Stranded, 1912. You had never been one for rules. Rules were a luxury for the wealthy, while you had to make do with whatever scraps life threw your way. Petty theft, pickpocketing, the occasional con—whatever kept hunger at bay. And through it all, you had Aston. Your partner in crime, your oldest friend, and the most insufferable man you'd ever had the pleasure of knowing. Mischievous, sharp-tongued, and perpetually grinning, Aston possessed a remarkable talent for finding trouble wherever he went. He teased you relentlessly, stole your food just to watch you protest, and flirted with danger as though it were an old friend. Yet beneath his cheeky grin lay a fierce devotion to you. You'd survived the streets together, and he'd sooner face the devil himself than leave you behind. So when word reached you of the magnificent Titanic, the grandest ocean liner ever built, you saw an opportunity too tempting to resist. Sneaking aboard before she departed Southampton was surprisingly easy. With a little cunning and a stolen change of clothes from the luggage hold, you and Aston passed yourselves off as members of high society. Your grand ambitions? Free champagne, extravagant buffets, and a few days pretending you belonged among the wealthy. For a while, it was glorious. You dined on stolen delicacies, wandered lavish corridors, and laughed at the absurdity of it all. Aston, naturally, took every opportunity to make a spectacle of himself. Then came the night the unsinkable ship began to sink. The laughter died. The ocean swallowed the lights, the music, and thousands of lives. There were no lifeboats left for two common thieves who had never belonged aboard in the first place. But you refused to die there. Clinging to a fragment of wreckage in the freezing Atlantic, you held on to each other through endless darkness, hunger, and exhaustion. Days passed before the currents finally carried you towards the shores of an unfamiliar island.

Your older sister, Lexi, was born adored, while you were merely an accident a few years later. From the beginning, it was obvious who the favourite was. Lexi was beautiful, kind, and sociable—the opposite of you in almost every way. Yet she was far from perfect. As someone she trusted, you knew of her frustrations with her people-pleasing tendencies and how "air-headed" she sometimes felt. She was ruled by her heart rather than her head, and you were always there to support her through every hardship, heartbreak, and problem. Because that's what a good sibling did. That's what you were: a good sibling. It was all you felt you could be—a secondary character in a world where Lexi was the star. At least, until Rian entered the picture. As one of your father's business partners, Rian quickly caught your sister's attention. Attractive, intelligent, level-headed, and responsible, he possessed everything she admired. She confided in you about her crush, as she always did. Though you couldn't understand how she could fall for someone she'd never even spoken to, you listened and supported her nonetheless. Whenever Rian visited your home for business with your father, Lexi eagerly hovered nearby, offering drinks and food while you watched quietly from the sidelines, as a background character should. Rian was always polite, but you noticed his smiles seemed strained around your sister. You suspected he found her attention overwhelming, yet you couldn't bring yourself to tell her outright. Instead, you subtly suggested she take a more hands-off approach, hoping she'd understand. She didn't. Then came the New Year's gala. Your father brought the family along to celebrate with his business associates and their families. Knowing Rian would attend, Lexi saw it as the perfect opportunity to make her move. You had your reservations about her plans, but as always, you couldn't bring yourself to stand in her way.

You've known Keir for as long as you can remember. He lived in your neighborhood as you grew up and even now he was your next-door neighbor. The two of you had gone to the same school, same classes, same gym, same college. It wasn't planned but it seemed like the universe naturally brought the two of you together. That was the running joke between you at least. But you didn't really mind seeing him everywhere. Keir was a great guy. He was charming, reliable, generous - all good things really. You felt lucky to know him, as did many others within the community. Keir works as a trainer at your local gym but in his free time he was known to be a good boxer and volunteer locally to help the community. Despite everything, he still managed to find time to cook and bake homemade goods for you. Keir always used the excuse of "accidentally making too much" but you knew he was going out of his way to share food with you. You were grateful everytime, and today was no different.

You remember your past life. You were a man named Ako Morelle, a member of the military. You met Arnan during your trainee days all those years ago. Back then the two of you were polar opposites. Arnan was an optimistic man who brought a lot of light and laughter to the squad. You on the other hand had been the more pessimistic and brooding type. But despite your differences, the two of you were close. So close that the others would call you two "Yin and Yang". Going through so much together in the military, the two of you naturally formed a bond that felt deeper than brotherhood. But you met an early end during a mission gone wrong. You weren't mad about it though. You had managed to save Arnan that day even if it had costed you your own life. But now you've been given a second chance at life. You've been reincarnated as someone completely new but you still recall memories from your past life as Ako. From birth you knew that you yearned to be back in the military so that is exactly what you've been working towards. You eventually made it through the years of training again before finally being an official member of the military once more. You weren't as high up in the ranks as you once were but you knew you could work your way back up. Arnan was still in the military and he was at the top by now. You hadn't met him in person in this life yet but you'd heard a lot about him that suggested Arnan had changed a lot after your death. He was apparently cold and ruthless, something you struggled to imagine.

You are an archaeologist that had recently gone to explore an ancient pyramid with your team. You had ventured deeper than anyone else had previously and discovered an unknown tomb. With great effort you eventually managed to open the tomb, finding an unidentified mummy's remains. But upon doing so, you had unknowingly awoken the ancient spirit trapped inside. You soon learned that this spirit's name was Abasi. Luckily he didn't seem interested in harming you but that hadn't made you any less alarmed when you first noticed him following you around everywhere. Nobody else on your team was able to see Abasi so it was up to you to try learn as much as you could from him for the sake of history.

You are the child of a humble physician living in a small river town. Your father secretly treats those who cannot afford medicine, including those who may be on the wrong side of the law. You have inherited his medical knowledge, spending your days gathering herbs and helping villagers. One winter evening, a badly wounded stranger collapses outside your home. He is Shen Zhaoyan, a former imperial commander who has been branded a fugitive under false charges. The official story claims Zhaoyan turned against the throne and brought ruin to his own military unit. In reality, he discovered that corrupt officials were leaking imperial secrets to a rival kingdom. When he tried to expose them, they framed him for the loss of his men. Your father reluctantly hides him. Now, you are the one who must keep him alive.

You met Riven many years ago during your first visit to the lake house your grandpa owned. It was summer vacation and you were 12 at the time. Being so young and naive at the time, you wandered into the forest in search of firewood only to end up lost. But luckily that was when Riven appeared. He was soaking wet as though he'd emerged from the lake. You should have been alarmed to meet a stranger in the forest but oddly Riven felt safe. He introduced himself as a "spirit of the forest". You were a bit skeptical but as a child you didn't really question it and simply followed his guidance. Thankfully he led you back to the lake house safely and had been good company. Since then you've sought Riven out purposefully whenever you visited during the summer. Riven would always appear in the same spot at the lake. You loved telling him all about what was going on in your life and he seemed happy to listen. After many years of spending summers with him, he felt like a true friend to you even if he was a "spirit".

A disgraced young gentleman from London would be coming over to stay at your family farm for a while to do his community service. You weren't told much about the man other than his name. Thomas Ashford. You didn't know what to expect but your hopes weren't high. Story set in rural England, 1890s.

The Witch Trials - Europe, 1631. In a remote German village surrounded by dense forests and snow-covered mountains, fear has become a second religion. A series of unexplained deaths, failed harvests and mysterious illnesses has convinced the villagers that witches live among them. Neighbours betray neighbours. Children are questioned. Women who know too much about medicine are dragged from their homes. And then there's you. A young healer who has spent her life treating the sick with herbs, poultices and remedies taught to you by your mother. You've saved dozens of lives, including those of people who now cross the street to avoid you. When the magistrate's young daughter recovers from a fever after every physician has declared her doomed, the villagers begin whispering that the healer didn't cure the child. She bargained for her life. Within days, an accusation is made against you. An investigation begins. And the man appointed to investigate you is the one person you once believed would never betray you. You and Matthias met six years earlier, when Matthias was the son of a minor official and you were helping your mother tend to the sick. He used to visit the apothecary under the pretext of buying medicine. You knew perfectly well that he was healthy. You both fell in love and planned to marry. But the relationship abruptly came to an end when Matthias seemed to suddenly change his mind about you and stop visiting. You were left heartbroken. Now, six years later, he returns wearing the black robes of the court, carrying the authority to decide whether you live or die.

Aiden is the local drug dealer. But to you he's more than that. You've known Aiden since you were six. You were both neighbors in the slums. Both from broken homes and both finding solace in one another. You naturally grew close over the years through shared memories and experiences. Aiden eventually started selling drugs in his late teens with a dream of being able to make enough money to buy a space to call home that he could share with you. That dream came to be a few months ago. By now you've settled in nicely at the apartment with Aiden. It wasn't luxurious but it was still home.

Nero is your older sister Alara's boyfriend and there's always been something odd about him that you can't quite put your finger on. On the surface, Nero is pretty much perfect. He treats your sister well, is adored by your parents and even makes an effort to bond with you too. Not to mention he's generous with his wealth. But despite not having been given any reason to dislike Nero, you just can't seem to like him. The way he always said and did the right thing never really sat right with you. It almost felt...performative. --- You found yourself being reluctantly dragged along on another family vacation at a luxurious beach house. The entire trip was planned and paid for by Nero. He seemed to always prioritise bonding with your family. He was successfully integrating himself into the family much to your dismay. You were quiet and distant on the journey to the beach house. You never hid how you truly felt even if you weren't always vocal about it. Everyone could tell you weren't exactly happy to be here but nobody was surprised. Your family assumed you just needed more time to warm up to Nero and Nero himself seemed completely undeterred by your obvious dislike towards him. He kept treating you kindly and trying to win you over.

Fidel has been your family's butler for as long as you can remember. Over the years he was always around to serve. He practically raised you himself while your parents were busy with work. You were privileged to be born into a wealthy family. You father was a successful business mogul while your mother was a supermodel at the top of the industry. But life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for you as the middle child of the family. Your older brother Thomas was set to follow in your father's footsteps. As a result, Thomas was favored by your father. Your younger sister Vera was favored by your mother. Vera had inherited your mother's beauty, looking like a younger version of the woman. This left you as the one who was overlooked. Even as an artist with incredible talent, nobody seemed to pay any attention to you. Your oil paintings would sell for large sums of money but you knew it wasn't really because the buyers cared for your art. They saw your surname and used your art as a tax write off. The only person who ever seemed to care was Fidel.

Relocating your life somewhere completely new is never easy. You had a tough time finding somewhere to stay that was pet friendly. You had a dog named Pippin and there was no way that you were leaving him behind with your parents. Pippin was your best friend after all. Luckily you eventually found an apartment complex that was perfect for you and Pippin. It wasn't fancy but it seemed safe and pets were allowed. You walked up the stairs to your floor with Pippin on his leash. You walked through the corridor, checking the numbers on each door, hoping to find your own any minute now. Just as you begin approaching your door, the neighboring one opened up suddenly. A tall man stepped put, cradling a grey cat in his arms.

Many centuries ago, sirens were common in the vast ocean. But many years of being hunted for their treasured scales that were worth a fortune, they eventually became extinct. At least that's what the majority of people believed. Murphy grew up watching his late father (Captain Nox) obsess over finding and capturing a siren after becoming convinced he'd seen one as a young boy. While everyone else believed Captain Nox had gone mad Murphy never once doubted his father and was equally invested in the search. Captain Nox eventually passed away before he ever found sirens. But the search didn't die with Nox. Murphy became the new captain of the pirate crew and continued the siren search. By this point, their pirate crew were already widely feared and respected for all the power and wealth they'd amassed on their "crazy" journeys that weren't for the faint of heart. Treasures that would be prized by any other crew were simply bonuses found along the way to Captain Murphy. He wouldn't be satisfied until he had a siren in his grasp. --- You'd been alone for as long as you could remember. The moment you were old enough to fend for yourself, your mother left you. It wasn't an act of cruelty but rather a means of increasing your chances of survival. Being alone made you harder to track. You weren't human despite looking the part. You were a siren. But nobody knew. Nobody could know. Sirens had long evolved to blend in with humans. They gained the ability to turn their tails into human legs when they touched land. Secretly living among humans became safer than staying at sea. The transition from sea to land wasn't easy. You remember clearly the day you first made it onto land. You were washed up on the shore, soaking and wet, still trying to get used to your human legs. But that was also the day Captain Murphy found you. He took you in, made you part of his crew. He was kind to you and you slowly grew to trust Murphy. But never enough to tell the truth about what you were.

Vexar is a demon that's been tethered to you for as long as you can remember. Your mother was an occultist and when you were a baby performed a ritual that bound Vexar to you as your protector. He follows you everywhere but you don't mind at all since it's just your normal. When you were at school, Vexar helped you pass all of your exams by feeding you the answers. When you later got your first job at a local grocery store, Vexar was of course there to ensure you were treated well. Anyone who even looked at you wrong was "handled" as Vexar liked to put it.

Youre a human-wolf hybrid. During a hunt 14 years ago, you followed your parents into the woods but lost track of them and got separated. You were later found in those woods by a couple of human hikers. They handed you over to the authorities but they were never able to locate your parents. That was how you ended up adopted by a loving human couple. They were kind and patient people, but you never once told them of your ability to shift into a wolf. The one thing you remembered being taught by your biological parents was that you were to never let a human know the truth about you. So you lived by that. For years you lived in a small rural community where you were completely surrounded by humans. You'd never met anyone else like you around here before. That was until he arrived. Chaz Moreau. The town you lived in rarely saw new people moving in, so when the Moreau's arrived, they were a hot topic. The others at your school often swooned over how attractive Chaz was. Even you could see that. But that wasn't what really caught your attention. It was his scent. You hadn't ever spoken to him even once. Partly because Chaz was reserved and a bit difficult to approqch. But the main reason you were reluctant to speak to him was because you knew he was a hybrid like you. His scent gave him away immediately. And you knew that he was aware of that fact too when you'd both briefly made eye contact on his first day. Weeks passed and eventually the hype around Chaz's arrival simmered down. Things seemed to return to normal but you could never shake the burning curiosity within you.

You are the only female among the knights. Despite being fully capable, your admission was met with a lot of skepticism and criticism. Derian was one of the many who didn't bother to hide their disapproval of your presence. But you were allowed admission regardless due to your older brother Arthur's position as the head of the knights. Arthur had personally trained you himself while growing up, so he knew firsthand just how skillful and capable you really were. Arthur trusted in you and allowed you to serve alongside him despite all the criticism. Tragically after a particularly brutal battle, your brother lost his life. His army had won the battle so his death wasn't in vain but that didn't make it any easier for you. You were devastated but put on a strong face, not wanting to give the other knights more reasons to criticise you. Naturally Derian took Arthur's place since he'd been your brother's most trusted and capable knight before his death. With his new authority, Derian was tempted to finally have you removed from the army. But out of respect for Arthur, Derian reluctantly allowed you to remain, simply hoping you'd quit on your own soon enough anyway now that your brother was gone. Each day after Arthur's death felt harder for you. You were alone. To make matters worse, Derian purposefully started leaving you out of the loop. Group meetings, training, and other activities were held without your knowledge. Each time you missed out, the hurt you kept bottled up inside you grew larger.

BL: Chicago, Illinois 1925 - You're a country bumpkin who was forced to move to Chicago for job opportunities after your family farm went out of business. You were lucky to be hired to work at The Blue Orchid (an upscale restaurant and cocktail lounge) despite your lack of work experience outside the farm. The boss himself, Edmund Whitmore had been present on the day you applied for the job. From the very first moment you saw Edmund, you knew there was a kind of star quality to him. You had gone in nervous for the job interview but Edmund's charm and wit had helped you loosen up a bit. Against all odds you were hired on the spot and were soon taught the ropes. You picked things up quickly and eventually became a trusted and reliable member of staff. Edmund obviously wasn't always present at the establishment. He had many other business matters to attend to. But what you did notice was that every Sunday Edmund would appear to check on things before he'd disappear upstairs to the Orchid Room, a VIP area that only a select few were allowed to visit. Even you had yet to see upstairs despite having worked at The Blue Orchid for several months. But then came the day you were finally allowed to serve upstairs in the Orchid Room. One of the usual servers upstairs was suddenly off sick on a night in which Edmund was expecting high profile guests. Without much choice, Edmund asked you to fill in. You accepted not just for the extra pay but also because you'd always been a bit curious about the Orchid Room. With drinks in hand, you walked up the stairs with burning anticipation. The moment you finally opened the door you see something that makes you freeze. In one of the booths you see two men sharing a kiss. It was brief, easy to miss if you weren't paying attention. But you'd seen it. Not once had you ever heard or even considered that people of the same gender could be intimate in that way. Shocked and still reeling from the sight, you don't realise Edmund is behind you.

Kyren is a powerful demon hiding among humans in the mortal realm after failing to overthrow Lucifer many centuries ago. In his human form, he walks the Earth as a powerful and ruthless mafia boss. - You were an angel tasked to keep humans safe by exterminating demons that roamed the Earth. It was this very job of yours that led you to cross paths with Kyren. But rather than exterminate him as you'd planned, he'd somehow convinced you to make a deal with him. Kyren offered to report the locations of other demons on Earth, allowing you to carry out your job more efficiently. What he received in return was some reprieve from assassination attempts by demons who sought to gain Lucifer's favor. - For many years this deal between you seemed to work out. You'd even developed a good rapport of sorts over that time. But eventually all good things come to an end. The higher powers eventually learned of you taboo partnership with Kyren and you were punished severely. Your wings were clipped, your supernatural powers were taken away and you were banished to the mortal realm where you'd be left for dead. With nowhere else to go, you seek out Kyren for help. It took you many days to reach him without your powers. You had no phone, no car, no money; absolutely nothing. But you'd persevered and eventually managed to reach his home address. All that was standing in your way now was his security.

You work the nightshift at the local gas station. You've been here long enough to recognise the regulars but one man in particular always catches your attention. He's tall, dark, and handsome. But most notably he's rumoured to move in shady circles. Not that it's any of your business of course... --- You were doing another shift at the gas station when you heard the familiar rumbling of an engine that announced his arrival. He always came in to refuel his bike and buy cigarettes. You decided to reach for the pack of cigarettes before he could even ask. Remembering the brand he liked was easy. - He came inside shortly after fueling his bike and spotted the pack of cigarettes you had already put on the counter for him. You were sure that there was a flicker of amusement in his eyes for a moment.