Tumgik
#one woman wrecking crew
moonpaw · 8 months
Text
me: haha nami sure is passionate about money!
internally: nami spent her whole childhood being poor and getting second-handed clothing and felt like she needed to steal the small things she wanted like a book because they only had a limited amount of money growing up with a young woman who suddenly had two daughters to take care of. and then it only worsened when arlong came and killed bellemere for only just having enough money to keep her two daughters alive but not herself. also this was done right in front of nami. then she got kidnapped by arlong and later struck a deal with him that if she collected 100 million, she could free her entire village from arlong's control and they won't have to struggle with money anymore and be free. she couldn't possibly work up 100 million on her own though, so she had to resort to stealing from pirates since she was a little girl and developed trust issues upon trust issues and a general hatred towards pirates not only for killing her mother and enslaving her island but seeing all the damage they wreck just from having to get close to others to rob them. every single cent she got she had to carefully stash away for her end goal of freeing her village. by the time we meet her in canon she is effectively rich but it's still not enough and she still needs more. just a bit more. and then her 8 years of blood sweat and tears gets stolen away right from beneath her nose and between it getting stolen and her sister getting shot over it, she had to choose to get her sister to safety and then she finds out her entire village knew she was trying to free them when she thought they all hated her for joining the very crew that was enslaving them and it turns out they were only pretending they didnt know about her deal because they didnt want her to feel burdened by their hopes if she wanted to run away from arlong because she was only one little girl and this whole situation was extremely unfair towards her and they just wanted her to be happy but now everything was taken from her and now they're so angry about it that they're gonna go and fight arlong even though she really doesn't want that but she cant stop them. so now not only has she lost all the money she had been saving up for her village, now her village is going to go and die for her because she does not have the money to save them
me: haha, she really loves her money :)
2K notes · View notes
sh1-n0bu · 7 months
Text
hhhhhhhhh
no no no you guys just don’t get it. irl i’m fucking small, okay? like i’m 163cm. 5’3 or however that would turn out to be. and you guys need to understand that being that small and having an s/o who’s an absolute giant compared tk you (bonus points if they’re in a position of power and commanding) and yet to have your powerful s/o become nothing more than a pathetic whining, whimpering mess who’s just begging for your touch while on their knees with tears welling in their eyes *bangs head against wall bangs head against wall bagns head against wall*
imagine being the lover of jing yuan. he’s a powerful man, a literal general of an entire army and yet the moment he sees you, he’s tugging on your sleeve, pouting as he asks for you to touch him. he’s been such a good boy and holding himself back for you, please help him out? he can get you your favorite snacks! or do you need shoulder massages? jing yuan is running around like an errand boy, trying to please you jusg so he can feel your hand tightly wrapped around his cock.
imagine being the lover of blade. he’s a scary guy. quiet, reserved, cruel and most definitely won’t hesitate to resort to murder if he wants something. or simply if he felt like it. imagine him crawling on your lap with loud whines and soft whimpers, grinding his hard on on your thigh. you always tell him to learn how to use his words but bladie just never seems to get it. maybe you should edge him again until he learns his lesson?
imagine being the lover of gepard landau. he’s the captain of the silvermane guards. the most trusted man and silvermane guard in the entirety of belebog. the people adore him and his subordinates look up to him, wanting to be strong and reliable just like their captain. if only they knew their captain was wearing a hidden collar underneath his high collared undershirt. one that said just who he would kneel to.
imagine being the lover of sampo. he’s a cheeky guy. lies and manipulation tactics ready up his sleeve. he knows how to weasel his way out of every dirty situation. but he would never lie to you. never you. not when you made it clear on just how rough you can be in the bedroom after finding out he lied about not tricking one of the astral express crew. but sometimes, sampo wants to lie again and have you know of it just so he can be put in impossible positions while he sobs and drools deliriously.
imagine being the lover of imbibitor lunae. he is the high elder of vidyadhara, the most respected individual amongst his own race. he’s elegant, divine, ethereal, calm and collected. a person of authority and power. if only the people knew just good you wreck him with only just your fingers. how his tail would curl around you asking for more while he sobs for you to be gentle. he’s always so sensitive in his vidyadhara form. just tug on his tail or guide his head to between your legs by his horns, he would become a mindless, pliant baby in no time.
imagine being the lover of welt. he’s a calm and serious man of the astral express crew. often being their guidance and pillar to lean on when things get a bit too much. heck, sometimes he even acts like a tired dad (that “maaarrrcchhhh” scene in xianzhou quest). hell, he was even formerly the second herrscher of reason, a being that’s literally able to bend the physics of reality itself. and yet he would do anything just so he can feel you around him. he wouldn’t hesitate to try and please you so he can be inside your warm walls, moaning and trembling as you ride him.
imagine being the lover of kafka. she’s a scary woman, no doubt. just a single whisper and you would be nothing more than her cute little puppet. and yet she uses her powers for more… different reasons when with you. ordering you to fuck her cunt, finger her open in the dark alleyway, to let her sit on your face so she can ride herself into overstimulation. kafka loves when you’re in control. especially when wringing orgasm after orgasm from her shaking body.
imagine being the lover of himeko. she’s the one who rebuilt the astral express, a respected and well known genius of a beautiful lady. anyone would be lucky to meet her. but the only luck himeko wants is to feel your fingers inside her. how she would give everything just so she can hear you whisper all sorts of vile things in her ear as you pinch her clit, telling her to keep quiet so she won’t wake up the others.
in conclusion, reverse size kink my beloved🥰🥰
1K notes · View notes
bitchimasnake-sss · 4 months
Note
hello oml i luv ur writing, i’m feeling kind of angsty tonight so i wanted to request a monster trio and fem reader where they get caught cheating and then like beg for her (love when men beg!) but the reader doesn’t take them back >:0
it's the way i know these men will never cheat so i had such a hard fucking time writing this out (hence its trash) but ask and it shall be delivered (can you tell im a people pkeaser? yes or yes?)
also, so sorry it took me forever to write this out!!!
"i wish i never met you" ft. the monster trio!
ft. luffy, zoro, sanji x fem!reader
set-up: angst, thats it thankyou (thanks to anon for the idea!!)
warnings: i tried writing angst (and miserably failed), 'nuff said; also loads and loads of cursing im sorry (also couldn't write anything for sanji im so sorry)
luffy:
- "luffy?" your voice comes out as a meek whisper, blending into the night air as you see your boyfriend kissing another woman's neck in the middle of the bar - to be fair, you were on a break. you had asked him for some space but that was less than 24 hours ago and now you saw the captain of your crew entertaining a woman in his lap - "yn?" his eyes dart over to you and there's heavy guilt in his voice but you're turning away, walking away from the man you had come to win back he's running after you, his hands outstretched to catch you in your stride - "yn" he says again as he turns you to face him - a faint humming and thumping ran rampant against your cranium, visioning blurring, throat constricting till every breath felt like concrete against your burning chest - he looked guilty. the usually happy-go-lucky man seemed as though he was about to fall apart. his eyes were wide, laced with vague uncertainty and fear; his voice trembled, words faltering at the tip of his tongue as if a cursed melody - "i cannot believe you, luffy" your voice kissed your ears in a tremble as you're surprised that you can still speak, "fuck, i mean i thought you fucking loved me?" "it's not what- i do. i do, i love you." he sucks in a breath, eyes closing with great strain, "yn, its not. it's ussop, he suggested-" - ussop "suggested"???? "are you for real?" you scoff and feel the soft tears cascade down your cheeks, "ussop said shit and you decided to go fuck some random fucking woman?" - you're turning your back at him again but he pulls you towards him till your face is against his chest and his fingers interweave with your hair; you shouldn't like this. you shouldn't relish in his familiar warmth and smell and you shouldn't want to hug him when he presses a chaste kiss against your temple. you shouldn't listen to him when he says "trust me, i love you so much please" - he cheated on you, godfuckingdammit. - and he saw no problems with it till you showed up and caught him in his little fucking act. - he doesn't get to cheat on you a day after you guys went on break and then fucking have the audacity to hold you close to him as if the blood wasn't on his hands, as if he wasn't the one ruining it all. - as if he wasn't the one planning to fuck a woman tonight and return to your warm embrace tomorrow as if it never happened. - "let me go" your voice was eerily calm against his futile apologies "what? yn, no, it was a kiss i promise just one fucking ki-" "luffy, let go." - so he did - your vision blurred, your breath hitched and you walked away. you walked away from arms that had been your home on cold mornings, from eyes that traced over your face with love, from that faint smell of coconuts and a bright smile. - how can you be homesick when he was the one who wrecked it all? - but he let you go, so, you walked away.
zoro:
- somehow, you saw it all play out and now here you were, looking like the fool - fuck, how naïve were you? didn't you notice it when his touches became faint, his hands only finding yours if he had to fuck out some frustrations; his smiles became a rare occurrence. didn't you notice when he relied more on a bottle of sake than you? so fucking naïve. - you couldn't stand this party. all your friends were busy mingling with the other pirate fleet and your boyfriend had disappeared an hour into this stupid event (maybe he was passed out somewhere after drinking too much), so what were you to do except escaping into your room and spending the night away all alone? - but you could hear moaning from outside the door, faint screeches and curses. but most importantly, you could hear your own boyfriend's voice repeating the same phrases so sacred to you - opening the door with the key you had, you walked into the scene - the blood rushed into your ear and suddenly every little jolt of the sunny made you feel like you would throw up. the world swayed under your feet as you took in the tangle of limbs that lay in front of you - "zo? zoro?" "yn- fuck, what the fuck" he was frozen, the other woman covering herself in your sheets, snuggling against your boyfriend in your room. - you were gonna be fucking sick. - "yn, what are you- doing here, i-" his voice trembled, eyes darting between you and the floor, avoiding your scorching gaze. - "are you fucking kidding me?" to your surprise, a small laugh escaped you despite the shock and the dew clinging onto your lashline. you repeated, as if unaware you had already spoken once, "you have to be fuckin' kidding me, fucking christ zoro." "i can expain, ple-" he got off the bed, putting on his pants and the other woman used the opportunity to pick up her dress and slip out "explain? explain to me how you fucked that woman?" you seethed, the words lingering on your tongue like a bitter aftertaste. - his hands over his eyes, he paced around, "yn just lis-" "no fucking go ahead." the tear streaks glided past your cheek, burning as they dripped off your chin and onto the hardware flooring, "explain to me how you fucked her, did you do it the same way you fuck me? was it good? did she-" - his tone shifted, as if resentment deep within boiled to the surface, "why do you fucking care now? huh?" "why dO I CARE? ZORO CAN YOU HEAR YOURSELF? YOU FUCKED ANOTHER WOMAN RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME AND-" "AND WHAT?" his voice softened when you flinched at the sudden high tone, "and fucking what yn? i've been nothing but fucking miserable and you could barely notice" "I DID NOTICE. I DID FUCKING NOTICE AND WH-what- i tried everything. i tried to make you happy but you being miserable was enough reason for you to ch- fucking cheat on me?" your voice trembled, tears pouring down and chest heaving. - as if the gravity of the situation weighed in on his all at once, his face contorted till all he could display was sheer, stark guilt "i- fuck" he took a step towards you, arm outstretched as if to pull you towards him - but you took a step back - "yn" he whispered, "i dont know why i- fuck, why did i fucking do that? im sorry, listen to me im sorry-" "you're sorry?" you scoffed, "take that sorry and shove it up your fucking ass" - with that, you were gone. finding yourself back at the party, gulping down pint after pint of booze till you woke up with a hammering headache and a pair of foreign arms wrapped around your torso - and when you turned to look at it, you missed the familiar green locks of hair - but fuck roronoa zoro, right?
sanji:
- im so so so so so sorry but i cannot write anything for this man. if he's with you, he's down bad.
504 notes · View notes
diana-rose-25 · 5 months
Text
— Let's Dance
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3
Style Inspiration
pairing/s: BEBE! Bada Lee x Jam Republic! Reader x Wolf'Lo! Chocol
warnings: None so far, an unrealistic description of being an exchange foreign student, might confuse some words in ballet (as most of them are only through research and not based on experience).
description: A professional ballet dancer in Street Woman Fighter Season 2? (Y/N) Bae, a 23-year-old ballet and dance prodigy enters the fighting arena alongside the infamously known crew, Jam Republic. Making the team's aura far more intimidating despite being clad in soft pink and white clothing, adorned with astonished faces and friendly smiles. As the young woman entered the arena with curious eyes and small smile, the other teams couldn't help but awe at her beauty and elegant aura, unknowingly capturing the eyes of two charismatic dancers.
word count: 9.3k
status: unedited
now listening to:
Tumblr media
"Monika, our fight judge. What will be your criteria today?" Kang Daniel, the host, asked Monika once the commotion has died down. 
"Honestly, some of the dance leaders here have been a dance contest judge for a long time. So, I dare say, I'll be cruelly objective and consider only what I see here. I won't consider my seniors' achievements in the past but only by result."
Shownu followed up next. “Based on what I’ve learned in my music career, and my sincere love for this show, I’ll evaluate your dance honestly.”
“Everybody in here is a professional. I don’t need to tell you that, and it’s going to be whoever’s day it is today. I have much respect for all of you guys. I’ll do my best to be a perfect judge for you today.” Mike Song concluded. 
(Y/N) nodded and clapped in appreciation. The fact that the judges said their objectives loudly and unapologetically made her breathe a sigh of relief. Especially since her senior and former teacher, Baby Sleek, is a participant of this competition. In her mind, and mostly the minds of the others, Baby Sleek is untouchable on the dance floor. 
Her heart dropped at the thought of battling one-on-one with her former teacher. She is confident in her skills and talent on the dance floor, but facing off against Baby Sleek – she’ll be lucky if she even gets one vote from the judges. Everything she learned about freestyle dancing and hip hop stems from her. 
The final person to be introduced was none other than DJ SOM before the rules of the challenge were explained. Each dancer will be given 40 seconds to dance. When it’s over, the judges will hold up their cards to decide the winner. But if two or more judges ask for a rematch, the two dancers will dance at the same time to determine the winner. According to the results, the crew will get a chip to put it on the crew board and count the wins and losses. 
“No Respect, Battle with the Weakest Dancer. We’ll begin Round One!” The room burst into cheers once again when Kang Daniel announced the official start of the battle. 
(Y/N) held up her interlinked hands with Ling and Emma as she cheered and stomped her feet in excitement. “Let’s go!” 
“Oh my gosh, it’s starting!” Ling exclaimed, turning from side to side to warm up her body.
“I’m so nervous right now,” Emma admitted and leaned against (Y/N). The older girl giggled at her team mate and wrapped her arm around her. Running her hand up and down against the younger one’s arm to soothe her nerves. 
“I know! Me too, but this is all so exciting!” 
“Easy for you to say,” Ling nudged her. “You’re the most experienced freestyle battler in here other than Emma.” 
“That doesn’t make it any less nerve-wrecking, Ling.” She nudged the girl back and squeezed her hand. They turned their attention back to the MC as he’s about to announce who will open the first dance battle of the season. “Who do you think it’s going to be?” 
(Y/N) shrugged, “I don’t know. Hopefully they start out the season with a bang.” 
“The first dancer for the first battle is…” 
Jam Republic leaned in their seats in anticipation, holding their breath for as long as Kang Daniel trailed off. Hearts throbbing against their chest.
“From 1MILLION, Redy.” The 1MILLION crew immediately stands up from their seat to cheer their fellow member on. A tall girl clad in white cap, white long-sleeved clothing, and dark jeans stands up and makes her way down the seats. 
From what (Y/N) could recall from the evaluation, Redy started dancing at 16 years old with a unique style. To her surprise, Redy was older than her by 2 years despite looking so young. 
“I wonder who her No Respect Dancer is,” (Y/N) thought as she leaned back in her seat. “Do you think it’s one of us?” 
“Doubt it,” answered Emma. “she might pick someone whose style is completely different from her. Or pick someone she has a bad blood with, it’s not uncommon.”
(Y/N) hummed in agreement, feeling her body relax. What Emma said earlier was true, it isn’t uncommon when it comes to dance offs. Some people tend to choose their opponents based on their past. Personally, she finds the means distasteful and unprofessional; but, it can’t be helped. She, herself, had experienced to being picked for the same reason when she was on competitions. 
“If she picks someone she has beef with, do you think she’ll give us a good fight or not?” Emma shook her head in response. 
“Probably not, it’s usually not a good idea to pick someone from the past. Emotions and tensions could rise and get in the way of a good freestyle.” 
“That’s true,” (Y/N) nodded as she watches Redy walk in front to the center of the arena with a microphone between her hands. 
As Redy started to speak, she walked towards the space of Wolf’Lo, surprising them and (Y/N). “Oh my gosh is she picking one of them?” The girl held her hand up to her mouth in shock when the girl clad in white continued to walk towards the orange team.
“The No Respect Dancer, I choose…” Redy trailed off once again and (Y/N) couldn’t help but smile at her braveness if she ever picks one of the dancer from Wolf’Lo. 
She then turned to the other way, making (Y/N) puff out her cheeks in disappointment. As heavy as the tension is right now, one member of Wolf’Lo couldn’t help but grin at her adorable (from what she noticed so far) mannerisms. 
Jam Republic watches as Redy takes a u turn and walks to the other side of the arena as she announces who her No Respect Dancer is, “it’s Bada of BEBE.” 
The arena erupted in cheers. (Y/N) shoots up from her seat with a squeal and watches as Bada nods her head and stands up, flipping the bottled water in her hand as she did so. 
“That was so cool,” she whispered with a quiet, girlish giggle. Ling and Emma laughed at their team member and joined her as she stands up, wanting to see the commotion clearly. 
“Bada isn’t even dancing yet,” Ling teased to which (Y/N) just hushed her. 
“She’s the famous, trendy choreographer right?” The ballet dancer nodded to Emma’s question.
“Her strongest link is making choreographies. Most popular K-pop dances was made by her. Since she’s more known for her choreographed works, I’m excited to see her freestyle.”  
The two dancers began pacing around in the dance floor. There was a noticeable heavy tension in the air as they both prepare for the fight. Everyone is talking about their past, making the atmosphere heavier than it already was. 
“Redy of 1MILLION, you chose Bada of BEBE as your No Respect Dancer.” Kang Daniel started. 
“I don’t respect you, that’s it.” Redy stated bluntly. Bada placed a hand to her ear as she talks, mockingly insinuating that she’s listening closely to what she says. The room erupted in cheers, even judge Mike has his jaw on the floor. 
“Not Redy, Soo Bin!” Bada exclaimed, using Redy’s real name. “You’re still an eight-grader to me.” 
(Y/N)’s eyes widened at the drama that was unfolding right in front of her, wishing she has something she can chew or sip on as she watches their back and forth. A shocked laugh escaped her mouth when Bada called her an eight-grader. 
“Wait, what did she say?” Ling questions when her ear piece stops working momentarily, unable to catch the insult Bada threw at her opponent. Her expression turned to shock immediately after (Y/N) translated it to her. “Oh, damn. She’s a gangster right?” 
“Yeah,” Latrice said, “I like her energy.” 
Jam Republic laughs as Redy mimicked a baby by placing her thumb to between her lips. (Y/N) claps her hands in excitement as Kang Daniel announces the first attack to be made by Redy followed by Bada.
“Let’s go!” She shouts, bouncing on her toes. 
“The two dancers’ battle begins now. You guys ready?!” (Y/N) claps even harder when she heard the infamous line. “Fight!” 
Music filled the arena and the lights dimmed, the 40 second timer appeared on the huge screen and all dancers are hyped to watch the fight. The first beats of the music started and Redy started grooving into the music, her members cheering her on from behind her. 
(Y/N) watched with keen eyes as Redy danced. The older girl was flexible, that’s for sure, and she is hitting the beats. Redy’s style was certainly unique. However, in her opinion, it lacks in any form of wow factor. 
She still cheered and clapped her hands afterwards and the music switched, signalling Bada’s turn. Her voice increased in volume when Bada spins and comes up to Redy’s face, standing tall to enunciate their height difference without the use of words. 
“I hate it when people use their height!” She giggled when she heard Chocol whined. 
“Oh my gosh!”
“Oh my gosh, she’s so tall!” Ling and (Y/N) exclaimed at the same time. The latter girl hides her face in her hand, parting her fingers so she can still see the battle as she feels them become hot. Their eyes momentarily meets for a second and she swore the corners of Bada’s lips curved up for a second. 
The eye contact didn’t last long when Bada suddenly swats the air on the top of Redy’s head. (Y/N)’s eyes stayed glued to Bada’s dancing, mesmerized at the clean and sharp moves she does. She couldn’t help but cheer at the way Bada hits each beat of the music and the way she grooves. Bada’s time comes to an end as she spits the piece of paper in her mouth. The room erupted in cheers and claps and at the end of the battle. 
“What the heck,” Ling said in astonishment as they sit back down. 
“That was so good,” (Y/N) said. “A great battle to start off the season.”
Everyone returned to their respective seats as Redy, Bada, and Kang Daniel stands at the center for the announcement of the results. When the cards flipped, 3 blue cards appeared at the judge’s hands. 
Team BEBE cheered as they secured their first win, and Bada certainly secured a title for herself as one of the most talented and skilled individuals of the show. The dancers returned to their seats as the judges tells their thoughts about the battle. 
“I was impressed by both of you,” Shownu started, “Redy of 1MILLION shocked me. But, I reckon that Bada’s move suited the song more and she was more relaxed.” 
“I’ll be honest to help you improve, you’re still and eighth-grader even from my point of view.” Emma, Ling, and (Y/N)’s mouth parted in shock at Monika’s comment, feeling bad for the 1MILLION dancer. “But, Bada is certainly out of this league.” 
“Damn,” was (Y/N)’s only comment – watching as BEBE place their first chip on the win score board and Bada attach the chip on the lose side of 1MILLION’s board. 
⁽⁠⁽⁠ଘ⁠(⁠ ⁠ˊ⁠ᵕ⁠ˋ⁠ ⁠)⁠ଓ⁠⁾⁠⁾
A short break was conducted after the first battle between Bada and Redy. Jam Republic sat around in a circle as they debriefed about the event earlier. As they talked however, (Y/N) couldn’t help but point out the several eyes that is currently looking in their direction. More specifically: 
“You got a lot of eyes on you Kirsten,” she whispered towards her leader. “Not just the dancers, but the judges as well.” 
“Really?” Kirsten smiles before she looks around. Sure enough, there were several dancers looking at her direction, even Monika and Shownu. 
The rest of the team giggled when Kirsten smiled giddily at them, feeling a burst in her confidence. 
“I think they’re looking forward to see you dance,” Latrice tapped her shoulders. They returned to their original positions when Kang Daniel came back to the center. 
“The next dancer to participate in the one-on-one battle is,” he pauses for dramatic effect. “Jam Republic’s Kirsten!” 
The room once again erupted in cheers and claps as the most anticipated dancer of the season smiles and makes her way towards the middle. 
“Hello,” the leader greeted with a chuckle. “No Respect Dancer that I would like to defeat…”
As she trailed off, the dancers’ eyes shift from side-to-side in anticipation with a touch of agitation and intimidation. They could feel Kirsten’s intimidation aura, and most of them are terrified at the thought of going one-on-one with her. 
“Waackxxxy.” She said, gesturing to the said dancer who grinned from her seat. 
The teams and even Monika acclaims in delight as they are about to witness a great battle between two, strong dancers. 
From the evaluation, Waackxxxy is a phenomenal dancer with powerful moves and an unmatched energy. Kirsten immediately picked her as her No Respect Dancer to push herself. Jam Republic and Mannequeen members stands behind their respective dancer who will compete on one-on-one. 
“When I watched the video, you were world-class and I would love to take you on. Let’s Battle.” Waackxxxy nodded her head in appreciation. The other dancers and Monika praised Kirsten for her admirable action to take on a strong battler. 
“Thank you so much for liking my video and class, but, I’ll show you my dance. Okay, let’s go.” (Y/N) clasped her hands in front of her and rests her chin on top of it, hyped for the battle between her leader and the well-known international dancer, Waackxxxy. 
“Let’s go Kirsten!” She cheered. 
“The world-class choreographer and the world-class waacking dancer. The battle of the two dancer begins now. You guys ready? Fight!” 
The DJ starts the music and Waackxxxy of Mannequeen goes first. From the get-go, everyone could see the charisma and the reason why Waackxxxy is considered as a world-class battler. Her body control and energy is so insane that Jam Republic couldn’t help but also hype her up. 
Waackxxxy ended her time with a strong side-eye on Kirsten’s direction. When the switch was announced, (Y/N) started jumping up and down as she cheered loudly for her leader. 
“Come on, Kirsten! Bring it!” Latrice yelled. 
The screams increased when Kirsten and Waackxxxy circled each other, following the beat of the music. 
“That was fu- insane!” Ling and Latrice laughed hysterically when a curse word almost escaped (Y/N)’s mouth. 
Jam Republic continued to cheer their leader on as the battle went on. (Y/N) was so hyped that she slipped and lost her footing momentarily. Luckily, someone immediately stabilizes her before she could fall. 
(Y/N) looks up to thank the person who caught her, only to blush brightly as her eyes met Bada’s shadow-covered eyes and a concerned face. 
“Are you okay?” Bada asked, still holding onto her elbow. 
She hummed and flashed her a grin. “Mhm, thank you!” 
They stared at each other for a few moments with a small smile and blush dusting their faces without saying a word. It’s as if it was just the two of them in the room together as the noises seem to quiet down, fading into the background. 
(Y/N) snapped out of it when Kang Daniel announced the end of the battle, immediately turn to find Kirsten walking towards their side. She thanks Bada one last time before rushing to her leader’s side to congratulate her for the amazing battle. 
Bada remained standing there, running her hand on the back of her nape to will her pounding heart to calm down. A grin makes it way to her face as she returns to her seat, not noticing Lusher who saw the whole interaction and is hiding a smile behind her hand. Making a mental note to tease her leader about it later. 
The judges showed their cards. Monika and Mike holds both cards for Jam Republic and Mannequeen, signalling a rematch between both dancers.
The rematch starts and both dancers still held their ground as they showed two variation of dance style. It ended up with another rematch when Monika showed 2 cards, much to the surprise of everyone. 
“I can only choose one?” She asked exasperatedly, clearly in distress to choose between the two when Kang Daniel nodded and held up one finger. “That’s insane. I can’t do that!” 
“Whoever you pick will be the winner. The victory lies in your hands.” 
(Y/N) feels her heart pound against her chest, holding her clasped hands against her and prayed for Jam Republic’s first win. “Please, please, please, please.” She muttered underneath her breath. 
“Here I go,” Monika concluded. The count down started until finally, she held up a pink card. 
Kirsten cemented Jam Republic’s first win. 
Jam Republic cheered while Mannequeen slumped their shoulder in dejection. 
“Great job, Kirsten!” (Y/N) cheered as she gave Kirsten a side hug and a grin. 
“That was insane!” 
“Good job!” They praised their leader. 
Across the room, Waackxxxy is visibly enraged and disappointed with the results of the battle. 
“In this last round, both dancers were at the same level.” Mike Song stated. “But Kirsten grabbed my attention a little more.”
“That was such a great battle. It was so energizing. The reason I chose Kirsten at the end, was that she made the song come alive a bit more and I weighed that more importantly. Rather than being too serious, I had no choice but to give it to the person expressing the song. That’s why I hope you understand my decision. Although it was a very difficult one.” Monika concluded. 
(Y/N) clapped enthusiastically as Kirsten place a winning chip on their score board. That happiness didn’t last long however, when Kang Daniel announced the next opponent. Another member of Mannequeen, Yoonji. 
From the dancer’s expression, the anger was obvious from the way stomped down the seats and towards the middle. 
“I’m so scared,” Ling said and Emma agreed. 
“She seems crazy.” The younger one replied, feeling on edge because of Yoonji’s attitude. 
(Y/N) sits stiffly on her seat, eyes narrowed and feels goosebumps crawl up her arms and neck. “She looks like she’s plotting revenge,” she stated lowly. 
They watch as Yoonji paced around back and forth in agitation.
“I’m very angry right now,” she confessed, still pacing around. “Mannequeen has come here as the crew known to be the strongest in battles. I think it’s time we showed that.” 
(Y/N) smirked at her insinuation, finding it a tad difficult to believe since Baby Sleek and her crew is also a part of this competition. 
“I’ve said this already, but who’s the one chewing up and spitting out battles lately?” Yoonji said, making a beeline towards 1MILLION and standing in front of Lia Kim. 
“This battle. I can show you later.” (Y/N) let out a sharp laugh when Yoonji left Lia Kim alone as soon as she got there. She’s certainly entertaining. 
“Kirsten, come out girl,” Yoonji suddenly stated quite forcefully as she gestured Kirsten to come out. The woman mentioned gave a small smile to Yoonji as she stands up and place her jacket on her sear. 
(Y/N) couldn’t help but tilt her head to the side and bit her bottom lip in annoyance, feeling rather protective of her leader. 
“I’m going to take revenge for my sister. Come out, girl!” 
(Y/N) huffed as she immediately followed her leader and stand 2 feet directly behind her, eyes narrowed and focused on Yoonji. The other members of Jam Republic soon followed with nervous smiles on their faces, but the latter members face was devoid of any emotion. 
“I’m going to show you who is the hottest girl in South Korea!” Yoonji exclaimed as her crew cheered her on. “You know, girl? I’m going to show you.” 
When (Y/N) saw Yoonji walk towards Kirsten and got near her face, a small smile graced her lips – devoid of any humour, as she too walked towards Kirsten, standing directly behind her and held her elbow. She stands tall in front of Yoonji and looks down at her, taking inspiration from Bada Lee and uses her height for advantage, to which Team BEBE squealed. 
The other crew also howled in astonishment as she did so. 
“Bada-unnie you influenced her already?!” Tatter exclaimed as she shakes her leader’s arm back and forth.
“What is it with tall people and comparing heights?! I’m so jealous right now!” Bada laughs as her members whined. She leaned forward in her seat with her hands clasped together, feeling oddly satisfied with the way (Y/N) seemed to copy her move. 
While Kirsten nodded gracefully at her opponent, (Y/N) snickers when Yoonji’s gaze flickered upon her for a moment before going back to the other side where her crew is. 
(Y/N) slightly pulled Kirsten back and leans down to whisper in her ear, “you okay?” 
Kirsten, not the slightest bit intimidated, just nodded at her with a grin. “Word, she says ass fat.” The taller girl laughed at her leader when she stuck her tongue out. 
“(Y/N) is so scary now!” 
“She’s giving off protective older sibling vibes oh my gosh!” Mina Myoung exclaimed, watching as (Y/N) now jokes along with the other members. “Look at how she switches! She’s back to being all smiley now!” 
“What were you teaching her Baby Sleek?!” Haechi asked after witnessing it. The older girl said nothing but gave her a shrugged shoulder and a proud smile. 
Chocol said nothing but continues to watch with a small smirk, loving the feisty and protective attitude of the taller girl of the pink team. Hoping that after the show, she’ll come running to Baby Sleek so she can have an excuse to finally introduce herself. 
Or maybe, she’ll have the chance to introduce herself on the dance floor. Maybe flirt a little as well. 
“I’m going to show you who is the queen!” Mannequeen cheered as Yoonji yelled before mocking the moves of Kirsten earlier by swaying her hips from side-to-side. The yellow-team crew member gives her a side-eye, looking up at her up and down in a condescending manner. 
Kirsten, unbothered, just smiled at her opponent. The same can’t be said towards her ballet dancer member who was seething in annoyance. 
“I’m excited,” Kirsten started. “Let’s see. We’re here in Korea now, so, let’s see.” 
The members of the crew once again stood behind their respective member competing. Yoonji and Kirsten paced around as they prepare themselves. 
“We have Yoonji from Mannequeen going first.” Kang Daniel announced. Yoonji immediately went to the front and strike up a pose. “Jam Republic’s Kirsten will go in second.” 
(Y/N) sat beside Latrice and Ling as the host began, “the next battle between these two dancers, are you guys ready?! Let’s go! Fight!” 
Yoonji moves her body as the first beat of the music starts, starting off strong and fierce. (Y/N) bites her lip out of irritation when she mockingly hits Kirsten with her elbow, to the point where she almost believed it hits her leader when Kirsten played along. 
The Mannequeen dancer ended her dance strong when she made her way towards where the judges are, much to the delight of everyone. 
“She’s a great dancer, but I think she got a tad bit overemotional,” (Y/N) whispered towards Latrice as she claps after her performance. The latter girl nods in agreement before standing up in excitement when the host announces the switch, meaning, its Kirsten’s turn to perform. 
(Y/N) bounces on her toes with a huge grin on her face as she watches her leader dance. Even more so when she dances around Yoonji’s figure without touching her, showing the immense amount of body control she has. Jam Republic watched with a face of impress and admiration, shouting in delight when Kirsten snaps her hips. 
“That was insane!” She exclaimed once the battle ended. It wasn’t long before the judges showed the cards of the winning result of the battle. 
And three yellow cards were faced. 
Mannequeen cheers loudly for the victory while Jam Republic claps their hand. Sure, the battle didn’t end up in their favour, but it is understandable since Yoonji conveyed a lot through her dance. 
Once the emotion of frustration simmered down, Yoonji shakes Kirsten’s hand with a smile and pulls her for a hug. Thanking her for the battle and saying I love you to her. 
On their way to their seats, (Y/N) wrapped her arm around Kirsten’s shoulder and congratulated her, saying the same to Yoonji when they passed her by. Although the battle was intense and heated, there was no point in starting unwanted rivalry outside of the dance floor. 
⁽⁠⁽⁠ଘ⁠(⁠ ⁠ˊ⁠ᵕ⁠ˋ⁠ ⁠)⁠ଓ⁠⁾⁠⁾
Another break was conducted after a few battles from Jam Republic and other teams. Emma, Latrice, Audrey, and Ling had already participated in their own respective battles. Ling battled against Cera which takes her by surprise, both of them had chosen her as their No Respect Dancer to push themselves. (Y/N) is the only Jam Republic member who have yet to battle anyone.
“(Y/N) has yet to dance, right?” A member from Deep N’ Dap says, looking at the direction of the Jam Republic who was talking animatedly with her team. 
“Mhm, I’m really excited to see her dance though.” Another member responded. 
However, the long wait is about to be over. 
“The next challenger of the battle, Cera of Mannequeen.” 
Howls and cheers rang through the arena, everyone had witnessed the intense and captivating performance of Cera earlier when she battled Ling. The member of Mannequeen adorned in her iconic green dress made her way towards the center with a smirk on her face, her members cheers as they follow closely behind her. 
 A mic was handed to her, the crowd became silent, and she walks around. 
“The No Respect Dancer I chose to battle…” she trails off, making her way towards 1MILLION. 
“From 1MILLION?” Mini questioned as she watches Cera stop right in front of the white team. The members looked up at her with their hearts on their throat, terrified of the idea that one of them has to face off against her. 
“My No Respect Dancer…” she trails off again, but this time, she walks towards the next team. “Is Jam Republic’s (Y/N). Come on.” 
Everyone’s lost their minds as Cera called out the Jam Republic dancer. 
“Yehey!” Audrey cheered – shooting up from her seat with a bounce on her step. 
“Wah! This is like the battle of the Prima Ballerina’s!” Harimu yelled from her stand.
(Y/N)’s cheeks puffed as it’s filled with water, Cera called her in the middle of her taking a sip, but she didn’t complain. It’s just hard for her to grin with all the water in her cheeks. Though, everyone can still see the joy in her eyes. 
She gulped down everything and stands up with a clap, grinning from ear-to-ear as she bows in greeting to Cera, holding her hands against her chest. They make their way to the center of the arena with their team following closely behind them. The two dancers stand in between Kang Daniel, standing tall with microphones handed to each of them. She bows one more time towards Cera before standing tall with a smile on her face, excited to battle one of the strongest battlers in the show.
Her opponent clad in green dress bows along with her before standing up straight and switched her face into battle mode – a stoic face with an arched brow, as if wanting to end her. (Which, not gonna lie, (Y/N) 100% will let her). 
“Cera of Mannequeen,” Kang Daniel began, “why did you pick (Y/N) as your No Respect Dancer?” 
“It’s not that I don’t respect (Y/N) as a dancer,” Cera started, holding the mic to her lips with one hand. “Quite the opposite actually, but, it’s time to show the people who the best ballerina battler is.” 
The whole arena cheers and awes at what Cera said whilst (Y/N) just giggled and nodded her head. If there was one thing she always takes pride in, it’s her dancing skills and techniques in ballet. 
“Cera-unnie, first of all, thank you for choosing me as your No Respect Dancer.” She bows down again, “however, if I am to prove anything to everyone here today – is that ballet is my style, and I am one of the best out there.” 
Amidst the loud roars of the others dancers in the background, Ling, Kirsten, and Audrey’s cheers seems to be the loudest among them. 
Cera smirked at the determination of her opponent keeping eye contact with her, and (Y/N) didn’t back down. 
The two dancers briefly walked back to the side where their crew members are at for a warm-up, and (Y/N) takes this opportunity to remove her sneakers to change into the dance shoes. 
“Is she changing her shoes for this battle?” Monika questioned – perplexed and intrigued. Mike Song just grins widely as he leaned forward, excited at the intense battle that is about to happen. 
“Wah, she’s changing her shoes,” Bada commented, looking at the Jam Republic dancer who is currently leaning to one of her members while adjusting her shoes. “She’s putting her best foot forward for this battle.” 
Tatter and Lusher agreed, keeping their eyes trained on the ballet dancer, eager to watch her dance. 
“You got this girl,” Latrice said. Offering her arm for (Y/N) to stabilize herself as she changes her shoes. “Show her and everyone what you’re made of.” 
“Thank you,” (Y/N) replied. Jumping in her place to feel the shoes beneath her feet. 
“Kill everyone who doubted you with your dance.” Jam Republic laughed at the seriousness in Audrey’s voice, taken aback by her. 
The lights dimmed once the two dancers made their way towards the center, Kang Daniel exchanged glances with the two women in the middle of the dance floor with a smile on his face. 
“The battle between two ballerina dancers will begin now. You guys ready?!” Kang Daniel announced. Cera and (Y/N) eyed each other up and down, one with a stoic, daring look, standing tall and elegantly, while the other is currently sporting a small smile on her lips as she cracks her head from side-to-side. 
“Let’s go (Y/N)!” 
“Show them what you’ve got!” 
“Kill this battle (Y/N)!” 
The other Jam Republic members cheers can be heard from all over the room before the battle can even begin. 
“Fight!” 
The music started playing as soon as Kang Daniel said the word. Cera starts her iconic slow walk while keeping her eye-contact with (Y/N). It’s quite intimidating, but (Y/N) held her ground, admiring the determination in Cera’s eyes. 
Cera started moving her arms at each beat of the music, before adding her own twists and turns before she does her iconic leg move. (Y/N)’s face scrunched up in disgust, indicating a sick and impressive move done by her opponent as she hits every beat of the music. 
The Mannequeen dancer comes close to you, pointing at you with a single finger and pointing it up and down your figure. (Y/N) bit her lower lip as she arched her brow and titled her head. Leaning her head down a bit to stare at Cera with lidded yet seductive eyes. 
The whole crowd went crazy with her looks. 
She can’t deny the charisma and confidence of Cera in this battle, the latter really is showing years of experience in battling and the undeniable musicality she seemingly naturally possess. 
As Cera’s time comes to an end, you used a sign language taught to you by Baby Sleek and signalled her to hurry up – much to the surprise of the other members of Wolf’Lo. 
“She knows how to use it?!” Yeni asks in surprise, bringing her hands up to her head. Baby Sleek is the only one looking focused at the battle, eager for you to showcase your dance while the others had their jaws dropped. 
Kang Daniel counts the last 3 seconds of Cera’s time, the woman comes close to your face and circled you whilst flipping your hair – just like what she did to Ling, before walking back confidently to the side of her team. 
“3, 2, 1, switch! (Y/N) of Jam Republic!” 
The members of Jam Republic screamed once the opening of Partition by Beyonce starts playing. (Y/N) smirks, stepping slowly forward towards the middle, mimicking a seductive wave after she flips her hair once the “hey, Ms. Carter” starts playing. 
Everyone went wild once the beat drops – along with (Y/N) as she suddenly drops down to her knees and starts to doing some sensual floor works. The judges and competitors alike went ballistic at her opening moves, and it was just beginning. 
(Y/N) kept her eyes on Cera the whole time, still with that lidded gaze. She slowly stands up, spinning fast with the beat in an insanely clean and controlled manner. She then did some popping and locking, showcasing her prowess in other styles of dancing other than ballet much to the delight of the judges and her team mates. She hits every beat of the song while sometimes taking the lyrics into account of her movements – showing a great control of her body and unparallel musicality.
“This is so crazy!” Monika yells as she keeps her eyes trained at (Y/N). 
Chocol couldn’t look at anywhere else once (Y/N) started dancing. She has her arms crossed against her chest as she watches intensely with a impressed smirk plastered on her face. She walks down the steps to have a better view of the dancer dancing before her. 
She finds it impressive at how she uses various techniques and moves of ballet and other styles to incorporate it in her moves. It looks complicated, but she makes it look so seemless and effortless. 
Bada, on the other side of the arena, finds it hard to contain her emotions as she watches the Jam Republic dancer. She’s constantly shouting, impressed by the moves executed by the young dancer. She holds onto her cap as her jaw drops once (Y/N) did an aerial. 
She claps and screams along with the rest of her team as she continues to watch her with a starstruck gaze and jaw dropped. Lusher takes one glance at Bada before she bursts out laughing. 
“Oh my gosh your totally whipped Bada-unnie!” She laughs, slapping Bada’s arm as she threw her head back. 
Bada immediately flushed red and attempted to cover it with a cough, but it still wasn’t enough to tear away her gaze from the performing dancer of the pink team. 
While (Y/N) remained oblivious to the pairs of eyes staring at her, she focused on ending her battle with a bang. As Kang Daniel signals the last 5 seconds of her time, she makes her way towards Cera – mimicking the way she circled around her earlier, but with her own seductive walk. She stopped in front of her, bending down to her eye level whilst blowing a kiss with a wink, wiggling her fingers in a goodbye motion before walking back to her team with a smile and playing with her hair as she shakes her head from side-to-side. 
(Y/N)’s members hyped her up as she walks towards them. She laughs as Audrey and Ling jokingly bows down to her like a royalty, making the others follow soon after. She covers her laughs underneath her hands to also hide the redness that’s painting her cheeks. 
Everyone went ballistic. Screaming their heads off at the intense yet entertainingly fun battle between the ballerina’s of Mannequeen and Jam Republic. 
She then turns back around to face Cera who has a smile on her face, bowing down at her in gratitude for the battle. She continued bowing to everyone who was still in shock by the battle – her heart swelled with pride once she sees Monika standing up with a shocked smile on her lips as well as Mike Song and Shownu who were clapping. 
“Good girl, (Y/N)!” Baby Sleek yells, clapping her hands. The mentioned girl heard it and snaps her head towards her, holding her hands to her chest before bowing deeply. She can feel tears well up in her eyes but she shakes her head to avoid them from falling down. 
Her former teacher praised her loudly and openly. The highest compliment she could ever receive from this competition. 
“That was intense!” Lusher exclaimed, sitting back down in her seat once the commotion started dying down. 
“They really showed their battling skills. Their confidence is through the roof!” Mini exclaimed. “Honestly, whoever wins this deserves it.” 
(Y/N) and Cera makes their way back to the center of the dance floor. Breathing heavily after the intense battle they shared. 
“Fight judges,” Kang Daniel starts, “cards open.”
(Y/N) could hear her heart ponding against her chest and in her ears as she fiddles with her fingers. All the judges visibly look like they’re having a hard time deciding on their choices. She reminds herself that whatever the outcome of the battle is, she gave it her best. Yet, she still wants to secure a win for her team. 
And then, the cards are flipped. 
And everyone cheered. 
Monika holds two cards – pink and yellow. 
While Shownu and Mike Songs holds a single, pink card. 
(Y/N) almost drops to the ground because of relief. 
Cera and Mannequeen sighs in defeat and in dismay while the Jam Republic members – specifically Audrey, Ling, and Kirsten, cheers loudly. 
(Y/N) makes her way towards Cera and offers her hand, “you are amazing! I love your dance! You are simply amazing out there and thank you for the wonderful battle. It was an honour to compete with you. I hope we can be good friends in the future because you are simply just amazing!” 
Cera coos at the adorable ramble of her opponent and pulls her to a hug. “Thank you, thank you too for that battle. I love you, you’re amazing too out there! We must definitely meet up sometime after this.” 
(Y/N) grins and pats her back before they separate. “We should do this more often!” Cera laughs before she and her team makes their way towards their seats.
“Way to go (Y/N)!” Kirsten exclaims as she holds onto her arm. 
“You really killed it out there!” 
“Thank you guys, that was so great. I really want to be close friends with Cera now.” Ling giggles at her comment.
The rest of her team continues to praise her with compliments and congratulations on their way back to their seats. As (Y/N) makes eye contact with her former teacher, she flashes her a grin and a thumbs up. Baby Sleek returns her gestures with a wink and a nod. 
Kirsten adds a win chip to their board while (Y/N) makes her way towards Mannequeen to place a lose chip on their board, bowing down at the members and thanking them for a wonderful fight. 
“I can’t even be mad at her,” Yoonji starts, “she’s too polite for me to be mad at us loosing.” 
“The whole team is,” Redlic agrees. 
“Judge Mike Song, why did you choose (Y/N) as the winner?” Kang Daniel asks once everyone settled down to their seats. 
“First of all, the two dancers are very powerful and seasoned in battles – they showed it to us! It was one of the very entertaining and very fun battles this day that’s for sure, and for that, I want to thank the two of you.” 
(Y/N) and Cera bows their head in gratitude with huge smiles on their faces and everyone claps. Kirsten and Latrice pats their team mate of her shoulders with a grin on their faces. 
“Choosing between the two of you is almost torture!” Mike Song jokingly sighs with a shake of his head, causing everyone to laugh at his dramatic tone. “However, the reason I chose (Y/N) at the end is because of the versatility she showcased us. The body control, the movements, the flow of each step was like water! It was so fluid and she did it with such grace and confidence. So, (Y/N), I hope to see more of you in this competition, because you really killed it out there.”
(Y/N) couldn’t help but stand and bow deeply towards Mike Song and thanked him. The rest of the crews claps and awes at the high praise the member of Jam Republic received from one of the respectable judges. 
“That’s one of the highest praise someone got from the judges today,” Mina Myoung commented. “Looks like Kirsten is not the only force of nature in Jam Republic.” 
“Their team just got a lot more intimidating.” Nob commented, looking at Jam Republic. 
“I entered this show so sure of my preference and sexuality, but tell me why Bada and (Y/N) are making me question it?” Deep N Dap members laughs at the unexpected comment Downy made. 
⁽⁠⁽⁠ଘ⁠(⁠ ⁠ˊ⁠ᵕ⁠ˋ⁠ ⁠)⁠ଓ⁠⁾⁠⁾
It wasn’t long before Mike Song’s request for more battles came true. 
“The next challenger of the battle,” Kang Daniel began, pausing once again for the dramatic effects. “Is Chocol from Wolf’Lo.” 
“Oh right! Let’s go!” Haechi cheers, shaking Chocol by her shoulders as the older dancer makes her way down the seats. Per usual, her crew follows close behind her. 
“I wonder who she chose,” Emma comments after taking a sip from her water, “her team is kinda scary.” 
(Y/N) and Ling hums in agreement, watching the crew in front of them in silent. Silently terrified at the thought of battling against one of them. Though (Y/N) is confident in her skills and unafraid to show them, Wolf’Lo is just on another level. 
Chocol takes the microphone that’s handed to her, licking her lips as she starts to walk around.
“The No Respect Dancer I choose,” she began, making her way towards Lady Bounce who tenses up from their seats. 
She gave a slight smirk to Nob and Biggy who visibly gulps down the saliva stuck down their throats. Chocol enjoyed teasing them, making them think that she’s choosing one of them, but then, she skipped backwards without looking back before suavely turning around and jogs lightly towards the pink team. “Is Jam Republic’s (Y/N)” 
“My god my heart,” Nob says. Holding onto her chest as she breathes out a sigh of relief and leans backwards. 
(Y/N) smiles, standing up from her seat from the top and sets down the Jam Republic banner in her hand. Before she can take a single step down, she saw a hand in front of her. When she looks at who the hand belongs to, it leads down to Chocol, waiting for her at the bottom with her arm outstretched. 
“Oh, okay,” Kirsten said teasingly as she and Latrice moved to the side to make way for (Y/N).
“Special treatment, I see you.” Latrice added.
Everyone awes at the action, more so when (Y/N) places her hand on Chocol’s with a smile before descending down the seats. 
“It’s like a prince charming guiding a princess,” Redy said, leaning forward with her hands on the bottom of her chin. “I’m so jealous right now.” 
“What in the story book cliché is this?” Yoonji stomps her feet jokingly, “why didn’t I get that kind of treatment?” 
“Yah, you threatened her leader earlier to a dance battle with a scary façade and you expect the others not to be afraid of you?” Buckey jokingly replies which made everyone burst out laughing and Yoonji to pout. 
“Tsk.” Bada clicked her tongue as she watches Chocol guide (Y/N) to the dance floor with their hands still intertwined with narrowed eyes. “Honestly, this is a serious competition. Why is she being nice to her opponent?” 
Lusher hears what her leader grumbled underneath her breath, causing her to giggled and comfortingly pat her back. “Don’t worry unnie, no need to be jealous.” 
Bada snaps her head towards her sub-leader with a glare and a slight pout. “Who said anything about jealousy?” 
Lusher holds her hands up with wide eyes and downturned smile. “Nothing, nothing. I’m just teasing you.” 
Bada clicks her tongue once again in annoyance before looking back to the front with her arms crossed against her chest. Lusher and Tatter made eye-contact from each sides of Bada with knowing looks and teasing smiles. The other members of Team BEBE heard the conversation laughs silently, watching as their leader sulks down on her seat. 
“Chocol, why did you choose (Y/N) as your weakest dancer?” Kang Daniel asked. 
With their height difference, Chocol had to tilt her head up ever so slightly to make eye-contact with her opponent. She adjusted her cap with one hand as the other holds the mic to her lips. 
“Originally, I chose her because I want to see what that pretty face can bring. But from the battle earlier, we all saw it. So now, I want to see if she can bring that fire come to life again, but this time, more closely and upfront.” 
“Is she flirting with her or what?” Debby whispered to Harimu with a slight giggle. 
(Y/N) nods and rolls her tongue against her cheek, bowing her head down slightly. She tosses her hair back before answering with her now famous lidded-eye look, “if it’s fire you want, then I’ll gladly burn the stage in here, baby.” 
Everyone screams once they heard (Y/N) talk in that low-flirty way as combat against Chocol’s remarks in full English:
“Why was that so hot?!” 
“I don’t speak and understand English very well but damn!” 
“See! I told you she’s making me question everything!” 
“I understand you perfectly well now, Downy!” 
(Y/N) laughs as she hears the comments, giving the mic to her Kirsten who is now looking at her with a teasing face. 
“You better burn the stage baby,” she mimics. (Y/N) rolls her eyes at her before teasing pinching her arm. Kirsten laughs as she dodges her hand. 
(Y/N) faces her opponents team, the team of Baby Sleek. It would be a lie if she says she isn’t downright petrified right now. This is the crew with the most skilled freestyle battlers – but she was trained by the best of them. This is her chance to solidify and prove herself once again to one of the most respected teachers she had. 
Chocol bounces on her feet, preparing for the battle. (Y/N) has her hands stretching above her head as far as she can as she glances at her opponent who teasingly winks at her. She rolls her eyes and shakes her head at the playful nature of Chocol. 
Bada grumbled even more at the exchange. She doesn’t even know why she’s feeling this ugly feeling in her chest. Hell, she didn’t even have a conversation with the dancer yet, or even introduce herself! That doesn’t mean she won’t find away later, maybe she’s just bitter that someone got to befriend her before her. Yeah, maybe that’s it. She just wants to forge a friendship with the dancer first, you know, just cause.
“The battle between Wolf’Lo’s street dancer and the ballerina of Jam Republic will begin now. You guys ready?!” 
Cheers erupted from both teams and the rest of the teams, curious to see the outcome of the battle between two very different styles of dance between the two dancers.
“Fight!” 
Music filled the loud speakers of the room. Chocol nods her head to the beat to get into the groove as her team mates cheers her on. When the beat drops, she comes close to (Y/N)’s space and sways her body to the music. 
It was a bold start, (Y/N) admits, and the way Chocol moves is nothing short of hypnotic. Her body moves so fluidly yet with power as she hits every beat of the song. She definitely knows how to control body on command, if there is one thing she can describe her dance overall, it’s classic hip-hop. Effective yet timeless when it comes to battle. 
(Y/N) smirks as Chocol comes close to her face, mimicking the flying kiss she did to Cera earlier. Wanting to continue this banter, she “catches” the kiss mid-air and pretends to keep it in her pocket. 
She lets out an impress shout at Chocol’s body articulation. She began hyping her up, moving her body along with the beat while staying still in her position. Chocol’s performance is nothing short of impressive, but her competitive side is coming out, and now she wants to do better. 
As Chocol’s timer comes to an end, she once again closes in on (Y/N)’s space, this time, ending her dance by mockingly pointing at her figure up and down and another flying kiss which caused another uproar from the side of Deep N Dap
“That should be me!” Someone shouts. 
“5, 4, 3, 2, 1, switch! Jam Republic’s (Y/N)!”
A familiar laugh echoes through the room, before the beginning lyrics of Gangsta by Kehlani plays. (Y/N) lets out a wide smirk and tilts her head to the side. 
My turn.
Audrey began screaming her head off once the familiar music fills the air. She danced with (Y/N) before during her time of travelling the world to learn new styles of dance, and if there is one thing Audrey knows for certain, (Y/N) dances very well to dark themes. 
“You got this (Y/N)! Eat. This. Up!” 
With that, the Jam Republic dancer ran her hands across her body to get into the feel of the music – which isn’t that hard. She began walking forward slowly, just like what Cera did, but with a tad bit more of sensuality. 
When the beat starts going down, her expression and articulation changes to every beat, mimicking the craziness Harley Quinn did in the movie in which the song was made of. Everyone can see where she’s going with the dance and is excited yet again. Bada and Chocol keeps their gazes focused solely on her. 
In this dance, (Y/N) focuses more on interpreting the lyrics of the song yet still hitting the necessary beat from time to time, just taking on a more contemporary approach. In contrast to Chocol’s hip-hop, she chose a genre she excels in.
Chocol smirks as she goes down towards the floor once again, expecting another floor work from her. She did, but a lot shorter and takes everyone by surprise once again. 
(Y/N) did a middle spilt before crouching down, but she didn’t get up. Instead, she takes a hold of her left foot, before initiating a single hand cartwheel – still holding onto the foot, down to a split and stands up without the use of her hands. 
Screams can be heard once again, thoroughly impressed by the never-ending amount of techniques and tricks the Jam Republic dancer seem to possess. Jam Republic members sported a disgusted looks as they cheer their fellow member on, some jumping on their places purely from the amount of adrenaline they are getting just by watching (Y/N) dance. 
They are not the only one’s though. Bada, with her cool and mysterious look she once sported, almost disappears by how much she is now yelling. Watching (Y/N) dance only increases her determination and will to befriend her and possibly collab with her and her team in the future. Bada watches with awe as (Y/N) stays true to her word: she really is setting the stage on fire. 
(Y/N) can hear her time coming to an end, she laid down on her stomach with her legs up in the air as she drags her finger to her lips, smirking seductively at Chocol. The said girl only tilted her cap and bites her bottom lip in acknowledgement.
(Y/N) held onto that pose for a few seconds, taking in the cheers and the screams of the other dancers before grinning brightly and standing up. 
“How can she possess that duality?! One moment she’s all smiles and elegant looking the next moment its as if she’s seducing me!” Downy exclaimed as she watches (Y/N) makes her way to her team with a bright smile.    
“She’s like a wolf in sheep’s clothing!” Mini said, clapping her hands after patting and congratulating Chocol on the battle.
“You were on fire baby!” Emma cheers, patting the heaving girl on the shoulders. 
“Harley Quinn definitely possessed you for a moment there!” Ling exclaims. 
“Thank you,” (Y/N) smiles at her members before turning around to face the judges on the middle. 
Chocol is one of the oldest and seasoned battlers they have, and Wolf’Lo doesn’t have a lose chip to their board yet, so, (Y/N) is prepared and had already accepted her fate that she lost this battle. 
“Fight judges,” Kang Daniel announces, “card open.”
It was a surprise that the judges seem to have their pick already and confidently, however, the result of the battle left everyone even more surprised. 
Three pink cards. 
(Y/N)’s hands flew to her mouth in shock, and this time, she actually fell to the floor in shock. Jam Republic immediately went to her side and cheered her on while Wolf’Lo nods their head in defeat but claps nonetheless. She makes her way towards Chocol to shake her hand, but before she can do that, Chocol takes her hand up to place a kiss on her knuckles, causing her to grin and flush bright red. 
Everyone who saw the interaction began teasing and cooing at the couple, some because of jealousy, others because of the *kilig. Well, most of them. A particular leader of the blue team scoffed loudly before chuging down the contents of her bottle before crushing the bottle with one hand. As she grumbles in her seat, her members are secretly watching her in amusement, never expecting their leader to act this way. 
“Thank you for the amazing fight, Chocol.” (Y/N) began, taking her hand back with a smile still painted on her lips. 
Chocol shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly with a smirk, stuffing her hands on her pockets. “Don’t worry about it, darling. I had fun.”
“Yah, what do you mean darling?!” Baby Sleek scolded playfully as she slaps the back of Chocol’s head and drags her back by her arm, causing the younger woman to pout. 
“Stop flirting with her and get back to our seats! “Darling,” your face.” Jam Republic just laughs at the dynamic of the orange team. 
The rest of the crews are still in shock that the first and only person so far to break the winning streak of Wolf’Lo is the ballerina of the pink team. 
“Wow, (Y/N) really is amazing.” Rena of Tsubakill said, still in awe of the Jam Republic member who is now currently walking back to their seats.
“She only had two battles so far and she’s already proving herself as one of the strongest dancers here.” Akanen replied. 
“Fight judge Monika, why did you pick (Y/N) as the winner of the battle?” Kang Daniel asked.
“I’m going to keep it short and frank, (Y/N) did not only dance, she told a story.” Monika says while looking at the dancer. “She told a story while embodying a well-known character of the movie which is insane because it’s as if you really are her for a second. You brought colour to the dance – no, you brought fire to the dance.”
Jam Republic claps at Monika’s comment. 
“(Y/N),” she adds, “you took me by surprise. You really are one of a kind.” 
(Y/N) swears she could sob at the high regard. She stands up and bows deeply towards Monika like she did too Mike Song. She then stands up 
“It’s like a main character moment,” Biggy said, watching as Kirsten place a win chip to their board. “Are we the side characters?” Lady Bounce laughed at her. 
As (Y/N) places the first and only lose chip on the board of Wolf’Lo, Baby Sleek reaches up her hand and pats her head. 
“Well done, (Y/N),” she says. “You really have gone far now. I’m proud of you.”
Tumblr media
*kilig - causing or characterized by a feeling of exhilaration or elation.
tag list:@luvjanexx @b1ackbunny @thedevilisrory @kaaylvst @badagf @aestrelle19 @leo-dragon@xiakiyama @watamotee33 @tnu-ree @hallotherenicetomettyou @skuuzae @froufrousnowman @strawblueberrys @avocifera@urvirtualgfteehee@kaylinsimpson@jksjx@1luvkarina@jjlovesbada@infinite1sblog @randomhoex@maximoff-jp@woniesheep@tsuunlovers @bada-lee-ily @deadpool15@maknaehyucks @smoooore@efyyylee @amararosesblog @zhivaxo @badasgirlfriend @pupbistro @bluebada @westwoodsvivi @haebragi @awkwardtoafault
note: initialized names can't be tagged. I'm sorry 😭😭😭
next part >>>
479 notes · View notes
reginaldqueribundus · 2 years
Text
thinking about Luffy from the perspective of an everyday schmo in his world is hilarious. And I don’t mean “I heard he was 20 feet tall” etc., though that is still really funny. I mean think about what’s public knowledge on him.
this guy comes out of nowhere, declares war on the fucking government, blows up the centre of their justice system, punches one of the people who run your entire planet & are worshipped as gods and somehow gets away with it, breaks into the most secure prison in the world, breaks right back out again just to jump feet-first into the biggest war in recent memory during which you find out his dad's also trying to overthrow the government, his grandfather works for the government, the pirate king’s kid is his adopted brother. He is seen mouthing off to a freaking Emperor (aka one of the Four Most Scariest Pirates In The Entire World), and another Emperor casually gives him his hat back. A few weeks later he breaks into the headquarters of the world’s biggest military (which is actively hunting him btw) just so he can ring a bell, and the pirate king's right-hand man is there helping him.
And then he fucking disappears for two years.
Suddenly he's back, he teams up with a Government-Sanctioned Pirate™ to save some country you’ve never heard of by beating the shit out of Pablo Escobar and is publicly hailed as a hero?? then he works with Al Capone, a bunch of mermen and the villains from your comic books to assassinate an Emperor, wrecks her tea party and blows up her house instead, runs away and takes out a completely different Emperor while letting his buddies deal with the first one. Here’s his crew:
a guy who used to kill pirates for a living
a woman who studies ancient superweapons and blew up six ships at age 8
actual royalty
your favourite rock star
an 8ft-tall cyborg
a cat burglar in a bikini
some kind of fish monster
“God”
also he has a pet raccoon or something and apparently feeds it cotton candy
but in every photo, he's just some little fucker in jean shorts with a huge smile on his face. oh, and his other brother is Ché Guevara. absolutely buckwild. how do you cope
6K notes · View notes
ruewrote · 7 months
Text
𝑢𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
PAIRING: evan buckley x fem!reader WARNINGS: blood, reader getting injured GENRE: angst, fluff SONG INSPIRATION: departure by jaron WORD COUNT: 1.1k
navigation
Tumblr media
you had just finished shutting the doors of the ambulance, giving it two loud bangs for them to drive before re-joining the crew.
"another great save guys, good job!" bobby says as he pats eddie on the back, walking over to ready the engine.
"god im hungry!" he blurted out and you just laugh, "what?"
"i just seriously don't understand how you're hungry after all of that," if anything you felt incredibly nauseous.
that's when you felt the sharp hot pain in your side, suddenly finding it hard to stand, it had become apparent that your adrenaline had worn off.
falling to your knees as you cried out in agony. your hands pressed to the hurt area, pulling it back to find your hand soaked in your own blood.
buck worriedly rushed to your side, his hands gently pushed your shoulders back so you laid out flat on the ground. only to find the cause of your discomfort was a large piece of glass was sticking out of your stomach through your jacket.
his first thought was to curse you as you had recklessly climbed through the windshield when you helped the young woman out of the recent car wreck, only for her to be okay and for you to get injured yourself.
he rummaged through his medical bag for something to stop the bleeding, struggling but finally found the right supplies. using his teeth to rip open the packaging before putting pressure around the glass making you groan out in pain.
"i know, i know sweetheart. you're gonna be okay." no words left you just sharp little breaths as you lightly gripped onto bucks arm, trying to give him some sort of reassurance.
he screamed out for the rest of the team, voice breaking as tears streamed down his face. the glass was deep like really deep, all evan could think about was you and if anything had been nicked internally.
bobby and eddie ran over to the two of you, you could hear one of them call for another ambulance as soon as possible. something about a firefighter down, but all you could focus on was how cold you had gotten.
"buck i don't feel s-so goo-d..." for the first time in a long time you were afraid.
"they're on their way, you gotta hold on for me, please!" he begged as he smoothed the hair that had fallen across your face with his spare shaking hand, the other still tightly pressed against your wound.
shakily you lifted your hand to brush his tears, your thumb very slowly caressing his cheek. "you'll be oka.."
the pain was all too much, it was too difficult to keep your eyes open. evan shook your face, "no. no you've got to stay awake! i can't lose you." he shouted, as eddie pulled him away from you. the paramedics put you on the gurney rushing you into the back of the vehicle immediately hooking you up to multiple medications.
bobby and buck shared a look, the captain gave him a swift nod, that's all it took for him to jump into the seat next to you. grabbing a hold of your hand, squeezing it tightly in his own as you made your way to the hospital.
Tumblr media
beep. beep. beep.
your vision was blurred as you opened your eyes, first seeing the heart monitor and the dark sky that peaked out from behind the wonky blinds. the hospital was quiet, a little too quiet for your liking.
you turned to your other side, finding a sleeping evan in what looked like the most uncomfortable chair with a blanket wrapped around his body.
a smile tugged at your lips, he stayed with you. your smile soon fell realising the last thing he saw of you conscious was you nearly bleeding out in his arms.
readjusting yourself was harder than you thought, grunting at the pain, holding your side.
buck woke up startled, jumping up to help you lay back down.
"that was one way to get your attention," you laugh before wincing.
"you've got to be careful, that glass got you good." he says as he straightened out your blanket.
he was trying to not show his worry, you had known him far too long to see through that. "buck, buckley!" you whisper yelled, grabbing his hand, pulling him close to you the best that you could.
everything fell still. his bigger hand intertwined with yours.
"i was so worried," his voice wobbled, it was only loud enough for you to hear.
"i should've stopped you, if i did you wouldn't be here right now."
you squeezed his hand, looking up at him. "you know you couldn't have stopped this, ev."
tugging on his hand to bring him closer to you, shuffling over in your bed, patting the small amount of space next to you. "hop in?" you questioned with a smile.
"there's no way there is enough room on that thing for the both of us!" he exclaimed
"well you better squeeze in then."
and so he did, your bodies pressed up against one another. only after buck extensively checked that he wasn't hurting you or laying on any tubes.
you were now both settled face-to-face, hearing nothing but each others breaths and the beating of your machine. your heart rate elevated when he leaned in closer to run his fingers through your hair.
feeling your face heat up, closing your eyes, embarrassed how a simple action could do that to you, let alone him being able to hear it. the sound of him chuckling worried you. but the feeling of him going back to gently brushing the stray hairs out of your face comforted you.
"i know we deal with close calls every single day, but i... god. all i could think about when they took you away was all the things i hadn't told you yet."
your eyebrows furrowed and eyes reopened, "what things?"
"uh, well things like 'i love you' and also to let you know that 'you stink'," he laughed as you playfully punched him in the arm.
"hey, ow!"
"took you long enough." you exaggeratedly sighed whilst trying to keep a straight face.
"you knew?!" he exclaimed as he sat up still looking for answers.
laughing at his reaction as you held your bandage, "no, you c'mere!"
he scooped you up in his arms, your arms wrapping around his shoulders, laughter now gone. he leaned in close, his lips brushed softly against yours. smiling into the kiss you pulled him closer to you.
you stayed like that for a while, cuddling, kissing and talking. that soon came to a stop when you fell asleep listening to evan's voice, he only realised this mid ramble. pulling the covers up over you, closing his eyes, slowly wrapping his arms around you. not before giving you a kiss on the forehead of course.
Tumblr media
© ruewrote.
558 notes · View notes
maddie7writes · 6 months
Text
EXS AND OHS
summary : y/n and harry are recently engaged, but in y/n’s line of work, she runs into lots of his exs and their not all happy for the couple
warnings : just bitter people
Tumblr media
harry’s dating history wasn’t exactly a secret, but the list of exs would come to a hault, as the 50,000 dollar diamond sat on y/n’s ring finger with pride. but y/n wasn’t exactly a nobody, she had two vouge covers and three world tours under her belt along with opening and closing fashion week malin, paris, and new york, and not to mention several blockbuster movies.
she was kind of a big deal.
but in her line of work, she had lots of run ins with her loves exs, and they weren’t always pleasant.
y/n was booked for victorias secrets comeback show, and she was a nervous wreck. her strict diet made harry worried sick, and her coworkers were starting to worry y/n.
“and you’re sure you want to come? i understand if you don’t—.” “—y/n i love you. i’m goin’ to be at everything for the rest of your life. even if my ex is there.” he assured with a kiss to her forehead. she sighed, and a week later found herself in hair and makeup getting ready to strut out like she was on top of the world.
“make sure to flash that ring okay? it’s been on covers for the past month.” her agent said, as she stared down the poor hair and makeup crew. y/n heard a distant scoff in the background but she chose to ignore it. “i thought for the show it had to come off?” y/n asked, she didn’t exactly want to part with it but she didn’t want to break any rules. “not when the one who gave it to you is harry styles. trust me, the show will be memorable because of the ring.” her agent scoffed with a few taps to her phone then back to insane staring.
just then, the busty, perfectly thin blonde, with small bronze chrome wings came walking around in lingerie. “the reason he never proposed to me is because his taste in rings never met my standards.” camllie gossiped to a fresh faced girl, clearly new-ish to the modeling world. y/n rolled her eyes and kept her thoughts to her self.
when y/n got out of hair and makeup she was draped in gold lingerie with diamonds dripping from the bra. it was for their anniversary line, and the bralette would only be sold to select clientele. the matching panties were gold as the metal brushed the modesty garment she wore. then large gold wings were applied, weighing less then she has anticipated.
“she’ll open, then jenner and rowe will follow ten paces behind, wait at the top of the runway and walk back before them.” a manager explained to y/n and her agent. y/n nodded before being moved to were she was directed, greeting kendall with a smile and hug.
“i haven’t seen you in forever!” kendall smiled and embraced her, the two went on a brand trip together before she got engaged and at the start of her and harry’s relationship and ended up sipping on margaritas and gossiping on a yacht the whole time. privileged and elite? sure, but they had a great time.
“i know, we have to do a trip just us.” y/n smiled, kendall was already grabbing her hand to see the ring. “god! he’s always had good taste but y/n this is gorgeous.” she gasped and looked between the ring and y/n. camille scoffed beside her. “please, the diamond has a blue tint. i doubt it’s even real.” camille rolled her eyes.
“it’s tinted blue because he chose to not stain it. he went water mining when we were in bali, someone helped him find it, and he chose to not stain it.” y/n clarified, just like that the lights cut and ariana grandes unmistakable vocals of dangerous woman was heard, y/n was counted off and she strutted out.
y/n would definitely say her least favorite job was acting. there was so much drama in almost every romance movie she’s filmed, so when she was casted as gwen for the fourth spider-man movie to bring a love triangle into poor spider-man’s life, she was excited that it would be an action movie even if she was playing a love interest.
that was of course until she figured out who would be working on the movie with her.
olivia wilde.
y/n tried to remain professional, tho it was difficult with tom seeing as he was so giggly about everything, and zendya was laughing about how forced tom looked. everything was more natural with tom and zendya tho, so to switch between his girlfriend and his friend must have been weird for tom, so y/n tried to keep that in mind and remind her it wasn’t her fault the scenes weren’t working the way she wanted them to.
however one of the directors did not agree.
“y/n, can you step off set for a moment.” olivia’s voice sounded, tom looked confused as did y/n before she stepped off set as she was asked and followed oliva nervously.
“is there an issue?” y/n asked. oliva scoffed, “of course there is. this scene should have taken four takes, max. we have over forty of you and tom laughing. if you can’t play a love interest we will have to find someone who can.” she scolded, y/n was slightly offended.
two actors that have never worked together, taking on a role in a movie where they’re meant to be navigating love together, is not easy. and their first kissing scene might take a few try’s, but that’s not enough to threaten y/n’s contract over.
“unfortunately you might want to check the contract marvel signed, this is not cause for termination, and you cannot terminate my contract period. but if you would like to submit a claim that i am unable to preform my required task, i will happily take that battle with management. i really don’t want to waste anyone’s time so should i head back to set or?” y/n looked at oliva innocently with a smirk, brushing her hair back so her ring caught the light.
“watch you back, l/n.”
“styles. but close.”
safe to say y/n reported that threat and oliva wasn’t heard from again.
“you look absolutely divine.” harry came up behind her, kissing the exposed skin on her neck from her half slicked wave, old hollywood hairstyle. y/n laughed as she looked at them in the mirror. harry, in his colorful sparkly patch work jumpsuit, and her in her all black,
a-symmetrical neckline of the all black floor length dress she wore. their two personalities showing on their faces. she was so excited for tonight, she had a good feeling about harry’s changes of the trophy.
“you ready to sweep tonight?” she asked, he blushed. “don’t jinx me, the grammys don’t tend to like me.” he said in a hushed voice, y/n rolled her eyes and kissed her husbands cheek deeply. “not this year. i can feel it.”
her words ended up being true, with harry’s complete sweep. he was overcome with emotion, and y/n sat with him through all of it. holding his hand and even kissing him when he induced it, which was rare seeing as he hated pda especially when cameras were around.
they had plans to skip the after party and go get a pizza with the band and team, then go home and celebrate like old people with sleep. however their plans were put to a hault when taylor swift approached. y/n, ever the swiftie, was sure she was about to pass out as she squeezed her fiancés hand.
“congratulations harry.” she smiled and hugged him briefly before turning back to y/n. “and your performance was amazing, i had no idea your range was so good?” taylor said, y/n’s eyes went wide and she nodded. “oh yeah- yeah thanks.” she tried to laugh it off and leaned into harry’s comforting touch, he tried to hold back a laugh and taylor could tell.
“i have a few ideas and i want you to be a part of it, here’s my number— new number—.” she glanced at harry. “—and call me, so we can start scheming.” she winked at y/n, who was definitely dead. “congrats again harry.” she patted his shoulder before turning around and going to find her other friends.
“holy shit.” y/n whispered as she clutched taylor swifts number. harry chuckled and kissed her, “we can call her in the morning yeah? pizza and sleep okay?” he said, only to be welcomed with a large kiss and a i love you.
four months later, here y/n was, doing her one night only with taylor fucking swift.
harry was sitting in the 1989 friends and family box, with gigi, zayne, and their daughter as they caught up. gigi made sure to comment on how harry’s all access pass said ‘STYLE MUSE’ instead of harry styles.
the concert was perfect, everything was amazing. after all, taylor was considered the one of the best performers of all time. then as she stayed on stage after her two surprise songs, fans cheered even louder than usual.
“i actually have something i want to give you guys.” fans bracelets began flashing blue as screams could almost shatter the stadium, taylor laughed.
“i think you guys noticed i skipped style tonight.” she smirked, louder screams were heard and y/n stood backstage in her light blue wide legged pants, and white satin top. waiting nervously for her cue as they adjusted her headset and in ear microphone.
“i also want to throw in just one more surprise song, just for you guys!l she said excitedly, but didn’t wait for the crowd to quiet as she used the mic to talk over them. “please welcome miss y/n styles!” she screamed, and the stadium screamed back as the beat to style began to play.
harry recorded like a proud husband and sang along to every word as he watched y/n dance around on stage, in her element to a song he inspired.
“you got that long hair slick back white t-shirt.” both the girls flicked part of their hair over to imitate harry back in one direction, and ran a hand from their neck down to their pelvis as they sung, then tossed one shoulder and strutted down the diamond like models. which y/n was, harry thought to himself.
style passed, the loudest cheer in the whole room came from harry. so happy to see the woman he loved getting to work with her idol and be so happy doing it.
“i think there’s one more that goes to perfectly with us, don’t you think taylor?” y/n asked, fighting back the happy tears in her eyes. taylor bit back a smile and nodded, “what do you think Los Angeles?” she asked, they screamed. and the beat to i think he knows began to play.
the girls sang and danced along with the crowd, harry didn’t know this song very well so he was hyper focused on making sure to get all of y/n’s performance while also watching her.
“he’s got that boyish look that i like in a man.” y/n sung, and stopped dancing as she looked at taylor.
“i am an architect i’m drawing up the plans.” taylor copied the movements.
“he’s so obsessed with me and boy i understand.” y/n flipped her hair jokingly, making sure to flash the ring before both girls turned to face each other taylor grabbing y/n’s hand to look at the ring before screaming the line; “boy i understand!”
harry’s heart was skipping around 13th avenue.
454 notes · View notes
rustic-space-fiddle · 1 month
Text
Things I love about EPIC: The Musical
Greek mythology hehehehehhehe (my weakness)
Little Ajax
The slightly different styles in each segment but the overarching cohesiveness
The crew singing choral vocals for Odysseus
POLITES *screaming crying throwing up*
The crew introducing Eurylochus but Odysseus introducing Polites
Odysseus’s ‘Ha ha HA Haaaaa!” What a smug lil $h!*
His whole description of Athena ~ fanboy energy
“Bestest of friends(?)!” “Okay chill kid” ”okay :D”
Polites definitely almost knocking himself out with lotus before Odysseus definitely takes it away like “oh honey no”
POLITES *STILL CRYING AND THROWING UP*
The RUMBBBBLING BOOOOOMS when Polyphemus enters—WOOO YOU CAN FEEL THE FEAR IN HIS FOOTSTEPS (also: heartbeats!)
I’m not a musically intelligent person so forgive me but the way the “take from you like you took from me / gift from you and a gift from me” sounds just makes my brain so happy
If music is math then that is definitely some solid well done math
“Nooooooobody, noooooooooobody, noo~ooOOOOOOOOOOOOH~bodyyyyyy”
“WATCH OUUUUUT!” *AGGRESSIVE CHORUS*
“My brothers-!” yall I’m gonna freakin cry
The visceral death sounds when the club comes out
Polyphemus’s voice slowing like a giant robot powering down to show him falling asleep
The sound slowly fading in as Odysseus takes in the death around him (I imagine he’s looking at the remains of Polites)
The sound Athena makes whenever she appears or disappears (NOTICE SHE DOESNT MAKE THAT SOUND WHEN SHE LEAVES FOR THE LAST TIME! just empty wind…)
“HEY CYCLOPS!”
“The next time that you dare choose not to spare, remember them.” UGH BEAUTIFUL
The growl in “REMEMBER ME.”
Ship sounds!
The entirety of “My Goodbye”. It’s just such a good argument song and I love it so much.
Odysseus’s angry “HEY.” when Athena basically blames the death of his friends on his kindness.
The fact that Odysseus isn’t afraid to absolutely WRECK Athena verbally? She has definitely killed and turned people into spiders for less
You can tell he felt a little bad about it and that she actually was kinda hurt by it too (silence is a heckuva tool)
“Aim for the island in the sky” oh yeah I’m listening to a Greek myth wHEEEZE
Eurylochus slowly getting on Odysseus’s nerves till he literally has to pull him aside and tell him to stfu
No but actually Eurylochus is not being a real one rn he is not being helpful
The wind god ( *0v0*)
“Why are my eyes and my heart and my soul so heavy?” WOW OKAY DANG
Poseidon’s entrance — DANG SON THE POWER OF THE SEA IS PALPABLE
“Ruthlessness is mercy—DIE.”
The crew calling for their captain as they’re taken by the sea
THE AUDACITY OF POSEIDON TO REMIND ODYSSEUS OF HIS OWN WORD—“when does a ripple become a tidal wave/ when does a man become a monster”—DURING THIS CRISIS. WHAT A PETTY JERK (do it again)
Eurylochus try to confess and Odysseus refusing to let him. There three reasons I think this is: 1) he doesn’t know why he wants to confess but he literally does not have time for his #2 to be having a moment rn. 2) he knows what Eurylochus did and is choosing to keep him quiet because he needs the crew not to dwell on this/he’s trying not to punch him in the face. 3) he knows what he did and he’s saying “stfu” as a way of forgiveness. All of these are great options imo
“We couldn’t resist!” “What was it?” “A woman!” “…w h a t. -_-“ my man is fed up rn
“We have to save them!” “NO WE DON’T” EURYLOCHUS WTF IS WRONG W YOU BRO
Hermes’s insane laugh !!!! LOVE
Hermes’s entire song
Rhyming “Be hurt” with “beat her” BRAIN SO HAPPY
Someofthamagic~ BRAIN SO HAPPY AGH
The fight between Odysseus and Circe~ so evenly matched! Wits, power, but she beat him! She beat him even though he didn’t cave.
“I dug the root up w my bare hands!” “Hermes gave it to you didn’t he” “…okay fine yes but rGARDLESS—“
The fact that Odysseus calls Penelope his power
Circe’s empathetic sigh because she’s not a monster, she’s a protector, and her heart has been touched by Odysseus’s earnestness and love for his wife and for his brothers
HER OUTRO WAHHHHHHH
192 notes · View notes
heartpiratedrabbles · 2 months
Text
Strange Emotions
Tumblr media
Prompt: Joining the Straw Hats, you can't help but have conflicting emotions about the first mate.
NSFW
Roronoa Zoro x Fem Reader
When you first hopped onto the Thousand Sunny you were slightly excited and a little scared for what was to come. It’s not everyday when a world criminal comes to town and happily asks you to join his crew. It certainly wasn’t what you were expecting considering everything he’s done.
         What’s more is that most of his crew members were just as equally happy and chill. None of them seemed like cold hearted pirates, Nami was excited to have another woman aboard and while you were frightened when you first met Brook, you realized he was just a joker when he asked what color your panties were, you hoped at least. Sanji in particular was practically drooling over you when Luffy first brought you aboard.
         And then there was Zoro, who upon hearing Sanji coo compliments your way immediately took up his swords towards his own crewmate. You couldn’t help but to be startled, seeing the tall swordsmen who could clearly hold his own. His scarred body only proving point that he had been through plenty of battles in the past. This must be the exception; he must be the typical Pirate everyone thinks about. The Straw Hat crew had to have at least one stereotypical pirate and this was it. You make a mental note not to venture onto Zoro’s bad side, maybe even avoid him after he shot you a glare.
         Franky was the one who gave you a tour of the whole ship and you were most excited about the weight room that doubled as the crows nest. There were a couple weights you doubted anyone could pick up but there were more than plenty that you could make into your work-out. After setting out on an unfamiliar ship with a new crew, you were glad to have some place you could let the stress out.
         And that’s just what you ended up doing the very next day, everyone seemed to be doing something or relaxing. Even Zoro was napping in the shade so you decided to sneak on up to the place you could work out until your muscles burned. When you finally stood in the room you realized just how spacious it was, the tour was quick but this was much better now that you took the time to look at everything.
         The windows opened to create a cool cross breeze that you were thankful for when you start working up a sweat. It had been a while since you could do this for as long as you wanted, often interrupted by a friend or not having enough time to get into the bliss of working out. You were so focused on your sets that you hadn’t realized someone else enter the room.
         Zoro noticed as he was climbing up that someone else was already up there. He had almost forgotten about you since he hasn’t seen you since you were brought on the ship by Luffy, but his memory was jogged when he realized everyone else was on the deck doing their own things. He grunted at the thought of you wrecking his equipment but figured you went up for the view more than anything else.
         But he was sorely mistaken once he got in the crow nest. The smell of sweat heavy in the air and the breeze covering it up enough as the slight panting hit his ears. He had not expected this sight. You in skin tight shorts and a sports bra, the muscles on your back straining as you do another lunge with weights over your shoulder. He’ll admit, your form was impeccable.
         After a couple of lunges Zoro finally snapped out of letting his eyes wander your body before deciding not to disrupt you. He hated when someone called out to him when he was trying to train so he wouldn’t dare to it to another person. Instead, he turned his back and went to do his own thing on the other side of the room, ignoring your presence entirely.
         When you finally did notice someone else was in the room was when Zoro dropped his weight, a large thud that startled you out of your own trance. Turning around to see what happened you turned cold when you realized who was there with you. He didn’t even bother a glance your way when you let a small squeak escape your lips. Maybe he hadn’t noticed my presence at all and had just gotten to his own workout? You decided not to test the waters of this theory and quickly cleaned up, leaving at quietly as possible, deciding to make a Bee-line to the showers.
         Once you were in the warm water you thought back to the situation. Despite not fully trusting him or feeling relaxed around him, you must admit that his body was nice. Hot even. You wondered how those arms would feel around you, the strength they must hold. The strength. You remember the weight that had crashed to the floor, the size of it. And you were snapped back to reality of the horrifying realization of his superhuman strength.
~~~
         Zoro kept his eye on you over the weeks. He couldn’t help but notice you, how you’d duck out of the room when you catch his staring. The way you were able to keep up with the work on a ship, how you kept to yourself most of the time but happily indulged in their Captains whims. And then there was whenever you’d workout. You’d zone out every time, the only thing that would snap you out of it was a loud noise.
         Zoro had noticed how you’d leave quickly after making a small gasp or squeal as you would clean up and practically run out of the room. Whenever he’d enter to see you he couldn’t help but to watch, he hated how you were avoiding him. He had gotten the occasional hi or a small conversation while eating with everyone else, but why could you talk to the pervy cook and not him? He hated how his chest got tight whenever you’d smile at Usopp or Luffy, but couldn’t spare him a glance.
         He grunted as he dropped his weights. Ignoring his thoughts had been harder than he imagine, how was he supposed to focus when you kept popping up. Walking to the window he grabbed his canteen and glanced at the deck below him, taking note of people positions but noticing a clear lack of you.
         The sun was gone for the night so he assumed you had just turned in early like Robin while he continued to watch out into the sea. It was his turn for night watch so he’d be here a while.
~~~
         “Oh Y/N,” Nami yells out to you as you dried the last dish, “Could you make sure the big oaf gets a snack or something to drink? I don’t want to wake up to him sleeping again.” Her exasperated voice clear as she swung her head back in disbelief that someone on watch would go to sleep.
         You knew you couldn’t avoid him forever but this was a little much, sadly your small excuses were no match for Nami and she yells a thanks and points to the trey that Sanji had already prepared. Before you knew it you were left alone entirely with and you sighed in defeat, taking the trey before starting the climb up, letting your thoughts run wild.
         As the weeks went by you couldn’t help but let your heart skip at your dangerous crew member. You had seen some good sides, he was almost always the first person to jump in after Luffy if he had fallen in. And he at the very least, tolerated the childish behavior, even indulging in Chopper’s love of candy. But you still couldn’t help but feel a bit afraid, his strength alone could easily kill you. This mixture of feelings often left you confused and every so often, your mind would wander to some unspeakable topics.
         Shaking your head of your dubious thoughts you get think back to your situation. You’re sure he wouldn’t notice if you just slid the trey in, right? But then it’d be on the floor and what if he stepped on it? The thought made you feel guilty even if it hadn’t actually happened. As you approached the door you decided to take a peek and try to sneak it in on the bar before disappearing through the door again. It couldn’t be that hard right?
         Opening the door you saw his back turned towards you, which was absolutely perfect. Although he was just staring out the window so you’d have to be quiet if you didn’t want to get caught. You had barely set the trey down when you turned around to see him staring at you, your face turning red at being caught.
         “I, I’m just leaving this for you, have a good watch,” You quickly say, attempting to make your way to the trap door quickly, not wanting an awkward encounter. Nothing about this situation was good for your heart or your mind. The dim light barely illuminating his toned chest as he walks closer to you.
         “What’s your problem?” His harsh tone making you still as he traps you inside the crow’s nest with him. “You get along with everyone but can’t even look at me.” His frame towering over you as even now you were avoiding his gaze.
         “I don’t have a problem-“ You pipe out but jump as he hits the wall next to you. He walks by you, only the wind of his movement touching you as he grabs the bottle of Sake you had brought up. You heart feeling heavy as you look over your shoulder, watching him take a swig. “Zoro I-“
         “Just leave. I get it, you don’t like me” His voice was firm, the glare he shot you making you shiver but the guilt just building more. You can’t just leave if it’s going to make you feel worse.
         Taking a deep breath, you turn to face him, walking up and taking the bottle from his hands. A large gulp before handing the bottle back and taking another deep breath, “I’ve been avoiding you because I don’t know if I’m scared of you or Attracted to you.” The words leaving you quickly while you were making eye contact with him. You straighten up a bit at the silence, “Now then, since that’s out in the open I’m gonna take me leave.” You turn on your heel, your cheeks feeling hot with embarrassment but your chest lighter.
         You slap your hands to your cheeks as you make your was to the door again, only to be stopped with a had on your shoulder. “Scared or attracted?” Zoro’s voice echoed as he spun you around to face him once again, “How does that even make any sense?”
         His intense stare breaking your walls as you can’t stop yourself from more of a confession, “It makes perfect sense! You lift like 10 tons; you could break me in an instance and yet I can’t help but think about how fucken amazing the sex would be.” Your embarrassment growing further as his grip on your shoulder tightens slightly as silence fills the room again.
         Crossing your arms in front of you, you glance up at his face to see a stupid smirk played across his lips, “Oh yea?” He leans in close to you, “Do you want to find out?” You inhale sharply, eyes going wide at his invitation as he watches your every move. You bite your lip, debating your next move. You had partially hoped this was some sick joke he was playing on you but knew otherwise. Your eyes wonder over his body again, taking in his toned chest, how the outline of the muscles are so clear. His hand finds its way to under your chin, lifting your head to look back at his face as his other hand wraps around you, resting on your lower back, “Looking at the goods without committing is quite insulting.”
         You glance down at his lips before looking back up at his eye. “Maybe I was taking in the view before my mind was too overwhelmed with pleasure,” The playful bite back seems to amuse Zoro as he leans down for a second to grab your butt, squeezing just enough to let you know to jump up as you wrap your legs around his waist. His other hand snaking around your neck and pulled your head closer to his as your tongues start a war that makes you dizzy.
         You grip at his arms before you feel your back brush against the wall. You push him back slightly, noticing just how hard his chest really is before lifting your shirt over your head before Zoro goes back into the kiss, biting your lip in the process. You groan at the dull pain, tugging at his hair slightly while grinding your hips into him.
         “Needy aren’t you?” His growl making you want more as he lets you go. You watch as he strips himself of his clothes and you follow suit before reattaching yourself to him, a hand dancing around his growing member, “If you’re gonna touch me than do it.” A small tug at your hair making you moan before you grasp the base of his dick.
         You use your other hand to push him back as you drop to your knees, pumping his dick slightly until it’s fully hard. Looking up at him as you lick the tip, hearing him curse under his breath. You can’t help but smile slightly before taking him in your mouth, closing your eyes as you bob your head up and down, feeling the slight thrust every now and then.
         “Christ Y/N…” Zoro curses again when he feels you deepthroat his length, ignoring the gag you felt coming as you tried getting him deeper. You reach on of your hand down, feeling the throbbing uncomfortable mess between your thighs. The second one of your fingers touch your clit you moan around his dick. You pump two fingers inside of you as your thumb plays with your clit, the bundle of nerve driving you insane as you take in the scent of the man in front of you.
         The grip in your hair tightens slightly and you can’t help but to speed up slightly, gripping your hand around his cock tighter as you twist with your bobbing, curling your fingers inside of you to try and reach that special spot. But just as you were building up your own pleasure, you were ripped away from his cock, and pushed to the ground entirely. “Trying to finish before getting to the main course?” The harsh grunt making you gasp as your lips were attacked by his.
         Just as quick, he lifted one of your legs, gripping your thigh as he leaned back to look down at you. His thumb swiping over your dripping entrance before rubbing your clit into harsh but sweet circles, making you moan, lifting your chest off the floor. “Z-Zoro~” You cry out, grinding your hips closer to him and he grunts, removing his hand before you feel his tip slap against your entrance a couple of times.
         He pushes into you, finally filling your needy hole as you cry out in pleasure and he growl words you can’t quite hear. Soon enough your mind is filled with nothing but pleasure as he sets a slow but strong pace, pushing deeper every time as you feel yourself stretch around him.
         Screaming his name as your hands grip at his arms while he stares down at you, enjoying the moaning mess you’ve become. His thrusts getting harder as you feel him bruising your cervix with every thrust and a heat building closer and closer. You grip onto his shoulder, pulling him closer to you. Zoro obliges, taking your lips as tears spill from your eyes in pure ecstasy.
         You part from his lips when you feel his movements becoming erratic, moving your head to his shoulder where you bite down, your nails digging into his back as you try not to wake the whole ship with your orgasm. You can hear Zoro swearing as you pulse around him, your body shaking as you feel yourself relax after being pent up for so long.
         Zoro pulls out just in time to paint your stomach in thick globs of cum, sweat dripping down his forehead as you catch your breath. His eye flashes to yours and you decide to break the panting silence, “didn’t ruin your workout routine, did I?” The breathy taunt making him grunt.       
  “Well, I still have a couple sets to do
354 notes · View notes
gentleindigo · 1 year
Text
Okay! Time for some Glass Onion analysis bc I'm already obsessed with this movie.
GLASS ONION SPOILERS AHEAD READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
I've seen people saying that it was unnecessary for the movie Glass Onion to be set in May 2020 during the height of the pandemic, and that it took away from the movie, but I disagree. The specific setting is relevant because of all the movie's subtext about the Black Lives Matter movement and its resurgence in May 2020. Hear me out- there are several parallels between Andi's death/Helen's avenging her death by wrecking the mansion, and the riots in 2020 following the unjust deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others.
To begin with, there's the power dynamic between Andi and Miles. A mediocre, unexceptional white man stole the contributions of a brilliant black woman and got away with it because his influential friends closed ranks around him in a system designed to benefit him. He got the benefit of the doubt and weaponized the legal system to financially ruin her. Even though she was telling the truth, no one believed her, and Miles fully expected this pattern to continue once her sister Helen took up the cause.
Miles burns the incriminating evidence of his lies and flat-out tells Helen that no one will ever believe her with only circumstantial evidence. Even Benoit Blanc acknowledges that his skill as a detective can only go so far without the police and courts on his side.
In the case of police brutality, cops similarly weaponize the legal system and avoid accountability for their murders by closing ranks through police unions that invoke "qualified immunity" (aka shielding the cops from legal liability). The privilege of white men, compounded by their wealth and connections, makes it difficult for them to face actual consequences for the harm they do.
We see the concept of avoiding consequences again with Miles' crew of "disruptors", all of whom rely on his money to bail them out of trouble. Birdie was implied to have done blackface, made tone-deaf comments comparing herself to Harriet Tubman, completely ignored all COVID restrictions, and tweeted ethnic slurs to the point where her assistant had to take away her phone, but her line of loungewear still takes off thanks to Miles' financial backing. In response to the latest scandal, personal assistant Peg says "We will do what we always do! Deny, half-apologize, then go silent awhile." Despite her litany of offenses and half-assed attempts at accountability, no consequences stick to the privileged Birdie either.
However, Helen refuses to accept this unfair state of things. In a situation where she appears powerless, with her sister gone and the valuable napkin burned, Helen essentially goes "fuck that" and makes Miles pay for what he did anyway. If the law won't take her side, she has to take it into her own hands. This is where the parallels to the 2020 riots come in.
We see her smashing the symbols of Miles' wealth, starting with his glass sculptures, and at first the other characters don't mind. They cheer her on from the couches, even though they all just refused to testify for her in court. This parallels the performative activism seen in many celebrities, who would rather watch from the sidelines and say vaguely supportive things rather than do any meaningful action to change the system. The other guests are happy to break the glass sculptures alongside her, saying how cathartic it feels, but they get antsy when she moves on to breaking more valuable things instead of giving up after a short while like they did. The camera shots of Helen smashing things and lighting a fire linger uncomfortably long as it starts to sink in that this isn't just a momentary temper tantrum. The so-called "disruptors" wince and gasp and exclaim how a piano belonged to Liberace and so on, completely ignoring how THE DESTRUCTION IS THE POINT, because if Helen only broke safe, acceptable targets, then it wouldn't actually mean anything. Similarly, when people rioted in 2020, there was a huge amount of pearl-clutching by people saying rioting is going too far, and can't we all just be nonviolent and have unity and forgive each other? In both cases, there's a veneer of support from people who just want the victims of injustice to "get their anger out of their systems" and move on without any serious changes being made.
I find it very fitting that Helen burns the Mona Lisa with Miles' own unregulated hydrogen fuel cell, using the override switch that he carelessly installed. She exploits the natural consequences of his self-centeredness so they all catch up to him at once. In the end, Helen's acts of protest do disrupt things and lead to change, even as people tell her she is going too far. Once Helen does the actual work of tanking Miles' reputation for good, only then do the "disruptors" jump ship and promise to back her up in court. They're willing to take the side of justice only when things have shifted to the point where it's the better act of self-preservation. If there was any chance of still hanging onto Miles' golden titty and making his reputation their hill to die on, they would've done it.
Blanc, the protagonist of the movie, gives Helen tacit permission to burn everything down by handing her the chunk of hydrogen fuel. He stands by her the whole movie and takes her seriously, demonstrating a path to better (non-performative) allyship.
Glass Onion shows that lasting change has to be demanded, not wheedled, and that sometimes things have to reach an undeniable crisis point to do so. In other words: protest is necessary.
909 notes · View notes
espanolbot2 · 1 year
Photo
Tumblr media
Both true.
Premise of this film, if you missed it: Pratt and Lawrence play two of many passengers on an interstellar voyage to a distant planet, however, when a malfunction occurs that causes Pratt to be prematurely released from cryogenic status (as in like 50 or 60 years away away from their destination early) he decide to break open the pod of Lawrence’s character to have someone to keep him company.
After initially trying to pretend that she had been awoken by the same fault that woke him up, she (rightly) doesn’t want anything to do with the man who effectively doomed her to live alone on a spaceship with her kidnapper for the rest of her life.
However, as the film is told from the perspective of Pratt’s character, their break-up is only temporary, and eventually they do end up spending the rest of their lives together as a couple on the ship, probably horrifying the other passengers and crew when they finally wake up and find the pair’s desiccated corpses on the observation deck.
This was definitely one of those films where the premise works better as a different genre than the one they were presenting, like how the premise of the Adam Sandler comedy 50 First Dates (where Sandler’s character meets a woman with a brain injury that causes her memory to reset each day, and he manipulates her into thinking that they’re in a long term relationship, including eventually having kids with her) was later kinda reused in the horror thriller Before I Go To Sleep, where the woman with the short-term memory disability to the protagonist rather than the dude, it’s eventually revealed over the course of the movie that he’d kidnapped her, put her in a house with faked picture evidence of their lives together and that her actual family didn’t know where she’d gone.
With Passengers the fact that they 1. centred it on Pratt’s character (hereby attempting to prime the audience to sympathise with him more than Lawrence’s character), and 2. tried to frame it as a romance film in a science fiction setting kind of made the premise more gross than if it was actually a straight horror story a la Before I Go To Sleep.
And yes, I’m aware there are several video essays on this train wreck of a movie, the above tweet just reminded me of it.
582 notes · View notes
lunareiitic · 9 months
Text
CANTO 4 SPOILERS BE WARNED
I think it's really interesting (and clever) that we're a third of the way through Limbus' plot (theoretically. 12/4 = 3 after all) and we've split the focus characters in half based on who is actually growing because of their Canto and who isn't, while also showing multiple narrative ways to show that progression (or lack thereof).
Gregor and Rodya have already done their growing. Gregor's a war veteran whose traumatic past should be long behind him, and his character didn't shift after his Canto. His refusal with regards to the whole Yuri thing wasn't a shocking twist, it was the culmination of years of rejecting the life that his mother made for him.
Rodya rejects the idea that she has to develop as a character entirely. Canto 2 is mostly a celebration of Rodya- she makes her own luck and doesn't require these things like "character growth" and "dynamics". She was a one woman wrecking crew then and she's one now, plans and friends be damned. It's why she's able to reject Sonya's olive branch: he's predicating his entire plan on the idea that Rodya would have learned from the Tax Collector Incident. But she didn't, and she knows that.
Sinclair's Canto 3 marks the first Canto where we're actually examining the failings of a member of the team. Sinclair's immaturity, fawn response and unwillingness to take responsibility did directly lead to all of the bad shit that happened to him. Even if Kromer would have done it anyways, Canto 3 takes Sinclair to task for what he did, but in the end, he can't follow through. It's beautiful and tragic that he needs Demian to bail him out of what should have been his cathartic moment of triumph. Sinclair's growing is actively still happening. Canto 3 is only the beginning.
Which brings us to the most recent Canto and Yi Sang. Yi Sang in hindsight is the perfect character to follow up Canto 3 with because Yi Sang is essentially Sinclair if Demian wasn't around. Yi Sang's narrative is about apathy and passive suicidality- he doesn't care what happens to him because life has lost all meaning to him. Sinclair still has some fight in him, all Yi Sang has is ashes. Or so he thinks. Dongrang and Dongbaek are characters who will never move on from their past, despite what both of them think. Yi Sang, through mirroring them, ends up with the most radical character development we've seen so far: true catharsis. Unlike our three previous characters, Yi Sang's Canto manages to get down to the core of his issues and he's able to understand what he must do to get better and does. He conquers Dongbaek (embodiment of rage) and Dongrang (embodiment of despair) and ascends to a place of healing away from them. This is a very conventional, classic character arc structure seen in fiction since the dawn of time, it's classic because it works. But it feels so refreshing and new here in Limbus Company because we waded through three quagmires of difficult regrets, abuses, and traumas that refuse to be handled so easily. Given that our remaining characters are based on murderers (Hell Screen, The Stranger), self-saboteurs (The Odyssey, Moby Dick, Don Quixote, Faust), and the legacy of racism (Wuthering Heights), I'm betting that Hong Lu's might be our brightest spot moving forward. (But who knows. They could give us another goofy Canto out of nowhere like they did in Canto 2. Limbus Company contains multitudes.)
205 notes · View notes
turtletaubwrites · 2 months
Text
I Want to Live ~ Part 24
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Pairings: Zoro x Fem!Reader, Sanji x Fem!Reader, Robin x Fem!Reader, Sanji X Robin
This is part 24 of the poly series 'We've All Got Needs,' linked below:
Word Count: 4386
We've All Got Needs Masterlist
Ao3 Link (Ch. 14 of We've All Got Needs cont.)
!!SPOILER WARNING!! Spoilers for the anime for the Water 7/Enies Lobby arc (through episode 278).
Summary: The assault on Enies Lobby begins, and you fight alongside your crew to find rescue your archaeologist. You'll do anything to get her back.
Rating/Warnings: AFAB!Reader, She/Her Pronouns for Reader, Reader-Insert, Polyamory, Canon Typical Violence, Blood, Pet Names, Swearing, Angst.
A/N: Sorry for the wait on this one! This is a big moment, so I wanted to do it justice. I hope you enjoy it!
Tumblr media
Your eyes were shut as you screamed, waiting for your inevitable death as the screech of metal ripped through your ears. 
The train hopped and started to skid, but it didn’t seem that bad. Although, you were thrown around, clinging to the nearest bar. Then you felt the long slide against the stone start to slow, knowing that you’d have more bruises on your body than you could count.
If I survive.
Shaking that thought from your mind, you fought to stay steady. A moment of gratitude passed as you saw your crew safe on their feet, until you heard the shouts of too many angry voices outside the train. 
“Wait here, we’ve got this.”
Zoro nodded at Sanji’s words, the two of them stepping out as calmly as if they were going for a stroll, not facing down an army of government officers and marines.
Nami started toward the door, her Clima-Tact gripped in her hands. 
“Nami, wait.”
“It’s okay,” she cut you off with a smile. “I'll stay back. But there’s something I’ve been wanting to try. Can you go check on Kokoro?”
Your mouth was dry as she walked out the door, but Usopp and Chopper followed behind her.
Climbing through the wrecked cart, you found the old woman in the front, cradling a bottle of liquor like a baby.
You huffed a laugh, shaking your head at the drunk.
“I’m glad you and your booze are okay.”
“Me too, darlin.' Here, take this,” she said as she wobbled to her feet, handing you a small transponder snail. “I’ll keep hidden, just call me when you need to leave.”
“But-”
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll just tell them you kidnapped a sweet ol’ lady if I get caught.”
“Are you-”
This time you were cut off by loud rumbles of thunder, way too close. The thunder was soon joined by an orchestra of screams. 
What the fuck?
The sky was clear when you stepped outside, but the ground was littered with still and writhing bodies. Wide eyed, you found Nami, Usopp, and Chopper huddling by the train, Nami’s hands shaking as she stared at her Clima-Tact.
“Nami, did you do that?”
She nodded, before punching Usopp’s shoulder. 
“You didn’t tell me it could do that, we all could have died!”
“Well, maybe if you learned how… Um, I mean Usopp ensured me that the many features of the-”
Usopp had switched back into his Sniper King voice, only to earn another smack from the navigator. 
Chopper scrambled over to you to gush about how cool it was to see all the marines lit up by lightning.
“Did you hear what they called you, moss head? One of Luffy’s henchmen.”
Sanji’s laughing voice moved closer, and you turned to see your boys, safe and whole. 
And bickering already.
“At least they recognized me, waiter. You’re just ‘pirate A.’ Or probably ‘B.”
You ran toward them, interrupting their growls with your hands on their arms. Small smiles almost made you forget where you were. 
“What the fuck are those?”
Your mouth hung open after your question as what looked like two giant fucking seahorses charged toward you. 
Usopp let his voice boom out, announcing the creatures to be King Bulls that belonged to the Franky Family that must have been brought along with their ship. 
Even knowing that they were friends and not foes didn’t stop you from backing up against a wall, the sheer size of the animals hurting your brain. 
“Hurry, climb up!”
You recognized the voice and blonde hair of Paulie as he and others from Galley La and the Franky Family lowered ropes for you.
There were benches atop the massive creatures, and you all clambered up, still stunned as it started to move through the streets. From the yells of your allies, you gathered that the beast you climbed on was named Sodom, and the other, Gomorrah.
“Here, take this,” Paulie offered, handing the reins to Sanji. “We’ll watch your tail.”
Paulie left your crew to join his people on Gomorrah, already shouting orders. You couldn’t sit for long, as marines started climbing up the sides, all the crew leaping into action to knock them off as the animal moved forward. 
There was no time to be impressed with yourself as you slammed a marine in the chest with both of your tonfa, his grunt of pain drifting away from you as he fell. 
“These bulls are making this easy,” Sanji called over his shoulder. “Let’s catch up with our captain.”
As the bullets stopped reaching close, and the screams of marines grew distant, you caught your breath, turning to your crew with a smile.
“He says that the Franky Family saved him and his brother from a sea king, and that they’ll follow Franky anywhere.”
“What are you talking about, Chopper?”
Chopper jumped up and down pointing up at the beast’s head above you, answering your question with an excited laugh.
“I can understand animals, remember!”
Chopper looked around proudly, meeting everyone’s eyes before his mouth fell open in fear.
“Sniper King is gone! I don’t think he made it up here!”
His frantic voice had your blood running cold. There was no turning back now.
Usopp… Stay safe, friend.
Guilt tore at you as you met eyes with Nami, your desire to turn back reflected on her face. Zoro and Sanji were silent, still as stone.
Then none of you were still. Hands covering your ears, you cringed at the sound of the King Bull you were riding on roaring in pain, blood bursting up from its neck and chest. 
The other group pulled up, screaming at you all to leap onto their bull before yours went down. 
A moment of hatred went through you for the marines that had aimed for this beautiful creature.
Sanji’s arm was around your waist, and you saw Chopper screaming under his other arm before he told you to jump. You trusted Zoro to help Nami across, and soon you were cramped on the other bull with your allies.
Silence held for a moment, until the massive creature let out another roar, tumbling to the ground amidst scattering marines. 
The Franky Family wept around you, crying for their lost companion as you barreled toward the courthouse. You gripped Chopper’s shoulder as his little body was wracked with quiet sobs. 
Wiping his tears enough to speak, Zambai, the black haired man in now broken goggles pushed toward you. He was leading the Franky Family in this battle, and he leaned in to confirm their plan. They would split into groups to climb the courthouse towers, and pull the levers to let the drawbridge down. Otherwise, there would be no way to cross to the Tower of Justice. No way to get to Robin over the massive waterfall. 
The loud yells of more marines didn’t register until too late. 
“Hang on,” Zambai screamed, reaching for his comrades as cannons blasted into Gomorrah's chest, the roars of the creature almost deafening. Gomorrah's long neck started to waver, and you braced for it to go down. 
Marines lined the street and rooftops, hundreds of weapons aimed at you and your allies.
None of this felt real, just an adrenaline filled dream. The only thing that felt steady was the sound of Robin’s name in the back of your mind, chanting softly like a spell that would guide you to her.
The ground quaked, and the cheers of the marines made your mouth go dry.
“What now,” Nami muttered, as you joined her in turning back toward the front gate.
Two fucking giants were on their way now. You heard the groans of the Franky Family, bemoaning how difficult it had been to get past them at the gate.
“Surround the intruders! Straw Hat Luffy has been spotted on the roof of the courthouse. Do not let his allies catch up with him!”
Luffy!
The marine’s orders blasting through the speaker snails emboldened you, and you watched your crew ready themselves for another fight.
The giants were roaring now, smashing their fists and feet onto any marine in their path, causing panic and confusion amongst your enemies. 
“Guess they’re on our side now,” you questioned, before gripping onto Sanji’s arm as Gomorrah started to pull forward again.
You could smell the waves of blood cascading from its massive neck, and felt heat in your throat as you watched Chopper sob, speaking to the beast as it pushed itself to protect you all. 
So much death already. And it hasn’t really started yet.
More cries echoed from the Franky Family at the sound of the King Bull keening, struggling to finish its mission. 
The courthouse loomed above, and the scramble off of the dying creature had you dizzy, avoiding the hot blood pooling on the stone. 
Zoro stepped up beside you, his warm hand sending shivers over you from its brief touch on your lower back.
“It’s hard to believe that Robin, Franky, all of them are right behind those doors.”
Sanji’s voice drew your eyes to the looming stone doors of the courthouse. You felt Chopper moving up beside you, his steps getting louder as he shifted into his larger human form, his hopeful voice like a soothing balm. 
“We need to find Luffy, then we can save Robin together!”
Sanji was running back toward Gomorrah, calling over his shoulder before you heard the noise of the marines’ reinforcements.
“I can handle this lot. How about you get that door open, Marimo?”
With a scoff, Zoro drew all three blades, and sliced into the stone, creating his own door amidst the settling dust.
Your jaw fell open at the sight, and you had to cover your face to keep from breathing in the dust, your eyes still wide. 
With so much time spent together in relaxation, in intimacy, it could be easy to forget the insane things that your crewmates, and your lovers could do.
Zambai ran up, coughing as he shouted.
“We’ll split up into three groups, two for the towers, and one to stay here, and guard your rear. You guys head to the roof. We’ll watch your back so keep moving, and don’t worry about the small fries.”
“You got it.” 
You wished the confidence in Zoro’s voice would spread to you as the group formed up behind him and Sanji.
You readied your weapons, but there was no need as the chef and the swordsman practically flew in through the crumbled doors, sending the marines in the entryway screaming through the air. 
Chopper shot out beside you, catching a straggler before they got too close. Keeping your eyes moving, you scanned for danger, ready to shoot a dart at any suspicious movement, but your boys did quick work. 
Nami grinned at you when you scanned her way, her Clima-Tact ready, but just as unnecessary as your tonfa at the moment. 
Still, your grip on the steel was a comfort compared to how many fights you’d simply had to hide from before. 
Zoro cornered another small group, then let out what looked like a whirlwind from his three blades. 
Sanji passed you, leaving a hint of a kiss on your cheek before heading to the stairs, yelling down at Zoro. 
“Quit showing off, moss head. Robin’s waiting for me- for us!”
Following his lead with a small laugh at his slip, you, Chopper, and Nami climbed the large, stone staircase, until Chopper yelled Zoro’s name. 
You turned to see your amazing swordsman somehow running in the opposite direction.
“I'll try to make you some medicine later. To fix your brain problem!”
“Brain problem,” Zoro complained, and you had to stifle your laughter. His complete lack of a sense of direction was hard to comprehend.
Your skin managed to flush even during this chaos as the image of putting a leash on Zoro to keep him by your side flashed into your mind.
But you had to focus now, shaking your head to clear it. Her name was still humming in you like a heartbeat.
Hallways and stairs, and hallways and stairs. Occasional groups of marines that funneled out of doorways, surrounding you before being mowed down. You were able to take down the few that came near you in such close quarters, and you had yet to need your poison attacks, making do with blocking and hitting with the cool steel.
Sweat beaded on your brow, and you saw it on your crewmates’ skin as well. More flights of stairs filled you with grateful memories of running with Nami, and training with Zoro. 
This is why I got stronger. So I can protect my crew. So I won’t hold them back. 
So I can save her.
A more populated hallway had you all fighting foes at once, stopping your run to bring them to the ground. The sounds of battle echoed off the stone walls, and two marines faced off with you.
There was so much chaos, and as your body reacted to deflect their blows, you realized that your limbs were moving on instinct now. Zoro’s lessons were living in your bones.
But you hadn’t faced two foes at once before, so you called on your defense.
“Blackout Thorns!”
The first marine lunged for you, her leg soaring toward you in a kick. Her shin scraped along the small metal blades laced with your poison as you held the bar across your body, forcing a grunt from you as you blocked her weight.
The second marine came at you from behind, moving too fast to notice his comrade passing out before you thrust your arm back, scraping your purple tonfa along his forearm as he reached for your hair.
He crumpled at your feet and you grinned, noticing Sanji and Zoro both halting in their movements toward you. 
The mix of worry and pride on their faces sent a shiver over you, but the moment ended with the sharp sting of a slap on your ass, and a groan from Nami as she scolded you all. 
“Eye fuck each other later, guys. We’ve got places to be.”
“Robin! I’m here to save you!”
Luffy’s voice boomed through the windows, sounding so close. 
“Hold on,” Zoro commanded, giving the group no time to argue as he used his three sword style to break through the fucking ceiling. Everyone screamed at him, but as the sunlight poured through the hole he’d made, you all scrambled up. 
Sanji helped you through the debris, and lifted you to climb up to the roof, helping Nami do the same before jumping up along with Zoro and Chopper. 
Before you had a chance to scan your surroundings, you felt the ground shake again as the two giants from earlier moved toward the courthouse. One of them lifted a hand up over the roof, and your heart stopped as you waited for the building to be smashed beneath your feet.
“Thank you, friend of Dorry and Brogy!”
The deep rumble of the giant’s voice rolled over you, and you watched, open mouthed, as that massive fist opened to drop the masked and groaning figure of your friend onto the stone.
“Sniper King,” Chopper yelled as he rushed forward, looking over Usopp’s still bandaged body for injuries.”
“Hey Sniper King, can you stand,” Zoro questioned.
“Uh, yeah. Of course. A fall like that won’t stop me.”
“How,” you started, before a small smile teased your lips at the thought of Usopp regaling you with the story later. If we all survive.
Luffy’s voice brought you back, your heart slamming in your chest as you looked across the waterfall to the Tower of Justice.
Robin.
Her cold face looked down on Luffy, the wind sending that hypnotic black hair around in gentle waves. 
“We’re gonna go ahead and save you. If you still want to die after we’re all back together, well that’s your choice.”
Making your way across the roof, you noticed all the members of CP9 with Robin on the balcony, as well as Franky, and a man in a mask that covered his nose and half of his mouth.
“Come on, Robin, work with me here. You can say what you want. If you want to die or whatever, that’s fine. But when you say it, you say it as part of our crew.”
Luffy’s words were sending chills through you.
What did she say before we got here? Did she tell him she wants to die?
Sanji touched your shoulder as he passed you, pulling out a cigarette as everyone lined up along the wall. You stood there, your crew at your side, wishing you could fly across the expanse to her. To Robin. Your crewmate. Your friend. The woman you love. 
You couldn’t help it. You yelled for her, your voice mingling with Sanji’s and Chopper’s as they joined you.
She scanned all of you before focusing back on Luffy. It was hard to tell with your own eyes misting up, but with the way the sunlight kissed her face, you swore you saw tears sparkling in her beautiful eyes. 
Luffy stared her down, as if she were the only one on that balcony.
“From now on, leave everything to us.”
“You stupid pirates, you don’t think you can beat all of CP9, do you?”
The masked man's arms flailed wildly as his nasally voice carried over the air. 
“Besides, even if you do make it over here, I still have this! I have the authority to summon a Buster Call, and take you all out.”
In his outstretched hand, all you could see was the sun glinting off of something golden in his palm.
Your eyes flew back to Robin as she wavered on her feet, her voice too low to make out. 
He leaned toward her, and his taunting voice made your blood boil. You itched to shoot a dart at him, but even if you hit him, Robin was still surrounded, still in danger.
“That’s right, I’m sure you remember its power well. Given that it destroyed your homeland 20 years ago.”
You’d learned that horrible truth on the train from Blueno, but seeing the terror of it on Robin’s face now, just for the threat of it, sent ice right through your heart.
And this piece of shit was laughing at her, as if the loss of everything she’d ever known was a joke. 
We need to get over there.
“What was it, Ohara? It’s hard to recall the name since it was wiped off the map.”
“Robin’s homeland,” Chopper asked, his voice soft with fear.
“He’s pissing me off,” Sanji growled echoing your rage. 
“Anything but that, I’m begging you!”
Robin was struggling against handcuffs, her arms trapped behind her as she pleaded with him, panic lacing her words.
He leaned over her face, and you wanted to scream at him to get away from her. The distance and wind stole his next words from you, but you knew he had to be taunting her again as you watched her body shake, in anger or fear.
“Have you lost sight of your humanity?”
Robin’s voice finally reached you again as she yelled in his face, the masked man’s fingers dangerously close to pressing that golden button.
You cried out as Robin’s knees hit the stone, her head bowed to this monster as she continued to beg. 
“There’s a limit to how much you can sacrifice in the name of justice. A Buster Call is going too far. You can’t use it. Anything but that!”
His shoulders slumped a bit, his head tilting as he looked down on her. But his stupid mouth stayed shut as she continued.
“If you trigger a Buster Call, everything will be destroyed. That includes all of Enies Lobby, and most likely you as well.”
“Nonsense, they wouldn’t kill me. I’m Spandam, the Chief of CP9! I’m not falling for your bluff.”
You could have been sick off the side of the building from how disgusting this was.
These are the kinds of people in power? This man child could decide if an entire island is wiped off the map, on a fucking whim.
You couldn’t make out Robin’s next words, her head still bowed to that piece of shit. Until she stood, voice carrying now as she faced you all, but her eyes stayed low. 
“Now this demon is rearing its ugly head again, and it’s aiming its sights on the friends I searched so hard to find. The more that I wish for us to be together, the more my ugly fate bears its fangs at you. Even now, now matter how far we sail, there’s an enemy that haunts me at every turn. Because I’m facing the world, and all of its darkness. First it was Aokiji, and now CP9. I’ve dragged you into my troubles twice already.”
Her voice rang out in pain, and you ached to scream, to argue, to plead with her, but your throat was too full of tears. 
Robin kept going, her voice louder, and cracking, breaking your heart more and more with every word.
“If it goes on and on like this, no matter how kind you may be, someday you’ll see me as a burden. Someday you’ll be forced to betray me, and throw me away. That’s what I’m most afraid of, understand? That’s why I didn't want you to rescue me! If that’s the only future I have, I would rather die to save me the pain!”
Her name that was still pounding in your mind echoed softly through your lips, and you heard it shared among your crewmates. 
The knowledge that this was why, this was why she kept herself closed off, why she was throwing her life away for all of you, the weight of this knowledge washed over you with the force of the waterfall beneath your feet.
“I never knew,” you heard whispered through Sanji’s lips, hearing your own shame reflected there for not seeing the depths of her pain before.
“I see. So that’s it.”
Zoro’s voice steadied you, because you knew that tone. There was no going back.
You stared at her, hoping that she could feel not only your love, but the love of every Straw Hat beside you.
I’ll never abandon you, Robin.
The moment was shattered by cruel laughter, Spandam grinning wildly behind his half mask as he jeered at her again.
“How pathetic, even if you make friends, all you can do is drag them through the mud with you.”
Nails digging into your palms with rage, you almost flinched when Spandam turned toward you. He pointed up to the top of the tower, and the huge flag billowing in the wind.
“You can’t win, pirates! Look at this flag. This symbol represents the unity of over 170 nations, a power that spans the four seas, and the Grand Line. This is the world itself! You can’t stand up to an enemy like that, just face it already.”
Self satisfied laughter bubbled through him, but the next sound you heard calmed your breathing.
“If that’s Robin's enemy, then I know what to do,” Luffy said quietly, before his voice echoed out in command. 
“Sniper King. Shoot down that flag.”
“Roger.”
The resolve in Usopp's voice continued as he pulled out his new weapon, a massive slingshot named Kabuto. 
“Behold its awesome power. Special attack, Firebird Star!” 
A spear of flame shot through the air like a massive bird, magnificent and powerful.
All eyes spun toward that flag. You had already had reasons not to view it with respect given everything you’d seen in your life, and especially during your time with your crew.
Now, after all of this, after seeing the twisted and pathetic underbelly of the beast, the sight of it made you sick. You wanted to watch it burn.
You stood strong, a Straw Hat Pirate, watching the symbol of the World Government burn to ashes, lighting the sky like a beacon of war.
Your eyes found her again, Robin’s mouth agape as she watched the flames.
I’ll burn it all down for her. 
“You’re all going to die,” Spandam screeched, shaking as he watched the ashes fall around him. “You morons can’t challenge the entire world and expect to win-”
“Yeah? Bring it on,” Luffy challenged, and the pure confidence and rage blasting off of him steeled your bones.
You trusted your captain. This was a side of Luffy that only came out when it needed to, when someone was hurting his friends. Even if those friends were just people that gave him a meal. 
Luffy always fought for his friends.
And so will I. 
“Robin, there’s still something I wanna hear you say.”
Luffy’s voice was like a bell, ringing so clear that no one else even thought to speak. Not until he was done.
“Tell me you wanna live!”
So loud that it seemed to echo off the stone, Luffy’s demand, his offer, sent chills coursing through you. Again, you heard Robin’s name whispered down the line of Straw Hats.
Robin’s head was bowed, a sight you never wanted to see again. Especially as you watched the sunlight shine on the tears freely flowing down her cheeks.
You ached to scream and beg for her, but you knew this was something she had to decide. 
Please, Robin, please. 
She lifted her eyes, and your heart stopped as she cried out.
“I want to live! Take me with you! Take me away from here!”
The cracks in her voice broke and mended your heart all at once. The soft sound of Luffy’s chuckle filled you with joy, even as hot tears streamed down your face. 
You felt the movements of your crew, heard the shuffling around you, and you loosed a breath. The Straw Hats readied their weapons for the battle ahead, the cool metal in your palms grounding you into this moment.
This warmth, this hope, this feeling pouring between you all, was everything. It was family.
We’re coming for you Robin. No matter what it takes.
Your captain let out another low laugh, and you watched Robin’s face finally shift from pain to hope as he gave the order.
“Let’s go!”
Tumblr media
Thank You for Reading! 💜
TurtleTaub Fanfic Masterlist
We've All Got Needs Masterlist
Part 25
Tag List: @astheni-a | @ferns-fics | @heilee | @iamn1ya | @ghostfacefricker6969 | @onlybassoon01 | @apothicgloom | @slyhersophia | @cyberaestheticals | @nothing-but-brass
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this! It's one of my favorite moments in the show, and I loved writing it from the reader's perspective. Thanks for joining me!
Buy me a coffee ☕🙏🏼
52 notes · View notes
thehorizonlinex · 10 months
Text
Close to the Wind
A series of snippets of Eric’s life, as seen by Grimsby
Tumblr media
Author’s Note: My first-ever Tumblr fic (ah! please be nice!) so open to suggestions, requests, and feedback. I watched The Little Mermaid (2023) and fell in love with Jonah Hauer-King’s portrayal of Prince Eric, the layers of backstory added to his character, and of course, his stunning chemistry with Halle Bailey as Ariel!
This is my take on what Eric’s life might have been like - before and after he met Ariel. I loved Grimsby as a character, especially his relationship with Eric, so there are some ideas of what it might have been like for the two of them together during Eric’s childhood. I’ve only seen the movie once in theaters, so some of the quotes are loosely based on my memory and might not be 100% in accordance with the script. Thanks for reading, and if you like it, please feel free to comment or reblog :)
Warnings: Mentions of parental death, fluff, young Eric being a little shit
Tags: @ohkarasm​ @nimerdo​ @namufication​ @chey-cheygl​ @snk25blr​ @snk25blr​
Twenty-One Years Prior
Grimsby tried his best to make his way through the crowd, pushing past the careening necks and excited whispers.
A baby!
One of the ships found him next to a whole lot of debris.
Bundled up in a chest, just floatin’ on the water, I heard. 
Could it be an omen?
How’d he get there in the first place?
What about that shipwreck the other night?
He finally squeezed past the first row, members of the royal court who’d arrived at the palace to see the infant child creating a buzz throughout the islands. The guards had been able to create a wide space between the royals and the court, allowing Grimsby to finally catch his breath as he approached the thrones at the front of the room.
“Sir Grimsby! There you are.”
“Your Highness,” Grimsby bowed to the king, both his sovereign and his employer - and an old friend. He turned to the regal woman on his right, dressed in a pale blue gown and seated in an intricate golden throne. “My Queen.”
Both nodded in response. The king gestured to the infant rocking in the queen’s arms, cooing lightly as he stared up at her.
“The baby,” the king said, his voice resolute. “Will stay here.”
He was afraid that this might happen.
The child had been found a few nights prior, swaddled in a chest that floated nearly right up to one of their merchant ships. At first, the sailors onboard had assumed he was dead - his eyes were closed and there was no way a baby could have survived the storms that had wrecked the oceans for nearly a week.
And yet, he had survived, immediately rushed to the royal palace and brought to the infirmary, where he was given round-the-clock care.
It’s a miracle he survived, the doctors had said, just as alarmed as everyone else who’d gotten wind of the curious baby from the sea. Survived without a scratch.
“Are you sure you want to decide so soon, your majesty? Perhaps the baby belongs to some of the neighboring islands, or from the coast.”
The royal couple had struggled with having children - one had been lost in the womb early on, and there hadn’t been much luck since. But he couldn’t imagine this child - this washed-up orphan of a child - becoming the heir to the throne. 
Would the people even accept him?
“We’ve looked, and we’ve asked the other lands. No one seems to know where the child is from.”
The king quieted for a second.
“And the ship that wrecked the other day - there were no survivors. We’ve sent crews to search high and low, and nothing.”
“A tragedy for certain,” the queen murmured, lightly stroking the top of the baby’s head, fingers playing with his dark curls. “But we can help turn his life into something meaningful.”
Grimsby nodded again with a sigh. He knew exactly how much both of them yearned for a child, a son, and perhaps chance was finally on their side.
He just didn’t care for children, personally.
“Have you picked out a name?”
The queen smiled widely at the infant, causing the child to giggle, his eyes twinkling in the palace light, as blue as the waves that had saved his life.
“Eric.”
~~~~~~~~~
Twelve Years Later - Eric, Age 12
“Eric!”
“Eric!”
“Prince Eric!”
Grimsby leaned to his side, his hand pressing against his ribcage as he slowed his breathing. 
He was growing too old for this, the continuous chasing around the palace, running after a twelve-year-old boy who seemed to be getting taller and faster and more of a nuisance each day.
Grimsby couldn’t imagine himself behaving this way at that age - even when he was younger than ten, he’d known to not cause such a ruckus. And he hadn’t been into royalty, didn’t have the expectations of a future king on his shoulders.
Eric, on the other hand, never seemed to get the memo.
“Are you alright, Sir Grimsby?”
Grimsby looked down at the boy as he skipped over to him. Eric’s height rose to his chest now, mischievous eyes peeking past a messy mop of brown curls.
“There isn’t supposed to be running in the palace, Eric.”
“Who said anything about running? We’re chasing!”
Grimsby huffed, the ache in his side still lingering. “You’re old enough to know they’re the same. I know you have access to a thesaurus.”
“Well, we wouldn’t be running if you just stopped chasing me.”
Eric squinted as he watched his majordomo leaning over to his side in pain. “And, if that side hurts, you should bend the other way so it stretches.”
Grimsby huffed again as he followed Eric’s instructions, immediately feeling relief in his side. Once the ache subsided, he straightened back up, his hands crossing over his chest.
“I was chasing you because you’ve left your study a mess, Eric.”
The boy lifted a hand to scratch his head, crooking it to one side.
“A mess?”
“A mess. Things everywhere! Books all over the place, seashells from the beach strewn all over your shelves. And that globe - did you steal that from your father’s study?”
The prince snickered.
“I didn’t steal it Grimsby. Mother said I could have the globe to help with my studies. And all of father’s old charts.”
He flashed his dimples once, causing Grimsby to mentally groan. The boy had grown into a cheeky young thing, as charming as he was reckless, his charisma as abundant as his energy.
“What studies could you possibly need them for?”
“I’m teaching myself,” Eric said confidently. “I’m teaching myself how to sail. Even if mother won’t let me yet. So by the time I do go on the water, I can navigate just using the stars.”
He placed his hands on his hips in a defiant stance.
“And I’m collecting the seashells. I’ve been reading about them in some of the old books from the royal library. Some of them aren’t native to here, you know. The ocean carries them to us for us to find.”
“I’m glad you’re finding your artifacts so educational, Eric,” Grimsby sighed. “But if you leave your study a mess, Lashanna won’t allow it. You know better than to keep them around like that.”
The prince’s eyes, normally a crystal blue, began to darken.
“I’m not throwing them away!”
“You don’t have to throw them away. But you do need to keep them organized.”
Eric rolled his eyes again. 
“Says who?”
“Says me. And until you grow old enough to be king, you’ll listen to me.”
Eric let out a huff of frustration. 
“When I’m king, Grimsby, I’ll see to it that you get fired.”
The man laughed aloud. “I’ve been with your family for decades, my young prince. You won’t be getting rid of me that fast.”
“I can do whatever I want! Eric means eternal ruler, you told me yourself, Grimsby.”
Grimsby shook his head, turning on his heels to head back towards the palace. Better to stop the conversation now before Eric’s temperament got the better of him, he hoped.
He turned once more to look at the boy, the childish expression on his face contrasting his ever-growing stature. Sometimes, he couldn’t help but wonder if the king and queen had made the right decision, bringing this boy into the fold, setting him to be the future ruler of their islands. 
Eric was intelligent, compassionate, curious - but reckless, uncontrollable at times, with a mind of his own.
And Grimsby couldn’t help but pray that eventually, he’d grow up.
Six Years Later -  Eric, Age 18
“Well, doesn’t the prince look dashing!”
Grimsby turned to face Lashanna, who’d crept up behind him to watch as Eric stood deathly still at the other end of the room. The prince grimaced as the royal tailors fussed over his new jacket, using him as a human pin cushion of sorts.
“Looks just like his parents,” Grimsby joked, causing the woman to swat at his shoulder.
“Big night for the prince, eh?”
“You wouldn’t think so, talking to him.”
“Hmm?”
Grimsby sighed, placing his hand on the pillar next to him. 
“All he can talk about is going out to sea, tomorrow morning. You wouldn’t even know it was his eighteenth birthday today, if the queen hadn’t made a rule forbidding him from sailing until then.”
“What about the party?”
“What about the party?”
Lashanna frowned. “Don’t tell me I have the staff running around for Eric to not show up to his own birthday party tonight.”
“He’ll show up. The queen will make sure of it. He just won’t be happy with all the fuss, you know he never is.”
Lashanna remained quiet briefly, watching as Eric’s gaze focused out the large glass window to his right, looking over the ocean waves.
“Do you think she regrets it at all?”
It’d been a question Grimsby had wondered himself, many times, and even more so after the king’s sudden passing the year prior. The baby in the chest had become a source of joy for the queen and for the people of the islands. He’d grown into a strong, bright young man, grounded by his values and the desire to lead his people.
And yet, it seemed as if Eric never saw his role the same as his mother, rigidly determined to do things differently. He’d grown even more passionate about voyaging and opening the country to faraway neighbors since his father died, frustrated at the lack of support his ideas received from his mother and the court. He’d vented at Grimsby more than a handful of times, but usually locked himself in his study, surrounded by shelves upon shelves of treasures and tokens other sailors brought back for him.
It’d been manageable, for a while. But now he was eighteen, allowed to voyage the seas himself for the first time, and taking matters into his own hands.
“She loves him,” Grimsby replied. “And that’s what matters.”
He straightened as the tailors finished up with Eric, taking his jacket to have the final touches added before the night’s festivities. 
“Well, aren’t you going to be a sight tonight,” Lashanna smiled at the prince, reaching out to brush a stray curl from his forehead.
“Do you know what time we leave tomorrow, Grimsby?”
“Nine o’clock, Sire.”
“Any chance we could leave earlier? I’d love to see the sunrise on the water.”
Lashanna chuckled. “You’ll see plenty of sunrises over the next few weeks, young prince. And you’ll want to get some rest after your big party tonight.”
“There will be girls there, Eric,” Grimsby reminded him.
“So?”
“You’ll be expected to make conversation with them, dance with them.”
Eric scoffed.
“To find a wife, you mean?”
“Well, if all-“
“Wouldn’t my father say I’m too young to be finding a bride?”
Grimsby let out a deep sigh. “Your father wouldn’t want you to be reckless. But you are his heir, and you’re eighteen now. In a few years you will be old enough to assume the throne per our kingdom’s laws.”
“I’m not interested in finding a wife, Grimsby. Not when there’s so much out there to see. Did you know, one of the other islands just opened a large port? Large enough to completely change their economy. We’re being left behind here, and the rest of the world is moving on.”
“Eric-“
“And besides, don’t you think it wouldn’t be fair to my future wife if I was out on the seas all the time? A shoddy husband I’d make, I figure.”
As if he’d be allowed to voyage as the king. 
“Just dance with a few, Eric. They might surprise you, there’s plenty of ladies from different kingdoms coming. Consider that your bridging between cultures and lands.”
The idea seemed to please the young man somewhat, though his face showed no hint of a smile.
“If you dance with five of the young ladies tonight, I’m sure Grimsby could convince the queen to allow you to sail before sunrise,” Lashanna offered, causing Grimsby to shoot her an annoyed glance.
“Really?” Eric’s eyes lit up again.
Grimsby shook his head. It might be the only way.
“Alright, Eric. I’ll talk to your mother.”
The bounce in the prince’s step returned as he hurried towards the passageway. 
“I’ll get to packing now. Thank you, Grimsby!”
Grimsby turned to Lashanna once Eric was out of sight.
“You needed a compromise, no?” she smiled. “And besides, you’ll need to start getting ready yourself.”
“I’ve still got a few hours before the party.”
Lashanna’ grin grew wider. 
“I meant for your voyage tomorrow. Enjoy the sunrise, Mister Grimsby.”
~~~~~~~~~
Three Years Later - Eric, 21 Years Old 
“Eric! Eric!”
Grimsby ignored the ache in his legs as he ran through the palace halls, headed directly to the wing containing the prince’s bedroom.
The news had arrived while he was helping the queen’s secretary draft a letter to the neighboring kingdoms, desperate for any news or sign of her beloved son. 
Found him washed up ashore! 
Barely breathing!
But he’s alive! 
Grimsby could hardly believe it himself; that Eric’s life would have once again been spared by the sea, fortunate enough to arrive right on their doorstep. He could have sworn, watching the flames engulf the ship that night and Eric falling backwards as it listed in the water, that the prince was lost to the waves. 
It’d been the first time Grimsby had nearly cried, the presence of the rest of the crew in the rowboats the only thing stopping his tears.
Their last interaction had been an argument, another fight about Eric’s role as a leader, his incessant need to voyage and travel and explore for the sake of the islands. Their conversation had rung in Grimsby’s ears all night, the man unable to get any sleep once they safely reached shore.
“Eric!” He burst open the door to the prince’s bedroom, causing Max, seated at the foot of the bed, to bark loudly.
“Shhh, Max,” Eric muttered with a groan, his eyes looking at Grimsby tiredly. “It’s just Grims.”
“Thank the heavens,” Grimsby rushed over to his side, clutching one of Eric’s hands in his own. “I thought you were lost-”
“A girl saved me.”
Grimsby raised a brow, his eyes moving to the bandaged wound on Eric’s head.
“Pardon?”
“A girl, Grimsby,” Eric repeated slowly, his voice betraying his body’s exhaustion. His eyes fluttered open and close. “She saved me.”
“You’ve had a long day,” Grimsby said. “You should get some sleep.”
Surely the doctors would have informed him if Eric had sustained any major head injuries, not just a scratch?
“She sang to me, Grimsby. The most beautiful melody I’ve ever heard.”
“I’m sure she did, Sire.”
Eric’s eyes opened suddenly, the piercing blue gaze making direct contact with Grimsby’s own. 
“Find her for me, Grimsby.”
“Eric-“
“Please. She saved my life. I owe her my life.”
Eric closed his eyes once more, his tiredness quickly lulling him back to sleep.
A mystery girl who’d saved the prince from certain death in the ocean? How hard could it be?
He closed the bedroom door behind him as he walked towards in the direction of the infirmary. 
The doctors had some explaining to do.
~~~~~~~~~
“We could take a carriage tomorrow, if you’d like.”
Grimsby stopped as he heard the familiar voice coming out of the prince’s study, warm lantern light peeking out of a door left just ajar.
He was surprised to see the two of them in the light, diligently peering over maps and charts across Eric’s belongings. He’d hardly expected Eric to even get to know the new arrival at the palace, the girl who’d been found in the waves just as he had.
Perhaps that connected them, in a way.
But he’d distinctly recognized the disappointment in Eric’s face once the prince realized she wasn’t the mystery girl, the one who’d saved her and sang to him on the beach. How could she be, when she had no voice of her own?
Grimsby coughed quietly, causing the two of them to look up at him. Eric’s face was beaming, a look he hadn’t seen in the young prince since the night of the shipwreck, dancing with the crew.
“Oh, Grimsby! We’ll need a carriage for tomorrow.”
Grimsby nodded politely, hoping not to cause any distress to the red-haired girl staring wide-eyed at him.
“Of course, Sire. If I might have a quiet word?””
Eric looked back at the girl with a smile, nodding slowly as if in a daze. “Yes, of course.”
When they were out in the hall and out of earshot, Grimsby decided to broach the subject. Part of him wanted to not bring it up at all - the fantasy girl they were spending all of their resources chasing, and yet, Eric had been insistent. He still remembered the desperation in the prince’s eyes, begging him to find her.
“Sire, all of the carriages are being used tomorrow to look for the girl.”
A wave of realization seemed to pass through the prince, as if he’d been woken from a dream. “Oh, yes! The girl. Yes, we need to find her.”
“And may I remind you,” Grimsby continued. “That the queen insists that you stay inside at the palace until you’re feeling better.”
“I feel fine, Grimsby!” Eric grinned, his familiar dimples flashes. “I’ve never felt better.”
Grimsby looked at the prince carefully. In the study, he could have sworn the young man’s face had been glowing in the light, the golden hues reflecting off his skin. And yet, he was still beaming in the hall, a joyous grin he couldn’t hide even if he wanted to. 
Perhaps the silent girl was the distraction he needed, someone to make him happy for at least a little while.
“Yes, yes, I can see that,” Grimsby acknowledged, scanning Eric’s blue eyes once again. They were as blue as the waves.
“Well, I’m sure we could spare just one carriage. But you do need to go to sleep, Eric. The doctors said you still need plenty of rest.”
“I know. I got distracted all day in there.” He smiled. “She likes looking at my collections.”
“Hmm?”
“The girl,” Eric gestured back towards the study. “I’ll tell her she can stay in and keep looking, if she wants.”
“Ah, yes. Well, if you trust her with it all.”
Eric quickly slipped back to say goodnight to the red-haired girl, and as he’d assumed, she decided to stay back. He climbed up the stairs in the direction of his bedroom with Grimsby, the man’s arms clasped behind his back. 
“I trust her,” the prince said, a sheepish grin on his face. “It’s funny, really. You know that fossilized sea stone that’s been on my shelves since I was eighteen? From my first voyage?”
“Ah, yes.” Grimsby distinctly remembered Eric’s accomplished expression on that first voyage, as he traded some of their island cane for a few treasured items at the market.
“She threw it onto the ground,” Eric explained, chuckling to himself. “And it shattered all over the floor, but there was a beautiful gemstone inside, this vibrant rock that had been hidden for years. I’d never known it even existed.”
“I wonder where she must have learned to do that,” Grimsby commented.
“Me too. It’s not in any of my books. She’s strange, isn’t she? But in the best way.”
Grimsby kept watching the prince as they walked through the passageways, the young man seemingly lost in thought.
They stopped outside his bedroom door, Eric ruffling through his locks with his fingers. 
“Goodnight, Grimsby.”
“Goodnight, Eric. I promise we’ll continue to search for the girl in the morning.”
Eric frowned slightly as he made sense of the words.
“Right. The girl. Yes, thank you, Grimsby. Let me know what you find.”
“Of course, Sire.”
~~~~~~~~~
In any other time, Grimsby likely would have made a fuss over the mess that Eric had made in the main passageways of the palace, lake water dripping from his clothes onto the floor.
The queen had nearly slipped in a small puddle, and again, in any other time, Grimsby would have said something.
But he couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips as he saw the two pairs of soaking-wet feet hiding behind a wall, so by the time he finally approached Eric and the silent girl, any thought of scolding the prince had long vanished.
“We went out onto the lake, and well, we ended up in it,” Eric chuckled sheepishly at him, as if that somehow served as an excuse.
“Well, it seems you two had fun,” Grimsby remarked, the gleam in Eric’s eyes not going unnoticed. “I imagine you’re tired, and we should let you get some sleep.”
The red-haired girl smiled gratefully at both of them, a dazzling grin on her face that Eric seemed to melt into.
“Yes, goodnight,” the prince said, as the girl smiled again before ascending the stairs.
Suddenly, she turned, taking the hat off her head - where had they even gotten such an item? - and placing it gently atop Eric’s. She flashed another grin at the prince again before walking up.
“Goodnight…Ariel.”
She turned again once more, her smile reflected in her warm brown eyes. Grimsby watched as Eric’s gaze followed her up the staircase until she disappeared from sight.
“Sire,” Grimsby said, finally breaking the silence. “About the carriages…unfortunately, they weren’t able to find the girl.”
Eric stayed silent for a moment, though Grimsby could see his shoulders tense slightly. “Oh.”
“Should we resume the search?”
Eric turned to face Grimsby, a mix of emotions on his face. The man had known the prince since he was a baby - he knew exactly what Eric was feeling, even if the young man couldn’t verbalize it.
“Grimsby…I feel...a little…”
“If I may, Sire, from one old man. Don’t let what should be get in the way of what is.”
Eric nodded. 
“Goodnight, Sire.”
“Goodnight, Grimsby.”
He turned towards the passageway, hoping to find Lashanna to help take care of the mess in the halls before the queen woke up in the morning.
“Wait, Grimsby!”
“Yes, Sire?”
“Her name…her name is Ariel.”
Grimsby nodded. He’d gathered as such, though he couldn’t imagine how young Eric had figured that particular one out.
“And how did you come across that, Sire?”
Eric laughed to himself, his hand touching the top of his hat as if it contained a cherished memory.
“It’s a long story. I’ll have to tell you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Eric.”
“Goodnight, Grimsby. And thank you.”
~~~~~~~~~
“Grimsby! Grimsby!”
Eric rushed over, a frantic look in his eyes inconsistent with the celebratory atmosphere they were surrounded by.
Grimsby glanced over at Vanessa, the mystery girl, the woman in purple who’d arrived at the palace on Eric’s arm early that morning. She was busy entertaining members of the court, waxing poetic about what it was like to save the prince from drowning, a story that seemed more like fantasy with each passing minute, or so he believed.
“Grimsby, have you seen Ariel?”
He furrowed his brow, looking back at the prince. It was like Eric had completely reversed overnight, the feelings he felt for Ariel replaced by an enchanting trance for the newly-found mystery girl. 
It didn’t sit right with Grimsby. Something had felt off all day, even if the queen and the rest of the court thought nothing of it.
Of course, Eric had desperately wanted to find the girl for days, pleading with Grimsby to find her - and yet, he had assumed, perhaps foolishly, to think the mystery girl was no more than a passing thought, now. He had sensed something in the air between Eric and Ariel the night before, something stronger than the mystery girl, now gone like the tide.
And as far as he was concerned, there didn’t seem to be a true connection between Eric and Vanessa. 
He couldn’t explain it.
“According to the servants, she left this morning.”
“Left?”
“Can you blame her, Eric?” Grimsby finally said, exasperated. “I don’t understand, this isn’t like you.”
“I…I know,” Eric muttered. “I’m not sure I understand myself.”
“I don’t think it would be fair for Ariel to stay, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes,” Eric said, his voice sounding deflated. Grimsby noticed a glassy haze in his eyes, as if sleepwalking or under a spell. “Yes, that wouldn’t be fair.”
“You’re old enough to make your own decisions, Eric. And to learn to accept the consequences.”
“Yes. Yes, yes, you’re right, Grimsby.”
“Eric!” 
The two of them turned to see the queen gesturing towards her son.
“Go,” Grimsby said, his heart sinking slightly in his chest. He knew what the queen would be giving him - he’d had one of the palace servants polish it earlier that day at her request.
But it was Eric’s decision now.
“Grims-”
“Go, Eric.”
~~~~~~~~~
The walk back to the palace was eerily silent, the crashing waves the only sounds filling the air.
Grimsby glanced over at the prince, dripping from head-to-toe, his clothing torn to shreds and clinging to his wet skin. The queen and the rest of the staff were several feet ahead of them, the two men bringing up the rear back to land.
Back to safety.
“Eric-”
“I don’t want to talk about it, Grimsby.”
“She was real, Eric.”
The prince stayed silent for a few seconds before stopping mid-step. He lowered himself to the ground, balancing himself against a large rock as Grimsby took a seat next to him.
Eric’s gaze stayed focused on the horizon, watching the colors of the sunset reflect off the ocean intently, as if Ariel might reappear if he looked hard enough.
“I’ve been a fool, Grimsby.”
“No, no. What you felt for her was very real, your mother was right about that. You would be a fool to deny the connection you felt between you two.”
Eric sighed, taking a small pebble from next to him and throwing it into the ocean.
“She really saw me, Grimsby. Like no one ever has. Not to mention that she’d been the one to save my life in the first place.”
“I understand.”
His heart ached for the prince - just as the oceans had spared his life, they’d also torn Ariel away from him, their two homes at odds with each other forever. Eric had always been stubborn - but now, he seemed completely deflated.
“I loved her, Grimsby,” Eric murmured under his breath. “I do love her.”
He stared out into the ocean one more time, before standing back up, reaching a hand out to help Grimsby onto his feet.
Grimsby noticed the tears welling in the corners of his eyes, threatening to fall.
“And now she’s gone.”
~~~~~~~~~
“Eric! Eric!”
Grimsby clutched his side, a cramp near his ribcage causing him to wince.
Certainly, he was getting too old for this.
“Grimsby!” He heard Eric’s familiar laugh as the prince opened his bedroom door, allowing him to enter.
Eric was already dressed for the big day, his curls neat and clothes pressed. “You’re going to kill yourself one day, old man, chasing after me.”
“I’ve done it for twenty-one years already, Sire, I’m sure I’ll last at least a few more.”
“Did you need something? The wedding’s supposed to begin in less than an hour.”
Grimsby nodded, reaching into the hidden pocket of his jacket as he took out a compass, slightly worn from age, though the mother-of-pearl and gold fixtures still shone brilliantly in the light.
He straightened up as he placed the compass in Eric’s hands, the prince’s blue eyes looking curiously at him.
“This,” he said. “This was your father’s. Many years ago. I thought it would serve useful on your voyage with Ariel.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t find anything larger, but I imagined you two have already been showered enough by the court.”
“Grimsby, it’s perfect,” Eric’s eyes shone brilliantly. “Than-”
“Oh, no need to thank me,” he replied quickly, hoping to clear his throat of anything too sentimental. “It was your father’s, after all-”
His breath was knocked out of him as Eric pulled him into a tight hug.
“Thank you, Grimsby.”
“Sire-” the corners of his eyes began to prick.
“For leading me to Ariel.” 
“I-”
“And for believing in me.”
Grimsby patted the prince’s back as the tears in his eyes finally spilled over.
The boy - the child on the waves - had finally grown up, into a man that Grimsby couldn’t have even pictured. He imagined he had Ariel to thank for that, the silent red-headed girl who’d shone a brilliant light into the prince’s life, helped secure his destiny, allowed him to find his place in the world.
“Always, Eric.”
186 notes · View notes
stealthetrees · 2 years
Text
I don’t think anyone has fully considered the potential of a feral zuko au.
Like, Ozai tries to kill him when he’s 10, but zuko escapes with a scar, Ozai claims he was killed by an assassin and Azula gets a redemption arc early.
Meanwhile zuko is off completely changing the corse of history by, in no particular order:
-Making Hama realize that not all fire benders are bad cause the child she just told about how she was in prison immediately his to instigate a jail break
-is emotionally adopted by hakoda along with most of the crew
-finds wan shi tong’s library
-befriends/is adopted by June the bounty hunter
-discovers a herd of flying bison
-joins a traveling acting troupe for a while cause he’s a theater nerd
-visits omashu and is forcibly befriended by bumi, who decides that zuko is now his grandson and no one can stop him
-discovers the white lotus, decides that they don’t do shit, and starts a hobby of breaking into their safe houses and wrecking them until they get off their asses and help with the war
-meets toph when some fire nation soldiers chase him to gaoling and she stops them, and her parents see her, but zuko does this little speech about how proud they must be of their daughter and how much they must trust and respect her since she’s such a powerful earth bender, and basically guilt trips them into letting toph continue to fight and practice bending
-gets a dragon tattoo 
-wanders into the swamp at some point
-drinks a bit more than he probably should, but he can hold it shockingly well
-figures out lightning bending in the middle of a thunderstorm 
-goes to ba sing se, gets arrested by the Dai li, breaks out, and starts a one man war with them, which basically is just zuko par core-ing around the city till he finds some Dai li, then rather beats the shit out of them, or just kill them. 
-He does it all with out fire bending though, just his swords. 
-After like a week the Dai li are basically gone, and the earth king finds out about the war, and makes zuko a part of the army, some fancy title and a medal or something, zuko is officially recognized as the dragon of the east, and proceeds to duck off to the North Pole to try and convince them to help in the war
-they don’t want to, but he befriends yue and they talk about politics and zuko helps her get out of the arranged marriage 
-zuko called Paku a sexist bitch and is surprised yet delighted to inform him that blood bending was invented by a woman
-invents lightning redirection
-the north joins the war thanks to yue 
-zuko meets the mechanist at the northern air temple at some point
-meets and joins the freedom fighters, makes out with jet, uses fire bending to save jets like, then jet tries to kill him
-the other kids understand that zuko is still good even though he’s a fire bender, but zuko leaves, even though every single kid adopted zuko as their older brother
-becomes known as the greatest swords man to ever live
-it’s actually true, and when piandao, who has Ali adopted zuko, hears that he is very proud and brags about it to everyone he meets
-basically zuko gets adopted by almost every adult he meets
-gets really good at cooking, hunting, reading maps, finding water, pick pocketing, stowing away on beats, sewing, and pretty much every other skill you would need to live on your own. 
-hears that Zhao has captured the avatar and casually breaks Aang out of prison
-refuses to be his firebending teacher and leaves
-stops at a village to tell them that the volcano next to them is about to explode, and he knows this cause he grew up in the fire nation which has a lot of volcanos
-they don’t believe him cause the fortune teller never said anything about it, zuko gets pissed and starts yelling at them
-this is the exact moment Aang Katara and sokka show up
-zuko thinks Aang is following him and tries to leave, but sokka recognizes him as the dragon of the east from a wanted poster
-they basically follow zuko around trying to convince him to help them, and he is this close to just beating them up when Katara mentions they are going to the northern water tribe to learn bending
-zuko agrees to go with them just so he can see Katara kick paku’s ass 
-obviously zuko and sokka get together at some point
-when the gaang finds joung joung zuko makes fun of him cause zuko was there when he broke up with piandao cause he was afraid of being found out (cause being gay was illegal) and piandao kicked his ass even though he’s a non bender
Meanwhile Azula thinks she could have prevented zukos death somehow, maybe helped him with his fire bending or hadn’t bullied him so much or something. 
Ozai kind of focused on her more and started to look down on her a lot more cause he couldn’t compare her to zuko. He put a lot more pressure on her and it drove her away from him, she started seeking his approval less and less, instead growing closer to her mom and uncle. Her mom was constantly worried she would screw up and Azula would die too, but she was Ali scared of making her think she was trying to replace zuko. But by being rather open with Azula about that it never really became an issue. 
Azula took up sword fighting and trained with piandao and she got a lot of character growth from that, cause she wasn’t naturally good at it and really had to work hard. Piandao was not someone she could bully or manipulate, so she had to struggle with earning someone’s approval. 
Piandao told her at some point that sword fighting was not something that came naturally to anyone, and you had to work hard your whole life to be really good. He also said zuko was the fastest learner and best student he had ever taught. Piandao believed that zuko could have easily surpassed piandao himself within a few years.
Azula gets to go to the war meeting that zuko got banished at in the show, she also says the plan is wrong, but in a much more eloquent way that doesn’t dishonor the fire lord but does dishonor the general. She fights an Agni Kai against the general and wins.
The plan is done anyway, (zuko finds that message and is able to warn both the earth kingdom troops and the squad of fire nation soldiers that where going to die, it starts the rumor that the dragon of the east is actually prince zuko and it spreads, some solders start to rebel against their commanders in the name of the prince) Azula finds out about it much later and raises all kinds of hell over it, calling Ozai an “honorless coward who betrays his people, unworthy of the throne” to his face in front of a bunch of people.
Azula gets banished for it, Iroh comes with her and she’s now basically zuko from the show, but tasked with finding and capturing the dragon of the east to prove her loyalty instead of the avatar. At this point she does not know that it’s zuko.
She finds zuko didn’t recognize him and fights him, but he’s better than her, and then she sees the knife that Iroh have zuko just before he “died” and puts two and two together and comes up with seven. She thinks the dragon of the east is the assassin that killed her brother.  It kind of makes sense, if the assassination was his first act of rebellion, cause a string of jail breaks followed. 
I’m not really sure where the story could go after that but there’s a lot of potential for an invasion, since zuko knows so many people. Imagine them all showing up to help and they’re all like “oh hey zuko” and the gaang turns to zuko and ask how he knows them and he’s just like “that’s my mom/dad” and it just makes them more confused.
2K notes · View notes
Text
03/19/2024 Daily OFMD Recap
TLDR; Rhys Darby; Cryptid Factor; World Exclusive; Rosie; Kristian; Vico; SaveOFMDCrew billboard results; Watch Parties; Newark Newark; Wrecked; Adopt Our Crew Rhys Radness; Fan Spotlight; Podcasts; Radio; Cast Cards; Trends; Articles; Uproar; Love Notes + 1; Daily Darby Tonight's Taika
= Rhys Darby =
Cryptid factor - World Exclusive
So Rhys, Dan, and Buttons revealed never before seen footage by Tchie Kellys from back in 2018 of the Lochness Cryptid!
You can see footage on their Patreon (the full 2hr+ episode)
Edited version of the podcast on Spotify
Short version on Youtube
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
And of course Rosie's gotta pop in with some snark, I love that woman.
Tumblr media
= Kristian Nairn =
Episode 065 of Kristian's music show Spektrum is up on Mixcloud! Mixcloud Link
Tumblr media
= Vico Ortiz =
Lots of footage of Vico posted today! I couldnt get the videos to download for some reason-- find them here on their instagram.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Source: Vico Ortiz Instagram
== Stretch Goal Billboard Survey Results ==
The Final Stretch Goal Survey is in...
Hey, crew! The results from the survey on the final stage of our London Ads campaign are in. 🗳️ Almost 94% voted to split the remaining funds between the three billboard fundraiser charities: Mermaids UK, RainbowYOUTH (AoNZ), and Point Foundation (US). 🧜‍♂️🌈
Tumblr media
Read the rest here
== Watch Parties ==
= Newark, Newark =
When: Saturday 23rd March @ 7 pm GMT / 3pm EST / 12 pm PST Where: BBC iPlayer, Now TV
Hosted by @lamentus1
Extra Note: The Rhys Darby Faction Discord will be streaming it as well at 5pm GMT / 1 pm EST / 12 pm PST
Tumblr media
​Watch Party Hashtags:
#NewarkThePlank
#OurFlagMeansDeath
== Wrecked ==
Season 3 watch from March 18th to March 22nd. 
Tumblr media
Times will be 10pm GMT / 5pm EST / 4pm CST / 2pm PST. Watch two episodes per day. Episodes are 21-22 minutes each. Use the following Saturday for the tags/watch if interested but not able to make this time.
Hashtags: 
#WreckedPirates
#SaveOFMD
#RhysDarbyFaction
== Adopt Our Crew Rhys Radness ==
Another day of the Rhys Radness brackets by @adoptourcrew on twitter! Some tough decisions to be made.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Yesterday Jemaine decided to share the Steve vs Murray vote! Sorry Jemaine! Steve won out.
Tumblr media
Today Luke Higginson (Writer, Director, and Editor of 'Relax I'm From The Future' ) also tried to campaign for Casper!!
Tumblr media
Then even @bluefox_enterainment (the distributor of Relax I'm From The Future and Uproar!) also campaigned for Casper! We'll see what happens tonight!
== Fan Spotlight ==
Never Left - Podcast
Another episode of Never Left - an Our Flag Means Death Podcast is out! -- featuring one of our lovely #RhysDarbyFaction members, @TazManiaZania! Part 2 to Beautiful Princess Disorder.
Our Flag Means Fanfiction - Podcast
Our lovely friends over at @OurFlagMeansFanficion have another episode out! 'For this week’s episode, LoopyDangerFrog, also known as Katie, has granted us permission to share her narration of The Thoroughly and Entirely (Im)Proper Cuddling of Edward Teach by queenbee42. Katie’s narration is just SO GOOD. The emotion. The feeling… This is why she’s one of the best narrators out there.' - @OurFlagMeansFanfiction
= Amanda Beezer =
Tomorrow, our crewmate Amanda (Beezer Bee) will be chatting about #OurFlagMeansDeath on a local radio station 88.9 FM WMCX (March 20) at 2:30pm EST/6pm GMT! Check out Her Twitter for more info! You can listen here: https://www.radio.net/s/wmcx
= Cast Cards =
Our crewmate @melvisik is really hitting all the cast members! Today is Tim Heidecker aka Doug!
Tumblr media
== Trends ==
Thank you @indarltonitrust on twitter for catching this!
Tumblr media
== Articles ==
Really wonderful article that actually talks a bit about being on set with OFMD. Please give it a read!
= Uproar =
Your requests are working (maybe? Idk if they were gonna do this anyway, but I'm claiming it as us, whatever)! Sounds like there are some additional locations coming soon 👀
Tumblr media
== YouWear50Well ==
Early reminder! The 21st is Rhys' Birthday! Since it'll be the 21st for some crew members earlier than others, @yronnia was kind enough to give us information early regarding the 50th birthday news!Please be sure to Post your birthday wishes to Rhys and show him your appreciation! Send your fanart and other creations using #YouWear50Well. Please Note: Please do not tag Rhys repeatedly! He's going to be getting a lot of notifications. Even just having notifications under #YouWear50Well will help keep everything visible :)
== Kudoboards closing soon =
Last chance! Thank you to @sharpenyersword on Twitter for setting up ALL THE KUDOBOARDS! Rhys' birthday kudoboard will close on the 20th, the rest will close on the 22nd. 
Go send the cast and crew some love folks!
Rhys Darby's Birthday
David Jenkins
Nathan Foad
Con O'Neill
Ruibo Qian
Leslie F*cking Jones!
Matthew Maher
Vico Ortiz
Samson Kayo
Alex "Ass Tonight" Sherman!
David Fane
Kristian "Wee John Wednesdays" Nairn!
Samba "BTS and Baking King" Schutte!
Fellow OFMD Fan Crew!
= Love Notes =
Hey Lovelies. Been a lot of excitement today, certainly a lot going on! Rhys' birthday week, actual footage of something in Lochness, podcasts, billboards and movies, oh my! I know some of us are struggling a bit with some personal stuff, it's a hard time out there. It hits harder too when you get all this fun dopamine from the internet, then you turn around and look back at normal life and things are tough. Remember to be kind to yourself lovelies. Things aren't always going to go the way you plan or want. It's okay if you can't get out of bed today. It's okay if you scroll on your phone and get your dopamine from goofy ass pictures of celebrities. It's okay if you get up and you brush your teeth, but just can't make your breakfast. Eat something simple. Drink some water, lay down for a while. Little things build to big things. If you can't do laundry today because you don't have the spoons/motivation, then don't do laundry today. Just remember to change your underwear if you have some clean ones cause you don't wanna get a UTI. If all you can do today is exist, you're doing great. You're doing better than great, you're fantastic. Tomorrow you can do a little bit more, or a little less, depending on what you need. Just be kind to yourself and give yourself grace; the world is hard enough as it is, you don't need to beat yourself up for struggling with very real issues. Thank you all for making the past few weeks tolerable, I appreciate that so much. It's keeping my brain chemistry in a spot that's healthier than is used to be. I hope you all know just how wonderful you truly are, and that me and the rest of the crew are rooting for you every day. We're here, we love you <3 Stay well.
= Love Notes Cont'd =
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
= Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika =
Tonight's theme is these two being goofy MFs.
Darby Courtesy of @kiwistede
Taika Courtesy of I don't actually know I'm sorry (I found it in my taika folder and normally I name them but this didnt have one)! Please claim it!
Tumblr media Tumblr media
45 notes · View notes