way and B) the audacity to deny the destinies they were given because umm... Roger didn't die to give the WG the excuse to brutally kill All of his sons, Shanks doesn't ever want to be separated from Buggy, much less for 20+ years and neither are willing to let Buggy grow up into such a sad, lonely, desperate man. If they're dying, they're dying together
Et voilà, happy ending ensues
Again I have no concrete plan with this at all, but all of these silly scenes and the final mess of angst would be beautiful to see lol.
One Piece AU Dump #2
After almost three years of letting it marinate, I'm finally caught up to One Piece. So obvs my brain keeps thinking of interesting worlds and I can't keep up... So. These won't amount to anything, but I think they're fun lol.
Straw-Hat Buggy
Look, already this premise is hilarious okay. It would be so funny, ong.
So Buggy gets hit by the Return Return Fruit/ Modo Modo no Mi, except since its a not canon devil fruit, I’m changing the effects to you can’t revert to your original age unless the user touches you again and instead of 12 years it takes him back 20 years, so he’s physically 17. This all happens during the start of Luffy’s journey. It quickly spirals into:
Buggy deciding he needs to hunt down the person who did this so they can reverse the effects and he can stop being a child again
The devil fruit also messes with his brain a little, so even his thinking is more teenage like, his hormones are crazy and he fluctuates from high levels of rage to extreme apathy
Anyway, sometime around Luffy taking down Arlong, Buggy comes to the conclusion that the person he needs to follow has gone to the Grand Line
This leads Buggy to abandon his crew, telling them somethings come up and he won’t be back for a while, so don’t wait up
The Buggy Pirates do freak out and are extremely worried/panicked about this situation
How he joins the crew
He runs into Luffy in Loguetown and after seeing Luffy declare he was going to be King of the Pirates, after already doing East Blue bounty checks and seeing the weirdly familiar Strawhat, Buggy decides huh. This is my meal ticket to surviving the Grand Line in this stupid ass body
Challenging Luffy a little, Buggy goads Luffy into destroying the execution platform (because umm, his dad died there it really needs to go and Buggy has experience manipulating idiots)
Buggy does a speech kinda like “Hey, I heard you’re off to the Grand Line, can I tag along? There’s someone there who I gotta find” but more long-winded. Luffy gives him a look and decides, yeah why not?
When they do the barrel thing, Buggy says something like “I’m gonna create my own legacy, to make sure I’m not in anyones shadow ever again!” Because he likes to be Flashy like that
Because he’s put under pressure, he tells the Strawhats that he’s the magnificent, the flashy, the illustrious Clow Star Blue (the East Blue crew all know he’s lying, except for Luffy, they definitely call him out on it but he stays firm that he’s Blue and won't tell them his identity as Buggy)
Aesthetic and role
He sticks to the clown makeup aesthetic, since its been his habit for years now, but because of impulse issues i.e Meeting Luffy without a plan, his clothing is not as flashy as he would prefer, usually a blue and white striped top, a gold sash and dark purple pants (more of his kid look than his adult look)
Luffy refers to Blue as the Clown, until somewhere around Skypeia and Enies Lobby, when he starts calling Blue ‘my/our clown’ and Blue does not notice the difference, but Zoro, Sanji and Robin clock it instantly
Usopp and Blue entertain the crew and are on unofficial ‘Captain’ duty wherein they have to distract Luffy so he doesn’t cause too much trouble
I’m a fool for Observation Haki expert Buggy, so he’s the unofficial Zoro finder as well. If Zoro goes missing and they’re on a time crunch, Blue has to be the one to find him
His weakness is money, so say you’ll pay him for anything and he instantly gets 75% stronger physically
Mostly deals with canon fodder, stabs and steals from people. Tends to be their strategist in a pinch, because he can review a battlefield easier than the rest and knows enough about the crew, their skills and their personality to know where to send them for maximum benefit, because of this, Blue tends to stay back until absolutely necessary
This strategist thing works all the better when Robin’s on deck and he asks her to relay his instructions via mouths growing in walls
He's the only one Kuma hides on Sabaody during the two-year time-skip and after hiding from most of the older generation, for the Straw Hats, for his stupid new Captain, Buggy decides to stay
Blue trains under Shakky for these two years, being both an informant/learning the trade for her and honing his haki in a way he's never tried to before, even when he was 14 and training under Rayleigh
Interactions with the crew
He’s definitely a part of the Coward Trio, clinging to them whenever dangerous scenarios come up (Maybe part of him is jealous that these three have each other, when he never had anyone else aboard the Oro)
Him and Nami are best friends and rivals, they both love money and treasure and are quick to demand both, but Blue never puts himself in a situation where he would owe Nami anything, because that’s his treasure and he earned it dammit, he’s not giving it to no one or buying shit for anyone or asking for other peoples money (because 17yo brain chemicals make him too prideful to ask for money)
Zoro knows Blue's stronger than he seems and is hiding something, but he defers to Luffy and just keeps a quiet eye on Blue
Blue loves hanging out with Usopp, because despite his unflashy clothes, Usopp is just as big of an entertainer and innovator as he is. Plus, Blue loves bombs and Usopp loves experiments
He gets along better with Luffy than in canon (bc he's always mysteriously away when Luffy happens to mention where he got his Straw Hat from) but better doesn't mean great, they're always arguing and biting each other
Blue does Vivi’s hair when she’s on the Merry, because she asked and he likes doing flashy stuff like that
Sanji once accuses Blue of taking advantage of being close to Nami and Vivi, to which Blue laughs hysterically at Sanji and calls both Nami and Vivi babies
So obviously the crew thinks he’s into older woman
Sanji questions this when Blue doesn’t even fawn over Robin, but then he realises, ohh Blue likes Old women, not Older women (Sanji is still wrong lol)
Blue is the most protective of Chopper, because like, even with all of his forms, that’s still a baby, he’s only 15, that’s barely old enough to be on the seas
Robin and Blue get along better during a conflict than they do when on calm seas, but this is just because Blue and Robin have different interests
Franky and Blue get along a little too well, sure Usopp liked experiments, but Blue loves to make things go Boom, so if there’s a rocket or a bomb or a laser involved, he’s here for it, cackling madly all the while (Buggy is definitely jealous that Franky said yes to Luffy and not Roger (technically Oden) on the whole being a Pirate thing. Oh to have grown up with Franky instead of Shanks)
When he's with the younger crew and not in direct danger (Minus Luffy) he's more mature and mother-henning, even Zoro and Sanji get him fretting over them a little worriedly
When he's with the older members, especially Jinbe, he instantly reverts into a Younger Brother/Annoying Uncle role
Luffy gets on every one of Blue's last nerves, so he alone is privileged to receive annoyed, angry Older Brother mode all the time, even when they are in danger
Implications of being Buggy/37
Blue doesn’t elaborate on the whole being 37 in a 17y/o body, because it honestly never comes up (Why would it Buggy? That's some weird ass shit that they never woulda expected from the East Blue)
He makes enough insinuations, jokes that he assumes the whole crew at least know in part that he’s older than he looks
None of them know that specifically, though they all have guesses (Possessed by a ghost arrogance, was a young cabin boy, born on the grand line, baby faced) but none of them clock the stuck in their younger body thing
Or anything even remotely adding to the whole Not Being 17 thing
Anyways, he definitely hides when they get to the Reverse Mountains (and any subsequent time they’re near anyone who could connect him to the Roger Pirates)
Blue acting ‘shy’ in front of Dr. Kureha and Kokoro, by always hiding his face and walking away from making a scene when they’re around, reinforces the Sanji's (and now the crews) idea that he’s into older women
Secret Accepting My Role in the Crew Arc
In my imagination, Buggy doesn't accept that he's a crew member, that for all intents and purposes the Straw Hats are it for him, until they reach Wano and he sees Momonosuke get older and he's hit with the realisation he can finally age properly
Which is hilarious considering all the arcs predating this, the declaring war on the government thing with them, the using two years to train for them instead of looking for the Modo Modo no Mi user thing, the war on three separate warlords, two yonkos and Buggy finally tapping into that potential that Shakky (and Roger) always knew he had
But he's torn on whether or not he should age, because he kinda loves the Straw Hats and if he gets to his orignal age, his original body he thinks this might be it for him
That after that, he won't need to travel with them anymore, that he could finally live in peace in the East Blue
Luffy, younger brother coded for exactly three people now and willing to act like it, senses Blue is being weird after the Kaido fight
He is mad and bratty as fuck when he realises Blue wants to leave, hasn't he had to argue with enough of his nakama over the past two years? Why do they keep trying to leave when they don't even want to? It's irritating af
Going full tantrum mode on Buggy, Luffy bites Blue and cries and shouts at him to stop being an asshole, to the bafflement of the Straw Hats and co, who hadn’t sensed any weirdness from Blue at all (except for Sanji, who kinda dismissed it bc Blue is always weird)
This leads to a fight and a Buggy crying session and then Blue accepts his role as a Straw Hat officially (I think the full circle to his arc is he comes back as a 39 yo and still stays in the crew, which surprises literally everyone because what the fuck? You're an adult? How? WhAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN AN ADULT?)
One Piece Brain Dump #1
Finally up to date with One Piece, have too many ideas I won't use, so dumping the bulk of them here per usual
Vinsmoke Pirates
This AU follows the head-canon that they all have emotions, but Judge suppresses their capability to feel, among other senses with Bullshit Science Drugs.
Judge dies when the kids are 3 and 6. It’s a random, natural death
The Germa Kingdom soon after is consistently on the run, evading assassins, spies and war by a hair's breadth
The Vinsmoke siblings grow up knowing concepts of love, care and respect, and slowly begin to learn what emotions are, while unlearning some of their father’s horrible lessons
I say somewhat because after too many close calls and the realisation of her looming death, Sora decides to send the kids away
The kids are 5 and 8 when this happens
Sora stays in Germa to fake the death of their family, sending her kids off with a request that they care for/protect each other
Post Germa Life
Unfortunately, someone betrays the family and sells out the family’s information
The siblings are hunted down for a while by various Bad Groups for like 4-5 years, making them around 10 and 13 when they get separated
Ichiji eventually sacrifices himself by abandoning his siblings and causing various issues that end with him being hunted down the most, and a fire that ‘kills’ the rest of his siblings being the most documented of his actions
Despite this, a small group of Bad People end up finding the other siblings, but like Bad People looking to take out small kids kinda way, not in the underworld kinda way
Some hostage situation happens, guns are pulled and it’s a Bad Time
Niji, taking his mother’s word to heart, decides that he needs to take Sanji and run, because in his mind Sanji is the weakest, Sanji needs to be protected more, Yonji and Reiju can take care of themselves
Reiju and Yonji do take care of the kidnappers, but its not an easy fight. By the time it's done the duo are exhausted, and when they come to Niji and Sanji’s trails have gone cold
For various reasons they all denounce the Vinsmoke name, mostly as protection against others though
The Sora comics are still a thing because I think they’re hilarious. So the Sora Comics are running strong after a surprisingly high reception (Judge was involved in the creation of the characters and first arc) and they just continue the series
None of the siblings read the series, except for Yonji, but even then he just skims it occasionally for his crew’s sake if nothing else
Which leads to the whole reason I wanted this AU:
Heart Pirate Yonji
Yonji becomes a Heart Pirate, but this is done by strong-arming Law into it (He and Law had been bonding in the North Blue, he decides going to Sea sounds cool and hides in the Polar Tang until it's too far out to go to an Island) Law secretly likes Yonji and doesn't force him off the at the next port. Yonji isn't the best doctor/nurse, but him and Bepo do all their heavy lifting/moving stuff task in Paradise
Yonji is also their field strategist, Law makes their plans and Yonji is the only one confident enough to adapt the plans when need be
I also think of the siblings, Yonji is most like the Heart Pirates, with a willingness to be silly, which is why he's with Law instead of Reiju (my initial choice, since she seemed to be similar to Law in how they hold themselves)
He drives Law a little insane, which is a canon characterisation of the Heart Pirates
Bounty Hunter/Hawkins Pirate Reiju
Reiju goes nuts and is on a quest to hunt her little brother down as a Bounty Hunter
When the Heart Pirates are rumoured to be looking at going to the Grand Line, she teams up with Basil Hawkins to go to the Grand Line so she can steal her little brother back (and maybe to beat up that brother corrupting sonnuva bitch Trafalgar)
Hawkins accepts her because the cards tell him to and she proves to be indispensable, since they didn't travel with a doctor and she happened to have an expert knowledge of the human body (and more specifically what poisons/chemicals/gas could do to the human body)
She's also their unofficial sniper, since she often used tranq guns as a bounty hunter
Spade Pirate Niji
Niji and Sanji end up following canon Sanji's story (to an extent) Niji does not end up on the rock since Zeff didn't save him, but he does float to Goa Kingdom and meets Ace and Sabo
They don't really get along, but Sabo and Ace are a bit fascinated by this strangely strong and ballsy kid they meet, the lightning thing also kinda impresses them
Niji isn't their friend, but he's not their enemy either and they cordially (attack on site) acknowledge each other in passing for the year it takes Niji to get the funds and a job that gets him off Dawn
By the time Niji finds Sanji, two years have passed and Sanji is happily working on the Baratie
Niji can't stand cooking, but hell no is he gonna abandon his little brother who he's been searching for, he becomes the one waiter ballsy enough to deal with the chefs and the patrons
Eventually when Ace sets sail, he stumbles across Niji and promptly declares that this dude needs to join him, because he's strong, he's blunt and Ace likes him (and maybe if he can't set sail with Luffy or Sabo, he could at least set sail with someone who knew both of them)
Niji fights it, but Sanji ends up convincing him that the best way to honour their mother's promise is if he goes and lives his own life instead of sacrificing everything for Sanji like he's been doing
Niji ends up being in charge of all the Spade Ships maintenance, food, money ect, because Ace eats out their stores and likes to hoard his treasure instead of using it on the things they need, due to his belief that things will just work out somehow
Despite being raised by Zeff as well, Niji can't give less of a fuck if you're a man or a woman, if you mess with him or his family, you're going to get yelled at and you might get your ass beat
Niji was probably the Spade Pirate with the most issues with being a Whitebeard after Ace, because like, he hasn’t needed a dad, ever, so why should he accept one now?
Still a Strawhat Sanji
Sanji's life is virtually unchanged, except he actually has good memories with his siblings and he has different, more specific childhood trauma/abandonment issues
Though, Luffy definitely thinks Niji and Sanji are the same person when they meet (for forever? until he decides Sanji is his? Who knows with Luffy?)
Sanji does not know how much he's going to be teased when he reunites with his siblings (his bounty poster) or how long the lectures are going to be (You declared war on the World Government? YOU WENT TO ENIES LOBBY WILLINGLY???)
He full on cries when he realises all his siblings are alive, he's had survivors guilt x3 because he thinks Niji sacrificed Reiju and Yonji for him, but they lived!
He doesn’t fight Kalifa in this one, because a few of the CP9 Agents hunt him down specifically and are being weirdly, personally offended when they see/fight him, he’s pretty happy when they give him enough hints (enough hope) to realise why they dislike him so much
Ex-CP9 Agent and Kid Pirate Ichiji
Ichiji, by virtue of sacrificing himself, ends up becoming a CP-Agent because why not
He's strong as fuck and uses his connections to kill/squash and redirect all rumours of the Vinsmoke children so his siblings can live a life not on the run
Ends up defecting from CP-9 (of course they're gonna train the assassin kid to be an assassin) because he didn't like the management and escapes to the South Blue
Hides in the South Blue since it's crawling with gangs, pirates and trouble, while also being relatively safer trouble to deal with than if he went to the Grand Line, here he meets Kid and Killer
With Kid combining the gangs in the South into a Pirate Crew, Ichiji knows his days of hiding in the South are numbered, so he accepts Kid's offer and joins his crew
Ichiji is considered one of the Worst Generations as well, because the World Government can't have any traitors live and with his feats as a ruthless Kid Pirate he's pretty hated, so his pre-time skip bounty is 210,000,000 and is a dead-only bounty
No one from the World government realises they're siblings for a few reasons. Mostly the Ichiji killing them thing, but also I imagine Reiju (and because of her Yonji) wear face-masks that double as rebreathers. Ichiji, for the whole ex-CP9 thing hides his face as well. Sanji and Niji don't, but Sanji's bounty poster is enough to dissuade rumours for a long time.
My only thing from here is I think the Sabaody reunion would be hilarious. Especially because in this set up, they just straight don't think to mention they have siblings. So the Hawkins Pirates know Reiju has a little brother she's hunting down, the Strawhats (virtue of Ace) know that Sanji has an older brother in Whitebeard's crew. But like. They don't really know about the other siblings, the Kid/Heart Pirates don’t know about any siblings Period and Whitebeard is the only one who knows that Niji has siblings plural, but not who those siblings are because Niji only just told him when he asked for permission to head to Sabaody.
Reiju is torn between hugging and smacking all of her brothers, though both Sanji and Ichiji receive very long lectures/harmless beatings. Sanji had no clue the others were Pirates (or even alive), and is annoyed at all the bounty posters his siblings pull out of nowhere. Ichiji is smirking at all of them for having a higher bounty than three of his four siblings. Yonji is glad to see them, though he is hiding from Reiju.
I like to imagine Niji, due to being in the New World the longest, somehow finds something concerning the raid suits, does his level best to recreate them from the designs he finds and gives them to his siblings on Sabaody, with the caveat of they need to follow his vivre paper and get new suits in the future, when he hopefully has a better idea of what to do with them. The reactions from the Hawkins and Heart Pirates are hilarious, especially since the siblings honestly just forgot to mention who their beloved comic villains were based off of, before they got the Raid Suits. (And if making Niji have access to the designs of a raid suit that goes invisible, on the same side of the Grand Line where Impel Down is helps with an Ace Lives AU, maybe that was the whole point of him being on Sabaody, lol)
Thriller-Mystery:
Young Justice is missing. They've been missing for two months and no one noticed.
The League is devastated and panicked as multiple members try and look for their proteges and family members. The BatFam are enraged and feel stupid to have not noticed Tim was missing sooner, angry that they didn't check in sooner. The Arrows are walking a tightrope, not knowing how much they can do to help without compromising Cissie's strong boundaries, but also unwilling to step-back from rescuing one of their own, even if she's been distant for years at this stage. The Flashes are resigned to Bart disappearing, though the rest of yj being missing is definitely heightening their anxiety. Superman is quietly guilty for not noticing Kon's absence as abnormal, while Jon is giving his dad the silent treatment because he knew something was up and is mad that Clark didn't believe him and mad that he didn't look into it anyway. Wonder Woman is upset that she hadn't realised Cassie had vanished, but has quiet faith that the team will manage to survive until the League manages to find them. It's a desperate push against the clock as the mentors juggle their everyday disasters with their efforts to look for the team, especially because all of these mentors are also maybe 100% going to butt heads as they play the blame game, struggling to reconcile their guilt when the mission is a lot more personal, with no clear cut villain to blame.
Comedic-Hi-jinks:
Meanwhile, the YJ crew have all been kidnapped. Kidnapped by a bored and lonely Bart Allen, who was sick of all the failed reunion plans and jealous of the fact that literally everyone got to spend time with each other except him. (no, going to see them one on one doesn't count guys! their a team, a family, they deserve more than just occasional face-times and drop-ins)
Honestly the little pocket dimension they ended up in was surprisingly neat and child-friendly, so Anita's not too mad at being kidnapped. There's even some small fry's she gets to deal with and a hand picked group of perfectly available baby-sitters who she trusts with her life, all on hand, unable to say no when she leaves her not-parents in their care. Cissie's a little worried because she definitely has some work things to look after, but this mini vacays actually been a good time to unwind, even if she was a bit mad that Bart gave her no time to prep and Tim gave her absolutely no heads up. And despite his arguments, she knows Tim had expected this to happen. Bart was way too put together after getting Tim, no bruises, no scolding and no glitter bombs in sight. Kon, Tim and Cassie meanwhile are just vibing, brains off as they meander through this little pocket dimension. Nothing was gonna stop Bart from doing this and at least he's relented to a three day adventure instead of the week long one he had initially planned. Greta is a little worried, because things are going surprisingly well on this little excursion and that's way too weird, but she loves being with her friends again, so she's really hoping the worry is unwarranted.
Bart feels like he's forgotten something, but for the life of him he can't think of what he may have forgotten. He has his friends, he found the perfect, most harmless pocket dimension and he even remembered to set the YJ code to show they had gone out on a mission. (Bart definitely forgot to do the time math. He was going to do it, honest! He just got a bit too excited. And maybe a bit too annoyed at Cissie hogging Greta and Cassie's time. But only very slightly annoyed.)
Toxic Severus x Lily x James
i cbf writing a wider story to go with this scenario/scenes so... have it as is bc I actually like it. And yess, delulu and oblivious James in amongst a toxic snily codependency is *kiss*
tw: child-abuse, somewhat graphic depictions
‘You said it was getting better Sev,’ Evans’ voice was filled with a slow burning anger that James was attuned to. It was a bit shocking, really, everyone knew that Evans had the biggest soft spot for the slimy snake, sticking up for him at every turn. As if the Slytherin had any right to her kindness, filled to the brim with dark magic as he was.
Snivellus sighed, turning an equally as unexpected glare on the Gryffindor. James felt his anger whirling away, a tornado inside of his stomach.
He knew the prat was every bit the bastard that James had pegged him for! Of course he’d save the way he treated Evan’s for their private moments. Too scared of the retribution from Gryffindor if they knew what he did to Evans.
The grins and laughter the two shared were obviously faked, Evans just wasn’t accustomed to how awful Slytherin students were, probably got all infatuated by the first pureblood that gave her a second glance, as if James himself couldn’t treat her better, couldn’t protect her more than the git standing before them.
‘He is Lils, why do you think he asked Cal to hire me? He wants to do better, honest,’ the nickname comes out of nowhere, as does the gentle tone. If he didn’t know Snivellus better, he’d think the soft admonishment was true, that the snake actually cared for a Muggleborn. But Slytherin’s are good actors, all that cunning had to go somewhere, right? James had been watching the snake for five years now and none of this git’s manufactured kindness had ever been on display before.
‘He just– gets a bit scared sending me back to Hogwarts. You know how ma was treated, he doesn’t like the reminder.’
Evans sends out a short, aggrieved huff, dragging the snake to sit beside her as if he hadn’t thrown a cutting curse at James just last term. As if the Christmas holidays had somehow made the Snivellus a better person.
‘Sev, he’s– What he does isn’t right, he never should have to work to be a better Da, that’s fucking bonkers.’
No, what was truly bonkers is that Lily Evans had learnt how to swear over the Christmas holidays.
Again Snivellus’ mask begins to crack, he pulls to the corner and sends a withering glare at Evans, of the sort he would never do in front of the rest of Gryffindor. James glared at him harder, grip over his wand tightening, a vindication settling over his standing form. Evans was too good for the snake, didn’t realise that his playing nice in front of other students was just a front to manipulate her, but James and Sirius knew better. Had been searching for the cracks in the fake friendship they’d had for years now.
‘Lils just drop it! It’s not like I’m an amazing son,’ he spits the words acidically, levering Evans with a smouldering, noxious glare he usually reserves for James, ‘And he’s a fair lot better than any other Da in Ends, he drove me here, didn’t he? Got me a job. Says sorry when he gets a bit into his cups. Let me keep going to Hogwarts even after Ma carked it, he’s no Harrison Evans but he fucking tries!’
Instead of backing down at the anger, walking away and ignoring Snivellus like she ignores James, Evans comes alive at the anger. Whipped over to face him, face flushing as she growls out, harrowing her own angry, captivating, green-tinged stare at Snape and lifting a finger to his chest.
‘My Da’s not perfect Sev, but he doesn’t fucking beat me blue!’
What?
‘It wasn’t even a beating, so what my arm’s a mess–’
‘No, no don’t you dare act like it’s all bloody okay! If my Da did anything like that you’d want me to te–’
‘If you fucking tell anyone I will–’
‘So what, I just let you go home and hope he doesn’t kill you this ti–’
‘Da would never!’
‘He would Sev! He’s been hitting you for as long as I’ve known you, why can’t you just accept–’
‘There’s nothing to accept Lils,’ Snape cries out, holding his hands up to cup her pointed fingers, ‘I’m telling you it’s not like that, Da loves me. He does, so just shut it!’
James wanted nothing more than to actually disappear. Disapparate? End up in another compartment, for sure. One that didn’t have Snape looking at Evans with the sort of pleading he had never once given to the Marauders. Needed to get away from the soft droop of his piercing raven-black eyes, to not notice how Snape’s lips went from dry and chapped to moist as he bit down, truly looking at Evans. Not through or past or over her like he did James.
Snape wasn’t supposed to beg, wasn’t supposed to look at Evans with reverence, as if their weird, awful, wrong, fake-friendship meant anything to the slimy snake. Snape was a tome of dark magic and acidic words and gut-punching spells that masqueraded in a students body. He wasn’t– He wasn’t like Siri, stuck in an awful house, because Snape’s family had to love him, right? Snape made sense, a dark-arts loving snake in a family of dark-arts loving snakes, Snape proved that in their very first meeting. Siri was a Gryffindor stuck in a snake family, Snape– He had to be telling the truth. Evans just cared too much about the snake to know what normal discipline was like, Muggles were probably less strict with their kids. Maybe– maybe his dad never hit him and neither did Remy’s, but their parents were soft, Snape probably just had parents like Pete, who could get a little rou–
Godric, he felt sick. This was all wrong, he wanted to prank them, not watch enviously as the sleazy, greasy snake he hated held hands with the most beautiful witch in their year.
Instead of disappearing, James sits before the odd Slytherin-Gryffindor duo he had hated and he watched. This didn't make sense. That’s the only reason he was watching, he wanted it to make sense. Wanted Snape to show his true colours and Evans to learn the errors of her ways, picking a no-name Pureblood family like Snape to attach to, instead of an established family like Potter.
Nothing made sense anymore, because Evans moved to take Snape's tattered robe from his shoulders and James was going to have to watch them shag, wasn’t he? That was an awful thought, stirring inside of his stomach even as his eyes stayed spelled to the scene.
He was going to watch the girl he had been asking out for the past year shag his mortal enemy. James didn’t want to believe the rumours going around, because even as a Muggleborn Evan’s was the prettiest, smartest witch he knew, but there was no other reason for a proper young lady to be unbuttoning another young man's shirt and it made sense really. Of course sex was why the Slytherin kept Evans around, what use did a no good pureblood like him have in a fragile, naive Muggleborn like Evans?
Except– Except today any form of sense kept unravelling because Snape’s school shirt was unbuttoned, falling to his long, floppy elbows and Evans was crying. Rolling his eyes, James paid no mind to the stab of disappointment aching somewhere near his waist, only grinning at the reaction. So they probably hadn’t ever shagged and looking at Snape’s greasy, lanky body had made her realise she could do better, there was no way a greasy bat like…
Snape had abs?
No. No! How dare he?
Snape was stupidly tall with an ugly mug and greasy hair and pasty skin.
And yet. Abs. Now he didn’t know why Evans would be crying, because Merlin was Snape a bit more sculpted than he had ever presumed. Still wiry, with a small waist, pasty skin and a trail of dark, thick hairs snaking from his belly button, down to his trousers, but there was a concave near his stomach and chiselled, defined lines from his pecs down. Merlin above even James could admit if you put a bag over his head, Snape wouldn’t be half bad looking and then–
Well, then James’ roaming gaze caught on to what exactly made Evans gasp, what caused her to tear up and run her fingers over Snape’s sickly pale skin.
Snape had said his arm was a mess, which it was, mottled a blue darker than even the night sky. The bruises crept up in his shoulder in odd bunches. Snape talked about this mess casually, the same way Petey talked about his parents giving him a growling. Like it was just normal for Snape to walk around with his dad’s shoe size imprinted like a sick temporary tattoo across his shoulder.
Evans wasn’t overreacting. Snape’s dad might actually kill him, he thinks nostrils flaring. Gaze wandering over to the stark, yellow-green hand marks lining his elongated neck and the large, almost scabbed maroon-ish bite mark at his chest.
‘Sev– did he…?’ Evans ran her fingers up Snape’s chest and to the bite mark, her fingers making delicate circles around the wound causing his stomach to whirl oddly, her voice cracking as she whispered.
He wanted to sick up at the thought, though he was still unnervingly enraptured by the scene before him. Shivering at the touch, Snivelly snapped his eyes to Evans at the last minute, a weak, harsh laugh leaving his throat.
‘No– Merlin, no Lils, I told you I was necking with Alex for the summer.’
Evans pulls back at the admittance, a cute blush consuming her face as she glanced away with pursed lips. Despite the visage she was and the slow building relief from not having to watch his crush shag someone else, James couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed at the admittance.
Snape managed to snag a bird, but James couldn’t?
Though, he thought once more staring at the duo, he didn’t just want any old bird like Snivellus. He wanted a proper, gorgeous flower. Pale and tall and beautiful, with brains and bite to boot.
‘Right. Did Alex also…’ Here she trails her hands from the bite mark to the handprints, her own slighter fingers not able to mask the rough bruises left there.
Merlin, did Snape like it rough? Did he like it when James pushed him around? The thought flopped somewhere uncomfortable for him to hang onto, his warm, walnut coloured eyes dilating at the prospect. Was that why Snape always fought back against his betters? Even he had to know that the Noble and Valiant House of Potter ranked far above most normal purebloods. Did he have to pull back on the pranks if Snape did like it like that?
Empathetically no, is the decision Snivelly makes for him, looking to the side, his long raven hair ghosting over his shoulder as he shook his head, making a mesmerising curtain against his pale neck
If anything that made it worse, something which Evans agreed on if the tight pulling of her ginger brows meant anything.
Wizardingfolks didn’t leave bruises like that on anyone's skin, much less their own kids. Even Siri’s shitty parents wouldn’t knock him about with their own hands, it was unheard of in Wizarding society, children were to be treasured and disciplined, not treated like blimmin’ house-elves in Dark Families.
‘Sev, just– just think about moving in with us, please.’
Okay, even James had to admit that was a terrible offer. Lovely as Evans was to look at, she was still a Muggleborn. Who would give up living with their own family for living with Muggles? Not even Siri would, right?
Would he… If it meant not being with his parents?
Merlin, would Pete? Could he just; offer it to them like Evans had? Without restraint or boundaries?
‘I don’t need your charity Lily.’
‘It’s not charity, it’s the soddin’ right thing to do, Tuney’s started Uni and ma and da would be thril–’
‘Your parents hate me.’
‘My parents don’t hate you, they don’t even know you Sev, you don’t let them try.’
Unable to be swayed by the witches' argument, Snape pursed his lips and looked away, his own long fingers coming up to hastily pull and button up his school shirt.
This left James with the unwanted realisation that he was stuck under his cloak, in a closed train compartment with the only two students his year happy to hex the life out of him if they knew he was there. Thankfully enough, after an agonising two hours of listening to them talk about potions and charms and some oaf named Dursley, the two begin to nod off.
Snape is first, his answers becoming more slurred as he continues to lean on the window to his right. After his answers become painfully incoherent, Evans sits in silence, her own eyes tracking the space between the two of them. In an unexpected show of audacity, when Snape is very firmly asleep, Evans leans her head against his broad shoulder, feet tucked under her inexplicably short skirt, the smooth valley of skin from her knees to ankle bare for all to see and her usually bright, emerald eyes coming to a soft, gentle close. He waits for a few minutes, watching as their breathing somehow becomes more in sync and opens the compartment door. Neither move to hex him, or move at all, Evans happily groping at Snivelly’s robes and Snivellus holding his arms to his chest, as if a beautiful witch wasn’t lying against his arm for the taking.
James leaves the compartment more keyed up than ever, a difficult, clawing anger at his chest. The two losers don’t stir for a bit as he slides the door shut with a firm, sudden snap.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
There’s a million and one thoughts racing through his brain on a well-trimmed cleansweep, twisting and turning as they look for the golden snitch, the proper answer to these thoughts. The thoughts had in fact been racing through his brain for hours now. He trudges to where he had left his friends, sliding the door open and wrenching his cloak off immediately.
Remy’s laughter dies down as he peers at James with a wide, amber-tinged curiosity.
Not one to fully think through his decisions and having sat on this tantalising idea for far too long, James bunches his cloak to his school bag and pierces his still laughing friends with an inquisitive glance. The snitch was gleaming in his mind, Pete and Siri just had to move so James could grab it. Could hold onto the idea that Evans had unknowingly released to the aether. Neither Pete nor Siri notice him, too caught up in a game of exploding snap that had left Remy with some rather glaring soot marks and a messy bush of brown hair.
‘Move in with me,’ he states with more confidence than he feels.
Ocean blue and hazy grey eyes whip towards his direction, a sea of black curls and a soft trail of blonde hair both tilted to the side as they take in their missing friend. Neither spoke, their eyes darting around the room to look for whom exactly James was speaking to.
‘Both your parents are shite and I’ve had more money in Gringotts than I’ll ever need, move in with me.’ Both Pete and Siri don’t look inclined to say yes, their faces twisted to something almost Snape-like. He steamrolls ahead, voice steadily burning as he keeps talking. If a Muggleborn like Evans could make the offer, so could Heir Potter. ‘Mum and Dad would love to have other kids around the estate and I’m sick of seeing you two come back to Hogwarts worse for wear. We’ll be able to get it approved, a formal adoption and everything. You could be Peter and Sirius Potter and no one would bat an eye.’
Not particularly true, the Black’s could protest, but the status the Potter family held before their migration to Great Britain was greater than the Status the Black family held. Contentious for more current generations who mocked even the Malfoy’s for their migration from France in the 12th Century, but noble and with extreme merit considering the Potter Predecessors and all their achievements. Just because they were different continents, didn’t mean his family was powerless here, they didn’t need the stinkin’ Blacks to uphold their status. James could pull his friends into his family and make sure they never turned up like Snivellus, bruised to the days.
Neither Siri or Pete reply, both nervously clutching the cards in their grip. James was right to be worried, they had to know that. That’s why they were nervous. They knew they deserved better.
‘Jamie–’ starts Siri, voice dropping to a soft candour, his own face settling on a malcontent frown, ‘That’s… It’s a sweet offer mate, but my Uncle and I have a plan, you know that. I’ll get away from my family as soon as we graduate.’
Peter pipes up as well, ‘I know they might seem a bit, mean. But my parents genuinely care about me Jamie, I’m not gonna give up on them.’
James thinks of large, purple and green bruises lighting a pale, breathing canvas up and bristles at the words.
‘I don’t care,’ he spits, arms crossing over his chest as he plops down next to Remy, ‘Parents shouldn’t– Shouldn’t do that to their kids.’
‘They’re not doing anything Jamie, Siri’s parents like the Dark Arts and mine are strict, you really don’t need to make such a big offer.’
Petey’s wrong, because Evans made the offer and Snape has a helluva streak of bruises and Petey doesn’t even let himself eat to fullness, too worried about his mum’s apparent strictness.
‘It’s not normal.’ He cries, hands coming to slap against his thigh, seeing only a loop of healing bruises across otherwise unblemished skin. ‘You– You’re mum’s made you cry more than any snake at school and Siri’s mum made him cast an unforgivable, you– you can’t be happy there Petey.’
‘Mum might be a bit over-bear–’
‘You lost three stone this summer and she said that you were finally starting to look like a normal blok–’
‘Salazar’s bleeding hide Jamie! Why are you so strung about shite said in the pa–’
It’s hard, arguing against two people instead of one.
‘Don’t start Sirius! After everything your parents have said, after that howler in–’
‘So Mum was mad! It’s not a big deal!’
‘Mum’s aren’t supposed to call their son’s failures!’ He shouts in exasperation.
Peter snarls at him, his usually kind eyes seething, voice coming out of clenched teeth, ‘Not everyone has perfect parents James, you know this!’
‘They don’t need to be perfect, they just need to be ki–’
‘Oh, put a fucking sock in it Jamie! Why’re you trying to air our dirty laundry out for everyone to feck–’
‘It shouldn’t be dirty laundry, there shouldn’t be anything to air out, if your parents actually loved you–’
‘If you finish that sentence James Fleamont Potter I will hex you to pieces!’
Godric almighty he was so mad, couldn’t see beyond the crimson narrowing his vision. Peter and Sirius were wrong, were lying to him just like Snape was lying to Evans. That's the only reason Peter would pretend to be so mad at him. James would not let it go, wouldn’t let them think for a second that they were worth less than Severus fucking Snape, wouldn’t let them think that whatever weird, undisclosed behaviour their parents set on them was in any way right.
‘Why? Because I’m right? Because you know that normal parents don’t scream at you for eating dinner, Petey? Don’t lock their fridges and cupboards as punishment? Because parents who care aren’t supposed to make you use blood quills!?’
Sirius glares at the reminder.
‘Once! My parents used one blood quill, to teach me a lesson. Once, Jamie. Stop acting like this is a big, fecking deal!’
Sirius sounded so anguished as he screamed, his voice rising and quivering in the air, wet with his anger, the cards he had flying to the ground as he pulled James to his feet, grip unrelenting on his collar.
‘It is!’ He shouts, absolutely red with fury, channelling his inner Evans maybe, ‘It’s a big deal because I don’t know if the next time I see you after Summer Break is gonna be with the both of you shoved in a fucking coffin. It’s a big deal because parents are supposed to love you, supposed to care for you not– Not whatever the fuck your parents are doing now!’
Sirius doesn’t answer, his usually delightful features pulled into a withering glare, channelling as much Snape as James had been channelling Evan’s. Sirius chucks James with a frustrated snarl to the ground. Peter doesn’t answer the accusations either, chucking his cards down and moodily looking at the wall behind them.
They’re left with a sharp bang as Sirius leaves the compartment, all the quasi-confidence James had held crumbling as Peter stays silent and Remy just bumps their shoulders together, as if the contact could somehow pull James’ words from the air and lead the Marauders to the familiar, happy, camaraderie-based silence they had once held. He doesn’t know what to do now, so stuck in their regular routine to figure out where this had all fallen apart. Stupid fucking Snivellus and Evans, making James out to be the bad guy to his friends. Silently, James fumes, too lost in his anger to see why everything had fallen to pieces.
He was just being a Gryffindor, like Evans, why were his friends more mad than Snivelly at the inquisition?
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The anger does not abate come morning, left to stew as he and his friends had stormed away, uncaring of the feast before him. Left to stew the next day, when Sirius and Peter pointedly waited for James to sit in their usual spot at back of Charms and made their way to the very front, leaving him with Remy’s shy smile and quiet humour. Left to stew in Defense, when Remy had wordlessly clasped James’ wrist and dragged him to the side when they were asked to pick partners.
It all comes to head a few weeks later, when they’ve got a break between classes and instead of mucking about with him, Sirius and Peter are down at the Lake with the girls. Its taking all of James' admittedly weak self-control to not pull his wand out, cast the incarcerous spell and haul his friends back to the Potter Estate, where they will be safe from any harm.
Remy, in true him fashion, hasn’t yet figured out how to deal with any of their anger and has instead decided to keep James away from Siri and Petey as if the distance could somehow fix whatever he broke between them that weird, awful first day back at Hogwarts.
Coming onto nearly fifteen days from then, James knows his temper is frayed more so than usual. He’s supposed to be the one with the ideas, the one to push the Marauders forward. Instead he’s standing under an archway watching his friends like a stranger, Remus going on about getting a head start on their studies.
Seeing Sirius flirt with Meadows, James can’t appreciate Remus’ kindness. His friends were wrong, were lying to him and were frankly, being stupid and ungrateful.
There was only one other family who had migrated to Great Britain pre-12th Century and could claim to have an equal amount of acclaim as the Potter family, as far as James knows though, that family is less than a decade away from extinction. Not even the Noble and Striking House of Malfoy or the Malevolent and Acrimonious House of Lestrange could contest if the Potter’s wished to adopt from the almost ruined House of Pettigrew. Siri’s parents could be dicks about the whole thing, but if they didn’t want to cause a scandal in Pureblood Society by revealing their treatment of their Heir Apparent, the Black’s would do well to hold their tongue.
James was giving them a chance at freedom, at kindness for the sake of kindness, not for some weird screwed up power play like the Pettigrew’s and Black’s. He knows he can be a bit short-sighted at times, but really he was doing this for them.
Glaring at his friends, he sees a curtain of red near Meadow’s own black curls and feels his anger pulse to the sky.
This was all Evans' fault. If the know-it-all bookworm hadn’t planted this idea in his head, James could still have his friends sitting and laughing with him, not– Not sitting away from him, ignoring him and rejecting him just like Evans did and Snape did and huffing, his eyes flicker to the biggest source of his consternation.
Snivellus, sat away from all his friends like the freak he is, hiding the damning things his parents did to him, just like James hid what Siri and Petey’s parents did to them.
The thoughts keep tangling in his head and before he knows it, before he can think better of it, before he can remember that there are other students around, he’s stalking to the area where Snivellus is sitting alone, huddled over a dark tome, the shade of the trees casting shadows on his skin.
He knows Evans is near, had seen her. He doesn’t care. This is all their fault. If Evans hadn’t– If Snape hadn’t.
Godric, he does not know what to do with the well of anger inside of him, how to dispel the furious conglomerate of emotions and memories stirring within. Something whispers in his mind, a vindictive voice he rarely indulges in.
Go on then, it purrs, he deserves it.
He does.
Remus is coming after him, his voice soft, biting in the ways only Remus knows how to bite; softly, without malice yet filled with fervour.
‘Levicorpus!’ He shouts, dangling Snape in the air. Snape’s wand slips to the ground from his pocket.
‘James, knock it off!’
Who bloody well cares Remus! It’s Snivellus, Snivellus who started this screwed up thing. And it’s him who would end it, thinks James. If- if Peter and Sirius understood what James was scared of, what could happen to them, then they’ll get it. They’ll get why he’s being so protective.
They couldn’t end up like Snivelus.
Some people come around to gawk, he can feel their stares. He hopes Siri’s in the group, hope Petey recognises that this shit isn’t normal
‘You think you’re so smart don’t you Snape. Lying and hiding behind your thick books. Being a complete prat to Evans. Well you’re not. You’re a lying, cheating, cowardly snake!’ James reckons he sounds a bit like a banshee, not that it matters because Snape just glares at him, his eyes smouldering with the same heat James can feel in the pit of his stomach.
Good.
‘You think you’re brave, Snivellus, think you’re the hero–’
‘Potter! Put him down right this–’
‘Oh fuck off Evans!’ The clearing is so quiet that a pin-drop, a drop of rain could disturb them. Everything is so red he can’t even be bothered to care. ‘Like you’re any better. You walk around here like you’re the sweetest thing since treacle tarts, well you’re not. You’re just as much a conniving, greedy snake as this bastard.’
Someone– Remus he thinks vaguely– puts their hand on his shoulder, he shrugs it off, meeting Snape’s wide eyes.
Striding forward so he’s just under Snape’s floating figure, James thereafter drops Snape indelicately, catching his collar in his hand.
No one else dares to move around them, too shocked that James Potter himself had shouted insults at not just a Gryffindor, but at the Gryffindor, Lily Evans.
‘Think you’re so strong Potter, picking on someone without a wand.’ Snape’s growl is low, sending goosebumps running across his neck.
‘Think you’re so strong Snape,’ he mocks back, eyes rolling, bringing the older boy so close their faces just about touch, ‘Hiding your bruises.’
Snape pales at the implication, his previous bravado gone as he thrashes in James’ grip.
‘Get your hands off me you freak!’
Nothing, nothing matters anymore. Snivellus is a liar. Evans a coward. James the bad guy. None of it means anything anymore. Something blurry and tenuous whips around his brain.
‘What, scared of me, Snape? I thought you were used to being hurt. Isn’t that what this shit is!’
The thoughts aren’t connecting clearly, they're floating around somewhere and he’s ripping at Snape’s robes. Snape is trying to shove him off and there’s a high-pitched scream and scuffle going on behind them. Not that it matters– James is stronger than Snape, for all Snape packs a mean punch, James is the one on the Quidditch team.
He’s a bit unclear how it happens, but in seconds Snape’s robe has been unbuckled and unknotted, sitting against his shoulders and bearing all those horrible, ugly marks for everyone to see. James traces them with his bespectacled gaze like an artist looking at their muse
James doesn’t know what he wants to say, can feel a jumble of words twisting inside of him, but there’s a blur of ginger and he’s suddenly on the ground, six foot worth of ivory skin and bones straddling him and the girl of his dreams laying harsh, decidedly manly punches on him.
Godric, even for a coward Evans’ is enrapturing in her fury. He can’t think of anything else because unfortunately, she lays a quick, sudden fist to his face and he’s out quicker than a casted nox.
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i had originally planned to make a story from this where james has to grow tf up because peter can't condone what james did to severus and sirius is pissed that james made him empathise with severus and james still doesn't know why he's so obsessed with severus and lily, especially now that severus is the one icing him out and lily is hating him. and after like slow-burn revenge story levels of grovelling, he becomes friends with snily. this friendship is what brings the marauders back together because peter and remus can see how much james has grown and that his apologies are sincere and thoughtful and sirius is so jealous he can't keep being distant because like... he's james' best friend? not snape or evans? and then sirius chills a little because he can see the doechaser friendship rapidly develop into the catalyst that brings all of them into a relo...it's just like. the planning for that became too much. and i have no clue what amount of begging would actually make severus or lily look at james favourbly in this tbh.
I love fics with Original Cale Henituse being an asshole. But I especially love fics where asshole og!Cale interacts with Archie because they're both provocative, ill-tempered asses <3 <3 <3
I don't know how to make this coherent so just take this premise and all the chaotic associated sentences lol
*Might be a bit confusing. But due to the time period, I'm refering to them as Cale and Rok Soo. No like Og!.... Cale is Cale, even if he was Rok Soo and Rok Soo is Rok Soo, even if he was Cale. Make sense?
Premise: Rok Soo and Cale swap souls with one another (temporarily) for whatever reason buuut. This happens after they have both already reconciled with living their lives as different people. And because neither one know how the other is leading their former lives, they just. Decide to revert to their original personas. Until things can be sorted out.
-They are both found out almost instantly.
-Raon is the only one who KNOWS who is in his humans body and even though he doesn't love it, he decides to help this human hide and find out a way to his original body.
-KRS, on account of also being a dad, takes to not babying or spoiling either On or Hong, because that's how he treats his niece. Unfortunately this unwillingness to spoil them (monetarily) and his compulsive need to make sure they are in reach of him clue the siblings on to him straight away.
-On and Hong decide its best to trust their little brothers judgement and don't tell anyone his secret. They also kinda like his head pats and the way he like to stroke and groom them for soooo long and that he'll actually play outside with them. (But they still miss their Cale, even if this new human is kinda fun)
-By the end of the week everyone from Bud to Hans and the Blue Wolf Tribe kids know that someone else is in Cale's body. Unfortunately they don't know who and they are unwilling to cross Raon to find out. Raon and his siblings meanwhile are viciously protective of the KRS, because he's nice and funny and is in Cale's body, they can't dislike him.
-Ron is instantly on guard and sends out so many bad vibes and thinly veiled threats. Choi Han needs to physically walk away, because he knows he'll do something bad if left with this stranger. Alberu actually does stop in to threaten this stranger. Lock is standoffish but non-confrontational and Rosalyn is purposely nice to uncover the strangers secrets. Vicross makes sure not to appear, because the kids will know his intent instantly. He also wants to hurt this imposter.
-KRS meanwhile is pretty nonchalant about the threats. He is a bit bewildered that they picked him so quickly though. It's kinda. Maybe. A little offensive? Like okay, the heroes and the Prince, fine. They never knew KRS when he was Cale. But Ron, Vicross and his dad? Knowing KRS isn't Cale after a week, meanwhile KRS has only been KRS for two years. What the fuck kinda logic is that? Oh well, not like KRS minds anyways. He needs to study with Raon Miru and Rosalyn. Things to do first. Not like he has times for stupid, pointless things anyways
-It takes Cale a little longer to be spotted. At first his team think maybe he's having a bad week. Even his niece thinks that, because he's not as thoughtlessly affectionate as usual.
-But a week turns to two and some of his team are mad because? Seriously? Near death attempts and two years of bonding and suddenly he regresses? Kim Min Ah and Jung So Hoon are a bit more sceptical. Because this coldness is just weird. The barriers that exist feel both alien and familiar.
-By Week two they've come to a weird, crazy conclusion that KRS has multiple personalities. Because anything else is just too weird and crazy. When they confront the 'Protector' with this knowledge, Cale figures it's easier to tell the truth. He likes to keep his cards close, so he just says he's close to KRS but he's not him and for whatever reason he woke up stuck in his body. He doesn't want to hurt the bonds KRS had created, he was just acting like the KRS he knew.
-Which brings me to: The vague way KRS and Cale talk makes their respective Found Family's have completely different ideas about the others identity.
-Everyone in LCF come to the conclusion that KRS is a child Cale picks up in the future, because he talks about being so close to Cale at one point in his life. And that he's just acting like how he thought Cale would act, based on stories. And he's just. Weirdly knowledgable about the Molans and the Henituse family and even the heroes, even if his knowledge is a bit skewed. And kinda paints them as scarier than they are? (The only other possibility based on his comfort level with Cale and the people who surround him is a future lover and they all point blank refuse to accept that) But it's nice to see Cale('s body) eating well and exercising and having a good sleep routine. If they weren't still immediately suspicious, they might think this kid would be a good, healthy influence on Cale. Privately, they wonder if the grounded, active way this man acted would help to make Cale more solid, more present and less likely to jump into danger.
-On Earth, their whole Team thinks that Cale is some sort of jilted childhood friend who lost contact with KRS as he became apart of the Survival Forces. They are actually advocating for Cale to refriend KRS because KRS desperately needs a friend (or more~~❣️) outside of their team. And there's no way this smart, but truly lazy man could be anything but a good friend for KRS. He could convince their team lead to slow down and relax and actually indulge in things! Maybe then their Team Lead would be less of a freakin' pain.
-Niece!Jour (I can't find a name for her and I'm not gonna make one up) likes her Not-Uncle! He's super smart and he gets her presents just cause and only buys them the yummiest food. And he never tries to cook, which is good because Actual-Uncle is maybe. sorta. Not great at cooking? Like he can cook two dishes really well and he bakes one really nice biscuit but everything else is just kinda. Okay. So it's nice to have really, really yummy food in the house. And to have someone who likes sitting with her while she reads or watches tv, instead of trying to plan elaborate days out. Because she does like those day! But sometimes she just wants to watch her movies without pauses or finish a really good chapter without going to park.
-Raon likes to play 'tag' with his Not!Human and to receive actual smiles, not the scammer smile. He also loves being able to fly around with his Not!Human watching his cool new tricks and patting his head all the time and the Not!Human bakes really, really good jam and butter cookies and he's even teaching him and his older siblings how to make them. It's really cool.
-Rosalyn hates how smart this punk is, he knows things he shouldn't and he's obviously got some plan to get back to his proper body, if the journeys to different temples mean anything, but she can't tell what. He's evasive and infuriating because he doesn't lie. He just. Speaks weirdly around all topics. The only time he's sincere and talkative is around the kids. And he's never allowed near the kids alone after they figure him out, so it's not like he's just honest to only the kids. It's just. They're the only ones who can get a straight answer out of him and none of the kids want to interrogate him.
-I want some angsty scene where their true identities are revealed but also can't see the point? Because the only reason an identity reveal would happen would be to cause more drama/angst. And trying to get back to their own world after a truth reveal feels a bit?Futile and cruel? Like 'Oh you KNEW me, but idrc, I have a life I prefer that you are not welcome to and it's also in another world, bye ✨✨✨'
-A more satisfying ending would be them accepting that they are definitely not who they were and no matter how much they might enjoy some aspects of their old life (Cale the convenience and KRS the bonds he has/had) they ultimately have no role to play in each other's lives anymore. Maybe they write a letter to each other before the swap back? Where they both tell each other to cherish their family and either be more involved/take a step back from all the action so they can actually treasure their found family?
-I think it'd also be beautiful for maybe some people to reach a bit of a conclusion (looking @ u Molans/Henituses) on the identity of KRS, but ultimately doing nothing (like always 🙄) because the person they love and bonded with is not KRS. Not anymore. And they have not and will never force any version of Cale to stay somewhere he is unhappy. Because even if they didn't always love him in a way he could relate to, they had always and will always love him. But also, this end doesn't feel like it fits with the ending letter ting.
-Also while I'm adding random thoughts. Both found families are wrong. Cale and Rok Soo would be the worst influence for each other. They're both different flavours of neurotic control freak meets push over enablers. Like both are used to manipulating people for their own gain, they just go about it differently. And if they ever decide to fully trust each other? Chaos. Un. Mitigated. Chaos. I feel like they'd have the similar plans that they tell people about, all except for the last step since they both just randomly decide they are the acceptable casualty. And Cale will leisurely, with feigned reluctance, walk his way up to the sacrificial alter. And Rok Soo will be there already, determined and unrepentant. Cue spiderman meme.
Don't have much to say to this just:
Tim Drake and Kim Rok Soo would hate each other, on account of being the same sort of control freak, over-planning, under-sharing asshole. And I was thinking about them hating each other but causing the same brand of unmitigated, morally dubious chaos and then I thought to my self....
Huh... Rok Soo is a dark haired orphan with a tragic back story, a love for money and a tendency towards costumed vigilantism.
And then:
Bruce Wayne adopts KRS???
And yeah it could be Bruce adopts lil kid KRS who is still too smart for his own good, but is a weedy little shit who can't fight to save his own life and cares so much about people. Rok Soo who can't emote for shit but proves, in ways that baffle emotionally incompetent Bruce to his core, that he still loves and cares for people deeply, beyond what he can express. Like lil baby Rok Soo who knows Bruce is Batman, who doesn't hide from this knowledge but also very firmly keeps himself away from the nightlife because his brand of self-preservation is usually pretty good. (Until it really, really isn't...) Rok Soo who schemes and has dollar signs for eyes and who indulges in the one form of love Bruce is 100% comfortable showing and utilising (Gift Giving|| Get that bag Rok Soo!) Very cute dynamic, I admit.
But I think it just. Would be 100% better if KRS was adopted but also still like. A full grown adult. Because Buff Bruce and Buff Rok Soo giving Brucie puppy eyes for some more money? And Bruce thinking he's finally got a child who won't give him a heart attack, just for Rok Soo to set bombs off with Red Robin bc someone was being a bit too creepy about Damian in their presence. And Rok Soo looking like the tankest of tanks, but still being the weakest in the BatFam because like...He trained to survive, these fuckers relish in this chaos.
Idk man I just think it would be a funny, cute lil thing.
One of my favourite genres in writing is like. Found Family, Child Soldier who grew up in firm, regimented, and structured environments is saved and lives with a Competent Hero, Disaster Person.
Like. Parent who has no experience with children having a fully functional child who asks for rules and gets frustrated by lack of boundaries and breaks their parents heart one naive, earth-shattering question at a time.
Kids who often misunderstand the intentions of their guardian and the world around them and only really know obedience and is forced to develop opinions and a personality.
Thrown in Political or Intergalactic intrigue? I fuckn eat that shit for daaaaays.
Very specific and under-utilised premise.
-I don’t care what the order is but please let Duke and Jarro be adopted before Damian is taken in! I need Damian to be jealous of an alien starfish, my bones require it 😭
-Duke ans Damian make Jason and Dick’s lives so difficult… not as antagonist and purely because they snuck out and caused so much havock that Bruce now has a sixth sense for when his kids want to act up. They cannot even attempt stealth because Duke and Damian did it better.
-I want Duke and Damian to be those kid brothers that never got along. They used to regularly ‘spar’ (fist fight) but Dick, Cass and Jason don’t believe it because they get along so well now? Tim and Steph are obviously lying.
-A grown Dick Grayson being so mad because he went his whole life wanting to be taller than just one big brother, one! And he never gets it 🥰 (Him and Tim are the same height. He hates it w a passion) Technically he is taller than Jarro. But so is Ace and Tidus, that accounts for literally nothing.
-In contrasts to his big brother’s stealth and sneaking out shennanigans, Tim just straight up lies to Bruce when he wants to take off with YJ, vaguely saying their plans (baseball, trip to some histprical landmark, chilling on Bart’s new ride) So while Bruce blames Duke and Dami for his greys, he says that Tim is the only reason he isn’t fully grey because he’s so responsible and considerate and always tells Bruce everything. (Tim tells Bruce exactly three things, two are half-truths and one is the boldest lie in town 😇 Bruce is nonethewiser.)
-Running off of that, I want Tim to be the sneaky middle child always in chaos, but I want Dami to know this and point it out to Bruce and gst shut down (like Candace Flynn levels of bad)
-Dick is spoilt by his many older siblings. He knows and takes advantage. I’m talking like 18yo Dick Grayson showing up at 22yo Jason’s place when Jason is at College and Jason returns home to find his little brother wearing his robe, eating hia cereal and asking if he can borrow Jay’s car because Bruce is hiding his keys until Dick actually gets a drivers license, which he doesn’t need because he hardly ever drives anyway 🙄😒 Jason tells him to fuck off, kicks him for not throwing thw empty cereal box away and asks where tf he thinks he’s off to anyway??????
-I want Cass to be a bratty younger sister, but only to Jason. She’s happy to hangout and cherishes her time with all her brothers, but she terrorises Jason. Purposefully is quieter when walking near him to frighten him, steals every comfy, bright hoodie he owns, wiggles into his bed and leaves her stuff for him to pick up, clean. She happily helps with chores until Jason asks and suddenly, she did not hear him, she was ‘busy, calm down grumpy.’ I want her looking at his school work and making faces at him if he tries to help her. I want her to want nothing more than to bite Jason, but also have him be her secret favourite brother. I need them to be best friends but the sort who will sell each other out for a single corn chip.
-Dick convinces Damian to help him steal an elephant. If Damian weren’t so weak for his baby brother he’d think about how even tge manor is not large enough to comfortably house an elephant. Duke isn’t completely sure it’s a good idea, but he trusts his brother’s to be smart enough to think this through ☺️ (they have not and will not think the logistics of owning an elephant through) Tim is fully aware this is a bad plan, he’s just even worse at saying no to Dick 💀 Steph is so mad that she has to be the voice of reason among these idiots 😒
-Tim dropping out of High-school actually leads to a huge fight lol. Bc Duke and Damian have Masters and Jason is looking into Ivy Leagues and Cass adores you Tim you need to be a role model 😠 Tim moves to San Francisco and doesn’t talk to Bruce for months after that fight. He still regularly contacts his siblings though.
-Personally don’t love Jason dying in Reverse Robin AU’s, but you know if Joker killed him at 15 he’d be dead in two weeks tops. Oh you want to kill the baby brother of a trqined assassin and Tim, one bad hour away from villany, Drake-Wayne? You think Duke would stop them? Dick? You think wrong. Dick might even try to jump ahead of the line. Cass is perfectly happy to shut her eyes and pretend she cannot see her brothers planning 🫢 The Joker would die a slow and painful death. Steph and Duje would run Batman distraction. (Bruce actually has a support network and two kids younger than Jason who are grieving. He’d need to be a parent and help them with their grief. He’ll probably be shit at it, but he’d still need to try.)
-When Steph starts college she occasionally visits the manor, liberally fills her bag with spare socks, new towels and non-perishables. Alfred doesn’t mind. Bruce does, but only because he’s more than willing to buy it for her and she will kick him if he even glances at any of his credit cards or bank accounts while she is near.
- Barbara probably has a crush on Steph and Tim. Like not a serious, I want a romantic relationship crush. But like ‘Steph is so strong and pretty and she’s so smart Dick, she wants to be a Doctor that’s so cool!’ And Tim is that weird crush you can’t describe. Like Matthew Gray-Gubler. He looks sorta like a raccon and an addict, but he’s weirdly handsome and can work a computer like no one else, ‘isn’t he so smart Dick?’ Dick doesn’t know whether to be jealous or to laugh at her because. Like. Really??? That’s who you think is cute from all my amazing big brothers ans sisters?
-Dick, as youngest brother, probably has the most eclectic music taste. He listens to classical, trap music, K-Pop, scremo, RnB, showtunes. Just all genres. He doesn’t love all genres, bit he k ows enough to have a super weird road trip playlist.
-Dick also always has to deal with his friends, civvie and otherwise, having crushes on his siblings.
-Jarro barely spends holidays with the family, but he gets presents put aside for him and is the most patient, most fun big brother of the batfam. Damian still hates him, but will begrudgingly buy him gifts and invite him to family events because unfortunately, Jarro is his sibling.
-Because he's never around, Jarro is the favourite older sibling, with Jason, Cass and Dick always making him projects from school. Duke, Dami and Tim see Jarro more, since they love going to see the JL or going to space and don't care that Bruce disapproves. They will either lie to Bruce or sneak out or just leave the manor 'Because I am a grown ass adult B, you can't ground me.' Steph does not like space or the JL half as much and is more busy studying/working than the other three losers. (affectionate)
-Gotham villains are in shock when, after having highly predictable vigilantes who just come in through the front/back door (Duke and Damian) they are faced with vigilantes who will in fact bazooka an entry way open (Jason and Cass)
Set in a time period where the Justice League are just kinda starting and all the human members are a bit on the younger side (mid to late twenties)
The Watchtower is usually abuzz with trashy celebrity talks or talks about politics in the world and of course Brucie Wayne comes up.
And Green Arrow (naively assuming that Secret Identities were in fact secret to Batman) decides to add his two cents to the convo.
"You know, Brucie's obviously hot... But his butler, mans can get it."
It's the most Oliver Queen he's ever sounded on the Watchtower. But also, it's the first time he's ever felt confident enough to say it without worrying about his image. After all, it's not like anyone on the Watchtower knows him or Alfred Pennyworth.
Now the League, in virtue of not being Billionaire playboys, have no clue what this butler looks like. Some (Green Lantern and Superman) are curious about what this man looks like.
Green Arrow goes on an hour long deep dive of videos, newspaper articles and full on research journal mentions of the virtues of Alfred Pennyworth. Wonder Woman is very intrigued, Superman makes a mental note to try and talk to the butler next time he's at a Gotham event, after all the whole SAS, Business Owner turn caretaker, surely there's a story there... and Batman?
Batman gleefully adds several more graphic, if not a little convoluted take down measures to his Green Arrow contingencies.
(Brucie Wayne manages to step on Oliver Queens foot, spill wine all over his suit and fails to wrangle his cartwheeling and oddly hostile ward off of him after a failed flip somehow ends with Oliver face-down in the middle of the dance floor during the next Wayne Enterprise gala. Whoops. Oliver glares at Brucie as he surreptituously slips $50 to Dick with a vapid smile.)
The thing is. Fuyumi and Touya are the only ones who had an existence in which Enji cared for his kids. As much as Dabi angsts about Shouto replacing him, Enji never replaced Touya. Neglected him, failed to listen or understand him? Yeah, 100%. But Shouto never received any of the love that Touya and Fuyumi did and this is why their reaction to the abuse that the siblings suffered through are so different to Natsuo and Shouto's.
Like Natsuo does not believe, trust or care for Endeavour's redemption. He might have heard stories and caught glimpses of Enji being something of a father, but Enji has never been Natsuo's dad. So he's angry and upset, but he's not wanting anything from Endeavour. He wants him to leave, he doesn't believe any of the apology bullshit. Because seeing those old happy memories, believing in that opportunity? That has only ever hurt Natsuo, so he elects to stop caring at all.
And Shouto, he wants to believe in the possibility of a dad. But he doesn't. He can't trust it, because he's never had one and all Enji has given him is trauma.
Touya and Fuyumi got all that trauma and the added benefits of seeing their dad turn into their abuser.
So Dabi doesn't forgive his father and he shatters, because his father once loved him. Once was his hero and inspiration and the only person he connected to. Once upon a time Touya looked at his dad and thought, I want to be like him. And then, I want to make him proud. He was Enji's world and he knew it. Which is why he felt so fucked up over Enji ditching him. Because this isn't Dabi being like Shouto and thinking somewhere in there is a good dad. This is Touya knowing that once Enji loved him like a dad should and now, he gets absolutely nothing but disappointment from his dad. A lot of his anger is rooted in the fact that once upon a time, he thought his dad was a good person and instead of proving him right, Endeavour gave up. Walked away from the broken mess of his son and showed him that heroes aren't real. And the only lessons he had learnt from his father were burnt and stained in disappointment. So he rages and burns and shows the world what that disappointment has made of him.
And Fuyumi holds onto the curls of hope that she once knew. Clings to the possibility of a dad and a happy family, because once upon a time she had that. And things might be bad now, but hey were once good. And they can be fixed and good again, can't they??? Because Fuyumi needs to fix things. Because Fuyumi was raised with love, however fleeting it was. So she needs to believe in the chance for change, even if she keeps getting burnt. Because if she doesn’t stay. If she doesn’t fix this, who will? Her traumatised mother or her dead older brother? Who will look after her younger brothers if not her?
For her, it would hurt more to give up on her dad, to believe he is irredeemable, because that means that the love he once showed her, the care and patience Enji once had? None of that was real. It means she isn't just learning that her dad is her abuser, she's learning that all the examples she had for love growing up is wrong. It's pretty simple for her to accept her dad's fucked up but he can get better; she cannot accept that her dad fucked up and nothing he can do will change the shit he's already fucked up. He can't change the past. He might be able to be a better dad going forward, but she wants to pretend that she can just like–blank out the years he was an asshole. As if she can flip the script and live in a time where there was no before or after abuse.
Both of them are still stuck in their trauma, Fuyumi actively keeping herself in her trauma cycle, unwilling to really process how bad things got, keeping herself stuck in a pretty hopeless cycle of hurt feelings when they can't just turn back the clock. And Dabi poking at his trauma like an unhealed wound, understanding how bad their (his especially) trauma with Endeavour is but not allowing himself to process the past beyond stewing in his own rage. Neither are processing it, are healing from it. Both are stuck there and it fucking rots them.
Shouto and Natsuo, while still affected by their own trauma with their family, have created conditions in which they can heal and grow from it. Natsuo cuts off his abuser (as much as you can while still depending on them for basic survival needs anyways) and lives in his own way regardless of his dads expectations. Shouto offers the chance for Endeavour to change, but has started to actively puts his own feelings, comfort and physical safety first. Because as much as all the Todoroki siblings grew up experiencing the same cycle of violence, the lessons they learned because of it and how they cope with it are vastly different.
Idk man, so very many feelings on this topic.
One of my favourite thing about the YJ core four is like. Individually they are all very smart people. Not even like, average intelligence too, they all are pretty remarkable for being smart as a character trait.
Bart processes information at a ridiculous speed. Kon-El is a walking encyclopaedia. Cassie is intuitive asf and is a pretty awesome strategist. And then Tim is a fucking chaotic spew of (arguably hyper-specific) intelligence.
But like. Together?
Minus all braincells. They collectively rot each others brain. Friend group of basically geniuses who have all forsaken any use for commonsense and instead survive off of impulsive and intrusive thoughts. Like alone they all have their fair share of 'hmmmm it worked but at what price?' moment. But collectively. Collectively, the fact that they survived past a year as a group is stunning.
I love my smart idiots tho.
Just. Bruce and Tim unintentionally gaslighting each other.
Bruce being supremely paranoid but somehow managing to like work it down to normal, parental protectiveness levels. And Tim being like. UGH, why are you so paranoid?
Bruce so used to his sons fighting him for independence, giving Tim space and Tim thinking Bruce is upset with him because. Where has his stalker dad love gone?
Neither of them know anything about proper boundaries, so Bruce calls Tim anywhere from once a week to every few hours depending on when they last saw one another. And Tim isn't used to having anyone call his personal phone, so it's on silent for everyone bar Lucius so he replies like. Once a fortnight if Bruce is lucky. And he can't see the missed calls notif because he's using a theme that renders notifs obsolete and only checks his Notification Centre. Which is always just filled with messaging apps his friends use to contact him because he's just so bad at keeping in touch.
Bruce is convinced that Tim is becoming disillusioned with having him as the failure dad and Tim is convinced that Bruce only cares about RR because he's getting constant cases from his dad, but Bruce doesn't invite him to cafe lunches or movie dates. (Bruce does. Tim is just shit at responding/often doesn't read the messages properly. But Tim always responds to RR stuff because different phone.)
Cale wakes up at 18 with the memories of himself across all three world. Like him as Cale, him as Kim Roksoo and the memories of KRS!Cale and he’s prepared and happy to leave his life behind bc there’s a world out there meant just for him. Even if it’s a him with a different face. He waits a day. Five days. A week. Goes to the slums to feed two kittens he has no right protecting. A month later he goes to Harris village, a village with all these horrible memories and all these people that his mother loved and he finds a happy community and a happy Choi Han, orphaned young but raised in Harris village not plucked out of another world and into the Forest of Darkness.
Him and Roksoo saved their worlds. There’s no more crossed paths. No more insane, powerful demigods to defeat.
There’s just him. Stuck in a world that has never needed him with people who have proven across three lifetimes that they have never needed him.
Two weeks later the Henituse County has adopted two Cat Tribe children and their eldest Son has just disappeared after a night drinking.
Ron finds himself in the work of hunting down a rebellious little pup and across Roan Kingdom there is a story, of a lone traveller with Golden rings and dark amber eyes. No one really knows who he is, only that he likes to drink and keeps to himself and is always somewhere in the background when chaos happens.
(Alternatively, Cale knows he has no right loving anyone and being loved by anyone. But he spent ten years perfecting being a bratty, trashy person. The least he can do to make up for it is making sure all the people KRSCale cared about are actually safe and happy. Because even without a demigod speeding things along, tragedies made from human circumstances are still bound to occur. But later, when his Hyungs family gets their happy ending, he can get his. Only then will he deserve to disappear from this world like the trash he really is. Maybe if he died he’d get to meet his team again?)
(Og!KRS actually gets to (somewhat) peacefully and obliviously live his slacker life with a family he loves. Y’know, massive trauma put into a little, inescapable box aside. Though the Webnovel he’s reading is getting really weird, weirder than when the author abruptly ended the fifth volume in a cliffhanger and made a sequel. And he’s never been too fond that the main character of the sequel shared his name, made even weirder when his friends names popped up as well. Of course he stuck with it and he thought the end of the second book was pretty satisfying. But the third book is just really sad and prolonged? This whole third/fourth life thing is getting a bit depressing and shouldn’t stories have like. A happily ever after? He’s also kinda worried about how dumb the main character is. Maybe he should start leaving comments on the chapters. This Cale punk really needs a good kick on the back. And a therapist damn. You know someone needs a therapist when he’s the one suggesting it.)
