#and being sociable makes me feel so fake | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

soultek · 6 months

Text

Late To The Party - Roronoa Zoro x Female!Reader (One Piece Live Action)

💚As it's a certain someone's birthday today!💚

A/N: I feel literally late to the party myself with this - but there we are!

Also not the Zoro I ever expected to be writing for but I was just too inspired NOT to go for it!

100% inspired by 'Dance With Me?' by @alotofrandomfangirling. I read that fic, listened to this song and was like "Oh it's all fits nicely!" and then kinda ran with it! [BTW - you should OBVIOUSLY go and read her fic!]

Ahh... and also, for getting me through all this OPLA fangirling @alotofrandomfangirling this one is also 100% for you! 😁❤

Disclaimer: As usual, nothing except the reader character is mine (loosely based on my OG anime counterpart character Zoro!SO) I tried to keep him as close to his OPLA self as possible but I can't promise I didn't let a bit of his anime personality slip in but I have read this back so many times now I'm like 99.9% he's LA accurate!

Warnings etc: Drinking, mention of injury/scars, super mild cursing, established (secret?) relationship.

Premise: With a party happening in the port you happen to be calling in, you and the crew take the opportunity to be social. Zoro takes it as an opportunity to drink, but maybe that isn't the only reason he's going...

Words: 6325

Song Inspo: Late To The Party - Kasey Musgraves

---

By the time we get there Everybody will be drunk The chairs will be on tables And the band will be unplugged We're gonna look real good But we're gonna look real rude I'm sorry I'm not sorry that I'm Late to the party with you Let's promise when we get in That we'll try to get right out Fake a couple conversations Make the necessary rounds These kinda things just turn into Who's leaving here with who? But I just want 'em all to see me come in...

Late to the party with you Oh, who needs confetti? We're already falling into the groove And who needs a crowd When you're happy at a party for two? The world can wait 'Cause I'm never late to the party If I'm late to the party with you

---

Nothing was right. Every outfit you tried just ended up with a sighed 'No.', before being thrown in the corner. Everything else was done – hair and makeup went perfect; you were maybe even quick with those. But this... This was taking the time. Sure, you probably could throw on any old thing and get away with it - this wasn't some fancy dinner, or anything you had to look good for. Just a port with a party. But that was the point - it was a party. It was a chance to be sociable, dress up for a change. It was your thing. And you were late.

Snapping you from your thoughts with a jump, was a loud pounding on the door behind you. It was almost accompanied by a shriek, but luckily you saved yourself the embarrassment of that. Whipping around, you could feel your heart beating a million miles an hour - you didn't realise any of the crew were still here.

"Y/N! What the hell is taking you so long!?" Your eyes widened to the voice; now you were doubly glad you hadn't screamed. Opening the door ajar, you poked your head out and were faced with the unimpressed look of the crew’s resident green-haired swordsman. On second thought that was just his natural expression. You opened the door a little wider, halfway between asking a question and looking around to answer it yourself - was everyone else still here? Evidently, he wasn't done ridiculing you; "What the hell!? You're not even changed!? Even I got changed!" Your eyes focused back on him... Well, he wasn't wrong. He had changed his shirt. You indicated to the pile of clothes strewn on the floor, "Well I didn't know what to wear!" Now you were talking to Zoro, you might as well ask; "Wait, is everyone still here!?" His hands went to his pockets as he shuffled a little on his feet, eyes moving from yours, "No, but I said I wasn't leaving without you, now hurry up!" "…Hurry up!?" You folded your arms, eyes narrowed. You'd known him long enough to be able to read him pretty well, "Zoro, I bet you don’t even want to go!" He copied your crossed arm stance, "Maybe it's not my scene but if it’s a party, there’s alcohol." You couldn't help but roll your eyes, 'good lord.' Resisting shaking your head you turned your full attention back to him, glancing head to toe; "You’re going with your swords? Really?" Zoro was as defensive as you expected, "You never know what’ll happen." That seemed typically him. "Well…" You turned back to your clothes with a smile, finally deciding on something that would complement what he was wearing, "you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t take mine." "Annnnnd that’s why I’m the better swordsman." You glanced back over your shoulder to shoot him a look. Despite how nonchalantly he'd declared it, the tiny smirk on his face said everything. “I am but a humble student, you’re supposed to be better than me.” He laughed, short, more like a bark; “Humble is the word you’d use, huh!? Interesting…” You turned your body fully back to him, hands on your hips. "Why would you even think I would debate-" You cut yourself short, realising that somehow Zoro was managing to stall time even more. So much for hurrying you up. "HEY! Will you get out of here and let me change!"

Sensing he was clearly enthusiastic; you gave him 15 more minutes before you headed back out on deck. He was standing with his hands in his pockets again, ankles crossed over each other as he leaned back on the railing. Glancing you up and down he gave a single simple nod. This was Zoro, so that was a complement and you would take it. There was silence between you for a moment, but the sound of a party was in the air. It was loud, it sounded busy. Exactly the kind of thing you liked. Exactly the reason it had taken you so long to get ready in the first place. And he knew that. The man in front of you however…

Zoro walked forward a couple of steps, slowly, looking around as if on high alert. He stopped not even a foot from you, brown eyes focusing back on yours. His voice was flat, but it was a distinct tease. "You know, a lookout not on deck is no good." You could have seen it coming from a mile off, but there was something about him that made you rise to it anyway. "Looking out for what?! We’re docked! You seem to believe you’re doing a better job, and you were still here.” He indicated to himself, "First mate. Lookout is not in my official job title." He was going to drive you insane. Your breath was deep but you held back the ‘my god, how did I end up with you!?' - for both ways he could take it and neither ending up in your favour. Instead, you cleared your throat and threw your hand in the direction of the port, “Can we just go please - if you’re so eager?! You did just rush me.” Zoro shuffled on his feet a bit more before he decided to respond with, “Fine.” That did not mean that he moved very fast at all, and you shook your head slowly, following him. Apparently, the draw of alcohol wasn't even doing it tonight. You did wonder sometimes, you really did…

Once you got down the gangplank, Zoro turned immediately left. You glanced to your right; exactly where all the light and sound was coming from. God help you now... You raised your eyes to the sky; 'idiot.' Instead of saying anything, you simply reached out and took his hand. Seemed like a natural enough thing to do... He was fine with it within the confines of a room training. Touch was okay there. But in public, you couldn't be sure. Not even on a currently deserted dock. But Zoro didn't jerk away, and even when he walked far enough for his arm to pull back when you weren’t moving, he didn't drop it. Turning back to you, standing rooted in place, staring at him. Your arm stretched as far as it would go with his doing the same, hands still together. You tipped your head in the opposite direction. Once again, not a word passed your lips. His eyes moved around you to the port, but he barely acknowledged it before walking back to you, and then in step. You let him dictate the pace - still super slow.

Zoro cleared his throat, deciding that he would comment on the situation. "I knew that, I was just taking the scenic route." You declined to comment that the scenic route was about to lead Zoro off the end of the pier. There was humour in your voice, “Every route with you is the scenic route…” You wouldn't say you struck a nerve, but there was something sharp in his voice. “What are you trying to insinuate?!” You opted to just shake your head again, amusement obvious on your features; even if it was clear, you were saying something. Zoro narrowed his eyes at you, keeping them on your face to wait for you to break. Unfortunately for you, it didn't take long to start giggling. Composing yourself a little, you came up with a decent excuse. “Hey, look, I just don’t want to lose you. It’s pretty busy.”

To your earlier point, the dock around you was dead, but the direction you were heading in seemed overly crowded. Zoro, still focused on the surrounding area, was halfway through raising an eyebrow to correct you - when he realised the joke. “HA. Lose.” Again, you said nothing, maintaining innocence. If that was the conclusion he wanted to jump to - correct or otherwise. For a minute or so you thought you'd get away with it, until you found your left hip bumped by not just one, but all three of his swords - which caught across your ankle for good measure, so his timing must have been impeccable. You paused your walk for a moment, looking across to him, clearly unimpressed. Rubbing your side with your free hand. Zoro merely shrugged, voice once again level. "Sorry." His first thought had really been to muss your hair or something, but that would have meant dropping your hand, and he really didn't want to let that go. It was also the perfect excuse when his swords were between you. In honesty you thought you probably did deserve some retaliation. "Maybe you should walk on the other side of me." "Not exactly my first thought, swordsman." Maybe you would have held his hand otherwise, but this had started practically... Now it was turning more romantic. Even if the words weren't. "If you had yours that wouldn't happen." "If I had mine things would be worse - probably for me." Considering you wore yours on your left hip you probably would have had to walk on his other side... "Yeah, that’s you up against me.” (It didn’t cross your mind he would be talking about anything except sword fighting until later.) “What!? I can’t believe you’d-” What did that have to do with anything!? “Name one time you’ve ever beaten me….” You remained silent. “Exactly.” Something within you felt determined to get him back for that comment - such had your friendship always been before it had become a relationship. “You know when I said that I bet what happened with Mihawk was awful for you and I was sorry you had to go through it?” Zoro almost smirked following your train of thought, “What? Not exactly feeling that right now?” The smile you gave him in response was crooked, “Yeaaah…”

So, his only option was to one up you, “Okay, well, next time how about I just put my sword through you instead of just barely grazing you. The AUDACITY!? This time he raised a gasp from you. You turned to retaliate, but funnily enough at the exact same time you gripped his hand a little tighter - this was play fighting. “Just barely—!? You call this just barely grazing!? I damn well needed stitches! It’s going to leave a mark!” Zoro listened, body half turned into yours, but he wasn't looking at you, continuing to stare in the direction you were walking. He simply indicated to his chest; 'really!?'. You knew you had no option but to drop it then - because fair enough. But there was still a deep cut across your left shoulder blade that he had left there. Instead, you sighed gently, turning back to the lights glittering off the water, everything was getting steadily louder as you got ever closer. You smiled again, “It’s okay. I know I’m the 5th wheel here…” Zoro frowned momentarily at your math; mentally counting the crew, before he realised you were talking about his swords. He shook his head in response, lacing his fingers with yours.

You weren’t quite sure how this had happened in the first place. It also wasn't meant to be like you were sneaking around behind the crew’s backs, you just weren't ready to be out in the open yet. You'd both been bounty hunters; Zoro mostly worked alone but very occasionally you had worked together. Had a couple of other good bounty hunting buddies too – and the four of you were a decent team. It hadn't taken long for you to develop a crush on him - and as a swordswoman yourself you were in awe of his skills. It was something you only ever strived to get better at. You'd pushed that crush back a long time ago in favour of friendship - after all, unless you were going to team up permanently (not his thing.) there was not much point in getting serious about it. Added to that, Zoro never at all seemed interested in romance. You had been content to just keep seeing him around. That was until rumours started flying around the community that the great Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro was now a pirate himself. Had joined a crew and everything. At first you had simply laughed it off as ridiculous. That must have been some other guy calling himself 'Roronoa Zoro' because there was no way in hell the man you knew was going to do that. How wrong you were, sufficiently curious to follow the rumours along until you both ended up on the same island. And sure enough there he was - with a crew calling themselves the Straw Hats. A crew you now found yourself a part of, having practically begged him to teach you after he'd kicked your ass yet again. (Like you weren't about to miss a bounty hunting opportunity - even if it was him.) Now you were, as you had pointed out to him earlier, a humble student.

The relationship element was new. You knew you weren't sure who or what started it, but it happened and it just felt like a good natural progression. Neither of you were really pushing that relationship aspect currently. You were close for sure, and you always kept close. ALL the time. (And if anyone on the crew was suspicious, they didn't call it out.) You held hands after training... When you were alone. It never progressed much further than that. Passed a confession and the agreement that you were, indeed, a couple.

Yet here you were, Zoro was not protesting holding your hand on the way to the party. And hadn't he just been the one to link your fingers in this way? That hadn't been you.

Stepping up from the dock onto the port side you were both bathed in light. It went from just the two of you to apparently everyone else in the world who had descended on the little town. You weren’t sure where to look – there was so much to take in. The bustle of the people – of all ages – was secondary to the bright colours all around. Shops, restaurants, bars, and their patrons spilled out onto the streets – covered in bright neon decorations and constantly glittering lights. In the central square ahead of you, music played from an elevated platform; even from here neither of you could tell if it was a live band playing or simply amplified through a sound system, only that the gathering of people around it were dancing. All down either street was a collection of booths selling various foods, drinks, wears and even offering games to play, each one looking as busy as the next and all dressed in the same bright colours as the permanent stores. Happy voices called out to each other: both friends and merchant alike. It was more like a festival than a party and you wondered quietly if that was actually what you had stumbled upon. There was so much to see and do, standing up on the street you almost weren’t sure what to give your attention to first: but you knew it was going to be a fun evening. Zoro could feel the energy from the party hit you instantly; if he didn’t know any better, he would say you were vibrating – you had an entirely different buzz about you than you had 2 seconds ago walking with him down here. He could feel it all through your connected hands, see it in the way your eyes were almost sparkling (though, that could have been the reflection of the lights). This was your domain; you were as in your element here as he was with three swords.

Zoro instinctively pulled you closer - if you didn't want to lose him in the crowd this was the only way. "You know where they are?" "In case you didn't notice - which you did - I wasn't the one looking out for them!" "Right... Stay close. Don't let go." He pulled you forward, and tonight you decided you would just trust him with directions. The 'don't let go' hit different though; if he was going to drop your hand at any point it would be now - not only in a very public place, but the chance of any of the crew happening upon you at any second. You almost wondered aloud if it might have been due to him spending his time waiting for you drinking; loosening up a bit. It would have made sense, but it didn't seem like it. Zoro was going to the party for alcohol. If he had it on him back at the ship, why would he bother? Unless...

You were snapped from that thought by suddenly being pulled in another direction. Finding yourself steered towards a building labelled 'Bar.' Figures he'd be able to find that with no issue. You continued scanning the crowds; the crew must have been around, but also at this point were long gone to you. And Zoro was clearly interested in drinking, pushing the door open with the most enthusiasm you'd seen out of him all night. But he wasn't just holding your hand for the sake of holding it. He knew men. You had dressed up for this because you had a social side. If he didn't clearly indicate who you were with, you were as likely to end up in trouble as anything. Another reason to keep those swords on hand; if anyone dared try anything he was sending clear signals. In the bar the crowds were even more dense, and you moved closer to him, free hand coming across your body to touch his arm; if you were going to hold his hand any tighter it might actually hurt. Still, Zoro couldn't help his little smile. You scanned the gathering more, swallowing hard at the realisation of how many eyes were suddenly on you. Drawn not just to yourselves, but also more closely to the points of connection between you and your entwined fingers. Your gaze flicked back to him, still solely focused on leading you to the bar - if Zoro had noticed this attention, he paid it no mind. You almost envied that. You were very aware of how gorgeous he was - you weren’t blind! You were unlikely to be the first or only girl to ever have fallen for this man. You were just the lucky one that had him…. Somehow! If you were any other girl in this room, you'd be jealous, too.

After what felt like an age, you finally made it to the edge of the bar. He brought your twined fingers up to it, unlinking your hands but keeping them close, leaning forward to try to find the barkeep. At this point the aged wood was littered with empty glasses and bottles. You hoped for the sake of your partner the whole bar wasn't already dry. Without even asking you were both presented with a beer, "Ahh! What can I get the lovely young couple then, eh? First one is on the house!" Zoro was clearly irked by the descriptor - but got straight to the point, "What have you got? Bottle of your best...?" He waited for the suggestion. "Well, uh, I'll have to see, sir! I would expect most things are out by now, but I'm sure I can find something." "Okay. Then," Zoro's sigh was deep, like he was trying not to think about it being the only reason he came down here. "I'll have a bottle of whatever you have left!" He turned to you, look pointed, "Clearly, we are late to the party."

You were about to commend him on just the one - realising suddenly you were going to quickly become the 6th wheel in this relationship to alcohol - when you were interrupted by the overly loud calls of your captain. "HEEEYYY!! ZORO! Y/N!!!" You barely had time to turn before Luffy was throwing his arms around you and pulling you together in a three-way hug, "Where did you go!? We were worried about you guys!" "Ah, blame her. She takes too long!" You punched Zoro's arm playfully, but you returned your hand to resting next to his on the bar. Luffy said nothing - likely oblivious as ever; but you could bet if one person in the crew didn't care, it would be him. Luffy grinned, "Well it doesn't matter! You're both here now! Ahh you gotta try the food, it's so good!" You turned back to the busy room, watching everyone else laughing and joking together. Luffy and Zoro followed your eyeline. Zoro's hand brushed against yours for your attention before he nudged you, "Go on." "W-what about you!?" You whipped back, a little too quick to protest. Luffy looked between you. "I'll be fine here. Besides, I can keep an eye on you from the bar. That's what you want to be here for, go have fun." Fun definitely didn't seem like the word Zoro would use, but this wasn't about him. It was about you. You looked to the bottle of beer you'd been given and pushed it towards him, "Here, just in case they can't find you anything else. I think you need it more than me!" Turning to Luffy you smiled sweetly, rubbing his shoulder, "Look after him for me!" "I will do!" Luffy grinned, Zoro just shook his head. But you knew he had everything he needed right there. You let your eyes linger on his and focused on that touch for just a moment longer, before you slipped from under the arm of your captain and went to make yourself sociable with the other crew and townsfolk. Surely Usopp, Nami and Sanji were in here somewhere... Glancing back over your shoulder you watched Luffy take your place, chatting excitedly to his first mate. He had Zoro's full attention; it made your laugh to yourself. You were going to end up so many wheels back you might as well have not been in this relationship...!

You were social, it was one of your greatest strengths. It was easy to make friends. It made it easy to get information. That was how you used to do your bounty hunting. You could talk to anyone and everyone easily. You liked listening to people's life stories - hearing about all the places they were visiting. The islands you’d landed on; about what there was to do in the area, even if you never went yourself. You liked talking about the tiny East Blue island you'd grown up on. You had enough stories from sailing across the East Blue yourself. And you could twist the crews’ stories into something a little less... Pirate-y. You always enjoyed it, you always had fun. If someone asked you to dance, you would. If someone wanted to drink with you, you were down. Tonight... Tonight you realised that even in your element, you were not having fun. Not as much fun as you wanted. Not alone.

You hadn't thought about it before. Hadn't considered when you were getting ready that it would ever be the case. You expected to have a good time with the crew - your relationship and anything that might happen with it tonight was an added bonus to something you loved doing. But in the middle of the conversation, you couldn't help realising how much you didn't want to be there. At least... Not in the company of these people.

You looked back over your shoulder to the bar, and were almost surprised to see not only was Zoro alone once more (you would have put money on either Luffy dragging him along, or Luffy dragging everyone else over to him), but he was staring at you. Clearly, he wasn't going to take his eyes off you tonight. When Zoro said he was keeping an eye on you he meant it. And maybe he’d never say it out loud, but with you looking like this, that wasn’t the only reason. The two bottles besides him were finished. But whatever the bar man had managed to find him was unopened. He turned slowly to it, before wrapping his fingers around the neck and dragging it off the bar. Gesturing with it towards you, before tipping his head back towards the ship. You smiled, and suddenly it was the happiest you had felt all evening. In that moment you knew exactly where you wanted to be. And tonight, where you would rather find yourself.

He met you by the door as you politely excused yourself from the conversation, this time taking his other hand and making sure to walk on his left. The knowing smile on Zoro's face indicated he knew you were learning. A tiny piece of your felt bad, as he opened the door back into the night air - the crowd was a little thinner, but the party was still in full swing. It felt like you were bailing, you'd been late and you were leaving almost immediately. But it wasn't as if people could say you hadn't turned up. Luffy at the very least had seen both of you there. But there was something inside you that stirred in excitement at the thought of sneaking back to the Merry with a bottle...

If you had gone at a snail’s pace to get here, you practically ran back. Or you would have thought you had, considering how giggly and breathless you were, despite not having drunk at all tonight. Yet. With the bottle in his hand that was clearly going to change. Zoro removed his sword belt, propping them up against the wooden railing of the ship, before blowing out a breath and settling beside them; back up against a pillar, he stretched his legs out in front of him, placing the bottle between them. You shook your head, sitting yourself down in front of him with a grin. At least out here it was quiet, the air was cooler. Zoro closed his eyes for a moment, tipping his head back; allowing you to trace the lines of his face. His jaw and down his neck, up over his broad shoulders and down his toned arms, to his fingers. You thought for a moment about the skilful way he could un- and re-sheath his swords. How any just-so movement with his fingers would move those blades to make perfect strikes. You hadn't been present for the fight with Mihawk that had made the scar across his chest. That was a little too much to think about, but the shirt you were coordinating with tonight exposed enough of his chest for a part of it to be visible... But you still couldn't imagine Zoro losing. Even when you could imagine just how incredible the 'World’s Greatest Swordsman' was.

You bit your lip, thinking about your earlier jab, and suddenly felt terrible. "Hey, Zoro..." "Mhm..." He initially kept his eyes closed and head tipped back, but when you didn't continue, he changed his position to look at you. With your eyes and expression a little guilt ridden; he couldn't help tipping his head in confusion. You took a breath, and although it seemed like you wanted to look away from him, you didn't: "What I said earlier about the Mihawk fight... You know I didn’t mean it, right?” Zoro almost chuckled - that was debatable. But he had known you was joking with him. "Y/N, you worry too much." "But I still-" "Of course, I do." It's what you wanted to hear - so he would satisfy that. You sat back on your hands with a smile, this time voice a little sweeter; "And what I said about being with you being scenic… you know I did mean it, right?” You had realised the hilarity of saying every route with him was the scenic one, and that depending on how you'd said it, how it could have been either a sarcastic tease on his sense of direction or a very smooth romantic flirt. Internally you'd kicked yourself for not realising sooner and now - despite it being obvious at the time which you were going for - you wondered which way he’d actually taken it… Zoro cracked a grin, clearly he'd noticed it too. “Oh. You mean I am the view.” Even though, by the look on his face, you knew Zoro understood you hadn’t meant it that way. Yet, you couldn't help but blush a little, “Glad we could agree.” “That would be a first…” You were compelled; you leaned forward and smacked his leg. It was likely always going to be a knee-jerk reaction to his teasing. That just made him chuckle, and he picked up the bottle again, cracking it open. "Should I get some glasses?" "Glasses?" Zoro scoffed, "Hell no. Now c'mere." He beckoned you forwards.

You couldn't help being intrigued, but as you moved to the side of him, Zoro grabbed your waist, pulling you to sit between his legs. For a minute you struggled, both shrieking and laughing, pushing against him enough that he had to physically hold you in place. You relented, giggles still rising in your chest as his arms wound around your waist. Head propped back against his chest you looked up at him. "Okay fine, you win!" "I'll just chalk yet another one up." "Ah, keep them, I'm never beating you." "Wow." He smirked again, "Did we just agree on two things? Careful, Y/N, we might be on a roll!" You nudged his face with your palm, "Hush!" Causing Zoro to grab your hand and interlink your fingers again. The movement caused his piercings to run together, making them chime softly. You focused on them dancing for a moment, unable to help yourself from reaching out and making the gold ring together again. Zoro simply shook his head at you, picking up the bottle he'd just opened (and somehow in all that hadn't spilled everywhere.) and taking a sip. "Whatever helps you amuse yourself." "One per sword?" "I'm not even answering that." "Hey, it's a valid question!" After all, you had a multitude of piercings in both your ears and didn't carry nearly that many weapons. He ignored you, holding the bottle out. You accepted it gratefully and read the label; "Any good?" "It's alcohol, even the bad stuff is good." "Yeah, no," you sighed, "that sounds like you." You took a drink and concluded that this one was indeed, pretty good. Taking another sip, he smacked the top of your thigh, "Hey! No drinking the whole bottle, I waited too long to get that one!" You almost choked, "And you won't get any if you make me spill the damn thing!" "You do that, I'll be throwing you overboard and telling the crew you elected to stay in town." "Thing is I wouldn't put it past you..." You handed the bottle back to Zoro, making yourself comfortable against his body, "I'm just saying a good boyfriend wouldn't do that." You heard Zoro huff a laugh as he lifted the bottle to his lips again, "Ah, I never promised to be one of those." "What? A good boyfriend?" "That's the one." "Well. A girl can dream." "That's all you'll be doing." You let out a laugh then, a full-blown belly laugh. "I know you're determined to ruin this, but you can't. It's not happening. This is exactly what I wanted." "Me?" But he left it there, fingers of the hand not holding the bottle finding yours again.

You sat in silence for a moment, the only sound your breathing and the back and forth of the liquid in the bottle every time he took a drink. Further back, the dull hum of the party, and the waves lapping at the side of the Merry. Inspecting the bottle once more Zoro realised it was nearly empty. Looking down at you in his arms he realised your eyes were closed. "Hey..." He tried softly, so not to wake you if you were asleep. "Mmm?" Your response let him know that even if you weren’t, you weren’t far off. "You want any more of this?" "Oh, no." You shuffled a little more, head moving to his shoulder, opening more of your body to the warmth of his, Zoro found himself pulling his legs in closer to aid you with this. "It's yours. You said it yourself; it was hard to come by. And I know it was the only reason you were going anywhere near the party." He stared at you for a moment, and then between you and the bottle. Your eyes were closed, so you didn't see his next soft smile. "Well, maybe it wasn't the only reason." You didn't respond, but he saw the smile on your face grow.

By the time he'd finished the drink you were asleep, and even when he moved himself to get a little more comfortable - careful with you still in his arms - you didn't wake. He'd have to be vigilant, glancing to his swords... Just in case anyone did think they were about to come on here and try to mess with you, or the ship. Come to think of it, where were yours...? ‘Ah forget it, I could handle it myself.’ He looked back down to you, peaceful. Pressed up against him, Zoro suddenly noticed how warm you were. How the air had a distinct chill to it the later into the night it became. (Heck, maybe it was early morning now. But there was no way of knowing - especially with none of your crewmates around.) Delicately he brushed some of your hair out of your face, before pressing his lips fleetingly to your forehead. Closing his eyes, he propped his head on top of yours, position of his body protective to your smaller form. He almost laughed to himself - when the hell did something like this happen? "Goodnight, Y/N..." * * *

It was not the scene the crew expected to return to, that was for sure. Looking between each other and trying to determine who might have had any indication that you were in any way a “thing.” Clearly, you and Zoro had been just that good at keeping it under wraps. Not that it mattered much now; nothing could have been more obvious! “What. The. Hell!?” Sanji was the first one to gain anything near composure enough to talk - although not composure in general. Nami and Usopp had to move quickly to hold him back; “I’m going to KILL that moss-head!” “Sanji! No! Wait!!”

Nami internally cursed herself for not being the first one on the ship. If she had been, she could have kept the rest of them away and would have had pretty good ammo for blackmailing you both for Berri. Ah well, no good thinking too much on that now. “I, for one, think it’s sweet.” Sanji scoffed. “Maybe she’ll lighten him up a little! God knows he needs that. Always so damn serious! And unsociable! I would welcome that change.” “Not with her though!” Sanji made another noise of discontent, making Nami sigh. As if Sanji would be fine with Zoro being with any other woman – on this crew or otherwise? She looked back to the scene; cuddled up together and sleeping soundly. It was late - maybe even early - and the air was much cooler than it had been before, rolling in from the sea. “Can one of you get a blanket? Last thing we need is either of them catching a cold!” Luffy - who had just been staring at you up until now, trying to add it all up in his head; it would explain how close you were at the bar but also… - suddenly sprang into life: “I’LL DO IT!” Nami grabbed him, clamping her hand over his mouth, “Stop yelling you idiot! You’ll wake them up!” Sanji actually thought that was a great idea - but he wasn’t exactly the person who was going to go against Nami’s wishes.

Luffy’s version of quiet was more of a shouted whisper, and he sounded out his words in their syllables for emphasis. “Sorry. I’ll get it!” Nami placed her hand against her forehead watching him walk off in big slow steps - she truly was surrounded by idiots. It was a good thing she loved them.

By the time he came back, she’d managed to successfully move Usopp and Sanji on. And once he handed her what she’d asked for, she began ushering Luffy away (which, considering him, ended up only being a few feet further back.) Rolling her eyes, Nami sighed again, unfurling the blanket, and throwing it carefully over you both. She tucked it as much as she thought she’d get away with before it woke you up and stood back admiring her handy work.

Luffy looked between you and her, “Soooo… will they be alright now?!” “I think so…” Nami turned to him, and pushed, “Now will you get out of here and give them some quiet!” “Well, what about you!?” “I’m leaving too! Honestly—!” “Okaaaaay….!!” He protested as if he wasn’t protesting and walked away.

But when Nami turned back, she almost jumped. Zoro’s eyes were open, and he was staring at her. From the expression on his face, she couldn’t tell if he was impressed or not. She decided she’d probably rather not enquire. After a little while of unnerving her on purpose, Zoro closed his eyes again. But he spoke, voice quiet. “Thanks, Nami.” She smirked, because this was her chance. He’d just left that door wide open and she wasn’t missing the opportunity. “You’re welcome. But you guys owe me!” He sighed - knew it! - this much more of discontent, “Of course.”

---

One swordsman down, two to go! 😁 💚🖤💛

#One of the nicest easiest writes and edits for a character ever - he was so kind to me!#OPLA Zoro #OPLA Zoro x Reader #Zoro x Reader #Zoro x Female Reader #Roronoa Zoro x Reader #Roronoa Zoro x Female Reader #You KNOW I got my Johnny and Yosaku reference in there!#A couple of her realisations are actually things I realised reading back where I was like /Aw damn. That was a good one!/#So - that was fun!#Zoro said the title of the fic /roll credits!/#Also I snuck in a Dustin Lynch song title reference!#I was like /there's not really a kiss in this?! Should I add one?/ and then i realised... there's an *indirect* kiss!!#Like... Diet Raleigh. Raleigh 2.0?#/psst/ you KNOW I had to mention the sword sheathing obviously. It's very much a hyperfixation point of Zoro for me.#Something so damn sexy about it that I can't explain?#Like UGH boy... PLEASE 😩

228 notes · View notes

tbsangstersgf · 2 months

Text

Dumb Plan

Gally x fem!reader We LOVE a confident Gally, and he definitely is in this one.

Part 1/2

Dumb plan, dumb dumb. Dumb plan. This could not end well.

Would it help with your situation?

Definitely

But shit man, it has been hard enough to become the man’s friend. He’s not one to open up easily.

Alby and Newt have a good point though, some of these gliders just have no respect for you or your personal space. They just wouldn’t lay off.

I mean, he’s definitely scary enough and wouldn’t for sure scare off any unwanted attention.

“Y/n what do you say “all eyes are on you Newt, Alby, Minho, and…Gally.

“ you don’t have to decide right now, will give you a day, but the sooner the quicker we can be sure that this problem is solved.”

New looks at you waiting for an answer.

“ no, no, no. I don’t need any more time. It’s a good plan.” You say quickly.

Alby nods his head sharply, “ all right I want you to come up with a plan, stage something. if I don’t find out from someone by the end of the day that you two are dating, then I’m gonna plan it out myself. We need this plan to work, or theees no point in trying it”

Alby, Newt, and Minho leave the room, giving you and Gally some time to think about a plan.

The idea was for you to get yourself a fake boyfriend so that you wouldn’t have to worry so much about your personal space being invaded by overly friendly gladers. Minho and Galley were some of the obvious options, as you were relatively close with both of them, and people wouldn’t be too suspicious. You’d decided to choose Gally, because well, not one single person would dare go against him I mean hell, he’s terrifying.

While you knew it would work, but it felt more painful than it should.

“ OK, I was thinking something along the lines of holding hands, maybe even just a quick peck on the cheek?” Gally stared at you intensely, but you refused to meet his eye.

“ that could work, but I’ve seen you hold hands with Meho too. It’s not just a strictly dating thing. No, if we really want people to think we are dating, then we’re going to have to take it up a notch.”

You looked up to find that he was already staring at you, and you feel a flush creep up your cheeks.

“ Oh OK, so what does that entail?“

Maintaining eye space contact, he walked around the table until he was standing right in front of you.

“I’m not sure, but I know we’ll have to make it super exaggerated so that Albie doesn’t have to step in. We both know that that would not go well“

You laugh at his joke, breaking eye contact and looking down.

“ the only thing that I can really think of, that would truly make people think that we’re dating is something as extreme as a kiss. “

At this, you look up sharply, and find him looking at you with a smirk on his face.

He laughs at seeing how flustered you get at the suggestion.

“I was only half joking, not like the shanks here are stupid, they should be able to pick up on little things. It’s not like we can just make an announcement.” He still refuses to lose eye contact. Realizing that you need to add more to the conversation, you slowly breathe out.

“ Yeah, and we can start to drop more obvious hints if they don’t seem to get it.” You smile at him, “ oh and by the way, thank you for helping me with this ya shuckface”

“Anytime slinthead, anytime” He returns the the smile with a grin.

Wait, half joking? What does that mean? Does he want to kiss me? No, stop it’s FAKE dating.

“Ok, let’s just let it play out and we’ll see what’s best.” You both nod, and then he steps forward a bit more to grab your hand. I’ve never seen him so confident in his life, what’s with sudden change? And his hands are surprisingly soft…

Gally was definitely confident in himself, but when it came to social interactions… he was a little reserved. For you, it was almost the exact opposite, not that you didn’t know your worth, but you were definitely a very sociable person.

“Come on y/n, let’s go flaunt our relationship in everyone’s faces.”

As you stepped outside, not one Glader looked at you two holding hands.

The day wore on and you two kept on having to do more noticeable things to grab people’s attention. It’s started with holding hands, then he put his arms around your shoulders everywhere you went, and some point he even kissed your cheek.

But nobody seemed to notice, and so by lunchtime you were getting a little desperate. As you were sitting down next to Gally, you looked across the room and happened to make eye contact with Alby, who raised his eyebrows at you, telling you that nobody knew yet.

With a sigh, you look back down to your food, until you feel a hand on your thigh.

You quickly look at Gally, feeling heat rise to your cheeks.

“Is this okay?” He turns to you as he sees you tense up.

“Oh um yeah no it’s fine just scared me for a second”

HOW DID NO ONE SEE THAT HES LITERALLY HOLDING MY THIGH

The day dragged on, with many more touches and hints, but not one single Glader picked up on anything.

Finally, when most Gladers were on their way to dinner, you saw Gally across the Glade. He waved at you and gave you a big smile.

Shuck this man I’m not doing this stupid plan for nothing.

You started to run towards him and his grin got even bigger. Once you reached him you jumped into his arms and he started laughing like crazy. All of the sudden you felt lips on yours.

HOLY SHIT WTF OMG AHHH

Slowly you kissed back. Your lips moved in sync as he wrapped his arms around you. Reluctantly, you pulled away. It was not real, it should mean nothing. But to you it meant everything.

“I hope that was okay” Gally whispered into your ear.

Speechless, you just nodded, smiling.

Then you saw some Gladers passing by and giving you two weird looks.

“Gally i think that it worked, look”

Turning to see the Gladers, he smiled and put you down.

“Alrighty then let’s go to dinner babe”

Ugh y/n remember it’s FAKE it doesn’t mean anything.

(Requests are open, and I would love any critiques you have🥰)

#gally tmr #tmr #the maze runner #gally x you #gally x reader #gally #tmr gally

69 notes · View notes

artsartblog · 4 months

Text

I caved and finally made a Trolls oc. I don’t have a lot on her, but she’s a precious bean.

Briar is a pop troll, but she loves all kinds of music. She briefly lost her cool after feeling like she didn’t fit in amongst her fellow pop trolls when she just no longer felt happy singing or dancing to the pop music, but once she heard other music her color came back. She definitely enjoys rock more than pop, but purely because she’s gotten tired of hearing only pop for her whole life. Variety is key in keeping her happy. She got the skull belt after the events of World Tour because she just loved it so much. The flower in her hair is a clip on jewelry type thing, the flower is fake because she would have to constantly get a new flower every time the original one died. As stated above she lowkey a fan of BroZone. She liked them a lot when she was younger, but now that she’s older she feels silly for being so into the group. Though that does stop her from occasionally listening to their record every once in awhile as a way to just let her be herself.

I really only caved and made a Trolls oc because of @tea0w0stache and @0ketlyn-s Brotherhood AU. It’s so good and I love all the designs and love Bruce (Spruce is just my favorite character in the Trolls canon anyways). That love has been channeled into my oc (for the fun of it) because I have her having a crush on Bruce but she really just keeps it to herself. However, as an outcast (because she’s not that big of a fan of how the pop trolls worship JD, Bruce and Floyd like they’re a godsend) she does occasionally talk to Poppy about things because she really doesn’t know who else to talk to that just will listen. Plus, Briar really isn’t good with socializing. She tends to stick to herself and just makes things that could possibly make their hidden existence better. She would love to be more sociable, but prefers to view things from a distance. The flower skirt she wears is actually something she’s made. She’s pretty good at making outfits, but she makes other things. Especially if she’s in a really creative mood.

Don’t take what I said for the Brotherhood AU seriously since it’s not my AU and I purely made that version of her for fun. BH!Poppy and BH!Bruce do not belong to me, they belong to Dex and Ket. As far as I know the AU is still underdevelopment and whatnot. If you’re interested go check out both of their blogs and ask them about it. I’m purely an outsider just looking in and creating a bit of fun (and small bit of fanart). Go support the two of them, they’re really cool people!!!

Anyways, idk if I’ll actually do much with Briar since I just couldn’t resist making a Trolls oc any longer. With that being said hope you all enjoyed the art! If you want to see more Briar art let me know, any questions on her you are free to ask. Likes are nice, but reblogs help others see the art so if you want your mutuals and followers to see it reblog it ^w^ As always, hope you’re having a wonderful day and stay creative!

#my art #my digital art #my oc #my oc art #troll oc #trolls #trolls oc #trolls original character #briar trolls oc #brotherhood au #not my au #fanart?#a bit of fanart #oc art #brotherhood au poppy #brotherhood au bruce

76 notes · View notes

lightlycareless · 3 months

Note

how would nanami react to y/n getting married to naoya im so curious

Hello anon!!

A very interesting question I know I’ve been ignoring on my main fic by… you know, plot reasons hahahah But I did want to explore this a bit!! And now that I have a chance… here it is 😊 Enjoy!

As usual, warnings: none. Really. Nanami being very blunt.

Happy reading ❤️

Nanami would not take it well at first, for a variety of reasons.

First, it’s unexpected. At least for him it feels that way.

The two were close throughout your years in jujutsu high, but as all things happen, you began to date Naoya and, well, he took much of your attention.

Sure, you kept in contact with Nanami, he was still important for you after all, but it wasn’t the same anymore.

So, when rumors began to circulate that the two were to marry… he couldn’t believe it.

Cue the second reason.

Naoya was very… different. To say the least. Like your complete opposite—and honestly? Everyone at one point thought you dating him was some kind of prank, probably something Satoru created in order to get a rise of whoever allowed it, as usual—and if it was true, it probably wouldn’t last, certainly not with someone as… your boyfriend.

Until the wedding invitation arrives, and this not only cemented the fact that you were still together with Naoya, but that you wanted to take this relationship seriously.

The first thing he does is call you in hopes of getting verbal, actual confirmation from you.

“Yes, I’m marrying Naoya.” Is what you say, proudly—with an excitement that doesn’t escape Nanami’s attention.

Something that was expected of any bride-to-be. And yet… it hurt him to hear that.

Is it because he thinks you’re making the wrong decision? Well, considering the rumors surrounding the Zen’in, definitely. He may not be well versed in the Jujutsu community, at least when it comes to clans, special techniques and whatnot…

But he’s seen enough to understand the Zen’in might not provide you with a life you deserve, and there’s only so much you (or Naoya) could do before their ways finally caught up to you.

Or worse: Naoya eventually succumbs to his environment, leading him to be the main perpetrator of your miseries, which Nanami has no doubt he already was considering his behavior at school.

However, it’s like none of these things mattered to you, and why would they? By now, after years of being together, you were completely and utterly enamored by him, seen by the way you went on and on about the wedding preparations, how excited you were to go on your honeymoon (which Naoya kept a secret from you) and how you’d like Kento to attend.

And your words, far from reassuring, push him to dive deeper into this… hazy feeling of surrealness, as if everything had been nothing but a jest, perhaps even made up from his own imagination to justify your absence.

But it wasn’t fake. None of it was. And at the culmination of his displeasure, alongside what he considered your delusions towards Naoya, he blurts the most painful words Nanami has ever told you:

“Are you sure this is even the man you want to spend the rest of your life with?”

“Wha—what do you mean? Of course I want to spend the rest of my life with him! I wouldn’t be getting married if that wasn’t the case, you know?” You gasp, undoubtedly a bit offended by his questioning, doing your best to hide your shock.

As if he hadn’t said the one phrase no bride wished to hear just a few weeks away from the great day.

“I just wanted to be sure—the things that are said of his family are no joke.”

…

“…You knew I was with him. Have been for a long time since school. So… why are you bringing this up now?”

Nanami sighs.

He’s too deep to back off now.

“Because I think you’re making a mistake. Naoya is known for being too irra—”

“I take you won’t be attending, then? Either way, I hope you have a good evening. Thank you for calling me, goodbye.”

And you hung up.

Nanami never considered himself a highly sociable person everyone loved to be around, nor was he interested in becoming one, but even then, he was able to discern he had gravely miscalculated his words, more so when the days following this call, you’d gone radio silent.

And after a long moment of reflection, remembering that regardless of what he thought, this was still your decision to make, and that you’ve already gone through the necessary discussions, expenses, sacrifices, and so on and so forth, to reach to this conclusion. And now, you wished to enjoy your well-deserved celebration.

Alongside your family, and friends…

One of the things he was supposed to be.

But instead of being supportive, he simply dismissed the enthusiastic bride the crudest way one could.

If he really cared so much about it, he should’ve made the effort to tell you before, not when you were a step away from becoming Mrs. Zen’in.

Without time to waste, Nanami decides to make things right by reaching out to you. Not via phone call or text messages, but through (hopefully) meeting up with you at the usual place he knows you’re always there on a Friday afternoon, just before calling it a day, due to their daily special.

A popular boba bar in downtown, conveniently located just a few stops away from his office, which he could easily visit after work.

And luckily, his efforts were not for naught, because he’d find you there, patiently standing by the waiting area as the barista prepared what he assumed you ordered to be your favorite drink, while munching on one of the pastries from the nearby bakery.

By a simple glance Nanami was able to determine you’ve spent the whole day shopping, probably doing some last-minute arrangements for the upcoming wedding, or maybe something for yourself, who knows—not that it mattered much since both statements just made him feel a whole lot worse than he already was.

“Y/N.” Wanting to catch you before it was too late, Kento finally calls you.

And for a moment he thinks to have seen you frown, a look on your face that tells him you didn’t believe someone had called you, perhaps making it up due to the gathering crowd, before deciding to corroborate your ears by turning around and look for the answer—eyes widening when realizing you hadn’t imagined things, and worse, that it came from your slightly estranged friend, whom you didn’t feel like seeing at the moment.

“Oh… hey.” Is all that you manage to muster before looking back down onto your phone, a way to distract yourself from this quickly-made uncomfortable moment, until your drink is ready.

By then, you head over to the counter, thank the barista, before taking your drink and moving to the exit…

“Can we talk, Y/N?” Unless Nanami’s persistence falters you.

Yet, as much as you wished to say no, crumple up your feelings and shove them to the back of your mind so you could peacefully head back home…

He was still a friend, someone you held dear, and ultimately, always regarded his opinions as important.

You sigh.

“… follow me.” Is all that you say before guiding him into a more private area, to the second floor of the café and into a booth, sitting across from one another in rough silence until Nanami begins to speak.

“It didn’t take me long to realize that the things I said to you during that call were wrong.”

“…you still said them.”

“I did. And for that, I’d like to apologize.”

“…is it really that hard to believe I want to marry Naoya?” you ask, looking at him. Kento can see this isn’t the first time you ask this, yet it remains painful every time. “I hoped you, of all people, would trust in my ability to make decisions…”

“I know.”

“I’m tired of defending my feelings for Naoya. Having to find excuses for every single regarding him… I just want—I just want my relationship with him to be accepted. Is it really that… hard?”

“Do you want my honest opinion?”

…

You nod.

“I never expected him to marry you—to actually settle down.” Kento begins, you frown.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He sighs.

“I’m talking about him, not you, Y/N.” Nanami explains. “You saw how he was back in jujutsu high, and probably even before that. Not even the teachers liked him, less the students.”

“… well… I’m not going to say he isn’t hard to get along with sometimes, but… he’s a good man. At least, he’s been to me and my family.” You respond, and Nanami finds your words a bit difficult to believe, to say the least, given his own experiences with the man.

But at the same time, he must give credit where credit is due.

While Naoya was less than ideal as a friend and classmate, he appeared to be nothing but an overachiever when it came to being your partner given the way he (embarrassingly) couldn’t keep his hands off you whenever possible.

And if he also accounted for the endless gifts he’d spoil you with when away for the holidays, or because he was back in Kyoto… everyone would easily call him an excellent, attentive partner—at one point, they didn’t even fit in your dorm anymore, making the school put a limit to this, since they weren’t thrilled to be signing thousands of packages from a paramour that couldn’t spend a day not thinking about his girlfriend, or assign you a temporary storage to place them.

Nanami supposes that a relationship is much more than what others perceive, or more likely, it was never about that—in the end, all that should matter is how you feel about him, and how he feels about you.

“Naoya is the one that proposed to me, actually.” You add, the need to defend Naoya’s image prickling the back of your mind. You’re certainly tired of having to do this over and over again, but if it’s needed, then… “…I was willing to wait, I guess. ‘Till he was ready. But truth to be told, I was secretly hoping he’d do it soon.”

Your words appear to have worked their purpose, because Kento initially suspected you had forced the idea out of Naoya; the Zen’in heir just seemed… carefree to even bother with that level of commitment. —But now that you’ve stated the truth, he’s amused.

“How as the proposal?” He follows, and a smile immediately parts your lips, brightening your face in a way he could not dismiss. “It must’ve been nice, then.”

“Very.” You admit, the memory still warms your heart. “Totally unexpected, he first told me we were going on a trip, a small vacation because he wanted to do something different, get distracted from work—and I didn’t see it coming. Nothing at all! Can you believe that? And to believe I always told my sister that I’d know when he’ll do it!” you laugh, Nanami lets out a small chuckle. “Naoya then arranged another proposal, this time with my family—it was really nice of him, but I think it was my father’s doing all along, he must’ve pestered him to it!”

Nanami smiles—he hasn’t gotten the chance to meet your father personally, but whatever he managed to know, it always narrowed down to one thing: protective.

…

Maybe there was nothing to worry about at all.

“I would still like you to go to the wedding.” You eventually say. “If you’d like, of course. I didn’t mean to uninvite you that way, I was just—”

“You don’t need to apologize. I should’ve been more considerate with my words.”

“You were just looking out for me, and I thank you for that.” You respond. “I know how Naoya is… seen by everyone else. Even his own family couldn’t believe that he was getting married! Or that I consciously wanted to, but still… I remained hopeful for that one person that could be happy for me since the very beginning, without me having to give explanations.”

“I’m sorry.”

“… thank you. For everything. And for reaching out for me, I… wouldn’t have liked to get married while upset with my best friend.”

Nanami smiles.

“I wouldn’t dream of ruining your special day.”

“It’s going to be even more special now that you’ll go!” you grin. “There are so many things my family has prepared, from the decorations to the food… I just know you’ll like them all! I just hope Satoru doesn’t find a way to… you know.”

“He’s going?”

“Well, he’s been invited—but I’m not sure if he’s actually attending… Hinata certainly doesn’t want him to, but at the same time, if he doesn’t go, she’s never going to let him forget!”

“That certainly sounds like her. Either way, I’ll do my best to be there—as well as inviting you out to eat, if you allow me, to make up for the sour moment I made you go through.”

“You don’t need to repay me for anything, you know? It was just a misunderstanding, that’s all.” You say, although your growing hunger was pushing you to say otherwise. “I’d love to go, but I am running late for a few more things, this was just a quick stop before I jumped back into the wedding preparations.”

“Any other day that you wish, then.” He adds. “Preferably before your wedding, of course, because I’m not sure I’ll be able to see you again after that.”

Considering Naoya’s… enthusiasm, no one will be able to do so in a long time.

“Don’t be silly…” you fluster, lightly elbowing him before standing up. “Anyways, I have to go now, it was really nice to see you again.”

Nanami stands up soon after you, helping you with your bags as both walk down to the exit and out to the street.

“I’ll let you when I arrive home safely.” You say, taking the bags from his hands, but not before giving him a tight hug. “Thank you so much for everything Nanami~n. I hope we’ll still be able to hang out even after I’m married.”

“Just because you’re getting married doesn’t mean you can call me that.” He teases, you scoff.

“Ahh, I just wanted to try my luck…”

“I will do my best to keep in contact—Now hurry before your boyfriend starts to miss you and bombard your phone.”

“He—He doesn’t do that anymore!” you cry, embarrassed, before laughing and waving him goodbye.

Nanami then watches you walk into the crowd, and once he can’t see you anymore, he finally heads back to the subway and home, all while reflecting on the new stage you’re about to enter in your life, and how he’ll support you through it.

Because above everything else he had experienced (or hadn’t) with Naoya, or the type of relationship he had with him…

He was still your friend.

The person he promised to be for you whenever things got too hard for you to deal with on your own, be a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, or a voice to laugh along with when good things like this happen in your life.

Just as you’d done when he faced adversities of his own, and the future ones he has yet to live, which he knows you’ll be there, every step of the way, to help him out.

Both had vowed to remain by each other’s side through highs and low, whenever the other could…

And your wedding was to be no different.

There you have it 😊 What I think would happen with Nanami regarding your announcement to getting married to Naoya. We’re talking about you and naoya meeting in jujutsu high and your dear husband being an actual human being, still… Naoya, but less that Naoya lol.

Anyways, I can’t wait to write more Nanami stuff hahaha I’m already working on his first-time meeting Naomi!!!!!

As always, thank you so much for this lovely ask!! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, take care, and hope to see you soon!!

#ask #naoya zenin #naoya zen'in #naoya x reader #naoya zenin x reader #naoya zenin x you #jjk naoya #naoya zen'in x reader #jjk x reader #jjk fluff #jjk x you #prompt series: jujutsu kaisen

47 notes · View notes

soleilnomoon · 1 year

Note

Hi again! Still absolutely adore your Kid fic from your last event 💜 Never got around to asking for a Sanji one, so here I am again😅 But seriously, congrats on over 550 followers!! Love seeing your blog grow, cause you’re really talented and deserve them all and legit can’t wait til you hit 1k+ 🥰

For the event order, may I please ask for a #1 with my boi Sanji, with anmitsu, konpeito, and keylime pie and with honey, please? 🥹 i hate this but need some sanji angst 😭

I also dunno if these three would work particularly well together for a prompt, so you can choose whatever! just really feeling angst and sanji rn and maybe comfort if you’d like 🥰

Thank you for all your works you’ve done so far 💜💜

hiiii omg haha i loved that fic fr (i'm obsessed w that man!!!) also ily for requesting sanji i don't write him nearly enough 🥰️ but thank you sm!! 😭 making me all soft and i am so so sorry this took forever, as u know i am so slow but!!! i had fun tormenting sanji w the angst ngl 💓💓💓💓 also those were great choices for the prompt, i wanted to write more but it would've been 8k words before i finished and who has time for that (i do, but listen... that's besides the point) ✨

2k words, fem reader (honestly gn too now that i think abt it), sfw (SHOCKING i know), 18+ mdni, a lil bit suggestive but nothing wild, angst angst angst city babey, fluff if you squint, also i gave u comfort bc u deserve it bb 💗(and sanji does too); feat. sanji being in denial forever and ever, mutual pining, fake unrequited love, reader is determined and sanji is a coward; also i made myself sad writing this but a good sad bc sanji deserves happiness and i'll fight oda if he doesn't get it i s2g... (if u see grammar mistakes/spelling errors... no u didn't 💗)

“loving each other began this way: threading / loneliness into loneliness / patiently, our hands trembling and precise.” — yehuda amichai

STEP 01:

what does it take to kill a soul? —

a question that’s posed unironically, without a hint of remorse or tact, the words precise and venomous, slicing through the thick veneer that he’s carefully crafted. he’s never been able to answer that question — not at six years old, not twelve or fifteen, and not at twenty-one. his siblings took pleasure in taunting him with seemingly philosophical questions, ones that clamped down onto his thoughts with heavy shackles.

even after he’s extracted himself from that life, he can’t scrub those memories from his mind — no matter how hard he tries. they sit, still raw and bloody, giving rise to unpleasant emotions that make his stomach churn from so many things left unsaid. he never set out to be a pirate, but piracy has given him the sort of freedom that he could only wish for as a child.

it’s with tender hands, with nimble yet graceful fingers, and with a fastidiousness that puts him in a category of his own, that he creates and creates and creates —

he’s told he’s an artist, which only pushes him to work harder, to be better. and when he asks himself why, he doesn’t have an answer. or, rather, the answer he does have only serves as a punishing reminder that he’ll never be good enough. no matter how many times his crew mates thank him — their emphatic, genuine praise a soft, warm breeze against his heart, gentle caresses that he commits to memory — despair still manages to infiltrate, a darkness choking out what little light he has left inside of him.

STEP 02:

how far are you willing to go to reach the truth? —

when you join the crew, he’s unnerved by your presence, which is wholly unlike him. usually, he’s able to put on his façade of the flirtatious cook, one that’s jovial and sociable, that lives to serve and please those around him. his first conversation with you ends in disaster; he spills the drink he tried to pour for you, despite your insistence that you are perfectly capable of pouring your own drink — and he knows it’s not out of malice, but it cuts into him all the same.

he tries again and again, bringing you little treats that you only agree to eating if he sits and eats with you; confusion eats away at his mind, and when he opens his mouth to decline, you pat the seat next to you and he acquiesces. he sits stiffly, at first, unsure of why he always feels on edge around you — an irritating need to impress you in a way he’s never wanted to for others grows stronger by the day.

you think it’s cute that he always seems flustered around you — that he stumbles over his words, refuses to hold eye contact with you for longer than thirty seconds — you also think it’s cute that the false bravado that he puts on for the world, diminishes immediately the second you come close to him. if he’s skittish, it’s because you always catch him staring at you; despite his quick reflexes, his reactions around you are slow but pure — childish, almost.

lately he’s clumsier and scatterbrained, nearly burning dinner when you decide to keep him company. you lean against the countertop, a teasing smile on your face — the same one that that caused him to bump his forehead against the cabinet door earlier — as you prattle on about a dream you had. he can barely keep up, his eyes drifting from the skillet to your face, gliding around the curve of your cheek, dipping lower in a slow descent along your neck.

he blinks repeatedly when he reaches your clavicle, stunned at his restraint; and it’s only when you call his name loudly that he realizes he’s left the heat on for too long.

“are you okay?” you ask when you see that he’s fussing over how best to save the dish, mouth moving as he quietly mutters to himself. he barely registers your voice, as an insidious one whispers harshly into his ears about his perpetual incompetence and lack of talent.

you can see that he’s retreated even further into his mind, a feat that also leaves you frustrated. you want to shake him but refrain and grab his hand instead. he snaps out of whatever stupor that held him captive just moments ago, lips parting as he sighs softly before glancing down at you.

“thank you.”

the words are quiet, but impactful, as he didn’t think he’d be able to get them out. you let go of his hand too soon, but he doesn’t say anything else, choosing to focus on cooking than embarrassing himself again in front of you.

you take his silence as a silent dismissal, but you don’t fight him on it — it’s bitter, that sort of rejection, and you swallow back your argument with great difficulty.

STEP 03:

what’s the difference between cowardice and self-preservation? —

frustration bubbles underneath his skin when he can’t find where he placed his lighter; he runs a hand through his hair and tugs on impulse, accidentally ripping a few strands from his scalp. they swirl and tumble onto the ground, pathetic in a way — just like me, but he never really says that out loud. he doesn’t hear your footsteps, although you did your best to remain as quiet as possible.

a cigarette sits in between his lips, and he has half a mind to toss it over the railing of the ship, but a warmth suddenly appears in front of him in the form of a flame. you found his lighter on the floor earlier and meant to give it to him, but every time you got closer, he found every excuse to leave. you don’t realize the impact you have on him — not really, anyway — because he’s genuinely surprised that you can’t hear the heavy beats of his heart that grow more intolerable the longer he hangs around you.

always afraid of being found out, he opts to keep his distance. it’s easier this way, he tells himself, better. but he doesn’t quite believe that; the evidence is plain as day when his tongue feels like its grown three sizes in the span of seconds, where his words get lost and forgotten. it’s all your fault, he reasons; you who insists on talking candidly with him, who insists on listening to him ramble about his dreams, who absolutely insists on stubbornly tearing down his walls, steadily chipping away without a care in the world. he looks at you as if you are the source of all his problems, but he also looks at you as if you’re the solution.

the intensity behind his stare makes your hands tremble slightly, it’s a miracle you’ve managed to keep yourself composed for this long. you light the end of his cigarette with ease, as if you’ve done this for him hundreds of times —and place the lighter into his pants pocket afterwards. if he wasn’t so used to you getting in his personal space all the time, he’d retreat immediately. the proximity is almost too much for him, but he doesn’t step back; you take that as a good sign and keep him company for a few minutes.

you don’t care for the smell of smoke, but on him it smells good. you almost tell him that, but instead bite down on your lip and keep your comment at bay, nerves getting the best of you as you nearly choke on the possibility that your feelings won’t be reciprocated.

another time, maybe. cheeks flushed, you turn your face to look elsewhere. although, you wonder if there ever will be another time. with him, you never know.

he’s still trying to figure you out and why he feels a different sort of calm around you; it’s alarming and new, drumming up an irrational fear within him. he doesn’t think he’s deserving of your attention or affection, and he’s convinced himself that you don’t harbor any romantic feelings for him. and why would you?

one by one, his thoughts pummel into him, acerbic and overwhelming. he exhales a sliver of smoke and puts the cigarette out. he gives you a quick, apologetic look before telling you goodnight, the smile on his face is melancholic and barely existent. you don’t dare say a word, keep your lips pressed together stubbornly; exasperated and dejected, you don’t know what’s worse — his inability to lower his guard around you for longer than ten minutes, or your inability to stop yourself from trying to carve pieces of yourself to give to him.

maybe if you helped him fill the gaping holes in his heart, he’d truly understand how you feel.

STEP 04:

if you had to do it all over again, would you do anything differently? —

sleep evades you after that night, and the night after that, and so forth; it gets so bad that you’re yawning in the middle of the day, falling asleep before you can have a cup of coffee or tea. this does not go unnoticed by the others, and after talking with nami, you feel less out of your element and finally can see the parts of sanji that he wants to keep hidden. her advice is simple: approach slowly and with intent; corner him and don’t let him escape.

you bide your time, full confident that you can find a moment to sit down with him and talk this all out. it doesn’t come easy, but franky mysteriously swaps sanji for the night’s watch — something that should strike you as odd, but it’s a small opening that you take without thinking as you hurriedly climb up to the crow’s nest with a renewed sort of energy.

even with his eyes closed, as he sits lazily on the bench with head tilted back against the wall, he knows it’s you.

“go back to bed,” he says firmly, refusing to look at you.

your stubbornness, unfortunately, wins out. “i’m staying.” at that he sits up, his attention completely on you as his eyes widen at your words. he wants to ask you why, but cowardice wins out — again. as his features soften, a flush crawls along his face, lightly painting his cheeks pink. he closes his eyes again, tries to steady his breathing as he counts backwards, only for his efforts to be obliterated with ease the moment you sit next to him.

as your thigh presses against his, you take his hand and on impulse you trace your fingertip along the lines on his palm. he watches you with a morbid fascination that scares him; but then you start to say things like, “you will live a very long life,” and “you are courageous, and you have a big heart.”

a small part of him wants to pull his hand away, so you won’t say anything else — but he remains put, so still that you almost think he’s stopped breathing. your voice is sweet and disarming, even when you carry on this charade of reading his palm. a belated realization hits him forcefully, making him blink several times; it dawns on him that you’ve always been so kind and gentle with him, even when you teased him. he’s spent all this time overthinking and hiding behind his past, that it never occurred to him that he could have simply let you in. you’ve never given him reason to believe that you’d betray or harm him intentionally.

he takes a deep breath, voice a little uneven, “i—”

you lean in close, adoration dripping onto your words as you interrupt him. “hey, have i told you?” the question glides along his skin, the words seeping into him as you continue, the lilt in your voice a honeyed, melodic spell. “you remind me of starlight and the mysteries of space.” your lips brush against his when you tell him that, and a warmth settles into the middle of his chest, makes it hard to focus. he doesn’t think when he curls his fingers around yours and doesn’t think when heleans down to kiss you — tender yet electrifying all the same.

the move disarms you in a way that doesn’t quite make sense to you, so you simply hum in approval and lean your head against his shoulder. a comfortable silence settles around you both, but you don’t mind that at all; it’s nice, not having to tip-toe around him anymore, and the demons that plagued him for so long don’t seem so intimidating with you by his side.

#fic request #milestone event #500+ followers event #🍭✨🍨sticky & sweet event🧁✨🍭#one piece angst #one piece fluff #one piece x reader #one piece x y/n #vinsmoke sanji x reader #vinsmoke sanji x y/n #sanji x reader #sanji x y/n #sanji angst #sanji fluff #i love sanji a normal amt as u can tell

82 notes · View notes

thegeminisage · 3 months

Text

oh boy IT'S tng update time. last night* we watched "imaginary friend" and "i, borg."

*tonight. it's 1am. whatever. it's posting tomorrow when i'll be awake but busy. anyway im gonna have to start splitting these up so tumblr will stop FUCKING me re my character count

imaginary friend:

what i like about this episode and indeed tng as a whole is that the little girl was fucking adorable. tng fans, your show has at least one point of validity. whenever there was a child on tos i wanted to throw them out of the airlock because they acted possessed. all the children on tng inspire within me motherly concern.

HOWEVER. THERE SHOULD NOT BE. CHILDREN ON A STARSHIP.

we've gone over this at length. we don't need to do it again. i am sick to death of hearing myself talk about it. i want to stop. and yet. every. and i mean EVERY. SINGLE. PROBLEM. in this episode. happened because there were children on a starship.

problem #1: child is making up a fake imaginary friend instead of making real ones = it's because her dad hops from starship to starship

problem #2 her imaginary friend is real now and wants to drown her in the pool like in that one episode of s*pernatural = this is because an alien, from space, read her mind, which it could not have done if she wasn't in space on a starship

problem #3: the alien HATES the grownups and thinks they should die = because she is seeing the ship from a child's pov, because there are children on this starship

and on and on and on.

aside from this huge and ongoing point of contention it was solidly watchable. i liked the little girl. i like guinan. i like worf being a big old softie when he found them out of bounds. i like people not undermining deanna's counseling work. i liked the horrifically unsettling imaginary friend with laser eyes who definitely absolutely inspired 2.11 playthings.

can anyone tell me if the other star trek shows just let them have kids on the ships? ds9 i get because that's a space station but are there kids on the ship in enterprise? voyager? discovery? genuinely please write in i can't take living like this

i, borg:

ooooooh. ooh i am twirling my hair and kicking my feet and giggling about it. OHHH finally we get a good tng episode. and not just a good episode a GREAT episode. the liz community has forgiven tng. oh baby where do i even begin

okay, firstly, beverly. she so instantly sees someone injured and HAS to help, i mean HAS to, it's so good. it's very bonescore in a way that doesn't feel like they're trying to make her a cheap bones knockoff but rather a spiritual successor. he would have also helped his enemy rather than watching him die. hell, he DID do that and got quite literally mind-raped for his trouble, and he'd probably do it again. i was really really lukewarm on poor bev at first but she's come into her own so well and i'm proud of her

the borg himself - third of five, aw, just like seven of nine - but no, hugh - the name is dumb but whatever i'm glad he has one - was well-cast. it would have been easy to make him uncanny and an unpleasant presence onscreen (this was my biggest issue with data's daughter even though the ep DID make me cry, deeply sorry to data whomst i love the most). his "you will be assimilated resistance is futile" song and dance was actually really funny when played off of geordi's wry indifference. "ok, but before we get assimilated, can we please finish x test?" so true king

geordi's a natural choice to pair with this guy because when he's not being the creepiest person on earth to holodeck girls he's sociable, outgoing, and patient. PLUS he has experience befriending machines because of data. hugh actually reminded me of data in some ways because of his general lack of understanding re: humanity but - and this is critical to me - HE IS HUMAN

like, i feel like the episode didn't quite nail the point home hard enough possibly because they were afraid of the implications but the cold hard truth of the matter is that each and every person on the borg cube IS A PERSON. they have been assimilated, but we've twice now seen that it's possible to unassimilate them with only a few days of effort. picard (and guinan!) consider the entire collective their enemy but the collective is comprised of brainwashed prisoners. those fucked up little borg babies they found in the cube were assimilated as INFANTS - i assume they weren't born on the cube bc if the borg could reproduce on its own it wouldn't need to assimilate - but even if they were born on the cube, they had no choice but to be this. you know.

which is whyyyy it's so fucked picard was like yeah give hugh some digital poison let him carry it back to his cube and we'll kill them like ants <3 like, oh my god his lingering borg trauma or whatever. MWAH. when he told deanna he didn't wanna talk. when he and guinan had to trauma-bond while fencing. when he told geordi that he needed to unattach himself because it was nothing more than animal experimentation. STONE FUCKING COLD BY THE WAY. he is fighting in the war on animal experimentation on the side of animal experimentation. he was going to let his cre heal and feed that kid and then send him back laced with poison. diabolical <3

and, of course, when he didn't want to speak or associate that borg kid at all because that's who he used to be AND WHO HE STILL IS in some corner of his brain (!!!)

LIKE. WHEN HE WAS FINALLY CONVINCED TO INTERROGATE THIS KID. and IMMEDIATELY broke out the locutus voice. he still remembered all the protocol! the way of speaking! everything! i was so shocked and thrilled.

i love also how everyone who spoke to hugh came away extremely unsettled but also totally convinced of his humanity. even guinan, which was so fun, because she was even more anti-borg than picard at first and they were bonding over trauma and fantasy racism. that bit where hugh, who had only known about the concept of loneliness for like an hour, immediately pegged her as lonely after like three lines of dialogue. oh my GOD???

i was decently satisfied with the ending - obviously they couldn't send him back with poison nor could they protect him from the borg, but i wish they had informed him of the inevitable memory wipe before he made his choice. (a selfless choice! he loves geordi!!) still i think he mostly walked into it with eyes open. very sad but very proud of him.

my one tiny nitpick with this episode is that for all beverly's genuine and justified concern about hugh, i don't think theyre ever gonna address the fact that she shot and possibly killed some of the borg in the episode where picard got assimilated. i feel like after realizing they are all people, like hugh, she should also realize she's broken the hippocratic oath, and have a little crisis about it. i have no idea why we had the DOCTOR shooting and killing anybody but let alone if we aren't gonna get into that. i don't think anyone cares/cared except me though.

but tbh, for me this is one of the main draws of the borg. they're ALL brainwashed cyber-assassins and they're ALL prisoners and in theory ALL of them could be saved if only they would stop attacking first. sure, yeah, in fights you gotta do what you gotta do because your own life has gotta come first, but the unique scifi horror aspect of all of those guys being perfectly innocent people fucks and they should utilize it a little more!!!

NEXT TIME: "the next phase" and "the inner light."

#personal #star trek blogging #tng lb

15 notes · View notes

brick-a-doodle-do · 11 months

Text

TW ONESHOT TW ONESHOT TW ONESHOT!!!!! ahhhhh i love this au and i love these two <3 there's not rlly a plot and it definitely skips ahead in the timeline but pshhhh who cares? we just like the hurt/comfort here :3

days of which you can't make me hate

wc: 2745

cw: (very) brief panic, swearing

—–—

Days at his job, in theory, were rough.

He wasn’t meant to be around humans—his entire species and life-choices were dedicated to staying out of sight, and suddenly he’s dragged from his home, manhandled-like and thrown into a job. In the entertainment industry, no doubt, despite how “physically effortful” it was to maintain the park. He knew he was there for the continued interest of tourists.

So, naturally, he wasn’t really sure why he wasn’t in favour of what the protestors outside believed in.

They were loud, annoying, consistent, but overall, right.

Or—at least part of him wanted to believe that, while the other part of him was slacked in the corner muttering incoherent judgments of “He wasn’t forced here; it was his choice. And he certainly doesn’t let humans take advantage of him, because he knows what’s best for him and he voices that. Too often.”

Something about them just pissed him off. Also, as much as he hated to admit it, the tension behind-the-scenes in the park had him a little frightened. His boss had been pissed as soon as he arrived at near three in the morning to scare the campers away when they’d first noticed them, and further along the day yelling at his phone as he pass by and being extra strict on Tommy, who in response, was extra nervous to fuck up.

He took pride in his own pride, but sometimes he just had to fuck off for a bit.

Which led to: longer and longer he sat and wallowed in possibilities of being taken from his work, away from Wilbur, from Tubbo, (and, well, he guesses Ranboo), and from constant freedom that would make his past self seep with jealousy.

Tommy never enjoyed borrowing.

And maybe he didn’t like working, either, but it still felt more like home than his actual one did.

On the topic of abodes—which has Tommy snapping back into reality to discuss—their nook seems offly quiet. Ranboo never was a talker, but Tubbo often bunked with them on the occasion he was feeling extra peckish towards sociability. Instead, it was as quiet as it could’ve been, even with the muffled ambient of yelling humans.

His spot at the front of the park was nothing short of an inconvenience, but he didn’t have it in him to move. He just laid, in his makeshift bed, (Something a kid had hand-made for him once), staring up at the ceiling.

Tommy wonders thoughtfully where Tubbo and Ranboo went.

Surely not far, but he had recalled Ranboo being particularly disturbed by the volume of the park, which Tommy couldn’t blame him for. Tubbo probably went to take Ranboo out to calm him down.

Not like he needed calming down. He was a big man, not frightened by the slightest chant from people outside or the occasional bump as a golf ball presumably hits the fake rock on an unlucky putt.

Tommy didn’t flinch. He never would. Only Ranboo would, hence Tubbo’s desperation to get him some fresh air.

And Tommy would never cry either, even though everything outside felt like everything he’d ever tried to avoid. Even hiding, alone, in the comfort of his hidden home, he felt positively sick, but he held back on crying.

The bunker sounds like a much better hideout—also, probably where everyone else was—but, again, he wasn’t feeling it.

Groggily, he shuffles up. His blanket had fallen to the floor at this point, minutes of fighting with it against his legs before he eventually gave up.

Thunk!

Tommy jumps, attention instantly snapping to his right while his fingers curl into his bedsheets. His head whirs for a moment before from just outside, he can hear the upset pout of a little kid and the hurried reassurances of a parent. Fucking stupid ass layout, scaring the shit out of him at all hours of the day.

He swings his legs over the edge of his bed and stares at the blanket that’s pooled on the floor, its flashy red colour contrasting with the much darker floor, made up of surprisingly put-together floorboards. His boss had made them specially made, or some shit he wasn’t listening to.

It was flattering, at the least, and he was grateful for the effort.

Thunk!

Tommy’s fingers twist into his bedsheets further as he tenses. Ah, fucking shit he hates this party of people.

Just…hit the ball in the hole and go. It can’t be that difficult.

He draws the blanket up and tosses it near the end of his bed, turning out familiar calls of protest as he slips from his ajar-door, into the empty house which reeks of isolation.

As he approaches the makeshift kitchen, (Which was never really used, as the two of them had no desire for gourmet foods that they knew they couldn’t make), he spotted a note on the counter.

Tommy approaches it with a knowing feeling nestled in his gut, right next to his nerves, he peers down at it.

Gon to take Ranboo to coll down.

- Tubs

He wrinkles his nose. Of-fucking-course he did.

More yelling plays out in the background, and a golf ball thumps against his fucking home again, rattling the walls and knocking something off of a shelf.

For—fucks sake, can someone not take a hint? What hint that may be he doesn’t know and how they even got it is beyond him, but it still pisses him the fuck off that nobody can listen to his internal monologues, as if somehow they knew he lived there.

“Fuck off!” he yells, to the outside party, although he doubts they could hear him over the fucking yelling outside.

Tommy grumbles, falling against the countertops as he takes a deep breath to try and compose himself. He rubs his wrist against his eyes to drown out the saline solution that’s built up in the depths of his eyes.

Not crying.

Knock!

Mother—“Fuck off, I don’t understand why that is hard for you bastards to understand!” he scream-yells, significantly louder than the last, his throat now closed up as he tries to suppress his emotions. In turn, his voice comes out swift and breaking.

“Tommy?”

Wilbur. Oh, oh thank Prime.

He scrambles to balance, wiping at his wet face as he makes a quick dash to the door connecting the outside world and his home.

Outside, the windy weather hits him, startling him into stumbling against the pressure. He struggles against it, eager to find a path up the rock to his human.

Eventually, as his logic clicks in against the raging voices from outside the park, he settles on going around the rock, to where Wilbur, as if he’d expected him, is searching the ground with a concerned glint in his eyes—like he’s worried.

Over Tommy?

“Wil,” Tommy says, the two of them settling in on each other. Something of sweet relief washes over Tommy as the human reacts instantly; swiping him off the ground and holding him up close as to examine him. The motion makes his thoughts relax for the first time in a long time as Tommy shrinks a little while leaning into Wilbur’s hold. He pushes against the warmth that seeps into his bloodstream and makes the world stop short.

“Tommy—your boss said you weren’t showing up for work,” Wilbur says, clearly itching for an explanation.

“I can’t deal with these fucking people, Wil, they make my ears ache.”

“Yeah, these people are absolutely batshit to be out here,” Wilbur agrees. At that moment, something in Wilbur’s eyes shifts and he’s left squinting at the tiny in front of him. “Have you been crying, Tommy?”

Ah, shit.

“No.”

Wilbur brushes his thumb over Tommy’s eye, wiping it dry.

“Don’t lie to me, Tommy, I can tell you have.”

Tommy grumbles. Fucking Wilbur. “Fine! Dickhead,” he complains, continuing on when Wilbur’s lips tug to a small smile. “I really fucking hate the people out there and Tubbo left with Ranboo and I’m just—I’ve had just a bit too long to sit and think. And this awful fucking party over there, they keep hitting the rock with….” Tommy trails off when Wilbur shifts him to one hand and covers him protectively—covering him from all angles of the day as he pushes him against his chest and keeps his fingers curled.

“Wil?” he calls up to Wilbur, his voice almost echoing around the chamber Wilbur’s created.

“I’m taking you out of here, shut up,” Wilbur whispers.

“No—nonono I don’t need to be taken home, I’m fine—My boss is going to kill me, asshole!”

Wilbur huffs. “I think I know how I can get him off of your case, easily, but okay, child.”

(*)

It was a maze trying to get outside the park. From every angle, it seemed, there were protestors chanting some bullshit ideas that he knew he should’ve believed in.

There were a couple of workers waiting outside, escorting guests into the park and presumably making sure that the havoc stayed outside of the gates.

Against Wilbur’s chest, he kept Tommy shielded from the outside, his fingers extra tense as he considers how Tommy’s dealt with this for the past day—and more importantly how he’s handling it now, out in the grand of it. Somewhere along the way of Wilbur not responding, Tommy’s consistent pleas about how he couldn’t be taken out of work had ceased, leaving him leant against the human’s curled fingers.

Subconsciously, as he listens to the recited instructions the workers give him on finding a way out, his thumb travels to rub circles on Tommy’s head of curls. A smile forms his lips as he feels Tommy lean into it.

Finally, he reaches the parking lot. It’s packed full of cars and people coming and going, brushing past him as he makes his own way back to his car.

Somewhere along the way of becoming a staff favourite, he’d received an overwhelming amount of perks—ones which he wasn’t sure was product of Tommy’s constant pressure on his boss, or simply a real sign of gratitude from the boss. Either way, he made ease with parking as his own spot had been reserved comfortably close to the entrance of the park.

As he nears it, he uses his free hand to pull his keys from his pocket, unlocking his car with a solemn beep. He pulls the door open, shuffling in as carefully as he could before shifting Tommy to the middle console while he pulls the door shut and puts his keys in the ignition.

Wilbur considers his options of where to go. One, home, where Techno and Phil would most likely be, also well over two hours away. Two, another fun perk that he’d been granted: a free hotel room, and only a few minutes away, with a much more scenic route than the latter.

“Have you ever seen the hotels?” Wilbur asks as he shifts the car into reverse, taking healthy glances at the rear-view mirrors as he pulls out, mindful of every passing party.

“Boss doesn’t let us go very far, and I think it’s too dangerous at night,” Tommy responds, distracted. Wilbur glances to the console, which Tommy still sits in, criss-crossed in the centre while he gazes around the car.

“What about the car?” Wilbur asks as soon as he considers the possibility of Tommy never having been in one.

“Once, actually. It was a stupid fucking day, actually my first shift here,” Tommy explains. “I mean I don’t really remember it—I was drugged or some shit and all fuckin’ loopy.”

“Fucking pardon— you were what?” Wilbur asks, the thought of it making his fingers mindlessly tighten around the wheel of the car.

“Drugged. I don’t know why, considering I was, like, all for working here.” Wilbur questions it, but decides cutting the conversation short might do Tommy something good; out of the corner of his eye, he watches as his expression darkens as he sits in thought.

The rest of the car ride is quiet, as Wilbur had been toying with his options on what to say, leaving him silent.

Tommy, oddly enough, didn’t initiate any conversation either. Usually he would strain his voice talking about his latest story or by voicing his complaints, but he just sat.

And as much as he wanted to, he never made a move for Tommy until they arrived in the lot for one of the hotels, arguably his favourite. It was the second oldest at the park, and despite its attraction to children from how far it leaned into the theme and absorbed you into a borrower-reality, it held Wilbur’s attention for the same reason.

It wasn’t particularly grand by any means, (Although it was clearly suited to the sheer amount of day-to-day guests having overnight stays. The base of it was brown, built like an intimidating mount of morphed dirt. As per usual, (As the park goes), a variety of bugs and trinkets littered the ground, some sticking out of said ‘dirt’. It was flattering, and it came with a free stay.

Wilbur turns the car off, the rumbling noise being the only constant during their drive now leaving them in deafening silence.

“I have free stays here, y’know, so was that out of the kindness of your bosses heart, or did you put in a good word for me?” Wilbur asks, leaning against the car and turning his head to Tommy.

The borrower looks up at him, fingers fiddling with his shirt. “I may have irritated him,” he says, breaking a gentle smile.

“Well, I have to say, thank you,” he says, smiling right back.

Unbuckling his seatbelt, he opens his door and gently grabs Tommy, trying his best to ignore how he feels as Tommy tenses against Wilbur’s finger when he startles.

Now cupping Tommy in his hand, Wilbur steps out of the car and shuts his door before walking across the parking lot towards the hotel.

A few people are out and about in the parking lot, some struggling out their suitcases and other’s simply chatting. Wilbur’s attention is mainly on Tommy, however, who’s lost as he stares around at the hotel.

“Is this even accurate?” Wilbur asks, stepping onto the sidewalk and soon after, through the front door.

“Well, considering I don’t borrow outside, no,” Tommy responds.

Wilbur nods, squinting in the newly-dark lobby. The lighting was authentic—low orange lighting with some done up like torches effectively delivering their intended theme—but, at the same time, the darkness of it had been more than enough in his opinion.

The person at the front desk seems to recognize him, as he gestures mildly down the hall with a quick nod. He furrows his brow at the lack of security, but continues on with ease, muscle memory taking over as he finds his way to the room.

An elevator trip to the seventh floor and a long walk down the halls later, he finds a familiar door. Or, at least as familiar as it could get considering it was your run-of-the-mill hotel room.

“Here we are,” he murmurs, reaching for his wallet with his spare hand, carefully manoeuvring it, (So as to not disturb Tommy, who looked half-asleep against his thumb), and then pulls up a card that the hotel had supplied him with and holds it to the sensor, which beeps and flicks to a bright green colour. He pushes down on the handle and nudges the door with his shoulders to back into the room.

As soon as he’s in, he lets the door shut behind him and sits on the edge of the bed, tire lingering somewhere in his state. It deepens when he stares at Tommy. The borrower is curled up, still against his thumb. He’s drifting off—in a state that’s not exactly asleep but definitely too out to be awake.

He shuffles onto the bed, kicking his shoes off and setting Tommy down near the nook of his neck, gently positioning him so he doesn’t wake. Tommy just sprawls out until he’s comfortably lying close to his throat, murmuring something too soft for him to hear.

On instinct, after he himself lays his head into the heap of pillows behind him and stares up at the ceiling, he drapes a comfortable hand over the trouble-ridden borrower, who’d seemed to have all stresses washed away as of now, as he makes Wilbur’s skin tickle while he situates himself further under the human's chin.

—–—

#mw #brickfic #tiny workers au #mcyt g/t #mcyt gt #dsmp g/t #dsmp gt #dream smp g/t #dream smp gt #t!tommy #tiny!tommy #g!wilbur #giant!wilbur

48 notes · View notes

szampers · 15 days

Text

Today while walking in a group, someone approached and tried to make casual conversation with me, probably to have some company to beat the boredom of walking I suppose. Or it was just some small loneliness. Exchanged a few words, it pretty much ended as soon as it had started. There are reasons:

1. I physically could not bring myself to be interested in the subject, not even able to feign superficial interest

2. I am too often indulged in my own thoughts and I'm more than happy to remain there.

3. I struggle to verbalize my thoughts. Even if I happen to be interested, in that case I'd then feel the awful pain of being unable to express myself. That's the situational mutism (prefer this term over selective mutism)

4. I lack a will to talk. Having a spontaneous tendency to make conversation doesn't come to me. At all.

5. Tha hell do I have to say to you

5. The nerves act up a little

These are the main reasons behind my apparent eternal vow of silence! They likely take precedence over one another depending on the situation (and my mood). Moving on.

Even though the entire exhange only lasted 10 seconds or so, it derailed whatever thought proces I had and weighed on my mind for arguably far too long. I thought about how people could simply initiate conversations with each other and keep it afloat, as if it comes to them naturally. To them it probably does, much like how my natural state is to keep to myself unless I have No Other Options. While I struggle to imagine myself freely initiating, seeking and holding conversations, they might struggle to fathom why I've sworn my vow of silence.

An ability to express myself decently and a superficial interest would've helped out much back then. I feel if only I had these two skills, just these two, life would be so much easier. New set of skills do come with a new set of problems, but I imagine they're "lighter" to deal with. It's exhausting to ruminate on one thing constantly: Why. Can I not act like most people do, and how it is severely detrimental if I ever hope to integrate into society. At the very least I should be able to be sociable on a functional level. The bare minimum is good enough for me, as long as it's enough for me to get by without much grievances in life. Unfortunately I only barely reach even this level. Now this is another thing I think myself into oblivion about. Goes in line with the situational mutism.

I'm not obligated to owe anyone conversation, but it really does feel like I've failed a basic task. I doubt faking interest and indulging them would've made me feel much better than shutting it off quickly, but at least I wouldn't be ruminating the crap out of it. They say change comes depending on how much you want to change, and that's seemingly the only solid thing I'm holding onto which keeps me somewhat hopeful.

#schizoid #szpd #schizoid personality disorder #personality disorder #rambling #also this is my first post!!#recently i have found (technically rediscovered) the szpd wikipedia article.#and now for the first time i feel understood #as i also come to understand myself better #reading it has been nothing but pain. it was painfully accurate #the first time reading it made me very uncomfortable. still does but somewhat less #selective mutism

18 notes · View notes

slutnali · 23 days

Note

hi cielo 💝 give me some headcanons for our babies. Im sending in two asks so they don't get that long for you.

👑 Fancy Dinner HC (for fake dating au)

💥 First Fight/Making Up HC (any au)

🎭 Jealous HC (for fake dating, for all 3, but im kinda curious about if anetra in particular gets jealous 👀)

hiii amor 💖 ty for sending in!!

👑 Fancy Dinner HC (for fake dating au)

Mirage has been to fancy restaurants before, even if its not really her scene. She's gone for her friend's birthday dinners, and maybe even for her own. But Sasha and Neech taking her to one for a date??

First off, this is her first relationship. Being far too used to casual flings or situationships, those didn't necessarily call for dates at fancy places.. so this is kinda huge for Miri. But its with them and she knows there's nothing for her to be nervous about when it comes to them, I think she's more so worried about sticking out like a sore thumb. She worries about what to wear, how to Look, certainly she shouldn't stick to those animal print or colorful mini dresses she loves-- she doesn't want to look like the girl they picked off a dating app, Mirage wants to look like their girlfriend because that's what she is.

💥 First Fight/Making Up HC (any au)

I'm gonna go with the hunger games au because I love that au so much and miss it 💜

Its not really a fight, Sasha and Neech don't fight. It's more of a disagreement and argument. The first time probably during the process of Sasha mentoring Anetra and her little brother, probably a biting comment Neech would've made to someone in the capitol or for pushing off the career tribute and getting a few kicks in him for messing with her brother in the training center. She wasn't supposed to show off any of her abilities until she was in the arena but she wasn't going to let anyone lay a hand on her brother as long as she was there.

the last one is a little longer so i put it under a cut

🎭 Jealous HC (for fake dating, for all 3, but im kinda curious about if anetra in particular gets jealous 👀)

Sasha's a Leo and it shows. She's a possessive kind of jealous, even if she knows and would never doubt Anetra and Mirage's love for her. That being said, whats hers is hers. She's observant and knows the signs of someone flirting with whats hers. When it comes to Anetra she makes her way to him, wraps a hand around his bicep or kisses his jaw... When its Mirage she'll let the girl have her fun, they know how Miri's always been sociable, that on nights out she practically gets drinks for free.

She loves to dance and her stamina lasts much longer than theirs so its more than okay for her to dance with other people. Sometimes Mirage will purposely try to tick Sasha off to get a certain reaction from her, she knows Sasha doesn't like when hands linger a little too long and a bit too inappropriately.

Jealous Mirage is petty.. bratty.. sometimes she can be a bit toxic. Before Sasha and Neech were a couple, she absolutely loved being his girl and that isn't to say she ever really stopped being his girl rgkiubeguib But anyway, its normal to get jealous when your besties hang out with their other friends/dont spend as much time with you.

When she does become their third, like Sasha, I think Mirage could also get territorial with him when it comes to other people flirting with him. Whether its another woman or a man, doesn't matter. I don't think he realizes at first if/when he's being hit on but Miri would spot it and she hangs off his neck, smirking when his arm wraps around her waist. Thats her and Sasha's boy.

When it comes to her being jealous over Sasha.. I think Sasha would raise a brow if Miri were to get petty/bratty about it, she doesn't really seem like the type to put up with shit. If there's something wrong she should use her words but Miri doesn't use her words lmaooo, and then it toes that dangerous line of spiraling further and Mirage then feeling childish..

Jealous Anetra... I think its not as common for him to be unlike his girlfriends. That being said, when it does happen, it stems from the insecurity of not feeling enough which then could toe that dangerous line of his fear of abandonment from the two people he loves the most/the only people he really has..

#answered #writing meme #sashmiranetra #sashnetra #this is so long erougbeuirfbef #fake dating au #hg au

7 notes · View notes

noroi1000 · 5 months

Note

Hello! Hello! Can I have matchup if it’s open?

I would like a Jjk male matchup. Let’s start with the basic:

Personality: I am an INTJ Slytherclaw, Aquarius and a Type 6 when it comes to anagrams. I am a huge overthinker and stress a lot with anxiety. People tell me that I can be blunt which results in people thinking that I can be cold but in reality I try to be a kind person when it is needed. I am a realist and many consider me to be intelligent, often asking me to help with their work. I’m incredibly passionate about things I like to do and have a thirst to know everyone’s opinions as I feel that if someone is left out. I’m a creative person but sometimes my brain just goes blank, I hate when it does. I sometimes follow the rules and can be serious if I wish to be but normally I like to goof off and break rules, adrenaline rushing through my body is just a different feeling I can’t explain. I have a really dry sense of humour that usually is a mix of sarcasm, fandom jokes or self degrading jokes. I’m not that good at describing personality but here are a few kins if it is helpful : Navier, Mikasa, Regulus Black, Annabeth, Shinobu, Shoko ( Jjk), Geto etc.

Looks: I’m slightly chubby and have a pear body shape. Upon seeing me, many people point out my eyes which are hazel with slight flecks of many colours such as green and amber being the prominent ones. I have a button nose and thin heart shaped lips. My face is round and my eye shape is almond. I am approximately 5’3. Two small moles are fixated on my right cheek and underneath my lip. My clothing style tends to be anything comfortable and classy. I prefer to wear black and colours that are darker, you will never find me wearing orange or neon colours. My clothing always consists of a dress of some sort.

Likes: Chocolate, Anime, Reading, Drawing, Strawberries, Smell of Rain, Sleeping, Being the Best, Baking, Daydreaming, Murder Mysteries, Romance , Name hunting, Pinterest and Flower Languages.

Dislike: Loud noises, Jerks, Slow Walkers, Insects, Studying, Fake People, Self-pity, Getting below 90% in a test, Coffee, Snow and the feeling where your brain is blank and can’t tell what you feel like.

Love Language: Physical Touch and Quality Time

I hope this is enough information

Sorry you had to wait so long! I had it in the editing queue and completely forgot because I had your matchup in another note.

I think your matchup is Itadori Yuji

I chose you a boy with a sunny smile.

Not everyone has to be the same for someone to fit together. Just like your case. You are not identical, but you have something in common.

Yuji calls himself stupid. But his wisdom is also demonstrated in other ways, not only as intelligence on basic topics. He is intelligent and strong. But he keeps telling himself he's stupid. He would like to constantly put others above him. He cares about someone more than himself. This is where his social intelligence shows. Seeing that someone deserves help. Seeing that only he can help in some way. And coming up with an idea so that no one gets hurt.

For some time he had clearly known that there was death and life. He didn't paint life as the most beautiful and perfect. There is everything in the world that people would not want. He became a positive realist. Life is cruel and you can't pretend otherwise. But you should focus on what can make you smile, right?

It cannot be denied that he is a sociable person and tries to establish a common language with everyone who is closer to him. He never wanted enemies. But he doesn't like people who are fake and mean. But they are part of the real world. Wanting to lead a carefree life and not have to look at the horrors, he cannot forget about everything that ensures safety and happiness. Rules can be broken. If these are the rules that make you unhappy. If you're safe even if you break it, what do you have to worry about? The most important thing is that nothing bad will happen.

He will do everything necessary to make his loved one smile.

Yuji doesn't like idleness or anything slow. He has so much energy that cannot be exhausted. Anyone could be tired or bored. But he still doesn't lose his energy and will run around like a playful puppy. That's why whenever you want some wild experience that will make your heart beat so fast, you can count on him to go with you. First of all, he will go with you so that you don't go alone. Secondly, he will go with you to know that you are safe and sound and will return home. Third, he will go with you to have some fun.

When it comes to volume, he can be really loud. But you can turn his volume knob to make him quieter. Once he senses that you don't feel comfortable with loud sounds, he will turn it down as much as you want.

As I mentioned, he has a lot of energy. With it you won't be bored, and there won't be anything monotonous and slow. Perhaps he will want to have a little competition with you? But knowing your passion for winning and being the best, he will definitely let you win just to see your smile. He could pretend to be the person with the worst results just to keep you happy.

He is addicted to everything you like. He likes almost everything. There is nothing he hates. He will adapt to any food and activity. He is so flexible in the relationship that he can be anything.

Best friend and beloved.

His favorite love is certainly spending time together and touching.

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #jjk x you #yuji itadori

10 notes · View notes

tellthatbrokebitch · 8 months

Text

life update:

so i’ve been here for six weeks now, and honestly? i think they’re going to discharge me soon. i have made… tremendous progress. six weeks ago i couldn’t stand, i couldn’t walk, i was in pain any time iattempted either of these actions, and i’m not gonna sugarcoat it - i was super fucking depressed, to the point where my own thoughts scared me some of the time. everything felt hopeless. i had been dealing with this for a year, and every time i looked to the future, i just wasn’t there. i couldn’t fathom living the rest of my life like this. event hough it all happened over the course of a year, it felt like i was on a slow-moving train headed over a cliff, and i couldn’t get off

every time there was even a glimmer of hope, it was quickly extinguished. and then i came here. and it hasn’t been perfect; it’s been a huge adjustment, and i’ve had to face some harsh truths, and i’ve had to overcome a lot of my own insecurities and fought my anxiety and impostor syndrome every step of the way - literally - but i did it. and yeah, i had setbacks. there was a day last week when i think i spent most of the day crying. i’ve woken up in the morning and been in such pain that i didn’t think i could possibly put any weight on my good foot, let alone the bad one

but i started with a single step. i went from only being able to take five steps, to taking ten, to fifty, to one hundred, and now i can walk all the way to the pt room/gym, do my pt, and walk back. i went from having to - TMI - use a bedside commode to being able to walk to and from the bathroom without help. and yes, all of this is with a walker - but i actually just yesterday tested taking a few cautious steps without it, and i didn’t fall. there’s a set of fake stairs in the gym, and i’ve gone up and down with minimal assistance, the last two times with a cane. my last goal is gaining confidence using the stairs, so that when i finally go home, i’ll be able to use our stairs without worrying i’ll fall. maybe by the end of the year, i’ll be able to forego the walker/cane altogether. maybe next year, i’ll be able to work again

the point is, i’m doing better. and i know i’m not the most engaging, and i’m not all that sociable, and usually i would rather rip out my hair than make the first friendly overture. but to my mutuals, to my followers, to anyone who’s ever left a nice comment in the tags of a post or engaged with a post i made… the byler fandom, for all that i feel very much on the outskirts, you’ve all made the last fifteen months of my life more bearable, less soul-crushing. these two little guys have given me so much, bc before season four, i hadn’t written anything in… years. and now i’ve published over 200k just in the last eleven months, and i’ve had several lovely conversations with lovely people, and it’s all collectively kept me from drowning. so thank you

oh gosh this got so sappy

#tellthatbrookebitch

6 notes · View notes

therealestpodcast · 1 year

Text

REALEST PODCASTER: 2/2

“YOU GOT RIPE TIDE IN MIND, I MOVE SO FAR IN TIME, IVE BEEN WHIPPED UP ALL NIGHT.” - Trance; Metro Boomin.

Di’ona “ona” is a remarkable personality who exudes confidence, responsibility, and wit. Her comebacks are on point and admired by many. When it comes to being well-spoken and funny, she is simply unbeatable. Her quick-witted humor and ability to keep bits and jokes going for a long time make her an absolute delight to be around. Despite being too good at being fake mean, Ona manages to make everyone feel included. She has a unique way of being blunt, which can be a good thing since some people need to hear the truth. She will always let you know when she has to, and you can count on her to be honest with you at all times.

One of the most endearing qualities of Ona is her goofiness. She has a way of making everything a fun time, and her presence can lighten up even the most mundane situations. She is an expert at taking the edge off and making people feel comfortable. Ona is also very sociable and has a talent for making everyone feel included and cared for. Whether it is through teasing and messing with her friends or engaging in gossip, she knows how to make people feel valued.

Ona's ability to connect with people instantly is uncanny. She just knows exactly what to say to cheer someone up, to be real with them, or even to make fun of them a little. Her instant connection with people is a rare quality, and it is something that people admire about her. She has a way of making people feel comfortable and at ease around her, which is a testament to her sociable nature.

Despite her many admirable traits, Ona is also very sweet. She has a heart of gold and is always looking out for the well-being of others. Her upfront and honest nature is a breath of fresh air, and people appreciate her for it. All in all, Ona is a remarkable person with many admirable qualities, and it is no wonder why people are drawn to her.

Jae: “Okay so then… Ona are you listening?”

Ona: “What? Oh yeah, I just thought it would be more interesting.”

Jae: “What? Ona there’s ALIENS. A real alien abduction happened.”

Ona: “What? Aliens? Don’t piss me off right now”

all creds to @valstarroz / @southparkam !!!

#TRP: episodes #spirit archive series #The Realest Podcast #south park #south park ocs #jaeona podcast

8 notes · View notes

1010ninetynine · 4 months

Text

venti and lyney are very similar characters. i'm going to talk about sales tmrw but today. i'm going to talk about them in terms of character.

Now obviously they're different people. Venti's arguably the more interesting of the two in terms of lore (not story, i mean like celestia lore) - but people will probably like Lyney more, not just because he's a main dps and a support, and Venti's lost his CC king title, but because he's fontainian. He's connected to a better archon quest and his penchant for the traveler is made very clear from the word go. It would have felt like heaven to me if I'd liked lyney more (and I'll get into my experience with him).

I want to first talk about Venti and what I think defines his character. For me, it's that sense of just wanting to be some guy. Venti's never wanted to be this Anemo Archon of The Seven, and it doesn't show in any place best than when he gave his little speech to us as the Anemo Archon and it was...him telling us to get to know teyvat, rather than speedrun it, a value he cares deeply about, and the immediately after went back to silly goofball. It's what I love about him. He's wise, because thousands of years have left him with a lot of time for thought, but he doesn't seek to be this imposing figure. He seeks to be someone who's not revered, but respected. Like, if someone who saw his heroism personally was like 'you're pretty cool you drunkard' i think that's the ideal scenario for him.

I mean hell, one of his lines when he opens a chest is "Thank Barbatos...wait a minute-" so like. He's really gunning for it.

Compare that to his polar opposite, Zhongli, who liked leading and all but just got tired of it. He didn't actually tire of being revered, he doesn't try to mingle with people as an equal, he's just tired of taking care of every problem Liyue deals with. He still wants to be their dad archon, just a retired one.

Lyney, on the other hand, I think is defined by seeking validation, or more accurately, trying to get paid, whether that be in adoration which means more people coming to his show, or in just straight up mora. So naturally, he has reasons to pretend to be someone he's not, in comparison to Venti, who is naturally charming and sociable, but often has to force himself to be because grief took a bit of a toll.

Call it intuition but i was suspicious of Lyney's socialness being a bit fake when he said that things would be quiet if he and lynette were alone on an aquabus. I, for one, know something. If you are genuinely close to your sibling (as Lyney is to Lynette, by all counts), and as social as you seem, then hanging out with your sibling is a time of great joy. My sister is social, and with me, becomes even more so. I'm not very social, but even so, my sister makes me want to talk.

then he came out and his voiceline literally said "yeah im not actually this social naturally" and i was like FUCKING KNEW IT YOU LIL MAGIC MAN

*ahem* anyway point is he's developed a skill of being charming to survive and also is very pretty and by all counts, I should have fucking adored him.

but here's why i didn't - the ayaka and ei effect

*dramatic pause*

Now, one thing I have very little patience for in gacha games is being explicitly "pandered" to (except when I'm deep into them, like I was with Arlecchino and for a bit, Kokomi) Ayaka's story quest is a prime example of this.

Ayaka's lack of friends, journey to discover her mother's desire for freedom, and all of this leading her to love the traveler, but accepting she cannot leave Inazuma...and all this while I could still pull for her...it was so immersion breaking. And it felt kind of pandery the whole time to me. Like, they're pandering to a male audience with female charas like her obviously, and it's so fucking similar to every other overworked waifu in this game that while her being lowk trapped is a new dimension, it's not one that makes me feel any sort of way cuz uhh i could literally pull for her, and she'd go wherever I'd want her to, and it was so obvious that they were trying to sell her.

Same with Ei's story quest, it was just a shopping date, and while I mean I love evil women more than sane women so I was willing to ignore a lot of the pandery stuff, but what I couldn't ignore was the fact she'd literally tried to kill us right before the beginning of the story quest, and thus the whole quest made very little sense in the grand scheme of things. It was frustrating. I chose to ignore canon and pretend me and ei worked out shit over 4 months or so.

Now, I know what you all are thinking "but lyney's a well written character! his motivations for liking the traveler are well explained (imo no and ill get to that), and he's not a boring snowflake nor a poorly written villain." ok well consider this. I've already had two story quests somewhat dulled for me by the gacha system/poor placement and the supposed romance im supposed to be feeling has been soured, then lyney spends so much of his screentime flirting with the traveler, and I do self insert as the traveler btw, and I wanted his father, and I don't get why they don't just leave the rizz lines to the teapot. Least you can decide who gets to rizz you up then.

Second of all actually, no, I don't get why Lyney cares so much about our trust. Ayaka's reasons made sense, we kind of represented freedom to her, plus she's canonically into good sword skills, Lyney's reasons actually felt more like spontaneous attraction to anything.

And nothing's directly wrong with that, just, he's a fucking fatui member. Soon to be harbinger (supposedly). The traveler is not, in fact, famous for their favorable dealings with the fatui. We kind of caused La Signora's death, we regularly farm fatui insignias for some weird alchemical ritual, oh not to mention, we got on Dottore's bad side too. Childe's adoration for us makes sense, all he cares about is a good fight, he's not entirely in support of the Tsaritsa's actions per say - but his morals take second place to his desire for good fights so he rolls with it. Leaves it up to the players. So he sees a friendship with us as not a big deal.

Lyney on the other hand? Just straight up IGNORES all the implications of flirting with the traveler, at least, so far. And sure, it's nothing serious yes, just a rainbow rose and some on the edge lines but that's the thing, that means he knows he likes us, or he does this with everyone which is its own brand of annoying.

And his fucking magic show. The tricks were cool. But the goddamn dig at amateur magicians...call me a prick who cares too much abt stupid shit but like cmon. we know all mistakes are staged in this show. why are u speaking as if that's something that could organically go wrong. second of all, i don't like someone saying "hurr durr im not an amateur hehe im so fucking cool" like goddammit least favorite behavior.

And it's not like I think Lyney's a worse character than Ayaya or Ei, if anything, he's probably more developed than Ei at the very least. Im just like...specifically annoyed at him for minor details no one really cares about.

Another thing - the fact we decided to serve as an attorney during the archon quest despite no experience was kinda ehh to me. Like Fontaine's laws, known to be complex and silly, and some foreign traveler's gonna be the attorney? I wish we just offered to help gather evidence or smthn it was silly to me.

if you got this far and you liked lyney, uh, i commend you for being open to alternative takes but uh...mind the tags if that wasn't the case, for future reference.

#genshin impact #venti #barbatos #anti lyney

6 notes · View notes