#I'm alive just lost in the Grand line

[baby-jaguar]

Meeting Johnny

Western AU; Mail Order Spouse Trope

WC: 2,726 CW: None

AN: I'm alive! Sorry this is so short, this was a good stopping point and I need to work on my world-building for Soap before getting to the next part. Just know- I haven't given up on this AU (It's literally my firstborn, blood, and soul, but I will be a bit slow until my brain juices stay flowing. I hope ye enjoy <3

Please see the Introduction for the explanation and precursors to the scene.

Introduction, Biography

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Johnny’s proposal to you was quick in terms of a few letters exchanged; three letters in, he invited you to come out and sent you enough money to figure out accommodations to get to him. As soon as you read those words at the post office, you ran home high on endorphins and adrenaline began packing your bags without grandiose care in the world. The fire inside you licked at the bottom of your heart, anger at staying in this shithole for far too long and feeling a sense of belonging- the sense of feeling wanted to make you have an ulterior purpose in life as if a phoenix reborn and spreading its wings while nose-diving into the unknown. When your parents came home as you zipped your bags, you sincerely couldn’t give a flying fuck as you shoved past them and began berating your parents with a grand show of a public yelling match for the neighbors to hear. 

Good for you! 

You had already planned how to get to him after receiving his first letter back; First step, buying a train ticket that led you to Santa Fe, New Mexico. From there, you had to embark on the Gila Trail, before having to buy your horse and head out on the San Diego Crossings wagon road by yourself. 

This trip was a long haul, and you prayed that Johnny would trust in your quickly established faith to wait out for you. The promise of a strong and loving man is all you could think about...

While in your adrenaline-filled escape, you hadn’t plucked the book in your room that hid his photo as a bookmark, but thankfully had grabbed the letter that gave you his directions. While you scavenge your mind to have a solid image of him, you think over his features and re-read the letters countless times.

Johnny has a background of all sorts, having grown up in a family that held their bond strong, especially after his father had passed in a mining cave-in, which rendered him the man of the house from a young age. Even in his brief telling of these events, you could tell he’s moved out to California to find a deeper meaning of himself, create the line in concrete for it to harden as he ages. 

That isn’t to say that he has lost his sense of boyishness, not at all in fact. His stories that he wrote even contained small doodles along the borders to better depict what he was writing about, and it was half your mind to cut them out and keep them as little bookmarks or place them in your wallet as a keepsake. He was playful, writing jokes about the smallest things, even letting you in on some secrets about the people in his town before you got there.

While the sense of his flame burned hot in multiple directions, deep in his hearth was a passionate man. Just as he seemed so sweet, with a flick of his wrist the writing would turn into something hot enough to make you blush, averting your eyes as your mind ran wild with his thoughts. He seems to enjoy a bubble bath… but maybe only when you’re in it with him. Even writing about the future and him stating he wants a family by any means, you could only imagine a deep possessiveness inside of him to claim you as such. Even if you were able to have his biological children or not, he’d still make sure you felt like you did.

But back to your journey. 

The course of the trains provided you an oversight of the new lands you had yet to ever see, as it was the beginning stages of territories turning into states. The rides were long, and adjusting to the set time zones was a large throw-off to your circadian rhythm. Having already traveled two states west, it was difficult to decide on which line would grant you the fastest access to Johnny. Luckily enough, a kind person in the Denver station helped point out that taking the route from northern Nevadah into California would grant you the fastest time, and ease your solo traveling. 

The kind person stated that they were in a similar situation and now waiting for the train, having a bit of time to offer some advice while making it toward their end goal. Thanking them with bountiful wishes and good luck’s in their journey, you were on your way.

It took four more days to find yourself in Temecula, California. An astonishing change from the desert lands that reflected the sun so brightly now showed the capabilities of a plush environment of greenery and clouds. The train station was reached as the sunlight began pouring in over the mountains; being quick on your feet, and from the other settlers being far too tired, you found a deal on the last remaining horse available. 

Traveling by horseback prompted challenges with reading Johnny's directions, and you did not want to admit that you were lost. The lack of directory and signage left you getting flustered already by noon and being left alone in such a rural area in between towns felt far more daunting than any part of this trip. Passing by stagecoaches who all seemed to know their way around, you filed in line through a secondary road filled with houses in the valley of the small mountains.

Three hours later and a small urge to cry while having given up on re-reading the letter, you accepted defeat when you saw someone sitting on their porch down a dirt road with his house being the only one there.

“Hi! Excuse me, sir?” The sound of your voice breaks through the stillness of the settling valley, enough to make the man look up from the table he is currently hunched over.

“Would you mind helping me out by giving me directions?” Willing yourself to not blush or shrink into your large coat, embarrassment running through your chest while in the new environment.

For a moment, the man doesn't seem to acknowledge you, having to do a double take before his eyes widen in surprise. The toothpick that was delicately hanging on his lip falls to the ground, less he even notices before he sits up straight readjusting his hat, and clears his throat.

“‘Course, my dear. How can I be of service.” His accent is rich, leading you to believe that he’s been raised in the West, and has a perfectly smooth twang to his speech as it leaves his side smile.

“I’m looking for the country store… There’s supposed to be an old Coke sign on it.” The words leave you in a higher pitch than you’d normally speak, having a handsome stranger stare at you with a wide-eyed stare as he watches your lips move. “And to be honest- I wouldn’t know if I’m in the right place to begin with.” 

As if snapped back to reality again, eye contact cut short as he blinks before looking down the road and then back to you. “Ah, store’ way down yonder with a crossing sign. If yer’ headed west then a left will take you to the interstate,” A nod confirms his sense of confidence in his directions, explaining it plain and simple as the roads that his house lies on.

The smile that crosses your face lights your eyes, and it's the most relief you’ve gotten ever since getting on horseback. “Thank you, I really do appreciate it.” Your hands pull on the reigns of the horse, already turning around to try and beat sunset before it's too dark to ride alone.

Before you’re out of earshot, “When you’re in, you gotta stop and ask Ms. Bell for somma’ her sweet tea. But remember, take a right, and you’ll end up right back here to me.” The wink that leaves him makes you question if you’re seeing things in the late light of the day, but you’re sure he can see the blush that burns your cheeks.

A laugh leaves you before nodding in response, now clicking your horse into a quick trot while you’re high on the adrenaline from the interaction. Well… at least you have a backup plan in case your bachelor doesn't work out.

Arriving far too quickly than you’d expect, the store was only a few minutes down the road and concealed by a line of trees. Hitching your horse and walking into the store on stiff legs, you plan on following the stranger's advice to get some sweet tea.

The bell above the door jingles as you walk in, catching the attention of the older woman behind the counter. Here eyes take in your form, surprised such a fresh-faced person has arrived this late into the day. “How can I help you, sweetheart?” Her voice rings out a bit rough, someone who knows how to pull her weight if trouble would arrive.

“I’m actually looking to get to someone's home near town, but I was told to make my way from this store to not get lost.” A pause as your eyes take in the scenery of the rustic store; A layer of dust settled onto the wooden floors as shelves are stocked with an assortment of canned goods, spices, and a few refrigerators labeled as eggs and milk. “Met a stranger on the way and was told I should get some sweet tea here, too.”

Her eyes, still studying you as you speak and noting your accent, or lack thereof, bring a small quirk to her face. “Well, lemme get you some of my tea while you get yourself found.” Leaving her seat she makes her way to a wall in the back, pulling out two large mason jars with a light brown liquid. 

“That stranger you met- was he small ways up north fr’mere?” The smile on her face grows as she walks back to her seat at the register as you walk forward to meet her.

“Yes… A lone house down a single road. Blue eyes, brown hair, and some stubble.” The answer is pulled from you automatically, reciting the mental image of him.

“Toothpick in his mouth?”

The question is almost absurd in how spot-on she is, but then again this is a very small town. “Yes.”

The answer makes her laugh, somewhat un-ladylike when compared to the women from your home, and the noise makes you startle in place for a second.

“That damn Johnny makes me work my ass off to keep this tea in stock. He’s been so stressed waiting for his person to come ‘nd has been drinking me straight out of this stuff.” She levels when calming down for a moment, now placing the jars in bags.

She has yet to look back up at you and fails to notice your limbs seemingly frozen in place as the air leaves your lungs. That was Johnny?

“I’m so sorry ma’am. Did you say that was Johnny? As in MacTavish?”

The rustle of the brown paper bags stops, her eyes darting up to find yours. “Well, I’ll be damned.” She murmurs lowly before a sly smile takes over her face. “You’re here, and you’re damned too good from what you made yourself out to be, sweetheart.” 

Still frozen with your mind reeling, adrenaline begins to pump back into your bloodstream while a jolt alights your muscles. “Oh- I’m so sorry ma’am, I must get going its getting late and-”

The sliding of the jars on her counter interrupts your rambling, “Ah ah, its Ms. Bell dear, and you best be taking this with you to him. Don’t worry bout nothin’ but I’m happy to welcome you to the town.” 

If you looked now, you could notice the tremor in your hands. Nodding and taking the bag, a rush of endless ‘thank you’s’ and an elated smile seats itself permanently before loading the bags on the saddle and turning back around to start galloping forward back towards where you once were.

—

The sound of horses and wagons isn’t a constant to Santa Ysabel during the night hours, usually only occurring after the dayshift ends. As Johnny sits on his porch, his mind muddled with confusion as he stews over his soon-to-be partner arrives, thoughts of the stranger asking for directions makes him confused.

Fresh toothpick in his mouth as he widdles away at a bar of tallow, working to pull off glycerine for work. Surely that wasn’t a coincidence, right? The picture you sent was muddled down with water stains, and he blamed it on the damn train that sent your envelopes out this way. It was beginning sunset, and though he couldn't make out most of your features because of the coat you concealed yourself in- 

The bar of soap drops to the ground and he curses, now jumping out of his mind and into the present. 

The sound of hooves beating and approaching make him look up.

There, Here, you’re back again and the whites of your teeth are illuminated by the fading sun to show your smile.

Slowing down your horse to a stop, breathing in a slight pant as compared to your horses, the smile never leaves you.

“Figure you need some more directions, sweetheart?” His drawl leaves him, standing to make his way towards you. 

“Take off your hat.” The response is curt, and demanding in a way, but that glimmer of excitement makes it sound so sweet.

Johnny himself is befuddled for a moment, eyebrow cocked but complies anyway. Now raising the hat off of his head and holding it to his chest, his eyes answer for him. This what you wanted?

A small sound of excitement leaves you, nodding before your leg swings over your saddle, dismounting with a small jump and walking forward.

“Johnny, it's me.”

A swear leaves his mouth, accompanied by a rush of air before he drops his hat to the side and plucks hit toothpick out with it. The smile that coats his face makes him appear so young and boyish at heart as he moves forward with arms open to wrap around your hips with a low growl, “C’mere you,”

You could be embarrassed by the small squeal that leaves you, but you couldn’t give a rat's ass on anything right now. He spins you around for a quick moment, arms around your body as he lifts you easily with his strength.

Staring down into his eyes, you grab a shoulder while the other hand cups his jaw. “Didn’t know it was you until Ms. Bell said something.”

He laughs, head tilting back in bewilderment at the situation and excitement. “Talkin bout her sweet tea?” He asks while setting you down on your feet, hands never straying as he pulls you against him and traverses over your body.

“Yes, gave me some to bring home.”

The use of home sparks his heart with a bright thrum, butterflies encasing his stomach while he rumbles out a laugh. The texture of his hands is both soft and ruff, his thumbs rubbing over your cheekbones before one hand moves to brush over your hair, cupping the back of your neck.

“Well, in that case, welcome home, sweety.” The rumble sends a shiver down your spine, eyes darting over his face before settling on his lips. A breath settles before you look back into his sharp blue eyes, as he looks at you seemingly waiting for permission.

A small nod of your head and gently pulling him towards you, the band on the back of your head pulls you forward as he brings your lips together. The taste of him has a spice to it, the favor of cinnamon cotes his lips and brings a slow burn over yours while his body’s warmth brings another wave.

The stubble of his beard rubs your face- and it's a welcome feeling as compared to the winds of the valleys whipping past you. Something you’d gladly leave your skin bright red and raw from hours of the feeling.

Before growing too heated, you part with a small gasp and trail him slightly before blinking to find his smirk growing as a low rumble vibrates against you. “Let's get you settled in, then we can celebrate s’more.”

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[Who do you all think the reader met at the train station? If you get the song reference for their meeting you get two gold stars! I hope yall enjoy.]

#cod mw2 #task force 141 #call of duty #tf141 #call of duty modern warfare #captain john mactavish #john soap mctavish x reader #john soap mactavish #johnny soap mactavish #soap mactavish #soap mw2 #soap cod #tf141 x reader #john mactavish

[zoros-fourth-sword]

Scarlett- Chapter One

Summary: Portgas D. Scarlett  Ace's older sister, decides to join Trafalgar Law's crew as their navigator after her brother's death. At first, she is distant and consumed with grief over her loss, but as she spends more time with Law and his crew, she begins to find comfort in their shared experiences.

As they journey together through the Grand Line, Law, and Scarlett must face off against dangerous foes and navigate the treacherous waters of the New World. Along the way, they grow closer, and Scarlett begins to see Law in a new light.

But their love is not without its challenges, as Law is still haunted by his past and the events that led him to become a pirate. Scarlett must confront her feelings of guilt and loss over her brother's death if she wants to move forward with Law.

WC: 1.7k

Taglist: ???

WARNINGS: grief, depression, mention of death

ᴍᴀsᴛᴇʀsʟɪsᴛ

Chapter One: Grumpy Pants

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no, it can't be it's a lie It can't be true I won't believe it he can't be dead He can't. I tightly grip the newspaper in my hands trying to fight back the tears threatening to escape it was like my entire world was crumbling under me it was like I was destined to be alone first I lost my mother then Sabo and now my baby brother Ace it's too much how am I supposed to live on without the people I love I need him I can't leave him we promised to stay alive and Luffy we still got to make him the king of the pirates right

"it can't be" I broke as I sank to the floor

"don't tell me it's true old man" I sob looking up at Rayleigh

"I'm so sorry kid" The old man looked at me unsure what to do

'h h he can't be dead" I cry as my heart falls to my stomach causing me to feel sick it was the most painful feeling I have ever experienced I couldn't breathe I couldn't think all I could do was cry I felt so hopeless I couldn't even protect my baby brother isn't that what an older sibling is supposed to isn't that there role in this life to protect their little sibling and I couldn't even do that

"Luffy what about Luffy" I panic as I quickly get up off the floor causing Ray to reach his arms out in concern

"hey hey kid calm down," Ray said as he grabbed my shoulders stopping my panicked self in front of him

"Ray it hurts" I choke looking at the man in front of me seeing he had a concerned expression on his face

"he can't be dead" I sob as I tightly grip his shirt. Burying my head into his chest letting everything I was holding in out. all the pain, the grief, the anger, all of it stained Ray’s shirt

"I can't live without him Ray I can't do it" I choke as my eyes painfully become puffy from the salty tears stinging my eyes

"I know Scar and I'm so sorry kid but you have to be strong for yourself, and not just that Luffy needs you," Ray said as he began to rub the back of my head trying to calm me down

"It's so hard Ray it's so fucking hard what am I supposed to do how am I supposed to face Luffy after this he needed me and I wasn't there I was so fucking busy with everything else that I couldn't even see that my brothers needed me" I cry as I began to beat my hand on Ray’s chest in frustration

"Scarlett I know you're angry and frustrated but you can't let those feelings control your spirit do you understand me you need to be strong," Ray said as he hugged me tighter

"Listen kid I found out where Luffy is and I'm going to head there in a moment," Ray said as he pulled away from our hug. grabbing my shoulders to gain my full attention

"what do ya say kid how about you see your little brother again," Ray said as he whipped the tears off my red and puffy face

"Yeah'' I choke out nodding my head yes

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"wheres Luffy" I demanded as I hopped out of the water with Ray causing my clothes to stick to my body

"kid calm down," Ray said from behind me trying to stop me from causing a scene

"And who are you," a tall man with tattoos harshly asked crossing his buff arms over his chest

"I'm his sister and you," I say placing one hand on my hip while my face showed I was irritated

"I'm the man who saved his life," the man said giving me a harsh glare

"Oh," I say as I calm down feeling bad about my rude approach

"look I'm sorry it’s just-" Before I could finish my sentence the man cut me off

"It's fine he's in the forest with Jenbei" the man said as he began walking away

Forgetting about the man I quickly ran through the forest desperately searching for my little brother soon I came to a path to see two small dots in the distance the closer I got to them the more I realized it was Luffy and Jenbei

"LUFFY" I scream trying to get the boy's attention not caring about the rocks hitting my ankles from running so fast

"SCAR" Luffy screamed once he realized it was me

"LUFFY' i scream again as we get closer desperately missing one another after being away for such a long time

"SCAR" Luffy screamed jumping into my arms causing me to stumble backwards

“I missed you so much” Luffy mumbled into my shoulder as his body slightly shock due to adrenaline pumping through his veins

“I missed you too Lu,” I say against the top of his head squeezing him tighter afraid if I let him go I would never see him again

“I'm so glad you're okay,” Luffy said as he pulled away from our hug giving me a warm smile

“Of course I am I’m stronger than you think” I weakly chuckle as I rub the top of his head slightly messing up his greasy hair

“I know” Luffy smiled causing my heart to ache. After all the stuff he had been through he was still pushing through it

“Old man Ray is here apparently he needs to see ya,” I say smiling past my pain wanting to be strong for Luffy

“Really then let’s go” Luffy said excitedly as he ran back to the camp sight

“Are you alright Scarlett” Jenbei asked as he came up behind me

“Yeah I’ll just learn to cope with it,” I weakly say giving the Fishman a slight shrug

“Confident as ever I see I wouldn’t expect any less from Ace’s older sister,” the big man laughed as he gave me a light pat on the back

“Thank you Jenbei” I say giving the man a warm smile feeling proud to know that I was considered strong for being Portgas D. Ace’s older sister after all I did teach him a thing or two about not taking shit from no one

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“WHAT WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO GO” I scream towards Ray once he tells me his plan apparently he and Luffy are going to leave me to go train on some island for 2 years

“calm down scar I already figured that out we just got to talk to him first and lucky for you he’s looking for a navigator,” Ray said as he tried to calm me down

“YOUR TELLING ME YOU HAVENT EVEN ASKED THEM YET” I scream out angrily my face turning red from anger

“It’s fine Scar I have this under control,” Ray said as he pushed his glasses up his face

“Yea if you screw this up I’m going to kill you I don’t wanna be fucking homeless” I snap as I cross my arms over my chest

“Matter of fact I’ll go talk to him right now,” Ray said as he got up from the log he was sitting on

“Wait you're telling me that there here on the island theres nothing but women here,” I say as I fling up from my log

“You meet him earlier you seemed to get along,” Ray chuckled as he continued to walk away

“WAIT YOU MEAN GRUMPY PANTS” I screamed in panic realizing I disrespected my maybe future captain

“I think it’s a great idea by the way Scar,” Luffy said below me as he sat on his log

“Really I mean I haven’t been in a crew besides Ace’s” I mumble as I take my seat on my log next to Luffy my heart slightly breaking from the memory of Ace

“Yeah and Traffy’s a nice guy” Luffy smiled as he took a bite from the meat that Boa Hancock brought to him

“Traffy” I questionably asked with a raised eyebrow 

“Yea his name’s actually Trafalgar Law but I call him Traffy” Luffy said as he continued to eat

“Oh I see it’s kinda cute” I chuckle as I take the meat Luffy was eating out of his hand to take a bite of my own

“Hey get your own” Luffy growled as he tried to get his meat back

“Nope,” I say popping the p trying to avoid his attacks

“Come on Scar give it back” Luffy growled again as he desperately tried to get the meat

“I’ll kick your ass over this meat” I growl smacking Luffy’s hands away

“Is that a challenge” Luffy growled as he pushed his forehead against mine

“Enough you two” Ray said as he came walking back over to us with the man named Law

Before I could say anything Luffy snatched the food from my hand and swallowed the thing hole including the bone

“LUFFY” I yell smacking the boy on the back of the head causing him to let out a whine

“Scar come here for a sec,” Ray said as he called me over towards him and Law

I quickly head over to them giving Luffy one good smack across the head with my haki making sure the boy could feel it

“Ow what the heck” Luffy growled but I just simply ignored him and went on my merry way

“What’s up” I say putting a hand on my hip once I reach the two men seeing that Law had a bored expression plastered on his face

“Listen I don’t take shit lightly if you're going to join my crew you're going to do as I say” Law huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest

“Of course” I agree not really wanting to argue and besides I do need somewhere to stay and I’m also desperate

“Good all I ask is to not mess up my ship and look out for the rest of the crew,” Law said as he looked me up and down

“Of course, I’ll consider them as my own family I’m sure” I weakly say giving the man a small smile feeling a slight sting from the word family

“Welcome to the crew we’ll be leaving in 30” Law said as he walked back to his ship

“Um okay,” I say surprisingly not expecting the man to be so up front about it

“Seems to me you found your home kid” Ray chucked as he placed a hand on my shoulder

“Yea” I nervously chuckled not really looking forward to my new captain I can already tell we are going to be bumping heads

Next Chapter

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I hope this was good I’m so sorry if it wasn’t please comment and let me know 💕❤️

{A/N this is what Scarleet looks like to give everyone an idea}

#one peice #one piece luffy #law one piece #trafalgar d law x reader #trafalgar law #traffy #law fanfic #trafalgar one piece #trafalgar op #oc #one piece #monkey d luffy #straw hat luffy #the heart pirates #ace one piece #portgas d ace #law x y/n #law x you #law x reader #trafalgardwaterlaw #silvers rayleigh #dark king rayleigh #one piece rayleigh

[blacklegsanjiii]

Could you imagine if Cora x Sora went the same way as Trafalgar!Sanji. Like Law and Sanji get separated and Law has to explain sobbing over a denden he lost Sanji at sea to his adopted parents while they deal with their grief and not being able to reach their eldest son. Then a couple years later getting a call that Sanji is alive and is in the East Blue. Like they're trying to figure out how to reach their children.

Law will visit as long as he's in the North Blue but getting to the East is a lot more difficult. The Tang might be able to do it but still, the Calm Belt eats a lot of fuel. They decide fuck it and join the crew in hopes of seeing Sanji again so they join before heading to the Grand Line. Everyone just accepts that the captain's parents are on board. Obviously they find out about Sanji joining the Strawhat crew and his awful bounty. Then at Sabaody Cora is holding Sora back by just lightly holding her as the auction house fiasco goes down. Then the Pacifistas happen. The Heart Pirates watch the small family cling to each other and cry as they head for the execution and then watch it one more time after they save Luffy.

Punk Hazard just has Law giving Sanji the most disappointed look which no one but him understands so Sanji glares back. When Sanji leaves Dressrosa and fires on Big Mom's ship he's actually fairly excited to see his mom and dad but obviously Germa happens before he can see them. So like when the rescue team shows up to Wano with Sanji Wano and all have just a minute to breathe. The parents and Law start interrogating Sanji about the last like eight years for him because what the fuck? How the FUCK did he end up in the East Blue? They knew letting him set off at like nine was a bad idea but they didn't want them separated and what the fuck are these morals Zeff put into him? What the fuck is going on with his crew?

Sanji is just sitting there letting this happen and Luffy just climbs onto Sanji who holds him and asks what's happening.

"Well that's my mom, Sora. That's the man I consider my dad, Rosinante or Corazon-" Sanji starts.

"The bird's brother?" Zoro interrupts.

"Yeah, don't worry he's not -" Sanji continues as the Strawhats move to fight and Cora is just looking down at them.

"He shot me when I was protecting them, I married her, he knows I'm not part of the family anymore." Cora tells them as he gestures to his kids and Sora.

"Anyway, Law is my brother-" Sanji tries to press on.

"Well you're not going back to them, you're mine." Luffy interrupts.

"Right, I'm not leaving the crew-" Sanji tries.

"Good." Luffy nods as he kisses Sanji's cheek.

"The fuck is this?" Law demands as he sets up a room.

"They've been dating since Sanji joined the crew." Nami shrugs as Bepo grabs Law and their parents assess Luffy and deem him good enough.

#cora x sora #trafalgar!sanji #black leg sanji #monkey d. luffy #trafalgar law #vinsmoke sanji #donquixote rosinante #vinsmoke sora #straw hat luffy #sanlu #lusan #trafalgar d water law #one piece au

[anoray]

What could it be?

Apparently, Star Wars Holocron (@sw_holocron) recently posted a picture of Omega on Twix with a caption saying they'd seen the next episode of The Bad Batch and it features their favorite line of dialogue in the entire series.

Intriguing, most intriguing...

With Episode 14 leading into the grand finale, I cannot help but hope that some version of these words will come out of Omega's mouth: "Tech's alive!"

And before someone hits me over the head with my brightly colored clown shoe, allow me to add:

In Star Wars Rebels, we knew they wouldn't be the ones to stop the Empire, but they were able to save Lothal from the Empire's grip, and wipe Thrawn and his Tie Defender plan off the table. This was a huge blow to the Empire and ultimately lost them the war. I'm still beyond salty about Kanan's death and Ezra not being there to savor the victory, but this outcome was pretty much inevitable with them being Jedi and what Yoda says in the OT. On a happier note, everyone else in the Ghost family survived to continue the fight, with Jacen Syndulla's birth an unexpected bonus. In other words, the finale was not a bloodbath with main characters dying right and left. (BTW, a gentle reminder that the ending of Season 3 of The Mandalorian was downright cheerful what with Grogu and his adopted dad hanging out peacefully on their new homestead.)

With this in mind, is it delulu to anticipate a similar bittersweet finale for The Bad Batch? Yes, we know they can't stop the rising Empire, but as others on this hellsite have theorized, reuniting ALL the members of their squad/family after being separated over and over again since the first episode would be a precious personal victory even if they must endure the loss of any regular clone colleagues in the attack on Tantiss.

This season focused a lot on Crosshair's redemption, which definitely required this time and care to make his return believable. As for Tech, it seems many out there think he has to be fully un-brainwashed by the end of the finale if he's to be revealed alive as CX-2. But can't the Batch simply find this out and take him away (willingly or not) during the attack to help the prisoners escape? At the end of Rebels, we weren't sure what happened to Ezra, but there was hope that he'd be found based on the epilogue.

In similar fashion, even if Tech's mental condition is ambiguous at the end of TBB finale, at least the audience and the Batch squad are left with hope that he can be restored to his true self as much as is still possible because now the brothers and Omega are fully reunited come what may. Who knows, maybe there will be an Rebels-like epilogue that helps explain more about the Batch's outcome, along with the aftermath of Tantiss, such as the clone uprising, and any long term impact on Project Necromancer.

For now, just being a spectacled spectator with two more episodes that will prove me right or vewy vewy wrong...

#the bad batch #the bad batch spoilers #speculation #no bloodbatch please #can they just be happy and reunited for 5 freakin minutes #tech #cx-2 #all signs point to yes

[thefandomdirtymind]

My husband was telling me how I can't cook for shit (I'm aggressively mediocre thank you) so I'm just looking for some fluffy Sanji and reader having late night ice cream after a shitty day

A/N IMPORTANT:  Hello Anon. I'm so sorry you had a bad day. I am personally a mediocre cook and impress myself to be able to keep myself alive. But you manage to keep yourself and your husband and that I find it amazing even with that he said. I honestly would love to eat everything you would cook for me. I tried to bring you confort in that little storie, I hope it will work and that you will have more sunny days ahead of you love.

Ice cream

OPLA - Sanji

Sanji / OPLA Masterlist and Coming Soon

* English is not my first language, I tried really hard to correct myself but, I hope you will excuse me if some mistakes are still there.

—

The Merry Going was sailing on the Grand Line water, the night enveloping it as dark as ink, as tenebrous as your mood. 

Sit in the kitchen, lost in your thoughts, your mind replaying every detail of that shitty day, you sigh, burying your face in your hand. 

“ Y/N, I didn’t know you were awake, I saw the light. Everythings is okay ma cherie ? “ Sanji asked, entering the kitchen in a simple blue t-shirt and cotton pants. 

The cook definitely already knew why you were still awake at almost the middle of the night. After all, he had been at the first lodge to see you mostly align disaster after disaster. But, as a good friend ( and maybe more) he wanted you to open up to him and prepared himself to listen.

“ Sanji I'm so sorry for today” You told him, embarrassment coloring your cheeks at the memories of the oven on fire and the knife slipping off your hand to plant itself on the floor.

“ Is that what it’s about ? Give me a minute love, I think we will need something strong to help you“ In an instant the blond cook was busy behind the counter, preparing something you couldn’t see from your place.  

Expecting a cocktail with some of Zoro’s alcohol or tiny glasses ready to make you roll under the table after a few minutes. You couldn’t help yourself to smile when Sanji simply put in front of you a bowl of ice cream covered with all your favorite garnish to his knowledge . 

Traveling to the banket to sat at your side, putting his own bowl alongside yours, he softly smiled at you. 

“ Ice cream are made to make shitty days less merdique* love. So now please, talk to me” Sanji asked you, listening to all your concerns and misadventures of the day. * Shitty 

When you finish talking, taking an spoonful of the savory and sweet cold cream, you look at the blond, his head into his hand, suspended to your lips. 

“ Well, chérie, I second it was indeed a day to forget and drown in ice cream. For the kitchen part, I had passed by that darling, I wasn’t born the best cook of the east blue. But, you have other qualities where you are the best, and if you have a real interest in cooking, then nothing is better than practice and learn new knowledge. Kitchen fires happen to the best of us.” 

Nodding of the head, taking another bite, feeling your mind taking a rest, you gently put your head on Sanji's shoulder. 

“ Thank you “ You said. 

“ You’re welcome darling, I will have ice cream with you every time you need.”  Sanji replied, putting his head against yours. 

You stay a little bit longer in the kitchen, your ice cream turning into a sugary soup, as the blond was sharing with you his most embarrassing kitchen faux pas and you contribute with your most successful accomplishment. 

Your day may be shitty, but you knew that from that day, a bowl of ice cream and a good conversation would always be waiting for you in the kitchen.

---

@alienstardust@phantasmagoricalzenith@downforsanji@faefanatic@strongindependenttrash@hi3431@sunnanse@neko-loogi@theluckyplaces@simbaaas-stuff@ofherscarlettwitchyways @juskonutoh @buffkirby2020 @miomao-ehe 

Join my TAG LIST : HERE

#one piece netflix #opla #opla sanji #opla!sanji x reader #sanji x reader #vinesmoke sanji x reader #one piece #one piece sanji #opla vinesmoke sanji x reader #sanji x y/n #Request

[blackkatmagic]

hi kat! just wanna say i just binge read when the dead tree flowers & arcana, and thank you for introducing me to one granta omega!! i can't believe he's not more well known in sw fandom although his character is just so cool?? alao his background: a force blank person who's the son of qui gonn's former padawan?? like cmon people, the fic potential alone is massive. so once again thank you for writing about him 💕 looking forward to whatever plot he plans next!

I'm so glad you've been enjoying my new fixation lol. Granta is so much fun, and not as obscure as a lot of characters I latch onto, so it's surprising to me too that he's not used more in fandom, even as just an antagonist.

From something entirely different but still Granta-focused:

There's a wild thing bleeding out in the sands of Korriban, collapsed at the feet of the towering statue of a long-dead Sith Lord like some sort of offering.

Myles stops, even though he shouldn’t. Even though there's on a timetable and up against a deadline, and Jaster will definitely do something stupid if he’s left alone for more than thirty minutes. Something catches his eye, though, pulls his feet to a stop in the deep red sand, and he turns and looks despite all the stories, despite all the good sense he likes to think he has.

There's a wild thing bleeding out in the sand, and it takes Myles a long second of looking to be able to tell whether it’s man or beast.

It’s a man, probably. A man in dark leather and dark cloth and steel, the sand around him turned from scarlet to rust with how much blood he’s already lost, his dark hair like a tangled web of shadow spilling over his face and across the dune.

 “Myles?” Montross asks, impatient, but something keeps Myles from being able to pull his gaze away from the crumpled figure. Maybe it’s the boneless sprawl of his body, or maybe it’s the way one hand is stretched out, reaching for something Myles can't see. Maybe it’s the face Myles can half-see, fine-boned and handsome, with a scruff of stubble that tries for roguish and falls flat at absentminded.

Maybe it’s the fact that, even to Myles's stunted Force-sense, there's something overwhelmingly strange about the man, absent and shadowed and halfway to gone, even when Myles is looking right at him.

“Keep going,” he tells Montross, waving the squad on. “I’ll catch up.”

Montross doesn’t argue, just tips his head and keeps going, calling the warriors around him onward with a gesture. Myles watches them trudge up the next dune, then turns, picking his way through the deep sand as he approaches the base of the statue. It’s a grand one, even if it’s half-buried, the face cracked away into smooth and featureless stone. There are markings around the base, a wide swath of pedestal that’s deeply carved and inlaid with metal. Not gold or treasure hunters would have ripped it up long ago, Myles thinks critically, but enough to catch the sunlight and burn.

The dying man is sprawled across the inlays, one hand reaching towards the base of the statue, one hand pressed against a wound in his chest. There are scorch marks in his light armor, just a breastplate of interlocking scales, but—the fact that he’s even wearing it is interesting. Most people who aren’t Mandalorians don’t tend to bother.

“Still hanging on?” Myles asks, crouching down over him as blood smears across inlayed stone, though he can see the heartbeat flickering on his HUD. Living doesn’t always mean alive, where wounds like that are concerned.

Through a tangle of black hair, lashes flutter, rise. There's a rasping breath, and dark blue eyes fix on Myles with all the ferocity of a nexu caught in a hunter’s trap, brutal and vicious and terrified.

Man or beast, Myles thinks, amused despite himself. Maybe the line isn't quite as definitive as he’d thought.

“I guess you are,” he says, and pulls his helmet off. Korriban is ferociously hot with the sun up, and it feels like being trapped in a vast mirror that reflects the heat and light back on them, turning the desert into a land of mirages and tricks of the eye all around them. It bleeds a shine of red and gold into the air, something that flickers and burns. The man is cold to the touch when Myles reaches for him, though, skin clammy from blood loss, and he can't fight it when Myles rolls him over onto his back.

There's a lightsaber wound burned into his chest, right through his armor, and the metal is melted and warped and fused to his skin.

Myles cocks his head, some edge of awareness that a Jedi is probably nearby twisting itself through a much sharper sort of assessment. The lightsaber wound isn't bleeding; that’s from what looks like the shrapnel of an exploded blaster, buried in the man’s side where his jacket and breastplate didn’t provide quite as much protection as they should have. Survivable, Myles thinks, calculating times, the man’s size, how much blood he must have lost already. It’s the wound that’s killing him, not the lightsaber burn. Maybe exposure, too; his lips are dry and cracked, and with the heat what it is, he won't survive the trek back to civilization even if his wound miraculously patches itself up.

The Jedi that tried to kill him left him to die slowly. That’s a hell of an act of mercy from a righteous and compassionate monastic order.

A little amused, Myles drags his fingers through tangled hair, shoves it out of the man’s face, and jerks his hand up just before he gets bitten for his troubles. There's a full-body wrench, like the man is trying his level best to move, but he collapses again a moment later with a ragged, desperate sound, fingers scrabbling futilely at the sand.

“What are you, an animal?” Myles asks, raising a brow, and catches the man’s jaw, tipping his head. He’s breathing hard, exhausted and fading, fine spasms shaking him, and Myles cocks his head. “I can save you,” he says, and dark eyes flicker to him, narrow. “But I'm Mandalorian. Once I do, your life belongs to me. No matter what I want to do with it.”

There's a pause, so long that Myles almost thinks the man can't hear him—

A laugh, raspy, wild, that shakes through the man like a spasm. One blood-soaked hand rises, wavering, and Myles almost thinks it’s going to fall bonelessly to the sand again.

Instead, it lands on Myles's breastplate, a smear of crimson against the blue and gold of the metal. The man stares at him through his tangled hair, bloody teeth bared, eyes burning, and rasps out, “Please.”

#kat answers #the midnight come again

[fightabear]

Hi. I know ur very into Dirge (ff7) and wanted to know ur thoughts on the ending as i was confused. How did Wiess die, how long was he dead for and what was his and Nero’s plan? Ur a art account so don’t answer this if you don’t want to post not art content

HAHA oh anon, oh anon.

i'm always happy to blather about dirge but this... this goes into the deep lore. the forgotten lore. the lore of ancient bygone times.

by which i mean playonline.

playonline was a short lived multiplayer mode set in deepground where the player character is a tsviet. it lasted for about eight months and then went offline, and with it - went basically all of the lore surrounding deepground.

we're still missing a lot of information. but, we have a vague understanding of what's going on thanks to the cutscenes (which we also never got stateside) translated by grimoire valentine. you can watch that here and it explains a little bit.

the tl;dr is that Weiss had a virus in him and if he killed the Restrictors (DeepGround's jailers, there's a whole mess of lore there) then the time-release virus would be let loose and Weiss would be damning himself to die.

Now, this is sort of where things get shaky as we don't know how long it took the virus to kill Weiss, nor are we entirely certain when PlayOnline took place in the grand scheme of things. Rosso said that they killed their jailers three years ago, and at some point Weiss died and Nero started pretending to be Weiss to keep DeepGround in line, and then Hojo made contact with Nero and proposed the whole Omega deal.

But we don't know when any of these beats take place. Weiss could have been dead the full three years and Nero was just hanging out by his corpse in full delululand until Hojo found a perfectly good body just waiting to be inhabited. I think it's a safe bet to say that even if Weiss had died, Nero would have found a way to perserve the body in hopes of finding some kind of cure.

( There's also the possibility that Weiss' death was more a brain death and his body kept breathing / he was experiencing some kind of 'locked in' syndrome - again, we don't know!)

He also could have just been battling the illness and may have only died recently.

I believe it was said somewhere that he died while using his SND abilities to hunt for a cure, which probably only could have happened once the networks came back online. I was under the impression for years that Hojo possessed Weiss and told the plan to Nero, but after reading the Japanese script it seems that Nero knew it was Hojo the whole time and just went with it.

Again, shit is shaky. Hojo Jojo apparently needed the networks to come online in order to make contact with DeepGround again. We know that's fairly recent, as if I am remembering correctly, that's what the festival in Kalm is celebrating.

We also aren't sure if Weiss was involved in the plan, or if Nero had just lost his fucking mind at this point and was agreeing to do what Hojo proposed without considering that it was - y'know, Hojo. We do have Weiss' speech so it's entirely possible Weiss was still alive during this hunk of it and then died as things went on.

As for the plan - I gotta be honest, I don't think either of them were spearheading this thing. I'm pretty sure this whole hysterical idea came about because Hojo took advantage of Nero's intense grief and Nero was just doing shit without thinking too hard about it. He probably thought he was doing what Lucrecia did for Vincent, because I sure as shit don't think Nero would think destroying the entire planet to get his brother back would solve his problem of 'well fuck, we're separated by death'. So I'm not sure Nero even fully understood what would happen when Omega ascended until Hojo monologued about it and pissed him off enough to come back from the dead.

Nero and Weiss only really got a plan when Nero ( who, I'm still shaky on what's happening with Nero in those final moments. My best guess is his physical body finally gave out and due to Circumstances /gestures vaguely at chapter 9 of rebirth/ his soul can't go into the lifestream for Reasons) wrested control back from Hojo and fused with Weiss. They did intend to just give the middle finger to the planet and soar the stars, because at that point - what else can they do? But Omega was corrupted because Nero is as impure as things in the lifestream can get, and so they manifested a fucked up version of it.

My personal take is the brother's didn't fully fuse and that the "omega" weiss rides around in the Omega Weiss fight is what's left of Nero / is basically what Chaos would look like if Chaos wasn't using Vincent as a host? And the reason why Chaos "goes back to the planet" is because Chaos fucks off into Nero's body and Omega is still sort of chilling out in Weiss.

#nero the sable #weiss the immaculate #ff7 rebirth spoilers #ish #there's a vague mention

[the-cult-of-russo]

Such a Softer Sin (Part 1)

Pairing: Billy Russo x Reader

Warnings: I’m not specifically tagging this one, if you’ve seen the show, nothing will shock you. Smut will happen eventually so minors DNI, thanks.

A/N: I’m back with a new story, bitches!!!! Loooool This is the story I’ve been working so hard on.

A few words on this one. First off, I’m not an expert in writing for this genre or trope or whatever but I’m also choosing to do whatever the hell I want. I know there can be some rules when it comes to this subject and I’ve gone with the flow and picked and chose what I wanted. If you’re some kind of connoisseur for this kinda literature, don’t come at me telling me I did it wrong. It’s a piece of fiction and I’m just having fun here lmao

Also, this story isn't set in a specific era, it’s more of a different reality kinda thing. So some things seem modern, others more primitive etc and this is on purpose. I wasn’t thinking about like time and era and all that with this one, I created a whole new thing for the story. 

With that, I hope you enjoy this one!!!

Title is from the song I Caught Fire by The Used

Seemed to stop my breath

My head on your chest waiting to cave in

From the bottom of my

Hear your voice again

Could we dim the sun and wonder where we've been?

Maybe you and me, so kiss me like you did

My heart stopped beating, such a softer sin

In your eyes, I lost my place

Could stay a while

And I'm melting

In your eyes like my first time

That I caught fire

Just stay with me, lay with me now

—-----

Billy looked off over the balcony to the mountains with a heavy sigh. The weight of the world was a hard burden to bear, but it was his and it would be until he had a child. Every King needs a Queen in order to have an heir, the only problem was that he hadn't yet found his Queen. Billy was the King to the wolves, but he was more than that by blood. He was a Demigod, the only remaining Lycan on earth. He was strong and fierce, he was the one who was placed in charge of every wolf around the globe. He was well respected and revered, but at the same time he was feared. He could be ruthless when he needed to be and he had to make sure no one ever thought about crossing him. At times he appeared cold but he was always just. It wasn’t easy being a King to an entire species like this, he had to keep the fear alive to make sure they all stayed in line. He wasn't the King to the other species, but the humans and witches still viewed him as royalty and respected him. The vampires however were a different story. The war between the wolves and vampires had been over for almost a century now, but he knew it wouldn't last. He could taste the impending war once more on the tip of his tongue. He knew it was only a matter of time. He looked in his 30s but in reality he was older, much older. He couldn't even remember how long he had roamed the earth but it was enough to witness grand changes throughout the ages. But now in the present, he still had no Queen. 

Even as a Demigod and Lycan, he was still technically a wolf. He had the same instincts, the same everything but on a grander scale. That meant he couldn't just pick anyone to be his Queen or just anyone to give him the son he desperately needed. He had to wait for his mate, and oh how he waited. He had been patient at first. He had scoured the world countless times in hopes he would find her, yet he still hadn't. He had no idea why his mother was torturing him this way, making him wait for the love he desperately needed. He watched in envy as his Beta and those around him found their mates. He watched with a dull ache in his chest as they found their other half of their soul whilst his was still ripped in two. He’d often think about her. Her face was always blurry, the only thing he knew for certain being the color of her hair. He would think about meeting her, mating her. He’d think about making her his Queen, her giving him a son. An heir. Once his son would be of age he could take a step back from all of this. He wouldn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders anymore as his birthright would be complete. His son would take the reins but he would be there every step of the way to guide him. To ease the burden that he knew was so heavy. 

Over the centuries, he’d given up hope for his mate. He knew he had one but he didn't know just when his mother would gift her to him. After they mated she would become immortal like him. Just like his Beta and Gamma and their mates. She would forever be by his side, they would have a happy life and he would spoil her with love. But now he felt hollow and cold. With each passing year, he found himself getting colder and more angry. He couldn't hope anymore, he couldn't dream of the life he craved more than anything. It was easier to think he would never find her because then he wouldn't keep getting his heart broken. It was hard having a Goddess for a mother, she hadn’t even been the one to raise him. He’d been raised by High Priestesses of Selene who had ensured he knew what he was and what his role in all of this was. Ensured he became the rightful ruler of the wolves. He loved his mother despite never meeting her but it was hard. He never knew who his father was and his mother was absent. He felt a deep loneliness gnawing at his soul that he couldn't shake but he knew it would leave once he got his mate. He knew his mother would let him have her when it was time. Despite the great pain her torment was bringing, he trusted his mother blindly. 

He kept up his pretense to the outside world. Attending meetings and balls between the wolves, humans and witches. The humans would watch him lustfully, in awe. His presence would make them feel his power although they didn't understand it the same way wolves did. The wolves would bow their heads in reverence to the Demigod King. He was the Alpha of Alphas, The Son of the Moon Goddess. Wolves would come far and wide to plead for his help, for his direct contact to his mother. It made him think of the Pope. Some of these wolves treated him that way and he hated when he couldn't accept their requests. Some things he could grant them, others he couldn’t. He wasn't in the business of tampering with fate and if his mother wanted something so, then it would be done. No matter what it was. 

He took a long chug of his brandy, not that it did anything. He couldn't get drunk. It would take a hell of a lot to get him there and even if he did reach that state, it would be gone in minutes with his metabolism. Still, he found it soothing as it burned down his throat. As he watched the view, he couldn't help but think of his mate even though he tried to fight it. He wondered what color her eyes were, if her hair was truly like his mind always showed him. He wondered how tall she would be, what her skin type was. None of it really mattered, he’d love her no matter what, but he wanted to know. He wanted to hold her in his arms, to feel that electricity flow between them as their wolves recognised one another. He wanted to be consumed by her and to drown in her. He wanted to give her everything. He would rip out his beating heart and offer it to her as a sacrifice if that's what she wanted. He just fucking wanted her. 

His wolf howled in pain in his mind, a sharp ache ripping into his chest. His wolf needed her badly, he was getting restless. As much as he hated it, he often found solace in another's arms. He never remembered their names or faces. It happened at gatherings when the women fawned all over him, both humans and wolves. His body still had urges and his wolf was getting harder and harder to control with each passing year without his other half, so he sated his carnal urges with women he cared nothing for. He would always be disgusted with himself afterwards. His wolf would snarl and growl at him, sometimes retreating altogether for days. He felt vile, knowing how he had betrayed his mate already and he hadn’t even met her, but when he felt this restless, it wasn’t something he could control. He knew if he didn’t sate himself his wolf would break free. It had been a long while since his wolf had full control. He was deadly to everyone in that form and he usually tried to lock his wolf inside of him unless there was some kind of war and he needed to unleash it. But he hated the feeling the morning after. Dirty. Broken. Guilty. Maybe that’s why his mother had refused him his mate. He was already unfaithful to her, he didn’t deserve her. He didn’t know if she would have slept with someone else and he growled low in his throat at the mere thought. He was a hypocrite. He slept around like a whore yet if his mate had even been touched by another he’d find who it was and rip their head clean off their shoulders. Another chug of the liquid slid down his throat and he focused on the burning sensation. What would she think of him? It wouldn’t be hard for her to know what he had done, he was royalty and people loved to gossip. There was plenty of talk of him and other women. All nameless. Meaningless. Would she reject him when she found out? He knew it would be his own fault if she did, but he also knew just what happened when a mate rejected you and just because he was stronger didn't mean he was exempt from it. If anything it would be tenfold. When a wolf rejects the sacred bond his mother had bestowed on them it would cause them both great pain. So much so that they would either slip into insanity or die. 

He leant his forearms on the railing as he inhaled a deep breath. His mind never stopped, he was always busy. Once again, the weight of the world heavy on him. He just needed his mate to make things better. He’d been alone for so fucking long and it was hurting him so much. He heard the sliding doors behind him but didn't bother looking as he drank some more brandy. He knew from the scent who it was already.

“Come on, Bill, you need to rest. You’ll find her when the time’s right,” Frank said softly as he rested his hand on his shoulder. Frank was his Beta and his best friend. He was ruthless when he needed to be and loyal, but to those he cared for, he was a gentle soul. Billy didn't know how he’d cope without him. Frank had found his first mate a long time ago and she had been human. It wasn’t common but not unheard of either and he honestly didn’t know just why his mother had done it. But Frank had gone on to have two kids with his mate, Maria. He’d loved that family like they were his own, felt their loss as his own once they were gone too. He’d tried hard to comfort his friend after what happened as much as he could but they’d still never been able to get the revenge they needed. Luckily for Frank, Karen came along. Billy had brought her in to help, she was a witch. It was obvious to Billy that they started developing feelings for one another and shockingly enough, it turned out they were mates. Second mates rarely happened and never a witch and wolf pairing. But his mother had told him that it was to help, that Frank was important to him and Frank’s pain was his pain. She’d given Frank a second mate as a gift. Billy would admit that a more selfish part of him, the cold and bitter part of him, longed for the days where he wasn’t the only one alone. Deep down he was happy for Frank but it didn’t ease the sting of knowing his best friend had two mates and he had still yet to meet his own. He always tried to push down those treacherous thoughts when they popped up though. He knew it was unfair and Frank deserved to be happy. 

He turned around and nodded, knowing it was useless to keep thinking about it. He followed his Beta inside to his large room and Frank left him knowing he wanted peace as he sat on the bed for a moment. It was late now. The sky was deep blue, alight from the many stars and the moon. His wolf was yapping at him so he decided he’d go for a run. The guards would always plead with him not to, or to at least let them tail him. They were concerned for his safety but it was futile. He was far stronger than anything that he may come across. He liked to run at night when people weren't watching his every move, when he could just try and free himself and let his wolf have some comfort. He stood and went over to his closet, picking up his work out clothes that he had specially made for him. Something less restrictive than his usual ensemble. Everyone had their uniform of sorts in the castle and he was no different. His usual clothes consisted of deep maroon or black pants, leather boots, a white tunic and his cream and gold jacket with the royal crest on it. If it was cold he’d also wear his furs. His Beta and Gamma had clothes similar to him, the only difference being that their jackets weren't cream and gold, they were cream and black. His elite warriors wore black and red, the staff around the castle wore white and red and the guards wore all black. He didn't like to go around looking too different to everyone else and he sure as hell didn't have a crown on his head. Anyone who didn’t know him and didn't know how the uniforms worked in the castle wouldn't have any clue just who he was and he liked it that way.

He didn't look like a Demigod or King, he looked almost human to the naked eye. His power contained within him. His dark hair was shorter on the sides and longer on top, slicked back out of the way. He had grown out his facial hair just a little and it left him looking more rugged. He looked after his appearance because he liked to, not just because it was expected of him, but he was a King after all and there were certain expectations he was held to. No one would take seriously a King that looked disheveled. All of the women seemed to go wild over his appearance, not that he cared. He did care what his mate would think of him though. He’d never had a relationship and he wouldn't until he found his other half. He never even went back to the same girl twice no matter how persistent they were. He was attractive, he was made to be so. But he also knew it was his power and status that lured in the she-wolves and human women.

He left his room and jogged down the steps. The guard gave him a look but he growled and they bowed their heads, not bothering to ask him knowing he would tell them no. They may have worried for his safety but he was their superior and they had to obey his orders. As he stepped outside, he let the chill of the air soothe his wolf, breathing in the fresh air and relaxing. It was cold but he didn't need layers since his body was like a furnace. Usually, he would run in the vast land that surrounded his castle. He wasn't the only one to live there, his right-hand men did too with their mates. Billy had the whole top floor to himself while the others had the floor below. Then the dining hall and common rooms were on the second floor and the grand entrance and bar on the first, along with the ballroom that he held parties when he needed to. In his grounds he had a large training and weapons center, there were lots of smaller buildings too that housed the staff and the warriors that his Gamma and Beta trained. Some packs sent him their warriors to be trained by the best. He owned all the land around it which was covered with woodland that his wolf adored. The parameter was secured all the way around with a high fence, it was enough to keep things out but guards still did parameter sweeps every hour. The only way in and out of the place was the towering gates at the front. Those too were manned by at least four of his guards at all times.

He started his run as he always did, he always ran the edge of the fence first, effectively doing his own security check at the same time. He let his wolf come to the surface, letting the run soothe him and his restlessness. He couldn't shift and let him take over. He couldn't risk it, not again. The beast inside of him was not something he could control and he wasn't about to put everyone at risk. He could however let him come to the surface and enjoy the moment together, trying to forget about the empty loneliness that gnawed on him from the inside out. He’d been out there for less than an hour when he felt Frank pushing into his mind. 

‘Bill, we got a problem,’ Frank mind-linked him. Billy rolled his eyes as he stopped, catching his breath.

‘What is it?’ he asked back, wiping his sweaty brow with his shirt. He started back to the castle as he waited for a reply.

‘We found a rogue lurkin’ around the fence, the guards brought him in. He's detained in a cell. The thing is… he smells like vamps. Like he's been stayin’ with ‘em,’ Frank's words made Billy stop, his brow furrowing. A fucking rogue with vampires? That was never good. Rogues were a real problem and one Billy never had the patience for. They were a sore spot for him, and as just and merciful as he liked to say he was, when it came to rogues, his ruthlessness and coldness came out full force after what they took from him. The fact there was a rogue that was somehow involved with the vampires he knew they were on the brink of war with, well that spelled trouble. He needed to get information out of the rogue.

‘I’m on my way,’ Billy mind-linked, taking off and running back to the castle.

As he walked inside, Frank and his Gamma Curtis were waiting for him. Curtis was dressed haphazardly, whereas Frank was just in his sleep pants, his short hair stuck up every which way. Billy’s lips twitched up slightly at the sight of them despite the feelings he was having. He knew he needed to calm himself before he went and saw the rogue or he’d never get any information out of him. He’d end up ripping his heart right out of his chest. He couldn't help it though. Frank had mostly gotten over his issues with rogues, knowing in reality, they weren’t the real reason his family was gone. They had simply been a pawn in a much larger game. He’d gotten through his issues by taking out the rogues who had a hand in what happened and it seemed to be enough for him, at least when it came to the rogue part of it all. Billy struggled to get over it though, struggling to see past it all. It would just be a glaring reminder of what he lost, what he failed to protect. They stayed silent as they all made their way down into the dungeons. They didn't need to say anything to know how he was feeling. When the pair had sworn their loyalty to Billy, in order to become his Beta and Gamma and to become immortal like Billy was, they had to do a ritual. A blood bond. They all felt the other’s emotions and with Billy being as strong and old as he was, his emotions were almost amplified compared to theirs. They felt his overwhelming grief and guilt. His blinding pain and anger at the split second he thought of the ones he’d lost. They knew all too well how the pain still haunted the King even if he never spoke about it. Losing his surrogate family all those years ago was something he still couldn't bring himself to talk about but the two men knew it still ate away at him, which is why they were always on hand whenever Billy had to deal with a rogue. They had to make sure Billy didn't lose it and shift. That wasn't good for anyone. 

When they walked through, the putrid smell of piss and vomit floated through the air as they passed the cells. As sad as it was, the smell no longer affected Billy, it wasn't his first rodeo being down here. He could hear the sound of chains being tugged on and snarls as he walked over to where two guards were standing in front of a cell. The guards bowed their heads to him and moved away, letting Billy and his two right hand men look through the bars. A man who looked to be in his 30’s was chained up with silver, growling and snarling. Billy tilted his head as he watched him, catching the man's eyes. It only seemed to make the man thrash more and a wicked smirk spread on Billy’s face.

“Stop fighting,” Billy’s voice was eerily calm yet still more dominant than any other Alpha on the planet. And despite the fact this rogue held no loyalty for the King, his wolf forced him to submit as his body went lax and he glared at Billy. It only made Billy’s smirk widen.

“What are you doin’ with the vampires, rogue?” Billy asked carefully through the bars. The rogue just laughed, the sound empty and devoid of any real happiness and it made the hair on the back of Billy’s neck prickle up. He felt his annoyance growing, his wolf snarling and snapping in his mind. Frank’s hand on the back of his neck grounded him, soothing his wolf and bringing him back to a decent state of mind. He knew it was fucked up that Frank was the one comforting him here after it was Frank’s family that got killed but he couldn’t help it. He felt far too deeply and far too much and he loathed it.

Curtis unlocked the cell and Billy stepped inside flanked by both men. It was an unspoken rule but both Frank and Curtis had well capped syringes of tranquilizer laced with wolfsbane in their pockets. It was part of their job to always have one with them as well as the guards. It wasn't for this rogue, it was for Billy. If he started to shift they were on firm orders to sedate him. Neither of them wanted history to repeat itself and it had been hard enough trying to fix the mess the last time Billy had shifted involuntarily almost a hundred years ago. Knowing the boys would have his back like that gave him some peace of mind. He took a few steps towards the rogue and the rogue spat at his feet as a show of disrespect. It didn't phase Billy one bit but he heard Frank growling at him in contempt for disrespecting his King.

“You're gonna to tell me what the vamps are plannin’ and how the rogues are involved,” Billy stated carefully. Not a question but a statement, because he knew the man would. 

“I won't tell you shit,” the man growled. Billy smirked to himself, pushing out his Alpha aura so much that even Frank and Curtis bowed their heads in submission. The rogue lowered his head, his whole body tense, clearly not liking having no control over his actions.

“That’s funny. Let's see if you still say that in an hour, pain can be a really useful motivator,” Billy grinned eerily, not missing how the rogue’s body tensed up even more. 

Billy wouldn't be the one to extract the information himself. He couldn't trust himself or his wolf not to go too far in those circumstances, no matter how badly he’d love to rip into this insolent little wolf. That was what his men were for. More specifically, Frank and Curtis had a good thing going on when they teamed up, almost like a good cop bad cop routine. Billy took a few steps back, relishing in the fear he could smell from the wolf in chains. He turned to leave the cell and glanced at his Beta and Gamma.

“Do whatever necessary to get him to spill. I don't want him dead until he tells us everythin’ he knows,” he ordered firmly. They both nodded and Curtis stepped out of the cell with him a little.

“Do you want me to send anyone to the Nomad pack? See if they know anything?” he asked quietly with a frown. Billy pursed his lips and heaved a sigh.

“No. The Council has already asked ‘em to come in for a meetin’ and I doubt they know anything,” Billy said as he raked a hand through his hair. He knew what Curtis was getting at though. 

The Nomad pack wasn't just a normal pack of wolves, they were a pack of rogues. It was unusual for rogues to band together to make an actual pack, but they weren't the usual types of rogues. Normal rogues were exiled or left due to how hostile they were, their inability to listen to orders. They were vicious and vile creatures and their humanity was almost non-existent. The Nomad pack were a group of wolves who had suffered loss or who were outcast and treated badly. They were labeled rogue at first for the simple fact that they didn't belong to a pack, but then they banded together and took on more misfits, expanding their pack. They had quite a reputation. Not only because they were the first and only rogue pack but because of the things they had done. People feared them for the fact that they used to be rogues and they were clever enough to use that to their advantage. Before long, other Alphas started requesting their help, hiring them as bounty hunters for unruly pack members or helping in wars, because having the Nomad pack as an ally was far better than having them for an enemy. Billy had met the Alpha once and the Council kept tabs on the pack just on the off chance shit went south with them due to them once being rogues. But Billy didn't think they were a threat. He knew the Council for the past year had been paying the Nomad pack as bounty hunters too for more high profile wanted cases with wolves and they’d been doing a good job with them. As far as he saw it, he didn't see them as rogues anymore, and even before then, he wasn't blind by his hatred enough to not see the difference with the kind of rogues they were compared to the one sitting in his cell. People may think he was vicious when it came to those not in packs but it wasn't the case. He knew not all wolves had the luxury of being in a welcoming pack or having a pack to raise them. 

Curtis was always overly cautious and he knew that's why he was asking. Their connection to rogues was practically non-existent except from a label they used to wear and Billy just knew they weren’t in on this. The Council had requested their presence in a few days anyway so he could just speak to them then, just to ease his Gamma’s mind and assure him they weren't a part of this. With a nod, Curtis went back inside the cell with Frank and Billy started making his way back out of the dungeon. Before he left, he heard the screaming start and he felt his lips curl up into a satisfied smirk at the sound. He’d place a bet that before the sun rose, the little wolf would have squealed at least one useful bit of information. If he knew what was good for him that was. Whatever shit the rogues were cooking up with the vampires couldn’t be good and it needed to be nipped in the bud as soon as possible, he learned that lesson the hard way last time. He knew the war he’d expected was coming sooner rather than later. It was time to amp up his warrior’s training and to call a meeting between the Alpha’s soon. They needed to be ready for whatever came their way.

Taglist: (if you’ve been asked to be tagged and aren’t here, it wouldn’t let me tag some people.)

@firexfate

@blanchedelioncourt

@on-ya

@sunshinedaisies-anddeath

@snowkestrel

@music-indie-tv

@idaofinfinity

@sweetserendipity65

@ramadiiiisme

@k-marzolf

@celestialams

@woowwwee

@noortsshift

@rainbowgoblinfan

@mysweetlittledesire

#billy russo fanfic #billy russo x reader #billy russo #billy russo imagine

[rounderhouse]

SLAMS HANDS ON TABLE. It's Time.

The Man in the White Suit series could be read as an allegory for war and how that so deeply fucks up everyone involved IN THIS ESSAY I WILL—

Part 1 of this mess of a ramble!! General Thematics! This series fuckin loves using this shit as a backdrop. Fritz Obermeyer essentially sells his soul to the Nobody entity in the trenches of war, Chiaroscuro is ENTIRELY backdropped to World War (I think?) II, throughout SCP-5353 they’re a busting a German war criminal, exposing corruption, causing riots, and trying to locate things related to WWII (also a handful of other stuff in that file can def contribute to the allegory but to save adding like two more paragraphs I don't know how much the tumblr ask system can handle) in their search for Fritz if I'm recalling properly. AND I don’t remember if it’s Whitesuit or Nobody but ONE OF THEM explicitly refers to their conflict with the other AS A WAR. THEY CALL IT A WAR.

Next up? SCP-5877, just in general. When I fiiirst read this series last year this entry had briefly confused me before I realized they’re meant to be people the Nobody entity chewed the identities of like a particularly destructive dog and then abandoned once it was done with them. HOWEVER they also really contributed to this whole reading as an allegory. They’re a large chunk of population who can’t be perceived until they turn up DEAD. Twin stillborns when there was only one child detected (nnnoot even getting into the implications behind THAT), bodies in a plane crash strapped overtop of other passengers. It’s eerie. The whole intro part of that article is incredibly unsettlingly but similarly tragic. They’re people. They are people caught in the crossfire of Nobody and Whitesuit’s little war. Their nature makes them naught but nameless and faceless statistics. Numbers on a spreadsheet. They are causality to a conflict they did not wish for. And in their deaths they are reduced to nothing but a number. Causalities. Like a ticking toll of deaths in war. A cruel price that those fighting will either seldom acknowledge, or deny. I can go further and point out they were “drafted” by an entity beyond their understanding to be a puppet. A foot soldier in it’s eldritch quest for what it claims to be a greater good. But what happens to a puppet when the strings are suddenly cut? When their “purpose” comes to curtain call? They are lost. They are scared. They are never the same.

Another point for this reading of the story is Fritz in the coda and this builds off of the last bit. He’s free from the Nobody entity but he’s,,,, out of time. Displaced. He’s a man from the god damn 1930s the narration remarks how he's probably the only man from his time STILL ALIVE. Its the fucking 2070s. Everything that man knows is GONE and CHANGED and he is scared and alone and confused and hey this sounds like what happens when people return from WAR. No longer in touch with what's happening, and ungodly levels of traumatized by what they’ve endured— never the same. Fritz, honey, please seek therapy. Actually all of them should. Please guys. Holy shit. 

To harken back to the coda again there's a line that goes “There didn’t have to be a grand plan, an artful ending. Just the march of life.” There’s no glory, there’s no final fight of confrontation, at the end of the day it's just people — it’s just scared, manipulated people trying to fight for SOMETHING to give themselves meaning after tragedy stripped them of all they are. 

And hell, what is Whitesuit if not an amalgam of a handful of 5877 instances that came together and wanted to fight against the horrid thing that made them the way they are. He is a literal embodiment of destruction that Nobody leaves in its wake, like a wraith or ghost. Fitting for a man dressed in white. He is an angry, mourning entity lashing out in hopes of stopping what’s happened to him (them?) from happening to more people- but in the process is just fanning flames. The retaliation sparks war. The creation of a century spanning cycle of violence and revenge.

To make a similar point to the paragraph about the SCP-5877 instances, the Maliz family too are caught in the crossfire of Nobody and Whitesuit’s fight against each other. And it's implied to occur across generations. Hester Maliz, and her grandson Tyler are the main focus. Funnily enough I remember an exchange between Hester and Nobody where he chastises her for enrolling Tyler in a Foundation program at such a young age. He calls it a brainwashing fascist boot camp. Nobody goes on to threaten Hester with how the future of the Foundation will turn it to more militarism, fewer compromises, and corruption. A machine that will cement an empire. For history repeats itself time and time again. War never changes (funny fallout line, laugh now).

And all of this is fucking rich to hear from the entity that’s been possessing people and bending them to its will and goals the whole story. For no matter how noble the entity may think its own goals, it too is a frightful machine. Whitesuit even remarks to Hester prior to her exchange with Nobody: "think about what the Foundation would be like if it had all the drive in the world and no purpose, doing things and hurting people just because that's what they'd always done. Like an automaton." Nobody too is an element of war enforcing something very few understand. For the entity is blind to this (or perhaps just uncaring), just as Whitesuit perhaps is. They are two entities caught up in a cycle of horrible violence without much acknowledgment of who they hurt and who is caught in the crossfire. Tyler Maliz tries to stop them, but his efforts to do this culminate in something perhaps cruel when he turns to try and stop Nobody and Whitesuit from ending this war through the Name Machine.

Which is something he fails in. But hell, even then it's not the true end, despite it closing the story. Nobody and Whitesuit are gone, but the effects of their actions will linger like a horrid specter over the survivors. Things will not be the same again. But life marches on, does it not? It won't be the same, but an attempt to move on and heal can be made.

This series doesn’t really end in a victory. It ends in survivors trying to pick up their own pieces.

Hey, just like war. 

Jesus christ this was way longer than I thought it would be LMAO. Hi I’m Dino--Draws and I am so fucking autistic about this series. Have this 1,000+ word borderline essay/ramble about thematics and allegories.

oh sweet zombie jesus that's a lot of words

this is a really good breakdown! i admittedly can't really answer how much of the war allegory was on purpose, since The Man in the White Suit wasn't written by me alone -- but I can say that a lot of the elements you're talking about were deliberate decision. the idea was definitely that Nobody is this abstract thing that hijacks people for its own purposes, completely apathetic to whatever lives they have going on, and then throws them away when it's done, leaving a husk behind. and Whitesuit is this amalgamation of husks that have decided to Do Something About It, but is he really any better? he also doesn't give a shit about collateral damage, he's more than willing to hurt and kill people to get what he wants (Nobody, dead).

so, sure, on a grander scale the series is very much about the casualties of conflicts -- not necessarily war, but that's certainly a valid way to read it. all the faceless nobodies left behind after these two tear through their lives, just trying to pick up the pieces and form themselves back into Somebody. the coda, one of my favorite articles on the site in general, goes into this; after Whitesuit 'splodes, his constituent parts don't really feel liberated or filled with relief. his mission was never their mission. they just want to live the lives they missed out on because they got drafted into a cosmic war they never had a chance in.

i'm really glad someone enjoyed the series enough to think about it this much; it's one of my favorite things i've written. thank you for the Big Thoughts 💙

#scp #ask #writing #rounderwords #the man in the white suit

[rawmeknockout]

Your possessive Dadatron got into my brain with the cyberformed liason. While poor obsessed Rodimus is not being left alone with the Liason he's also one of the handful of bots outside of the medics that consistently remember the Liason was a wholeaft adult human and treat them as such, along with Rung, Swerve, Perceptor and Whirl.

This also leads to Megs and Mags being shocked when the Liason just matter-of-factly tells Rodimus, "I'm not opposed to the idea of a potential date in the future, but right now I don't have enough coordination in this body to try Meteor surfing. Worse the medics said Interfacing is out untill I have some concious control of my transformation sequence preferably after I've scanned an altmode."

Just two old Mechs clutching their pearls stunned In Horror while Rodimus is blithly is going on with the conversation.

"Wait you haven't scanned an alt yet?! I thought you'd checked all the potentials on the Lost Light?"Rodimus looked shocked.

"I did but nothing clicked or activated the sequence." The Liason shrugged helplessly. "It's not like this frame had one preloaded."

"Huh you should have told me. Next time we get off on a planet you should come with me and Drift and Ratchet. See if any of the wildlife triggers-"

"I forbid it! Ultra Magnus choked out. The other three mechs turned to look at him.

"Ultra Magnus," Megatron sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Please don't discourag Rodimus when he makes sensible seguestions."

"I, no." The Duely Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accords gathered his wits. "No Rodimus' seguestion regarding his alt mode acquisition was not the issue. The conversation with regarding Interfacing however-" The Liason cut him off voice flat with uncharacteristic frustration.

"I do not have the spoons to say this gracefully or diplomatically right now so I'm going to be blunt. I am an adult human, note the term adult, in the frame of cybertronian newbuild. I'm currently experiencing frame dysphoria and body dismorphia. And you can add gender disphoria because i have a gender and if this frame I'm in lined up with it I would be a femme!"

"I'm aware of what interfacing is. In the before times," the Liason gestured curtly at their frame, "I had quite a few lively slightly tipsy afterwork discussions at Swerve's compairing and contrasting human and cybertronian sexulity, sensuality, and romanticism. Which Rodimus took part in. Spark play, Plug and Play and feild play arent options for humans but Valve Plug is" Ultra Magnus' engine choked in shock. Megatron took a reflexive back in extreme discomfort.

"I dont think I need to hear about that!" Megatron cut her off hastily. It was a mark of his discomfort and Ultra Magnus's distraction they both missed Rodimus pulling a packet of Cesium Crisps out of his subspace.

"No Mechs, these are exactly some of the sorts of conversations that need to happen with anybot who steps up to Parent me if this is permanent. Be my Mentor," she added to clarify the twin looks of confusion. "I am a middle-aged parent of grown children with an ex-husband who remains a dear friend now that he's out of the closet. I know the two of you are both trying to parent me. God and Primus both forefend my body dies of old age before Brainstorm and Perceptod can fix me because the number of Mecha on this ship who are psychologically capable dealing with the complexities of mentoring a newbuild that is simultaneously a sentient organic who is of analagous to their devlopmental age are profoundly limited."

"How about Rang," Rodimus seguested just a bit too cheerfully around a mouthful of snacks.

"Rung, unfortunately, as my therapist has a professional conflict of interest. And since you guys have, between all your factions, a grand total of two therapists left alive it's not like switching providers-"

"Oh! Liason! There you are!" First Aid called out, cheerfully oblivious conversation he was saving Megatron and Ultra Magnus from. "Ratchet just commed me, he's looking for you. He's freed up his schedule to chaparone err moniter Brainstorm and Perceptor while they run some tests on you. Well mostly Brainstorm needs the monitering. If you could come down to the lab?"

"Oh best not keep them waiting then," Rodimus put in quickly husteling First Aid and the Liason off down the hall. "I'll walk with you, Mags and Megs have to go on shift on the Bridge."

Well this ended up longer than I expected. The characters that live in my brain just started talking and went for it.

How do you reckon Protective UM and Possessive Megatron are taking this conversation? Or this type given that Liason suddenly went from generic insert to proto-OC with a backstory while I was typing. I cant be the only one on here who's had a character grab the plot ball and run away with it for a bit.

Megatron is fine with them having a life before even tho it’s not preferred but they’re a MECH now and he knows better (this is a lie) than anyone what type of mentoring you need he’s completely ignoring this conversation bc that was your life as a human, this is your life now

Magnus is conflicted but ultimately he still keeps other mechs away. you may have some knowledge of Cybertronian sexuality, but it’s not just the interfacing that’s the problem. All the mechs on the lost light are fucked up and aren’t just looking for vanilla sex.

#asks

[redhatmeg]

I was looking forward for the Daddy Masterson subplot because it says a lot about Yasopp as a character.

Daddy the Father is introduced as a former elite Marine shooter who became a bounty hunter, but Smoker points out that Daddy goes after guys with small bounties, because he doesn't want to risk dying from a Grand Line pirate's hand, and orphaning his daughter Carol.

Later he meets Usopp and duels with him for the sharpshooter goggles, but although Usopp runs away, Masterson doesn't kill him. Once it's revealed that Usopp is Yasopp's son, Daddy the Father tells him a story about how back in his Marine days he was dueling with Yasopp and lost.

Now, other Red Hair Pirates (at least the minor ones) were encouraging Yasopp to finish his opponent, and even Masterson himself tells him to do so since Daddy lost the duel. But Yasopp just comes to him, looks him up and notices the locket with Carol's picture and comments on the fact that he himself has a son he left.

"I... wasn't able to do anything for my son. A useless parent like me... One of me is more than enough."

Although, Yasopp chose to become a pirate, he often thinks and talks about Usopp. There is obviously some part of him that regrets not being by his son's side and being "useless parent". That's why he chooses to not only leave his opponent alive, but also to tell him to be close to his daughter.

So Daddy Masterson's current situation when he tries to be a good father, is the fruit of that duel.

Earlier when the duel was just over, Yasopp thanks Shanks that he didn't intervene; and as Yasopp was walking away from Masterson, and his crewmates were saying how good of a shooter he is, Yasopp says: "This wound I got shows that I'm still not good enough." So I suspect that he's driven by an ambition to be the best sharpshooter in the world, and in that regard Yasopp's situation and dynamic with his captain is similar to Zoro's.

This small flashback reveals a lot about Yasopp and I'm glad we've got it.

#meg rewatches one piece #one piece #yasopp #usopp #daddy the father

[spinner-of-yarns]

It’s time to decide once and for all which part of this song is the most heartbreaking. I’ve had trouble picking just 12 most likely lines and so I’ve decided to just use all of them and divide them into three polls (Vote on Curt’s and Owen’s lines here) Who knows, maybe I’ll even do a grand finale for the winners of each poll once the voting’s over.

For the unitiated, One Step Ahead is a song from Spies Are Forever (it’s a musical. it’s about spies.) You should watch it, it’s great. (You can find it on youtube)

#spies are forever #tin can bros #curt mega #owen carvour #curtwen #one step ahead #starkid

[stuffymcstuffsworld]

Burned into my soul

Garp can't help but stare at the burning island. An island where so many lives were taken today. So many innocents lost. He looks down at the crying child in his arms.

~ I look into your eyes, and I think back to the son of mine. You're as old as he was when I left for war.~

Ace, Portgas D. Ace. Only a newborn baby. And on his first hour of life, an entire island was destroyed. All for the sake of a dead man's sins.

It shouldn't be this way. The sins of a father should not be thrown onto a child. Especially if that man in question had been executed for his crimes.

He was only a baby... the world was too cruel. His son had been this age, innocent and sweet. But little Ace, well according to justice, he wasn't innocent, and he should be disposed of immediately.

~Will these actions haunt my days? Every man I've slayed is the proce I pay endless pain?~

He couldn't spare Roger from death. Nor could he save Rouge from burning. He couldn't assist the thousands that were now dead from the genocide that had occurred.

He clutched the tiny newborns body as tight as he could without hurting him. He had made a promise to both of those two at this point. And he intended to keep it.

~Close your eyes and spare yourself the view. How could I hurt you?~

Ace would live. Garp would make sure that the little boy on his arms would become a man. His heart ached. There wasn't much else he could offer this child who had suffered so greatly.

To make up for everything lost today, Ace needed to live. He needed to be strong and healthy. Till he could become his own man one day.

~I'm just a man who's trying to go home. Even after all the years away from what I've known.~

Where to take the boy, though? It should be somewhere far from here. Somewhere safe. A place where Garp had some control.

Home... it had been a long time since Monkey D. Garp had returned to his island. There weren't many reasons to go back anymore. Not since his stupid son had left to start some ridiculous rebellion.

Ace would be safe there. It was far from the grand line. And the East Blue was the safest region to live in. Yes, he would take the child there.

~I'm just a man who's fighting for his life. Deep down I would trade the world to see my son and wife. I'm just a man.~

But who would take care of the tiny brat? He wasn't exactly able to drop everything. It had to be someone he trusted. Someone who wouldn't dare to harm the boy.

It was times like this that he wished his precious wife were alive. Oh, how she'd be sure to give him hell over it. Scolding him for messing his relationship with their only child. And bringing a newborn to her without a stitch of clothes.

But maybe... her sister could do it, couldn't she? After all, she owed him many a favor for not arresting her under his wife's request. Yes, Curly Dadan would do.

~But when does a comet become a meteor, and does a candle become a blaze. When does a man become a monster?~

This day would haunt him for a lifetime. A day where he failed as a marine and a man. All in the name of justice.

~When does a ripple become a title wave, and does the reason become the blame? When does a man become a monster?~

Justice? No... this wasn't what he'd call justice. It was twisted. Something needed to change. And he needed to be the one to help make that change.

~Forgive me~

He needed to help train the younger generation. He needed to guide them so that they wouldn't make the same mistakes. So that they could be true justice.

~But when does a comet become a meteor, and does a candle become a blaze? When does a man become a monster?~

Ace has cried himself to sleep in his arms at this point. That's a good thing. He'll need the rest for the long journey ahead.

~Forgive me~

He can't help the tears that fall as he morns the lives lost. The dreams that will never be forfilled. Leaving only a graveyard in it's wake.

~When does a ripple become a tidal wave, and does the reason become the blame? When does a man become a monster?~

As his ship sails into the distance, watching as the island slowly disappears into the sea. A place that is no more. One that shall be forgotten amoung history. But remain forever in his soul.

~Forgive me.~

The island called Baterilla.

~I'm just a man.~

#one piece #monkey d garp #portgas d ace #curly dadan #songfic #epic the musical

[mister13eyond]

ok this thought grew too long for the previous reblog and wound up largely irrelevant to the discussion but that post about hopepunk has me genuinely wanting to talk about media that discusses the whole 'even in the face of inevitable failure the struggle matters' because it is, in fact, one of my favorite themes

to me a couple examples come to mind:

nier automata

pathologic

fear & hunger

fate (stay night and grand order) (thinking specifically of babylonia)

jjba part 6: stone ocean

and idk, i know that ISN'T the genre people are describing when they describe hopepunk, but i would GENUINELY be interested in knowing more media that approaches this concept? like, all of the above share a through line of "the worst might or even DID happen, and our protagonists LOST against this unbeatable force, but the struggle still matters as long as it has at least one person to remember it"? like in nier we're outright told the conflict is not necessarily going to end- jackass's monologue at the end suggests there's just going to be another cycle of violence started to avenge the first- and that our protagonists, upon being given another chance, might just wind up making all the same mistakes all over again- but it still matters they're given the chance? pathologic tells us "you cannot Win against a plague, you cannot make it out with perfectly clean hands morally, all you can do is survive and try to protect those you can"; fear & hunger tells us "the suffering will not end and will in fact shape the whole future; the god of fear & hunger is an inevitability and will shape human progress, there is no future that isn't built on pain" and yet still manages to feel so defiant of that?

hell, in fate and stone ocean, our protagonists LOSE. in fgo:babylonia the kingdom cannot be saved, they're fighting to save a place that is already dying and will not survive- they just need to ensure that someone is alive to carry the memory of it forward? same goes for stone ocean- the world IS changed! it is forever altered! it will never be the same and emporio can never have back the world that he once knew! but it matters that he knows it; it matters that he survives despite that?

I DONT KNOW I'M JUST THINKING i want to know more works that tackle that kind of bittersweet determination? that "you cannot stop it, and we both know it, but we're going to try anyways" without seeming either saccharine OR resigned?

#thanks for coming to my ted talk #i think its a tone thats very hard to pull off #but it always feels Satisfying to me #there's something that resonates about like #knowing there's not going to be a clean and happy ending #but knowing it still matters that someone tried

[mitochondriencocktail]

idk if you're still doing these but just in case 1, 4, 7 and 18 for the space plant au ♥️

i'm holding myself back from asking about the star bojan au and the superheroes au to avoid spoilers lol

If there are asks in my box, I shall keep rambling <3

What's their love language?

Acts of service for sure. I think after the lives they've led, words can sometimes feel murky or nebulous. A life of listening (especially for Bojan in the Space Program), empty words and promises. So acts of service, like making a mug of tea or picking up tasks when the other is having a depressive slump (I picture them both having things to deal with, mental health struggles that come and go).

Maybe one time, Bojan notices that Jere hasn't set up the new lamp they'd bought to spruce up the small space they have. It's been sitting there for a while, so he takes it upon himself to unbox it, put it together, screw in the lightbulb. It's a small gesture, but it means the world to Jere because even though he's got more emotional tools than Bojan in some ways, in other areas he's still fumbling.

Also quality time. Anything to make up for lost time, life they haven't been able to fully live yet. Gift giving when they afford to find something the other one wants or would appreciate, like a box of nice tea for Jere, a beat up cassette of The Beatles for Bojan that he hasn't been able to locate before or perhaps lost during the transition out of the Space Program (I need a better name for this LMAO).

4. What’s their favorite sleeping/cuddling positions?

Face to face, like how they were in the infirmary when they reached out to one another. Legs tangled, heads sometimes resting against each other, other times tucked into one of their chests. Whoever needs a little more comfort that night.

Morning breath be damned, they both love knowing that the other one is there, alive, with them.

7. Who is the more romantic one?

HMMMMMM good question. They're both kind of prone to cheesy romantic tendencies, ideas stolen from movies and media, but perhaps in different ways. Jere brings home flowers he picks, Bojan says the most endearingly bad pickup lines.

A lot of times they both ache for an easier life, if only so they could spoil the other one the way they want to with grand gestures and dates and trips.

18. What does a date night out look like for them?

The world I picture for them is a bleak one. There used to be a lot of life and culture previously before the planet was stripped of its resources and the Space Program became the central focus of society; basically people raised up and trained to go into space as worker bees in a way.

I think a date night out for them would be finding a museum, which would be scarcer, reminiscing about 'vintage' things and imagining life together in those days. It sounds melancholic, but I picture these versions of them as a bit melancholic overall. But not in a bad way. Despite that, they still have found love and stability and security in one another <3

#bojere #I must confess that these asks about them are making me more insane about them #I love these sad but in love versions of them ;o;

[joeys-piano]

An-tag-onist game

Tagged by @words-after-midnight, whom I'm currently beta-ing one of their oldest projects and have only read two original fiction works for pleasure this decade and I'm happy to say that theirs is one of them. The other one is "On Earth, We're Briefly Gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong. Which says something about the things I actually read, but that is neither here nor there.

Tagging (if you'll like to play along because y'all have interesting tastes): @feu-eau, @somuchanemoia, @voxofthevoid, @paleborza, @bowties-are-cool3000, @astralalmighty, @rebrandedbard, @hellfridge, and @walkinaroundtheuniverse and any of the rest of y'all who stumble upon this!

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Rules: Have some fun by making an antagonist/villain, morally gray, or otherwise complicated character answer for their (alleged) fictional misdeeds, horrible and/or hilarious. BONUS: Add a poll to let public opinion decide what should be done with them. (Or just do it in the tags. Up to you.)

The accused: Kni | Nai | Millions Knives | "Hundreds Spoons" from Trigun Stampede

Evidence Against Him (in no specific order)

Chad™ body

Evil™ snuggy

Knife tentacles

Vaulting through a window through the thrust of his own pelvis

The voice of someone you'd spill your guts to and he'll sell you out for one (1) potato chip

Started a neo-catholic cult to enslave humanity under desperation, featuring himself and his twin brother as Adam and Eve-esque, Revelation-style angels here to deliver humanity to its end and blah blah blah blah blah

Kept a man alive for 150+ years to genetically modify and enhance the remaining BIPOC and disabled denizens of Noman Land to carry out the violence deemed "necessary" to show his twin brother that people aren't worth saving

Forces his brother into ultimatums where the end result is the same: his brother doesn't save anyone or keeps the promises he intends to keep and this further isolates him from the people he cares about until Knives is the only one he's certain with

Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss

Manslaughter

Loves his brother

Obsessed with his brother

Judges humanity on one (1) readthrough of the entire Bible, disregarding vast literature and actual history of what humanity can do and done

Has a body count in the thousands + the left arm of his brother, that he personally chopped off and is probably in preservation somewhere

Then gave his brother a bloody gun

Taunts him to kill a woman who is by no means a substitute to the mother figure he lost, but is an important person in his life whom he cares for and is cared back

Evil™ piano soundtrack whose title is his own name, that three notes into the song his twin brother knows shit is about to go down and rushes to where the music is the loudest to try to protect everyone from this madman

The horrors™ of the last two episodes of season 1, enough said

The intentional, institutional, and personal robbery of other's autonomy -- that any action not premediated in his grand game is a fault that lies outside of his own jurisdiction and should by no means exist, that there is no concept of free will or free choice because it's his way or the highway

Loving an idea of his brother so much that he violates said brother's memories and personal well-being, re-alters it into his image, and kills the things about his brother that makes his brother -- well, his brother

The audacity

Speaking as an asexual, I think a lot of his conflicts could be resolved if he got laid every now and then

Worst birthday present ever™

The way he slowly, deliberately, caresses down line that shot out from his brother's mechanical arm before he cuts it with a knife -- like there was some unresolved tension of an ambiguous but not ambiguous nature going on there; like, what a power move and a choice to just, just thread a finger over the one thing that seperates from your brother from your ideals and from the world he wants to live in before you take it -- and take him -- under

He alive

In His Defense

Loves his brother

The last three or four minutes of season 1 episode 3, where he unleashes the millions of knives like the mouth of armageddon and then it swallows an entire city -- it was cruel, it was badass, and it was a stunning animation sequence

Also that entire first confrontation with Vash in episode 3??? He has the air of someone truly frightening, just killed someone in a saloon, bathes his feet in dirty blood as he walks up to Vash -- voice soft, low, and saccharine; unafraid that there's gun on him, lightly touches the nuzzle, that I'm very convinced that if these two were not related there would be fanfics about the lovers to enemies tension going on in that saloon. And fuck, I know Knash or whatever the ship name is is a thing, and I'm frankly shocked that there aren't any fics I could find that focuses on the brothers to enemies to vaguely twisted lovers vibes that was in that scene. Were we all just sleeping on that, or what???

In their adulthood at 150+ years, Knives has never personally touched his brother. Like, skin to skin contact. Until the very last episode of season 1. It's always been personally impersonal. Like the touch of Vash's nuzzle. Skimming a finger over the steel line from Vash's mechanical arm. Knife tentacles stabbing Vash through the back. So close, yet so far. In that he wants to, really wants to, wants to bridge the gap from their childhood. And it's a sad thing, narratively, that the only first time he touches Vash -- like to skin to skin -- is when it looks like he's going to kill his brother for an ideal he wants Vash to believe in and it's like Knives accepting that of all the people he sent to hurt Vash, he will be the final person to hurt him the most.

#joey speaks #tagged #tag game #trigun stampede #millions knives #vash the stampede #trigun