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inoreuct · 5 months

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thinking about zoro being the crew's main protector.

it’s quite literally his role amongst the straw hats; luffy's captain, usopp's their sniper, sanji cooks, nami navigates, chopper's their doctor, franky's their shipwright, jinbei's their helmsman and brook's their musician but zoro? zoro's their swordsman. zoro’s their guardian. his job is to be the first line of defense and protect everybody else so they can focus on doing their own thing and sure, none of them really need protecting— but they don't have to worry about defending themselves, either, because whoever they can't or don't want to handle zoro will finish up (if he hasn't gotten to them first).

like imagine a bunch of idiots cornering one of the crew (bad idea.) and picking nami because she's the woman without a devil fruit, as opposed to robin (BAD idea.). they've got her surrounded in the dead end of an alleyway and have somehow neutralised her clima-tact and she’s not worried, she’s not.

but against twelve men and with her weapon essentially now just a regular staff, she might be panicking. just a little. she’s gotten a couple of them good enough that they’re down for the count before a chain wrapped around her ankle trips her. it pulls at enough memories, faded but never forgotten, to bring up a sickening wave of fear and anger— and nami decides that she’s had enough of the bullshit.

she takes a deep breath and screams. “ZORO!”

the silence afterwards is deafening. the wind shifts, gently lifting the pieces of hair stuck to her sweaty face, and the men laugh uneasily. one of them yanks hard on the chain and she spits at him, heels scrabbling against the dusty ground even as he starts reeling her in like a fish on a hook. “he can’t hear you, little missy,” he snickers, grin widening the longer nobody shows up.

it’s still on his face when his head slides right off his neck.

blood sprays right before his body crumples like a doll. it takes a second for the others to realise and then the screaming starts— none of them get any farther than three steps before zoro’s cutting them down, swift swings of his sword and almost surgically precise slices rendering them incapacitated if not plain dead.

“sorry i’m late, witch.” the swordsman’s breathing hard, gore dripping off his blades even as he arcs one down and snaps the chain off nami’s leg with a growl. “did they hurt you?”

“no. no, i’m fine,” nami breathes, her smile quivering just a little— not because she’s shaken, no. because she’s pissed.

zoro’s voice is gruff as always, but his hands are careful if not outright gentle as he kneels to inspect her ankle before pulling her to her feet. “stay close,” he mutters, making sure that she’s nodded before cutting them a path through the fray. they bump into chopper next, and the doctor’s out cold over zoro’s shoulder in his regular form by the time sanji joins them to guard their flank. nami’s taken to just using her clima-tact as a bat for now, and it’s admittedly efficient.

she knew zoro would come. he always does. for all that they bicker and snip at each other, zoro has always protected his crew— even when said crew was just three people on what could barely be called a boat. he’d fought for her at arlong park and he fights for her now, his sword slicing over her head at an enemy she can’t see as she ducks low to jam her staff into another’s stomach.

they’ve moved closer to their ship when they find jinbei, then robin, then usopp, then brook and franky, and then zoro’s yelling luff, time to go! and their captain’s launching them all back onto the Sunny with a gleeful cackle that makes nami wheeze a laugh as they land in a mildly painful pile of limbs. somebody’s elbow digs into her ribs and she’s pretty sure that’s sanji’s bony kneecap pressed into her lower back. the swordsman swears as he sets about trying to pry them all apart and luffy seems to be actively fighting him, based on how his cursing’s getting more and more colourful.

behind them, their enemies burn, sliced to pieces. they debrief in the galley and zoro refuses to come away from the door until nami drags him by the ear and sanji threatens to personally shove dessert down his throat. they both know it’s because zoro’s still guarding them from a threat that doesn’t exist anymore.

they know he pretends not to care as much as he does. they know he keeps his words blunt and his swords sharp, but zoro lets luffy hang off him, unfazed, and makes a marginal effort to stick to nami’s budget even when he’s getting booze, and he eats his dessert. every last bit. he lets usopp fire moving targets to slice through so they can both practice. he keeps collateral damage when sparring with sanji to a minimum. he stitches whoever needs it up himself when chopper’s a little too tired.

and when his crew calls, he answers.

(now with a part from nami’s pov!)

#idk what this is #it was SUPPOSED to be a much angstier scene with nami getting borderline tortured before she cracks and screams for help #and zoro comes in swords blazing in full demon mode because how fucking dare. how dare someone touch his nakama #but i’ll spare you guys the pain (unless yall actually want me to write it lmao)#but also i love!! romance dawn trio!!#one piece #roronoa zoro #zoro #one piece zoro #strawhat pirates #straw hat pirates #mugiwara crew #nami and zoro are textbook wlw mlm solidarity but also #their friendship is something so special to me

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doriana-gray-games · 6 months

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How I felt reading the new chapter tbh

😗🙃🥹

#Lolol #when I told y’all L’s romance would be *one* of the more angstier routes y’all didn’t believe me!#🙈🙈🙈

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quarter-lif3crisis · 3 months

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Brocedes

'Us Against You' - Fredrik Backman / 'Six word story' / The Gold - Phoebe Bridgers Version

#brocedes #lewis hamilton #nico rosberg #they make me insane #my life was ruined when i discovered brocedes #that is not an exaggeration #i thought f1 was about cars going vroom vroom #so why so angsty???#f1 #formula one #formula 1 #there may be angstier friendships in f1 but nothing gets me like they do #unless lestappen decide to not be friends #or landoscar #or alex + george #but brocedes is still pretty high up #😭😭#comparatives

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weaponizedducks · 3 months

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azula my favourite morgana variant

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mossmurdock · 3 months

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forbidden fruit (g.suguru)

suguru used to share grapefruit with you after class.

it was a simple thing. you both would wait for at the same bus stop, him catching the first and you catching the second. one day your stomach happened to growl especially loudly and the rest was history.

he was popular enough to get at least a few gifted to him during the months where they were ripest, maybe from different people or maybe not. the details never mattered all that much to you whenever he offered you half of one.

the smell of april showers always mixed in with the aroma of the peels, zesting the air with citrus.

he always peeled them so delicately, even targeting the patchy white pith that latched itself to the meat of the fatty fruit. he said he wasn’t a fan of the texture. that the extra time it took to scratch and strip the extra skin off was worth it.

you never had the patience for it. it might have been why he offered to peel them so often. he made them look and feel like such a gentle fruit.

“i used to be able to eat these whole all on my own as a kid,” he said one afternoon. “now, if i eat more than half my stomach gets upset.”

he splits the fruit in two, his thumbs digging, forcing juice to pool into the crevices of his fingers and lines of his palms. a pool of it stains the laps of your uniforms by the time suguru’s bus arrives. he leaves you with the corners of your lips tangy and licked wet.

"i used to mistake them for oranges," you included internally.

it felt embarrassing to say aloud. the words would have left your mouth stupidly as each memory of him expertly dodging your friendly questions tainted the skin of your fingertips. keeping you at an arm's length, stretching just close enough to offer you something.

he would have laughed. you might have smiled naively, glancing down to the remaining slice pinched between your stained pointer and thumb before popping it into your mouth.

you huffed a breath out of your nose sharply, cheeks sapped by his contagious inclusivity. he had a way of making you feel part of something greater, even if it were for just a few moments at a time.

for weeks you watched him: the way he licked juice off his plump lips, the way he styled his hair, the way his legs spread whenever he sat down, and how he always perched his backpack on his lap; you felt included to view all these little antics.

you wondered if—during all that time—he noticed things about you too.

the last time the two of you share fruit is anticlimactic. your guard is down. you don't even find out that he'll be gone until the new school year starts and a week of you alone at that bench passes.

you suck at the nectar on your hands messily, turning your head towards the road after hearing the sound of tires rolling through gravel.

the last thing you remember is seeing the back of his head. your eyes drifting to the closed fist at his side, a grapefruit peel peeking out of the crevice of his palm.

#this was supposed to be a little bday drabble for him but then i completely forgot about it! :'0 #so here it is now! pls enjoy #i ahve second part to this in the depths of my mind that gets slightly angstier (from the pov of getou obvs)#maybe ill write it up one day:)) but i hope this one still makes sense on its own #it was fun to write #moss writes #jjk x reader #getou x reader #suguru x reader #getou suguru x reader #suguru getou x reader

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tennessoui · 18 days

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wait the sadder mermaid au is anakin gives up being a mer to be with princess padmé who he has fallen in love with, and obi-wan who is his father brother friend guardian of course lets him go, but promises to go see him on the surface

but it's ridiculously painful that first time, when he sees anakin who is not his anakin but is a version of anakin who he loves but unrecognizable all the same. so painful that anakin says something to him in a human tongue and obi-wan understands him because he speaks english, learned it years ago, but he can't make himself reply, just shakes his head. which anakin takes to mean that he doesn't understand him.

it's even more devastating for anakin when obi-wan does speak but he actually can't understand the mermish language cause like. idk his ears are different now and the words are too highpitched for human ears.

so obi-wan can understand anakin's words, but anakin can't understand obi-wan at all and thinks obi-wan can't understand him anymore and it just throws into perspective that like. he's lost something. he gave something up. he knew to be with padmé he couldn't be a mer anymore but he didn't realize he would be losing obi-wan and now he has. he can't understand him. he can't talk with him. he can't tell him he misses him or he loves him. eventually obi-wan will stop visiting him and that's the worst thought in the entire world, sea and land combined

(it's like an anakin leaves the order au but the order is like. the sea.)

(either anakin moves heavens and earth slash moon and tide to become a mer again so he can get obi-wan back, leaving his children and wife on land lol or obi-wan decides to become a human as well so he can support anakin, only there's no way for him to tell him that so he just sort of disappears one day and anakin thinks he's gone forever only for him to show up at the market a few months later)

#obikin #kit's silly lil aus #im writing the sillier version but do not think i did not also think about the angstier one lol #who do you think i am

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motleyfam · 11 months

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Dick is convinced that food always tastes better after a show.

His dad laughs and tells him it’s just because they’re acrobats and they can’t eat much prior to spending a few hours intricately twisting and flipping their bodies through the air over the dizzying roar of the crowds below. Hunger, he tells his son, has always been the best spice. But Dick thinks there’s more to it than that. There’s something about the buzz — the energy following a performance — that makes even the simplest of dishes special.

With so many different cultures and nationalities represented at Haly’s, Dick is used to eating all sorts of things, learns to tell who’s making dinner each night by the aroma of the various herbs and spices wafting out from the tent. There’s a Russian acrobat and a Taiwanese contortionist and a French wire walker and a clown from Cleveland, and the only common factor seems to be their insistence that the nine-year-old could use some more meat on his bones. He helps his mother stir cornmeal porridge and stuff cabbage leaves with ground meat and rice while his dad, grinning, juggles bell peppers and onions and cans of tomato paste in an arc above their heads.

It’s always late at night by the time they gather around the plastic folding tables with full plates, aching muscles, and weary smiles. Snippets from conversations in three or four different languages wash over Dick, and he doesn’t understand everything, but he doesn’t mind it either. The food and laughter warm him from the inside out, and he eats until his belly is full and his eyelids start to grow heavy. His mother pulls him into her lap and lets him curl up against her chest, and he’s lulled to sleep by the hum of the troupe members’ voices, perfectly safe and content.

The night that Dick’s parents fall to their deaths, there’s beef goulash simmering on the cookhouse stove and just the smell is enough to make him sick.

#dick grayson #fanfiction #batfam #i was scrolling through some of my past fics the other night to answer an ask #and i came across this one #it's the intro to Comfort Food on ao3 but i debated leaving it just as this drabble #which is much angstier than the full fic #the full fic's more bittersweet and i'm a softie #but i wanted to share it just in the drabble format as well #so we can have both flavors #angst #grief #canonical character death #drabble

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smoosey · 8 months

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My one word:

selfless

"Maybe the Council could send someone else," Cody suggests quietly, his dark eyes concerned, "You're barely recovered from your last solo mission, and we have a campaign to plan. Surely it would be reasonable to ask."

"I asked," Obi-Wan says, "There is no one else."

Obi-Wan watches Cody accept it, sees his expression go troubled and resigned as he nods. Obi-Wan is needed, with urgency. Lives hang in the balance. Cody understands duty, above all things.

He really is, Obi-Wan reflects, a good man. A good man who loves him. Obi-Wan feels it like a knife in his gut. He has a bad feeling about this mission, and any words of comfort or farewell he might have to offer feel woefully inadequate when he can feel the way Cody's tender devotion shines steady and bright and precious and rare.

Still, Cody is going to let him go.

"Look after the men while I'm gone, Commander," Obi-Wan says finally, "And be safe."

Be safe, be safe. It beats in his chest like a prayer.

"I will," Cody says with a fond half-smile, but his eyes are sad. "Keep yourself alive, for me."

Obi-Wan wants to go to him again. He wants to kiss the corners of his eyes where he tucks his sadness, and run his fingers through his short curls, and feed him honeyed bread from his own hands. He wants to fold himself up into the steady light of this man's heart, and be held there. He wants to stay. He wants to love him the way he deserves.

But he is a Jedi. And there is no one else.

He walks out the door. He knows he takes Cody's whole heart with him.

#DEFINITELY NOT SIX SENTENCES SORRY #this one turned out angstier than i intended 💔#thank you so much for the prompt #burningfieldof-clover #ask prompt #six sentence sunday #codywan #smoosey writing

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beanghostprincess · 3 months

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Sanji might be a lightweight and a painfully honest drunk, but Usopp is so careless when he drinks. Not a worry in the world. Zero anxiety. He's even more dramatic than usual and dances like everybody is watching but doesn't give a fuck. And while Sanji sits in a corner, being overly emotional, he watches Usopp acting like the idiot he is. He catches a glimpse of his carefree smile and the way his cheeks are a bit red from drinking. He notices Usopp doesn't know what to do with his hands either. The way he takes Nami to dance or starts bothering Zoro without even thinking about the consequences. He doesn't look at Sanji, but the cook can't fight the dumb smile on his face when he stares at Usopp from across the deck. He hopes nobody asks, because he knows he will tell the truth if they do.

So Sanji thinks Usopp isn't watching him, but he does. He takes little glances at Sanji without him noticing. He likes the red on his whole body and the way he laughs at everything Robin says, even if it's not funny at all and just probably dark. He likes the way he holds his glass of wine, with both hands, as if somebody might take it away from him. He looks silly. Without realizing he isn't covering his laughter the way he always does and talking a bit too loud. Usopp likes this Sanji because he's honest, with himself, he means. And it's not like Usopp is going to approach him just like that, he still has some common sense even when drunk, but he lets his usual stare last longer than usual. He lets himself get lost in Sanji's eye. And somehow, on these nights, it is even brighter than usual.

At the end of the night, everybody goes to sleep, but Usopp doesn't like it. He isn't fond of his headache the second his body hits the bed and needs to sober up a little before actually trying to sleep. He isn't Zoro. Besides, Sanji is still there, curled up on the floor, in a corner of the ship, sipping on an empty wine bottle and hoping for more alcohol to come out. He looks tired and a bit nostalgic. When nobody's looking (or so he thinks) he seems... Sad. And perhaps that's what being honest with himself also means.

Usopp's shame, at this point of the night, has disappeared completely. And he still has some cocktails and beers on his body to not care about what he's doing. Especially since they're... All alone. On deck. Under the stars. He's starting to feel a bit dizzy, even if Sanji is only paying attention to the waves cradling the ship and nothing else.

With a nonchalant, quick move, before Sanji can even notice he's there, Usopp sits right next to him and rests his arm over the blond's shoulders. It doesn't perturb him in the slightest, Sanji just leans closer to him absentmindedly and Usopp feels that saying: "Hey, man." Trying to sound flirtatious has failed because his voice falters the second Sanji's head brushes his cheek. Maybe he was going for the shoulder.

But Sanji doesn't seem to notice or care about it, and Usopp's self-confidence comes back because the dizziness is enough to make him forget within seconds. Besides, Sanji seems too out of it to notice Usopp can't speak properly. His words are not connecting to his brain. Or mouth. Or maybe his brain doesn't control his throat. Whatever- He- he can't think. It's okay. Sanji is cute.

He doesn't expect the cook to have such a shitty balance, but he ends up falling on Usopp's lap, resting his head on his legs instead of his shoulders. Usopp's heart skips a beat, and it takes his breath away for a few seconds. It seems like an eternity. He's not choking, but damn, he does feel like it for a while. He probably will if he keeps staring at Sanji (drunk and red and bright and dizzy and pouting in the most adorable of ways) right on top of his legs.

The blond doesn't pay much attention to him, and Usopp guesses he might've forgotten he's the one there. But then, Sanji speaks, holding the bottle tighter to his chest and trying to squint his eyes at the hole. Perhaps that way he might be able to see the bottom of it. "Somebody- Someone- Uh- No wine."

Usopp frowns, but chuckles at the way Sanji slurs his voice. "What're you talkin' 'bout?"

And suddenly, Sanji feels like he's about to start crying. "Somebody drank my wine..."

He pouts, about to place the bottle on top of his eye. Usopp takes it away from him before he can do something stupid. "You-" He can't hold back his laughter when Sanji tries to reach out for the bottle and manages to place it to his side where Sanji can't see. He will forget about it in seconds. "You drank it."

Sanji frowns as if thinking about it, a bit offended by the statement. "I did not I- I didn't... I didn't drunk."

"Drink."

"Huh?" He makes the funniest of faces. Usopp notices his tie is messy and his aquamarine shirt is unbuttoned to the point of his collarbone being a bit visible if Usopp tries to look at it. He wants to bury his head there.

He shakes the thought away to respond. "You mean drink, you didn't-" But Sanji isn't even processing his words, because he keeps getting lost at something on top of Usopp's head. Idiot. Idiot. My idiot. He wishes. "Actually, you did drink. So. Uh- Doesn't matter."

Sanji hums under his breath and finds one loose strand of Usopp's hair that rests on his shoulder and falls on his chest. Sanji takes it in his hand and starts playing with it. He almost looks like a cat, although Usopp has always said he's more of a dog person. Maybe. In reality, Sanji isn't either of them. The guy likes rats. Fucking- Fucking rats. It's something precious to Usopp, because Sanji has only told him. Or so he said.

The sniper stares down at Sanji, who keeps getting lost between the strand of hair and the buckle of Usopp's new overalls. Tapping on the metal every now and then. It seems fun for him, so Usopp doesn't say anything. The weight of Sanji's body over him grounds him more, he figures, because he's still dizzy but he certainly can think better than Sanji. His mind might not be connecting the words correctly but... But he can think. Kind of. Better than he usually does when Sanji is around, at least.

His eyes travel to Sanji's bangs, covering his right- Left? Usopp's left. Sanji's right. He thinks. Yeah. Because the eye he can see is deep blue, and that's Sanji's left. The other one is clearer, with green undertones. He knows this because he remembers thinking it looked like seaweed once. Sanji almost hit him when he said so, but it was a compliment. Idiot.

It's a shame it's covered, he thinks, and before he can process his actions, his hand moves on his own to move the bangs out of the way. Usopp rests his hand on top of Sanji's head, staring intensely at his eyebrows. The sniper doesn't smile like he usually does, because he finds them extremely cute. This time, Sanji just looks... "You look handsome like this." Oh. Saying out loud stuff he doesn't intend to now, huh?

Sanji doesn't blush and runs away the way he would've probably done sober. Instead, he starts laughing like a lunatic, as if Usopp had told the funniest joke of the night. But it's not- He's not laughing at Usopp or even at himself. It's a smile of pure joy. It barely is a laugh, though. He's giggling. Usopp just hears it louder. Sanji's voice always resonates louder in his heart. "You look handsome every day." He says, out of breath, blushing and never looking away from Usopp.

Normally, the sniper would go into cardiac arrest for something like this. Now? He just wants to hold Sanji closer and never let go. After a few seconds of staring at each other, Sanji resumes his laughing. Usopp thinks he's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. "You're-" Suddenly, he can feel the grass under them everywhere. He wishes he could do the same with Sanji. Feel him everywhere. All the time. In his skin. Inside. His heart. "You're so regretting this tomorrow. Idiot."

Because he knows Sanji won't like it when he wakes up. The flirting. The touching. He won't do it then. He hides in between bottles of wine and starry nights. And he's painfully honest, but it's better than sober lies.

Sanji doesn't seem like he's listening to him, though, as he keeps playing with his hair. He leans his head closer to Usopp's stomach. "Did you like the cocktails?" He asks, his voice muffled by Usopp's body and one of his arms moving to hold Usopp's waist closer.

Usopp wishes he could have this every day and not whenever Luffy says it's time to party for no reason at all.

But it's nice. It's warm. Usopp can have this tonight.

He gets hold of Sanji's cheeks with only one of his hands and squeezes slightly, making him look up at his eyes. "How could I not?" And he decides to rest his palm in between Sanji's chin and neck. Sanji looks a bit lost. Usopp thinks he does too, probably. He sighs. "Everything you make is good." It's something he always says, but never in this way.

Never wanting to reach out and kiss him. Never actually considering to do so.

The cook does something he isn't expecting, though. He grins. A huge smile decorating his face. And it grows, ever so slowly, until it turns into the brightest of expressions Usopp has ever seen. Sanji's hand grips on his waist, as if he was holding back an excited scream. "Used your favorite fruits!" He turns his head to the side to kiss Usopp's palm. "I like thinkin' 'bout you when I cook."

He thinks about how easy it would be to kiss him now.

But Usopp only smiles back at him.

No amount of alcohol can take out of him the fear of Sanji pushing him away.

#it's been a long time ever since i got drunk. i miss it. somebody take me to a party already. i can't do this (<- has to work)#have some drunk sanuso bc i find drunk prompts extremely romantic bc this is how i started dating my partner #this got angstier than i thought it would i apologize they're pining idiots and sanji doesn't know how to communicate sober #little repressed bisexual french #black leg sanji #usopp #sanuso #one piece

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sincerely-sofie · 9 months

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*gently places angsty Twig comic in your hands*

There comes a point in healing, sometimes, where you must grieve the child you never got to be, and bury her along with the desperate hope of one day somehow becoming her.

It isn’t fair. And it never will be.

But you grieve the child, still.

#hey so do you think the PMD universe has a concept of PTSD or #I gotta admit I’m not so sure about posting this one either ;w;#i like. never make my angstier works public. so this is very new to me #man this AU really is just Twig Going Throught It huh #I promise it gets better #there’s a happy ending pending #Twig just has to get to a point where she can’t keep pushing things aside #she’s got to hit rock bottom so hard it knocks enough sense into her to ask for help #also when Young Twig appears beside Adult Twig she’s not literally there!#not sure if that was clear #Twig talking about how she feels messed up just reminded Grovyle of something she said while a human #it was a lil flashback on his end #*slips tumblr a $20 bill* please let this be less blurry than the last comic #stuff by sofie #the present is a gift AU #pmd2 #pmd eos #pmd explorers #pmd sky #pmd #pmd au #pmd comic #pmd grovyle

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flu0rspar · 4 months

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I made a silly little Quanyin drawing, I think about them day and night (… I’ll check myself out)

+And here’s a little doodle!

#one of my more angstier drawings #that’s why I added the doodle!#digital art #fanart #art #mxtx tgcf #tgcf fanart #tgcf #yin yu #quan yizhen #quanyin

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strangersteddierthings · 1 year

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You Left Me Scars Through Memories (Tangled in my DNA) - Prologue

"I love you so much," Stephanie Harrington says, reaching out a hand to tuck some hair behind his ear. It's more an excuse to touch than to clear his face of hair. It's at a length now that will result in the tucked hair falling back into his face with barely a shake of his head.

Steve blinks up at her from where he's sat in her lap, his face far too serious for a toddler just a few hours shy of three years old.

"Your life is going to be so difficult and it's my fault. I'm so sorry," she whispers, sweeping him into a hug. He snuggles into her embrace instantly and it brings tears to her eyes. He should hate her for what she's done. Perhaps he will, once he's older and can understand what she's apologizing for.

"I'm going to tell you a story," she settles back into the chair, a big plush thing that she sits in every night to read a bedtime story to Steve, or tries too anyway. He's at the age where he's wiggly and full of energy until he drops.

"Once upon a time, there was a man and a woman. Husband and wife. And they loved each other very much," she starts, running one hand up and down on her baby's back, soothing, "and they wanted nothing more than to have a child.

"But try as they might, no child would come to them. And soon resentment began to grow. The wife, convinced that having a child would remove the resentment, set off to make a bargain with a witch, said to live deep in the woods.

"She told her husband she was going to visit her family so as not to arouse suspicion. Consorting with witches wasn't something that was done, you see."

This is the longest Steve has sat still in her lap in months. She thinks he might be asleep but continues the story anyway.

"It took her almost three weeks to find the witch, deep in the woods. Upon arrival, the witch had tried to turn away the wife. But the wife was persistent. 'Please,' she begged the witch, 'if we can have a child then my husband will love me again.'

"The witch was not moved by this plea. 'You would bring a child into a loveless marriage?' and the wife argued that once they had a child, their marriage would no longer be loveless. The witch disagreed but the wife would not be deterred.

"'What would you give up to have this child?' the witch asked after being pestered by the wife for almost a week. And the wife had said anything.

"'Anything is dangerous,' the witch said. 'I can give you the means to have a child, but the universe will decide the price.' And so, the wife agreed, and the witch pressed a folded piece of parchment into the wife's hand.

"When she finally returned home, she had been gone for eight long weeks. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, they say, and husband and wife reunited. Still, the wife waited three more months before preforming the ritual the witch had pressed into her palm.

"Soon, they had a child, a daughter. But with her arrival came the universe's price. A life blessing is not an easy thing to give, and the price for life is the highest to pay. Free Will was that price. And when the daughter turned three, she learned her daughter also paid the price. Her daughter, and her daughter's daughter, and her daughter's daughter's son. Forever more. The wife, now mother, was angry to learn this. Why should her child have to suffer for her own sins?

"She told her husband what she had done. She had to, you see, because how else could he be expected to raise a child that would do everything you told her to? Words would need to be picked carefully.

"It was years later before the mother could track the witch down again, to demand the witch undo the curse. 'I made the bargain, why must my child also suffer the consequences?'

"'You said anything,' the witch responded, 'and I told you that was dangerous. It was foolish of you to think your actions would not affect others. All actions do.'

"The mother said, 'can it not be undone?' and the witch said, 'All curses can be broken.' When the mother asked how, the witch just looked at her and said, 'go away, and do not seek me again.' And the mother had no choice but to obey."

Steve still has not stirred on her lap and when she looks down, she can see he is asleep. Even if Steve had stayed awake for the whole story, she knows she'll have to retell it to him when he's older. When he'll remember all of it. Perhaps she should write it down, too, just in case.

"You see, Steve, what was supposed to be a blessing became a curse. One of obedience. People will tell you to do things and you will be compelled to obey. You will become someone you will never truly know, because anyone can make you anything," she says as she stands and places Steve in his bed. "But don't worry. Mommy will teach you how to trick and cheat the curse as much as you can."

#my fic #Ella Enchanted but make it 1980s and angstier #so i guess its more Obedience Curse AU than Ella Enchanted #title is tentative and taken from the Citizen Soldier song Chasing Your Ghost #steddie #eventual steddie actually #but first it would be steve x suffering #it'll be a full fic one day but like... who knows when #i should not be starting a longfic while working on my longfic for the steddie bigbang #the hubris of a fic writer i guess haha let me know if anyone else is long suffering like me #no readmore because i think its short enough to not need one

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