#we'll just........let it marinate for now

[shoshimakesstuff]

I wanna make a Rosie mix so bad but also I'm so intimidated

#he knows music!! i only think i know music!! #shoshi.txt #we'll just........let it marinate for now

[feirceangel]

Imagine | Escape (Crocodile)

Imagine breaking Crocodile out of Impel Down.

Warnings: spoilers for Impel Down!!! You’ve been warned.

Word Count: 980

(Not my gif)

"Why are you helping me?"

The question was asked with a tilted head as the boy in the straw hat stared you down.

You just grinned, “Like you, there's someone I'm looking for, and I think he's in here."

"Well, then we'll find him!" Luffy copied your grin, “After we rescue Ace!"

"Of course," you smiled back, "It won't be too hard to break in and out of the impregnable Impel Down."

"That's the spirit!" He laughed, clapping you on the back.

You laughed and raced alongside the young teen.

Confident in your abilities, you rush forwards, uncaring about the possible complications and consequences that could befall you.

The presence of the young teen is a good booster for the spirit. Even when serious, he has that uplifting energy that you admire him for.

It's best to have an ally in this place, you realized that early on. Therefore, you decided to team up with him as soon as you spotted him.

It's not like you were strangers.

Sure, you weren't exactly friends per se, more like acquaintances. Having run into him and his crew a few times, you're familiar enough with him that you're comfortable being allies in such a rough place.

You barely survived the fight against Magellan, Luffy taking the brunt of the damage until you, Luffy, and Bon Clay were ‘Demoned Away’ to Newkama Land.

There, you met the infamous Emporio Ivankov. You’d heard much about him and his followers, so you were honoured to meet him in person.

Albeit, a bit taken aback by his outlandish personality and bizarre followers. He helped Luffy and you, so you were indebted to him.

And now here you are, trying to escape level six and get back out of the prison. It’s a long ways to go and you aren’t thrilled.

You’ve been searching every cell looking for the man you came to find, but have had no luck. Luffy’s had just as much luck as you, seeing as Ace is already on his way to the execution area.

A sinister laugh sounds, deep and rich.

Your ears perk up immediately.

“If you want to escape from here, set me free.”

The voice is deeper than the ocean, smooth as snake skin. You’d recognize it anywhere.

“I can open a hole in the ceiling. So, how about it?”

The sharp clang of shackles rings loudly as the prisoner stands up and walks to the bars of the cell.

“Long time no see, Mugiwara.”

You grin, racing over to the bars, “Crocodile! Here you are!”

His cold eyes meet yours as shock overcomes your companions. Luffy reaches out, clamping a hand on you to drag you back beside him.

“What are you doing, Y/n?! Don’t you know what he did?”

“Hmm, oh well yeah, but we’ve been close for ages!” You reply, slipping from his hold. “I can’t just let my boy rot in here.”

“Your boy?” Ivankov echoes.

Crocodile does not look impressed, “What are you doing here, Y/n?”

“I came to rescue you!”

“He’s who you’re here for?!” Luffy steps towards you, anger in his eyes. “He ruined Vivi’s country!”

“That’s all in the past, I have no interest in that anymore. But a war between the Marines and Whitebeard? That piques my interest,” Crocodile interjects.

“Gonna act like you’re not happy to see me, huh?” You cross your arms, staring at Crocodile.

He ignores you.

“Let’s release him, Mugiwara-boy. He would make an powerful ally,” the King of Newkama says.

“What-?”

“Ivankov,” Crocodile spits out, clearly not happy to see him. You unlock the cell door with a key you snagged earlier, opening it with a flourish and a grin.

“We can’t trust him completely, but I’ve known him since he was a rookie.”

“Really?” You ask, “I bet you have good stories!”

“Don’t say anything,” Crocodile growls.

“Don’t take that tone with me, I have no qualms sharing about your past,” Ivankov smirks.

You raise an eyebrow, “Oh please, I wanna know.”

Crocodile shoots you a glare to which you stick out your tongue.

“It’s only fair after that cold welcome you gave me. Croco-boyyy,” you tease before snatching his hand in yours.

You find the lock on his shackles and slide a different key into it, twisting it deftly. It falls to the ground and you let your hands linger on Crocodile’s skin.

He doesn’t shrug off your touch, but his tense expression doesn’t change.

“I missed you.”

“You shouldn’t be here,” he says as he flexes his hand. “It’s dangerous.”

“I’m used to danger, silly.”

He huffs in irritation, shooting a glance at the men watching. Luffy still seems to be in shock, while the other two look unaffected.

“Oh, here.”

You dig in your pocket for a second with a toothy grin, “I got you something.”

Smugly, you place a fat cigar into his hand, producing a lighter as well, “You must be cranky cause you had to quit cold-turkey.”

At this, his lips twitch into a soft smile. A smile that he only gave to you, for you alone could make him feel this way.

Not only did you care enough to break him out, but you also thought of the small things.

He places the lit cigar into his mouth, placing his hand on your head to ruffle your hair, “Thank you.”

You lean into his touch, savouring it.

While Luffy and the others discuss their next moves, Crocodile turns you to face him directly. He draws you into a quick hug.

“I missed you too, you know,” he whispers, tightening his hold mindlessly. “But I think you’re an idiot for coming down here.”

You laugh, “Well, we can talk about it more once we’re out of this shithole.”

He nods, focusing on the task at hand: escaping Impel Down with you by his side.

#sir crocodile #female reader #imagine #reader insert #one piece #one piece imagine #one piece reader insert #one piece x reader #op #crocodile x reader #crocodile imagine #sir crocodile x reader #crocodile one piece #one piece oneshots

[blackopals-world]

Crewel:(raising Maid!Yuu, and Tailor!Yuu) Okay, we'll watch Bluey.

Trein: (caring for Writer!Yuu and Noble!Yuu) Alright 1 hour of Hungarian folktales before music practice.

Vargas:(raising Disciplinary Officer!Yuu and Special Forces!Yuu) Where did they go? It's wrestling night.

Father Goldlace (oc, Mother Gothal): (raising Gardener!Yuu) No pouting dear, just watch Sesame Street till I finish your hair.

Dr. Lazarus Charon (oc, ferrymen from Hercules): (raising Nurse!Yuu, Vet!Yuu, and Marin Biologist!Yuu) kids, can you all stop fighting and just watch Doc Mcstuffins? You guys love Doc Mcstuffins. Now please let your daddy sleep.

Sam: (raising Delivery kid!Yuu and Chef!Yuu) *watches Chopped Jr. and Legends of the Hidden Temple with them* (they like games shows)

Crowley:(raising harpy!Yuu and Odette) *puts on Cocomelon and leaves as quickly as possible*

(I'm currently held hostage by a toddler.)

#writer!yuu #chef!yuu #vet!yuu #marine biologist!yuu #nurse!yuu #gardener!yuu #special forces!yuu #disciplinary committee!yuu #noble!yuu #tailor!yuu #maid!yuu #delivery person!yuu #harpy!yuu #officer!yuu #Odette Crowley #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland incorrect quotes #twisted wonderland crewel #twisted wonderland crowley #twst crowley #twst dire crowley #divus crewel #dire crowley #twst sam #twisted wonderland sam #coach vargas #twst vargas #mozus trein #twst trein #professor trein

[avocadorablepirate]

What Do We Call This? - 01

mini masterlist || next

Pairing: Trafalgar Law x fem!reader

Summary: On a quest to find what you've been looking for, you acquire the help of the Straw Hat pirates, who've agreed to let you temporarily join them. There are however many challenges that come along with your temporary recruitment - an alliance with a certain Trafalgar Law being one of them.

Word Count: 1.9K

Warnings: fluff, angst, kinda slow burn, swearing. OP spoilers (especially in this chapter). Probably shouldn't read if you haven't watched/read the Punk Hazard Arc.

A/N: 16 year old me is rolling in her grave, ready to resurrect from the dead, unalive me, and take my place because both she and I cannot believe that we are back here writing fics about a fictional man. We also cannot believe that our writing style has not changed one bit. It's honestly quite disappointing.

Anyway, this chapter kinda sucks (proof read, but for sure there are mistakes somewhere there), and the others probably will too (all I've written after this is my favourite part, the rest is up to fate and my willpower to continue writing). But, if it comes to it we can always just erase all of this, and act like none of this ever happened.

Why is it called 'What Do We Call This?" you ask? Because I honestly don't know what the fuck to call this.

—⁠☆✿☆—⁠

She found herself being welcomed onto the pirate ship, despite the fact that just a few days ago she was after their lives. It was truly a strange turn of events that had unfurled in the blink of an eye.

"If that's where you want to go then we'll take you! If I'm going to be Pirate King I'll have to visit every island anyway!" The captain had said without a second thought when she had asked them whether she could tag along for a short while.

To put it briefly she had met the crew at Fishman Island, initially with the intent to get rid of them. However, after certain explanations about memories that she did not want to dive into for the 2nd time that week, and some forgiveness on the part of the pirates, she was now onboard the Thousand Sunny, on her way to the new world, fulfilling her initial goals.

——————————————————————————

The Straw Hats ship had docked at Punk Hazard on getting a call from someone on their Den Den Mushi. Luffy having picked it up without any hesitation had decided that he was going to help whoever it was.

A lot had happened since then. You had been captured along with Nami, Sanji, Chopper and Franky, and had found yourselves in a metal chamber along with the head of a samurai who was somehow still alive, despite lacking an entire lower body. Franky and Sanji had managed to break open the cell, allowing for your escape, but as all of you looked for a way out you ran into some children in what looked like a nursery. You had then escaped with the children, who had begged you to take them with you, but on exiting from the front you ran into a pirate named Trafalgar Law and the Marines. The group's interaction with the two was short, quickly choosing to find another exit.

Law, you thought to yourself as you kept running. You had heard the name before but couldn't quite remember when. You were however pulled out of your thoughts when from the corner of your eye you saw a thin blue orb surround the four Straw Hat pirates. You watched in shock as the hearts of the pirates were switched.

What had just happened?

You took a quick glance at the people behind you, had this been the work of the Marines or the pirate Trafalgar Law?

What you found was the pirate, frozen in place, staring at you as if he had seen a ghost. He had been caught off guard perhaps, not realising that there was someone else with the Straw Hats. But, he was quick to snap out of it, turning away and focusing his attention on the Marines at hand. You too turned back around, a small smile on your face despite the situation. You remembered now, where you had heard the name. What were the chances that you would finally meet him after all these years, you thought to yourself as you lightly touched the strap of your hood.

——————————————————————————

Everyone was now hiding out in a cave behind the research facility you had been trapped in, the situation having completely changed.

You had reunited with the rest of the Straw Hats and Trafalgar Law had also joined the group with the intention of forming an alliance with the Straw Hats. You couldn't help but laugh to yourself when Luffy had readily accepted, thinking back to when he had gladly welcomed you onto his ship, despite the few protests from the rest of the crew.

Your laughing caught the attention of the captain of the Heart Pirates, and you were quick to regain your composure, giving him a quick smile as he eyed you. His attention then turned back to Luffy, but his hand pointed at you, "Who's that?"

Luffy looked from Law to you and back, his smile stretching from ear to ear, "Oh! This is (Y/N). She was trying to kill us," he says, his smile not letting up while Usopp and Nami yell at him for the introduction while you, Robin and Franky laugh, Chopper too stunned to speak. Usopp then explains to him that you've temporarily joined them, not going into further details.

Trafalgar Law was obviously not expecting that for a response, almost in complete shock that someone could be dumb enough to welcome an assassin onto their ship. However, he didn't address it, there were other things that needed to be dealt with, he would just have to be wary of you.

You, Nami and Usopp had volunteered to stay back and watch over the children. However, Caesar Clown himself had come to attack you. Unable to land an attack on him the three of you were knocked out and he took the children back with him leaving the three of you and Brownbeard behind. Luckily, the four of you had managed to escape and were now back inside the research facility with everyone else.

It was a strange group of people; pirates, Marines, a few of Caesar's subordinates, and whatever you were. However, given the situation everyone had decided to work together to escape the gas, defeat Caesar Clown and save the children. But you sensed that Trafalgar Law had other intentions as well.

Initially with the task of helping find the children, you stuck with Nami, but watched intently as Law went off on his own. You quickly made the decision to follow him. Unsure of whether he had any ulterior motives to form an alliance with the Straw Hats, you felt it would be a safe bet if you kept an eye on him, in turn protecting the Straw Hats who you were indebted to - incase he tried anything.

"Nami, I'm going to follow Trafalgar Law. Maybe I can find something that can help the children," you say, and quickly follow behind the other pirate, not giving Nami the chance to protest to your decision.

You kept a safe distance from Law, you couldn't let him see you. Following him through various corridors he finally stops at a room filled with huge tanks, the words 'S.A.D' painted on each of them in big bold letters. What is this place?

"Room."

"Shambles."

Law's voice draws your attention away from the tanks, and you notice the same blue orb from earlier surround him. You're taken by surprise when you see a translucent cube with what looks to be a heart inside it appear in the palm of his hand. Then suddenly Law's flung back and in front of him stands a tall man in a white coat and shades, the cube now in his hands. He looks vaguely familiar.

"Ver-go," Law tries to say as he stands up but the man squeezes the cube causing Law to fall back down and yell in pain.

Your eyes now focus on the heart, is that Law's? How did Vergo get his heart?

This time Law tries to land an attack on Vergo. He's able to hit him but it doesn't seem to do much. Vergo once again squeezes at Law's heart, harder this time, and you watch as Law falls on his back, unable to get up.

Shit what do I do? You scan your surroundings trying to find some way to help Law. You're not one for close combat, or combat at all for that matter, so running in and attacking is not an option. Just then you see the Marine from earlier, and you let out a sigh of relief, you could hold off on intervening for now.

Things however seemed to be taking a turn for the worse. Vergo had the upper hand, Smoker almost completely knocked out, yet you had a sliver of hope when you noticed Law dragging himself across the floor to reach for his heart. But, just as he was about to reach for it Vergo picked it up. You looked back to see Smoker lying still on the floor. Then you heard Law scream. A gasp fell from your lips, but you were quick to duck behind a wall before anyone could see you. Your body was shaking, Law's screaming was bringing back the memories.

Prison cell.

Dragged out.

Handcuffs.

Words.

Screaming.

More screaming.

Silence.

Handcuffs.

You try and take deep breaths to calm yourself. There's no point in remembering those things. You're free from it now, you try and tell yourself, You need to do something, if you don't, no one gets out.

Three deep breaths. You swore to yourself that you would never do this again, but maybe that wasn't the best idea when you had decided to associate yourself with pirates.

You outstretch your arm, and focus your attention on Vergo while still trying to hide yourself. From the corner of your eye you can see Smoker slowly starting to get up. You have to time this right.

"Grip."

"Twist."

You close your hands into a tight fist, and twist your wrist to the right.

Vergo suddenly screams, an excruciating pain surging through his right arm, and he drops Law's heart just as Smoker hits him from behind.

You unclench your fist and bite down on your hat that you had already placed between your teeth, trying your best not to let out a gut-wrenching scream of your own as you slide down against the wall to hide yourself.

The problem with these powers? You feel the same pain you inflict onto others, only it's far worse than what they feel.

——————————————————————————

Law's surprised by the way Vergo is suddenly gripping at his arm, but he immediately looks to his right, he heard that gasp from earlier. He knows you've been following him, watching him, but until now he wasn't sure why. You're gripping at your right arm as well, from your expression he can tell you're in pain, did you do that? He doesn't know what to make of it. However, he takes this as his chance to get his heart back, and just in time - Vergo's attention is back on him.

——————————————————————————

Trafalgar Law, you say to yourself, eyeing the man who's sitting by himself away from the rest of the group. He's different from what you had heard about him. Given, what you had heard about him was from a long time ago.

After the pain had subsided you had decided to get away just as Law laid his final attack on Vergo. You didn't want him questioning why you had followed him, and you definitely wouldn't have been able to explain why your right arm was limp. Instead, you headed back to the Straw Hats and acted as if you never saw or heard anything.

"(Y/N)-chan?"

"Hmm?" You turn your attention to Sanji who's holding out a bowl of food.

"Could you give this to Tra?" he asks, and you nod your head as you take the bowl from him.

Law's staring at Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hats, annoyance etched on his face. When he sees you his eyes do a quick scan from head to toe, but you notice how they linger on your right arm, which you quickly hide behind your back, shoving the bowl towards him.

"Here, Sanji wanted me to give this to you," you say, and he takes the bowl from you, nodding in thanks. You stand beside him for some time, waiting for him to say something, anything, but not a word comes out.

"Well, if you need more let me know," you say, quickly scurrying back to the cook who's all too happy with your company.

——————————————————————————

A/N: Now you're probably wondering after reading this, why the fuck are you writing? It's very simple actually - because what's the point in living if you don't keep adding to the list of things you're embarrassed about <⁠(⁠￣⁠︶⁠￣⁠)⁠> ..... anyway see you next time....unless I choose to dip after this.

#one piece x reader #trafalgar law x reader #law x reader #law x y/n #law fanfic #screaming crying cannot believe im doing this

[dykealloy]

spoilers up to the end of dressrosa arc here but. I can't stop thinking about how Law takes on Rosinante's will. Corasan freed him from Doflamingo and the marines and the world government and everyone that ever could have touched him at the time, but has Law really felt free? “Everything I do until I die represents what Corasan achieved” is sweet until you recognise that Law is willing (and planned) to go to the grave for that belief. Until Doflamingo dies there is always a part of him stuck in that treasure chest, constrained by what Law felt happened to Corasan due to him that day.

It's crazy how textbook survivors guilt victim Law is (I’m new here so I wouldn’t be surprised if this isn’t the first time this has been brought up), but let’s just quickly go over some symptoms:

Obsessive thoughts about the traumatic event ✅ (will go over this in greater detail below)

A sense of disconnection or detachment/need to isolate oneself from others ✅ (Law doesn't fully isolate himself but he definitely has his walls up at all times, though there are often subtle hints of him enjoying the company of the people he chooses to surround himself with. He is notably more reserved, emotionally unavailable, cold and distant than others around him, and watching closely you'll notice that even physically he has a tendency to situate himself three steps behind the group)

Insomnia, nightmares, flashbacks of the traumatic event ✅ (if we can assume some of his backstory expressed in Dressrosa are flashbacks, and also assuming that the perpetual eyeliner he wears are covering some pretty heavy eyebags. Also mention that the only time we see him resting is against Sunny's mast on the way to Dressrosa - and that was 1. a filler episode, and 2. if he was sleeping, it was very quickly interrupted by an attack by petplay guy - a nightmare in of itself)

Irritability and anger ✅ (though elements of this could just be attributed to Law's personality or a natural response to the straw hat's shenanigans, as well as Luffy's total inability to stick to a reasonable plan)

Feelings of despair and thoughts of suicide ✅ (that's Law's Dressrosa arc babe)

Now, there's many reasons why Law is unable to move past this guilt (an apparent lack of therapists in one piece being one of them) - but his inability to believe in unconditional love is likely the biggest offender.

Law may have started off (initially) with one of the most fortunate, stable beginnings, with a loving family and a big house in a rich country (wealth of which was built off the back of lies and corruption and the murder of innocent future generations - we'll get there). But he had a mother and a father who loved and nurtured Law (and were both highly respected doctors in their own right who citizens trusted and relied on). Law's happy beginnings really juxtapose the unfathomable horror that had been lying in wait in Flevance.

Even when shit started to hit the fan, at a very young age (<10 yrs old), Law was already stepping up and showing love for his little sister (lying to her when she was on her deathbed, knowing full well he would likely face the same fate after reading his charts, putting on a brave face for her so she wouldn't be afraid when the screams began to reach their front door, hiding her away when soldiers sieged their home and rushing to check on his parents). Given everything that happened in Flevance, it's completely understandable that, while Law will likely never forget the love his family gave him, remembering it became twisted in the lasting memories of his home — parents riddled with bullet holes. a closet holding a sick little sister waiting for him in a house engulfed by flames. stumbling through a town of friends, neighbours, just... people he used to pass by on the street, now all dead.

Seeing hell, knowing why and how it transpired, who were responsible (spoilers, the World Government; the same body that most citizens believe exist to protect them — yeah, sister "a merciful hand of salvation waiting to help" were perhaps the worst possible combination of words you could have left Law with here. Likely instrumental in having him lose his faith "I don't believe in anything anymore."), knowing he is the only survivor, and fated to die anyway due to the terminal illness that is slowly killing him because some figureheads years back were greedy and the governing powers above the figureheads were willing to cover up everything if it meant garnering a portion of wealth and maintaining influence and control. It's beyond grief, beyond rage. And there's absolutely nowhere Law can put it. No one he can retaliate against. Who could come out of hell knowing this and not want to see the world burn?

So, smart little Law escapes under a pile of bodies and goes to the one person infamously revered for being in the business of that kind of thing. And boy oh boy I can only begin to imagine how a young and impressionable Law - fresh from a genocide, with a hole in his heart and a hatred for everything still alive - had his concept of love warped whilst surviving those two years around Doflamingo and his family. A family where members are only welcome so far as they are useful to Doflamingo and his aspirations. Of course Law's going to pick up some fucked up ideas about how love works outside this little white fence he grew up and watched burn down.

Then. Enter Corazon.

Their relationship may begin on shaky legs (near-juvenicide via defenestration in a failed attempt to ward Law away from sticking around) but Corazon quickly becomes the one person in the world Law can trust and rely on again. And Rosinante can only do so much in terms of healing and guiding this broken kid (yes, his position both as Doffy's brother and as a double agent made things difficult, but need I mention he was only 26! 26 when he died!) but he showed Law kindness and compassion when he was at his lowest. He had faith in the existence of a cure that Law was long past believing. Was determined to help him, even against Law's wishes, even if it meant having Law relive his trauma over and over again. Corasan becomes incredibly important to Law, giving him a reason to live beyond just destruction and revenge.

After the rest of the world had long turned his back on him, when he had been nothing but a dying puddle of rage and self-destructive nihilism, Corasan saved Law. He told Law "Aishiteru" - a very rare way of saying "I love you", never used casually due to the depth of its meaning and the massive connotations behind it - in essence translating to "I love you so much I cannot possibly imagine life without you". There's a high likelihood that at his age, Law had never heard these words before, and probably didn't quite understand the weight of Rosinante saying it at the time.

Corasan frees Law, then he dies at the hand of Doflamingo, Rosinante's own brother.

All Rosinante wanted was for this poor kid to go on and live his life unburdened by his more than turbulent history and his connection to Doffy, but I think for all his planning, Rosinante's one critical error was well and truly underestimating how much him loving Law, and loving Law to the extent he did, would mean to that kid. Law really went from that ten year old hollow void sentiment of "why does anyone or anything at all get to exist when everything that was important to me is dead, burned to ashes and wiped off the map" to "I should have died at age thirteen and every second I've lived since then, I've only lived as a result of Corasan's efforts and as a personal affront to Doflamingo." This time, Law has a tangible, heinous 10 foot monster of a target to direct 1. his grief and anger and 2. justice for Cora towards, and this time he has the power and will to follow through. More than that, he believes Corasan sacrificed himself for him because he's a D. (someone destined to rain down destruction on the gods - Doflamingo, in this case). Corazon becomes a saint that Law dedicates the rest of his life to. Which is something that Law is not vocal about to just anyone he comes across, but is so unbelievably obvious once you know what you're looking at — his tattoos, his jolly roger, his crew, his ship, his ambitions, his beliefs, his fucking. custom-made Corazon jacket. all of it for this man that showed Law - at a time when he hated the world and everything in it - love. For all of six months. max.

And his whole life and personality and behaviour CONTINUES to be guided by this trauma — the way he's reckless with himself, his borderline self-destructive actions, the way he keeps telling himself that none of it would've been worth it unless Corasan's last wishes are fulfilled, the way he surrounds himself with bright people and soft things, the way it doesn't register that his crew genuinely loves and cares about him, the way he's terrified of losing anyone important to him again (and I would say this is one of his biggest downfalls as a Captain compared to someone like Luffy - who is just as reckless as Law is but trusts his crew, doesn't try to send them away, isn't afraid to let them grow and risk their lives for him like Law is with the heart crew), his inability to take a damn compliment. The way he doesn't understand Luffy AT ALL.

Doesn't understand that this alliance that he's brokered means nothing to Luffy because he sees him as FRIEND. No transactions or mutually beneficial pacts necessary. Doesn't get that he's the one that inadvertently asked Luffy to be his friend, thus breaking a long chain of people (mostly parental figures and siblings) abandoning or leaving Luffy behind/no one taking the first initiative to ask to be around him. Law is complete and utterly in the dark as to why someone would ever bat for him when the stakes are this high for no other reason than because they like them and care about them as a person.

Luffy, with his playground rules where he loves unconditionally and will take on the world for a friend he made five minutes ago, perplexes Law with his sheer simplicity.

When Sengoku tells Law, "Don't try to find a reason for someone's love", I do NOT think he takes it well. Because there must be a reason. There has to be. Between the two options of Corasan saving Law's life and freeing him because he believed in the will of D., or Rosinante saving him for no other reason than because Law was a kid that was loveable, and because he loved him unconditionally... everything we've learned about how Law functions up until this point suggests the former will always make more sense to him, and after everything he's been through, is most likely less painful for him to accept.

#LONG POST #in this essay i will... oh no. this was a spiral i was not ready to go down. #I'm not doing okay btw #one piece meta #these were originally 2am tags but upon reflection i thought it should probably be its own post #CJ's op watch-through #one piece #op #trafalgar law #trafalgar d water law #corazon #corasan #donquixote rosinante #monkey d. luffy #lawlu #dressrosa spoilers #op meta #op analysis

[alisonwritesimagines]

Your Eyes Whispered "Have We Met?" ~LA! Shanks x Reader~

Summary: Set in the Enchanted series. You meet Shanks but you aren't sure if you could trust him.

Author’s Note: I can't wait for more Shanks in season 2.

Based in my Enchanted series

Reader’s Pronouns: She/Her

Warnings: fluff

Side Note: This is a secondary blog. If you comment a question down below, I will not answer since this is not the main blog. Please send the question to my inbox if you want a response back!

Do not repost this anywhere!

You sat on the porch with Luffy, teaching him how to do some simple math. Luffy was a child that the Marine Vice Admiral Garp had asked you to take care of and educate him while he tend to his Marine duties. You were a smart woman with your father and mother being educators who taught in villages before settling in Windmill village.

"Math is stupid. Why do I have to learn it?" Luffy asked frustrated.

"I get that it can be challenging or upsetting but you need to know at least the basics," you tell him.

"Can we go to the docks later?" Luffy asked you.

"Tell you what, if you can finish this math sheet and get only five wrong, we'll go to the docks," you promised.

"Okay. Deal."

Luffy was smart. Even if you had to teach him in ways that were different, he was still smart. And you kept your promise by taking him to the docks to see the oncoming ships that came by to drop off some food or other goods.

"Woah! Y/n look! A pirate ship," Luffy says as he pointed at the large ship that stuck out from the other ships.

"Yeah. Why don't we go visit Makino," you tell him as you led him away.

Makino owned the bar in the village but she was one of your close friends.

"Go ahead and sit down. I'm just going to have a word with Makino," you tell Luffy.

"Okay."

"Makino, don't be too alarm. But there are pirates here," you tell her.

"Not again."

"I know. Just thought you should be prepared," you tell her.

"Thanks. Where's Luffy?" She asked. You turned around to see Luffy gone from his seat.

"Oh no. Luffy!" You called out before rushing out.

Luffy stood by the pirate ship as he stared at the crew. He had heard of pirates from his grandfather and Y/n but he never got to see them up close.

"What's this little urchin doing on our ship?" He heard. He looked up scared to see a man standing before him.

"I'm sorry."

"Where's your parents? A kid like you shouldn't be on a ship like ours," the man said.

"What's going on?" Luffy heard another man ask. Luffy looked over to see a tall man with crimson red hair that was covered with a straw hat.

"Captain. Found this kid wandering onto our ship," the crew member told him.

"What's your name?" The captain asked Luffy as he squatted down to his eye level.

"Luffy."

"Well, Luffy, do you know where the village bar is at?" The captain asked.

"Yeah. I can show you," Luffy nodded.

"Perfect. Come on lads, let's get ourselves a drink," the captain said.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked.

"You can call me Shanks. I'm the captain of this pirate crew."

"You don't seem so mean."

"Who said I was mean?"

"My grandfather. And my caretaker," Luffy tells him.

"Your caretaker huh? Maybe I should change their mind on me then huh?" Shanks smiled.

"Luffy!" You yelled out. Luffy and Shanks looked over as they heard your yell.

Luffy rushed over to the edge of the boat and looked down on the docks. Shanks looked down at the docks as well to see who was yelling for Luffy. He watched as Luffy smiled and waved at you as you looked up at him with your hands on your hips.

"Monkey D. Luffy! You better come down here right now or else!" You yelled at him. You crossed your arms as you stared up at him.

"Coming!" Luffy said. The crew chuckled as they watched the kid rush down to you after getting in trouble.

So that's his caretaker, Shanks thought to himself before heading down as well.

"What were you thinking? You know better than to go onto dangerous ships," you tell Luffy with a stern look.

"I know but-"

"I apologize if you were worried," you looked up to see a man in a straw hat walking over towards you and Luffy. You pulled Luffy closer to you before moving him behind you.

"The little lad was just curious. He wasn't in any danger if that makes you feel any better."

"It's not just that. It's just that you're a... you're a..." You tried to find the right words to say without insulting him, risking you in danger.

"A pirate? I can guarantee to you that I'm not like any other pirate captain," he tells you.

"And how can I believe you?" You asked him.

"Why don't you join me in a drink and I'll change your mind?" He asked you.

"I think I'll have to pass. We need to get going anyway," you tell him before rushing away with Luffy.

The next day was the beginning of your weekend off as Luffy was with his grandfather for the weekend. You brought some fruit and vegetables to Makino so she could get her first pick before you sold the rest to the rest of the village.

"You know those pirates that came in yesterday aren't so bad," Makino tells you.

"How so?"

"They're nice. And they pay," Makino tells you. You shook your head at her before helping her put some of the liquor that came in away on her shelves.

"The captain seems interested in you," she points out.

"Who's the captain?" You asked.

"The one with the red hair and the straw hat," Makino says with a smirk.

"Don't give me that look," you say, nudging her.

"I'm just saying. You should get to know him."

You shook your head at her before grabbing your basket and heading out to the village. You set up your small stand before sitting down on your chair and picking up your book to continue reading.

"This is nice little stand that you have," you heard. You looked up from your book to see the same pirate from yesterday.

"Oh. It's you," you say as you put your bookmark into your book.

"How much for the fruit?" The man asked.

"It's just two berry a piece," you tell him.

"Seems a little cheap for some good fruit," the man tells you.

"I get paid well for taking care of Luffy. This just gives me something extra to get him some treats for doing well on his homework or some other stuff for me," you tell him.

"Well in that case, I'd like to buy everything you have."

"Why would you do that?" You asked.

"I'd like to get to know you and how can I do that if you're behind this stand all day?" He asked you.

"You could always just join me behind the stand," you offered.

"True. But I would also like to grab a drink," the man winked. You shook your head at him before standing up.

"Alright. A hundred berry for all of them," you tell him. The man gave you the money before taking the fruit and vegetables.

"I'll meet you at the bar then?" You asked him as you closed up your stand.

"I’ll be there after I drop these off," the man winked at you.

You headed over to Makino's bar and sat on a stool to wait for the pirate captain. Makino gave you a look as she walked over towards you.

"Sold your food already?" Makino asked you.

"That pirate captain bought it all," you tell her.

"So you spoke to him?"

"A little. He's meeting me here for a drink."

Makino gave you a smirk before pouring a drink for you and one for the pirate. You looked over at the entrance to see the pirate walking in.

"Glad to see you had a drink ready for me," he said with a smile. He sat next to you before taking a drink of the alcohol.

"You know, I never got your name," you tell him.

"Where are my manners? I'm Shanks."

"Nice to meet you, Shanks. I'm Y/n," you smiled as you offered a handshake. He took your hand into his before placing a kiss on the top of your hand.

"Smooth," you say with a small laugh.

"How else am I suppose to impress a beautiful woman like you?" Shanks asked you. You shook your head at him before taking a swing at your drink.

"Where is Luffy?" Shanks asked.

"He's with his grandfather right now. A couple days off for me," you tell him.

"I see. Do you often get days off?" Shanks asked you.

"Not really. So I try to relax before Luffy comes back."

"I guess this gives us a couple days to ourselves to get to know each other," Shanks smiled. You smiled at him before looking down at your drink.

"Will you show me your pirate ship?" You asked him.

"Want to see it now while it's empty?" Shanks asked you. You nodded before putting some berry down for Makino.

"I got this," Shanks said before replacing your berry with his.

"I can pay for stuff too you know."

"True but I like to find treasure so berry doesn't mean much to me. Though, I think I found some good treasure in this village," Shanks tells you with a smile.

"Come on Captain," you say as you took his hat and put it on yours. "Take me on a tour of your ship."

"As you wish," Shanks smiled before taking you over.

#red hair shanks #red hair shanks x reader #red hair shanks imagine #shanks #shanks x reader #shanks imgaine #akagami no shanks #akagami no shanks x reader #one piece #one piece x reader #one piece imagine #one piece live action #opla #opla x reader #alisonwritesimagines #enchanted universe

[night-daily]

Helloooo 😗 can you write runaway bride reader (like Elizabeth from pirates of the Caribbean) x Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Buggy, Shanks, Mihawk ?

hii anon, sorry it took me long but here it is, i think it may be a little different you have in mind but still i hope u like it:]

also, i didn't write Buggy and Mihawk 'cause I didn't know how to cover their characters.

characters: Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Shanks (OPLA)

warnings: none

LUFFY

You're catching your breath after running like felt for hours and wearing your wedding dress is not helping, it's so heavy. Your gaze stops on the boat in front of you, it was small but it was your only option and, to be honest, everything was better than marrying someone you don't want.

“Oh, the news travels fast, you're here to be part of my crew?” A cheerful voice startled you, making you step forward almost falling into the water, but then again, he surprised you, stretching his arm further than a normal human grabbing you by your elbow, “what the he—” “devil fruit” he only responds shrugging shoulders, your mouth forms an oh.

“So I must tell you, you do look nice but I don't think you'll be comfortable wearing it on a boat” You make eye contact with him trying to figure out if he's joking but he's not. He looks genuine with that big smile on his face it's not a look you expect on a pirate. “Yeah, it's not comfortable, maybe I can change in our next stop?” The smile never left his face, in fact, it got bigger if that was possible. “YEAH, WELCOME ABOARD!” Then he helped you to get into the boat. “By the way, I'm Monkey D. Luffy and I'm gonna be king of the pirates” Maybe was his smile or the kindness he showed you but you felt that it would be a great adventure as long as he was by your side. “Let's go, captain!”

ZORO

You're running down the street, trying to lose the men that your father sent after you, turning your face to look behind you, you don't notice your dress getting in your way and the man in front of you until you bump into him, he holds you with both arms preventing you from falling to the ground.

“There she is!” One of the men yells, rushing towards you. You don't know if it's the adrenaline but you don't think twice before hiding behind the man with green hair. He looks confused but he doesn't move, instead, he covers you with his body. “Hand her over, this is a matter for the Marine and we'll let you go in peace” “It's a matter for the marine to marry a girl with someone by force?” this time you speak and you stand by his side instead of behind him. You're still scared but you weren't going to let them intimidate you, a smirk crossed Zoro's face at your sudden burst of confidence “You heard her now leave” one of them it's about to start a fight, grabbing his sword “Sir, he's the pirate hunter, I heard he has killed a lot of men with just one sword” he murmured but you could still hear him. That's why he looked so familiar to you, now it makes sense. “We'll let you go, but next time the entire Marine will be after you!” And then they ran away.

“I think we make a great team, Zoro” you're facing him now, and the smirk on his face falls “Don't even think about it” he starts walking away from you “Oh come on, I'll be the sassy and you the muscle” He keeps telling you No but you don't desist and still, he don't stop you from following him.

SANJI

Sanji is carrying a bag of vegetables in one of his hands, he's buying supplies for the Baratie in the town market so it's a little crowded. As he walks, he sees you in a wedding dress, you're out of place and you look lost but still you look pretty to him. He thinks of coming to ask you if you need help but someone passed by him quickly causing the bag in his hand to fall and the vegetables rolled on the ground. He tries to not get angry, after all, it's a crowded place. Sanji lift his eyes for a moment just to see you being cornered by three men of the marine and that's all it takes to lose his temper “Hey, stay away from her!” The people around him are quickly heading in the opposite direction, some of them have been in a fight with the cook and they know better to not get in his way when he's furious.

“First you ruined my vegetables and now you're bothering the lady, you really don't wanna fight me so I advise you to leave” Sanji is walking closer to the men and they don't know him obviously, because one of them tries to punch him in the face, he's quickly defeated by a kick on his stomach. The other two men look at each other, the both of them run to attack him at the same time, Sanji moves his right leg quickly and, if you weren't there, you would swear he never moved. With only one leg, he hit them hard in their heads making them fall on the ground.

He's awesome, you think, you have never seen someone like him before.

“Are you okay, madam?” He was dumbfounded by the beautiful smile on your face. “I'm great now that you're here” He tries to suppress a giggle but fails. “But seriously, thank you for your help, if it wasn't for you, I would be marrying a man who I don't love” He nods, “You must be hungry after all that chasing, so why don't you come with me to the Baratie? I promise I'll cook you something delicious and the dessert will be sweet just as you” Sanji winks at you, making you blush, “lead the way then”

SHANKS

“Stupid dress, they're gonna find me easily” your heart is beating fast, when is this gonna be over?

As you push people aside, mouthing apologies, someone is watching you across the street, you're struggling trying to find a place to hide, it's obvious you're running from someone but who?

Anyway, he doesn't stay to find out and pulls you into an alley, you try to fight back the grip on your wrist “let go of me” you raise your voice, the space between you and the redhead is non-existent, the alley is narrow, “Shhh” he whispers, putting his finger on your lips and before you can argue with him, a man from the marine pass by and your eyes widened, your body is shaking a little bit, Shanks can't ignore it practically he can feel it too from the closeness of your body even if he try it and he just wants to comfort you.

After a few minutes, you think it's safe to leave but you don't want to, you want to stay with him, it was a weird feeling, you didn't know him and almost as if he could read your thoughts, his voice brought you back to the present, “I have a place on my crew if you want to” your eyes make contact, he's sincere and that makes you happy, “I would like that, I promise you won't regret it”

#one piece live action #opla #opla zoro #opla luffy #opla sanji #opla shanks #zoro x female reader #luffy x female reader #sanji x female reader #shanks x female reader

[goddessofmischief]

      SAY DON'T GO (YOUNG BUGGY X READER)

A/N: This is part of this series, which requests are open for! These fics are all one-shots, so they can be read separately. Also, I highly recommend listening to the song linked in the title while you read. (Especially with this one. It really, really fits it. Maybe even read the lyrics. It's really Buggy's POV in this fic.)

The first nights alone on the Oro Jackson were quiet.

You weren't alone, not really. You had Buggy and Shanks with you, after all, but it was strange hearing the place you grew up be silent for the very first time. The soft snores of your friends were nothing compared to the riotous laughter you had fallen asleep to every night for the past decade.

You were all orphans now.

"Shanks," you whispered, tapping him on the arm. You didn't dare wake up Buggy.

"Hm?" he hummed sleepily.

"Can't sleep."

"Me neither," he said, despite the fact that he was very obviously asleep mere moments ago.

Things felt different. Different than days before. You didn't feel like the woman who had been abandoned by - then reconciled with - Dracule Mihawk, or the woman who had stood and witnessed Roger's execution only one day earlier. You felt like a girl again, now that it was just you and Shanks and Buggy. Just the three of you, against the world, a world that did not seem quite so dim and empty as it had been these past few months.

And so you and Shanks (and Buggy, once he woke up to the commotion) "can't sleep"-ed together, laughing and talking and acting like everything would be fine, like you were a proper crew, like you were all you needed, like you and Shanks had never shared that poisoned kiss.

...

The mornings after that were not quite as bright.

It turned out that if you wanted to be a pirate crew, a real pirate crew, you needed some things. Other crew mates - those would come later, Shanks reasoned - and supplies, plenty of them. So you docked the ship at a nearby port, far from Marine influence, and began shopping.

"You know, I've been thinking," said Shanks, taking a bite out of an apple, "Maybe we should change our flag - our Jolly Roger?"

"Roger's flag? No way."

"C'mon, think about it. It's our ship now."

"Who would we even change it to? I mean, I wouldn't mind letting you be captain - in name only - but Buggy won't like it."

"Buggy will get used to it."

"What, and he'll be first mate? Who am I, then?"

"I don't know, I'm sure we'll come up with something-"

You smacked his arm.

"You're such a jerk."

"Such a jerk, 'Captain.'"

...

Buggy had dreamt of you last night.

How things were different now, maybe, for the first time. How maybe things could really change.

Mihawk had abandoned you (bummer) and you and Shanks seemed to have a strange distance between you since the wedding that Buggy couldn't understand. You would need someone, he was sure of it, and he would be there.

"Hey, guys," Buggy called out, carrying a bag of groceries in one hand and climbing aboard the Oro Jackson. A single daisy was concealed in his pocket. "Got everything?"

"Yeah, um," you said, and you couldn't look at Buggy.

"...What? What's going on?"

You looked up at Shanks, pleadingly.

"Don't make me say it."

"He'll take it better from you," said Shanks, and Buggy detected a hint of a smirk on his face. Weariness, too.

"Shanks wants to be captain," you mumbled, staring at the deck.

Buggy laughed.

"Kidding, right? You're... kidding." He saw the look on your face. "You're not kidding. Well, you told him, no, right? You told him no."

"She agreed to it," Shanks said. "She didn't mind. But she wasn't sure how you would take it."

"Why would you agree to that?" Buggy shouted, louder than he meant to, and you flinched. "Look at me. Why would you-"

"I'm sorry," you whispered, a tear rolling down your cheek. "I thought it was the right thing."

"Why isn't it me, huh? Why not me? What's the difference? There's nothing Shanks has done that I couldn't do."

"I trust him," you confessed. "I trust him to lead-"

"Yeah? Why not me?"

"Buggy-"

"Answer the question," Buggy snapped. "Why not me?"

"That's enough," said Shanks. "That's enough."

Shanks, he noticed, had put his arm around your shoulders protectively - as if you needed to be protected. As if you needed to be protected, from him.

"I'm leaving," Buggy said, and turned to grab his things.

He really meant it, too - he meant it, as he went downstairs and collected his clothes and weapons and souvenirs of the life he'd been living for the past twenty years. He almost grabbed a sweater of his you often liked to borrow, but left it.

He'd been so stupid to believe that anything could change. That he'd finally be like Shanks, an equal. He would never be as good as Shanks. He would always be second in your heart to him - third, depending on what your opinion of Mihawk was at the time.

Somehow, he'd always known.

It didn't matter if this crew, this boat, was the best chance he had at getting the One Piece. He would get it anyway, and when he did, he was going to have a good laugh at the look on you and Shanks' faces. But then again, you probably didn't care if you died peasants, as long as you had each other, and you'd probably be thrilled to be rid of him-

"...Buggy?"

He heard a creak and turned to see you holding the sweater.

"You forgot something," you said quietly, holding it out to him. Buggy shook his head.

"It's worn out. It's all... stretched, and you got stains on it, and there's too many holes. It's beyond repair."

All lies. You were particularly careful with this sweater, because it wasn't just your favorite - you knew it was Buggy's favorite, too.

You frowned, staring down at it and searching for a tear.

"You can throw it out, for all I care," and Buggy slammed the lid of his suitcase down.

"It's really warm," you said, "...And I don't want to."

You pulled it over your head, sleeves hanging far past where your arms could stretch. Buggy watched you, unable to look away.

He had forgotten how cute you could be when you weren't stabbing him in the back.

"Why'd you come down?" he asked, fixing a resentful expression on his face. "Figured you'd be celebrating with Shanks right now."

"I'm not gonna let you leave, Bug. You really are crazy if you thought I would."

"What's the point in me staying? You as good as said it back there, there's nothing I do that Shanks doesn't do better-"

"And how do you think I feel?" you snapped. "You think it felt good, watching him be stronger my whole life? Knowing that no matter what I did, Roger was never gonna respect me more than him? Did you even think about the fact that when I let Shanks be captain, I took it away from myself, too?"

Truthfully, Buggy had never thought to consider it.

"Do you know why I put up with it?"

"Tell me."

"Because he goddamn deserves it," you stated. "He deserves every bit of respect he gets. He's nearly the best swordsman because he trained to be, he's a fighter because he fought to be, and he's never once faltered when I needed him. He's a leader, and that's not who we are. So you can walk away from me and him and the One Piece, and be a big baby, but there's a reason why I chose him over myself. Do you not think I'm capable, Buggy? Do you not think I'm good enough?"

"You're good enough."

"I know I am. But you didn't see me throwing a fit on the deck. Making him captain doesn't mean that I think Shanks is better than you, because I don't think he's better than me, either. We all have jobs."

"Yeah? What's yours?"

"Doctor," you said. "And sniper, and cook, for now."

"And what about me?" Buggy asked, leaning against the wall and fixing his gaze on you. "If I stayed, what would you have me do?"

"I'd let you be first mate. And shipwright. And blacksmith. You're talented with making things."

"I didn't think you'd noticed."

"Of course I have," you said. "I'm wearing something you made right now."

It's true, you were. Buggy had gotten into knitting a long time ago, during lazy days on the Oro Jackson in his youth, and had decided to make a sweater for you after seeing how cold you got. He'd lost his nerve in the middle of the project and begun making it in his size instead of yours after fearing you wouldn't want it, but it ended up in your hands anyway.

You approached Buggy, tentatively, the long sleeves of the sweater draping off your wrists. He eyed you as you stared up at him, pleadingly, and then threw your arms around him as if you trap him, and could make him stay there forever.

"Please stay," you whispered, voice muffled by his shoulder.

Buggy smirked, holding you.

"I didn't think you would beg, doll."

"...Only for you."

Maybe he would stay a little longer.

taglist: @sawendel @twinklesnake @literaturewithliz @sordidmusings @foggyturtleknightangel @toertchen @96jnie @lunanight1021 @trafalgardvivi

#buggy x reader #buggy #shanks x you #red haired shanks #shanks x reader #shanks #it was rare i was there

[shankss-magnificent-ass]

Imagine the celestial dragons needing Shanks to stop you

Warning: slight spoilers? Use of a previously seen character's name that is release in more recent chapters (1050-1079?)

At Mary Geiose

Shanks: so....why am I here?

Jaygarica Saturn: We need to talk about that little fighter of yours. *Holds up your wanted poster*

Shanks: Oh yeah, they got separated from the crew a few weeks ago, and I haven't seen or heard from them since. *Voice dips to a threatening grumble, and he glares at the old man* Should I be worried?

Jaygarcia Saturn: well, not in the way I think you're implying, they're not in custody. The matter at hand is that a lone member of your crew is causing mass chaos.

Shanks: are you sure we're talking about the same person? I've never had them so much as step a toe out of line.

Jaygarcia Saturn: They've burned down three town halls, stolen six navy ships, injured hundreds of marines, stolen jewelry from wealthy ladies in six kingdoms, and that's not even the worst of it. They're sabotaging and systematically dismantling the animal fighting syndicates. Just yesterday they allied themself with a group of knife fighting monkeys that they freed, and together, they trashed an arena.

Shanks: And how is that a problem?

Jaygarcia Saturn: we're loosing money having to replace and repair the damage to the entertainment industry!

Shanks: and whose fault is it for investing in blood sports? Do you expect anyone to feel sad for you and your 'losses'?

Jaygarcia Saturn: Look... We'll pay you to go collect your fighter.

Shanks: *scoffs* Do you seriously expect me to hand a member of my crew over to you?

Jaygarcia Saturn: no, no, simply collect them, what you do with them after they are in your custody is up to you.

Shanks: I want their full bounty price, up front. And I mean the one you set it to this morning, not this outdated one.

Jaygarcia Saturn: *sweats* very well

A week later

You: *currently picking a lock some bird that are being trafficked*

Shanks: *snuck up on you and is now crouching behind you,* You're doing it wrong.

You: *shrieks and throws yourself against the cage door* Captain, what are you doing here?

Shanks: Shhh, keep your voice down, and giving you lock picking lessons, apparently. Even though you've always claimed to be a decent at it.

You: *hisses* I know how to pick a lock.

Shanks: evidently not, since you miscounted the pins.

You: you do it then, since you're so smart.

Shanks: *takes your tools and picks the lock in less than thirty seconds* see?

You: *sighs* Alright you're better at picking locks than me. By the way, how did you find me, boss?

Shanks: The celestial dickheads complained about you, and paid me your full bounty to come get you.

You: I'll come willingly if you put that money towards fixing my shower, I'm tired of sharing one with you filthy animals, and if I get first pick on the next treasure we find.

Shanks: *laughs and shakes his head* very well, that sounds like a deal.

You: *shakes his hand* deal, and the world nobles never specified for you to stop me?

Shanks: ... no?

You: then you you wanna help me free the rest of these animals?

Shanks: sure why not, sounds like an evening well spent.

The morning in Mary Geiose

Jaygarcia Saturn: *reading the newspaper and seeing that you and Shanks had destroyed several cargo ships for trafficking after letting the animals go* I guess we'll have to cut our losses, we might be able to even spin it in our favor. Germane, go get PR on the snail, we have some cleaning up to do, and actions to take credit for.... Oh! We can use *snaps his fingers* That flowery fanatic, what's his name... Oh well, it's not important.

Coming Soon

#one piece #one piece imagine #one piece x reader #shanks #akagami no shanks #red hair shanks #red haired shanks #shanks x reader #akagami no shanks x reader #red hair shanks x reader #red haired shanks X reader #from the depths of the dragon's hoard #tma original #3/31/23 #no beta we die like men

[hirsheyskisses]

It Takes Two. (Prologue)

A Shocking Meet

RORONOA ZORO X READER

Prev. | Next.

Pirates.

They rule the seas, they claim the lands. The elders speak of ruthless men who take what does not belong, of women so cunning and sly they'd take all of your worth right from under your nose.

The mothers spoke of the Captains, who'd hang children and throw them to the seas, who'd slaughter your siblings and take it all away.

The children played games of Marine and Pirate, further settling the idea of what a pirate was.

Scum of the earth, scum of the sea. Some were even rejected by the sea: they'd eaten these magical fruits known as the Devil fruits. 'They have the eyes of monsters.. they have the power of the devil himself. Once you've eaten a devil fruit, there is no sea that will accept you.

So why? Why had you never seen one? Sure, it was unlikely they'd ever find this place, as even a Logue Pose could never lock onto it: this small mass of land was barely more than a hunk of beautiful rock. But surely, there'd be tales of pirates somewhere?

"So this is where you ran off to!"

Your head turned just a bit, smiling at the sight of him. A tall, snow white haired boy stood behind you with a smirk resting on his features.

"Shouldn't have been that hard to find me," you shot back, standing and moving away from the cliffs edge. The sound of the water crashing against the rocks was lulling: you and Killian both knew it.

"So sue me! You switch where you act all deep and wise every other day-"

Killian bumped his shoulder against yours. You raised your hands in defense, grinning. Your thoughts lay forgotten, "act? You forget, I aced the flying tests long before you did!"

"Flying has nothing to do with brains, Featherhead!"

"Oh really? I dare you to recite from memory the proper movements for a barrel twist."

Contrary to popular belief, there were many different forms of a barrel. Sure, the roll itself would always be a tuck and turn, but a twist was erratic. You had to know where and when to pull out and back into it, how fast to do it and how to launch an attack. It was, after all, an offensive maneuver.

"I'll take your silence as an answer, Kill."

"What difference does it make if I can't describe it? I can still do it!"

He glowered, and you couldn't resist a chuckle. "Because we'll have to teach the kids one day. Duh."

"Whatever. I'd make a way better teacher!"

"I'll leave you in the dust!"

"...the usual?"

Your banter quickly turned into the usual: a race. You'd known Killian for as long as you could remember. Both of you being born to a race of halfbreeds - taking on the features of a feathery, winged, tailed beast. There were a few of them on the island: the elders called you Viserons. Long ago, they were known for their speed, being the fastest amongst the dragons. Somewhere along the lines, a devil fruit had come into the picture - Elder Kisu had called it the human human fruit, and thus came fourth the humanoid Viserons.

"Let's go!"

3.. 2.. 1!

Wings flared into the air and a quick snap, both of you dove off the island peak. The wind whipped through your hair as you dove straight for the ocean water, snapping them open the second before you hit it and, with powerful thrusts, came height.

"A second later and you'd be a wet bird!"

Killian came to your side. His wings tips came to touch yours. They were such a beautiful snow white. Your tail curled inwards,

"We'll see who's a wet bird!"

The tufts of feathers in your hair pricked forward, and you continued to gain altitude, Killian hot on your heels. "Going higher won't help you, slowpoke!"

"Oh yeah? Remember that barrel twist?"

The clouds weren't even close to the limit. Breaking the cloud barrier in a puff of white wisp, and then you let your body fall.

Any mind to Killian was lost: falling, falling, falling. It was such a freeing feeling. Tucking your wings in you fell faster. The calculated wing beats not far above you told you Killian was gaining, but that wasn't important, now was it? The wind whipped through your hair, chilled your skin in such a delightful manner: now! Wings snapping open, you caught yourself, right wing extended slightly farther to ensure the real twist. A grin spread upon your features as your body began to even out with the horizon, your other wing snapping out to catch yourself.

"I'm not done yet!"

In a flash of black and white, Killian whizzed past you. A hand was on his hat to ensure it didn't go flying, and the chase was on.

You weren't sure how much time had passed. Could've been hours, could've been mere less than. Usually, the two of you would've turned back by now, but the wind had felt so good to chase away the lingering thought of what truly is a pirate? Your birth island, Shigan, was nowhere in sight. Which was fine- being a Viseron had more perks than just wings - your bodies were drawn to masses of land, and while judging of distance may not always be accurate, the strongest gut feeling was usually the closest island.

Nothing but endless blue water and cloudy gray skies was in your sight.

That was when you realized: where's Killian?

Slowing to a stop, you came to realize: he was nowhere in sight.

"Kill?"

You called out. Now that you'd stopped, you realized one thing. The gray clouds were no longer gray. They were a horrifying dark black. Each powerful pump of your wings was getting met with resistance by the growing wind, the air carrying the scent of rain and the tingle of possible lightning.

"KILLIAN!"

You shouted, head craning as you began to lose altitude. Had he turned back? Had one of you flown so far and lost sight of the other?

No time to worry about that. If Killian was ahead of you, he'd already be in the head of it. If he was behind you, he'd have long seen this so sudden storm.

"Crap.. I can't feel.. any land nearby." You cursed, the wind pushing you off balance. Head for the eye of the storm.

"Got no choice! You've got this!"

As you dove, your body was quickly growing soaked. Thunder roared in your ears, lightning flashed before your eyes.

Dive, twist, rise, dodge. Don't fight the wind, flow with it. Don't become a bigger target than necessary.

Dive away from the strikes of lightning, twist with the wind, rise from the giant waves. There wasn't a moment of peace as you fought against the roaring storm: one wrong move, and you'd be in the sea. It was bad enough trying to fly, with your feathers slowly but surely soaking through.

There was no end to the storm. Your clothes has long since been Soaked through, you couldn't see through the endless torrent of falling water, and to make matters worse, your skin began to tingle.

Well, shit.

You didn't even have time to truly feel the dread before a blinding flash of light sent you tumbling towards the unwelcoming sea.

"She's got wings! How cool!"

"Look at the tail, it's so long."

"She's drenched is what she is."

"I wanna touch her wingsss!"

"Back off, Luffy!"

"Give me some space, please! She's probably suffering from hypothermia.. need to see if there's any other injuries.. sanji! Can you go get some extra blankets? We need to warm her up."

"On it! Oh what a beauty she is.."

I can't recognize those voices. God, am I even awake? I can't feel my body right now.. what happened? I need to.. open my eyes..

It didn't take long for the true unconsciousness to take you once more.

. . .

"Gah.. my head.."

You groaned, hoisting yourself out of bed and rubbing the back of your neck. Shitty didn't even begin to describe how you felt: what happened? Why did it smell so weird in your room, more importantly?

"So you're awake. 'Bout time."

Turning your head, you were met with the intense gaze of a green haired man.

..green hair. Not white hair.

"...WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

It wasn't a face you recognized. In a split second you'd grabbed the pillow and threw it at the strange man's face, wings snapping open as you launched yourself at him.

"woah- HEY RELAX-"

A strong hand grabbed your arm and shoved you against the wall, and you winced in pain, but not hindering your knee to his groin.

Heh.

The man's eye twitched and you could almost see him questioning his very existence, though his grip never wavered. That was fine, you decided, as you clenched your teeth , fangs glinting,

"I'd suggest letting go. I bite."

"Why you little shit-"

"Zoro! Are you manhandling the patient?"

This time, a feminine voice spoke. The man released your wrist and backed away quickly: grumbling something about she attacked first before retreating back to his seat.

"I dunno where I am, but don't think I'll go easy on you! Where's Killian?!"

Your voice was rough, and the female came into view: a rather beautiful young woman with bright orange hair.

"Relax! We're not holding you hostage- we found you drifting on some planks during the storm. You're lucky, aren't you?"

Storm? Right. I remember that..

Your eyes narrowed and you sidestepped to keep both newcomers in your vision, feeling rather trapped. Getting a closer look at the room you were in, it was easy to recognize it as an infirmary. Nursing sheets, medicines, bandages- oh, hey, there's bandages on my head. Didn't even notice until now.

"...I mightve gotten struck be lightning. Or been too close to the strike."

You replied slowly, tail curling around your leg. "That doesn't explain to me who you are, where I am, or why you saved me."

"Of course, where are my manners? I'm Nami, and the brute over there is Zoro. He might be a little scary looking, but he's really just a big idiot."

"Brute? She's the only brute! She kicked me in my nuts!"

You watched Nami inhale a breath, cast a glance at you, and offer the most amused smirk she could. For what its worth, now that you were awake, you felt a little bad. But apologies would have to wait until after you figured out their intentions.

"Of course she did! Waking up to the sight of a strange man can do that. Anyways. You're on our pirate ship, the Going Merry and-"

"..PIRATE SHIP?! YOU'RE PIRATES?!"

You intervened, instantly backing yourself into the wall. Your wings flared open instinctively, feathers Puffing up as you reached for the nearest thing you could throw at them. Currently, said object was a spoon.

"Woah, hey! We're not brutes - well, Zoro is one of the exceptions but- you can calm down. If we were gonna hurt you, wouldn't we have done it already?"

You were completely aware of how fast Zoro had stood and moved closer, and you eyed him warily. She has a point, though.. and you got a strange feeling that if he really viewed you as a threat, you wouldn't have gotten away.

"Hey! What's the commotion abou- GUYS SHES AWAKE!"

This time you were met with a man with a long nose, the door having been thrown open. In an instant, a man with a straw hat and a-

A tiny deer?

"She's awake! She woke up even sooner than you said she would, Chopper!"

The straw hat person practically bounced over to you, and you withdrew quickly.

"HI there! Your wings are so cool! Can I touch them?!"

You pressed yourself further against the wall, wings tucking in protectively. "Touch them, and you're a goner." You threatened, feeling the swordsman- Zoro, Nami said his name was, move closer. You shrank away from him.

"Awhh! No fun!"

"My most humble apologies," you growled, voice dripping with sarcasm, "but I dont trust pirates."

"I guess it makes sense.. you're welcome to leave whenever you like, but atleast let Chopper finish his check-up." Nami stated, offering you a big smile. Your feathers tufts pinned to the side, and your gaze was once again brought down to the little deer.

"If you could.. please sit back down. I'd like to check your vitals!"

Oh my God it's A TALKING DEER- HES SO CUTE-

You couldn't help it. Kneeling down you put a hand on his head, smiling. "You're so cute! You're the doctor?!"

Chopper, as he's been called, flushed. And then started doing.. a weird dance?

"I'm not cute you big dummy! That doesn't make me happy at all~" He was clearly smiling though, and you laughed, shaking your head as you moved to sit on the bed, ensuring you kept everyone within your visual range.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! The Captain! What's your name?!"

Of course the energetic one is the Captain, you thought, feeling a little weird. Chopper moved closer and began touching and prodding at you, occasionally asking you to stretch a limb or breathe.

"(Name). I'm (Name) from Aero Mountain." You replied, and Luffy, his name was, grinned. "Nice to meet you!"

"...likewise. I think."

"Still though.. why were you out flying during a storm?"

Right.

"I didn't intentionally do it. I was racing my friend and I got caught up in it.. i hope Killian is alright.

"You wouldn't have happened to see him, would you?"

You added hopefully. Nami shook her head sadly, "sorry, (Name). We haven't seen anyone else, in the skies or otherwise. We'll let you know if we do." Your head drooped a bit, but then remembered -

"Hey. Uhm.. Zoro?"

The swordsman angled his head towards you, an eyebrow raised.

"....sorry for kneeing you in the balls. You guys seem.. alright. I guess."

"Tch. Yeah, it was a good reaction. I guess from your point of view it was pretty scary."

Something told you he really only said that because Nami was glaring daggers at him: you also got the feeling she could keep them in line.

"...you guys don't really fit the picture of pirates I've always been told about."

You stated, glancing at the adorable Chopper. You'd always thought if you ever encountered pirates, you'd be met with terror, with large men carrying battle axes and women who'd tear off your head. These guys..

They just felt nice.

They all chuckled at your remark and Nami replied, "these guys really aren't that bad. Rowdy, sure, but bad guys? No. Surely you've met a decent pirate before?"

"Haven't met any, actually. According to the elders, pirates haven't reached our island in almost a century."

"Really? Surely they'd have reached it by now?"

"That's what I thought, too. But Logue poses aren't strong enough to attach onto our island. In fact, the only way to reach it is with a Viseron."

"A Viseron? What's that?"

Luffy perked up and you raised your wings, "I'm a Viseron."

"..that doesn't really answer the question. Besides, having wings and a tail."

Zoro eyed you and, yet again, you shrank a bit under his gaze. Even so, you could see the slightest hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

"Well.. hundreds of years ago, Viserons were dragons. The fastest amongst them, if you will. Elder Kisu said a devil fruit came into the picture, and we eventually became more human than dragon, retaining only certain features." You lifted your wings to prove a point, unraveled your tail, and allowed your feathery tufts on your head to prick back up.

"As far as anyone is aware, the original Dragons went extinct a couple centuries ago. I get the feeling most dragons did."

"Ooooh! So cool! Do you have any special powers?!" Luffy asked, and, with no given warning, his neck stretched. Stretched around your body to look at your wings.

"WH- save that, what are you?!"

"Immm a rubber man!"

"....you get used to it." Zoro stated, and Nami pitched in, "that's everybody's reaction. Including ours."

"Rightttt..."

"..anyways. I can fly pretty fast, I can.. sense- islands? Or rather, masses of land. I'm a Logue Pose that isn't always reliable." You shrugged, "and my feathers are sharp. Don't touch-" you smacked Luffy's hand away.

Chopper finally stopped poking and prodding st you, he'd changed your bandages and took a step back.

"All done! You should Probably take it easy for a bit, the muscles around your wings are pretty strained." Chopper replied, "I don't think you gotta tell me that. ..by the way, how long was I out for?"

"A week."

Zoro stared at you as your jaw gaped a bit, but you quickly righted your expression. "Ah.. Great." I was on a pirate ship for a week. But I guess if they were gonna do something, it would've been done by now..

You stood and bowed, "thank you for taking care of me." You righted your posture as Nami batted a hand, "don't worry about it! I'm glad you're okay." "Yeah! ...so can you carry people while you fly?!"

Luffy asked that. You stared at him and shrugged. "To some extent. I can gain the same altitude or speed, nor would I be able to pull off any offensive or defensive maneuvers. ...but yes, by all technical terms, I can."

"Ohh cool! Take me flying then!"

Luffy practically attached himself to you, and without missing a beat you backed yourself into a wall, though without much force, and crossed your arms.

"I don't give free rides."

"Awhhh! No fun."

Luffy untangled himself from you and backed away, and you shook your head.

"Listen.. if there's anything I can do to repay you, please let me know. Otherwise, I don't want to overstay my welcome."

"Oh please, you're fine! You can always pay us back in berry!" Nami grinned, and you couldn't resist a chuckle.

"Besides, how do you plan on leaving? Chopper said you shouldn't be flying." Zoro questioned, a hand resting on his sword. What was a relaxed posture to him was a rather threatening looking one to you.

"Shouldn't doesn't mean couldn’t." You shot back, feathers puffing indignantly. "You're almost as bad as Zoro with bed rest!" Luffy laughed, and Nami bonked him over the head, "like you're any better!"

"Anyways.. please, you're more than welcome to stay with us. We could even bring you back to your home island!"

Nami glanced at Luffy, who instantly nodded his head in agreement.

"If it's all the same, I'll stay, but I won't be guiding you back to my island. The Elders would exile me for such a dangerous feat, nor do I wish to endanger those I care for. If we settle on the next island, i can fly back to mine for payment. It'll have to be a matter of you trusting me." You explained, part of to you hoped they wouldn't take that personally. The thing is, you just couldn't risk it. You didn't even know if they were actually good people yet, either.

"Thats fair." Chopper piped in, and the other three nodded. "Now cmon! Sanji should be getting done with dinner. You should join us!"

You didn't get much of a choice in the matter, with Zoro herding you out the door and Luffy chanting, meat, meat, meat! All the way to the dining hall.

. . .

It was approaching the middle of the night. Stars lit up the darkened sky, and the sea glistened gently under their shine. Leaning over the Going Merry's railing, you thought on the chaotic events during the day.

During dinner, you'd met Sanji, a .. rather eccentric cook, putting it plainly, and Usopp, the long nose one who'd ran off to inform the others you were awake. He was interesting, and so far, he'd yet to run out of stories to tell you of. Luffy and chopper had been chaotic during dinner, to say the least, and Nami spent quite a bit of her time wrestling them into control, and then laughing along side you. Zoro seemed to spend more time drinking than actually eating, and multiple times he'd gotten into some form of argument with Sanji.

"What a weird bunch.."

"I heard that."

You almost jolted out of your skin at the sound of his voice, coughing as you spun around to be met face-to-face with the crews swordsman.

"GAH! Some noise next time, would ya?!" You placed a hand over your chest, half being dramatic, and half recovering from the fact he almost made you fall over the railing. Zoro snickered, joining you against the railing.

"Pay more attention then, Feathers." Ah, yes. The nickname Luffy had dubbed you over dinner. He seemed to switch between using your actual name and the nickname, which, according to Nami, means he likes you. Not sure what good that knowledge does me, but whatever.

"Oh gimma a break! Traumatic event and all."

He scoffed and looked at the sky, "...any sign of your friend? I'm assuming you're still looking for them."

You nodded your head, feeling a sense of guilt. "Yeah.. I'm hoping I had flown ahead of him and he saw the storm before I did. If he didnt.. well.."

Zoro seemed to understand what you left unsaid, and cast you a swift glance.

"If your friend is anything like you, I'm sure he's fine." He grunted at last, shaking his head. "I don't think anybody can just get struck by lightning-" "don't think I was struck, I was probably just too close-" you intervened, "-yeah yeah. My point is, not everybody just gets struck, and gets saved by driftwood. I bet your friend found some, too, or he didn't get struck at all."

"I hope so."

A silence fell between the two of you, and you leaned farther over the railing, staring down at the water. To some extent, you could see the fish swimming just out of reach, and a smile graced your face as you reached a hand out.

At the same instant, you felt a hand on your back, gently gripping at your shirt.

"Careful now, or you're gonna end up a wet bird."

Huh.. how funny. That's one of the last things Killian told me.

You broke into a fit of giggles, leaning back up to stare at the swordsman. "Wet bird I may be, but I can still swim better than anyone on the crew, I bet."

"Wanna test that?" Zoro responded with a grin, and just as you readied yourself to respond, a rather panicked voice came from across the ship.

"Guys?! Come quick!"

It was Nami. Both you and Zoro ran to meet Nami, while Sanji, Luffy, and Chopper, came a bit slower, still groggy with sleep.

"What's wrong, Nami-swan?"

"Nami?"

Sanji and Luffy questioned simultaneously, while the rest of you waited in silence.

"The Logue Pose.. it won't lock on to an island."

#roronoa zoro x reader #zoro x reader #one piece x reader #roronoa zoro #zoro #x reader #one piece #straw hats x reader #straw hats

[singularforkforintimidation]

Hello and welcome to our new show Marvel has a problem with women! I'm your host, skye, and tonight we'll be discussing why I'm fUCKING SICK OF IT.

(Secret invasion spoilers ahead)

Maria Hill. Commander of SHIELD. The only person capable of truly predicting Nick Furys literal bullshit. The only person capable of successfully wrangling the Avengers. The only person qualified to take no shit from anyone. She is one of the most important main characters for marvels plot development and characterisation. AND THEY FUCKING FRIDGED HER IN THE FIRST EPISODE OF A SHOW THATS NOT EVEN FUCKING HERS?? It wasnt for character development because her death is only used as leverage against Fury. That if that video of 'him' killing Maria Hill gets out then everything he's worked for will fall apart. It wasn't for the plot because her death has absolutely no relevance to the rest of the show. It wasn't even to reveal something. She isn't even thanked for her service to SHIELD and the Marines. SHE DOESNT EVEN HAVE A FUNERAL. She's just dead. Lying in a casket along with so many other women marvel packed up for the fucking sake of it.

I won't accept that they've done that to her. She could've been so much more. She shouldve been.

And now Carol Danvers. Captain Marvel. The human equivalent of a nuke. The woman Thanos punched in the face and didn't even flinch. The Avenger for every other planet in the goddamn fucking universe. She is the only Captain Marvel. She is meant to be one of the most powerful people in the universe. Her powers are able to kill Gods. AND GI'AH JUST FUCKING GETS THEM?? AFTER ALL THE TRAUMA CAROL GOES THROUGH TO GET THEM, AND ITS NOT EVEN HER FUCKING CHOICE. Why do Marvel repeatedly diminish the power women have over and over and fucking over. Let us have these strong characters without someone else just one upping them just be-fucking-cause.

I'm sick of it. Im so fucking sick of it. These characters were mine. They were my lifeline. I can't even have my lifeline anymore

#maria hill #wlw #let lesbians have this one thing #commander hill #secret invasion #secret invasion spoilers #the commander #captain marvel #carol danvers #theyre HER powers #fuck marvel

[copperbadge]

Royals/Ramblers is DONE. I split the difference and made two epilogues from the five, and one of them just looks like it's part of another chapter. I am devious in my ways.

I'm letting it marinate for the rest of the day; I'll give it a quick pass tomorrow, then let go of it for a few days so when I come back I'll be ready for slightly deeper editing. Aiming to post it perhaps October or November, we'll see how life goes.

It meant I could finalize a lot of dates in the timeline that I've been building. I've had to shift some things around, so now the trick is to figure out timing for the stories now in the pipeline, based on my notes. There's ten, more or less, and whether I end up writing them all is dubious; it reminds me of plotting out Laocoon's Children, an extremely ambitious task, but unlike Laocoon's Children, I control the canon and I don't have to deal with anyone's stupidity but my own. And I'm really only focused on five of the ten right now. Which, given I wrote four of these books in fifteen months, plus three books' worth (Royals/Ramblers) for a total of "seven" books in less than two years....I guess we'll find out. Might take a break at some point to write something more literary, that's up to the ADHD I think.

Anyway, it's not necessarily the order in which I'd like to write the stories, but I've been holding off on some of these for a year already, they'll keep. I think the slate coming up is:

2023 Autumn - The Football Novel, which is already 2/3 written; it will run through spring 2024.

2024 Spring - The Chicken Salad Wars, Simon's novel, pushed out from this year to next; it has to end in August, because of Plot.

2024 Autumn - The Roman Ruin story, aka Classics Nerds In Love; this has to come relatively soon because it's prior to Jerry finalizing the dissolution of his estate. There's no set ending for this one, but it will likely need to cover at least until late spring 2025.

2025 Spring - The Let's Legalize Psychedelic Davzda story. Not ideal to push this one so far, but it's possible when I get there I could swap it with the Roman Ruin story, though that could make certain plotlines awkward.

2025 Summer - Ofelia's story, which culminates in Galian elections in early fall.

Fortunately most of them should be less work and words than Royals/Ramblers, which is a bit of a sweeping familial epic. Those five are all more-or-less unrelated to the royals directly.

The rest of them are either barely conceptions or can be set at any time (like the Quaker Whaler novel that happens in the past anyway). Which is kind of nice; I now have both a specific agenda for the immediate future and resources that I can build out once I get closer to the end of that agenda.

Phew. What a ride, and I'm still in the middle of it.

(I'd post a bit of story from Royals/Ramblers but for the last 4-5 chapters it's all spoilery.)

#shivadhverse

[bluegalaxygirl]

Celestial Wedding (ZoLu X Reader) P7

Plot: Reader gets taken as revenge for Luffy and Zoro's defiance against the Celestial Dragons, they were just going to kill her to make an example but now theres a wedding????.

Warning: Bad language, Violence, blood, kidnapping, forced marriage and salivary.

Thank you to @herwritingartcowboy for the suggestion. Reader is Female and a gunslinger, Zoro X Luffy X Reader, Poly relationship, established relationship.

P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - P8 - P9 - P10 - P11 - P12 - P13 - P14 - P15 - P16 - P17 - P18

With their only way of getting to the top destroyed the crew had to think of another plan, Franky could build a bridge or stair case but with how tall the red line was and the limited equipment there's no way they would be able to reach far enough up. Robin was the next chose but bringing her out would mean most of the others would have to do her job since she was protecting the sunny form the in coming marine ships and any marines on foot that tried to attack the sunny. Currently she was doing the work of several people so it wasn't wise to pull her away from it. Nami's eyes locked onto the large red wall in front of them suddenly getting an idea, it was risky but it was something "I can do it" Nami grips her staff turning to the rest of the crew who are fighting the marines "Really Nami-swan?" Sanji asks with hearts in his eyes as he sways over to her after kicking a marine away "Yes i can make a path up with my clouds but i need time" She states looking over at the two Vice admirals that are getting back up and starting to make their way back over. "We'll give you that time" Luffy smiles punching his fist into his hand the others nodding and heading off to fight and protect Nami while she starts making clouds form her staff and starting to make a long path up into the clouds. Luffy runs at Vice admiral strawberry who takes the sword he threw out of the building it was stuck in before turning to the straw hat with a blank stare "I told you, your not getting past us"

The mans voice pissed Luffy off more who hardens his hand with haki and throws a punch it being blocked by the mans two swords, running up behind his captain Zoro jumps up and over Luffy bringing his three swords down on the vice admiral who barely dodged the attack, the three swords cutting through his white coat and the skin on his arm as he moves to the side. "Bastard, you'll pay for that" Zoro growls through the sword in his mouth after landing on the ground and looking up at the vice admiral taking a few steps back form the force. Luffy yells as he runs in sending kicks and punches destroying the rest of the building but only getting a few hits on strawberry who either dodges or uses his swords to block. Zoro waits for Luffy to finish and get out of the way before slashing his swords down sending a wave of energy towards the vice admiral, strawberry tries to block it with his swords only for one of them to shatter into pieces. "It's our job to stop you no matter what... Your friend is the celestial's property now" Strawberry throws his broken sword to the side as he glares at the two men gripping his other sword in his hands. Zoro growls as he steps closer but Luffy puts an arm out wanting to knock this guy out. Seeing the look of anger on his captain's face Zoro decides not to argue and back up a bit. "Y/n is not property, she belongs to no one.... No one will get in our way" Luffy yells hating the words that just left the marines mouth.

Running forward the captain throws his arm back and hardens it with his haki, fire spreads down his arm as he comes to a stop just in front of the vice admiral and bringing his arm forward "Gum gum, Red Hawk" Luffy yells his fist connecting with the sword that Strawberry tried to block with only for it to shatter under the force, the punch connecting with his chest and sending him flying through another building and out to sea. Panting Luffy lets a smile show before adjusting his hat and turning to Zoro who slices through a few marines that got to close before nodding at his captain. Meanwhile, Brook and Chopper where taking on John giant, brook froze the ground under the giants feet making it harder for him to move while Chopper used his arm point to punch and kick the giant. John's sword was cracked but was still intact as he swung it around trying to hit the fast moving reindeer and the disappearing Skeleton "Stop moving" The vice admiral yells slamming the tip of his sword into the ground trying to hit Brook who dodges and slashes at the giants hand who yells but refuses to let go of the sword thats now stuck in the ground. Chopper puts his hands together and moves them to his side building up energy in his hands before shoving them forward aiming for the giant's sward "Cloven! Cross" The reindeer yells out as a blast of pink energy leave his hand and hits the sword braking it in two and sending the giant stepping back trying to regain his footing on the icy floor.

Unsheathing his sword a cold fog forms over the blade that brook then turns to point at john "Soul solid" Brook whispers as he lunges forward the sword forcing out ice that pierces through John who gasps in pain before falling to his knees, he sits there are a second but soon slowly falls to the side his large body hitting the floor. The two look at each other with a smile before turning to take on more marines that are heading their way. Sanji and Usopp protected Nami form gunfire and in coming marines as her staff makes more and more clouds's that join together to form a path leading up to the top, to save time and energy she makes it thin, but she knows it won't last too long so looks over to Luffy and Zoro seeing their fight over with "Guys its almost done, start heading up" The navigator yells getting their attention, Usopp fires another smoke start as Brook and Chopper also make their way over, the smoke giving the group a chance to talk for a second " Chopper you should head up in case Y/N hurt, I'll stay here and protect Nami-swan" Sanji nods at the now small reindeer who nods as Luffy and Zoro run past them all and up the white cloud path "Thanks Nami" Luffy yells out as Zoro follows him up the cloud path. "Hurry it won't last long" The navigator yells back knowing her clouds will dissipate after a while, it'll most likely stay up for them to get to the stop but might not be there when they get back.

As Chopper starts heading up after their captain and swordsman Usopp looks around seeing the other marines starting to run at them along with a new ship docking on the side letting more marines off. "I'll come with" the sniper yells out running up the cloud path after chopper before anyone can stop him. Nami sighs knowing the sniper just want's to get away from the fighting down here, but she couldn't help but let a small smile show knowing he's still gonna have to fight once he gets up top, "Yoohooo, I'll protect you with my life nami... what's left of it anyway" Brook laughs only to be hit on the head by the navigator's fist, a red bump appearing through his afro "Get serious" she yells before kicking him away from her to make him fight the marines while she continues to produce clouds, she couldn't see the top at this point so she'll just kept going for as long as she can, her staff was running out of energy, but she tried her best to make it last. Running up the thin cloud path Chopper and Usopp soon caught up to the two in front "Decided to join us?" Luffy yells back with a big smile seeing that Usopp had joined them "Of course, the great usopp never disappoints" The sniper laughs with a smile as Luffy laughs along with him, Zoro rolls his eyes and shakes his head knowing the real reason why Usopp followed them, but he couldn't complain. as they reach the cloud line the sound of talking and music could be heard making Zoro's and Luffy's heart sink. The classical tune that was known worldwide played indicating the bride was walking down the aisle.

Finally, making it to the top the four jump up seeing marines waiting to fight them but as they land Luffy tilts his hat up and uses his conqueror's haki to knock as many as he can out giving them all room to run to the large gold and red gates. "Guys" Chopper yells his eyes fixed on a big screen thats coming up with a bunch of marines and other people watching it, it showed you and Charlos standing in the church drinking form cups. Zoro growls knowing they need to hurry since it was quite the run to the church, Luffy punches and kicks to get through the marines that are trying to stop them, Chopper changes into Walk point making him faster on his feet and more agile, he kicks off the ground and lands on the marines heads running on top of them while Zoro cuts through another group trying to stay close to Luffy. Usopp fires a few exploding stars but mainly follows Zoro since he's making the biggest dent in the marines "were almost there" Chopper yells out with a smile jumping over the last of the marines and running down the road making it through the golden gates, Luffy and Zoro break through the last of the marines and follow chopper with a smile, they can feel your aura, its sad and in pain but it means your close. The marines try to follow them but Usopp turns and fires a green star making Venus flytraps grow out of the floor stopping the marines form following. Zoro runs next to Luffy as they smile and nod at each other before turning to look ahead following Chopper through the streets full of mansions "Where coming Y/N" The two yell out, you may not be able to hear them but hopefully you can feel them.

Walking up to the church you couldn't help but admire its beauty, white marble building with gold features, stain-glass windows and pink and blue decorations. the garden around it was very well taken care of with perfectly shaped tree's and bushes along with water fountains that were polished to perfection. If you weren't about to walk down the aisle to marry a man you hate then this would be perfect. Four of the girls walked behind you, Sakura, Claire, Emi and Kashvi were all wearing pink belly dancer uniforms and pink veils over their faces, the cuffs on their hands had thick chains that where being held by two guys that walked either side of you. The other four girls were wearing blue but headed off before you to stand with Charlos who was waiting at the altar, your heart sinks in your chest as you walk up the steps and into the church, You gulp stopping at the the thick doors as the main doors close behind you, the church had a small room before you enter the main bit which gave the girls time to fix your dress, Rosward stands from the slave he was sitting on in the corner of the small room before walking over to you and pulling on the collar on your neck making sure its not been messed with. "You will only say one word, Yes... do you understand?" The dragon glares at you as you nod slowly, he takes the detonator off his belt and holds it in front of your face "If you do anything else I'll be more than happy to let my son shoot you on the spot or I'll press the button myself" Rosward smiles seeing your stoic face turn a little sad at his words.

He places the detonator on his belt again and pulls the veil over your face "There will be cameras all around watching your every move but like i said before i'm more than happy for you to die if you mess up" The dragon lifts your chin up making you hold your head high before he snaps his fingers, the slave he was sitting on walks over on all fours is ragged cloths. Rosward sits on the saddle on his back and wacks the man on the head making him move, the thick doors open as you grip the flowers in your hands. You felt a little better that the cuffs on your hands were now gone but the collar around you neck reminded you that you couldn't run, even though you desperately wanted too. You were snapped out of your though's by the music playing, Rosward makes his slave walk on all fours down the red and gold carpeted aisle as you followed, the guards walking next to you and the girls followed behind you. Getting a good look around you first notice the snail cameras dotted around all pointing at you, the ceiling lights where crystal chandeliers and the people sitting in the church pews where all celestial dragons or people of very high importance. Looking forward the alter was on a slightly different level, the arch was mainly white curtains tied back with gold string with teasels, the stain glass window behind it showed red roses and pink strings leading to a box off gold. In the arch way stood the Vicar holding a large book in his hands, next to him was Charlos his nose slightly running, he didn't turn to look at you which in a way made you feel batter but the rest of his wives behind him did seem to turn their heads to look at you.

You couldn't see their faces since they were covered by a blue veil but what you did notice was what was behind them. It made your heart sink and your eyes widen, the fire place behind them was lite with a black pot on top with bubbling hot water in it, inside the pot of a black long metal stick with cloth on the end. You knew what it was right away, the thing they were going to brand you with after it was all over, when they said it would happen after you didn't think it would be here. The music died down as Rosward got off his slaves and kicks him to make him move aside, the slave moved on all fours to be near the wall as the dragon takes your arm and walks you up the steps and turns you to his son. Charlos looks you over and gives you a smile, it makes you sick but you try to stay calm and keep a stoic face on as Rosward whispers to you "Bow" You do so as he lets you go and walk to sit next to his daughter in the front row. The girls stand behind you but the guards let their chains go and move to join some of the other guards that are lining the walls along with some slaves. Your heart pounds in your chest as Charlos steps closer and lifts the veil up and over your head raveling your face, stepping back the dragon looks you over before nodding to the Vicar who bows and looks down at his book. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony." As the man speaks you keep your eyes focus on the book in his hands, his rambling words about how important the celestial dragons are to this world and how they are gods makes you want to roll your eyes but you don't instead you try to feel around you trying to find any sense of Luffy's or Zoro's aura.

You know their coming for you and they are probably here somewhere but where? Lucky for you and your crew the opening of the ceremony is longer than a normal wedding mainly praising the celestial dragons and calling them gods. The vicar nods over to one of the girls behind you who bows and grabs a tall think bottle from the side, a golden glass was handed to you and Charlos after the flowers are taken away form you by another of the girl's behind you. Up close, you can now tell that the girl with the bottle is Kashvi who pours the red liquid into both your glasses starting with Charlos. You hated yourself for hoping she would spill the liquid on you since you didn't want her to get hurt but you were hoping that anything would stop all of this. She didn't spill any and headed back over placing the bottle down before joining the other girls. "Now you will feel no rain. Now you will feel no cold. Now there will be no loneliness. For you will always and forever take Care. May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years, May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth." The Vicar spoke clearly before flipping the page of his book.The man looks form you them to Charlos before speaking again "With this cup i bless you both" You copy Charlos as he brings the cup to his lips and sips the red liquid, it teased weird almost metallic. You thought maybe it was wine at first but now your not sure, you remove the gold cup from your lips, watching as the liquid settles back down.

The cups are taken off you both again and the flowers where places back in your hands, the girl wiping some of the red liquid off your top lip before stepping away. "With the blood of the gods combining you and blessing you both in light we move on to the vows" You try to hold back the shocked look on your face as you realize what you just drank, blood, you just drank blood. You couldn't help but wonder whose blood you just drank, all these celestial dragons think of themselves as gods so it could be any one of them. Rosward smiles seeing your shocked face, he lifts his sleeve up seeing your eyes scanning the crowd until you stop on him. A small plaster on his inner elbow told you all you needed to know, you felt sick and you wanted to throw up but his scowl and simple hand placement on the trigger on his belt made you look away form him trying to hold back the sick feeling you have. As the vicar spoke tears welled up in your eyes, all you could think of was Luffy and Zoro and how you wanted them here now, you wished it was them in front of you. You wish it was them you were getting married too, until now you never thought of marrying the two but you can't imagine being with anyone else. A spark shoots through your heart seeming to force all those bad feelings away, it was a spark you know all too well and you can't help but let a smile show. You may not be able to see them or sense them fully but their here, your lovers and the crew are here and their getting closer.

#imagine #one piece #polly relationship #zoro x reader #roronoa zoro #zoro roronoa #one piece zoro #zoro #straw hat pirates #zoro x luffy x reader #zoro x luffy #straw hat luffy #monkey d. luffy #luffy #one piece luffy #monkey d luffy #strawhats #luffy x reader #luffy x zoro #zolu #one piece zolu #zolu x reader #zolu fanfic

[betsabegrandchester]

We'll both always be there for you || Neteyam

¡Neteyam x Metkayina! lector

Summary: Where you are the firstborn of Tonowari and Ronal, and the pressure of them overcomes you, but Neteyam is there for you.

Note: Sorry for spelling and grammatical errors, English is not my first language. <3

Your mother and father's screams echoed throughout the room, your heart was pounding and your hands were shaking from the urge to cry.

You were overcome, first because something bad was coming and your parents gave you the responsibility of taking care of your younger siblings, but it was hard when they didn't obey you and for the rest you had to do the activities with the others of the clan.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" You repeated without looking at them, it was not your fault for today's situation. You were busy helping the clan when your brothers told you they would go for a walk and you said yes, but you didn't think they would take Lo'ak and leave him there.

"The only responsibility you have is to take care of your younger siblings and the new ones, and even that you can't do, how can I trust you to take care of a clan?" your father shouted making you squeeze your eyes shut to keep from shedding tears "Can I leave?" you asked whispering.

"Yes, withdraw" Said your mother squeezing your shoulder in apology.

Without waiting any longer you hurried out of there, heading straight for a small part of the reef without noticing the eldest of the Sully brothers following your path.

Your butt fell on the sand, and you put your legs wrapped around your arms and then burst into tears. Your sobs could be heard a few feet away, so Neteyam rushed to sit behind you and spread your legs to place you in the middle and put his arms around your shoulders.

Many minutes must have passed because your breathing started to become calmer "That's it, breathe calmly, follow my breathing."

"Thank you" It was the only thing that came out of your mouth for the moment, Neteyam did not respond, but delicately fixed your gaze on the light show that made the marine fauna around you.

Your mother had always said that your way of connecting with the water was more special than the common one, and simple things like this proved it to you.

"They feel it when you're sad and I feel it too, I heard everything. I do believe you can handle a clan" He whispered in your pointed ear, as he drew your body to him "You do things right, and today was not your fault at all"

"I know, Neteyam. But what if something had happened to your brother, the responsibility is mine because I should take care and look after them" You said as again the urge to cry came over you "No, no. Understand, it's not your fault, sometimes things get out of our hands and we can't do anything" He told you trying to calm you down. "Just think about the wonderful things you have done and don't let today guide you, please forget about it."

"Okay, I will" You told him intertwining your hand with his and offering him a smile that warmed both of your hearts "Okay, you know I love that smile, love"

You let out a shy giggle as you received kisses on the cheek from Neteyam who was in charge of lifting your spirits, then both of you were mesmerized by the fauna that illuminated the sea, but now in a joyful way.

"See, they feel it too, just like me, and we'll both always be there for you."

#avatar #avatar 2 #avatar the way of water #neteyam imagine #neteyam x reader

[writeforfandoms]

The Name of the Wind 4

Find the series masterlist

Here we finally are continuing with this story! I'm trying to match up the timing on everything between these thee stories in the dragon riders 'verse. Yes, three. Our two special guests in this chapter will be leaving to their own story.

It'll be fun, I swear.

Warnings: Swearing, idiot in love, clueless reader, scheming riders, seriously the whole garrison is invested by now.

Word count: 1.8k

Dinner seemed nothing special, in the way that you'd become accustomed to meals here. There was the usual assortment of foods at every table, riders and staff settling down to eat. 

Alejandro was at the table you'd unofficially labeled his - not in the center of the room quite, but still easy to get to. Some of the usual people were there already - Rodolfo and Marin both nodded to you. 

The two new people were there as well, seated side by side across from Alejandro.

“Our guests for tonight,” Alejandro told you, motioning you to sit next to him. “Alex and Frank.” 

You greeted them both, settling next to Alejandro. They'd both cleaned up since you saw them earlier, though Frank hadn't bothered to shave. You'd never seen them before, and you were curious as to how they got here, and how long they'd be here. 

“You must be new here.” Frank eyed you, openly appraising. 

“Yes,” you admitted, a little surprised. 

“New rider?”

“Not exactly,” you hedged, on the border of being uncomfortable, and not sure why. 

“She is a leather worker,” Alejandro answered smoothly, one knee pressing into yours under the table, his elbow gently jostling your arm. “Quite skilled, as well.” 

You warmed under both the praise and the touches, shoulders relaxing even as you leaned ever so slightly into his space. 

Frank held your gaze for a moment before he nodded. “Then we'll be seeing you around again.” 

“Are you here often?” You took a tray from Alejandro, serving yourself food even as you glanced at the two men. 

Alex shrugged, a secretive half-smile twitching his lips. “We come through every so often.”

You looked between the two, seeing clearly that this was some kind of joke. But Alejandro nudged your knee again under the table, and you didn't ask. 

The conversation moved on from there, Rodolfo chiming in with daily reports. Another rider came over to talk to Alejandro for a few minutes, mostly ignoring Alex and Frank. They seemed content to be ignored, talking quietly to each other. 

You squashed your curiosity back down and ate your dinner quietly. 

Frank and Alex stood to leave in tandem, and Alejandro nodded to them. 

“Who were they?” You asked very quietly once they'd left. 

Alejandro hummed for a moment, arms crossed loosely over his chest. “You will see them from time to time,” he said slowly. “But you cannot ask what they do, or where they go. It is confidential.” 

“Okay.” You could do that. No problem. 

Well. Okay. You'd have to remind yourself not to ask, but you'd manage. 

He looked down at you, amused. “You won't see them so often it will be a problem,” he assured you. “Don't fret.” 

You chuckled. “Sure,” you agreed easily. “If you say so.” 

Alejandro shook his head but smiled, getting to his feet. “I will see you tomorrow.”

“Good night.” You watched him and Rodolfo walk out together, shoulders nearly pressed together. 

The view was quite nice, after all. 

Shaking your head at yourself, you cleared your place at the table and made your way back to your room. You had a little time before bed. Plenty of time to stuff your emotions back down. 

You were still trying not to find Alejandro attractive… but it wasn't easy. He made it very difficult, in fact. Especially when he sought you out at meal times, and took you on a flight, and promised he wouldn't let harm come to you… 

Really, how were you expected to not find him attractive? 

You squished your face in your pillow to squeal, just a little bit. 

The problem over the next few weeks wasn't work. It wasn't the dragons, as they had all learned that you were to be treated gently.

No. The problem was Alejandro. 

He ate most meals with you. He took you on two more flights. He made a point of seeing you at least once each day. 

He was distracting, but in the most pleasant way. Intriguing and courteous and funny. 

He was a major problem. 

You looked for him, almost automatically, every time you went to eat, or when you were in the dragons’ nesting area. Any time you heard his voice, you paused what you were doing to look. 

Honestly, it was a bit ridiculous. You were embarrassed at yourself. 

But you still looked. 

One night after dinner, Alejandro asked if you'd take a walk with him. You agreed, heart fluttering. 

“I will be gone a few days,” he said as the two of you strolled down empty hallways. “I need to go to the capital.” 

“Oh.” You couldn't help the way your heart sank with disappointment. 

“Rodolfo will be in charge while I'm gone,” he said, looking at you and away again. “It will only be a few days.” 

“I hope you have fun?” It came out for too much of a question, and you grimaced at yourself. 

He snorted. “I will not, but thank you. I dislike going, but I must sometimes.” 

“Why do you dislike it?”

He shrugged. “Politics,” he answered dryly. “There is an overabundance of people who feel far too self-important.”

You laughed, unable to hold it in. “I'm sorry,” you managed, still giggling. “But the look on your face.” 

He huffed, smiling. “It is never a hardship to make you laugh,” he murmured. “Is there anything you want from the capital?”

You blinked at him, taken completely by surprise. “I don't know.” 

He eyed you for a moment before he nodded, just once. “I will find you something, then.” 

You almost protested, except he turned to face you fully, two fingers under your chin tipping your face towards him. Your eyes went wide. 

“I will think of you,” he promised, low and quiet. “I need to go, because I need to wake early. I will see you in a few days.” He leaned in, and for a wild moment you thought he'd kiss you. Your heart leapt and then pounded, lips parting ever so slightly. 

But his lips landed on your cheek, soft and chaste. Your eyelids fluttered, a soft breath escaping you. 

The two of you stood perfectly still for one moment. Then Alejandro stepped back, his fingers falling from your skin. 

You watched him go, hand rising to touch the spot he'd just kissed. 

You hadn't imagined that. He had really kissed your cheek. 

Oh, you were way past trouble now. Now you were in deep. 

You meandered back to your room, completely distracted and oblivious to the world around you, replaying those precious moments over and over again to make sure you remembered them. 

You didn't sleep well, half-remembered dreams of flying then falling interrupting you through the night. 

You were surprised when Marin sat with you at breakfast. She asked about your day, and seemed genuinely interested. Which was… weird, but okay. 

But the weirdness didn't stop there. 

Various riders popped in to your workshop throughout the day. Some just asked how you were doing, while some asked about bringing you things for repairs. One even brought you a canteen of water, saying she'd noticed yours was empty. 

You were deeply, deeply confused. 

But you didn't actually object. 

Rodolfo gently herded you to the normal table at dinner, but he didn't try to make you talk. Just made sure you had food. 

Alejandro left for a few days and the whole garrison went extremely weird. 

Maybe they just needed some sleep. Or something. Maybe you needed sleep. 

Except the next day passed in much the same manner. You hadn't had so much conversation… basically ever. And with so many people! Even one of the kitchen staff found you to ask if you had enough scrap leather to make a holder for a knife. 

Which, of course, you did. Not that you'd tell her, the poor woman seemed easily flustered to begin with, but you weren't using scraps for this. 

You were also debating between telling Alejandro the entire garrison went nuts while he was gone, or never mentioning any of this again. 

You skipped breakfast the next day, sneaking some bread from the kitchen to tide you over until lunch. This, apparently, was a mistake, as what felt like half the garrison showed up at your workshop before lunch. Not all at once, thankfully, mostly alone with a few pairs or small groups showing up.

But still. Highly annoying while you were trying to work. 

You were gearing up around lunch time to yell at the group of three hovering outside your door when a dragon trumpeted outside. All three riders perked up, and the youngest (and boldest) of them darted inside to grab you. You barely had time to yelp before the three were half-dragging you off, your feet barely keeping up. 

Bright sunlight blinded you for a couple moments as they dragged you clear outside. But you felt the ground-shaking thump of a dragon landing. 

You didn't even have time to ask before the three abandoned you. You nearly stumbled, but managed not to. Huffing, you shaded your eyes to look. 

Your heart fluttered in your chest. 

Caba stopped just in front of you, rumbling a friendly greeting to you, head lowering to breathe hot air on top of your head. You couldn't help but laugh a little, reaching up to pat his snout. 

“You're here.” Alejandro sounded surprised but rallied quickly, throwing one leg over Caba's back and sliding down the big dragon's side. He landed easily, making you the teensiest bit jealous - you still nearly faceplanted every time. 

“I am,” you agreed, a little perplexed but mostly just happy to see him. “How was your trip?”

He waved a hand, dismissing the question. “Uneventful. Not worth it, as usual.” He paused a moment before he smiled. “But I did find this.” 

He produced a flower from nowhere, petals marbled pink and white. 

“Oh, it's beautiful.” You smiled, leaning closer to see if the flower had any fragrance. It did, and it smelled wonderful too. 

“It's for you.” Alejandro took one of your hands, curling your fingers delicately around the stem.

Your eyes blew wide and you jerked your gaze from the flower to him. He just smiled at you, warm and soft and so pleased. 

Excited not-exactly-whispering behind you made both of you turn to look. Alejandro's smile dropped and he huffed softly. 

“Excuse me, I have some riders to speak with,” he growled, much less happy now. But he paused and cupped your cheek, leaning in close to whisper, “I'll see you later.” And then he strode off, like a man on a warpath.

You dropped your gaze back to your flower and hid your smile behind it, inexplicably giddy.

#the name of the wind #dragon riders au #alejandro vargas x reader #alejandro vargas x you #f!reader

[masterchef901]

Some rampant Freckle theorizing (Idk how confirmed this is but we roll it (lackadaisy spoilers))

I was thinking about Freckle and the theory/general idea that he killed or hurt his dad and Rocky took the blame for it, and the more I think about it the more it explains a ton of Freckle's character.

Like, we'd have the obvious and immediate: he follows Rocky and does whatever he asks without question, because Freckle feels like he owes him a debt, one worth killing for. Not to mention, we have some more rationale behind Freckle's habit of trying to fix things when stressed, and his original intentions of becoming a cop, both of which may represent a sort of penance in his mind. Try to make things better to make up for how he made them worse. Get dangerous criminals off the street, to make up for the fact that he feels he is one.

But then we get a bit more in the details of things:

"Remember to always lie" lands a lot heavier in this paradigm, doesn't it?

But the way the other letters are framed right there with him make me think they're a part of the trauma too. That make me think that every single one of these weighs on him, makes him think: "Rocky's struggling out there because of me"

"He's suffering because I lied"

"I'm doing this to him"

"I ruined his life too"

and yet, at the same time,

"If I tell anyone then Rocky suffered for nothing"

And that would absolutely eat at someone. Eat at them enough that a particularly inflammatory letter would leave them curled up and broken in their room marinating amongst years of other accumulated pain.

And bearing this view of his past in mind, I speculate a bit on his defining trait in the present:

The oft-accepted explanation is that he's just a "natural killer", or that these acts of violence are in some way a release of other, possibly unrelated pent-up stress and anxiety. But bear with me a moment, and consider another angle:

You're a murderer. You've spent years lying about it. You threw your cousin under the bus. You lied to your mother. You're a murderer and you can never forget it. You always lie. You have to remember to always lie about being a murderer.

And then you kill someone again.

And this time it's in front of plenty of witnesses, it's to protect someone and most importantly: it isn't a secret to these people.

I posit that in this moment, Calvin "Freckle" McMurray is feeling honest with himself for the first time in years. He has internalized the feeling that he's a murderer, and now he gets to wear that, and be "himself", for what he feels that is, and he doesn't have to hide. He doesn't have to hide that he's a murderer anymore. In the most fucked-up possible way, Freckle is owning who he is. Maybe it's a stretch, but I think what we're seeing is the euphoria of relief, from a particularly twisted confession.

The next time we see him actually shooting again...

There's still some of that derangement, but it also seems to me that Rocky's doing most of the laughing. And maybe it's the involuntary mud-bath he takes after this panel, but...

That mania sure faded quick this time. Even though he's digging for it, trying to find it, the euphoria just isn't coming the way it did just a couple canonical days ago, and I think it's because there's nothing more to get from it.

The killing confession's been given, and there's no more relief to be found in trying to let himself be a killer. Now it's just... more bloodshed.

At this point, we've caught up pretty much completely to our protagonists in the story. From here, we move from the 'bear with me but' kind of speculation to just totally rampant guesswork. But what could this mean for our adorable gunman's future?

Well for starters, I think we'll see his work quality start to take a dip once he realizes he doesn't actually love it.

And for seconds, it means that he's probably not done riding the guilt train either. If anything, he might start working out his confusion, realizing just how fucked everything in his life is. Might even begin to resent Rocky for it.

And perhaps most interestingly in my mind is how this poor kid's emotional state is going to interact with his relationship with Ivy. After all, I feel like the very nature of the relationship is still settling, and we don't really have a clear view of how invested its members are in it. Maybe Ivy's just in it for some fun and Freckle's along for the ride and eventually the ride'll end and that'll be that. But, uh, something about the laws that govern narrative existence makes me think that this will perhaps not be the case.

Because suppose that Freckle starts feeling it more deeply. He might easily see his first true confidant in Ivy - someone who he owes no debt, who he's under no obligation to lie to, and who seems both aware of and okay with his homicidal tendencies. He could really come to lean on her a lot as he develops and navigates his trauma. And this leads to some outcomes:

If Ivy's willing to reciprocate that trust and vulnerability, we get treated to some absolutely delectable hurt-comfort.

If she isn't, she might back off, even sever things entirely as she's not used to dealing with this kind of baggage in a partner. Depending on how in-love Freckle's feeling at this point in this timeline, the sudden pain and isolation on top of his freshly re-opened trauma might be enough to send him into a complete mental break in the worst case.

And either way, and no matter which way anything goes, we get some absolutely killer drama.

#lackadaisy spoilers #theory #lackadaisy #the cats #i cannot stop thinking about the cats #lackadaisy theory #lackadaisy freckle #freckle #character analysis #but that analysis is all predicated on a theory that is unconfirmed #spoilers