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moonstruckme · 6 months

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idk if u listen to taylor swift but her song mastermind (which is kinda like maneuvering things around to get together with someone) would be so cool to read with TASM! Peter !! Maybe the reader realizes Peter is Spiderman after recognizing his voice and then tries her hardest to become Peter’s friend in school and kinda puts all the pieces together herself (+ the line ‘to assess the equation of you’ is so peter coded) also I feel like smart reader deserves more rep 😞 like no way she wouldn’t recognize his cocky ass voice

Again this is just like. Me spilling out my random thoughts 🤭 -🍁 (sorry for spam)

Hi lovely! I didn't stick to this very faithfully, but it did inspire an idea that I'd be remiss not to give you credit for! It's established relationship, where reader has figured out Peter is Spiderman (I agree she's not dumb and that needs to be regonized). Thank you <33

cw: a whiff of harassment (more of an attempt really, but if that will upset you please don't read)

tasm!Spiderman x fem!reader ♡ 1.3k words

It’s hard to feel totally vulnerable walking around the city at night when you know you’re never really by yourself. Peter thinks he’s so stealthy, but he can’t always avoid casting shadows on the street ahead of you; you were bound to catch onto his well-intentioned stalking eventually. You’re not totally sure why he doesn’t just walk you home as himself (you’re coming from his apartment, it’s not like it would have been so difficult to ask), but your boyfriend seems to prefer stepping into his alter-ego when he thinks there’s any possibility for danger.

It turns out this time, he was right.

It’s not that you don’t see the man walking in the opposite direction of you (you’d have to be blind to miss the slow, performative up-down he gives you) or notice his mouth moving in your periphery, but you’re city-trained; you keep your eyes ahead, hoping he’ll see that you’ve got your earbuds in and leave you alone when he doesn’t get the attention he wants.

The man passes you, and you’re thinking you’re in the clear when there’s a forceful tug on your elbow. You very nearly pitch forward in your haste to get away from the unwelcome touch, but then the hand is wrenched away, and you turn to find the man stuck to a newspaper dispenser with one wrist covered in a familiar white filmy substance. A second later, and his other hand is webbed to the car behind him.

You pull out your earbuds just as Spiderman lands in front of you, the tilt of his head indicating that he’s looking you over for damage.

“Hey, what the fuck!” The man sputters. “I was just trying to pay the bitch a compliment—”

“Alright, thanks for that, pal.” Spiderman webs his mouth shut, and your harasser continues his muffled protests. “Maybe we just have different styles, but most of my compliments don’t start with unsolicited commentary on a stranger’s boobs.”

You curl your lip, and the man looks like a dog on its leash the way he’s tugging against his restraints. Your rescuer webs his feet in place, stopping their scraping against the sidewalk.

“You know,” he says, turning to you, and he’s not even trying to disguise his voice, “you should really have at least one earbud out if you’re walking by yourself at night. That’s just the first entry in the Pretty Girl Guidebook.”

You grin at him. “I think the first entry in the Pretty Girl Guidebook would really advocate more for playing damsel in distress to lure charming heroes your way. Walk me home, handsome?”

You start back on your way, and he follows you like it’s all he knows how to do. He’s quiet, and though you can’t see his expression behind the mask, you wonder if you’ve actually startled Spiderman into silence. If he expects you to be bashful and awestruck, he’s got another thing coming; you’re typically a bit shy around new people, but Peter isn’t new people.

“Yeah?” he asks after a second, and you wonder if you’d be able to detect the slight pitchiness to his voice if you didn’t know it so well. “So was that the plan all along? Get yourself attacked to get yourself rescued?”

“No.” You shrug, casting a disdainful glance back toward the man who’d grabbed you. “I don’t go out looking for trouble, but I know that if it finds me,” you say, looking up into the mask with a simpering smile, “I’ve got Brooklyn’s friendly neighborhood hero to protect me.”

You think he actually gulps. “I’m flattered you think so highly of me, sweetheart, but you really should take some precautionary measures too.”

“Well, I suppose I could’ve asked my boyfriend to walk home with me,” you muse, “but he seemed like he was eager to have me gone. Better things to do, apparently.”

“What?” It’s a squawk, and then Peter clears his throat from behind the mask. “I’m sure if your boyfriend’s a sensible guy—which, I mean, anyone who managed to snag a girl like you must not be totally airheaded—I’m sure he didn’t mean to rush you off.”

“I don’t know.” You frown, looking off in front of you contemplatively. “He’s book smart for sure, but he can be kind of dense sometimes.” You can feel your companion’s hesitation like a prickle at your side, his uncertainty of how to go about this conversation with you, and it catches him offguard when you stop to look up at him with coy, wide eyes. “Do you think you’re a sensible guy?”

His voice is strangled. “Me?”

“Mhm,” you hum, slowly moving into his space.

“I—I like to think so, sure.”

It’s all you can do not to giggle at how easily his cocky persona has come undone. You’re having too much fun to even feel bad about the torment you’re inflicting upon your boyfriend. “Maybe I should be with you, then,” you say.

He actually takes a step back. “But—but—uh, listen, you’re really pretty, but didn’t you say you had a boyfriend?”

“Yeah,” you say softly, batting your eyelashes up at him, “what about him?”

You’ve got your hands on his shoulders, lips so close to his face you can feel the warmth of his breath through the mask, and you actually think he’s going to do it. He’s going to let you kiss him. You shove playfully at his chest, unable to contain your laughter anymore.

“Pete, c’mon,” you say, careful to keep your voice low. “You must think I’m an idiot. You really thought I wouldn’t recognize you?”

There’s a few moments of wordless sputtering which you can’t really hold against him, and then Peter’s whisking you into an alley, pulling his mask off.

“Sorry for fucking with you,” you say while he’s still getting his bearings. He runs a hand through his hair, eyes wide. “It was just so easy to flirt back. You made it too much fun for me.”

“Jesus, babe.” Peter fists a hand in his hair, already fluffy from being handled so much. “When did you figure it out?”

“I mean, before today, but not very long ago,” you admit. “I knew something was up for a lot longer, but I didn’t put it together until you helped me with that mugger a few weeks ago.” You quirk a playful eyebrow. “You should at least try to distort your voice if you’re going to be Spiderman around people who know you in real life, you know.”

“Never had to with Flash,” he mutters. “Why didn’t you say anything to me?”

You turn a bit more sheepish, unsure if you should feel guiltier about keeping your realization from him. To be fair, though, he’d kept a whole crime-fighting secret identity from you. “Is there ever a right time?” you ask him with a little shrug. “I guess I eventually wanted you to tell me on your own. I get why you didn’t, but it’s not like you’re exactly choosing to trust me here.”

“I do,” Peter says immediately. He takes your shoulder in hand, like he needs to keep you steady to make sure you’re hearing him. “I do trust you, honey. It was never about trust.” He passes a hand over his face, shock melding into something more like dread. “It just, it could be dangerous for you, if you’re ever seen with me and it's obvious you know who I am, or something. I didn’t want to drag you into anything. There are…not everyone thinks of me as the friendly neighborhood hero you do.”

He gives you a little smile, and you return it, stroking his jaw in an attempt at comfort. “I know,” you say softly.

“We’re going to have to be careful.”

“I know. Pete?”

“Yeah?”

“If we’re being careful, you should probably put your mask back on.”

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thelampisaflashlight · 8 months

Text

Everything Goes On Pt. 8

[Who were you before him? Time skip again. Not suitable for younger audiences. Previous Part here.] Below the cut.

"This is Brisket." Dew says, holding up quite possibly the least intimidating dog to grace the face of the Earth, "He's a Chiweenie."

"A... A Chiweenie?" Mountain stares at the little creature, currently giving him the most wet eyed look in return, "This is your new Hellhound?"

"Hey, he may not look like much, but he's fierce!"

Brisket yawns and gets his tongue stuck outside of his mouth.

"I took you for more of a big breed dog kind of guy." Mountain says, watching the puppy drop his head into the palm of Dew's hand.

"Nah, I mean, I love all kinds of dogs, but living in a dorm with a St. Bernard sounds like a nightmare. It's also easier to travel."

"Is Brisket going on the road with us for tour then?" Mountain asks, "He could probably fit in your carry on..."

"Maybe next tour, for now, I mean, look at this guy." He rocks his arm slightly and the puppy's ears flop side to side, "He wouldn't make it through the opening act."

Mountain laughs, "So, what prompted this?"

He gestures at Brisket, and then at Dew's new, shorter haircut.

"Companionship." Dew says, holding up Brisket, "And not having anyone around to stop me."

"Hm, well, it suits you." Mountain says, picking up Brisket's head in his hands to squish his tiny face around a little.

"The puppy or the hair?"

"I mean, Brisket... I can't believe you named him that... is quite handsome in his own right, but I meant your hair." Mountain clarifies, "Not that your old style didn't, too, this one's just, I dunno, refreshing? Is that a word people use to describe hair?"

Dew snorts.

"Why Brisket though?"

"He smells like beef." the ghoul motions for Mountain to sniff the dog.

"Like in a good way or a bad-" Mountain sniffs Brisket again, "-Why does he smell like he rolled around in a barbecue??"

"Legend has it he was born in the behind some kind of bar and grille that served some pretty good steak..."

It has been three months since Aether left.

Three.

A whole quarter of a year, and Dew's starting to feel a little more grounded.

It helps when he has two new ghouls to coach through the motions of being "human" -Actually, Brisket was his own sort of reward to himself for not completely messing that up.- between teaching Aeon how to use a fork and getting Aurora to wear underwear, Dew hasn't had time to think of much else.

He still has his moments where he wakes up in his new room and gets confused, where he reaches over to the right side of the bed only to be met with the cold bedspread, but once he discovered he could spread out across the mattress unimpeded by another body, he'd more or less stopped.

It's the little things, he supposes, taking solace in the creature comforts he had forgotten after having to share his space and find compromises to make his other half happy...

Sure, it sucks not being able to roll over in the morning and get sleepy cuddles, but now he can fit a little bed on the other half for Brisket to sleep in, and that more than makes up for that.

Aether liked dogs, too, but he'd never let one sleep in their bed, claiming it would "spoil" them.

Well, too bad, Aether, Brisket is going to be as spoiled as a prince of Hell.

That being said, though, Dew does miss having another ghoul in his bed, and while there had been offers...

"It just doesn't feel right." he tells Cumulus one afternoon, "Feels like I'm cheating even though... ya know."

"You and Aether were together for four years," she says, "it's okay to need time."

"I know, but I'm not... I'm not sure when it's okay to... start all of that again."

"Having sex?"

"Kind of, but, I mean more like..." he lowers his voice, "...dating."

"Ohhh..." Cumulus pats his arm, "I'd say don't rush into all of that. You know what they say about rebound relationships..."

"Actually I... I don't." Dew whispers, "Aether was the only person I've ever dated."

"How'd you two wind up together anyway?" Cumulus asks, "Not to be rude, I mean, you two are, like, polar opposites."

"Not completely." Dew starts counting on his fingers, "We had a couple key things in common; We liked dogs, beer, music, obviously, and..."

The tips of Dew's ears go red.

"And?"

"There's this thing he could do with his tongue that he taught me how to do-"

Cirrus is... frustrated.

Cumulus has been avoiding her.

Not really, it's just...

"Cir, I love you, but you're being a little... suffocating lately." the smaller ghoulette had confessed, "I won't go anywhere just because we're not cuddling every second of the day, you know?"

Cirrus presses her face into her pillow and screams.

She can't help it.

Lately, it feels like if she isn't physically connected to Cumulus, it feels like they're drifting apart.

It's Dew's fault honestly.

Ever since Aether left him, he's been leaning on Cumulus for emotional support, even though he's not the only person hurt by...

By...

Cirrus rolls over in her bed, squeezing her pillow to her chest.

The night before Aether broke up with Dew...

"...Fuck, Cir..."

"Mn... Aeth... You feel so good..."

They aren't exclusive.

None of them are exclusive.

But something about it had felt...

Forbidden.

Good.

And now that she has time to reflect on it, it felt a lot like a goodbye, too.

"Does Dew know you're here?"

"He does, he doesn't care."

"Typical Dew."

"Yeah."

Dew knew, so there was... there was no guilt there.

Cumulus had known, too, but...

"Why are you apologizing? We all mess around."

...Why had she wanted her to be angry?

"...What's wrong with me?"

Swiss will admit, sometimes he makes poor decisions in the heat of the moment that result in... unfortunate circumstances...

"Your dick looks like a fucking glowstick." Dew gapes, beside him, Rain is positively shaking trying to contain his laughter, "Jack it off too hard and accidentally crack it or something?"

"You know the guard you set me up with a while back?" Swiss asks, tucking himself back into his pants, "Yeah, uh, turns out no matter where you stick it, this happens."

"I-It's like you dunked your junk in a vat of highlighter ink..." Rain cackles, "Does it come off?"

"Takes, like, two to three days for the... the glow to fade."

"So if you decided to jack off with the lights off, would your cum also glow? Like is it soaked in that far? Or is it like a weird sunburn?" Dew asks.

"..."

"Swiss?"

"...I need to go test something."

And, honest to Satan's balls, that was what Swiss was intent on doing when in his haste to get back to his dorm, he bumped into a sibling of sin walking through the corridors with-

"Aether?"

#lamp writes #nameless ghouls #mountain ghoul #dewdrop ghoul #cirrus ghoulette #cumulus ghoulette #swiss ghoul #rain ghoul #aether ghoul #ghost band #the band ghost #ghost bc #ghost band fanfic

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iamknicole · 8 months

Text

Chapter Two

Warnings: Cursing, bit of smut, 18+ only

Masterlist

Chapter One

The day started almost normally for the couple except Moriah usually joined him when he went to workout or went to class but this time he left her sleeping peacefully in their bed. Being in the performance center felt surreal to him, a part of him felt like he shouldn't be there and he almost turned back around. He spent most of his day seeing doctors and a couple psychiatrists before he even got to look at workout equipment and the rings.

"You look a lot different without Moriah on your hip," Booker called out with a smile as he approached him, "Lot less nice to look at too. What's going on man? You good? "

Zilla chuckled accepting the hand slap. "I'm good, just got done talkin to the docs and everything. Finally gettin out here to see all this."

"Yeah? And how you feel about all this?" Booker asked, gesturing with his hands.

He took a moment trying to think through the question, that was the third or fourth time someone had asked but he still didn't have an answer.

"Honestly," he started with a huff, "I don't know yet. Ask me again at the end of the week, big dog."

"Alright but I want my answer. How's Moriah and your mom? I'm sure they've called a few times already today."

"My mom called this morning and just been texting me. Fat ain't called surprisingly, probably stressing herself out about applying to hospitals and shit."

Booker grunted out a chuckle. "You probably right. I gotta do a few things but ima come back around to check on you. Don't hurt yourself."

After Booker left him, Zilla found a corner to sit in and pulled out his phone. He checked his messages, responding to a few then called his girlfriend.

"Hey, baby. You okay?" Her voice flowed excitedly through the receiver putting a smile on his face.

"Yeah, I'm good. Glad to hear your voice, Fat. Thought you would've called me by now."

"I wanted to but I didn't wanna bother you or mess anything up on your first day," she sighed softly, "Plus my mom and dad, mostly my mom, bought a living room set for us and it got delivered a lil bit after you left."

He scrunched his face up at her words. "Living room set?"

"Yup. Sofa, coffee table, TV stand and another TV. My dad said he was tryna talk her out of it because I'd already told him that we had it."

"But Ms. Nadine just couldn't help herself," he chuckled, biting at his low cut nails, "Shit that's alright though. We can call her and thank her later."

"Um, that's okay, Zay. I can just text her a thank you for the both of us. "

He glanced around the empty room as he spoke. "Naah, we can call her. I'd rather say what I gotta say to her than text it."

The line went silent for a moment.

"What you gonna say?"

"Ima thank her for thinking enough about us to give us a spot to get busy till we get our bed cause that air mattress ain't gon hold up if I fuck you on it."

He laughed loudly at her choking and sputtering that followed his words. While he was laughing and said it jokingly, Moriah knew that given the chance Zilla would absolutely say that to her mother to get under her skin.

"Isaiah!"

"What?" He laughed. "Can't nobody hear me but you."

She laughed. "You're not talkin to my mama ever cause I know you and you will say it."

"It's the least I can do after she bought us condoms and a sofa. She clearly wanna make sure I'm able to give you what you need so she want me to thank her."

"And what does Zilla think I need?"

"Zilla thinks, nah Zilla know you need some dick. Been what a week? Yeah, that's too long, you gon get all grumpy and shit."

"I hate you, I truly do."

"I see you ain't deny it though. You know Zilla right. Ain't I, Fat?"

Hearing footsteps, Zilla looked up seeing an unfamiliar man standing there with his hands up near his chest, laughing a bit.

"My bad, man. Ain't know nobody was in here."

"You straight," Zilla stood from his spot, "I can move around if you needa workout."

"Ion wanna interrupt your call. I know what its like sneaking to make phone calls, them coaches do not play when you supposed to be working out," he chuckled, "Edwin but everybody call me Bronco. It's easier. You Zilla, ain't it?"

The two men shook hands while Moriah cooed into the phone.

"Yeah that's me. Good to meet you, you like the first actual wrestler I met since I been in this bitch." He chuckled.

Bronco laughed, going to sit his water jug down. "Felt the same way my first day. All I saw was them damn doctors. You wanna lift with me? It's gon be a minute for somebody else come talk to you."

Zilla thought for a moment then nodded. "Yeah, that sounds cool. Ain't doin shit else. Fat," He called into the phone, taking a small step away, "Ima call you when I get a chance but call or text if you need me. Aight?"

"Awwwee my baby making friends. I'm so proud of your mean ass. You go head I'll be okay."

He laughed, "Doin way too much. Love you."

'Love you too," she giggled, "Go lift with your friend and be nice. Oh and get his number and gamer tag thingy."

"Man," he laughed, "Bye, Fat."

The two set up the weights they were comfortable with on their own leg extensions before starting. Being able to hold a conversation with someone who not too long ago went through the same process he's going through felt like a breath of fresh air. He had talked to plenty of veterans and current superstars but they were far removed from his current situation. It didn't hurt that he was close in age either.

"That was your girl?" Bronco asked, glancing over.

He finished his rep before answering. "Yeah it was. Was checkin on her since she hadn't called."

"Long distance or she around here?"

"Around here," he chuckled, "Her mean ass wasn't gon let me be too far from her. She like to be up under me."

Bronco laughed a bit. "She mean and clingy? How that work?"

"Honestly hell if I know," he laughed, "She been that way since we was kids. Was mean as hell to me but cried or had a attitude if I left her."

"Oh yall been knowing each other? That's what's up. Yall been together for a minute?"

He shook his head as he did a few more reps. "Nah, it's been a year and a half. We just known each other since we was kids.."

"Damn that's a long ass time and she been mean as hell that whole time?" He joked.

Zilla stopped his reps to laugh. "Man, hell yeah. That's my Fat though." Unable to help himself, he pulled his phone out to show Bronco his lock screen which had a picture of him, her and his mom. "That's her."

"Respectfully, she's beautiful, man. Better hold on tight to her."

"Oh I plan on it. Already told her she ain't goin nowhere."

As he was putting his phone back into his pocket notifications started coming through. When he saw the notifications his smile dropped into a frown. He opened each one, took a screenshot then put his phone away. Although Bronco noticed his slight mood change, he said nothing not wanting to get in his business.

"Which ones you think look better, Ma?"

Moriah propped her phone up on one of the shelves to hold up three sets of drapes.

"I think my son is gonna get you when he gets home," she laughed. "I'm starting to think he's right about you being hard headed."

After getting off the phone with her boyfriend, Moriah ubered to Target to get more things for their apartment and just like she would if she was still in Texas, Moriah brought Leata with her. Only this time it had to be virtually.

"Ma," she laughed, "Don't do that. You're supposed to be on my side. Which ones? My arms getting tired."

Leata chuckled. "The sofa is gray so the gray and white ones. Black and red for the bedroom."

She put the selected ones into her buggy then grabbed her phone, continuing her trek through the store and her conversation.

"And you couldn't do this when he got home, Rye?"

"I wanted to surprise him with a semi decorated apartment, Ma."

"Oh you're gonna surprise him alright. You and I both know he's gonna care about the fact that you did something he asked you not to do."

Moriah thought for a second as she came to a stop to look at dishes. "No, because this is gonna stay between me and you. I'll tell him I had it all delivered."

Leata stared at her trying not to laugh. She was honestly just glad the two of them wouldn't be arguing in her house and she didn't have to play referee.

"I'm not gonna tell him but if he finds out, I'm not getting in trouble with you, Rye."

Moriah laughed louder than she intended, pressing on from the dishes. "You the mama though. You can just tell him that everything was okay."

"I am but none of my boys know that. Especially not Zilla."

"Well," she laughed, "At least we'll be in trouble together."

"What am I gonna do with you?" She laughed. "Get condoms while you're in there, Moriah. I don't care how many you have, you can always have more."

Moriah felt her skin heat up and she mumbled an 'okay'.

"Oh now she's quiet," Leata joked. "You act like I have no idea what you and my son do. Like the two of you weren't in my house doing it."

She laughed. "Yeah but remember I said we call it Bruno and don't talk about it. We just act like it doesn't happen."

It was Leata's turn to laugh. "Oh please, Rye. Get the condoms or we're really gonna have to talk about you expecting."

"Aht. No. We would just call that immaculate conception and leave it at that."

In the hours Moriah waited for the arrival of her boyfriend, she put away the groceries she had delivered, hung drapes in their bedroom and living room, hung up their pictures around their apartment and put the decorations she'd gotten around their living room. She had gotten him a gift for his first day at the PC, left it wrapped on their new sofa while she started on dinner.

It was a little after 6 p.m. when Zilla came through the door. He dropped his bag near the door then headed to the breakfast bar where he dropped his keys. Stopping what she was doing, Moriah went to him with a big smile on his face and jumped on him excitedly. He offered no movement to hold onto her nor did he kiss her back when she placed her lips on his. Instead he stared at her.

"I missed you, baby. How was your day? You tired?" She smiled, her arms and legs still wrapped around him.

"It was straight. No, I'm not tired."

He tapped her hip, letting her know he wanted her to get down and she did. After staring at him for a moment, she grabbed his hand turning him back to the living room.

"So this is what my parents got. My dad said he picked the sofa because she tried to be funny again and pick a small one. Like it?" Moriah chuckled. "I decorated a little to make it feel like a home for us. I got us drapes for in here and our bedroom. Our pictures are up."

Zilla looked around, nodding as he did. His nostrils flared slightly. "I see. I'm finna take a shower. I'll be back," he informed as he pulled his hand away from hers.

She laughed a little, "Oh you're not gonna ask if I need anything before you get in?"

He chuckled a bit, rubbing his hands together. "Nah, you pretty good at gettin what you need. You got it."

With that, he went to their bedroom, closing the door behind him. She thought to go behind him but decided against figuring being at the PC conjured up some deep feelings and he needed time to himself. She grabbed his bag from the floor, took it to their laundry closet and deposited most of it into the washer. Once the machine was running, she went back to cooking Zilla's actions were mostly forgotten. She knew eventually he would apologize and explain himself, she wasn't exactly worried.

Thirty minutes later, he was back leaning against the breakfast bar watching his girlfriend quietly. His phone sat unlocked on the bar in front of him. She turned around to grab a paper towel and screamed, her hand clutched over her heart.

"You scared the shit outta me, Zay. You need a bell," she fussed, playfully. "Why you just standing there looking at me?"

He continued to stare at her, trying to carefully put his words together in his head.

"Seriously, you're being weird. What's wrong with you?"

He took a moment before responding.

"How you got all that?" He asked gesturing towards the living room.

She turned the pots down on low then gave him her attention. "My parents bought that, Zay. You don't remember me telling you that?"

"I ain't talkin about that. I'm talkin about everything else."

"Oh," she giggled, "Thought you had a concussion. I ordered it from Target this morning. And some stuff from Walmart when I ordered the groceries."

He stared at her. "Yeah?"

"Uuh yeah. The rest of the stuff was in the gifts we got before we left Texas."

Pulling up his earlier screenshots, he turned his phone around and slid it across the counter to her. He watched her look between him and his phone.

"Swipe left," he requested calmly, "It's three of em." He chuckled watching her face go from confused to nervous as she swiped through the uber confirmation, her location notification, and the target transaction on their bank account. "Ima ask again. How you got that?"

She pouted. "I was tryna surprise you."

"Surprise me by doin some shit I asked you not to do, Moriah? That's a helluva surprise. If that's ya idea of a surprise then I don't want no more from you."

"But, Zay, it was quick and nobody bothered me. And I'm Fat."

He squinted at her. "You think I give a damn about that? I asked you not to fuckin do it and you did it anyway, Moriah. How you thought I wasn't gon know? You used our bank account not yours, we share the uber account and we share our locations."

She played with her fingers as he fussed at her. She wanted to say something but didn't know what to say that wouldn't make things worse.

"What if something happened to your ass and I was at the PC? Who was gonna come get you?" He asked, hitting the counter. "The fuck was I gon do and I wasn't with you?"

It finally clicked for Moriah. She had scared him.

"I didn't mean to scare you, Zilla. I didn't think about it like that."

He stared at her, his jaw clenching and nose flaring. "I clearly said I ain't want you gettin in no strange ass car yet you did that shit anyway. Ain't no surprise worth ya life, Moriah."

"I know, I just," his voice cut her off.

"No!" He barked, making her take a step back. "You don't know cause you did it anyway! Your mom already think I can't fuckin take care of you and you go and do that shit! I ain't move us to the other side of the country to lose ya lil ass just cause you hard headed, Moriah!"

Taking a chance, she moved around the bar to hug him. She hugged him tight, her head laid on his chest but just as when he'd gotten home, he made no move to return the affection. He let her hug him for a minute then pulled her arms from around him.

"Watch out," he said softly.

She tried to hug him again, only to be stopped. "I'm sorry, Zay. Just let me hug you."

"Forreal, Moriah, watch out." He put her hands by her side then grabbed his phone and went to their bedroom, closing and locking the door behind him.

Lying across their air mattress, he facetimed his mother. He was pretty sure that she knew what Moriah had done but he still wanted to talk to her. She answered with a smile until she saw him glaring at her.

"Well hello to you too, son."

"You knew she went?"

"Hey, mom. How was your day? That's what normal children say to their mamas."

He huffed. "Hey, Ma. How was your day?"

"It was good. Thank you for asking, son. How was yours?" She asked with a slight brow raise.

"It was good till I found out your daughter can't follow directions."

She chucked. "I told her that you were gonna find out."

"So you did know she went."

"Of course I did. Who do you think she took with her?" She deadpanned. "I talked to her from the moment she started getting ready until she finished putting things up when she got back."

He felt somewhat relieved about that but he was still pretty upset.

"I asked her not to do that, told her that she could just drop me off and take the car but no. Just had to be hard headed like always."

"So if you know she's always hard headed, which by the way so are you, then why are you upset?" She asked.

"Because, Ma."

She stared at him. "Because what, son?"

"If something happened to her that would've been on me. What was I gon do without her mean ass?" He chuckled, starting to calm down.

"Okay so when you asked her not to do it, did you tell her why you didn't want her to do it?"

"No but I shouldn't have to. Me askin her not to do it shoulda been enough."

Leata chuckled seeing the serious expression on his face. "Okay so knowing that she's hard headed, like you, you told her not to do something without giving her a reason. A reason that more than likely would've deterred her from doing it. I got that right?"

Huffing again, Zilla sat quietly thinking over her words. "When you put it like that, I get it but this ain't my fault, Ma. It's hers. She shouldn't have went."

"And that's true, she shouldn't have went but you also should've told her how you felt." She explained softly. "If you would've told her that you were afraid something would happen to her if she went, do you think she would've gone?"

"No."

"So then it sounds like you both have some fault in this, Zilla."

"I guess so, Mama."

"Now go talk to her and you're gonna apologize for yelling at her. You know better than that."

He frowned. "How you know I yelled at her?"

"Oh please, you think you're the only one who ran to me? She's been texting me this whole time," she laughed, "She knows her fault and now you know yours. Get in there and apologize."

"I'm goin, I'm goin," he said as he pushed himself up from the air mattress.

"Thank God I'm not there. I love yall."

After hanging up with mom, Zilla took a second to get himself together before going back out to face his girlfriend. Seeing her curled up on the sofa in tears softened him up. He went to kneel in front of the sofa where she was, wiping the tears away from her face.

"Are you melting or are these tears?" He joked.

She laughed a little through her tears as she sat up. "I'm melting. I'm also sorry. I should've respected your wishes and not done that."

He nodded, standing up from his position he pulled her up from the sofa and into his arms. He kissed her forehead, swaying them gently.

"I accept your apology and I apologize for yelling and for my part." He spoke softly. "I should've told you how I felt. I can't lose you, I wouldn't know what the hell to do without your mean ass. I wanna keep you around for as long as I can, baby."

"I understand that now. Thank you for telling me."

He leaned down to capture her lips in a deep kiss. "You welcome. You still cookin'?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm finished. Hungry?"

He smirked as he lifted her up into his arms. "Yeah but not for that."

She gasped softly. "You don't wanna open your gift first?"

"If it ain't you inside that bag, it can wait." He responded, dropping her gently onto the sofa and climbing on top of her. "I'm more interested in breakin in this sofa Ms. Nadine got us."

Moriah squealed out a laugh as he buried his face in her neck. "You're still not talking to her. I didn't forget."

"Not yet I'm not," he responded biting her neck, "Gonna test this out first then give her a accurate review."

She giggled, "We need a condom, Zay."

Not stopping his kissing and biting on her neck, he pulled one from the pockets of his basketball shorts and held it up so she could see.

"Always prepared," she joked softly.

Moriah's moans mixed with the smacking of their skin and Zilla's groans and cursing echoed loudly throughout the apartment. He held a tight grip on her hip with one hand and the other landed smacks to her backside.

"I can't hear you, Fat." He called out as he delivered deep strokes. "Say that shit louder."

With her face buried in the decor pillow, her voice came out muffled. He was sure of what she was saying but that was good enough for him. Keeping his hand on her waist the other traveled up her back to her neck and wrapped around her throat. He pulled her up, keeping the arch in her back, never slowing his stroke.

"Say it again, Fat," he spoke softly into her ear as he squeezed her throat lightly, "And I might let you cum."

She groaned softly, meeting his thrusts as best she could.

"Fuck, baby."

Slowing his strokes, he chuckled in her ear and held her hips steady to stop her own movements. "That's not it, baby. Try again."

"I'm sorry, Zay," she whined trying to move, "Fuck, I'm so sorry."

"That's my girl. Shit, there you go," he groaned.

Quickening his strokes again, he reached down rubbing her clit to help push her over the edge. He spoke softly in her ear, talking her through her release.

"After we eat, we can facetime Ms. Nadine." Zilla laughed, taking a bite of his taco.

"Isayah, I will knock that taco outta your hand," she laughed, "Stop that."

"What kind of son in law would I be if I ain't tell her how the sofa worked out for us? Enough room for both of us, enough room for you to run or try anyway. And this bitch ain't move at all and throw off my stroke. Shit, I give it a ten outta ten, Fat."

Laughing, he moved his plate when she tries to swipe it out of his hand. She pushed his shoulder playfully.

"I really hate you, Fatu."

He laughed harder. "That ain't what you was sayin' ten minutes ago but I could be wrong. Maybe I should ask our neighbors cause I'm sure they heard you."

"Shut up talkin to me," she laughed going to grab his gift, "I shouldn't give your ass nothing since you like annoying me. But here, happy first day."

Sitting his plate on the coffee table, he took the gift from her and stole a kiss. He shook it playfully.

"Mmm, my baby got me something," he said as he tore the paper off the box then opened it, "Damn … you ain't have to do this, Fat."

A proud smile spread across her face as she watched his face light up. Before they left Texas she got a blanket made for him with pictures of him and his family on one side and on the other pictures of him and her to give to him on his first day.

"It's for when you're on the road and you miss us. We'll always be with you." She explained as she watched him go over each picture of him and his family, noticing he lingered on the pictures of him and his dad. "You like it, Zay?"

"Love it. I love it," he put it in his lap and pulled her into a tight hug, "I love you. Thank you, pretty girl. I appreciate this."

"You're welcome. So … can I know about your day now?"

Chuckling, he held onto the blanket as he took her through his first day. He told her about the doctors he had to talk to, the tours and the talks he had with Hunter, Shawn and Booker.

"That sounds fun, like you had a good day, babe. Did you see your friend anymore?"

He laughed, "I just met em, he not my friend."

"But he will be, I already know. So did you see em or not?"

"You just gon make me be friends with em," he chuckled. "But nah I ain't seen em but he sent me his number on Instagram."

"Awwwe, see? Friends!"

"Anyway, you applied to any hospitals today?"

"I did. Three of them. There's one close to the performance center, I'm kinda hoping I get that one but they want at least 3 years experience."

He shrugged, "They want that but that don't mean they won't pick you. You got good references and shit. And if they don't pick you, I'll make em."

"Baby," she laughed, "You can't do that but thank you for offering."

"Of course. Don't worry about cleanin up, I got it tonight. You go get ready for bed."

She squinted, "You want something, what is it?"

He got up from the sofa, carefully placing the blanket on it then gathered their dishes. "Ion want nothin, fat head You just need to get some sleep."

"Why is that? I don't have nowhere to go tomorrow."

He leaned down to kiss her forehead then headed to their kitchen, throwing his answer over his shoulder.

"Cause ima wake you up before I leave in the morning."

#AAO #zilla fatu #Zilla & Moriah #the samoan dynasty #zilla/oc

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circuit-if · 9 months

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I love everything about this, your writing is so good!!! The pacing through the race was on freaking point, I really felt the suspense and knowing the choices we make during races is going to affect things is so cool! All the ROs sound super interesting, I can't wait to meet everyone.

I'm also a sucker for a shared history kind of RO, I just want to grab Roman by the shoulders and shake him, so you've definitely written a compelling character there XD. What do you mean bestie doesn't want to go on an epic road trip esque racing competition circuit across the world with me? :( But I didn't know they were going to add me, I'm as surprised as you are! More even, you found out before I did! :((( I am so so excited for any future confrontation scenes even though I know I (irl) would cry in such situations lol.

Seriously though, if the roles were switched, I'd be ecstatic there turned out to be another free spot my bestie got (... even if there were potentially questionable means... we all gotta have our secrets ;) ), and I don't think I'd jump to the conclusion of cheating/some sus af sketchy deals because paperwork and logistics are beyond me :') My dumb ass would think I misheard the open spots available or some other racer dropped out lol. I'm going to hang onto that Roman friendship like a leech, I'm just imagining so much angst potential for an MC that's all puppy dog eyes, just standing in the background of Roman's interviews like 'We're still friends, right? Or if I didn't get a spot to join the circuit, would you have left without another look back and forgotten about me entirely? Maybe it's better things turned out this way, because even if you hate me, at least you're still in my life.'

Sorry this got so long, I just love this so much, your writing is seriously incredible!!

Hmm, to make this an actual ask, what would you say are the ROs giving and receiving love languages?

Thanks for the support my friend! As always, it feels great to have put so much work into the racing scene and have it pay off with just the feeling I was trying to portray.

As for that last ask at the end as well as the ask above...

Nicholas/Nadine - Words of affirmation & quality time. As in just sitting together and being able to chat somewhere for hours, just the two of you.

Roman - Quality time & physical touch. As in being able to sit together and do your own thing while occasionally leaning in for a kiss on the cheek or to lean against one another.

Sadie/Spencer - Acts of service & quality time. S. is a hard worker, so they love to treat you to little favours and insist it really isn't a big deal. They enjoy taking you on stupid dates, too <3

Carmen - Words of affirmation & acts of service. Carmen's the type to value doing little things for one another in passing that make your lives just a touch easier.

#circuit #interactive fiction #interactive novel #if #interact-if #interactive game #interactive fiction wip #circuit-if #ask #ros #roman #carmen #s.#n.

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youuuimeanmee · 6 months

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RWTGI 35.1 - 35.2 Thoughts

I forgot chapter 35.2 is already out WAAAHH

I say Kirishima's name a lot this time, maybe I should call him Kiri.

Okay, this chapter confirms my suspicion. So his family really did neglect him.

Uhh I don't think the diary is meant to prove himself as a victim. I bet it's to keep record of what makes him happy 😅

BAHHAHAH Gaddamit.

I thought he was mourning, or at least self-reflecting. Who knew he was playing soccer 🤣 (where is your sympathy kid, tf) At least he knew not to play in the middle of people mourning, lol

Oh yeah, I just remember, Sumire (Kiri's great-aunt) did say his parents tried to get him to talk after that incident, but no matter how much they tried, he never answered them. Maybe it's because he's aware he's too different from them, they wouldn't understand him anyway? If that's the case, that's kinda amazing of Kiri for being able to (kinda) open up to Gaku even though he never met him, because just from a short meeting he knows his great-uncle is not normal like himself.

(If Kiri is your average kid, even if Sumire dropped some hints that Gaku is similar to him, he wouldn't be able to take the hint because he's too clouded with "no one understands me" prejudice. But no. Our Kiri here uses his brainn, bro)

Aww baby 🥺

Turns out his "friend" is more normal than he thought, his plan failed, he got into trouble. He did so much, yet, didn't get anything in the end lolol

I'm surprised Kiri is the first one who asked to be adopted. I don't think Sumire or his parents ever told him that the man in front of him is a yakuza. He must've put two & two together and concluded it himself.

If I could guess why Gaku accepted a brat like Kiri, it's may be because he saw his potential. I'm sure he never heard about Kiri until his sister introduced him, but the fact that she asked for his help is enough prove that his family couldn't handle him anymore. He never introduced himself as a yakuza but Kiri, with limited informations and short time, knew right away. He's not scared or nervous like normal people. In fact, he just focus on getting what he wants, and willing to do anything to get what he wants. Talented. Abnormal. Obsessed. Unhinged. Gaku could really use those traits. Even if he couldn't become his grandchild, at least he could become a reliable subordinate. Maybe that's why he accepted him so quick 😂

(Turns out there's another reason in the next chapter tho, so I'll save my thoughts for later.)

This is just a reminder to myself: Gaku barely provided Kiri with the neccessity needed, probably because he needs to test his worth if he wants to earn that "yakuza's grandchild" title. Or at least that's my theory. Maybe Gaku is just naturally apathetic. Maybe both.

Kiri might've liked Gaku to a certain degree because he's one of his few family who accepts him as who he is, but I'm pretty sure growing up with a man like him in a yakuza household has worsen his mental condition, until he meet Yoshino.

Wow. Turns out it's not the first time he waits for hours in the rain 🤣

AUGH. beautiful. Beautiful. I'm crying 😭😭😭

That's smart of the author. We wouldn't know if he really blushed because of her or if it's just the rain, lol

Yoshino saw a wolf. Renji saw a a guard dog 🤣

I don't like how Aoi kicked my son, but I have to agree with him here. Don't lick your blood on the floor, yuck.

Daww look at his happy lil feet seeing his obsession crush 🥺🤭

We know that Kiri used to date older women to leech, but seeing it with my own eyes disgust me. Not just Kirishima, but that grown-ass woman too; having sex with a minor, what the fuck. That's what I like from the author tho, just bc the ML did it, it doesn't mean it's romanticized.

OOHHH the day when Kirishima is appointed to be Yoshino's guard dog. Never thought I'd see this day come so fast, I thought we gonna have to wait for ch 80 or smth.

Hmm? The guy who killed Kyousuke? Do we know him? Is it Suo Azami? Nah, if he's around the same age as Kiri, he's practically a baby at that time. Wait, didn't he change his face tho? How old is he again? Or myb it's not Azami at all, myb it's his boss, Akime Hishibe? Oh I forgot Shouma said he's already dead, but I highly doubt it. Maybe the mastermind is still alive.

Um, if Kirishima is owned by Gaku, and Gaku leaves him under Renji's care, does it mean he's now owned by Renji? He doesn't have to obey Gaku anymore?

I'm confused with this whole ownership thing now.

Wait. A month? You gotta go big??

Wait wait wait.

Wow, oh wow. I need to recalibrate everything.

This panel gives chapter 2 a whole new layer. Wow.

So like. He told her to sell her body not only because he was tired of her, but also because Renji told him he could make Yoshino go back to Osaka if he didn't feel like up to the task?

Though I don't think Kiri did that because he values his life; he did that merely because he thought she's boring and not worth his time. But then everything change 😂

Yo Renji. You're the one who said it's okay for Kiri to make Yoshino go back to Osaka. You said you'd take care of the rest, you even said he can be creative. He was doing such a great job at making her feel like she wanna leave, yet, you won't let him have his way?

Was Renji intentionlly flaming them both? Is this his plan all along; to have both children go screw each other in Tokyo and forget about Osaka for a year?

(Istg Renji's death flag has been up for a while now, I'm scared for Yoshino)

Oh wow, Kiri really did not lie. Their interest really do align perfectly.

To continue my point above about why would Gaku accept Kiri into his house, it seems like he wanted to use Kiri's talent and obsessiveness towards Yoshino to make him protect her, because he feel indebted/guilty towards Renji? Was he feeling responsible for what happen to Kyousuke? If that's the case, this makes Akime seem even more sus bc he used to be Gaku and Renji's close friend.

Seeing Kirishima's reminiscence sure brings tears to my eyes. From obsession to genuine love and affection. He really does come a loong, long way, huh. Maybe I should make a meta about this particular scene but idk, let's see if I feel like it.

But I don't think he would've feel this way if Yoshino didn't acknowledge his quirks and treat him "normally." She really is amazing.

The way he's so scared when Yoshino didn't move for literally 1 second he decided to check her pulse, like she could just drop dead in a blink. Even though he has seen how strong she is up until now. That irrational fear of losing someone, he finally understand 🥺🥺

I'm really REALLY surprised Yoshino relented and agreed to eat parfait 🤣 Kirishima you always win huh 🤣

Aww, he returned to the same place when he first entered the yakuza household, eat the same parfait he used to eat, but now he's together with a friend/lover he treasures for life, enjoying the life he found boring at the beginning 🥺😭💞

These past chapters have been a treat. Even after he declares he loves Yoshino multiple times, we never stop doubting him because the fear he instilled at the beginning is too strong to dismiss. Just like Yoshino, we have this lingering doubt that he doesn't really love her, he's just obsessed. These flashbacks managed to shed some lights into his character, making him seem even more human. Kiri really HAS been trying to show how genuine he is -- in his own awkward way -- and it shows 🥹

Just 2 more chapters until we catch up to the raws, I can't wait. I've seen it, and all I can say is, it's beautiful. And Kirishima says some crazy stuff while sober. I just can't with him. I love him, I hate it.

See you next time 👋

#raise wa tanin ga ii #rwtgi #rwtgi ch 35.1 #rwtgi ch 35.2 #rwtgi analysis #miyama kirishima #yoshino somei

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justthemoonz · 9 months

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Idk if I ever talked about this here but a while ago this year I had this idea for a sound-based RPG called Sound Off, which I later renamed to Soundless The protagonist was "Hero", a character you could name but Hero would realistically be their name

As for the game, the original premise was that it was just a normal RPG, except there was 0 sound and characters were not able to speak Everything was also purely black and white, which indicated the lack of music After you completed the game you'd have a NEW GAME+ which added the sound and music back and it'd be an entirely new experience with proper colors and music/sounds but overtime I realized that would probably suck a lot when putting it into actual practice After playing with some ideas I later decided that instead of making it a normal RPG, I'd just fully give into the music premise and have the combat system be more music-based IT'D STILL play out like a normal RPG, but now during each main BOSS fight in an area your sword would turn into an instrument with an entirely new gimmick that's music related, and you'd get teached that gimmick by a companion called Épine, a strange black and white dog

(If I remember correctly, I based their personality off of Jevil from Deltarune and The Judge from OFF, So I guess it'd be like Seam from Deltarune in that regard?) At the start they just kind of help you because they HAVE to but as you progress through the adventure they grow to enjoy your company But that's for another time, back to the gimmicks Basically, Épine would teach you how you attack with each instrument depending on the main boss for a main area There were also three instruments, one for each main area A Guitar, A Keyboard, And A Saxophone (Concept for an example of the GUITAR gimmick below)

I also made concepts for the battle transitions, but couldn't figure out the one for Saxophone so I didn't include it in (NOTE: these were made a few months ago, as well as every other thing shown here, if I ever make a proper RPG for this, they might change in the future)

After you defeated the main boss of an area, the area that the main boss was in will now regain its sound as well as its color, meaning that if you want to, you can backtrack and check things you missed or listen to some Overworld Music (iirc I think the music for the encounters was still there so at least you'd have that in the meantime) You also KEPT the musical instruments, however the entire gimmick in battle would now be changed to one "Spell" (not actually a Spell, I just don't have a proper name for it) and would still be able to use them for attacks but you wouldn't have a proper moveset with them anymore, and would only have the Sword as your main way of attacking Not only that, but you'd also be able to use them in the overworld for puzzles revolving their specific musical instruments! > An example: A path you have to go on but you're not able to because the tiles aren't appearing but you see a certain order to them that indicates you have to use the Keyboard? Active the Keyboard and play it on that specific order and the path will appear! (I don't know if this would happen in game, I was just giving an example) Last thing I remember, some places you'd go to would still be colorful and play music even if everything else was fully in black and white, it'd just have to depend on if there was someone playing an instrument there or not If there was, let's say, a band playing music inside a building, the building would be colorful and have music inside of it, which I also thought was pretty cool

#soundless #rpg #rpg ideas #game idea

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foodfightnovelization · 3 months

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Interview With A Cast Member, Action Figures and More!

Hey everyone! It's time for another update. As mentioned in my previous post, I was lucky enough to be able to interview an actual cast member from Foodfight! a while ago. Her name is Holly Cruikshank (or at least it was when the movie was in production, today she goes by Holly Ireland) and she did the motion capture for Lady X! So yeah, I didn't score an interview with Charlie Sheen or Christopher Lloyd or anything- but did you really expect that from a small blog like this? Besides, it was wonderful talking to Holly and she made it clear from the start she had only good things to say about working on the movie- a far cry from a lot of crewmembers who unfortunately had a thoroughly miserable time on the project.

For example, this animator (who appropriately titles themselves "tortured artist") talks about their experience on Foodfight! with nothing short of hatred. A large amount of said hate is directed towards the director, Lawrence Kasanoff, who apparently made them clean up his dog's diarrhea and switched up what they were supposed to be working on on a whim, as well as ordering constant do-overs on scenes that had already been done countless times over. This really sounds like a terrible work environment, and as much as I have a sincere apprecation for Foodfight! it's clear there was some incredibly poor direction going on behind the scenes, and that Kasanoff treated a lot of crewmembers really badly. But there are two sides to every story, and in my interview with Holly she speaks of working on Foodfight! with people who were genuinely excited to be there every day and thoroughly enjoyed their time on it. So without further ado, here's my full interview with her, taken directly from our emails with each other (the purple text is me, and the black text is her).

This was a really lovely interview, and I was delighted to talk to someone who was so happy to discuss the movie and share their experience on it in a positive way. Some interesting things to note here are that the show she was doing was a Broadway play called "Movin' Out", and if you look up footage of that show online...

...the character Holly is playing in that show looks INCREDIBLY similar to Lady X! The dark hair, the red dress, etc... is it possible Kasanoff cast her because of how closely she resembled the character he wanted her to play? I can't say for sure, but it's definitely interesting. It's also sweet that she talks fondly of Larry, remembering him being kind, fun and supportive, especially considering how negatively a lot of former crewmembers speak of him. Not that said crewmembers are in the wrong for this- considering Larry's apparent behavior during production I'd say all their comments are justified, it's just interesting to get a different perspective on the matter.

She also mentions filming all the motion capture, then having to come back around a year later to do some more scenes- presumably this was down to either not having correctly captured some scenes the first time (the motion capture technology seems like it was quite temperamental) or script revisions requiring some scenes to be redone. I think it's also a really fun anecdote to share that when she did the motion capture she was in the early stages of her pregnancy- and by the time the movie finally came out her daughters were old enough to actually watch the movie! It really puts into perspective just how long it took for Foodfight! to get released.

I also completely agree that the creative team behind the movie had "an amazing story and idea" and I think it's fantastic she was excited to be a part of "something inventive and unique"- I really do think there's a hidden gem at the heart of Foodfight!, it's just hard to see with the horrible animation casting such a large shadow over it- I don't blame her daughters for not wanting to watch the finished film). Overall though it was a pleasure talking to Holly, she was so enthusiastic about the movie, as well as being very gracious and open to answering all my questions- even telling me to let her know if there was anything else I wanted to ask. A lot of people who worked on Foodfight! had their lives go in very different directions after they finished working on it, and with there also not being many fans of the film to begin with, I imagine this was the first time anyone had really asked her about it. It was really fantastic to get to talk to someone who worked on the movie, but I have other things I'd like to share in this post as well!

That's right, Foodfight! action figures! No, not the plush toys that were actually released and sold off in arcades and carnivals as prizes, these were prototypes that never made it to shelves. These pictures were found in the trademark registration documents for Foodfight! and show off a wide variety of Foodfight! figures and plush toys, none of which have ever been seen before or since.

First off, we have a line of small collectible figurines, based on all your favorite characters from the film! There's Dex Dogtective, Daredevil Dan, Sunshine Goodness, Vlad Chocool, Cheazel the Weasel, Polar Penguin, Maximillus Moose, an Xobyte, Lord Flushington, a Brand X soldier, Hairy Hold, Lady X, Lieutenant X, General X, and a variant of Dex in his fancy tuxedo. That's a pretty wide range of figures, 15 in all! Towards the back, you can also see a set of 5 of these figures packaged up, and on the box we can see these were made by Playmates, as opposed to Nanco, who created the actual merchandise released for the movie. Honestly, the way these figures are designed, the way they have no articulation, and the way they're packaged, they remind me a lot of Homies. You guys remember Homies, right? The little figures you could win in capsule machines (or buy sets of) that depicted various caricatures of Mexican-American culture? No? Well those would've been popular around the time these figures were made, so I wonder if they were an inspiration? In any case, these figures look ADORABLE and I wish they were fully produced, because I'd LOVE to have had a full set of them. They're so teeny and tiny and cartoony, they're adorable. At the very top of the first image, we can also see the packaging for something called "Dex Dogtective's Utility Belt", but since we can't see the rest of it, there's no knowing what it would've consisted of.

Onto the second image, and this is where it gets interesting. These are plush toys of various movie characters, but they're very different to the ones that actually came out (a given, considering these were prototypes and made by a different company). They're incredibly detailed and have hats and coats made out of different textured materials (with Dex's hat being a hard plastic for instance), and are seemingly the kind of plush toy with a hard wire interior so that you can pose them in various different ways. A sign below also says "We're electronic! We say movie phrases!" Again, none of the official movie toys are electronic (but it's debatable if even these were given they're just prototypes). And of course it has to be said, these plush toys look FAR superior to the ones that were actually released. Just for fun, here's a comparison between the prototype Dex plush and the one that was actually released.

I have to admit, I started laughing out loud putting these two pictures side by side. I'm reminded of that popular internet joke (look it up if you're not aware of it) of a character saying "this edible ain't shit-" and then cutting to to them looking absolutely wrecked. With that being said though, it's not entirely fair to compare a prototype to a mass-produced plush toy, and I still find the released Foodfight! toys to be endearing enough that I'm currently in the process of collecting a full set of them. (I'm hoping to collect every piece of Foodfight! merchandise at some point, I'll make a fantastic post showing everything off eventually). Regardless, it's an interesting look into what might've been with the world of Foodfight! toys, and it's fascinating to see them all presented this way- it makes me think of that scene from Toy Story 2 where Woody sees Al's "Woody's Roundup" collection and realizes he was famous. Everything here is laid out in a way that makes Foodfight! look like it was a smash hit. Not in this world though...maybe in some other world.

Anyway, I have one more thing to talk about in this post. Remember a while ago, when I talked about the various Foodfight! websites over the years? It turns out I actually missed one! In around 2008, the Threshold Animation Studios website had a section on Foodfight! containing some very interesting information about the movie. You can view it here: https://web.archive.org/web/20081003194856/http://thresholdanimationstudios.com/foodfight.html

Unfortunately, only the website's text has been preserved, so none of the images have been archived. There's a main page explaining the plot of the movie and a subpage about the cast, but that's not what we're here to talk about. We're here to talk about the Foodfight! Foundation.

So yes, as bizarre as it sounds, Foodfight! was at one point planned to launch alongside a charity organization that helped cure world hunger and feed starving children. As admirable of a goal as this is, it's also insanely ambitious- cursory research will show the Foodfight! Foundation did exist at one point, but I highly doubt it was ever actually active or fed 10 million kids. It's fascinating to see how much of a hit Kasanoff thought this movie was going to be- sometimes it's good to have realistic expectations in mind.

There's one more thing on this website worth talking about- there's a section called Merchandising Program, and on there we see a list of tie-in merchandise they had planned for the movie. We see videogames, (which we saw a clip of at E3 2006- see a previous post for my discussion of that) amusements (Nanco is mentioned here, who were the company who made the actual Foodfight! plush toys released in stores) but...what's this under publishing?

That's right, it's a mention of the novelization of the feature film! The book that started this whole blog! This is the ONLY official mention of the book I've found anywhere on the internet, and it's fascinating to see it acknowledged in an official capacity by Threshold. This still doesn't answer my one lingering question about the book- WHY is there only one copy of it in the entire world? But if I had to guess, I'd say it was commissioned, written, published and printed just for the sake of showing off to potential investors in the project the merchandising potential the movie had. That's the only reason I can think of that there'd only be one copy, and it fits with the prototype action figures we saw above. But how did the novelization end up on eBay? How did the only existing copy end up in a Goodwill in Minnesota? (that's where it was shipped from) I have no idea...

I hope you all enjoyed this post! I know the topics I discussed here weren't particularly connected to each other and don't segue into one another very well, but I had a whole bunch of Foodfight! stuff I wanted to share and I didn't want to just post my interview with Holly by itself, since it was pretty short. So that's it for this round of Foodfight! facts, knowledge, and wild speculation! Tune in next time for something rather exciting...

#dex dogtective #foodfight #daredevil dan #lady x #analysis #action figures #plush toy #this edible ain't shit #book review

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ishouldbedoinghw · 2 months

Text

You Can't Erase Me

One Piece fanfic, part 8

Previous parts are in my pinned masterlist.

A woman enslaved by the celestial dragons is found by a man with red hair. Angst and comedy ensues. (Y'all I SWEAR the funny stuff will come soon, I have so many ideas for shenanigans with the crew (Shanks) but I can't skip over the other stuff :/)

A/N: Y'all know the drill. Also certain foods not technically canon in One Piece exist now because I said so.

TW: discussion of trauma, medication withdrawal symptoms, going to the optometrist, self-deprecating language, mc gets made fun of by 8th graders, general angst

A/N: Gave up on the dash line divider thing cause it looks funny on mobile. But I digress.

Enjoy something a little more wholesome:)

It had been a week since Shanks and Hongo had sat me down, and a couple of days since my last episode. Hongo's theory that human touch could help had been correct, and now I was able to get some small amount of sleep while hanging onto some crew member's arm or leg.

It seemed that Benn felt guilty over our spat, as he was the one who offered up a limb most often. He'd tell me stories of the crew's journeys, explain different things about pirates, marines, or anything else I couldn't remember. I learned about different crews, the warlords, and different countries along the Grand Line.

It was also Benn that told me about the One Piece, and while he'd mentioned that Shanks had been on the crew of the late King of the Pirates, he never gave me any details, saying it was up to said captain to share that story.

Hongo kept me company too, although it was in part because he wanted to make sure I was eating and drinking plenty. It was a bit of comfort to hear him explain how my health was progressing, however. Yasopp, unlike Shanks, was good at making me laugh, and often made jokes about the crew to keep me in good spirits.

I probably could have written an essay or two on his son; when he wasn't talking about his own crew, Yasopp would excitedly tell me more about Usopp's adventures with his own crew. Usopp's crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, was a common name thrown around the Red Force, and Shanks loved telling me stories about their captain, Luffy. He especially liked telling me (bragging) about how he saved the kid from sea king that had then eaten his arm.

While I was grateful for the efforts of the crew, I couldn't squash any of the guilt that often bubbled in my gut. I felt like a chore, some kind of burden or part of some checklist they had to make themselves do. Every bump or lurch of the ship made my skin crawl, thinking that we'd made it to an island and they were going to finally be rid of me. I couldn't get it out of my head that whenever the door to the medbay was shut, every one of them complained about how annoying or whiny I was, and how they didn't understand why they had to take care of some girl that they didn't even want in the first place.

They didn't ask for someone that screamed all night, they didn't ask for someone who couldn't eat without it all coming back up. They didn't even ask for someone quiet and unassuming - without another choice, they just let me stay on board, and I'd caused problems ever since. I saw it in the way Hongo's brow twitched when I puked up my lunch again or the way Benn's jaw clenched when I woke him up at night.

Hongo said every now and then that no one on the ship minded me being there, and that they'd much rather help me than throw me out, but I knew that wasn't true. On the rare occasion I made it outside, no one outside of the senior officers wanted to be near me. I was sure the only reason anyone helped me was because they took pity on me, like I was some stray dog that didn't know any better.

At least a dog was cute.

-----

Things got better after I was able to eat, stand, and walk around without vomiting everywhere. The stomachaches hadn't ceased, and most of the time I'd have to sit down from the way my gut constantly twisted, but everything stayed where it was supposed to.

It also turned out Hongo did have a sense of humor after all, because there was a list tacked up on the medbay wall of any foods that upset me- and often those things were very specific.

Chocolate

Too much cheese (don't ask why we have cheese)

Sea king meat on a Thursday night after listening to Shanks sing

Anything past Benn's spice tolerance level (low)

Pop-Tarts - what even are these and why did Roux buy them

PB&J sandwiches, especially when she eats three of them

Homemade mac and cheese (????)

Fried chicken unless immediately followed up with fruit

And at the very end, in Shanks's messy (drunk) handwriting-

pussy>:)

There was also a list of things I could eat without little to no symptoms, and some of them were just as confusing.

Sushi, even raw

Canned Spaghettios - another Roux purchase, it doesn't even count as pasta, I swear this crew is INCOMPETENT

Boxed mac and cheese in small amounts

Copious amounts of chicken alfredo, WITHOUT garlic bread

And Yasopp's addition-

ATE UP Shanks's shorts, NO CRUMBS

As many times as Hongo tried to remove their additions to the lists, both the captain and the sniper would either rewrite what was already their, or in Shanks's case, write something worse. After I evidently couldn't eat "used pirate ass", the doctor just left it alone. Part of me wished he'd left it something a little less gross, like "Shanks's left arm".

----

We'd docked at a bustling island, and I could feel the ship occasionally shifting as the wind changed. I was holed up in one of the storage rooms, and having tried and failed to climb up into the rafters, I was curled up in a corner, keeping in the shadows. My hope was that if the crew never saw me before we left, they wouldn't find some place to leave me ashore. My newly returned hearing proved to be quite useful in times like this, and it wasn't hard for me learn how to pinpoint who was moving around outside the door or above me. I'd hidden like this a few times before, and no one had seemed bothered enough to look for me. I even almost relaxed, feeling confident in my ability to go unnoticed, when-

"Oi, girlie!" Hongo's voice echoed. "I need ya to come with me on shore!"

Fuck.

I stayed silent, trying my damnest to stay in the shadows of the corner, begging him in my head to just change his mind, that I wasn't going to be trouble any more.

"Come on, I want to get there sooner than rather than later."

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. Was he that desperate to be rid of me?

"She's in the closet to the right, back left corner." Benn. A tear snuck down my cheek and landed with a soft plat onto the floor. I thought we'd made up. I thought he liked me.

There was a soft knock on the door. I stayed silent.

"I'm coming in, girlie."

Hongo pushed his way through the door and seemed to strain to look through the shadows in my corner.

"Damn, Jett, you're good at that disappearing act. The only ones who can tell where the hell you are are Benn and Shanks." He yawned, stretching some of the ache form his arms before he continued. "Alrighty, you're coming with me today to get some fresh air and-"

"Are you going to get rid of me?" I blurted.

Hongo stared at me like I had asked him to kiss Shanks on the mouth.

"What? No-" his brow furrowed, and his jaw clenched. "Did someone say something to you?"

"No," I said quickly, "I just thought that since- I-I've been causing so much trouble-"

"I'm going to stop you right there, girlie." He walked closer to me, squinting in the dim light. "No one here thinks you're too much trouble. You're someone who needed help and we wanted to give it to you. We want to be here for you because you don't seem to have anyone else, and we like you; it isn't because we just feel bad now and we'll dump you when we get bored or annoyed."

He held out a hand, waiting patiently for me to take it.

"No matter how many times you decide to upchuck Roux's shit cooking, or how many times you wake me up screaming like you'd seen Lime naked."

As much as part of me was screaming not to believe him, and to run and hide somewhere else, I laughed. I chose to laugh and take his hand and stand up.

"There we go," he said, patting my hand. Then he was back to his usual no-nonsense tone. "There's a pretty decent optometrist here, I'm thinking since your hearing has come back- which I want to test the limits of, by the way - that your vision should have come back by now. So, we're going to see if your problem is physical or purely neurological. Either way, it might be helpful to get you some glasses so you quit squinting at everyone."

I just nodded my head as he continued, watching some of the crew head off on their own errands. My feet felt a little unsteady as we hit the dry shore, now more accustomed to the rhythm and sway of the sea. Hongo offered his arm, but I waved it away, saying I'd be fine. He gave one of his small, rare smiles before continuing on about what Shanks had done to piss him off this week. Something about leaving his dirty sandals in the kitchen? I wasn't paying full attention.

I was wideyed at the busy city in front of us; people were everywhere and all of them seemed to be in a hurry. Most of them were yelling about various things - one couple seemed hellbent on getting a divorce because the husband's cooking was bad, a little girl was crying because her dog loved her older brother more because it didn't like its tail pulled, and someone else was talking about a warlord- there was a warlord here in the city? Did that mean trouble? Benn often said that there weren't many marine warships that would bother the Red Force, so had they sent someone more powerful after us?

I'd opened my mouth to ask Hongo when he turned to me and gestured to the large, shiny building in front of us. It was taller than it was wide, and the large red lettering on the front spelled "HOPITAL". Strange, but okay.

There was a large, red-faced man yelling at a smiling older woman at the front desk.

"We have told you, April, changing the spelling won't stop people who need a real hospital from coming in here-"

The woman, never ceasing her grin, waved us over. "Hongo, you old fart, I haven't seen you in forever!"

The man sputtered at her in indignation, clearly not having been ignored very often. "I ought to have you arrested-"

"For what, exactly?" The woman turned back toward him, her grin widening. "It doesn't say 'HOSPITAL' on my building, so you have nothing to complain about, Hank. Go bother someone else, I have an old friend to catch up with." She opened a door behind her, ushering us through, and shut the door in the man's face. I could still hear him squalling and cursing on the other side as April turned to us, her hands clasped.

"So, honey, what did you need?" Her eyes glimmered from behind her round spectacles, the bright blue irises almost transparent.

Hongo spoke. "I was hoping you could run a few tests on her. She's had-" he rubs the back of his neck and glances at me. "-a rough going of it and might have some brain damage that causes her vision problems."

"And you want me to prove that wrong, yes?"

He nodded. April sticks her hand out for me to shake, staring at me with fascination.

"It's lovely to meet you, young lady, and I'm sure this will be so much fun!" She dons a white coat, and hurredly starts opening doors, pulling out elaborate machines that get more and more comically large in size as she goes. My hand starts to sweat at the... unorthodox way this doctor ran her clinic, and wondered how close those machines were going to be getting to my eyeballs.

Hongo seemed a bit tense as well, but did his best to give me a reassuring look when he caught me looking at him. It didn't help much.

-------

An hour and a half of strange beeping, bright lights, and April telling me to 'Move your peepers this way, dear', Hongo and I were pushed out the door with a cheerful diagnosis. It didn't seem like the- whatever had been used on me had been the culprit of my most recent vision problems; I was simply 'Naturally blind!' as the doctor had excitedly told me. We had also been told to kill a couple of hours as she made my new glasses.

When she wasn't telling me to open my eyes wider than they could stretch, April had talked Hongo's ear off the entire time, evidently having known him as a doctor-in-training. I had to admit, it was funny trying to picture the gangly, nerdy Hongo she excitedly spoke of. He was a far cry from that now, having the same muscular build as most of the Red-Haired pirates, and from what I could tell, now sported no acne.

Said doctor was still a bit red-faced from that interaction as we wandered toward a small street market a few blocks over from HOPITAL.

He seemed to gather himself a bit as we drew closer, saying, "What all can you hear from over here, girlie?"

I tried to focus my hearing on the brightly-colored booths closest to us, and did my best to describe anything I heard.

"The merchant there is annoyed by his oldest. Apparently he was arrested for the-" I paused, trying to get an accurate number. "Seventh time for graffiti. And the woman buying from him isn't thrilled with the conversation." My eyes popped open. "Oh my shit, her wife is the marine that keeps catching him. Seems like she hears this story at home, too."

"Damn. You can hear all that from right here?" Hongo seemed to strain to try and listen too, but to no avail.

I hummed a mhm.

"You know, I wonder if your hearing overcompensates for your vision problems naturally, or if it's caused by your devil fruit." He seemed a little lost in thought at those prospects.

I tuned him out and focused on the booths now surrounding us, trying to catch a mention of the warlord I'd heard about earlier.

"I can't believe Shara would do that, she loves that man..."

"Are you wanting that scarf? Look, it's got a sea king tooth on the end there..."

"Look, Strawhat's bounty went up again, wonder what he did this time..."

"Woman, there is no way in hell you actually think Doflamingo is hot..." Oh, gross.

"The hottest warlord is Mihawk by far, I wonder what he's doing here..." There.

I went to tug on Hongo's sleeve, and he let out a grunt, still clearly lost in thought.

"Hongo, people are saying the warlord Mihawk is here, should we be worried?"

He seemed incredibly unbothered by this fact and shrugged. "No, the World Government isn't stupid enough to send Hawkeyes to mess with us. He's refused to fight Shanks since he lost an arm, anyway." He scratched his chin. "I wonder if he'll stay for a drink this time."

I'd heard of Mihawk and Shanks's past, but I'd gathered that the warlord barely tolerated our captain most of the time. I didn't love the fact that Shanks considered himself buddy-buddy with someone under the same government that considered me property, but I was often reassured by Benn or Shanks that he only held the title to keep from being disturbed, and often refused tasks the marines gave him.

I couldn't blame him for wanting that total freedom.

Continuing to listen to the girls' back-and-forth about which warlord they wanted to bang with mild interest, I started looking through a rack of bandanas that had caught my attention. I especially liked one with bright sunflowers on it, thinking it would look nice tied on my head to block my still partially-exposed scalp from the sun. Hongo, having noticed me eyeing it, snatched it up and bought it before I could protest.

"Pick out another one to wear out on the ship, you don't want that one getting too gritty or sweaty all the time." And he went back to looking at a few journals nearby.

He'd also bought the dark blue bandana I'd picked next, and I found myself excited to try them both on. It felt a little silly and childish to get so giddy over pieces of cloth, but I couldn't help myself as I snuck glances at the pretty colors in my bag.

We were contemplating getting Limejuice a t-shirt that said "piss is permanently in my Cheerios" when I heard giggling. It was a girl and boy, teenagers from the sound of them, and they were just far enough away behind me that I couldn't quite make out their faces.

"That's the doctor for the Red-Haired pirates, right?"

"Yeah, his name is Hon- Hongo, right?"

"Oh my God, he is so hot, look at those arms." I had to stifle a giggle of my own, and was about to whisper to Hongo that we were being watched when I heard-

"Who is that with him? You think that's his girlfriend or something?" Yeah, no.

"No way, her ass is ugly as hell, must be another crew member. I don't remember seeing her bounty poster anywhere though." What?

More giggling.

"Look at that ratchet-ass haircut, and that dumbass outfit."

Cackling, then a "Shhhhhhhhh, they'll fucking hear us."

"Wait, I saw her face earlier, her nose is so crooked, what the hell."

"And what kind of pirate is that skinny? And on a Yonko's crew?"

"Holy shit, do you think she's their who-"

My eyes watered, and I reached up to lightly touch the bridge of my nose before swallowing thickly, trying not to sniffle or let any tears fall. I tried focusing on any other sounds on the street, to the cats in the alleys nearby, to anything that could distract me from how badly my face was burning.

"Girlie? You spaced out for a minute, did you hear something?" Hongo leaned in closer and saw my face. "Jett? What's wrong? Do you feel sick-"

There was that damned giggling again, buzzing in my ears like a persistent mosquito. The two were getting closer, whispering about trying to get a peek of Hongo's ass, and was just within earshot of him when they pointed out I didn't have one.

"Oh." He straightened out, put on his "I'm going to murder Yasopp if he doesn't shut up" face, and strode over to the two. They squeaked as he got closer, and their excited grins vanished as he glared down at them.

"Did you know I've skinned grown men alive for saying nicer things than that to my crewmates?" A grin replaced his scowl, and I made a mental note to never try to make the doctor laugh. It was wider than April's, which was creepy enough, and nearly split his face in two, and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

The kids screamed and ran off, and I almost felt inclined to join them until Hongo turned toward me again, his face back to normal.

"What the fuck-"

He ignored my horrified expression and threw an arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him as we continued down the street.

"My secret weapon, girlie- the Doflamingo."

I decided to leave it at that.

------

Two hours, a long search for clothing that would fit me, and a pair of new glasses later, we were back on the ship, immediately getting harassed by our ginger captain.

"Oi, Spooky, lookie here-" he jabbered on about some bar he wanted to go to tonight, and I was thinking about laying in bed, not really paying attention.

"-and I hope you got some good digs, 'cause you're coming with us!"

Excuse me? I stared at him, waiting for him to say something else, that he was just joking and I could go.

"I'm- doing what?" I spluttered, shifting back and forth between Shanks and an approaching Benn.

"Coming with us! An old buddy of Benn owns this nice music club and I figured you could use some fresh air."

"But I just got some fresh air, and I'm tired-"

"Damn. Womp, womp. Go put some nice shit on, we're leaving after dinner."

Benn was the only one with the decency to look apologetic, but even he wasn't budging on the issue.

"You've got to get on your feet and out of that medbay at some point, lass." He smiles a bit. "This isn't one of the nasty places Shanks usually picks out, I promise you'll have some fun."

And that's how I found myself in a billowy white shirt tucked into a pair of flowy pants cinched tight at the waist. It gave the illusion that my figure was fuller than it really was- at least that's what I told myself. Nausea crawled its way into my throat, and I my face burned again thinking back to earlier that day.

Did everyone think that when they looked at me? Was I really so hideous?

Hongo had told me not to pay attention to anyone like those kids, and that I was plenty pretty, but I wouldn't be shocked if he'd said that just out of pity. I just wish he wouldn't lie to me.

I leaned forward closer to the mirror and scrunched my nose. It was crooked, like I'd broken it and it didn't quite heal correctly. I studied the bags under my eyes, and the way my cheekbones protruded just a little too much. My health had improved drastically since I'd arrived here, but I was still so scrawny and all sunken-in. My jaw clenched as I remember some of the women out today, their lips and cheeks full and dewy, eyes bright and curves- well- existing. I didn't have any sort of makeup to try and even out my skin tone; Hongo had offered to try and help but I'd had enough embarrassment for one day. Plus, it seemed stupid to have that kind of stuff on a ship.

"Spookyyyyy, dinner time!" Fucking Shanks.

I groaned and just splashed my face with water, patting it dry. The best I could do was put my new glasses on and hoped that hid the broken nose and buggish eyes well enough. The one thing I did like was the sunflower bandana I had tied carefully around my head at the base of my skull.

I grit my teeth as I emerged out on deck, ready to face whatever teasing Shanks or Yasopp were about to throw at me, or the stares I would get from the crew for my pitiful attempt at looking nice.

A low whistle greeted me from across the deck. I didn't even have to look over to know it was Shanks. I fought back the tears pricking at my eyes. Get a fucking grip, you aren't a child, you can handle-

"You look great, lass." Benn's heavy hand patted me on the shoulder before handing me a plate of steaming grilled chicken and vegetables.

At that remark I nearly vomited. Teasing I didn't particularly want, but pity was far worse.

"You feeling alright? Ya look a little green-" the damn captain again.

"Please shut up Shanks, you're already forcing me to look stupid in front of strangers tonight, at least try not to in front of the people I fucking live with." I snapped, earning a few snickers from the crew.

I wanted to slam that plate down over someone's head so damn bad, and just storm back down into my hiding place, throwing these stupid clothes I'm not pretty enough to wear overboard somewhere in between.

Benn's hand was on my shoulder again. "You don't look stupid, lass, I mean it, you look-"

"Don't." My hands shook. "Do not fucking lie to me Benn."

"I am the vice captain of one of the most dangerous crews in the Grand Line, lass. I haven't told a lie to save my own ass or anyone else's since I met this ginger jackass."

Fuck. I'd pissed him off again.

"Look," his voice was softer now, catching me off guard. "I don't know what goes on in your head, or how to live through what you have. But don't accuse us of being or doing anything we aren't. We aren't trying feed your ego or pity you."

I just swallowed and nodded, not liking the attention I'd brought to myself.

Benn settled beside me when I sat down to stab at my flavorless chicken. Fuck, I hated having stomach issues.

He started telling me about where we were going that night; a tavern run by a well-known pirate from Gol D. Roger's time. Evidently she'd retired after the Pirate King's execution, not interested in taking the One Piece for herself. I didn't understand what was so great about another old tavern, other than the history of the owner, until Benn mentioned that the former pirate was once world-renowned for her singing.

"Her music's considered a bit out of style now, but her voice is still as good as it's always been," he said, sneaking me a few pieces of spiced sea king when Hongo had his back turned. "People go to her place for dancing more than anything, but I've loved the music alone for the entire time I've been at sea."

Dancing? That caught my attention. I wasn't one for rowdiness or heavy drinking, but some dancing actually sounded fun.

AN: Sorry this one was so long, and honestly a little boring, but I needed this one to set up the next bit, which is a scene I've been planning out and looking forward to writing since I started this.

We may or may not be finally meeting our beloved goth warlord ;)

#one piece #mihawk #red haired shanks #mihawk x reader #slow burn #straw hat pirates

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skylertheminish · 3 months

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Warning! Absolute dog water writing! I'm tired and can't think straight to save myself so apologies in advance. I'm not responsible for any cringe damage (might tidy it up at least come tomorrow. No promises).

"I know it's cold. I'm sorry lass" I sighed " I wouldn't wake you without reason". My efforts to calm her were not very effective what with my attention being split between driving and calming the young protesting Ceruledge. I had no choice! She had to come with me. Wouldn't mind the cries too much but we didn't even have time to warm the engine let alone the car.

" please stop kicking the blanket off, it will keep you warm".

After a few hours, most of which spent being stuck in traffic, she finally calmed down and fell asleep. No small part to her protesting and taking her frustration out on her toys for sure. But the call I got from the centre suggested bringing her along. A pokemon exotic to Galar, much like the tiny, sleeping knight beside me, was surrendered to them. Makes a pleasant change from the mills that's for sure. Yet I couldn't shake off this uneasy feeling.

Sitting behind this red light in the countryside at the dark hours of dawn was certainly not helping things. "... oh for the love of- change already! Been sat here for 20 minutes" I growled, being careful to not wake her less she start protesting again.

After what felt like an eternity, we finally made it to our destination... some 2 hours later than expected. Seems that setting off at 6 in the morning to beat the morning rush was a forlorn hope. Waking the tiny Ceruledge from her sleep, I was able to calm her with a warm meal from the mini fridge while fitting her harness. Prepared to leave the warmth of the car and face the bitting cold we made our way to my workplace. "Sorry I'm late".

Ceruledge ran eagerly inside before I could elaborate on my untimely arrival, clearly eagerly to greet all the staff the only way she knows. By happily beeping at them. Least that's what I thought as that's. Instead of dragging me to the reception, she took me to one of the rooms used to greet new pokemon. Of which was occupied by a smaller than normal Armarouge.

There was the cause of my uneasy feeling.

"A surrender huh" I sighed

Yet another premature evolution. The Armarouge looked over to us, trying his best to stay calm and collected despite his tears betraying just how hurt he was. Armarouge are incredibly loyal Pokemon.

In a lapse of concentration the little Ceruledge seized the chance to escape and head over to the other pokemon. Normally I'd go to retrieve her but not this time. She ran over to the child Armarouge as fast as she could, and gave him the biggest hug she could muster.

Rubbing the runaway tears from his eyes, the other glanced down and saw the tiny knight trying her best to comfort him. Hours and paperwork had passed. I went to check on the two and was greeted with a far more pleasant sight than before. The two were getting along nicely. I entered the room and introduced myself to the child Pokemon now officially in my care.

He allowed me to pet him! He hasn't even known me for 5 minutes and he's letting me pet him! Too weak, was written on the report. Too weak my ass. Some people really don't deserve the love they get from Pokemon! Let alone the loyalty from this one.

"Hey lad. How'd ya fancy something to eat?"

My offer of food was met with enthusiasm from both young knights.

"Alright! Let's get the pair of ya fed!"

#pokemon #ceruledge #inane ramblings #armarouge #my scribbles #i should use an app for writing #least then it kight be coherent and not have as many redundancies

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rfaromance · 2 years

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Oh a fellow Rika lover! Any thoughts on her as a whole? Everyone views her differently and she's certainly a very complex character with lots of layers to her (another reason why she's one of my faves!). Maybe how would you interpret her own happy ending?

Hello, fellow Rika lover!!

I'll put my thoughts under a "read more", partially because I fear this will get lengthy and partially because I know Rika is a sensitive subject for many people!

Also putting a TW for SA and general abuse!

Honestly, I find Rika to be an extremely relatable character, at least from my perspective. She's a good (albeit exaggerated) example of what can happen if people who need help are abandoned.

A rough background is never justification for crime, but it can help explain it. This is a girl whose earliest memories are in an orphanage, who only had one person she could rely on. When she was stripped away from Mika, she at least thought she would have a happy, loving family.

Instead she lived a life where abuse came at her from all angles. Emotional and psychological abuse by her mother, physical and sexual abuse from the priest. She was treated like she was worthless--no, worse. She was treated like she was evil, a scourge upon the earth, devilspawn that would plague everything she touched.

She didn't want to be evil. She genuinely wanted to be a good girl and just have someone love her and be proud of her. But she turned to that "devil" that everyone made her out to be as a defense mechanism. If it kept her safe... how could it be a devil?

She genuinely strove to be a good person. She took in Sally, a stray, because she saw her own loneliness and neglect in that dog. She did originally want to use charity to help others. She went to a different church from the one she grew up attending, so that she could have a fresh life where nobody would judge her from the second she arrived, and she could actually help out.

The problem is that she still was missing that love. By the time she met V, she was... 18, if I recall correctly? 18 years of being unloved. By then she figured she had to be someone else, put on a mask in order to be liked, let alone loved.

And V was her sun. V, who could capture beauty and warmth in photos that Rika could have only dreamed of. She saw light and love and passion in his work. Truly, Rika at her core is a romantic, because V was genuinely surprised to hear her explanations and theories of his photos. He was the one who said, "Huh. It wasn't that deep for me, but part of the charm of art is that it means something different to everyone who sees it. I'd love to hear more about your beautiful, romantic visions of my pieces."

She saw his sunlight and wanted it for herself. But just having the sun in her arms wasn't enough. When V started calling Rika his sun, too... she wanted to become the sun. Because she saw the sun as a mother who gave a warm embrace to all of her children on earth. Rika had never known that warmth, and she needed it. Physically, mentally, emotionally.

Of course, we all saw how everything spiraled when Mika was dying, when Sally died, when Rika turned into a black hole that began to suck up the sun. V didn't--and couldn't--give her what she needed, and she snapped.

Candidly, I don't think that's too unrealistic. Growing up in an environment of abuse, and reaching out desperately to be loved but everything keeps falling apart around you. She went into survival mode, and that meant relying on her "devil." The darkness inside her protected her, and she couldn't give up on it entirely when it had saved her time and again. She didn't want to give into dark desires, but she felt that she had to. She genuinely wanted to be the sun.

And I think that's something people miss in Another Story. In casual & deep, she's too far gone. But Another Story, she still has a tiny fragment of hope of being able to love and be loved. That's why she's so desperate to form her "happy family", and why she goes off the wall when Ray disobeys her. She doesn't know how a mother is supposed to love. She never had that love. It's not good, it's not excusable, and it's not pretty.

But it's all she knew.

Rika is someone who had more masks than she had names (and she had three of those). She never was able to just exist as herself, always trying to fit a mold someone made for her (i.e. her mother), or to become someone else who lived a life she wanted (i.e. V). She lost herself along the way.

I think she genuinely loved the RFA, and to a certain extent did believe she could "save" them. She advertised Mint Eye as a haven for other outcasts, as a place where those who'd been scorned by the rest of the world could find solace and love. She had to become their sun, their Savior.

But Rika never had anybody to save her.

Now, common critiques are that she should've gone to therapy longer. And let me tell you, if you have a bad therapist? You don't want to go back. There is nothing more emotionally taxing than pouring out your heart and fears and insecurities and troubles to a stranger. Sometimes you get lucky, and you get someone who's patient and understanding and willing to work with you.

Sometimes you get a horrible person who invalidates your feelings, talks over you, and flat-out tells you, "You're too unstable for me to handle. Go get on medication then come back to me." (Speaking from experience, here.)

And that hurts! Having someone spit on the very essence of your soul! Picking yourself back up to find another therapist and pray things go better is... it's one of the toughest things a person can do. I can't blame Rika if she had a terrible therapist.

Plenty of people like to blame V, and let's be honest, he has his faults too. He couldn't give Rika the love she needed because he was so focused on fixing her. No, seriously, he went, "I can fix her. I can help her." But he's someone else whose intentions were pure. He saw how his father abandoned his mother, and he never wanted to do that. He saw a woman in need, and he thought of his mother. He had to help her. His conscience told him to, and he didn't want another ghost on his hands. He's self-sacrificing to a fault, and he's also insanely stubborn. He decided he'd follow her to hell and back to save her. It wasn't love, it was obsession, and he didn't realize that until it was too late. It was a moral fixation.

They both needed help. They weren't right for each other. But they clung to each other and fed off each other, and that's why V has a tragic end in every route but his own. Rika doesn't even get that.

So, I don't condone Rika's actions. But I can say that it's easy to see how someone with pure intentions and a will to do good... can lose themselves in a world that is so vile and full of malice, hate, despair, and suffering. I see Rika, and I see my own struggles to stay afloat in a world that wants me dead, as a queer Jewish AFAB person living in Florida. I see my own struggles with narcissistic parents and how I'm constantly second-guessing my thoughts and feelings. But I digress.

Anyway, a happy ending for Rika? Cottagecore lesbian. I'm not even kidding. Gosh, she's so lesbian-coded. Don't get me started. Nope, I'm starting, but I'll keep it brief.

Basically, oppressive Catholic upbringing telling her she's a devil who's going to hell no matter what and she has to take the abuse if she wants to be saved. She clings to the first person who shows remotely any interest in her well-being and thinks it's love. Rika is a lesbian who had to suppress her feelings or else damn herself further, and she clung to a man in a serious case of compulsory heterosexuality because he was kind to her and she was not accustomed to that. Look at the V bad ending where she seduces MC. She has way more chemistry with MC than she ever did with V. That's a comphet lesbian with gender envy of her ex, your honor.

Let her live in a cottage in the woods, far from the hustle & bustle of the city. Let her live alone with a woman where they bake pies and cross-stitch and read and just exist peacefully. Get her another puppy. She needs peace, fresh air, and grass.

Screenshots to show that I'm not just pulling my Rika analysis out of thin air, lol.

She's extremely insecure and has horrible fear of abandonment. But she was failed at so many levels: the orphanage, the church, V, therapy.

I want nothing more than to see Rika be happy.

#rika kim #mystic messenger #mysmes #mysme #Rika #Analysis #Rika is one of my favorite characters and I love talking about her!!!#The fact that so many people hate her is a testament to her being a Good Character #A sign of a good character is that people are passionate about them whether that's love or hate #Apathy is the worst for a character because that means they aren't interesting or compelling enough to generate opinions #tw sa mention #Thanks for the ask!

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rayshippouuchiha · 1 year

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Okay so, feel free to not answer this one, it's,, kinda heavy, i think? and a bit long. also, sorry about just dropping this here, it's just been weighting on me for at least a couple of years?

So, i'm 21, and like, a big lurker in fandom spaces, and with the ships I ship I sometimes see the "these kind of ships are only okay if you're a csa survivor" stuff, which,, bullshit, but always makes me go "is that,, me? does what happened to me count?" and like, i'm aware that just needing to ask that probably means the answer to that is yes, but I've always shied from thinking about myself that way? The term survivor feels heavy, i guess, like it needs to cross a threshold before the thing counts? Which, logically I know is not how that works, but still

It was just like, this one time I was staying at my great aunt's with my parents for like the 1000th time, I loved going over there, she and her husband had dogs and we'd have breakfast together and hang out doing stuff in the garden. But then this one time when I was like,, 13?? I was pretending to be asleep to read fanfic under the covers after bedtime (I was sleeping in a pullout couch in the living room) and my aunt's husband,, kinda groped me? I don't think he realized I was awake, but I froze and just did my best to pull away quietly and then he stopped and left, and I just,, never mentioned it to anyone in my family because I didn't want anyone to fight?? I've been very nervous about raised voices since I was little

After the fact we just left and anytime my parents mentioned visiting I'd try my best to get out of it, by coming up with like reports or homework I had to do over the weekend, and if I couldn't get out of going I'd just stay put in the room I usually slept in or go out with my parents just to have minimum contact with my uncle, which meant like, hugging him hello and goodbye when we got there and when we left, and sometimes accompanying him to gather wood for the fireplace

Anyways, for unrelated motives my parents and I moved to another entire continent right after I turned 16, and then a while later he got sick and died, and hearing everyone lamenting his death and saying that he was such a good man stung like a bitch, even though I*know* i specifically didn't mention it to anyone in my family to avoid any tension. Sometimes I wish I did say something? But like, we moved away *and* he's dead and nobody's even mentioned him in a long time so I don't really see the point? It's a weird thing, and I don't want my parents to ask why I didn't say anything earlier bc they'd get sad, i think

I do have a couple of people to talk to. My friends have gotten really angry on my behalf a few times now, and I love them. Still, it's a weird thing where I don't really want to think about it but also I know it's a thing that really affected me? Still, the term 'csa survivor' feels like it should go for,, heavier things, worse things

Sorry again for just,, dropping this here, just.. talking about it helps a bit, i think?

Oh darling this is a heavy one indeed.

Look, I'm going to be real with you.

What you feel about this uncle is valid. It doesn't matter that it was only once, it doesn't matter that it was "just a grope", it doesn't matter that it didn't progress, it doesn't matter that you were able to avoid him afterward.

He assaulted you. Point blank. He was an adult family member you should have been able to trust and he touched you in a way he should have never even thought to touch you.

I am so grateful that it never progressed, that you were able to stay away from him as much as possible and that he never touched you like that again but the fact remains that you should have never had to deal with that. The burden, the fear, of that kind of thing should have never been placed on you. He broke a trust with you and in you that could never be replaced and that is and will always be on him.

The title of survivor does feel heavy and I can understand why you wouldn't feel comfortable carrying it. In the end that's your choice and your choice is and should always be what matters most.

I also understand being reluctant to tell your parents, especially since he's dead now. I do have to ask if there were any other children or teenagers he might have also attempted to prey on besides you?

Either way I'm glad you have a support system, I'm glad you have friends you can talk to about it.

#RayRambles #CSA mention #abuse mention

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demyxdancer · 7 months

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Anime Summer 2023

Overall I thought this was an enjoyable season with quite a few high quality shows in it and a few surprises.

Here's my thoughts on Summer 2023 anime, from most favorite to least.

Bungou Stray Dogs Season 5

How could anything else be at the top? While I think overall this was a little weaker than S4 for me -- I really like some of the character work in S4, particularly Ranpo and Yosano's pasts -- this was an absolute roller coaster ride from start to finish. I can't help but admire BSD's ability to throw absolutely ridiculous and over the top plot points one after another and still make it all work. It came to a reasonably satisfying conclusion as well. BSD in general has shot up to become one of my favorite anime of all time and this season didn't disappoint at all.

Highlights: Ranpo saving everyone's asses. Sigma just wants a home. Bram just wants tunes. Aya is the MVP. Chuuya and his Spirit Halloween vampire fangs. You can't kill Dazai in a way that matters.

Complaints: I can only hope we're getting some light novel movies or else we're going to be waiting a long time for more BSD.

My Happy Marriage

Romance in anime tends to be hit or miss, but this one was incredibly refreshing. Far too many romance stories just don't do a good job of showing how the leads are meant for each other, but this show was delightful whenever the leads were on screen. I loved how they were able to talk to each other sensibly and how gently Kiyouka treated Miyo's trauma. Plus, it was beautifully animated.

Highlights: Kiyouka burning the Saimori house the fuck down. Any time Miyo wore a new kimono. The exchange of the hair cord and the comb. Miyo finally getting to protect Kiyouko.

Complaints: The first arc was stronger than the second. The abrupt turnaround by the Usuba family was a little strained.

Jujutsu Kaisen

The art change has made JJK more beautiful than ever. The production values and the OP/EDs of this show don't miss. The Hidden Inventory arc was so intense and featured some stunning fights. While I think the last few eps have been a bit rocky, I'm looking forward to seeing what's going to be cooked up.

Highlights: Pulling on our heartstrings with the girl's sudden death. Gojo's revenge rampage. Geto tormented by the clapping of hands. Yuuji's friends teasing him about a girl.

Complaints: JJK's commitment to never slowing down means we never get to spend as much time in the character moments as I'd like. I think this hurts arcs like Hidden Inventory where Geto's turn to the dark side would be better done if they slowed down a bit.

Undead Murder Farce

This season's big surprise for me. This show was incredibly entertaining and had everything you could want. Vampires! Werewolves! A phantom thief! Sherlock Holmes! Lesbians! The supernatural creatures in an alternate history late 1800s Europe thing did a little bit to fill the Vanitas-shaped hole in my heart. I really appreciated how solid production values and creative visuals spiced up episodes that were really mostly just talking. There had better be another season of this. The story's just getting started!

Highlights: Phantom Thief Lupin and his dramatics. Literary characters showing up one after the other. Vampire murder mystery.

Complaints: The second arc was definitely the best one, and the following werewolf arc dragged a bit and couldn't quite compare.

Saint Cecilia and Paster Lawrence

This show just doesn't work as a romcom, which it ostensibly is trying to be. Lawrence is just too dense and the development is excruciatingly slow even by anime romcom standards. Thankfully, this show does work nicely as a charming slice of life. It's consistently cozy and heartwarming even if nothing ever actually happens. The village full of supportive townsfolk looking after these two reminds me almost of Stardew Valley.

Highlights: The trip to the city where we actually inched along the plot a bit. Cecilia's outfits -- she really does look cute in anything. The scene with Cecilia and Lawrence in the attic.

Complaints: Nothing ever happens. Ending on Lawrence confused about whether or not he thinks of Cecilia as family was kind of a downer.

Sunshine in the Mirror

I haven't watched Love Live! Sunshine (which this show is a spinoff of) but I did watch Superstar and it's not like it's difficult to follow a Love Live show. This one started out promising with a cute enough premise, but kind of fell apart halfway through. The cute slice of life content wasn't bad, but the plot itself was poorly done with unclear stakes. The magic badness engulfing the town was primarily shown as fog with a few angry deer in it. That's just New Hampshire, I'm not scared of that.

Highlights: While all idol music sounds a little samey to me, this one was on the higher end of enjoyability. Cute outfits and consistently colorful and fun to look at. Lailaps plot was cute enough.

Complaints: The overarching plot was really badly written, and that killed a lot of the momentum of the series.

Bang Dream! It's MyGo!

This show has one thing going for it compared to Love Live, and that is willingness to show actual teenage drama and teens being petty and selfish. I loved the lead singer character and her awkwardness and her bandaid collection and wished the show were more about her, but I guess not all shows can be Bocchi the Rock. While the writing had its good points, I ended up dropping this due to pointless drama overload and the fact that I couldn't tell the girls apart.

Highlights: Lead singer character was endearing when she got to be on screen.

Complaints: CGI animation was stiff and poor. Characters impossible to tell apart. Teen drama maybe a little too realistic and hard to watch as a result.

Zom 100

This had an outstanding first episode but quickly went down the tubes for me. I'm not a big fan of zombies in the first place, so bouncing off the show is probably on me. I dropped it after the first handful of episodes.

Highlights: First episode is well worth watching on its own. Colorful animation.

Complaints: Unfunny humor. Production quality drops significantly after the first episode. Treatment of female characters made me uncomfortable. Guilt over watching an anime about exploitative companies knowing how many production delays this has had and that the people making this are also being exploited.

Fall 2023

Fall 2023 is looking absolutely slammed! Dr. Stone and Spy x Family are back. Frieren, Apothecary Diaries, I'm in Love with the Villainess and Tearmoon Empire are high on my list of shows to try. And we'll have the second cour of Jujutsu Kaisen.

#bungou stray dogs #my happy marriage #jujutsu kaisen #undead murder farce #saint cecilia and pastor lawrence #sunshine in the mirror #bang dream #zom 100: bucket list of the dead #anime #anime fall 2023

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