#which I take to mean til the timeskip

[trashlie]

ILY FP 258

I can't believe we're actually passed episode 250 lmao I Love Yoo is truly the never ending story (affectionate). I appreciate how much of the story we really get to dig into at this pace and while I know a lot of people have long-since dropped it, I imagine the rest of us (those reading this post because why else are you here?) also appreciate it. And that's what is even more refreshing about this episode - if refreshing is even a word we can use to describe it. Getting the extra scenes from other characters, a look at their lives and from these glimpses, what we can glean in the unsaid between the lines.

Can you believe I used to prey on Kousuke's downfall? There's so many posts of me talking about him from a different view, believing that the only way he could grow and develop and make the changes necessary to make him a better person was for him to crash and burn, to fail so significantly that he would be forced to pen his eyes to reality. But here we are, me, fervently swaddling him up like a baby and shoving him into my pocket because GOD he needs to be protected.

I don't even remember when it was, that my view on him began to shift, when I went from "he's interesting but awful" to "GOD THIS IS MY SON AND I WILL FIGHT EVERYONE YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME" but.... lol there's no going back!

That's enough rambling, let's jump in.

There is something so painfully devastating about every time ILY confirms to us something we have long-since known or suspected through nuance, foreshadowing, reading between the lines, etc: That Kousuke isn't Rand's biological son, that Shinae was at the formal for Gun Kim, that Kousuke has been manipulated his whole life. Nothing in this episode regarding Kousuke is actually new to us. We have known, and talked about, for months and months long before the confirmation reveal that Yui drugs Kousuke - that he has been manipulated by her his entire life, that she orchestrated his life to manipulate him into situations she could take advantage of. It's the way she spoke about Rand's affair around Kousuke, the way she commodified Rand's love so Kousuke became convinced he'd never earned his father's love, the way she spoke of their family vs others and convinced him from such a young age that everyone was out to get them, to destroy them, and that he couldn't let them get close, couldn't let them near - and how Nol was very much a target planted in his mind.

But it's the fact that he is speaking of this and acknowledging it! Until now, Kousuke has heavily lived in denial. Again, we know this. We talk a lot about the chasm between reality and the reality he believes in. We talk a lot about how Kousuke couldn't face reality, even though on some level he knew everything he believed and was told was not quite true not quite real, but that he was so afraid of the truth, he couldn't do it. Kousuke admitting that he's been driven by fear and envy explains everything about him, and why he could not accept the only unwavering unconditional love he was offered.

A few weeks ago I saw a video on instagram of this father talking about a conversation he had with his daughter, who was feeling a little uncomfortable with her friend group. A new girl started to play with her and her best friend and she said she wasn't exactly jealous, but that maybe it was that she was afraid that there wasn't enough love to go around. Her dad had to explain to her that love is not like a pizza - it's not finite, a limited amount that could be taken and hogged by someone else. But Kousuke never learned this. His father's love was commodified and he was made to fear this other kid who he mistakenly believed knew a version of his father he'd never been privy to. He never learned that love is finite, that Rand could have enough love for the both of them, and feared that Nol would hog it all - that he WAS hogging it all because whether or not it was good or bad, Nol received more attention that Kousuke did. And that speaks VOLUMES about how Kousuke sees Rand, what he thinks of their relationship. In his mind, he is still unworthy, that he's not noteworthy enough.

This part gets to me so badly. We, as omniscient readers, know that Rand has tried his best, but that Yui runs a spectacular interference with which he can't compete, largely because of the roles their family have placed them in - Rand the busy businessman, Yui the mommy homemaker. But no matter how hard he tries, it isn't good enough. Rand tries to reach Kousuke, but the manipulation and paranoia are so far gone that the times Rand does have the chance to convey his feelings, Kousuke can't even believe it, because he thinks he's not good enough to deserve that love, that he hasn't fully qualified for it yet. And despite that, Nol, who Kousuke feels hasn't done half of what he has to deserve Rand's love, gets the attention. It doesn't matter that it's negative attention, that Rand barks at Nol, that Nol feels Rand hates and regrets him, because ultimately, it's still more than Kousuke receives. And worse, to him, every time Rand is busy reprimanding Nol, he turns away from Kousuke to do it.

I want to make it clear that this is a deep trauma point of Kousuke's. He's never learned healthy love and the only person who gave him healthy love was someone he was set to fear and fight. Something I think about a lot is the flashback to Kousuke, in the bushes, watching Nessa and Nol's display of warm affection, before Yui appears literally looming before him. In that moment, he witnesses something he's been deprived of. "We're not like other families"'. He's told from a young age he shouldn't compare himself to those healthy families, to warm and affectionate relationships that he will not cultivate in this household. From such a young age it is normalized, that they aren't like others, that they are cold and distant. From a young age, he's made to stuff down his feelings, his tender wants and desires, in order to earn them. To be a good little boy who makes his parents proud. To make his father look his way.

There's also something about the way he says "I've been a good boy" that echoes Shinae learning she's been manipulated by Yui, devastated and angry and yelling about how she's been a good girl so why do these things keep happening to her, all she wanted to do was help her dad. Two people who, from a young age, felt they had to be so obedient, so good, to not be a burden, and despite following the rules, despite doing as they were told, despite trying to be whatever version of "good" they believed in, the world still beat them up and mistreated them. The world still punished them.

As Rin in our discord server pointed out, though, to some degree, Kousuke is very much a person who can - and does - act out, when he's emotionally high-strung. He's a volatile man, and it's largely to do with the fact that he's been drugged to placate him for so long. He never learned emotional regulation, he never learned how to deal with high-stress situations or to face conflict or to own up to things. This is something that some readers who hate Kousuke and expect him to act a certain way because of his age are missing. You don't just learn these things with age. You learn them with experience and Kousuke was deprived of the opportunity TO have those experiences. He never had to learn these behaviors, and now as an adult he cannot function when overwhelmed.

Idk this whole episode is just heartbreaking. It's devastating. I remember when I was someone praying on Kousuke's downfall and now I want to take it all back ;___; I always believed he had to crash and burn to be able to see the world for what it really was and to face his fears, but this is somehow so much worse.

And even though he's drunk, I don't think he's going to forget all of this in the morning. Rather, I think what he's voicing are things that have been plaguing him since waking up in the hospital. From that moment, we saw him wary and distrustful of his mother, we saw his concern for Nol rising above everything else, but grappling with the understanding that he doesn't deserve to stand in front of Nol anymore. These aren't epiphanies coming to him just because he's drunk; it's more like he's only voicing them because he's drunk. But even when he sobers up, he will probably still be haunted by these fears, these agonies, these truths, this understanding.

How does he face his mother after this? How does he face anyone? He may not even feel like he can trust Jayce - who while very kind to him, is still employed by his family. He may not even feel like he can trust Hansuke (though I really hope that's not the case).

He's so miserable and it genuinely hurts to have him lay it all out for us - everything we've known and suspected, like how it was so painfully clear he WANTED Nol's friendship, their brotherhood, but feared it, didn't believe that there was enough love to go around, that there could only be one of them and that even if it was for good or bad reasons, Nol cast him in the shadow. And all these years, watching as Nol, as Yeonggi, grew into this person who sounded so very much like this unknown version of their father, someone funny who makes others laugh, someone goofy, someone so boyish in the ways Kousuke was never allowed to be. Watching as he gathers friends, while Kousuke, so unlikeable, is wanted only for his money, for his status, for the clout.

He doesn't even know WHO HE IS! Questioning his own traits he's believed of himself, wondering if this is even him, if these parts of him are real or does he just act it, say it, pretend it, while trying to fulfill a role he was shoved into. That makes me feel SO deeply sad, because it's something I've been anticipating for so long: Kousuke wondering WHO he really is, how much of him is real and how much of it is the result of manipulation.

And that moment that he catches himself and says no no that's offensive and rude you can't be like that. ;AAA;

For him to admit how much he envies others, how much he craves the kind of connection others have, the kind of family others have, to feel that love and warmth that he's been deprived of, forced to endure this solitude because, as he believes, he didn't get the good parts of Rand. And what will happen when he learns that Rand isn't his father? That he never stood a chance to inherit any of those traits. Kousuke has operated on this belief that, if he tries hard enough, he can earn the things he craves, but I fear learning about his parenthood will make him think that no matter how hard he tried, he would never earn that, because none of it was ever him, could have gone to him.

I think this is where Shinae, in the future, will come in. I feel so very strongly that she will be someone who helps Kousuke to see that this isn't true, that these kinds of personality traits aren't something inherited, but rather something learned. For him to one day realize it's the paralyzing fear that holds him back, not his genetics. Of course, I acknowledge this will still take a lot of therapy but...

Something else very remarkable to me is the way Kousuke recognizes Shinae in Shinhye, because their eyes "feel the same" and he opens up to her - on some level, whether or not he is consciously aware of it, Kousuke knows, or maybe just wants to, that he can trust Shinae. That she is someone who is safe. He even knows how she feels about his mother. I don't think we'll see a lot of Kousuke and Shinae's friendship until we're passed our timeskips, but it makes me feel a little hopeful about it, that she'll be able to reach him, because she feels like someone who is safe. It's the way he sees Nol in her and wants to try to have that do over, a relationship with someone who  has unconditional love for him. It's the way he knows he mistreated Nol, that it was wrong, that he took it all out on this kid he was so afraid of because he had no other outlet, and he wants to do better but knows that there's nothing to salvage anymore.

But also, it just makes me hope more and more that in the future we WILL see a reconciliation between the brothers. As I say every time, it doesn't mean they have to become brothers or friends, but I just want them to see each other fully. Kousuke knows what he did to Nol. He doesn't deny it, even if he might not say it out loud unless he's drunk. But Nol is still so in the dark. Yujing is trying to tip him off and make him aware of it, but I hope one day when Nol realizes it, when he finds out that Kousuke, too, was Yui's victim, that he wasn't the only one, that Kousuke was made to fear Nol's love, he might.... understand. I'm saying understand here loosely because I don't want people to get the idea that I mean Nol will forgive him and Kousuke will be justified, but rather that Nol would be able to understand why Kousuke felt that way, and move on. But I can't help but hope that it will lead to an understanding, a reconciliation, where maybe they can try to be in each other's lives.

I think it's also interesting that Shinhye was somewhat honest, even if she wasn't very forthcoming, with Kousuke about her own family. It sounds like her mother has been gone for a long time, that she's been on her own the whole while, and I think it reinforces the idea that she believes both that Simhan is her father and that he rejected her, that he didn't want anything to do with her. It lines up, too, with how she feels that he wouldn't react well if he saw her (although I think she credited that to looking like their mother). In the same way that Shinae has felt abandoned and cast aside by their mother, Shinhye probably thinks their father never tried reach out, to find them, to maintain a relationship with her. Or perhaps it's that her mother fed her lies about him, made her believe him a different type of man, made her believe there would never be anything of their relationship to salvage. And given that she's the one who Kousuke opened to, it makes me think that there must be some kind of parallel there; the way she mentioned her own mother feels like maybe her mother, too, was a manipulative - or at the very least, dishonest - person.

I don't speculate a lot on Shinhye because frankly I don't think I know enough about her to really try to talk about her, but I do think that it's very likely there's some kind of connection between Shinhye and the Hirahras or Gun. To be clear, I don't believe she's working with Yui at all. I think it's more like... Alyssa isn't the only girl who has been trafficked by Gun. What's the likelihood that Shinae and Shinhye's mother was? Given her history, the gambling addiction that was so egregious her reputation haunted Shinae and chased her to a new neighborhood and school, was she seeking money somewhere else, somewhere more dangerous? Is that part of why they had to change their name? There's so many questions left about them, and I look forward to learning more about her, but, much like with Alyssa, I think it will take time and be dropped in little tidbits like this - things to read into and try to glean something from.

And maybe we'll see more of this duo in the future? It would feel a little weird to give them this one single run in, but I'm not entirely sure. Quimchee likes to keep us on our toes. After all, Minhyuk and Shinhye have also had only the one run in. Still, I think it would be interesting to watch, if Shinhye ever felt.... I want to say maybe compelled? to dig in more to Kousuke, ever feel a kind of kinship. I don't think she'll open up to him at all, but rather, maybe she'd keep going back because a. he's wealthy and there's more she can nick from him (assuming he doesn't realize she stole anything while in his apartment, if he even remembers any of this) and b. wanting to gather more intel.

Like I said though, she's hard to read so I don't want to cling too hard to any ideas and, instead, sit back and enjoy the show.

#ILY Brainrot #ILY FP #ILY Spoilers #I Love Yoo #Kousuke Hirahara #Shinhye #idk what to tag her as because we know she isn't known as Shinhye anymore #and because Simhan and their mother never married AND she was from a previous relationship Yoo isn't even her family name #so I can't really use Shinhye Yoo lol #alas #anyway this episode was DEVASTATING and quimchee said it's the beginning of the sad episodes meant to happen in March #literally said 'It's all downhill from here' #which I take to mean til the timeskip #BUCKLE UP BABIES WE'RE GOING FOR A BIG CRY SESH ;______; #i gotta say tho this episode didn't even make me cry - i guess because none of this is new and I've been bracing myself for it #Kousuke is so fucking wet cat it agonizes me ;_____; #I could write a whole essay on how Yui destroyed him and Nol in one fell swoop #i think a lot about precocious little Kousuke who tried so hard to be a good little boy and rushed through school because he wanted so badl #to hurry up and catch up to his father and join him in the workplace #all the opportunities he lost #the way he tried to fit himself into a personality a person he never picked out but just believed would get him what he wanted #he lost himself in the process #or maybe he never even got to know himself #i think too a lot about Kousuke who played piano and gave it up when he came to believe it wasn't important to his dad #that it didn't garner the attention and praise he seeked #so he dropped it to better mold himself into someone he thought Rand WOULD be proud of #FUCKING DEVASTATED #I'M GOING TO JUMP OFF THE ROOF SOBS

[dbphantom]

So those death flags on Roberto eh... Meryl is definitely using that derringer after he dies, right? It's her signature gun, there's no way she won't...

#If they don't do this actually I'll be '??????????' #But yeah the theory that we will be getting Milly after Roberto dies in July grows stronger every episode #[chanting] timeskip timeskip timeskip timeskip timeskip... I really really want one #More experienced Meryl taking on a newbie partner in Milly. Wolfwood aging super fast. Knives healing period. Older Elendira... PLS..... #Trigun #Trigun stampede #Spoilers #Trigun spoilers #Trigun stampede spoilers #I'm very curious to see where episode 5 is going to take us bc they're nowhere NEAR July or even the orphanage #Which means. Hopefully. The pacing really is slowing down now. This episode was great with it... I'm v happy so far #Still bitter about elendira being a kid in this remake tho. That's one of the really big reasons I want a timeskip tbh #I wanted to see her using the giant fkoff crossbow and kicking ass :( #Plus her new design isn't anywhere near as visually interesting as the others shown. I really liked zazies redesign #But she's just in like a white gown. I couldn't even *tell* it was her til I checked the subreddit n they talked about subtitles. #I thought they had introduced a new independent plant bc the design doesn't resemble her at all #She's one of my fave characters and I was SO excited to see her finally animated after all this time 😭 #It's the main reason I'm gunning for a timeskip so bad... I want actual elendira not a totally different character with her name attached

[liminal-lesbian]

Related to my last ask(which i will follow up on) I don’t think its fair to say marcy wasn’t being her true self. While she was hiding her negative feelings, her enthusiasm about being in amphibia was her authentic self.

(Plus, its a little hypocritical that Andrias is praised for following his heart, despite hiding his malevolent intentions)

While I definitely agree her enthusiasm surrounding Amphibia was an expression of her true self I think her interactions with people in Amphibia involved a lot of people pleasing in order to reach a state of feeling secure in her place in Newtopia.

A good example of this is when we see her immediately declare she'll do all she can for Newtopia in thanks for them taking her in. While this does make sense, obviously thanking the people who took you in through acts of service is reasonable, I think much of Marcy's motivation is underlaid with her anxiety surrounding being needed/useful.

For example, New Wartwood is great for showing how Marcy conceives of herself in relation to a new environment. She NEEDS the townsfolk to like her, arguably, if my thesis about her is correct, because that disapproval equates to a threat to her sense of self, as she needs the positive lens of their approval in order to define herself. She goes about it in a way that she absolutely enjoys and IS true to herself, using her special interest in architecture to render a service that will benefit the town, but the important thing to note is she's doing this not for her own enjoyment or interest, but to earn the approval of others.

The same could be said for all her services to Newtopia. I don't doubt for a second that her actions in Newtopia were a fun, gratifying, and engaging experience in which she could exercise her interests that she truly enjoyed. HOWEVER, everything she did was in service of earning approval, raising her standing in order to be liked. After all for Marcy, to be liked, to be needed, is to be. Neutrality, apathy, or, god forbid, dislike, is crisis, because Marcy defines herself in relationships mainly by what she is to them, and if she's not wanted or needed, she doesn't have the solid baseline confidence to be assured of who she is. And that is TERRIFYING.

In a vacuum, yes, Marcy knows what she enjoys, but in terms of interpersonal interaction she doesn't have the sense of self to allow herself to be Marcy for Marcy's sake, always Marcy for another's. That isn't a healthy way to go about relationships, and Marcy learns to take this to heart. She doesn't develop it in Amphibia but in Amphibia is where it begins.

In the timeskip we see the fruits of this growth in her career. It's not a surprise, I think, that Marcy's future is predicted by her principal by what she can do for the world, because up til that point to others Marcy WAS what she could do. Not a person with desires, just the acts of service. By choosing the path that she wanted to take, a career as an independent artist where she's able to express herself artistically, doing what she loves because she HERSELF wants to do it, shows Marcy has attained that secure sense of selfhood, happy to do what she wants without concern about earning others approval. She is Marcy Wu and she's more than what she can give to others.

---

As for Andrias, I'm assuming you mean his change of heart in the finale? (Correct me if I'm wrong).

I wouldn't say Andrias is praised for that per se. He's still, at the end of the day, isolated, exiled, and shown to be atoning for his crimes. Notably he isn't forgiven for anything, especially not by Marcy, as is her right. He hurt her terribly, physically and emotionally, and nothing he can ever do will take that away, and I truly think he'll suffer that weight for the rest of his life.

I think Andrias is meant to show that changing, even if it doesn't outweigh the evil you've done, even if it doesn't heal the people you've hurt, still matters. It's never a wrong choice, no matter how much you've done to hurt people, to choose to do better.

Could Andrias have been written to be a better nuanced villain, of course, but I don't think he's praised for his change of heart. I think he stands as a lesson that, while you can't take away the bad you've done, you can choose to stop adding to it, and maybe even start adding to the good.

#amphibia #marcy wu #andrias leviathan

[bestmofointhisbish]

M crush x chubby fem reader. pt2

boy are you in for a ride ;)

As you walked into the cafe, the sweet smell of chocolate kindly greeted your nose. Oh how you wished you could work there and maybe even get closer to c/n. ‘But what if he won’t like me or he doesn’t like women in general idk it’s 2023 he might not even be a dude or his pronouns aren’t even he/him. Oh no I hope I don’t offend him somehow. Maybe we can just be friends if he’s gay. Wait no cause I’ll still like him.’

“ma’am? Are you ok? You’ve been standing there for quite a while”. “oh yes I’m fine, I’m here because I saw the help wanted sign on the window” “Oh, and what’s your name?” “Y/n” “ok y/n just wait here for a bit okay?” “Ok thank you” you sit on a chair near the counter, but you couldn’t help and think that you’re crazy for doing all of this for a small crush. ‘idk maybe it’s a sign or I’m a simp’

Time skip you get the job cause I don’t wanna write that right now :)

it’s you’re first day on the job you got the night shift which starts at 4 and it’s 10 til, so hurry up and go!

You jog to the cafe hoping your not gonna be to late for you first day. You walk in and Cherri’s relieved to see you she really needed a break and it’s rush hour so you hurry up and run to the back, clock in and get changed. You run up there and tell Cherri to go take her break. She thanks you and calls her bff to bring her some food. You sigh and start taking orders. About a couple of minutes in you notice c/n walk in holding a brown bag and he walks straight into the back room. You wonder if that’s who Cherri called earlier. 28 orders later Cherri and c/n walk out in their work outfits, there joking around and you can’t start to think that their more than friends. God you hope not, that would probably hurt your heart more than it supposed to. You look at the clock and notice it’s all most you’re break and that means 3 more hours til your shifts done you decide to buy a cookie to eat for now. You put a timer on your phone for 30 minutes and walk to the break room. ‘Huh there’s a couch in here, a nap wouldn’t hurt’

you’re alarm wakes you up ‘geez I hope it’s not too loud’ you walk to the bathroom to freshen up. You walk out there and notice it’s much more quiet then before. “Have a nice nap?” “Yea” ‘wait did c/n just talk to me?’ “It was my break too and I usually take a nap there but you took it first I was about to join you but Cherri said that we haven’t officially met yet. So I’m c/n and you are?” “ I’m y/n, nice to officially meet you” ‘I made him laugh, he’s so cute- Stop no don’t even think about him!” “yeah it’s nice to finally meet you too”

-time skip-

It’s the end of your first ever shift time to lock the place up

while Cherri and c/n locked up you had to sweep the whole place for trash and lost things. ‘Cherri said once when she had to clean the bathrooms she found a used condom. Woah that’s gross I hope I don’t ever find anything like that’

well everything’s done time to go home but you just remembered you walked here and you didn’t really want to walk 10 blocks alone at night. “hey Cherri can i ride with you ” “sorry I’m already taking Alex if you know what I mean ;)” “yeah I think I got an idea ;)” “I can take you where do you live?” “#########” “oh cool I live near there”

Timeskip

he walks you to your apartment cause he’s a gentleman. “Thank you driving me and walking me here” “no problem, see you tomorrow?” “Yeah see you tomorrow” he walks back to his car and waves. You wave back and walk inside ‘wow today was a lot’ *knock knock. ‘Who’s that?’ You open the door to see it’s c/n. “Hey my car won’t start so I was wondering if I could use your phone” “yeah, here” “ thx”

‘he’s taking a while I hope everything ok’ “so they said they couldn’t do anything until the morning cause of the snow so I think I should just walk home” “wait you can stay here” “but where would i sleep?” “You could sleep with me” “ok” “wait no it was a joke”

here you are sleeping in your bed with your crush

how in the world did you do it?

#X chubby reader #crush x chubby reader #x reader #crush x reader #Crush big time #I done with this

[crescent-maple]

My entry for the #kazuscaraweek Day 01: modern childhood au

Pronouns used:

-Kazuha (he/him)

-Scaramouche (they/them)

Tags: fluff, modern childhood au, timeskip

Pairing: kazuha x scaramouche ; scaramouche x kazuha

Universe: genshin impact

**Not proofread** if you have any questions feel free to drop a q on my asks.

AN: the idea here was to show the difference between how scara saw kazuha as a child vs the timeskip ver of themselves.

As for kazuha well... All i can say is he was consistent.

QwQ i hope i was able to show that hnggg

---------- ✧*。

"Do you swear?", the child's voice held such authority at a very young age. Not a single soul would decline his request and he most certainly was not going to take "NO" for an answer.

The young boy with light colored locks with an unmistakable red streak looked into the other's deep violet orbs. He would often associate their eyes to lightning that would strike whenever it rained cats and dogs.

A bright flashing light people would often take their eyes off but to him he wouldn't dare miss a single moment.

"I swear.", he replied in a soft voice.

Scaramouche knew very well Kazuha would always tell them exactly what they wanted to hear.

Though there were times the young boy was left wondering at night, whilst staring at the ceiling if Kazuha was agreeing to anything they said because ... He might be afraid of— Ridiculous.

Kazuha wasn't afraid of them.

He was ...

He was their friend.

"Kuniiii— you're making the face again.", Kazuha's voice was filled with so much concern. He was always like this. A gentle soul whose light radiates in the darkness.

Scaramouche crossed both arms against his chest and looked away from the other with both eyes closed.

"How many times do i have to tell you not to call me Kuni." Scaramouche ended his retort with a pout to which earned Kazuha's soft chuckle.

"Sorry, Ku— I mean Scara. I got so used to calling you by that name."

Scaramouche turned to face the young boy and pinched both cheeks.

"It's fine. You're the only one who can call me Kuni without having to deal with my fury.", The dark haired boy replied while pinching Kazuha's cheeks gently. Kazuha raised a hand, fingers brushing against Scara's knuckles and the next words he said with a smile touching his lips.

"I did swear to be your friend forever and ever, right? You shouldn't get too worried about what i say or do. I have already made up my mind to stand by your side til we grow up."

Scaramouche ceased his pinching and looked straight into kazuha's red colored orbs. The way it would glint all knowingly as if there was an old soul residing in his dainty little body or he was too observant than most children.

Scara felt foolish the thought wherein Kazuha was afraid of them slipped in their mind.

If anything, Kazuha would be that specific person whose shoulder they can lean on and find comfort, a friend they can rely on through troubled times.

---------- ✧*。

Scaramouche yelps at the sudden contact of a cold can pressed against their nape. When they were about to confront who did such a thing they were greeted by a familiar smile. One he had already memorized as a child.

"You were too lost in your own thoughts, Kuni. I ought to bring you back to reality.", Kazuha mused as he occupied the chair next to Scara.

"What were you thinking anyway?"

Hand still wrapped around the can's body, its coldness made known to him, then he placed it on the table to which it made a soft clinking sound. Scaramouche who was still glaring at him merely responded with, "I was thinking how dumb you looked as a child."

"Mhm. Of course, of course."

Kazuha inserts a straw in his milk box and sipped on it casually.

"You did look very dumb."

Scaramouche said as they highlighted the word "dumb". When they opened the can and took a sip Kazuha was staring directly at them.

He didn't feel offended at the sudden retort but it was rather odd for scara to think of the past. It wasn't his place to ask though and one thing scara dislikes is being pushy.

The silence was deafening to say the least and it was starting to get on Scara's nerves but the sudden outburst might make the whole personality they have built crumble into thin air.

Scaramouche felt their eyes fixated on Kazuha.

Who was now reading the back of the milk box, ruby red orbs too focused to notice the person next to him who was staring to their heart's content.

The curve of his lower lip. The way his eyes furrowed. The manner in which he bit his lower lip. Scaramouche realized this view was a lot to take in. The mere fact that their friend grew up into a rather attractive fellow struck them.

"You're ... pretty." The words slipped out of the other's mouth before their mind could even plan on what to say.

Kazuha whose eyes were still glued on the box's writings only smiled and replied in a not so Kazuha way to which caught Scara by surprise.

"Now that you think i'm pretty ... Will it be too soon to assume you'll fancy me as times goes by?"

Color bloomed on the boy's cheeks and even though Kazuha was laughing softly, Scaramouche wasn't mad. They silently wished for the other male to keep his promise but ... would it be a little selfish to wish for them both to be something more?

---------- ✧*。

#genshin impact #genshin impact kazuha #genshin impact scaramouche #kazuscara #kazuha x scaramouche #kazuscaraweek2020 #kazuscara week #scarakazu #kaedehara kazuha #kunikuzushi

[kingstrawberry]

drama and secrets (not)

post timeskip kenma tags along with akaashi to onigiri miya, and kenma, akaashi, and osamu r all quiet friends.

they start talking (beyond osamu taking their orders) one day when kenma is frustrated with this game he can’t beat. he’s rambling about it to akaashi and osamu mumbles a suggestion that he didn’t mean for them to hear, but ofc akaashi does.

“you know this game?” akaashi asks from across the counter.

osamu nods, cheeks turning red at being caught eavesdropping. he puts down the glass he was washing and repeats his suggestion. kenma squints at him for a few seconds, before saying he’ll try it.

—

it works! it takes a few dozen attempts but kenma is nothing if not stubborn.

the next time kenma goes to onigiri miya, he’s alone and he actually orders food (he’d been getting drinks only up til now, which admittedly sparked osamus curiosity cuz what job lets you be drunk all afternoon? he’s no fashion expert but kenmas clothes aren’t cheap and he pays for akaashi 80% of the time.)

kenma orders one tuna mayo, takes two small bites, compliments osamus cooking, and tips $1000. he walks out, still eating, and osamu chases after him.

osamu reaches out, taps kenmas shoulder and tells him he made a mistake with the tip.

kenma, still holding his onigiri, thinks for a moment. “oh yea, akaashi said it’s more polite to tip in cash.” he pulls out $1500 worth of bills from the pocket of his track pants and says the extra is to make up for the mistake.

osamu splutters. “this much for one onigiri??”

kenma shakes his head. “no, but your tip worked so you should get a tip back, right?” kenma smiles easily, finally finishing his onigiri.

he turns around to toss the wrapper in a bin and walks away, leaving osamu with his mouth hanging open.

——

the first actual conversation between them happens a month later, when akaashi is brimming with happiness over one of the series he helped publish ages ago. “the drama is doing way better than expected!” he says with a hiccup.

at this point osamu knows to get them whatever they want and just leave a tab open for kenma.

akaashi talks about the main couple. kenma is kind of tired from the alcohol so at this point he’s saying all the Generic Things at the wrong moment.

“and he couldn’t even tell her!!” akaashi huffs.

“can you believe it??” his eyes are wide behind his glasses, and he gestures so widely that if kenma had been sitting up he would’ve gotten a shot poured on his face.

from where he’s slumped against the counter, kenma says “that’s so romantic,” before closing his eyes.

“it’s not!! it’s”

“unbelievable,” osamu mumbles, mind too focused on balancing the register to realize he said that out loud.

“unbelievable,” akaashi echoes, voice much more subdued than it was a minute ago.

osamu looks up quickly, face heating up as he locks eyes with akaashi.

“you know this drama, miya-san?”

“big fan,” osamu says.

akaashi looks amused. “really?”

osamu nods. “been followin it for,” he counts on his fingers, “6 years or so now.”

akaashi raises an eyebrow. “so you’re caught up.”

“o’course.” osamu grins, more willing to talk after a busy day, when it regards one of his favorite stories.

“well then,” akaashi says, “what do you think should happen next?”

osamu explains this one theory he has about how a certain villain is perfectly set up to come back and how the main character must eventually realize her husband’s secret for so long that kenma actually sits back up at some point.

he didn’t even realize it until kenma says “her husband has to keep the secret though. he’s protecting her.”

osamu’s eyes widen the slightest bit, lips parting in protest before he remembers disagreeing with his biggest tipper might be a bad idea. he looks pleadingly at akaashi and the bastard just shrugs.

“i can neither confirm nor deny your theories, miya-san,” he says with a surprisingly toothy grin before finally downing the shot that’s been sitting in front of him for ages now.

kenma must see the irritation in osamu’s eyes because he pushes him further. “no one you want to protect?” he asks quietly.

and osamu, damn it all, thinks of his family.

atsumu was the one who got him into this drama in the first place. “i’d let him know,” osamu responds, anger giving way to thoughtful consideration.

he repeats himself, firmer this time. “i’d tell him any secrets and he can make his own choices from there.”

kenma snorts.

osamu frowns. “u got a problem with that?”

kenma shakes his head, still giggling. “you’re too reasonable to be in a drama, miya-san.”

“i think we all are,” akaashi says quietly, smiling at his friend.

kenma, still grinning at the absurdity of this conversation, nods in agreement. “good. i wouldn’t come around if i ever thought miya-san was hiding something from me,” he jokes, standing up to leave.

akaashi gets up too, grabbing a chair to stack it as kenma clears the table.

osamu expected some alcohol induced clumsiness from the two of them but they move smoothly, a testament to just how many nights they’ve spent like this. he doesn’t bother to ring them up, kenma leaving cash in front of the register without saying another word, usually $50 or $100 more than what they owe.

the bell chimes as they exit, and after a few more minutes of cleaning osamu is settling kenmas tab. tonight’s another $1000 dollar tip, the second ever.

‘maybe arguing with him paid off,’ osamu thinks, chuckling to himself. in any case, he’s glad he’s not hiding anything from his favorite customer. counting the bills again, he wonders, not for the first time, what exactly kenma’s job is.

(end)

#haikyuu!! #post timeskip #haikyuu osamu #kenma kuzome #haikyuu akaashi #akaashi keiji #miya osamu #onigiri miya

[hadesisqueer]

Doing my own RWBY timeline and assuming how old exactly the four main are right now because I'm bored.

Okay, so volume 1 starts with the beginning of the Spring semester (northern hemisphere); we know that because volume 2 (which lasts maybe three weeks) and 3 (which takes place over the course of a week) take place in their second semester, and it's fall (northern hemisphere, again; it's probably different in Vacuo). Then we can assume that the school year starts in spring. There might be a long summer break, a short winter break and perhaps another short break in spring before school starts again (kind of like in Japan), or a short summer break and a long winter break. I'm going to assume it's the first option because volume five mostly takes place during summer, and all the Haven students were gone because of summer break, for several weeks/months.

So, we can assume that the Fall of Beacon probably takes place in October (because Ruby is still 15 and doesn't turn 16 til after the time jump—and as you know, her birthday is in October 31st—), so it can't be November.

Volume 4 takes place, according to CRWBY, 6-8 months after the Fall of Beacon, so we can assume that it starts in the middle/end of spring— which means it's been one year since the first episode now—and, by the time the volume ends several weeks later, summer is going start/has already started.

As I said, volume 5 takes place entirely during summer.

Volume 6 takes place several weeks after volume 5, and it's already November; we know that because it's confirmed that Ruby turned 17 during the time jump—it's been a whole year since the Fall of Beacon now—and the whole volume takes place over the course of a few days, maybe a week. By the time they get to Atlas, it's still November.

Volume 7 starts immediately after volume 6, and it takes place over the course of a few weeks, so by the time it ends, November is either ending or—most likely—it's December already.

And, as we know, volume 8 also starts immediately after volume 7, and it lasts like three days, so it's still December.

Now, for how old exactly do I think RWBY are in all the volumes because I'm still bored

Starting with stating when the birthdays take place:

Ruby: October 31st.

Weiss: May 15th.

Blake: January 19th.

Yang: July 28th.

I already said how old Ruby was in every volume, so I'll skip her. We already know she's the youngest.

According to me and this timeline (to everyone else, it can be bullshit and I accept it, al of this is literally just me speculating) Weiss is the oldest. If the school year starts when spring starts (again, in the northern hemisphere), and you have to be 17 to start—unless you're an exception like Ruby—I assume you have to be 17 before spring begins. Weiss' birthday is in the middle of spring, so she basically starts almost a year later. She is 17 when she meets RWBY and probably turns 18 at some point during volume 1. After the timeskip, if it really is in the middle/end of spring, Weiss is probably already 19 by the time we see her in volume 4. And she's still 19 right now.

Yang is the second oldest. She starts the show being 17, and since her birthday is at the end of July, probably before the second semester starts, which means she's already 18 in volume 2. She continues to be 18 until she turns 19 at some point during volume 5, and just like Weiss, she's still 19 right now.

Blake is the youngest of team RWBY, aside from Ruby, of course. Given her birthday is in January, she's born the next year after Weiss and Yang' births, and goes to Beacon because unlike the other two, she turns 17 before the beginning of spring. So she's 17 during the entirety of the first three volumes, and turns 18 during the timeskip. She's continued to be 18 since then. Though if it really is December in the show, she is almost 19. Blake's like a month away from turning 19. We might see it on the show! But most likely we won't.

Then, to me, the oldest is Weiss who's 19, then Yang who's 19 too, then Blake who is 18 and about to turn 19 and then Ruby who is 17.

As I said, this is just me speculating, so don't take it as really valid lmao.

#rwby #rwby volume 1 #rwby volume 2 #rwby volume 3 #rwby volume 4 #rwby volume 5 #rwby volume 6 #rwby volume 7 #rwby volume 8 #ruby rose #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long

[jisungsplatforms]

Love Chocolates

Pairing: Han Jisung x fem! reader

Genre: NSFW! Smut; established relationship

Warning: Mature content! (DNI if you are uncomfortable or UNDERAGED); language, food (should that even be considered a warning??) mentions of (implied lovers) members (Changlix), use of aphrodisiac stimulants, dry humping (f), masterbation (m), PIV, unprotected sex, cream pie, mentions of multiple rounds.

A/n: yup. i finally decided to post the fic about tiktok chocolates i mentioned before (in my minho smut). this has been in my drafts for a while actually lol

“No. Absolutely not.”

“But whyyy?” Jisung whined, shaking your arm. “It’ll be good! I promise!” He sticks out this pinky, wiggling it with a tiny pout. You sighed at him, maneuvering his hand away from your face.

“They’re just some dumb viagra knockoffs that probably don’t even work, Ji,” you argued, “how do you even know they’ll work?”

“Felix and Bin tried them!”

You looked at him, subtly prompting him to continue. He, however, only stood silently with an expectant look.

“Aaand...?”

Your boyfriend’s face then contorted into a look of sheepishness. “Well, uh, they didn’t exactly tell me if it was good or not...” he replied, fiddling his fingers.

“What.”

“But! But, judging by the pervy looks on their faces when I asked about them, I think it’s pretty safe to say that they had a good time!”

You let out a deep exhale, yet again, pinching the bridge of your nose. “May I ask, how did they even find out about those ‘sex chocolates’?”

“Tiktok!”

What the fuck.

Why would Jisung think that this’ll help spice up your sex life? Your sex life is great, which is what you’re assuming both of you agree on. You both get aroused regularly and normally, so what’s the point?

“But what if they don’t even work and they’re just fucking around with you, Ji? Then you just spent $30 for nothing,” you said.

“I mean, I wouldn’t say “for nothing”. They’re still chocolate! So we’d still be winning!” he reasoned.

“Okay, but, why do we even need them? We already fuck like rabbits on a daily, so what’s the difference if we do take the aphrodisiac chocolates?”

“That, my lovely, sexy, sweet girlfriend, is the fun part!” he said with a impish grin.

Uh oh. He had a proposition, and you’re not really thrilled to hear it. You knew there was a catch to all this. “The game is, we both have to take two- one to make us mindblowingly horny and another to boost up our libido- and see how long it’ll take for us to snap!”

You didn’t say anything. You merely gave him a look, as if you were saying “really?”

“Come on, it’ll be fun, babe!” Jisung jumped, excitedly. “Pleeeaaase~?” He shook you around for a bit before you finally submitted to his pleas.

“Okay, okay. Fine. I’ll do it.”

“YES! I LOVE YOU!” Jisung beamed. He spun you around and kissed you. Even though you wanted to be mad at him, you just can’t. Jisung was just too cute to resist.

“Yeah yeah, now hand me two of those placebo chocolates, you horny motherfucker.”

He snickered, turing around to hand you the chocolates on the coffee table. Giving them to you, you tore one open to eat. You made disgusted look after tasting the first one.

“Ew,” you complained, “mint chocolate.”

“Hey, no mint chocolate slander in this household! Or else i’ll have no choice but to break up with you.”

“Shut up and eat yours already!”

- Timeskip ⏰ -

It’s been almost 30 minutes and the chocolates still haven’t kicked in yet. You grumbled, checking your phone again for the time.

“You said it just takes about 15 minutes for the effects to kick in,” you whined, turning to Jisung, who sat on the other loveseat on your left. “What gives?”

“I don’t know!” he said, raising both his hands up. “Give it more time. Maybe it might work a little different for some people.”

You groaned. Wanting to lay down, you grabbed the longer pillow that was on the otherwise to the couch to wrap around your legs. Instead of feeling comfortable, you felt a numbing ache in between them. All of a sudden, you felt hyper aware of the heat in the room (and in your vagina).

You tried moving yourself around to ignore the pain, which ended up being a terrible idea for it made you even more needier. You let out a small whimper, and of course, Jisung heard it.

“Y/n? Baby, are you okay?” he asked worriedly. You shook your head ‘no’ then looked at him.

“I can feel it, Ji,” you whimpered with glossy eyes. He knew exactly what you were referring to. He was going to stand up and check on you but he felt a familiar shock down his dick at the sight of your needy expression. He instead lead back further into the seat, digging his hands onto the armrest.

Fuck.

He wanted to go to you so bad to please each other. But of course he remembered about the game you two established. So all he could do is watch helplessly as you grounded against your pillow.

“Hm, fuck. Ji,” you whimpered, trying to grind harder into the pillow. But it wasn’t enough. Thanks to the sex chocolates, it made you even more sensitive but harder to satisfy. Seeing how humping your pillow isn’t enough, your dominant hand trailed down between your legs and into your panties. You rubbed gentle circles onto your clip at first, making you cry out and bury your face into the pillow.

Jisung squirmed in his seat, watching you fling your panties off your legs while your hand rubs harsher circles onto your clit, your hips moving at the stimulation. Not bringing able to handle it anymore, his right hand went into his shorts to pull out his penis to stroke it. His head fell back, finally feeling relief. “Hmm. Fucking shit...” he moaned, bucking his hips. He bit the bottom of his thin lips, pumping faster. However, just like you, it wasn’t enough to fully satisfy him as well.

“Ji-Jisung,” you weakly called out to him, looking up at him again. You had tears in your eyes from the sexual frustration. “Fuck, it hurts. I-it doesn’t feel as good. Want your fingers instead.”

“Fuck,” he mumbled. He stood up abruptly, dick still out, and walked to where you were. He hovered above you as he removed your hands from your pussy- right as you were about to finger yourself, sucking on your fingers. You whined, both from the lost of simulation on your clit and from Jisung sucking your slick from your fingers.

He unlatched your fingers with a string of saliva still connect itself to them and kissed you roughly, shoving his tongue into our mouth, making you moan. You enjoy the lewdness of the kiss; his tongue massaging yours, having a faint taste of yourself. He pulled away from your sweet lips and removed his shorts and underwear. He pumped himself a few time while kissing you.

“Want my cock, baby?”

You nodded your head, pouting. “Please fuck me, Sungie,” you panted. “Need you so bad.”

“Hmm. Shit,” he exhaled sharply, inserting himself into your wet cavern. The two of you moan simultaneously. Jisung gave you a minute to adjust before thrusting slowly. You whimpered at the pace he was going, deeming that it was too slow for your unbearably horny self. You wrapped your arms around his back, grinding your hips further into his, making Jisung throw his head back with a loud moan.

Getting your silent plea, he moved his hips in a deliciously fast pace. You arched your back, relieved that you were finally feeling the numbing pleasure you craved. Jisung leaned down, breathing heavily into your ear while you gave quiet moans and whimpers of your own. Filthy slaps and other unholy noises filled the room. With each thrust, his hips moved faster and harder, pushing you closer to the edge.

“Holy f-fuck, baby,” Jisung moaned, “I’m so close.”

“M-me too,” you slurred. Your eyes were shut tight as you felt your core clench tighter and tighter around Jisung’s cock. He thrusted into you a few more times before releasing his semen inside of you, letting out a few choked moans. Feeling his hot cum fill you up pushed you to your own release, your body spasming as you do. Jisung rocked his hips a little, riding out your highs, before finally pulling out, his cum slowly dripping out of you.

Out of exhaustion, your boyfriend collapsed on top of you, his face buried in between your breasts. You stroked his hair out of comfort before remembering about the deal that was made prior.

You giggled, “Hey, Ji? What happened to ‘seeing how long it’ll take til one of us snaps’?”

Jisung laughed while shaking his head. “Fuck that. We both know that it would’ve been me to give in first no matter what.”

You laughed, your chest shaking his head, kissing the top of his head. You cuddled for a while before feeling the ache between your legs come back again.

Luckily, you weren’t the only one. “Uh...Y/n?”

“MmHmm?”

“My -uh- dick is hard again...”

“...”

“Wanna go for another round?” he said, moving to look at you. You sat up instantly, removing his shirt before taking off your own. You kissed Jisung’s lips roughly, moving to sit on his lap. It’s safe to say that the sex chocolates do actually work, and pretty damn well too.

You might have to thank Felix and Changbin for recommending them to Sungie later.

#stray kids #skz #skz scenarios #stray kids scenarios #stray kids fanfic #stray kids imagines #skz imagines #stray kids smut #han jisung smut #han jisung scenarios #han jisung oneshot

[vermillioncrown]

I'd argue JC could place higher RE: cabbage math because he pulled the sect together pretty fast which implies a great grasp of logistics and knowledge about where money comes from. On the other hand he might just be a fast learner because he's only allowed to be better than WWX at things no one celebrates. No one's whooping and hollering over Jiang zongzhu's impeccable filing system. Or maybe the Jiang sect accountant was on vacation when the Wens attacked

hear me out, it's about when you assess their cabbage appraising abilities. but i will explain myself.

Alphabetical Cabbage Appraisal over Time: (↑ - increase; Ø - no change; ↓ - decrease)

jc [↑↑↑] - the man, the point of contention: i posit that mme yu controlled the lotus pier budget with an iron fist (she seems like a micromanager) thus jc didn't learn until too late. i also agree that jc can only be good at things that nobody gives a shit about (bc they're basic bitches; a great filing system is sexy af okay). he had to learn fast after the fall of lotus pier, and their accountant also ate sand during the siege.

jyl [↑] - once lotus pier was hit, no more cabbage discount. she learned a lot during the war, and never forgot it

(good) jzx [↑] - improves a bit bc he basically flips the bird to his dad and goes to war, so he has to feed his people. but in dbd, it's something he now actively studies in case zyx throws another 'price is right' pop quiz at him like in ch 7

(bad) jzx [Ø] - no impetus to change, actively rejects the price of cabbages when it is presented to him. in fact, i can see him being picky about food when he joins his cousin in the war. or he's never sent on supply runs

lqy [↑] - if she marries the merchant man, she definitely will know the market price of cabbages. worked close with (good) jzx in managing the lanling sect during sunshot campaign, had to feed people

lwj [↑↑↑] - cabbage king glow up. he now has an army of buns to feed (he's the type to look for little treats for his pets), and a potential boyfriend/soulmate/husband/sugar baby to feed. started off being bamboozled by buying whatever wwx jokingly suggested was good to eat (ie fried watermelon rinds... poor guy), eventually got reamed by his uncle for burning through his allowance, then he learned

lxc [↑↑] - big sect heir, big sect leader, has accountants - but with the added 'bonus' that he was on the run and living like a single peasant w my. my couldn't teach him how to do laundry, but he could teach lxc how to buy groceries and not get cheated

my/jgy [↓] - gets worse once his station in life improves. but maybe not as bad if he doesn't become sect leader jin

nhs [Ø] - he will always be sneaking around the marketplace, but cabbages aren't his main goal

nmj [↑] - same as lxc - he has budget people working for him. but the war and war camps means he has to feed people. but wartime cabbage prices are jank

a-qing [Ø] - will sadly never need to improve her cabbage appraisal skills

sl [Ø] - never needed to know, and post-yi city, will never have to know :(

ss [Ø] - a gofer to a small sect leader, he'd probably have a close eye on the sect budget. cabbages feed a lot of people

wc [Ø] - HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

wn [↑↑] - he already had a good idea of cabbage value, but post-death he knows more on account of babysitting wwx's spending

wq [↑↑↑] - not only does she have to mind wwx's spending from afar, she also has to take the entire budget into account and predict the values of other supplies. she has become a cabbage speculator

wwx [↓↓] - this was an active choice. it's funny in post-timeskip that he never has money, but the way he acted up 'til his first death was... someone trying to escape his situation. day-drinking (excessive drinking in general), fooling around, reckless behavior - needing to know the price of cabbages would really hammer in his situation. he would consciously avoid learning about grocery prices (ie the argument of what to plant on the burial mounds). and of course, once lwj is his sugar daddy he will never need to buy a grocery ever again

wx [Ø] - no bahahahahah

xxc [↑↑] - from baoshan sanren's mountain 'til his death, guy has only had a glow up wrt cabbage appraisal despite losing his eyes

xy [↑] - he started as a street rat that stole food, became a jin disciple, but ended up back on street but as a cabbage procurer

zxz [↓↓] - as soon as he doesn't have to do chores (ie moving up the shuangfeng foodchain), cabbage prices will pop out of his head asap

zyx [↓] - it will all go downhill (a bit) once they also move up the shuangfeng foodchain. will always have a good estimate

#the cabbage list #opinionated verm #Anonymous #inquiry #on dbd #mdzs #cql #just imagine every time (good) jzx and zyx meet up jzx is sweating profusely like he's about to have a final exam #wwx roast #jc is Just Okay

[mommymooze]

Post Timeskip Hugs from the Resident Hugmeister. Golden Deer Hugstravaganza

Comrades in arms. Friends til the end. Bestest best friends that ever friended. The Golden Deer are a strange bunch. They did not know each other before coming here. All from different backgrounds, different experiences leading them all to the same place, it is like destiny calls them together. At first it is a bumpy road, the bumps bringing them closer together as a team. They grow up together over the year having classes together. Learning to fight, learning to kill, figuring out how to survive and cope with the sadness that fighting and now war brings.

The reunion is fun except for the fighting. Cleanup keeps everyone’s hands and minds busy. Once things settle down a bit and everyone settles into a routine, that’s when reality hits everyone. Instead of learning and classes, it is now war council meetings and practicing to become stronger. No more pranks or kidding around. Everything is serious, the situation dire. When did the norm become walking past someone hiding in a corner crying to themselves? The only laughter one can recall is from the enemy attackers, laughing at you in your nightmares.

You find Hilda alone in the Golden Deer classroom, sitting in front of the low fire, her arms pulling her knees close to her chest.

“Hey Hils.” You greet her then sit down next to her. “You look like some company would do you good.”

“I never wanted any of this war. It is so scary and terrifying. I had to beg my brother to let me come and still had to sneak out when it was time. “

“I’m glad you came”, you begin. “We need you. The Deer would not be the same without you. Claude would be a wreck without you, you’re his right hand gal!”

“True, Claude can’t function without me.” Her lips turn up at the corner a bit.

“And who else can design battle armor that is also fashionably fantastic?”

“Only me.” Her smile gets a bit bigger

“And when you completely decimate the enemy, whose battle cry inspires us to go on toward the win?” You grin at her, rubbing her back.

“Hilda! Hilda!” she says giggling.

“That’s my gal!” you grin holding your arms wide open to give her a hearty strong hug.

You stroll along the monastery grounds and run in to Lorenz looking over the rose bushes.

“Sir Lorenz.” You call out as you bow towards him.

“Hmpf.” He sniffs.

“Come on, let’s have a cup of tea and a chat. There is nothing like a steaming hot cup of Bergamot to bring an air of calm to a stressful day.”

“Finally, someone understands the importance of tea!” Lorenz huffs.

You both head to the kitchens and work together to prepare the tea. Using a basic tea service, the presentation is quite lackluster, however the tea smells quite delicious.

“I understand your father gave you a difficult time before you joined us. Let me personally thank you for your strong beliefs and determination in joining us.” You nod, raising your teacup toward him as a salute.

Lorenz frowns. “My father is a competent leader and has managed the territory well, however when it comes to the support of the alliance and the war, that is where our opinions differ. “

“I am happy that you have become your own man.” You begin. “We do need your opinions. Claude may at times think of you as a thorn in his side, but he needs you. We must think of all ways to solve the many problems this war brings. You have great knowledge and don’t shy away from bringing up contrary points. Claude may not say it, but he does appreciate it.”

Lorenz visibly flusters. “I am taken aback. I thought you all felt I was purely a nuisance.”

“No. You may be prickly, or lets say as thorny as your favorite roses, but there is also much beauty and other things to be gained when you get past the thorns.”

You are both smiling warmly as you drain your teacups.

Standing before him, you request a hug and he is eager to accommodate you. You hold him until he gives a pleasant sigh.

As you walk past the training grounds you hear battle cries that definitely sound like Raphael. You walk in and wait for him to finish working out.

“Hi Raph. How are you doing.” You ask

“Pretty good. After being apart for five years you would think it would take longer to get used to it but I’m right back into the thick of fighting again. I did keep busy fighting bandits at home, so I kept my muscles growing.” He proudly displays a few muscles for your review.

“You sure have. Isn’t it hard leaving your little sister behind?” You ask.

“Funny you should say that but before I knew it, she grew up right before my eyes!” Raph muses. “She’s quite the young lady now. I think she nearly pushed me out the door when it was time to go. She said something about my being a good big brother but making it hard for her to date. I mean, I didn’t do anything. I just wanted to meet the guys and see if they were strong. Hah.”

You grin at the huge muscled man. “Raphael, you are so amazing! Never change.” You walk up to him and give him a bear hug, he hugs you back until you tap him on the shoulder, then he lets go so you can breathe again.

In the stables Marianne is tending to Dorte. You call out greetings before slowly entering the room. The woman is not nearly as shy as she had been in the past. Sitting on a pile of straw you watch her for a bit.

“Marianne, I am so happy that you are here with us again.” You smile.

The soft spoken woman returns the smile. “I am happy to be here. I cannot imagine abandoning my friends after all they have done for me.“

“I feel the same.” You nod “You worked so hard keeping us alive. Can I give you a hug to show how grateful I am that you’re here?”

“Of course.” She answers softly.

Her hug may be soft and gentle, but it is filled with a warmth that fills you with happiness.

Leonie is in the kitchen cooking up a big pot of stew. Just as she puts down the ladle, you have snuck up from behind her and grab her around the waist.

“Sneak hugs!!” You call out as she gasps then laughs.

“You’re lucky I didn’t smack you with the ladle.” The redhead grins.

“Why’d you think I waited til you put it down to attack? I know you are fierce in battle.” You chuckle.

Heading out through the dining hall you wander by the dorms. You notice a bit of light coming from Ignatz’ room.

“Knock Knock!” You say as you knock on his door.

“Oh, come in! I was just cleaning.” The talented young man is organizing his paints and brushes.

“May I interrupt you for a hug, perchance?” You grin peeking into his room.

“Of course! I always have time for those!” he chirps happily, holding his arms wide open. You dive into them, giving him a warm squishy hug that spins him half around, making you both chuckle. Waving goodbye, you head for your next recipient.

Claude is lying on his back on the porch, his feet towards the Professor’s door as he looks out into the stars twinkling in the sky. Byleth sits on the edge of the porch with her feet hanging off. As you walk up they both greet you.

“What’s up? It is starting to get late.” Byleth mentions.

“Does there have to be anything going on for me to hand out a few hugs to my favorite leaders?” You grin happily. “I must keep your comfort and reassurance levels as high as everyone else.”

Byleth already has her arms spread wide open for her hug which you gently weave yourself into giving her warm hugs and a gentle “mmmm” as you nuzzle your nose into her neck. Once you know for certain she has relaxed a bit you slowly loose your grip on her.

“Your turn, Claude.” You say to your fearless leader, yet he still lies on his back looking up at you.

“Too late, I’ve already turned into soup. I’m just a puddle on the walkway.” Claude grins.

You walk up to him, picking up his arm, as soon as you let go, it falls back onto his body then slides to the wooden planks.

“Did you hear the splash? I’m soup.” He smirks.

You put the back of your hand to your forehead in mock sorrow. “Whatever shall I do? My leader has withered away and is now soup. Ahh, I may have an idea…a good thing to go with soup is bread. I can dip it in the soup and not lose a drop!” You snicker as you sit on his stomach, holding him down while you first poke him like you are dipping bread in his chest, then you start tickling him.

Claude struggles to sit up and knock you off of him. “Hey! Wait! No fair. How am I to know that soup is ticklish. Get off!” He hollers and laughs as you two roll along the porch, only stopping when he nearly falls off. You both can hear Byleth giggling watching you two idiots roll around.

“I knew that the tickle spell would make Claude congeal back into himself. Now give me my hug you brat!” You laugh and pull him in for a mighty squishing hug as he laughs. It’s good to bring a smile or a laugh to your bestest friends.

#fe3h #fe16 #feth #fire emblem three houses #golden deer

[elusianknight]

Do you have any headcanons for Cyril?

It’s been awhile since I was super into fe3h, BUT

I think my most prominent ideas about him come from the idea that archery is probably one of the first thing he picks for himself. I left off in the middle of the GD route but I’m assuming archery must be at least kind of common in Almyra, right? Even if 15yo Cyril isn’t willing to admit it to himself, maybe that’s why he finds himself interested in archery. 

Since the game drops the ball with Cyril like they do with so many others, I think his blatant hatred of Almyra is ridiculous (not to mention his whole backstory just... is bullshit imo like not that he’s lying, but it’s lazy on part of the writers... they said he’s a war orphan who hates Almyra because they didn’t want to write about or come up with or research another culture). So as opposed to his writing in the game, I think over the timeskip, while Rhea’s influence is absent, he starts doing things for himself. It starts with him learning the bow, learning how to ride a wyvern (I MEAN COME ON THAT SHIT IS PROBABLY SO HARD AND ALSO SCARY???) and then maybe he learns other things from Shamir too, like woodcarving or survival skills. He’s such a good kid, I hate that Rhea gets a pass for treating him like SHIIIIIT because well, I love Catherine, but she’s a grown ass woman who has kinda dug the hole for herself of being willfully ignorant of Rhea and the church’s failings/cruel tendencies... but Cyril is a kid who Rhea has basically groomed and indoctrinated.

So I would like him, over the course of the timeskip or after it (especially in GD route) to find some comfort with his Almyran roots. Like, maybe he looks into their archery styles, or something like that. I feel like he might mistake Shamir’s flippant attitude toward her own country for hatred (which is also because Intsys is lazy and doesn’t want to write anything substantial about Dagda, just like with Brigid, Almyra, and Duscur) but she does return there with Catherine in their ending. I think they would bond over having complex relationships with their homelands. Even Catherine to an extent, with her being a supposed traitor of Faerghus. UGH THIS IS WHY THEY”RE THE BEST FAMILY OK

I’m sorry these really aren’t headcanons. You just got me thinking about them all again. I love Cyril a lot. Baby boy. He fucking shreds things in my GD playthrough alongside Lysithea. Baby power couple.

Speaking of which. I LOVE THEIR SUPPORT CHAIN SO MUCH OKAY!

I love Edelys but when it’s not CF give me that Cysithea or give me death dude. No I do not see their ending I do not care canon is fake and trash anyway.

It honestly makes me think that Rhea just wanted him as a tool (which is kinda obvious the way she seems to enjoy blind devotion to her) because she was content to let him work himself to the bone and... not even give him a place to sleep??????????????????????????????????????????????????? The kid literally sleeps wherever he keels over at the end of the day and doesn’t even have a room but Rhea pats herself on the back for taking child slaves I mean rescuing orphans. And everyone else is like yeah, this is fine. I mean I guess House Goneril also literally has child slaves so the Fodlan people are just like yeah, whatever. Goddddddd I hate the writing in this game, ANYWAY

Where I was going with that was, if she saw this great potential in Cyril and truly wanted to give him a position of remotely important status someday (a knight, an advisor, a teacher, a professor, whatever, something above a servant!) she probably would have had someone teach him to read. BECAUSE YOU KNOW, THEY LIVE AT A FUCKING SCHOOL LMAO. 

So when he is embarrassed about it, when Lysithea offers to teach him... it reads to me as another thing that he wants for himself. Sure, it can help him help Rhea more... but he gets his own enjoyment out of it too! It’s not just about helping Rhea, or spending time with Lysithea, (the latter of which is so much more healthy jfc these poor kids) but Cyril finding something FOR HIMSELF is so important to me okay. Archery, reading... I think if the people who wrote fe3h had braincells, these would be mere steps on the path to Cyril breaking apart from Rhea and realizing that she isn’t all that she seems. Cyril takes plenty of fe3h’s characters to task and he doesn’t hold back. I think when the curtain’s pulled back on Rhea he would give her a fucking earful and be really disgusted at her manipulative nature. I want front row seats with popcorn. And also to give him a hug. Speaking of that!

I think he has a lot to talk about with Catherine too.

They were both saved by Rhea, right, in slightly different scenarios (obviously Catherine’s feelings toward Rhea are tinged with romantic feelings toward her too, while Cyril sees her as more of a mother figure). But they both idolize her and I feel like Catherine is a picture of Cyril’s future in that way--she’s willing to do anything for Rhea (except die, as she says in her Shamir supports, but I feel that this is almost a malleable aspect of her character considering uh. She will stick by Rhea’s side in CF and go against her own morals and values and participate in a battle she knows she’s gonna lose). But the point is, Catherine is loyal to the point of self destructive tendencies. And that’s the path Cyril is heading down in 3h, where he goes to battle to fight for her even though he’s a novice (moreso than the students being formally trained even if they are similar in age) and probably would be better like. Hiding somewhere with other civilians.  Shamir is the first person in both of their lives to significantly challenge their perspective on Rhea simply because she doesn’t see what the big deal is. Catherine setting her hometown ON FIRE and throwing herself at Edelgard’s army is where Cyril can (and does) end up too... and MAN THATS DEPRESSING but I think they should have been able to defect--I think they should be able to support with Shamir and even each other, to question things like Lonato’s death (like damn Catherine... you killed his son too.... who was your friend................ that would be a good jumping off point for a “hey wait this is kinda fucked up” conversation) and come to the conclusion that hey, maybe Rhea ISNT always right and maybe there IS something wrong here. Even if they aren’t willing to fight AGAINST her, I think they should have the capacity for being recruited post timeskip (you know... battlefield recruitments... the things that happen in FE games... sigh). I mean yes, this is basically what my fic is about, with them slowly questioning thanks to Shamir’s influence through the course of the war. 

It’s 2am and I’m rambling all over the place, but I hope you got some enjoyment out of it. Stan Cyril Fire Emblem. Cathmir and Cyril is a wonderful family and Shamir can help her wife and son heal from their traumatic indoctrination by the scary dragon lady and her wacko church. 

I’m assuming you’re the person who read my fic and messaged me about it, but if you’re not, here ya go.  Please read til chapter 2, chapter 1 isn’t as good but 2 slaps. I promise.

#cyril #Anonymous #cyril fire emblem #shamir nevrand #cathmir

[supernovaken]

Why I don’t like Sanji - One Piece Discussion

Sanji used to be one of my favourite characters up there with the other two-thirds of the monster trio, mostly because of his calm attitude, debonair persona and strategic thinking. A lot of people enjoy the swagger he brings to the Straw-Hat crew’s dynamic, and the way his personality compares and contrasts with everyone's favourite swordsman Roronoa Zoro.

Don’t get me wrong, this post isn’t a Sanji bash, and it certainly isn’t the Sanji vs Zoro toxic rant that we have in the fan base, so if that’s what you came here looking for it may be best to click away now. Hopefully I still get the click bait credit hahahaha [laughs in evil].

All I'm trying to do here is delve into Sanji as a character; from his introduction into the storyline through to his current state of characterisation, along with how my impression of Sanji has changed over the course of the so far 1000 One Piece chapters GOda has blessed the world with.

I work on the rule that once a chapter is animated it is no longer considered spoiler territory and my main focus will be on the Whole Cake Island Arc and the character nuances presented leading up to that. I’ll be avoiding discussing anything happening in Wano mainly due to the fact that I haven’t seen much in terms of new characterisation for Sanji - so before anyone jumps down the comments with the argument that it all makes sense during Wano, i’d say just give that one a miss.

Anyone who isn’t caught up with the anime, here’s your fair warning…

Let me tell you Why I Don’t Like Sanji

Throughout the story Sanji has always been the more aloof, somewhat guarded character in the crew - at least on a surface level. His introduction was as the charming pirate restaurant chef that had a way with words and a ferocity when it came to his food. The Baratie Arc is where we were introduced to the rough and tumble fighting chef and most importantly where we were shown his passion; for women, family, life and of course food. Skip forward an odd 800 chapters and although we are shown moments that may have seemed slightly off putting for the character (don’t even get me started)... where I really lost touch with Sanji was during the Whole Cake Island Arc (WCI).

Caveat

Now I've had a few back and forths over this online so I want to make a few things clear from the offset. The issues that I will be delving into are all from a character and characterization point of view.

I have no issues with the plot of WCI but I did feel that Sanji wasn’t being himself (or at least the version of Sanji as a character that I along with many other fans had gotten to know up til this point).

I’ll be breaking down my understanding of the plot as best I can going off all the information we have on it and I'll be evidencing what I say with Manga panels to reduce the amount of dispute I'm likely to get from this.

Saying that, I will ask that as you run through this you allow a little room for perspective. I will be commenting on Sanji and the decisions he made at the point in time that he was making them, this means that we’ll need to come from a perspective of understanding all the information that was available to Sanji at the time, not just what the audience knew or what other characters were planning or doing. In order to comment on Sanji's behaviour we have to go off what he knows in the moments he takes action.

Whole Cake Island

Before I go into Sanji's character throughout the story here's a quick synopsis of everything that happens in the WCI

After arriving at Zou and dealing with a few Beast Pirate stragglers, Sanji was essentially taken hostage; physically through the Power of Bege’s Castle-Castle Fruit, then later with the use of the exploding cuffs, and taken hostage emotionally through the threat made on Zeffs life and the immediate threat Bege posed on the members of the Straw-Hat crew that were there at the time.

The plan was to use Sanji in a political wedding to unite the Charlotte Family/Big Mom Pirates with the Vinsmoke Family. Being a political wedding there were motivations on boths sides to attain the power offered by the other; and thanks to an underlying conspiracy plot led by Big Mom, the plan was to kill Sanji along with the Vinsmoke family and take their technology.

Fortunately the plan was ruined by non-other than our very own Straw-Hat Luffy and his pals (after an initial skirmish with Sanji's Black leg), and Sanji returned to the crew as they escaped a rampaging Big Mom.

My issues with Sanji that crept up over the course of the arc:-

Sanji left the crew (albeit to protect Zeff but more on this later)

Sanji attacked his Captain

The timing for when Sanji returned to the crew (AFTER he discovered pudding was gonna betray him)

For that third point I'd like to put heavy emphasis on ‘timing’. I don’t have any issue with the fact that he returned, I love Sanji as a member of the Straw-Hat Pirates and it’s clear the dynamic is not the same without him. I also don’t have an issue with how he returned to the crew as the way he broke down in front of Luffy was one of the most heart-string pulling, tear-jerking scenes of WCI (although I will be getting into his apology/ lack of one in that scene). But the timing of his decision to return to the crew really irritated me as a long time fan of the character, all I could ask was, after everything that’s happened, why now?

Leaving the Crew

Pre timeskip the story addresses a lot of themes surrounding the topic of what it meant to be a Straw-Hat pirate. All the way back in East blue where the story of the Straw-Hat crew was born we were given storylines around the value of friendship (NAKAMA!!), the important roles each member had, their individual struggles against adversity up to the point Luffy came to save their spirits and ignite their dreams. And we had all that both for Sanji and with Sanji as he experienced the emotional battles every member of the crew faced when they came into contact with their soon to be Captain, (including Usopp's turmoil at Water 7).

He knew what it meant for each member to join Luffy and he knew what it meant to leave the crew. He experienced first hand with Nami, Luffy didn’t believe Nami would steal from them and kill Usopp even though she had only been with him for a short time. And he waited for her response to challenge Arlong.

When Usopp clashed with Luffy at Water 7, Sanji was there knowing what it meant for a crewmate to clash with his captain and the weight of leaving the crew. He lashed out at Luffy when he was about to say something reckless,

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Sanji lashes out at Luffy's reckless speaking, Chapter 331 page 15]

and after showing he understood Usopp's feelings of inadequacy within the crew he made it clear that everyone has something they can do best when supporting Luffy and the crew. Even still he later agreed with Zoro's reasoning in the epic speech given to Luffy about the importance of respecting your Captain as these are not Pirate games they are playing.

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Sanji agrees with Zoro, Chapter 438 page 5]

When Robin left the crew Sanji saw how Luffy responded and without hesitating he was there to challenge an entity as great as the World Government (WG) just to bring her back. He wasn’t even patient enough to wait for the crew on the Sea Train because as Luffy said to Zoro, would any of them have been able to sit back and wait.

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Sanji impatient to challenge the World Government, Chapter 367 page 12]

These moments, for me, shaped a character trait in Sanji showing how much he values his crewmates but also shows how relentless both he and Luffy are when it comes to getting someone back. So I couldn’t reconcile this character that we’ve been shown across the story with the one in Zou who thinks it's ok to leave the crew on a false promise to return and think no one in the crew would challenge that decision. A lot of people say that he was planning to come back but even in the moment it was clear to the crew that Sanji was lying.

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Sanji’s lie, Chapter 813 page 17]

Nico Robin

I want to compare Sanji’s plan to leave and save the crew against Robin's plan during the Water 7 arc. My aim is to show how similar their reasoning is but why the decision only makes sense from Robin's perspective as a character at the time of her decision and not for Sanji during WCI.

When Robin left the crew it really was to protect a group of people she only just became acquainted with so understandably would not want them facing a power as huge as the World Government or alternatively resenting her for staying with the crew as she’s experienced in the past. Her sacrifice was to protect a crew of 6 people from the full power of the World Government. She had seen their power destroy her home ISLAND in the past so it is very understandable to assume the crew wouldn’t have a chance in hell of surviving an attack.

Robin didn’t know the capability of the Straw-Hats and their willingness to challenge a huge organisation like the World Government. What she did know was the power of the WG and that a normal crew would not survive the immediate threat of a Buster Call along with the power of the CP9 at Water 7.

Robin's wish was for them to be able to leave Water 7 safely which is why Lucci spared them during their battle in Icebergs mansion. Some fans question if the WG would have actioned a Buster Call on Water 7 because without it there was still an option to escape, plus the CP9 were on the island undercover. Why would the government destroy it? Why wouldn’t Robin just run from Water 7 and let the Straw-Hats escape?.

Enies Lobby is a much more important location to the WG than Water 7 due to its position in the world as the Judiciary island. It’s a symbol of the World Governments power. CP-9 were in Ohara when a buster call was actioned which goes to show the lack of hesitation the government had during these attacks, even when its own personnel are on the Island. Also CP-9 as well as a number of government officials, and their families that lived on the island, were on Enies Lobby at the time and in both cases they still attacked without hesitation, they still attacked the island indiscriminately. They had no reason not to attack Water 7 if a buster call was issued, so I don’t see how calling one on Water 7 would have been impossible.

At that time Robin was already aware of that scary power and it had haunted her her entire life, so if it were called on Water 7 assuming the Straw-Hats didn’t chase her (she wouldn’t have accounted for this at the time) it makes sense for her to want to save them from it. Let’s not forget that they really only escaped the Buster Call thanks to a massive Deux Ex Machina. I can suspend disbelief long enough to say a worn down ship was able to traverse ‘Aqua Laguna storm level waves’ and reach another island with no crew or navigator thanks to the power of friendship but damn, lets just call it what it is, Shonen Magic.

CP-9 weren’t on Water 7 to get Robin, they were there on an undercover mission to get the Pluton blueprints from Iceberg, so I’m guessing rather than snatching her and potentially blowing their cover too soon, they met with her to explain the threat they could be to the Straw-Hats and pressure her into coming with them peacefully which was an added benefit of their mission. A well calculated move from Lucci. Also remember that they had recently just lost to Aokiji, who was the shadow behind the threat since a buster call can only be issued on his authority as an Admiral (he gave permission to Spandam after encountering the Straw-Hats). In the end they had to escalate the plan and force Iceburg to give them the blueprints rather than wait for him to hand it over to an apprentice, they assumed if they threatened his life he would hand it over sooner to Paulie, then in the middle of their attack deduced that he had already handed it to Franky years beforehand. (Off topic but basically they had a plan and Robin landing on Water 7 was just a perk they took advantage of).

The bond she got with Luffy and the crew came from having nowhere else to go after Luffy saved her from killing herself at Alabasta, then was reinforced when she realised her dreams weren’t dead in Skypiea with the revelation that the true history of the void century does exist and she only needs to follow the log to the end of the grand line to find it. Even though it was a small timeframe she was able to build that bond with them, but even still it was clear that not enough had happened for her to ever think the Straw-Hats were any match for the WG.

In-world no one would believe that, this is why the Straw-Hats are the only pirates to ever attack Enies Lobby. Even Yonko crews don’t attack the WG without reason or backup of more than a 6 person crew. Even though they survived in the end, at the time it was a deal to protect the crew at the cost of her life so it made sense.

We can see afterwards that she’s grown out of not believing in them as when they got to Zou, Neko and Duke said she’d be a target for being able to read the Poneglyphs - to which she replied it’ll be fine because she had her crew to protect her.

Her deal made all the sense in the world.

Sanji on the other hand benefitted from a much longer, much deeper experience with Luffy and the crew by the time it came to his ‘ultimate sacrifice’. He was there at Water 7 when the entire crew rejected Robin's reasoning (even Usopp) for leaving the crew. He chased her onto the Government filled Train with no guarantees, no background and no hesitation with the greatest takeaway from that arc being to believe in Luffy. That belief in the captain wasn't there when it came to facing off against a member of the Yonko and protecting his extended family - a huge character step back I think.

Sanji's downfall here was not believing in his crew even after experiencing the other side of things with Robin. Why wouldn’t Luffy come for him? He’s never experienced Big Moms power (not that he needed to) in the same way Robin was traumatised by the WG’s display of power in her childhood. He knows enough about his captain to know Luffy would still challenge Big Mom as Luffy had already said he was planning to challenge each member of the Yonko. He had already challenged Big Mom on Fishman Island and the plan to challenge Kaido was already in motion. I understand challenging both at the same time might make him think it’s a bit much, but I disagree with him not bringing the issue to his crew considering all they had been through. It shows the biggest problem of Sanji not believing in Luffy and the crew.

His Faith Wavered

Protecting Zeff

At the time Sanji made the decision to leave the crew he thought Zeff was in danger, a threat delivered by Big Mom. He also believes Big Mom herself would be an added threat too difficult for the Straw-Hats at this time.

I don’t want us to get bogged down in the details of Big Moms plan. I very much agree with the point that she truly didn’t care about Zeff at the Baratie, she only threatened Zeff to get Sanji to the wedding (A Big Mom Tea Party Invitation Standard) in order to lay the trap for Germa.

But character moments all come from the decisions they make based on the information they have at the time. At the time Sanji made the decision to leave the crew, the threat on Zeff was real enough to him so in Sanji’s mind if he ran from the wedding or challenged Bege and Big Mom she probably would have actioned the threat. To Sanji, his only option here was to go along with the wedding.

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Vito informing Sanji about the threat on Zeff, Chapter 813 page 9]

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Baron Tamago of the Big Mom pirates giving Judge the leverage they have over Sanji, Chapter 839 page 12]

Battling Luffy

Sanji understood that by getting married he’d automatically force the Straw-Hats into being subordinates of the Big Mom crew. Initially he thought saying he’d handle it himself would be enough to stop Luffy from coming and by officially leaving the crew he’d absolve them from a fate as underlings similar to the portrayal of Bege at the time. (Going back to my initial point I think this reasoning doesn’t make sense as we all know Luffy's character). This is why after Luffy came after him he tried to make it clearer that he'd left the crew and Sanji did this by fighting Luffy and telling him to leave.

When he battled Luffy (who didn’t fight back) it wasn’t over a huge disagreement and insecurity in his own strength like Usopp's battle with Luffy. In fact if we compare this to Usopp's moment when both he and Luffy got heated and ended in a similar battle of pride/ clashing views I see no reason why Sanjis isn’t as bad.

The Luffy vs Sanji clash came about due to a lack of understanding which came about because Sanji had not been clear in explaining his position and why he made this choice to leave the crew, instead he kicked sand in the face of his crew and captain.

I believe he went too far here, although he deep down had good intentions, I see it as a clear showing disrespect. It was all an act with a brave face from Sanji's point of view and Luffy could tell straight away.

Comparatively, Usopp also put on a brave face with an understandable battle for him to establish his place as a pirate, but it was the challenge of Luffy’s authority in itself that was a showing of disrespect to the captain.

In essence it was a clash of pride where Sanji challenged his captain’s abilities, with the belief that his method of dealing with the issue was right and Luffy’s was wrong.

His Respect Wavered.

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Sanji vs Luffy, Chapter 843 page 19]

Returning to the Crew

Redemption is a huge part of character development and usually always comes from a lie the character has told to themselves they battle to make a reality. Any story worth its ink will give us characters with strong traits and equally strong flaws that they later resolve within themselves and grow from.

Sanji had a lot of character development during the WCI arc including accepting his past/background, dealing with the trauma caused by his father, his siblings and the death of his mother, and probably quite importantly, believing in himself, his crew and his captain. But there was one character moment that I feel was flawed enough to reduce the impact of his redemption moment and therefore reduce his standing as a character for me… His reconciliation with Luffy.

During the Arlong Park arc Nami lied about her feelings toward the crew and her village. Her redemption came in the form of saving Usopp from death at the hands of Arlong by stabbing through her hand and facilitating his escape, this showed how much she cared about the crew. And her lie towards the villagers was resolved when her backstory was established and showed her intentions to protect them, the redemption here came the moment she asked Luffy for help and also established her belief in her new Captain.

At Enies Lobby Robin lied about her desire to die so as to not live in a world where no one cares for her and see her as a burden. Her redemption came when she acknowledged she does have a place in the world and had finally found people who care about her. She immediately screamed from the top of her lungs that she wanted to live and in doing so established her new found belief in her crew and Captain.

The segmented parts of Water 7 displayed Usopp's lie about being too weak to be part of a crew of ‘monsters’ along with his fear of being discarded due to his lack of belief in his own abilities and the strength of his friendship/place in the crew. His redemption came when he acknowledged that everyone has something they can do that makes them strong even if it's not physically, and his unyielding resolve to save his crew mates when he tagged along for the mission to rescue Robin. Notice that Usopp's flaws never included losing faith in Luffy, his flaw was always pride and the redemption note for his pride was different to Nami and Robins. Usopp had to apologise, direct and on his knees before he could be fully redeemed as a character.

Sanji's storyline in WCI came with a double whammy. Not only did he show a lack of faith in his captain, he also allowed his pride get in the way of showing respect to his captain. A pirate no go area.

Before overhearing Pudding he was resolved to getting married and living his life with her, but when he found out it was a lie why did this change his resolve of protecting the crew and Zeff. I’d say all other factors *at this point* are exactly the same for Sanji and he had already accepted his death (or a version of it through his freedom and his cooking being taken away).

First, technically Zeff was still in danger as far as he knew. ReijI didn’t say Zeff was safe, she asked him to escape, let Germa die and figure it out [what to do about Zeff] afterwards, her reasoning was Big Mom had no interest in Zeff as long as she got Germa, but Sanji wanted to save both. So in Sanji's mind Zeff is still in danger, but now he has an added problem as he wants to save Germa.

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Reiju explains the threat on Zeff still exist unless Big Mom gets Germa, Chapter 852 page 16]

Secondly the crew still can’t challenge Big Mom head on. If he had continued with his plan to go through with the wedding, whether they got married or he was killed, his plan still would have worked. Zeff and the Straw-Hats would be safe. The same way Robin would have died at Enies Lobby and Nami would have given her freedom to forever be part of Arlong's crew. At the cost of Sanji’s life his plan would have worked and made sense.

So should I now take this to mean that he really wasn’t resolved to dying for his ideals. (I’m not saying he should have, the entire point of Luffy’s character is a challenge to this statement, believe in Luffy and he’ll fix it)

But for some reason, the moment he discovers the wedding is a sham and Germa is doomed he decides out of desperation that now is the time to return to the crew and ask Luffy for help. It’s not only hypocritical but it’s shameful and damaged Sanji as a character for me.

During his reconciliation with Luffy I’m sure Sanji acknowledges these points when discussing why he can’t go back but he isn’t held accountable for it.

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Sanji 3 reasons Chapter 856 page 12]

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Sanji 3 reasons Chapter 856 page 13]

Sanji’s redemption, like Nami and Robin, included a moment where he had to re-establish his belief in Luffy and the rest of the crew. But I argue that his cause for losing faith in Luffy was, in the first place, unwarranted and a step backwards for the character.

And unlike Usopps, his redemption did not include a moment of humility where he would need to swallow his pride and apologise to Luffy for putting his own ideals before his captains.

I know in the end everything worked out but at the time Sanji’s actions didn’t make sense for the character I had come to know throughout the story and there was not enough impact in his redeeming moment to allow me to see the character as he once was. Now he’s just that badass monster fighter on the crew and he’ll forever be removed from my list of favourite Straw-Hats. Black Leg Sanji.

#one piece #vinsmoke sanji #nico robin #monkey d luffy #pirate hunter zoro #big mom #charlotte linlin

[nearly-theyre]

haikyuu: multi-work series fic recs!

hello friends! we are back at it again with another fic rec list ~

find me on twitter and ao3 (where you can see all the fics I didn’t get to put on this rec list!) ~

LET’S BEGIN

FORMAT:

“title” (ratings) by author (a ✰ means the series is HIGHLY recommended!)

link

Works: # Complete: Yes/No

Warnings: will consist of ALL warnings present in the series, although each warning present may not be present in EVERY fic of the series

description / notes of the series OR the summary of the first fic

WARNINGS AND WORKS/COMPLETE ARE AS OF 8/3/2020 !!!! MAKE SURE YOU ALWAYS READ WARNINGS/TAGS/SUMMARIES BEFORE READING! 

“cafe backrooms and serendiptuous shenanigans.” (NR) by turnaboutcafe

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774060

Works: 4 Complete: No

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

in which the haikyuu!! characters work in a university cafe.

in publishing order i. what a bother. / kuroken ii. personal space. / iwaoi iii. cafe latte. / bokuaka iv. wrong order. / kagehina

“Being Human” (T/M/E) by shions_heart

https://archiveofourown.org/series/660140

Works: 7 Complete: No

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings / No Archive Warnings Apply / Graphic Depictions of Violence

Set in an alternate world of magic, witches, and demons, our volleyball sons learn about life, love, and what it means to be human. 

“Sometimes You Just Clique” (G/T) by SoVeryAverageMe

https://archiveofourown.org/series/695778

Works: 2 Complete: No

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

No one expected the spoiled rich kid, popular football captain, arrogant school genius, and uptight class president to become best friends following The Incident™ their junior year. Underneath their differing facades and personal armors, lay a bed of similar insecurities and anxieties. This is the story of how they met and what happened afterwards, because sometimes when you meet the right group of people you just... clique.

“omam verse” (T/M/E) by shions_heart

https://archiveofourown.org/series/403992

Works: 4 Complete: No

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence / Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Though some may believe they're monsters, those closest to them know they're just men learning how to love in this world of magic, demons, and faeries. 

“iwfyitd verse” (G/T/M/E) by shions_heart, knightswatch ✰

https://archiveofourown.org/series/378352

Works: 7 Complete: Yes

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence / Major Character Death / Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

The story of a band of Super Soldiers trying to save the world, and their loved ones who fight alongside them.

“a park in amsterdam” (M) by Resamille

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1239377

Works: 2 Complete: No

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Summary of the first fic: They come together unexpectedly. They each have memories: a friend once held dear, now gone. The trail has led them here, and maybe, along the way, they remember each other too. 

Or: Over twenty years ago, witch law decreed a split between magic and non-magic worlds. Five humans were the first casualties in the protest. Their five soulmates were left to pick up the pieces.

“Hanamaki Disease: Disturbing the peace of volleyball teams everywhere” (G/T) by Ink_stained_quills

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1604839

Works: 4 Complete: No

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply 

Hanamaki disease: when Hanamaki Takahiro must “eyy” whenever he sees someone crushing. A friend to couples and menace to pining people everywhere (or is he?)

“Seijoh Sweets: Aoba Johsai Artisinal Bakery” (T) by FindingSchmomo

https://archiveofourown.org/series/525493

Works: 3 Complete: No

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Collection of Oneshots taking place in my Aoba Johsai Bakery AU

“Haikyuu at Hogwarts” (G/T) by Killthespare ✰

https://archiveofourown.org/series/952755

Works: 4 Complete: No

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply / Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Pretty much as the title suggests: a Hogwarts!AU with Haikyuu. It's planned as a seven book series so definitely a longer series. This first few can be read out of order with only minor confusion (about as easily as the first few Harry Potter books can) but there is an overall series plot in addition to the individual plots of each story. As of the fourth book, the previous third story should really be read before the fourth or later books.

So far, the stories in order: 1.) Shouyou Hinata and the Mirror of Erised (complete) 2.) Koushi Sugawara and the Heir of Slytherin (complete) 3.) Yu Nishinoya and the Shrieking Shack (complete) 4.) Tooru Oikawa and the Triwizard Tournament (in progress)

“hq detective AUs” (M) by valiantarmor ✰

https://archiveofourown.org/series/234750

Works: 3 Complete: Yes

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply / Graphic Depictions of Violence

A series of detective AUs.

“Carving Out A Life” (M/T) by RoseSakura  ✰

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1429972

Works: 2 Complete: No

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence / No Archive Warnings Apply

Zombie Apocalypse AUs - including both longer stories and little one shots

“The Big Bads” (T) by fandom_cat

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1612339

Works: 2 Complete: No

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

A collection of chats between different HQ characters! Works can be read separately but what's the fun in that? ;) Oh, and gay: gay everywhere.

Lots of things getting discussed. Mostly light-hearted though, fun was had, jokes were made. Any additional trigger warnings listed before chapters.

“chiaroscuro” (T) by newamsterdam  ✰

https://archiveofourown.org/series/434134

Works: 2 Complete: No

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply 

chiaroscuro: the interplay of darkness and light.

--

“We’re called guardians,” Kuro says. “Over time, people have had different names for us, but it really all comes back to that. We’re shifters, shaper-changers… the name doesn’t really matter. What does is that we’re supposed to keep the two kinds of magical forces in the world balanced.” He rattles this off with a roll of his eyes, as though it’s something he’s heard many times over.

Kenma thinks back to the curling snake made of shadows, to Sugawara’s words: People who shine brightly attract a lot of darkness.

“Shadows and light,” he says, not quite a question.

Kuro nods approvingly. “Basically, yeah. There’s a bit more to it than that—shadow magic is born of independence, of isolation and loneliness. Light magic is connections, the relationships between people. Most people have a low dose of both, go through their entire lives not realizing there’s magic in the world.”

“But not you,” Kenma prompts.

“Unfortunately.”

“Circle Universe” (T) by sandersonsister (REQUIRES AO3 ACCT)  ✰

https://archiveofourown.org/series/826590

Works: 2 Complete: No

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings / No Archive Warnings Apply

Summary of the first fic: It was the omega’s that initiated the courtships, the omega’s that decided who was needed in the circle. But it didn’t worry Kenma. Honestly, there was a particular reason it didn't worry him.

That reason was Kuroo.

He always knew the two of them would be together. And he thought that was enough. He was wrong.

“not just good business” (G/T/NR) by ilgaksu 

https://archiveofourown.org/series/307530

Works: 7 Complete: No

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence / Underage / Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings 

Description: credit to hamlet-themouse for their invaluable beta throughout this series so far. 

 Summary of the first fic:  It's been years since Kenma bought that pearly-pink powder and tried it on to go meet Kuroo after his shift, been years since Kuroo wiped his hands on his overalls and looked up and said don't you touch them like that. It's been years since he opened the door to the mob. They are the mob now. They're the ones knocking down the doors.

“Shiratorizawa Family” (G) by someonelikej

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1857982

Works: 2 Complete: No

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Mostly non-related one-shots and short stories portraying the Shiratorizawa team as a family.

“Domestic Cats” (M) by Avogara

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1717717

Works: 2 Complete: No

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

A collection of domestic, homey, post-timeskip Kuroken fluff

“‘Til Human Voices Wake Us” (T) by strikinglight

https://archiveofourown.org/series/393289

Works: 2 Complete: Yes

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings / No Archive Warnings Apply

Haikyuu Pacific Rim Diptych, feat. Daisuga and Kuroken as primary victims

“The Heart of Nekoma” (T/M) by shions_heart

https://archiveofourown.org/series/339679

Works: 3 Complete: Yes

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings 

The story of a penniless thief and the magical gem who steals his heart.

“brunch friends” (T/M) by newamsterdam  ✰

https://archiveofourown.org/series/612757

Works: 3 Complete: No

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Summary of the first fic: “Iwaizumi’s left his cell phone on the bench, and while Suga keeps his gaze away from Iwaizumi the phone lights up with a new message.

Iwa-chan, it reads, Have a good day today! Good luck! <3 <3 <3 

Suga chokes. It’s hard to imagine anyone calling the scowling and fierce Doctor Iwaizumi “Iwa-chan.” But marriage probably comes with all sorts of liberties.

Mrs. Iwaizumi must be quite the doting wife, Suga thinks. Delivering hand-made bentos and sending along loving messages.”

No one really knows much about the new surgical resident, Doctor Iwaizumi, other than the fact that he's married. Suga's determined to find out more, and make a friend of him in the process

“Among Us” (M) by dgalerab  ✰

https://archiveofourown.org/series/540973

Works: 5 Complete: No

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence / Rape/Non-Con / Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

X-men AU with my favorite volleydorks.

“It’s A Good Life” (G/T) by LisaVanDerMolen

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1615756

Works: 3 Complete: No

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply / Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Summary of the first fic: Kenma opened his eyes again and looked at the door. The dark hallway greeted him, something was wrong. And then he saw it, a small figure peeking at him from behind the door. Big golden eyes like his own greeted him. Kenma felt himself smiling at the sight in front of him, when he heard soft sniffles.

Kenma and Kuroo awaken to their kid crying and comfort him while not knowing what's wrong.

And that’s all for today folks! Hit me up here on tumblr or in my twitter DM’s if you want more recs or want to discuss any of the fics on this list in more depth! I’m happy to help you find the perfect series! 

Show these authors some love - don’t forget to kudos, comment, and message them on their socials to show your appreciation! 

take your meds, drink water, eat some food, get enough sleep, and reach out to someone today! I love you and you got this! 

#haikyuu #haikyuu fic recs #fanfiction #fic recs #writing #fandom #ao3 #archive of our own #n e ways i love fanfiction and these authors deserve more love!

[velkynkarma]

i saw your post about voltron fic recs! thanks for that!!! do you have any recs for one piece fics?

DO I. 

Bear in mind, almost all of my recs are pre-timeskip (or very close to just after the timeskip happened) so if you’re looking for anything regarding new characters, new plots, new islands, etc, you’re probably out of luck. For the most part I dropped out of the One Piece fandom shortly after the timeskip (a little bit into the Punk Hazard arc) since the characters and the premise just didn’t feel the same to me anymore. I did recently check out some new fics since I had a bit of a nostalgia kick for One Piece but even then I only stuck with stuff that could easily be envisioned pre-timeskip. 

This also means a lot of these recs are on Fanfiction.net. I know, people hate fanfiction.net, but AO3 wasn’t really a thing when I was in the One Piece fandom. 

Naturally...all my recs are gen/platonic. 

Assuming that’s all cool with you, check under the cut for my favorite fic recs!

AUTHORS

We’ll start off with authors...writers who have multiple One Piece fics that are, for the most part, really good. I’ll like to their AO3 profile if they have one, their FF.net one if they don’t. 

Tonko ~ Good quality gen fics (and if you like ships, they do those too, can’t speak to if those are good or not). Back when I was in the fandom (2010-2012-ish), Tonko had one of the most recced fics around, ‘Til You Feel It All Around You, which is a top-quality de-age fic that will sucker punch you in the feels over and over. Other personal favorites of mine include It’s The Little Things (Usopp gets a moment to be awesome and protect one of the monster trio for a change) and Invasive Measures, which features some A+ Zoro whump. Highly recommend a stroll through this profile.

X-Parrot ~ Likewise, X-Parrot has some of the best fics out there from even before I actively joined the fandom. They write a great mix of gen and ships, so you will get something you are interested in one way or another. My personal favorite is Seven Deaths which is the first fic I ever read by this writer (and features some excellent Zoro and Sanji friendship), but you can’t go wrong with Tiger Hunt either (in which Zoro is mind controlled and set to attacking the rest of the crew).  Honestly, check the whole profile out, pretty much everything is gold. 

Callosum ~ One of my favorite writers back in the day. Callosum has a neat mix (again) of gen and ship, so you can probably find something to your taste, and they produced a lot of fic. My personal favorite is Thirty Sword Katas which was done for the opfanforall’s 30 prompts challenges (basically the group posted 30 prompts in a set, and writers claimed a character and wrote something for each prompt). Most of the time, writers wrote short little pieces for this project. This author wrote long, well thought out pieces, so this is a real treat if you like Zoro. Most of their other fics are great too.

ZeldaAddict42 ~ ZeldaAddict was another one of those writers back in the day who was constantly producing content for One Piece and a lot of it is great. My personal favorite is Sticky Situation which straight up feels like a stupid, kooky side plot that might happen in a filler episode in the anime: a glue Devil Fruit user accidentally sticks Zoro, Sanji, Nami and Chopper together and they have to escape while attached to each other. Sanji’s Spinner is also pretty entertaining. Give these fics a whirl.

dandy wonderous ~ If you’re a Sanji fan you can’t go wrong with checking out this writer, since pretty much everything they write is Sanji-centric in some way. Personal favorite is Room for Two, in which a Devil Fruit user with the power to remove souls accidentally sticks Zoro’s in Sanji’s body, which makes them mental roommates until they can get Zoro’s body back. They’ve got plenty of other good stuff too, though.

SPECIFIC FICS

Libitina ~ Good adventure fic involving a weird island with plant monsters. Just zany enough to feel like it fits One Piece World while still having some good heart-to-heart moments with all the characters. Also, Zoro whump. 

Game Time ~ Same author as above. Luffy is bored on the Thousand Sunny and orders his crew to play a game with him. They play Hide-and-go-Seek. The catch? No powers allowed. 

Sanji’s Most Incredible Birthday ~ It’s Sanji’s birthday and the crew gets him the best present ever, a better looking wanted poster. (I should probably add that this was written before the timeskip and his new look, so at the time the wanted poster he is upset about is the hand-drawn one he got after Enies Lobby). Heartwarming and also very, very funny.

Caring, Not Careless ~ Tooth-aching fluff about Zeff and a very young Sanji still learning how to be a cook.

It’s Not Like Last Time ~ Some rare hurt/comfort with Brook as the main character. The Straw Hats get sick and he’s terrified of it ending the same way it did with his last crew. 

It’s Hard Knowing Your Own Strength ~ Short, sweet, to the point, and hilarious. The monster trio is getting too strong too fast and it has unforeseen consequences. 

Zoro’s Directions ~ By the same author as above, this fic makes me bust a gut laughing every time I read it.

Taking Turns Washing Up ~ A cute little slice-of-life story about the whole crew taking turns doing dishes.

No Time To Crank The Sun ~ This is a newer one that’s actually still ongoing, and a rare story set after the timeskip, but I’m enjoying it surprisingly a lot. Zoro starts losing his memories bit by bit and seemingly at random, and the rest of the crew is struggling to figure out if somebody is causing this and how to help him before it’s too late. Not completed yet, but it’s been updating pretty regularly, so I’ve got faith in it.

OTHER

Not a fic exactly, but there was this great fancomic a while back by olafpriol here, which I 100% recommend checking out. It never finished, but the chapters that are up are incredible.  It does get a liiiittle heavy on the suggestive Sanji and Nami pairing (which is the artist’s favorite), but not enough to be unbearable (and considering it’s Sanji, it’s really not out of character for him to fawn over ladies anyway). 

Hope you enjoy, anon!

#One Piece #fic recs #fandom #writing #Anonymous

[reggierightsactivism]

Season 5 Reggie predictions? As far as where the show is likely to take him. Life direction romance etc.

good question... hm. well setting aside the holdover eps from this season, it’s probably safe to assume by now he is going to community college (or... won’t go to college at all?) and will probably take over his dad’s car lot or at least be in the process of being groomed to do so, which means he’ll probably still live in riverdale. if he doesn’t do that, like say if he had a falling out with his parents, he might be trying out a bunch of different things still trying to figure out his post-high school identity, like more bartending or acting or something... sporty... sports reporting???? god I would like to see that. 

I know melton is very insistent that reggie will NOT peak in high school but frankly reggie’s entirely persona atm revolves around his high school identity (football captain, class clown, etc) more than almost anyone else, so I could see him being a little aimless/lost at first but one of his strengths is pushing through anyway, fake-it-til-you-make-it KING

this is a 5 years timeskip right? if it was longer then probably there’d be a cringe joke about him being on a 2nd or 3rd marriage or something but 5 years down what I’d hope for and what I’ll probably get are very different things-- there aren’t any currently single characters atm for them to pair him off with so maybe 1) v/rchie breaks up and she gets with reggie again (would prefer this not to happen but I could see it), 2) he dates a minor/newly introduced character (could go either way), 3) they let him date a boy. they might also leave him single so that he can potentially develop a relationship during the season or be someone’s a romantic rival/rebound again. assuming they touch a romantic storyline (even a background one) for him at all 

#replies #Anonymous

[everyonesomething]

Session 23c

Hiram: "Welcome 'round the fire, s'long as you talk straight."

Capridi shrugs and takes the flask and takes a few swigs. Capridi: "I assure you, none of us are straight" Capridi assumes that none of the party is straight Edith Runekill looks delighted to be included in that now.

In this session, we cheer on the good guy.

The set-up: Two stories down, it's Syd's turn now.

The Game: Cap's awake now and leaves the camper to join the group at the fire hoping to score some food. There isn't much left, but Hiram gets Grim to fix a bowl for her and she sits down.

Hiram: "Didn't catch your name, big'un?" Capridi "Nancy Drow" Pepper squints. Malkas sighs. Edith Runekill just looks confused Hiram: "Sure." "You come down from Neverwinter too?" Malkas: "Had a good time in the trailer, huh, Nancy? Sydney Gaydos makes the biggest O:!!! SHE LOVES NANCY DROW. Capridi holds up the rest of the fruit leather she's eating in a cheers gesture. Pepper: "Nannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnncy," she says, trying the name out. Capridi eats the rest of it and takes the plate of beans and rice. Edith Runekill looks at Capridi, obviously disappointed she'd try to lie to poor Hiram :C Pepper doesn't like this name as much as Cap. Grim smokes and s t a r e s at Cap

Grim explains to Hiram that Cap is working for the group to pay down the bounty Mal holds over her. Hiram nods, then turns his attention to Syd.

Hiram: "Where'd we get to, now? Gaydos, ain't it? Says you were some kinda detective?" Sydney Gaydos was about to once again help Pepper up BUT OH STORY TIME! "You are very correct! And to come with that title, Gaydos has many exciting tales and adventures." Hiram grins Pepper has given in to gravity's sweet pull. Hiram: "Y'got a favourite?" Capridi isn't paying attention. She just stares into the fire. Sydney Gaydos taps a claw to her chin in contemplation. "Gaydos is fond of one of her first outings, specifically the story of where she gained her very first gumshoe." She stands up suddenly and puffs out her chest, raising a finger in the air. "It is called The Great Bejeweled Rapier Caper!" Pepper hopes Syd remembers she's down here by her feet. Pepper is in no condition to help herself. Sydney Gaydos didn't step on the floor Pep don't worry. Malkas: "Oh God." Hiram nods and gestures for Syd to go on, settling down to repack his pipe Sydney Gaydos: "It all started when Gaydos first founded her detective agency, and she was assigned to find out who capered the rapier..." [ohhhhh FLASHBACK TIME] Pepper sees the sky around Syd get all wavy. Weird. Capridi is used to seeing things Pepper knows how to fix that! And a very unsteady mage hand pops into existence near Mal and begins dragging one of the more full alcohol bottles towards her. Sydney Gaydos as a much younger version, meticulously examines every little trace of evidence over the shattered glass of the case. "It seems..." "... this glass was BROKEN by a blunt object." Yes. Good detective skills. Sydney Gaydos: ("The Great Detective is allowed a few uncritically examined investigations...") Capridi is mildly impressed Jemily as the NPC Jewelry Store Owner: "That... is obvious, detective. You know maybe I should look around s'more, see if there's some more seasoned—" Sydney Gaydos: "N-no! Gaydos can do it!" Sydney waves both her hands, flustered. "Just, she has her own way of doing things, please trust in her." Pepper: ( "I believe in you, Syd," Pepper whispers. Flashbacks are a little too advanced for her to wrap her mind around right now. Jemily: "Fine." He crosses his arms, annoyed. "So what else have you figured out?" Sydney Gaydos: ("Your vote of confidence warms the depths of Gaydos' heart always, Pepper.") "It's—" she glances around the store, looking at the floor, just, for something! "There—... there was a group! Yes!" She motions towards the ground, pulling out her magnifying glass to get a better look. "As see may see there are several different sets of footprints! We are searching for a group of capers!" Malkas: ("I don't think that's what a caper is.") Sydney Gaydos hands the magnifying glass to the owner. "As you also may notice, they are small and reptilian with three claws. Gaydos deduces—!" she pauses for dramatic effect and POINTS, "—they are Kobold in nature! Which is supported by the Kobold's love of jewelry and jewelry-like accessories!" Sydney Gaydos is also, being VERY animated in the present, making these gestures she are in the story. Malkas: ("Racist!") Sydney Gaydos: ("Gaydos is not proud of her younger self's blatant disregard for contributing to racial stereotypes. She apologizes now and tries to do better in the present.") Pepper: ( "Mal, is that racist?" she asks a full half minute later. Time is in a precarious state for her right now. Malkas: ("Yeah but it's like when Infernal Tieflings and Abyssal Tieflings don't get along. It's, like, a thing.") Jemily: "I knew it!" He slams a fist on the frame of the broken case in anger. "Those little scaly filthy thieves! I knew it was them!" Sydney Gaydos looks... uncomfortable now at the "term", and a little less confident. "I— yes if you know of them, then it can be inferred they are the ones behind this! Tell Gaydos where they reside if you know...?" Malkas: ("This took a turn.") Capridi is thankful there aren't enough people who look like her for jerks to call her a wooly, despite actually having scales. Pepper: ( She frowns. This guy sounds like a jerk. Jemily: "'Course I know! I've chased those little thieves back to that alley they live in! Weekly! Always lookin' in my store. I knew they'd do something like this eventually—" he grabs Sydney's arm to drag her out of the store and point down the street. "That way, and take a left at Elfroot and keep going til you see the hovel they live in. And don't come back til you have my stolen rapier." He slams the door to DeBugBeers. Sydney Gaydos awkwardly looks between the door and the street, now visibly uncomfortable before setting off in the direction she was told. Jemily: [OOoo oOOOoO OO TIMESKIP] Malkas: ("You don't gotta make that noise, Syd.") Capridi: "yes, she does" Sydney Gaydos: ("It's important to the world building of the story!" Sydney goes back to her Story Voice "And then, The Great Detective arrived to her destination! Suddenly, she was surrounded! There a dozen, no— two dozen! A dozen's dozen Kobolds! Closing in!") Pepper: ( She squints. Pepper: ( "That many?" she asks. She's having trouble visualizing a dozen dozen anythings but that sounds wrong. Malkas: ("That's a lot, Syd.") Malkas isn't quite paying attention, he's waiting for Edith to keel over. Sydney Gaydos: ("Y-yes! Gaydos' memory is not the best but she clearly remembers that many..." she lies so very hard.) Hiram gives Syd a level look Edith Runekill: ("Sounds reasonable to me.") ("Sydney's tough!") Sydney Gaydos SEES that looks and deflates. "Mmmaybe it was less then that." ) Edith Runekill takes that in stride ) Edith Runekill: ("Well, every story grows in the telling!") Sydney Gaydos gives a Edith a small smile. "Quite right Deputy Edith! Gaydos will be more accurate about what happened." ) Edith Runekill smiles back. ) Sydney Gaydos does, in reality, take ONE step into the alleyway before she's caught up in a single snare trap, strung up in the air upside down, and then surrounded by four young Kobolds with daggers. Sydney Gaydos: ("The following conversation is in Draconic, but she will do her best to translate into Common.") Vhinzizzork: "The Hells ya' want, Dragonborn?" she points her dagger towards Sydney's head threateningly. Sydney Gaydos struggles a bit, trying to free herself before dropping her arms. "Gaydos is investigating a theft of a valuable jeweled rapier not too far away and she suspects you did it!" she swings forward to point an accusing claw towards them. Pepper: ( She's having trouble following half of this story now, Syd is occasionally making dog noises for some reason. ( She drinks, rather than ask for clarification. Vhinzizzork she pokes Sydney's head a little with the dagger, looking annoyed. "Rapier? Haven't seen anything like that "Gaydos". Go sniff around somewhere else." Sydney Gaydos: "She found evidence! You were in the store!" Vhinzizzork: "Must'a been some other gang of Kobolds." Sydney Gaydos HUFFS. "She knows you did it! So just cut her down from this darn thing and accept your criminal actions and punishment!" Vhinzizzork with the group, darken considerably and she pokes Sydney's head again with the dagger, a little deeper this time. "Listen up, Gaydos. We didn't steal NOTHIN' that didn't belong to us FIRST y'got that?" Sydney Gaydos blinks at that. No longer annoyed or angry, she looks thoughtful. "What... do you mean by that?" Malkas: ("A twist!") Edith Runekill: ("Gasp!") Pepper: ( "Did you say gasp." ) Vhinzizzork is taken off-guard by the question, and glances between the group before nodding slowly. "That slob owner ripped us off. We needed the money, so we worked and worked in some mines of his!" The grip on her dagger begins to shake in anger. "We didn't understand Common. We didn't understand getting a handful of copper per WEEK wasn't right! Now look at'im! He's selling our hard word for quadruple the price while we live HERE! That's not right!" Sydney Gaydos lets out a heavy, sad sigh after the explanation. "No, that isn't right. Please, let Gaydos down, she only wishes to seek justice for the wronged. " She looks directly at Vhinzizzork. "For anyone." Grim is actually listening with interest for the first time tonight Edith Runekill has been interested all night but she looks PARTICULARLY interested right now. Capridi wants cheetos Vhinzizzork once again glances between the group before they they all agree silently. She throws her dagger at the top of the snare to cut Sydney free, probably none too gently. The group takes a few steps back but Vhin stays right where she is. "You really mean that?" she asks hesitantly. Sydney Gaydos lands with a hard fump and a grunt, before rubbing her head and standing to her feet. "Of course. Gaydos is a detective for that reason! She will see criminals be punished, " despite the dull pain, she gives the group a smile. "Please, do trust her." Vhinzizzork glowers. "You gotta' prove ya' deserve that trust, " she states harshly before softening, "but if ya' do this, ya' get that slob punished or whatever. It'd be earned, " Pause. "Detective." Pepper: ( "Give 'em hell, Syd!" She fist bumps Syd's foot. She's way into this story. Sydney Gaydos: [present making noises sound] "... and due to Gaydos' wonderful charismatic talent, that store owner was shut down and jailed for severe neglect and abuse of underaged employees under his care due to under payment and poor living conditions, while the young Kobolds only received community service at the Private Eye, where! Vhinzizzork decided to remain after the service hours were up." Malkas: "W- But how?" "How did you, like ... prove it?" Sydney Gaydos: "Lack of payment records. It was also four against one on what had happened. Not to mention Gaydos' own account of the owners rather distasteful opinion on scaled races." Pepper: "And she's the great detective!" She's being sincere. Syd is just the greatest. Malkas: "Well, good job Syd." Hiram: "Justice kinda sides with the seven foot fire breather in private disagreements, I found." Edith Runekill: "You did a really good thing there, Sydney." Capridi: "syndeee, champion dogooder" Edith Runekill glows with admiration Grim grunts affirmation Edith Runekill: "It's always good to be able to look at a situation from another angle and figure out what's really the right thing to do."

Sydney Gaydos: "Also that. Gaydos assumes she was "lucky" in getting some police officers who were rather.. small and a bit more easily swayed." She BEAMS at all the praise. "Gaydos thanks you for the kind words, and hopes her actions continue to speak for herself."

Syd is so good, y'all.

#summary #previously on #neverwinter 1933