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owlcomics101 · 18 days

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“Egg sitting.” Task force 141 x Penguin hybrid male!reader

warnings: Fluff, sfw (I am a minor), maybe some kissing?, cussing/swearing, Smoking (I do not condone)

Egg sitting. For penguins it’s the males that egg sit while the female goes away for a while to feed during the harsh winter and return back in the later Spring. This also goes for hybrids as well. You are an emperor penguin/human hybrid. You have the webbed feet, small nub tail and some fluff here and there. In the winter months your feathery fur thickens and you grow more patches for warmth but also for the sake of warming your egg. It was an off day and everyone was in the common room, you were standing up asleep, slightly hunched over with your egg resting snug on your feet. The team couldn’t help just stare at you dumb founded. It was quite the absurd sight to behold. The egg was already weird enough but the fact that you are literally sleeping standing up baffles them.

“Fucking hell….” Ghost murmurs watching you sleep.

“Howfur does he even kip lik' that?” Soap asks with a brow raised. He was sitting on the common room couch leaning against Ghost while Ghost sharpened his knives. Gaz sat in one of the chairs. He was trying to read his book but couldn’t help but glance at you. He was worried about you. Despite you sleeping all the time you still looked so tired with balancing everything. The missions, the egg, everyone else, and even your wellbeing.

“God he looks exhausted…” Gaz says with a sigh as he listens to your snores. Price takes a drag of his cigar and lowers his papers to look up at you before he frowns while letting out a puff of smoke. Price let out a sigh before getting up and walking over to you.

“You need a break soldier.” He mutters before looking over to Gaz.

“Help me get him to the couch.” Price orders as Gaz immediately gets up to help you. Ghost and Soap look at each other before getting off the couch. Soap looked down at your feet before searching through your fluffy legs to find the egg. He pulled the egg out and it was fucking huge. Soap only ever seen it resting on your feet and it looked so much smaller with all the fluff covering it.

“A'm feelin' ill that brassic wummin wha leid this….” Soap mutters before getting bonked on the head by Ghost

“Shut it.” Ghost says sternly. Ghost crossed his arms as he watched Price and Gaz carry you to the couch. A long relaxed sigh escaped you as you felt your self feeling the soft cushion of the couch.

“There, that should do it.” Price says before turning around wide eyed to the egg. Right…he almost forgot about it.

“So uh….what do we do with it?” Gaz looks down at the egg as he adjusts his cap.

Five minutes later you were still sleeping on the couch snoring loudly while the team tried to figure out what to do with the egg.

“Careful with it captain!” Soap says. As he watches Price wrap a blanket around the egg.

“Oi, calm down ya muppet! I know what I’m doing-I’ve seen y/n do this a thousand times.” Price grumbles as he wraps the egg snug in a small blanket before setting it on his feet and lighting himself a cigar.

“We’ll take shifts, Fifteen minutes each.” Price says before Ghost butts in.

“Fifteen bloody minutes!?” Ghost sets his knives aside as both Gaz and Soap snicker to themselves.

”Yes Fifteen focking minutes Ghost.” Price says with an eye roll. “If Y/N can do this 24 hours a day and even in god Damm missions. I think we can handle Fifteen minutes!”

“I’ve never seen a man waddle so fast on the field.” Gaz mumbles to himself before looking over his shoulder to see your sleeping figure.

The team each took shifts with baby sitting the egg, Soap was just getting off his turn as he hands Ghost the egg.

“God damm…how does he dae this a' day?” Soap says as he takes off his boots to look at his very irritated and sore feet.

“You should’ve seen Price’s feet, he stood with that egg for over thirty minutes.” Gaz snickers as he sits down in a chair and pulls out his book.

“Talk about determination…” Soap mutters as he sits down on the couch next to your sleeping figure. Reaching out to fix a strand of hair out of your face. Ghost looks down at the egg. It was his turn. He couldn’t help but grumble to himself. Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed as the egg rests on his feet.

You wake up ten minutes later to find your self on the couch. Wait-why are on the couch? Where is your egg? In a panic you sluggishly look around, you were still only half awake but you couldn’t bear the thought of your egg being missing.

“What-Where!?” You looked around still daze to find your egg wrapped in a blanket on someone’s feet. You let out a tired sigh of relief as you get up to take the egg back. You unwrapped the blanket from it and set it down on your feet again. Safe and sound. Your vision was still blurry and you couldn’t make out who was in front of you. It had to be your mate right? Who else would be touching your egg if not her?

“Thanks, love.” You mumble tiredly as you planted a kiss on the person’s forehead. You thought it was your mate but it was actually Ghost. You just kissed Ghost without realizing it. Soap and Gaz snicker before bursting out in laughter as you waddle away oblivious. Ghost was frozen in place completely flabbergasted and red in the face under his mask. Price couldn’t help but chuckle himself before letting out a puff of smoke from his cigar.

This happened quite a lot…mistaking your team members as your mate whenever you’re in a drowsy state. You couldn’t help it, you were lonely and touch starved for her. You feel like you’re seeing her everywhere but also nowhere at all. You were depressed. Gaz shared a bunk with you in the barracks. He was the bottom bunk and you were the top. He was in a deep sleep before being awaken to seeing you unconsciously trying to hold his hand. He goes wide eyed quickly stuffing your arm back into your bunk as you mutter random shit in your sleep. It always left Gaz completely flustered and he didn’t even realize it. Soap would spar with you in the training room, only to find you randomly collapse out of pure exhaustion. He helps carry you to bed to only listen to your crying in your sleep about your mate. It made Soap tense up every time in discomfort seeing you in discomfort. You’d also still randomly kiss Ghost on the forehead of his mask after missions if you were really exhausted. It made him freeze up every time because he isn’t sure how to react to such affection…even if he isn’t your actual mate. Price would see this all from afar. Seeing your exhausting as depressing state. Whenever you fell asleep or was too busy…he’d watch the egg for you. He wasn’t sure why, babysitting that egg was hell for his feet but seeing you smile knowing your egg was safe always made butterflies go off in his stomach.

You were just getting worst in your loneliness and depression. And to make things worst, you woke up one morning to your egg shattered into small pieces of eggshells.

to be continued?

(Gah this was so much fun! I’ve wanted to do this for quite awhile now! I honestly really wanna continue this but at the end of the day it is up to you guys. Can we get to a 100 notes?)

#cod #cod mw2 #call of duty modern warfare #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #captain john price #gaz x reader #kyle gaz garrick #soap x reader #captain price x reader #Price x hybrid!reader #Soap x hybrid!reader #Gaz x hybrid!reader #Ghost x hybrid!reader #mlm #poly task force 141 #poly task force 141 x reader

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purplehairedwonder · 5 months

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2023 Fic Recap

This was quite a productive year for my writing! I contributed to multiple zines, continued working on my ongoing stories, and took part in several events. I wrote 157,450 words!

Here is a recap of my writing for the year:

One-Shots

One Piece

Gen Fic

"Summer Nights and Festival Lights" (PG | 1,200 words): On their trek across the North Blue, Rosinante and Law come across a town having a summer festival.

Written for the One Piece Summer Festival Zine.

"Heartfelt Welcome" (PG | 2,700 words): Jean Bart could see why the young captain was beloved by his men. He’d been on the man’s ship for less than a day and already felt a sense of loyalty toward him—and not just out of gratitude for freeing him. Yes, he was more thankful than he could ever put into words to Trafalgar Law for severing his collar, but it was the kindness and humanity he and his men had shown him since then that truly touched Jean Bart. He was quite aware of how rare such traits were among pirates.

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 1 Prompts: Jean Bart and Scars

"Heart With Its Hands Full" (PG | 2,445 words): Shachi barely had time to register the blue dome spreading over him before he found himself face-down in a pile of snow several feet from where he had just been standing. He sat up, sputtering, while Law laughed. Shachi felt his own lips turning upward as he pushed himself to his feet; he liked the sound of Law’s laugh and wanted to hear it more. He was far more familiar with the sound of Law’s whimpers and gasps from nightmares, and if it took being the butt of a joke or two to get the kid to laugh, Shachi could handle that.

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 2 Prompts: Shachi and Snow

"Restless Hearts" (PG | 2,568 words): "When I couldn’t sleep, I decided to come outside and just… see what it felt like. Being safe.”

“And? How does it feel?”

Law shook his head. “I don’t think I’m quite there yet.” He gave Penguin a wry look. “Besides, how safe can you feel when you’re on the way to take on an Emperor?”

It was not lost on Penguin, though, that Law seemed significantly less stressed on the way to Wano than he had before Punk Hazard. That, more than anything, was indicative of how Doflamingo had haunted Law. Still, Penguin hated the thought that Law, after finally putting his demons to rest, didn’t feel any measure of peace. If anyone deserved that, it was Law.

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 3 Prompts: Penguin and Submarine

"A New Heart" (PG | 2,933 words): “What’s with those looks? You think I can’t do it because I’m a girl?”

Law rolled his eyes. “I don’t give a shit that you’re a girl,” he said. “I want to know what your angle is.” There was a small twitch in the girl’s eye, and Law knew he was on the right track. “Or maybe, more accurately, what’s your price?”

She glanced between the four of them before settling her eyes on Law. “I want to come with you when you leave.” Law raised an eyebrow. “I don’t want charity or nothing. I’m the best damn mechanic on this island. I’ll be your shipwright.”

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 4 Prompts: Ikkaku and Repair

"Touch-Starved Heart" (PG | 2,464 words): Law was incredibly touch-starved. He had a limited tolerance for physical contact with other people, and he would remove himself—or someone else’s body parts—with his devil fruit if those limits were breached.

Yet the Hearts were an incredibly affectionate—and tactile—crew. Over the years, it had become something of a competition to see who could touch Law with affection the most frequently or for the longest without being dissected.

Clione first became aware of the competition about two weeks after joining the crew.

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 5 Prompts: Clione and Touch

"Home Is Where the Hearts Are" (PG | 2,011 words): Law survives Dressrosa and comes home to the Heart Pirates.

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 6 Prompt: Home

"Hearts Adrift" (PG | 3,163 words): Over the years, Law became Bepo’s compass, pointing him in the right direction. Bepo might be the navigator of the Heart Pirates, but Law was his North Star. Standing next to Law as the captain ordered the launching of the Polar Tang, watching their crewmates hustle about doing their duties to put the submarine in motion, had become home, and Bepo finally understood why Zepo had gone out to sea.

And that’s why it was so hard to watch Law’s form grow smaller and smaller as the Polar Tang sailed away from Punk Hazard. For the first time since Bepo had left Zou, he would be sailing without his trusted compass guiding him, his North Star keeping him on track.

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 7 Prompts: Bepo and Lost

"Of Hearts and Broken Trust" (PG | 2,495 words): “I know it’s been tense on here the last few days, and that’s my fault.”

“It’s not—”

“Captain—”

Law raised a hand, cutting off the protests. “I get it. I left, and no one, not even me, knew when, or if, I’d be back. I put my own personal vendetta ahead of all of you, and you have every right to be angry with me.” He looked around the room. “I broke the trust you have in me as your captain, and for that I’m sorry. What we’re going to do in Wano… it’s going to take all of us trusting each other without reservation. So, I know it’s going to take a lot of work, but I intend to earn that trust back. And to start to repair the trust I’ve broken, I have to tell you why I left.”

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 8 Prompts: Hakugan and Broken

"Heart Affords a Smile" (PG | 4,757 words): Contrary to popular belief, Trafalgar Law does smile. Sure, he’s more apt to smirk, and he doesn’t smile often or widely, but he does smile.

Or, five times Law smiled and one smile that inspired him.

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 9 Prompts: Law and Smile

"Aftermath" (PG | 1,122 words): The aftermath of the fight at Winner Island.

"To Prove Worthy" ( PG-13 | 3,004 words): Drake met Sengoku’s gaze. “I want to become a Marine, like my father.”

“Your father, huh?” Sengoku murmured, his gaze going distant for a moment before he shook himself and focused back on Drake. “That’s a big decision to make, son, especially so soon after what you’ve experienced.”

But Drake was shaking his head before Sengoku finished speaking. “I’ve wanted this for my entire life. I’m more certain now than ever. Please, let me enlist.” Now that he’d started talking, the words wouldn’t stop tumbling out. “I know what my father was at the end, but he was once a good man. A good Marine. Let me honor that legacy.”

Or, after the events of Minion Island, a grieving Sengoku takes in the orphaned Drake.

Written for the Dark Waters One Piece Angst Zine.

"A Fall in the Woods" (PG | 1,497 words): While on their trek through the North Blue, Rosinante trips and sprains his ankle in the middle of the woods. It's a good thing he has a doctor as a companion.

Written for The Corazine.

Lawlu

"The Heart Is a Thing to Be Broken" (PG-13 | 5,514 words): The Straw Hats learn about Winner Island.

"Hold Fast to Dreams" (PG | 3,073 words): Law was nine the first time he had a dream that wasn’t his own. He was in a forest on an island he’d never seen before—the plants and trees were the wrong color for one thing—and he was running from an old man he called Gramps, only the man had looked nothing like either of Law’s grandfathers.

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 1: Soulmates.

"A Fleeting Moment (When the Sun Can Kiss the Moon)" (PG-13 | 4,356 words): Once upon a time, the Sun fell in love with the Moon.

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 2: Sun and Moon.

"The Heart Asks Pleasure - First" (PG-13 | 2,022 words): When Luffy was certain Law was looking at him, he said, “Take my heart.”

“What?” Law asked dumbly. There was no way he’d heard that correctly.

“Take my heart,” Luffy repeated, leaning forward. Though they were still a few feet apart on the balcony, Law suddenly felt like Luffy was looming over him. “And I’ll take yours.”

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 3: Promise

"Hurricane Heat in My Head" (PG-13 | 2,916 words): Five times Luffy didn't like the way someone was looking at Law and one where he did something about it.

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 4: Possessive

"Healing Hands and Healing Hearts" (PG | 1,488 words): Law might be a doctor, but Luffy, Law realized with a sudden flash of clarity, was a healer. Law had put Luffy physically back together after Marineford, but Luffy had put his own soul back together. And, two years later, he’d taken one look at Law’s pain and had extracted the poison from the wound that had been festering in Law’s soul for the last thirteen years.

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 5: Healing

"My Heart in Your Hands, My Hands around Your Heart" (PG | 1,908 words): In Luffy's lowest moment, Law takes Luffy's hand and promises that his story will not end.

In Law's lowest moment, Luffy takes Law's hand and promises the same.

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 6: Hand Holding

"Your Heart, Broken in My Chest" (PG-13 | 3,661 words): Luffy was far from an expert at having someone else’s heart in his chest, but he was pretty sure what was happening with Torao’s heart wasn’t normal.

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 8: Hurt/Comfort

"My Heart, Fragile in Your Hands" (PG-13 | 2,380 words): “I failed them,” Law whispered, and it felt like a confession—like at church in Flevance. Confession was supposed to absolve someone of their sins, right? He doubted there was a god anywhere who could absolve him of his. And yet, he confessed at the altar of Luffy. “They were my responsibility, and I failed them.”

Or, Law wakes up in the Sunny's infirmary after Winner Island.

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 9: Reunion.

"Our Hearts, Made Whole in Each Other" (PG-13 | 2,312 words): Luffy cupped Law’s cheek with his hand, softly grazing his thumb over a yellowing bruise. “Torao is so pretty,” he said quietly, a note of awe in his voice. Law flushed. “Torao’s heart is beating so fast.”

“Yeah,” Law agreed, swallowing. “It is.” Luffy’s, despite a few flutters, was beating steadily in Law’s chest. Law, on the other hand, felt pinned to the spot, one hand holding Kikoku and the other in Luffy’s grip.

“You should stay.”

Law blinked. “What?”

“You should stay,” Luffy repeated. “On the Sunny. With me."

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 10: Confessions.

"Amid the Falling Snow" (PG-13 | 6,672 words): During a supply stop on the way to Zou, Luffy convinces Law to join him in looking for a local legend. But when their search is interrupted by a blizzard, they're forced to ride out the storm together.

Written for Truffyfest Secret Santa 2023

Dark Rise

"Remorse Is Memory Awake" (Will/James, Sarcean/Anharion | PG-13 | 1,740 words): Sloane’s head hadn’t even hit the ground before James was dropping to a knee, Ettore’s sword slipping from his grip. He screwed his eyes shut as image after image flew across his mind’s eye, overwhelming him, entrapping him in a whirlwind of sensation, every sense assaulted at once. He threw his hands over his ears as if he could block out the sudden onslaught, but it made no difference.

He gasped as he realized what he was seeing—not images. Memories.

Anharion’s memories.

His memories.

Multichaptered (Complete)

"To Call Myself Beloved" (Lawlu | PG-13 | 13,202 words): Betrothal Chase: A longstanding courting tradition between pirates in which a pirate who wants to marry another must catch the object of their desire.

Now Pirate King, Luffy declares that his next order of business is getting Law to marry him. Law drunkenly snaps that Luffy will need to catch him first, thus unwittingly setting a Betrothal Chase in motion. While Luffy is all-in, Law is, unsurprisingly, a bit of an idiot.

Written for Truffyfest 2023

WIP

"Hearts With(out) Chains" (Dubcon Doflaw, Eventual Lawlu | PG-13 | 24/? | 3,223 words written in 2023): Law is reclaimed by the Family when he’s 17 and, with Doflamingo holding the lives of his crew as collateral for his good behavior, eventually becomes the third Corazon. Years later, trapped by his impossible situation, Law finds a strange connection to Monkey D. Luffy, which offers a glimpse of something he’s repeatedly had ripped away from him: hope.

"(I Made My Mind) A Sunless Space" (Dubcon Doflaw, Eventual Lawlu | R | 13/? | 38,080 words written in 2023): In another life, Minion Island goes a bit differently: a gravely wounded Corazon is recovered by the Marines while Law is taken back into the Family. Years later, Rosinante teams up with Monkey D. Luffy to rescue Law from the clutches of his brother and set him free for good.

"From the Ashes" (Gen | PG-13 | 3/? | 10,811 words): Blackbeard takes Law and the defeated Heart Pirates captive after their defeat at Winner Island.

"The Night Is Darkening Round Me" (Lawlu | R | 5/? | 21,728 words): After Law purchases a house sight unseen, he starts experiencing things he can't explain: footsteps when he's alone, a coffee mug falling from the middle of the counter, flickering lights with no electrical issues. He's a skeptic, but his friends convince him to call in a group of paranormal investigators: the Straw Hat Paranormal Group.

Of course, nothing is ever what it seems, and Law is haunted by more than just spirits in his new house.

#Proud of how much writing I was able to do this year #Trafalgar Law #Monkey D. Luffy #Donquixote Rosinante #Donquixote Doflamingo #Shachi #Penguin #Best boi Bepo #Heart Pirates #Lawlu #One Piece #Dark Rise #James St. Clair #Will Kempen #St. Kempen #Caitlin's fic

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elinaline · 1 year

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I wanna play too let me come up with an overly specific poll

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taggthewanderer · 9 months

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I wonder what a king penguin might think when it meets an emperor out at sea, at the borders of each other's ranges, or when the occasional vagrant ends up further north.

A bird that might be bigger or smaller than you, but looks so similar otherwise. Similar, but upon taking a closer look, things are off. Flippers too long or short, patches too bright or dull, the beaks also being off.

Surprising in a way that as adults they look so similar, considering their chicks by contrast look nothing alike. A brown muppet versus a marketable plushie. Both carried on their parent's feet, but in the case of the emperor, the price of fumbling the egg pass is far greater on frozen Antarctica ice.

#tagg actually talks #birds #penguins #emperor penguin #king penguin

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izunias-meme-hole · 11 months

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King Dedede for the “Send a character” meme you’re doin’

First impression: Yo is this guy just Bowser, but a penguin?

Impression now: King Dedede is legit a fun character and a pretty good king, despite his first appearance involving him stealing all of Dreamlands food.

Favorite moment: The Masked Dedede fight in Super Star Ultra. It was the last canonical fight with Dedede as a willing. In other words, this was the point Dedede officially gave up on throwing hands with Kirby!

Idea for a story: Kirby is somehow captured by the threat of the year, and Dedede has to go on his own journey to rescure him, save dreamland, and maybe pick up some food along the way.

Unpopular opinion: I honestly don’t think his Right Back At Ya voice would fit into any other piece of media. Sure Ted Lewis is great in the role, but hear me out for a moment. Jameson Price voicing Dedede in english on the other hand would be great, especially since he’s got experience with voicing kings (Emperor Rudolf, King Zephiel, and Isklander), and he’s got that deep voice that Dedede has in the games, so it would work better. Plus if he’s able to goof around in the role, he’ll be able to do so.

Favorite relationship: His relationship with Kirby. At first he genuinely disliked this little guy, but now they’re buds. It’s unfortunate Dedede gets possessed or mind controlled a LOT, but when he isn’t being messed up by some ancient power, it’s nice to see how far he’s come.

Favorite headcanon: Dedede originally wasn’t from dreamland, but rather the Forgotten Land. His family got him away from there when he was a baby and once he was in dreamland, he practically got spoiled by the Waddle Dees who saw this strange blue penguin child as deserving of a kingly position.

#king dedede #kirby #(one behind the mask) mun izunia #ask meme #ask

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burningarcadesandwich-6448f9e7 · 6 months

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Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Polar Animal Figures, Walrus, Carbou, Penguin, Fox. Polar Bear, Musk ox.

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anantradingpvtltd · 1 year

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Price: [price_with_discount] (as of [price_update_date] - Details) [ad_1] ???Kudrat teri rang-birangee! Oh many-splendoured Creation!' So went the bhajan Ustad Abdul Karim Khan sang before the saint Tajuddin Baba. The holy man, entranced by the song, clapped his hands and danced. Kumar Prasad Mukherji's elegy to a vanishing age of musical giants comprises many such shared experiences between performer and audience, between recital and applause. It is his salute to a world receding into the shadows of history, peopled by ustads, pandits, the rich and the famous, the sacred and the profane. He traces the origins of their schools, from folk traditions to the courts of ancient emperors to the sound of the ankle-bells of dancing girls. He points to the time when notation crept into classical music, horrifying old masters accustomed to an art form that celebrated spontaneity and improvisation, but resulting in the preservation of ragas that would otherwise have been lost to time. While Mukherji's beloved ???Khansahebs', ???Panditjis' and ???Buwas' may have been inspired by the divine, his recounting from legends and from personal memory shows us those greats as intensely human creatures. They are driven by appetites not always noble and their intrigues and jealousies are universal. Humour, too, abounds in these pages, as do characters who will remain forever etched in the mind of the reader. ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0143061992 Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin India (13 May 2006) Language ‏ : ‎ English Paperback ‏ : ‎ 354 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780143061991 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0143061991 Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 250 g Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 20 x 14 x 4 cm [ad_2]

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hyperbolicreverie · 2 years

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I think there’s an interesting observation to be made about how there appears to be a narrative pattern ongoing in One Piece about how the rising stars of the new generation of pirates also seem to be the ones who genuinely care about the people close to them.

Luffy’s a given here. All of the Straw Hats are, really. The entire crew is fantastically devoted to each other and their dreams. Multiple times one of them has been willing to sacrifice a lot to protect the rest of the crew from whatever adversary has reared its ugly head. They’ve fought governments and Emperors over it, and Luffy will never accept a world in which his crew or anyone else he cares about is allowed to hurt.

But let’s look at the two other boys out here beating an Emperor:

Law literally sent his crew away rather than risk them getting hurt in his crusade against Doflamingo. He was absolutely incensed at the suggestion Bepo, Shachi and Penguin could have ever betrayed them, and then willingly offered himself up to Hawkins' torture to rescue them when the only other suggestion was to kill them. He was also just straight-up willing to die if that ended up being the price for dragging Luffy into the fight on Dressrosa.

Kid is pretty consistently depicted as an angry, murderous bastard, but from day one in Sabaody it was clear that even he has his lines in the sand. We’ve spent less time with him than Law or Luffy, but he’s received some lovely, if subtle characterization in Wano, and part of that was showing how incredibly protective he is of Killer. For Kid, it’s clear that if you hurt someone he cares about, the price is to be paid in blood.

And let’s actually single out Zoro and Killer here too: Zoro, of course, has his famous “nothing happened” moment–among several other examples of protectiveness throughout the series–and, though the exact details are a bit hazy, Killer willingly ate a SMILE fruit for the chance to save his captain and crew.

(You can also look at Bege for this tendency. He’s definitely not the nicest guy, but this man loves his family and his crew and literally uses his body to protect them. And even if his plans against Big Mom failed, I don’t think she’s forgetting his attempt any time soon).

I think it’s also interesting to note that Hawkins and Apoo, who have both received beatdowns to a degree in Wano, are the captain who literally uses his subordinates as sacrifices, and the one whose entire modus operandi seems to be “betray your current allies as soon as that status becomes mildly inconvenient,” respectively. The narrative has explicitly made them pay for these tendencies: Hawkins tried to take Law’s crew and Killer’s captain hostage and both times ended up at the wrong end of a furious man with a sharp blade, and Apoo will probably survive Onigashima like the cockroach that he is, but he was betrayed by Queen in a wonderful example of karma, and got smacked around a bit by both Zoro and Kid.

The jury is out on the rest of the Worst Generation, just because we haven’t seen much of them. Drake could be an interesting case–he definitely had to be willing to do some terrible things while undercover, and we don’t know if his crew are actually pirates or if he dragged a bunch of marines out with him to play pirate with him. But I think we need more information on him before the jury can rule for or against him, and as he’s not really a pirate, he might not count towards this theme anyway.

But I think it’s a really interesting bit of flavor to add to the ongoing theme of a new generation being ascendant–a theme that’s been in the background since the parallel speeches from Whitebeard and Law we got that alluded to the ending of an era and the start of a new one at Marineford and Punk Hazard. Except the further we’ve gotten into the New World, the more and more that theme has been moving into prominence, to the point that Wano is practically shouting it from the rooftops.

And these tendencies stand in stark contrast to how Kaido and especially Big Mom have been portrayed. These are people who have held on to their empires by sacrificing and subjugating the people they should have protected, and now they're facing off against opponents who have all demonstrated that, even if it is not the crux of why they are fighting the Emperors--because let's be real, Kid has no reason to actually care about the people of Wano--they choose to allow themselves to care. Messily and selfishly and not universally, sure: but they care.

Now, none of the people I’ve mentioned are saints; they’re pirates, not heroes. But they’re pirates that given the choice between someone they care for hurting and material benefits to themselves will pick their people every damn time.

And those are the people who have started upsetting the foundations of how the world has worked thus far.

TLDR: The rooftop battle on Onigashima is literally the five most ride or die people in the Worst Generation versus two people who have been serially abusing their family and others for years.

#one piece #rev's ruminations #monkey d. luffy #trafalgar law #eustass kid #roronoa zoro #killer #analysis: narrative themes #Rev puts on her analysis hat

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spencers-renaissance · 3 years

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Shovel Talk

Summary: Hotch and Emily find out about Derek's relationship with Spencer and decide it's time for a chat.

Tags: fluff, humour, est. rel., protective!derek, emily, and hotch, relationship reveal, mentions of past hurt spencer

Pairing: Derek Morgan x Spencer Reid

Word Count: 1.5k

Masterlist // Read on AO3

Inspired by this post by @penemily that I couldn't stop thinking about. Honestly I love this fic so much lol.

Derek isn’t quite sure how he’s found himself in a vacant office after hours, crowded into an office chair with broken wheels as the two most intimidating FBI agents he knows stand over him.

“Either of you want to tell me what the hell’s going on?” Derek asks, bewildered by how quickly his evening had changed. One minute he’s sneaking looks at Spencer over his computer screen, and the next he’s hauled off to a private room like some sort of hostage.

He’s not scared, but he’s definitely a little pissed off. It’s nearing 10pm and all he wants to do is go home with Spencer, curl up on the sofa and eat take-out in front of the TV as they celebrate closing a case in their own way. He used to celebrate by going out for a drink, falling into bed with a stranger if the opportunity arose, but a quiet evening on the sofa with his boy in his arms is surprisingly satisfying these days.

Hotch raises an eyebrow. “We know,” he says simply, something fierce behind his words.

Derek’s heart skips a beat. It’s not hard to figure out what it is he’s talking about. He and Spencer had started dating a couple of months ago but had decided to keep it under wraps for now; something so young and beautiful was too precious to expose to all the inevitable eventual complications just yet. They’re so ridiculously smitten, though, that he’s not exactly surprised two profilers paying close attention had figured it out.

Ignoring the quietly humming nerves starting up in his stomach, he mirrors Hotch’s raised eyebrow, trying not to look as affected as he feels. “So… what? You wait for Spencer to go to the bathroom to lure me to an empty office to beat me up?”

“Maybe,” Emily replies, voice dry.

Behind the nerves and the posturing, Derek can’t feel a small twinge of hurt. “Look, guys, we expected it to be a bit of a shock, but we thought you’d at least be happy for us—”

“It’s not a shock,” Hotch interrupts.

“What?”

“It’s not a shock,” Emily repeats. “Everyone saw this coming a mile off. We’re not surprised.”

Now, he’s even more lost. “Look, can you guys just sit down? You towering over me is creeping me out, man.”

“Good,” Hotch says easily.

Irritation takes over, and he stands up. “You know what, if you’re gonna be funny about it, I don’t actually have to be here.”

Before he can actually make to leave, though, Hotch is shoving him back down into the chair, old metal and plastic creaking under the force of his caught-off-guard body hitting it again. “Stay.”

“What is going on?” Derek explodes. Maybe under different circumstances he’d be able to profile the situation but as it stands, he’s stressed and confused, desperate only to be allowed to leave this dark, cramped room and take Spencer back to his place. It almost surprises him that all he craves in such a weird and unfamiliar situation is cuddles and a nature documentary, but he’s been with Spencer long enough for it to be approaching normal. The younger man’s probably back at his desk by now, wondering where he is, and Derek would hate for him to be worried. He just wants to go home.

“Derek, we are happy for you and Spencer,” Emily finally explains. “But we couldn’t in good conscience let this go on without having a… chat.” Her face twists into the faux charming expression he’s watched her use to disarm unsubs countless times. It stings a little that she’s using it on him.

He splutters a little as a realisation dawns on him, equal parts bemused and offended. “This is… this is a shovel talk!”

“Yes,” Hotch says with a straight face, his expression tight and intimidating as he tilts his head to the side slightly, clearly entirely unaffected by Derek’s emotions. “This is a shovel talk.”

Derek feels himself relax, tension easing slightly. “Guys, I appreciate the sentiment, but Spencer’s my boyfriend; nobody wants to protect him more than I do. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I’m pretty sure we could give you a run for your money,” Emily says, her expression quickly transforming into something far more dangerous and challenging than only moments previously. “Spencer has something every single member of this team would die to protect. And if you get in our way, then we’re going to have a problem.”

“Emily, what, we’re friends.”

“Yeah,” she agrees, shrugging easily, “and I love you. But Spencer is my little brother, and I would do anything to stop him from getting hurt. As long as you don’t interfere with my primary mission, we’ll be fine.”

Hotch speaks before Derek can get a word in. “Derek, I knew Spencer long before you did. I remember the first time Gideon brought him to one of our lunches, and I saw something in him that made my heart ache. It didn’t take me long to realise that what I saw were the scars left by incredible deep-seated pain. Spencer has been through hell and back throughout his life, and he’s been hurt repeatedly by people who were supposed to protect him, including Gideon. I would do anything to prevent him from getting hurt by someone like that again, you hear me? Anything.”

As confusing as this all is, Derek can’t help but feel touched by Hotch’s earnest, emotional speech. Most of his nightmares these days revolve around Spencer getting hurt, and it’s kind of reassuring to know that he has so many people in the world who will stop at nothing to prevent those horrible dreams from spiralling into reality.

He can’t help but smile a little. “I’m glad he has you two,” Derek says honestly, looking between them, “but I can assure you that if I ever hurt Spencer for some unfathomable reason, your services wouldn’t be needed. I would hate myself enough for all three of us.” Even just considering the hypothetical possibility of hurting Spencer makes his stomach turn: it’s enough for him to know that he wouldn’t need Hotch and Emily to hold him accountable to that, his own self-loathing would be punishment enough.

It seems to appease Hotch and Emily, who Derek realises look sort of like intimidating twin mafia bosses standing over him like this, and they finally step back a little, posture relaxing.

“Well, what are you waiting for then?” Emily says, smiling for real this time. “Get your boy and get home. It’s getting late, you know.”

He rolls his eyes at her as he makes his way to the door.

“Oh, and Derek,” Hotch says, laying a hand on his shoulder, turning him before he can leave, a genuine smile on his face too, “I am actually happy for you and Spencer.”

Derek grins at that. He really is a lucky, lucky man. “Thanks, Hotch.”

“What was that about?” Spencer asks, his features twisting in curiosity as Derek makes his way across the bullpen to his boyfriend, Hotch and Emily emerging from the same room moments later.

Derek doesn’t answer properly, laughing instead. “You got some good friends, you know that?”

Spencer nods, still looking a little confused, but clearly deciding to let it go as he slings his messenger bag across his body, standing up from his desk. Derek slings an arm around Spencer’s shoulders, leading him towards the exit as his insides twist at the adorable blush that colours Spencer’s cheeks so prettily.

“Derek,” he hisses, “shouldn’t we be leaving separately?”

“I think it’s a little late for that,” he chuckles, looking over his shoulder. Spencer does the same, blushing even fiercer as he spots Hotch and Emily leaning against the railing, overlooking the bullpen with all-knowing looks on their faces.

“Oh my god,” Spencer mumbles, clearly embarrassed, but Derek just laughs again as they leave the bullpen and approach the elevators.

“Come on, pretty boy,” he sighs happily, sliding the arm around his shoulders to rest at his waist, fingertips pressing into the small frame of the boy he’s already falling in love with. “Let’s get you home. That penguin documentary awaits.”

“You’re gonna watch Emperors and Kings with me?” Spencer’s happy exclamation and the delighted expression on his face only warms his heart further, and in that moment he decides that he wants a happy Spencer and another nature documentary within his reach for the rest of his life.

Surprisingly, it’s not as terrifying a thought as it might once have been.

(If Derek thinks the shovel talk from Hotch and Emily is bad, though, it’s nothing compared to the one he gets from Penelope. By the end of the next day, he’s somehow reduced to tears that are both happy and the product of extreme terror, on the receiving end of a ‘baby girl’ ban for keeping it from her for so long. In the end, he decides that it’s probably an alright price to pay for everything beautiful that his life has blossomed into over the last few months.)

taglist: @criminalmindsvibez @suburban--gothic @strippersenseii @takeyourleap-of-faith @negativefouriq @makaylajadewrites @iamrenstark @livrere-blue @hotchseyebrows @jellejareau @reidology @i-like-buttons @spencerspecifics @bau-gremlin @hotchedyke @tobias-hankel @goobzoop @marsjareau @garcias-bitch @oliverbrnch @im-autistic @anxious-enby @queerminalminds (taglist form)

#cm #criminal minds #my writing #cm fic #cm fanfiction #criminal minds fic #spencer reid #criminal minds fanfiction #derek morgan #aaron hotchner #emily prentiss #penelope garcia #moreid #moreid fic #moreid fanfiction #derek morgan x spencer reid #spencer reid x derek morgan #derek morgan/spencer reid #spencer reid/derek morgan

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penguinstore · 3 years

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Penguinstore

Penguins are flightless seabirds that live almost exclusively below the equator. Some island-dwellers can be found in warmer climates, but most—including emperor, chinstrap, and gentoo penguins—reside in and around icy Antarctica. A thick layer of blubber and tightly-packed, oily feathers are ideal for colder temperatures. The 18 different species of penguins can widely in shape and size but all have black bodies and white bellies. This protective countershading allows them to hide from predators like leopard seals and orcas while they swim. While Penguinstore can’t fly, their stiff flippers, webbed feet, and sleek shape make them expert swimmers. In fact, they spend most of their lives in the ocean and do nearly all of their hunting for krill, squid, and crabs underwater. They can swim about 15 miles an hour, and when they want to go faster, they often porpoise, or leap out of the water as they swim.Life on landOn land, penguins have an upright stance and tend to waddle, hop, or run with their bodies angled forward. Polar penguins can travel long distances quickly by “tobogganing,” or sliding across the ice on their bellies and pushing forward with their feet. If it’s especially cold, they huddle together in large colonies that protect them from predators and provide warmth. These colonies consist of thousands, and even millions, of Penguinstore.BreedingPenguins come ashore to lay their eggs and raise their chicks. Most penguins stay with their mate for many years and lay only one or two eggs at a time. Parents take turns keeping their eggs warm, and when they hatch, feeding and protecting the chicks. For a few weeks each year, thousands of baby birds wait together while their parents forage for food. When mother and father return, chicks listen for the unique audio frequency of their parents’ call, allowing them to reunite in a large, noisy crowd.Soon after the chicks fledge, parents will begin molting. Unlike some birds that shed a few feathers at a time, Penguinstore lose all their feathers at once during a process called catastrophic molt. They condense this process to just a few weeks because they must fast during this time—they can’t hunt without their waterproof feathers.Conservation and threatsAbout two-thirds of penguin species are listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List, making them one of the most endangered seabirds. Loss of habitat, disease, and infectious diseases spread by tourist loom as threats. Commercial fishing in the Southern Ocean is also a significant concern, as it has reduced fish supply by about half in the Antarctic Peninsula. This forces many Penguinstore to compete for food, and puts them in danger of getting accidentally captured by fishing nets.Among the biggest threats to penguin populations is climate change. Warming in the polar regions has melted sea ice, which penguins depend on to find food and build nests. Rapidly changing conditions mean Antarctica could lose most of its penguins to climate change by the end of the century. To survive, they may have to relocate to new habitats.Now today our store ??? We are selling on Amazon Electronics high quality's product like speakers, microphone, headphones etc. 100% original products in handsome price. Garented also available. If you receive low quality or damage product, we are responsible for the claim to by any think plz visit our site.

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crosbymalkin871 · 4 years

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The Price of Love (1/?)

CHAPTER TITLE: All It Takes is One Huge Paycheck…

RATING: M PAIRINGS/CHARACTERS: E. Malkin/S. Crosby

CHAPTER WARNINGS/KINK: Alcohol, Foul Language, mentions of Prostitution, Mario Lemieux, vague allusions to Smut

AUTHOR’S NOTE: FINALLY! AFTER FOUR-FIVE MONTHS OF NO HOCKEY, THE LACK OF MOTIVATION, AND ME ACTUALLY NOT HAVING TO DEAL WITH A LOT OF STRESS, I’M FINALLY BACK!!!! Originally I wanted to post this the night of game 1, but shit happened and then I tried to post it before game 2, but y’all are getting it today! XD As a piece of compensation on my end, chapter 2 will be posted on Sunday evening. I promise, and if I don’t keep my word, bash me in the head with a hockey stick until I get a concussion.

Before you all begin reading, I just have to say thank you to everyone who has messaged me their excitement and their support throughout these difficult moments, it really means a lot. I also wish to extend my appreciation to 3 specific individuals: my friends @justinschultzy & @eafay70, and my dear Zhenya aka @cakemakethme (who will also be my Beta from chapter 2 or 3 onward). You three were the ones I continuously messaged updates on and your cheerleading was what ended up leading me to finishing this. So thank you very, very much! xxx

I have been wanting to write this fic for…gosh, maybe 2-3 years now and it’s finally being presented to all of you. I’m so excited for everyone to read it and to join me on this insane rollercoaster that is The Price of Love. With that all said and done I hope you all enjoy it, like and reblog, and I will (hopefully) post more sometime in the near future.

DISCLAIMER: I am not the owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, or are associated with anyone in the NHL. I just have a very strong imagination.

A variety of noises ring out in Geno’s ears.

“Beer, over here!”

“Four sangrias for table three.”

“Vodka. Straight.”

“Whisky on the rocks.”

“Daiquiri. Make it a double.”

“Two champagne cocktails for table seven.”

Orders just keep coming and coming. He had been tossing and filling up a number of glasses and flutes for hours, sending them out left and right at the bar with almost no chance of having a small break in between. It was alright though, he grew used to it throughout his years of being one of the many favored bartenders at the Emperor Nightclub.

That, and he gets some real good money out of it, collecting all the large tips he gets whenever he cleans up the dirtied tables afterward.

With he and Tanger, his best friend and the other tender manning the bar, it feels like a marathon— albeit an easy one— to serve the feisty ladies and semi-agro men currently trying to take over the club.

The Emperor Nightclub is still up and running as the night starts to grow late. With a birthday bunch, a small group of ladies having a girl’s night, a married couple looking for a partner or two to join their bed (whether they were open or poly, Geno wasn’t sure), and college graduates dominating the patrons tonight along with the regulars— the nightclub roars as if it is New Year’s Eve in NYC instead of any other weekend in Pittsburgh.

No empty space could be seen on sight from where he was standing, with new patrons coming in the later part of the night, while the earlier patrons have made the decision to stay even after hours of partying and hollering.

Geno was given a small break as the crowd in front of the bar disperses, having been satisfied with the drinks they were given, taking whatever leftover bills he was given as a form of tip.

So far, it was a relatively good night for him.

Well…until a small, very familiar group came in, with the leader catching his eye like he usually does.

Being a bartender at a pretty famous nightclub in Pittsburgh, he sees a whole spectrum of people walking in and out of the nightclub’s doors: with some of them wanting to down tons and tons of alcohol that’ll make them black out until tomorrow afternoon, and others being on the prowl for someone to either take to their car, a nearby hotel, or even the nightclub’s bathroom.

One of them was about three or four, sometimes even more, prostitutes that are part of the latter category, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t take the time to chat with the bartenders, something that always brightened Geno’s night, especially when he was continuously swamped with drink orders…

…which is how Geno’s break ends: more people clamoring to the bar.

As of on cue, the moment that he continues to engage in dealing with patron’s drinks, the orders come rolling in even faster that he almost skipped a beat. From the corner of his eye, he could see the expression on Tanger’s face becoming more focused as his orders keep coming in with some extra flirting and touching from the patrons on his part.

He snorts at that. While Geno didn’t necessarily mind a customer or two coming up to flirt with him, he was never really interested in them, only responding back just to make their night a little bit better.

Out of all of his friends, it was Tanger that got the most attention from the patrons, with he following at a close second. It made sense because the French-Canadian looked like a supermodel. And himself? Well he wasn’t really sure if American people have a thing for foreigners like him, but he continuously gets complimented on his ability to wear a suit. So he considers that a plus.

His other friend, Dumo, tended to get third; primarily because he got a lot of attention from the college kids, either doing an insane number of shots or just randomly asking about his athletic abilities. Needless to say, it was very amusing to watch him wrack attention from the younger crowd. Though if anybody were to catch his eye, they should be aware of how damn good a cook he was.

The other two bartenders, Big Rig and Schultzy, also managed to garner themselves some attention from the patrons. Big Rig, for his height as he stood almost 7 feet tall (much taller than Geno), and Schultzy, for his happy-go-lucky personality. It was always something that made event the downiest of drinkers smile a little.

Even if he feels just a tad overwhelmed by the all of the drinks he has to quickly make, getting a glimpse of dark, curly black hair and a thick, white fur coat was enough to quell his nerves.

“You all need some additional help?”

A voice comes from Geno’s left side and it makes him jump a little (but not enough to make him mess up an order, which he has done before and has given the person who scared him a very stern talking to). He looks over to see who it was and finds Dumo standing there with his usual laid-back smile. Geno may or may not have breathed out a small sigh of relief at his arrival.

“Possibly, considering that G has been trying to catch a glimpse of Sid rather than seeing how much booze he’s pouring in.” Tanger smirks, placing at Geno teasingly.

Geno rolled his eyes and answered with a scoff. “Yeah. Like you not staring at Flower too, Tanger.” He feels a little vindication when seeing the French-Canadian man scowl in return. “But help always needed, Dumo. Things getting a bit out of hand and no one planning on going home soon.” Even though he knows he’ll get teased about it even more, his eyes couldn’t help wander off around the club, looking at all the excitement that is still going strong.

And again, seeing black curls and a white fur coat— Sid was his name— releases some of the tension in his shoulders.

“Alright then.” Dumo clapped his hands before he started to roll his sleeves of his button-up. “No one is really wanting drinks on my end of the bar, might as well waste time by giving you guys a hand.”

Neither Tanger or Geno responded to him as he already accepted his first round of orders from the loud frat boys and flighty sorority girls welcoming him, leaving the other two to tend the ones lining up at their respective corners.

Within the next minute or so, all three of them found themselves falling into a rhythm as they worked side-by-side, the drinks continuing to flow out and tips continuing to flow in. And with more patrons visiting the bar, come more even more orders and even more tips.

The extra pair of hands certainly help a lot in making the work feel a whole lot easier.

Dumo serves every patron that tries to start a conversation with him, listen to their problems in one ear while paying attention to orders in the other. He also subtly brushes off any flirty advances, but he does throw a smile here and a wink there to please all who are openly staring at him. He even does a little dance to the beat of the music as a little extra entertainment.

“Should’ve been a stripper, Dumo.” Tanger tells him as he stuffs some more bills into his pockets. “Missed the chance to be Magic Mike in Hollywood, but there’s still a chance here.”

Geno snorts as he slides a mint julep down the bar.

“Ha ha. Very funny, Tanger,” Dumo states unamused. “Can say the same about you too.”

Tanger just flips him off while Geno snorts again.

Eventually, the orders died down and the patrons scattered about. Dumo returned to the other bar on the opposite side of the room with Schultzy and Big Rig, while Tanger cleaned up any spilled alcohol left on the bar top.

Geno, meanwhile, began pouring more cocktails, glasses of wine, and laying more beer bottles onto a tray; but these were for any of the people hugging their half-full drinks, or for the tables that were littered with empty glasses and lime wedges.

No. This tray of drinks are for a certain group that he had noticed earlier.

Carefully, yet a little giddily, he manages to carry the tray single-handedly, and without spilling a single drop of liquor, all the way to a very specific table within the Emperor Nightclub.

As he walks closer and closer, the wild pacing of his heartbeat grows more and more. When he finally reaches the table, standing behind the object of his secret affections, he quietly gulps and places a gentle hand on his fur-covered shoulder.

The man stops whatever he was doing and turns around to look at him. And Geno swears he could feel his breath escaping his lungs and his rapidly-beating heart stopping.

Aside from their beautiful curly hair, the man also had the prettiest brown eyes and the biggest, most kissable lips imaginable (not that the bartender would ever admit that to him). He also had on an outfit that was not afraid to show off his…well, assets; outside of the white fur coat, he wore a white crop top with a red maple leaf on it, black leather shorts that magically fits his ass, and past those long, thick legs were a pair of black stripped high-heels that decorated his feet.

Sid smiles kindly at him, his teeth showing behind those glossed lips. “Hi, Geno.” he calls in his deep yet sweet-sounding voice. It didn’t sound flirtatious or seductive, which is normally how he talked to his clients, with the bartender, he always sounded genuine and pleasantly happy to see him serving drinks to him and his friends.

Geno nervously smiled back. “H-Hey, Sid,” he replies, silently curing himself for stammering in front of a prostitute who he may or may not have a big crush on. “Flower, Segway, Mitch,” he also greeted, who were all looking at him before he grabbed Sid’s attention. He began setting down the cocktails, wine, and beer. “Here are usual orders.”

The three other men accepted their drinks: a margarita, a beer, and a glass of white wine, respectively.

Still smiling, Sid happily accepted his cosmopolitan, plucking a strawberry off the skewer that was resting atop the martini glass. “Thanks, G,” he says before popping the mini strawberry into his mouth. “I know everyone has their favorite bartenders, but I still say you make the best cocktails.”

Hearing that from Sid (and watching him eat a simple piece of fruit) was enough to bring a blush and a dumbstruck smile to Geno’s face. “H-Heh…Thanks, Sid.”

Sid nods, eyes shining with a glint of something as he takes a sip of his cocktail.

It was a small moment or two of awkward (on the bartender’s part at least) silence before he coughed. “I, uhm, I’m best get back to work, so…bye.” With that, he quickly flees back to the bar.

(As he did so, he heard the soft giggles coming from Sid, but he failed to see him lightly admonish his friends as they smirked at the obvious crush the bartender had.)

After that little incident, Geno spent the rest of the night catering to any other patron that walked up and asked for— or sloppily demanded— drinks. Whenever he had a spare moment or two, he would glance up at table eight, watching the small group of friends chatting, laughing, and attempting to flirt with some of the other patrons that would stop by their table.

Part of Geno’s heart crumbled whenever he saw Sid respond to some of the men’s flirtatious mannerisms, whether it be throwing out seductive words, or a teasing touch, or even a tickle of breath or the faint press of lips.

He knows Sid isn’t tied down to someone. Why would he, the man was a prostitute after all. But that didn’t mean watching him act like that with others didn’t hurt.

From the moment he first met Sid, back when they were teenagers to young adults and Geno had just started working at the Emperor Nightclub, he always harbored secretly feelings for the young Canadian. He remembered the first time he ever plucked up the courage to speak to him and slide him a cocktail: one of his first attempts at a watermelon cooler, too easy of a drink to mess up on.

It was a bit strong on the booze and not fruity enough, but Sid didn’t tell him that. He just smiled and thanked him in a voice that oozed sensuality and charm, throwing in a wink for good measure. When he saw how awkwardly the bartender responded to it— by stammering and not completely picking up the subtle cue— he dropped the act, apologizing for making him feel awkward. To which Geno has to apologize as well, because he didn’t meant to make the moment awkward, he just wasn’t good at responding to someone who was cute like him.

That made Sid pause and blush, looking away from the bartender for a split second before gazing back up at him, a gentle smile on his face. This caused Geno to smile back, the both of them feeling a bit more relaxed than before. When the awkwardness of it all faded away, the two of them began to chat during the bartender’s break, or whenever he would get a breather from serving. In those small conversations, he realized that the flirty prostitute was actually…very dorky.

A dorky man who had a passion for history, craved mozzarella sticks and cheesecake, and had a strong affinity for sports just like he once did. And he had the goofiest laugh Geno had ever heard and thought it adorable. Seeing this, Sid’s true colors was what made him slowly start to fall in love.

But deep down, he knew that Sid would never feel the same about him. To him, it was fairly certain that he would get rejected upon confessing his feelings. So, in every encounter the two had after that, Geno would simply swallow his feelings and allowed Sid to flirt and be affectionate with other men that weren’t him.

They were just friends, nothing more.

(Although he can’t help but secretly wish for that to change one day).

Geno sighed sadly and began to untie his apron, ready to go into the staff room and change back into his regular clothes when Tanger tapped him on the shoulder. He looked over at him, ready to tie his apron back on, when he sees him pointing to the stairs near the back of the nightclub.

Coming down the stairs was owner Mario Lemieux.

He turned back to Tanger, brow raised. “So? He does that a lot.”

“Yeah he makes his rounds like he usually does, but does he ever personally come to us for anything? Usually it’s Jen that does it for him.” Tanger points out as they see Mario making his way over to the bar areas.

Geno hummed. He had a fair point, usually it was Jen, Mario’s personal assistant, that went and searched for them whenever he needed to have a conversation with them. In any other instance, the bartender would not hesitate to flee whenever he could, but she would usually find him in the end.

But Mario himself coming out to talk to one— or maybe all of them— was highly unusual.

It was even more unusual when he realizes that Mario coming towards him. He didn’t know whether he should run, or accept whatever was going to be handed to him.

Still tying his apron back on just in case, he meets Mario halfway: near the dance floor but not that far from the tables.

“Ah, Geno,” he says as the bartender comes up to him. “I was just coming to talk to you.”

“Need me to stay extra hours?” he asked, seconds away from letting out a tired sigh. He doesn’t like the idea of staying later than 1 or 2 AM on most days, but if the boss says so, he’ll make an exception.

“No, actually,” Mario shakes head making Geno confused. “I wanted to give you something.” He hands the bartender an envelope.

Taking it, Geno still looked confused as to what it was until he opened it, then his eyes widened in shock.

“Boss, are you— Are you serious?!” he exclaimed as he looked between the envelope in his hand, then back at Mario.

“It’s just little bonus, if you will, for being one of my best workers.”

“This more than bonus and you know it!”

Mario placated him by resting a hand on his shoulder. “As I said, you deserve it,” he reassured. “I know it’s more than what you normally make, and more than the other bonuses I give, but there’s nothing wrong with giving a little bit more to hard workers like you.”

Geno gazed back down at the envelope. Inside was a bonus check of over $10,000.

“But—”

“No buts.” Mario tells him seriously. “I mean it. You’ve been very dedicated to your work from the beginning, even if you were completely new to it. But you quickly improved over time and became a favorite amongst The Emperor’s patrons. It’s not hard to see why, Geno. So, go on, take the extra bonus. Do whatever you want with it, a gift from me to you.”

With that, he gave the bartender a pat on the back before heading back upstairs to his office.

The whole time, Geno’s eyes never left the check.

It was a large amount of money. In fact, it was double than what he normally makes for a bonus: $5000 at most, but if his boss said that he deserved it…well, who was he to deny himself a paycheck like this.

Finally, his eyes left the large sum of money, trailing back to the beautiful prostitute that was still sitting at table eight.

Maybe…maybe his chance had finally come. He may not be able to have a proper relationship with Sid, but he could at least spend one magical night with him, for however long he could make it.

He didn’t know what Sid charged for his services, but he hoped ten thousand dollars was enough to satisfy him (he was sure that it was, he was just being really nervous about confronting him).

Gulping, the bartender slowly— and anxiously— makes his way back to table eight. Along the way, he tries to remember all of the fancy restaurants that are in Pittsburgh, and there are quiet a number of them within the city and the surrounding area.

There was the Altius that has an amazing view of the city… the Monterey Bay Fish Grotto is one of the most famous restaurants… LeMont has been around for decades and is still highly regarded… most of the locals would know about the Grand Concourse… since he liked boats, one of the Gateway Clipper’s Dining Cruises would be nice…

Maybe the Hyeholde since it almost be like dining at a castle… the Carlton has a lot of national recognition… Bravo! Italian Kitchen has a good menu and they do have creme brûlée...

Or…he may just happen to like the Cheesecake Factory instead.

Before he could even make a final decision on what he was going to say, he was standing right in front of Sid (or behind, since his back was turned to him). Luckily for him, his other friends were either out on the dance floor or chatting up the other bartenders; maybe they were in the back lounges, but Geno doesn’t really care, he needed to focus on his main objective right now: gaining Sid’s attention, even if it was for one night.

Reaching a hand out, he hesitates for a split second before he decides to gently tap Sid on the shoulders.

The prostitute turned around to see who was standing behind him again, smiling when he realized who it was. “Hey, G. What’s up?” he asks curiously while he licks something sticky off his fingers.

Geno stared for a hot minute before quickly snapping out of it. “U-Uhm—!” He blushed and scratched the back of his head. “I-I want you to know that Mario gave me big bonus just now…”

Sid smiled wider at that. “That’s great, G! How much of a bonus was it? The usual 5k?”

He shook his head, looking away shyly. “No…gave me double that.”

Brown eyes widened as he exclaimed, “Wait. He gave you $10,000?!”

Geno nodded, showing him the envelop with the check in it. “Yeah, and uhm…was wondering if…” He blushed darker, still keeping his eyes away from Sid.

The prostitute was looking at him with concern now. “If uhm…You want to spend a night with me…?”

Sid stayed silent for the longest time, staring blankly at the bartender as he processed what he just asked him. “Geno, are you— Are you asking me to…service you?”

“Yes. I mean, no! Argh!” The bartender shook his head, feeling more embarrassed and stupid now. “What I’m mean is…I take you to fancy restaurant, maybe do shopping, and…” The blush on his face grew darker. “I-If you wanted, we can go to hotel and… you serve me.”

A blush now came to the prostitute’s face. “O-Oh…”

Geno makes a flustered noise, still not looking Sid.

“I don’t— I-I don’t charge that much for a night's service, Geno,’ he tells the bartender with a shy voice. “Y-You can’t spend 10 grand on me in one night…”

“I-I’m know,” he nods. “But I’m try.”

Sid’s blush grew darker as he now looked away from the bartender. Neither one of them really knew what to say after that, the moment growing tenser and more awkward by the second.

Eventually, the prostitute was the one to speak first. “E-Even if you can’t spend all that money on me…it’d be nice to spend a night with you.”

Geno’s head snaps back to Sid, his own dark brown eyes widened at what he said. “R-Really?”

A small smile came to the prostitute’s face as he nodded. “Yeah,” he admits shyly, now looking back at the bartender. “I really do.”

He’s never admitted this to him, but he’s had a crush on Geno for a very long time now, ever since they met as teenagers in this very nightclub. He always thought the bartender would never want to be in a relationship with him because of what he does, but after hearing what he just said to him, he might actually have a chance to see if they would really work out.

“Uhm, great!” Geno exclaims with a grin.

Sid smiles a little more. “Did you have a particular restaurant in mind?”

The bartender pondered on the choices he thought about earlier before finally making a decision. “Altius?” he asks. “Is on Grandview Avenue and have good view of skyline.”

“Sounds great,” Sid nods in approval. “Maybe we could stop by the Cheesecake Factory afterwards. I haven’t had any in a long time and I’m overdue for a craving.”

“I figure you say that,” Geno chuckled. “Had that in back of mind in case you say no.”

An embarrassed giggle managed to escape the prostitute’s lips. “I guess I make my love of cheesecake very obvious, eh?”

“You do, but is okay,” Geno reassures. “I like that about you.”

Another giggle, this time, one that was more airy and a little bit giddy-sounding. “So, when did you want to do this? Tomorrow night?”

“We can do that,” he nods. “I take night off.”

“Are you Mario would allow that?” Sid raises a teasing brow at him. “I mean, he did just give you a big bonus. He may change his mind when he hears you taking a day off.”

Geno waved at him nonchalantly. “Eh. He not mind.” he tells him. “Besides, be nice to get away from club for one night. And I spending night with you, so is good reason.” He lightly smirked at him.

Sid’s blush couldn’t get any redder, but it manages to with the bartender’s words. Just then a waiter came by and served him another drink, this time, a vibrant sunrise cocktail.

He takes the drink with a nod and a slight smirk before the waiter walks away. He takes a sip before turning back to Geno, his smirk growing in seductiveness. “So,” he starts before licking his lips, a little cayenne salt sticking to them. “Will I be seeing you tomorrow night?”

The bartender gulped and managed to nod, trying to keep his dirty thoughts at bay. “Yeah…see you tomorrow night.”

#SidGeno #Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin #otp: we grew up together here #hockey rpf #my hockey fanfiction #mpreg tw #The Price of Love

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purplehairedwonder · 1 year

Text

Heart Pirates Week 2023 Recap

I was able to write something for all nine days of Heart Pirates Week 2023. Here is a recap of what I wrote:

“Heartfelt Welcome” (PG | Gen | 2.7K for the prompts “Jean Bart” and “Scars”): Jean Bart could see why the young captain was beloved by his men. He’d been on the man’s ship for less than a day and already felt a sense of loyalty toward him—and not just out of gratitude for freeing him. Yes, he was more thankful than he could ever put into words to Trafalgar Law for severing his collar, but it was the kindness and humanity he and his men had shown him since then that truly touched Jean Bart. He was quite aware of how rare such traits were among pirates.

“Heart with Its Hands Full” (PG | Gen | 2.5K for the prompts “Shachi” and “Snow”): Shachi barely had time to register the blue dome spreading over him before he found himself face-down in a pile of snow several feet from where he had just been standing. He sat up, sputtering, while Law laughed. Shachi felt his own lips turning upward as he pushed himself to his feet; he liked the sound of Law’s laugh and wanted to hear it more. He was far more familiar with the sound of Law’s whimpers and gasps from nightmares, and if it took being the butt of a joke or two to get the kid to laugh, Shachi could handle that.

“Restless Hearts” (PG | Gen | 2.5K for the prompts “Penguin” and “Submarine”): "When I couldn’t sleep, I decided to come outside and just… see what it felt like. Being safe.”

“And? How does it feel?”

Law shook his head. “I don’t think I’m quite there yet.” He gave Penguin a wry look. “Besides, how safe can you feel when you’re on the way to take on an Emperor?”

“A New Heart” (PG | Gen | 2.9K for the prompts “Ikkaku” and “Repair”): “What’s with those looks? You think I can’t do it because I’m a girl?”

“Touch-Starved Heart” (PG | Gen | 2.4K for the prompts “Clione” and “Touch”): Law was incredibly touch-starved. He had a limited tolerance for physical contact with other people, and he would remove himself—or someone else’s body parts—with his devil fruit if those limits were breached.

Clione first became aware of the competition about two weeks after joining the crew.

“Home Is Where the Hearts Are” (PG | Gen | 2K for the prompt “Home”): Law survives Dressrosa and comes home to the Heart Pirates.

“Hearts Adrift” (PG | Gen | 3.1K for the prompts “Bepo” and “Lost”): Over the years, Law became Bepo’s compass, pointing him in the right direction. Bepo might be the navigator of the Heart Pirates, but Law was his North Star. Standing next to Law as the captain ordered the launching of the Polar Tang, watching their crewmates hustle about doing their duties to put the submarine in motion, had become home, and Bepo finally understood why Zepo had gone out to sea.

“Of Hearts and Broken Trust” (PG | Gen | 2.4K for the prompts “Hakugan” and “Broken”): “I know it’s been tense on here the last few days, and that’s my fault.”

“It’s not—”

“Captain—”

“Heart Affords a Smile” (PG | Gen | 4.7K for the prompts “Law” and “Smile”): Contrary to popular belief, Trafalgar Law does smile. Sure, he’s more apt to smirk, and he doesn’t smile often or widely, but he does smile.

Or, five times Law smiled and one smile that inspired him.

#Trafalgar Law #Best boi Bepo #Shachi #Penguin #Jean Bart #Ikkaku #Clione #Uni #Hakugan #Heart Pirates #Heart Pirates Week 2023 #One Piece #One Piece fic #One Piece fanfiction #Caitlin's fic

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johannstutt413 · 4 years

Text

(requested by anonymous; technically a continuation to this)

Penguin Logistics - a company where the sexual tension could be cut with a knife if you so desired. Many of the Operators who worked with the girls (and Bison) of PL had to wonder if the business’s leader/mascot/breakout rap superstar had intentionally brought together a group like this, but if anyone had had the balls to ask, they hadn’t shared what they learned. It was kind of weird for them to think any of them would actually do something about their feelings.

Then everything changed when Sora and the Doctor confessed their feelings to each other.

It was about three months after that fateful day; Mostima had returned after the fiasco with Lungmen a week ago and hadn’t gone off again yet, her excuse being that she wanted to explore Rhodes Island before heading out again. Sora had just gotten engaged (no points for guessing to whom), and Emperor had decided it was as good an excuse as any other to throw a party. There’d be plenty of booze, plenty of music, and everyone could just have a good time. At least...that was the plan.

At some point that night, one of them suggested playing a game of poker; who made the suggestion doesn’t really matter, but the fact that most of them agreed to play certainly does. Bison and Croissant abstained; it’d already been a long day, Bison had a job starting early the next day, and Croissant had had a couple more drinks than she’d intended and didn’t feel like gambling her spending money away so quickly. When he noticed the trouble she was having walking in a straight line, Bison offered to help her to her room, and they said goodnight to the rest as he had to use both of his hands to keep her steady.

Emperor volunteered to play the dealer for the evening - he didn’t want to rob them all blind, after all - which left Sora, the Doctor, Texas, Exusiai, and Mostima (arranged in that order) paying into the pot. It was clear early on that the Doctor knew the cards but couldn’t bluff for shit, and she was the first out; since buy-ins were using real cash, and she was rather light at the moment, she didn’t join back in, and after a couple more hands, Sora was out as well. That left two angels, one fallen, and the fastest delivery-wolf in the west in a game far more intense than the amount of empty bottles around the office would’ve implied to an outsider.

“Alright girls, this is gonna be the last hand for the night.” Emperor yawned, flapping his flippers rapidly to shake off the sleepies before dealing their cards. “Whoever walks away with the most at the end of it wins the whole thing. Texas, if you don’t mind, it’ll be $300.”

“Sounds good to me.” She took the smallest stack of chips adding up to that price and slid it into the pot.

Exu glanced at her cards once, twice, three times, before finally saying, “I’ll call.”

“I’ll raise it to $1000,” Mostima asserted. She hadn’t looked at her cards once.

“Call,” Texas replied almost instantly, putting in the required $700.

The red headed angel hemmed and hawed for a moment before nodding to herself. “I’ll raise to $2000.”

“...All in.”

“Call.”

Exusiai smiled brightly. “Call!” All three players moved their chips into the pool.

“I know I said ‘last hand,’ but shit, this is a real turn.” Emperor went through, flipping cards, until all were revealed. “Alright, that’s two Jacks, a Queen, and two fives. Let’s seem ‘em, Texas.”

“Ace-King.”

Exu’s eyes went wide. “Hey, I got that, too!” She revealed she did, in fact, have Ace-King as well, each of a different suit to Texas’.

“That makes three of us,” Mostima confirmed, turning over both her cards in a single motion. “What a way to end the night.”

“Well, I won’t bother splitting the pot myself. Don’t forget to clean up on your way out.” Emperor hopped off his stool, leaving them to stew in the pot he left for them.

After taking care of that much, Texas collapsed into the loveseat. “What a night.”

“I’ll say,” Exusiai agreed. “I can’t believe Sora’s really getting married.”

“I always guessed it would be her first, if any of you were going to.” Mostima shrugged, flicking a $5 poker chip in the air and catching it on her thumb ad nauseam.

The other Sankta in the room cocked her head. “What do you mean by that?”

“Ignoring Bison for the moment,” she continued, “Croissant has never showed much of an interest, I travel too much to settle down, and Texas always looks annoyed or mad at something which scares people off.”

“And what about me?”

Mostima smiled. “You’re always going to hold out for me, aren’t you?”

“I don’t have to, you know,” she retorted. “And Texas isn’t that scary.”

“I’m not?” The Lupo seemed nonplussed by that.

Exusiai hopped up and walked over to her. “Not at all. I’ll kill two birds with one stone right now.”

“Exu, wha-” Texas didn’t get to finish her sentence, however, as a pair of lips stopped her from doing just that. Her eyes flared open as it happened, but the next few words were slow to come out. “...Mostima, when did you get over here.”

“I can erase time,” she shrugged.

The other angel pouted. “No fair - I was going to do that.”

“You always did have good taste,” Mostima smirked before giving her a kiss as well. “Happy?”

“No.” Her face was a mask of mixed emotions.

Texas stood up from her chair and took Exusiai’s hands in hers. “You were saying?”

“Really?” She immediately perked right back up. “Aww, Texas, have you been holding out on me?”

“Don’t play dumb; that’s my job.” As she said that, one arm went around the angel’s waist as the other went to the small of her back. Exu followed suit, and one passionate kiss later, they’d fallen onto the couch next to them, the Lupo on top with her tail wagging all the while.

Mostima watched all of this with an expression the other angel might’ve recognized if she weren’t occupied at the moment. “I suppose I’ll leave you to it-”

“Mmm.” One of each of their hands reached out to pull on her. They looked up at her, with Exusiai speaking for the both of them. “You can stay, if you want.”

“Well, with an invitation like that...”

The next morning, Sora walked into HQ, humming her latest song-in-progress up until she saw the amount of loose clothing on the floor. Glancing over at the couch, she blushed heavily before turning around and announcing, “Good morning, girls!”

“Hmm?” Texas woke up at the bottom of the pile before groaning. “We had to do it in the office, didn’t we...”

“You two started this,” Mostima smirked, her head on the other side of the couch.

Exusiai sat up and stretched from the top of the pile. “Aw well. Sora, could you help a couple girls out getting back in order?”

“S-sure, Exu.” The four of them went through the clothes scattered on the floor, the idol’s eyes pointedly focused on the ground until they were at least moderately covered. “H-how did the game go?”

“Three-way tie,” Texas replied before snorting as the other two began to giggle.

At that moment, Bison staggered in, looking like he’d just barely made it out of bed himself. “Mornin’, ev’ry’ne.”

“Morning, Bison!” Exusiai cocked her head. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, ‘m fine. ‘zere coffee yet?”

Sora walked over to the machine. “Not yet, but I’ll make you some.”

“Thanks.” He sat at the bar and buried his head in his arms. “‘Stoo damn bright’day.”

“What happened? You look like you got run over by a truck,” Mostima observed, her characteristic half-smirk now fully in place for a day’s use.

He looked back at her, attempting to glare but only managing to squint. “Wazzup mosta last night.”

“Really?” Exu couldn’t imagine why. “How come?”

“Mornin’; girls!” Croissant walked in and joined Bison at the bar, sliding an arm around his shoulder.

He returned the favor, setting his head on her shoulder. “Thnx 4 wakin mup thz mornin,” he slurred together.

“‘Course,” she smiled, giving him a peck on the cheek. “D’ya want me to come with ya for this’un?”

“Mmhmm.” Sora set a cup of coffee next to him, which with Croissant’s help he managed to hold to his lips for a sip.

Texas asked the question on all their minds. “Did you two spend last night together?”

“Aw shucks, he was a real champ,” Croissant beamed. “A real keeper, this one.”

“I should call my dad before we head out,” Bison muttered.

She rubbed his back. “You ain’t gotta worry ‘bout that after one night.”

“Thanks,” he shook his head, “but I want him to meet you, and if we’re going that direction anyway...”

“Now ain’t you just the sweetest apple in the barrel!” The cup of coffee was set to the side as she set upon him.

Texas and Mostima shared a glance and a smile as Sora looked between them. The Sankta shared the thought with her as they looked at Exusiai. “I’m pretty sure ours is sweeter.”

[Note: There was another way they could’ve found out about Bison/Croissant...]

#arknights #texas (arknights)#exusiai (arknights)#mostima (arknights)#bison (arknights)#sora (arknights)#croissant (arknights)#this was a little weird to right #but holy shit was it fun at the end there #my boy bison at it again #also expect more croissant #i don't use her for missions #but i'm realizing now how much i love 'country' accent #reminds me of my home town #i kinda sound like her sometimes irl #it's great #arknights fic

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ahitworldshift · 4 years

Text

Emma, it’s been eight- No, NINE months! Where have you gone? ...Laziness got to me, but now, let’s continue our story.

Chapter Three, Part 2: Generic Town Sidequests

The time has come for her to start her quest on proving someone’s innocence. Seven days to bring the other ruler to innocence. Seven days to find the true ‘killer’ of the lovely Fauna. Seven days before she’ll be ran out of the kingdom over her defense of the icy emperor.

Thankfully, during her stay, she was having quite a nice room to stay in. Of course, it was where a servant would stay, but it wasn’t dirty or anything. She just had to deal with owls constantly asking her questions about where she came from and if she’s already. Yes, she’s fine, and no, she’s not from around here. Have these buffoons never seen a human before?

“Y-you’re quite nice for doing this,” one owl spoke while Gella was getting her hair brushed by a servant, “But the king doesn’t take things like this lightly! If you don’t find any alibis for Emperor Grooves, he’ll cook you over a fire while he executes him!”

“I know,” she sighed out and rolled her eyes, continuing to stare at the mirror in front of her as her hair was tied into a braid. Surely, the style won’t last for long, but by the lord she is rocking it! They also noticed her previous outfit was torn up, too, so she was wearing a simple tunic with leggings and boots while her clothes were fixed up by tailors. How nice of them.

As soon as she was fully dressed up, she nodded to the owl behind her, she of which giddily clapped his hands before backing away. She stood up and stretched her arms out, looking up and down before nodding to herself. “Now, if I’m going to head over to that other kingdom, I’ll need to find something that can melt through ice...”

“Oh, there’s a smith around here that can help with pyromancy!” An owl commented as another nodded. “The price is a bit big, though, so you may need to give them plenty of pon before you can get an upgrade!”

“...Figures I’ll have something stopping me when I have a time limit...” Hey, just like those RPG games people usually played!

~~⌛~~

Within the western-like town itself, many folks were thriving in the streets, talking with one another and trading goodies. While many owls could be seen, there were also strange, tall crows looking at them all in curiosity while asking questions, and... Hey, that wasn’t an owl, that was a penguin! What was a penguin doing around here!

Instead of focusing on such a task, Gella looked around to find the smith’s place, soon noticing an owl looking down as he sat on the ground. “Hey, you!” She called out, the owl lifting his head. “I heard you’re good at making things, uhm, lit!”

“Lit? Oh, haha, I get it... Oh, sorry, I can’t do much of my work right now, because I’m missing an important metal needed for another client’s sword! If you could get some for me, I’ll make something for you, absolutely free!”

“...Heck.” Gella looked around the town again, soon finding the mining shaft, rushing over and getting ready to ask for some metal. Instead, she had gotten another thing to look out for-

“Sorry little lady, mines r’ closed until we get proper lighting going again. You can come in as soon as it’s fixed.”

“Ugh, okay, okay, this is getting stupid...” And where she knew lights would be? Why, the general store! Of course, another quest was added, as the cashier was missing a package from someone else who is in town-

He of which needed... A piece of cactus from the desert outside.

Okay, thank god, no more side quests. “Can do...!” She panted out, rushing out from the person’s house and towards the exit gates of the kingdom. She knew it’d be scorching hot, but if she can use her ice bombs, she’ll be able to keep herself from turning into a melting mess!

~~⌛~~

Back within the castle, King Clayton sat by himself, holding a mysterious flower in his hand. It was a blazing rose, with petals that glow like a fire within the night, small ‘crackles’ being heard as well. It was a rare type of flower, only growing within his kingdom, but just looking at it had made him... Somber.

“...Fauna... I had trusted me messenger to send the invitation to the ball without any troubles... What happened while I had no eye on ye...” He murmured out, the flames of the flower slowly dying out and letting smoke arise in the room. “To think that I could’a done somethin’, but yet, I was too cowardly to give this to you in person... If I had been there, I would of stopped that GroooOOOoooves from... From hurtin’ ye...”

He slumped in his throne, staring up to the ceiling and watching the smoke go higher, his invisible eyes closed and the flower being held close to his chest. Had he been there... None of this would of happened, right? He was sure of it. Negative thoughts were beginning to swirl in his mind, nearly taking him away from reality, only for two servants to rush in and call his name. “WHAZZAWHOT!”

“Sire, sire, we’re sorry, but look at what we have found...!” One of them spoke, showing a Time Piece to him before they began to whisper. “We managed to find one outside in the forest between the kingdoms... I think they may help with our problem...!” The other servant nodded before speaking. “From what we’ve asked, the new arrival... She says they control time, and can rewind it if broken...”

“Rewind time, eh...?” He sat up, soon getting up from the throne before looking at the sands inside, a neutral face at first. The more he stared, though, a wild grin began to grow on his face. “...As soon as she comes back to this here castle, ye best loot whatever of these she has on her! We’re going to make sure that no-good Emperor Peck Neck’s kingdom will be erased from time itself!”

#Once Upon A Broken Time Rift ⌛STORY⌛#A Hat In Time #ahit #a hat in time au #ahit au

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