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hopelesslyromanticshark · 2 months

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⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚ Property of Leo Valdez

content: leo valdez x daughter of poseidon! reader warning: major references to sexual stuff (like integral part of the story, folks), language, aged up for obvious reasons probs like 19-20 ish, author's note: i know for a fact I didn't completely come up with this concept myself. I saw a headcanon a few months ago that mentioned this idea and then i wrote it into a full fic bc i loved it so much. and I have since lost it, which is more than a little disappointing bc i would love to give credit where credit is due. if any of yall run into it, lemme know and i'll give them credit. anyways, i figured we could use a full fic in after all those hcs!! this was just collecting dust in my drafts so let's full send this baby.

leo and y/n weren’t really ones to follow the rules. it goes all the way back to their time on the argo ii. after coach hedge was gone and buford the table was put in charge, y/n had started to have really intense nightmares. like, wake-the-whole-ship-up-with-screams intense nightmares. she stopped sleeping in hopes of avoiding it. one night, she had been talking to leo, where she promptly passed out against his shoulder. it was the first peaceful night she’d had in a long time, they both knew that. so, y/n started spending her nights in leo’s room. it only took a little bit of rigging of buford to leave them alone. easy enough of a task for leo. it was a habit they couldn’t seem to break, slowly being unable to sleep without the other being in the same room.

it worked out just fine on the argo ii, but back at camp half-blood was different. chiron had noticed the closeness between the two and sat them down, reminding them of curfews and how campers of the opposite sex weren’t allowed in other cabins. he was basically letting them know he had his eyes on them. it scared the couple off for less than a week.

it started with them sleeping in bunker nine, figuring it to be a loophole. then, following a late night on the beach, y/n begged leo to spend the night with her in the poseidon cabin. he couldn’t say no to her puppy eyes, but he was slightly worried he was gonna drown on his own spit the whole night. they typically tried to avoid the hephaestus cabin whenever they could, too many of leo’s siblings around at all times. still, there were times in which percy wouldn’t let leo into the poseidon cabin, earning him a pillow to the back of his head from y/n. which is why they still frequented bunker nine, just like tonight. leo and y/n walked back to the poseidon cabin, only to be beaten by percy and annabeth, causing percy to guard the door with a small frown.

“sorry, coves, but we got here first,” he mused, to which y/n stuck her tongue out at the younger boy.

“i still hold seniority,” y/n whined, leaning into leo’s side as she crossed her arms.

“yeah, by like a few months,” percy argued back, rolling his eyes.

“so what?! that still counts!” y/n insisted, glaring at the younger boy.

“come on, coves, we’ll go,” leo interjected before the two actually started fighting, giving the girl a warm smile. she huffed, turning around to head to bunker nine before stopping right before percy closed the door. she bounded up the few steps, wrapping her arms around him in a quick hug.

“sleep well, dude,” she said, in hopes of clearing the air. she knew they weren’t actually fighting but she didn’t like going to bed with even a hint of a fight.

“you too,” he replied, giving her a squeeze and smile before heading into their cabin. y/n quickly caught up to leo, wrapping her hands around his arm as they snuck their way into the woods towards bunker nine.

it wasn’t too long of a walk, the time flying as they quietly laughed among themselves, enjoying the night so far. leo pushed the door open, gesturing for her to walk through in front of him. y/n patted his chest as she passed, heading towards the dorm area that was off the side of the main garage area. y/n was pulling her hair out of the braid it had been in all day, her hair naturally laying against her camp half-blood shirt. leo smiled at this, catching up and wrapping his hands around her waist from the back, laying his hands flat against her stomach and pressing his lips against her neck.

“what are you doing, valdez?” y/n breathed out, her breath hitching slightly as he gently sucked against her pulse point. she could feel the smirk of his lips against her skin, causing her smile to widen as well.

“hopefully? you,” he replied and y/n laughed, leaning back against him, allowing his hips to meet with her lower back. a groan left his lips at this action and y/n smirked before pulling away from his loose grip, putting an extra sway into her hips, just to piss him off.

“w-where are you going, cariño? Get back here,” leo argued, eyes snapping open as he followed after the girl. she turned a blind corner and he followed, just in time to catch her tugging her shirt off. she looked over her shoulder at him, walking backwards towards the bed in just her bra and denim shorts.

“what? did the repair boy lose his cool?” she mocked, tilting her head at him. leo shook his head, taking quick steps towards her and settling his hands against her waist, pulling her hips against his with a smirk.

“no, no. but, i’m gonna make you wish i had lost my cool,” he muttered in response, moving a hand up to cup the girl’s breast through her lace bra. a moan gets caught in her throat, y/n throwing her head back. he smirked, pulling her closer and planting kisses against her skin.

“leo,” she breathed out, a huff following as the boy unbuttoned her shorts and pulled the zipper down tantalizingly slowly. she shoved her hands under his shirt, running them over his lower abdomen, slowly lifting the shirt as her hands went higher. leo laughed lightly at her, pulling away from her marked skin as he grabbed the shirt and pulled it the rest of the way off, flinging it somewhere into the room. once the shirt was off, she smashed her lips against his, earning a shocked noise from the boy.

“y/n, gods,” he all but groaned, leaning forwards as she leaned back before they plopped down onto the bed. y/n laughed, looking up at leo as she breathed in heavily. he was using his arms to keep himself from completely putting his body weight on her.

“you look so good under me, baby,” leo whispered and y/n smiled up at him, gently setting a hand against his cheek.

“i gotta admit, the view’s pretty good from down here, too,” she replied back, leo breathing out a laugh before closing the distance between them once more. this ended a few hours later, the pair a tangled mess of limbs under the covers, leo’s body curled around y/n’s. the next morning, leo was jolted awake by a loud banging in the bunker, the boy hazily looking out the door leading to the room, being met by festus, who puffed smoke out of his metallic nostrils. leo huffed, sitting up and glaring over at the metal dragon, but ensuring that y/n was completely covered.

“festus, dude, keep the noise down. didn’t get much sleep last night,” leo yawned, glaring over at the dragon before glancing at the nearby alarm clock, instantly waking up as he saw the time.

“shit. y/n, honey, you gotta wake up,” leo muttered, gently but also rapidly trying to wake the sleeping girl. y/n tried to ignore him, attempting to nuzzle into the sheets. normally, leo’d just let her sleep in but he couldn’t today. he took another panicked glance at the clock before reaching onto the bedside time and grabbing the water bottle he kept there for safety reasons. just in case y/n ever got hurt in the bunker, he’d have a way to make it go away. he unscrewed the cap before dumping it on her, the girl shooting up with a gasp before glaring over at him.

“leonidas samuel valdez! you’re dead to me!” she screamed, flicking the water that she could off onto him.

“yeah, you can thank me when you’re not late to training with the hermes cabin,” leo barked back, jumping out of the bed and tugging on a pair of jeans. y/n leaned over, looking at the clock before her face went pale.

“shit.” “that’s what i said. Get dressed,” leo stated, throwing her an orange shirt before he scrambled to a wardrobe and pulled out a shirt for himself, rapidly doing the buttons.

“no, like, i’m gonna be in serious shit, leo. fuck me,” y/n whined, pulling the shirt on and pushing the neckline off to one side as it was baggy before reaching for a pair of shorts that she left a few weeks ago, refusing to put the ones from last night on.

“already did, baby, that’s how we got here,” leo muttered back, earning him a smack to the back of his head as she ran past, tugging on her shoes as she went.

“ow!” he called after her, grabbing his belt and resting it against his waist as he glared after her, the girl flipping her hair so she could put it in a high ponytail.

“you earned that one, hot head,” she bit out, tying her hair up and making to sprint out the door before turning back and giving the boy a rushed kiss against his lips.

“sorry. i had fun last night and while this sucks, i wouldn’t trade last night for anything,” she told him, offering a quick smile before moving to leave.

“me too. but, uh, y/n?” leo called, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck.

“what?” she asked, hopping as she tied the laces on one shoe. “put your hair down. you have, uh, a few…” leo trailed off, gesturing to his own neck in reference. y/n groaned, pointing back at the boy with one hand while the other pulled her hair down.

“back on the naughty list, valdez,” she shouted, sprinting out of the bunker before leo could stop her again. and he truly did try, noticing his fatal mistake as the girl spun around. it wasn’t her shirt he’d thrown to her, but rather one of the extras he kept around for himself. he mainly kept it as a throw away shirt to wear while he worked, something he didn’t mind rubbing grease all over. it was old and well loved, which is why the neckline was so saggy. and proudly printed on the back in his handwriting were the words ‘property of leo valdez.’ initially meant as a way to keep his grabby siblings away from his shirts, but now its meaning made leo’s heart soar and cringe at the same time. man, he was in for a big lecture when she noticed.

“sorry i’m late, just caught up doing stuff,” y/n huffed as she ran into the archery area, quickly picking up a bow and quiver of arrows. she spun around and squinted her eyes at the hermes kids before zeroing in on the stoll brothers. she jutted her hip out and gave them a pointed look.

“what?” “does ‘stuff’ go by the name of leo?” connor asked, causing the rest of the hermes kids to burst into laughter. that was quickly interrupted by an arrow grazing the boy’s shirt, ripping a clean hole next to his ribs. connor looked up, mouth dropped and eyes wide as he was met with y/n, still holding her bow towards him, a new arrow notched.

“wanna try again?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy. connor swallowed thickly before shaking his head. y/n lowered her bow, rolling her eyes.

“thank you. now, let’s get started, yeah? unless anyone has any last smartass comments they’d like to share with the class?” y/n dug in, crossing her arms, scouring the crowd for a moment before allowing a smile to grace her lips as she clapped her hands together, “Great! now, who wants to learn how i hit connors shirt without hitting him?”

the hermes kids were quick to learn and the lesson finished fast, leaving y/n to clean up. she was unsticking the arrows from the hay bales and thought back on the hermes kids. she figured maybe the shirt had grease on it or something that she couldn’t see. y/n began making her way towards her cabin in hopes of changing into a new shirt when she ran into percy, who immediately did a double take upon seeing his sister's shirt.

“you’re joking,” percy bit out in shock, staring at his sister with a rage she had never seen directed at her before. y/n jumped at his voice, pressing a hand to her chest.

“what?! why so much attitude, this is literally the first time i’ve seen you today-” y/n argued, pushing her hair out of her face while she tried to catch her breath.

“nope. nope. let’s go, y/n, now,” percy insisted, grabbing the girl by her shirt and dragging her towards the forge. he was muttering curses under his breath and y/n was so confused, trying to get him to let go of the shirt.

“percy?! what the hades! let go-” y/n shouted as he finally let go, the girl stumbling to stay up right as they were at the doors to the forge, catching the attention of all the hephestus kids in there. leo turned his head too, before wincing at the sight before him.

“this better be a fucking joke, valdez. start laughing or i start stabbing,” percy growled and leo held his hands out, trying to sooth percy.

“look, i thought it was her shirt! i didn’t know which one it was, i’ve got so many of those damn shirts! it was honestly an accident. come on, percy,” leo insisted, taking small steps away as percy walked forwards. y/n’s brows furrowed more as she looked down at the shirt, not seeing anything wrong with it.

“you let my sister walk around with that shit on her back!? i’m gonna kill you,” percy argued, pointing back at y/n, who’s head tilted. leo shrunk even more, swallowing thickly.

“she still doesn’t know?” he asked, his voice pitchy. percy then spun around to his sister too, eyes wide.

“what- wait a second-” y/n huffed before taking one of the nearby shields and setting it up, using the metal as a sort of mirror. the two watched her read it and she looked back at leo with a gaze he couldn’t quite read. then, she burst into laughter, tears quickly pooling in her eyes as she clutched her stomach. percy and leo shared a glance, equally confused.

“uh, baby? you’re-…you’re not mad?” leo questioned, tilting his head at her. y/n wiped away some of her tears, still trying to catch her breath.

“no, i am,” she replied, still giggling a bit, “but- i almost made connor stoll look like a pincushion over this shirt.”

“so you’re fine with that being advertised?” percy asked, crossing his arms with a frown. y/n was finally calming down and she rolled her eyes at him, still smiling though.

“i mean, the shirt’s not wrong,” she shrugged, patting his shoulder as she walked past. she then poked a finger into leo’s chest, now frowning at him.

“though, if you ever let me walk out in this shirt again, i’m throwing you in the lake. Got it?” “yes, ma’am.” “damn straight. now, i’ve got to go change then get lunch. i’ll see ya boys,” y/n said, pressing a kiss to leo’s cheek before walking off. once she was far enough away, percy smacked leo’s chest, causing the boy to keel over.

“what was that for??” “dunno. i’ll tell you when i find a reason,” percy shrugged, walking away.

the day carried on. leo was quick to find y/n before lunch, pressing kisses after kisses to her cheek as an apology. y/n eventually pushed him off with a laugh as they walked into the dining pavilion. they got their plates together but parted ways since they had to sit with their cabins. y/n pulled her hair back, eyeing the honey on her sandwich since she didn’t want it in her hair. percy started speaking as she sat down, yet to look at her though.

“so, i was thinking maybe we should do a movie night-” he stopped as he looked up, his eyes catching on the hickeys that littered his sisters neck, his eyes twitching. the neck of her shirt was cut off, allowing it to slip off her shoulder and her hair was tied back, allowing him to see all of them. y/n looked up as he stopped speaking before following his gaze. her eyes widened and she jumped out of her seat.

“percy-” “three,” he started, calmly wiping his hands and pushing his seat back. y/n yelps before moving towards the hephestus table, quickly gaining leo and everyone else’s attention too.

“we’ve got to go. now! move it, fire boy!” y/n insisted, grabbing hold of his arm and tugging him up.

“what-” leo argued, letting her drag him though.

“two,” percy continued, pulling his pen out of his pocket, inspecting it like he had all the time in the world. leo’s eyes widened as they landed on y/n’s neck then twisted back to percy.

“yeah, running’s a good idea. Go, Go, Go!” he agreed, quickly taking the girl with him.

“one,” percy muttered before jumping up and chasing after the couple.

“i’m gonna kill you! it’s gonna be painful! you’re gonna wish you never met her!” he yelled after them.

“never!” leo shouted back with a laugh, dragging the girl behind him.

author's note cont. : for once in my life, i have nothing more to say. the yapper has been silenced. you guys are free fr

#postcards from covey ౨ৎ #all my love ౨ৎ #leo valdez x reader #heroes of olympus x reader #hoo #percy jackson #pjo #pjo fandom #leo valdez

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ghost-cheeks · 2 years

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With the overturn of Roe, and the inevitable collapse of the economy (again) and my boss putting ALL of his red flags on display...It's time to start job searching again.

I need to find a career that isn't subject to the whims of a crazy person. Seriously.

#If my boss were a ship he'd be a full-rigged covered in red sails #flying a giant red flag #his crazy has come out full force and I am not here for it

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writers-potion · 17 days

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The Pirate's Glossary

Ahoy - an interjection used to hail a ship or a person, or to attract attention.

Arr! - an exclamation

Avast! - a command meaning stop or desist

Aye (or ay) - yes; an affirmation

Becalmed - the state of a sailing vessel which cannot move due to a lack of wind

Belay - (1) to secure or make dast by winding on a cleat or pin (2) to stop, most often used as a command

Bilged on her anchor - a ship holed or pierced by its own anchor

Bilmey! - an exclamation of surprise, short for "God blind me!"

Blow the man down - to kill someone

Boom about - when a ship turns in the wind the boom can swing violently enough to injure or kill a person on board. "Boom about" may be shouted to warn others the boom is about to move.

Bring a spring upon her cable - to come around in a different direction, oftentimes as a surprise maneuver.

Careen - to take a ship into shallower waters or out of the water altogether and remove barnacles and pests such as mollusks, shells and plant growth from the bottom.

Chase - a ship being pursued, or the act of pursuing a ship.

Code of conduct - a set of rules which govern pirates behavior on a vessel.

Come about - to bring the ship full way around in the wind. Used in general while sailing into the wind, but also used to indicate a swing back into the enemy in combat.

Crack Jenny's teacup - to spend the night in a house of ill repute.

Crimp - to procure (sailors or soldiers) by trickery or coercion, or one who crimps.

Dance the Hempen jig - to hang

Davy Jones' locker - a fictional place at the bottom of the ocean. In short, a term meaning death.

Dead men tell no tales - standard pirate excuse for leaving no survivors.

Deadlights - (1) strong shutters or plates fastened over a ship's porthole or cabin window in stormy weather. (2) Thick windows set in a ship's side or deck. (3) eyes.

Fire in the hole - a warning issued before a cannon is fired.

Furl - to roll up and secure, especially a ship’s sail.

Give no quarter - the refusal to spare lives of an opponent. Pirates raise a red flag to threaten no quarter will be given.

Handsomely - quickly or carefully; in a shipshape style.

Haul wind - to direct a ship into the wind.

Heave down - to turn a vessel on its side for cleaning.

Heave - an interjection meaning to come to a halt.

Ho - used to express surprise or joy, to attract attention to something sighted, or to urge onward.

Letter of marque - a document given to a sailor (privateer) giving him amnesty from piracy laws as long as the ships plunders are of an enemy nation.

List - to lean to one side

Long clothes - a style of clothing best suited to land. A pirate, or any sailor, doesn't have the luxury of wearing anything loose that might get in the way while climbing up riggings.

Marooned - to be stranded, particularly on a desert isle.

Me - My

No prey, no pay - a common pirate law meaning a crew received no wages, but rather shared whatever loot was taken.

Overhaul - (1) to slacken a line (2) to gain upon in a chase; to overtake

Parely - a conference or discussion between opposing sides during a dispute, especially when attempting a truce, originating from the French, "parler," meaning "to speak." The term was used in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" as part of Pirate law.

Piracy - robbery committed at sea.

Quarter - derived from the idea of "shelter", quarter is given when mercy is offered by pirates. Quarter is often the prize given to an honorable loser in a pirate fight.

Reef sails - to shorten the sails by partially tying them up, either to slow the ship or to keep a strong wind from putting too much strain on the masts.

Run a shot across the bow - a command to fire a warning shot.

Sail ho! - an exclamation meaning another ship is in view. The sail, of course, is the first part of a ship visible over the horizon.

Scupper that! - an expression of anger or derision meaning "Throw that overboard!"

Sea legs - The ability to adjust one's balance to the motion of a ship, especially in rough seas. After walking on a ship for long periods of time, sailors became accustomed to the rocking of the ship in the water. Early in a voyage a sailor was said to be lacking his "sea legs" when the ship motion was still foreign to him. After a cruise, a sailor would often have trouble regaining his "land legs" and would swagger on land.

Shiver me timbers! - An expression of surprise or strong emotion. In stormy weather and rough seas, the support timbers of a ship would "shiver" which might startle the crew. The phrase may have been less common during the Golden Age of Piracy than it had become later in fictional works.

Show a leg! - A phrase used to wake up a sleeping pirate.

Sink me! - An expression of surprise. Many pirate exclamations used exaggerated imagery to highten a point. Ye might say the sailors were punchy or a bit melodramatic after a lengthy stay at sea.

Smartly - quickly

Take a caulk - To take a nap. On the deck of a ship, between planks, was a thick caulk of black tar and rope to keep water from between decks. This term came about either because sailors who slept on deck ended up with black lines across their backs or simply because sailors laying down on deck were as horizontal as the caulk of the deck itself.

To go on account - A pleasant term used by pirates to describe the act of turning pirate. The basic idea was that a pirate was more "free lance" and thus was, more or less, going into business for himself.

Warp - To move (a vessel) by hauling on a line that is fastened to or around a piling, anchor, or pier.

Weigh anchor - To haul the anchor up; more generally, to leave port.

Ye - you

If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 📸

Reference:

https://www.pirateglossary.com/

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cryptotheism · 1 year

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Lilly: Good morning New Babel, you're listening to Screw Loose, your favorite early-morning exo rig and rig maintenance rig show this side of the white river, I'm Lilly.

The Bear: And I'm the Bear, and you- are on the air. What can we help you with?

Caller: Howdy girls! Togen, from the South Teykile. I've got a bit of a mystery for ya, I was hoping you could help me solve it.

Lilly: Oh lovely! I think we're ready to sleuth.

The Bear: What the problem doll?

Togen: So I'm a boatwright. About a month ago, I'm on the job in a Wylan Mastiff UD-940. I'm lifting a panel of ship-chitin that weighs maybe 1000 kilograms, and I can feel the exhaust channels getting hot.

The Bear: Uh oh.

Lilly: Uh oh indeed.

Togen: I figure I'm overcycling, but the Mastiff can pull 1000kg easy right? So I put down the panel, and suddenly, BOOM! Radiator explodes right out of the chassis! I can hear the I-bolts ping against field tech's facemask!

[Both hosts begin to laugh]

Lilly: Huh!?

The Bear: Okay okay hold on a second-

Togen: I've got an insulated undersuit, but the radiator is just full-on burning at this point. Now, I'm not about to jump into the Occimedian with my rig on, so I slam the emergency kill. So now I'm lyin there, facefirst on the dock, hollerin for the other idiots to put me out!

The Bear: You had an extinguisher right?

Lilly: Maybe someone had a drink?

Togen: Well...Okay so get this. The yard has an extinguisher. That's union. But before someone could grab it, one of the boys uh, relieves himself, on the radiator.

[The hosts are silent for a moment, but can't keep it going. Lilly snorts loudly as she laughs.]

Togen: Hey it worked! Problem is, the damn thing hasn't been running right ever since. I replaced the radiator that evening, but for some reason I'm only getting about 70, 80 percent torque when I lift, but its only from certain positions. I've taken the thing to two different shops at this point, and they both said that everything looked fine. I’m at the end of my rope here ladies, can you help me?

Lilly: Sleuthing hats on!

The Bear: Well sir, I think I know what your problem is. You set yourself on fire, and then someone pissed on you.

Lilly: Yeah! Just tell the boys at your local rig shop, they'll know what to do.

[The hosts pause for a moment, deliberating]

The Bear: Well damn Togen, you've given us two mysteries for the price of one.

Lilly: First, we gotta figure out why your radiator exploded. Then, we gotta figure out why your lift capacity is damaged. Okay, replacing the radiator was the right call, did you have them look at the recycler?

Togen: Yeah, when the first guy said it was fine, I took it to the second shop, and they said the recycler was probably running cold in the early morning air, you know, building up heat in the radiator.

[lilly scoffs]

The Bear: That guy didn’t know what he was talking about. The recycler generates a ton of heat. While your rig is live, they’re actually floating in coolant because they generate so much heat.

Lilly: Hmmm. Did you have any custom work on the Mastiff before it exploded?

Togen: Yeah. Lets see…I had the 8-cell replaced with a 10-cell, added a fluid circulator, and full weatherizing. Tubes, seals, soles, the works.

The Bear: The weatherizing, synthetic or biosynthetic?

Togen: Biosynthetic ma’am.

The Bear: Here’s what I think happened. Whoever shopped your rig under-tightened the bolts, and used overripe sealant. See, the biosynth sealant that Wylan uses is self-repairing, and it feeds on heat. I bet that when they replaced your power supply, they left a gap, so the sealant started growing into your radiator channel, sealed it up like a pressure cooker and BOOM.

Lilly: Okay love, when you try squatting to pick something up in the rig, is there chugging from the leg hydraulics? Or is it more like the force just hits a wall at 70%?

Togen: There’s definitely chugging.

The Bear: Have you checked the tubing rings? You might’ve vented some heat onto them during the explosion, caused a hairline breach?

Lilly: Bearie dear I have a hunch. If he burned the rings he’d know. They’d pop right out as soon as he tried to squat. Follow me here.

The Bear: Uh oh.

Lilly: [starting to laugh] No! Listen! Okay you said you added a fluid circulator right?

Togen: Yes ma’am.

Lilly: Listen! Okay! Love! Here’s what I think happened! So urine has both salt and uric acid in it right? Both corrosive substances. I’d bet my bonnet that when you hit your kill switch, it took a moment or two for the circulator to spin down. There was probably already some urine in your radiator. That urine had enough time to get circulated into your hydraulics, where it’s been sitting, corroding your internal glide sheathes.

The Bear: [laughing] Oh my lord that has to be it. Yes. Yes! That has to be it! Here’s what you’re gonna do, doll. You’re gonna take it to the local garage. You’re ask them for a total flush. Your biosynthetics should heal within a week.

Lilly: And while you’re there, have them check the I-bolts on the new radiator chassis!

The Bear: How’s that sound doll?

Togen: Well gosh ladies, I’m gonna be honest. The boys at the shop yard have a betting pool on just what was wrong with the rig, and I think all of us might owe the two of you some money. Thank you so much!

[The hosts laugh]

The Bear: Good luck doll!

Lilly: Thanks for your call!

[The show transitions to commercial]

(If you want to read the full novel in this universe, Amber Skies is linked in my pinned post)

#amber Skies #Screw Loose

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lucybellwood · 10 months

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I’ve been meaning to repost this mini-essay I wrote for Global Maritime History back in 2015 for AGES and since today's dash is full of people lamenting the burden of Boat Knowledge this seems like the right time.

ONWARD FOR TALL SHIP ART TIPS!

I often get questions from people who are concerned that their illustrated boats aren’t going to be up to snuff, and the short answer is generally: don’t sweat it. If you’ve drawn a thing that has a hull in the water and sails in the air, you’re off to a great start, and if you consult a few handy reference images, you’re bound to end up with something that looks mostly ship-like.

HOWEVER. There are a couple things that often get lost in translation which—if you pay attention to them—can make the difference between a passable tall ship and a vessel that definitely looks like you know your baggywrinkle from your bunghole. Here’s two tips to get you started.

Flags in the Wind

Generally when we think of a thing that’s going fast, we imagine a flag streaming out in the wind behind it, right? Well, when it comes to square rig sailing, things aren’t always so simple. If the wind is coming up from behind a ship—or from the side—to push it forward, the flag may be flying in a direction you wouldn’t expect! How are the yards angled to catch the wind in the sails? What’s driving the vessel forward? Sailors often look to flags for a quick indicator of wind direction—use that thought process when drawing your ships.

Keep Your Shrouds Tight!

Those rope ladder-looking things sailors are always clambering up? They’re called shrouds, and they also form a large part of the tensioning system that keeps a ship’s masts stable and upright. Stays (lines that don’t move i.e. stay put) are arranged throughout the rig to maintain even aft-to-fore pull on the masts and prevent them from keeling over. Shrouds form the lateral component of that system, so here’s an important fact: they will not be saggy. No saggy shrouds. No saggy stays. In addition to making the mast unstable, it’d be a devil to climb in heavy weather.

Note: the ratlines (the “ladder rungs” of the shroud) can have slack in them—it’s the vertical lines that should be tight.

When the crew is “tuning the rig,” they’re putting slack in all the stays and then re-tensioning them to ensure that the whole operation is as stable as possible, so unless you’ve got a bunch of idiots running your fictional vessel, keep ’em tight.

And another thing…

I see a lot of people running their shrouds down to the deck, rather than alongside the vessel. Don’t do that! I mean, okay, sometimes shrouds do attach to chain plates on-deck, but most of your classic Golden Age of Sail vessels will have them running alongside to the channels. Also: they end in deadeyes to help with the tensioning of the line and to keep things stable, so don’t forget your deadeyes!

Honestly, these are the biggest things that I see artists flub when drawing tall ships, so if you can keep them in mind, you’ll be head and shoulders above the rest!

If you’re looking to go more in-depth with your research, I would recommend…

Seeing if you can find a modern replica of the type of ship you’re after and then centering your reference search around the name of that ship. I get far more extensive results when I’m searching for “Privateer Lynx” rather than “1700s topsail schooner.” Don’t discount the many photos tourists will have taken while visiting these ships!

Nose around on model ship-building forums. There is no greater boon to the modern nautical artist than these obsessive craftspeople, who will spend hundreds of hours replicating classic ships in minute detail—often photographing the whole process so you can actually see how the rig of a vessel is put together! God bless ’em.

And that’s all I’ve got! I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief foray into accurate tall ship representation. Fair winds and following seas!

#tall ships #boat stuff #maritime history #tall ship #maritime art #lucy bellwood #art tips #age of sail #personal work

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skepwith · 2 months

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More Parts of the Revenge for OFMD Fans

Part of a series: Revenge Master Post.

This post is about stuff in the body of the ship, going more or less from top to bottom. I’m saving the sails and rigging for my next post. If you want to know more basic terms like fore and aft and bow and stern, look for “Parts of the Revenge” in my master post.

Obviously, using these terms is entirely optional, since David Jenkins et al. are free and easy with the ol' historical accuracy. This list is for pedants like me and people who like historical and specialized language. Enjoy!

Main Deck

The low “walls” on the sides of the open decks were called the bulwarks—they were to keep people from falling overboard. On the Revenge, the bulwarks are topped by a rail (railing).

A gap in the bulwark, together with a set of rungs on the hull, was called an entry port. It allowed people to climb aboard from a dinghy.

The top edge of the bulwark was the gunwale, pronounced gunnel. The expression “loaded to the gunwales” is still used to mean very full. The top edges of a dinghy are also called gunwales.

An opening in the deck is called a hatchway. I wrote about hatches a while ago, but what I didn’t realize was that the hatch is the part that covers the hatchway. The wooden grid that lets light and air through is called the grating.

In the bow, the curving rail that goes from the figurehead to the hull is called the head rail, which would’ve been really helpful to know for my toilet post. Oh well.

Stede’s journal could at a stretch be called a logbook (or log). This was a book in which an officer noted details of the ship’s daily progress and journey. Probably a bit less fanciful than Stede’s version.

Weaponry

The Revenge has guns (the word used for cannons) on her main deck and her gun deck. Before a gun was fired, the barrel was cleared with the sponge, then loaded with gunpowder and shot and wads of cloth, all of which was tamped down with the rammer. There were different types of shot, or ammunition; cannonballs were called round shot.

To fire a gun, a lit fuse (usually a slow match) was brought in contact with the vent at the top of the gun—called the touchhole—to ignite the gunpowder. (The wick added in OFMD isn’t accurate. Shocking, I know.) The slow match was usually held with a staff called a linstock, tucked into a notch on the end. You didn’t want to be right next to the cannon when it went off, because there was a non-zero chance it would misfire and explode in your face.

Despite what you see in movies, cannons didn’t produce a lot of fire and smoke; the cannonball did damage by going unstoppably through hulls, masts, and people—often many at a time—like a deadly Energizer bunny.

The gunpowder was kept in kegs in a small room called the powder magazine. (A magazine is an ammunition storage area.) This room was in the hull of the ship, below the water line, to minimize the chances of a stray spark sending the whole ship up in flames. The shot was kept in the shot-locker, a small room in the hold (though this word wasn’t recorded till 1805). As we know, Stede calls this the ball room.

Besides the regular cannons, the Revenge also has swivel guns, small cannons mounted on swivels. These were too small to damage another ship; they were there to fire at boarders and approaching boats. Or, you know, to set off fireworks.

To take an enemy ship, sailors might use a grapnel (or grappling hook). These were attached to a rope and thrown at enemy bulwarks or rigging so the ships could be pulled together for boarding.

The Gun Deck

Everything on a ship had to have a special name: stairs were always called ladders; the floor was called the deck; and a wall or partition inside the hull was called a bulkhead.

Some of you may know that a ship’s kitchen is called a galley. However, this usage wasn’t recorded until 1750; the earlier word was cook-room.

Likewise, the mess is where you eat on a ship, but this sense wasn’t recorded until the late 1800s. In OFMD’s time, mess meant “a group of people who eat together,” like officers of the same rank or sailors on the same watch.

You might know a berth as a shelf or box to sleep on, like Stede’s (and Ed’s) bed, but this usage wasn’t recorded until the 1790s. The earlier meaning, used from at least 1706, is “a room where a particular group (such as officers or midshipmen) eats and sleeps.” So you might call Jim’s room a berth—except that it changes hands, and its name has been firmly established as the Room.

A berth is also a place in a port or harbour where you can moor (park) a vessel, and thirdly, the safety margin around another vessel or object, which gives us the phrase “to give [it] a wide berth.”

Finally, the area where the animals (remember them?) were kept was a small triangular area in the bow called the manger. This seems to be where the Revenge’s en suite is, at least as far as I can figure, but if you want to include the animals for whatever reason, they’d probably live somewhere around there.

Storage

Some of the stuff on board was stored in casks, a.k.a. barrels. These could be any size, but a large cask was also called a butt. A scuttlebutt was a butt full of water attached to the deck for sailors to drink from. Unfortunately, the word wasn’t recorded before 1800, and the “gossip” meaning not till a century after that. But it’s a great word and you should use it anyway.

A keg was a small cask, usually less than ten gallons, used for things like gunpowder or rum.

A sea chest was a wooden box used to store an officer’s personal effects—or to confine a nosy hombrecito.

The Ship’s Bottom

(As it were.)

In several of my posts and diagrams I said the lower decks of the Revenge were the gun deck, the orlop, and the hold. But my friends, I made a grievous error: the Revenge has no orlop. I know!

In season 2, for the first time we get to see what’s below the gun deck. When Frenchie opens the secret passage in the kitchen, he reveals a set of stairs—sorry, a ladder—down to a grim, damp space. The kitchen is on the gun deck, so this is the deck immediately below it, and while on most ships that would’ve been the orlop, in this case it’s the hold.

The hold was the lowest compartment of the ship, used for storage and cargo. It also sometimes held the ballast—heavy stuff (e.g., pig iron, gravel, stones, lead) put there to improve the ship’s balance. The lowest part of the hold itself was called the bilge or bilges—the area where bilgewater collected and had to be pumped out.

Episode 3 shows the water on the floor—sorry, deck—making it pretty clear we’re in the bilges of the hold. On top of that, an Instagram post by crewmember Will Giles (shared on Tumblr by @ourflagmeansbts) mentioned repurposing the “bilge set.”

Which all proves that the Revenge’s hold is immediately below the gun deck, with no orlop in between.

The keel is the structural piece that runs lengthwise along the middle of the hull’s bottom. Keel-hauling was to drag someone along the outside of the keel, underwater, as a punishment—very nasty, often fatal.

Also underwater, at the stern, is the rudder, whose movement makes the ship turn. On a dinghy you steer by moving the tiller, a horizontal bar attached to the rudder post. On a ship like the Revenge, you turn the ship’s wheel, which is attached to the tiller via cables, and that moves the rudder.

That’s all for now! Coming next: sails and rigging, in port, and more sailing lingo.

Sources: Wikipedia, historicnavalfiction [dot] com, Oxford English Dictionary

#ofmd #ofmd meta #mapping the Revenge #nautical history #adopt our crew

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peaterookie · 3 months

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Lupin Week 2024 Day 4: AUs and Mythology

Goemon's face looks like he's seen a ghost.

ahhhh god ok my stupid stupid silly au i made a year ago.... this will be a bit long so get ready

tldr: lupin died, the gang is alive. goemon finds lupin but he's a shark merman!? and lupin remembers nothing!!!

long version:

so this AU follows upon the story of shin lupin, which basically, the gang gets killed off by zenigata because he rigged an island full of explosives.

instead of them all dying however, lupin decides to knock the gang unconscious and find a way for them to escape off the island safely, leaving only him in the island to die.

the rest of the gang had no idea how they escaped and assumed that lupin had sacrificed himself for them. they woke up adrifted on the ocean until they eventually got picked up by a ship where the invisible captain from new adventures returns. but ah ill spare the details for another day

---

2 years have passed and the gang just kinda separated to do their own thing. we'll only focus on goemon cuz he's the featured character of this comic.

goemon decided to escape the life of crime that has burdened him for years living as a part of the lupgang. he's mostly a wanderer now and tries to do good and help people along the way

funnily enough, goemon is not the first person to find lupin, but I'll talk about this later. but goemon is definitely very mixed about seeing his friend who he thought was dead for years. he doesn't know whether to be happy or worried.

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lupin, at the brink of death after the explosion, plummets down the ocean and wakes up one day, feeling like he's been rebirthed!

essentially, lupin became a merman because right before he could die, his body (i mean what's left of it 💀) interacted with a magic crystal that has the ability to grant life to a living being.

It's really rare, but it exists in clusters deep in the ocean floor or- deep under the rocks of an island :) you can say im bullshitting, which i am but i dont think exploding an entire island down to every rock has happened before, so it can kinda make sense why something so coincidental about these crystals could happen. (I AM TOTALLY MAKING EXCUSES I JUST WANTED TO MAKE LUPIN A MERMAN.)

and so these crystals used whats left of lupins body and reassembled him back, and idk other essences of the ocean to make him a merman!

the memories of his past life have definitely been buried deep inside his brain to the point he can't remember any of it though, so he thinks that he was born under the ocean and has lived there for his entire life. other than that he retains almost everything about himself, down to stealing stupid shit and messing with humans just for the fucks of it. he's kinda seen as like a nessie.

---

anyways, y'know how i said goemon wasn't the first one to meet lupin? that's because lupin has met zenigata before!

living a life with only fishes around means lupin's kinda lonely and likes to stalk humans sometimes. the interaction with him and zenigata did not end well though, and lupin has no idea why zeni wants him dead so much.

after that he's way more cautious around people that look like zenigata- hatted big men with guns. its gonna be fun once he sees jigen.

ok what else... i think that's all i want to reveal now. will i do more of this? maybe. maybe not. kinda embarrassed of this because of how silly it is but i hope you people find this interesting! byebye

#lupin iii #lupin the third #lupin iii manga #goemon ishikawa xiii #peaterookie art #shin lupin iii #lupinweek2024 #lupin au #merman #merman lupin

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jpitha · 6 months

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Humans rig stuff together

The battle had been close. The Gren Warfinder had completely surprised them. They flipped nearby on a stolen drive and had started pounding the convoy. They were clearly trying to cut supply lines to the Colony in an attempt to starve them into surrendering. More than half of the ships in the convoy were destroyed before the Coalition was able to mount a response. Iixan was thankful that their ship was only mostly destroyed instead of completely destroyed. The Coalition dreadnought could waste no resources to repair though. They offloaded the cargo, handed out a case of multi-species ration bars and said that if the crew couldn’t fix the ship, someone would be by in 30 solar days or so to rescue them. With a ‘luck be with you’ they flipped away, giving chase to the Gren.

Iixan was ordered by the captain to assess the damage. The hull was holed in at least five places and two of them were too large to patch. They were going to be in suits for the duration. That was frustrating, but survivable.

What wasn’t survivable was the fact that two of the three reactors were offline, with one of them reduced to slag. Iixan found himself next to the non slagged reactor with the three human crew members standing over it. They stood around the reactor, one with their hands on their hips. Iixan didn’t know much about human body language, but they knew that pose was an important one.

He found their comm channel and clipped in. “…I’m telling you, we can just do a hard restart with something in place of the fusion fuse.”

“That’s insane. The fuse exists for a reason. If we let the field get too strong then the whole thing will collapse.”

“Is it better to have a rickety reactor and be able to Flash home, or no reactor and sit here, cold in our suits, eating-“ here the human shuddered “-multi-species ration bars for a month while we wait for the Coalition to remember we’re stuck out here?”

“Okay, wait. Maybe we can split the difference. What if we- oh hey Iixan! What’s up?”

At the mention of his name, the three humans turned to face Iixan. Their suits were bulkier and armored where his was just barely a skin of synthcloth and a helmet. He always wondered why human suits always looked like battle armor. Their large bulbous helmets were clear now, but they could be completely blackened, or even mirrored when necessary. Iixan always felt a little uncomfortable when multiple humans turned to give him their full attention. “Uh, Commander Mizzen asked me to do a damage assessment.” He peered around the humans at the three reactors. “Looks… bad?”

The first human nodded and gestured towards the pile of melted metal, still smoking slightly. The light of a nearby star shone through the smoke, giving it a pretty effect. “Reactor three is toast. There’s no fixing that one. Reactor one is offline with… minor damage. Reactor two is online and keeping us alive for now. We’re trying to decide if we can rig Reactor one to work enough to Flash home.”

“Rig?”

“You know” The second human shrugged in their suit. “Make it work enough to get us somewhere. It’s not fixing it, not really. Just like pretending it’s fixed to the point where it doesn’t realize it’s broken and it’ll run until it notices that it’s actually broken.” The other two looked at him and he looked embarrassed. “Figuatively that is.”

Iixan’s upper arms crossed themselves and made a motion like rubbing warmth into his arms. “And that works?”

“It’s a little more than pretending it’s going to work.” The first human sighed. “We can get it going, but it won’t be pretty and it probably won’t be… that safe. I know your sapient group is more sensitive to high magnetic fields and the reactor is going to be… leaky so you should probably tell the captain to keep the reactor hall humans only if we get it running.”

“You’ll be all right?”

The third human had a strange lilt to his speech. Iixan asked once and he said that he grew up in a place called ‘Minnesota.’ “Oh yah, it’ll be fine, but doncha know, it’ll be a mite dangerous for everyone. No worries though, we’ll make it work enough to Flash.”

The first human nodded. “Come back in a demicycle Iixan, you’ll see.”

Iixan completed his survey and reported to the captain. While he was out, people were able to seal some of the smaller holes to the point where you could take your helmet off in a few rooms. That would make eating easier at least.

One demicycle later, and Iixan returned to the reactor hall. The slagged reactor was in even more pieces than he thought possible, and Reactor one was partially disassembled. Iixan swore that he saw melted parts of Reactor three wired into the reactor. When he clipped into the comm channel they turned. “Oh Hi Iixan! We’re just about ready to test.”

Iixan pointed at the parts. “What are the… melted parts?”

“Oh, that was Will’s idea. We stole some of the… less melted parts from Reactor three to try and kick Reactor one over. They’re not exactly the same model, but I think it’ll be close enough. Just had to put in a few bodge wires in to get power and signal where it needed to be.”

Peering closer, Iixan saw that there was nearly an entire plain’s worth of wires roughly soldered into different parts of the reactor, crossing back and forth and across. The Reactor looked utterly broken. He looked up at the humans. “This… will work?”

Will smiled. “One way to find out, right? We’re going to force a hard restart and see if it’ll work. Tell the Captain to get ready, okay?”

Iixan made a gesture of supplication to the Machine Spirits and called the Captain. The Captain was just as dubious as Iixan was, but agreed to let them try. He signaled Will and the other two and they made that odd gesture of theirs where they curl their large fingers together except for their shortest one and stick it straight into the air.

“Here we go!” Will reached deep inside the Reactor and flipped some switches that were added while they were bogding.

After Will flipped the levers, the three of them jumped back almost as if they were injured. Iixan took another step back as the reactor spun up. The reactor hall had no atmosphere so he coulnd’t hear anything, but he could feel it. It had a thrumming vibration that was getting faster and faster. Iixan wasn’t a reactor technician but even he knew it didn’t sound right. The thrumming was… off balance somehow? It also sounded rougher? Still, the vibration was more and more intense until it felt like the grated floor was a shake table moving them around.

Suddenly, there was a prismatic flash and a shaft of pure white light shot out of the reactor towards the back wall. The humans jumped back and one of them reached towards a bundle of wires that was draped on the floor towards a wall when Will shouted “No! Leave it! We knew containment might leak. It’s otherwise holding steady. Let me refactor.” Will glanced down at his pad and furiously typed and slowly, the white beam faded.

It felt like the room would shake apart, and the reactor blurred in Iixan’s vision in a disconcerting way, but it was running. Will and the other two bounded up to Iixan. “That’s as good as we’re going to get it I think. It’s running at around 74.8%. If we run Reactor two at 112% We should be able to Flash home. We’ll have to stay in our suits, but that’s a sight better than hanging around here.”

The Captain was stunned when Iixan told him and demanded to see for himself. He was led to the Reactor hall but Will had warning him not to enter due to the danger. He stood in the open doorway watching the Reactor vibrate and blur as Reactor two ran with yellow and orange warnings all over the indicators as it was… gently overloaded. “Ancestors. You got it running.” He looked at Will. “How?”

Will demurred. “Oh, just a little bit of experience with these kind of Reactors and a human willingness to rig up a temporary solution. If it’s stupid and works, it’s not stupid.”

The Captain met Will’s gaze. “No. It’s still stupid. But right now we need some stupid. Well done. Now pardon me, I need to get the calculations to Flash home started before that-“ he points at the rigged reactor “-fails and traps us somewhere even worse than here.”

#humans are deathworlders #humans are space orcs #sci fi writing #writing #humans are space oddities #jpitha #humans and aliens #humans are space capybaras #humans are space australians #FlashWarp

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thirstydiglett · 4 months

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Christmas Sanji!! Directly inspired by me trying to get my dear mother to let me help her with Christmas dinner. Merry Christmas Eve to all my followers who celebrate!!!!

A Helping Hand

Characters: Sanji/f!reader

Summary: The only thing Sanji needs for Christmas is the one thing he won’t ask for—help. Maybe our reader can be the one to change things.

Warnings: none it’s all fluff ^_^

“Excuse me, my darlings.”

Sanji squeezes between you and Robin in the doorway, where you’ve been standing and chatting about books.

“Oh, sorry Sanji!” You blush slightly, realizing you’re in his way. You move to the side to allow the young chef to get through. His hands are full of fresh onions from the pantry, and as he passes several of them tumble from his grasp onto the tile floor below.

“Fucking hell!” Sanji curses to himself, and you frown. Its not unusual for Sanji to curse like a Marine, but in front of two of his precious ladies? Practically unheard of.

You and Robin bend down to help him with the onions, and you notice that she is watching him as carefully as you are. “Sanji, are you alright?” Robin asks gently, placing an onion in his arms.

“Oh, of course, mon amour!” The chef grins as he whirls away, setting the onions on the kitchen counter. “Just a little stressed trying to get everything ready for Christmas. But it’s alright! I don’t mind a little stress if it means you two and Nami have a wonderful time tomorrow!”

Robin gives you a strangely knowing look. “Ok, Sanji. We’ll leave you be then.”

You are hesitant to follow her out of the room. Sanji is your closest friend on the ship, and usually you can read him pretty well, but you have to admit he seems… well, off today. Usually Sanji is in his element in the kitchen, fluid and graceful, his timing and movements perfectly crafted in order to create the perfect meal.

But today…

You shake your head. Sanji is always in control when he cooks, and he’s been excited about the Christmas Day menu for well over a month. You’re sure he just wants to cook, uninterrupted.

Leaving the kitchen with Robin, you can’t help but smile at the decorations that you and your crew have put up. Faux snow lines the corners of the deck, lights and greenery winding around the mast. A brightly glowing star lights the top of the observation room, bathing the deck in a warm light. And of course, Nami’s tangerine trees are decked out with ornaments, wrapped presents (most of them from Sanji to you, Robin and Nami) spilling out from underneath them in all directions. Your first Christmas Eve with the Straw Hats. You can’t wait.

Usopp and Chopper are hanging some lights from the rigging, arguing about whether or not they’re level. You walk over to them.

“Hey, guys?”

Usopp turns around, grinning when he sees you. “Oh, hey y/n! Merry Christmas Eve!”

“Same to you!” You smile briefly. “Hey, you guys have been on this crew way longer than I have. can I ask you a question?”

Chopper nods, so you swallow. “This is kinda weird, but is Sanji… always like this around Christmas?”

Usopp laughs out loud. “Oh, I see you’ve met Christmas Eve Sanji. A little different from the standard model that we all know and love.”

Chopper shakes his head in agreement. “Every year Luffy invites some random crew to spend Christmas with us. This year it’s the Heart pirates, as you know. So Sanji has to cook a special breakfast, lunch and dinner for twice as many people as usual.”

“He won’t admit it, but it definitely freaks him out. You know what a perfectionist he is,” Usopp snorts.

“So why doesn’t someone help him?”

“We try! Every year I try to do something for him, but he always refuses!” Chopper asserts, his frustration at the situation showing on his face. “And then he ends up locking himself in his room as soon as he’s done serving everyone, and we don’t see him for like three days… it’s a pretty unhealthy coping mechanism, but he just shrugs me off when I bring it up and pretends everything is fine.”

“You should try talking to him, y/n,” Usopp suggests casually. “You guys are pretty close, right? Maybe you can convince him to calm down and accept some help.”

A sudden crash from the kitchen made the three of you turn around.

“God dammit Luffy!” Sanji’s voice roars out over the waves. “What the fuck is wrong with you??”

Luffy darts out of the kitchen, giggling to himself, his mouth stuffed full of strips of bacon, dodging plates and silverware that Sanji is throwing after him.

“Thanks for the snack, Sanji!” Luffy laughs as he swallows the bacon, bolting below deck before the chef can inflict any real harm.

You glance back at the kitchen to see Sanji standing in the doorway. He doesn’t look good. Now that you’re really looking at him you can see the dark circles under his eyes, the stubble on his jaw that he’s neglected to shave. Instead of his usual single cigarette, he has two clamped between his teeth. Usually the chef is so put-together, so charming—Usopp and Chopper are right. Christmas really does take a toll on him.

Looking back at your friends, you realize they’re both gazing at you pointedly. “Go talk to him!” Chopper urges, giving you a push.

“Uh… ok…” you’re not really sure what you can do or say, but you walk up to Sanji anyway. He barely seems to notice your presence, preoccupied with running his fingers through his soft blond hair, making mental calculations.

“Luffy giving you some trouble?” You try hesitantly, and Sanji jolts from his reverie.

“Oh, y/n darling! Don’t worry about it. He took all the bacon I was frying for our salads tonight, but—“ his voice breaks slightly— “I should be able to readjust. It’ll still be delicious!” Sanji is drumming his fingers, chewing his lip incessantly. You’re no stranger to anxiety attacks, and you can see his welling up inside him, threatening to take over.

You take his hands softly, forcing him to stop drumming them, looking him in the eyes. “What can I do?”

He freezes, wide-eyed, meeting your gaze. “What?”

“What can I do, Sanji? To help get all this food on the table.”

He swallows hard, then shakes his head. “Absolutely nothing, cherie! Just relax and enjoy yourself. Should I make you a drink?”

“Sanji.”

He is forced to meet your gaze again, and you can tell by his expression that he sees how serious you are.

“I’m going to help you with this whether you want me to or not. You need a break. Tell me what you need me to do.”

Sanji stares at you for a moment. You can see the gears turning in his brain. Finally, a sort of vulnerability creeps into his expression, and he opens his mouth.

“Can you… can you run to store on the island we’re docked at and get another side of bacon? I would do it, but I have to stay here and watch the roast…”

You nod. “You don’t have to give me any excuses. I’ll be back in half an hour.”

Suddenly, Sanji grabs you and pulls you tightly into an embrace. You feel the breath leave your body as you realize how close you are to him. You can feel his heartbeat, smell his cologne, and you’re surprised to find butterflies dancing in your stomach as Sanji holds you, burying his face in your shoulder, barely muffling a sob.

When he pulls away, his eyes are red. “Thank you, y/n,” he murmurs, and smiles at you slightly. The first genuine smile you’ve seen from him all day.

Your bacon run goes well, and you’re back within the half an hour timeframe you promised. Setting the package down on the kitchen counter, you smile at Sanji.

“What else can I do?”

“Oh, y/n-chan!! You’ve done more than enough. Thank you, my love, you’ve saved the day!”

But the worry in his expression and the dozens of pots and pans bubbling away on the stove make you think he’s not being totally honest. Glancing at the tattered notebook on the counter beside you, you see it open to a hand-scrawled recipe—buche de Noël.

“Can I help you with this?”

“Oh, the Christmas cake? I’m afraid I won’t have time to make it this year…” Sanji says softly. “Zeff always made it for Christmas, so I was hoping to as well. But it’s ok. Maybe next year, eh?”

You smile at him. “You have an extra set of hands now. I’ll mix together the dry ingredients while you fry that bacon for the salads. We can do the rest together—what do you think?”

You can see Sanji wrestling with himself in his head. Putting a beautiful lady to work in a kitchen on Christmas Eve can’t be forgivable, but the cake…

Finally, mind made up, Sanji nods.

That afternoon is one of the best you’ve ever had. The two of you work quickly and diligently, but your conversation is lively and several times the two of you are forced to pause because you are laughing so hard. The batter for the cake is made, but not before flour ends up everywhere. Luffy returns for more bacon, and the two of you have to fight him off together (which is exactly as fun as it sounds). Prep work is getting done quickly, the dishes are getting washed, and meals are getting made—and Sanji is smiling, laughing, breathing again. Maybe it’s your imagination, but even the bags under his eyes seem less prominent…

Once the cake is finally decorated and placed in the walk-in to chill, Sanji collapses, sliding down the wall onto the floor.

“We did it!” You cheer, sitting next to him, flinging an arm around his shoulders. “Told you we’d have time for the cake.”

He turns to look at you, and his expression is one you’ve never seen him wear before. Gratitude, affection, joy.

“I truly couldn’t have done it without you, y/n,” he breathes, meeting your gaze. “Thank you.”

Your heart skips a beat as you look at him, your dear friend, surprisingly handsome in this light, and you vaguely realize you might have some… new feelings to work through.

“My pleasure, Sanji. Merry Christmas.”

He leans his head against yours, and his hand brushes your own (on purpose? An accident? You can’t tell).

“This was the best present you could have ever gotten me. Merry Christmas, y/n.”

The two of you sit, exhausted, but basking in one another’s glow. The silence is warm, safe, welcome.

And of course, it doesn’t last long. Chopper bursts through the kitchen door just moments later. “Come see!!! Usopp and I finally got the rest of the lights to work, and it’s finally dark out, and they look AMAZING, and—“

Chopper continues chattering excitedly, and you and Sanji stand up, both taking a breath before you step out into the chaos that is Christmas with the Straw Hats.

As you reach the doorway, prepared to follow Chopper, you grab Sanji’s sleeve.

“The next time you need a hand… I’m here, ok?”

Sanji smiles down at you. “I’m here for you too, y/n. You’re so important to me. Thank you.”

He grabs your hand and squeezes it gently, and you gulp involuntarily at the softness of it before composing yourself enough to speak. “Now I know what to get you for Christmas every year—a helping hand.”

“It’s snowing!!!! Sanji, y/n, come on!” Chopper shrieks. Laughing (and still, somehow, holding hands), the two of you head out to enjoy your first Christmas together.

#Diglett writes #sanji #black leg sanji #one piece #Christmas with the straw hats #sanji x reader

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